GLEN RIDGE, NJ — It’s been two months since the Glen Ridge High School boys basketball team finished its glorious state championship run. But the buzz is still strong in the community — parents, fans, players and other students are still on cloud nine after the Ridgers won their first state sectional championship in 34 years.
The team’s appeal was more than just their ability to play on the court. The Ridgers had a strong team bond, forged by its six seniors — Mike Cifelli, Carter Koenig, Ryan O’Neil, Bryan Moussako, Andrew Snyder and Justin Fields — who have played together since they were little kids. The Ridgers were like a family, a brotherhood.
Nic Chang, a 17-year-old junior at GRHS, captured the Ridgers’ season by producing a riveting documentary, which was shown in front of a packed audience on Tuesday night, May 24, at the Women’s Club of Glen Ridge in a movie theater–style atmosphere, exactly 11 weeks after the Ridgers won the North 2, Group 1, state sectional championship on Tuesday, March 8.
Chang, a self-professed soccer guy who has a passion for storytelling, was friends with the basketball players. He had a strong hunch that they would have a great season. With a camera and microphone, he went to every practice and game, and recorded as much footage as possible.
Sandra Lefkovitz, president of the Women’s Club, emceed the event. The 15 players on the team, along with head coach Rich Kennedy, and assistant coaches Mike Salvatelli and Ryan Liddy, were on hand to watch the documentary, joined by friends and family members. The seniors, one by one, addressed the audience and recalled how Chang filmed them during the season, thanking him for his efforts.
Prior to the film’s showing, Chang said in an interview with The Glen Ridge Paper that the film was edited down from about 75 hours of footage.
“It was an insane time commitment, but if they had practice, I’m there,” Chang said. “Wherever they hanged out, I’m there.”
For Chang, the documentary became a passion project. Chang really wanted to show how sports in Glen Ridge is a big part of the community.
“That was the main motivation to do it; the fact that there is this tradition that everyone wants to uphold, and to see if they would uphold it, and they did,” Chang said.
The documentary starts with the game against Millburn at the Prudential Center in Newark on Jan. 8. The team lost to Millburn for its first defeat of the season after starting 5-0, and you see the players’ pain and sadness.
Throughout the film, there is a countdown to the state tournament. The film features interviews with the players in the locker room, as well as with the coaches and with athletic director Rob Hill. In the film, the players dance and rejoice after each win, which drew laughs from the audience, and their faces are somber after each loss.
Kennedy and Salvatelli give impassioned speeches in the locker room during halftimes and after each game.
The film also highlights the team’s run in the county tournament, as well as when it clinched the Super Essex Conference divisional championship.
Then the documentary moves to the state sectional tournament, with Chang capturing the action of every game, and the emotions of the fans in the stands and the players and coaches on the sidelines. Each of the four games took place at GRHS, since the Ridgers were the No. 1 seed. Chang used slow motion and music whenever there was a dramatic moment, which was simply captivating. When the team defeated West Side in the sectional final in a game that was decided in the final seconds, the film shows the fans and players erupting in celebration on the court, in slow-motion black-and-white, set to a happy music selection.
The season ended with the loss to Paterson Charter in the state semifinals at Phillipsburg, with the Ridgers finishing with a stellar 20-8 record. In the locker room, Kennedy addresses his players, telling them how proud he is of them. The players are naturally sad and crying, but moments later, they talk about their great season and the brotherhood that they shared.
When the documentary concluded, the audience gave a rousing standing ovation. The members of the team then stood in front of the audience, and Kennedy gave a speech about the team’s season. Afterward, they all posed for photos with Chang.
“It became so much greater that I could have ever imagined,” Chang said to The Glen Ridge Paper. “It started off as this me thing, and now this entire town has rallied behind this film. Everyone loves these kids. They are just great guys.”
It was a magnificent season. Thanks to Chang, it will forever be remembered.
Editor’s note: To view the documentary, click here
Glen Ridge HS boys basketball team’s championship season captured in film documentary added by Joe Ragozzino on
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