Deanna Knobloch
Moorestown
Knobloch, the highly successful Moorestown High School girls lacrosse coach, was honored recently as part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. During a ceremony at Seton Hall University, the NJSIAA recognized 153 female athletes across the state, along with Knobloch with the 2014 Honor Award. Knobloch, who ended this spring season with a 476-29-4 career record, was also recognized earlier in the year with the Double-Goal Coach Award from the Positive Coaching Alliance, recognizing her work in teaching life lessons through sports.
Rich D’Alessandro
Mount Laurel
Head coach D’Alessandro and his staff led the 10-year-old district baseball team to the GVAA Memorial Day Tournament championship victory. After conditioning the boys and getting them focused and ready for the tournament, D’Alessandro guided them to three wins, zero losses and one tie. The 10-year-olds defeated the Harrison Heat 10-4 to win the championship.
Tim Thompson and Ron Marks
Cherry Hill
Thompson’s and Marks’ hard work has been paying off this season for their girls 10U softball team. The Cherry Hill Wild so far has hit their season out of the park with an impressive 15 wins and only three losses. The coaches were able to put some determination in the girls to beat top teams in the league like Mount Laurel, which hadn’t lost a league game in over two years.
Jeff Holman
Haddonfield
Legendary Haddonfield High School tennis coach Holman is now a member of two 1,000-win clubs. Holman, who reached the milestone last fall with the girls team, hit the magic number with the Bulldawg boys in early April with a 5-0 victory over Woodbury. The win gave him a 1,000-176 record as the boys coach since 1978.
Gary Gilmore
Marlton
Gilmore helped the Marlton Thunder U-10 softball team capture its bracket at the 6th annual Thunder Storm Spring Softball Tournament. Marlton was one of five brackets winners out of 31 teams at the one-day tournament.
David Pond
Moorestown
Pond (pictured) is the head coach for the Moorestown Youth Softball Association known for his enthusiasm and positive coaching. Currently coaching the third/fourth-grade recreation team, the Fierce Hawks, he led them to the playoffs this season. After 12 games, the Hawks ended their regular season with 11 wins and only one loss to the Golden Eagles. Three of those wins had the Hawks in the lead by a solid 10 runs.
Erik Stilley and Aimee Seward
Medford
Both of the lacrosse programs at Shawnee High School were under new leadership this season, but judging by the results, they remain in good hands. Stilley, a freshman on the first Renegades boys lacrosse team in 2003, succeeded Tim Gushue, the only coach the program had ever known. All he did was lead Shawnee to a 17-2 record that included a heart-breaking 10-9 loss to rival Moorestown in the South Jersey Group III final. Seward, who inherited a state championship team from Janae Zechman, helped the Renegades go 14-7 and a earn trip to the South Jersey Group IV semifinals despite losing a terrific senior class from 2013.
Brad Hare
Medford Lakes
The Head PGA professional at Medford Lakes Country Club and the president of the South Jersey Junior Golf Tour, Hare recently joined with the NJ Golf Foundation to bring the “Golf in Schools” program to the area. The Medford Lakes School District was the first in South Jersey to implement the free two-week program, which teaches the sport to kids during gym class. Kid-friendly equipment was provided at no cost, and Hare was on hand to train the gym teacher in how to teach the class.
Joe Aguila
Washington Township
Aguila led the Washington Township Minutemen 12A Blue travel baseball team to a strong showing in its first tournament of the spring season. The Minutemen posted a 3-1 record at the Gold Glove Tournament, held at the Ripken Experience in Aberdeen, Md. They advanced to the semifinals before losing to the eventual champion Long Island Junior Ducks. Aguila’s team followed that up with a 6-1 victory over the Delaware Bandits to win the Memorial Day tournament later in the month.
Rob Christ
Voorhees
Christ, the head baseball coach at Eastern High School, earned his 300th career victory in May, reaching the milestone in a 6-0 win over Paul VI. That was followed up by leading the team to its second sectional championship in a row. They are the first team in the South Jersey region to successfully defend the Group 4 title since 1993.
Bill Choy and Lou Desimone
Washington Township
Choy and DeSimone’s Hollydell Hurricanes Pee Wee AA Division hockey team has seen consistent success, which this year included a 12-4-2 league play record, and 18-3-3 record in non-league play. The team also won the Congressional Cup Championship in Washington, D.C., in a 3-2 match against the Hockey Club of Dallas.
Craig Coughlin
Marlton
Coughlin led his Cherokee golf team to its first Burlington County Open title in his 15-year tenure, a satisfying end to the season after finishing fourth at the Carl Arena/Al Rifkin tournament earlier in the year. The Chiefs brushed it off, however, coming in second at sectionals and states and winning the Open with a score of 315, led by Colin Geary’s 74 round.
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Family Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 4 (June, 2014).
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