Ridge High School sophomore Daniele Colbertaldo might have best pointed out what's so amazing about his first place individual wins in more than half of the meets where he competed this season by noting that so many of his top competitors are two or three years older. But then again, when you start skiing at four years old and are skiing double black diamond slopes (the hardest rating in the country) a year or so later, racing seems to be the way to go. Colbertaldo, who also plays soccer at Ridge, said he enjoys skiing for the speed and intensity that comes with the sport. And he is very good…

Bradley Wachenfeld, this year's Ridge High School swim team captain, has the future in his eyes. Focused on the Somerset County championships (February 4th at Montgomery) and Meet of Champions, Bradley is training for his final opportunity to make his high school mark. The Ridge senior said he is headed to the Wharton Business School and the University of Pennsylvania in the fall. Wachenfeld, who said he will continue to swim beyond high school, then will have his opportunity to make his mark on a collegiate stage. Wachenfeld has been swimming competitively since he was 5 years old, and he …

While both the boys and girls cross-country teams have logged fairly solid performances this season, senior Tyler Gibbons has moved far ahead of the pack both on his own team and in competition. During recent weeks, Gibbons captured first-place finishes in both the Somerset County championship and then, a week later, at the Skylands Conference Championship. This Saturday, Gibbons will be traveling with both girls and boys teams to the beginning of the state sectionals, to be held at Warinanco Park in Elizabeth. Both the Somerset County and Skylands races were held in the second half of …

The 2011 Ridge High School gymnastics team is a young team with 11 freshman coming in this year. With only three seniors, the squad is dependant on young gymnasts to succeed, and to build for future years. One of many bright spots this season is sophomore Daniela Losada. In the opening four meets, Losada led her team in the floor exercise with an 8.8 average score and a team first place every time she competed. She has been scoring 9s on the floor during the last few meets, said the team's head coach, Lauren McManus. She also led the team on the vault and the beam coming in first three times …

Michael Hilss plays hard on both sides of the line for the Ridge High School Red Devils. Although the team has had a slow start to the season, Hilss has made a mark as a leader, beginning with the first game, against rival Immaculata High School. Hilss is a starting running back for Ridge sharing duties with Rob Mullaney, Evan Skea and J.D. Moore in the backfield. Hilss has carried the ball six times for 24 yards for a 4-yard per carry average. He also caught a pass for 14 yards in the game with Montgomery.  Hilss is responsible for punt and kickoff returns on special teams. He has returned …

Marissa Taddeo appears to be just like any other student at Ridge High School. That is until she suits up in her goalie gear and gets in the goal cage. Then it becomes all business for the Ridge junior. Taddeo is the starting goalie for the Ridge Red Devils field hockey team. By her third year as a goalie, she has amassed some impressive stats and compliments of coaches. Even though Ridge lost its first game of the season 7-0 against the Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers, Taddeo managed to block goal after goal from the opponents. Starting in eighth grade, Taddeo took her defensive mindset and her…

The Ridge Little League 12-year-old team, already the 2011 District 17 Champions, have had a season to remember as well as one for the record books in their age category.But all of that comes to a climax at 7 p.m. in a game against Paramus on Friday night, which is the team's (11-1) final shot at winning the North Jersey Sectional Championship. Games are being held in Wayne.The Basking Ridge team beat Jefferson Township 12-2 on Monday night and New Milford by an 8-5 victory on Wednesday. However, Mendham finally overcame the undefeated Ridge boys on Thursday night with a 12-6 win. However, if…

Alex Ruderman is a four-year starter for the Ridge boys tennis team and has consistently played in the No. 1 position. He has been elected as the team's captain the last two seasons. This season, Ruderman is 21-0 and has lost only one set in all of his matches. He led a winning team with a record that was undefeated until the state tournament match last week against West Windsor-Plainsboro South. The team roared back on Tuesday night to defeat Bridgewater-Raritan 5-0 in a regular-season match. Even so, Ruderman will move onto the NJSIAA State Singles Championships at Saturday at noon at …

The Ridge High School girls golf team's full sweep this year of Somerset County, Skylands Conference and state Section 1 titles in just the program's third year. And the good news is that the girls who led the team through its undefeated season aren't even seniors. But Alexandra Hershberger, a junior, and sophomore Hana Ku, each have become a force to be reckoned with on the golf course. The two have been trading back and forth for first and third place in each of this year's tournaments.  Meanwhile, the team consisting of Hershberger, Ku, Catherine Donlon, Rachel Walsh and Amber Evans, …

J.B. Kole was captain of the highly successful varsity basketball team before coming into this year's baseball season. The 6-foot-4 Kole is an imposing figure on the mound and at the plate. In the county games leading up to the championship, Kole was 3-2 in eight starts. Most important, the three wins all came in the county tournament games. The team's run in the county tournament game have led to the final championship game against Hillsborough, held Thursday night at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater. Tuesday's game had been cancelled due to inclement weather. The Villanova-bound Kole, who …

Ridge senior midfielder Kelly Scott plays a much bigger role on the varsity lacrosse team than her diminutive stature might suggest. Scott has been playing varsity lacrosse for all of her four years at Ridge. She is hard working, a complementary player with the entire team and an excellent scorer who does "everything" on the field, said Barbara Erickson, head coach for varsity girls lacrosse. Scott's statistics for 2011  include 40 goals and 21 assists. Additionally, Scott has 63 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers to her credit. Scott said she will be attending Lehigh University in the fall…

Kevin Kelly, captain of the Ridge boys varsity lacrosse team, is one of a handful of players who has been a varsity player for four years, said his head coach, Ken Marsh.Senior attacker Kelly, Patch's Athlete of the Week, lost much of his junior year due to an ankle fracture. As a testament to his intensity and skills, Kelly came back for the senior campaign ready to make a statement.  Kelly has scored 24 goals and added 24 assists through 10 games this season to lead the 8-4 Red Devils.    Kelly said he has played lacrosse for 10 years starting in the 3rd grade. He also plays club lacrosse …

Ridge High School senior Conor Skea began playing basketball at the age of five. As the oldest of four kids in the Skea household – he has two younger brothers, Evan and Danny, and younger sister, Kelly — Conor said he grew up having pickup games with his brothers in his basement. “We use to have a basketball hoop in our basement; it was a six-foot basketball hoop,” Skea recalled. “We had to take it out because we put too many holes in the wall and my parents were like, ‘Get this out of here!’” Suffice to say, those pickup games in the basement was a nice starting point for Skea becoming one …

With a 3-1 record and a 3-foot high trophy from winning the Cetrulo Relay Championship last weekend, the Ridge boys fencing team is having a comeback season. After claiming the state championship crown in 2009, the team only landed in the top eight in 2010. This year however, the boys are determined to take back that state title, especially now that foil fencer Andrew Ark is back. After transferring to Summit High School for his junior year, Ark is ready to go all the way for the final season of his high school career. After a team state championship, and a bronze medal in both squad states …

Ridge High School senior Katie Elander is not your everyday student-athlete. She is captain of the lacrosse team, a varsity soccer player, an accomplished artist and a member of the National Honor Society. And now she has committed to attend Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., where she will play lacrosse. Last week, Elander signed a letter of intent to play for the Leopards next year.  Elander said her first love in athletics is lacrosse. A starter since her freshman year, she missed her junior season due to hip surgery. But the abilities she exhibited during her first two years impressed …

In a season where the Ridge High School football team had to fight hard for every near-victory, junior Johnny Graves has been a consistent source of extra points through his place-kicking abilities. Graves converted 15-of-18 extra points during the Devils' 1-8 season. He also connected on 2-of-3 field goals, including kicks from 31 and 24 yards out. He said he has a 57-yard kickoff average for the season, and has had four touchbacks. Graves said he's hoping the team will do well and walk away with a win from this Friday's final game at home against J.P. Stevens High School at 7 p.m.A win …

Sophomore cross country runner Jimmy Heiner apparently saved his best for last this season. Heiner, 15, placed first among Ridge junior varsity runners, and sixth in the entire state, at the NJSIAA cross country JV and freshman championship held Wednesday in Monroe Township. He finished the 5K course with a time of 17:07 minutes, helping to catapult his team to a second-place finish in the state, about one second behind champion Don Bosco Prepatory High School from Ramsey. "I did a little better than I expected," he said Friday. He said he considered his finishing time at the state …

Every coach knows that in team sports it isn't only the up-front and out-in-center players who make the team a success.  Ridge girls volleyball coach Joanne Milot, a former outside hitter herself, said she knows how essential the contributions of outside hitters Amber Evans and Jody Sherman have been to that team's banner season, with a record of 19-6 as of Friday. Ridge girls is moving full steam ahead although the program is only in its fifth year. The Red Devils are the 2010 Somerset County champs.They sit just outside The Star-Ledger's top-20 teams and are seeded third in the North Jersey…

Kristie Wei, the senior gymnast at Ridge High School who has boosted her team with top scores and high-flying performances at every meet this season, said she never had any intention of competing on the mat as an individual. "I compete for the team and I want to do well to help the team," Wei said. "I never had any intentions of winning as an individual." Now, in her senior year, Wei is making her mark as arguably the most talented gymnast in the five-year history of the Red Devils' program. Despite being injured for the majority of her sophomore season, the first year she competed for Ridge…

It's been a football season that has had too many disappointing losses for the Ridge football team (1-4). But fullback Anthony Milito still has been a reliable leader for his team through a hard fight against many tough opponents. Being anointed as Homecoming king at last Friday's game against Hillsborough High School was just the latest of the red-haired senior's accomplishments. Although the Red Devils lost to Hillsborough 35-13, Milito still has piled up 385 yards and six touchdowns through five games. Ridge next faces Hunterdon Central High School Friday night at Lee Field at 7 p.m. …