Scott Millar knows that for almost every high school soccer player, their final memory is destined to end in tears and disappointment, rather than be a positive one due to the nature of the state tournament.
Senior All-Star Games like the ones held last week in Hudson and Bergen counties are a way to change that while also honoring the accomplishments of the areas’ top talents.
“This is a celebration of the quality of players we have in Hudson County,” said Millar, the head boys coach at Kearny and one of the instrumental figures in the second annual Hudson County Senior All-Star Game. “Let’s face it, nearly every school, in particular this year, every school ended with some sort of disappointment, not winning a state tournament.
“It’s a great way to end the season with this game.”
On Monday, Nov. 24, Hudson County honored its top seniors with a double-header at Harrison High School that included a girls game followed by a boys game. A couple of miles away in Wood-Ridge, the Bergen County Girls Soccer Senior Showcase. Two days later, on Thanksgiving Eve, the Bergen County Boys Soccer Senior All-Star Game was held at Fort Lee.
The Observer area was well represented in all four games and in each, a similar sentiment was shared about honoring local seniors and bringing soccer communities together.
“To see former rivals come together and form an all-star team was so special,” Lyndhurst girls soccer head coach Kimberly Hykey said. “Hopefully it’s a memory for them and their families that lasts forever.”
In the Senior Showcase, North Arlington head coach Mike Vivino was one of the coaches for Team Elite which featured the Vikings’ Emily Carrera and Skyler Crudele as well as Lyndhurst’s Nikalena Iacono.
Lyndhurst had two representatives in the boys game on Wednesday in Robby Dasler Jr. and Ariel Trelles-Calle as well as coaches Emad Abu-Hakmeh and Rob Dasler Sr.
For the Hudson County Girls All-Star Game, the format was Kearny and Harrison vs. the rest of the county. Representing the Kardinals was Monmouth-bound defender Keala Cicchino as well as Hillary Anticona, Izabella Szymanski, Jamy Quiroz, Kaylee Cohetero, Maria Rozo, Niamh Devlin, Paula Davila and Sabrina Varela. Harrison, which enjoyed a historic season, had four representatives in Amny Herrera, Breaghan Toal, Danna Gomez and Shayla Sanchez.
In the Hudson County Boys All-Star Game, both Kearny and Harrison had four players apiece. All-State midfielder Benji Silva, a selection for the NJSCA Senior All-Star Game, led the Kardinal contingent, which included Caleb Baptista, Justin Rivadeneyra Madrid and Dylan Ribeiro. Star midfielder Christian Barrios headlined the Blue Tide’s representatives, which also included Samuel DeSouza, Derek Castro and Michael Palacios.
The eight West Hudson standouts, rivals during the season, were teammates on this night.
“There’s some quality players in the league for sure, and when you get to see them all out on the field and you get to see how they interact with each other, maybe playing for the first time together, you realize what a special event it is,” Millar said. “It’s a special night for those players and for us coaches, a chance to just sit back and watch and appreciate the quality.”
Hykey echoed the same sentiment.
“The night was wonderful and the girls really enjoyed it,” said Hykey. “I was telling my friend, who did the announcing for us, that I would have loved this if we had it when I was in high school.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)