North Shore Sun Sports

Luchsinger third in 'B' final

2009-07-09T14:06:00.002-04:00

Mount Sinai graduate Tom Luchsinger was third in the 200 butterfly 'B' final Wednesday.

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Smit sets American record

2009-07-08T00:04:00.002-04:00

Julia Smit won the 200 IM Tuesday night at the National Championship in Indianapolis in American record time. It was the fastest time in the world this year. The previous record was set by Katie Hoff at last year's Olympic Trials.

Smit will compete in Rome at the World Championships at the end of the month.

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LIVE: Girls Lax State Finals

2009-06-13T08:58:00.057-04:00

Here we are again, the Class C state finals with the Shoreham-Wading River girls lacrosse team at SUNY Cortland. The 'Summer of 69' is blasting over the speakers as we get ready for the championship game. The Wildcats hope to add the 'Summer of '09' to '08 and '07 with title No. 3.

The Wildcats, after a very impressive 21-11 win against Carthage yesterday, will take on Honeoye Falls-Lima, 18-6 winners against Nyack. Honeoye Falls comes into the game with a 19-2 record and having not allowed more than 10 goals this season in any one game. Can the Wildcats do it today? The first draw is set for 9:30 a.m.

The key for the Wildcats will be a strong first half. If the Wildcats can take a lead into halftime, even if it's minimal like two goals yesterday, they've always shown a tendency to wear teams down over a game. So for Honeoye Falls (Section V) to have a chance, it'd be wise for them to take a lead into halftime and have the Wildcats chasing.

I'm led to believe Honeoye Falls is good at controlling possessions and not giving the opposition many scoring chances. No matter how good your defense is, if the other team has the ball enough, it will score. So to have not given up more than 10 goals this season means Honeoye Falls doesn't give the opposition a ton of chances.

The Wildcats were excellent on draws yesterday, especially in the second half which allowed them to build up the lead.

The leading scorer yesterday for Honeoye Falls was Lindsey Powell. She scored six goals with an assist. Jill Maier and Maggie Stankaitis both scored three. Amanda Willison had five assists.

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Here's the starting lineups:

HF-L

Attack: Taylor Burgart, Nora Stambaugh, Maggie Stankaitis, Trisha Schunk

Middies: Jill Maier, Anna Legrett, Amanda Willison

Defense: Hillary Cox, Ashley Moyer, Erin York, Maggie Wilk

Goalie: Emily Stankaitis

SWR

Attack: Jen DeVito, Megan Gersbeck, Rachel Wiederkehr, Codi Mullen

Middies: Stephanie Anderson, Chelsey Newman, Kaitlyn Brosco

Defense: Julie Hudecek, Isabelle Mahoney, Alex Franck, Sam Villafranca

Goalie: Michelle Verbeeck

.........................

Stephanie Anderson is on the opening draw for SWR. Falls wills the draw but SWR gets it back on a turnover. The Wildcats first shot goes out of bounds and Falls gets it back.

Rachel Wiederkehr has a shot saved at 22:30. Falls takes over. Wildcats regain on turnover.

Wiederkehr misses on a free position at 21:40. Wildcats keep possession.

1-0 SWR. Wiederkehr converts this time as the Wildcats go ahead at 21:29. Credit DeVito with the assist.

2-0 SWR. Anderson leaps in front to catch a feed from Brosco and scores at 20:00

Falls gets the draw. SWR gets it back after a charge.

DeLea misses a free position at 19:35.

2-1. Lindsey Powell converts a free position at 18:10 to put Honeoye on the board.

Falls wins the draw.

2-2. Powell ties it with her second straight goal at 16:44

Falls wins its fourth draw in five tries.

3-2 HFL. Sierra Sarkis scores and the Wildcats trail by one at 16:10

Wildcats win the draw.

3-3. Newman scores her first on a bounce shot to tie the game at 15:42.

Wildcats on the draw.

DeLea shoots and misses and the Falls goalie is closest so the Wildcats lose it.

Verbeeck makes her first big save at 14:00.

We have a time-out at 12:40. Looks like a TV timeout. SWR has possession.

4-3. Wildcats regain the lead when Anderson scores in front after catching a feed from behind the cage from Gersbeck at 11:31.

Wildcats on the draw.

5-3 Newman scores again on a feed from Brosco to equal the biggest lead at 9:56.

Falls on the draw.

Wildcats defense forces a turnover and the Wildcats are trying to clear with under 9:30 to go.

This game has a much more deliberate pace than the start of yesterday's game .

6-3. Brosco scores her first to give the Wildcats their biggest lead at three with 6:32 to play.

Time-out on the field at 6:32. Looks like a Falls time-out.

Wildcats on the draw. But they lose it and Falls comes the other way.

6-4. Anna Legrett scores in transition to get the Cougars back into the game at 4:12.

6-5. Just like that it's back to a one-goal game when Powell scores her third on a free position at 3:40.

Wildcats get the draw and will look to expand their lead.

7-5. DeLea does just that with an open look in front. Give the assist to Brosco at 3:10.

Brosco scores but the goal is waved off because of a charge call at 2:40. Falls ball.

8-5. After an initial save on DeLea, DeVito gets in and puts it in with 1:05 to go. A huge goal there.

8-6. Falls scores with :03 to go when Amanda Wilson converts in front a feed from Powell.

HALFTIME:

SWR 8, HF-L 6

So the Wildcats have a two-goal lead going into the second half, the same margin as yesterday. The Wildcats offense has proved up to the task against this tough defense. They're on pace for 16 goals at this rate, which would shatter the high mark allowed by the Cougars this year, which is 10.

Halftime Stats:

SWR Goals—

Anderson, 2 goals

Newman, 2 goals

Wiederkehr, 1 goal

Brosco, 1 goal

DeVito, 1 goal

DeLea, 1 goal

SWR Saves—

Verbeeck, 2

H-FL Goals—

Powell, 3 goals

Sarkis, 1 goal

Legrett, 1 goal

Willison, 1 goal

H-FL Saves—

Stankaitis, 6

.................................

2nd HALF

The opening draw of the second half goes to Shoreham.

A yellow card on HFL has the Wildcats with a man-advantage with 24:48.

9-6. Anderson scores right away as the Wildcats equal their biggest lead again at 24:43.

Verbeeck with a save on a free position and the Wildcats come the other way.

A DeVito goal is waved off for a charge at 17:35. But SWR gets it back.

The pace has slowed here with under 14:00 to play.

Falls is in transition and Powell misses a golden opportunity one-on-one with Verbeeck. She simply lost control of the ball before she could shoot.

The clock stops at 12:41 as Codi Mullen is down on the turf. Trainer's come out to check on her.

She's being carried off the field. She's hobbling off without putting any pressure on her left leg. So we hope she's OK and can maybe come back in the final minutes.

10-6 Wiederkehr scores in front on an assist from Anderson with 12:15 to go and the Wildcats have their biggest lead.

Falls gets the draw and needs to get something going right away. But Franck forces a turnover, scoops a ground ball and the Wildcats clear.

11-6. Wiederkehr scores again on a feed from DeVito with 11:30 to go. But another SWR player is down on the ground. It's Brosco and she is able to walk off the field on her own.

11-7. Powell scores right off the draw to get the Cougars back into it. There's 11:08 to go.

Cougars win the draw.

Big save for Verbeeck at 10:50.

Another save for Verbeeck on a low shot. Wildcats looking to clear. Newman brings it across midfield and the Wildcats set up. SWR turns it over and Falls has it under 7:30 to play.

Verbeeck denies another shot. Wildcats come the other way.

12-7. Wiederkehr scores her third straight for SWR at 6:38 on a feed from Brosco.

Time-out on the field.

SWR wins the draw with Anderson. The Wildcats can't score and Falls clears the other way.

12-8 The Cougars inch closer with 5:36 to play on a goal by Powell.

We're approaching the 4 minute mark. Wildcats ball.

13-8 DeVito with a nice spin in front and she bounces the ball in with 3:51 to go. Give the assist to Ali Davis.

Wildcats get in on a turnover but then give it right back with under 2:20 to go.

Now SWR ball with 2:00 to go.

13-9 Powell scores her sixth with 1:22 to go.

Time-out on the field with 1:22.

Wildcats win the draw and will look to kill the clock on a third straight state title.

But Falls forces a turnover and charges the other way.

13-10 Legrett scores with :51 but is there enough time for Falls? Doesn't look like it.

Falls wins the draw for a little intrigue in the final minute.

13-11 Here's another goal! Maier scores off the draw off an assist from Willison with :38 to go.

Falls drives but the ball ends in Verbeeck's stick and that's it.

SWR 13, H-FL 11

FINAL SCORE

LIVE: Class C State Semifinals

2009-06-12T09:02:00.056-04:00

Game time for the Class C state semifinals between Shoreham-Wading River and Carthage is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Both teams are on the field warming up and after a lot rain fell last night, it looks to be OK this morning. It's an overcast sky, but nothing that looks too threatening.

The Wildcats haven't played many games this early and I'd guess neither has Carthage. It'll be interesting to see if the early start has any effect. I'm sure at this point in the season both teams are ready to go even if they started the game at 2 a.m.

The first half of the semifinals last year was the toughest stretch the Wildcats had in Cortland last year. The Wildcats have been able to come back when needed, but they'd be smart not to fall behind again. Especially against a Carthage team that has put up huge offensive numbers this year.

The starting lineups:

SWR—

Attack: Megan Gersbeck, Codi Mullen, Jen DeVito, Rachel Wiederkehr

Middies: Chelsey Newman, Kate Brosco, Steph Anderson

Defense: Isabelle Mahoney, Julie Hudecek, Alex Franck, Sam Villafranca

Goalie: Michelle Verbeeck

Carthage—

Attack: Katie Ferris, Alexis Egeberg

Middies: Kailah Kempney, Megan Serota, Emily Sauter, Gabrielle Kamide, Amy Tiernan, Katherine Deronda

Defense: Joelle Percy, Olivia Roggie, Kara Fahsel

Goalie: Ellyse Richardson

Well, only two players were announced as attack for Carthage, so we'll see who else ends up playing there...

...................................

We're ready for the opening draw. It'll be Steph Anderson against Katie Ferris. The draw goes to SWR.

1-0 Right off the draw the Wildcats score on a goal by Chelsey Newman at 24:50. Wow.

2-0. Jen DeVito scores in front and the Wildcats are rolling to start. The goal at 24:33.

Carthage wins its first draw and sets up possession. Villafranca forces a turnover and the Wildcats get the ball.

Brosco turns it over at 23:12.

2-1 Ferris scores in front in transition on a feed from Gabrielle Kamide at 23:00

Carthage takes its second draw.

2-2 Katherine Deronda splits two defenders and scores to tie the game at 21:58

Carthage takes the next draw.

3-2 Carthage. Ferris scores on a feed from Deronda at 21:47.

4-2. Right off the draw Ferris scores again at 21:38.

The Wildcats get possession after Carthage loses it out of bounds after the draw.

The Wildcats hit back-to-back pipes. Both Wiederkehr sisters hit the right post.

4-3. Brittany DeLea scores on a free position to get the Wildcats back within one at 19:38

Carthage takes the draw.

5-3. Ferris drills a shot on the free position a step in for her fourth goal at 18:57.

5-4. Anderson scores in front on a feed from Rachel Wiederkehr who caused a turnover and kept the ball in bounds off the endline at 18:14

Wildcats win the draw and set up possession.

5-5. DeVito scores in front on an assist from DeLea at 17:38.

Comets on the draw. Verbeeck makes her first save of the game at 16:55.

6-5 SWR. Brosco scores on the free position at 16:00.

Amy Tiernan with a great play on defense to force a turnover with under 13:10 to play.

Comets turn it over on the other end and the Wildcats clear.

7-5. Anderson scores on a free position at 11:43.

Verbeeck with a great save in front at 10:35.

Ferris has gotten some good looks in front but has missed high or wide on a couple shots.

Wildcats turn it over and the Comets are coming the other way. The scoring has finally slowed a tad from the electric start.

Verbeeck with her third save at under 9:00. She's come up big after allowing the initial string of goals.

Verbeeck with back-to-back saves and she's been the difference so far.

7-6 Ferris scores in transition on a feed from Kamide at 4:40.

The Wildcats win the draw.

Anderson on a drive to the cage gets hit and she's down and slow to get up.

She takes a few deep breaths and will stay on the field. It's Carthage ball, however.

The Wildcats force a turnover when Carthage's goalie throws away a clearing pass.

8-6. Wiederkehr scores a super quick shot on an assist from Newman at 1:27

Carthage goalie comes up with her first save in the final seconds.

That's halftime:

SWR 8, Carthage 6

The winner of this game will face Honeoye Falls-Lima, which leads Nyack 13-2 at halftime.

Halftime Tally:

SWR Goals:

Anderson, 2 goals

DeVito, 2 goals

Newman, 1 goal, 1 assist

DeLea, 1 goal

Wiederkehr, 1 goal, 1 assist

Brosco, 1 goal

Carthage:

Ferris, 5 goals

Deronda, 1 goal, 1 assist

Kamide, 2 assists

..................................

2nd Half

Wildcats win the opening draw.

9-6. Wiederkehr scores again in front on an assist from Brosco and the Wildcats have their biggest lead of the game at 24:01.

Verbeeck with her first save on Kempney.

10-6. DeVito scores to put the Wildcats ahead by four on a feed from Wiederkehr.

The Comets need a time-out. Carthage hasn't substituted at all that I can recall, so the Wildcats depth should wear the Comets down here in the second half. We've seen it time and time again. Carthage's goalie has struggled so far and the backup, Valerie McGuire, a freshman, is warming up.

10-7. Ferris leaps in front and almost slam-dunks the ball into the cage on a feed from Kamide at 21:55.

Wildcats win the draw, their third of the second half.

Big save against Anderson and the Comets are flying the other way. But Verbeeck comes up with a save the other way.

Mahoney with a great play on defense to force a turnover at 18:20.

11-7. Wiederkehr scores on a feed from Anderson as Vlahakis screamed "Rachel!" as the play developed. There's 17:49 to go.

It's the Wildcats on the draw.

12-7. DeVito scores what might be a back-breaker as she catches a feed on the left side off a free position from Wiederkehr at 17:12.

Wildcats win the draw.

13-7. Anderson scores on a free position and the Wildcats are starting to run away with it now. There's 16:31 to go.

14-7. Brosco scores on the free position and the Wildcats have doubled Carthage with 15:32 to go.

The Comets have pulled their goalie and it'll be McGuire in.

Carthage gets the draw, only its second of the second half.

14-8. Ferris scores on a feed from Deronda at 14:21. That's her seventh goal.

The Wildcats have outscored the Comets 6-2 in the second half.

SWR will call a time-out at 14:21.

Verbeeck makes her ninth save at 13:51. She then makes a save on a low shot on the free position by Kempney.

15-8 DeVito scores on a free position feed from Newman, just like earlier when she connected with Wiederkehr. 12:39 to play.

Ferris gets a yellow card at 12:28.

16-8 DeLea scores unassisted at 12:12.

17-8 Brosco with a great shot inside the top-left corner at 11:58

17-9 Deronda scores at 11:41

Draw goes to SWR.

18-9. Anderson scores on the free position at 10:53 and that equals the most goals Carthage has allowed this season.

19-9 DeVito scores on a low roller after catching the feed in front from Brosco at 9:29. We're into running time.

Wiederkehr gets whistled for a yellow at 8:46.

Vlahakis has put in a lot of the bench players to get everyone some experience on the big stage.

19-10. Tiernan scores on a feed from behind the cage from Kamide at 6:11.

19-11. Kempney scores at 3:34

Verbeeck will take a seat for Sara Bates and leaves to a loud ovation from the SWR fans.

20-11. Corinne Wiederkehr scores her first on a feed from Caitlin King at 3:03

21-11 Gersbeck scores her first after the ball was initially saved but it bounced out of the goalie's stick and went in. This is the most goals they've scored this season.

LIVE: L.I. Class C Finals

2009-06-09T14:35:00.054-04:00

It's time for the Class C Long Island championship between defending state champion Mount Sinai and Manhasset. The opening face-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.

The Mustangs, coming off a win against John Glenn last Thursday, have their hands full against a very talented Manhasset team that comes in as the favorite. The Indians are the No. 1 ranked team in the state in Class C with a 17-1 record. Their only loss came against Comsewogue in non-league back in April, 11-10, in overtime.

Last year the Mustangs' defense overwhelmed Cold Spring Harbor, and while their defense is strong again, it'll be a lot tougher this year against Manhasset. The Mustangs don't have much depth and were able to overcome it against Glenn in the finals. We'll see if they can do it again.

...............................

Manhasset has a number of offensive weapons, led by senior attack Connor English. He has 65 goals on the season with 16 assists. The Indians have seven additional players with double figure goals this year.

The starters for Manhasset:

Attack: Zac Koufakis, Kevin Heenan, Connor English

Middies: Drew Belinsky, Jeff Izzo, Jeff Molinari

Defense: Brad Cappellini, Kevin Coleman

Goalie: Jack Meyer

Mount Sinai:

Attack: Chad Marino, Jon Hoeg, Ryan Maurer

Middies: James Dawson, Shane Henry, Joe Bongiorno

Defense: Casey Stroh, Connor McPartland, Connor Stroh

Goalie: Matt Poillon

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The opening face-off goes to Mount Sinai.

The Mustangs are off to a deliberate start here offensively and Joe Bongiorno fires the first shot and misses. But the Mustangs regain possession. Hoeg also gets a good shot that doesn't get through and the Indians set up their first possession with under 10:00 to play in the first quarter.

Drew Belinsky fires a shot that's saved by Poillon, his first attempt.

Poillon makes his second save, this time on English. Good start for the Mount Sinai sophomore.

A fastbreak for Manhasset is converted by Kevin Heenan from Jeff Izzo with 7:24 to play.

1-0 Manhasset.

2-0. Manhasset's English makes it 2-0 with an unassisted goal with 7:06 to play.

Manhasset turns it over on a stall. They take it out of the box and must give it back to Mount Sinai. But the Indians come right back the other way. Poillon makes a save on Heenan, his third of the game.

2-1. Bongiorno puts the Mustangs on the board with a shot from the right side that snuck inside the left post with 4:51 to go.

Another save by Poillon, who's had a terrific start to the first quarter.

3-1 Zac Koufakis scores on a feed from Izzo with 2:31 to play.

The Indians win the next face-off. They've been dominant so far.

Poillon makes his fifth save with 2:00 to play.

4-1. Glen Tompkins scores his first goal on a feed from Koufakis with :58.3 to play.

That's the end of the first quarter. It's 4-1 Manhasset. The Indians had 8 shots on goal compared to 1 for Mount Sinai. Manhasset had 15 shots total.

..................................

Manhasset controls the face-off of the second quarter.

We have our first penalty of the game. Mount Sinai's Henry gets called for a cross-check with 10:45 to play. He'll sit for a minute.

Poillon makes a save on English and then clears it across midfield, but he loses it out of bounds and the Indians take over. There's 10:08 to play.

The Mustangs kill off the man advantage.

The Indians turn it over and the Mustangs take over with 9:15 to play.

Mount Sinai calls its first time-out with 8:52 to go. There's also a penalty on Heenan for offside. It's a 30-sec. penalty.

4-2. Bongiorno slices the Manhasset lead, scoring off a feed from Chad Marino with 8:27 to go.

5-2. A great feed from English to Molinari makes it 5-2.

6-2. Right off the face-off the Indians strike again. This time it's Heenan from Koufakis at 7:07.

Poillon nearly scored a goal. He charged straight toward the goal on a clear and fired a shot that missed with under 6:00 to go.

A penalty on Brad Cappellini for a slash with 4:51 to go. It's a one-minute penalty. Let's see if Mount Sinai can convert.

6-3. Henry converts right away with his first goal on a feed from Ryan Maurer at 4:45.

It's a 9-2 lead for the Indians on face-offs behind Ricky Buhr.

Mount Sinai goes back on the man advantage after another slash penalty at 3:40.

The Mustangs will call a time-out and try to set up a big possession here, down by three.

6-4. Another goal for Mount Sinai and it's Ray Diaz cutting in front, catching a feed from Marino at 3:10. Just like that it's two-goal game.

The Indians turn it over right away and the Mustangs will try to cut it to one.

6-5. Bongiorno converts another tough shot, this time from the right side, he bounces it in just inside the left post. Henry gets the assist and we've got a ball game! The goal comes at 2:20.

The Indians get the face-off. A shot by Molinari is wide right and Poillon controls it. Hoeg gets pushed in transition but there's no call. The Indians control and Poillon makes a great save on English. It's Mount Sinai back the other way.

The Mustangs turn it over at :9.1

Poillon makes save, his eighth of the half, to end the second quarter.

END 2: Manhasset 6, Mount Sinai 5

The Mustangs trailed by four in this game at 6-2 before ending the half with three goals. The Mustangs held the Indians scoreless over the final 7:07.

Some halftime stats:

Face-offs: Manhasset 11, Mount Sinai 2

Shots: Manhasset 24, Mount Sinai 12

Saves: Poillon 8, Meyer 0

Ground Balls: Manhasset 20, Mount Sinai 7

..................................

Great first half for the underdog Mustangs. Now we're ready for the third quarter.

Manhasset gets the opening face-off.

7-5 English with a great move around the cage skips a shot in to give the Indians a two-goal lead at 10:18.

The Mustangs turn it over but then get it back in Manhasset territory.

A shot by English is saved at 7:10 by Poillon. Manhasset has the ball. Connor Stroh is guarding English.

8-5 English scores his third and it's back to a three-goal lead at 6:47

Henry has a shot saved at 6:08 as he charged down the middle. It's his first save of the game.

Henry hits the cross-bar at 4:30 after a great spin move.

Mustangs turn it over after a solid defensive stand by the Indians.

9-5 AJ Diaz scores at the buzzer on a feed from English. A real tough way to end the third quarter as the Indians equal their biggest lead of the game.

END 3: Manhasset 9, Mount Sinai 5

.........................................

Manhasset wins the face-off and now holds a 14-3 advantage.

10-5. Koufakis rises high and scores his second to give the Indians their biggest lead of the game at 10:26. That's four straight Manhasset goals.

Drew Belinsky has a shot hit the right post for Manhasset at 8:45

Mount Sinai goes on the man advantage at 8:20 for a slash. The Mustangs are 3-for-3 on man-ups.

10-6. Bongiorno scores his fourth on a long shot off an assist from Marino at 7:48.

Mount Sinai calls time-out at 6:00. Time is running out. The Mustangs need a quick goal here coming out of the break to give themselves a chance at the comeback.

Mount Sinai loses it after the break and the Indians set up the other way looking to kill clock.

The Indians appear on their way to the state semifinals as we're under 4:00 to play. Manhasset still holds a four-goal lead.

Manhasset calls a time-out at 3:27 and that should be it.

FINAL SCORE: Manhasset 10, Mount Sinai 6

Live: Girls Lacrosse Long Island Championship

2009-06-06T15:36:00.065-04:00

We're here at Hofstra University where the Shoreham-Wading River girls lacrosse team is seeking its fourth straight Long Island championship. The Wildcats once again are playing the Manhasset Indians, who have been on the losing end of the last three meetings between the two schools.

A few notes before the game:

I spoke briefly with coach Bob Vlahakis and he said the girls are ready to go. Freshman Alyssa Fleming, who was injured at the end of the county championship game when struck by the stick of a Mount Sinai attacker on a shot attempt, had been cleared and is OK to go. Fleming plays on defense and while young, is an important member of that crew.

Another new face would can expect to see briefly is Ali Davis, a sophomore, who after a great preseason had a setback because of an injury that kept her out pretty much all year. Vlahakis said Codi Mullen has played a lot more in the midfield this year as opposed to attack to make up for Davis' absence. But Davis will get about a five-minute shift at some point today.

Another note: Manhasset only arrived on the field with about 15 minutes left on the clock before the announcements are scheduled to begin. Not sure if they delay in getting on the field will have any effect on the team. But the Wildcats were on the field for at least 15 more minutes warming up.

The crowd still filing in here at Hofstra. Only about 40 people in the bleachers with eight minutes to go before game-time.

As is always the case, the key for Shoreham is to win draws and maintain possessions. When the Wildcats have the ball, they will score often enough. The only way to beat the Wildcats is to have a lot more possessions and a lot more chances to score. Manhasset needs to get off to a fast start in this game I think.

We're mere moments away from the opening draw!

The opening draw will be between Stephanie Anderson and Ryan Wenk. It goes to Shoreham and we're off.

SWR turns it over on its first possession. Alex Franck intercepts a pass and shovels it over to Michelle Verbeeck in cage and the Wildcats are running. But the Wildcats turn it over themselves.

1-0 Manhasset, Wenk cuts across the middle, catches a feed and scores with 22:27 left.

Wildcats get the draw but turn it over again. Wildcats still have no shots.

2-0 Manhasset. Olivia Walters scores and it's the Indians ahead by two with 21:13 to play.

Wildcats win the draw behind Chelsey Newman. And Wenk gets whistled for a yellow card. Big call there. Let's see if the Wildcats can capitalize.

Wildcats immediately turn it over again. A nice play by Newman on defense has the Wildcats running. Kate Boden is fouled and will get the free position. Her shot is saved.

Verbeeck makes her first save with 19:45 to play.

There's an injury time-out with 19:14 to play. Manhasset's Jenny Vlahos is helped off the field slowly.

Manhasset has the ball and a 2-0 lead. Verbeeck makes her second save and the Wildcats turn it over yet again trying to clear.

With 17:55 to play Verbeeck makes another save and is keeping this game close for Shoreham. The turnovers continue to pile up for SWR.

Steph Anderson will get a free position shot and it's saved with 16:10 to play. Manhasset gets the ball.

Rachel Wiederkehr is denied on a free position and the Wildcats are 0-3 thus far.

Anderson gets hit hard, there's no call, and she's down on the ground. She'll slowly walk off the field and Kait Brosco hustles in to replace her.

Manhasset is playing very physical against Shoreham and it's working so far.

Another free position, this time Brittany DeLea, is saved.

Under 12 minutes to play and the Wildcats are still scoreless.

3-0 Wenk scores her second on a low shot to the left corner and the Indians are rolling now with the three-goal advantage. There's 11:18 to play.

Wildcats are 4-0 on draws but it hasn't helped yet.

Another turnover for SWR with under 9:00 to play.

4-0 Wenk scores off a feed from Allie Perez with 8:22 to play.

The Wildcats need a time-out as the Manhasset fans give a standing ovation to the Indians.

At this point the Wildcats simply need a goal to try to get on some kind of a roll. The Indians defense has been phenomenal thus far and has forced the Wildcats into a ton of turnovers. And the Wildcats are 0-4 on free position attempts. Hard to believe.

This is familiar for Manhasset. The Indians haven't allowed more than four goals in an opening half since Farmingdale scored six April 23.

Manhasset wins its first draw with about 8:00 to go.

Anderson has checked back in for SWR.

Megan Markham for Manhasset gets called for a yellow card with 6:42 to play.

4-1. Brosco finally gets SWR on the board with a bounced shot on a free position and it's 4-1 with 6:40 to play.

Manhasset wins the draw. Brosco forces a turnover then assists in front to Jen DeVito and the Wildcats are back.

4-2. DeVito from Brosco with 6:05 to play.

SWR wins the draw and will try to cut the deficit to one. But a turnover and the Indians control the other way.

5-2 Stephanie Shapiro scores and the Indians go back in front by two with 4:23.

The Wildcats win the draw and turn it over again.

The Wildcats will get possession with under 2:00 to play.

5-3. Anderson scores in front off a feed from DeVito with 1:13 to play.

Big draw coming up. If the Wildcats can get this to one before halftime they'll be feeling OK. But it's the Indians who come away with it.

Newman forces a turnover with :47.5 to play and gets it out to Brosco. The Wildcats can't score, however, and the Indians get it with under :30 to play. A turnover, though, and DeVito feeds to Rachel Wiederkehr.

5-4 Wiederkehr from DeVito. A huge goal before halftime.

At halftime it's Manhasset 5, SWR 4

To start the second half it'll be Anderson vs. Wenk on the draw. The Wildcats have not led in this game.

Vlahakis will keep Verbeeck in the game to start the second half.

We're waiting for the TV to finish up before the second half begins....

Actually now it's Wiederkehr on the draw. Manhasset controls it.

The Indians turn it over on their first possession.

5-5. DeVito scores off a feed from Brosco and just like that the game is tied. 23:09 to play.

Manhasset wins the draw. Verbeeck makes a save and the Wildcats are rolling the other way.

6-5 SWR. Anderson scores off a feed from DeVito and now the Wildcats have their first lead of the game with 22:01 to play.

Manhasset gets the draw and is 3-0 to start the second. The Indians are looking to answer what's been four straight SWR goals.

6-6 Kerri Fleishhacker scores on a free position to tie the game with 21:02 to play.

SWR wins the draw.

7-6. DeVito takes it herself down the left side and scores to put the Wildcats back ahead with 19:52 to play.

SWR wins the draw and sets up the offense.

A yellow card on Manhasset and it's Maggie Reichenbach with 18:32 to play

SWR turns it over in front and the Indians clear with under 18:00 to play.

Jenny Vlahos loses it to Fleming and the Wildcats clear it.

8-6 Anderson scores down the middle off a feed from Codi Mullen and the Wildcats have their biggest lead of the game with 15:52 to play.

9-6. Wildcats win the draw behind Newman and DeVito charges down the middle and scores her fourth of the game with 15:43 to play. Brosco caught the feed on the draw and passed it to DeVito.

SWR wins another draw.

10-6 Wiederkehr scores on a free position and the Wildcats are dominating the action now with 14:50 to play.

This matches the biggest lead for either team. Since Manhasset led 4-0 it's been SWR outscoring the Indians 10-2.

11-6 Brosco bounced in a shot from about 10 yards and the Wildcats are pulling away now with 13:45 to play.

11-7 The Indians get back on the board with Fleishhacker scoring with 12:06 to play.

12-7 Brosco scores on the free position and it's the Wildcats back in front by five with 9:43 to play.

12-8 Wenk scores from Fleishhacker with 7:03 to play.

With under 4:00 to play the Wildcats are on their way back to Cortland.

I'm headed down to the field for the final minute.

Back with a final score in a bit.

12-8 IS THE FINAL

SWR OVER MANHASSET

LIVE: Boys Class C County Finals

2009-06-04T15:18:00.030-04:00

Just arrived at Stony Brook for the Class C county championship after putting together Friday's paper that hits newstands tomorrow.

Mount Sinai currently holds a 4-3 lead in the first quarter after coming back from early 3-1 deficit.

Mount Sinai has a two-man advantage with under 3:45 to play. They score on a goal by Joe Bongiorno to go ahead 5-3 with 3:35 to play.

John Glenn cuts it to 5-4 with 1:40 to play.

To open the second half Jon Hoeg scores to put the Mustangs ahead 6-4 with 11:38 to play.

Mount Sinai goes a man-down for 30 seconds on a Hoeg penalty. Ken Meinsen scores on a tough shot assisted by Matt Gannon to make it 6-5 with 10:46 to play.

Bongiorno forces a turnover and the Mustangs clear and set up possession with under 10 to play. A low shot by James Dawson is saved at 9:15 and Glenn takes over.

Donald Brown catches a feed to the left of the cage from Nick Meinsen and scores to tie the game with 7:31 to play.

Mount Sinai wins the face-off and Chad Marino scores on an assist from Hoeg, who had the ground ball off the face-off. It's 7-6 Mount Sinai with 7:22 to play.

Time-out on the field with 4:55 to play. Still 7-6 Mount Sinai.

The pace has slowed here. Mount Sinai calls a time-out even as a potential fast-break was developing. There's 2:41 left in the second quarter.

Henry scoops a ground ball in front of the cage and whips in to give the Mustangs an 8-6 lead with 1:50 to play.

Mount Sinai goes on a man-advantage with 1:10 to play for one minute after an illegal body check. The Mustangs turn it over and Glenn calls time-out with :58 to play.

Henry had a great chance in transition in the final seconds of the second quarter but shot was wide left on the bounce. Hoeg gets whistled for a push, 30 second, with :1.7 to go. He's shaken up on the play and is being helped off the field.

That's halftime: Mount Sinai 8, John Glenn 6

Glenn strikes right away with a goal by Tom Forsberg assisted by Matt Gannon to make it 8-7 with 11:43 to play.

Bongiorno scores off an assist from Ryan Maurer and it's 9-7 with 10:24 to play.

A Glenn penalty is on Joseph Gannon for a slash with 8:24 to play. Big possession for Mount Sinai holding a two-goal lead. Henry converts a long shot off a feed from Hoeg and the Mustangs have their biggest lead of the game. It's 10-7 with 7:38 to play.

Gannon scores on a bounced shot that sneaks its way into the cage after coming up and hitting the crossbar and falling in to make it 10-8 with 5:40 to go.

Glenn gets the face-off on an illegal procedure.

John Glenn goes a man-down with 3:30 to play on a trip.

Bongiorno makes it a three-goal lead again after converting a feed from the left side from Henry. It's 11-8 Mount Sinai with 2:46 to play.

At the end of the third quarter it's Mount Sinai 11, John Glenn 8

Opening face-off goes to John Glenn in the fourth.

The scoring has really slowed since a back-and-forth opening quarter. We have a time-out with 4:59 to play and Mount Sinai still holding a three-goal lead.

Henry hits the left post with 4:10 to go but Mount Sinai regains possession. A push gives it back to Glenn, which needs a goal fast with under 3:30 to play.

With 1:56 to play there's a time-out by Mount Sinai. Poillon came out of the cage to scoop a ground ball and carried it to near midfield before dumping it off. Barring a meltdown in the final two minutes, the Mustangs are on their way to a second straight county title and date with a powerhouse Manhasset team Tuesday back here at Stony Brook.

Mount Sinai turns it over with 1:06 to play. But the Mustangs regain it momentarily. Casey Stroh comes up with a big ground ball and the Mustangs clear with under :40 to play.

FINAL SCORE: MOUNT SINAI 11, JOHN GLENN 8

LIVE: Girls Lax County Finals

2009-06-03T14:57:00.064-04:00

Now it's time for Rocky Point vs Sayville. The rain has slowed and it looks like we should get through this game without a hitch. Keep your fingers crossed.

Northport just won a thriller in the Class A game, coming from one goal down late to win it in the final seconds. We'll see if this game can match the excitement.

Draw control so important in girls lacrosse, was key for the Eagles in their regular season win. The Eagles jumped out to an 8-1 lead by controlling possession. If they can do that tonight they'll be on their way to a rematch with Garden City for the Long Island title Saturday.

It'll be Abigail Ross for Rocky Point against Kathrin Gallo for Sayville on the draw. Sayville wins it. DePompeo drives down field to start the game and feeds Emily Meier for the goal.

1-0 Sayville, 24:25. Meier from DePompeo

1-1. Caitlin Gargan weaves down the middle and scores to tie the game with 21:01 left.

Rocky Point defender Sara Davis gets whistled for a yellow card with 19:31 left. Gallo gets a free position shot and pulls it back out. A shot by Meier is saved by Rocky Point goalie Julie Nolan, her second of the game.

Another great save by Nolan as O'Reilly wrapped around the cage with under 18:00 to play.

2-1 Sayville. Connie Neilsen scores to put Sayville back ahead with 16:46 to play.

This game has not started the way Rocky Point would have hoped in terms of possession. It's been all Sayville with the ball.

3-1. DePompeo catches a feed in front of the cage from Meier, spins around a defender and puts it home with 15:11 to play.

Another yellow card for Rocky Point and it looks like Davis again, her second.

4-1 Gallo scores in transition from Kelly Santangelo after a Rocky Point turnover and the Golden Flashes are dominating play. The Eagles need a timeout with 12:32 to play.

Sayville wins another draw and the Flashes are back in the offensive zone.

5-1 Jordan Lite scores from a feed from Arielle Theofield and the Eagles are in serious trouble with 11:25 to play.

Sayville wins another draw and has a 5-2 advantage.

6-1 Lite scores again from Meier and now the Eagles are in danger of getting blown out here. There's 10:33 to play and it's been all Sayville.

On defense the Eagles are getting whistled for a lot of fouls.

7-1 DePompeo converts on a free position with 9:54 left.

This is the worst I've seen Rocky Point get handled in a game since Northport dominated the Eagles in a regular season game last year.

DePompeo got whacked pretty hard on the goal and has to come out of the game.

Come to think of it, this also pretty reminiscent to the Garden City game in the LIC last year.

Rocky Point needs to get this deficit down before halftime to a manageable margin.

Sayville's Olivia Cabral gets whistled for a yellow with 6:15 to play.

7-2 Jessica Hassett storms down field to finally score for the Eagles with 1:07 to play and halt the Sayville momentum.

Nolan makes a huge save in the final 10 seconds on a free position to keep the score at 7-2.

The key for Sayville that half was draw control. It's been a problem in the playoffs for Rocky Point in years past and it's currently an 8-2 advantage for the Golden Flashes. If that doesn't change dramatically in the second half, the Eagles are going home.

The good news is Rocky Point held Sayville scoreless the final 9:54 of the half so perhaps the Eagles have gotten their defense together. But the first half was the exact opposite of the regular season meeting between the teams. In that game DePompeo and O'Reilly never seemed to have the ball. This time the same can be said for Mupo and Ross for Rocky Point.

As the second half begins it'll be Aimee Capps on the draw for Rocky Point as the Eagles look the shake things up.

Gallo won the draw easily but the Flashes turned it over to start.

8-2 Theofield converts the free position and the Flashes are back in front by six with 21:23 left.

Another yellow on Rocky Point. This time it's Gargan.

8-3 Mazzeo scores the first second-half goal for Rocky Point with 15:58 to play.

Sayville wins yet another draw and regains possession.

Another yellow and this time it's on the Rocky Point coach.

A shot by Mupo, her first in a long time is saved with under 13:00 to play.

Another yellow card by Rocky Point and now it's Ross with 10:29 to play.

8-4 Mazzeo scores and Rocky Point needs to win every draw from here on out. There's 8:12 to play.

The Eagles will try Gargan on the draw this time. Sayville wins it after a long run for a ground ball...

Now it's Haley Sachnez for Rocky Point with a yellow card.

We're under 4 minutes to play and Sayville appears on its way to a county title.

8-5 Mercier scores to cut it to three with 3:05 to play.

Sayville will call a time-out, but with the way the Flashes have dominated the draws, it's hard to envision Rocky Point getting enough possessions to tie the game with so little time left. If they can win this draw, though, it could be an interesting finish.

Sayville wins the draw and sets up possession looking to kill clock.

Gargan gets another yellow, her second. She's done.

8-6: Hassett flies down field and skips a shot in to make it a two-goal game with :59.3 to play.

Sayville wins the draw again and the Flashes are moments away from wrapping it up.

Another yellow on Rocky Point and it's Tracey Wandle.

8-7 Capps scores from Ross with 4:0 to go but only four seconds remain!

Sayville hangs on and wins it 8-7

It was the first county title in school history for the Sayville girls.

..................................................

Live here from Dowling College for the girls lacrosse county championships starting with Class C: Shoreham-Wading River vs. Mount Sinai.

The teams are both being announced to the crowd and we're moments away from the start. Shoreham is seeking its sixth straight county title and fourth straight against Mount Sinai.

The Cablevision TV crew is here, first time I can remember a television crew covering a game on Long Island. I guess it goes to show the growing popularity of girls lacrosse. So keep in mind to look out for the game on TV whenever it's available.

The opening draw is Erin Fitzgerald for Mount Sinai against Stephanie Anderson for Shoreham.

Brittany DeLea is opening the game guarding Fitzgerald. I'm sure she'll see a lot of different people on her throughout the game. Kaitlyn Brosco did a great job against Fitzgerald in the county finals last year.

But she couldn't stop Fitzgerald on her first shot as she scores to put Mount Sinai ahead 1-0 with 22:03 left.

1-1. Brosco comes in, immediately catches a feed from Chelsey Newman and scores with 20:10 left.

2-1 SWR. Anderson charges down the middle after the draw and scores unassisted.

3-1 SWR. Anderson converts on a free position with 19:08 left.

Shoreham is 4-1 on draws so far. If you can't win draws against the Wildcats, you don't win.

4-1 SWR. Newman from Rachel Wiederkehr and the Wildcats are cruising with 18:12 left.

5-1 SWR. DeLea bangs in a free position with 12:33 left.

Mount Sinai is struggling winning draws and clearing. The ground balls are all going to Shoreham.

6-1 SWR. Anderson charges down the middle again and scores on a low shot to the right corner with 10:23 left. Mount Sinai calls its first time-out.

Mount Sinai wins the draw, its first in a long time and only second of the game.

Brosco just got called for a yellow card with 9:17 left.

7-1 SWR. Anderson converts again, this time from a feed behind the cage by Kate Boden with 5:53 left.

Fitzgerald scores her second on a free position to break a 7-0 run. But a stick violation has nullified the goal. Shoreham gets possession.

8-1 SWR. Brosco scores again, this time on a feed from behind the cage from Jen DeVito, her first assist with 1:53 left.

9-1 SWR. Wiederkehr scores on a free position and the Wildcats are in full control with :39 left in the half.

9-2. Fitzgerald scores on a free position and this time it counts with :28 left.

At the end of the half it's all SWR, 9-2

As the rain falls here at Dowling, the second half begins with Anderson winning the draw for Shoreham.

Mount Sinai has two yellow cards to open the second half.

10-2. DeVito scores on a feed from DeLea in transition with 20:04 to play.

10-3. Fitzgerald scores on a terrific move down the left side. She ripped a rocket to the low right corner with 19:25 left.

11-3. Brosco scores right off the draw on a feed from DeVito to quickly halt any Mount Sinai momentum.

12-3. Wiederkehr converts a free position and now we're one goal away from running time with 16:03 left.

12-4. Fitzgerald scores her fourth with 14:38 left. It's Fitzgerald or nothing for Mount Sinai.

13-4. DeVito caught a great feed high from Anderson and whipped it low into the cage with 11:57 left.

13-5. The first goal for Mount Sinai other than from Fitzgerald is scored by Catie Faulkner with 10:55 left.

13-6. Danielle DellaRocca, an eighth-grader, scores on a free position with 9:45 left.

14-6. Anderson again scores as the Wildcats are 4:38 away from another title.

Fitzgerald gets a yellow with 2:37 left on a hit to Alyssa Fleming, who's down on the field.

15-6. DeVito scores in transition from Brosco with 2:19 left.

With the win Shoreham advances to play Manhasset, surprise, surprise, Saturday in the Long Island championship at Hofstra. It'll be the sixth straight meeting between the two schools with Shoreham holding a 3-2 edge.

The final from Dowling is SWR 15, Mount Sinai 6.

Nice start for baseball teams

2009-03-30T19:59:00.004-04:00

The league season got under way today for local baseball teams and three came away with victories. Rocky Point earned a 9-1 win against East Hampton, Miller Place beat Shoreham-Wading River, 7-1, and Longwood blanked Patchogue-Medford, 8-0.

The Eagles have gotten off to a strong start with three wins and no losses. They beat Comsewogue and Mount Sinai in non-league. Pitcher Tim Popko is already 2-0 on the year and won the league opener Monday with a complete game and six K's. Phil Rado has been red hot at the plate. Against Comsewogue he had three hits, against Mount Sinai he hit a 2-run homer for the team's only runs and against East Hampton he went 4-4 with two doubles and four RBIs. Now that's how you start a baseball season!

The Panthers won on the back of their ace, Thor Miller. That was a tough way for the Wildcats to have to start the season on a chilly, windy afternoon against a hard-throwing lefty. The next two games should be pretty competitive. Shoreham needs to make sure its gets at least one of the next two. In a league this competitive, starting 0-3 is far from ideal.

For the Lions they picked up a real nice win against the Raiders. As expected, the Raiders did not go with ace Marcus Stroman for the opener. With the win, behind a shutout by Jimmy Knudsen, the Lions are in good shape to get two of three in the series. That would be a perfect way for the Lions to open in League I, where plenty of tough games lie ahead.

David Wright mustache?

2009-03-24T11:05:00.004-04:00

In speaking with Shoreham baseball coach Sal Mignano today, he mentioned how his son and friend started a Web site dedicated to David Wright growing a mustache. The site launched last week and has gained serious traction. ESPN's Bill Simmons mentioned it on his podcast Monday and the folks at SNY have been in contact with them for an interview. Blogs across the world wide web have picked up on the site. The power of the Internet never ceases to amaze.

So to join the cause, check out www.thewrightstache.com

Personally, I have to say it's a brilliant idea. More mustaches the better.

About a year back in a column I handed out an award for best local mustache. It went to Tom Rotanz, SWR lacrosse coach. If I were to do it again, at this time, it might have to go to Longwood wrestling coach Ethan Prifte (below, left). His fu manchu is a sight to behold!

New look to Sun Sports

2009-03-13T13:44:00.002-04:00

If you haven't picked up a copy of this week's North Shore Sun, this is how the new back page looks this week. As part of an overall redesign we've been working on for close to a year, the sports section now begins on the back page, similar to the tabloids like Newsday and the Daily News. This guarantees a color page every week and an easier way for readers to find the sports.

If you have any comments on the new look, fell free to comment. We'll still be working to tweak certain things over the next three months or so. I hope everyone enjoys!

Video: Lions lose in title game

2009-03-09T17:11:00.001-04:00

Longwood hoops fans may not want to watch this, but here it is, highlights from the Class AA county championship:

State Track Results

2009-03-07T19:43:00.004-05:00

Here are local results from today's state championship in track and field in Ithaca.

Boys 3,200

1. Bobby Andrews, SWR, 9:13.67

19. Kyle Wightman, SWR, 9:50.29

Boys 1,600

2. Bobby Andrews, SWR, 4:20.65

Boys Triple Jump

11. Dannie Holland, Longwood, 43-05 1/2

Girls 1,500

3. Janie Turek, MS, 2:56.96

Girls 600

21. Jenny Johnston, Longwood, 1:40.72

Girls 55 Hurdles

Semifinals

14. Kayla Murphy, Longwood, 8.64

Girls 300

Preliminaries

9. Janet Mellor, MS, 40.85

Girls Shot Put

5. Ashley Clasen, SWR, 39-06 3/4

Girls Pole Vault

17. Christi Nassauer, MS, 9-00

Complete results are available here.

Video: Lions defeat Bay Shore

2009-03-06T14:27:00.001-05:00

The Longwood boys hoops team defeated Bay Shore in the semifinals and will take on North Babylon for the county title tonight.

Lions fans should come out in full force tonight at Farmingdale State. The Lions have only won one county title in their history and could make it two tonight.

College lax season begins

2009-03-04T22:36:00.005-05:00

While snow still covers the ground on Long Island, college lacrosse teams are playing games across the country. There are obviously numerous local athletes, boys and girls, playing at some of the top programs. Throughout the season I'll try to keep tabs here on how some of the lax stars are doing.

One name that jumps out in girls lacrosse is Colleen McCaffrey, who starred at Mount Sinai. She's playing at Hopkins and has gotten off to a terrific start in her freshman year. She already has seven goals and one assist for the No. 14 team in the nation. She has a team-high 14 shots for Hopkins, which is 2-2.

McCaffrey scored once in Hopkins' 18-9 win today against Cincinnati.

Rocky Point graduate Brianne LoManto has seen limited action in goal for the defending national champions, Northwestern. She's played in four games and has totaled 34 minutes of action. She's stopped four shots while giving up three goals. As a freshman she'll be a backup to starter Morgan Lathrop. Northwestern is 5-0 and has outscored opponents 99-34.

145 Consolation: Volpe vs. Tompkins

2009-03-02T22:02:00.002-05:00

Rocky Point junior Anthony Volpe placed third in the state at 145 by winning this match against Ryan Tompkins.

189 Semifinal: Buonaiuto pinned

2009-03-02T17:29:00.002-05:00

You don't see this very often. In fact, only once before. But Zach Buonaiuto was pinned in the 189 semifinals by Matt Loew of Wantagh. Buonaiuto settled for fifth place for the second straight year.

215 State Final: James vs. Butler

2009-03-01T17:08:00.002-05:00

Longwood senior Ernest James won a 4-0 decision against Steven Butler in the 215-pound finals of the New York State wrestling championship.

135 State Final: Dutton vs. Lenzi

2009-03-01T16:07:00.002-05:00

Rocky Point junior Stephen Dutton won a 10-1 major decision against Fordham Prep's Andrew Lenzi at 135 pounds in the state finals.

119 State Final: Keith vs. Flamio

2009-03-01T14:48:00.002-05:00

Steven Keith wins a 6-4 overtime decision in the 119-pound finals of the state championship.

LIVE: State Finals

2009-02-28T17:05:00.034-05:00

215 pounds
ERNEST JAMES (LW) vs. STEVEN BUTLER (PORT JERVIS)

1st Period
Scoreless period
2nd Period: James gets two on back points.
3rd Period: James gets a reversal for a 4-0 lead and he hangs on to win it.
James wins his first state title. James was in control throughout the match and Butler never got a good shot in. A great way for James to end his high school career, bringing back a state title to a school that was won a ton over the years.

....................

160 Pounds
T.J. NEIDHART (SWR) vs. JAMES BRUNDAGE (OSSINING)

1st Period:
Neidhart falls behind 6-1. He got taken down plus two back points. Then a reversal at the end.
2nd Period:
Neidhart falls behind 13-3 and is in serious trouble. He needs a dramatic turnaround in the final period.
3rd Period:
Neidhart rallies late but it's not enough. He falls 17-10 to place second, his best finish in his career.

.......................

135 Pounds
STEPHEN DUTTON vs. ANDREW LENZI

1st period:
Dutton jumps out to a 7-1 lead.
2nd Period:
He maintains the 7-1 lead going into the third.
3rd Period:
Delayed because of some blood on the mat. But Dutton is in full control of the action. He'll star the third on bottom.
Dutton pulls it out with no problem, 10-1, for his first state championship. He caps off his season with an undefeated record and beats the defending state champion in the finals. After after disappointing state tournament last year, Dutton makes no mistakes this year. He is the 2008-09 135-pound State Champion.

.......................

119 Pounds
STEVEN KEITH (SWR) vs. JUSTIS FLAMIO (MAHOPAC)

1st period:
Keith gets a takedown for a 2-0 lead.
2nd Period:
Not good for Keith. He gets reversed and it's 2-2.
3rd period:
Keith goes ahead late 4-2 but gets reversed with :07 to go forcing overtime.
OT:
Keith gets the two with :31 left in OT for the State title. Wow. A very, very close match and Keith pulled it off to become a two-time state champion.

Keith finishes off the year undefeated and avenged his loss last year in the state semifinals. While Keith and Flamio don't see each other that often, the stakes are always extremely high when they do and it leads to some dramatic moments. Two years ago it was Keith. Last year it was Flamio. And now in the rubber match it was Keith.

..........................

At 103 Huntington's Damon McQueen lost a wild match, 9-8, for his first loss of the season. He fell against Brian Realbuto of Somers (Section I). That's McQueen's first loss of the year.

...........................

OK, we're ready for action.

96 POUNDS
COREY RASHEED (LONGWOOD) vs. MIKE SORIA (KINGS PARK)

1st period.
Rasheed falls behind 2-0.

2nd Period.
It's a 5-0 deficit for Rasheed who hasn't gotten anything going.

3rd Period.
Soria hangs on and wins it 7-0 for the state title. Rasheed settles for second. The only two losses for Rasheed this year go to Soria. Rasheed never could any offense going once Soria took the lead in the first period. He was on bottom most of the time. The first period started with a lot of dancing, but about midway through Soria took a good shot and got a takedown. From there it was all Soria.

Still, a tremendous season for Rasheed. No doubt he'll be back here again.

............................

We're still waiting for the festivities to finish before we get to wrestling.

The Parade of Champions is underway!

I'll be shooting video as well of the five local matches and I'll have them up in their entirety sometime tomorrow. So if you're not here, or you want to see it again, log back in sometime tomorrow.

I'm going to do this blog of the finals a little different, so the most recent info is at the top of the post. I think it'll make it a little easier to follow along.

..........................

OK, looks like we're up and running again.

We're minutes away from Parade of Champions and the beginning of the 2009 State Championship. This promises to be a good show, especially from our local wrestlers. Of the five local wrestlers competing, all have a good chance to win. Corey Rasheed at 96 will look to avenge his only loss of the season against Mike Soria of Kings Park. Soria is a junior while Rasheed is just a seventh-grader. Rasheed did put up a good fight against Soria in the county finals and it's not unreasonable to think he can win in the finals. Either way, a fantastic performance by Rasheed as a seventh-grader to place this high in the state tournament.

At 119 Steven Keith is the favorite to win against Justis Flamio. I'd be very surprised if Keith were to go down. He's been so strong and consistent this year, you have to like his chances to close it out with an undefeated season.

At 135 Stephen Dutton has already beaten Andrew Lenzi this year and I like his chances to do so again. Like Keith, Dutton is undefeated this season. He's looking for his first state title. He's only lost three matches in the last three years.

At 160 T.J. Neidhart should have a tough match ahead of him. Neidhart hasn't dominated his matches, but has done enough to win. And that's ultimately all that matters. But I'd expect another very tight, low-scoring match in the finals against James Brundage.

At 215 Ernest James has already beaten the top seed and defending state champion. In the semifinals he had the very rare win that didn't come via pin. It should be an equally close match in the finals when he faces Steven Butler, who survived a 4-2 overtime decision against Zeal McGrew, the one wrestler to beat James this year. James is a senior, so this is it.

VIDEO: Semifinal Highlights

2009-02-28T16:05:00.004-05:00

Here are clips of Steven Keith, Stephen Dutton and Ernest James from the semifinals. All advanced to the finals along with Corey Rasheed and T.J. Neidhart. I missed Rasheed's match, so no video of that. And Neidhart wrestled at the same time as James, so you might notice him wrestling in the background.

Day II Pictures

2009-02-28T16:04:00.005-05:00

A few pictures from the early session of Day 2 of the State Championship in Albany.

Photos by Grant Parpan

Updated Team Standings

2009-02-28T15:23:00.003-05:00

Scores are kept by section and individual school.

The sections are as follows:

1. Section XI, 219.5
2. Section I, 178.5
3. Section II, 177
4. Section VIII, 148
5. Section IX, 146.5

The team standings:

1. Wantagh, VIII, 74
2. Port Jervis, IX, 64
3. Fox Lane, I, 63
4. Shenendehowa, II, 54
5. Longwood, XI, 53
6. St. Anthony's, C, 51.5
7. Rocky Point, XI, 46.5
8. Shoreham-Wading River, XI, 44
8. Wayne, V, 44
8. LaSalle, II, 44
49. Miller Place, 11

Consolation Finals

2009-02-28T13:31:00.008-05:00

At 103 Malik Rasheed will wrestle for fifth place. He takes on Tim Schaefer. Just like the first match in the quartefinals, Rasheed pulls out a 3-2 win to take fifth in the state. Not a bad finish for the freshman. Schaefer gave up an escape in the third for a neutral start which was the difference in the match. The coaches for Lancaster were not too pleased with that decision to give up a point. Especially afterward when it costs him the match.

So Malik is done for the day and the season. As the wild card, he takes fifth place, his best finish in his short career.

.........................

At 145 Anthony Volpe will face Ryan Tompkins for third/fourth. Tompkins lost in the semifinals to Brian Herold of Macarthur. Tompkins is from Beacon (Section I).

He wins an 8-3 decision to take third place.

...........................

At 160 Billy Coggins will face John Paris of Amsterdam, the same wrestler he lost to in the quarterfinals. They're scoreless after a one-minute first period. Coggins gets two with 1:00 left in the second to take a 2-1 lead which he holds onto going into the third period. Coggins gets another points to make it 3-1. He gets two more to go ahead 5-1. He wins it 5-3.

.............................

In the final consolation at 189 Zach Buonaiuto is taking on Marvin Titus-Casseus, the same wrestler he beat in the county final. Buonaiuto takes a 4-3 lead in the second period. He falls behind 6-4 after two. He wins it 10-6 to take fifth.

Buonaiuto was pretty emotional after the match as he hugged it out with coach Dom LoRe. A long career, the best in Miller Place history, had reached its end.

That wraps up the consolation finals. A few more matches are finishing up right now in the heavyweights and then the arena will be cleared and set up for the finals. The arena opens back up at 5 p.m. and around 5:45 will have the parade of champions with wrestling at 6.

More Wrestleback Matches

2009-02-28T12:18:00.007-05:00

Longwood freshman Malik Rasheed is facing Brandon Ling in the consolations for the right to wrestle for third/fourth. After the second period he holds a 2-1 lead. They had a restart with :03 left in the second and Ling got the escape point to close the gap.
Rasheed got in trouble at the start of the third and fell behind 3-2 after a takedown with just over 1:20 to go. Ling is riding on top and Rasheed is unable to get anything going as the clock ticks away. With :18 left they restart with Rasheed on bottom. He needs an escape to tie it. He can't get it and Ling hangs on to win it 3-2. Rasheed falls to the fifth/sixth place consolation final. He'll face the loser of Jimmy Morris vs. Tim Schaefer.

........................

An update on team standings:
Section XI is cleaning up. You'll remember the semfinals last year was a disaster for Section XI as wrestler after wrestler fell to the wrestlebacks. It's been a different story this year and Section XI could very well end up with 5-6 state champs. Section XI is guaranteed two with a pair of Suffolk wrestlers facing each other in the finals. At this points I would say anything less than five Suffolk state champs would be a disappointment.

.........................

They just announced the team points and Section XI has 200 1/2 for first place. Section I with 158 1/2 is in second place. The last time Section XI had the most points was 2005, which was also in Albany. Section XI had 255 1/2 points that year.

Our next wrestleback should be Anthony Volpe vs. Paul Morabito of Spencerport. Volpe takes a 5-0 first-period lead against Morabito. He closes within four at 5-1 in the second. Volpe hangs on 6-2 for the victory and will wrestle for third/fourth in a little over an hour or so.

...........................

Next up is Billy Coggins vs. John Velieri, the same wrestler Neidhart beat in the semi's. They're tied after one period. Coggins starts the second on top. Coggins gives up an escape early on to fall behind 1-0. Just like when Neidhart faced him, it's another low-scoring match with neither wrestler able to get many shots in. Coggins closed in on a shot in the final seconds of the second but ran out of time before he could convert any points. In the third period he starts on bottom. An escape can tie it. After seven seconds they start again with Coggins on bottom. Coggins gets lifted with about 1:35 left and gets put on his back. Velieri gets the pin with :56 left. Coggins goes down by fall in the third period and will have to wrestle for fifth/sixth.

Velieri pins in 5:04.

.........................

Next up is Zach Buonaiuto vs. Christian Boley of Brockport, a matchup we thought to see in the semifinals. This will be a good test to see which wrestler can bounce back from disappointing losses against the same wrestler. After one period they're scoreless. Buonaiuto starts the second on top. Buonaiuto goes to work in the second period, picking Boley up off the ground. But it doesn't lead to any points yet with 1:22 left. Boley starts down with :50 left in the second. Buonaiuto falls behind 2-0 after two and needs to rally in the third.

Buonaiuto quickly gets one back to make it 2-1 with 1:52 left. With :40 left Buonaiuto stops for an injury timeout. It's something with his left leg. Trainers are rubbing his left ankle. Buonaiuto gets taking down at the end and falls 4-1. The best he can do now is take fifth, which he did last year. Not the finish Buonaiuto had hoped for.

Local Final Matchups

2009-02-28T12:14:00.003-05:00

The finals are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. (at least I think, the semifinals started about 20 minutes earlier than scheduled).

Here are the matchups for our local wrestlers:

96 Pounds
Corey Rasheed - Longwood
vs.
Mike Soria - Kings Park

119 Pounds
Steven Keith - SWR
vs.
Justis Flamio - Mahopac

135 Pounds
Stephen Dutton - RP
vs.
Andrew Lenzi - Fordham Prep

160 Pounds
T.J. Neidhart - SWR
vs.
James Brundage - Ossining

215 Pounds
Ernest James - Longwood
vs.
Steven Butler - Port Jervis

LIVE: State Semifinals

2009-02-28T10:02:00.024-05:00

A crazy morning so far here in Albany. I won't get into all the specifics, but an early start to the tournament this morning has me playing catchup. All the media seats are taken as well, so I'm forced to stand as I type. Ahhh!

Anyway, the good news is Corey Rasheed won by fall in :54 in his semifinal match against Joe Barbato of Wantagh.

His brother, however, just lost at 103 to Damon McQueen of Huntington, 6-3.

Next up at 119, Steven Keith recorded a first period pin of John Belanger of Shenendehowa. He'll move on the finals for the first time since his sophomore year. While he was upset in the semifinals last year, he didn't allow that to happen this year. That gives us two local wrestlers in the finals thus far. Two more than last year.

In the finals Corey Rasheed will face Mike Soria of Kings Park in a rematch of the county final. So Suffolk County is guaranteed of at least one state champion. Rasheed lost to Soria in the county final and it was his only loss of the year. What a story it would be if he could avenge his one loss as a seventh-grader to win a state championship.

............................

Next up is Stephen Dutton vs. Jimmy Kloc of Iroquois.

Dutton dominated the match against Kloc jumping out to a 5-0 first-period lead. He nearly got the pin at the end of one but had to settle for three back points. He went ahead 10-0 in the third period before having to pause with a under a minute to go so he could .... wait for it .... throw up in a garbage can. He then proceeded to finish the match off with a 12-0 win to advance to the finals for the first time since his freshman year.

............................

Next up is Anthony Volpe vs. Zach Clemente, who is the top seed at 145.
Clemente comes into the semifinals off a 2:28 pin of Clint Schaefer of Lancaster in the quarters.

Volpe fell behind 2-0 after a quick takedown by Clemente. In the third he fell behind 7-2, his only points coming on escapes. There was an injury delay when Volpe was shaken up midway through the third. On the restart Clemente let him up for the escape to make it 7-3. He then went on the attack and got a takedown for the 9-3 lead. Clemente showed why he's the top seed with a solid all-around effort. Volpe never got his offense going and Clemente hung on for the 9-4 victory.

So that leaves us with still three wrestlers in the finals.
Malik Rasheed, Billy Coggins and Anthony Volpe are all still alive for the chance to take third.

.............................

Dutton will take on defending state champion Andrew Lenzi in the finals. Dutton defeated Lenzi in the finals at Eastern States this year and did so fairly handily. That was the matchup everyone expected in the finals a year ago and now we have it this year.

Keith is facing familiar rival Justis Flamio, who he beat at Eastern States this year in the finals. Keith lost to Flamio in the semifinals at states last year and beat him in the state tournament two years ago.

............................

Next up is T.J. Neidhart vs. John Velieri at 160. Velieri is the No. 2 seed and comes off a 2-1 double overtime win against Clayton Reeb of Cheektowaga.

As the semifinals are going on, wrestlebacks are underway on two mats. So Coggins is on deck where he'll face Chris Marvin of Wayne. This is a critical match because a win guarantees his spot as an All-State wrestler. At this point it's win or go home. Marvin was pinned in the quarterfinals in 5:55 by James Brundage. Coggins won his first wrestleback last night against Kevin Matyas, 6-1.

Coggins and Marvin are scoreless after one period. Coggins starts on top for the second period. They remain scoreless as they fall out of bounds with 1:00 left in the second. A great move by Coggins on a restart to get Marvin on his back where he gets three points for a near fall. He takes the 3-0 lead into the third period. Coggins starts on bottom for the third period. With 1:08 to go Coggins will start on bottom after going out of bounds. Coggins came real close to getting a pin but Marvin was able to wiggle his way free. Coggins still gets points and takes an 8-0 lead with :42 to go.

Coggins hangs on for the 10-0 major decision to make himself an All-State wrestler. Now the question is where he places, anywhere from third to sixth.

...........................

The one mat got way ahead of the other, so Ernest James faced Paul Glover before Neidhart's match. Neidhart started wrestling on the opposite mat while James was going. James pulled out the huge win against the defending state champion, 5-2. He scored 2 in the second on a takedown but was immediately reversed for the tie. At the start of the third Glover gave up one to allow for a neutral start. James hung on to the 3-2 lead until scoring two more to secure it with :19 left. So that gives us four local wrestlers in the finals.

Meanwhile, Neidhart took a 1-0 lead on Velieri who came back to tie it in the third. Neidhart was riding on top in the third but couldn't get any points. So the match heads to overtime. With :22 left they'll have a neutral start. Neidhart gets his two on a takedown with :03 left as Shoreham coach Joe Condon leaps in the air in celebration. Neidhart is headed to the finals and has surpassed his placing of last year. We now have FIVE local wrestlers in the finals. Neidhart wins that 3-1.

.........................

Next up is Zach Buonaiuto at 189 vs. Matt Loew of Wantagh.

Buonaiuto fell behind 2-0 before getting an escape in the third to make it 2-1. But then Loew got him on his back and secured the pin to end Buonaiuto's bid for a state title. It's only the second loss of the season for Buonaiuto, who had hoped for another shot at Austin Meys, who handed him his only previous loss. So now Buonaiuto must settle for trying to place third. It's been quite the tournament for Loew who upset No. 2 Christian Boley in the first round, which we thought would be an advantage for Buonaiuto. Boley placed third in the state last year. But Loew had put together an incredible tournament run so far with wins against the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds. Next up he'll face the No. 1 seed in Meys.

So that ends the semifinals here in Albany for our local wrestlers.

We end up with five in the finals: Corey Rasheed (96), Steven Keith (119), Stephen Dutton (135), T.J. Neidhart (160) and Ernest James (215).

..........................

As much as Buonaiuto hoped to get another shot at Meys, I don't know if he could have pulled it off. Meys has been by far the most dominant wrestler in this tournament. In three matches thus far he hasn't even wrestled the equivalent of one period. He has pins of :25, :20 and :52 for a grand total 1:37.

...........................

In the other 215 semifinal, Zeal McGrew of Burnt Hills went to overtime against Steven Butler, the No. 2 seed. They were tied at two after three. Butler got the takedown to win the match 4-2. So James will face Butler in the finals. The only wrestler to beat James this year is McGrew. So a chance for redemption for James won't happen. But I think he's OK with that.

Day I Pictures

2009-02-27T20:42:00.025-05:00

A few pictures from Day 1 of the State Championship in Albany.

Photos by Grant Parpan

Semifinal Matchups

2009-02-27T19:14:00.003-05:00

96 Pounds

Mike Soria (Kings Park)

vs.

Sam Speno (Fox Lane)

Joe Barbato (Wantagh)

vs.

Corey Rasheed (Longwood)

103

Jimmy Morris (St. Anthony's)

vs.

Brian Realbuto (Somers)

Malik Rasheed (Longwood)

vs.

Damon McQueen (Huntington)

112

Grant Greene (St. Anthony's)

vs.

Bob Dierna (Wayne)

Steven Rodrigues (Fox Lane)

vs.

Ken Collado (Hauppauge)

119

Steven Keith (SWR)

vs.

John Beianger (Shenedehowa)

Taylor Laraia (Newburgh)

vs.

Justis Flamio (Mahopac)

125

Jamie Franco (Monroe Woodbury)

vs.

Dan Riggi (Scotia/Glemville)

Casey Lanave (Chenango Forks)

vs.

Nick Arujau (Syosset)

130

Cody Ruggirello (Valley Central)

vs.

Joey Grippi (Fox Lane)

Vinnie Digravio (Wayne)

vs.

Jared Messina (Cheektowaga)

135

Stephen Dutton (Rocky Point)

vs.

Jimmy Kloc (Iroquois)

Udit Thakur (Nyack)

vs.

Andrew Lenzi (Fordham Prep)

140

Andy Rodriguez (Central Islip)

vs.

Mike Santalla (Warwick Valley)

Nick Terdick (John Glenn)

vs.

Matt Eberlein (Island Trees)

145

Zach Clemente (LaSalle)

vs.

Anthony Volpe (Rocky Point)

Ryan Tompkins (Beacon)

vs.

Brian Herold (Macarthur)

152

Josh Veltre (Greece Olympia)

vs.

Steven Ramos (Clarkstown North)

Zach Mccormick (Johnson City)

vs.

John Greshiemer (Wantagh)

160

John Paris (Amsterdam)

vs.

James Brundage (Ossining)

TJ Neidhart (SWR)

vs.

John Velieri (Hilton)

171

Matt Parlier (Port Jervis)

vs.

Clayton Neivert (Ossining)

Angelo Malvestuto (Niagara Wheatfield)

vs.

Jesse Villelaa (Chenango Forks)

189

Austin Meys (Shenendehowa)

vs.

James Brain (Minisink Valley)

Zach Buonaiuto (Miller Place)

vs.

Matt Loew (Wantagh)

215

Paul Glover (Spencerport)

vs.

Ernest James (Longwood)

Zeal Mcgrew (Burnt Hills)

vs.

Steven Butler (Port Jervis)

285

JD Zitone (Port Jervis)

vs.

Brendan Byrne (Minisink Valley)

Elijah Graham (Corcoran)

vs.

Ken Altarac (LaSalle)

VIDEO: Day 1 in Albany

2009-02-27T16:39:00.004-05:00

Here are a few video highlights of Day 1 of the state wrestling championship:

LIVE: Wrestling Quarterfinals

2009-02-27T14:42:00.020-05:00

We're set for the quarterfinals here in Albany and to start off is Corey Rasheed vs. Will Montgomery of Seaford at 96 pounds. Montgomery won a 1-0 decision to reach the quarters.

Here we go: Good match early on as both wrestlers fight for position. Rasheed gets the early two with about a minute left in the first. He's riding on top and maintains a 2-0 lead after one. An injury timeout delays the start of the second. Corey had some issue with his right hand, but it's quickly resolved. Rasheed starts the second period on bottom. Rasheed is having problems getting off bottom. He's slowly working his way toward the edge of the circle and gets out of bounds with :56 left in the second. He'll start on bottom again. A real rough period for Rasheed but he manages to gain a point. A late escape gives him a 3-0 advantage going into the second and he'll start on top for the third. Rasheed really survived a tough stretch.
A reversal makes it 3-2 with 1:13 left. We get a whistle and an injury timeout for Montgomery.

Rasheed gets another point to go ahead 4-2 but Montgomery ties it with under a minute to go. Rasheed quickly reverses to go ahead 6-4. An escape by Montgomery makes it 6-5 with :38 to go. This is quite the match. They'll have a neutral start with :38 after blood on the mat is cleaned.

They go out of bounds with :23 left and will start neutral. Rasheed is hit with a stall warning. The match is delayed again with blood on Montgomery. It was a good thing because he nearly had a takedown on Rasheed.

There's 14 seconds left. Rasheed hangs on and gets a takedown for the 8-5 win. A very impressive victory for the seventh-grader over a junior.

Meanwhile, Malik Rasheed was wrestling at the same time and pulled out a 3-2 win over Tim Schaefer, the No. 3 seed from Lancaster.

C. RASHEED, 8-5, OVER ERIC MONTGOMERY

M. RASHEED, 3-2, OVER TIM SCHAEFER

........................

At 119 pounds Steven Keith won a 12-3 major decision against Brentwood's Alex Gomez in a rematch of the county final. My original post on his match didn't save when I tried to publish, so I have to do this again...

KEITH, 12-3, OVER ALEX GOMEZ

...........................

Next up is Stephen Dutton vs. Josh Halladay at 135

Before that happens, another big development to note: The No. 2 seed at 189, Christian Boley of Brockport lost in the first round. Boley placed third in the state last year at 189 and was upset by Matt Loew of Wantagh. This clears the path for Buonaiuto to reach the finals against Austin Meys, who is the top seed. Buonaiuto will face CJ Floor of Port Jervis in the quarterfinals first. If he wins, he'll get the winner of Loew vs. Ken Hamilton of Niagara Falls. A big break for Buonaiuto, we'll see if he can capitalize.

Now we're set for Dutton.

Dutton gets the quick 2-0 lead and takes control of the match. Dutton is so fast on the mat it's hard for wrestlers to react to his moves. Add in his strength and it's easy to see why he's undefeated this year and has only lost three matches since entering high school. The first period ends with Dutton ahead 2-0. It's not often he leads a match only 2-0 after one period. But this is the state tournament and nothing is easy. Dutton starts the second on bottom.

Now he goes to work in the second and grabs a 5-0 lead. He's riding on top. He's working to flip Halladay on his back but they reach a stalemate with :35 left in the second period. Dutton maintains that lead going into the third period.

In the third period Halladay gets a point after Dutton is hit for a stall, which the Rocky Point coaches don't understand. It makes it 5-1 with a minute remaining. Now it's Halladay who's warned for a stall, but no point. Dutton gets in an awkward position and gives up another point on a stall. He hangs on for the 5-2 decision.

It's been awhile since Dutton had a match that close. He was never really challenged in the county tournament.

STEPHEN DUTTON, 5-2, OVER JOSH HALLADAY

That now makes our local wrestlers 13-for-13 today.

..........................

Next up, 145
Anthony Volpe vs. Luke Speno (Fox Lane)

Speno won a 17-1 tech fall in the first round against Tony Carlo of Monsignor Farrell. He is the four seed while Volpe is the five. Speno comes in with a 36-1 record. This could be the end of our perfect streak today.

Update on the semifinal matchups tomorrow: Malik Rasheed will face the wrestler he lost against in the county final, Huntington's Damon McQueen. Rasheed struggled against McQueen and will have a hard time beating him here. His brother Corey will take on Joe Barbato of Wantagh who is also a wild card. He fell as the No. 11 seed and he beat the No. 3 Alec Dierna in the quarterfinals. Steven Keith will face John Belanger of Shenedehowa. He is the No. 4 seed.

Now we're set for Volpe vs. Speno

Volpe takes a 2-0 lead early in the first and comes real close to getting a pin. He gets three back points to storm ahead 5-0. Volpe came out this period ready to wrestle. Wow. He jumps ahead 8-0 and is dominating the action. An electric first period closes with Volpe ahead 8-0. I'm sure that has to be one of the better periods he's had this season.
Volpe got two more in the second period and he's closing in on a tech fall with a 10-0 lead. The action is stopped, though, and the score is now 10-2. Not sure where those two came from for Speno. Volpe gets an escape to go ahead 11-2. Now he's just got stay smart and close it out.

At the end of the second, Volpe leads 11-2. Now it's 12-2. Speno earned a takedown with about :33 left in the third to close it to 12-4. Volpe started to relax a bit in the final period with the big lead.

The final score is 13-5 and Volpe is definitely excited as he flexes his arms to his fans in the crowd. He's on to the semifinals after a very impressive quarterfinal win.

VOLPE, 13-5, OVER SPENO

So now we're 14-for-14 with five matches remaining in the quarterfinals.

.........................

Next up we'll have two matches at the same time at 160 with Coggins and Neidhart.

Coggins is set to face John Paris of Amsterdam who comes in off a pin against Nick Matthews of Kingston.

Neither wrestler can take control in the first period. Coggins goes on his stomatch with about :10 left in the first and stays there to ride out the period. They're notted at zero going into the second where Coggins will start on bottom. He gets the escape for the 1-0 lead. He takes the 1-0 lead into the third period where Paris starts on bottom. He gets the escape to tie it at 1. A takedown with 1:20 left gives Paris the 3-1 lead. He closes to 3-2 with just over a minute left. A takedown makes it 5-2 and Coggins is in trouble. He starts on bottom with :42 left. Coggins goes down 6-4 for the first local wrestler's loss of the day.

PARIS, 6-4, OVER COGGINS

Neidhart is underway in his match vs. Pat Brady of Carthage. He gets a late takedown for a 2-0 lead in the first. Neidhart gets the pin in the second period to advance to the finals.

NEIDHART, PIN, OVER BRADY

.......................

So it looks like we won't have 9 state champions.... Coggins goes down 6-4 and now Neidhart, who lost to him in the county finals, has a chance to earn the higher placing. Of course, if Neidhart loses in the semis, the two could very well face again. Coggins will have a busy schedule now to fight for third. He'll wrestle again tonight and will need four more wins to claim third. He needs to win at least his next two matches for a chance to place.

Buonaiuto is taking on the sixth seed CJ Floor of Port Jervis. Buonaiuto takes a quick 2-0 lead and then gives up and escape. He goes ahead 4-1 and as usual is riding on top. He gives up another escape, though, and he seems confident in his ability to get points. Buonaiuto gets in trouble and loses back points. It’s 6-6 after one. He nearly got pinned.
Buoanituo recovers to dominate the second and get the pin with :43 left.

BUONAIUTO, PIN 3:17, OVER FLOOR

James also got a pin, so quick that I didn’t even see it happen. YIKES! Next thing I know coach Mike Picozzi is sitting next to me. I’m here looking for James and it’s already over.

JAMES, PIN, OVER SHERIDAN

.......................

That wraps up the quarterfinals for us. An awesome day of wrestling for local wrestlers as they combine to go 17-of-18. The only loss coming for Coggins, who was the top seed at 160. He'll try to bounce back for third place.

The semifinals begin at 10 a.m. Saturday.

LIVE: State Wrestling Championship

2009-02-27T12:33:00.008-05:00

******KEEP REFRESHING*******

Just arrived at the Times-Union Center where wrestling has been underway for about an hour and a half. So far four local wrestlers have competed and all have won.

The results are as follows:

96 pounds: Cory Rasheed (Longwood) pinned Derrick Gray of Indian River in :36.

103 pounds: Malik Rasheed (Longwood) won a 10-5 decision against Zack Hammell.

119 pounds: Steven Keith (SWR) pinned Jim Widger of St. Francis in 1:15.

135 pounds: Stephen Dutton (RP) won a technical fall against Brian Latham.

The quarterfinal matchups are as follows:
C. Rasheed vs. Will Montgomery (Seaford)

M. Rasheed vs. Tim Schaefer (Lancaster)

Keith vs. Alex Gomez (Brentwood)

Dutton vs. Josh Halladay (Johnson City)
................

I just got to see my first match and Anthony Volpe against Mike Perry of Massena. Volpe jumped out to a fast 6-2 start and was in control throughout the match. Volpe didn't score in the second period, but was never in trouble. He got into a slightly awkward spot early in the third when Perry got ahold of his left leg. But he quickly recovered and got a reversal to go ahead 8-2. Volpe needed an injury timeout midway through the third. It looked like something with his left leg. But he appeared OK and finished off the match. Volpe gave up an escape with :42 left and then Perry got it to 8-4. Then he got a takedown with about :10 left, but couldn't add anything else with Volpe on his stomach.

Final Score: VOLPE 8 - PERRY 6

.................

Interesting note at the 135 bracket. Dutton was originally listed as the second seed in the bracket, but he's at the top spot now that the bracket is posted. A great quarterfinal matchup is Paul Liguori of Wantagh against Andrew Lenzi of Fordham Prep. Them facing each other in the quarterfinals seems a bit early. Lenzi won a state title last year and was the wrestler everyone expected Dutton to face before he was upset in the first round. Dutton beat both wrestlers this year and Liguori was probably the closest match of the year. He beat Lenzi at the Eastern States and didn't have too much trouble. An undefeated regular season really pays off when he gets that high seed and avoids having to beat both Liguori and Lenzi. And when he does face one of them, it'll be in the finals.

....................

160 Pounds: Coggins vs. Rob Grabher (North Shore)

Coggins gets a takedown with :46 left in the first period to go ahead 2-0. A late escape point for Grabher makes it 2-1 after one period. Coggins gets an escape early in the second to go back ahead by two, 3-1. He then reverses Grabher for a 5-1 lead with under a minute left in the second. He takes a 5-1 lead into the third period. An escape point gives Coggins a 6-1 lead. A takedown puts Coggins ahead 8-1 and he's in full control. Interesting note, Grabher was ranked fourth in Nassau at 152 in the rankings of Feb. 3. A nice job by him to get to the state tournament by winning the Nassau title.
Coggins held on 8-1 to make our local wrestlers 6-for-6 so far in the first round.

COGGINS 8 - GRABHER 1

....................

160: T.J. Neidhart vs. Darin Wignall (Depost/Hancock)

A scoreless first period, not many shots by either wrestler. Neidhart starts the second period on bottom and earns the escape point for a 1-0 lead. Neidhart goes ahead 3-0 with about 1:15 left in the second. Neidhart gets two more just before the second period ends for a 5-0 lead. A neutral start to the third period and Neidhart is being patient. He makes his move after about 20 seconds and gets another takedown for a 7-0 lead. Neidhart closes it out 9-0. And local wrestlers are 7-for-7.

NEIDHART 9 - WIGNALL 0

........................

Zach Buonaiuto vs. Josue Cardenas (Portchester)

Buonaiuto fell behind early 2-0 before taking a 4-2 lead into the third period. It was a slow start for Buonaiuto but he turned it on in the third period and won it 9-2. Video to follow.

BUONAIUTO 9 - CARDENAS 2

.......................

Ernest James vs. Patrice Castor (East Ramapo)

James takes a 2-0 first-period lead. In the second James takes a shot at Castor's right leg and earns the takedown. An injury time-out forces a delay with seven seconds left in the second period. Not sure what's wrong. Actually, it looks like a problem with Castor's head gear. He's got a crazy mask on that looks like some kind of hockey goalie helmet. You can't see any of his face. Wild stuff. The period resumes and James closes it out with the 4-0 lead. James starts down for the third period. James goes ahead 6-0. James rides on top the final period and twists Castor on his back to get the pin with 12 seconds left. James in jeopardy of the rare non-pin win. He's only had a couple of those this year. But he pulls it out in 5:48.

JAMES PIN OVER CASTOR, 5:48

Next stop: Albany

2009-02-26T18:36:00.003-05:00

Wrestling fans should expect a great showing from Section XI and specifically local wrestlers from the north shore, at this year's state championship, which begins Friday at the Times-Union Center in Albany.

As noted in Friday's North Shore Sun, I'll be up in Albany blogging live during the two days. So to keep track of wrestlers from Longwood, Rocky Point, Shoreham and Miller Place, this is the place.

I'll be leaving early Friday morning, so I'll probably miss the early part of the first round. I'm hoping traffic won't be too bad...

The schedule is as follows:

FRIDAY
10 a.m.: Parade of Champions/National Anthem
10:30 - 2:30 p.m.: Preliminaries
2:30-4:30 p.m.: Quarterfinals
4:30-6:30 p.m.: Wrestlebacks
6:30-8:30 p.m.: Wrestlebacks

SATURDAY
9:30 a.m.: National Anthem/Special Awards
10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Semifinals & Wrestlebacks
12:30 - 2 p.m.: Wrestlebacks/Consolation Semifinals
2-3:30 p.m.: Consolation Finals
6 p.m.: Finals

If you log on before I get settled in at the Times-Union Center, check here for the early results:
http://www.nysphsaawrestling.com/results.html

Once again, the local wrestlers competing are as follows:
96 - Cory Rasheed, Longwood
103 - Malik Rasheed, Longwood
119 - Steven Keith, SWR
135 - Stephen Dutton, Rocky Point
145 - Anthony Volpe, Rocky Point
160 - Billy Coggins, Rocky Point
160 - T.J. Neidhart, SWR
189 - Zach Buonaiuto, Miller Place
215 - Ernest James, Longwood

VIDEO: Longwood boys hoops vs. Pat-Med

2009-02-25T23:41:00.001-05:00

Highlights from the Lions' win against the Raiders Tuesday in overtime, 61-59. Marcus Hunter and Kyle Weeks combined for the game-winning play when Hunter stole the inbound pass with 10 seconds left in a tied game and poked the ball ahead to Weeks for an uncontested layup.

Andrews wins 2-mile at Armory

2009-02-24T21:32:00.003-05:00

Shoreham-Wading River senior Bobby Andrews won the 2-mile race today at the Eastern States at the Armory. Andrews ran 9 minutes, 21.34 seconds to easily win the race by more than 12 seconds. Tyler Udland of Millburn was second in 9:33.44.

Andrews will next compete at the state meet March 7. After the state qualifier he said he looked forward to getting another race in between the qualifier and state meet. There is a break of over three weeks in between the qualifier and state meet.

Andrews qualifier in both the 3,200 and 1,600 for the state meet, but may elect to just run one race.

Neidhart, Rasheed earn wild cards

2009-02-24T10:26:00.004-05:00

UPDATE 2/25/09: Malik Rasheed of Longwood is now slated to compete at 103 after a wrestler dropped out, Longwood coach Mike Picozzi confirmed. Picozzi did not know which wrestler dropped out, but the Lions will now send three wrestlers to the state meet. Malik joins his brother Corey and 215-pounder Ernest James. Malik was originally listed as an alternate for the wild card berth.

Shoreham-Wading River senior T.J. Neidhart earned a second consecutive at-large bid to the state wrestling tournament. After placing second at 160 he'll get a chance to contend for a state title. He placed third in the state last year at 145.

Another local wrestler who will be headed to the state meet is Longwood seventh-grader Corey Rasheed, who lost his first match of the season in the 96-pound county finals. The experience of a state tournament at such a young age should go a long way in his development. His brother Malik, a freshman, is an alternate at 103. Malik also placed second in the county tournament. Twelve wrestlers in total from Suffolk County earned at-large bids and two were listed as alternates. This is the third year of the at-large bids.

That brings the total number of local wrestlers guaranteed to be competing this weekend up to 8:

96-Corey Rasheed

119-Steven Keith

135-Stephen Dutton

145-Anthony Volpe

160-Billy Coggins

160-T.J. Neidhart

189-Zach Buonaiuto

215-Ernest James

The wild card entrants from Section XI were as follows:

96-Corey Rasheed

96-Max Soria

112-Peter DeTore

119-Alex Gomez

125-Tyler Sinisgalli

125-Adam Troy

130-Kyle Wade

140-Nick Terdick

152-Chris Carlucci

160-TJ Neidhart

189-Marvin Titus-Casseus

215-Eric Wooley

Keith's rival struggles in sectional

2009-02-22T18:08:00.003-05:00

Shoreham-Wading River senior Steven Keith may very well have to face Justis Flamio again in the state tournament. Flamio beat Keith in the state semifinals last year to end his bid for a second straight state title. Here's a look at how Flamio fared in his section final courtesy of LoHud.com:

The closest match was Justis Flamio’s surprising struggle with Henry Stauber. Stauber took Flamio, a state finalist, to sudden-victory OT. It was a place Flamio (left) had never been before. In fact he’d never been past the first overtime period, and it showed. When given a choice of top or bottom in double-OT he picked top, mistakenly thinking an old set of rules applied that would have given him bottom in the next period. Instead he got top twice. Remember that all you need is an escape to win in overtime. But the gaffe didn’t kill him and he held Stauber down to win in the last session.Winning by a hair didn’t hurt his confidence. We were talking about his state nemesis Steven Keith of Shoreham-Wading River. He knocked Keith out in last year’s state semis, just as Keith did to him the year before. I asked him if he expected to meet Keith again.
“I expect to meet him in the state final,” Flamio said.

To read the entire post, click here.

Lions-Raiders Preview

2009-02-21T15:23:00.002-05:00

The Longwood basketball team takes on Patchogue-Medford Tuesday in the Class AA quarterfinals for a chance to advance to the semifinals against the winner of Lindenhurst/Bay Shore. The Lions have beaten the Raiders twice this season, but both games have been close. The Raiders feature a dynamic scorer in Marcus Stroman, who can take over a game with his shooting ability. He can score from anywhere on the court. Expect the Lions to mix up their looks at him defensively with Tajric Boggs and Kyle Weeks getting the early assignment. As with any good scorer, you want to force him to take tough, contested shots. If he gets easy looks early in the game, that could allow him to get hot, at which point it doesn't matter if his shots are contested.

Jordan Jackson scored 20 points in the Raiders' playoff opener so the Lions will have to keep an eye on him as well. They'll also need to get a body on the 6-8 center, Nick Sergio. He doesn't have great range, but if he's left open down low he'll control the boards and get second chance opportunities. The Lions will rely on Jimmy Knudsen and Marcus Hunter to grab the boards.

The Raiders were competitive in all six games against their top League I rivals this year but went only 1-5 in those games. Their one win came at Lindenhurst Jan. 16, 71-68. Sergio had 20 points in that win. The Lions can't let that happen Tuesday. Stroman will get his points, but they can't allow the other guys to put up a big number as well. In their five losses they lost by an average of 5.6 points.

History has been on the Lions' side as of late in the rivalry. In the last three years they've won five out of six games.

Jan. 24, '09: Longwood 68, Pat-Med 62

Dec. 16, '08: Longwood 69, Pat-Med 65

Jan. 29, '08: Pat-Med 73, Longwood 66

Jan. 5, '08: Longwood 69, Pat-Med 65

Feb. 12, '07: Longwood 73, Pat-Med 54

Jan. 19, '07: Longwood 58, Pat-Med 58

Moschetti accepts boys soccer job

2009-02-20T19:07:00.003-05:00

At the Shoreham-Wading River girls basketball game today I ran into coach Andrew Moschetti, who confirmed he accepted the job as the boys soccer head coach. A replacement is still being sought for the girls team.

Moschetti replaces Louis Manoussos, who was unceremoniously let go during the season last year. Baseball coach Sal Mignano filled in as the interim coach and led the team into the postseason.

Moschetti guided the girls team to the postseason in each of his three seasons at the helm. In his first year the team reached the county finals before losing to top-seeded Islip. The Wildcats won two league titles under Moschetti and this year finished just shy of Harborfields before losing in the playoffs to John Glenn.

Moschetti expressed interest in the boys job several years back under former athletic director Jim Cranmer, but did not get the job. Before Manoussos the team was coached by Matt Foster. Both coaches did not leave on good terms, although Foster was not fired. Moschetti expects to be around much longer than the two previous coaches.

Although his job as the girls coach didn't allow him many opportunities to watch the boys team, Moschetti expects to have a decent nucleus returning. He said he'll coach the summer team to give himself a chance to get acclimated to the players.

County Finals Video

2009-02-18T19:17:00.003-05:00

Here are videos of just about the complete matches of Steve Dutton and Billy Coggins vs. TJ Neidhart.

Quarterfinals Matchups Are Set

2009-02-17T22:27:00.003-05:00

Top-seeded Longwood hung on against Sachem North Tuesday night. Click here for a full recap.

So the quarterfinals set for next Tuesday are as follows:

1. Longwood

vs.

9. Patchogue-Medford

4. Lindenhurst

vs.

5. Bay Shore

3. Bellport

vs.

6. North Babylon

7. Walt Whitman

vs.

15. Deer Park

Obviously the big surprise is No. 15 Deer Park upsetting No. 2 Brentwood. The Indians fell in double overtime, 84-81, for the quick exit. It's not terribly surprising when you consider the skill of Josh Malone, who poured in 29 points for Deer Park in the win. I saw him this year light up Riverhead and he can really score. J.J. Moore added 28 for Brentwood, but it wasn't enough. Brentwood returns most of its team around Moore so the Indians will be back next year.

Last year in AA the higher seed won every game throughout the bracket. Not so this year. I don't really consider No. 9 Pat-Med winning as an upset, though. The Raiders are a legit team, their record was just hurt by playing in League I. Should be a good one next week at Longwood.

VIDEO: Wrestling County Championship

2009-02-16T14:48:00.002-05:00

Here's a highlight package of all the local wrestlers in the county finals from Saturday. Six locals won titles with Steven Keith, Stephen Dutton, Anthony Volpe, Billy Coggins, Zach Buonaiuto and Ernest James.

Be sure to pick up Friday's paper

2009-02-15T22:18:00.004-05:00

Friday's edition of the North Shore Sun will have extended coverage of this weekend's wrestling tournament, with stories on all the county champs from our coverage area. Also, a video package will be up on this site, as well as the Sun's homepage by Monday night or Tuesday. I still have to edit the video. So check back for that as well.

A few quick thoughts on the tournament:

There really weren't many surprises. Going back to early December, of the 15 wrestlers ranked No. 1 in the county, 10 of them went on to win the county title Saturday. The only winners who weren't ranked No. 1 two months ago were Mike Soria (96), Nick Meinsen (125), Dan O'Malley (130), Ryan Rheaume (152) and Billy Coggins (160). Meinsen and Coggins were ranked second.

Everyone seemed to enjoy Hofstra in terms of the actual facility. Space was very good (better than Stony Brook) and the seating brought fans right on top of the action. The seats looked pretty comfortable as well. It was interesting to watch the Hofstra staff transform the arena from its original six-mat format to a two-mat format for the finals. The staff worked very diligently to get everything in order, which included dissembling the stage for the main table, opening up all the closed seats, rearranging the mats and setting up the tables for press row. At that time the TV crew came in and starting running wires everywhere to get their setup in order. I sat back, watched and ate some pizza.

Next year could be problematic for a sight to host the tournament. Stony Brook won't be available yet next year as the construction remains on hold due to a lack of financing. But I've heard next year all the county tournament's are supposed to be the same weekend. And Nassau wants to use Hofstra. If that's so, where does that leave Suffolk?

From what I could tell nearly all the wrestlers and coaches stayed in hotels nearby the arena rather than driving all the way home. Seemed to make sense, especially for schools like Mattituck, where it's more than a 2-hour drive to Hofstra.

I was a little disappointed with the attendance for the finals. It was a good crowd, but by no means close to a sellout in the 5,000-seat arena. As Hofstra staff was setting up the arena, I heard a man whom I presume to be the guy in charge of the operation, say a sellout was expected. I didn't think that was going to happen, especially considering the farther drive. But still, I thought the top sections of the arena would fill out a little more.

I don't know if I agree with Ken Collado as the MOW. I know he's the only returning state champ, so that gives him a little extra cred, but I don't think he had the most dominant run through the tournament. The 112 class is a very tough weight, no doubt, but Collado didn't even record a pin or tech fall in the tourney. In the quarterfinals he won 2-0 against Longwood's Nicky Hall, who is just an eighth-grader. When you look at a guy like Dutton from Rocky Point, he barely broke a sweat in his four wins. Is that because his weight class is that much inferior or is he just that much more talented? I would argue the latter. Even guys like Buonaiuto and James were utterly dominant with four pins each. James pinned a guy in the finals who was undefeated. And even Keith, who won the award last year, could have been considered. He gave up one give-away point the entire tournament. But, I don't get to vote for the award, so my opinion doesn't matter....

It was nice to see Longwood, one of the predominant wrestling programs in the history of the tournament, crown a county champ again. James was the school's first champ since Mike Tricarico at 189 in 2006. It was also the school's best team finish since 2002 when the Lions finished second to William Floyd. Now there's a school you don't expect to win a county title these days...

Rocky Point's three county champs was also a first in school history. The Eagles had crowned two in a tournament before.

Final Team Standings

2009-02-15T14:34:00.002-05:00

1. John Glenn 192

2. Hauppauge 165

3. Longwood 144

4. Huntington 109

5. Rocky Point 99

6. Kings Park 87

7. SWR 73

8. West Babylon 67

9. Brentwood 66

10. Islip 63

19. Miller Place 32

21. Mount Sinai 28

So the top-10 tournament teams featured four League V teams and two apiece from Leagues I, IV and VI. Leagues II and III weren't well represented in the county tournament. The top team finish from the two leagues came from Central Islip (15th place, 44 1/2 points). Central Islip, though, finished last in the League II finals. Wrestling can be a mystifying sport...

LIVE: Wrestling County Finals

2009-02-14T18:01:00.045-05:00

Back here live at Hofstra University where the Parade of Champions is underway for Division I and II. The fans are still filing in and sound like they're ready to make a lot of noise.

This should be one of the best county finals for our local schools in a long time. We're guaranteed at least one champion when Rocky Point's Billy Coggins faces Shoreham's T.J. Neidhart at 160.

Here are the current team standings:

10: Brentwood, 62

9: Islip, 63

8: West Babylon, 67

7: SWR, 69

6: Kings Park, 83

5: Rocky Point, 85 1/2

4: Huntington, 105

3: Longwood, 138

2: Hauppauge, 157

1: John Glenn 182

Here we go:

96 pounds

Cory Rasheed (Longwood, 35-0) vs. Mike Soria (Kings Park, 32-2)

Still scoreless midway through the first period.

2-0 Soria with the takedown.

5-0 Rasheed is in trouble early.

5-2. Rasheed gets a reversal and is back in business.

Period 2:

5-3

5-5

6-5 Soria

Period 3:

9-5 Soria.

Rasheed goes down for his first loss of the season. Give the seventh-grade, 13-year-old credit for placing second in the county.

MIKE SORIA, 9-5, OVER CORY RASHEED

103:

Malik Rasheed (Longwood, 39-2) vs. Damon McQueen (Huntington, 32-0)

1st Period: McQueen takes a 2-0 lead.

McQueen is in control after one period and still maintains a 2-0 lead.

2nd Period:

McQueen now goes ahead 5-0. McQueen has been the one guy ranked ahead of Rasheed all year so it's no surprise they meet here tonight in the county finals. McQueen is two years older than Rasheed.

At the end of two, McQueen leads 5-0.

Period 3:

McQueen leads 7-0 and they had to run the injury clock for Rasheed.

DAMON MCQUENN, 7-0, OVER MALIK RASHEED

Next up for us will be 119 where Steven Keith will be the favorite against Alex Gomez.

In the meantime at 112, defending state champ Ken Collado will face Westhampton's Pete DeTore.

Before that, the awards will be handed out for the 96-pounders.

Ken Collado won another county title with a 5-3 decision against DeTore. Now it's time for Keith, who is looking for his third straight county title, the first two coming at 96 and 112.

Steven Keith (SWR, 41-0) vs. Alex Gomez (Brentwood, 36-2)

Period 1: Keith takes a 2-0 lead.

Period 2: Keith goes ahead 5-0 and is in good shape early on. Keith is riding on top and not allowing Gomez to get on the offensive. Keith maintains a 5-0 second-period lead going into the third.

An injury timeout has delayed the start of the third. Gomez was bleeding, but he's back on the mat and ready to go.

Period 3:

Just a few seconds into the match Gomez started to bleed again. So another delay.

Still a 5-0 lead as the clock stops again for an injury timeout. This is third one of the match.

Keith hangs on and wins it 5-0 for his third straight county title.

STEVEN KEITH, 5-0, OVER ALEX GOMEZ

Now it's time for the 135 match between Stephen Dutton and Sayville's Travis Pitre. Dutton has two tech falls and a pin en route to the finals. He's looking for county title No. 3. Dutton pinned Pitre in the first period in their last meeting a week ago in the League V finals.

135: Stephen Dutton (Rocky Point, 41-0) vs. Travis Pitre (Sayville, 31-4)

1st Period: No surprise, Dutton rolled out an 11-1 first period, by far the most dominating period we've seen so far in the finals.

2nd Period: Dutton wins by tech fall, 16-1, in completely dominating fashion. You just don't see tech falls that quick in a county finals. Amazing.

STEPHEN DUTTON, 16-1, OVER TRAVIS PITRE

145: Anthony Volpe (Rocky Point) vs. Joe Giaramtia (John Glenn)

1st period: Volpe takes a 2-0 lead.

2nd period: An escape points gives Volpe a 3-0 lead. He's in control of the match, but still leads just 3-0 as the second period expires.

3rd period: Volpe wins it 5-1. He gave up an early escape point in the period, but that was it.

ANTHONY VOLPE, 5-1, OVER JOE GIARAMITA

Next up is one of the more anticipated matchups of the counties. Shoreham's T.J. Neidhart vs. Rocky Point's Billy Coggins. A huge banner is hanging over the railing here at Hofstra that says "Go Neidhart" Clearly some fans here are rooting for T.J.

T.J. Neidhart (SWR) vs. Billy Coggins (RP)

1st period: Scoreless after one.

2nd period: Coggins grabs a 1-0 lead.

3rd period: Neidhart came back in the last second to force overtime after being down 3-1. Coggins take a takedown in OT for the 5-3 win.

Next up is Zach Buonaiuto vs. Marvin Titus-Casseus

1st Period: Buonaiuto rolls out to an 8-0 first period lead and is dominating the match.

2nd Period: Buonaiuto takes a 10-0 lead into the third.

3rd Period: Buonaiuto gets the pin and his second county title.

Now it's Ernest James (Longwood, ) vs. Eric Wooley (Hauppauge)

James pinned the previously unbeaten Wooley in the second period for his first county title.

So that's the end of the tournament for our local wrestlers. We finish with six county champions and three second-place finishers. A fantastic showing.

County Finals Matchups

2009-02-14T13:06:00.004-05:00

Here are all the finals matchups:

96: Cory Rasheed (LW) vs. Mike Soria (King Park)

103: Malik Rasheed (LW) vs. Damon McQueen (Huntington)

112: Ken Collado (Hauppauge) vs. Pete DeTore (Westhampton)

119: Steven Keith (SWR) vs. Alex Gomez (Brentwood)

125: Nick Meinsen (JG) vs. Tyler Sinisgalli (JG)

130: Dan O'Malley (Sachem East) vs. Omar Santiago (Huntington)

135: Stephen Dutton (RP) vs. Travis Pitre (Sayville)

140: Nick Terdick (JG) vs. Andy Rodriguez (Central Islip)

145: Joe Giaramita (JG) vs. Anthony Volpe (RP)

152: Jon Goulding (WF) vs. Ryan Rheaume (Riverhead)

160: Billy Coggins (RP) vs. TJ Neidhart (SWR)

171: Josue Mendez (Brentwood) vs. Anthony Lupi (Huntington)

189: Zach Buonaiuto (MP) vs. Marvin Titus-Casseus (West Bab)

215: Ernest James (LW) vs. Eric Wooley (Hauppauge)

285: Cody Hinrichs (Islip) vs. Scott Munro (Hauppauge)

Live from Hofstra University!

2009-02-14T10:03:00.066-05:00

****Keep Refreshing****

We're live here at Hofstra for the county wrestling touranment, Day 2, where the semifinals are seconds away from starting. It was a stellar day for local wrestlers as 14 advanced to the semifinals. We have locals represented in 12 of 15 weight classes. Amazing.

We're going to be starting off with the lightweights where Longwood seventh grader Cory Rasheed will face Kings Park's Max Sorih.

At 103 Longwood freshman Malik Rasheed will wrestle Westhampton's Conner Bass.

The rest of the semifinals are as follows:

119: Steven Keith vs. Casey Brice

130: Jon Hoeg vs. Dan O'Malley (Sachem East)

135: Stephen Dutton vs. Jordan Colon (West Bab)

145: Anthony Volpe vs. Jermaine Jacons (Amityville)

152: Mike Powers vs. Jon Goulding (WFloyd)

160: Billy Coggins vs. Chris Dilorio (Sachem East)

T.J. Neidhardt vs. Lou Puca (Huntington)

171: Will Parks vs. Anthony Lupi (Huntington)

189: Zach Buonaiuto vs. Jake Smith (Smithtown West)

215: Ernest James vs. Corey Schweitzer

285: Ben Lee vs. Scott Munro (Hauppauge)

96 Pounds:

Rasheed is down 3-2 after the first period.

Rasheed is still trailing 3-2 after the second period.

Tied at 3 w/1:38 left.

A Rasheed takedown gives him a 5-3 lead, but Sorih ties it a 5 with :55 left.

Rasheed gets an escape and takedown for an 8-5 lead. He'll hold on for the 8-5 win and advance to the finals. He remains undefeated this season.

CORY RASHEED, 8-5, OVER MAX SORIH.

103 pounds:

Malik Rasheed is up 4-1 after 2 periods.

An escape point makes it 4-2 midway through the third.

Malik hangs on 4-2 and advances to the finals along with his brother.

MALIK RASHEED, 4-2, OVER CONNER BASS.

119: Steven Keith wins a 6-0 decision over Brice, giving us three locals in the finals already. Keith didn't score a ton, but was in control throughout the entire match. He was simply too strong too allow Brice to wrestle his match.

STEVEN KEITH, 6-0, OVER CASEY BRICE

Next up is Jon Hoeg at 130 against Dan O'Malley. That match will begin shortly.

130: Here we go. We're underway.

Hoeg and O'Malley are scoreless after one period.

O'Malley takes a 2-0 lead on a reversal. Hoeg ties it at 2 with :43 left in the second.

Hoeg is pinned with 1:30 left. He'll fall to the wrestlebacks and hope to take third. He may also face Kyle Wade, whom he beat in the quarterfinals, again.

DAN O'MALLEY, 3:30, OVER JON HOEG

Now we're up to 135 and Stephen Dutton. This likely won't last long.

Dutton was close to a first-period pin, but Colon did a nice job to hold him off. Still Dutton leads 7-1 after one period.

Dutton takes a 10-1 lead into the third period and is closing in on a tech fall.

Dutton wins 17-2 for the tech fall and advances to the finals.

STEPHEN DUTTON, 17-2, OVER JORDAN COLON

Dutton will face Travis Pitre of Sayville. He's already pinned him twice this year, including at the League V tournament last weekend.

Now we're up to 145 where it's Volpe against Jacobs at 145

Volpe grabs a quick 2-0 lead.

Mike Powers is wrestling at 152 at the same time as Volpe, so we're double dipping.

Powers was down 4-2 and takes a 5-4 lead.

Volpe is up 2-0 after one.

Powers is tied 5-5 after one.

Volpe nearly had a pin at the end of 2 and takes an 8-0 lead into the third.

Powers is down 9-7 going into the third.

Powers ties it a 9 with 1:40 left. But then he's reversed and goes down 11-9 with 1:15 to go. Escape makes it 11-10. Powers goes down 13-10 and falls to the wrestlebacks.

Volpe hangs on 11-2.

JON GOULDING, 13-10, OVER MIKE POWERS

ANTHONY VOLPE, 11-2, OVER JERMAINE JACOBS

We're up to 160 where Coggins and Neidhart are going on separate mats.

Coggins was down 2-1 and took a 3-2 lead going into the second period. Check that, the score has been adjusted to 4-1. An escape point makes it 4-2 late in the second. A Coggins escape makes it 5-2. Coggins makes it 7-2 and wins it 9-2.

BILLY COGGINS, 9-2, OVER CHRIS DILORIO

The one semifinal mat got ahead of the other, so Neidhart has yet to start his match at 160.

Neidhart gets an immediate takedown for a 2-0 lead. Now he goes ahead 4-1. A reversal makes it 6-1.

Will Parks is wrestling his 171 match on the next mat is currently scoreless after one period.

Neidhart hangs on 6-4 in a match that was a little closer than I'm sure he had hoped. But nevertheless, as expected, he and Coggins will face off in the finals.

TJ NEIDHART, 6-4, OVER LOUIS PUCA.

Meanwhile, Parks is still scoreless going into the third period. Now he's down 5-0 and in trouble. He goes down 7-2 and falls to the wrestlebacks.

ANTHONY LUPI, 7-2, OVER WILL PARKS

At 189 Buonaiuto is up 2-0 going into the second period. He gets the pin with 1:13 left. That's his third pin of the tournament.

ZACH BUONAIUTO, 3:47, OVER JAKE SMITH

At 215 Ernest James is looking for his third pin as he faces Schweitzer. James takes a 2-0 lead in the first period. The match has been paused twice in the first because of blood on Schweitzer. At the end of one, it's still James, 2-0. He's been riding on top, but can't flip Schweitzer over. The blood clock is running again on Schweitzer. Now they'll resume with 1:07 left in the second.

It's still 2-0 going into the third period. Schweitzer is hanging around against the top-seeded James, who dispatched his first two opponents in 2:00 flat with pins.

James takes a 3-0 lead is looking to put it away now. He gets two more to go ahead 5-0 is riding on top as time ticks away. James hangs on for the win.

ERNEST JAMES, 5-0, OVER COREY SCHWEITZER

We're down to the last semifinal match where Ben Lee will take on Hauppauge's Scott Munro. This is going to be a tough match for Lee as he faces the League V runner-up. Lee was the runner-up in League I.

Now it's time for the big boy, Ben Lee.

Lee goes down 2-0 on a takedown by Munro. Now it's 3-0.

An intriguing wrestleback is underway at 112 where Nicky Hall is facing Huntington's Nigel McNeil for a chance to wrestle for third/fourth. They're scoreless after one. Lee is down 3-0 after two.

Hall led 1-0 and is down 2-1 in the second. A blood clock has Lee's match held up.

Lee goes down 5-1 and falls to the wrestlebacks.

SCOTT MUNRO, 5-1, OVER BEN LEE

Hall falls in his wrestleback, 5-1, as well and will try to take fifth place.

We're now fully into wrestlebacks.

At 119 Brice is up 5-0 against East Islip's Nick Ventiere in the third period.

Brice wins it 5-0 and will wrestle for third/fourth.

Hoeg is in his wrestleback at 130 is tied at 2 against Hauppauge's Anthony Piscitello after one. Now it's tied at 4 going into the third.

Hoeg wins his match 6-4 and can take either third or fourth.

They just announced updated team standings:

6th: SWR, 62

5th: RP, 85 1/2

4th: Huntington, 91

3rd: Longwood, 113

2nd: Hauppauge, 133 1/2

1st: Glenn, 157

215 Wrestleback

Corey Schweitzer is about to face Joe Clemente for the right to wrestle for third/fourth.

They're scoreless after one period. Still scoreless after two.

Schweitzer takes a 2-0 lead with 1:25 to go in the third. He's riding on top and trying to close it out. It's 2-1 with :22 left. He hangs on and wins it 2-1.

Ben Lee pinned Riverhead's Vinnie Rusowski in 2:39 to advance to the third/fourth match.

CONSOLATION FINALS

Longwood's Casey Brice took third with a 9-1 major decision against Kings Park's Jeff Snair.

Longwood's Nicky Hall took fifth with an 8-2 decision against Hills East's Anthony Abidin.

In a rematch of the 130 quarterfinals, Jon Hoeg faced Islip's Kyle Wade. Hoeg won the first time, but Wade won the second battle, 4-2, to take third. Hoeg settles for fourth.

Schweitzer took third for SWR with a 6-4 win against Deer Park's Joe Bilello.

At 2:45, we're done for now until the finals start at 6 p.m. The arena is going to be cleared out now and fans will come back in at 5:30 to get ready for the Parade of Champions.

Section XI State Qualifier Video

2009-02-12T18:31:00.004-05:00

Here's some video highlights of the boys and girls Section XI track state qualifier Feb. 10.

Some qualifiers included Ashley Clasen (SWR), Janet Mellor (MS), Janie Turek (MS), Jennifer Johnston (LW), Kayla Murphy (LW), Bobby Andrews (SWR) and Kyle Wightman (SWR).

It's official, Longwood No. 1

2009-02-12T15:21:00.003-05:00

The Longwood boys were seeded No. 1 in the Class AA outbracket as revealed Thursday afternoon. The Lions will host Sachem North Tuesday at 6 p.m.

To view a complete bracket, log on to sectionxi.org

Longwood boys win, could earn top seed

2009-02-11T22:55:00.004-05:00

The Longwood boys basketball team capped off a 10-2, 16-3 regular season with a win against Sachem East, 74-39, at home Wednesday night. Now it's a waiting game to see how the seeds shake out.

Longwood finished the season as co-League I champs along with Brentwood (10-2) but finished with a better overall record. The Lions also won the only common game between the two schools. Longwood beat St. John the Baptist, a team Brentwood lost to. That said, it would seem to make sense Longwood earns the higher seed over Brentwood.

The Lions could be the top seed, especially after Bay Shore in League II somehow lost to Central Islip Wednesday, 43-42, on a last-second 3-pointer. So instead of 13-1 and 17-2, Bay Shore ends 12-2 and 16-3.

Here's my rough prediction as of Wednesday night: (I'm always curious to see how close I get to predicting these seedings...)

1. Longwood (10-2, 16-3)

vs.

16. Connetquot (7-7, 9-11)

9. Pat-Med (7-5, 13-5)

vs.

8. Copiague (9-3, 13-6)

5. Walt Whitman (12-2, 14-5)

vs.

12. Riverhead (7-5, 12-7)

4. Bellport (12-0, 16-3)

vs.

13. Deer Park (6-6, 9-10)

3. Brentwood (10-2, 14-5)

vs.

14. Sachem North (7-7, 9-10)

11. West Islip (9-5, 10-9)

vs.

6. Lindenhurst (9-3, 15-4)

10. Hills East (9-3, 11-7)

vs.

7. North Babylon (10-2, 14-5)

15. Hills West (6-6, 7-12)

vs.

2. Bay Shore (12-2, 16-3)

Again, this is just my guess. If it turned out like this, obviously if you're Longwood you don't want to see Marcus Stroman in round 2. That's rough. But on the plus side, Brentwood and Lindenhurst would be on the opposite side of the bracket, so the Lions would only have to face one of them and that would be in the county finals. I valued North Bab as a league champ pretty low, so I don't necessarily know if that'll hold up. But I think Lindy as a third-place finisher still deserves a higher seed than just about every other team in the county. Probably even Bellport, too.

We'll find out for sure Friday morning... And then we'll break it down fo' real.

Steven Keith vs. Matt Gannon

2009-02-11T00:07:00.002-05:00

The 119-pound League VI final between Steven Keith and Matt Gannon. Keith won his fourth straight league title and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler as he improved to 38-0 on the season.

SWR boys hoops in playoffs

2009-02-09T22:51:00.003-05:00

No big surprise here. The Shoreham-Wading River boys clinched a playoff spot with a win Monday night against Mount Sinai. The Wildcats and Longwood are the only boys teams to earn playoff spots this season.

On the girls side, only Shoreham and Mount Sinai are in. The two teams met Monday as well and Shoreham won to improve to 11-3 in League VI while the Mustangs fell to 8-6.

For an updated look at potential playoff seeding, let's start with the boys.

In Class AA, with Bay Shore's win Monday night against Walt Whitman, I'll guess the Marauders take the top seed in the playoffs. They're currently 12-1 in League II and 16-2 overall, the best record in AA. I think Longwood should get the No. 2 seed, assuming a win Tuesday against Sachem East. The Lions would finish at 10-2 and 16-3. From there you'd have Whitman (11-2, 13-5), Lindenhurst (8-3, 14-4), Bellport (11-0, 15-3) Copiague (9-2, 13-5) and North Babylon (9-2, 13-5) all vying for the next five seeds. All of those teams should host a first-round game. Don't be shocked if Pat-Med, a fourth-place League I team, sneaks in as a seven or eight seed.

A lot is still riding on the last game of the season for all these teams.

In Class A, the Wildcats finished 7-7 in league and will be a bottom seed, likely to face an outbracket game and then have to go on the road to East Hampton or Harborfields. Expect their playoff run to be short.

As for the girls, the first question is who gets the top seed in Class A, Harborfields (13-0, 16-2 League V) or John Glenn (13-0, 16-2 League VI). This is a big question for Shoreham. As a four seed, if the Wildcats win, they'll have to go on the road to the No. 1 seed. I think they'd like their chances against the Knights, a team they've played so many times before. Remember, the Wildcats, after losing twice by big margins in the regular season, nearly beat them last year on the road. Maybe, just maybe, they'd be able to pull of the upset this time in a similar, low-scoring game. Having to face a team like Harborfields that you're completely unfamiliar with doesn't sound good to me. I'd rather face the team that you know exactly what it can do. And hope you're due to win one.

First, though, the Wildcats will likely have to face a team like Amityville. The Wildcats beat the Warriors twice in the regular season, but they're a dangerous team. Sayville or Comsewogue could be in the mix as well for a five seed, although both teams have worse records than Amityville. But sometimes the seeding committee likes to have first-round matchups of League V vs. League VI teams. You never know....

Wrestling video highlights

2009-02-09T19:08:00.002-05:00

Here's a video of some highlights from the League VI wrestling tournament Saturday at Shoreham-Wading River. The Wildcats finished second in the tournament behind the powerhouse John Glenn Knights. Four Wildcats were crowned league champs.

Another Boys Hoops Roundup...

2009-02-06T14:29:00.004-05:00

We're down to the final stretch in high school basketball before the playoffs begin. So let's take a look at where boys team's stand and how the playoffs might shake up.

Only one local team has clinched a playoff spot and that's Longwood in League I. The Lions face first-place Brentwood at home tonight for a chance to earn a share of the league title. If the Lions can win out these next two games, including a home game against Sachem East, the real interesting question will be which team gets the higher seed? Brentwood or Longwood? The Lions would have the better overall record, but Brentwood played the tougher schedule. Longwood did beat St. John the Baptist, a team Brentwood lost to. An Indians win tonight makes it a moot point. Brentwood has won three straight against Longwood, all at Brentwood. Longwood won its last home meeting against the Indians last year.

Here are the current standings:

Brentwood 9-1

Longwood 8-2

Lindenhurst 6-3

Pat-Med 5-4

Floyd 3-6

Sachem East 2-7

Ward Melville 0-10

The only other local team with a chance to clinch a playoff berth is Shoreham-Wading River in League VI. The Wildcats are 6-7 and should get their seventh win when they play Mount Sinai Monday at home. Miller Place and Mt. Sinai are eliminated from contention.

Here are the standings:

East Hampton 12-1

John Glenn 10-3

Amityville 9-4

Bayport 9-4

SWR 6-7

Miller Place 4-9

Mt. Sinai 1-12

Westhampton 1-12

In League V Rocky Point is eliminated from contention with a 4-9 record.

Harborfields 11-1

Huntington 10-2

Kings Park 10-3

Comsewogue 7-6

Islip 6-7

Rocky Point 4-9

Hauppauge 3-10

Sayville 0-13

So let's take a look at possible playoff positioning:

In Class A the bracket is set up for seven teams, but we'll have more teams make it. As of now there are eight teams clinched with another two as possibilities. Shoreham should make it nine and an Islip win against Rocky Point would make it 10 teams. So we're looking at outbracket games to get in the dance. Shoreham will definitely be an outbracket team, playing either a Comsewogue or Islip.

My guess would be if 10 teams get in that the 9 and 10 would play an outbracket for the right to play the No. 1. Then the 7 and 8 would play for the right to play the No. 2.

Something like this:

9. Comsewogue

vs.

10. SWR

7. Amityville

vs.

8. Islip

1. East Hampton

vs.

9-10 Winner

4. John Glenn

vs.

5. Kings Park

3. Huntington

vs.

6. Bayport-Blue Point

2. Harborfields

vs.

7-8 winner

That'd be a tough bracket right there.

Back to Class AA:

This is where things get real tricky. A lot of good teams without a couple really dominant teams as sure 1 and 2 seeds. This won't be easy to break down and the season's final few games will go a long way toward determining these final seeds.

So far 11 teams have clinched a playoff spot. The bracket is set up for 16 teams. From League I through IV there are at least one or two teams that stand one win away from clinching. So within the next few days we'll have a better picture of what teams are in. There are simply too many important games left to accurately predict how the seedings may fall. Among them are Longwood-Brentwood tonight, Hills West-Bellport, Whitman-Bay Shore and Copiague-North Babylon. These games all have huge ramifications toward playoff seeding and potential league titles.

It should make for an exciting prelude to the playoffs.

Girls Track Small School Championship

2009-02-03T19:21:00.001-05:00

Here's a video of highlights from the girls track small school championship Jan. 31, won by Mount Sinai, its first winter track county title in program history.

Sports cancelled for Tuesday

2009-02-03T12:34:00.002-05:00

Snow has forced Section XI to postpone games today. Most games have been rescheduled for tomorrow. The boys small school division bowling championship will be Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. The large school championship is still TBA.

Buonaiuto reaches milestone

2009-01-29T21:19:00.005-05:00

Miller Place coach Domenic LoRe never likes to talk about his wrestler's milestones as they approach. Chalk it up to superstition. There's no need to worry after Thursday, though, as 189-pounder Zach Buonaiuto notched career victory No. 100 in a win against Westhampton.

Buonaiuto had been sitting on 99 for quite some time. After a dual meet win against Mount Sinai Jan. 16 he needed four more wins. At the Sachem North tournament the next day he won his weight class, but only had three matches, leaving him at 99. The Panthers did wrestle a week later at the North Fork Invitational, but Buonaiuto apparently didn't wrestle. Any Panther fans out there wishing to add some insight, feel free to post and share. After that their next dual meet didn't come until tonight.

The Panthers host SWR Friday in what should be a very close meet. Historically the Wildcats have owned this rivalry, but the Panthers have won the last two years.

Track Video Highlights

2009-01-29T14:58:00.001-05:00

Hey, buy a newspaper!

2009-01-28T20:06:00.002-05:00

I got this forwarded to me in an e-mail today, so I thought I'd pass the word along here:

NATIONAL BUY A NEWSPAPER DAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2009

As the economy continues to deteriorate, one of the industries that is going to be most severely affected is the American newspaper industry.

The fact of the matter is that the biggest chains are deeply in debt. Major cities that have had at least two daily newspapers for more than a century, such as Chicago and Seattle, might soon find themselves with only one source of news. Other papers, such as those in Detroit are no longer providing daily home delivery. If things get really bad, some experts say that some small towns might not have any paper by 2010.

And that’s a shame. Unlike radio which has become dominated by opinion or TV news which only looks for the 30 second sound bite, the local newspaper digs deep every day to get you, the reader, the full story on what’s happening in your town.

The newspaper is heavily focused on local news. It keeps you informed about events in your town and keeps local government in-line.

So for one day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, please make it a point to pick up your local newspaper (reading it online doesn‘t count).

It doesn't matter if it's a daily or weekly, right-leaning or left-leaning. If you're a college student and you get the school paper for free, buy the town paper. If you subscribe, why not pick up a second copy?

Who knows? You might like what you see and come back another day, and another, and another…

Please invite all your friends! Let’s see how many people we can make aware of this!

So you heard it folks, go buy the North Shore Sun!

Girls win league, coach loses hair

2009-01-27T19:26:00.003-05:00

Longwood girls bowling coach Steve Abrams made a promise to his team several years back that if they won the league title, he would shave his head. That day came Tuesday.

The Lions won their first league title in school history with a win against Comsewogue to cap off an undefeated season. They'll compete in the county tournament Feb. 7 at Sayville.

Here's a clip of Abrams getting his hair shaved at Coram Lanes following the victory"

Editor trades pen for microphone

2009-01-22T15:12:00.002-05:00

Thanks to the crumbling economy, I didn't have enough space in this week's paper to run a column by Bob Liepa describing North Shore Sun editor Grant Parpan's experience as a Riverhead radio play-by-play man. So it finds its home here:

By Bob Liepa
When Grant Parpan was a kid, he, like many boys, sometimes pretended he was a sportscaster. He would spend all day playing one-on-one baseball with a friend on a makeshift field in his backyard, calling the action at the same time.

Parpan’s love of sports is what got him involved in journalism, and his fascination with sports broadcasting is what landed him behind a radio microphone last week, calling play-by-play for a couple of Riverhead High School boys’ basketball games.

Parpan unhesitatingly accepted the opportunity to live out a childhood dream that arose when Riverhead radio station WRIV (1390 AM) needed someone to temporarily fill in for Pat Kelly, its longtime play-by-play announcer for Riverhead football and boys’ basketball games. Kelly estimates that he has covered 188 football games and 281 boys’ basketball games for WRIV over the course of 21 years. During that time, Kelly has missed only one football game and six basketball games. That includes the two basketball games he missed last week while he was in Pennsylvania, going over business as a member of the property owners board of directors for a time-share resort.

Acting in Kelly’s stead was Parpan, 29, editor of The North Shore Sun, a publication of Times/Review Newspapers.

“It was always something that I kind of wanted to do,” said Parpan.

Parpan was originally supposed to cover one game, but when snow caused Riverhead’s game at Half Hollow Hills West High School to be postponed a day to Friday, he was asked to pick up that one as well. So, with no prior play-by-play experience, Parpan made his announcing debut on Friday. The Blue Waves beat the Colts, 68-54, and Parpan felt as if he’d done worse than the Colts.

“Horrible” was the word he used to assess his performance. “I couldn’t compare that to anything I’ve done in journalism because I’ve never been that bad as a reporter,” he said.

A combination of nerves, combined with a quiet gym and a small crowd of no more than 50 people didn’t help matters. Parpan said his confidence was shot, and he dreaded the thought of then having to do Saturday’s game between the Deer Park Falcons and Blue Waves in Riverhead. “I thought, what short of me dying could prevent me from doing this on Saturday?” he said.

In retrospect, Parpan could be glad he got a second chance. He said he did much better working Riverhead’s 71-58 victory over Deer Park, and found it so enjoyable that he didn’t want the game to end.

“I was really getting into it, and the crowd was really getting into it,” said Parpan, who gave a thumbs-up sign during the game. “There was so much energy in the second game. I think as an announcer, I know it’s kind of weird, but I think you feed off the crowd.”

Over the course of two days, Parpan had two considerably different experiences. He said Saturday’s game was a more competent broadcast than “amateur hour” the day before, although there was one technical glitch during which he was off the air for about a minute during the first quarter of Saturday’s contest.

Like Kelly, Parpan worked without the benefit of a color analyst to shoulder some of the burden, although Parpan did have North Shore Sun sports editor Joe Werkmeister feeding him statistics on Post-it notes during Saturday’s game.

Parpan said he doesn’t have a signature call like Marv Albert’s “Yes!” Not that he didn’t receive suggestions beforehand. His brother, Peter, recommended he say “negative” whenever a shot missed its mark. Parpan said he felt confident enough on Saturday to say, “Oh baby!” a couple of times. Then, with Riverhead’s win all but assured in the dying moments, Parpan paid homage to Chick Hearn, the late play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers, by saying, “This one’s in the refrigerator.”

Compared to the first game, for which he graded himself an “F”, Parpan said he’d give himself a “B” for the second game.

John Mackey, the WRIV afternoon host who worked the control board during both games, said Parpan “did well. I would welcome him back at the microphone at any time that Pat is absent.”
Like any good reporter, Parpan knows preparation is important. He took his assignment seriously and did his homework. Parpan stood next to Kelly for two games while Kelly showed him the game sheets and equipment he uses, and explained how to work commercials into the broadcast.

Before leaving for Pennsylvania, Kelly gave Parpan advice. “Have fun, enjoy it,” he said. “But I also gave him one warning. That warning is regardless of what happens, there are going to be two words that don’t apply to me: Wally Pipp.”

Kelly’s joking reference was to the former New York Yankees first baseman who is best remembered for losing his starting role to Lou Gehrig at the beginning of Gehrig’s streak of 2,130 consecutive games.

On Monday, Parpan said he has no designs on being Lou Gehrig, and Kelly can have his job back. Parpan said he has a newfound respect for the work done by play-by-play announcers.
“It was really hard,” Parpan said. “To keep up with the action is almost impossible.”

Prior to taking on these assignments, Parpan figured: “If nothing else, I’ll be getting it out of my system. Now it’s something else. Now I feel like it’s something I’d like to do again.”

Boys Hoops Roundup

2009-01-20T22:16:00.004-05:00

Most teams have reached the midway point or beyond in the league season, so let's take a look at where the teams stand. I was down in Rocky Point tonight for the boys basketball team's big game against Comsewogue. The Eagles needed a win but struggled offensively in the second half and fell 63-53 to drop to 3-6 in League VI with five games to play.

Here's a look at League VI:

East Hampton 8-1

Amityville 7-2

John Glenn 7-2

Bayport 6-3

SWR 4-5

Miller Place 2-7

Mt. Sinai 1-8

Westhampton 1-8

So Mount Sinai is eliminated from postseason contention after tonight's loss against Bayport. Miller Place must go 5-0 to end the season to earn a repeat trip to the postseason. Shoreham still has a good shot to get in with games remaining against Miller Place (Jan. 31), Westhampton (Feb. 3) and Mount Sinai (Feb. 9). If the Wildcats can win those three games they'll assure themselves a .500 record and a very unpleasant first-round matchup, possibly even an outbracket game for the right to play that very unpleasant first-round team.

Not looking pretty.

Here's a look at League V:

Harborfields 7-1

Huntington 6-1

Kings Park 7-2

Islip 4-5

Comsewogue 4-5

Rocky Point 3-6

Hauppauge 3-5

Sayville 0-9

The Eagles must win four of their final five games for a 7-7 record and postseason berth.

Now some uplifting news, let's look at League I:

Brentwood 6-0

Longwood 4-2

Lindenhurst 4-2

Pat-Med 4-2

William Floyd 2-4

Sachem East 1-5

Ward Melville 0-6

The Lions are two wins away from clinching a playoff berth, but obviously are dreaming much bigger. I don't know if the Lions can catch Brentwood for the league title. They meet once more at Longwood, so the Lions will need someone else to knock them off as well.

Right now, the Lions need to focus on getting at least the second best record. They can live with that. The goal is to be a top four seed in the playoffs. Finishing ahead of Lindy and Pat-Med would give the Lions a decent shot at that. The other teams in contention for the top four spots would be B'Wood, L'Wood, Bay Shore, Whitman and possibly Bellport. I'm not sold on League III teams. In my opinion, the winner of League I is the top seed, followed by the winner of League II as the second seed. Then the runner-ups will be the three and four, unless Bellport runs the table in League IV (The Clippers are 6-0).

A top four seed guarantees two home playoff games before the neutral court games at SUNY Farmingdale. The Lions have had to go on the road in the second round the last three years and have lost each time.

Saturday will be a huge game for the Lions when they travel to Pat-Med, a team they narrowly beat the first time around at home. Pat-Med got them one game last year and just beat Lindenhurst the other day. Marcus Stroman is tough to defend. With two losses already, the Lions have no room for error.

Will Parks vs. Josue Mendez

2009-01-18T23:55:00.002-05:00

The 171-pound match of Friday's League I dual meet featured the top two-ranked wrestlers in the county in a rematch of the League I Tournament final from a year ago. While Brentwood's Josue Mendez won a 3-2 double overtime decision last year, he won much easier this time around, 11-3, against Longwood's Will Parks.

Here are the first two periods, which featured all the scoring.

Period 1:

Period 2:

Patrick Jennings vs. Travis Calderon

2009-01-16T23:36:00.004-05:00

Longwood sophomore Patrick Jennings won a 7-4 decision at 130 pounds against Brentwood's Travis Calderon in the Lions' 27-26 League I dual meet victory. Jennings improved to 30-1.

2nd Period:

3rd Period:

What a win for Longwood

2009-01-16T22:55:00.003-05:00

A thrilling dual meet win several years in the making tonight for the Longwood wrestling team. Eighth-grader Nicky Hall, at 112, clinched the dual meet with a pin of Humberto Garcia to bring the Lions back from a five-point deficit. The Lions won 27-26 by winning the final three matches, two of which were by pin. Here's a video of Hall's pin and the ensuing celebration. Please excuse the shakiness of the camera at the end. I'm a writer by trade...

Much more video is to come...

Donnelly, Henry sign to colleges

2009-01-16T13:34:00.004-05:00

Mount Sinai seniors Jill Donnelly and Shane Henry will sign National Letters of Intent to play their top sport in college next year. Donnelly is headed to Towson to play softball and Henry is headed to Cornell to play lacrosse.

Read more about Donnelly and Henry in next week's North Shore Sun.

Pipe, Fox are Zone winners

2009-01-15T19:40:00.004-05:00

Miller Place seniors Erin Pipe and Chris Fox were the school's recepients of the Suffolk Zone Award presented by the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. There were 118 Suffolk Zone winners based on their academics, leadership and physical performance throughout the school year.

Pipe is ranked eighth in her class with a GPA of 97.5. She's a tennis, basketball and track athlete who is also a member of the National Honor Society, National Foreign Language Honor Society, Varsity Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Athletes Helping Athletes and the Freshman-Senior Mentoring Project.

She was a tennis MVP in 2007 and All-League player in 2008. In basketball she's led the team in scoring this year and was also a member of the Empire State team in 2008. In track she was All-League and All-Division and holds the school record in the shot put and pentathlon.

Fox is ranked 13th in his class with a 96.4 average. He plays on the football and wrestling teams. He's also a member of the National Honor Society, Foreign Language National Honor Society and Varsity Club. He's an Advanced Placement scholar and received the school's Academic Excellence Award in 2006, 07 and 08.

Tune in to WRIV Friday, Saturday

2009-01-15T19:22:00.004-05:00

If you've ever attended a Riverhead football or boys basketball game, you may have noticed longtime radio announcer Pat Kelly calling the play-by-play for WRIV. The Blue Waves have been lucky to have a radio presence for many years now, giving fans a chance to stay close to the action when away from the gym.

Well, there's a special treat Friday and Saturday. North Shore Sun editor Grant Parpan is making his radio debut, filling in for Kelly for two games: Friday at Hills West and Saturday vs. Deer Park. Originally supposed to do one game, Grant got an added bonus when snow today forced Riverhead's game to be postponed. Destiny, perhaps?

So if you get a chance, tune in to 1390 on the radio or log on to www.wrivonline.com to listen to the action. Friday's game starts at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday's at 3 p.m. I'll likely head down to Saturday's game to provide Grant some assistance with stats. And he's currently looking to recruit help for Friday's game. Interested parties can e-mail him: gparpan@northshoresun.com.

Mount Sinai relay team narrowly misses Millrose Games

2009-01-14T19:30:00.003-05:00

The Mount Sinai girls track 4 x 400 relay team just missed on qualifying for the Millrose Games with a second-place finish Wednesday night at the Millrose Trials at the Armory. Brentwood placed first just ahead of Mount Sinai junior Janet Mellor on the final leg. Brentwood will race Jan. 30 at Madison Square Garden.

The Mustangs just missed qualifying last year as well, placing second behind Bay Shore. They did run a faster time this year, surpassing the 4 minute mark. The Mustangs ran 3:57.65 while Brentwood emerged victorious in 3:56.92. The Mustangs' time surpassed all of those in the Nassau County race. Hempstead qualified with a win in 4:00.41.

Last year the Mustangs ran 4:02.43 behind Bay Shore in 4:02.18.

Mount Sinai should get another shot at Brentwood in the state qualifier Feb. 10.

In the boys 4 x 400 relay, Longwood placed third in 3:30.49.

North Babylon placed second while Amityville won and qualified for the Millrose in 3:24.31.

In the weight throw Shoreham senior Ashley Clasen placed second with a throw of 49 feet, 2 1/4 inches. Karen Henning of St. Anthony's placed first at 49-11 1/4. Longwood's Imani White placed fourth at 43-11 1/2.

Indians win again

2009-01-13T20:42:00.002-05:00

The Brentwood Indians put themselves in the driver's seat for the League I title with a 69-59 home victory against Longwood Tuesday night. It was the second league loss for the Lions, who have little room for error now if they hope to win a league crown.

The Lions limited J.J. Moore to 13 points, but Alex Usera stepped up with 23.

Brentwood held a three-point advantage going into the final quarter before pulling away with a 23-16 advantage. The Lions' two league losses have been the only time this season they've been outscored in the fourth quarter. In both losses the Lions have gotten off to slow starts. They trailed Brentwood 19-11 after one quarter.

Brentwood remains undefeated in League I at 5-0. The Lions are 3-2 and travel to Sachem East next Tuesday. The Lions have lost three of four overall since an 8-0 start. Next Tuesday's game will be the last of the first round of games against League I teams. The Lions then travel to Pat-Med Jan. 24 to start the home stretch.

Longwood-Brentwood, Round 1

2009-01-12T23:05:00.002-05:00

The Longwood boys basketball team travels to Brentwood Tuesday night for a pivotal League I game against J.J. Moore and the undefeated Indians (undefeated in league, that is). It'll be another contest of Longwood's depth vs. a star player. If you were to rank the top players in League I, you'd likely name three players before anyone on Longwood's team: 1. Moore, 2. Kamil Parzych (Lindenhurst) and 3. Marcus Stroman (Pat-Med). The Lions beat Stroman, lost to Parzych and now face Moore.

The Lions went 1-2 against Brentwood last year, losing both games on the road. All three games were tight.

Here's a look back at how the Class AA playoff game went down:

Feb. 29, 2008

By Grant Parpan
BRENTWOOD--All season long it seemed whenever the Longwood boys basketball team needed to find a little magic, it did. Whether it was a bench player rising from obscurity to hit a key basket or one of the regulars making a key defensive stop, the Lions kept on finding a way to win.

For a few minutes Saturday in a raucous Brentwood gym it seemed the Lions just might pull it off again. After trailing by as much as 14 points in the second half, they had somehow tied the game at 62 apiece with 1:40 remaining.

Then the magic ran out.

The Indians hit nine free throws in the game's final 90 seconds and Longwood failed to hit a single field goal as it saw its season end in the Class AA quarterfinals for the third straight year with a 73-63 loss.

"We just came up short in the end," said veteran Longwood coach Dennis Terry, who had missed the three previous games following the unexpected death of his nephew. "We fought hard to come back and tie it up, but we just couldn't get them."

Longwood (15-6) went 1-2 against League I champion Brentwood (17-5) this season, winning once at home at dropping two on the road.

The size difference between Brentwood and Longwood was hard not to notice Saturday as the Indians maintained a strong advantage on the boards and in the paint right from the very beginning of the game. The Indians jumped out to a 17-9 first-quarter advantage largely due to their efforts on the offensive glass, using six offensive rebounds to create second-chance opportunities.

While Longwood managed to orchestrate comeback bids in the second and fourth quarters Saturday, the size of the Indians, particularly forwards JJ Moore and Kendall Harris, proved too much to overcome in the end.

Longwood's first comeback attempt came with Moore on the bench with foul trouble in the second quarter. But starting with the very first play of the third quarter, the 6-foot-6 sophomore put his stamp on the game in the second half.

At no point was Moore's contribution to the game more important than on Brentwood's first two possessions following the two free throws Longwood forward Jimmy Knudsen hit to tie the game at 62 all with 1:40 to go.

On the first trip down Moore, who also grabbed 12 rebounds, gave Brentwood the lead for good with two free throws. On the next possession he got fouled again but still sunk the field goal. He knocked down the ensuing foul shot to give the Indians some much-needed breathing room.

"They're a tough team," Terry said. "We tried to force them to shoot from the perimeter and that worked out OK for us ... but they kept coming at us and they found a way to get it done."

Harris chipped in with 15 points and 12 rebounds for Brentwood Saturday and guard Jean Chery added 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals.

Knudsen led Longwood with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Cameron Roundtree added 15 points and Kyle Weeks chipped in with 10 more.

The Indians saw their season end Tuesday when they fell to unbeaten Half Hollow Hills West 66-50 in the semifinals.

Saturday's loss to Brentwood marked the end of a largely positive season for Longwood. The Lions entered the year just trying to reach the playoffs and emerged midway through the season as league title contenders. While they ended up finishing a game behind the Indians, they spent a good portion of the season in first place.

"When I look at how far this team came from the start of the season to the end, it's just remarkable," Terry said. "I've never gotten as much out of a team as I did this one."

This coming from a coach who led Longwood to the state finals in 2000 and has a career playoff record of 16-13.

One comforting factor for Terry in the year ahead is that his entire roster, which featured one sophomore and 11 juniors, returns next season. He also has the option of filling some of his bench spots with players moving up from an 18-0 junior varsity squad who also went unbeaten as freshman in 2007.

"It's a great problem to have," Terry said. "Everyone has to work hard this offseason. We'll find out who wants it more."

Hills West will meet No. 2 Walt Whitman Friday at Stony Brook for the Class AA title. The higher seed has won each game thus far.

Keith earns some redemption

2009-01-10T16:15:00.004-05:00

Shoreham-Wading River senior Steven Keith defeated Justis Flamio of Mahopac in the 119-pound finals of the Eastern States Classic Saturday. Keith lost to Flamio in the semifinals of the state tournament a year ago, ending his bid for a second straight state title. Keith won a 10-2 major decision. Last year Flamio won 8-3 in the state semifinals before losing to Syosset's Nick Arujau.

Keith, however, did beat Flamio at the Eastern States last year as well, 10-0, so it's no guarantee come state tournament time.

Also at the Eastern States, Rocky Point junior Stephen Dutton won the 135-pound title. He beat Andrew Lenzi of Fordham Prep in the finals, 9-1.

Dutton's teammate, Billy Coggins, won the 160-pound title over local rival T.J. Neidhart of Shoreham-Wading River, 3-2.

Miller Place senior Zach Buonaiuto lost to Shenendehowa's Austin Meys in the 189 finals. Meys, the defending state champion, is one of the top overall wrestlers in the country and the road to a state title goes directly through him. Meys pinned Buonaiuto in 1:11, handing him his first loss of the season. Still a good tournament for Buonaiuto, who has rarely been tested thus far in Suffolk County.

Ceccio vs. A. Bonaventura

2009-01-09T12:49:00.000-05:00

Third Period and OT:

Matt Ross vs. Ken Collado

2009-01-08T15:15:00.004-05:00

Rocky Point sophomore Matt Ross faces defending state champion Ken Collado in a League V dual meet Jan. 7 at Rocky Point High School. Collado won 7-3 in the 112-pound bout.

Period 1:

Period 2:

Period 3:

Stephen Dutton vs. Jesse Marro

2009-01-07T23:48:00.004-05:00

Stephen Dutton faced his former team, Hauppauge, for the first time Wednesday in a League V dual meet at Rocky Point. Top-ranked in the county at 135, Dutton faced fourth-ranked Jesse Marro and won by major decision, 15-2.

Here's the entire match:

Period 1:

Period 2:

Period 3:

Frank Abbondanza vs. Ryan Cutler

2009-01-07T21:50:00.000-05:00

John Steiger vs. Brandon Papa

2009-01-07T17:20:00.000-05:00

Mike Powers vs. Ryan Rheaume

2009-01-06T15:00:00.001-05:00

Hoeg vs. Gribbin

2009-01-05T23:19:00.002-05:00

Buonaiuto vs. Fox

2009-01-05T23:18:00.001-05:00

Wrestling match canceled

2008-12-19T11:41:00.002-05:00

For the second straight year the Shoreham-Wading River-Rocky Point dual meet will not take place. Due to the snow that's currently falling and is expected to continue to fall all night, the match was called early Friday. No make up date is scheduled. The Eagles and Wildcats missed out on their dual meet last year as well when Rocky Point canceled for undisclosed reasons.

Mount Sinai cheerleaders place 2nd

2008-12-18T19:41:00.003-05:00

The Mount Sinai junior varsity cheerleaders placed second at the Long Island Cheerleading Coaches Association competition Dec. 14 at Half Hollow Hills West High School. Sachem North placed first while Plainedge and Freeport took third and fourth. The Mustangs will have two more competitions in January before the Hauppauge finals in February.

Congratulations to the Mount Sinai girls.

Brosco, Andrews named All-Long Island

2008-12-14T17:23:00.002-05:00

Shoreham senior Bobby Andrews was named Suffolk County's Runner of the Year in Newsday's annual fall awards. Andrews was also the Suffolk Runner of the Year as named by the coaches association. Andrews completed one of the finest individual cross country seasons in school history, culminating in a trip to Oregon for the Nike Nationals. Coach Bob Szymanski was named Coach of the Year.

Also named All-Long Island was Shoreham junior Kaitlyn Brosco in field hockey. On a team where multiple players could score, it was often Brosco in the big spot who delivered. She was at her best in the Wildcats' run to the Suffolk County championship. She scored three goals in the Wildcats' playoff opener, one in the semifinals, two in the small school championship and one against Garden City in the Long Island championship. It was only the second goal Garden City allowed at the point in the season. She finished the season with 20 goals.

In girls soccer Dianna Marinaro was named second team All-Long Island. Marinaro, a South Florida bound senior, was earlier named first team All-State.

In football Longwood senior Moses White was second team All-Long Island as a linebacker. And on another note with White, I just realized Tuesday when talking to coach Chris Meyer at a basketball game that White was still 16 during the season. As a senior. Crazy. At his age, he really shouldn't be graduating until 2010. Imagine the damage he would do next year if he had another full season. And even still, he wouldn't even be 18 yet.

A plunge into the warm, Hawaiian waters...

2008-12-11T18:26:00.014-05:00

By Joe Werkmeister

They had hoped for a better sunset to glisten against the Pacific Ocean touching the sky. But when Amy Linnen and Morgan Hoesterey saw the results of a diving/photographic expedition, the results were more than they imagined.

Linnen, a Mount Sinai graduate who became one of the most accomplished high school and collegiate pole vaulters ever, was living in Hawaii last year during the heart of training for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. She and Hoesterey trained together and decided to take a day off one afternoon. Photography was a hobby of Hoesterey and she had just gotten a new wide-angle, "fish-eye" lens. For a test run, the two decided to explore an area called China Walls, which is located on the southern tip of Oahu, Hawaii and sits on Maunalua Bay, which flows into the Pacific. A secluded spot, China Walls is not the typical tourist destination. Just perfect for the adventurous duo.

As a pole vaulter, and earlier in life a gymnast before height became an issue, Linnen was well accustomed to flying through the air. But she does admit, "Diving is not something I'm good at."

Linnen's definition of "good" is clearly different than most people, judging by the images of her dives brilliantly captured by Hoesterey.

From a spot roughly 10 feet high on a rocky cliff, Linnen dove about 30 times into the bay, each time trying a different dive. The swan dive, where she really looks like she's flying, is her favorite. The back-flip also developed into a fan favorite.

"I liked being behind the camera and she didn't mind being in front of it," Linnen said.

Looking back, Linnen admits diving off a cliff probably wasn't the smartest idea considering she was in the middle of training. The hardest part, she said, was getting back up after hitting the water. "I had to wait to be patient," she said. "I had to wait for waves to roll by."

To get back up she had to climb a rock wall, which was covered in sea urchins — which have round, spiny shells — among other creatures.

"The first time I never thought I would get back up," she said. After the second and third tries she found foot and hand holds which she repeatedly used to repeat the process all over again.

"It's amazing what one can accomplish with the support of a friend and a positive outlook on life," she said.

Pushing the limits has always been Linnen's way. It's how she could clear 15 feet in the pole vault, one of the most challenging feats in sports. While fear holds most us back, it drives Linnen to the do the unimaginable.

"At first I had a little fear," she said of diving into water that was no more than 8-10 feet deep and even shallower at times. "You have to get over a fear when you do certain things."

The day after her diving exploits, Linnen said she arrived at practice more focused. Mental preparation can be as important as the physical for elite athletes. Linnen's ability to focus separates her from most athletes. Even on the golf range, she says, she's intently focused on being consistent.

As she stared out at the water that day, a scene of tranquility, her athletic instincts took over. Landing in water was different than landing on her feet, but the dives quickly shaped into form. A career in diving, perhaps? Maybe not, but had she begun diving at a younger age, perhaps that would have been the sport for which she trained at the highest level. Water is a natural home for Linnen, who's also an avid surfer. In her pole-vaulting training she often incorporated many water activities into her regimen, the kind of "activities" that make diving off a cliff seem mundane.

"It keeps my soul happy in a sense," Linnen said of her aquatic life.

Part of her training included rock running, which involved sprinting under water with the weight of a heavy rock held against her chest holding her on the sea's floor.

While her competitive pole-vaulting career is likely over after her Beijing Olympic bid came up short, Linnen's involvement with the sport is far from finished. In her competitive career she attended the University of Arizona and Kansas. Now she's back east at SUNY-Cortland where she's finishing a degree in physical education. She's also volunteers with the pole vaulters on the track team as an assistant coach.

"With everything I learned," she said, "now it's my time to pay it forward."

After the team's first meet at Cornell a few weeks ago, the pole vaulters all performed well, prompting positive feedback for Linnen.

"It made me smile," she said. "It was reassurance that this is what I was meant to do."

Linnen arrived back on Long Island this week for the holiday break. She'll spend two weeks of her break working at Westhampton Beach schools as part of her field observations requirement.

For the first time in a long time, school is Linnen's top priority right now. While she never neglected her academics, it always fell a short second behind her athletic goals. It's a new challenge now, one she readily looks forward to, to put her full effort toward academics. Her first semester at Cortland went really well, she said, giving school "110 percent of my time."

During break Linnen said Hoesterey plans a visit to Long Island to stay with her. Born in California, Hoesterey has spent the last 10 years in Hawaii and hasn't experienced surfing in the frigid Atlantic waters during winter. Linnen said she can't wait for Hoesterey, whom she described as like a sister, to stay with her. During their adventures they plan to film it, a sort-of mini documentary. She's already made several films, which are on YouTube. A disclaimer before one video fittingly says: "Adventures with Amy, while extremely entertaining, are potentially hazardous, and should not be attempted by the faint of heart of by the weak of stomach."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMe83I9nPj8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWu_l8vjxCU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X6n_V4iCK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr8RHYEkHw8

Each day presents a new challenge for Linnen. She wouldn't have it any other way.

"If there's no guided path, if there's no goal in mind, I feel kind of lost," she said.

Riding a Wave into winter

2008-12-05T16:45:00.007-05:00

The fall season officially came to an end last weekend with the football Long Island Championship games. While no teams from our area made the dance, I was kept busy covering Riverhead for our sister paper, The News-Review. Our sports editor there, Bob Liepa, had a vacation coming these weeks, so I was on double duty laying out the sports sections for The News-Review and our North Fork paper, The Suffolk Times. So if the Sun Sports section is a little thin these weeks, that's why. There's only so much one man can do...

Here's how we covered the Blue Waves' undefeated season and Miguel Maysonet's Hansen Award with the front and back page of the paper:

Having covered the county and L.I. championship games of Riverhead, I could really appreciate just how tough a team the Blue Waves were this year. They didn't have a weakness and we're clearly the top team on the Island this year. If you didn't see them play this year, you missed out.

Now that the winter season is here, we have a lot to look forward to. Wrestling will be huge again this year with Longwood and Rocky Point having two of the deepest teams on Long Island. Shoreham obviously returns two studs with Keith and Neidhart. Miller Place also returns Buonaiuto.

On the hoops scene Longwood boys will be a county title contender. The Lions are off to a hot start with wins against North Babylon and Rocky Point. The Lions nearly put 100 on the board against the Eagles (92). 14 players scored in the game, which is no fluke. The Lions are as deep as any team anywhere. It doesn't mean they're the best team, but on any given night, any one of 10 players could probably lead the team in points. I look forward to seeing them in action.

Marinaro named All-State

2008-11-27T20:41:00.002-05:00

Shoreham-Wading River senior midfielder Dianna Marinaro was named first team All-State in girls soccer this week, the third straight year she's earned All-State honors. The last two years she was second team.
Marinaro, who will play for the University of South Florida next year, was the only local player to receive All-State honors. The Wildcats had four players All-State last year.
Marinaro led the Wildcats to a 10-1-1 record in League VI this season and a berth in the Class A playoffs.

Longwood falls in semifinals

2008-11-14T21:02:00.005-05:00

Longwood senior Nick Esposito/photo by Garret Meade

MIDDLE ISLAND--The Connetquot Thunderbirds advanced the Division I county finals with a 12-7 comeback victory at Longwood High School Friday night, ending the Lions season at 7-3.
The Lions held a 7-6 lead until Connetquot rolled off a 13-play, 77-yard drive with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter. Joseph Zuco capped off the drive with a touchdown from a yard out. The two-point conversion was no good.
Longwood took over 1:10 left, no timeouts and 67 yards away from the end zone. With under 30 seconds left Lions quarterback Eddie Wess was intercepted on a desperate heave down field to end the game. One kneel down made it official.
Amazingly, Connetquot will face Lindenhurst in the finals after the Bulldogs upset top-ranked William Floyd.
A Colonials-Lions rematch was not meant to be.
Connetquot struck first against the Lions on the second play of the game. Ryan Anderson threw a screen right to Jon Sternbach who took the ball 45 yards down the right sideline. The extra point kick was blocked by Sherif Saad, which looked like would be a pivotal play once the Lions' 7-6 lead looked like it might hold up.
Longwood grabbed the lead late in the second quarter on a long pass by Wess to Tommy Scala down the right sideline. The pass went for 53 yards and the extra point by Jaelisa Rehal gave the Lions the one point lead.
Longwood picked up only three first downs in the second half.

National Signing Day

2008-11-12T11:27:00.007-05:00

Today is the first day of the early signing period for high school student-athletes. Rocky Point invited local media this morning to watch three students officially sign National Letters of Intent. All were lacrosse players:

Matt Palasek — Johns Hopkins University

Abigail Ross — Long Island University, C.W. Post

Aimee Capps — University of Connecticut

More Rocky Point students are expected to sign in the future. The early signing period ends Nov. 19. After then the earliest date students can sign is April 8. Some sports — field hockey, track, cross country, soccer and water polo — can sign beginning Feb. 4.

For full coverage of NLI, check out next week's North Shore Sun.

Smit named Swimmer of the Week

2008-11-11T21:48:00.003-05:00

Mount Sinai graduate and Olympic medalist Julia Smit was named the collegeswimming.com Collegiate Swimmer of the Week for NCAA Division I women based on her performances from Nov. 2-9.

A Stanford junior, Smit was honored for the fourth time in her career (twice as a freshman, once last year).

Smit dominated at the two-day Anteater Shootout hosted by UC Irvine. She won five individual events in the 100 free (twice), 200 back, 200 IM and 400 IM. She recorded NCAA 'A' standard times in the 200 IM (1:56.06) and the 400 IM (4:06.89). Her three other victories were 'B' times. Her time of :48.48 in the 100 free moved her into fifth place on Stanford's all-time top-10 list for the event.

Smit returns to the pool with Stanford Nov. 28-30 in Toronto, Canada for the Bell Invite.

One team left in football

2008-11-10T12:01:00.002-05:00

Longwood is the last football team left among local teams. The Lions will host No. 3 Connetquot Friday night at 6 p.m. The Lions had to wait to see what day Floyd wanted to play before setting a date. Both teams will play at the same time so one team can't watch the other. The Lions weren't sure if Floyd would opt for the Friday game because of problems they've had controlling their crowds as was evident when Longwood played there in Week 2.

But the Colonials went with Friday night so that's when Longwood will go as well. Their games are the only two Suffolk County playoff games that night. It's the first time I can remember semifinal games being played on a Friday. It's been something people have complained about with all the playoff games happening at the same time on Saturday. So this is a good opportunity for football fans of other teams to head out and watch some real competitive Division I games. It should be fun and I'd expect pretty big crowds at both games.

Can anyone beat John Glenn?

2008-10-31T19:47:00.002-04:00

For some reason, I never remember fearing the vaunted Knights of John Glenn during my high school days. Perhaps I just didn't pay close enough attention. But it seems like any time one of our local school faces Glenn in the playoffs, it's always the Knights coming out on top. The latest example was Wednesday when Glenn beat Shoreham in girls soccer. So I decided to go back and look at some of the recent playoff matchups between Glenn and one of our local teams:

Fall 08

Girls Soccer: Glenn 2, SWR 1, Class A Quarterfinals

Spring 07

Boys Lax: Mt. Sinai 15, Glenn 6, Class C Championship

Baseball: Glenn 4, SWR 3, Class A first round

Baseball: Glenn 8, Rocky Point 6, Class A semifinals

Winter 07

Girls Basketball: Glenn 38, SWR 36, Class A semifinals

In boys basketball Glenn didn't face any of our teams in the postseason, but they were seeded second in the bracket, higher than any of our teams.

Fall 07

Girls V-ball: Glenn 3, Mt. Sinai 0, Class B Championship

Boys Soccer: Glenn 3, Mt. Sinai 1, Class A semifinals

We'll very likely be able to add two more this fall in favor of Glenn. The Knights should play either Shoreham or Mt. Sinai in football in the first round and should win. The girls volleyball team will also win again against Mount Sinai assuming the Mustangs can beat Bayport Saturday.

Cross Country times

2008-10-30T13:35:00.003-04:00

The cross country county championship is Friday at Sunken Meadow State Park.

Here are the race times:

Girls Class B/C/D: 1:30

Boys Class A: 1:55

Boys Class B/C/D: 2:25

Boys Class AA: 2:50

Girls Class A: 3:20

Girls Class AA: 3:45

We should have county champs in the boys and girls B/C/D race. The Shoreham boys should have no trouble winning their race. In the girls B/C/D it'll be either Shoreham or Mount Sinai.

In the Class A race keep an eye on Miller Place to see if the Panthers can win a title. They came close last year and will be close again.

It's playoffs, so that means rain!

2008-10-28T10:32:00.002-04:00

It wouldn't be the playoffs without weather wreaking havoc on the schedule. So as the rain pours down on Long Island, teams will be forced to wait another day to get their games in.

The field hockey and girls soccer games will now be Wednesday at the same time, 3 p.m., weather permitting, of course.

The girls tennis playoff matches were also pushed back to Thursday at 3 p.m. The semifinals and finals of the individual tournament will be Wednesday at noon.

Thoughts on Week 7...

2008-10-26T18:37:00.002-04:00

Not the best week for local football teams. SWR, Mt. Sinai, Miller Place and Rocky Point all went down, although two of those were expected (SWR, Mt. Sinai, who faced the top two D-IV teams). Of course, the lone winner was old reliable, Longwood. The Lions continue to assert themselves as the best team next to William Floyd in D-I. It's hard to remember the last game the Lions lost to a team other than Floyd...

Actually, it was Brentwood in 2006 that did it. The Indians won that day, 8-6, on a game played on Sunday after postponed a day. I remember how it was such a big game, yet nobody showed up. It was a cold, windy Sunday and the place at Brentwood was lifeless. Longwood had a late field goal attempt to win it and missed. Anyway, I talk about Brentwood because it was the Lions and Indians Saturday afternoon on Longwood's homecoming. These Longwood-Brentwood games have been such close battles the past few years, but this one was anything but close. The Lions dominated, 45-13, and led at the half 29-0.

The win improves the Lions' record to 6-1 with one game left against a weak Sachem East team. Give the Lions credit for putting the weaker teams away early. While they haven't always extended leads late in games, the Lions have built big leads that have been too big for teams to overcome. It's much better than falling behind and having to fight and crawl back.

With Floyd's win Saturday against Connetquot, the Colonials are all but locked for the top seed. A win for Longwood would lock the two seed. From there, several scenarios could unfold. But look for Connetquot, Lindenhurst and Northport to vie for the three/four seeds and a first-round home game. The next three spots will likely go to Sachem North, Brentwood and Pat-Med. Melville and Whitman are still in the mix at 3-4 for a possible eight seed.

I didn't cover the Longwood game this weekend in person, figuring it would be a lopsided game as it was. I headed out to Sayville for a big D-III showdown between Miller Place and the Golden Flashes.

While the Flashes held on, 17-13, to take control of the division, the Panthers put up a good fight and should come away with confidence that if they were to face again, they could definitely win, especially if at Stony Brook. A turnover and a few mistakes cost the Panthers. That's what happens against real good teams on the road. You can't give a team like Sayville an opportunity for easy scores.

The Flashes will likely end up as the top seed after Harborfields somehow lost to East Hampton. It looked like Harborfields would go 8-0, but were shocked by East Hampton, 7-0. So the Flashes should have the power point advantage over any other 7-1 team. Miller Place, with a win this week at Huntington, still may fall to a seed lower than four. It's tough to call, but it would seem improbable the Panthers get a seed higher than four at best case scenario.

Sayville, Harborfields, Hills West and Hauppauge would appear to be your top four. If the Panthers finished as a five and had to play, say, at Hauppauge, that's not a bad first-round matchup. Of course, in the 4-5 game means playing Sayville on the road in the semifinals. What the Panthers really want to avoid is playing Hills West in the first round. Miller Place coach Ron Petrie maintained that the Colts are the best team the Panthers have faced this year.

Mount Sinai defeats Rocky Point

2008-10-25T18:37:00.003-04:00

The Mount Sinai girls soccer team won its Class A outbracket game Saturday afternoon at Rocky Point, 2-0. Junior Alley Abbruzo scored both goals for the Mustangs, who advanced to face top-seeded and defending county champion Islip Tuesday. The ninth-seeded Mustangs improved to 10-6 and have won three straight after losing to Bayport, 4-1, Oct. 17.

Islip has won the county championship each of the past three seasons.

Oh, and one more note: Islip hasn't given up a goal since Sept. 19, a 2-1 loss to Sayville. That's nine straight games (8-0-1) without surrendering a goal. In total, the Bucs have given up four goals this season, all of which came in the first three games.

Playoff Brackets Posted!

2008-10-24T12:02:00.004-04:00

We'll start with boys soccer.

The brackets are pretty similar to how I predicted earlier. Mount Sinai did earn the No. 2 seed despite falling into a tie with Miller Place. So good news for the Mustangs, who won't have to face Comsewogue until a county championship. Miller Place meanwhile gets Sayville in the first round. Yikes! Here's the rule with Sayville in soccer: You never, ever want to play them. I don't care what their record is.

So here it goes:

1. Comsewogue

vs.

8. Bayport-Blue Point vs. 9. Harborfields

5. Sayville

vs.

4. Miller Place

3. Hauppauge

vs.

6. SWR

7. Westhampton

vs.

2. Mt. Sinai

The outbracket game is Monday and the first round games are Thursday with the semifinals to be played Monday, Nov. 3. The county championship will be Thursday, Nov. 6 at Dowling Sports Complex.

I'd feel real good about Mt. Sinai winning its first game against Westhampton. The Hurricanes have struggled down the stretch and I think the Mustangs got their bad game out of the way Wednesday at Shoreham.

Our other two schools, however, I think are prime for one and done. I never pick against Sayville and Shoreham has been very inconsistent the last three weeks. If they play like they did Wednesday, they can win. If not, Hauppauge can run away with that game.

Onto FIELD HOCKEY:

Three local teams made it as expected.

1. Sayville

vs.

8. Huntington

5. East Hampton

vs.

4. Rocky Point

3. SWR

vs.

6. Bayport-Blue Point

7. Harborfields

vs.

2. Miller Place

I like all of our teams to win Tuesday and advance to the semis Thursday. The real confusing part of the bracket is how in the world Miller Place earned a higher seed than Shoreham-Wading River. Shoreham led Division III all year until at the very end, Miller Place jumped the Wildcats in power points. If anyone cared about field hockey, this would be causing a major stir right now. But it's field hockey, so I'm sure no one has noticed outside of Shoreham or Miller Place.

But Miller Place finished 12-2, 14-3. Shoreham finished 13-1, 15-2. OK, so Shoreham had a better record. But why would something like better records matter in determining standings? It comes down to power points. So MP gets the edge with 170.o10 to Shoreham's 166.43.

But look closer. Who did Miller Place lose to? Shoreham. TWICE!

Miller Place is a very good team that can win a county championship, but the Panthers have no business finishing ahead of Shoreham and to do so makes an absolute mockery of Suffolk County field hockey. Last I checked the Wildcats were defending county champions. And the Wildcats have won six of the last seven games between the two schools, including in the playoffs last year. Now this lower seeding doesn't hurt the Wildcats that much. It just means they have to play at Miller Place as opposed to home in the second round. But it's still perplexing and shouldn't be.

You can argue the power points could work into Miller Place's favor had Shoreham played a significantly worse schedule. They did not. The Wildcats' only loss came to Rocky Point, 1-0. The Eagles are pretty good this year, right? Seeded fourth in the playoffs?

Breaking down their schedules, Miller Place played:

SWR: 13-1

Rocky Point: 11-3

Pierson: 12-2

Port Jeff: 7-7

East Hampton: 7-7

Comsewogue: 5-9

Hampton Bays: 2-12

SWR played:

MP: 12-2

RP: 11-3

Port Jeff: 7-7

Riverhead: 7-7

East Hampton: 7-7

Comsewogue: 5-9

Southampton: 3-11

So Miller Place's opponents went: 57-41, a .582 percentage

Shoreham's opponents went: 52-46, a .531 percentage

One more note: SWR outscored opponents 54-7. MP outscored opponents 50-13.

Sorry, but that's nowhere near enough to give Miller Place a higher seed after losing TWICE to Shoreham. Unbelievable.

Onto GIRLS SOCCER:

1. Islip

vs.

9. Mt. Sinai vs. 8. Rocky Point

5. SWR

vs.

4. John Glenn

3. Harborfields

vs.

6. Bayport-Blue Point

7. Hauppauge

vs.

2. Sayville

Should be a quick girls soccer postseason. I like RP over Mt. Sinai for the right to lose to Islip. SWR should take care of Glenn and then the Wildcats will fall victim to Islip.

I'd be shocked to see anything but Islip playing Sayville for the county title.

Boys Soccer Playoffs

2008-10-23T20:50:00.002-04:00

In my previous post I broke down my prediction of the Class A girls soccer playoffs. So here come the boys.

Mount Sinai missed a big chance to win the League VI title outright Wednesday with a loss at Shoreham-Wading River. So the Mustangs are co-champs with Miller Place which makes it interesting as to which team earns the higher seed. The teams split the season series with 1-0 wins. Mount Sinai won the more recent game Saturday at home. We'll see Friday.

As with the girls, the No. 8 and No. 9 will play each other for the right to face the No. 1.

Here's how I would align the bracket:

1. Comsewogue (14-0, League V)

vs.

8. Westhampton (7-6-1, League VI) vs. 9. Bayport-Blue Point (6-6-2, League VI)

5. Sayville (10-4, League V)

vs.

4. Miller Place (9-2-3, League VI)

3. Mount Sinai (10-3-1, League VI)

vs.

6. Harborfields (6-6-2, League V)

2. Hauppauge (11-3, League V)

vs.

7. Shoreham-Wading River (8-6)

Harborfields makes it official

2008-10-23T20:31:00.004-04:00

The Harborfields girls soccer won Thursday afternoon against Westhampton, 5-0, to clinch the League VI title, which had been held by Shoreham-Wading River the last two years. The Wildcats finished in second place with a very respectable record of 10-1-1, the same record that won them the league title last year.

Harborfields really came out of nowhere this year to go 11-0-1. In League V last year the Tornadoes went 2-9-1 to finish last. A young team this season, the Tornadoes should be tough again next year. While their poor record last year is partly attributable to playing in the ultra-competitive League V, it's still hard to imagine how they made such a dramatic turnaround so quickly. Rocky Point had a much better season a year after playing in League V, but not to the same level. Rocky Point went 2-8-2 last year and finished 8-4 this year, losing to Harborfields and Shoreham twice.

The brackets for girls soccer will be posted Friday, but as of Thursday night, here's my rough prediction of how things might look. Nine teams will get in, so the eight/nine seeds will play an outbracket Saturday for the right to play the No. 1. As for that No. 1, does it go to Islip or Sayville?? Tough call. I'll go with Islip since the Bucs beat Sayville 4-0 in their last meeting.

So here's how I would align the teams:

1. Islip (10-1-1, League V)

vs.

8. Hauppauge (6-5-1, League V) vs. 9. Mt. Sinai (7-5, League VII)

5. John Glenn (10-2, League VII)

vs.

4. SWR (10-1-1, League VI)

3. Sayville (10-1-1, League VI)

vs.

6. Rocky Point (8-4, League VI)

2. Harborfields (11-0-1, League VI)

vs.

7. Bayport-Blue Point (9-2-1, League VII)

Now, does Harborfields, since its the only unbeaten team receive the top seed, even though Islip and Sayville are the superior teams? It could happen, but I doubt it based on the fact that Islip and Sayville have clearly been the two best teams in Class A since like, 1945. But with an unbeaten record and League VI title, Harborfields does deserve the No. 2 seed.

Thoughts on Week 6...

2008-10-19T15:44:00.003-04:00

Two weeks to go in the high school football season and things are taking shape. With eight teams making the postseason this year, it's created a lot more meaning to the end of the regular season for many teams which otherwise would be running out the string.

The Longwood Lions improved to 5-1 in Division I and are in prime position to earn the No. 2 seed for the second straight year. The Lions played a terrific first half against a good Lindenhurst team Friday night with their only mishaps coming on the opening kickoff which the Bulldogs returned for an touchdown. Later in the half Eddie Wess threw a late pick after completing a 40-plus yard pass to Nick Esposito, halting a drive that nearly resulted in points the other way for Lindenhurst. The Lions made too many mistakes in the second half, but had built enough of a lead to withstand it. It was a similar game to Week 1 against Connetquot where the Lions built an early lead, couldn't add on, then had to hang on for dear life. Lindenhurst never really threatened to win the game Friday — their last touchdown came on the last play of the game — but it was still closer than you would have liked.

I've liked the passing defense the Lions have shown this year. You'll remember William Floyd came out throwing against Longwood in Week 2 and had little success. Lindenhurst didn't have much success either until late in the game when the Bulldogs relied on short passes, which the Lions were willing to give up as they played a protective Cover-3.

The Lions finish the regular season against Brentwood at home Saturday for homecoming and then go to Sachem East. I don't see the Lions having too much trouble in either game and should finish 7-1, which means they don't have to face Floyd until the county championship. Of course, even if the Lions slip to a three seed, they still wouldn't face Floyd until the county championship.

What's important to keep an eye on is where Sachem North lands. The Flaming Arrows are 2-4 and finish against Pat-Med and Lindenhurst. Sachem could very well end up in the seven seed and come to Longwood in the first round. That's a very scary first round matchup and one the Lions would be very happy to avoid. Longwood coach Chris Meyer would much rather see a team like Northport in the first round. Even Pat-Med or Brentwood would be a more welcome sight.

The Miller Place Panthers also improved to 5-1 in Division III after a high-powered win against Deer Park Saturday, 47-28. It sets up a huge showdown Saturday at 5-1 Sayville, the team regarded as the best in the division. The Panthers will likely need a win to earn enough power points to receive one of the top four seeds. I think if the Panthers finish 6-2, it won't be enough for a seed higher than five or six, which is hard to believe. Hills West will finish 5-3 and will have more power points than Miller Place at 6-2, unless the Panthers can beat Sayville.

Harborfields has two easy games left so expect the Tornadoes to earn the top seed with an 8-0 record. If Sayville wins its next two, the Golden Flashes will be seeded second. Kings Park, Hills West, Miller Place, Islip and Hauppauge will all be fighting for power points to finish as high as possible. I like Rocky Point to grab the eighth seed, although the Eagles are only 2-4.