A season of firsts

There were so many highlights in the Vernon Township High School boys basketball team’s recently concluded season that it’s nearly impossible to pick just one.

The Vikings posted an overall record of 20-7, and they were 7-3 as second-place finishers in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division.

They also won the first Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament title in school history and fell just short of winning their first state sectional title.

“When reflecting back on the season, our runs in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament as well as the NJSIAA North 1 Group 2 Sectional Tournament stand out the most,’’ head coach Connor Healy said.

“For our H/W/S run, we opened with a win versus Lenape Valley and then we revenged losses against Hackettstown and followed that up with a huge semifinal win over Phillipsburg, who earned the No. 1 seed in the H/W/S Tournament and was also ranked No. 19 in the NJ.com Top 20 state rankings.

“We then took down three-seed Hunterdon Central in the championship game on Feb. 16 to earn our first H/W/S Championship in school history.

“For our state tournament run, we took down Pequannock in the first round and followed that up with a 66-44 win over High Point in the quarterfinal round. Next, we won an overtime thriller as we came back from a big deficit over two-seed Glen Rock on the road in a hostile environment. We then ultimately fell short against Group 2 powerhouse Ramsey in our first state sectional final appearance in school history.’’

Reliable leadership was a constant for the Vikings, he said.

“For this season, senior Ben Jurewicz, senior Dhamir Morfe-Chess and junior Alex Fessel emerged as leaders for our team. They displayed their leadership on and off the court and were role models for all of the younger athletes in our program. They set the tone each day in practice and showed each player what it takes to reach a championship level.“

Other athletes who emerged as leaders included senior Brett Burke, juniors Aden Karwoski and Mikey Pecoraro, and sophomore Dylan Heykoop, the coach said.

“One athlete that comes to mind immediately is junior guard/forward Mikey Pecoraro. He started the season with a shoulder injury that limited his ability to see the court for most of the first half of the season.

“It was difficult for him to get into any sort of rhythm, but he stayed motivated and determined and ended up playing a huge role for us down the stretch come playoff time.“

Players who showed continual improvement included Karwoski, junior Ryan Ajamian, and sophomores Dylan Heykoop, Kevin de Stani and Dustin Wagner, he added.

“Our seniors have left a lasting impression on all underclassmen on what it takes to reach the next level in high school varsity basketball through their work ethic and dedication to their craft on and off the court,’’ Healy said.

The 2024-25 season looks promising.

“We have a number of returners for next season that gained valuable varsity experience this year, including leading scorer and 1,000-point scorer-junior guard Alex Fessel, sophomore guard Dylan Heykoop, junior guard Aden Karwoski, junior guard/forward Mikey Pecoraro and more,’’ Healy said.

“Despite having a great year and one of the most successful seasons in school history, we are hungry for more and are eager to improve and reach new heights this off-season.’’