Athletics
Ramapo High School now competes in the Big North Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Prior to the realignment in 2010, Ramapo competed in the North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League. Its sports teams are nicknamed the Raiders.
The school was recognized as the Group III winner of the NJSIAA ShopRite Cup in 2005-06. The award recognized the school for achieving a tie for 3rd in Girls Soccer, 2nd in Girls Volleyball, a tie for 3rd in Football, 1st in Softball, 1st in Boys Golf, 1st in Boys Lacrosse and 2nd in Boys Tennis. The school repeated as the Group III winner of the NJSIAA ShopRite Cup in 2006-07. The award recognized the school for achieving 1st place in Girls Soccer, 2nd in Boys Soccer, 3rd in Girls Tennis, 3rd in Boys Fencing, 2nd in Girls Indoor Track and Field Relays, 1st in Girls Indoor Track and Field, 2nd in Softball, 2nd in Boys Lacrosse and 1st in Girls Track and Field.
The girls' soccer team tied Freehold High School 0-0 in the Group III championship game held on November 28, 2006, at the College of New Jersey, with both teams sharing the co-championship. In 2007, the girls soccer team won the North I, Group III state sectional championship with a 2-0 win over Northern Highlands Regional High School in the tournament final, the team's 14th sectional title in the preceding 16 years. The girls soccer team has won Group III state championships from 1985–87, in 1990, from 1996–99 and in 2008, and won the Group II / IV combined title in both 1982 and 1983, giving the team 12 state titles, the most of any public school.
The Ramapo boys' lacrosse team won the 2006 Group II state championship with a 12-10 over Montgomery High School and made it to the 2010 Group II final, in which they lost to Princeton High School.
The softball team won the 2007 North I, Group III state sectional championship with a 2-0 win over Paramus High School.
In 2009 Ramapo had the fencing state individual champion Adrian Bak, a member of the US national fencing team, who led Ramapo to a team sabre state title. In 2011, Charles Copti continued the trend and went on to win the state individual championship for the Sabre weapon.
In 2007, the girls tennis team won the North I, Group III state sectional championship with a 3-2 win over Northern Highlands Regional High School in the tournament finals. The win was the team's second consecutive title, and the 21st in team history.
The 2007 boys soccer team won the North I, Group III state sectional championship with a 2-0 win over Morris Hills High School in the tournament final. The win was Ramapo's fifth sectional title since 2002. The team moved on to win the Group III state championship with a 1-0 win over Ocean City High School. The win was the team's fourth state championship, and their first since 2002.
The 2009-10 Boys bowling team won the NBIL Division 1 championship over Paramus Catholic High School, while finishing the season ranked fifth in North Jersey. The team also finished tied with Don Bosco for 8th overall at the county tournament, and came in fourth in a tough group at the state sectionals. In the 2010-11 season, Ramapo continued upon the previous year's success, with a fifth place finish in the county tournament, second place in the Big North division 5, and a North 1-A Group 3 sectional championship, defeating Pascack Valley High School, resulting in a season-ending ranking of third in North Jersey and 17th in the state.
The 2007 girls track team won the State Group III indoor and outdoor titles, led by senior Kesley Ramsey, junior Amy Salek, sophomore Erin McKenna and sophomore Meagan Downey. The first three, along with junior Colleen Sullivan, finished second in the Penn Relays distance medley relay in a Bergen County time of 11 minutes, 56.59 seconds.
The 2007 Boys and Girls Soccer teams went to the New Jersey Group III state championships, the girls losing and the boys winning with a 1-0 victory against Ocean City High School. In 2008, the boys soccer team won the county title over Don Bosco Preparatory High School but lost in the state semi finals to Millburn High School, while the girls team lost in the county championship to top-seeded Immaculate Heart Academy and won the state title by defeating Freehold High School by a score of 3-1 in the finals.
The 2009, the wrestling team won the first league title in program history by defeating Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan in a 28-28 tie. The tie was broken from the "Second Tie Breaking Criteria: Most Matches Won". Ramapo had 8 wins while Northern Valley-Old Tappan only had 6. The wrestling team won the title for its division in the league the following year. There are currently four wrestlers who are part of the "100 Win Club". They include 2005 graduate Jimmy Schulz, 2009 graduate Chris D'Amico, 2010 graduate Alex Scheinert and 2011 graduate Nick Madormo.
The football team won the NJSIAA North I Group III state sectional championships in 1974, 1983, 1993, 1997, 2000–01, 2003 and 2009. The 2009 Football team won the New Jersey Group III State Championship beating arch rival Wayne Hills High School 16-8 at Giants Stadium, for the team's first title since 2003.
The 2009-10 Spring Track Boys Sprint Medley Team placed first overall in the Bergen County Relays in Division A, posting the 19th fastest time ever run in the County with a 3:32.7 and a 1:53 800 anchor leg by junior Bradley Paternostro. Other runners: John Burke (400) Ethan Rubin (200) Jack Bandazian (200). At East Coast Relays, the same Sprint Medley came in first with a time of 3:28 (Bradley anchored in a 1:52), posting the 4th fastest time in the nation and fastest in New Jersey. The SMR will compete in nationals in North Carolina as well as Bradley in the open 800m race. Bradley was awarded the Bernard Smith Award for the Best Male Track Athlete of the meet, also running the anchor leg of the 4x400 boys relay which placed 4th. Also, Ramapo earned 2nd place in the 4x100 and a 4th place finish in both the 4x200 and 4x400. At the Monroe-Woodbury Crusader Relays on May 1, 2010, Bradley Paternostro set a meet record with a 1:53.5 in the 800. Boys 4x400 and 4x100 placed 4th, the Sprint Medley placed 3rd, and the 3200m Relay placed 5th throughout the day. At the 2010 State Sectional Meet, Bradley won both the mile and 800, and thanks to contributions by other teammates, Ramapo placed 4th. At the 2010 Bergen Meet of Champions, Bradley won the 800 and anchored a 5th overall 4x400m relay.
The 2010 boys golf team won the state Group III Championship.
The 2010 boys cross country team won the league championship, marking the first time in 12 years that the boys had accomplished this feat.
The 2011 boys soccer team was at one point ranked #16 in the country. They finished the season with a record of 22-1 and won the Group III state tournament over Timber Creek Regional High School by a score of 3-1.
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