Daily News Clip File

'B' ROUNl)t~... 1UESDAY

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Senior Jai Yoon and freshman Jon Raude led Cardozo to

the PSALboys 'A' league team championship onMay 14, but team allegiances meant littlein singles competition last Tuesday atthe National Tennis Center, whereYoon beat Raude in straight sets(6-2, 6-4) to capture his second.

straight individual championship. Herethe teammates recall the title match and the

pressure of staring down a familiar face:' ,

ON RAUDE:"Iwas a little nervous.

But when I got to the facil-ity, a couple of people tried

0 calm me down. They said,It's just a match. You've already

. . exceeded everyone'sexpectations.You're the first freshman to be in the finals.'

It just wasn't my day. Jai played really good. Iave to give him credit It was a great season. Ihope I have three more seasons likethis.

Everyone around Cardozo athletics knowsI'm the leader now. A lot of people haveput some big stuff on me. I'll be practic-

ing and coaches will come up to meand say, 'You could be the best player

to ever come out of Cardozo.' I know

what I could be. I just have to keeppracticing hard."

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PSAL BASEBALLPLAYOFFRESULTS PSALSOFTBALLPLAYOFFRESULTS :.

7.~+1!n.i,.y"fI .. ~:: '..~--iJ.Nm~Clinton 4, Bayside1 Bergtraum 7,Cardozo5

Baysjd1i~3,.Ffancis~~..."isO. Francis Lewis 12. Bergtraum S

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JAI YOON:

"The fact that we are on the

same team, and I ~ad to go upagainst him, was a very tough thingto overcome. But it was a good atmo-sphere. Wewere rooted on by ourteam- .mates - they supported both of us.

In the first game, I broke the serve. Ithink that gave me the mental edge .n and in thesecond set, I did the same thing. That was prettymuch the turning point.

People say my speed can be intimidating be-cause I get to every ball. I don't know if that'strue, but that's what (Coach) Howie (Arons) tellsme. I pretty much always had it and have justfine-tuned it and made it better.

My number one goal was to bring ~heteamto the championship. Mysecondary goal wasthe individual(award)." - BrianBohl

~\:;;)L.~<~SALBOYS RESULTS' :~;r)}hTRACKAND FIELDCHAMPIONSHIPS;'

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0 roe: iDe ;"erBY BRIAN BOHL

SPECIAL TO THE NEWS'

NICKNAMES ARE WOVEN intothe lore of the EntertainersBaskethall Classic as much asRucker Park's famous red.and.green court." Some monikershighlight a player's physical ap-pearance. Others champion an in.dividual's game.

~urtis Stinson's alias falls intoneither cat~gory.

DubIJedXl{ardestWor~er'" by' ,

" an ESC puBlicaddress annoifuq., '

er, the Bronx pr(iduct s"'<:IJi~,..earned the title by laborin~' ",ii'

the playground and tollirigin ,,'"the,gym, " ,','"

StInSon,who'splaying.,bisfifth year at Rucker Park,

said the league has giv~11him an opportunity Ii>

upgrade his oUtsidegame, part' of' his

repertoire, he'ssought, tojm.

prove ,sillcehe de-

cliu-ed

'After averaging '17.6' points:over three seas(iJ¥;,StillSon left'college a year e~ly !\f!er Iowa;State changed head coaches. No'NBA team called his name on',draft night, but Rosa said' an op- ,portunity to crack the top ranks ;should:beforijtc(;>riilrig. ' 'j

Aftet" pla}'\i\g ,tor the Nets over~the,!,e..xt,tWo,.w~ks in Orlando, iSt1ris",ri pl!q1S t9 re~ to the"

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BY MATT GAGNEDAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

It°RMER MET Jose Offerman charged.tIf~mound with bat in hand, and now he

~has been charged with two counts of sec~. "[t1d-d~ee assault for using it to strike

~eopposing pitcher and catcher in an in-lependent league game Tuesday night in..ndgeport, Conn.

. Offerman, an infielder for the Long Is-~and Ducks of the Atlantic League, wasejected following a second-inning brawlwith the Bridgeport Bluefish and arrestedin the clubhouse as the game resumed. Heposted $10,000 bond and was due inBridgeport Superior Court on Aug. 23, ac- .cording to court officials.

Offerman, 38, batted .273 during his15 seasons in the majors, last playing in2005 with Philadelphia (33 games) and theMets (53). An All-Star in 1995 with theDodgers and in 1999 with Boston, he wasagain a topic of conversation in majorlef.!,gueclubhouses last night. .

"I was surprised. Jose always seemedlike he was a pretty calm, mild-manneredkind of guy. Me didn't say a whole lot. He~ snapped, I guess,»Willie Randolph,Who n:".n,..g~4. Offe.-.p.~ in 2005. s"'""!.

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WQUia u..1n.k ~~~.-silly like that, but ;.;-.;-.;vOUldn'1: think hewas one of those guys. He was alwaysvery quiet, very under control and veryeven-tempered. "

Former Met Carl Everett is a Ducksteammate of Offerman's.. Offerman was suspended indefinitelyby the league,. pending an investigation by

I executive director Joe Klein, who is ex-, pected to file his report by the end of the

week. Bridgeport pitcher Matt Beech and. Tommy John, the Bluefish manager and" former Yankees pitCher, were also ejected

from the game."In no way does the Long Island Ducks

organization condone Offerman's actions,and we will abide by any decisions thatthe league's executive office'hands down,"Frank Boulton, the Ducks owner andleague's chief executive, said yesterday atCitibank Park in Central Islip, L.I.

"We're also saddened by (the) incident.I apologize to all the Atlantic League fansfor what took place," continued Boulton,who acknowledged his conflict of interestand said he is never involved in disciplin-ary hearings. "But I also think it's impor-tant to understand that Jose Offerman's ac-tions did not happen unprovoked, andthat's what Joe Klein is looking into."

Offerman led off Tuesday's game with ahome run. He was plunked in the leg inthe second inning in his next at-bat. Hecharged the mound, swinging the bat andstriking Beech in the hands, and hittingcatcher John Nathans in the head on theback swing.

Beech, a lefthander, broke the middlefinder on his right hand, and Nathan, whoattempted to continue playing but left withnausea and collapsed in the dugout, suf-fered a concussion, according to teamspokesman Nick Razzette. Both were treat-ed and released from a local hospital.

The game was delayed about 20 min-ut .J! Long Island went on to win,J! ." - With Brian Bohl, , and The Associated Press'"

-..........

After getting hit'by pitch, former, Met infielder Jose offerman(clockwise from above) goes after Bridgeport pitcher Matt Beechwith bat. Catcher John Nathans intervenes but takes blow to head inprocess. Nathans finally gets grip on Offerman as rest of Bluefishand Ducks arrive. Offerman isatrested and charged with second-

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BYBRIANBOHL .

ARONMcNEILLcansensewhena deeproute is coming. Instead of watchingan opponent'seyes,hescansdowntothe cleats,waiting to see if a receiveris heavyon hisfeet andwaiting to ex-

plodeoff the lineof scrimmage.McNeill'sintuitioncomesfrom experience.

He was a productive wideout at Christ theKing,recording800receivingyards in hisse-niorseasonin2005-06.Butasa redshirtfresh-

manat Hofstra,the 19-year-oldfrom Bedford-Stuyvesant,Brooklyn, is now beginning hiscollegiatecareeras a defensiveback.

Onceentrusted with makingbig playsasa quarterback, receiver and running back,McNeillis nowtrying to learnhowto stop anoffense for a DivisionI-AAteam that will be

lookingto reboundfrom a 2-9season.Second-yearheadcoachDaveCohenistry-

ingMcNeilloutatsafety,wherehewill attemptto securea backupspot behindDavidDerbyand EmanuelAnderson.The responsibilitiesof the position include serving as an extradefende~in obvious long-distance passingsituations.

The Pridestarted summer practice Aug.

13.!iljvingunderclassmenlessthafl a month

Neill,who playedcomerandsafetyduringhissophomoreandjunior seasons,said he knewhisstature dictated that hisdaysas quarter-backwouldendoncehebegancollege.

Adjusting to a new role is not easy, butMcNeillcreditedhisteammatesanddefensive

backscoachLyleHemphillwith buildinguphisconfidenceandhelpinghimto study film.

"In thebeginning,theysawI reallywasn'tadefensiveplayer,"hesaid."It was frustrating.

I I was havingtrouble overall, but (Hemphill)I just spoketo meoneon oneand let meknow(4 that hewasn't goingto playmeasafreshmanf;: lastyearandletmetakemytimegradually.~j!; No~. Igot it." .

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- The Pridestarted summer practice Aug.%1] 13,givingunderclassmenless than a month

to display improvement before the Sept. 8, season opener against Furman University at

,,% Hempstead.Tocrackthe rotationaftersittingout 2006-07,McNeillwillneed to accelerate his

I,earningcurve. Allsix of the defensive backslisted in the Hofstra media guide are juniorsor seniors.

"He's competin~ right now to be our fourthsafety, which would be inthe two-deep (cover-age)," Cohensaid of McNeill."Ithink ifhe winsthe job, it'll put him in a good position goinginto spring practice to compete for a startingjob the followingyear.

"When you playinthe secondary before it'syour time ...it's not like a defensive lineman,where you miss a tackle and it's a five-yardgain," the coach added. "Youmiss a coveragein the secondary, it'~a touchdown."

McNeill earned offensive Player of theYear honors at Christ the King. Playing forcoach Kevin Kelly,he accumulated 17 total

.ill1! touchdownsas a junior,whilelogging1,028tR% passing yards and an additional660yards¥~ on the ground. Instead of exciting a.crowd by

leading drives downfield, McNeillwilinow lookto make his mark by stopping them.

"I likeplayingsafety; it actually suits mebetter than corner, because I'm more

d physical," McNeillsaid. "On offense,eel they make the highlights. They get1% all the 'oohs' and 'ahhs.' On de-

fense, you have to hit someone.It's hard to notice unless' yoiJ

", look at the film."

b . 11 It was Kellywho first0 i\'!!'N ~H suggested that his 5-9,etJ, . 172-poundpupilmight~ .rm need to make aen ~61JJ changeto play~ 'i~ at the next:-; ~ level.Mc-.{g t! 4i~:J.cI-

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--"- - ~ --~.~ - ~~..m~~last year and let me take my time gradually.Now, I got it."

,Cohen, who became a first-time headcoach last year after four seasons as defen-sive coordinator at the Universityof Delaware,said that adding McNeillas part of his first re-cruiting class was the first part of a strategyto make Hofstra more attractive to NewYorkCity standouts.

Should CIAinflux of players from the bor-oughs arrive inyears to come, Cohen can lookback to his first week on the job in December2005 as a turning point. Cohe.ntargeted Mc-Neill within the first 10 days of his tenure,making him one of 29 players from New Yorkon a roster that currently counts 78 players.New Jersey is the next closest state, with 14participants, followed by Floridawith 13.

"We've made a major emphasis on recruit-ing Long Island and New York City footballplayers," Cohen said. "Jaron was one of thedominating players coming out of the Catho-

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lic league two years ago."The Pride ranked sixth out of 12teams in

pass defense in the Atlantic 10 last season.(Hofstra has been a member of the ColonialAthleticAssociation since 2001,but the confer-ence was under the operational control of theAtlantic 10 until this year.)

The defense lost only two starters fromlast fall, though a senior-laden secondarycould set up McNeillfor substantial playingtime in the future.

McNeill may envision the sound of fanscheering from the stands of a packed ShuartStadium, but it is across the street on thepractice field, which is filledwith the ambientsound of coaches blowing whistles and bark-ing commands, where he willdetermine howmuch action he sees starting next month.

"As soon as you go on the field, you gothrough drills: backpedaling and specialteams," he said. "Once we get the pads on,it gets intense."

'" Hofstra doesn't compete for the bowl ap-@ pearances that DivisionIschools covet, but the

program does claimalumni who builtsuccess-ful NFLcareers. Wayne Chrebet became oneof the best-loved Jets receivers of all time.

Marques Colston went from seventh-rounddraft pick to impact player for the playoff-bound NewOrleans Saints last season. Shaine

Smith followed his senior season by signingwith the Rams in the offseason.

Smith, Colston and Madison HSgraduateDevale Ellis, who is with the Detroit Lions,

made regular appearances in Nassau Countythis winter, providing encouragement andguidance to the younger members of thePride.

"They're always on the campus chilling inthe locker room with us," McNeillsaid. "It'scool. They're just regularguys."

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~~commitme~~y bebestepitomized fend its regular-se~sonconferenceri~h~"sideJilifel?'atoya8IunUNl1l:t.setl!J}. tltHFaChallenge'ffiiifbegins when

shopii"tthe weight room this summer. look- the ;ohnnies open league play at Seton Hall

,yeonlastseason'ssec9l1d-team ons.ept 21 . ~... .. ~.. ...

mi"{feteffftil'i'§:c~ "Our common goal is to defend our Bigtiont~f!E!tstronger'!r1dimprove herblocking East title," said Hui. who was named Big-c'Q,Y\Q;~~~.YAinan_edge.""'»""'-~easonco-Piayer of m~'~ar'"aftE!f'"

"$h~S always been a strong hitter:" pe~- po~ing a t~am-Ieading 3.81 kills per gamesi(:Q.~th said of Blunt, a teamcap~n thiS J.asUeas.QO,_~WeIDto tbiOkQftbepresenL~.$eaSQff; "Ithintmowthat11t!rrtlfmta1tuugtr: and not to worry about the future."nesshas matc,~ep N!rph~:al pl~Y, she'll ~e Red Stormatso tryS to reflect on the

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Aug.31

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Sept 1

Sept 4

Sept 7

Sept 15

n.' Sept 18

Sept 21

Sept 23

Sept 29

Sept 30

Oct.6

Oct.7

Oct 12

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FAIRFIB.D noon

LONGBEAcit STATE 7 p.m.

Stony Brook 7 p.m.

VirginiaCommon- 3p.m:wealth at Penn. State.

Penn State University 8 p.m.

Colgate at Penn. State 11:30a.m.

Hofstra Sp.m.

North Carolina at IMi- Sp.m.ana Univ.

East Tennessee at Indi- I noonana Univ.

Indiana 8 p.m.

Fordham 7 p.m.

Seton Hall* 7 p.m.

Villanova* 2 p.m.

PITTSBURGH* 2 p.m.

WEST VIRGINIA* 2 p.m.

Louisville* 2 p.m.

Cincinnati* 2 p.m.

Rutgers* 7 p.m.

Connecticut* 7:30p.m.

DePAUL. 7 p.m.

NOIRE DAME* 2 p.m.

SYRACUSE* 2 p.m.

MARQUETTE* 2 p.m.

Geomwn* 7D.m.

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,otid.contributors on last season's 'Squad, forsuccess. .

LOdall were nalT.'~!2!!!i:;l'~~.!?r.~~l1mm"fhisteamhashad~ntuAli~BjgEasfteam. '. of positive experience," said persico-Smith. I

Their skills were on displaY in Sunday's...m ~uwin--over.Mi6higafl"State,'HUtf-eeordedua:""

, match-high 20 kills. while Leszczynska had. a match-high 53 assists .i!:~~.'!:~~J.~!!!!~~i1..

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Nov.4

Nov.9

Nov.11:--Nov.IS-lS

- "SYRACUSE'"

MARQUETIE*

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7 p.m.

2 p.m.

TBA

GeorQetown*

USP

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BIG EAST Champion-

ships at Milwaukee

8OLO CAPS indicate home match; all hOme con-

tests played at eamesecca Arena.

* Indicates BIG EAST contest All urnes Eastem; for

., more information visit www.redstormsports.com.

CoaCh Joanne PerSic:o-smith (front row.u.m Ping b;iJl)willrelYon_iOiS1IiifPii9~U

Huang (r.) and Latoya Blunt to get St. John's

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Hammer it home

Royals determined to carve out improvement

BY MATT GAGNE

Tuesday, September 4th 2007, 12:33 PM

Who will dominate New York City gridirons this fall? Join the discussion

CHSFL PREVIEW - QUEENS

Don't mistake the work in progress for a work of art, even with all the talk of "hammer and chisel" coming from Christ the King's preseason camp. There is no sculpture being built, only an increased effort by the Royals to carve a path to the top of the 'AA' standings.

"The hammer is your hard work, and the chisel is your focus. You can't just keep hitting the hammer. You have to put your chisel in the right place to break through the wall," said coach Kevin Kelley. "The harder you work, and the more you are focused mentally, the more accomplished you're going to be - the quicker you'll get through adversity."

There is practice behind the preaching. As a sophomore at Siena College in 1995, Kelley was part of a team that finished 0-10. The Saints finished 7-3 two years later, and Kelley attributes the improvement to hard work and attention to detail. It's an example he points to as he works to turn things around in Middle Village; last year the Royals went 1-8 and finished in last place.

"We were in a lot of close games, but the scores got uglier than they should have," Kelley said. "When things go bad, they tend to get worse. It kind of snowballed on us."

They are hoping the snowball melted in the August heat of two-a-days, where execution was stressed just as much as buying into the new motto. There's also a new offense, which is based on simplified blocking schemes that should make the Royals' play-calling more purposeful.

Senior running back Dave Lopez, a two-year captain who averaged four yards per carry last season, will be the Royals' the first option, the chisel looking to break through holes created by the offensive line.

"He's an extremely hard-working kid, really loyal, on the point with what we need to do," Kelley said. "He's the total package; he's not afraid tolet people know how it needs to be done, whether it's a friend or someone who's not so close to him."

And there's the possible turning point. The new motto isn't just Kelley blowing hot air as often as he blows his whistle; it's a philosophy embraced by upperclassmen who are working to fix what Kelly called "young mistakes" - improper reads, inaccurate techniques, missed assignments - that showed up in nearly every game last season.

"We're not looking back to last year; we're just trying to look forward," Lopez said. "Right now, we've improved in everything. It's been hard, but we just have to keep pushing and keep our heads up."

CHRIST THE KING ROYALS (AA)

Head coach

Kevin Kelley (fifth season)

Last year

1-8; did not qualify for postseason.

Top returners

Dave Lopez, senior RB/DB (5-11, 185); Joe Nuss, senior QB (6-3, 205); Khalid Brown, senior OL/DL (5-10, 280); Danny Manetta, senior DB/WR (5-9, 170); Mauricius Vogel, junior OL (6-3, 285); Luis Pinelli, junior OL/DL (5-10, 215); Tyrel Moseley, senior LB (5-10, 210).

Up-and-comers

William Hunter, sophomore RB/DB (5-11, 175); Dennis Ibric, senior LB/TE (5-10, 200).

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hschool/2007/09/04/2007-09-04_hammer_it_home.html?print=1&page=all

Schedule

9/8 at Masconomet (Beverly, Mass., noon); 9/15 Fordham Prep (7 p.m.); 9/22 at Bishop Ford (Aviator Field, 1:30 p.m.); 9/28 St. Francis Prep (7 p.m.); 10/6 Kellenberg (7 p.m.); 10/12 Xavier (7 p.m.); 10/20 at Spellman (1:30 p.m.); 10/27 at St. John the Baptist (2:30 p.m.)

* - home games at St. John's University

ST. FRANCIS PREP TERRIERS (AA)

Head coach

Vincent O'Connor (55th season)

Last year

6-4; lost to Xaverian in first round of 'AA' playoffs.

Top returners

Jim Marsanico, senior QB (6-1 190); Tristin Akong, junior RB (5-11, 178); John Cunningham, senior TE (6-3, 220); Josh Kim, senior OL (5-10, 220); Curtis Stembridge, senior LB (6-1, 215); James Kikel, senior DB (5-10, 170;. Chris Sammarco, senior WR (6-0, 175).

Up-and-comers

Matt Gebert, senior FB (5-10, 180); Fred Duguard, junior DE (5-11, 210); Bobby Dougherty, junior RB (5-10, 185); Peter Muhlhausen, senior FB (6-1, 230).

Outlook

Few programs are as stable as St. Francis Prep. In over a half-century of leading the football team, O'Connor has recorded 17 Catholic League championships and over 300 wins. To add to those totals, he will rely on Jim Marsanico, who is entering his first season as starting quarterback. Marsanico's maturation will determine whether the Terriers make the playoffs. James Kikel, who registered a team-best six interceptions last season, leads a defense that will feature a new-look pass rush.

Coach says

"In our league, you have to keep your first-team guys in there pretty much all the time because the games are so close. So, it's hard to get kids more experience because you're running for your life out there. As we gain experience and start to play together, we'll have more confidence in each other. If that comes together, we'll be better."

Schedule

9/8 at St. John the Baptist (1:30 p.m.); 9/14 at Holy Cross (at St. John's Univ., 7 p.m.); 9/22 Spellman (7 p.m.); 9/28 at Christ the King (7 p.m.); 10/5 at Fordham Prep (at Fordham Univ., 7 p.m.); 10/14 Kellenberg (1 p.m.); 10/21 Hayes (7 p.m.); 10/27 at St. Peter's (1:30 p.m.)

* - home games at St. John's University

HOLY CROSS KNIGHTS (AA)

Head coach

Tom Pugh (35th season)

Last year

3-8; lost to Mount St. Michael in first round of 'AAA' playoffs.

Top returners

Darrell Whiting, senior RB (6-4, 215); Tariq Tongue, junior WR (5-9, 170); Reggie Francklin, junior LB (5-11, 230); Dan Forde, senior DE (6-1 200); John Meyer, senior TE (5-9 175); Andre Miguel, senior (5-9, 165); Antonio Carter, senior LB (6-2, 270); Dylan Gryzenski, senior OL/DL (5-10, 225).

Up-and-comers


Barrington Wallace, sophomore RB (5-11, 205); Terrance Coon, junior RB (6-1, 165).

Outlook

Senior Brian Pugh and sophomore John Rose will split time at quarterback, and possibly the hits as the offensive line remains the biggest concern following the graduation of two tackles who were 6-6, 285 and 6-3, 275. On top of facing pressure from pass rushers, thequarterbacks face high expectations: The Knights' offense has produced no fewer than 2,000 yards passing in each of the last five seasons, and last year was the first time during that span that Holy Cross completed less than 50% of its attempted passes.

Coach says

"The question is how fast the offensive line develops. If they develop fast, we'll be competitive. If they're slow, well, you need the boys upfront."

Schedule

9/8 at Mansfield (at Beverly, Mass., 3 p.m.); 9/14 St. Francis Prep (at St. John's Univ., 7 p.m.); 9/22 at Stepinac (1:30 p.m.); 9/28 at Hayes (at Maritime, 7 p.m.); 10/7 St. Peter's (at Bayside HS, 1:30 p.m.); 10/13 at Ford (at Midwood, 1:30 p.m.); 10/20 at Kellenberg (1:30 p.m.); 10/28 Fordham (at Bayside HS, 1:30 p.m.)


Islanders beat Buffalo Sabres, 3-2 BY BRIAN BOHL

SPECIAL TO THE NEWS

Sunday, October 7th 2007, 4:00 AM

Two game into a new campaign, the Islanders are enjoying top production from an all free-agent top line.

One night after combining for 10 points in the season-opening win, the front-line unit of Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin and Ruslan Fedotenko came through again. The trio accounted for two goals in the third period, leading to a sweep of the home-and-home series with the Buffalo Sabres with a 3-2 victory at Nassau Coliseum.

Chants of "Comrie, Comrie" rained down for the centerman, who scored just 20 goals while splitting time between Ottawa and Phoenix last season. With four goals in his first two games with the Isles, Comrie already is a fifth of the way toward matching his entire 2006-07 output. The top line has accounted for 16 points.

"They are three different types of players who add to each other games," said Islanders coach Ted Nolan.

Comrie scored his first of the night after taking Guerin's feed and deking around Paul Gaustad. He slid his backhand attempt slid past goalie Ryan Miller's glove, sending the sold-out crowd of 16,234 into a roar 1:39 into the third period. He added his second and decisive goal nearly seven minutes later, taking Fedotenko's centering feed and finding the open net.

"We know we're a skilled line," Comrie said. "We're not satisfied after two games. There's a lot more we can all do out there."

Rick DiPietro made 30 saves but allowed Jochen Hecht to make it 3-2 with with 5:49 left. The netminder then thwarted a power play with a little luck after Tim Connolly's shot ringed off the right post at the three-minute mark.

"Both teams tightened up," DiPietro said. "It's tough starting a season back-to-back, but I thought we did a good jobcoming off with a lot of energy."

Chris Campoli erased a 1-0 deficit with his second-period tally, helping the Isles exact some revenge against a Buffaloteam that knocked them out of last season's playoffs.

Campoli, who signed a three-year extension in July, scored just one goal in 51 games during a disappointing second NHL season. But the 23-year-old doubled his goal total from last season, by scoring for the second straight night when his point shot beat Miller to tie the score at 1 just 4:29 into the second period.

"It feels great, but it can turn around just as easily," Campoli said. "I'm just staying even-keeled and hopefully we can keep winning."

Undisciplined play led to three Islanders penalties in the first period, and Buffalo's Jaroslav Spacek capitalized on one power-play chance. The defenseman took Brian Campbell's feed and ripped a slap shot from the point, blasting the puck high past DiPietro's glove side to open the scoring.

SIM-PLE PLAN: Islanders left wing Jon Sim, who suffered a sprained knee last night, is day-to-day and will be reevaluated before tomorrow afternoon's home game against the Capitals.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/islanders/2007/10/07/2007-10-07_islanders_beat_buffalo_sabres_32.html

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., got Irissecondassiston Wade playcontinuedfor 10seconds.Redden's power-play goal 5:33 after. Ottawa defensemaninto the third period before he Andrej Meszaros cleared thescored into an empty net to puck.lead Ottawa to a 4-2 win over Anon Asham scored histhe Devils yesterday. first New Jersey goal 18:17

The Senators have opened into the second to draw thethe season with four wins in- Devils within 2-1. .

cluding three straight at h~me.' Martin Brodeur stopped 33Redden put the shots, including 15

Senators up 3-1, in'thefirstwhenthethough only after a SENATORS 4 Senators held avideo review clear- 17-9 margin.ly showed that the DEVIlS 2 "There were a lot ofpuck had crossed shots and a lot ofthe goal line before chances, you knmv,itwas swipedawayby NewJer- they were all over us, and aftersey defenseman VItaly VJSh- that, like the other games, wenevski. were OK," Brodeur said. "We

Jason Spezza got his third ,playeda decent game."assist of the game on AIfreds- . Ottawa held New Jersey toson's fifthgoal of the season in- just one power-playopportuni-to an empty net with 48.7 see- ty.Th~ Senato~ have killed 21onds remaining penaJties to begin the season.

Dany Heat1~ got his fourth N-:wJe~y fell to 1-2 ~ it. continues its season-opemnggoal of the season and Chris nme-game road trip ThKellyalso scored for Ottawa. Devilsare scheduledto host Ot~

.~ch Parise got the.DeviIs tawa Oct. 27 for their firstWIthin 3-2 shortly after Red- game at the 17625-seat Pru-den's goal. and under similar dential Center ~ Newark.

BY BRIAN BOHLSPECIAl'TO lHE NEWS

MIKE COMRIE'S aggressivenesS propelled theIslanders to their best start in six years. But hisover-anxiousness led to a key turnover yesterday.setting up the game-wimUng goal for the Washing-ton Capitals in a 2-1 JDatinee loss at a sold-outNassau Coliseum.

Comrie registered fuur goals and six points onthe top line during the season-openjng home-and-home sweep over Buffalo. But the cen-ter failed to clear the puck in his ownzone midWay through the third periodyesterday, leading to Brooks Laich'srebound goal for the Isles' first defeatof the season.

"Offensive guys like to make great of-fensiveplays," coach. Ted Nolan said. "Mike knowsmaybe he should have went up the ~ with it.lfhe has one turnover a game and creates six on theother end, we'll take that any day."

Former Ranger Michael Nylander interceptedComrie's cross-ice attempt and fed Brian Pothierfor a point shot that Rick rnPietro knocked downwith his pad. Laich was at'the goalmouth and -slidthe second attempt past the out:.of-position net-minder for the eventual game-wmner 7:58 into thefinal period. . '

"It's not always the shots, sometimes it's thechances that they get," said rnPietro, whose teamheld a 31-12 edge in shots.

The Isles' top line entered with a combined 16points, ~ough they failed to solVe Capitals goalie01afKolzig and went O-for-4on the power play. Thenetminder made 30 saves, helping the Capitalsimprove to 3-0:

~ just have to take better shOts," captain BillGuerin said. "I think we're shooting to shoot Espe-ciallywith bad ice, you have to keep things simple:.get to the net."

washington had allowed just one goal in its firsttwo games before the Isles' fourth lineproduced the opening salvo. Richard

C4P1DU.S 2 Park, who signed a two-year. Contract--'--""--"" m_""' n extension a day earlier, took DarrylISlANDERS 1 Bootland's centering pass along. the

sideboards and blasted a shot thatskipped past Kolzig's glove side 6:30

into the first period.BERARD BACK? Defenseman Freddy Meyer

was claimed off waivers by Phoenix. That couldfacilitate the return of former Islander BryanBerard, who made a strong showing in preseasonwith the club and could sign as a free agent as earlyas today.. . .JaSon Blake. who scored 40 goals forthe Islanders last season before signing as a free-agent with Toronto, has been ctiagnosed with chron-ic myelogenous leukemia A team doctor said Blakeis not in any "immediate danger" and will be treat-ed with oral medication. The 100year Veteran prac-ticed with the Maple Leafs yesterday and is not ex-pected to miss any games.

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~ THE ISIANDERS OBTAINEDBryan Be:.rard for a specific purpose: to quarterbackthe power play.

It took him less than two periods to paydividends in that department. The veterandefenseman scored the go"ahead goal on atwo-man advantage in a 2-1 victory overthe Rangers in front of 15,295 at NassauColiseum.

Berard, who signed a one-year contract aday earlier after impressing the Isles in atraining-camp tryout, worked the'left pointon the 5-on-3. He played a little catch withdefense partner Marc-Andre Bergeron and .winger Bill Guerin before stepping onto aGuerin feed and ripping a faser from the

~ top of the left circle,beating goalie HenrikLundqvist with a high shot at 13:56 of thesecond for his first goal since 2005-06 withColumbus.

"I was a little rusty. I didn't play too manyminutes tonight," said Berard after logging8:21 of ice time - 5:43 of that time with theIsles on the power play.

Despite owning a resume that included565 NHL games with six teams - includingthe Islanders from 1996-99 and the Rangersin 2001-02 - Berard basieally had to provehe could play coming off two back surger-

ies that limited hit:Q.to 11 games withColumbus last season.

But his preseason performances gar-nered coach Ted Nolan's attention, especial-ly his three:.point night against the Rangersin an exhibition last month. Berard, theNo.1 pick in the 1995 entry draft, receiveda deal worth about $750,000. The Islesdressed seven defensemen and 11forwards.to help ease Berard in.

"I came in to prove I'm healthy," saidBerard, who also suffered a career-threaten-ing eye injury in 2000. "We came into theseason with high expectations. I'm feelinggood. I'm only going to get better."

Nolan teamed Berard with lJergeron -who scored the Isles' other goal, anotherpower-play score with 3.5 seconds left inthe first - on the primary power-play unit.The pair helped the Isles improve to 3-1 onthe season, making Berard's goal stand upwith a crucial 5-00-3 penalty kill highlight-ed by goalie Rick DiPietro's pad save onScott Gomez in the third period. DiPietrofinished with 36 saves.

"I can't imagine losing sight in one eyeand continue to play at this level, and he'sable to do that," DiPietro said about his newteammate. "We're excited to have him."

Added Bergeron: "He's got a good shot.We'll see how teams are adjusting. If I can'tshoot, I'll just move it down. It's good."

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Bryan Berard (4) is already a big hit on the Island - again - as vtrteran defenseman begins

second stint with Islanders by scoring power-play goal that beats the Rangers. Photo by AP

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Islanders edge Devils, 4-3

BY BRIAN BOHLSPECIAL TO THE NEWS

Sunday, October 21st 2007, 4:00 AM

Give a former Devil his due.

Bill Guerin's power-play goal with 3.7 seconds left in overtime gave the Islanders a 4-3 victory over the Devils last night at Nassau Coliseum.

Guerin's hat trick Thursday night at Washington had helped the Isles snap a two-game losing streak.

"You don't want that sour taste in your mouth for a week," said Guerin, whose Isles don't play again until Saturday, when they host Carolina."You better use the opportunity to rest, because the games are going to come fast and often."

Rick DiPietro made 25 saves against a Devils team playing the penultimate contest of a season-opening nine-game road trip that wraps upThursday at the Garden against the Rangers. He was beaten by Zach Parise 55 seconds into the game, then yielded Jay Pandolfo's goal and Brian Gionta's deflection of Paul Martin's shot from the point for the equalizer just over 12 minutes into the third.

"They came out hard in the third period and capitalized on a couple of weird bounces," DiPietro said. "Our penalty kill did a great job bailing us out."

With the Devils resting Martin Brodeur, the Isles tagged backup goalie Kevin Weekes for three goals - by Josef Vasicek, Miroslav Satan and Mike Comrie - in the second period before wasting a two-goal lead in the third.

OUCH! Isles defenseman Bryan Berard suffered a groin injury and will be reevaluated tomorrow.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/islanders/2007/10/21/2007-10-21_islanders_edge_devils_43.html?print=1&pag...

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Thursday with a concert afteryears of wrangling and threats tomove the Devils out of the area.The building is seen by civic lead-ers as a catalyst to the revitaliza-tion downtown Newark, which isplagued by poverty .and high crimerates. NHL commis-sioner Gary Bett-man, who tookDart in the ceremo-

the arena, deflecting a shot pastBrodeur at 5:01.

Brian Gionta tied it-up at the14-minute mark with a power-play goal off a deflection. Thatwas the high point for the hometeam.

'We mentally broke in thethird," Sutter said. "Again, wehave opportunities to score andwe don't capitalize on them."

The Senators, however, did cap-

the middle of a parking lot."This gives the fans of the Dev-

ils and the Devils a real home."Now, the Devils have to make it

comfortable.During an NHL record-tying

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BYBRIANBOHL I

SPECIALTOTHENEWS I

ITHE ISlANDERS can blame defen-sive breakdowns for a shoddy per-formance last night, but they 'clffi~pin the outcome on fatigue

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Irespite was no help in an 8"31~;gthe Carolina Hurricanes. CI I

Now the Isles don't play'agirinuntil Thursday against Tampa'3B1iYIand they'll hope that layoff ~erase the memory of goaIiE!::Rio~ !

DiPietro's performance last nightlIThe Canes tagged DiPietroJof~

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"You try to forget about it andhope to bounce back," DiPietro I

said. 'Whatever it was, hopefullyit's out of our systems and we canget back to how we've been play-ing."

Rod Brind'Amour scored twicein the opening period on his way toa hat trick, and Staal and Ray Whit- I

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The Islanders (5-4) trailed'~ter one period, drawing bciq~1the announced crowd OfIThey fell behind just 2:~8~rind'Amour took Whiti1~st.tering feed between the cit&s~ripped a. slapshot past ~t.4~glove side. A giveaway byDiPiE!!!:cbehind the net gave CaI;Oli~~:jsec~nd goal, ~ Cullen set .uP~.ney m front WIth the net WJ:4p f>i

DiPietro entered with,a .~goals-against average but c()Ul<W!~find a rhythm. He even h~~}M Isive cheers when he made a simplesave early in the second. Whitney,Justin WIlliamsand Staal each beatDiPietro in the second, bringing onDubielewicz for his second appear-ance this season.

ielewicz replaced DiPietro with12:12 remaining in the second, amove Nolan made after Eric Staalscored the Hurricanes' sixth goalbefore the game's midway point.

"You try to forget about it andhope to bounce back," DiPietrosaid. "Whatever it was, hopefullyit's out of our systems and we canget back to how we've been play-ing."

Rod Brind'Amour scored twicein the opening period on his way toa hat trick, and Staal and Ray Whit-ney each scored twice to supptHurricanes backup goalie' J~Grahame (28 saves). Former ~er Matt Cullen had three assists fOjCarolina. . '. J

The Islanders (5-4) trailed'3'-"'#"ter one period, drawing bQthe announced crowd of.They fell behind just 2:~8 inBrind'Amour took Whitn~s_, 'tering feed between the cii;!i' 'tripped a slapshotpast . '..

glove side. A giveaway by Drsday with a concert after the middle of a parking lot. the arena, deflecting a shot past behind the net gave CaJ;O~:s of wrangling and threats to "This gives the fans of the Dev- Brodeur at 5:01. second goal, as Cullen set up

we the Devils out of the area. ils and the Devils a real home." Brian Gionta tied it-up at the ney in front with the net wi~ bbuilding is seen by civic lead-. Now, the Devils have to make it 14-minute mark with a power- DiPietro entered witb~ a .as a catalyst to the revitaliza- comfortable. play goal off a deflection. That goals-against average b

.

~t~~.downtown Newark, wJ:richis During an NHL record-tying was the high point for the home find a rhythm. He even h~

'gued by poverty nine-game road team. sive cheers when he made a:simplei high crime trip to start the sea- "We mentally broke in the save early in the seCond. Whitney,:es.NHLcommis- SENATORS 4 son, the Devils third," Sutter said. "Again, we Justin Williams and Staal each beatiner Gary Bett- " struggled offensive- have opportunities to score and DiPietro in the second, bringing onn, who took DEVILS 1 ly, scoring just 21 we don't capitalize on them." Dubielewicz for his second appear-

in the ceremo- goals and being The Senators, however, did cap- ance this season.first faceoff, shut out three italize - three times. Shean Dono- "It's just one of those things

!sit as a perfect homejor hock- times. The opening night in New- van scored the go-ahead goal at where the puck .had eyes tonightHe praised the building for its ark was seen as a new beginning 6:40, and Mike Fisher put the visi- and squeezed through," coach Ted

od sight-lines, modern ameni- for the team, as first-year coach tQrs up by two with a power-play Nolan said. "Ricky's not at fault.s and obvious Devils decor, Brent Sutter said the Devils had to goal at 13:34. Daniel Alfredsson We don't lose games with one guy,".m murals on the concourse to immediately establish the Rock as scored a shorthanded empty-net- Ruslan Fedotenko scored the~oson the toilet tops. a tough spot for visitors in the ter with less than two seconds to Isles' first goal at 2:51 of the sec-"TheMeadowlands was a build- NHL. play. ond, making the score 4-1, and~without a soul," Bettman said The Devils came out firing in "It's like a mental block or Marc-Andre Bergeron and Mikethe cavernous Continental Air- the first, outshooting Ottawa 18-5. something. We come out and play Sillinger also scored..es Arena, where the Devils But the game was scoreless after strong in the first, battle to 1-1, "We were physically ready to

layed their first 25 seasons in 20 minutes, and the Senators put and then they score and it's like, play this game tonight;" c~ew ~rsey, "Even, when it w!iS the D~vils back on t~eir heels in 'Here we go aga,in,'" Brodeur Bill Guerin said. "We t(l~

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in Newarkafter 25years at Meadowlands,but Senators spoil party with 3 goals in 3rd. Photo by Reut.ers

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slve breakdowns for a sh~Ht~W)Jformance last night, but th.~ 81

. 'pin the outcome on fatigq~>Aday layoff between gariif!, --,

them well-rested, thou'gWt~1ik,

respite was no help in an 8-%'las~.the Carolina Hurricanes. [19;Now the Isles don't play';~gam '

until Thursday against Tamp<ffiaj!and they'll hope that layoff hebp8erase the memory of goa1ie.Ric~ "DiPietro's performance last night'! 1The Canes tagged DiPietro for:Ii~ jgoals on 14 shots, snapping,th§ \IsI~s' two-game winning stre~}'1

The Nassau Coliseum crg~4cheered when backup Wade 'Olib- .-,II 1

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It marked the ninth time in 12 starts this sea-son that Lundqvist had allowed two goals or few-er. And it lowered his .goals against average to1.73~e hiking his save percentage to .936.

"TIns is the way we have to win games," Lund-qvist said. "I like low-scoring games. Ifs puttingmore pressure on me to stay sharp and minimizemy mistakes. And the way the-guys are playingin front of me, it's great."

It wasn't quite great during

RANGERS 2 the first 20 minutes, when the- caps won most of the races and

CAPliii"""""""""""""""'O~:(~~~~g ~;:s)~to March 5 - hehas started 66,ofthe Rangers' last 68 games since

Dec. 23, 2006 - Lundqvist waS sharp from theoutset. He made important early stops on Alex-ander Ovechkin and Vlktor Kozlov to prop up aRangers team that was seeking its first two-gamewinning Streak of the season.

Said Shanahan: "He did what a great goaltend-er does: He gave us 20 minutes to wake up, be-cause they were the more energetic and betterteamin t;hefirstperiod." - .

Sparked by some physicality from forwardsRyan Hollweg and Petr Prucha, the Rangerswarmed to their task in the second period. Andwhen Drury darted out from behind the Washing-ton net to leap and redirect a Marc Staal slapperpast Olaf Kolzig 6:45 into the second, the Rang-ers had the game's first goal.

Tnthe third period, the Rangers pretty muchshut down Ovechkin and Co. until MichalRozsival's dunk off a Gomez feed cashed in afive-on-threepower play with 10:26left.

:ersof Jagr andonlytwo activeive juggernaut.

,mez and Chrismbined $14mil-s second-lowest~Columbusgo-

at Anaheim late

-- -- -

HenrikLundqvistis on his backside but won't letpuck get behind him, or even out of his sight, inBlueshirtwin.Photoby Linda Cataffo/Daily News

The Rangersthenbenefitedfroma wrinkleinthe rules. When 1Yutin was whistled for twominor penalties on the same sequence, washing-ton was given four minutes of five-on-four powerplay rather than the two-minute five-on-three theRangers had when two different Caps committedpenalties. The Rangers survived it and now havekilled 26 of 27 penalties over the la$t six games.

"I think that we really do take pride now inthis defensive look of our team," Renney said."And the fact that (Lundqvistis) there to slam thedoor shut when we do get in trouble.is pretty spe-cial."

MAUKHURT:After slamming skates-first intothe backboards 1:10 into the third, D Marek Ma-lik played just one m.ore shift before leaving thegamewithback spasms. . .

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The Islanders needed apick-me-up on home ice lastnight, and it had to feel goodjust looking at the visitor'sbench and seeing the TampaBay lightning, which has donenothing but give home teamsreasons to smile since 'the sea-son began.

RickDiPietro- burned fOf.

six goals in 28 minu~J;ieforgbeing pulled against "'c..- ,.Saturday - respondesaves for his first slthe season in the Is1:"Coliseum victorylightning, which)winless (0-6-0) on th,including three disn:in four days to' theDevils and Islanders,

"Those superstars,great way of coming

havinga super perfacoach Ted Nolan Sailetro. "Last game WIof those things.

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Ricky was going toBill Guerin, JoSi

Ruslan Fedotenko

Hunter each scored as the Isles IIbeat Tampa for tfie first time innine meetings. Mike Sillingerhad an assist in his 1,00OthNHLgame. - BrianBohl

Christ the King rides another playoff upset into title game

BY BRIAN BOHL

Tuesday, November 13th 2007, 1:35 PM

Peter Nwajei didn't record a single reception in regulation; on the game's final play, the junior receiver didn't even run the correct route. But Nwajei ignited a wild celebration after Joe Nuss lofted a touch pass that found him open in the back-left corner of the end zone.

A busted play turned into the game-winner, as Christ the King converted a two-point conversion to seal a 22-21 overtime victory over Kellenberg in the CHSFL 'AA' semifinals at Uniondale on Friday night.

The Royals (4-6), the biggest surprise of the CHSFL playoffs, scored their second straight one-point victory and booked a trip toSunday's championship game against No. 4 Stepinac (8-2), a 19-14 winner at No. 1 Fordham Prep on Saturday.

"I was supposed to run a hitch, and then I saw them running at me and I went into the end zone," Nwajei said. "I didn't have a catch the whole game, and I was kind of mad at that. That catch made me happy."

Nuss helped erase three separate Kellenberg leads, sending the Royals to the school's first championship appearance since 2003. After the Firebirds marched in for a touchdown and kicked the extra point in overtime, Nuss responded by scoring the game-tying touchdown, barely crossing the goal line on a quarterback keeper.

Coach Kevin Kelly was aggressive all night, going for - and engineering - three successful fourth-down attempts. Withthe players and assistant coaches imploring him to go for the two-point conversion and the win, Kelly decided in favor of the do-or-die play.

"Everyone on the team wanted to go for two," Nuss said. "We didn't want to play anymore. We wanted to either take it all or lose it all."

The extra session embodied the Royals' season: a slow start followed by a late surge. Christ the King opened the season 0-6 before embarking on its current four-game winning streak. That two of those victories have come in the postseason is all that matters to a team that was missing the services of injured running back William Hunter.

"The hardest (win) was the first one," Kelly said. "Just focus on what you're doing; it took a little while for us to start doing that. We're doing it now."

Christ the King entered the playoffs seeded seventh among eight teams, but stunned No. 2 St. Francis Prep in the quarterfinals to set up the meeting with sixth-seeded Kellenberg, which upset No. 3 Holy Cross on Nov. 3.

Kellenberg (3-7) opened up a 14-7 lead before David Lopez's 17-yard touchdown run off a stutter-step move and Vinny Lahara's PAT tied it in the final minute of the third quarter.

The Royals nearly pulled away in regulation thanks to a costly penalty by the Firebirds. Ricardo Derival was flagged for a personal foul after ramming Lahara with a late hit following a punt.

The infraction led to an automatic first down, followed by two runs by Lopez for 18 total yards. Nuss hit Danny Manetta with two straight passes, but Lahara hooked a 27-yard field goal attempt wide left with five seconds remaining.

Nuss and some gutsy play-calling bailed out Lahara. Manetta, who teamed with Michael Hennessy to lead the passing attack, said the Royals are just trying to extend a well-timed hot streak and felt galvanized by their coach's aggressive approach.

"We're a small team, but we're family and we stick together," Manetta said. "It shows our coach believes in us and that he's behind us. We know he is there for us, and we're there for him."

ST. PETER'S 14, HOLY CROSS 11

By ELIO VELEZ

St. Peter's scored two first-half touchdowns and held off a late Holy Cross rally to preserve a 14-11 victory in the CHSFL 'AA' consolation bracket semifinal at Bayside HS on Saturday. Holy Cross scored a touchdown and made a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to pull to within three.

PSAL ROUNDUP

BY EBENEZER SAMUEL AND ELIO VELEZ

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hschool/2007/11/13/2007-11-13_christ_the_king_rides_another_playoff_up.html?...

Cup Division Week 10

BRYANT 27, ADAMS 0

In a preview of next week's Cup Division playoff semifinal, Adams and Bryant squared off in Ozone Park on Saturday. The Owls (9-1) beat the Spartans, 27-0, behind 112 rushing yards and two TDs from Justin Polizzi. Adams (8-2) dropped two of its last three regular season contests after winning its first seven games. Bryant's defense pitched a second straight shutout and sacked Spartans QB Luis Cerna six times. Bryant drew the second seed in the four-team Cup playoff bracket, and Adams was seeded third. Top seed Wadleigh will face Lane in the tournament's other semifinal.

Championship Playoffs

CANARSIE 24, CAMPUS MAGNET 12

Campus Magnet traveled to Brooklyn Saturday to open the playoffs at Canarsie, the third-strongest football team in the PSAL, and the Bull-Dogs showed no fear. Running back James Johnson scored a four-yard touchdown and quarterback Datalia Holness snuck in for a score as 14th-seeded Magnet led 12-0 after three quarters and stood on the verge of scoring a major playoff upset.

"We were beating them offensively and defensively," Barnett said. "We just had a couple of breakdowns. It's frustrating because we had our chance."

PORT RICHMOND 50, AUGUST MARTIN 21

Port Richmond broke the game open at home with three touchdowns in the second quarter as they routed the visiting Falcons. AugustMartin, seeded 15th out of 16 teams, briefly led the No. 2 Red Raiders 7-6 after Murphy White's four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Bryson Burel scored three touchdowns for Port Richmond.

"All we can do is try out best; we tried our best," said August Martin coach Michael Scaduto, whose team finished the regular season 6-3. "We came a long way this season, and we went down fighting."

Bowl Playoffs

TRUMAN 22, LONG ISLAND CITY 18

Despite outgaining Truman's offense, the Long Island City Bulldogs fell to the Mustangs in first round of the Bowl Tournament playoffs. LIC trailed, 14-6 at halftime, but first-year signal-caller Chris Delvento rallied the squad in the third quarter, tossing two touchdowns. In the end, though, Truman's deep running game and attacking defense were too much for the Bulldogs. Three Mustangs - Malik Williams, Ernesto Lafalaise and Hector Sanabria - topped 60 rushing yards, and Truman sacked Delvento five times.

BROOKLYN TECH 36, JAMAICA 26

A Jamaica defense that surrendered 75 points in its last three games came back to haunt the Beavers in the first round of the Bowl Tournament playoffs. The Beaver defense struggled yet again against Brooklyn Tech, surrendering 268 rushing yards. Engineers quarterback George Rowen barely threw the ball, attempting just two passes. Jamaica trailed, 30-12, entering the fourth quarter; a pair of late touchdowns kept the score close.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hschool/2007/11/13/2007-11-13_christ_the_king_rides_another_playoff_up.html?...

Mount earns 16-8 win over Chaminade in 'AAA' semis

BY BRIAN BOHL

Tuesday, November 13th 2007, 11:34 AM

It was a familiar sight: A slew of Mount St. Michael defenders bolting past the line of scrimmage, pressuring Chaminade quarterback Doug Vella.

On the final drive, the Mountaineers' pass rush forced an intentional grounding penalty on third-and-long, capping a strong defensive effort in a 16-8 win over the sixth-seeded Flyers in the CHSFL 'AAA' semifinals at Ott Field in Mineola.

Isiah Moody accounted for both touchdowns for No. 7 Mount, but the senior running back wasn't about to celebrate too boisterously; St.Anthony's - the league's six-time defending champion - awaits in the title game on Sunday.

Moody, a senior, already has experienced both sides of the emotional spectrum while playing the Friars. His first-quarter touchdown sparked a 22-12 victory in the Bronx on Sept. 22, ending St. Anthony's 64-game regular-season winning streak.

As a first-year varsity player last season, Moody was a member of the squad that lost the CHSFL championship game to St. Anthony's in a one-point heartbreaker at Fordham University.

"Last year, we thought we could beat them," Moody said. "This year, we know we can beat them."

Mount St. Michael will try to stop the Friars from notching title No. 7 and extract a modicum of revenge from last season's finale, which was decided by a missed Mountaineers extra point. St. Anthony's (9-1) is coming off a semifinal win in which quarterback James Brady threw for 111 yards and rushed for another 117 yards and a touchdown to beat Iona Prep, 24-20.

The Mountaineers (5-5) know that if they want to score their third upset of these playoffs, they need to put the same pressure on Brady as they generated against Chaminade's Vella.

The pass rush generated sacks and also led to Pliney Nivens' interception, which quelled a potential game-tying touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.

Even while standing on the field on Long Island, Nivens' thoughts turned back to last year's disappointment in the Bronx, when achampionship was there for the taking.

"I just remember the last play of the game," Nivens said. "It was fourth-and-1 and we didn't make it. It didn't take me long to get over it. I was looking forward to next year.

"We have a lot to prove," he added. "We have to come out and be more fired up than they are."

A return trip to the finals seemed distant when Mount lost its season opener to lower-tier Fordham Prep. After victories over Farrell and St. Anthony's, coach Mario Valentini's team sandwiched losses to St. Joseph by-the-Sea and Iona Prep, Chaminade and Holy Trinity around a lone win against last-place Xaverian.

"Everybody was gunning for us after we beat St. Anthony's," Moody said. "That's why we lost. Everything went to our heads. We thought we were on top."

The Mountaineers appear to have put it together at the right time, knocking off second-seeded St. Joseph by-the-Sea in the first round.

"We know no one can really play with us if we work hard," Moody said. "If our defense plays together, we don't think we can bestopped."

STEPINAC 19, FORDHAM PREP 14

Fordham Prep's late drive stalled inside the Stepinac 20, but coach Peter Gorynski said his squad may have lost the CHSAA "AA" semifinal game a few quarters earlier than that.

Gorynski was forced to shuffle his lineup in the first quarter after senior fullback/ linebacker Brian Seminario was sidelined with a stingerin his shoulder.

Seminaro and fellow senior linebacker Chris Moffa were assigned to shadow speedy Stepinac running backs Rashaad Slowley and Maurice Easterling, but the coach was forced to change plans with Seminario on the sideline.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hschool/2007/11/13/2007-11-13_mount_earns_168_win_over_chaminade_in_aa-...

"That was a huge part of our game plan," Gorysnki said. "Ostensibly that was our whole defensive game plan."

Fordham Prep (8-2) missed out on a chance to play in the "AA" final for the second straight season (the Rams lost to Xaverian last season). Stepinac (8-2) won its seventh straight game since Slowley (26 carries, 171 yards) returned from an ankle injury and can win its first title since 1995 when it plays Christ the King at Hofstra on Saturday.

Seminario was replaced by a rotation of underclassmen, but the Rams defense wasn't the same without the senior, who picked off Stepinac quarterback Joe Collins' pass in the first quarter to set up Peter Lamacchia's nine-yard sweep, which gave Fordham Prep a 7-0 lead.

Rams quarterback Lawrence DeSimone ran for a one-yard sneak to make it 14-0 in the first quarter, but No. 6 seed Stepinac climbed back when Easterling rumbled for a 10-yard score to close the gap. DeSimone (5-for-14, 65 yards) threw an interception late in the second quarter to set up Collins' 13-yard touchdown pass to Slowley with 14 seconds to left in the half.

No. 2 seed Fordham Prep maintained its slim lead throughout the second half, but Rams back Calvin McCoy (20 carries, 107 rushing yards) fumbled for the second time all season with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, and Stepinac took over at the Rams' 41.

Two minutes later, Easterling ran it in from 14 yards out to give the Crusaders a five-point lead. The Rams drove to the Stepinac 10-yard line and faced a third-and-10, but DeSimone was sacked and McCoy was stopped at the 9-yard line on a fourth-down screen pass, securing the win for Stepinac.

"I had to call timeouts for substitutions and I had to call one when we had 12 men in the huddle one play in the second half," Gorynski said. "If I had one more timeout on that last drive, things might have been different."

XAVIER 39, SPELLMAN 10

The Falcons showed Xavier early on that things were going to be different in their CHSAA "A" semifinal last Saturday. The Falcons lost to the Knights, 65-12, in the last week of the regular season, but Joe DeSimone's team hung with the No. 1 seed Xavier through the first half, trailing 14-10.

But quarterback Trumaine Rose botched snap early in the third quarter and the No. 4 seed Falcons (3-6) seemed to lose their grasp on the game.

Spellman couldn't hold off the Knights after the fumble and allowed Xavier to score 25 unanswered points and advance to Saturday's "A" title game at Hofstra against St. John the Baptist.

"We came out and played well, but after the fumble it seemed like it was downhill for them, and uphill for us," said Spellman running back Robert McIntosh, who scored on a 70-yard run in the first quarter to give the Falcons a 10-7 lead.

"We knew they came in expecting to blow us out, but I'm proud of the way we played," added McIntosh, a senior three-sport star at Spellman. "If I have to go out, this isn't a bad way to end it."

PSAL PLAYOFFS

BY IAN BEGLEY

KENNEDY 20, MIDWOOD 6

Kennedy coach Alex Vega spent all day watching football last Sunday, but he wasn't watching the NFL. Vega and the rest of the Kennedy staff were studying film of the Canarsie Chiefs, their next opponent in the Championship Division playoffs.

After a few hours of watching film, Vega came away with one way to describe Chiefs quarterback Sha-Tim Pratt: impressive.

No. 6 Kennedy will take on Pratt and No. 3 Canarsie in Brooklyn on Saturday after it dispatched Midwood, 20-8, last weekend.

Ozzie Garcia threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to halfback Maurice Mitchelson in the third quarter to seal the win for the Knights (8-2). Fullback Mike Washington ran for two scores and the Knights cornerback Chris Quinnonez picked off Hornets quarterback Jabari Arnaud Wilson twice to snuff any Midwood rally in the second half.

The Knights' secondary will have to be at its best to limit the Chiefs' Pratt, who passed for 952 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season.

Pratt's favorite target is receiver Andre Hall. Hall finished the regular season with eight touchdowns, and added one more in the second half of the Chiefs' 24-12 win last Saturday over Campus Magnet.

"It's a question of whether we can put pressure on the quarterback," Vega said. "I don't care what kind of secondary you have, if you


give a quarterback like that time to scramble, he will find an open receiver."

NEW DORP 24, LEHMAN 20

No. 10 Lehman outgained New Dorp by 150 yards on Saturday and didn't turn the ball over, but couldn't pull the upset against the No. 7 Central Cougars.

To line coach Mike Varinos, the Lions' shortcoming was simple.

"It was just the little things, a couple of miscues," Varinos said. "They just all added up."

Lions back Patrick Farrar opened the scoring with a touchdown run in the first-quarter and the Lions took a 20-16 half time lead when Jamari Young hit Marquis Palmer Garcia with a touchdown pass in the second quarter.

But the Lions couldn't keep the lead in the second half, as Sherland Basnight ran for a four-yard TD and Erik Heedles caught his third two-point conversion of the game from brother Thomas, giving New Dorp a 24-20 lead.

Lehman drove to the New Dorp 32 on the ensuing possession, but the drive and the season ended when Lions QB Jamari Young threw four straight incomplete passes.

Varinos credited the Lions' undersized offensive line for creating holes against the Cougars, but had a tough time talking about the ultimate outcome.

"I thought we should have pulled the upset, I really did," Varinos said.

TRUMAN 22, LIC 18

Truman's Hector Sanabria came into Sunday's first-round home playoff game against LIC nursing a sore ankle. The junior running back/cornerback needed only the eight plays he was on the field to make his presence felt, running for the game-winning touchdown andbreaking up LIC's best attempt to steal the game in the Mustangs' (7-3) win.

Sanabria ran for a 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and broke up Chris Delvento's pass at the last instant to preserve the victory.

Truman survived despite three turnovers, which led to three Delvento touchdown passes. LIC recovered an onside kick to open the game and scored on its first drive, but Truman senior back Malik Williams responded with a 60-yard sweep to tie the score, 6-6 and followed with an 87-yard punt return before half time to put No. 4 Truman up, 14-12.

Truman coach John Shepherd said Reyes Alvarez sprung Williams with a furious block at the 20-yard line, allowing the senior speedster to coast to the end zone.

He also credited linebacker Antonio Tsiomos (seven tackles) and lineman Bilal Greene (three tackles for loss, sack) with keeping LIC's Delvento uncomfortable all afternoon.

Truman, in its first season in the Championship/Bowl Division, faces top seed Boys & Girls on Sunday in Brooklyn, and Shepherd said he will play Sanabria as much as possible against the Kangaroos.

"He played eight plays, took away six points and scored a touchdown," Shepherd said. "I'll have him on the field as much as his ankle allows."


Friars win 7th straight title

BY IAN BEGLEY DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, November 19th 2007, 4:00 AM

St. Anthony's won its seventh straight CHSFL "AAA" crown Sunday night, taking advantage of a key second-half turnover to top Mount Saint Michael, 26-20, at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium. It was the Friars' 10th title in 15 seasons and the second straight year they beat Mount in the championship game.

"We just find a way to win, no matter what," said Friars quarterback James Brady, who finished 8-for-18 for 72 yards and added 42 rushing yards.

The Friars trailed, 20-18, with four minutes to go. Jayson Holt had run Mount's option attack well all afternoon, but he seemed to run out of options when he dropped back on third-and-9 on his own 39. He tried to run through the line on the broken play, but he was stripped and St.Anthony's Rutgers-bound defensive end Scott Vallone came up with the ball.

On the next play, Nick Mercurio made a cut to his right and sprinted down the right sideline to give the Friars a 24-20 lead. Atiq Lucas ran in the two-point conversion to put the Friars up, 26-20, with 4:37 to go.

Led by Vallone (eight tackles, sack), the Friars stifled Mount's last two chances and celebrated at midfield as the clock ran out. St. Anthony's beat Mount, 21-20, in last year's championship game.

"This doesn't get old," said Reichert, in his 21st year at St. Anthony's. "This is what I coach for."

William Ruggerio (seven rushes, 41 yards) ran it in from 25 yards out to give the Friars a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. Mount tied it when Holt (192 rushing yards, two TDs) faked a pitch and burst through the Friars line for a four-yard score with 51 seconds left in the first.

Holt added a 16-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give Mount the lead, 12-6. But St. Anthony's tied it two minutes later when Ruggerio scored on a nine-yard run to tie it at 12.

Mount's Isiah Moody ran back the second-half kickoff 98 yards to break the tie.

"I thought the game was over right there," Holt said.

Not with two quarters left. Not against St. Anthony's.

SLOWLEY'S FAST START: Rashaad Slowley ran for three touchdowns - all in the first quarter - to lead Stepinac to a 47-12 victory over Christ the King in the CHSFL AA championship game. The Crusaders captured the school's first title since 1995 after jumping out to a 34-6 halftime lead at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium. The Royals, who started the season 0-6 before reeling off four straight wins, made their first finals appearance since 2003.

With Brian Bohl

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2007/11/19/2007-11-19_friars_win_7th_straight_title.html?print=1&page...

Christ the King misses chance to grab crown

BY BRIAN BOHL

Tuesday, November 20th 2007, 10:47 AM

It was clear from the opening drive that Christ the King's unexpected playoff run was going to end in inglorious fashion.

With fourth-seeded Stepinac marching toward the goal line, running back Rashaad Slowley took a jarring hit and fumbled the ball out of the end zone for an apparent touchback.But officials ruled Slowley was down by contact before losing the ball, and one play later the senior scored the first of his three first-quarter touchdowns as the Crusaders trounced the Royals, 47-12, in Sunday's CHSFL 'AA' championship atHofstra's Shuart Stadium.

"We came out flat," CK coach Kevin Kelly said. "Against a good team like Stepinac, it comes back to bite you. We felt confident. It just didn't work out."

Seventh-seeded Christ the King won its final two regular-season games after starting 0-6 and kept the winning streak nearly to the end, posting back-to-back one-point victories over No. 2 St. Francis Prep and No. 6 Kellenberg to advance to the finals for the first time since 2003.

Senior quarterback Joe Nuss led the Royals (4-7) to those upset wins, but he struggled against the Crusaders' secondary, throwing two interceptions.

"They scored (on) their first four possessions and we couldn't put up points," Nuss said. "They read everything well. They knew what was coming before we snapped the ball. They made the plays, unlike us."

A lost fumble and an interception returned for a touchdown led to 14 points for Stepinac (9-2) in the opening minutes of the third quarter, all but ensuring the White Plains-based school its first title since 1995.

Christ the King entered the title game with the division's second-ranked passing attack, but the Royals failed to get on the scoreboard until they were already trailing by 21 points. They also failed to generate any defensive stops until the final drive of the first half, as Slowley and Maurice Easterling combined for four rushing touchdowns before halftime.

Slowley entered the game with an AA-leading 1,189 rushing yards, highlighting an offense led by quarterback Joseph Collins, who added a scoring strike - a fade pass to Brian Boulhosa over Ollie Robinson in single coverage - to make it 34-6 after two quarters.

"We didn't stop the bleeding after the first hit," Manetta said. "We did come out flat and I really don't know why. Maybe people were scared or intimidated."

Nuss enjoyed solid protection the previous week against Kellenberg, utilizing the extra time to find favorite targets Danny Manetta and Michael Hennessey. But Stepinac didn't afford Nuss the same luxury; he was constantly pressured by linemen and linebackers Anton Rukaj and Anthony Scarnati.

"It was rough," Nuss said. "I felt like as soon as I had the ball, I had guys hitting me. I don't want to remember this. This is the worst feeling."

Christ the King lost its first six games by a total of 100 points, including a 43-14 loss to Fordham on Sept. 15. Just over a month later, the Royals started a remarkable turnaround, defeating Spellman and St. John the Baptist to close the regular season.

A 14-13 road win over St. Francis Prep on Nov. 3 propelled Christ the King to the semifinals, where a risky play-call in overtime resulted in asuccessful two-point conversion to give the Royals a 22-21 victory over Kellenberg. The trip to the finals marked Christ the King's best finish since the program won consecutive championships in 2002 and 2003.

"I'm proud of the way our guys played," Kelly said. "To comeback from the way they started (this year) ... it would have been great to get a win at the end, but I'm still proud of them. The seniors did a great job with leadership. It'll be tough to watch those guys leave."

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2007/11/20/2007-11-20_christ_the_king_misses_chance_to_grab_cr.html...

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BY BRIAN BOHLSPECIAL TO THE NEWS

SNIPPETS OF FAMOUS songs from the The Who blaredfrom the Nassau Coliseum speakers during play stoppag-es, The music was fitting, since the Islanders are living bythe theme "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" to gain points,

They got one by taking the Stars to overtime last mght,but lost, 3-2, when Mike Modano

~~~ ~ ~~~~d35~~C~~:n~t~fth~se:~ISLES 2 session. Modano knocked in a re-bound of Stephane Robidas' shot

for the game-winner."This was one of those games where maybe we

shouldn't have gotten a point," Isles coach Ted Nolan said.. "We (still) found a way to do it. They're a premier team in. the league."

The Stars, who beat the Rangers at the Garden on Sun-day, won their sixth straight and lead the Pacific Divisionwith a 13-7-4 record.

The Isles' power play awakened from a nearly month-

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long slumber at the right time. MiroslavSatan beat Stars goalie Marty Turco onthe stick side off a rebound with 2:48 re-maining in regulation.

Rick DiPietro finished with 28 saves forthe Isles. He started his 16th straightgame and is expected to play in bothgames of a back-to-back set against thefirst-place Senators and the Rangers start-ing tomorrow.

"It took us a little while to get back inthe game," Satan said. "It was tight in theneutral zone. We had some difficulties."

The Islanders have scored just 15 gQalsin the past nine games but are 4-4-1 inthat span thanks mostly to DiPietro. Hestymied Dallas' second-ranked powerplay unit, which went scoreless in five at-tempts.

"It's really important we scored on thepower play and held their power play tozero," Nolan said. "That's a big differenceand one of the reasons why we got thepoint. " Stars goalie MartyTurcomakes save against RuslanFedotenkoas Islanders

Nolan, who recently revamped his line continuehavingtroubleputtingthe puckinnet. PhotobyGettycombinations, stuck with the same lineup,keeping Chris Simon with captain BillGuerin and Mike Comrie on the top line despite limited suc-cess thus far.

"We're not getting a lot of goals, but it's not because oflack of effort or chance!)," Comrie said. "Teams go throughthis throughout the year. You need to keep your focus anddo everything you can to get pucks to the net."

Richard Park netted a shorthanded goal midwaythrough the contest for the game's first goal. Turco came

all the way out to the top of the right circle on an Islanders'clearing attempt, but Park beat him to the puck and skatedright to the open net for his second goal in two games.

Modano got the Stars even when he blasted a shot thatbeat DiPietro glove-side just 2:30 after Park's goal. JeffHalpern slammed home the go-ahead goal for Dallas 6:07into the final period. Sergei Zubov's point attempt went offMike Sillinger's stick and caromed to Halpern, who blast-ed a shot into the vacant net.

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Jenkinswaits

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nowemergingas

a keyplayerBY BRIANBOHL

OSODY WAS AROUND to cheer. Thescoreboard and shot clock bothwere turned ott. The only soundsthat filled the gym in the late hourswere basketballs bouncing and two

pairs of sneakers squeaking.Inthose midnightmoments last season, the pres-

ent and future of the Hofstra men's basketball pro-gram were forged ina series of one-on-one pickupcontests and knockout competitions.

Loren Stokes was the seasoned veteran; thesenior point guard who went on to capture theCAAPlayer of the Year award before earning aspot on the Orlando Magic's summer league team.Hisopponent was a raw-but-promising prospect inCharles Jenkins, who redshirted last year and iscurrently one of the key members of a rebuildingPride team.

Stokes is now playing overseas, creating an av-kins to headline a youth movement for

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times and is the second-leading scorer behind An-

toine Agudio, notching 12.8 points. per game to go

along with five rebounds and two steals a night.

"I would always challenge him because I wanted

to be equally as good:' Jenkins said about matching

Stokes, the second-leading scorer in program his-

tory. "I actually never beat him. He was a guy who

I always liked to play against because he was quick

and got to the basket He'd do anything to help the

team win. He also roomed with me, so I was able totalk to him a lot"

Jenkins earned the Daily News' All-Queens award

during a high school career that featured two team

MVP awards and helping Springfield Gardens post

a 43-8 record during his last two seasons.

Gaudy numbers didn't prevent the 6-3, 220-

pound guard from struggling when he arrived in

Hempstead, though sitting behind guards Stokes,Agudio and Carios Rivera for one season helped hisacclimation to a higher level.

"It was a big adjustment," Jenkins said. "In high

school, I was always orte of the top players on my

team. Now,I'm getting use to telling other peoplewhere to go as far as being a point guard. The more ~gamesituations l'mil1\ Ithink it willcome natural. ~Being in my first year,l'ma little hesitant at saying ~certain things to playerS. ~

"My coaches alwaysremind me that I have to be ~u.a leader on the court They want me to be a more ~vocal leader."

Despite a 1-3 start, the Pride is relying heavily on

Agudio and Jenkins to carry the scoring load. Even

with limited experience, Jenkins is one of three play-

ers averaging over 30 minutes a game.

His assist-to-turnover ratio Is still unimpressive(0.636 assists/turnovers). Hofstra coach Tom Pecora

said consistency is one of the last things to come for

a developing player, adding that pairing Jenkins with

Stokes in his first year was a calculated move that

has already yielded positive results.

"He's a bull. He needs to playa lot of minutes for

us," Pecora said. "The thing is going out and being

steady. The term we use all the time is being solid

as a player and as a person."

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After redshirting li1$t season, his first at Hofstra, fonner Springfield Gardens star Charles Jenkins emerges as team's second-leadingscorer and key piece of Pride's new youth movement.

Junior Mike Davis-Sabb- another city-bredplayer who starred at AllHallowsin the Bronx- played with Stokes for two seasons, helpingHofstra qualifyfor the NITeach time. After a recentpractice at the Mack Sports Complex, Davis-Sabbsaid Jenkins will be even better once he developsmore confidence in his abilities and establishes a

short memoryfollowingmistakes. ."Charles is great (but) gets down on himself a

lot," Davis-Sabb said. "He thinks about the last play

he made; the last pass. Itry to fell him, 'Just let it go.

You can't worry about that last play. You just have

adjustmentsneededto competeintheNCAA:"In highschool, I was a lot bigger than most of

the guards Iplayed against," he said. "Getting to thebasket was a lot easier. Here,the guards are equallyas physical as Iam, and the big men are taller."

Sitting out a year also put Jenkins in good com-pany.

"Antoine redshirted his first year, too," he said."The first couple of games were frustrating be-cause I'm use to beingon the floor.My coacheslet me know in the long-run, it's going to benefitme a lot"

to worry about what's next'"

Jenkins was also recruited by St'. John's andLiberty University. At Springfield Gardens, he aver-

aged 21.1 points per game in his senior season under

coach Angelo Buono. He captured the PSAL Player

of the Year award, highlighted by a win over Cam-

pus Magnet that featured a29-point, eight-rebound,

seven-assist performance.

Going from an offensive linchpin to a non-playing

role his first year with the Pride might have been

considered an insult by some true freshmen, but

Jenkins said he understood the physical and mental

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Former All Hallows standout adjusts to coming off bench at Hofstra

BY BRIAN BOHL

Tuesday, December 4th 2007, 3:15 PM

Mike Davis-Sabb doesn't have to participate in a drill to ensure that his input resonates with teammates on the basketball team at Hofstra. During a five-on-five scrimmage in a nearly empty Mack Sports Complex last Friday, the Bronx product beseeched younger teammates to take charge and get in position for rebounds.

His deep baritone could be easily mistaken for the encouraging words of an assistant coach rather than a 21-year-old junior.

Davis-Sabb has gone from being a starter on a Hofstra basketball team that earned a berth in last spring's NIT postseason tournament to being a reserve on a decidedly younger unit.

Instead of sulking, the former All Hallows standout says he is relishing the role of savvy veteran on a squad whose roster counts sixunderclassmen.

"I like to bring energy coming off the bench," Davis-Sabb said. "It's a little different, but I like it better because you get a feel for the team.

"I can definitely get back in the starting lineup, but I prefer coming off the bench to give the new guys a lot of playing time so down the stretch, they'll be prepared to play big minutes."

With graduated guards Loren Stokes and Carlos Rivera now playing professionally overseas, the Pride has gotten decidedly younger than last year's group, which finished 22-10 overall and 14-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Antoine Agudio was the only returning member of Hofstra's "big three-guard" set, making him one of the most tenured players outside of Zygis Sestokas and Davis-Sabb, who started 29 games last season.

Davis-Sabb's statistics through the first four regular-season games (six points and four rebounds in 28 minutes) haven't reflected his actual value, said Hofstra coach Tom Pecora.

A couple of good performances, Pecora said, could allow Davis-Sabb to reclaim a starting spot; ideally, the 6-7, 240-pound forward would give the Pride a legitimate inside presence and complement Agudio and freshman guard Charles Jenkins on the perimeter.

"Everyone looks at the basketball end of it," Pecora said, "but when you have experienced veterans who are good guys, they can teach the(younger) guys about how to manage time, how to handle themselves in the weight room, how to handle themselves on the road. That's when you have a good basketball program, not just a good team."

Added Davis-Sabb: "You have to give instructions because they are new to the program. A lot of players coming from high school don't know the effort it takes to play at this level. They can't always hear the coach's voice. They need to hear their peer's voice."

Jenkins, a redshirt freshman from Springfield Gardens, Queens, doesn't play in the frontcourt, but he said he has learned a lot from veteran teammates, including Davis-Sabb.

"Mike helped me a lot out when I first came here in the summer of 2006," Jenkins said. "He was giving me tips on how to take care of my body. He was telling me how practice goes, and spending time letting me know that my body might shut down."

During his high school years in the Bronx, Davis-Sabb was a focal point on an All Hallows team that advanced to the semifinals of the CHSAA city tournament. He posted a double-figure scoring average his senior year and drew All-CHSAA honors.

Pecora, a product of Queens Village, recruited Davis-Sabb as part of an effort to stockpile talent from the boroughs.

The forward said he was initially hesitant about making the eastbound trek to Hempstead and playing in a relatively small venue, but the Mack Sports Complex has provided more than enough atmosphere to satisfy him.

"It's definitely exceeded (expectations)," Davis-Sabb said. "I never thought that playing in front of 4,000 people could feel like the Garden.

The student section's going crazy; it's a great atmosphere. I love it."

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2007/12/04/2007-12-04_former_all_hallows_standout_adjusts_to_c.html?print...

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Starterssit,thenRutgersfinishesoffArmyBY BRIANBOHL ranked Duke' on Thursday, marked the first time the

SPECIALTOTHENEWS Scarlet Knights have played in New York sinceONE BY ONE, the announced starters for the radio host Dol}.Imus made racist comments aboutRutgers women's basketball team ran from the the team during his show in April.bench to midcourt during pregame introductions. Stringer said her personnel moves were not:gut as the music pulsated and the crowd cheered, it designed to send a message, adding that she intend-beCC1!tleclear the applause was for some new faces. ed to keep the reserves in for at least the first five

Scarlet Knights coach C. Vivian Stringer benched minutes. "I'm not pleased about Duke," Stringerher starters for the first nine minutes and 30 said, "but it was more to see if we could establishseconds against Army yesterday at the Garden. The the tempo."reserves opened up an early lead, but The move enab1ed players such asNo.4 Rutgers fell behind later with its Prince and Matee Ajavon to utilize freshlest players on the floor. The Scarlet RUTGERS 59 legs to make a late push, sending Rutgers~~fS used a big run ,late in the first into halftime with a 28-21 edge thanks tolalf:1toright themselves on: the way to a ARMY 42 a 13-2 run to cap the half. Rutgers broke9-42 victory over the Black Knights in it open with a 16-2 surge midway through

:he ~qond game of the Maggie Dixon , the second half for a 47-27 cushion.:::laSsic,the first women's basketball doubleheader Army (5-4) took a big hit just 2:32 into the gameit the Garden since 1981. when top scorer Cara Enright hurt her ankle com-

"I t1}qught we'd just try something a little differ- ,ing down with a rebound. The senior guard fell tomt," s'aid Stringer, who was without one starter, the floor and needed to be helped into the dressingHeather Zurich, due to illness. "Our backups under- room by the medical staff. She did not rettml.~tood"the significance of their roles and they got a "Our, game plan didn't really change," StringerFhan~to get their feet wet." said about the Black Knights losing a playmaker

Rashidat. Junaid made her first career start and who was averaging 14 points, 'We need to go out~ad 15 points and 10 rebounds as Rutgers dominat- and focus on being the best we can offensively and~d .At1nyin the paint. Brittany Ray also started for defensively."~e Qist time this season, adding 13points iJ;l36min- In the opener, Duke (7-3) defeilted Pittsburghf1tes"tohelp Rutgers improve to 6-3. Leading scorer (6-3) with a dramatic final shot. With the game tied,trod r:onner Bergtraum High star Epiphanny Prince the Blue Devils' Joy Creek rebounded Chantecontributed eight points off the bench. Black's miss and scored on a put-back with 1.2 sec-

"Before the game, Coach told me to go out and onds left for a 51-49 victory.play hard; do the team things and put up (shots) The Maggie Dixon Classic, in its second year, wasstrong," said Junaid, a sophomore who said she established in honor of the fonner Army women'snev~r had play~d ~t MSG before. "I had confidence. basketball coach who died April 6, 2006, of arrhyth-We Just played It like any other arena.", mia, weeks after her first season coaching tJ1eBlack

Rutgers' victory, coming after a 49-44 loss to 17th- Knights.

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MADISON,Wis. - DominicJames scored 20 points andNo. 11 Marquette ended Wiscon-'sin's 28-home game winningstreak with an 81-76 victoryyesterday. Marquette {6-1)endedthe 6-2 Badgers' home streakthat was the third-longest ihDivisionI.

KANSAS84, DEPAUL66:Sasha Kaun scored the first sixpoints in a 24-1first-half run thatsent the No.3Jayhawks (9-0) toa home rout.

TEXAS80,RICE54: In Houston, A.J.Abrams, D.J. AugustinandDamion James scored 18 pointseach to help the NO.4 long-horns improveto 9-0 for the firsttime since 1981-82.

DUKE95, MICHIGAN67:. TaylorKingscored 18 points as

the No.6 Blue Devils(9-0)romped at home.

UCLA75, DAVIDSON63: lucRichard Mbah a Moute scored21 points and the host Bruins(8-1) made up an 18-point defi-cit.

MICHIGANST. 68, BYU61:DrewNeitzel scored 13 of his 15points in the second half as theNO.9 Spartans rallied over theNo. 20 Cougars in Salt lake City.-

Pin 75, WASHINGTON 74:Justin Dentmon's runner in thelane as the buzzer sounded wasdisallowed after a lengthy review,and the No. 12 Panthers (9-0)held in Seattle.

DAYTON70, LOUISVILLE65:Brian Roberts scored 28 pointsas the visiting Flyers (7-1)spoiled Rick Pitino's bid tobecome the 17th active Division

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SETONHALL 86: The Pirates(7-2) led by 15 late in the firsthalf but struggled after halftimeand fell in overtime in Sta,teCollege, Pa.

FORDHAM 88, N.J. TECH 44:Eirenton Butler scored 21 pointsand the host Rams (5-4) keptthe Highlanders winless (0-11).

WAGNER64, ST. FRANCIS(N.Y.) 59: Durrell Vinson had 24points and 14 rebounds to leadthe host Seahawks (6-3, 1-0NEC)over the Terriers (3-6, 0-2).

RHODEISLAND 91, SYRA-CUSE 89; Jimmy Baron scored21 points to lead a 12-of-18assault from beyond the arc asthe visiting Rams (10-1) out-scored the Orange (6-3). -AP

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Shaine Smith aims for greener pastures

BY BRIAN BOHL

Tuesday, December 18th 2007, 1:25 PM

Hofstra has a tradition of producing NFL wide receivers, and Shaine Smith hopes to add his name to that list.

The 6-3, 180-pounder aims to retrace the tracks of Wayne Chrebet, who made his pro name without leaving the area. Chrebet signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent 12 years ago and wound up asone of the most prolific receivers in team history.

Smith emerged Hofstra's top receiver last season, replacing Marques Colston, who's now with the New Orleans Saints. The August Martin HS product caught 60 balls for 951 yards and nine scores. He then attended spring camp with the St. Louis Rams, but couldn't earn a roster spot.

Now, Smith hopes to stick with the Jets; he joined the team's practice squad last week. Here, Smith, who turns 24 on Christmas day, describes the experience:

"After I was let go by the Rams, I was training down in Orlando for two-and-a-half months, waiting to be called again.

"I came back up to New York because I found out I had an opportunity with the (Arena Football) Dragons. That didn't work out, but the Jets called me. Right before I came out in the draft (last year), they worked me out. I think they've always had their eye on me, but they weren't sure where to put me because they had a couple of draft picks.

"I mostly practice with Chad (Pennington). Chad's been phenomenal, directing us where to go; he's been a big help.

"Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery and Justin McCareins are all helping me out. I wouldn't learn from anyone else.

"You never know when your time is going to come, so you want to be ready. It's great being back on campus. It seems like I can never leave New York. It's easy access for me, but I think I can turn some heads."

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2007/12/18/2007-12-18_shaine_smith_aims_for_greener_pastures.ht...

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Princess holds courtin county of Queens

Loyal subjects swoon during school visit

Photos byRichard Slattery

BY NICHOLAS HIRSHONBEAUTY QUEENS have been get-ting a bad rap lately for their clue-less antics, but New York’s con-tender for the Miss USA pageant isn’t just a pretty face.

In fact, she has some pointed — and surprising — opinions about everything from 2006’s misbehav-

ing Miss USA to this year’s heated presidential race.

“I’m voting for [Barack] Obama,” Danielle Roundtree, Miss New York 2008, revealed recently at an energetic junior high school assembly in Queens .

Sporting a leopard-print blouse and form-fi tting jeans, the eye-pleasing 20-year-old from the upper West Side told the Daily News she doesn’t think Hillary Clinton could beat a Republican opponent in November.

“People may not be as sup-portive of a woman as President,” offered Roundtree, who was born in Miami but moved to New York a few years ago. “[Obama’s] more likely to win it. Who knows? Hillary could surprise us all.”

The slender knockout dropped other bombs during her stop at Bell Academy in Bayside on Jan. 11, an effort to get to know the people she’ll represent at the Miss USA pageant on April 11 in Las Vegas.

An auditorium packed with 185 sixth- and seventh-graders pep-pered Roundtree with questions, twice asking if she has a boyfriend

— she doesn’t — and feverishly re-questing autographs.

“I kinda felt special. I was standing next to a princess,” gushed sixth-grader Stephanie Matsumura, 11. “She has a lot of talent and she looks really nice.”

Roundtree vowed to neverbecome like Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner, who was nearly stripped of her tiara after she was caught using drugs, drinking too much and kissing other girls.

“Life is too short, and she kinda forgot that,” Roundtree said. “This is only one year. Your job is to be a role model, not be the person ev-eryone doesn’t want you to be.”

Roundtree also called up stu-dents to belt out some tunes with her — and apparently made a good impression.

Sixth-grader Julian Ruiz, 13, blushed when asked why he wanted the beauty queen’s MySpace info.

“She’s pretty,” he said, predict-ing Roundtree would end up in the final five. “But there’s other con-testants. Maybe there’s someone who’s prettier.”

Miss New York Danielle Roundtree, 20, answers questions from student admirers at Bell Academy in Bayside. “I kinda felt special,” said sixth-grader Stephanie Matsumura of the visit. “I was standing next to a princess.”

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BY MITCH ABRAMSON

AFOUL-FILLED wrestling meet dissolved into an ugly war of words between coaches after a wrestler who was il-legally slammed chose not to continue on Thursday at Bryant.

About 20 seconds into the 125-pound match, Bry-ant’s Trevor Watts shot in and attempted a double-leg takedown on Curtis’ Alana Rodriguez, a sopho-more backup who was pushed into action when starter Frank Priolo sat out with a finger injury.

Instead of retaining control when he picked her up, Watts slammed Rodriguez down and was whistled for an illegal move. Moments later, he was disqualified after Rodriguez withdrew because of injury.

According to both coaches, Rodriguez initially told the referee she would continue the match, but

after conferring with her coach, Chris Alena, she decided to call it a day.

Curtis (5-1) was awarded six points for the match and went on to win eight of the next nine contests to finish with an overall score of 48-21 over the host Owls (3-4).

Fifth-year Bryant coach Peter Maliarakis cried foul over the way that Alena handled the situation, alleging that the Curtis coach used “butcherly” tactics to manipulate the sit-uation to gain the points in the 125-pound match.

“The girl said she was OK to wrestle and the coach conviced her that she was injured,” Maliara-kis said afterward. “So that’s a little strategy that scumbag coaches use, and that’s what happened in that case.”

Watts, a sophomore, chucked his headgear in frustration after being disqualified, and Maliarakis had to “threaten” his wrestler with being thrown off

the team to get him to calm down. It was just the second loss of the season for Watts, and Bryant was leading in points, 18-3, before Watts (5-2) was dis-qualified.

Alena, in his 11th year, didn’t refute the account given

by Maliarakis, but he downplayed Rodriguez’s initial impulse to continue.

“She was trying to prove her toughness and say ‘I’m fine, I can handle it,’ but she was a little banged up,” he said. “She was suffering from a rib problem from a couple of weeks ago and the injury got ag-gravated and her shoulder was hurting after the

slam, so I figured it was in her best interest not to continue and because of the illegal slam, we were able to get the win.

“The Bryant coach was upset about what hap-pened and the wrestler was upset, but he went be-yond the rules and slammed her illegally. We kind of stole that from them thanks to the penalty.”

Bryant, the top-ranked wrestling team from Queens, has 26 power points, tied with Truman for 10th-best in the league. The Owls are scheduled to close out the regular season against FDR, Sheeps-head Bay and Francis Lewis, all of which trail in the standings.

“Basically, if we win our next three — and our schedule does get a little easier towards the end — I think we’ll still sneak into the playoffs,” Maliarakis said. “That’s our goal for right now.”

— With reporting by Kellie Clark

Slam leads to forfeit, and Bryant coach cries foul

BY BRIAN BOHL

HIGH SCHOOL teams often fi nd themselves hoping that the incoming class can pro-vide the fresh faces to spark a turnaround after a disap-

pointing season.But when the Cleveland Tigers

endured a winless 2005-06, then-first-year swimming coach Christopher Sullivan chose a unique way to bolster his depth.

“They had five swimmers, and you can’t swim with that,” Sullivan said. “I coach the soccer team, so I threw all my soccer players that were athletes into the pool.”

The results speak for themselves: Just two seasons later, the Tigers are 8-2 and in playoff contention.

Bayside and Francis Lewis have finished 1-2 in the Queens division in each of the past three seasons, but the Tigers are battling to supplant one of those heavyweights in the final stand-ings. They nearly defeated Bayside on Dec. 7, but ultimately fell 48-42.

The Tigers are in second place in the division with just one meet left. They remain on the cusp of the city’s playoff picture, which is determined by timed finishes rather than wins and losses.

Even if they do miss the postsea-son, Sullivan has overseen a marked improvement. Cleveland won just a single meet from 2004-06, prompting the Ridgewood school to ask Sullivan

to rejuvenate the program.The certified lifeguard and

water-safety instructor instituted sweeping changes; he made swimming classes manda-tory as part of the physi-

cal education program.“After we did that, I picked up about

seven kids to join the swim team,” Sul-livan said. “I knew from when I was a swimmer that it’s grueling. It’s hard, especially if you’ve never swam before. All these kids were willing to put the effort in.”

A vital part of the Tigers’ resurgence has been the contribution of what Sul-livan terms his “nucleus”: juniors Jason Lugo (freestyle), Mateusz Kaczynski (in-dividual medley), Robert Ciesielski (200- and 50-yard freestyle) and sophomore Patryk Obiedzinski (butterfly).

Lugo is the only member of that quartet who did not star on the soc-cer field.

“I get really enthused when I talk

about my kids,” Sullivan said. “None of them are club swimmers. Some of the teams we faced had club swimmers.

Sullivan reserves his highest praise for senior captain Lobsang Tenzin, a Tibetan immigrant who has become a consistent competitor in the butterfly and a mainstay on the Tigers relay squads.

“He could not swim a lick,” Sullivan said of Tenzin. “Now, a year later, he’s doing every stroke for me efficiently. He’s swimming all four strokes and do-ing an unbelievable job.”

Like Tenzin, the Tigers have taken a few years to progress. Cleveland opened last season by losing its first three meets but went on to win three of its final five. The Tigers rode a two-game win streak into this season.

Chalk that up to a determined squad, says Sullivan, a one-time swimming

standout at Long Beach HS.“I’ve coached lacrosse and soccer,

and I’ve never seen kids so determined to accomplish the tasks that I ask them to do,” he added.

Can that determination survive the graduation this June of Tenzin and eight other seniors? Sullivan hopes so, but he knows he can continue to lure soccer players into the pool with his finely honed recruiting pitch.

“I stressed that if you are willing to work that hard, there is light at the end of the tunnel with lifeguarding,” Sullivan said. “The kids lit up when I told them that when you become a lifeguard, it’s good for networking. You can make up to $4,000-5,000 in a summer.

“They caught on to what I was say-ing.”

Soccer players take to water to bolster Tiger swim team

Cleveland’s kicking it...from pitch to pool

Christopher Sullivan (from l.) rebuilds Cleveland pool program around Mateusz Kaczynski, Jason Lugo, Lobsang Tenzin, Patryk Obiedzinski and Robert Ciesielski. Photo by Bryan Pace

PSALCURTIS 48BRYANT 21

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BY NICHOLAS HIRSHONWITH COUNCILMAN Joseph Addab-bo poised to try for higher office, therace for his seat is shaping up as agenerational showdown between agrad student and a grandpa.

Fresh-faced Republican EricUlrich, 22, and elder Democrat FrankGulluscio, 60, won’t face each otheruntil February 2009 if the DemocratAddabbo dethrones state Sen. Ser-phin Maltese (R-Glendale) — or untilNovember 2009 if Addabbo loses.

But the civic-minded men are al-ready exchanging potshots overwho should represent HowardBeach, the Rockaways and otherparts of southern Queens in theCouncil.

“A 60-year-old man like Frankagainst a guy like me who can knockon more doors [to get votes]? That’s

a no-brainer,” fired Ulrich, who stud-ies at St. John’s University and be-came a Republican district leader inSeptember.

Gulluscio shot back with hisrésumé: an English teacher in the1970s, franchisee of two Brooklynroller-skating rinks in the 1980s,nearly a decade as Democratic dis-trict leader and two years as Com-munity Board 6 district manager.

“I’ve been 22. I know how 22-year-olds act and walk and talk,”Gulluscio said of his rival. “We needsomebody in that job who’s compe-tent. . . . We need someone from DayOne who’s not going to ask wherethe bathroom is.”

Ulrich has raised $18,565 for hisrun over the past two years, with do-nations from several civic leadersand the wife of former Councilman

Thomas Ognibene, according to cityCampaign Finance Board records.

Gulluscio has garnered a compara-tively slim $4,575, records show, buthe stressed he hasn’t truly startedfund-raising.

“Look at me in July, which is thenext filing [for campaign contribu-tions],” he said.

But the candidates agree on somethings: Both are proposing ferry ser-vice and cleaner, safer beaches inthe Rockaways.

Losing 2006 Assembly candidateStuart Mirsky, now vice president ofthe Rockaways Republican Club, fig-ured Ulrich’s dynamism would helphim put up a formidable fight

against Gulluscio.

“You don’t have an incumbent in

place,” Mirsky said. “It makes things

a lot easier for a challenger.”

And Democratic district leader

Lew Simon, who lost to Addabbo in

the 2001 primary, said he hasn’t

ruled out entering the race.

BY MAXINE SIMPSONTHE WOMEN’S Ministry of Morning StarMissionary Baptist Church in Jamaica held itsannual Women’s Fellowship Breakfast onJan. 12 to discuss upcoming plans and events.

“The goal of the Women’s Ministry is toreach women of all ages — to encourage andequip them through programs, events andresources,” said Deaconess Naomi Mills, thechair of Morning Star Women’s Ministry.Morning Star Baptist Church is under theleadership of the Rev. Walter Silva Thomp-son Jr.

Zoo links weather, animalsDiscover what many different animals can tellus about the approaching weather, and alsohow these animals are used in folklore topredict weather patterns.

The Discover Room at the Wildlife Conser-vation Society’s Queens Zoo is open on Satur-days and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m., and willfeature a different animal theme each week-end through February. The Zoo, at 53-51 111thSt. in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, will

celebrate Groundhog Day on Feb. 2 and 3. Foradmission and general information, call(718) 271-1500.

Borough prez honors firefightersQueens Borough President Helen Marshallhonored several firefighters from Ladder 140at her State of the Borough address atQueens College on Jan. 15.

Firefighters Patrick Grisafi, Albert Barrocaand Captain Thomas Haughney rescued a

man from a trench in All Faiths Cemetery inMiddle Village last October.

Center focuses on global warmingFocus the Nation is a national teach-in con-necting millions of students and citizens withpolitical leaders and decision makers aboutsolutions to global warming.

On Jan. 31, at 7 p.m., Alley Pond Environ-mental Center, at 228-06 Northern Blvd. inDouglaston, will kick off the evening with thepremiere showing of a new half-hour video

from the Habitable Planet Series, “LookingForward: Our Global Experiment.” Ages:adults. No fee. Preregister by calling(718) 229-4000.

Chorus performs in King tributeThe Immaculate Conception Honor Chorus ofJamaica Estates performed at “A Tribute toDr. Martin Luther King Jr.” at the CentralLibrary in Jamaica.

New ambulance leadershipState Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) in-stalled the new officers of the WhitestoneCommunity Volunteer Ambulance Service attheir headquarters on Jan. 21: Louise Weiss,treasurer; Mary Alice Cadolini, secretary;Ralph Cefalo, first-aid officer; Marilyn Con-nors, funding director; Kevin Smyth, buildingdirector; Norman Applebaum, purchasingdirector; and Herb Klein, vice president.

Whitestone has served the community fornearly 60 years.

Student raises thousands for QCCLindsey Dubb, a junior at Jericho High School,L.I., raised close to $11,000 for the Harriet andKenneth Kupferberg Holocaust ResourceCenter and Archives at QueensboroughCommunity College.

The check was presented to QCC’spresident, Eduardo Marti, on Jan. 11.

Have an item or photo for Queens Faces andPlaces? Send it to Queens News, P.O. Box3315, New York, N.Y., 10116 or [email protected]

Church women’s ministry focuses on the future

Newcomer &old pro eyingAddabbo’s jobCouncil seat will be up for grabs

What's up in the neighborhood

State Sen. Frank Padavan (l.) installs new officers of Whitestone Community VolunteerAmbulance Service. Taking office were (2nd l. to r.) Louise Weiss, Mary Alice Cadolini,Ralph Cefalo, Marilyn Connors, Kevin Smyth, Norman Applebaum and Herb Klein.

Eric Ulrich (R) Name Frank Gulluscio (D)

22 Age 60

B.A., St. Francis College (2007); M.A., St. John’s

University (Expected 2009)

Education B.A., SUNY (1968)

Engaged for four months

Family Married for 35 years, grandfather of two

District leader for fi ve months

Experience District leader for nearly a decade

George W. Bush (2004)

First presidential candidate voted for

Eugene McCarthy (1968)

“Shawshank Redemption”

(1994)

Favorite movie

“Patch Adams” (1998)

Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York”

(1979)

Favorite pop song

John Lennon’s “Imagine”

(1971)

Tale of the tapePOLITICAL FORECAST

2009

SPECIAL REPORT

JOEL CAIRO

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BY BRIAN BOHL

EMPTY SEATS on the Archbishop Molloy hockey bench can lull opponents into a trap. Most nights, the Stanners send out only two complete lines. Instead of the standard three defensive parings,

they trot out just four blueliners. But the Stanners have shown that quality counts,

surging to a 10-0 start in their first season in the CHSHL ‘B’ division.

Despite a manpower drain after last year’s team lost five defensemen to graduation, Molloy resisted the temptation to employ a play-it-safe trapping style. Instead, the Stanners have utilized a simple game plan for good coverage: forge an early lead and keep shooting the puck. It’s hard for the other team to score if they’re busy fishing the puck out of the net.

“There are some nights where we play with nine or 10 skaters,” second-year coach Jim Sheldon said. “The reason we’re doing so well is that our better players are head and shoulders above some of the other teams we’ve played.”

The Stanners’ better players however, have been hampered by travel team commitments, forcing the team to drop out of the ‘A’ division. Molloy finished 8-8 and barely missed the playoffs last year, but this year the team has thrived in the less-competitive ‘B’, scoring 78 goals while surrendering only 20. (They lead the division in both categories.)

Junior Matthew Zay embodies the offense-first philosophy, leading the team in scoring despite playing defense. Zay, a forward on his travel team, moved to the blue line to help replenish its depth.

Sheldon said Zay’s experience as a winger allows him to quarterback the power play while serving as a puck-moving defenseman who can initiate rushes from anywhere on the ice.

“The game just looks so much slower when you’re back there on defense,” Zay said. “On my other team, I like to put the puck in the net and set people up. On Molloy, I know what (opposing) for-wards are thinking. It definitely helps when you’re on the point.”

The only time that the Stanners failed to blow a team out was a 4-3 victory over Xavier on

Dec. 26. In nine other contests, their slimmest mar-gin of victory was four.

The Stanners seemed to be rolling in cruise con-trol, but then a quirl in the schedule dictated a long pit stop. They haven’t played a game since Dec. 29.

The month-long layoff could stymie that momen-tum, though Sheldon said he’s been increasing the intensity of the practices to get the team prepared for its six remaining regular-season games.

With a playoff spot virtually assured in the eight-team division, the Stanners will use the rest of the season to prepare for the playoffs, which consist of two best-of-three series.

“We’ve been on vacation while other teams have been catching up to us,” Sheldon said. “We had a lot of games in the beginning, and now everyone’s caught us in games played. We are con-cerned about the layoff affecting

our drive and our stam-ina. That’s been the focus of our practices: to reignite the fire in our play.”

Molloy will face a good test on Thursday, another matchup against

Xavier in its first game back (8:15 p.m., Bayonne, N.J.). Even with a cushion atop the standings, the players said they considered it important to finish the season undefeated.

“It’ll be a good test because Xavier matches up well against us,” Sheldon said. “They have a few dynamite players. If we win, we’re right back on track. If we lose, it’ll be a road block we don’t want to face.”

The goal-scoring trio of Charlie Gotard, Ryan Cheng and Pat Brown will try to generate the same high-octane offense that has already helped pro-duce three 10-goal games.

“A good offense is the best defense,” said Gotard, a senior from Maspeth who also plays with the Co-ney Island-based Metro Fighting Moose travel team. “Pat Brown and I have played for nearly 10 years on travel or school teams. We connect out there, and I know where he’s going to be without even looking.

“We’re used to each other,” he added. “That helps us build a lot of offense. Plus, once we get a lead, other teams get hesitant and the goalie gets

shaken.”Despite having outscored opponents by

nearly six goals per game, the Stanners still could find room to improve before the play-offs. Steven Romano, a senior from How-ard Beach, is still playing at less than full strength after working his way back from a broken leg.

And defenseman Gavin Grogan, a ju-nior from Lynbrook, is still sidelined by

a broken arm but could return for the playoffs.

Even without reinforcements to shore up the rotation, Gotard said

the Stanners can target other weaknesses to help guarantee a

deep playoff run.“One of our problems is

that not all of our players backcheck,” he said. “We

can be more defensive-minded, but we’re stacked

up front.”

Molloy dominates ‘B’ league while weathering its lossesSafe harbor for StannersHOCKEY

BY EBENEZER SAMUEL

CHRIST THE KING and Holy Cross both strug-gled over the weekend. On Sunday, CK lost to Loughlin, 65-62. Holy Cross dropped a game, too, falling to Lincoln, 81-60, in the Tom Crotty Classic.

Both teams had reason for their struggles. On Fri-day night, the Royals and Knights wore each other out in Middle Village as CK defeated Holy Cross, 97-92, in double overtime.

“One of the greatest games in school history,” CK coach Bob Oliva said.

Royals senior Ryan Pearson made the first overtime possible. With CK trailing by three and just seconds left, Pearson caught a length-of-the-court inbounds pass from Ishaan Davis, turned and lofted a desperation three over three defenders.

The shot banked in, crushing the Knights. Holy Cross played from behind for the rest of the game. Virginia-bound

Knights standout Sylven Landesberg tied the game at 84, forcing double overtime, but the Knights were deflated.

“We definitely thought we were going to win the game (in regulation),” said Holy Cross guard Blaise Ffrench. “Ryan’s shot was a heartbreaker.”

The Knights dominated regulation, taking a 38-29 half-time lead that increased to 49-36 in the third quarter.

CK battled back behind Florida-bound guard Erving Walker, who scored 19 second-half points and finished with 33, helping offset Landesberg’s 34.

But Pearson was the game’s hero, scoring 35. The George Mason-bound forward has been a revelation this season, leading the team in scoring and rebounding.

“Ryan’s having a great year,” Oliva said, recalling Duke star Christian Laettner’s classic shot against Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA Tournament. “This shot was just like Laettner.”

Pearson’s shot left both teams worn down on Sunday. Landesberg didn’t start against Lincoln because of flu-like symptoms and fatigue from Friday’s game, and no Knight

looked sharp against the Railsplitters. “It’s not an excuse, but if we were

healthy, it would have been different,” Ffrench said on Sunday.

Against Loughlin, Walker said, CK struggled to rebound. Pearson managed just 14 points; Walker scored 19.

“I was disappointed,” Walker said of the effort.

The Royals can rest now; they don’t play again until fac-ing struggling Molloy on Friday. Holy Cross isn’t as lucky; the Knights face Rice at home today (Tuesday), then meet for rival St. Fran-cis Prep on Friday.

“This is the toughest part of the season,” Ffrench said. “With guys sick, too. It’ll help us in the long run come playoff time.”

Double-OT thriller takes toll on CK, Holy Cross

Pat Brown (r.) has helped fuel Molloy offense that totaled division-leading 78 goals this season and all Stanners (top) have embraced offense-fi rst philosophy.Photos by Christie Farriella

Ryan Pearson

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~. reconJ:>to ft1ebJue.and-wbite uni-forms to ft1e youIbful rosters.Hofstra and Georgia State sharemany simiIariIies.

But in a c:onference game fea-turing two teams near ft1e Colo-

. >-r Dial Athletic Association base-~ ment. Antoine Agudio was ft1e{{ difference maker.

The. Pride's IeadiDg HOfSIIAscorer notdIed an-other personal mile- ~~. C!'I'stone during a aunlQIft ~..25-point effort, help- .ing his team to a 57-45 victoJyover ft1e Panthers yesterday at

'C ft1e Mack Sports Complex inH~d.L.L

'"In all Ofour Wins. we've heldft1e opponent under 40% m fieldgoal shooting.. Hofstra c:oachTom Pecora said "'It's no secret.If you defend like tbat. you're g0-ing to have a good chance towin. .

Agudio. who already claimsthe most career three-pointers inschool history. bypassed fonDerNBAguard Rich Laurel for thinIplare on Hofstra's aIltime scor-

MovesupHofstrascoringlisting list with his give-andgo back- the Pride sent Georgia Sbd:e to

. door layup late in ft1efirst half.. 6-17 overall and 3-10 m the con-With 2,1l8 points, Agudio is on ferenc:e.pace to break: Steve N"ISeoson's '"Vk got defensive stops. andrecord of 2,222. transition baskets: Agudio said

Only six more reguIar-season about his team's second-halfgames remain for HofsII'a (8-15, surge. during which ft1e Pride

5-9 CAA), which held the Panthers without a field- can still qualify for goal for 14 tnim~. '"Vk execut-57 the NCAA Touma- ed our half-aJUrt game plan and- meIJ1.The winner of made some big shots down the45 next month's CAA stretch.'- Tournament Greg Johnson and the Pride

receives an aulomat- limited Leonard' Mendez to 12ic bid, though that would require points - five below his averagefOur straigbtwim; from a Hofstra. - on 5-for- 16 shooting. Johnsonteam that bas yet to win more logged five points and eight as-than two straigbt. sisIs on the offensive end.

Hofstra led 25-22 at the break: "'Greg Johnson did a real good

before Agudio, the Pride's lone job of making every catch asenior starteI; helped break the tough one.. Pecora .said "'Hegame open midway through the (Mendez) ctidn't get the ball ~second half..Agudio pai(ed two the ~ spots where he ~ it.tbree-po

. and ""..1-. Everything was coatested.inters a ~wcay Goo

. S committed 20.during 12-0 that rgm tate.

~ a run. turnovers as ft1e Pride set a newgave H~. a 45-29 lead with season low for points allowed12:11 ~ and kept an opponent under 50

Cbarles Jenkins and Darren points for the first time sinceThwnes added 10 points each as 20M.. '

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Hallfallsat 'Nova;CineytopsRutgers

VlUANOIfA,Pa. - junior Dwayne Anderson, making his first careerstart. hit a three-point shot from the left comer to gNe Villanova amucIH1eeded 72-70 victory ~ Setoo Hall yesterday. '

Dante CUmi~ tied his career highwith 21 points,and Ander-son and Scottie Reynoldshad 13 each .forVillanova(14-8, 46 BigEast), whichsnapped a five.game losing streak, its longest since the

. 2003-04 season. ..Jamar Nutter had 18 points and BrianLainghad 10 points and 11

rebounds for the Pirates (15-9, ~), who lost at Villanovafor the 10thstraight time.

In a second half that. saw 10 lead changes and.neither team gainingmore than a four-pointlead, Eugene Hanley"slayupgave the Pi~ a7().69 edge with 37 seconds 1Dgo. But alter a loose ball was toochedbyseveral players, Reynoldspassed 1DAnderson for the game.winningshot. .

CINCINNIO172, RUT6EIis 68 (01): John Williamsonscored aseason-high 22 points to lead the Bearcats ~ the Scarlet KnightsinPiscataway.

Deonta Vaughn added 19 points - including 13 in overtime - and.JarnuaIWarrenhad nine rebounds for Ciucimati (11-12, 65 BigEast).CoreyChandler finished with 16 points for Rutgers (10-15, 2-10),whichIostits fourth Straight. HamadyNcf.ayehad 14 points, 10 re-bounds and sewn blocked shots for the Knights.

Vaughnscored the first seven points in the exba session 1DgNe theBearcats a 63-56 lead with3:10 remaining.

COUJMBIAsa. PRINCETONS3: MackMontgomeryscored all eightof his points in the game's final 6:091D help the host Uons (10-11, .3-3 IvyLeague) rally~the T.gers (5-14,2-2). NikoScoIt led Colum-bia with 12 points. . .

CBIIRAL CONN.76, Sf. FRANCIS61: Marcus Pabner recorded histhird consecutive doubIe-doubIewith 12 points and 13 rebounds asthe host Blue DevilsimpRM!d1D12-12 overalland 8-5 jn NECplay.The Terriers(5-19,2-11) were Ied,byJamaaI Womack's'15 points.

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BYBRIANBOHL thoseare big boys twice her size," said Ruth,Di- crowned its fii"stwomen's ice hockeychampionin

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DWednesdayaftern oon, and Pasquale,Ariel's mother. "But honestly,sheget 2001.The

,

number of leagues and teams that cater to

the ?tands are deserted at Iceland in New hurt more playing with the girls. With the boys,sh school-aged girls, however, remains limited.'Hyde Park. Nearly a third of the Molloy doesn't get hurt" "In high school, it's frustrating," DiPasquale said

varsity hockey team is missing from prac- The 16-year-oldfrom Whitestone also playscente about the lack of opportunity. "It's just not as populartice, but the remaining players press on, forthe MountVemon-based SoundShoreWarriors, as the other sports:'

skating through intense special teams drills. travel squad in the Girls American League. I As a result, many girls ,seek.better competitionAriel DiPasquale, a 5-2, 125-pound junior and the, "Some of my teammates knew I was good fro by playing against boys, said Joe Eppolitio, a board

only girl in the CHSHl, circles near the goal line dur-' befQre," she said. "Bu): I think they soon warme~ u ; member for USA Hockey who is also the organi-ingapoWer-playexercise.Sheworksthepuckaround to meandacceptedme." ' zation'sNewYorkStatedjstrict representativeforthe boaros to ail open teammate; she makes sure to .Opponents in the GALmight not be as brawny women's hockey.

§ backcheckwhenthe defendersgainpossession. . thosesheencountersplaying "Hockeyis atime-intensive~. Thetempois intensebut not undulyrough- an for Molloy, but while body sportanda financiallyintensive~ apt descriptionof herexperienceinher first seaSon checking is prohibited in the sport" Eppolitiosaid."It's raised

~ playinginthe boy~'league.. women's hockey,the girls concerns at the national level~ "It's not as bad as I thouDghtit would be," Di- gamestill featuresa highde- that the number of girls and~ .c: Pasqualesaid. "I think I had'it in my headthat it greeof physicality. boysplayingthe sport is start-

wouldbemorephysical." "There is body contact, ingto leveloff."In four monthson the varsity team, DiPasquale so it is physical,but thereare A highschoolleaguewas es-

hasbecomeoneof coachJim.5heldon'smostvalu- fewer checks," DiPasquale tablishedaboutsixyearsagoforable wingers. Shehas postedfour goals and five said of her experiencein the girlsfrom LakePlacidto Ithaca.assists for a 13-2 team that's clinchedthe CHSHL GAL."It helps that my team Eppolitiosaid.The league,now'B'divisiontitle. (Molloy)playsat a high level.It'sgoodthat we play. upto lQteams,isn't registeredwith the statE!Public

After failing to makethe varsity as a freshman, physical." HighSchoolAthleticAssociationor USAHockey.shespenttwo yearsrunningonthetrackteamto get IndevelopingherquicknessJ;ocompensatefor ; r Manygirlsas dedicatedto hockeyas DiPasqualestronger and faster. Now, DiPasqualetakes a regular size,DiPasquale has become an important player' n go to prep school to,play at a higher level, but she

~ shift for a Stanners squad that has thrashed oppo- the Stanners. i elected to stay put in Queens. .~-," nentsbyan averageof fivegoalspergame. "Positionally,sheskatesverywell,"Sheldons'd. . "I wantedtostayat homebecauseIdidn'twant to~ Her style has impressed her teammates, too "Sh~skateswith her headup.Shegets into all he leavemyschoolandmyfriends,"DiPasqualesaid.s::- - and the few times an opponent hasgotten his correct position?She'snot asfast as someof he Sincetherearen't any local leaguesfor girls,Di-~ hands a little too high on a hit, her father says, they other players, but you know exactly where she's' 0- Pasquale and her Sound Shore teammates travel up

~ havebeentherefa supporther. ingto be." i anddownthe EastCoastinsearchof competition.~ Evenafter battles in the comersor scrumsnear At a time whengirls continueto flourishon \9h RichardDiPasquale,Ariel'sfuther,saidthedemands~ . t!1ecrease, DiPasquale saiq she never hears taunts school fields, courts and tracks, hockey lags cons' ic- of her travel and high school squads have her con-gs'li'P, ortrashtalk. . . uouslybehind.Thewomen'sgamemadeits Oly bic stantlyshuttlingto andfromrinks-'-makingit ayear-~ "InthebeginningI wasverynerv~us,because' debutatth~NaganoGamesin1998,andtheN.

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"She's very dedicated," Richard said. "We'll have

a game at 4 in the afternoon and drive to get her to

the Molloy game at night Even(when) I say, 'Come

on, you just played this morning,' she'll say,'No, Idon't

want to miss a game.'"

DiPasquale also lugs her bags to C,hel~a Piers inManhattan, where she receives advanced instructiof;!

from professionals' including Alana Blahoski, wh'P.

played on the United States team that won the 'firs(

ever women's hockey gold medal in Nagano,ancfwh~also was an assistant coach with the U.S.women1~

squad that won bronze in the 2006 Turin OlympiCs..

DiPasquale has been invited to play in Italytl$

summer on a team Blahoski coaches, 'an opportlf

nity that would allow her to face competition frQJ:ftthroughout Europe.

"She will be playing at tl:le next level," said M~t1<

De Simone, who has coached DiPasquale the paSt!;ix years orrthe Sound Shore Warriors and inthe

Empire State Games. "She has incredible instinctsand is a playmaker as well.as being very responsible

defensively."

When it comes to college, DiPasqualesaysshe has

her eye on a handful of small liberal arts schools in

New England and upstate New York, including Am-herst, Hamilton, MIddlebury and Colby - all of which

have intercollegiate hockey progr:ams. .But her destination will hinge on the school's in-

struction iri the sciences as much as its hockey pedi-

gree; DiPasquale said she is interested in following

the footsteps of her father, a physician, or pursuinga related field. '

"Right now I'm looking at physical therapy pro-

grams," she said. "I'm not sure. I might.like to be a

trainer, since I play hockey and that's what interestsme."

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Molloy's loss sets up winner-take-all skate vs. Xavier

BY BRIAN BOHL

Tuesday, March 11th 2008, 9:46 AM

Charles Gotard slammed his stick into the sideboards, causing a loud thud to reverberate throughout the Abe Stark Rink. The Molloy forward's frustration echoed that of all the Stanners, who suffered a 5-2 loss after losing a few players to travel team commitments and running into a hot Xavier goalie Alex Topoleski, who logged 43 saves.

With the win, the Knights salvaged their season following Molloy's 7-3 drubbing in Friday night's CHSHL 'B' division championship seriesopener.

After dropping Game 1, Xavier had lost its three previous meetings against the Stanners. Goalie Alex Tolpoleski reversed the trend on Saturday, logging 43 saves including 15 of the 16 shots he faced in the first period before his teammates rattled off five straight goals.

The win sets up a winner-take-all scenario when the teams meet Tuesday night at the Ice Hutch in Mount Vernon (6:50 p.m.) for Game 3.

Vincent Lopes scored three goals on Saturday and Joseph Gilhooly and Thomas Ferro also added, torching Stanners goalie Kevin Koziol for five goals on 22 shots. Lopes tied the contest with a shot that beat Koziol stickside late in the first period, and put the Knights up with another tally 3:10 into the second for what proved to be the game-winner.

"It's a huge confidence builder," said Xavier coach Al Di Mauro. "After losing the first game, everyone was counting (us) out. Molloy's a strong team that's bigger than us. We're a young team. We only field five seniors.

"I'm proud of my kids' performances," he added. "To take it to a rubber match … I'll go that route and take my chances."

Molloy played without defenseman Matthew Zay and wingers Ryan Cheng and Gavin Grogan, all of whom had travel hockey commitments. In their absence, the Stanners struggled to slow Lopes. Their lack of depth also hindered a power play that finished 0-5,thanks in part to Topoleski's sure-handed work in the crease. The senior netminder stymied a Molloy offense that outscored opponents by 55 goals during a 14-2 regular season.

"We came out strong; we wanted it more than them," Topoleski said. "I got lucky a couple of times. This is the first time we beat them so, up to now, we weren't as confident going against them. This helps us out big, especially winning by the score that we did."

Gotard put the Stanners ahead after pushing in a goal off a rebound 9:21 into the opening period.

Xavier's offense exploded after Lopes netted his goal nearly three minutes later, and the Knights never looked back. Gilhooly's point shot skipped past Koziol nine seconds after Lopes' second goal as the pro-Knights crowd cheered in the Coney Island arena.

Lopes added the insurance marker 50 seconds into the final period, converting a backhand on a breakaway attempt. Ferro added a power play goal for a 5-1 lead before Todd Laible put the Stanners on the scoreboard for the final time.

"He (Lopes) got open more," Stanners coach Jim Sheldon said. "With our guys being a step slower, that extra step was important for him. We need to get back to our game plan of the first game. We have to get back to getting the puck deep and cycling it low.

"The confidence is still pretty high," Sheldon added. "We'll have some of our guys back, and will be back in our positions.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2008/03/11/2008-03-11_molloys_loss_sets_up_winnertakeall_skate....

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BY JOHN LAUINGERFRUSTRATED RESIDENTS of verdant Broadway-Flushing blocks are struggling to safeguard theneighborhood’s stately homes against rede-velopment — but are finding that having a his-tory does not a historic district make.

The leafy refuge of Tudor, Colonial and Artsand Crafts gems dating from the early 1900s,the area has found a home on both the stateand national historic registers.

Yet, for all its historical importance in a bor-ough besieged by overdevelopment and cookie-cutter modern architecture, the city LandmarksPreservation Commission has thus far balked atmaking Broadway-Flushing a historic district.

“We thought we would succeed because wehave overwhelming local support,” said Mel Sie-gel, president of the Broadway-Flushing home-owners association.

The proposal to landmark some 1,330 homesin the suburban enclave has the support of localelected officials and was unanimously approv-ed by Community Board 7.

“We have all these things in place,” Siegelsaid, “and we sort of got deluded into thinking itwas a fait accompli — but it’s not.”

Last year, the commission completed a sur-vey of 2,300 residences in Broadway-Flushing,

and the results are being evaluated, said agen-cy spokeswoman Lisi de Bourbon.

However, de Bourbon added: “There are noplans for Broadway-Flushing right now.”

The realization that the coveted landmarksdesignation is not forthcoming has caused ris-ing tensions in the community, where about adozen old homes have been bulldozed in recentmonths.

“For Landmarks to be dragging its feet — it’sreally a crying shame,” said longtime resident

Sandi Viviani.Siegel and his neighbors have a name for the

super-sized brick manses that clash with theneighborhood’s time-honored architecturalfeel.

“Home Depot Moderne, we call it,” Siegelsaid. “They’re all the same; they’re tasteless.”

Paul Graziano, president of the Historic Dis-tricts Council, said getting Broadway-Flushinglandmarked is a top priority. He faulted theLandmarks Commission for overlooking subur-

ban neighborhoods in Queens.“The problem is they are much more interest-

ed in brownstones,” he said. “They are muchmore interested in urban form.”

That is a common refrain throughout Queens— home to only seven of the city’s 90 historicdistricts.

“The city really concentrates on protectingManhattan,” Viviani said. “When they do land-mark something in Queens, it’s like throwingcrumbs.” [email protected]

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Battling to keep nabe’s historic feelBroadway-Flushingresidents pushingLandmarks to act

Mel and Anne Siegel are fightingto landmark Broadway-Flushinghomes. Photo by Frank Koester

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CHSAA GIRLS

PLAYOFFS

BY BRIAN BOHL

MOLLOY ENTERED Sunday’s CHSAA ‘AA’ state championship game with the confidence that often follows a big

upset victory. But the Stan-ners ran into Long Island power St. John the Baptist and center Christine Huber, who led the Cougars to a 42-28 victory at the Mack Sports Complex.

The Stanners advanced to the title game after ending Christ the King’s 23-year championship run in the Brooklyn/Queens Diocese. But Huber poured in 19 points and hauled down 20 rebounds to end Molloy’s rollercoaster season, which saw coach Dom Cecala take over after former coach John McGlynn re-signed in January.

“I’m proud of these kids,” Cecala said. “I feel bad be-cause I know where their heads were at earlier in the year. They really turned their season around.”

Sophomore Kelly Guerriero was the only Stanner to score in double figures, finishing with 14 points.

The Stanners kept the score

close in the first half, trailing 22-17 at the break, but scored just 11 points in the second half. Huber nearly matched that total herself, scoring seven points in the

final 16 minutes to send the Cou-gars to Glens Falls.

“That’s probably the best defense we’ve seen all sea-son,” Guerriero said.

Molloy ended CK’s 108-game regular-season win

streak in February, and beat the Royals again in last week’s championship.

“We’ve accomplished so much,” Guerriero said. “We’ll always be known

as the team that beat King, and we’ll always be known as a team that made it this far.”

Cecala said he wasn’t sure if Mol-loy will remove his “interim” tag. He said he would love the chance to continue

coaching for his alma mater. “I hope I’m the guy,”

he said. “These kids make you want to

show up every day. They’re

loaded with talent.”

BY MATT KERSNER

THE FIRST TIME Bowne played Van Buren in the regular season, the Lady Wildcats lost at in a close game. The last time, the Wild-cats cruised to a victory.

In Saturday’s PSAL ‘A’ semifinals, Bowne met No. 7 Van Buren for the third time this season. This time, the sixth-seeded Wildcats emerged with a 55-52 win.

But the game wasn’t without drama; for a brief fourth-quarter stretch, seemingly nothing went right for Bowne.

With the Wildcats cling-ing to a 41-32 lead entering the fourth quarter, senior Janisha Mitchell, who had scored a team-high 14 points, fouled out. Standout sophomore Shakema Johnson later left the game with an injured shoulder.

“Sometimes when adversity strikes, you need people to step up,” coach Bruce Bitterman said. “We got that in a big way.”

Seniors Jennifer Rios (11 points) and Charnelle Wray (10 points) picked up the slack as the Wildcats hung on for the win.

Bowne advanced to Saturday’s championship game at St. Francis College (1 p.m.), where they will face No. 1 Curtis. The Wildcats will attempt to win their first city championship in school history.

Bitterman is unsure if Johnson will be able to play on Saturday.

“They’re going to be a very tough opponent,” Bit-

terman said. “It’s David versus Goliath and I hope that David prevails.”

Borough battle in ‘B’ semifi nalsUsually at this time of the season, Springfield Gardens coach Janet Kleiner is turning her attention towards March Madness. But, with her team set to face top-seeded American Studies in the ‘B’ division semifinals

at Lehman College on Wednesday, she has her own dance to attend.

No. 5 Springfield is 25-2 over-all and has reeled off 17 straight wins. For Kleiner, this is the furthest she’s advanced in the playoffs in her 27 years of coach-

ing the team. “It’s been a great run,” Kleiner said. “This team

has what it takes.”Now, Springfield faces it’s stiffest challenge. Amer-

ican Studies (29-0) has dominated the competition the entire season. Not that that will deter Kleiner.

“We know they haven’t lost in two years,” Kleiner added, “we’re coming in as underdogs, but we be-lieve. This is a group of girls that are very tough men-tally. We have to slow the game down, play inside and out and press the ball.”

Of course, American Studies coach Juan Faya has his own strategy.

“We’re not overconfident,” Faya said, “I’m going to remind them what our goal has been all season; to play as a cohesive unit and focus on defense. The big-gest thing is for them to enjoy the moment, because these don’t come around that often.”

STATE ‘AA’ FINAL

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST 42MOLLOY 28

PSAL ‘A’ SEMIFINALS

BOWNE 55VAN BUREN 52

PSAL GIRLS

Stanners stumble Diocesan champ crumbles in state fi nal

Wildcats survive Van Buren, claw way into ‘A’ fi nale

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Kelly Guerriero

Senior Janisha Mitchell celebrates after Bowne tops borough rival Van Buren to advance to PSAL ‘A’ fi nal this weekend. Photo by Bryan Pace

BY BRIAN BOHL

WHEN CHRIST THE KING lost the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Diocese championship for the first time in 23 years, coach Bob Mackey tried to suppress the memory.

“We took every stat sheet we had for the year, and every newspaper article, and we put them all in a box, taped it up and put it away,” Mackey said. “They put the season behind them, which was tough.”

The Lady Royals made a fresh start and punched their ticket to Glens Falls on Saturday, posting a 51-46 victory over Holy Trinity in the ‘A’ division final at the Mack Center.

Senior Jael Pena scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half and Geleisa George added a team-high 15 points as CK (15-12) captured the ‘A’ state crown.

Bria Smith added seven points as the Royals withstood a 15-point outburst from Julia Finlay.

CK, which lost the Diocesan title to Molloy last week, advanced to the state Federation Tournament and will play the PSAL ‘A’ representative on March 28.

Holy Trinity cut the second-half deficit to a single point before George made two free throws to extend the lead to 47-44 in the fourth quarter.

The junior said losing the Diocesan crown provided mo-tivation for a different title run, even if it was something other than the Royals’ customary role.

“We reacted by just putting the loss behind us and starting a new entire season,” George said. “It feels a little different, but we still get to go to Glens Falls, so we’re all still happy.”

CK forgets fast, returns to Glens Falls

STATE ‘A’ FINAL

CHRIST THE KING 51HOLY TRINITY 46 Bria Smith

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TRANSIT TECH EXPRESSCoach: Onix DuranLast year: 4-11; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Andre Ruiz, junior SS; Kevin Vega, junior CF; Nicholas Diaz, senior OFTop newcomers: German Moya, sophomore P; Sam Soto, freshman IF; William Bisono, senior 1BCoach says: “We’re trying to go .500. Some teams overlook us and don’t put their ace against us. If they sleep on us, we can snatch some games.”

MADISON KNIGHTSCoach: Vincent Caiazza Last year: 14-2; lost to Lincoln in second round of playoffs.Top returners: James Wong, senior SS/P; Kevin Laidlaw, senior CF; Victor Cosme, senior P; Jona-than Farina, senior PTop newcomers: Edward Lenahan, sophomore DH/P; Chris Mann, sophomore DH/C; Joey Hecker, freshman OFCoach says: “The expectations are extremely high. We’ve always hit a roadblock in the play-offs but this year we have a lot of pitching and good defense.”

SHEEPSHEAD BAY SHARKS Coach: Avi Ribenbach Last year: 7-9; lost to Monroe in first round of playoffs. Top returners: Eddie Rodriguez, junior SS; Nestor Martinez, senior P; Angel Vidal, junior 2BTop newcomers: Armando Merino, junior C; James Costantino, junior P; Franklin Vizcaino, senior PCoach says: “Our strength is pitching. With the wood bats, pitchers can have an advantage. All my pitchers from last year are returning.”

CANARSIE CHIEFSCoach: Jason BeckerLast year: 1-15; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Arion Melo, senior C; Mark Mat-thews, junior CF; Ariel Arapioannou, junior 2BTop newcomers: Debonair Bolling, freshman P/IF; Joseph Abadia, freshman SS/P; Henry Diaz, freshman 3B Coach says: “We’re young and we’re going to be very competitive.”

BROOKLYN TECH ENGINEERSCoach: George ZanottoLast year: 5-10; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Jeffrey Burdier, senior C; Matt Gibson, senior P; Henry Loehrke, junior PTop newcomers: John Hatheway, sophomore P; Angel Rivera, senior CF; Robert Wihlborg, senior 1BCoach says: “The focus is going to be on the pitching. I have guys who can throw very well. I’m hoping to keep the runs we allow down and give us a chance to win close games.”

MIDWOOD HORNETSCoach: Charles Barbieri Last Year: 8-8; lost to Beacon in first round of playoffs. Top returners: Matt Whelehan, senior CF; Flynn Skidmore, senior C; Collin Hannay, junior RF; Phil Georges, junior SSTop newcomers: Jon Gonzalez, freshman 1B/P; Matt Caspi, sophomore CF/P Coach says: “We have been around the .500 level for the last three years, so I’m hoping we can elevate and challenge for the division.”

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FORT HAMILTON TIGERSCoach: Al CascianiLast year: 13-3; lost to Bayside in second round of playoffs.Top returners: David Pimentel, senior SS; Mike Sundholm, senior C; Juan Lopez, junior RFTop newcomers: Eric Nilsen, junior P; Louis San-chez, freshman IF; Victor Vando, senior 1BCoach says: “With the wooden bats, we’ll do OK as long as our defense plays up to their potential and my pitchers stay around the strike zone.”

FDR COUGARSCoach: Charlie Patamarapipan Last year: 6-10; did not make playoffs.Top returners: James Salinaro, junior P; Joel Pena, senior SS; Melvin Rios, sophomore 3B/CFTop newcomers: Christopher Cheedie, junior 3B; Luis Rios, freshman 2B; Gabriel Vazquez, freshman PCoach says: “We have strong pitching. Now with the wood bats, any team with strong defense and pitching will be competitive.”

TELECOMM. YELLOW JACKETS Coach: Ed D’AlessioLast year: 11-5; lost to Lehman in first round of playoffs.Top returners: Jonn Pierre Garcia, senior C; Elddy Fernadez, junior SS; Rich Adames, junior 1BTop newcomers: Noel Placencia, sophomore P; Pedro Garcia Jr., senior P; Anthony Lumia, junior PCoach says: “We have a lot of depth; I have 17 kids on the roster. We have four freshmen who will be impact players.”

NEW UTRECHT UTESCoach: Rick DeMarcoLast year: 11-5; lost to Clinton in second round of playoffs. Top returners: Xavier Alvarado, senior P/SS; Daniel Green, senior IF/OF; Alexander Warden, senior CFTop newcomers: Joshua Pachtman, senior IF/OF; Triston Trunk, senior P/OF; Brian Cubero, senior P/IFCoach says: “We’re younger than in the past; we lost nine players, but we still should compete in the division.”

LINCOLN RAILSPLITTERSCoach: Frank Sommo Last year: 13-3; lost to Monroe in quarterfinals. Top returners: Michael Ortega, senior P/CF; Char-lie Lugo, senior SS; Jeremy Ramos, senior LFTop newcomers: Joseph Minardi, senior P/3B; Edward Cho, junior P/IF; Christian Orue, senior CCoach says: “We’re hoping to contend for a di-vision title and make the playoffs again. Last year, we made it to the final eight in the city and we had one player make All-City.”

BROOKLYN STUDIO KNIGHTS Coach: Craig CutaneoLast year: 2-14; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Anthony Zappulla, junior P; Mi-chael Zappulla, junior C; Thomas Ingargiola, senior CFTop newcomers: Joe Morales, sophomore 3B; Sean Caufield, senior OF; Peter De Nicola, junior SSCoach says: “We’re a young team with a chance to be competitive.”

BANNEKER WARRIORSCoach: Moreno FernandezLast year: 13-3; lost to Taft in second round of playoffs.Top returners: Angel Morales, junior P/1B; Jona-than Neira, senior C/OF; Joel Santos, junior IFTop newcomers: Keenan Lambert, junior P/C/3B; Chris Crawford, junior OF; Omar Ba, fresh-man P/OFCoach says: “Our pitching is strong and is going to carry us. If we turn up the defense, we’re going to be winning some close games.”

WESTINGHOUSE WARRIORSCoach: Richard ButzLast year: 4-12; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Patrick Mendoza, senior SS; Felix Morales, sophomore P/3B; John Jones, junior 1BTop newcomers: John Guzman, sophomore 2B; Edgerton Hinds, junior LF; Orbin Valerio, sopho-more IF/OFCoach says: “I expect us to make the playoffs. Last year was disappointing, but we made too many mental errors.”

VAN ARSDALE CARDINALSCoach: Andres Guzman Last year: 9-7; lost to Bayard Rustin in first round of playoffs.Top returners: Luis Angeles, junior C; Jared Barner, sophomore P/IF/OF; Radul Martinez, sophomore 2B/SSTop newcomers: Akeem Oilver, junior P/IF; Alex Manzolillo, senior P/IF; Luis Castillo, sophomore P/OFCoach says: “This is my first year coaching this team. I expect us to impact the division.”

COBBLE HILL STALLIONSCoach: Jonathan Metzler Last year: 10-6; lost to Riverdale in first round of playoffs.Top returners: Freddy Wright, sophomore SS; Dwayne Howington, sophomore CF; Christopher Vazquez, senior OFTop newcomers: Daniel Gonzalez, junior 3B; Im-tiaj Perbej, freshman P; Zach Camerzell, fresh-man LFCoach says: “We lost six seniors off last year’s team ... so it’s about rebuilding.”

BOYS & GIRLS KANGAROOSCoach: Stan Feldman Last year: 10-6; lost to Banneker in first round of playoffs.Top returners: Liam La Guerre, senior P/2B; Jorge Bolden, junior P; Travis Alexander, senior 1BTop newcomers: Albert Edwards, junior P; Man-ley Cradle, sophomore IF; Maximo Rodriguez, senior SSCoach says: “I think we’ll make the playoffs. The kids are much more hard working and love to practice.”

EBC/BUSHWICK PANTHERSCoach: David Jimenez Last year: 15-1 in ‘B’ North; lost to Bayard Rustin in quarterfinals.Top returners: Robert Checo, senior SS; Nicolas Marcano, junior P; Elvis Torres, junior 3B/CTop newcomers: David Velez, junior P; Junior Ben-cosme, junior 2B; Christian Velez, freshman OFCoach says: “Defensively, we’re strong and our pitching is strong, as well. We’re going to have to see offensively about the adjustments to us-ing wooden bats.”

JUAN MOREL CAMPOS COUGARSCoach: Jason McCarthyLast year: 10-2 in developmental league.Top returners: Louis Castillo, senior SS; Navaliz Mota, senior CF; Jose Estrella, junior OFTop newcomers: Mike Spina, junior IF/OF; Jose Martinez, junior 1B; Alex Lopez, junior OF/PCoach says: “We moved up to the ‘B’ division, so it will be a new challenge. I’m hoping our success last year carries over into this year.”

JEFFERSON ORANGE WAVECoach: Tom DaleyLast year: 9-7 in ‘B’ South; lost to EBC/Bushwick in first round of playoffs.Top returners: Jeffery Diaz, junior 1B; Joshua Or-tiz, junior SS/P; Mayker Lopez, junior CTop newcomers: Mark Thomas, freshman LF; Odani Acevedo, junior CF; Gairy Ramlal, senior PCoach says: “We’re a young team. Our strong point is pitching, and hopefully we’ll start to jell and be in the playoffs again.”

NEW DORP CENTRALSCoach: Raymond SmithLast year: 11-7; lost to New Utrecht in first round of playoffs.Top returners: Matthew Anselmi, senior P; Greg Cardazone, senior 1B; Rob Cardazone, senior CTop newcomers: Tom Karasinski, junior RF; Matt Rosario, senior P; Steve Bevacqua, senior SSCoach says: “We need to be more consistent offen-sively. We have a solid defense and our pitching has yet to be proven. Offense is our strength.”

PORT RICHMOND RED RAIDERSCoach: John Sce Last year: 7-11; did not make playoffs.Top returners: James De Barbieri, senior P; David Trojaniello, senior RF; Jon Alvarez, senior 1BTop newcomers: David Carreon, sophomore SS; Joseph Cunningham, sophomore C; Jon Aponte, junior PCoach says: “We haven’t been in the playoffs be-cause we’ve played poorly on defense. That’s going to change big time this year.”

PETRIDES PANTHERSCoach: Thomas Greco Last year: 4-14; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Corey Epstein, senior 2B/OF/P; Joa-quin Bobe, senior CF; Mike Cacioppo, junior SSTop newcomers: Keith Dragonetti, junior C; David Martinez, junior IF; Mike DellaCroce, junior OF/PCoach says: “We have a nice group of juniors who have experience at this level. It’ll be interesting. I’m excited to get started.”

MCKEE/SI TECH DIRTY BIRDSCoach: Michael GrippoLast year: 9-9; lost to Kennedy in second round of playoffs.Top returners: Steve Hession, senior P; Jared Cop-potelli, senior 3B; Robert Manisero, senior PTop newcomers: Matt Abramowitz, sophomre P; Mike Murphy, junior OF; John Duffy, sophomore SSCoach says: “Year to year, we just focus on the fun-damentals and let the winning and losing take care of itself. We should compete in the league.”

CURTIS WARRIORSCoach: Anthony Formica Last year: 14-4; lost to Tottenville in quarterfinals.Top returners: Drew Walsh, senior SS; Andy Torres, senior P/C; James Gandia, senior P/CFTop newcomers: Paul Lantieri, senior RF; Kevin Duffy, junior 3B/OF; Joseph Cosmai, senior 2B/PCoach says: “The outlook is to make the playoffs and play meaningful games down the stretch.”

SUSAN WAGNER FALCONSCoach: Robert NappoLast year: 4-14; did not make playoffs.Top returners: James Hally, senior C; Victor Kvetkoff, senior P/RF; Pat Coriell, senior P/IFTop newcomers: Nick Armenia, junior P; Jared Croce, junior CF; James Israilov, junior DHCoach says: “This year, we hope we can get to the quarterfinals. I think we can with this team.”

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Coach: Carlos CaraballoLast year: 8-8; lost to Gregorio Luperon in first round of playoffs.Top returners: Edinson Salcedo, senior 3B; Jarol Mueses, senior P/IF; Jeremy Hernandez, junior P/IFTop newcomers: Abraham Downes, senior C; Edward Garcia, junior 1B; Jeremy Zamora, senior IF/OFCoach says: “I expect us to have fun. We al-ways improve … I believe that nobody can beat us as long as we play together.”

GLOBAL STUDIES JAGUARSCoach: John TempletonLast year: 10-1 in developmental league. Top returners: Jose Garcia, junior P/SS; Ray-mond Rosario, sophomore LF; Fernando Mar-tinez, sophomore CTop newcomers: Brandon Torres, freshman 3B; Angel Garcia, freshman 1BCoach says: “We want to make the playoffs this year. We’re going to put runners on the bases.”

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AL MAXWELL BEARSCoach: Steven JulianoLast year: 8-5 in developmental league.Top returners: Zaaid Majeed, senior SS/P; Is-sac Vinas, sophomore 1B/P; Manuel Vinas, senior OFTop newcomers: Mike Caba, senior 2B; Ja-cinto Acevedo, senior C/P; Anthony Duran, senior CF/PCoach says: “We’re an excellent fielding team. Our pitching is deeper than last year.”

ROBESON EAGLESCoach: Todd MylesLast year: 5-11 in ‘B’ South; did not make playoffs.Top three returners: Maximilien Palen, senior P/CF; Jared Ridges, junior P; Lucas Greer, ju-nior SS/3BTop three newcomers: Randy Narmasing, ju-nior OF; Amir Samhan, senior 1B; Jan Alvarez, senior C/IFCoach says: “This year, I think we’re a playoff team. Hopefully, we can finish either first or second in our division.”

PROSPECT HEIGHTS CARDINALSCoach: Dan KellnerLast year: 7-2 in developmental league.Top returners: Rafael Mercedes, senior P/IF; Oda-nis Rosario, senior C; Pedro Sanchez, senior 3BTop newcomers: Wander Castillo, sophomore P/SS; Robert Guzman, freshman P/OF; Randy Perez, sophomore P/IFCoach says: “We have a large number of highly skilled ballplayers returning. It depends heavily on academic eligibility, but as long as we have the old crowd back, we are poised to domi-nate.”

TILDEN BLUE DEVILSCoach: Kevin Rice Last year: 10-6; lost to School of the Future in first round of playoffs.Top returners: Roger Fields, senior P/IF; Jeffrey Mercedes, junior P/IF; Osei Carrington, senior PTop newcomers: Ernie Delouis, senior 1B; Carlos Richardson, junior 2B; Aaron Jean, junior CCoach says: “If everything goes well, we’ll make the playoffs. I just hope our pitching holds up. It depends on how far our pitching will take us.”

ALL CITY LEADERSHIP EAGLESCoach: Elvis EstevezLast year: 1-15 in ‘B’ North; did not make play-offs.Top returners: Joey Lopez, junior P/SS; Joshua Diaz, junior 3B; Greg (Twin) Guzman, sopho-more CTop newcomers: Justin Gonzalez, sophomore 1B; Vincent Monet, sophomore P/IF; Jacob Gonzalez, freshman P/1BCoach says: “We want to be more competitive. You always want to improve on your game, and if you get a win out of it, that’s great.”

CLARA BARTON PANTHERSCoach: Michael GoldsteinLast year: 0-14; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Ivan Abreu, junior P/IF; Aaron Ad-ams, senior OF/P; Mikhail Atkins, junior P/1BTop newcomers: Joshua Salcedo, freshman P/SS; Davey Ortiz, freshman IF; Julian Cepeda, sophomore OFCoach says: “I don’t know if we’ll win any cham-pionships, but we should win some games this year. We are definitely improved.”

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GRADY FALCONS Coach: Jose Santiago Last year: 2-12; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Yoriel Martinez, senior 3B; Daniel Torres, senior P/CF; Lennox Roberts, senior IFTop newcomers: Billy Augustin, freshman P/SS; Brendan Jones, freshman 2BCoach says: “We want to finish at least in third place and make the playoffs.”

SOUTH SHORE VIKINGSCoach: Stewart JamiesonLast Year: 12-4; lost to Hillcrest in first round of playoffs.Top returners: Aldwin Rickenbacker, senior C; Levon Charles, senior P Outlook: “We’re trying to rebuild and get back on the right track. We had a senior-heavy team last year and our school is changing (into a campus), so we don’t have a lot of freshmen (right now).” — AD John Micillo.

BISHOP FORD FALCONS Coach: Mike Hanrahan Last year: 2-15 in ‘A’; did not make playoffs. Top returners: Terrance Stubbs, senior P; Billy Car-dona senior SS; Tomas Pimentel, senior CF Top newcomers: Stephen Bove, sophomore P; Kas-ceim Graham, junior PCoach says: “We’re in the strongest division in all of New York City. It’s going to be tough but we’re hop-ing to be competitive within the division. With our seniors, we hope to make the playoffs.”

ST. EDMUND PREP EAGLES Coach: Michael Mancini Last year: 3-14 in ‘A’; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Jimmy Bannon, senior P; Paul Rutu-ello, senior 3B, Nick Garbey, senior 1BTop newcomers: D.J. Desonzo, junior CF; Anthony Lasauchi, junior P Coach says: “I have a very good pitching staff. Young, but good. We can run and play good defense. I want to get to .500, and that will be our goal, which gets us into the playoffs.”

BISHOP LOUGHLIN LIONSCoach: Kelly WilliamsLast year: 2-12 in ‘B’; did not make playoffs. Top returners: Jose Perez, senior SS; Derek Davis, senior 2B; Daniel Cuevas, senior PTop newcomers: Jesse Delvalle, junior C; Joanel Gil, sophomore RFCoach says: “We took a lot of hard losses last year, but by the end, we improved a lot. I expect my guys to play hard and compete.”

ST. PETER’S EAGLES Coach: John Eberlein Last year: 7-8 in ‘A’; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Charles DeHart, senior IF; Doug Wells, junior 1BTop newcomers: Robert Bernardo, junior 3B; Steven

Palladino, junior PCoach says: “Last year, we got off to a slow start at 1-5 and finished 7-8. Hopefully we get off to a better start this year. We had a decent fall. If we get off to a better start, we’ll have a better finish.”

FARRELL LIONSCoach: Bob MulliganLast year: 8-7 in ‘A’; lost to St. Francis Prep in play-in series.Top returners: Steve Rivera, senior P; Chucky Fon-tana, senior CF; Tyler Sciacca, senior SS; Paul John Gurrieri, senior CTop newcomers: Nick Del Prete, sophomore IF; Charlie Lopez, junior 1BCoach says: “Most of the boys got quality time in the fall. We can compete for the Island championship.”

MOORE MAVERICKSCoach: Nick DoscherLast year: 12-3 in ‘A’; lost to Regis in third round of playoffs.Top returners: Ed Medina, senior P/SS; Carmine Pellechia, senior CF; Richie Palase, senior 1B; Mike Carletti, senior PTop newcomers: Dylan McNamara, senior P; Frank Marchisello, senior 3BCoach says: “We are senior-laden, and I think our pitching is as good as anybody’s. I think we’ll be there at the end.”

ST. JOSEPH BY-THE-SEA VIKINGSCoach: Gordon RuggLast year: 15-6 in ‘A’; lost to Molloy in first round of playoffs.Top returners: Ray Thaiz, senior P; Mark Dragonette, senior P; Brian Mareno, senior CTop newcomers: Nick Pavia, sophomore P; Marco Santomauro, sophomore P; Chris Ramanauskas, sophomore 3BCoach says: “Tough division, so I hope our pitching holds up.”

Reported by Brian Bohl, Elio Velez, Mark Lelinwalla and Matt Gagne

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April1,2008

TOTTENVILLE’S MAGICBY MATT GAGNE

THE MADISON KNIGHTS are hoping to knock Tottenville’s “Drive for Five” out of gear.

The Pirates captured an unprecedented fourth straight PSAL softball championship last June, capping an undefeated “rebuilding season” with a 6-2 victory over

Madison in the final at St. John’s University.Tottenville finished 20-0 a year after graduating seven seniors,

including ace pitcher Brittany Stratton, who made the Pirates nearly untouchable in 2005 by striking out 237 in 112 innings.

“People thought we weren’t going to be anything without Brittany, and these kids took it and ran with it as motivation,” Tottenville coach Cathy Morano said last June as the dust settled from the postgame pig-piling. “We’re up there with a lot of great teams; to win four straight says something for this program and these kids.”

The Pirates return everyone this year except — as if by design — seven seniors, including their ace.

But there’s a twist to the improbable formula: Unlike two years ago, the seven seniors who

graduated last June were all starters. “I guess you could consider

calling it a rebuilding year,” said Morano, considering

the idea out of politeness. “But we’re just put-

ting the best people out there … it’s just business as usual, even though we have to fill the seven positions.

“They may not have started last year,” she added. “But they got good play-ing time. They know how much hard work it takes to get to the championship game. … The hardest thing this year is fitting people into the right spot in the batting order. For two years we had the same lineup.”

The Pirates, according to Madison coach Bill Dumont, may still be un-touchable.

“Until somebody knocks them out, they’re the absolute favorite,” Dumont said. “The goal is always to win the crown. To say we’d be satisfied with any-thing else is untrue. But you have to beat (Tottenville). Until you beat them, you just have to keep looking up.”

This year, the Knights may be looking up for different reasons.Madison graduated its entire outfield and two designated hitters, but the

Knights return pitcher Marie Oneto, who went 6-1 with a 1.75 ERA as a fresh-man last year. They added Kayla Hill, a freshman pitcher who has shown such promise this spring that Dumont said it’s “hard to say who’s better” between the two.

“I don’t really see myself as a leader, or the ace, or whatever, because we have Kayla coming in and she’s just as good,” Oneto said. “If we

work together, we can get through the season. It doesn’t rely on one person.”

Dumont hopes that “getting through” means his Knights will get a rematch with Tottenville in the finals and, perhaps, knock the Pirates from their crow’s nest.

If that happens, it will be the product of the young pitching tandem and a team that counts just four seniors and one junior.

“I just want them this year not to play young, to play up to their talent, and let their talent come out,” Dumont said. “It’s all about confi-

dence. You have to be able to take a deep breath when there’s pressure and let your talent do the work.

“I’m hoping they can step in and get it done.”

Pirates lose seven seniors but return as favorites

BROOKLYN AMADISON LADY KNIGHTSCoach: Bill Dumont Last year: 15-2 in Brooklyn A; lost to Tottenville in fi nals of playoffsTop returners: Maria Mantagas, sophomore 3B; Brittany O’Brien, sophomore SS; Nikki Panaro, sophomore 1B Up-and-comers:Natasha Lezama, senior CF; Kayla Hill, freshman P/LF; Becky Ganley, freshman C Coach says: “We’re just going to practice a lot and just progress one day at a time.”

NEW UTRECHT UTESCoach: Michael Repole Last year: 12-5 in Brooklyn A; lost to Bryant in playoffsTop returners: Toniann Morro, junior, P/SS; Lisa Morro, senior, P; Nicolette Sinagra, sophomore 3B Up-and-comers: Yvonne Lam, senior, 1B/OF; Krystal Class, senior, CF; Katelyn Lada, freshman, C Coach says: “We’re going to be competitive as long as we play defense every single game. Defense is going to be key for us, because we don’t have an overpowering pitcher.”

MIDWOOD HORNETSCoach: Jenny Ferrarin Last year: 10-7 in Brooklyn A; lost to Clinton in playoffsTop returners: Ashley Riccardi, junior SS; Brittany Hinds, senior CF/C; Ashley Mawad, sophomore 2B Up-and-comers: Traci Mari Kent, sophomore P; Genna Bell, freshman P/OF; Taylor Ann Fazio, sophomore RFCoach says: “I think we’ll be above .500. We’re a young team so it’s going to be a growing experi-ence.”

FORT HAMILTON LADY TIGERSCoach: Grace Grillo Last year: 9-8 in Brooklyn A; did not make playoffs Top returners: Mariam Award, senior P; Laila Santi-ago, junior SS; Samantha Mansour, sophomore LF Up-and-comers: Jamie Cherichetti, junior CF; Stella Roumbakos, junior 1B; Justine Delvalle, freshman 3B Coach says: “My outlook is always positive, but the kids need to learn the fundamentals. We work hard and we hang in there with all the teams.”

LINCOLN LADY RAILSPLITTERSCoach: Carlos Gonzalez Last year: 9-8 in Brooklyn A; did not make playoffsTop returners: Lucy Lin, senior OF; Sabrina Aponte, senior P/1B; Francesca Gagliardi, senior C/1B/3B Up-and-comers: Katharine Fuentes, junior P/C/2B; Liza Acevedo, freshman IF; Kristina Bermudez, freshman IF/OF Coach says: “We look to be a much more well-rounded team. Last year we relied solely on our pitcher/shortstop Angie Martinez, but this year we have more weapons. We should make the playoffs and make a run for the division.”

GRAND STREET CAMPUSLADY WOLVESCoach: Andre Johnson Last year: 3-13 in Brooklyn A; did not make play-offs Top returners: Aleen Abad, senior P/1B; Gina Lopez, junior P/2B; Arielle Lopez, junior CF Up-and-comers: Shani Fernandez, sophomore 3B; Yulixa Cordero sophomore SSCoach says: “This is our second year in the ‘A’ divi-sion, so we’re just trying to win more than we lose and hopefully get to the playoffs.”

JOHN TRACY

Marie Oneto

BUSHWICK CAMPUS LADY TIGERSCoach: Pat Moyse Last year: 2-14 in Brooklyn A; did not make playoffsTop returners: Alina Pacheco, senior P; Judy Figueroa, senior 1B; Andrea Casado, sophomore SS Up-and-comers: Jackie Castillo, senior 3B; Angela Hernandez, sophomore 2BCoach says: “This is my first year coaching this team, but we’re looking pretty good. I see us winning many more games than we did last year.”

CANARSIE LADY CHIEFSCoach: Robert Greenblatt Last year: 1-17 in Brooklyn A; did not make playoffsTop returners: Ashley Elam, senior P; Suletty Diaz, junior SS; Ashley Williams, sophomore 1B Up-and-comers: Shakeda Wint, junior 2B; Kiara Al-vardo, junior C; Shana Clark, sophomore OF Coach says: “I’m hoping to make some improve-ments and be competitive in the ‘A’ division.”

BROOKLYN I BSOUTH SHORE VIKINGSCoach: Jennifer BaumfeldLast year: 10-3 in Brooklyn I B; lost to Telecomm in first round of the playoffs.Top returners: Jefferen Jackson, senior C; Emily Ca-ceres, sophomore LFUp-and-comers: Crystal Molina, junior SS; Wayneth Junior, junior, 3B; Patrice Johnson, junior 1B/P Coach says: “They’re all hard working and willing to learn. The knowledge of the game is there, and that will be our strongest strength. Most of the players are coming up from the JV last year where I coached a team that went 7-3.”

SHEEPSHEAD BAY SHARKSCoach: Thomas Vitola Last year: 8-5 in Brooklyn I B; lost to Springfield Gar-dens in playoffsTop returners: Courtney Toussaint, senior P/CF: Sintora Stewart, junior 1B; Jazmine Mavarro, sopho-more 2B/O Up-and-comers: Emily Rodriguez, junior 3B; Emily Davila, junior SS; LaKeisha McKenzie, sophomore P Coach says: “We’re gonna get back to basics. Just giving everything we got each game.”

GRADY FALCONSCoach: William MensahLast year: 2-11 in Brooklyn I B; did not make play-offsTop returners: Tracy Ann Thorpe, senior C; Denise Blanding, senior 1B; Liz Dominguez, senior, 2B/3BUp-and-comers: Aleah Martinez, senior P; Esi Bonful, sophomore 2B; Anjeh Bourne, senior SSCoach says: “Expectations are high for this season. I’m a new coach — I took over the team this year, but I’m hoping we can make the playoffs because of all the seniors (9) on the team.”

TELECOMM YELLOWJACKETS Coach: Glenn McCartney Last year: 14-0 in Brooklyn B.; lost to Queens HS of Teaching in playoffsTop returners: Annalyse Padilla, senior C/OF; Alexan-dra Espinal, senior, 1B; Samantha Castro, junior P/CF Up-and-comers: Jennifer Clavell, sophomore, P; Sa-mantha Perez, SS; Vianca Ramirez, freshman, 3B. Coach says: “We’re a better team than we were last year but our pitching is going to dictate how far we go. We have young pitchers.”

FDR LADY COUGARS Coach: Desiree Matone Last year: 8-6; lost to Long Island City in of playoffs Top returners: Kimberly Cruz, junior P/SS/2B, junior; Debbie Eshel, senior, C/3BUp-and-comers: Elainne Martinez, sophomores, 1B; Jackie Bianco, freshman, P/2B; Naomi Fernandez, sophomore, CF Coach says: “I’m trying to get them too incorporate teamwork and dedication onto the field.”

BROOKLYN STUDIO LADY KNIGHTSCoach: John Mannino Last year: 6-0 in developmental league; did not make playoffs.Top returners: Christina Rivera, senior, P/C; Gina Harrison, junior C/SS; Christina Paulucci, sopho-more, LF Up-and-comers: Gabriella Finocchio, freshman, P/3B; Isabel Gomez, freshman, CFCoach says: “Our goal is to make it to the PSAL championship. I try to make our team strive for the highest goals.”

BROOKLYN II BERASMUS HALL DUTCHWOMEN Coach: Michelle Wyeth Last year: 9-6 in Brooklyn III B; lost to Jamaica in playoffs Top returners: Chantel Lynch, senior, CF; Jheonel Hue, junior, LF; Asatta Defreittas, sophomore, 1B Up-and-comers: Stayce Kay Muirhead, freshman, IF; Juanita Williams, freshman, P/SS Coach says: “It is a rebuilding year. We have a lot of good athletes totally learning the game of softball.”

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Ryan visited his son Seamus in BayRidge, went for a slice of grandma piz-za, and as he sprinkled on the saltand pepper and oregano, his life forev-er changed.

“Sue is pregnant,” Seamus said.“Gramps. . . .”

Ryan looked at his 32-year-old son and saw asmiling 3-year-old boy wearing a cowboy hat,carrying a lunchbox up a palm tree-shadedlaneway in Santa Monica, Calif., on his way tohis first day of preschool.

The little blond-haired kid with eyes as blueas the Pacific walked from Apt. No. 5, passingApt. No. 1, where lived a real-life giant, an Aus-trian weightlifter named Arnold Schwarzeneg-ger, who was also Mr. Universe.

And Ryan’s landlord.

The first time Ryan came home from meet-ing his new landlord, his wife at the time askedhim what he was like. “Put it this way,” Ryansaid. “I don’t want to be late with the rent.”

But Arnold was a gentle giant.

“Cute kitt,” Schwarzenegger said wheneverlittle Seamus passed his door. “I luff dee blonthairs and the beeg blue eyesss.”

Ryan would always kid with Arnold, who toldhim he was going to become a “moofee star.”

“Did you know that we have talkies now, Ar-nold?” Ryan would ask, deadpan.

“Just you vatch.”

“And think about changing your name tosomething shorter than a suspension bridge.”

Arnold would eventually have the last laugh.

After school, a noted screenwriter and filmdirector named James Toback would often zip

by in his red Mercedes convertible and ask ifhe could baby-sit Seamus for a few hours. Hewould strap the golden-haired Seamus into hiscar and zoom off onto the Pacific Coast High-way and use the adorable kid as a prop to pickup California chicks, pretending he was a wid-ower-father in need of motherly advice. Tobackwould later direct “The Pick-Up Artist.” Arnoldwould become one of Seamus’ favorite boy-hood action heroes.

Now, three decades later and a continentaway, Ryan looked up from his slice of grand-ma pizza in Nino’s on Third Ave. and here wasSeamus, all grown up, even bigger than the gi-ant from Apt. No. 5, who was now a retired“moofee star” and the governor of California.

Here in his native Brooklyn, before he tookhis first bite of the grandma slice, Ryan learnedthat he would be a grandpa.

“Holy blank,” Ryan said.

“That’s exactly what I said,” Seamus said.

Father and son laughed. Ryan stood and em-braced his son.

“Congratulations, big guy,” Ryan said.

“Same to you.”

“You will be a great father because you’restill a big kid yourself.”

“Can’t wait.”

“How’d this happen?”

Last spring, Seamus met Sue at a Manhattanclub — an Irish-American girl from a big Bronxfamily who looked like Lindsay Lohan, only pret-tier, and without the mug shot. They dated andthey dined and they fell in love, and when sum-mer turned to fall, the wheel of life cranked amagical notch and by New Year’s the young lov-ers learned that there would be a new babycome July.

“It’s gonna be a boy,” Seamus said. “We’regonna name him Derek.”

“I’m gonna be a grandfather,” Ryan said.

All his life, Ryan thought that the day he be-came a grandfather he would consider himselfofficially old. He imagined himself on a walkerat the same time his first grandkid learnedwhat one was. He dreaded the day that he wasso old that young people would call him “cute,”the way they also would refer to his grandkids.

But in that moment, as his 57th birthday ap-proached, Ryan felt suddenly young. He had an8-year-old son at home who ran circles aroundhim and who only the week before had taughthim how to operate the DVD player.

“I was born with technology, Dad,” his sonRory said. “You’re from the last century.”

When Ryan tells Rory that when hewas a kid there were only sevenTV channels, no cable, no cellphones, no microwave, no homecomputers, no Internet, and no vid-

eo games, he thinks THAT’S science fiction.

“What did anyone do?” he asks.

Now, by the middle of the summer, he wouldhave a grandson to teach him even more about

the science fiction wonders of this toddling cen-tury.

As a boy, Ryan never had living grandpar-ents. He’d never had an amnesty board ofgrandparents to appeal to when he was beingpunished, no one to spoil him unconditionally,no one to tell him tales about his own motherand father when they were kids.

Now he’d get to be such a grandfather toDerek. He couldn’t wait to show Derek some Ar-nold Schwarzenegger action movies and tellhim about his father’s first day of preschool.

“How do you feel?” Seamus asked Ryan.“Like a new door just opened,” Ryan said.And then Grandpa Ryan ordered a second

grandma slice. [email protected]

Grandpa news like fountain of youthDenis HamillMy Backyard

Allan Wernick is a lawyer and chairman of the City University of New York’s Citizenship and Immigration Project. He is the author of “U.S. Immigration and Citizenship — Your Complete

Guide, Revised 4th Edition.” Send questions and comments to Allan Wernick, Daily News, 450 W. 33rd St., New York, N.Y. 10001. Find Prof. Wernick at allanwernick.comImmigration

ALLAN WERNICK

Lottery system offers tough odds Today, the U.S. Citizenship and Im-

migration Services (USCIS) began accepting petitions for new H-1B temporary professionals. This year, the USCIS can approve no more than 85,000 petitions, with 20,000 reserved for applicants with a U.S. master’s degree or higher. If, as expected, the USCIS receives more petitions than it can approve, all petitions received between today and April 7 will be entered into a lottery. Some experts believe the agency will receive up to 500,000 petitions this year. Chances that the USCIS will pick your petition may be as low as one in seven.

A lottery seems a silly way to decide on which professional workers should get visas. However, until Con-gress increases the H-1B cap, we are stuck with the current system. Note that exempt from the cap are workers at an institution of higher education or an affi liated nonprofi t entity, at a nonprofi t research organization or at a governmental research organiza-tion.

Work status for prosWhat is H-1B status? It is a temporary status for professional workers. While the law calls these workers “specialty” workers, to get H-1B status, you need not be special. Rather, you need only have at least a four-year col-lege degree or the equivalent in education and experience. The job however, must require someone with your particular degree. And, the employer must pay the H-1B worker at least the wage as oth-ers working in that position. You can get H-1B status for up to six years in three-year increments. Extensions beyond six years are available to H-1B workers who have had an employment-based permanent resident case pending for at least one year.

The USCIS cautions that if an employer fi les more than one petition for the same employee, the agency will deny all those petitions. For more information about H-1B status and the fi ling rules, go to www.uscis.gov.

Assuming the USCIS picks your petition (or you are exempt from the cap), H-1B status is an easy way to

get USCIS work permission. Unlike for most employment-based work cat-egories, an H-1B employer need not prove the unavailability of qualifi ed U.S. workers.

So, the law doesn’t require the employer to advertise for a U.S. worker. And, you can get the USCIS to approve an H-1B petition quite fast. Normal processing time is two to three months.

However, for a $1,000 “premium processing” fee, the USCIS will issue a decision in no more than 15 calendar days.

Before fi ling, your employer must get an approved “labor conditional application,” but your employer can fi le and get that application approved instantaneously online.

Visa denials rare for H-1B workers

Sometimes, a diffi culty arises proving that the worker’s degree is needed to perform the job duties.

If someone with an engineering degree gets a job as an engineer, that’s an easy case.

Suppose, however, that the engineer gets a job as an analyst at a stock bro-kerage firm, studying engineering companies.

The employer can probably establish that an engineering degree qualifi es the worker for the position.

Still, the employer should take care to explain the relationship between the degree and job duties.

One great thing about H-1B status is that the worker need not prove a residence abroad to qualify for an H-1B visa.

That means that visa denials for H-1B workers at U.S. consulates are rare and that travel in and out of the U.S. is easier.

After April 1, I will discuss some alternatives to H-1B status.

For now, let’s hope that if your employer petitions for you, you’ll be one of the lucky “H-1B” lottery win-ners.

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WESTINGHOUSE LADY WARRIORS Coach: Maureen Brady Last year: 6-8 in Brooklyn II B; did not make playoffs Top returners: Bianca Celiare, senior, P/SS; Nadia Pusey, senior, 3B; Shaneeke Bascoe, junior, C Up-and-comers: Jennifer Santiago, junior, RF/SS; Fan-tasia Mills Pierre, sophomore, INF; Maleon Williams, sophomore, INF Coach says: “I’m very positive and I think it’s going to be a great year for us. I see a lot of potential; they’ve been practicing very hard.”

BROOKLYN TECH ENGINEERS Coach: Maureen Malone Last year: 12-2 in Brooklyn II B; lost to Transit Tech in first round of playoffsTop returners: Cindee Crosby, senior, LF; Alex Kli-moski senior, 3B; Dawn Rivera, junior, SS Up-and-comers: Laura Laham junior, 2B; Cheryl Luft, junior, C; Joanmarie Reid, P/3B, freshman Coach says: “We are looking to be division champs again and we have a lot of returning players as well as some talented rookies.”

CLARA BARTON PANTHERS Coach: Michael Godelman Last year: 8-7 in Brooklyn III B; did not make play-offsTop returners: Brittany Dennis, senior, P; Kayasha Lyons, senior, 1B; Zollyann Howell, senior 3B Up-and-comers: Terryann Ferguson, senior, RF; Me-lissa Spooner, senior, 2B; Atika Greene, senior, CF Coach says: “The outlook is bright. We have a lot of seniors. This is our year to shine.”

TRANSIT TECH EXPRESS Coach: Richard Van Wickler Last year: 14-1 in Brooklyn III B; lost to Jamaica in second round of playoffs Top returners: Valinie Balgobin, junior, P; Natalie Evertsz, junior 1B; Genesis Alvarado, sophomore, SSUp-and-comers: Natacha Swinson, sophomore, CF; Rhea Phillip, sophomore RFCoach says: “We’re very inexperienced but I’m hop-ing to be highly competitive within our newly aligned division.”

BOYS & GIRLS LADY KANGAROOS Coach: Felix Melendez Last year: 8-7 in Brooklyn II B; lost to Riverdale/Kingsbridge in playoffsTop returners: Maria Haynes, senior, 3B; Tiara Weath-ers, junior SS; Adjua Adan David, sophomore, P Up-and-comers: Zukeia Gettes, freshman INF; Fola-shade Frazier, freshman 1B; Lisbeth Pichardo, fresh-man, Utility. Coach says: “Our main goal is to make it back to the playoffs and go a little further. I also want to groom my freshmen.”

BANNEKER WARRIORSCoach: Malcolm Crawford Last year: 6-6 in Brooklyn II B; did not make playoffs Top returners: Denist Oscar, senior, 3b; Shari Preston, senior, 1B; Jessica Baez, sophomore, C Up-and-comers: Alexandria Palacio, senior, P; Kime-sha Spruill, junior SS; Emilie Cruz sophomore, INF Assistant coach David Sanford says: “I believe we will make the playoffs. We have some strong returning players who are very enthusiastic. We’re going to be a scrappy team that will be very competitive.”

Villanueva tracing tracks of biggest man on Campus

Grand Street ace Alex Villanueva hopes to follow in footsteps of Dellin Betances, a top prospect in Yankees’ organization and 2006 graduate of the Williamsburg school. Photo by Bryan Pace

BY MATT GAGNE

FORGIVE YOURSELF for looking past Alex Villanueva, for wondering if the 6-6, 220-pound righthander with a high-80s fastball and multiple off-speed pitches has a future beyond high school ball. You’re probably

just focusing on the past.Villanueva has the kind of frame that gives

scouts whiplash, but the senior ace from Grand Street Campus remains overshadowed as he fol-lows in the footsteps of Dellin Betances, a highly touted prospect in the Yankees’ farm system who graduated from the Williamsburg school in 2006.

Betances, a righthander who stands 6-9 in spikes and throws a devastating knuckle-curve, was drafted in the eighth round of the 2006 amateur draft and collected a signing bonus with six zeroes — the only number found in his senior season ERA.

It’s easy to draw parallels between Betances and Villanueva: large frames; similar windups; high-ve-locity fastballs; senior captains for the perennial favorite in Queens ‘A’ West, the division the Wolves play in to make away games more ac-cessible.

But there is one notable, career-de-fining difference.

“Dellin was another thing. He came from another planet. He threw hard,” said Grand Street senior catcher Greg Diaz, who caught Betances as a freshman and once had his thumb broken by the big-money fastball.

“Alex is doing almost the same, but you can’t compare.”

Betances was on every major league team’s radar screen during his senior sea-son, in which he went 4-0, struck out 65 in 27 innings and was consistently clocked in the low 90s.

In his two years of pro ball, Betances has continued to impress. He touched 98 mph in the Gulf Coast League his first season, and posted a 3.60 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 25 in-nings in short-season Single A on Staten Island last summer. He’ll begin this season with the Charleston RiverDogs in full-season Single A, taking the next step toward the Bronx.

“He’s very raw, with a huge ceiling, and over the next few years it’s our job to close the gap and maximize the potential on that ceiling,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said of Betances’ future last summer. “He’s got more potential than most.”

Villanueva, projected to be at least a Division I-caliber pitcher, is hoping to register a blip on scouts’ radar guns this spring and make a name for himself despite lingering memories of Betances’ dominance. It’s a tough act to follow.

“A lot of scouts have been in shock when I tell them Alex’s physical attributes. They’re like, ‘What? You have another Dellin?’ ” Grand Street coach Mel Martinez said. “No, he doesn’t throw as hard as Dellin, but he is consistently hitting from 88-90 mph, and they’re like, ‘Well, we’ll take that.’

“Dellin is an icon over here. He is like a leg-end on this campus,” Martinez added.

“Nobody is ever going to match those statistics, and I don’t want Alex to

think unrealistically that he’s going to match that, because nobody will.”

Villanueva’s numbers are impressive enough: He fi nished last season 4-1 with two saves and a 0.85 ERA, striking out 44 in 41 innings. He has command of a changeup and curve, but lacks the velocity that attracts million-dollar signing bonuses.

That doesn’t mean he won’t emerge as a prospect. If not in this year’s draft, then after polishing his game in college.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about him, and a lot of scouts like him,” said one major league scout who saw Villanueva pitch last year and plans to follow up this spring. “He’s got both tal-ent and potential; he’s got a chance.”

Villanueva is on shutdown for two-and-a-half weeks to rest a tired arm, a condition he said dates to January and is the product of cold weather and overuse from pitching in the Youth Service League last summer and fall.

He’ll find out this week from the doctor if treat-ment is needed for what he described as “pain in my bicep when I try to zip the ball harder.”

Martinez expects Villanueva to toe the rubber when the Wolves host Grover Cleveland at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Villanueva insists he’s not burdened by Betances’ flamethrower reputation, but it seems he may, at times, be hoping to

rival it.“There’s no pressure,” he said.

“It’s like a fantasy. It feels good to be compared to a person who’s in the

minor leagues right now. It mo-tivates me. I want to be like

him. I want to throw hard. It makes me work hard.”

Difference in velocity aside, their work ethic

has been described as equally intense, and it’s

what may someday land Villanueva — still just 17 — in a

professional uniform, even if he has to take a longer route than Betances.

“I don’t think it’s on his mind, that he has to follow in the footsteps of Dellin,” said Rocky Me-dina, who coached both pitchers on the 16-year-old Youth Service League team. “Dellin worked very, very hard and was one of the chosen ones. If Alex continues to do what he’s doing — and a lot of coaches feel he’s still growing into his body — he’s going to follow in his footsteps.”

MAXWELL BEARS (II B)Coach: Charmine Burton Last year: 7-8, did not make playoffs

LAFAYETTE PATRIOTS (I B) Coach: Thomas CivelloLast year: 0-13— reported by Brian Bohl, Lia Eustachewich and Mitch Ambramson

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Allan Wernick is a lawyer and chairman of the City University of New York’s Citizenship and Immigration Project. He is the author of “U.S. Immigration and Citizenship — Your Complete

Guide, Revised 4th Edition.” Send questions and comments to Allan Wernick, Daily News, 450 W. 33rd St., New York, N.Y. 10001. Find Prof. Wernick at allanwernick.comImmigration

ALLAN WERNICK

Residency criteria depend on caseQ How long must I be a permanent

resident before I can become a U.S. citizen?

A To naturalize, most applicants must have been a permanent

resident for at least fi ve continuous years. You qualify after only three years if you have been married to, and living with, the same U.S. citizen spouse — while a permanent resident — for those three years.

Continuous means that you were never out of the U.S. for more than 365 consecutive days. If you go abroad for more than a year (you’ll want to get a reentry permit — US-CIS travel permission — if you plan to do that) you start counting again when you return. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) credits you one full year for the fi rst day of your return. Then, you can naturalize after four more years of continuous residence (two years for the spouse of a U.S. citizen).

If you go abroad on business,

to do religious work or to work for the U.S. government, the USCIS will sometimes excuse your absence. Individuals serving in the military or reserves beginning Sept. 11, 2001, qualify for naturalization regardless of their time in the U.S. Other mili-tary veterans qualify after one year permanent residence.

Trip shouldn’t affect person’s status Q If I have traveled

abroad for more than six months, can I still be-come a U.S. citizen?

A You may be abroad for six months and still become a U.S. citizen.

The six-month rule states that if you are abroad for more than six continu-ous months, the USCIS can make you prove that you did not abandon your U.S. residence. Usually, one trip of greater than six months isn’t usually a problem. That’s especially true if that trip was several years prior to your ap-plying for citizenship.

Knowing simple English is keyQ How much English must

I know?

A To become a U.S. citi-zen, you must read, write, speak

and understand simple English. Until the new exam becomes mandatory on Oct. 1, 2009, you can probably pass the English-language test if you can answer the questions on the naturalization application and write a simple sentence, such as “I like my job.”

You are exempt from the English-language requirement if you are at least 50, with 20 or more years per-manent residence, or you are at least 55, with 15 or more years permanent residence.

Also exempt are applicants with a mental or physical disability that pre-vents them from learning or reading, writing or speaking English.

Want to become a U.S. citizen but you’re not sure if you qualify? Are you confused about the rules for getting a green card? Get the answers at the Daily News/City University of New York (CUNY) Citizenship Now! call-in. From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, April 28 to May 2, immigration law experts will answer your questions free of charge. The Daily News will publish the phone numbers on Monday.

Now is a great time to apply for U.S. citizenship. A new naturalization exam is coming that some applicants will fi nd more diffi cult than the current

test. However, if you apply to naturalize before Oct. 1, and the USCIS interviews you before Oct. 1, 2009, you can choose to take the current exam. Apply now, and there is a good chance that the USCIS will interview you before the new exam becomes mandatory.

To get readers ready to make the most of their calls to our experts, I’ll devote my next few columns to answering some of the most frequently asked questions I get regarding citizenship and immigration law.

Call-in will answer citizenship questions

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KNIGHT SHIFT

BY MATT GAGNE

MADISON REMAINED UNBEATEN and unrivaled on Friday, knocking off previously un-defeated Telecomm, 11-1, in a game shortened to fi ve innings

because of the PSAL’s mercy rule.Victor Cosme, who began the year as the

Knights’ third starter, improved to 3-0 and a made a case to be staff ace, throwing just 49 pitches and mixing an overpowering fastball with a curve that kept hitters off-balanced and buckling at the knees.

The senior righthander struck out four, walked none and surrendered three singles, and he has yet to give up an earned run this season.

“Victor has been lights out this year,” Madison coach Vincent Caiazza said. “If you told me going into the season that my No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers would not be pitching a lot up until this point, and I had to rely on Victor, I’d say you’re crazy.”

Cosme has stepped up and fi lled in for James Wong and Jonathan Farina, the one-two combi-nation that led the Knights to a 14-2 record and the Brooklyn ‘A’ East division title last season. Both have seen limited innings this spring with sore arms.

“He threw hard, had a good curve, and he threw strikes,” Telecomm coach Ed D’Alessio said. “It was probably the best performance against us this year. He’s probably one of the better pitchers in the PSAL.”

Kevin Laidlaw and Chris Dantuono led Madi-son with two hits and two RBI apiece, and the Knights took advantage of five Telecomm er-

rors as they improved to 7-0 at Bay 8th Street Park. The Yellow Jackets, the top team in Brooklyn ‘A’ West, fell to 8-1.

“We got a lot of two-out hits, and that’s what was big about this game. With men on base, we executed,” Dantuono said. “Coming in, I thought it was going to be much closer. But I’ll take it.”

The Yellow Jackets spotted Madison a two-run lead on a pair of throwing errors in the fi rst and never had momentum, giving up two more runs in the second and seven over the fourth and fi fth innings.

“We made some bad plays, and that’s basi-cally it,” D’Alessio said. “These

guys are one of the best teams in the city, and you can’t play like that.”

Telecomm’s lone threat came in the second, and it was mild at best. Chris Taveras and Euris

Turbi hit back-to-back singles with one out, but were stranded on base following a strikeout — Cosme had Jason Galeano backing away from a curve that broke over the heart of the plate — and a groundball to second.

The Yellow Jackets’ lone run was scored on an infi eld error in the fi fth.

“It’s the two powerhouses in Brooklyn going up against each other, so it was a good test for us,” Cosme said. “Our bats are coming along, and my pitching hasn’t been too bad. It’s been pretty good.”

Sheepshead Bay 4, New Utrecht 3 EDDIE RODRIGUEZ stole second and moments later delivered the game-winning run, but it was more like a free pass.

After walking with two out in the top of the

ninth, Rodriguez bolted for second when relief pitcher Giovanni Cu-cuzza threw a pitch from the windup instead of the stretch. He scored on Armando Merino’s single down the left field line, a disputed hit that gave Sheepshead Bay a 4-3 victory over New Utrecht on Friday.

“It’s just a mental mistake,” New Utrecht coach Rick DeMarco said of allowing the runner to move into scoring position. “We were trying to get (Cucuzza) to step off, but I didn’t want him to stop his motion and balk the guy over ... He’s a kid. He made a mistake. You can’t cru-cify him for it.”

Merino stopped running half-way down the line after his shot to left, thinking the ball was foul. But he turned back and saw the umpire signaling otherwise.

“I didn’t know it was going to be fair. It looked foul to me,” Merino said. “I was proud to come through for my team. It’s a great feeling.”

A few New Utrecht players ques-tioned the call on the field, but De-Marco — whose Utes squandered a three-run lead — refused to use the play as an excuse.

“There were so many mistakes before that,” he said. “You can’t blame an umpire’s call.”

New Utrecht fell to 7-1 in Brook-lyn ‘A’ West with the extra-inning loss; the Sharks improved to 4-4 in Brooklyn ‘A’ East.

BROOKLYN A EASTMADISON 11TELECOMM 1

BY BRIAN BOHL

TRANSIT TECH grabbed sole posses-sion of fi rst place in Brooklyn XI and exacted a measure of revenge Fri-day night, traveling to second-place Van Arsdale and defeating the Cardi-

nals in straight sets (25-23, 25-23).Alex Joseph led Transit Tech with eight kills and

seven service points as the Express derailed the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak.

Seniors Sean Baltazar (four assists and three kills) and Matt Diaz (eight kills) helped balance the attack as Transit Tech improved to 7-1, extending its winning streak to three and moving ahead of Van Arsdale (6-2) and Jefferson (6-2) for the divi-sion lead.

Transit Tech rebounded after losing to Van Arsdale, 2-0, on April 10.

“The first game had nothing to do with the

way we played,” he said. “Tonight, it was a very close game.”

Senior Jerry Ashley led Van Arsdale in the teams’ first meeting with 13 kills — three more than Transit Tech’s entire team.

On Friday, Ashley managed just three kills, while fellow frontliner Elijah Brunson also struggled to put the ball away.

“Jerry and Elijah weren’t set up quite as much,” Van Arsdale coach Marsha Huguet said. “When we were receiving the ball, our footwork was off. If we had gotten the balls in their hands, the re-sults would have been different.”

Both teams have two more matches before the postseason begins in early May.

Transit Tech will travel to winless Bushwick Campus next Tuesday before wrapping

up the regular season at Jefferson on May 1.Van Arsdale will finish the season at home,

hosting Grand Street Campus (4-4) next Tuesday before playing Automotive (1-7) on May 1.

Huguet said she’ll use the final games to prep for the playoffs, where she hopes to run into the Express.

“We would absolutely like to face them again,” she said.

Grady 2, New Utrecht 0GRADY DEFEATED New Utrecht on Friday at Lin-coln High School, improving to 9-1 and taking control of the Brooklyn X division, but the victory didn’t come easily.

Grady coach Yakira Cordero watched her Fal-cons cruise to a 25-16 win in the fi rst set, but they

looked lethargic in the second. She wasted no time straightening her squad out, calling an early timeout to restore the focus.

“I told the guys, ‘We can’t play close. If you’re thinking about boosting stats, it’s not going to happen,’ ” she said.

The Falcons won the match with a 25-23 second-set victory, avenging their only loss.

New Utrecht beat Grady, 2-1, in the season opener on March 17. Following last week’s loss, the Utes fell to 7-2 and slipped into second place.

The teams may meet again. With two regular season games remaining, both have already se-cured postseason berths.

Teams with .500 records or better qualify for the playoffs. Grady clinched a playoff berth two weeks ago, and the Utes guaranteed themselves a spot with a straight-sets victory over Lafayette last Monday.

BROOKLYN XITRANSIT TECH 2VAN ARSDALE 0

Express blazes past Cards in straight sets

Madison’s Cosme continues emergence against Telecomm

THE

THE

Senior Victor Cosme pitches Madison to 11-1 victory over previously undefeated Telecomm on Friday, keeping Knights perfect. Photo by Bryan Pace

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Betz/APMike Comrie reaches for puck next to Ryan O'Byrne.

Betz/APFrans Nielsen scores against goalie Carey Price insecond period.

Surgery KOs goalie Rick DiPietro,Islanders lose to Montreal 5-4BY BRIAN BOHLSPECIAL TO THE NEWS

Saturday, November 1st 2008, 11:07 PM

Betz/APAlex Kovalev scores goal past Matt Streit and goalie Yann Danis during first period.

The Islanders debuted a third jerseyat the Coliseum Saturday night,though a player who didn't evendress made the biggest news.

Before blowing a three-goal, thirdperiod lead in a 5-4 loss to Montreal,the Isles announced that All-Stargoaltender Rick DiPietro will be out4-6 weeks after having arthroscopicknee surgery to repair his meniscus.

DiPietro, who missed his seventhgame of the season, had season-ending hip surgery last March andlater offseason knee surgery. Theformer No. 1 overall draft pick, in thethird year of a record 15-yearcontract, has struggled when actuallyin net, going 0-2 with a 3.91 goals-against average in three games.

DiPietro's previous surgeries were onhis left knee and left hip. The club didnot specify if the new procedure wasto the same knee. "I haven't eventhought about it," was all first-yearcoach Scott Gordon would say aboutmissing his top netminder.

The news soon got worse for theIslanders, who blew a 4-1 lead bysurrendering four goals in just 7:29 inthe third period. The Isles' winlessstreak was extended to six (0-5-1).

Yann Danis made his first start sinceNov. 19, 2005 to rest JoeyMacDonald. Danis made 27 savesagainst his former club, but wasvictimized by a collapsing defense infront of him. Montreal posted a 16-4edge in shots in the final period.

"I'm not going to say it was my best game," Danis said. "I would have liked to have

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made a few more saves in the third to keep the guys in the game. I can definitelyimprove off tonight."

Tomas Plekanec scored two goals 2:07 apart in the third to make it 4-3. Long Islandproduct Christopher Higgins then stunned the crowd, scoring on an easy redirectfrom the slot to tie it at 4 at the 14:06 mark.

Plekanec capped his four-point evening, assisting on Alex Kovalev's second goal ofthe game to steal a victory for the Canadiens (8-1-1).

"We played well for 40 minutes and stopped," said defenseman Mark Streit, whoscored his fourth goal to tie for the team lead. "I don't know what we expected. Wegave them hope and life and they took advantage of it."

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Islander1972 Nov 2, 2008 8:07:58 AM Report Offensive PostThis season has turned out to be so depressing. Unless your goalie's last nameis Broduer you dont dign them for 15 years. I wonder how much Dipetro wouldhave gotten had he won at least one playoff round

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Out of the Blue, Manning hits a slump4.T.O. holding out a Super hope5.Bumbling Knicks' streak ends at 36.Ex-Patriot gets set to lay down Law7.Myers: These Giants could ace history8.Rocket's gal pal pitching reality TV series9.Return of Law ends Miller's time as Jet10.

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Islanders powerless in 3-1 loss toFlyers at Nassau ColiseumBY BRIAN BOHLSPECIAL TO THE NEWS

Tuesday, November 11th 2008, 9:20 PM

McIsaac/GettyKyle Okposo (21) can't get the puck past Flyers goalie Martin Biron (43), a common theme for theIslanders on Tuesday.

At least the Islanders didn't blow another third-period lead.

That is the only good news for the club thanks to an anemic power play in a 3-1 lossto the Flyers Tuesday. The Isles lost their third straight with a power play that was0-for-8, including a two-minute 5-on-3 advantage in the third that also yielded a MikeRichards shorthanded goal.

Daniel Briere and Richards scored for the Flyers during the matinee at NassauColiseum, keeping the Islanders (4-9-2) stuck with an NHL-low 10 points.

Flyers netminder Martin Biron entered with the league's fourth-lowest savepercentage but made 35 saves. Joey MacDonald registered 29 saves for the Isles,and Trent Hunter's team-leading sixth goal ended Biron's shutout bid in front of13,447.

"We certainly controlled the play and had plenty of chances 5-on-5," Islanders coachScott Gordon said after his team's failure to score more than two goals for theseventh time this season. "But at the end of the day, the power play was thedifference."

Briere broke a scoreless tie 13:40 into the second, beating MacDonald with a hardwrist shot from the top of the right circle. Andreas Nodl set up the play by sending anoutlet pass up the boards. Islanders defenseman Brett Skinner didn't come up tochallenge Briere, allowing the All-Star forward to score his fifth goal.

The Islanders entered the game with the league's 27th-ranked power play, andthings got worse. Briere and Mike Knuble were whistled for simultaneous penalties10:26 into the second, giving the Isles the two-minute advantage.

"The power play has to outwork the penalty kill, and today, it didn't," MacDonaldsaid.

Richards added an insurance tally 10:51 into the third, completing a 2-on-1 rush bybanking home Simon Gagne's centering feed. Gordon elected to put forward DougWeight at the point, which backfired when the Flyers cleared the zone and createdthe odd-man chance.

"The power play took a bad time to play like that," Weight said. "It's disappointing onthe power-play side of it. We had really good chances to grab the lead and didn't doanything with it."

Josh Bailey, the Islanders' 2008 first-round pick, made his NHL debut after sitting outthe first 14 games because of an undisclosed lower-body injury.

Bailey was whistled for hooking on just his third NHL shift, getting two minutes for

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Hal says Yanks ready to spend the big bucks1.Myers: Top 10 NFL power rankings2.Bondy: Mangini goes head to head3.Out of the Blue, Manning hits a slump4.Bumbling Knicks' streak ends at 35.T.O. holding out a Super hope6.Ex-Patriot gets set to lay down Law7.Myers: These Giants could ace history8.Return of Law ends Miller's time as Jet9.Madden: Indian great Score dies10.

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taking down Nodl in the Isles' offensive zone midway through the opening period.The teenager also took a costly high-sticking penalty with his team down a goal with2:40 remaining in the third.

VETERAN'S DAY: Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs ofStaff Colin Powell dropped the ceremonial first puck. Powell also attended anIslanders game last season and sat in owner Charles Wang's luxury box....MikeComrie sat out with a hip injury, marking the first game he's missed this season.

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