Celebrating the start of the 2025 Spring Sports Season
The 2025 Spring Sports Season is officially underway for your Phillipsburg Stateliners! With practices kicking off on Monday, March 10, our teams have hit the ground running—bringing energy, focus, and determination to the field. Many teams have already tested their skills in early scrimmages, setting a strong tone for the season ahead. We’re excited to see what this talented group of athletes will accomplish this spring!
Spring Coaching Staff:
- Baseball - Michael Ciavarella
- Boys Golf - Bud Kohler
- Girls Golf - Jim Gonzalez
- Boys Lacrosse - Shawn Rosa
- Girls Lacrosse - Madison Mitchell
- Softball - Kristin Polet
- Boys Tennis - Donnie Smith
- Boys Track and Field - Brett Hyland
- Girls Track and Field - Rich Kiley
WITH GRATITUDE...
March is Athletic Trainers Appreciation Month (NATM), and we are proud to recognize and thank Duane Brida, Dana Huber, and Joel Labriola for their outstanding dedication to the student-athletes of Phillipsburg High School. At the heart of any successful athletic program are knowledgeable, passionate, and committed professionals—and we are fortunate to have three of the very best. Whether it’s pre-hab, in-game support, or post-game treatment, Duane, Dana, and Joel are there every step of the way, often arriving before the first whistle and leaving long after the final buzzer. Thank you for all that you do for our Stateliners!
WINTER SPORTS ACCOLADES
- Girls Bowling - HWS Champions, Skyland Conference Champions
- Boys Bowling - HWS Champions
- Boys Basketball - HWS Champions
- Boys Wrestling - HWS Champions, Sectional Champions
- Girls Swimming - HWS Champions
- NJSIAA Individual Girls Bowling - Savannah Rutar (4th Overall in NJ)
- NJSIAA Individual Girls Wrestling - Ellie Kisselbach (4th, 114)
- NJSIAA Individual Boys Wrestling - Luke Geleta (7th, 144), Gavin Hawk (2nd, 157)
- NJSIAA Individual Boys Swimming - Nick Berger (7th, 50m Freestyle)
Get to Know - Jeff Viscomi, Site Manager
What do you enjoy most about your job? The best part of this job is being around the Phillipsburg High School athletic staff, coaches, and student athletes on a daily basis. They are all great people. Everyone works together to make sure things run as smoothly as possible.
How many years have you held your position? This is my 10th year working as athletic site manager.
Favorite PHS Spring Sports memory? My favorite Phillipsburg spring sports memory might be the 2012 baseball team winning the HWS title behind a dominating pitching performance by Anthony Ciavarella. That game had an electric night atmosphere at Diamond Nation.
Favorite restaurant(s) in town? My favorite restaurants in town are Nicolosi's, Joe's Steak, and Pizza Village.
Favorite movie? I have many movies that I like, but one of my favorites is "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Jack Nicholson was great in that movie.
What would be your go-to karaoke song? I am a horrible singer, but I might be able to do karaoke with Frank Sinatra's "My Way".
What is your favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon? I like lazy Sunday afternoons because my Monday through Saturday's are busy. I like to order delivery pizza for lunch and watch some afternoon Major League baseball.
What’s your hidden talent? I don't have many hidden talents, but I can name all 50 state capitals !!!
Captain's Corner -Ava Colontrelle, Softball
What are you most looking forward to as we approach the start of the 2025 season? Trying to build off of what we did last year and finish the season with a strong overall record. Advance deep into the HWS Tournament.
How did you get your start playing softball? My dad played baseball his whole life so he got me interested in the sport. I grew up watching the Yankees and softball was the closest thing to baseball.
What is your favorite PHS softball memory? Freshman year when we played North Hunterdon and I hit a walk-off double to beat them. That was the first time our program beat North Hunterdon in quite some time.
What advice to you have for any girls who aspire to one day be a part of the PHS Softball program? Work hard and keep your head down. Learn from the veteran players and focus on being the best teammate that you can be.
Favorite place to get pizza? Gara's all the way!
What is currently on your playlist? Throwback 2000's music such as Maroon 5, Khalid, basically anything else that would have been in the 2010 hits
Pets at home? Two dogs (Harry and Winnie), pitbull / boxer mix
If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Mind reading - I could figure out what is on my friend's mind, figure out what my coach really thinks of me, and know what pitch is coming next!
UPCOMING EVENT
SPORTS INFORMATION NIGHT
Phillipsburg High School Athletics is excited to host our upcoming Sports Information Night, open to all current 8th-grade student-athletes who will be attending PHS this fall. This informative event will provide students and parents with important details about sports physicals, NCAA eligibility guidelines, sport-specific schedules, and more. Attendees will also have the chance to meet and speak with our athletic training staff. We look forward to welcoming the next generation of Stateliners and hope to see you there!
Opening Contests
- Tuesday, March 25 - Girls Golf vs. North Hunterdon (3:00 PM)
- Monday, March 31 - Boys Golf vs. Hillsborough (3:00 PM)
- Monday, March 31 - Girls Lacrosse vs. Montgomery (4:00 PM)
- Tuesday, April 1 - Baseball vs. Watchung Hills (4:00 PM)
- Tuesday, April 1 - Softball vs. Warren Hills (4:00 PM)
- Tuesday, April 1 - Track and Field vs. Multiple Schools (4:00 PM)
- Tuesday, April 1 - Boys Tennis vs. North Hunterdon (4:00 PM)
- Thursday, April 3 - Boys Lacrosse vs. Immaculata (4:00 PM)