Monumental Montie Milestones

Boys Clinch Third Consecutive Division III Title While Girls Break 28-Year Drought Garnering First Title Since 1984; A Plethora Of Personal Bests Evinced By Kids As Liberty Gives Its Best Vying In Tougher Division; Burke On The Scene As A Non-League Entry

Boys: OCIAA Division III: Monticello 94, Liberty 47; Liberty 119, Burke 15; Monticello 134, Burke 1

Girls: OCIAA Division III: Monticello 95, Liberty 46; Liberty 92, Burke 47; Monticello 108, Burke 33

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

Scenes from the historic meet in which Monticello's boys clinched their 3rd straight Div. III title and the girls got their first crown in 28 years (clockwise). Monticello's boys and girls track teams pose with their coaches following the epic wins by both squads. Monticello twins Camryn and Sydney Johnson lead the way in the 1500. They also went one-two in the 800 and ran in the victorious 3200 relay. Monticello Coach Joe Seidl undergoes his annual dousing after the title victory. Liberty senior Rebeccah Harman wins the 100 high hurdles. She also won the 400 hurdles and ran a leg in the winning 400 relay. Monticello's Joe Klein won the 1600 and 3200. Liberty's Andy Hazelnis turned in a personal best 41-2 in the triple jump. Liberty's Vinny Webbe clears 11-0 in the pole vault, Liberty's Nikole Snyder jumps a personal best 15-6 to win the long jump. Liberty's Kane Sauchuk swept the 110 and 400 hurdles and ran a leg in the winning 3200 relay despite being afflicted with the stomach flu, Monticello senior Tania Walker wins the 200. She also won the 400. Monticello senior Onique (Tino) Taylor wins the 200 just one tenth of a second shy of the school record. Monticello's boys and girls team pictures are at the bottom of the panel.

MONTICELLO,NY—Simply historic. Nothing less than one for the ages.

That’s what Monticello’s boys and girls Division III clinching track victories over Liberty translated to as the boys team marshaled its third consecutive division title ,while the Lady Panthers captured their first title in 28 years. Not since the spring of 1984 has a Monticello girls team claimed such bragging rights. That year they won Section Nine titles in the Winter of ’83 and the spring of ’84. So this honor was a long time coming.

For the Monticello boys and girls to emerge victorious they had to stave off the noble Indian Tribe which came with its best effort, evincing personal bests here, there and everywhere countering the sea of blue with their vibrant red as the two flagship schools of Sullivan County went at it.

Not surprisingly, Liberty which by all rights should not have been bumped up to Division III could not keep up with the Monties’ arsenal of weaponry. But to be sure, in some of the events at least, the story was quite compelling.

But most captivating was the unfoliding of the Monticello girls capture of the Division III crown. More on that momentous accomplishment momentarily, the latest volley in Monticello’s rising tide of track feats.

Three years ago when the Montie boys bested Cornwall a new era of Monticello track grandeur was ushered in. Last year’s repeat win over the Dragons was if anything, even more impressive. Doing it a third time suggests the hint of a dynasty. Given the outstanding work of the modified team legions under the careful watch of Coach  J. Daniel Granville, there are apt to me more standout runners, jumpers and throwers coming up the pipeline in years to come.

Needless to say this year’s unbeaten Division records by both the boys and girls varsity squads were an outstanding achievement, a product of hard work, great coaching and meet strategy and most of all, the will and determination of a group of special kids. Add to the allure the fact that the girls team is replete with scholar athletes demonstrating the mantra of ancient Greece: “Sound body; sound mind.”

Bright smiles abounded as the girls took their victory lap with their fists raised in the air while the boys were busily plotting to douse Coach Joe Seidl (again) in what has become a traditional rite of spring over the past three years. Lacking a Gatorade bucket, they accomplished the task with bottles of water which dripped down off Seidl’s famous and ever-present red baseball cap onto his bemused face.

Each year brings its own special circumstances and this year was no exception. With nemesis Cornwall bumped up to Division II, the boys would now have to turn their attention to Port Jervis and Liberty.

“We felt in March that Liberty and Port would be tough.  As usual, my focus is on the quarter milers and of course team unity/effort,” said Seidl. With a number of key athletes lost to graduation, Seidl and his assistant Matt Buddenhagen had  to rework the puzzle, taking into account the team’s strengths and thin spots.

In bygone years Monticello had its share of distance standouts like Brendan Devine, Dave Wilbur and Tom Gonzalez, just to mention a few.  With the likes of those tireless warrriors, Monticello could always count  on points in the distance events.  They’ve been gone awhile now and no such guarantees exist at present.

These days the Monties rely on up-and-coming Joe Klein as the leader of the pack. Despite his youth, he seems prepared to assume the mantle and on this day, his victories in the 1600 (5:08) and the 3200 (11:20) gave Monticello points it hadn’t figured on garnering.

Monticello would have more highlight moments and as Coach Seidl saw it, they also included the following:

Tino Taylor-100 11.0 (PR) 200 22.1 (PR .10 off school record)

Talon Watson-TJ-41’2.5″ (PR) 200-23.1 (PR)

Mike Rogers-PV-10′ (PR)

4 x 100-Terry Duncan/Mistah Alli/Austin Colon/Rahjel Smith 44.2 (.10 off school record)

Track and field athletes are known for their resiliency and mettle as they often compete despite ills and even minor injuries. Liberty’s Kane Sauchuk was fighting off a stomach virus which has kept him out of kilter all week. But in between heaving episodes, Sauchuk still managed to run a winning leg in the Indians’ 3200 relay and win the 110 high hurdles (16.3) and the 400 intermediate hurdles (60.2). By the time this narrative ends I’ll be sure to celebrate more great Indian feats.

For Monticello seniors this day would be special indeed. Montie elder statesmen include Earl Allen, Connor Alvarez, Dan Braunstein, José Cruz,  Ian Kolaitis, Garrett LaPolt, Gabriel Ramos, Shatei Reynolds, Onique Taylor, Brendan Thomas and Talon Watson.

Monticello girl seniors include Bryana Sewell, Erica Concors,  Katie Fisher, Tania Walker and Alexis Watkins. Prior to the meet the seniors posed for a group shot in anticipation of what they expected would be a memorable day.

Monticello’s sweep of the boys 200 with Taylor missing the school record by .1 of a second, Talon Watson’s 23.1 and Terry Duncan’s 23.3 pointed to the blinding speed the Panthers possess. Figure in the 400 relay which also came in one tenth of a second off the school record at 44.2 and that done w/out Tino Taylor That record is destined to be broken before this season is over.

Liberty’s Andy Hazelnis set PR’s in the long and triple jump. The latter at 41-2 was just a half inch shy of Watson’s winning  jump of 41-2 ½. Liberty’s Nikole Snyder broke  PR’s with her winning long jump of 15-6 and hear winning 100 time of 13.1. Liberty’s Vinny Webbe hit the stratosphere with his pole vault of 11-0, but Monticello’s Mike Rogers, a newcomer to the event was impressive in his clearing of 10-0. Pictures show just how close he was at 10-6 too. Liberty got its usual standout performance from Rebeccah Harman who captured the 100 hurdles (17.3) and the 400 intermediate hurdles (69.7).  She also ran a leg in the victorious 400 relay. 

Liberty Coach Deb Simpson listed a bunch of personal bests evinced by the Lady Indians. Some of these did not score but they are personal milestones nevertheless. They included:

Montie twins Camryn and Sydney Johnson were unbeatable.They are the grandaughters of assistant Coach Charlie Delmonico whose 35-year track coaching career at Washingtonville makes him a Hall of Famer.

Much can be said about the girls and their grandpa. First the twins: Camryn won the 1500 (5:38.7) with Sydney in second. The duo was also key in the victorious 3200 relay which they shared with Brittany Rupp and Erica Concors. They added a one-two finish in the 800 as well with Camryn turning in a 2:37.3 and Sydney right behind at 2:41.8.

Delmonico came on to assist  Matt Daly with the girls team this year. He was delighted to be on hand for the storied win. “They deserve it,” he noted as he reflected back on his trips to Monticello back in the day. “I remember coming here with Washingtonville’s team and our running on the old cinder track. We had some great meets here. It’s been fun this year working with the distance runners, jumpers and hurdlers and anyone else who needed help. These girls are smart too! Some of them have 99% averages,” he added.

Coach Seidl talked about garnering the three-peat and what it took to bring it off this year. “In track kids graduate and we had to replace them. The expectation is that the younger kids will step up. It was interesting because of the changes in the division. Cornwall left band we had Port Jervis come in as well as Liberty. We lost Burke.

It’s a more even division now. I thought we had the kids to win it, but I knew it would be tough this year. Track is like a puzzle. It’s unique from other sports. You have to match up differently against other teams. We had to shift people around in some meets to see how we’d go against Liberty and Port Jervis. We knew our distance runners would have to pick it up today and they did as we swept the mile,” he noted.

Seidl went on to reference Tino Taylor’s impressive showing as well as the 400 relay. “We’ve got a one-two punch in the triple jump (although on this day Liberty’s Andy Hazelnis broke that up with his second place storied leap).

“Coach Buddenhagen and I are on the same page and we have big expectations for our kids. But frankly, the girls are an even bigger story today,” he noted. “Coach Daly came in and did a phenomenal job, as did assistant Coach Delmonico.”

With that I shifted over to talk to Matt Daly to get his take on the Ladies’ momentous accomplishment.
“We were excited at the beginning of the year even though we had a little turbulence. We came to our first meeting to find a great group of girls. Our numbers were strong and we had the right people in all the right places. We felt we could compete and our goal was to win the division championship,” he averred.

“It was great for the seniors to out like this. Leadership is contagious and it went from our seniors right on down to our eighth graders.” Daly gave props to seniors Erica Concors and Katie Fisher for “trying to get these girls to be even better.”

Here are the results

Boys: OCIAA Division III: Monticello 94, Liberty 47; Liberty 119, Burke 15; Monticello 134, Burke 1

100 meters: 1. Tino Taylor (M) 11.0; 2. Mistah Alli (M) 11.1; 3. Kenny Jaycox (L) 11.4[ 200: 1. Tino Taylor (M) 22.2; 2. Talon Watson (M) 23.1; 3. Terry Duncan (M) 23.3;  400: 1. Tino Taylor (M) 52.5;2. Watson (M) 53.2; 3. Raquon Malloy (L) 56.4;  800: 1.Nery Campos (L) 2: 23.2; C.J Forrest (M);2: 24.1; 3. Ryan Schauer (M) 2;26.5 1,600: 1. Joe Klein (M) 5:08.0; 2.Bryan Gil (M) 5:14.4; 3. Chris Maroldi (M) 5:15.5; 3,200: 1. Klein (M) 11:20.3; 2. Campos (L) 11;26.5; 3. Gil (M) 11:30.5; 110 hurdles: 1. Kane Sauchuck (L) 16.3; 2, Steve Padin (M) 16.8; 3. Michael Rogers (M) 17.2;  400 hurdles: 1. Sauchuk (L) 60.2; 2. Padin (M) 61.2; 3. Erick Cuellar (L) 61.5; 400 relay: 1. Monticello ( Mistah Alli, Terry Duncan, Austin Colon,  Rahjel Smith) 44.2; 1,600 relay: 1. Monticello (Talon Watson, Terry Duncan, Austin Colon, TinoTaylor) 3:36.2; 3,200 relay: 1. Liberty (Sauchuk, Campos, Campos, Malloy) 9:08.2; high jump: 1. Colon (M) 5-2; 2. Kyle Hanes (M) 5-0; 3. Otha Smith (M) 5-0; long jump: 1. Mistah Alli (M) no distance; 2. Andy Hazelnis (L) distance not submitted; 3. Jaycox (L) distance not submitted); triple jump: 1.Talon Watson (M) 41-2.5; 2. Hazelnis (L ) 41-2; 3. Alli (M) 40-9; shot put: 1. Garrett LaPolt (M) 43-6.5; 2. Mike Hinton (L) 39-10; 3. Earl Allen (M) 36-9;  discus: 1. Hinton (L) 106-8; 2. LaPolt (M) 105-10; 3. G. Klein (L) 102-2; pole vault: 1.  Vinny Webbe (L) 11-7; 2. Rogers (M) 10-0; 3. Jose Cruz (M) 9-6.

Note: Burke meets are non-league.

Girls: OCIAA Division III: Monticello 95, Liberty 46; Liberty 92, Burke 47; Monticello 108, Burke 33

100 meters: 1.  Nikole Snyder (L) 13.1; 2. Tania Walker (M) 13.3; 3. McDonnell (B) 14.0; 200: 1. Walker (M) 27.3; 2. McDonnell (B) 28.0 3. Snyder (L) 28.3; 400: Walker (M) 64.2; 2. Jaclyn Bellamy (M) 66.2; 3.  Bianca Rey (M) 68.4; 800: 1. Camryn Johnson (M) 2:37.3; 2. Sydney Johnson (M) 2:41.8; 3. Julianna Kane (M) 2:47.6; 1,500: 1. Camryn Johnson (M) 5:38.7; 2. Sydney Johnson (M) 5:39.0; 3. Brittany Rupp (M) 5:48.7; 3,000: 1.Brittany  Rupp (M) 11:58.3; 2. Camryn Johnson (M) 11:59.2; 3. Sydney Johnson (M) 11:59.3; 100 hurdles: 1. Rebeccah Harman (L) 17.3; 2. D. Saravia (B) no time submitted; 3. Kristen McEnerny (M) no time submitted;  400 hurdles: 1. Harman (L) 69.7; 2. L. Doherty (M) 1:14.4; 3. Erica Concors (M) 1:17.2 400 relay: 1. Liberty (Harman, Snyder, Bertholf, Brickhouse) 54.0; 1,600 relay: 1. Monticello (Walker, Julianna Kane, Jaclyn Bellamy, Erica Concors) 4:34.2; 3,200 relay: 1. Monticello ( Camryn Johnson, Sydney Johnson, Rupp, Concors) 11:11.7; high jump: 1. Doherty (M) 4-8; 2.Walker (B) 4-4; 3. Katie Fishher (M) 4-4; long jump: 1. Snyder (L) 15-6; 2. Doherty (M) 14.6; 3. Yami Reyes (M) 14.5; triple jump: 1. Concors (M) 31-2.5; 2. Harman (L) 30-9; 3. Doherty (M) 29-2; shot put: 1. Alexis Watkins (M) 24-6; 2. Herring (B) 23-1; 3. E. Cano (L) 22-7.75;  discus: 1. D. Kisane (B) 57-6; 2. pole vault: 1. Amanda Bertholf (L) 8-6; 2. McEnerny (M) 6-6; Lauren Katz (M) no height submitted.

Note: Burke meets are non-league.

For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

Games Of Fame (24th Edition)

Tri-Valley Girls Capture First Place In 24^th Enactment Of Storied Meet; Monticello Boys Are Third Overall; T-V’s Darby Is Outstanding Female Field Athlete; Ellenvilles’ Borriello Is Outstanding Male Field Athlete; Monticello’s Taylor Shares Outstanding Male  Track Honors With Valley Central’s Biunno; V.C’s Cavalluzzo Is Top Female Track Athlete

Boys Team Scores: and key: 1. Arlington (A) 120.5 points; 2. Valley Central (VC) 90; 3. Monticello (Mon) 72; 4. Tri-Valley (TV) 64; 5. Hauppauge (H) 57.5; 6. Ellenville (Ell) 57; 7. Port Jervis (PJ) 48; 8. Middletown (Mid) 47; 9. Goshen (G) 42; 10. Liberty (L) 40; 11. Fallsburg (F) 18; 12. Sullivan West (SW) 17; 13. Livingston Manor (LM) 8; 14. Eldred (Eld) 7.

Girls Team scores and key: 1. Tri-Valley (TV) 120 points; 2. Arlington (A) 108; 3. Valley Central (VC) 79; 4. Liberty (L) 62; 5. Monticello (Mon) 57; 6. Hauppauge (H) 51.5; 7. Port Jervis (PJ) 51; 8. Eldred (Eld) 50.5; 9. Ellenville (Ell) 47; 10. Middletown (Mid) 23; 11. Goshen (G) 20; 12. Livingston Manor (LM) 7; 13. Sullivan West (SW) 5.

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Photos at www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

Scenes from the 24th Monticello Games (clockwise) Ellenville's Justin Farrenkopf clears 14-3 in the pole vault. Monticello's Garrett LaPolt takes second in the shot put. Eldred's Breanna Brucher clears 10 feet to win the pole vault. Liberty's Kane Sauchuk edges out Valley Central's Ismael Anderson to claim third in the 110 high hurdles. Outstanding Track Athletes: Valley Central's Vinny Biunno and Hollly Cavalluzzo along with Monticello's Tino Taylor. A sampling of the Tri-Valley girls team with Coach Missy Iatauro hold their first place team trophy. Fallsburg's Michael Robinson won the triple jump. Tri-Valley's Mareena DiMilia won the javelin. Outstanding female field athlete Tri-Valley's Dominique Darby. Tri-Valley's Jimmy Bernstein took second in the 3200 and the 800. Monticello's Tino Taylor wins the 400. He also won the 200. Ellenville's Robert Borriello was the meet's Outstanding male field athlete.

MONTICELLO, NY—Okay I know.  Every year when it comes to the Monticello Games I sound like a broken record as I sing the praises of the day’s proceedings, lauding  the Games of Fame as I’ve come to call them, as one of my favorite events of the spring.

So here in the the tenth consecutive year of my sports writing  sojourn, I’ll catalogue the 24^th rendition of the Monticello Games as yet another thriller. I’ve come to expect nothing less.

True to form, Athletic Director Doug Murphy’s perfect streak of six years with no rain under his watch continued unabated as Mother Nature afforded bright skies but no doubt showed her wry smile by sending forth freezing temperatures early in the day.

That unwelcome chill had athletes, players and coaches alike shivering, trying to find a warm place the sun or else hovering in the gym until the last possible moment.  But as the day progressed the cold temperatures abated, no doubt warmed up by the intense heat pouring forth from runners, jumpers and throwers from the 14 schools on hand for this year’s memorable clash.

Some of the schools from a year ago such as Red Hook, Chapel Field, Byram Hills and Minisink Valley were not in attendance. Also missing were some of the athletes from participating teams who were at the Penn Relays.  But given the legions of athletes on hand the meet had its usual allure nonetheless.

New to the meet this year was Long Island contender Hauppague, while  returning to the fold this year was the entire Liberty team instead of just javelin thrower Peter Koval the lone Indian of 2011. Last year’s Monticello Games took place on the same day as Liberty’s Rachel’s Challenge event which prevented the Indians from attending.

This year It was great to have them back.

Rather than save the best for last, let’s talk about them first.

At meet’s end after reviewing nominations by the participating coaches, the award winners were announced. They came forward to claim their plaques and pose for photos which you will find on the last page of the photo album at www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

Tri-Valley’s Dominique Darby was named the meet’s Outstanding Female Field Athlete behind her first place finish in the shot put (32-9 ¼) and the discus (94-0). She took second in the hammer (108-3).  Valley Central’s Holly Cavalluzzo  was named as the Outstanding Female Track Athlete. Cavalluzzo ran a leg in the Lady Vikings 3200 Relay which turned in a time of 9:54.8. She also won the 800 (2:20.2).

Ellenville’s Robert Borriello was the meets Outstanding Male Field Athlete. Borriello  won the javelin (142-3), took second in the hammer (138-11)  fourth in the discus (121-11).

Sharing the honor of the meet’s Outstanding  Track Athletes were Valley Central’s Vincent Biunno and Monticello’s Tino Taylor. Biunno was victorious in the 110 high hurdles (15-0), the 400 hurdles (57.9) and the high jump (6-0).

Taylor won the 200 (22.6) and the 400 (51.3). He was part of the second place Montie finish in the 800 and 1600 relays.

What a difference a year does make. Consider the Tri-Valley girls team which placed fourth in 2011. This year they racked up 120 points and captured first place, beating out much larger schools like Arlington by 12 points and Valley Central by 41.

Just one week after besting all the other 26 teams at the Tri-Valley Invitational, the Lady Bears were tops again using their incredible depth and cadre of hard-working athletes to capture points across the spectrum of events.

By day’s end Tri-Valley had captured 22 first-through sixth place finishes, nearly doubling the nearest Sullivan County contender Monticello which grabbed 12 scoring spots. Liberty nailed down 11. Eldred captured ten.

Here are some of the Lady Bears’ triumphs: Mareena DiMilia won the 100 high hurdles (16.8) and the javelin (108-9), while taking second in the long jump (14-9 ½) and second in the shot put (31-10). Vicky Tingley took 3^rd in the 100 high hurdles (17.4).  She also took 6^th in the pole vault (7-6).

Katlynn Greffrath won the high jump (4-9). She was sixth in the 100 (13.9) and 6^th in the long jump (15-4). Colleen Jones was third in the hammer (83-5) and 5^th in the javelin (73-3). Olivia Rehm took 4^th in the 2000 steeplechase (8:30.9), while teammate Sabrena Smith was 5^th (8:32.9).  Smith also captured 5^th in the 400 Intermediate hurdles (75.8). Autumn Bender was 3^rd in the 3000 (11:00.6). She finished 6^th in the 800 (2:32.9) and ran a lege in the Lady Bears’ 3^rd place finish in the 3200 relay (10:50.4).The Lady Bears were third in the 1600 relay (4:30.1).

Liberty placed fourth overall in the meet with 62 points. Rebeccah Harman was 2^nd in the 400 Intermediate hurdles (71.4). She finished 4^th in the 100 high hurdles (17.6). She also ran a leg in the 400 relay that placed 3^rd in 54.1. Liberty’s 800 relay took second in 1:55.8.

Amanda Bertholf was 2^nd in the pole vault (9-0) and 2^nd in the 400 (66.7). She also ran a leg in the aforementioned 400 relay. Lara Jane Heslop was 5^th in the 200 (28.9) and 4^th in the 100 (13.6). Brittany Roa was 4^th in the discus (72-4).

Monticello placed 5^th in the meet with 57 points. Camryn Johnson took 4^th in the 3000 (11:07.4). Sydney Johnson was 5^th in 11:21.9.  Camryn also claimed  3^rd in the 1500 (5:12.9), while Sydney took 6^th in the event in 5:20.9 Jaclyn Bellamy was 3^rd in the 400  (67.4). The Monties freshman/sophomore sprint medley was 4^th in 4:54.7. Laura Doherty took 1^st in the 400 intermediate hurdles (69.9), while teammate Erica Concors was third in 74.3. Concors also took 3^rd in the 2000 steeplechase (8:24.6) as well as third in the triple jump (31-6).

The Lady Monties finished 5^th in the 1600 relay (4:42.1).

Eldred was  8^th with 50 points. Breanna Brucher won the pole vault (10-0) and finished 6^th in the 100 high hurdles (18.1). Erika Bowring won the long jump (16- ½) and the triple jump (33-9 ½).  She was 6^th in the high jump (4-6). Christine Donnelly was 2^nd in the 800 (2:28) and sixth in the 3000 (11:22.8). She ran a leg in the 3200 relay which placed 6^th in 11:22.5. Equasia Edwards was 2^nd in the high jump (4-9). Eldred was 6^th in the 800 relay.

Livingston Manor’s Amy Calo was third in the high jump (4-6). Sullivan West’s Hannah Feinman was 4^th in the triple jump (30-7 ¾). Autumn Thiele was 6^th in the discus (69-1/2).

Monticello Boys Evince Fine Showing As Key Week Looms Ahead

This coming week Monticello faces Port Jervis and Liberty in Division III clashes and hopes to win both to clinch an unprecedented third consecutive division title. The last two years in down-to-the wire clashes, the Monties beat rival Cornwall but this year the Dragons were moved up to Division II.

For Coaches Matt Buddenhagen and Joe Seidl, this meet was an opportunity to move a few people around and tinker with the lineup for the coming week’s frays. The results were impressive.

Monticello placed third overall with 72 points behind Arlington and Valley Central. The Monties grabbed ten scoring spots in the meet.  In addition to the successes already noted from Tino Taylor, the Monties piled up points from the following contributors: Garrett LaPolt was 2^nd in the shot put (47-6). Talon Watson  was 2^nd in the 400 (52.1). He was 6^th in the triple jump (39-9).Monticello’s Freshman/sophomore sprint medley relay was 4^th in 4:09.8. The Monties claimed 1^st in the 400 relay as Terry Duncan, Mistah Alli, Austin Colon and Rahjel Smith combined for a time of 45.2).

Ali was 5^th in the long jump (18-10) and 5^th in the 100 (11.8). Otha Smith claimed 5^th place in the high jump (5-6).

Tri-Valley grabbed 4^th place overall with 64 points but outpaced Monticello in terms of the number of scoring places with 12.  Raphael Ramirez won the hammer (139-7). Teammate Zach Roberts took 6^th in the event (100-11). Jimmy Bernstein was 2^nd in the 3200 (10:09.7) and 2^nd in the 800 (2;05.3). Justin Weintraub was 5^th in the 800 (2:12.1). Hauk Boyes took 3^rd in the 3000 steeplechase (11:10.09). Josh Winters was 4^th in the javelin (128-11). Andrew Malone was 5^th in the 400 intermediate hurdles (61.1). Omar Lopez was 2^nd in the 400 intermediate hurdles (60.1).

Tri-Valley’s 800 relay was 5^th in 1:37.6.

Ellenville finished 6^th overall with 57 points. In addition to the aforementioned exploits by Robert Borriello, the Blue Devils had the last word of the day as Justin Farrenkopf cleared 14-3 to win the pole vault. He just missed at 14-6 which would have set a new outdoor school record. Tyler O’Bryant won the 100 (11.1).

Liberty was 10^th overall with 40 points. The Indians garnered seven scoring places in the meet. Andy Hazelnis was 5^th in the triple jump (40-1/2). Mike Hinton took 3^rd in the discus (123-1/2) and 5^th in the hammer (101-11). He also claimed 4^th in the shot put (47-3 ½). Kane Sauchuk was 3^rd in the 110 high hurdles (16-2) and 4^th in the 400 intermediate hurdles (60.40). Liberty’s 400 relay was third in 46.3). Erick Cuellar took 5^th in the 200 (23.5). Peter Koval was 3^rd in the javelin (135-11).

Fallsburg accrued 18 points for 11^th place overall as Michael Robinson won the triple jump (42-8 ½) and took second in the high jump (5-9).

Eldred accrued seven points. Julian Gottleib  was 3^rd in the pole vault (10-0).

Adrian Krzysztofowicz was 6^th in the 400 intermediate hurdles in 61.6 and 6^th in the 110H (16.9).

Livingston Manor’s Neal Mock was 2^nd in the pole vault (10-6).

 Sullivan West’s Reed Scott was 5^th in the 3200 (10:23.9). Mitch Paciga was 6^th in the high jump (5-9).

In summing up the meet, Monticello Coach Matt Buddenhagen had this to say: “Everything went well today as the weather warmed up. It was about 32 degrees this morning but it got comfortable later in the afternoon. We had some good performances.  Tino Taylor is our captain. He won the 200 and 400 and the Outstanding Track Athlete. He’s a great kid who works hard and he deserves everything he gets,” noted the coach who had props for his entire team’s efforts.  Today was good preparation for the big week to come. We put some kids in some multiple events to tinker with our lineup for Wednesday. We haven’t lost a dual meet in going on three years so that will be big as we go to take on Port Jervis.

Boys Results (top three only): 100 meters: 1. Tyler O’Bryant (Ell) 11.1; 2. Matt Mungo (G) 11.7; 3. Smith (PJ) 11.8; 200: 1. Tino Taylor (Mon) 22.6; 2. Smith (PJ) 23.0; 3. Brandon Conklin (A) 23.0; 400: 1. Tino Taylor (Mon) 51.3; 2. Talon Watson (Mon) 52.1; 3. Phil Hurtault (VC) 52.7; 800: 1. Tom Wimmers (A) 2:02.0; 2. Jim Bernstein (TV) 2:05.3; 3. Steve Morrison (A) 2:08.4; 1,600: 1. Ryan Collabella (H) 4:38.7; 2. Krystopher Lotocky (A) 4:40.3; 3. Corey Chiavelli (A) 4:43.1; 3,000 steeplechase: 1. Rodolfo Nieto (Mid) 10:40.7; 2. Tim Burger (A) 10:58.2; 3. Hauk Boyes (TV) 11:10.9; 3,200: 1. Collabella (H) 9:54.0; 2. Bernstein (TV) 10:09.7; 3. Chris Wise (A) 10:13.0; 110 hurdles: 1. Vincent Biunno (VC) 15.0; 2. Daniel Genender (Mid) 15.5; 3. Kane Sauchuk (L) 16.2; 400 hurdles: 1. Biunno (VC) 57.9; 2. Omar Lopez (TV) 60.1; 3. Genender (Mid) 60.3; 400 relay: 1. Monticello (Terry Duncan, Mistah Alli, Austin Colon, Rajel Smith) 45.2; 800 relay: 1. Hauppauge (Darius Samples, Jonny Barone, Tevin Milton, Matt Tochterman) 1:32.1; 1,600 relay: 1. Valley Central (Ishmeal Anderson, Biunno, Hurtault, Naquille Williams) 3:28.6; 3,200 relay: 1. Arlington (Matt Haering, James Asselmeyer, Corey Peruffo, Chris Wechsler) 8:35.5; high jump: 1. Biunno (VC) 6-0; 2. Michael Robinson (F) 5-9; 3. Da’Von Adamson (PJ) 5-9; long jump: 1. Adamson (PJ) 20-2.5; 2. Samples (H) 19-7; 3. Collin Sears (VC) 19-6.5; triple jump: 1. Robinson (F) 42-8.5; 2. C.J. Clark (Mid) 41-0.5; 3. Sears (VC) 39-11; shot put: 1. Rajiv McSwine (A) 47-7.25; 2. Garrett LaPolt (Mon) 47-6; 3. Hsin Chin (A) 42-6.75; hammer: 1. Rafael Ramirez (TV) 139-7; 2. Rob Borriello (Ell) 138-11; 3. Jeff Nunez (Ell) 120-11; javelin: 1. Borriello (Ell) 142-3; 2. G. Caetta (Ell) 136-10; 3. Peter Koval (L) 135-11; discus: 1. Hsin Chin (A) 127-9; 2. Preston Bazemore (Ell) 125-10; 3. Mike Hinton (L) 123-10; pole vault: 1. Justin Farrenkopf (Ell) 14-3; 2. Neal Mock (LM) 10-6; 3. Julian Gottlieb (Eld) 10-0.

Girls Results: 100 meters: 1. Kalissa Caesar (PJ) 12.3; 2. Latoya Haynes (VC) 13.3; 3. Genece May (Ell) 13.3; 200: 1. Caesar (PJ) 25.5; 2. Genece May (Ell) 27.6; 3. Cierra Deveaux (Mid) 28.4; 400: 1. Christine Eisenberg (H) 64.8; 2. Amanda Bertholf (L) 66.7; 3. Jaclyn Bellamy (Mon) 67.4; 800: 1. Holly Cavalluzzo (VC) 2:20.2; 2. Christina Donnelly (Eld) 2:28.0; 3. Lauren Markoe (A) 2:31.7; 1,500: 1. Bella Burda (A) 5:00.4; 2. Delphi Cleaveland (A) 5:00.6; 3. Camryn Johnson (Mon) 5:12.9; 2,000 steeplechase: 1. Olivia Beltrani (A) 7:30.6; 2. Eisenberg (H) 8:10.3; 3. Erica Concors (Mon) 8:24.6; 3,000: 1. Cleaveland (A) 10:32.1; 2. Burda (A) 10:34.4; 3. Autumn Bender (TV) 11:00.6; 110 hurdles: 1. Mareena DiMilia (TV) 16.8; 2. Brittany Hillman (VC) 17.3; 3. Vicky Tingley (TV) 17.4; 400 hurdles: 1. Laura Doherty (Mon) 69.9; 2. Rebeccah Harman (L) 71.4; 3. Concors (Mon) 74.3; 400 relay: 1. Port Jervis (Burke, Maria Barbone, Niambi Green, Caesar) 53.5; 800 relay: 1. Valley Central (Brittany Hillman, Drew Ribadeneyra, Haynes, Brittney Branch) 1:34.1; 1,600 relay: 1. Valley Central (Branch, Samantha Meade, Ribadeneyra, K. Borriello) 4:18.9; 3,200 relay: 1. Valley Central (Cavalluzzo, Ribadeneyra, Claudia Weiskittel, C. Borriello) 9:54.8; high jump: 1. Katlynn Greffrath (TV) 4-9; 2. Equasia Edwards (Eld) 4-9; 3. Ami Calo (LM) 4-6; long jump: 1. Erika Bowring (Eld) 16-0.5; 2. DiMilia (TV) 14-9.5; 3. Kristen Ritter (H) 14-9; triple jump: 1. Bowring (Eld) 33-9.5; 2. Rebeccah Harman (L) 32-0.25; 3. Concors (Mon) 31-6; shot put: 1. Dominique Darby (TV) 32-9.25; 2. DiMilia (TV) 31-10.5; 3. Danielle Borriello (Ell) 30-1.75; discus: 1. Darby (TV) 94-0; 2. Borriello (Ell) 91-9; 3. Colleen Jones (TV) 83-5; hammer: 1. Borriello (Ell) 119-6; 2. Darby (TV) 108-3; 3. Emily Ronda (PJ) 70-3; javelin: 1. DiMilia (TV) 108-9; 2. Jessica Caso (A) 86-4; 3. Mary McCutcheon (A) 78-6; pole vault: 1. Breanna Brucher (Eld) 10-0; 2. Amanda Bertholf (L) 9-0; 3. Marisa Robbins (G) 8-6.

For a massive album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

Grandeur and Grace

Magnificent Tri-Valley Invitational Offers A Panoramic Tableau Of Outstanding Track and Field Athletes From 27 Schools Including Some Of Section One’s Best; Arlington Boys and Girls Are Tops In Division I, While Host Tri-Valley Boys and Girls Capture Division II; Middletown’s Goodspeed Is Outstanding Track Athlete; T-V’s DiMilia and Darby and O’Neill’s Carpenter Are Outstanding Field Athletes

Boys results:Division I team scores and key: 1. Arlington (A) 219.5 points; 2. Somers (Som) 96; 3. Middletown (Mid) 95.5; 4. Monticello (Mon) 83; 5. Port Jervis (PJ) 51; 6. Our Lady of Lourdes (OLL) 38; 7. Byram Hills (BH) 37; 8. Hendrick Hudson 22; 9. Goshen (G) 21; 10. Red Hook 6; 11. Peekskill 2.

Boys Division II team scores and key: 1. Tri-Valley (TV) 90.5 points; 2. Rhinebeck (Rhb) 61; 3. Bronxville (Bx) 44; 4. James I. O’Neill (JIO) 43; 5. Pine Plains 40; 6. Pawling (Paw) 35.5; 7. Ellenville (Ell) 29; 8. Dover 28; 9. John A. Coleman Catholic (JAC) 27; 10. Liberty (Lib) 19.5; 11. Eldred (Eld) 18; 12. Sullivan West 15; 13. Spackenkill 10; 14. Chapel Field 5; 15. Livingston Manor 1.5.

Girls Results:Division I team scores and key: 1. Arlington (A) 137 points; 2. Middletown (Mid) 61; 3. Hendrick Hudson 54.5; 4. Somers (Som) 45; 5. Red Hook (RH) 43.5; 6. Monticello (Mont) 41; 7. Byram Hills 39; 8. Port Jervis (PJ) 26; 9. Goshen (G) 23; 10. Our Lady of Lourdes 20; 11. Peekskill 19; 12. Albertus Magnus 5.

Girls Division II team scores and key: 1. Tri-Valley (TV) 169 points; 2. Bronxville (Bx) 152; 3. Eldred (Eld) 60.5; 4. (tie) Spackenkill (Spac) and Liberty (Lib) 41; 6. Dover (Dov) 36; 7. Ellenville (Ell) 24; 8. Pine Plains 21; 9. Rhinebeck 19; 10. Sullivan West (SW) 17.5; 11. (tie) Livingston Manor and Pawling (Paw) 17; 13. James I. O’Neill (JIO) 12; 14. Chapel Field 9; 15. John A. Coleman Catholic 1.

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Photos at www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

Scenes from the 2012 Tri-Valley Invitational (clockwise): Tri-Valley's Mareena DiMilia runs in the Lady Bears' winning 300 shuttle hurdle relay. DiMilia was selected as one of the meet's three Outstanding Field Athletes along with teammate Dominque Darby and O'Neill's John Carpenter.T-V's Raphael Ramirez sends up a mighty heave to win the hammer throw. Monticello twins Sydney. left and Camryn Johnson run in the 3000. Camryn was third and Sydney was fifth. Middletown coach Eric Hipsman bathes in the glory of winning the coaches/alumni 400 relay with his enthusiastic team. Ellenville's Justin Farrenkopf goes skyward to win the pole vault. O"Neill's John Carpenter wins the 100. He came back to win the 200 and won the high jump with a leap of 6-8 as well. He earned the honor of being named one of the meet's Outstanding Field Athletes. Tri-Valley's Autumn Bender wasn't planning on swimming but a miscue in the steeplechase caused her submersion. She still managed to finish fifth. Liberty's Rebeccah Harman shows her prowess in the 300 shuttle hurdle relay. Monticello speedster Tino Taylor was second in the 400. Eldred senior Chirstine Donnelly proves she can run with the best as she took fourth in the 3000 running against elite distance mavens from Somers and Middletown. Liberty's Amanda Bertholf races to a third place finish in the 400. Tri-Valley's Katlynn Greffrath wins the F/S high jump. Eldred's Hunter Proscia wins the 2000 steeplechase. Middletown's Amber Goodspeed wins the 2000 steeplechase. She was the meet's Outstanding Female Track Athlete. Sullivan West's Mitch Paciga takes second in the F/S high jump. Liberty's Vinny Webbe clears 11-0 in the pole vault for fifth place.

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY- Tri-Valley Coach Joe Iatauro often jokes when welcoming schools to the sports complex that bears his and his wife Missy’s name by saying, “Welcome to rinky dink Tri-Valley.”

His oft-repeated remark refers to the school’s diminutive size as compared with some of the behemoths that the Bears find themselves competing against in meets such as this day’s humongous Tri-Valley Invitational and others staged far and wide across the state and indeed the nation.

But there is nothing rinky dink about the Bears as they have proven time and time again across the  nearly four decades during which the Iatauros have been coaching season after season of cross country, indoor and spring track.

Across that span of time has marched a cavalcade of outstanding athletes bringing a bevy of medals, division, Section Nine and state titles adding to the school’s remarkable legacy.

Now another chapter in that historical dominance can be added with the first place finish of the T-V boys and girls teams among the 15 Division II schools at this year’s Tri-Valley Invitational. Added to the glory for the Bears was the selection of Mareena DiMilia and Dominiqe Darby as Outstanding Field Athletes, an honor they shared with James I. O’Neill’s John Carpenter. Arlington’s Sebastian Hanson and Eddie Meranda were Outstanding Track Athletes. The duo finished one-two in the 3200.

DiMilia won the shot put and javelin and ran a leg in the winning 300 shuttle hurdle relay. She finished second in the long jump. Darby won the discus and hammer throw and finished third in the shot put. Carpenter was victorious in the high jump, 100 and 200.

Tri-Valley’s girls landed an impressive 27 top six places on the day all of which will be spelled out in the Sullivan County school-by-school breakdown listed below. The T-V boys were also top notch with 15 top six spots outpacing all of the other Sullivan County schools.

Given the grand scale of the meet and the pleasant surprise of the weather which for the first time in this writer’s memory did not mar the event with a maelstrom of rain, freezing temperature or other variations of Mother Nature’s early spring weaponry, the day would offer up a panoply of great stories and a veritable feast for the eyes.

Coaches from Section Nine and Section One would agree that the meet is one of the best run on the circuit. With 27 schools on the docket, there were legions of athletes who took part in the running, jumping and throwing events that were taking place in the fine facilities of the Iatauro Sports Complex.

Indeed, as this photographer roamed the grounds knowing full well that it would be impossible to capture it all, the sights were overwhelming as the album of upwards of 600 photos will attest to. From the strength evinced at the boys hammer throw and girls shot put, to the soaring grace of the elite boys pole vaulters, the morning hours were interspersed with lightning quick sprinters and hurdlers on the track as well as the stalwart distance runners evincing their stamina and determination.

In the afternoon there was the unbelievable spectacle of the 2000 steeplechase with its aquatic interludes as some runners found the water pit to be all-encompassing. The 400 meter hurdles and the coaches and alumni 400 relay race, the latter won by Middletown amidst an outpouring from the team’s enthusiastic horde who swarmed Coach Eric Hipsman who ran the anchor leg, provided a non-stop display of memorable track and field.

For the local kids from the participating Sullivan County schools that included Tri-Valley, Monticello, Liberty, Eldred, Sullivan West and Livingston Manor, the chance to compete against elite athletes afforded them motivation to push themselves harder as many achieved personal best times and distances in an effort to stay competitive. It’s vital for athletes to get outside of the smaller milieu of local competition to understand the ascending tiers of achievement and what exists as a possibility in their events if they devote themselves assiduously to training.

The top three in each event are listed below but I am also including a photo reprint of the scoring sheet which shows the top eight places of which the top six were scored. But for my Sullivan County readers I decided to do a breakdown to show the top six performances from each school. I’ll begin with the boys.

Sullivan West 6^th in 300 shuttle hurdles (53.6); Mitch Paciga 2^nd in F/S high jump (5-6) and F/S pole vault (9-0).

Eldred Hunter Proscia 1^st in 2000 steeplechase (6:32.1); team finished 5^th in F/S 400 relay (59.7). Liberty Peter Koval 5^th in javelin (136-7); Vinny Webbe 5^th in pole vault (11-0).

Monticello team finished 2^nd in 400 relay (44.7); I. Drayton 5th in F/S long jump (17-4 ¼); Terrry Duncan 2^nd in F/S 400 (53.5); Trevon Rainey 2^nd in F/S shot put (37-7); Tino Taylor 2^nd in 400 (51.5); Garrett LaPolt 1^st in shot put (50-2) and fifth in discus (119-10) and Talon Watson 3^rd in triple jump (39-10 ¼).

Tri-Valley team finished 2^nd in F/S 400 relay (52.8) and 5^th in F/S 1600 relay (4:00.3); Justin Weintraub was 6^th in sophomore 800 (2:08) and 5^th in F/S 1600 (4:52). Brendan Tierney was 5^th in the hammer throw (118-5) and third in the discus (113-4). Jimmy Bernstein was 5^th in the 800 (2:01.7). Omar Lopez was second in the 2000 steeplechase (6:32.3) finishing just one tenth of a second behind Eldred’s Hunter Proscia. Josh Winter was 3^rd in the javelin (138-9). Andrew Malone was 5^th in the 400 intermediate hurdles (60-0); Aidan Woolsey was 4^th in the F/S high jump (5-8) and 3^rd in the F/S pole vault (9-6); Gavin DuBois was 5^th in the high jump (5-8); Eugene Morton took 6^th in the pole vault (10-6).

Now for the local girls:

Sullivan West team finished 6^th in the 400 relay (55.6). Kristina Sumfleth was 5^th in the high jump (4-6) and 4^th in the 400 intermediate hurdles (71.5); Hannah Feinman was 6^th in the long jump (14-5); Amanda Rosenberger was 6^th in the 200 (28.2); Rachel Deppa was 3^rd in the non-scoring 1500 meter racewalk (7:54.2).

Eldred team finished sixth in the 300 shuttle hurdle relay (56.2) and third in the 400 relay (54.6); Christine Donnelly was an impressive 4^th in the 800 (2:24.3); Equasia Edwards took 3^rd in the high jump (4-6); Erika Bowring was 1^st in the long jump (15-10) and 1^st in the triple jump ( 32-10 ¼); Melissa McGonagle, Lauren Frey and Savana Finck tied for 3^rd in the F/S pole vault (6-0).

Liberty team was 3^rd in the 300 shuttle hurdle relay (54.1) and 2^nd in the 400 relay (53.7); Amanda Bertholf was 3^rd in the 400 (67.6) and 3^rd in the pole vault (8-6). Rebeccah Harman was 2^nd in the 400 intermediate hurdles (69.2) and 4^th in the triple jump (31.8).

Livingston Manor Katherine Ellis was 4^th in the F/S shot put (27-4); Ami Calo was 5^th in the triple jump (31-6 ½).

Monticello team was 6^th in the 3200 relay (10:55.5); Camryn Johnson was third in the 3000 (10:52.8) and 3^rd in the 1500 (5:16); Sydney Johnson was 5^th in the 3000 (11:17.1); Tania Walker was 2^nd in the 400 (65.0).

Tri-Valley team was 4^th in the 3200 relay (10:51.1), 1^st in the 300 shuttle hurdle relay (51.3) and 6^th in the F/S 400 relay (61.8); Autumn Bender was 5^th in the freshman 800 (2:31.4) and 5^th in the 2000 steeplechase (7:58.3). The latter was most impressive given her submerged snafu at the water pit on one of her sojourns. Brooke Gillette was 6^th in the sophomore 800 (2:38); Colleen Jones was 3^rd in the F/S shot put (28-0) and 5^th in the hammer throw (73-0); Claire Tierney was 5^th in the F/S shot put (27-0). Katlynn Greffrath was 1^st in the F/S high jump (5-1); 1^st in the F/S long jump (14-99 ½); and 5^th in the 400 intermediate hurdles (72.3); Dominque Darby was 1^st in the hammer throw (127-4) and 3^rd in the shot put (32-4 ¼); Sarah Schneyer was 4^th in the hammer throw (80-9); Sarah Coney was 6^th in the hammer throw (64-7) and 3^rd in the discus (93-3); Heidi Furman was 3^rd in the hammer throw (119-8); 2^nd in the javelin (88-5);6^th in the discus (88-6) and 3^rd in the shot put (29-10); Mareena DiMilia was 1^st in the shot put (34-7); 1^st in the javelin (103-1) and 2^nd in the long jump (15-6 ½); Vicky Tingley was 6^th in the pole vault (6-4).

Boys results:

Boys Division I team scores and key: 1. Arlington (A) 219.5 points; 2. Somers (Som) 96; 3. Middletown (Mid) 95.5; 4. Monticello (Mon) 83; 5. Port Jervis (PJ) 51; 6. Our Lady of Lourdes (OLL) 38; 7. Byram Hills (BH) 37; 8. Hendrick Hudson 22; 9. Goshen (G) 21; 10. Red Hook 6; 11. Peekskill 2.

Boys Division II team scores and key: 1. Tri-Valley (TV) 90.5 points; 2. Rhinebeck (Rhb) 61; 3. Bronxville (Bx) 44; 4. James I. O’Neill (JIO) 43; 5. Pine Plains 40; 6. Pawling (Paw) 35.5; 7. Ellenville (Ell) 29; 8. Dover 28; 9. John A. Coleman Catholic (JAC) 27; 10. Liberty (Lib) 19.5; 11. Eldred (Eld) 18; 12. Sullivan West 15; 13. Spackenkill 10; 14. Chapel Field 5; 15. Livingston Manor 1.5.

Boys 100 meters: 1. John Carpenter (JIO) 11.0; 2. Matt Mungo (G) 11.3; 3. Lazarus Perez (Mid) 11.7; 200: 1. Carpenter (JIO) 22.2; 2. Kevin Hunter (Paw) 22.7; 3. Tino Taylor (Mont) 22.9; 400: 1. Scott Friedman (Som) 51.1; 2. Taylor (Mont) 51.5; 3. Stefan Buechele (A) 52.2; 800: 1. Chris Koenitzer (A) 1:57.4; 2. Marc Violone (BH) 1:59.7; 3. Marco DiBella (JAC) 2:01.1; 1,600: 1. Marc Violone (BH) 4:24.2; 2. Eddie Merenda (A) 4:25.1; 3. Sibby Hanson (A) 4:26.6; 2,000 steeplechase: 1. Hunter Proscia (Eld) 6:32.1; 2. Omar Lopez (TV) 6:32.3; 3. Rodolpho Nieto (Mid) 6:39.8; 3,200: 1. Sebastion Hanson (A) 9:25; 2. Eddie Merendz (A) 9:27.7; 3. Johnny Marvin (Rhb) 9:39.3; 400 hurdles: 1. Josh Wright (A) 56.1; 2. Daniel Genender (Mid) 59.5; 3. Kane Sauchuk (Lib) 59.6; 330 shuttle hurdles: 1. Middletown (Ruiz, Gennder, Pierre) 47.3; 2. Pine Plains 50.3; 3. Bronxville 51.8; 400 relay: 1. Bronxville (Marrone, Kraemer, Hudson, Behrens) 44.3; 2. Monticello 44.7; 3. Middletown 45.0; 1,600 relay: 1. Middletown (Bryan, Perez, Ruiz, Wilborn) 3:29.1; 2. Arlington 3:29.7; 3. Somers 3:34.2; 3,200 relay: 1. Arlington (Chiavelli, Wimmers, Lotocky, Haering) 8:28.2; 2. Somers 8:28.3; 3. Port Jervis 8:54.1; throwers relay (non-scoring): 1. Monticello (Riancy, Braunstein, LaPolt, Allen) 50.2; 2. Goshen 50.6; 3. Rhinebeck 51.2; high jump: 1. Carpenter (JIO) 6-8; 2. Josh Collins (JAC) 6-1; 3. John Donahue (Mid) 6-0; long jump: 1. John Enker (OLL) 19-7.75; 2. Luke Marrone (Bx) 19-4.5; 3. Stefan Buechele (A) 19-1.5; triple jump: 1. Omri Blair (Som) 41-0.25; 2. John Enkler (OLL) 41-0; 3. Talon Watson (Mont) 39-10.25; shot put: 1. Garrett LaPolt (Mont) 50-2; 2. Rajiv McSwine (A) 46-8.5; 3. Chris Groten (Som) 45-4; javelin: 1. Josh Collins (JAC) 142-2; 2. Robert Borriello (Ell) 140-9; 3. Josh Winter (TV) 138-9; hammer: 1. Raphael Ramirez (TV) 156-11; 2. Robert Borriello (Ell) 148-9; 3. Alex Preisig (Som) 127-3; discus: 1. Chris Groton (Som) 131-2; 2. Billy Stahlman (G) 123-0; 3. Brenden Tierney (TV) 121-4; pole vault: 1. Justin Farrenkopf (Ell) 14-0; 2. (tie) Stefan Buchele (A) and Scott Porter (Paw) 12-0.

Outstanding track athlete: Sebastion Hanson (Arlington) and Eddie Meranda (Arlington).

Outstanding field athlete: John Carpenter (O’Neill)

Girls Results:Division I team scores and key: 1. Arlington (A) 137 points; 2. Middletown (Mid) 61; 3. Hendrick Hudson 54.5; 4. Somers (Som) 45; 5. Red Hook (RH) 43.5; 6. Monticello (Mont) 41; 7. Byram Hills 39; 8. Port Jervis (PJ) 26; 9. Goshen (G) 23; 10. Our Lady of Lourdes 20; 11. Peekskill 19; 12. Albertus Magnus 5.

Girl Division II team scores and key: 1. Tri-Valley (TV) 169 points; 2. Bronxville (Bx) 152; 3. Eldred (Eld) 60.5; 4. (tie) Spackenkill (Spac) and Liberty (Lib) 41; 6. Dover (Dov) 36; 7. Ellenville (Ell) 24; 8. Pine Plains 21; 9. Rhinebeck 19; 10. Sullivan West (SW) 17.5; 11. (tie) Livingston Manor and Pawling (Paw) 17; 13. James I. O’Neill (JIO) 12; 14. Chapel Field 9; 15. John A. Coleman Catholic 1.

Girls 100 meters: 1. Kalissa Caesar (PJ) 12.4; 2. Emily Polvere (Som) 12.5; 3. Shasche Allen (Spac) 12.8; 200: 1. Polvere (Som) 26.3; 2. Allen (Spac) 26.6; 3. Lucy Kohlhoff (Bx) 27.0; 400: 1. Grace Weisbecker (RH) 63.5; 2. Tania Walker (Mont) 65.0; 3. Amanda Bertholf (Lib) 67.6; 800: 1. Chelsea Ogindo (Pk) 2:19.9; 2. Meredith Rizzo (Bx) 2:20.1; 3. Amber Goodspeed (Mid) 2:22.8; 1,500: 1. Delphi Cleaveland (A) 4:54.8; 2. Meredith Rizzo (Bx) 5:04.8; 3. Camryn Johnson (Mont) 5:16.0; 1,500 racewalk (non-scoring): 1. Kristi Licursi (Som) 7:41.3; 2. Maria Gorecki (Som) 7:42.4; 3. Rachel Deppa (SW) 7:54.2; 2,000 steeplechase: 1. Amber Goodspeed (Mid) 7:26.3; 2. Olivia Beltrani (A) 7:31.6; 3. Sarah Marvin (Paw) 7:57.3; 3,000: 1. Isabella Burda (A) 10:23.3; 2. Emilie Hoffer (Bx) 10:36.3; 3. Camryn Johnson (Mont) 10:52.8; 400 hurdles: 1. Sarah Haley (Dov) 66.9; 2. Rebecca Harman (Lib) 69.2; 3. Weisbecker (RH) 70.6; 300 shuttle hurdles relay: 1. Tri-Valley (DiMilia, Tingley, Reynolds) 51.3; 2. Bronxville 53.1; 3. Liberty 54.1; 400 relay: 1. Port Jervis (Burke, Barbone, Green, Caesar) 53.3; 2. Liberty 53.7; 3. Eldred 54.6; 1,600 relay: 1. Bronxville (Campbell, Phillips, Rizzo, Rizzo) 4:16.3; 2. Arlington 4:23; 3. Rhinebeck 4:32.2; 3,200 relay: 1. Somers (Casey Spor, Jackie Krueger, Juliette Cooper, Sarah Corning) 10:00; 2. Bronxville 10:05.3; 3. Arlington 10:24.2; throwers relay (non-scoring): 1. (tie) Lourdes (Liporace, Cacioppo, Farrell, Castellano) and Pawling (Maguire, Ketchum, Owens) 60.5; 3. Red Hook; high jump: 1. Taylor Carlin (Spac) 4-10; 2. Brianna Clarke (A) 4-9; 3. Equasia Edwards (Eld) 4-6; long jump: 1. Erika Bowring (Eld) 15-10; 2. Mareena DiMilia (TV) 15-6.25; 3. Sam Mason (PP) 15-4.5; triple jump: 1. Bowring (Eld) 32-10.75; 2. Carmel Joseph (Dov) 32-2; 3. Kim Goldhirsch (RH) 32-0.5; shot put: 1. DiMilia (TV) 34-7; 2. Danielle Borriello (Ell) 33-4; 3. Dominique Darby (TV) 32-4.5; discus: 1. Darby (TV) 105-5; 2. Borriello (Ell) 104-1; 3. Sarah Coney (TV) 93-3; hammer: 1. Darby (TV) 127-0; 2. Borriello (Ell) 124-4; 3. Heidi Furman (TV) 119-8; javelin: 1. DiMilia (TV) 103-1; 2. Heidi Furman (TV) 88-5; 3. Brianna Scott (JIO) 86-10; pole vault: 1. Weisbecker (RH) 9-6; 2. Marissa Robbino (G) 9-6; 3. Amanda Bertholf (Lib) 8-0.

Outstanding track athlete: Amber Goodspeed (Middletown)

Outstanding field athlete: Dominique Darby (Tri-Valley) and Mareena DiMilia (Tri-Valley)

Results of the Tri-Valley Invitational courtesy of T-V scorekeeper Kevin Giroux.

This coming week Tri-Valley will host rival Sullivan West for Division IV supremacy. On April 28 the local schools will participate in the Monticello Games minus those boys who will be travelling to the Penn Relays.

For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

“A”drenaline Rush

Cornwall Defeats Monticello To Return To Class A Finals Looking To Topple Defending Champ Wallkill; Monticello Survives Early Turnover Woes To Avoid First Quarter Blowout Yielding Just 16 Points In Dragons’ First Five Possessions

Section Nine Class A Semifinals

Cornwall 36, Monticello 14

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Scenes from the Class A semifinal wherein Cornwall downed gritty Monticello 36-14 (Clockwise). Offensive MVP, Cornwall senior Peter Catal gains great yardage on his first touch of the ball. Catal carried the ball 17 times for 150 yards and scored the first three TD's for the Dragons. Monticello's Anthony Gray makes an unbelievable catch as he intercepts a pass intended for Cornwall's Alex Cruz. Gray later scored on a 73-yard TD pass from Shane Jackson. Cornwall sophomore quarterback Mike White lays the ball down in the end zone after scoring the Dragons' final TD of the night. Monticello''s Shane Jackson takes off for a first-down scamper. Playing on an ankle still sore for an injury two weeks prior, Jackson gritted it out and gave it his all, as did his teammates in the Monties' best showing in four tries against immensely talented Cornwall.

MIDDLETOWN, NY—College players who move on to play professional football will say time and time again how the speed of the game in the NFL is so much quicker than they’ve ever experienced before..

Watching elite Cornwall, abetted by Monticello turnovers that contributed to the Dragons getting the ball in the red zone for its first five possessions, required an adjustment to a level of play this writer hasn’t seen this year.  As fast as my lens is, I had to quickly get used to the pace of the action to keep up with it all.

Tough as nails: Monticello's Mike Rogers has lost his helmet but not his grit as he tries albeit unsuccessfully to keep Cornwall's Offensive MVP Peter Catal from scoring his second TD of the night, a product of a Monticello turnover.

It’s no knock on the fine teams I cover, it’s just that Cornwall plays on a whole other level.

That Monticello’s defense allowed just two TD’s during that early maelstrom is a credit to the toughness of the Panthers and an indication of just how far they’ve come this season.

As compared to their prior meeting with Cornwall when a bevy of first half turnovers turned into a 35-0 Cornwall margin,  Monticello’s early struggle to hold onto the ball afforded the Dragons just 16 points, keeping this game within reach.

By all rights as the teams would enter the locker room at the half with Cornwall holding a 23-0 lead, it it might well have been 37-0 or worse.

Two solid defensive stands by the Monties had resulted in a pair of missed field goals by junior kicker Damon Neil.

Considering Cornwall’s dominance over Monticello in their three prior meetings since last fall that had resulted in the Dragons outscoring the Monties 148-13, this game would prove to be Monticello’s best showing of the four encounters and proof positive of the program’s ongoing improvement and viability.

For the three-seeded Monties to have any hope of upsetting the two-seeded Dragons, they were going to need every conceivable break, flawless efficiency in every facet of the game and a game for the ages from still-ailing quarterback Shane Jackson.

Still partially hobbled by an ankle injury suffered in the Port Jervis game, Jackson not only sat out last week’s win over Goshen, he hardly practiced during the past two weeks. “I think he was about 75%, observed Coach Matt Buddenhagen following the game.

Green lightning: Cornwall's first possession advance is accelerated by Kevin McNally's catch from quarterback Mike White as Monticello's Jacob McLaughlin defends.

Jackson was quite healthy though earlier this year when Cornwall beat Monticello 52-7. So to win this one, the Monties would probably have had to call on the hopefully beneficent football gods and as well as the sword of the legendary St. George to slay this cadre of lethal Dragons.

Cornwall won the toss and elected to receive as the night grew chillier, an ominous foreshadowing of an unseasonal blizzard that would blanket the area the following day.

Cornwall’s cheerleading captains came over to greet the Montie cheer squad in an amicable pre-game showing of class and sportsmanship.  During the game, after each Cornwall touchdown, the Lady Dragons would get down and do seven pushups to commemorate each seven point acquisition.

Cornwall’s Aidan Carroll pounced on Angelo Niforatos’ kickoff at the Dragons’ 30 and the game was underway.  On the first play from scrimmage Cornwall’s Offensive MVP Peter Catal carried it for a first down. Another first down by Rashard Wroten and a completed pass to Kevin McNally had the ball advancing at light speed to the 16.

At 10:54, Catal carried it from there to cap off the one minute, six seconds seventy yard drive. The PAT was good and the Dragons led 7-0.

Anthony Gray returned the kickoff to the 29 yard line. Jackson began the game as slot receiver with Mike Rogers at quarterback. Rogers had an epic game against Goshen last week. An offsides penalty showed the Montie jitters. Jackson took the handoff looking to pass it on the option play and was thrown for a loss by the charging Dragons.

Jackson took over the reins and the ball was fumbled on the next play, recovered by Cornwall’s Joe O’Rourke at the Monticello 11. Cornwall picked up seven on the first carry. Wroten was racked up twice, the second tackle coming by Otha Smith as the Monties held Cornwall out.

Neill’s field goal was no good and the Monties had dodged their first bullet. That said, there were more rounds to come.

Gone in the night: Monticello senior Talon Watson gallops 85 yards after intercepting a pass from Cornwall's Mike White for the Monties' first score of the game with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter.

The Monties took over on the 20. Jackson hit Reuss for completion but the play was nullified  by an offsides penalty. On the next play, it was fumbled again at the Monticello 11. Catal needed just one play to make the Monties pay for their second turnover to make it 13-0 at 6:46.The PAT failed and the Dragons got set to kick it off again.

Gray returned it but things went from bad to worse as O’Rourke intercepted a Jackson pass that was tipped affording the Dragons had a first and ten at the Panthers’ 26. O’Rourke was thrown for a loss and sophomore QB Mike White’s two passes to Alex Cruz fell incomplete. Neill’s field goal attempt fell short at 5:13. Make that two Dragon rounds fired which turned out to be blanks.

The Monties had their first positive yardage as José Cruz gained four on the first play of the ensuing series. Cruz took it again. Jackson was sacked leading to a short punt by Reuss that gave the Dragons the ball at the Montie’s 39

Catal took it seven yards before White uncorked a 31-yard TD pass to McNally to the four-yard line. Wroten was tossed for a loss. Catal took it to the two but the Dragons were assessed five yards on a motion penalty. McNally dropped White’s third down pass and Neill came on to make the field goal to widen the lead to 16-0 with 58 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Give me seven: Cornwall cheerleaders accentuate a Dragons TD and PAT with seven push ups.

A nice return by Gray brought the ball out to the 27. Jackson completed a short pass to Conor Briggs as the first quarter ended with the Monties facing a third and six from their own 31.

Settling in, the Monties began to move the chains, first with a run by Cruz and then with a breakaway run by Jackson to the Cornwall 25 yard line. They then advanced it to the 16. Two plays later the Monties appeared to cough it up again but officials ruled it not to be the case. A Cornwall encroachment penalty led to a fourth and two at the eight-yard line.

An incomplete pass intended for Gray gave the Dragons the ball back and despite their heroic drive, the Monties had no points to show for their efforts.

With 9:15 remaining in the second quarter it was Cornwall in possession again. Catal ferreted it 34 yards out to the 42 as once again Cornwall looked like a green blur on the attack. White completed a second down pass to Casey Kerdesky as Cruz drilled him to stop his progress leading to a third and eight.

White went back to Kerdesky for a first down conversion at the Panthers’ 44. Cornwall fumbled but recovered it as they lost yardage. White hit Cruz as Gray brought him down leading to a third and nine. White moved the chains again with a completion to Chris Bauer as the ball was now at the Panthers’33.

Though this was not Anthony Gray's epic 73-yard TD catch, but rather a great grab that turned out to be just our of bounds, the leaping senior who I have affectionately nicknamed "Gray Skies," for airborne antics like this will be sorely missed next year. Cornwall Coach Marcus Hughes referred to Gray, Sean Reuss and Shane Jackson as "phenomenal" players. Gray will now take his aerial act to the hardwood and Cornwall hasn't seen the last of him yet.

White went for the home run as he looked to hit Cruz but Gray went airborne for the pick as he came down on his tailbone but still holding onto the ball. It was an amazing play by “Gray Skies” and not the first he would register in the last football game of his high school career.

Gray appeared to be hurt badly but soon got up and left on his own power. He’d be back on the very next play. That kid is tough.

That takeaway kept the Monties close. Consider the alternative reality: the Dragons had failed to score on three viable possessions up to this point.

The Monties took over on their own two at 5:55. Cruz barreled ahead out to the 18 but the series ended with a three and out from there. Reuss punted and Cornwall got it going again from their own 41 with 3:29 to go in the first half.

Reuss ripped Wroten down for a loss. White took it on a keeper to the Monties’ 27 with 1:58 to go. After an offsides penalty he hit Bauer for a completion. White dodged a sack by throwing it away. A completion to Wroten gave the Dragons a first at the 16 before he uncorked a TD pass from there to O’Rourke with 22.8 seconds remaining in the half for the 22-0 lead. Neill’s PAT was good and the Dragons took a 23-0 lead.

The Monties went to the hurry up offense but time ran out and the teams retired to the locker room with the Dragons nursing their 23-0 lead.

The Monties received to start the second half. A completed pass for 15 yards gave the Monties a first down and another to Briggs had the ball moving out to the 39 but the Dragons held firm and the Panthers had to punt.

Most Valuable Players: Cornwall's Peter Catal (top) had 17 carries for 150 yards and a trio of TD's. Joe O'Rourke was the Defensive MVP with five tackles, half a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Cornwall began at its own 36. Jackson  just missed an interception on a tipped ball. Wroten nearly broke loose but was held to seven. Monticello was called for back-to-back unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that led to a 28-yard TD pass to Cruz  at 7:09 as the lapse of self-control proved to be costly for Monticello. Cornwall now led 29-0. Neill’s PAT failed.

Steve Demestrio returned the kickoff to the 24 but the Monties went three and out on the series.

O’Rourke returned it and White went back to the air with passes to Kerdesky and Cruz as the ball advanced rapidly to the Monties’ 16. Just when it was looking like Cornwall would score again, White tossed his second pick of the game, this one grabbed by Talon Watson who returned it 85 yards for the Montie’s first score as the gorgeous Faller Field jumbotron read Cornwall 30, Monticello 8 with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter after Jackson had run in the two-point conversion.

The Monties tried an onsides kick but Cornwall’s Anthony Vega recovered it. Wroten twisted and turned his way forward for first at the Cornwall 47 but on the next series the agile senior was dragged down on a third down play leading to a Cornwall punt.

The Monties got it at the 18 as the quarter wound down with the Monties facing a third and six at their own 22.

The final stanza began with Jackson running for a first down. Cruz carried it out to the 49 and then took it three straight times leading to a fourth and four at the 43 with 9:56 to go. A pass to Reuss was overthrown and the Dragons were at it again. Catal got it going again with repeated carries. O’Rourke brought it to the ten. Catal carried it twice bringing it to the two. White ran it in from there at 5:26 and Neill’s PAT made it 36-8.

The squib kick was recovered by Mike Rogers. Jackson wasted no time in rearing back and throwing a 73-yard TD pass to Gray on the far side of the field at 5:11 to make it 36-14. Jackson was pulled down on the two-point conversion attempt.

Gray appeared to recover the onsides kick  with a nifty catch but officials ruled it as interference with a fair catch and what appeared to be an epic recovery turned into a penalty.

Cornwall Coach Marcus Hughes inserted subs into the mix as sophomore Matt Smith soon took over at quarterback. Little else of note transpired before the final whistle as the Dragons advanced to play Wallkill, the team they lost to by two points in last year’s Class A tltle game. Wallkill beat Cornwall 7-6 on September 23 in the teams’ only encounter this season thus far.

Interesting it is indeed that Monticello nearly toppled Wallkill this season, losing to them late by the score of 28-21 back on September 30.

A great throw by Shane Jackson translates into a 73-yard TD pass to Anthony Gray. The immensely talented Jackson will hopefully be lighting it up again next season.

Cornwall’s Peter Catal was named the Offensive MVP. He  carried the ball 17 times for 150 yards and scored Cornwall’s first three TD’s.

With his five tackles, a half a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery, Joe O’Rourke was named the Defensive MVP.

Coach Hughes acknowledged that his team had chances to put this game away early but he had plenty of praise for Monticello.

“It’s a credit to them. They also made mistakes early and they kept fighting. It’s good for the Section. Monticello is playing well and they’re only going to get better. It was a good game,” he noted.

Asked to comment about his team speed and high capacity offense, he noted, “They play well. It’s a brand new offense with a sophomore quarterback. He makes his mistakes but he does a heck of a job. The line blocked well tonight and the running backs and receivers did their job.”

Hughes had lots of praise for Jackson, Gray and Reuss. “Those guys are phenomenal,” he averred.

Asked about the coming rematch with Wallkill. “It’s going to be a good game. They’re tough and theydo a lot of good things. I’m excited for the challenge. I love playing close games. Unfortunately, the last three we lost to them by a total of six points. That’s football,” he concluded.

Cornwall beat Class AA playoff contenders Kingston and Washingtonville this season, but a win over Wallkill for the title would make those victories pale by comparison. Wallkill beat Port Jervis 30-0 to set up the title rematch with the Dragons slated for November 4 at Faller Field at 7:00pm.

Buddenhagen said this about his team. “You could see these guys have gotten a lot better and grown into young men. This started out like the first time we played them with four turnovers in a row. But this time it was only 16-0. Once our defense settled down they played their butts off.  We were knocking on the goal line and it could have been 16-8 at halftime,” he reflected.

“We were lucky it wasn’t 35-0 after the first quarter. They had the ball four times inside the 30. I kept telling the kids they were lucky it was only 16-0.

This was another solid season. We lose a lot of seniors, about 15 of them. This was a senior-laden team. It’s only the second year of varsity and we’re playing with  the big dogs. We’re right there. Look at Cornwall and Wallkill, these kids are playing since they were five years old. Our kids have only been playing two or three years. The experience factor is crucial. We’ve got to get our kids playing at a young age so they know the in’s and out’s of the game, the basics and stuff.

This group of seniors have been with us for four years. They’ve worked their tails It takes a special person to play football and these guys are going to be great men and they’ll move on to be productive citizens.”

Asked about Jackson’s return, Buddenhagen noted, “He was maybe 75 percent. He’s a gutty kid and a great competitor. He hasn’t practiced much in two weeks and it was a serious ankle injury. Give him credit he took some shots and kept playing.”

Buddenhagen felt his team was a bit overwhelmed on Cornwall’s first series. “We have a lot of checks. We put in a very aggressive defense and I told them we’re bringing the punch to the fight and suddenly on their first drive we’re on our heels.. But when you turn the ball over, that’s adversity,” he noted.

“What do young men do in the face of adversity?  You could have folded tents there after four turnovers and our kids battled. They missed a field goal and we held them out how many times. That’s a damn good job,” he noted.

This was the swan song for seniors Earl Allen, Connor Alvarez, Jermel Branch, Connor Briggs, Ian Campbell, José Cruz, Steve Demestrio, Anthony Gray, Adam Kaiser, Garrett Lapolt, Brendan Madsen, Joe Mulvey, Sean Reuss, Brendon Thomas and Talon Watson.

Congratulations to these warriors for their great effort and their historic part in the resurrection of Monticello football.

Monticello stat line:

Passing: Jacskon 4/15/87 with one TD and one interception.

Rushing: Jackson 15/37; Cruz 15/61;

Receiving : Gray 2/66 with a TD. Briggs 1/6; Reuss 1/15.

Defense: Watson one interception for a TD; Gray one interception. Reuss nine tackles, four solo tackles; Jacob McLaughlin nine tackles, three solo; Otha Smith seven tackles, four solo. Mistah Alli had eight tackles.

Monticello ended its season at 5-4, while Cornwall improved to 8-1.

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