Fort Lee Teams Prepare for, Participate in Postseason Play

The month is February, the schedule is full, and preparation is on the minds of all the varsity sports teams as they embark on the final leg of a journey to achieve their seasons' goals.

The 11-9 Bridgmen basketball team lost to Wood Ridge this week at home by the eye-popping score of 101-90. It was a tough loss for the team; anytime a high school team scores 90 points, it would most likely result in a win. The team quickly bounced back though with a nice win on the road against Dumont, 67-59. The team’s road record improved to 6-1 after that game.

This week, the Bridgemen host Tenafly at 7 p.m. Tuesday and will then travel to Cliffside Park Wednesday. The Bridgemen close out the week on Saturday, when they travel to Garfield for a 1 p.m. tip. Brackets for the NJSIAA Tournament were also released, and the #11 Bridgemen will play #6 Rutherford on Feb. 28.

The Lady Bridgemen basketball team had a rough week as they fell to Dumont, 46-35, and then lost to Rutherford 53-24. The team is 8-13 on the season and will travel to Tenafly on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tip. They then host Cliffside Park on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. The girls bracket was also released, and the Lady Bridgemen will play Lyndhurst in the first round of the state tournament on Feb. 28.

Both basketball teams will be looking to have a big two weeks in preparation for the state tournament.

The Fort Lee boys and girls indoor track team has had one of their best seasons to date and had an especially good run when they accomplished many personal bests, while advancing four athletes to the Group II State Championship Meet at last Thursday's NJSIAA North Jersey Group II; Section 2 Championship Meet held at the Bennett Center in Tom's River.

The boys team finished in 10th place out of 16 teams, while the girls finished 11th out of 16 teams.

For the boys team, senior YuYu Fahmy was extremely close to breaking the Fort Lee boys' indoor school secord in the 1600 meter run in which he finished with a personal best time of 4:34.93, good enough for 5th place. Senior Nick Gogic also came in 5th in the 55 meter hurdles with a personal best time of 8.36. 

Meanwhile, Senior Sophia Luppino finished in 4th place in the 55 meter hurdles in a time of 9.06 for the girls team. Luppino’s time was close to the girls' school record. She also finished 6th in the high jump at 4 ft., 6 inches. Sophomore Ashley Jenq finished 6th in the 55 meter dash with a time of 7.75. These four athletes will look to make even more noise on Saturday, Feb. 18, when they compete in the NJSIAA Group II State Championship.

The boys and girls bowling teams both finished the season in fourth place and had a great run. The boys team also participated in the State Sectional Tournament on Saturday and did very well, scoring 2,528 points. Head coach Dennis Sayer was very pleased with what he saw.

“For Fort Lee, this was overall the best tournament performance in four years,” Sayer said.

The team is young, but they rose to the occasion all season long and ended on a high note.

The Bridgemen wrestling team is 5-13 and had an impressive 72-9 win last week over West Side. North Bergenfield High School will be the host to the District Championships on Saturday, Feb. 18.

The wrestling team will look to continue their momentum into next week.

All teams of the Bridgemen and Lady Bridgemen varisty sports teams have had their ups and downs, but it has been an exciting winter season overall.

The excitement has just begun.

Athlete of the Week

Sophia Luppino, Indoor Track

Senior Sophia Luppino had quite the outing this past week, nearly breaking a school record after finishing in 4th place in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 9.06. Luppino also finished in 6th place in the high jump competition with a 4 ft., 6 inch performance. 

The stats were impressive, and Luppino has a chance to keep it going as she is one out of four athletes from Fort Lee track who will be competing in the state championship on Feb. 18.

"[Luppino] has fought her way through some tough injuries over the past four years, but she has persevered in the high hurdles and has gotten better and better each year," said coach Ed Garrison. "She has gone from learning the basics of hurdling to becoming a technically sound power hurdler, and in doing so, has become one of the best hurdlers in Bergen County. She is an extremely hard worker, and hopefully she is peaking at the right time and will continue to place in the Group II State Meet and the Bergen County Championship Meet."