Rivals Join Forces for Breast Cancer Awareness

Donovan Griffins beat Manchester Hawks girls in fundraising game

The Manchester Hawks and Monsignor Donovan Griffins put aside their three decades-plus athletic rivalry on Wednesday night and teamed up to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  Manchester High School Athletic Director Keith Lister, who was in charge of the event, found the two rivals to be the perfect matchup for a charity basketball game. “I think it’s a good thing to get everybody on the same team, despite the uniforms having separate names, and living in different towns and being rivals," he said. "When it comes to something like this we’re really teammates.” The special occasion brought out a crowd that nearly filled the bleachers, as funds were raised for the foundation through slightly increased admission …

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Bowling Coaches Assess Seasons as Conference Tourney Nears

Manchester boys and girls bowling teams faced close battles to clinch tournament berths

Both Manchester bowling teams have qualified for the Shore Conference Tournament after tight finishes during last week's final matches. The Manchester girls squeezed out a first place finish for the second straight year with a 46-8 record, just one game ahead of Brick Township and two games ahead of Brick Memorial.  “Truth be told, all three teams are tough and any one of them deserves to be at the top," said girls Coach Mike McCrae. "The final standings came down to the last match on the last day of the season." The boys squad took second place with a 30-24 record, edging out Toms River East by one game while finishing 20 games behind Brick Memorial. “It's a great accomplishment, considering how talented our division is. There are many …

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Sports Briefs: Second 300 Game for Hawks Bowler, Girls Aim to Take Top Spot

Manchester Hawks' Alan Garcia scores second perfect game this season

Manchester Hawks junior Alan Garcia bowled his second perfect game this season during yesterday's match against Toms River South. Garcia bowled the 300 during the first game of the match. He finished with a 720 series, according to coach Bryan Vargas. Garcia's average this season stands at 211. Last month, Manchester freshman Dan Piskowski bowled a 300 at the Snowball Classic X. The boys squad looks to clinch second place in Shore Conference A South as they face Brick Township at Ocean Lanes at 3 p.m. Friday. If Manchester wins one game or Toms River East loses one on Friday, the Hawks boys team will clinch second place, securing a spot in the Shore Conference Tournament, Vargas said. Only the top two finishers from each division bowl in …

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Hawks Girls Win; Match Overshadowed By Tragedy

Death of Lakewood police officer, who was a Manchester resident, was on players' minds

The Manchester Hawks girls bowling team improved their season record to 27-6 on Friday night. What should have been a chance to savor three strong victories, however, was put on the back-burner. As the third game was beginning, news began to spread through Ocean Lanes in Lakewood of the shooting of police officer Christopher Matlosz, which occurred only 1.5 miles down the road from the bowling alley.  With news spreading that the killer was still on the loose, conversations of those in attendance - and even the bowlers themselves - turned to the killing. The third game was bowled with occasional emergency vehicles driving past the bowling alley with emergency lights on. Coach Mike McCrae tried to keep his team reassured about their safety …

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Hawks girls basketball extend win streak

Victory over Pinelands Regional improves record to 4-3

Manchester High School coach Sweeney McKennan said that his girls basketball team never stops improving. "Every game we’re getting better," he said before Friday's tipoff with Pinelands Regional. The final score supported his claim as the Hawks downed the Wildcats, 67-30. The victory pushes Manchester’s season high winning streak to three games and also bumps the Hawks above the .500 mark for the first time this season, improving to 4-3. “We’re not plateauing, but we’re getting higher and higher as far as our ability and confidence is going, so it’s showing," McKennan said. The Hawks were led offensively by senior guard Gabrielle Valmon’s 29 points, which included an 8-8 performance from the free-throw line. Valmon also recently crossed …

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Fresh from break, Hawks fall to Mustangs

Boys bowling coach Bryan Vargas hoped his team could defeat first place rival Brick Memorial.

It was the first stop on what Coach Bryan Vargas called his team's "redemption tour." The Manchester Hawks boys bowling squad, coming out of winter break in third place, hoped to defeat first place Brick Memorial and get their season back on track. "The first time we met our next three opponents they beat us 2-1," Vargas said. "The next three matches, we want to get payback. We want to take as much as we can. We feel that we can take every single game." The first time Manchester met Shore Conference A rival Brick Memorial this season, their opponent took two games. "They won the division last year. They're clearly up top this year again," Vargas said. "But we can compete with them. Hopefully give them a good match today." Coming into …

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Five Things

Five sports match-ups to watch this week

Manchester Hawks athletes will resume play this week following winter break.

Winter break is over and the Manchester Hawks are back in action this week competing with local rivals. Here are five match-ups to look out for: 1. Boys and Girls Bowling vs. Brick Memorial - Tuesday, Jan. 4, 3 p.m. On the boys side, Brick Memorial is in first place, with 21 wins, ahead of third place Manchester's 12 victories. The girls, currently in third place, are just two games out of first spot held by Brick Memorial. 2. Boys Basketball at Barnegat - Tuesday, Jan. 4, 5:30 p.m. The boys basketball squad continues their 1-1 season by travelling to Barnegat.  3. Wrestling vs. Barnegat - Wednesday, Jan. 5, 6 p.m. The Hawks wrestling team hopes to improve their 1-0 record after a Dec. 22 victory against Lacey as they face off against …

Happy New Year from Manchester Patch

Manchester Patch looks ahead to 2011.

Happy New Year from Manchester Patch! Our little site (which grows by the day) has only been around since Dec. 13, but we've already covered some important local issues - the 2011 Manchester Township budget, new rules for recycling electronics and, as you might have noticed, a bit of snow that fell last Sunday. We've also had fun, catching a glimpse of Santa and following Hawks sports. There's plenty more to come. The most rewarding part of editing this site is when I hear from you, and I encourage every visitor who stumbles across our Patch to reach out to me at any time. Manchester Mayor Michael Fressola has, so let's have everyone get in on the fun. 2011 will no doubt pose challenges for all of us and our community as we try to stay …

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Wall Knights edge out Manchester Hawks to advance to WOBM semifinals

#11 Wall defeats #3 Manchester, 56- 54.

Propelled by junior Conor Mulholland's team-high 17 points, including four 3-pointers in the first quarter, the Wall Knights defeated the Manchester Hawks in a tight physical contest to advance to the WOBM Christmas Classic semifinals.  The Knights were carried by their shooting from beyond the arc, sinking nine 3-pointers throughout the contest.  The Hawks held a one point lead, 46-45, with five minutes remaining in the game before their offense hit a dry spell, allowing the Knights to take the lead for good on senior Kyle Janeczek's go ahead basket. Following De'Andre Little's basket at the five minute mark, Manchester would not score again until Devon Hodges hit two free throws with 1:33 left in the game.  By this point Wall had …

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Down to the wire, Mariners edge out Hawks in WOBM girls quarterfinals

#4 Toms River North defeats #5 Manchester 41-40.

The Toms River North Mariners pulled out a squeaker against the Manchester Hawks in the quarterfinals to advance to the WOBM Christmas Classic semifinals.  The game was neck and neck throughout as neither team could take control of the contest. The score was tied 40-40 before Mariners sophomore Kendal Kauffman hit a free throw to take the lead for good with 12.4 seconds remaining.  Still with a chance to win, Manchester got the ball to their top scorer, senior Gabrielle Valmon, who ended the day with 18 points. Driving to the hoop after receiving a pass from Anevea Tinnery, Valmon was faced with a Mariners defense that forced her to lose the ball out of bounds with 5.2 seconds left. After initially ruling it Manchester ball, the refs …

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