Winter Athlete Spotlight: Zach Wagnon

What a season it has been so far for the Colts on the ice. After finishing the regular season undefeated for the first time in program history, CBA won the Gordon Conference tournament on February 17 with a 2-0 victory over Don Bosco in the championship.

Given how well the Colts have done this year, it would be apparent that this team has many star players. However, none have shined as senior forward Zach Wagnon has. In 26 games so far, he has recorded 23 goals and 47 assists for 70 points total, leading the team in all three categories. He also has points in 24 of CBA’s 26 games.

Wagnon is definitely one of the contenders for this year’s NJ Player of the Year award, which starting goaltender John Donohoe won in 2020. Wagnon does not see it that way, in fact, he does not even consider this award and he comments that his mentality has been the same throughout the season.

“To be honest I haven’t even realized how many points I’ve scored. I just try to take everything one game at a time, but having line-mates such as Evan Brown, Christian Chouha, and Aidan Guinnessey definitely has helped my point production.”

Despite being a huge contributor to this team’s astounding success this year, as well as the MVP of the Gordon Conference, Wagnon still has his sights set on the future. Even after winning the Gordon Conference, Wagnon and the rest of the team prepare for the state tournament.

“Winning the Gordon felt great but our focus immediately shifted to the state tournament. We just need to trust each other, and we need a lot of buy-in because these next four games will be the hardest of the year.”

Wagnon was a part of the state-winning team from two years ago and even scored what would be the game-winning goal in the championship game. Wagnon believes that this year’s team has the potential to replicate this accomplishment.

“I think this CBA team is one of the most talented NJ high school teams in the past decade. Talent plus a lot of hard work and most importantly trust is what has helped push this team’s success so far.”

Almost every game, Wagnon makes his presence known, either on the scoresheet or through his determination and aggressive style of play. His 70 points to date are the most in a single season for the Colts in over a decade, eclipsing Bobby Hampton’s 69 points in the 2013-2014 season. Wagnon’s breakthrough senior season has helped rally the team as he has acted as both an elite point scorer, as well as a leader for the Colts on the ice this year.

Wagnon also has plenty of highlight-reel goals this season, including his Michigan goal against RFH, or either of his two snipes against Bergen Catholic in the semi-finals of the Gordon Conference tournament. However, when asked about his favorite of his 23 goals so far this year, Wagnon chose another beautiful goal, and probably his most meaningful one this year.

“This year my favorite goal has to be the game-winning goal against Bosco when we won 3-1. We’ve always had a rivalry with Bosco and to be able to score that type of goal in front of the fans to win the game felt amazing.”

After making the Don Bosco defender fall down twice, Wagnon scored this iconic goal over the shoulder of the goaltender, off the crossbar, and into the net. This goal came with under five minutes left to go in the game and gave CBA a late 2-1 lead. Wagnon would later add the empty-net goal to lift CBA past Don Bosco in one of the biggest games of the year.

Wagnon has been a rare four-year starter for the CBA hockey team, and with one tournament left to go in his high school career, he looks back on his time on the team.

“It’s definitely been a rollercoaster these four years. I’ve had some highs such as winning a state championship sophomore year, but also some lows like getting eliminated freshman year, and last season getting cut short. Hopefully, I get to end my high school career with a bang.”

If any team can stop the Colts in the state tournament, they’re going to have to start by limiting Wagnon’s production, which has proved to be very difficult for basically every team the Colts have played this year. Wagnon has shown time and time again that if he is given too much open ice, he will take advantage, and the puck will often be in the back of the net.

The future Yale Bulldog will look to lead the Colts to four more victories this season, capping off what would be a historic year for CBA on the ice.

“I’m definitely going to miss and remember the bonds I’ve created and the brothers I’ve made in that locker room. High school hockey has been some of the most fun hockey I’ve ever played.”

Wagnon and the Colts will start their quest for their second state championship in three years when they play on Friday, February 25th at Jersey Shore Arena having earned a bye for the first round as the one seed. Expect Wagnon to be very active throughout these remaining games, as we all know he is not going to end his high school career quietly.

Make sure to keep your eyes on #17, as he has shown over and over that whenever he has the puck in his possession, anything can happen whether he is making a pristine pass to one of his teammates, or scoring another highlight-reel goal himself and then celebrating with his team in front of the CBA fans.