NBTHS SCHOOL RECORD HOLDERS
by: Colin Davis, Athletic Intern
As we approach the beginning of the Winter season, I think it’s fair to take one last look at the incredible feats displayed by our Student-Athletes here at NBTHS. Famed Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach once said, “All records are made to be broken,” and that couldn’t be more true with these 3 players.
Kelly DeGaetano (13) dribbles past an Edison defender (Courtesy of Andre Pearson)
Kelly DeGaetano came into this year knowing she had a real shot at making history. At the start of the season, she was 43 points away from breaking Tricia Veloso’s 20-year record of 205 points. It would take a monumental effort this season to break it and she broke it convincingly banging in 37 goals and 11 assists to give her 85 points (a goal is worth 2 points) on the season, breaking Veloso’s record by a whopping 43 points. But amidst her chase for Veloso, she became the first girl in the 48-year history of the school to eclipse the 100 goal mark. “I think it’s so cool. Going into the season, I knew it was possible that I could get my 100th goal and I’m just really proud of how well my team did in allowing me to get there,” said DeGaetano. Her incredible showing this season landed her a spot on the Monmouth College soccer team, but despite the challenges that the next level presents, DeGaetano is prepared. She said, “Now I enter my club soccer season where I’m still training. I’m going to keep working hard and continue to push myself to be the best player I can be and do whatever my team needs me to do.” Her legacy is intact as the greatest scorer in school history, but what sticks out to her the most is how she’ll be remembered. “It’s amazing to think that now, I’m the record the girls who come through this program are chasing similar to how I was trying to beat Tricia Veloso. I know that chase pushed me to play my best and I hope it does the same for the future teams at NBTHS.¨
Marquis Perry (1) waves to the crowd. (Courtesy of Melvin Leon)
Marquis Perry. The name speaks for itself at this point. One of the greatest receivers this school has ever seen and the numbers prove it. He is the all-time leading receiver in receptions and receiving yards, and the record was broken convincingly. Dyshon Thompson led both of those categories up until this season with 66 receptions and 1,327 yards. From the jump of the season, you knew just by watching that this season was going to be something special for Perry and that it was. He posted 53 receptions for 911 yards this season to give him 89 receptions and 1,419 yards on his career. Perry remarked on it as: “something I’ll never forget. I feel as though so far my biggest accomplishments in my life and I’m proud of myself and my teammates. I know for a fact this coaching staff has the ability to generate another receiver to break my records soon,” added Perry. The records are tough enough to break, but it helps when you have the connection that Perry had with his quarterback, Frank Garbolino. They’ve been playing together for 5 years now and it went a long way towards achieving these milestones. He said, “I feel as though without that connection, we would still be able to dominate together because that’s the type of athletes we are but when you put two of those athletes together, things get dangerous.” His legacy is intact as one of, if not, the greatest receiver in school history, and that creates the reminiscence. “It was more than just sports that woke me up in the morning, it was knowing that just by me stepping on that field, I was inspiring a whole town to come out and support. From all of the kids knowing my name all the way to my name being all over the radio stations. I’m going to truly miss it here, but hey, that’s what memories are for right?”
(Courtesy of Andre Pearson)
Frankie Garbolino is the only junior in this story, and that speaks volumes about how historic the start to his Raiders career has been, after one of the greatest passing campaigns of a Raiders QB in 2020. Garbolino sat just 453 yards and 7 touchdowns away from immortality to begin the season, and another strong season passed the torch to him on those two milestones which might prove to be his for a long time. Garbolino finished the season with 1,857 yards and 23 touchdowns to give him 3,574 yards and 40 touchdowns to kick off his first two years as starting quarterback. With this historic start though, Garbolino didn’t take too much credit for himself. “The record is definitely cool, and it gave me something to work towards, but I give all the credit to my teammates and coaches. Those are the guys that push me every day to get to the spot I’m at and I definitely couldn’t have done it without them,¨ said Frankie. Garbolino acknowledged one player in particular that helped him greatly to get to this mountain, the aforementioned Marquis Perry. He said, “Marquis is the guy that I’m going to miss the most from the senior class. Not because of his play on the field (even though I’m definitely going to miss that) but because of the person he is. He’s a great locker room guy that everyone gravitates to. Walking onto that field with him gives me a sense of relief because I know he’ll always have my back through thick and thin. After the loss in Hillsborough to end the season, we looked at each other and lost it, knowing that was the last time we would take the field together. That’s definitely a bond I’ll never forget.”
These 3 players achieved things that no other player has in the history of this school, and it was an honor to watch 2 of their careers here at NBTHS. The 3rd one still has a story to finish here for us, and it’s going to be very exciting to watch. With this story in the books, we shift our focus to the winter sports season. So congratulations to the record breakers Kelly DeGaetano, Marquis Perry, and Frankie Garbolino, and good luck to them and all of our winter athletes!