Both Ridge fencing teams faced a tough battle against their opponents from rival Bernards High School in their first home meet of the season on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The Ridge boys’ team lost in a close fight that went 16-11 to Bernards High. The girls were defeated by their next-door rivals with a final score of 18-9, going to Bernards.

The Ridge boys, behind 5-10 halfway through the match, were able to close the gap to a tight score of 10-12 in the middle of the third round. Foil Squad Captain and senior Adrian Trentesaux then won his bout after going into overtime, advancing the team’s overall score further to 11-12. However, Bernards eventually garnered the victory over Ridge when junior epeeist Jake Blauner lost his bout 1-5.

The team had a particularly tough time without their regular epee line up. Team captain and senior Connor Pelos as well as fellow epeeists Matt Yin, a junior, and Jake Lee, a sophomore, were unable to fence at Tuesday’s meet.

“I’m vaguely disappointed,” said Sabre Squad Captain Lance Shen-Kinny, a senior. “But with our missing epee team, we did pretty well.”

Shen-Kinny went undefeated to lead the sabre squad, helping the boys reach a final score of 11-16.

The Ridge girls also struggled as Bernards clinched the victory early in the meet, with a score of 14-2 at the end of the second round. Freshman epeeist Amanda Choy lost her bout with a close score of 3-4. The team was able to pull out a few more victories to end the meet with a score of 9-18.

Nevertheless, the team has felt significant improvement in their tournament performance this season, participants said.

 “Compared to the last meet, there was a lot more spirit and enthusiasm. We have a lot of freshmen… it’s so hard for them [to see] how the team works when it is an individual sport,” senior Team Captain Sara Jones said. Jones went undefeated against her opponents.

Jones noted there has been a lot of improvement in a short amount of time. Notable performances include senior Katelyn Lee posting a 2-1 individual record in sabre and freshman foilist Emily Saul fighting a close match to a final score of 4-5 in one of her first varsity matches.

 “[There’s] growth since the start of the season and it will probably keep improving,” Jones said.

For the 2011-2012 season, the boys' team is led by Team Captain Pelos, Foil Captain Trentesaux, and Sabre Captain Shen-Kinny. Shen-Kinny will be going to Johns Hopkins University in the fall. Along with Team Captain Jones, who is headed for the University of Pennsylvania next year, Claire Olczak leads the foil squad while Michelle Shin steps into the role of sabre squad captain. 

Up Next

Both Ridge teams will take on North Hunterdon High School at a home meet on Thursday, Jan. 5. The boys will start at 4 p.m. while the girls will start at 4:30 p.m. The boys team will also compete in the Centrulo Relay Championships this Saturday, Jan. 7, at Morris Knolls High School.