Athletics
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
North Jersey Female Athlete of the Week continues her rapid rise on the volleyball court
It took a while for Lexi McGinty to find her sport.
She tried basketball and soccer, and even track and field, but they just didn't seem to be her speed. At first, she wasn't thrilled when her mom signed her up for volleyball at their church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tenafly, one of the largest and most active of North Jersey's Catholic Youth Organizations about four years ago.
But volleyball took and now Lexi McGinty is the North Jersey Female Athlete of the Week, presented by HSS.
Imagine you're a sophomore and already considered one of the top outside hitters in North Jersey, piling up kills and getting better all the time. At the same time, you've risen up the ranks in club volleyball and you want to play in college, where the hitters on the front line are 5-foot-10, 6-foot, even 6-foot-2 and above, but you're only 5-foot-6.
So in your club life, at one of the northeast's top clubs, NYC Volleyball Academy, you become a libreo, that unique and vital role on every volleyball team that requires speed, agility, defensive prowess and everything you can do on a court except hit from the frontline.
It doesn't faze McGinty or her high school coach, Jeff Koehler, in the slightest.
"I'm been coaching volleyball for more than 30 years and she's the best all around player I've ever had," Koehler said. "She never comes out of a game and even as a sophomore, she's a leader on the court and has another level of focus in her play that you rarely see.
"She takes all the players around her to another level and allows us to reach for things like conference, sectional and Bergen County championships, maybe even a state title before she's through. We need her to be an outside hitter in our program, but she might be the best libero in the state if she played there full-time."
High praise for a girl who hasn't played a full club season at what is likely to be her position at the next level.
"I know I'm undersized for a college hitter," said McGinty, the youngest of four children, all of whom played sports at Tenafly. "It's been a little confusing playing hitter in high school and switching to libero in club, and it was a hard decision to make to switch. Not everyone can have all these great opportunities I have been presented with and I've always believed that to be a good volleyball player, you have to be a good all around player."
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Tenafly elevates 25-year-old assistant to head football coach
Tenafly approved 25-year-old former assistant Matthew LaQuaglia as new head football coach Monday night.
LaQuaglia, a social studies and economics teacher at the high school, served as special teams coordinator and position coach the last two seasons under former Tigers coach Alonso Escalante, who took a job with the Jets. LaQuaglia also headed up the strength and conditioning program.
“I felt like the kids and the program needed some continuity,” LaQuaglia said Tuesday morning. “This is a great community that I have been welcomed into and, getting to work with these kids the last two years, they deserve to have their hard work pay off. I wanted to do my best to keep the band together and keep down the track we’re going.”
LaQuaglia grew up in Caldwell and played wide receiver and defensive back in high school. He attended Rutgers and received his bachelor’s degree in economics and master's degree in social studies education in 2022.
Tenafly approved 25-year-old former assistant Matthew LaQuaglia as new head football coach Monday night.
LaQuaglia, a social studies and economics teacher at the high school, served as special teams coordinator and position coach the last two seasons under former Tigers coach Alonso Escalante, who took a job with the Jets. LaQuaglia also headed up the strength and conditioning program.
“I felt like the kids and the program needed some continuity,” LaQuaglia said Tuesday morning. “This is a great community that I have been welcomed into and, getting to work with these kids the last two years, they deserve to have their hard work pay off. I wanted to do my best to keep the band together and keep down the track we’re going.”
LaQuaglia grew up in Caldwell and played wide receiver and defensive back in high school. He attended Rutgers and received his bachelor’s degree in economics and master's degree in social studies education in 2022.
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