Ridge Boys Captures 2023 NJSIAA State Championship
February 23rd, 2023
It’s been a long seven years. A perennial powerhouse in New Jersey high school fencing, Ridge has consistently been in the hunt for the state title, with appearances in the final match in 2018, 2020, and 2022, only to fall short. But Thursday night at Morris Hills High school they were not to be denied. Ridge captured the coveted state title that had eluded them since winning back to back championships in 2015 and 2016. With one of the most balanced attacks they’ve had all season, each squad pulled their weight to claim victory over Millburn High School by a score of 17-10.
The saber squad started things off in the first round going 1 for 3 with David Elian getting a crucial win to get on the board. Foils swept in the first round with wins from Dayaal Singh, Lawrence Han, and Alex Ligos. Epee closed out the first round with a victory from Ethan Zhang.
Going into the second round the score was tight with Ridge up 5-4. Sabers took the second round by storm with an amazing sweep as Daniel George, Tadas Vilemaitis, and David Elian each tallied a win. Foils tacked on one victory from Alex Ligos, and the epees rolled with a sweep as Reid Kokenge, Ethan Zhang, and Ben Chang each grabbed wins. Ridge started to pull away with the score 12-6 at the end of the second round.
The third round opened with a saber victory from Daniel George, bringing Ridge one win from winning the match. Foil was up next, and clinched the match with a decisive win from Dayaal Singh for the 14th team win. Ridge picked up another victory from Lawrence Han, and two more wins from Reid Kokenge and Ethan Zhang on the epee squad for a final score of 17-10.
This year’s Ridge team was led all season by team captain and senior, David Elian, along with an impressive group of seniors including foil fencers Dayaal Singh, Lawrence Han, and saber fencer Daniel George, all who will be missed. But the future is bright for the Red Devils with the entire epee squad returning, along with starters Alex Ligos and Tadas Vilemaitis. Ridge hopes to continue their winning tradition for many years to come.
The high school season concludes with the individual championships on Sunday, February 26th. Qualifying for Ridge are foil fencers Dayaal Singh, Lawrence Han, Alex Ligos, and epee fencers Reid Kokenge and Ethan Zhang. On the girls side, Ridge will be represented by freshman epee Charlotte Liu and senior epee Chloe Yang. Action starts at 8:30 am at Bernards High School.
(Photo credits to the parents of Ridge fencers. We had multi cameras on the floor that night.)
https://patch.com/new-jersey/baskingridge/ridge-boys-fencing-captures-state-championship
https://localtoday.news/nj/ridge-boys-fencing-wins-state-championship-167327.html
