New Jersey

Princeton freshman leads midway through the 123rd New Jersey Amateur Golf Championship

Published

2 years ago

July 9, 2024

Princeton freshman leads midway through the 123rd New Jersey Amateur Golf Championship

BLOOMFIELD – Reed Greyserman will be the center of attention entering Wednesday’s 36-hole finale of the 123^rd New Jersey Amateur Golf Championship.

Greyserman, 19, an incoming freshman at Princeton, extended his lead to five shots after carding 5-under-par 66 during Tuesday’s second round at Forest Hill Field Club. He stands at 12-under 130.

“It’s going to be a long day, so don’t get too caught up on one shot when you’re out there playing and hitting so many different shots,” said Greyserman, a Short Hills resident representing Hamilton Farm.

Greyserman holds a five-shot lead over Liam Pasternak, 17, of Essex Fells and Jeremy Wall, 29, of Manasquan River. Pasternak shot 67 and Wall 68 to move to 7-under 135.

If Pasternak wins, he might be the first high school champion of this New Jersey State Golf Association event. Two months ago, Pasternak won the New Jersey high school Tournament of Champions as a junior at Morristown.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Pasternak, who tees off with Greyserman in Wednesday’s third round at 9:10 a.m. “I think my game is in a great spot.”

Wall, 29, can give his family back-to-back Amateur titles, as his younger brother, Jack, won last year’s crown in a three-hole aggregate playoff. Jack, 23, is in contention as well.

Mark Costanza of Baltusrol, 35, the 2020 State Open champion, is fourth at 4-under after shooting 67. Drew Mulcahy of Baltusrol is fifth after his 71 left him at 3-under.

Austin Devereux of Manasquan River, the 2020 Amateur champion, shot a second consecutive 70 and his 2-under is tied for sixth with Troy Vannucci of Little Mill, who carded 71. Defending champion Jack Wall of Manasquan River climbed into the picture with a 67 that has him tied for eighth at 1-under.

Greyserman is the youngest of three golfing brothers and all have made a splash in NJSGA events. His oldest brother, Max, won the State Open in 2014 and State Amateur in 2015 and is in his first season on the PGA Tour. Another brother, Dean, was runner-up at the State Amateur in 2020. Reed was fourth at the State Amateur in 2021 and fifth in 2022.

Reed Greyserman played Tuesday’s last seven holes at 5-under, and it started after back-to-back bogeys on the 10^th and 11^th. He eagled the par-5 14^th by hitting a 6-iron from 178 yards into the wind to within a foot. He had birdies on the 12^th, 17^th and 18^th holes.

“I did a good job calming myself down and hit a lot of really good shots on the last five holes,” Greyserman said.

Jeremy Wall was cruising until he closed with three consecutive bogeys, on Nos. 7, 8, and 9, for his 68. He has yet to birdie those three holes and is in search of answers.

“I didn’t finish well, which is the most important part to me,” Wall said, adding: “I have to play seven, eight and nine better. I have to hit better shots or focus harder. I have to do something different on those three, because I’ve struggled on them.”

Pasternak had five birdies and one bogey en route to his 67 and rise to 7-under. He had a little luck on his second-to-last hole, the par-4 17^th, when his too-hard chip from 35 yards hit the flagstick and dropped a foot near the hole for a tap-in par.

“Tee to green it was really good, really solid,” said Pasternak. already committed to Notre Dame. “I didn’t put myself in too many poor positions off the tee, and into the greens I stayed in the right spots, hit it close enough to the hole, and gave myself chances all day.”

Costanza labeled his 67 “pretty steady.” The Bergen Catholic graduate and Morristown resident had five birdies and one bogey to climb to 4-under, and his 2020 State Open title shows he’s battle tested for this finale.

“The good thing about this event is it’s 72 holes,” Costanza said. “It’s 36 holes in and you’re only halfway there, so there’s a lot of golf left to be played.”

Jack Wall, like his brother a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy, climbed into the red and into the top 10 with a 67 that was “solid, but it could have been a lot lower.” He had five birdies and one bogey and might need a couple more 67s to climb into the thick of it.

“It kind of eases your mind a little bit knowing what to expect,” said Wall, who this spring graduated from Texas Tech. “It’s a long day and you just have to survive it pretty much.”

123rd New Jersey Amateur Championship

At Forest Hill FC, Bloomfield

Par: 71; Yardage: 6,555

Second of four rounds

Reed Greyserman, Hamilton Farm 64-66-130

Jeremy Wall, Manasquan River 67-68-135

Liam Pasternak, Essex Fells 68-67-135

Mark Costanza, Baltusrol 71-67-138

Drew Mulcahy, Baltusrol 68-71-139

Troy Vannucci, Little Mill 69-71-140

Austin Devereux, Manasquan River 70-70-140

Anthony Gallardo, Suburban 73- 68-141

Griffin LaLonde, NJSGA HS E-Club 72-69-141

Jack Wall, Manasquan River 74-67-141

Benjamin Ortwein, Oak Hill 71-70-141

Thomas O’Neill, Hackensack 65-77-142

Eric LeFante, Somerset Hills 70-72-142

Tanner Little, Copper Hill 71-71-142

Mike Stamberger, Spring Lake 74-68-142

Dylan Gallagher, Rockland 69-74-143

Daniel Cassidy, Trump Colts Neck 72-71-143

Jason Bataille, Raritan Valley 71-72-143

CJ Antifonario, Knickerbocker 72-71-143

Stephen Wentz, Baltusrol 71-73-144

Chris Dejohn, Arcola 72-72-144

Arav Patel, Forsgate 68-76-144

Andrew Giuliani, Trump Bedminster 72-72-144

Will Celiberti, Arcola 73-71-144

Ricky Calve, Colts Neck 78-66-144

Anthony Campanile, Deal 75-70-145

Greg Angelillo, Baltusrol 70-75-145

Christian Deussing, NJSGA E-Club 72-73-145

Elliot Parker, Suburban 74-71-145

Sean Vowells, Canoe Brook 74-71-145

Jake Todaro, Shackamaxon 75-71-146

Ethan Lee, Colts Neck 71-75-146

Corey Brigham, NJSGA E-Club 74-72-146

Greg Scalley, Forest Hill 74-72-146

Trevor Randolph, Arcola 72-74-146

Graeme Hollingshead, Trump Bedminster 73-73-146

Barnes Blake, Echo Lake 72-74-146

Alex Yong, Heron Glen 72-75-147

Matthew Normand, Riverton 75-72-147

Robert McHugh, Rock Spring 71-76-147

Michael Gallagher, Echo Lake 74-73-147

Did not make cut

Zach Mueller, Trump Colts Neck 70-78-148

Clifford Lindholm, Montclair 78-70-148

Brandon Capone, Mercer Oaks 78-70-148

Erik Stevens, Hamilton Farm 76-72-148

Gehrig Shannon, Upper Montclair 74-74-148

Michael Reddy, Mendham 74-75-149

Doug Ergood, Tavistock 73-76-149

Garrett Kessler, Mountain Ridge 74-75-149

Michael Guli, Trump Bedminster 74-75-149

Patrick Scenna, Deal 74-75-149

Roger Rice, Basking Ridge 75-74-149

Brendan Hansen, Spring Lake 75-74-149

Brandon Dalinka, Baltusrol 73-76-149

Peter Byrne, NJSGA E-Club 72-78-150

Tyler Galatini, Montclair 77-73-150

Jason Cruz, Navesink 73-78-151

Eric Lasota, Rock Spring 75-76-151

Ben Keyser, Legacy Club 78-73-151

Zach Egermayer, NJSGA E-Club 76-76-152

Brett Inserra, NJSGA E-Club 73-79-152

Shiv Manhas, NJSGA E-Club 73-80-153

Patrick Ryan, Essex County 74-79-153

Jake Aronson, NJSGA E-Club 78-75-153

Kevin Purcell, Forest Hill 73-80-153

Liam Larkin, Warrenbrook 77-76-153

Winston Blank, Hollywood 78-76-154

Brendan Gutzler, Trump Colts Neck 70-84-154

Gavin Rau, Neshanic Valley 78-77-155

William Eke, Eligo 80-75-155

Brian Dowling, Stanton Ridge 78-78-156

John Havay, High Bridge Hills 76-80-156

Michael Clemente, Echo Lake 80-76-156

Anthony Dinelli, Spring Brook 76-81-157

Richie Reck, Jumping Brook 76-81-157

Jake Morgan, Deer Run 78-79-157

James Arbes, Watchung Valley 83-74-157

Cameron Link, Lake Mohawk 79-79-158

Niall Handley, Knoll 79-79-158

Ryder Hodgson, Montclair 77-81-158

Maxwell Sorger, Montclair 80-78-158

Mac Bredahl, Fairmount 77-82-159

Steven Maide, Upper Montclair 83-76-159

Paul Giovannoli, NJSGA E-Club 77-82-159

Adrian Jordan, Cobblestone Creek 81-79-160

Daniel Kopp, Manasquan River 77-83-160

Stephen Boyd, Baltusrol 77-85-162

Erik Grehl, NJSGA E-Club 81-82-163

Andrew Kaskel, Montclair 77-86-163

Pat Noone, Fairway Mews 79-86-165

Ryan Applin, NJSGA E-Club 84-81-165

Michael Corbo, Hamilton Farm 87-82-169

Jake Riggs, NJSGA E-Club 78-NS-NS

Shane Quinn, New Jersey National 79-WD-WD

Bob Johnston, White Beeches 82-WD-WD

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New Jersey

NJ’s biggest Catholic diocese hits pause on plan to merge parishes

Published

4 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

NJ’s biggest Catholic diocese hits pause on plan to merge parishes

Last June, the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark launched a review called “We Are His Witnesses,” which aimed to consider potential consolidations or closures of some of its 211 North Jersey parishes.

But amid confusion and pushback from many parishioners, Cardinal Joseph Tobin said Wednesday that the archdiocese will now extend its review to allow for further study and conversations.

In a letter published on the Archdiocese website March 4, Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, noted the challenges remain the same: a steady decline in membership and a shortage of priests projected to grow worse in the coming years. He did not specify how much longer the process would take but said he would have more to announce in June.

The largest of New Jersey’s five Catholic dioceses, the Newark Archdiocese serves approximately 1.3 million people in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties.

Story continues after gallery.

Some parishioners, Tobin wrote, “came to believe — incorrectly — that the overall goal of We Are His Witnesses is to close churches. That has never been the purpose.

“This work is not driven by downsizing, but by mission: by the call to strengthen parish life so that it can truly form disciples and reach those who are not yet engaged in the life of the Church.”

The program’s aim is not to close churches, but to “strengthen parish life” he added.

He said a follow-up announcement would come on June 12 but reassured parishioners that “there is no need to fear that an immediate and wholesale closure of parishes will be announced.”

‘The Church is not a museum’

Current circumstances demand Church leaders to make difficult decisions, he said. “The challenges we face are real: fewer priests, fewer people in the pews, communities that look very different than they did even a generation ago, and financial strain. Ignoring the changed landscape does not preserve parish life; it weakens it. The Church is not a museum to preserve what it once was,” he wrote.

The initiative kicked off last summer, with meetings at churches around the region to allow parishioners to offer feedback. Many expressed fears about their future of their church, Tobin said.

Parishioners at many of the meetings and in letters to Tobin expressed concerns about the program. As a result, Tobin concluded that “it is clear that the communities of the Archdiocese need more time for honest discernment. We are extending this phase of our work to allow for deeper reflection and broader consultation throughout our local Church.”

“This is not a pause in mission. It is a call to take the mission seriously and to ask ourselves, with renewed honesty, what it means to be a missionary Church today.”

Msgr. Richard Arnhols, pastor emeritus of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Bergenfield and a member of a committee of pastoral leaders helping to guide the review, said that, “Based on the input from the priests and people of the parishes which took place last fall, Cardinal Tobin has approved a period of additional study and reflection before any decisions are made.”

The first step is further conversation among parish priests, which will take place this month, he said.

Gregory Hann, a religious instructor at St. Vincent Academy in Newark, applauded Tobin’s decision. “If we continue to do things the way we have been doing them, we become a stagnant Church and we allow the comforts of our culture and the outside to keep us from moving from the Cross to glory.”

Nicholas Grillo of Bloomfield, a parishioner who attended several listening sessions at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City, approved of the decision. “Hopefully the pause will give them time to reevaluate this going forward,” he said.

He added that it was a “waste of money” to pay large sums of money to a consultant that “doesn’t understand the intricacies of the Archdiocese of Newark,” he said, referring to the Catholic Leadership Institute, a Pennsylvania group that the archdiocese has engaged.

Instead, Grillo suggested, “they should put together a group of lay parishioners and priests from the diocese who can collaborate on a better path forward.”

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New Jersey

Devils Out to Rattle the Leafs | PREVIEW | New Jersey Devils

Published

16 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Devils Out to Rattle the Leafs | PREVIEW | New Jersey Devils

THE SCOOP

The Devils began their season-high seven-game homestand with a decisive victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. The win was their second consecutive victory after picking up a win in St. Louis earlier in the week.

There’s not a lot of runway left in the season, and stringing together a run of victories is at the top of their minds. New Jersey is 11 points out of the final Wild Card spot, and 13 out of third in the Metropolitan Division. Tuesday will mark the Devils final game before the NHL Trade Deadline, which is on Friday at 3 p.m.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are having a down year, based on where the expectations were set heading into the season. The Leafs have struggled to gain any traction in their season and sit just two points ahead of New Jersey with 64. Toronto is 12 points out of third in the Atlantic Division, and nine points out of a Wild Card spot.

The Leafs have a tendency to give up an abundance of shots to their opponents, ranking first in the league in shots against, per game with 31.8, which bodes will for a Devils team that averages 29.4 shots per game, ranking sixth in the league. Despite their overall struggles, the Leafs do have the league’s fourth-best penalty kill, working at an 83.1 percent efficiency.

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New Jersey

Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Former Lumberton, New Jersey, mayor Gina LaPlaca pleads guilty to 2025 DUI, sentenced to treatment program

A former mayor in Burlington County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to DUI and child endangerment charges after a 2025 traffic stop, according to prosecutors.

Lumberton Township committee member Gina LaPlaca, 46, was indicted last spring on child abuse charges after county prosecutors said she was observed driving drunk with her young child in the car, while serving as the township mayor.

Police arrested her at her home after reviewing video from a witness showing her swerving out of her lane and nearly hitting a utility pole. Lumberton police discovered her blood alcohol concentration was .30%, over three times the legal limit of .08%.

On Monday, LaPlaca was sentenced to three years in a diversionary program for first-time offenders after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and a fourth-degree child abuse charge. As part of the plea deal, LaPlaca will avoid jail time as long as she abides by the terms of the program.

Under the terms of the Pretrial Intervention or PTI program, she must attend regular Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and comply with any requirements set by the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

Judge Craig A. Ambrose also ordered LaPlaca to have an ignition lock device on her car that will prevent it from starting up if the driver has consumed alcohol. She said in court she had already installed one in October 2025, the county prosecutor’s office said.

If LaPlaca violates the terms of the PTI program, she could be prosecuted for the child abuse charge.

LaPlaca completed an intensive treatment program in May 2025 and said in a statement that she is “fully committed to my recovery” and is doing the “daily, intentional work” that comes with it. She apologized to Lumberton residents while acknowledging a private struggle with alcohol addiction that was no longer private.

“The weight of my actions is something I carry deeply,” she said in a statement shared on social media. “What I did was wrong. It was dangerous. It was inexcusable. I drove while intoxicated with my child in the car — a choice that could have caused irreversible harm. That reality is something I will live with, and learn from, for the rest of my life.”

LaPlaca served as mayor through 2025 but remains on the township committee. Terrance Benson was sworn in as mayor of Lumberton this year.

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