A lot is expected of someone who is the captain of a sports team. It’s fair to see even more can be expected from someone who is a captain of a team for multiple years, but one of Fort Lee’s own is shining in just such a capacity. Senior Jason Halpern is a student athlete on the Fort Lee boys tennis team and has been on the varsity squad since his freshman year. Through his journey to the final season, Halpern has risen to the level of the top singles player for Fort Lee as well as a two-time captain of the Bridgemen. On the court, Halpern has yet to lose this season; he's a perfect 7-0 so …

Brianna Mattessich is a senior on the Fort Lee softball team and has been the starting third baseman for the Lady Bridgemen since her sophomore season. Last year, her play earned her a spot on the BCSL Honorable Mention team, but Brianna’s play to this point in 2011 may be rewarded with even more distinctions this time around. Mattessich is hitting .498 for Fort Lee and batting even higher in league play. “There has to be some girl that you don’t want to have beat you [with a big hit],” said Fort Lee softball coach Bob Aughey. “For Fort Lee right now at this point in the season, I think the …

Senior Sarah Wi is a four-year member of the Fort Lee golf team. She has defeated every one of her opponents this week and, more notably, has not lost at all this season. With four wins against Pascack Hills, Westwood, Passaic Tech and Ridgefield, Fort Lee has improved to 8-1 this week thanks in part to Sarah’s contributions. Just counting the four matches, Wi is edging the closest competitor by almost double digit margins each time out on the links, including as many as 19 shots on a Thursday victory. “It’s a great honor that she was able to be chosen [athlete of the week] in Fort Lee and …

For many years, there has been a long-standing argument on whether cheerleading is actually a sport. No matter which side of the argument you may sit on, it may be difficult to argue against the case that the Fort Lee High School Cheerleaders have made for this weekly honor. For the third time in school history, the Lady Bridgemen won a title at the Eastern Cheer Association National Championships in Williamsburg, Va. With the highest national score at the event across each division, all 18 girls on the Fort Lee team were also named to the All-American Team, something that has never been …

The Athlete of the Week Award typically goes to someone who scores a lot of points, finishes first in a race or leads their team to an impressive victory. But this week, the honor goes to two basketball players who made a contribution off the floor.   On Thursday, the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen held their senior day ceremonies where players in their final year compete in the last home game of their high school careers. Most coaches will play all the seniors they can as a nod of appreciation, but some teams run into a problem of they have too many seniors and too few starting slots. This was the …

The gym is packed, and there is barely room to find a seat. The music echoes loudly, and the fans spike the volume even higher with their thunderous cheers.   The anticipation has been building for days, and the high schools haven’t stopped buzzing about it all afternoon. Separated by less than three miles, the rivalry between Cliffside Park and Fort Lee runs deep within many fans associated with the two teams.   When the Red Raiders meet the Bridgemen in any sport, chances are most citizens from the neighboring towns will be there to see it. Such was the case on a warm Thursday evening this …

The Athlete of the Week story is a staple every week on this site, but for the first time this year, the award is being given to more than one person. The Fort Lee boy’s basketball team made it very difficult to single out an individual this week, mainly because the team earned back-t0-back wins and nearly secured three in a row. On Monday night, the Bridgemen defeated Queen of Peace 54-35 as the team pulled away for good in the final quarter. Then on the very next night, Fort Lee fended away Dumont in a 64-51 win. Sophomore center Anthony Rafes scored a season-high 23 points in the victory …

Chances are, at some point in your life, the thought of being a champion has crossed your mind. The moment can take a long time to achieve, but it may take even longer to ever forget that second when someone is elevated to the level of champion. Senior track star Nancie Sophias took that step this week, winning the 600 meter run at the Big North Division Championships in New York City. The accomplishment was even more memorable for Sophias because last season she fell just short of the same honor. During the indoor track season of 2009, Sophias finished in second place in the same race in …

Before the wrestling season started, senior Anatoliy Alkazov  knew there would be many chances for growth. Alkazov started wrestling during his sophomore year with the Bridgemen. He learned more about the sport his junior season, and now has become one of the top wrestlers on the Fort Lee team for his senior year. “Anatoliy is tough,” said coach Alex Almeyda before the first match. “He put in his time over the summer…and [Alkazov] should step up and shine.” Anatoliy has done so on my levels, both as a wrestler and as a team leader. With ten seniors graduating from last season and many team …

As freshman turn into sophomores, and juniors become seniors, they start to earn more responsibilities with each passing year. This happens both in the classroom and in athletics. One basketball player has embraced the responsibilities of being a senior captain and is putting up the numbers to go with it. Fort Lee’s senior guard Brianna Mattessich scored 22 points and corralled 12 rebounds in a win Tuesday against Westwood and followed that with a 19-point performance at New Milford on Thursday night. “[Brianna] has been doing some things the last couple games that really make her a caliber …

Freshman year of high school is a unique time for all boys and girls. It is a time to be nervous yet anxious, excited and worried, but most of all, high school comes with uncertainty. Today, Patch’s Athlete of the Week award is presented to a freshman who is making a name for himself on the hardwood. Against players twice his size and some even four years older than him, guard Dashaun Washington looks overmatched. But on the basketball floor, he is matching up just fine. Washington has been “playing up” since his time in the Fort Lee rec program where he was a younger athlete already playing …

Senior forward Bindi Parikh scored a season-high 25 points in the championship game of the Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament and was named the Patch Athlete of the Week. As the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen won their unprecedented second consecutive championship, Parikh led the charge from beginning to end. The forward outscored the Park Ridge Owls 11-5 in the first quarter and continued to pour it on throughout the game. The soft-spoken Parikh said, "We have an awesome team so with the help of everyone we were able to have a great game." What makes the senior's performance even more remarkable is what …

In the season of giving, it only seems fitting to start giving away our Athlete of the Week Awards. At the end of every week, Patch will honor one student athlete who performed exceptionally well in his/her sport, while also highlighting their accomplishments. The first Athlete of the Week is sophomore guard Nick Gentile of the Fort Lee Bridgemen varsity boys' basketball team. Nick started the season last Friday with a 17-point performance on the road at Bergenfield and has continued his strong play throughout the following week. On Tuesday, Gentile added another ten points against Cliffside …