In order to suppress the spread of COVID-19, the 2020 spring sports season was ultimately canceled. Despite this upsetting decision, Wayne Valley’s senior spring captains still remain positive and hopeful for their futures. This is a testament to how well they embody true leaders and role models. As we send the Class of 2020 off to college, we honor these spring sports captains who may have lost their seasons, but did not lose heart in these extraordinary times. 

Girls Lacrosse

Senior Girls Lacrosse captain Cara Scancarella has been playing lacrosse for ten years, and this fall, she will be attending Villanova University’s school of Liberal Arts and Sciences. During her time at Wayne Valley, Scancarella was also a member of the Girls Basketball Team and captain of the Girls Field Hockey team. In college, she plans to play club lacrosse or club field hockey. Scancarella reflects, “My time on the team impacted me [and my high school experience] by giving me some of my best friends and the best memories. [It also] taught me a lot about responsibility, because I was a captain for two years.” 

Scancarella’s senior co-captain, Courtney Dellerba, has been playing lacrosse for four years and was also a captain of the Girls Soccer team. In the fall, she plans to attend The College of New Jersey with a major in Elementary Education, and hopes to play soccer and club lacrosse. As a final piece of parting advice to the underclassmen on her team, and in light of the pandemic, Dellerba states, “Play your heart out and never give up, because you never know when your last time playing is going to be.” 

Both Scancarella and Dellerba report that their favorite memory on the team was beating Indian Hills during their sophomore year during triple overtime. 

The other seniors on the Girls Lacrosse team include Daniela Elliot, Alexandra Ingaro, and Sam Nikovits. Junior Ashley Zarb is the team’s third captain. 

Boys Lacrosse

Senior Boys Lacrosse captain Reegan Capozzoli will be attending Stockton University in the fall, where he will be continuing his lacrosse career as well as majoring in Business. Capozzoli has been playing lacrosse for ten years, and he was a member of Wayne Valley’s National Honor Society. His favorite memory on the Boys Lacrosse team was beating Morris Knolls by one point in the 2019 state tournament. “My time playing on the team impacted me in so many ways, as it gave me a group of guys I could always rely on,” Capozzoli says. “It taught me how I always needed to push myself to be better in whatever I was doing.” 

Capozzoli’s co-captain, Tommy Moran, has been playing lacrosse since he was in second grade, and his favorite memory from playing on the Wayne Valley Boys Lacrosse team was beating Wayne Hills twice during his freshman year. In the fall, Moran will be attending Ithaca College to play football. Moran reflects, “Being a part of the lacrosse team has taught me to hold myself and others accountable, along with [how to be] a leader.” 

The remaining seniors on the team include Zack Blumenstyk, Tyler Boyle, Johnny Crank, Dakota Delisle, Joe Miscia, Jimmy Phelan, Luke Quinzer, Robbie Raiser, AJ Smith, and Frank Tortora. 

Softball

Senior Girls Softball captain Sami Hendershott has been involved in softball since she was seven years old, and she is excited to continue her softball career at Wilkes University! There, she will be studying Sports Management. Although Hendershott’s favorite memory from her time on the Wayne Valley Girls Softball team was beating West Milford twice during her junior season, she is also incredibly grateful for the opportunity to form close friendships with her teammates. “Being on the softball team has really taught me how to work hard while also having fun and being goofy with teammates,” Hendershott says. “Also, being a captain has taught me to work well with others and to be a leader.” 

Hendershott’s co-captain, Molly McAtee, has also been playing softball for about ten years! In addition to being a softball captain and a member of the National Honor Society, McAtee also played volleyball for all four years of high school, and hopes to remain involved in one or both sports in college. In the fall, McAtee is committed to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she will be studying communication disorders to become a speech language pathologist. Like Hendershott, McAtee’s favorite memory from her time on the softball team was beating West Milford twice in the 2019 season, and throwing the ball to home plate to prevent the tying run from scoring. McAtee looks forward to Wayne Valley Softball every year because, she says, “It is such a fun environment and I’ve made some of my best friends through the program. It’s given me confidence and taught me how to be a leader, and I’m so happy I got to be a part of such an amazing team.” 

Emily Chen is also a senior on the Girls Softball team. 

Baseball

For senior Boys Baseball there are no official captains. For one senior, Justin Saeger, the sport has always been a big part of his life—not only has he been playing baseball since he was three years old, but he hopes to continue playing club baseball while attending Virginia Tech in the coming years. At Virginia Tech, Saeger will major in Marketing Management. During his time at Wayne Valley, Saeger was a member of FBLA, the National Honor Society, and the Boys Basketball team. His favorite memory on the baseball team was winning the Passaic County championship during his junior year. Saeger reflects, “Playing Wayne Valley baseball was the best experience of my life because I got to play for coaches that truly cared and wanted to see me get better on and off the field. Also, I played alongside the greatest teammates I’ve ever had—just such an enjoyable four years.”

Another senior, Zach Kasperowicz, has also been playing baseball for his entire life, and he is currently committed to continue his baseball career at Felician University (with a major in Business). Kasperowicz was also on the Boys Soccer team at Wayne Valley. His favorite memory is walking off the field at Passaic County Technical Institute and gaining a new home field in Wayne. 

Senior Colin Thompson will attend Rutgers University, with a major in Accounting, in the fall, where he has committed to the baseball team as a pitcher. He has been playing baseball since he was five, but he reflects that his time on the Wayne Valley Baseball team gave him much more confidence in his abilities. Looking back, his favorite moment was when he and his teammates came from behind during a game against Passaic Valley (while playing in Maryland) and ultimately emerged victorious, boosting their confidence and enabling them to secure multiple more wins and ultimately a county title. “As you can see,” Thompson states, “you don’t know when your last game will be, so just enjoy it.” 

The remaining seniors on the team include Josh Bieser, Alex Billini, Zach Hoover, Sam Greene, Matt Krefting, Nick Mancuso, and Johnny McNally. 

Boys Volleyball

Senior Boys Volleyball captain Jake DeLuccia began playing the sport when he was a freshman at Wayne Valley, and he has committed to play football at Shippensburg University to major in Business and Health Science. His favorite memory on the volleyball team was winning a Passaic County title, and he reflects, “Volleyball has taught me a lot of lessons that I didn’t expect, like effort is key in anything you do—but especially when you’re on the court.” 

DeLuccia’s co-captain, Anthony DePalma, has committed to play volleyball at Misericordia University this fall, where he will study Physical Therapy. Not only was he captain of the Boys Volleyball team, but he also was a member of the football and winter track teams. In addition, DePalma was an active participant in the Unified basketball team, where he had the opportunity to teach basketball to Wayne Valley students with disabilities. His favorite memory from the volleyball team was winning the Passaic County title in the 2019 season. DePalma advises the underclassmen on the team to work hard in the off-season, and he reflects, “My time on the team…developed me into the leader I am today.” 

The remaining seniors on the team include Alex Abrams, Zach Bussanich, Chase Hemming, Andrew Paul, and Steven Simonetti. 

Girls Golf

Although Senior Girls Golf captain Kelly Reynolds only joined the team during her junior year, she could not be happier that she had the opportunity to play on a team with an amazing group of girls. Her favorite memory on the team was during her junior year, when all of the girls stayed after school for hours to decorate the bulletin board and go out to dinner together. In the fall, Reynolds plans to attend Loyola University Maryland with a major in Statistics. Not only was she the Girls Golf captain, but she was also a member of the Wayne Valley Swim Team as well as President of the National Honor Society. Reynolds advises the underclassmen on her team: “Step out of your comfort zone. Having never played before, not knowing anyone on the team ahead of time, and never even having Coach Camb as a teacher, I was definitely hesitant to join. I decided to, though, and I have gotten so much in return because of it. You never know how much you can gain from something unless you try it!” 

Boys Golf

Seniors on the Boys Golf team include Preston Chen, Anthony Mazzerina, and Colin Simpson. Junior Jedd Alcade is the only captain of the team. 

Boys Tennis

Senior Boys Tennis captain Aaron Bienstock has been playing tennis since his freshman year, and this fall he will be majoring in Business Finance at Rutgers University. His favorite memory on the team was the Passaic County tournament during his sophomore year. He reflects, “Being on the team, I’ve made a lot of friends and created strong bonds with the players and the coaches.” He advises all of the underclassmen on the team to have fun and enjoy their future seasons. Bienstock also was a member of the Wayne Valley Boys Basketball team. 

Bienstock’s senior co-captain, Justin Giberson, has been playing tennis since he was only six years old. He is hoping to continue playing intramural tennis at the University of Maryland, where he plans to major in Economics in the fall. Giberson’s favorite memory on the Boys Tennis team was attending the Passaic County tournament and socializing with not just his Wayne Valley teammates but with other players in the area. “My advice to the underclassmen would be to just enjoy the time that you have playing, and just in high school,” Giberson says. “After being out for the couple months due to the virus, I have realized how much I will actually miss it.”

Spring Track

The Spring Track team does not have any captains, but seniors include Alexis Rocker, Milica Rodic, Julianna Sibilinski, and Kenny Lemley.

Thank you to our seniors for all they have done for Wayne Valley Athletics! We wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors!