By electing to play football his junior and senior seasons, Damian Weaver gave up the opportunity…
Category: Athlete of the Week
Each week during the academic year, our Jim Hague chooses an Athlete of the Week from one of the eight towns we cover.
Athlete of the Week — Nutley softball, shortstop Mariano are heating up at the right time
Gabriella Mariano may only be a sophomore, but is used to pressure at this point. First…
Athlete of the Week- Harrison’s De La Cruz joins elite company with 1,000th assist
In the moments following his 1,000th career assist on May 9, Jose De La Cruz was…
AOTW — Versatile Colon keeps hitting no matter the position
Kearny shortstop Alex Colon always knew that there was a distinct possibility that at some point…
Athlete of the Week — North Arlington’s Rhi’Anna Gomez puts slump behind her with power surge
It might have only been 11 plate appearances and parts of four games, but for North…
Athlete of the Week — The hits keep coming for Belleville’s Ayden Carrero
At 5-foot-9 and 130 pounds, Ayden Carrero knows that power hitting is not currently a part…
Anthony Pizzuti has night to remember, sets Lyndhurst scoring record
If the way Anthony Pizzuti was feeling in the hours leading up to Lyndhurst’s game against…
Nutley’s Kojic makes history with Essex swim title
Few people know about Nutley High School’s swimming program, let alone the fact that it is…
Athlete of the Week Burgos turns street ball experience into HS success
When Edward Burgos first moved to Harrison from the Dominican Republic, he initially didn’t try out…
Kearny’s Hyams sets the tone on both ends of the court
For the last three years, Ava Hyams has been counted upon to be a facilitator on…
Nutley wrestler makes instant impact — ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Brandon Toraznzo’s initial introduction to wrestling wasn’t necessarily an easy one. Such early struggles are certainly…
Kone takes over has Harrison’s goalkeeper, is Athlete of the Week
A few days before the start of the state tournament, Harrison coach Mike Rusek told his…
Raefski leads Kearny to state tournament victory with dreams of more to come
The first half horn sounded and Paige Raefski walked off the field with her Kearny girls’…
AOTW: Added experience pays off for Belleville’s Bajuz
John Spina can remember watching Christina Bajuz struggle at times as a sophomore. And while there…
LHS sophomore Morinho: Captain, 5-touchdown game and now Athlete of the Week
Roddy Morinho may only be a sophomore at Lyndhurst High School, but he already has a…
Lyndhurst’s Wise breaks out with 11 goals, is Athlete of the Week
Tyler Wise might not have opened the season the way he wanted to as he was…
Chong & Ferreira both shine on the gridiron, are The Observer’s Co-Athletes of the Week
Whenever Adonis Chong or Gabe Ferreira is in need of a little motivation, all one has…
3-sport star John Lembo, of Lyndhurst, is The Observer’s 2022 Male Athlete of the Year
If John Lembo’s time at Lyndhurst could be summed up in just one play, one moment,…
Mackenzie Albert shines in 4 years at Nutley HS, is The Observer’s 2022 Athlete of the Year
If you heard the sound of a foot striking a soccer ball in Owens or Glotzbach…
AOTW: Lyndhurst’s Tozduman heads to Meet of Champions
Meanwhile, Tozduman’s performance at Franklin High School has made her the final The Observer Athlete of…
AOTW: Mullins’s spectacular junior season will serve as motivator for his final season
Like most parents of teenagers, Kearny head boys’ basketball and volleyball coach Bill Mullins will often…
Marcella Blancato — Athlete of the Week
When Nutley track coaches Gerald Ryan and Ed Annett first presented Marcella Blancato with the idea…
AOTW: Nutley’s DeLanzo getting it done on the mound & at the plate
DeLanzo’s recent performance on the mound, as well as his continued excellence at the plate and…
Kayla Carrino is pure gold for Golden Bears
Kayla Carrino wasn’t going to be content with second place this time.
Carselda, a sophomore, matures on the diamond quicker than anyone could have imagined
Robert Carselda may only be a sophomore, but the North Arlington shortstop/relief pitcher has already acquired…
AOTW — Lyndhurst senior Mizeski switches from first base to catcher, goes 7-for-11 at plate last week
Mizeski’s scorching hot performance at the plate and rapidly improving defense behind it makes her the…
AOTW — In young season, Nutley’s Matt Pergola already has staggering 46 lacrosse goals
By all accounts, Matt Pergola had a fine junior season last spring, scoring 52 goals.
AOTW: Queiroz shift to outside pays off for Blue Tide
Before the start of the season Harrison junior Guilherme Queiroz approached head volleyball coach Nick Landy…
OBSERVER ATHLETE OF THE WEEK — Kearny’s Covello: Multi-talented…and then some
To say Maci Covello is a diversly talented high school athlete would be a totally gross…
Laquindanum: Belleville’s little big man
BELLEVILLE – At first glance, you might not be overly impressed with Belleville High School senior…