No. 9 Cedar Grove blanks Weehawken to accomplish sectional three-peat

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They called it a full-circle moment, and that was not a direct reference to the latest big performance by Cayce Kavakich in the pitcher’s circle.

Top-seeded Cedar Grove’s 10-0 victory over second-seeded Weehawken in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 final at Panther Park was simply another reminder how much the program has accomplished in the past three seasons.

It was on the same field in the same sectional final in 2022 that the Panthers lost to the same Hudson County opponent. Since that season, Kavakich and her classmates, freshman that day but now seniors, have accomplished a few things:

• Two consecutive playoff victories over Weehawken, including last year’s Group 1 semifinals
• Three straight sectional titles
• Two straight Group 1 titles, putting them in position to become the first New Jersey public school to win three in a row
• A 73-16 record (.820 winning percentage)

“Freshmen year we fell short,” said Gia Fernandez, the St. John’s commit whose three-run home run pushed the lead to 7-0 in the fourth inning before her team earned a mercy-rule victory in the fifth.

“I didn’t get to play because I was injured. But this is like a full-circle moment. Four years later, we got to beat them on our turf.”

The Panthers (23-5) also earned the right to play in the Group 1 semifinals at home on Monday against Indian Hills, which won the North 1 title with a 2-0 victory over Waldwick.

The winner advances to the group final next Friday at Ivy Hill Park in Newark.

The completion of that circle had a lot to do with the standout pitching of Kavakich, the All-Stater who will continue her career at Florida International. She had to work around some early baserunners but was pretty much in control while throwing a three-hitter with two walks and five strikeouts.

She also made some pretty significant contributions at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a single, double and walk and a team-high three runs scored.

Kavakich and the rest of the Cedar Grove lineup needed a couple innings to settle in against senior Brooke McHale, who allowed just one hit until the third, but they definitely got more comfortable as rain started to fall in a three-run third when Fernandez hit a sacrifice fly and Bella Stolz delivered a two-out, two-run single.

“A lot of times we start out and don’t hit,” Kavakich said. “But I know by the third or fourth inning we’ll get going. We were all up in the dugout and picking each other up.”

McHale kept the Panthers off-balance early with her changeup, but Kavakich said her team started anticipating that pitch and the outside fastball.

“We definitely made the adjustments,” Kavakich said. “When we saw her a second time we were on her. We had to sit on the changeup and put our toes on the line (of the batter’s box) because she was throwing out to us.”

Cedar Grove came back with the four-run fourth behind Fernandez’s homer, a double by Manhattan commit Ava Oeckel (3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI) and a run-scoring single by Daniella D’Angelo.

The end came in the fifth when Oeckel hit a two-run double and Marina Fernandez delivered a walk-off RBI single.

It made for a tough finish to a memorable season for Weehawken.

“There a very well-respected program and they’re really used to playing great competition constantly,” Indians coach Raquel Roder said. “We emphasize not blaming factors that we can’t control, but in pressure situations if we don’t get a pitch where we want it, we know they have the hitters to take advantage.”

Weehawken had a runner in scoring position in the first and third, but Kavakich always had an answer.

The graduation last spring of All-State pitcher Savanna McHale, now at the University of Binghampton, brought some new challenges for the Indians this season.

“After losing her from last season, I don’t think anybody expected us to go this far,” said Brooke McHale, Savanna’s sister.

Standout catch Envey Duran, an Iona commit, said: “Playing them for a third time (in four years) feels like a big accomplishment. Especially for a small school like Weehawken.”

The accomplishments keep piling up for Cedar Grove, but the players and coach say it is not about to let success change their focus.

“It’s tougher to win when you’ve been enjoying success,” Panthers coach Nikki Velardi said. “I think it’s easier to lose. To keep them focused and their eyes on the prize all year long is never easy. Especially when you have a group of seven seniors whose lives are about to change.”

Fernandez said: “It still feels fresh every time you win. “And I feel blessed to be part of a team has won so many championships, and getting to see my sister Ava (a 2018 graduate) win a couple championships.”

Kavakich said the focus will certainly be there with the biggest prizes now at stake.

“We enjoy having that target,” Kavakich said. “We enjoy winning all the titles that we can win just because we want to make a name for ourselves and we want to make history.”

Tim McClain can be reached at tmcclain@njadvancemedia.com .

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