Moorestown

The suffragist Alice Paul - who was born in Mount Laurel, died in Moorestown, and helped American women win the right to vote - would likely approve of those two towns' latest choice of mayors. On Monday, the Moorestown council chose Stacey Jordan as the township's first female mayor. Last week, on Wednesday, Mount Laurel Township's council selected Linda Bobo as its new mayor. "It's pretty neat - a piece of history," Jordan, 42, a mother and business owner, said of her selection.

John Majane hoped for more than a decade that his daughter, who was 15 when he last saw her in Moorestown, N.J., had simply run away. But Carolyn Majane was pretty, popular and happy. And aside from the usual struggles of growing up with four brothers, she had no reason to vanish on her own. "I always hoped that she was alive," said John Majane, a self-employed engineer who now lives with his family in Bethesda, Md. "But after so many years and so many holidays went by without so much as a phone call, I started to realize that she must be dead.

Megan Kelly's lacrosse stick looks like something you'd find lying in a forest. It's called a Bamshaft. It's made of bamboo. Not many high school lacrosse players use a Bamshaft, and when describing it, Kelly said with a laugh, "People make fun of it all the time. " It's unconventional, and it's marketed toward those who want to check harder, play ultra-tough defense, and, in some way, stand out on the field. So it's almost a perfect fit for Kelly, the top defender for Moorestown and this season's Inquirer Player of the Year in South Jersey girls' lacrosse.

A coaching milestone and a trip to a championship game will be on the line for the Moorestown boys' soccer team Sunday in the semifinals of the South Jersey Coaches Tournament. The Quakers got there by beating Timber Creek, 1-0, in a quarterfinal defensive struggle Saturday, giving coach Mike Sutcliffe his 299th win in a career that goes back to 1990. Ninth-seeded Moorestown will play Lenape, a Friday winner over Haddon Heights, at 2 p.m. at Eastern. Michael Handlan scored the game's lone goal in the 79th minute, winning a race to a loose ball in the box after a failed clearing attempt.

Julie McGrory could not remember the last time the Moorestown girls' basketball team beat Willingboro. Neither could Willingboro coach Guy Fowler, and he's headed up the Chimeras' program for almost a decade. McGrory won't have to ponder the question any longer. The Moorestown senior forward scored a game-high 19 points as the visiting Quakers turned back the favored Chimeras, 47-40, yesterday in a key Burlco-Liberty matchup. "We had a heartbreaking loss to them last year at the end," said McGrory, who was 7 of 8 from the free throw stripe.

The Traganza property is finally in the hands of Moorestown. The 34 acres on Garwood Road are "some of the most prestigious and pristine property in town," said Dennis Talty, the township solicitor. "It has woods, streams, wildlife. It's really environmentally sensitive. " Township officials had been "pursuing this property for a long, long time," Talty said. Late last week, negotiations were completed to buy the land for $350,000 from PNC Bank, the trustee and executor of Robert and Mary Traganza's estate.

After sharing a state Group 2 championship last season, the Moorestown field hockey didn't take any chances on settling for another tie yesterday when it made a repeat appearance in the title game. The Quakers (21-1), ranked No. 4 team in The Inquirer South Jersey top 10, overpowered Wallkill Valley, 4-1, in a game played at Trenton State College. The victory gave coach Joan Lewis her fifth state title in 10 years at Moorestown. "We wanted to come up here and win big," said Lewis, who reminded her team before the game about last year's 1-1 tie with Westwood.

Moorestown coach Bill Donoghue warned his baseball team about the dangers of playing Cinnaminson, and he saw nothing but puzzled looks. After all, Moorestown had pummeled the Pirates, 18-0, on April 8. Donoghue knew what he was talking about. Moorestown escaped with a 2-1 victory yesterday over Cinnaminson in the Burlington County League Liberty Division. Moorestown, which finished last season 6-14, improved to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the Liberty. Cinnaminson, which starts only two seniors, fell to 6-7, 4-4. "I told our guys that it would be a close game, and they looked at me like I was crazy," Donoghue said.

Alex Zaugra stopped 21 shots. Kristin Kocher stopped her own heart. And the Shawnee girls' lacrosse team stopped one of the most impressive winning streaks in the history of South Jersey sports. Kocher, a junior midfielder, scored with 12.6 seconds on the clock to lift Shawnee to a stunning 7-6 victory over Moorestown on Monday in the championship game of the South Jersey Group 3 girls' lacrosse tournament. "My heart stopped beating," Kocher said of her reaction to her dramatic goal.

There are two times that matter most for leadoff hitters and seniors: Early in the game and late in the season. Andrew Lisa is making the best of both. Lisa reached base five times and scored three runs Wednesday to spark Moorestown to a 15-7 victory over Winslow Township in the first round of the South Jersey Group 3 baseball tournament. Lisa, a senior shortstop, also collected three hits and two RBIs as third-seeded Moorestown (15-6) won for the 12th time in 13 games and advanced to face sixth-seeded Ocean City in Friday's second round.

Boys' and Girls' Athletes of the Year These are The Inquirer's South Jersey athletes of the year, past and present. From 1977 to 1984, just one athlete was honored. 1977: Tracy Hall, Moorestown. 1978: Bryan Warrick, Burlington Township. 1979: Carl Lewis, Willingboro. 1980: Glenn Moore, Deptford. 1981: Carol Lewis, Willingboro. 1982: Tim Curry, Paul VI. 1983: Darrell Booker, Willingboro. 1984: Gordie Lockbaum, Glassboro. 1985: Sean Redman, Glassboro; Sharon Ross, Washington Township.

During games, it was often hard to tell who was in charge. And that's probably the greatest testament to Tim Gushue's role as head coach of the Shawnee boys' lacrosse team. His staff featured young assistant coaches, former players of Gushue's who ran the team's offense and defense. And most glaringly, there was the older gentleman who stalked the sidelines, leaning on a walker. He was loud, brash and passionate, oozing with knowledge. His name is Bob Turco. He's something of a forefather of lacrosse in the state.

Dan Willis can see both sides of the argument. During an enormously successful regular season, Willis' Moorestown boys' lacrosse team defeated Ridge, the team that went on to win the Tournament of Champions. It's the kind of victory that could add frustration to the way Moorestown's season ended - in a double-overtime, upset loss to Shawnee in the South Jersey Group 3 final. But there's another way to look at it. "There's a lot of pride in winning a game like that," said Willis, Moorestown's senior goalie and The Inquirer's Player of the Year in South Jersey boys' lacrosse, "because it shows us that we could have been there, that we could have played with anyone.

All-South Jersey Boys' Lacrosse Teams First Team   Attack Mike Handlan, Moorestown, Jr. Handlan, a University of Delaware recruit, netted 58 goals against one of the state's toughest schedules. Reed Hofmann, Lenape, Sr. Hoffman was a leader and top offensive threat for the Indians. He recorded 31 assists and 45 goals. Andrew Streilein, Lenape, Jr. Strelein's 60 goals put him among South Jersey's leading scorers. He also added 21 assists.   Midfield Tyler Schulte, Seneca, Sr. The Widener recruit was the area's most dynamic offensive weapon.

Megan Kelly's lacrosse stick looks like something you'd find lying in a forest. It's called a Bamshaft. It's made of bamboo. Not many high school lacrosse players use a Bamshaft, and when describing it, Kelly said with a laugh, "People make fun of it all the time. " It's unconventional, and it's marketed toward those who want to check harder, play ultra-tough defense, and, in some way, stand out on the field. So it's almost a perfect fit for Kelly, the top defender for Moorestown and this season's Inquirer Player of the Year in South Jersey girls' lacrosse.

UNION, N.J. - The hours leading up to the game were the worst. "We're not used to playing games that start at 7:30," said Moorestown midfielder Marie McCool. "So I was just sitting in my bed all day, thinking 'Oh my gosh, I can't wait.' " Pregame warm-ups weren't much easier. "Walking on the field before the game, you can't help but get butterflies," said defender Megan Kelly. All of that, though, melts away after the first draw. "Once the whistle blows, it's just: 'Let's go,' " Kelly said.

It didn't take long. Marie McCool was already being asked about her team's nemesis, the Shawnee girls' lacrosse team. McCool said she had just been in contact with one Shawnee player, Caroline Shinske. This was minutes after McCool's Moorestown team had knocked off Oak Knoll in the Tournament of Champions semifinals, advancing to a championship matchup with the Renegades. So what did McCool mean when she said she had been in contact with Shinske? "She just tweeted me," McCool said, smiling.