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Closing Bell (Buzzer) Signals Profitable Sullivan West Win Over Tri-Valley But Both Teams Yield Valuable Dividends From Investment Of Hard Work In Hotly Contested Non-League Fray

Sullivan West 58, Tri-Valley 48

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Bull or Bear Market? Scenes from the Sullivan West non-league victory over Tri-Valley (Clockwise)Tri-Valley's Dave Donovan looks to dribble around Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein, SW's Patrick Pierce opens the second half by tying the game and then giving his team the lead. He scored a game-high 18 points on the night. Sullivan West cheerleaders pay close attention as the game gets dicey and close in the fourth quarter. SW senior E.J. Franskevicz cans one of his two treys on the night. Tri-Valley's James Pugh fires a three over the head of Matt Cardona. T-V's Jesus Lozada cans one of his two three-pointers. E.J. Franskevicz dribbles as he is guarded by James Pugh.

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY—To some people, basketball and the stock market may seem as unlike as apples and oranges .But in fact the seemingly disparate worlds are actually quite analogous. Both involve investment with the potential for gain or loss and both are subject to a variety of influences that can lead to positive or negative trends.

For those not familiar with the terms, a Bull market is one that is defined by an upward trend, while a Bear market is one seemingly hampered by a downward trend. Stocks go up and down as each day brings a certain degree of uncertainty as to the outcome.  Fluctuation is a natural part of the economy as it is with basketball teams whose stock seems to rise or fall based on the acquisition of valuable wins or their troubles in doing so.

One day on the Stock Exchange is only part of a larger picture. Barring a crash such as the momentous one of 1929 or the more recent miasma of 2008, one day’s loss can be offset by the next day’s gain.  Similarly the outcome of a particular basketball game is not a life or death matter unless it is requisite to making  the playoffs or to the continuance of play in the tenuous life of the postseason.

Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein looks to pass the ball as he is closely guarded by T-V's Cody Exner.

What coaches and players hope is that their continued investment in their system, their commitment towards hard work and a bevy of talent will yield dividends in the long run.

Savvy coaches teach their teams the right investment strategy including what moves to make, when to make them and which ones to avoid.

It’s an ongoing process and for players who return to the sport from past campaigns, the accumulation of priceless knowledge and skills is bankrolled from one year to the next.

While basketball is a winter sport in high school, interrupted by subsequent athletic endeavors in spring, summer and fall, it has an ongoing life from year to year. The Tri-Valley community remembers like it was yesterday when they traveled to Westbury L.I. to watch their Section Nine Class C Bear fall one game shy of going to Glens Falls in 2007.

Likewise many Sullivan West denizens hearken back to the glory days of 2004 and 2005 playing in the Sectional finals against  Red Hook and Burke.

Though they lost both of those games, they were subsequently crowned 2005 champs when Burke had its victories vacated for using an ineligible player.  Unfortunately it was after most of the team had graduated.

Tri-Valley’s girls won the Section Nine title last year and that was indeed more than momentous but for both schools the realm of boys basketball has been rather bleak.

It wasn’t just Tri-Valley that had a “Bearish” season a year ago with its insufficient accrual of wins, the same held true for the Sullivan West Bulldogs whose one win was anything but “Bullish.”

Tug of War: Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein and Tri-Valley's Conor Walsh have exchanged their football ferocity for basketball and neither one will give an inch as they tug at a loose ball.

But this is a new year and things are looking far brighter for both teams. Needless to say their non-league clash on January 4 was going to result in a win for one and a loss for the other but regardless of the outcome, which ultimately fell in Sullivan West’s favor, there would be priceless experience from the rigors of the fray that both teams can profit from once their league seasons get underway one week hence.

Sullivan West came in with a 3-3 record, while the Bears who were 3-2 were still relishing the newfound feelings of being .500 or above, something they didn’t achieve a year ago. A rich rivalry in football, baseball, golf and track has made encounters between the schools events that bring fans out in force despite the 80-mile roundtrip excursion between the two schools.

Bears Get Out To The Early Lead

Tri-Valley’s Conor Walsh controlled the tip against Sullivan West’s Patrick Pierce and a quick dish from Greg Swarthout to Walsh netted the first points of the game. A steal and bucket by James Pugh made it four-zip as the Bears used early quickness to the basket to their advantage.

Tri-Valley's Shatik Smith drives by Sullivan West's Brad Hemmer who would have his own shining moment by hitting a turnaround jumper to widen the Westies' lead late in the fourth quarter.

A three-pointer by E.J Franskevicz made it 4-3 but the Bears would take advantage of early SW defensive laxity to fire up a quartet of treys in the opening stanza enroute to a 21-10 first quarter lead. Those long-range missiles came from Pugh, Jesus Lozada, Cody Exner and Dave Donovan. Moving well without the ball and coming off screens, the Bears poured it on as Westie defenders failed to close on shooters beyond the arc.

Sullivan West Coach Bruce Nober knew exactly what was wrong as he would later note, “We werent’ playing good defense, not closing on shooters or hedging screens. Nor were we in the passing lanes. It’s easy for teams to run their offensive stuff when there’s no ball pressure or help defense,” he averred.

Good teams make adjustments and Sullivan West was going to need more offense than the ten points it had mustered in the opening eight minutes six of which had come from a pair of Franskevicz threes and a bucket apiece from Pierce and Andrew Parsons.

Change of Polarity

When the buzzer sounded to start the second quarter it signaled a polar shift. Not only were Tri-Valley’s shots failing to fall, but the Bears got away from what had worked early on and settled instead for what Coach Brian Tingley would later describe as just “passing and cutting.” Those aspects are a part of T-V’s offensive strategy but far from all of it. Sullivan West upped its defensive verve as it jumped the passing lanes and closed on shooters.

The result was a 14-5 SW scoring advantage in the frame reducing Tri-Valley’s lead to a mere two at 26-24 by halftime. Half of the Westies pointed came from an enlivened Pierce who had a trey as part of his onslaught. Two points each from Sawyer Erlwein and Matt Cardona coupled with a bucket and a free throw from Andrew Parsons. Erlwein fired a shot from beyond half court that threatened to go in as the buzzer sounded the end of the first half.

Tri-Valley coach Brian Tingley draws up a scheme during a timeout while his players look on with rapt attention.

Tingley counseled his team to get back to what they know how to do well. He fully expected the Bears to come out and reassert  themselves and had to be shocked as his team was outhustled on two straight plays by Pierce who tied the score and then gave the Westies the lead they would never relinquish.

Eight straight Bulldog points were the second half welcome they extended to the Bears who couldn’t buy a shot until Swarthout finally scored halfway through the period. Holding the Bears to eight points in the quarter, the Bulldogs scored 18 to pull ahead 42-34 heading into the final frame.

The Bears inbounded the ball but Pugh promptly turned it over. Far from an auspicious start but the Bulldogs would make their fair share of mistakes too as this game got close. Pugh made amends with a trey to cut the lead in half at 42-39. Tri-Valley turned it over again but Parsons picked up his fourth foul, the team’s fifth.

T-V’s Devin Donnolly missed a potential game-tying three and at the other end of the floor Franskevicz went baseline and scored a valuable bucket to push the lead to 44-39. Pugh missed a trey but Pierce traveled as nails were being bitten on both sets of bleachers by anxious fans who knew this game was up for grabs.

With starting senior point guard John Masten out sick, Nober had to rely on other people to handle the ball, something Masten does well. One of those people was Brad Hemmer who proceeded to can a turnaround jumper that was huge as it extended the lead to 46-39. The Bears countered with a trey from Cody Exner. Speaking of missing players, the Bears were without tall tree Alex Brown who was out sick.

Slash and burn: Sullivan West's Matt Cardona slides along the baseline and sends in two off the glass. The fiery junior was quiet in the first half with just two points. He poured in 11 in the second half to make up for it.

Games are often won or lost on the free throw line and the Bulldogs would soon get a chance to control their own destiny from the charity stripe. In the fourth quarter they shot eight for 12 on their way to a 12-for-19 night for a 63 percent success rate. The Bears had only six attempts on the night of which they made two for 33 percent. Do the math: the ten point SW margin of victory was akin to their edge at the stripe.

The Bulldogs outscored the Bears 16-14 in the final quarter for the 58-48 win which improved their record to 4-3. The Bears fell to 3-3 and with a home league game against powerful Seward on January 7 they run the risk of dropping below .500 for the first time this season. The Bulldogs will look to add to their winning ways as they take on Chapel Field.

Aside from Pierce’s 18, the Bulldogs got 13 points from Cardona, 11 of which came in the second half. Franskevicz contributed 12. Pugh led the Bears with ten, while Lozada and Exner had eight apiece.

“We’re a better defensive team than we showed tonight,”said Nober who noted the improvement after the first quarter but who avers there’s much better play to be shown by his squad.

Tingley summed things up thusly: “We had a good start, going to the basket  but we stopped setting screens or using other people as screens. This was the first team that played us man-to-man all night but we knew that coming in,” he said. Tingley used a mix of man and zone defense and admitted his team was caught betwixt and between a couple of times when he called for a shift a bit too late.

Sullivan West turned the ball over 20 times on the night (eight and 12 in the two halves respectively). The Bears turned it over half as much (six and four). The Bears had eight treys in the game with two each from Pugh, Exner, Lozada along with one apiece from Rodney Jester and Donovan.

Fans will continue to invest their hope in the ongoing ascendancy of their beloved teams. As for this writer, I’m Bullish on both squads and plan to see the Bears in the Class C playoffs as well as the Bulldogs in the Class B postseason wars. Ante up your enthusiasm people. It’s a sound investment that will bring great rewards no matter what the final outcome.

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

Give And Take

Tri-Valley Lets Its First Half Lead Dissipate But Takes Game Back In Final 30-Second Heroics; Bears Improve To 2-0 As Family’s Late Mistakes Prove Fatal; Lady Bears Garner Season-Opening Win With Dominance of Lady Falcons

Girls: Tri-Valley 62, Family Foundation School 16

Boys-Tri-Valey 49, Family Foundation School 45

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Scenes from Tri-Valley's boys and girls wins over Family Foundation School (Clockwise) Tri-Valley junior Cody Exner scores after receiving a floor-length pass to give the Bears a 45-43 lead in the game's waning minutes. The Falcons would soon tie it up again but the Bears would have the last word. The Bears celebrate and show some love after the dramatic win. For a team that never reached .500 a year ago, being 2-0 is new and exciting territory. Family's Max Wilkey is guarded by T-V's James Pugh. Both would have key roles in the game. Wilkey scored a game-high 17 points; Pugh had 11 but also had a key steal of an inbounds pass which helped to seal the win. T-V senior Erin Smith scores two of her nine points in the Lady Bears' season opening win. They begin their quest to defend their Section Nine title. Greg Swarthout was questionable to play in this game but when he did it was huge , especially with this go-ahead shot to give his team the lead they would never again relinquish. Sabrena Smith fires away as part of her game-high 11 point output for the 1-0 Lady Bears.

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—In the fast and furious world of basketball it’s a matter of give and take. You give everything you have in the way of offensive execution by running your sets, making the extra pass and working for the best shot.

Likewise, you try to use hustle, focus and smarts on defense to take away the other team’s best chances to score… and better yet, to force turnovers which can lead to fast transition buckets the other way. Teams that execute well in these phases of the game win more often than not, while those that falter in vital aspects minimize their chances for victory.

With his electrifying sister Jakki now gone and playing at college, it's James Pugh's turn to light it up and carry on the family tradition. Here he rises to the occasion with two of his 11 points on the night. He had six in the first quarter including this layup.

And so it was that Tri-Valley and Family went all out to try and deploy their best offensive and defensive verve in a non-league clash in the Bears’ den on December 16. The season is quite young, but wins for both teams are preciously sought in the shortened world of an 18-game season, so this figured to be a battle to the finish.

It was that and more.

It’s remarkable how many games of basketball come down to the final seconds. Coaches of course realize this as they watch their teams miss shots, commit costly fouls or lose possession of the rock during the course of games.

They understand that while those events pass by in a New York minute, that such miscues can come back to haunt a team in a game that is apt to be decided by a single basket or late second free throws.

That’s what time outs are for as coaches like Tri-Valley wizard Brian Tingley and visiting Family Coach Larry Patrisso tried to hurriedly school their players on ways to handle the coming minutes based on their savvy observations of what had worked and what hadn’t.

For the Class C Tri-Valley Bears, a team that wasn’t able to muster a .500 record last year, this home clash against the Class D Family Falcons would prove to be an opportunity to both give and take as they gave Family a healthy dose of speed and steals and in the fourth quarter even gave them the lead,before finally taking away the Falcon’s most sought-after prize, namely a late upset win.

That victory was there for the taking for either squad as Family had whittled down Tri-Valley’s 32-22 halftime lead in the third quarter by outscoring the Bears 13-8 in that stanza to trail by a mere five at 40-35 entering the final frame.

In that final eight minutes, the home fans looked on with apprehension as they watched the pitched battle that seemed to hinge on each and every possession.

Tri-Valley has some big players this year but all but one of them are new to the varsity realm. That means that bigs like Family's Max Wilkey are a threat. Big red had 17 in this one.

Here’s a quick blow by blow description of the game’s dramatic concluding minutes.. With a little over five minutes to go Family scored to make it 43-39. The Bears turned it over with an errant pass in the middle before Family’s Max Wilkey and T-V’s Greg Swarthout took turns missing close-in shots.

Then Family’s Lucas Maas buried one to cut the lead to 43-41 with 4:16 remaining. Another errant T-V pass gave the Falcons a chance to tie but a foul by Family’s Jon Jziguiedo gave the Bears the ball back with 3:45. A missed three by the Bears and a Falcon rebound. As T-V’s Cody Exner closely guarded Family’s Bryan Lehrman, he slipped and Lehrman went by him to score the tying bucket with 3:17 to go. The teams were now knotted at 43-all.

The Bears had a chance to go ahead from the stripe as Dave Donovan was fouled but he missed both and Family came down with the rebound. The clock now read 2:58 as Tingley called a time out to dial up a play.

Exner received a floor-length pass and scored easily to make it 45-43. Wilkey fired up a three that missed at the other end. Exner was nearly tied up on the floor and Tingley alertly called a time out to avoid the possession arrow which was pointed in the Falcons’ favor.

Family committed another foul to give the Bears the ball back but a quick steal of T-V’s inbounds pass led to a bucket by Maas as the Falcons tied it up again at 45-all with 1:34 to go.

In the crucible of moments like this, experience is a vital resource, something Family lacks with only two returning players, one of which hardly saw any time a year ago. To steal this win, Family was going to need to avoid any costly mistakes.

Hustle, flow and dive for a loose ball. That's the modus operandi for T-V's speedy and gritty Shatik Smith (left) and James Pugh as they tie up Family's Bryan Lehrman.

Family had fouls to give and Wilkey used one of them as the Bears then got set to inbound it again at 45-all. Greg Swarthout drove right through the lane for an electrifying bucket which gave the Bears a 47-45 lead with..

At the other end of the floor, the Falcons needed to deploy patience but a hurried Family trey missed the mark.

After the Bears missed a layup, Patrisso called a time out and the Falcons got set to inbound the ball with 42.9 seconds. Once again, inexperience proved costly as they committed a backcourt violation for the deadly turnover.

Swarthout was fouled and went to the line for a one-and-one. He missed , T-V got the rebound but promptly turned it right back to Family with 17.7 seconds to go. Family needed to come the length of the floor but Pugh stole the ball right out of the hands of Lehrman as he got set to inbound the rock.

A pair of free throws by James Pugh would ice the game at 49-45.

Dialing it back to the outset of the game, Wilkey won the opening tip against Conor Walsh. Family’s Jon Izguideo scored the first points of the game which would be part of Family’s nine-point output in the first quarter. They got a three-pointer from Lehrman and two points apiece from Wilkey and Tarek Mhich.

While the focus of this story is on the boys game, the girls were busy taking care of business early on. Here Mareena DiMilia scores two of her seven points in the season-opening win as the Lady Bears look to defend their Section Nine crown. DiMilia and company figure to be right in the mix despite the graduation of standout Jakki Pugh.

That wasn’t enough to keep pace with the amped-up Bears who posted 17 in the stanza including a pair of treys from Exner, one from Jesus Lozada and six points from Pugh. Sophomore tall tree Alex Brown added a bucket to the mix as the Bears led 17-9 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was far more even with the Bears outscoring Family 15-13 in the stanza. A trey by Pugh was added to buckets from Shatik Smith, Brown, Exner and Swarthout. Family profited from ten from Wilkey to go along with a bucket and a free throw from Mhich.

In the third quarter, it was Family’s turn to overpower their hosts as they outdistanced Tri-Valley 13-8 in the period to close within five at 40-35. To that end they got a trey from Wilkey and buckets from Mhich, Stepan Rudowicz and four points from Mdich.

Tri-Valley did not meet its pregame goal of committing ten turnovers or fewer. They had 15 on the night, including just four in the first half. They induced 24 on the part of Family.  The Bears (2-0) were two-for-six from the stripe (33.3%), while Family was an impressive seven-for-eight (87.5%).

Wilkey led all scorers with 17. Mhich had 11 for Family. Exner led T-V with 16 points. He had four of T-V’s seven three-pointers on the night. Pugh posted 11 points including two from beyond the arc.

Patrisso knew his team had just given one away. “In the game’s situations, you’ve got to know what to do when the game is on the line.” This was the second game for the Family Foundation School. It lost its opener to Chapel Field.

“We played well but the end of the game situations like throwing the ball away with a few seconds left, or not knowing how to run a press breaker when they’re trying to trap you and not knowing what to do with a rebound right under the basket when the line is right open. Instead of dribbling it straight up the court, a pass is made instead. That’s unselfish, but unwise,” he noted.

Family has only one senior on the team and two players who return from a year ago, but neither of the two were starters. Consequently, there’s a lot of learning to do. We have no JV team and no summer league. We only get together as of November 14 and we have to put it all together as quickly as we can,” he added.

Tingley offered up his take on things thusly, “I thought the key to the game was the steals at the end,” thinking particularly about Pugh’s theft of the inbound pass right out of Lehrman’s hands.  “We were trying to stop them and make them take some time off the clock. It helped having Greg (Swarthout) out there. A few days ago we didn’t know if he was going to be playing.”

A trio of weapons in the Bears' arsenal: If T-V is to keep up its winning ways and get to the sectionals, something they weren't able to do last year, they'll need James Pugh, Cody Exner and Conor Walsh to lead the charge. Thus far, they seem more than up to the task.

Tingley pointed to Swarthout’s court leadership which included allowing the team to score two but denying three when you’re up by three points without having to call a time out to do so.

Tingley noted that his team appeared a bit lethargic with its ten point halftime lead. That allowed Family to go ahead 34-33 in the third quarter before the Bears awoke and battled intensely.  “It was anybody’s game. We do have big players this year but they’re all young,” he noted. “Alex Brown got a lot of big rebounds. We also have Devin Donnelly and Gavin DuBois. Gavin didn’t get in the game as much as he would have liked but in these nip and tuck games every possession is key,”he observed explaining why he would have to go with his more experienced players in crunch time.

“We lost the rebound wars but won the fast-break point battle. Our most experienced group has only one big man, he said referencing Conor Walsh.

Tri-Valley used a man defense in its win over Deposit but watched Chapel Field beat the Falcons using a zone, so Tingley decided to used a two-three zone this time out. With that season-opening 67-53 win over Deposit, it was the first time the Bears were over .500 in a year. That took some pressure off this game as the team couldn’t fall below .500 with a loss.

Tri-Valley hosts Chester, Chapel Field and Livingston Manor in the coming week. “I think we’re going to be fighting tooth and nail with everyone we play. Swarthout and Pugh are the captains this season.

The game followed a 62-16 win by the T-V girls over Family. It was the Lady Bears’ debut as they begin their quest to defend their Section Nine Class C title. Sabrena Smith led her team with 11. Erin Smith had nine.

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

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Fall Bears Extraordinaire

Tri-Valley Fall Sports Athletes Are Extolled For Their Outstanding Efforts

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Tri-Valley athletes enjoy a rare and special relationship with their coaches, a fact tearfully expressed by senior cross-country Co-MVP Olivia Rehm as she offers a tribute to coach Missy Iatauro (center). The Most Valuable Players from this fall appear in clockwise fashion from left to right: Greg Swarthout-football, Jim Bernstein-boys cross-country, Olivia Rehm and Autumn Bender-girls cross-country, Anthony Beale-boys soccer; Heidi Furman-girls tennis; Sarah Schneyer-girls soccer; Josue Ramos-boys soccer; Rachel Adriaans-girls soccer and Ali Reynolds-cheerleading

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—Seasons change and time moves on apace. But memories linger on, especially for young men and women who have given their all to a particular sports endeavor. For the Tri-Valley athletes, this past fall was a wellspring for many such
memories.

So it was that on the evening of November 14, coaches called forth their teams to the stage and extolled their efforts in addition to presenting awards to several outstanding individuals.

By evening’s end, a slide show that chronicled the accomplishments of cheerleaders, cross-country harriers, soccer, football and tennis players flashed across the screen to the strains of uplifting music to reinforce the words of praise that had been spoken all evening long.

Athletic Director Derek Adams welcomed the audience and extended thanks to the parents, administration, building and grounds crew and the Board of Education for their great support. Quoting Nolan Ryan, Adams referenced the idea of enjoying success by virtue of adapting. Clearly this autumn with its surfeit of rainfall required that and more.

Cheerleading coach Leighanne Walsh lauded her team. This was her second year of coaching football cheerleading while all the while preparing routines for the upcoming basketball season. Walsh had great words of praise for seniors Brittany
Rennison, Jessica Lee, Stephanie Hyzer, Jackie Wallace, Amber Watch and AmberBuley. Dorothy Monforte was the team’s
MIP. Ali Reynolds was named as the Most Valuable Cheerleader and Schuyler Kraus won the Coach’s Award.

Junior varsity girls soccer coach Ryan Ahl had words of praise for his team and noted that several of the young women would soon be filling in the rank of the varsity squad next fall.

Varsity girls soccer Coach Mary Feusner started by averring what a privilege it was to work with her team. Challenged by the loss of 12 of last year’s players including nine to graduation, the Lady Bears fielded a team of 13 dedicated players this season bolstered by a few call ups from the junior varsity. Nine of Feusner’s 16 players were first timers. Feusner was assisted this season by Kayla
Connelly, one of her former players who brought her high school and college experience to bear on helping the squad.

The team made it to sectionals and improved on their pair of 7-0 losses to dominant S.S. Seward with a more competitive 3-1 defeat in the Class C quarterfinals.

The team scored 49 goals and had 27 assists while finishing the season at 8-9 and 4-8 in its division. They registered six shutouts and had ten goals against Chapel Field. They allowed 43 goals.

Megan Tyndell was selected as the team’s Most Improved Player. Rachel Adriaans was named as the Offensive MVP,  while Sarah Schneyer won the honors as the Defensive MVP. Erin Smith won the Coach’s Award.

Cross-Country Coach Joe Iatauro called forth the boys and girls teams to the stage and proceeded to praise them for their outstanding efforts. The girls were donned in t-shirts that spelled out TEAM IATAURO! The relationship that Joe and Missy
Iatauro have fostered with their teams over the years is an integral part of the storied history the program has recorded.

Evincing strong performances at invitationals from coast to coast including the legendary Mt. Sac race in California was great preparation for the divisional championships recorded by the girls (12^th consecutive) and the boys (second year in a row). The girls finished first at Mt. Sac in their division, the first time since 1992. The boys were fourth there out of 30 schools.

The girls won the Section Nine championship, while the boys finished second. The girls competed at this year’s state meet and did admirably despite unspeakably muddy conditions. It was Tri-Valley’s 19th appearance at the state meet.

Brendon Hasbrouck was named as the boys MIP. Jim Bernstein was awarded the honor as the MVP.  Bernstein was the
Section Nine Class C champion and a state qualifier for the second consecutive year. He finished 29^th in the state meet. Omar Lopez was the recipient of the Coach’s Award.

The girls team had an exceptional season. They were led by eighth grader Autumn Bender, who was named as Co-MVP along with Olivia Rehm. Iatauro lauded the intensive training regimen of his runners, in particular Rehm and Bernstein who logged 400 and 500 miles respectively this past summer. Danielle Graham was named as the girls team MIP.

Varsity football coach John Rusin was up next and literally gushed with pride as he recounted the heart and resolve of the Bears who started their season at 1-5, but could have easily been 5-1. The team had 14 seniors and Rusin praised each one including soccer converts Josue Ramos and Anthony Beale along with gridders Andrew Malone, Fred Dumond, Jon Edwards, Tyler Lopez, Shawn Markle, John Monforte, Rafael Ramos before awarding four other seniors with trophies and more words of praise.

Conor Walsh was named as the team’s MIP. “He played any position we asked him to,” noted Rusin. Troy Rossi was
the team’s Outstanding Defensive Player. He was second on the team in tackles and recorded 3 ½ sacks. “He is an
outstanding defensive player,” said Rusin.

Rusin extolled the courage, grit and success of Joe Mickelson, the team’s Outstanding Offensive Player. Mickelson had a mammoth season a year ago and despite a hairline fracture that kept him out of a couple of game this season, he morphed
from quarterback to fullback and had 53 carries for 391 yards bringing his career total to 508 yards. He also was outstanding on defense as middle linebacker.

“The best of the best,” is what Rusin had to say about MVP Greg Swarthout, a player who never leaves the field. “Durable,” was a word Rusin used to describe the stalwart senior who took over at quarterback when Mickelson went down. “He just gets it,” said Rusin about Swarthout’s intelligent and adept play. The Bears made it to the playoffs but lost to eventual Section Nine champion O’Neill. Winning two key league games including a homecoming thriller against Millbrook proved to be the ticket to this year’s
postseason berth.

Boys varsity soccer Coach Jason Closs lauded his team as a group of special individuals who showed vast improvement this season. Emphasizing rigorous conditioning, the Bears were determined to be in every game. The team had ten seniors including Anthony Beale, Dan Lederman, Hunter Kennedy, Christian Reynolds, Mike DeVault, Josue Ramos, Patrick McHugh, Eugene Morton, Tom Monforte and Ryan Erts.

Josue Ramos and Anthony Beale were named as Offensive MVP’s,  while Tom Monforte received the honors as Defensive MVP.

Girls varsity tennis coach Janet Carey capped off the team presentations as she described the challenges of the merging of three divisions into two this season. That change meant playing bigger schools and tougher opponents. The team graduated its
entire roster last year except for its number-one singles player Heidi Furman who was joined on the team this season by fellow senior throwing cohort Dominique Darby.

Jennifer Sheeley was named as the team’s MIP, while veteran Heidi Furman was the obvious choice for MVP.

This writer spoke about the outstanding character evinced by Tri-Valley athletes and their impeccable sportsmanship. Benefiting from a supportive school and community and in particular affirming parents and coaches who serve as mentors and role models,
T-V athletes are making a valuable investment in their future through their efforts on the playing fields, courts and race venues.

Last winter was an exceptional one and as kids now move on to basketball, skiing, wrestling, cheerleading and indoor track, this year may well be dubbed “Tri-umphant Valley II.

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

Neversink Renaissance Releases Fourth Annual Barn Quilt Calendar

Neversink Renaissance has released its Barn Quilts of Neversink 2012 Calendar depicting historic barns during the various seasons of the year. This is the fourth year in a row that Town of Neversink residents have photographed barn quilts placed on the town’s barns by local volunteers.

This year’s calendar also celebrates the grand opening of the new addition to the Daniel Pierce Library and the Time in the Valleys Museum. This is the culmination of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, the support of countless area businesses and contractors, and the enthusiasm of a community that had a dream ten years ago to construct a state-of-the-art library and museum.

Calendars are available at the Neversink Town Hall, the Daniel Pierce Library and the Time in the Valley’s Museum at a cost of $7.00. Proceeds will go the Tri-Valley Little League and future town beautification projects. As a special incentive, those purchasing three calendars at these locations will get one free.

Calendars may also be ordered by mail at: Neversink Renaissance, PO Box 307, Grahamsville, NY 12740. With shipping, the cost is $9.00 for one; or $17.00 for two. Checks should be made payable to Neversink Renaissance.

To download the order form, go to www.townofneversink.org. For more information call the town hall at 845-985-7685.

State Troopers

Eldred’s Alex Campanella Just Misses Out On A State Title; Runners Struggle On Muddy Course That Reduced Times And Made Advances Toughest In The Middle Of The Pack; Warwick’s Grandanali and NFA’s Frontera Take 5^th In Class A Races; V.C.’s Cavalluzzo Finishes 8^th

^{NYSPHSAA Cross-Country State Championships}

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Two salient moments: Eldred's Alex Campanella comes up 1.5 seconds shy of a state title as Notre Dame-Batavia's Jeffrey Antolos edges him out at the finish line. Campanella's silver medal will provide him with even more motivation as he moves ahead. The speedy junior has one more year to garner the gold. A warm hug is shared by Valley Central junior Holly Cavalluzzo and NFA's Giana Frontera after the finish of the Class A girls race. Frontera was fifth and Cavalluzzo was eighth. The two have been at the top of the Section Nine Class A picture since the OCIAA and Section Nine races where Frontera prevailed in both.

^{VERONA, NY- “Excelsior,” the motto of New York State which means ever-upward was the title for the piece I wrote about last year’s NYSPHSAA Cross-Country Championships, an uplifting day in every sense of the word from the weather, to the course conditions at Pawling High School and capped off by the NYS record-setting performance of Cornwall’s Aisling Cuffe.}

Muddied but undaunted, Tri-Valley senior Jim Bernstein fights his way through the muddy course. He finished 29th far short of his expectations after winning his first-ever Section Nine championship.

^{There were many triumphs that day for runners from Section Nine and the piece was an honorarium to a meet which is the largest event put on NYSPHSAA during the year. Cadres of parents , friends and family swarm over the course trying to get a glimpse of runners as they travel over hill and dale. Year in and year out, this meet is spectacular and not enough can be said about the hundreds upon hundreds of runners who earned their way to states by dint of their outstanding seasons and sectional finishes.}

^{This year’s race for all of its grandeur and allure was far more trying than the one a year ago. The outstanding course at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School in Section III had been ground down into a muddy track by the unreal wet weather and by the pounding it took from the legions of runners who have traversed it. A day before the November 12 outing, Section Nine runners along with their counterparts from the states other ten sections had been working out on the sodden course.}

^{So even for the first runners on Championship Saturday, namely the boys from Class A,  the prospect for evincing quick times, making rapid cuts and passes and moving up in the pack were severely hampered by the conditions. As the day progressed, it only got worse so by the time the Class D girls were at it in the early afternoon, it was literally a slog through the bog.}

Eldred's Hunter Proscia was a medal winner with his 15th place finish.

^{As Tri-Valley girls coach Missy Iatauro pointed out to me before the races began as I expressed my concerns about how the Lady Bears would fare under such conditions, she reminded me, “It’s the same for everybody.”}

^{That it was and so by day’s end, despite many finishes by Section Nine kids that they assessed as less than what they had hoped for, the race was a great life learning experience. There are things over which we have little or no control. That not only includes the weather and things like race conditions, it also includes the talent and assets held by competitors you’ve never raced against.}

^{For Eldred junior Alex Campanella, that came home most profoundly in the final few meters of the Class D boys race, an encounter during which he and Notre Dame-Batavia’s Jeffrey Antolos had run shoulder-to-shoulder. Campanella led at the one-mile marker with a split of 5:19. He and Antolos would both average 5:39 over the muddy course and as they entered the track for the final leg of the race, Campanella had a narrow lead which disappeared in the final few meters as Antolos (17:29.4) put on an epic kick to outpace him by 1.5 seconds as the Eldred harrier crossed the line in 17:30.9 exactly 15 seconds faster than his time a year ago on the speedy course at Pawling High School. Last year’s 15th place finish galled Campanella and he vowed to go for the gold this time out. Silver it was instead but a glorious race nonetheless.}

Section Nine's Class B girls bolt out to a quick start.

^{Campanella was disappointed that he couldn’t hold onto the lead, but the stalwart three-season warrior resolved to return next year for one more crack at it. Heading to the Federation Race at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, he is still determined to make his mark there and move on to nationals.}

^{“The course was really tough.  It was a lot easier the first time I came here, “ he noted referencing Eldred’s visit to V-V-S earlier this fall. “It wasn’t the race I wanted. I slipped coming around the turn towards the final straightaway and then he got me,” he said while maintaining that he was not offering any excuses.  “Every step was slippery. I’ll come back next year, “ he averred.}

^{Campanella’s finish was the best of the day for Section Nine runners including senior teammate Hunter Proscia who won a medal with his 15th place finish in 18:34.2. Like Campanella, he made massive strides from last year to this sparked by a summer training regimen that would make grown men quiver. Last year he as  42nd at the state meet but running only 1.3 seconds faster than that outing had him a bit dismayed. He shook it off though, knowing that his brightest moments lie ahead in track this spring.}

Tri-Valley's girls along with other Section Nine contenders look all shiny and clean as they start off, but not for long as they soon were slaked with mud from the sodden course.

^{Proscia was in fifth at the one mile point but according to him, “Once we started going into the second mile, I didn’t make my move but kind of sat on it. I wasn’t able to make a move after that and I hovered around 15th the whole race.} 

^{The course was really rough. You couldn’t kick anywhere. I wasn’t concentrating on racing but more focused on where my next step was going..where I was going to run.”}

^{Seward’s boys took fourth overall among the 11 competing sections in the Class D boys race.}

^{Kudos to Eldred senior Christine Donnelly who finally made states in her fifth and final try. Donnelly was upbeat and proud of herself though she certainly had hopes of doing better than finishing 47th in 23:44.8.  “I’m proud of myself,” she averred.}

Eldred's Christine Donnelly made five years of hard work pay off by finally getting to states. It was not the finish she hoped for as she came in 47th but she was proud of her efforts nonetheless. Indoor and spring track await her senior year final exploits.

^{For Tri-Valley’s Jim Bernstein in this second trip to states, particularly behind his first-ever Section Nine championship, was hopefully going to be a watershed moment. Bernstein was going to have to run this race without teammate Omar Lopez who hurt his ankle in the Section Nine championships though he still qualified with his seventh place finish.}

^{Bernstein had run on the V-V-S course the day before and knew it was muddy, but the race itself proved to be an eye-opener. Bolting out to a good start, the stalwart senior soon found himself not only encased in mud, but also enclosed within a pack of runners that made up the rear of the top third of the Class C entourage.}

^{With very poor traction and no place to make clean cuts to move ahead, Bernstein was frustrated as he realized the impossibility of moving ahead.  He finished in 29th in 18:36.4. Slaked with mud he retired to the bench in the finish area and took it all in. “At the beginning I got boxed in a little bit and then I tried to pass on the outside.  When I tried to get of the box I didn’t do what I should have done. I conserved a little towards the end of the race. The leader went out really fast. It was hard to  keep contact with him,” he noted. “It was a mud hole. I almost fell a couple of times and I was slipping a lot, especially on turns.}

Revolutionary War re-enactor Bob Allers of Deansboro, NY readies his 1745 British Brown Betty replica musket for the firing of the start of each race.

^{Bernstein was stlll able to revel in the honor of being at states for the second year. His progress was notable moving up from 53rd a year ago but the slippage in time was unexpected given his blistering pace in the Section Nine meet. In cross-country,  times vary from meet to meet where courses and conditions vary immensely.  “On to indoor!” he vowed.}

^{Sullivan West’s Reed Scott was running in his first-ever state meet. Realizing the caliber of the runners in the fray and the hellacious conditions,  he hoped to finish in the top 50  but had to settle for 57th in 19:14.6.  “It was kind of hard. I slipped a little bit  here and there but I didn’t actually fall. In the beginning there was a huge crowd. It’s a lot different from any other race I’ve been in where I’m used to having space to move,” he observed.}  

^{Livingston Manor’s Neal Mock also expressed his troubles with the muddy course in his Class D run in which he palceed 52nd in 20:01.  “Mud kicked everywhere, mud in your face and mud on your back. All the narrow trails  and all the mud,  I couldn’t get a kick anywhere. It was really hard to pass people.}

Warwick's Patrizio Grandinali shows the trappings of running through the mud as he holds his fifth place spot in the Class A race. Warwick finished fifth as a team.

^{The girls races would produce more of the same for most Section Nine runners, but not for NFA sophomore Gianna Frontera who finished fifth in 19:42.7. She and  West Gennesee’s Laura Leff who finished 2nd, broke up the potential 1-5 sweep by the nation’s top-ranked team Fayetteville-Manlius which took first, third, fourth, fifth and seventh for another outstanding 15 point sweeping  finish.  It was F-M’s sixth straight state title and its third year with a perfect 15!}

^{Frontera who finished ahead of Valley Central’s Holly Cavalluzzo in both the OCIAA and Section Nien championships, did so again as Cavalluzzo came in eighth in 20:01.6 to earn a medal. The speedy junior improved over her 11th place finish in Class AA a year ago though her time, like most runners was off the pace of the speedy Section In course in 2010. The two shared a big hug after the race. Their times of pushing each other are far from over.}

Monticello eighth grader Camryn Johnson crosses the finish line with a valuable first-time experience at states.

^{In the Class C race, the gritty Tri-Valley girls were hoping for strong finish to their outstanding season but like so many others, they succumbed to the same narrative: mud and poor traction.  They finished ninth overall out of the 11 sections. Eighth grader Autumn Bender was 48th in 22:43.9, an improvement over last year’s 52nd place finish but slower in time than a year ago’s 21:16.1. Sophomore Sabrena Smith was the next closest in 57th place with a time of 23:46.4. She was followed by senior Olivia Rehm in 74th in 23:46. The other three T-V finishers were sophomore  Brooke Gillete in 86th (24:15.5) , junior Danielle Graham in 93rd in 24:02 and  freshman Alex Brooks in 121st in 27:00. Brooks has missed much of this fall’s running and is just starting to come back.}

^{All of the T-V runners except Rehm will be back at in the fall and though Smith starts basketball two days after this race, the rest of the crew moves on to indoor track where they plan on defending their Section Nine title.}

^{Exhausted from the 5:00 am wake up, the three hour drive and the running I did from start to view points to finish chutes, I headed home glad that I had come. Though I know many of the kids weren’t satisfied with the results of their efforts, this writer was greatly impressed by their resiliency and determination nonetheless.}

Last minute counsel from Sullivan West coach George Shakelton is imparted to first-time state contender Reed Scott. For Scott and other underclassmen with the chance to return, this year's race was a great learning curve.

^{That will do it for me for fall coverage this year. A couple of high school awards presentations this week and then it’s on to winter endeavors after a short hiatus to catch my breath.}

^{For an album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com}

State Of Grace

Section IX Cross-Country Championship Provides A Rich Tapestry Of New And Defending Champions, Winning Streaks And A Bevy Of State Qualifiers; T-V Bears Go Over The Mountain With A Girls’ Team Title and First-Ever Championship By Jim Bernstein; Eldred’s Alex Campanella Repeats,  While Christine Donnelly Wins At Last

Section Nine Cross-Country Championships

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

 

Scenes of splendor from the Section IX cross-country championships (Clockwise) Tri-Valley's Jim Bernstein is on his way to winning his first-ever Section Nine C title; Eldred's Alex Campanella repeats as Section Nine 'D" Champ. Eldred's Christine Donnelly wins on her fifth try as she finally garners the 'D' crown. Class C gilrs winners include the victorious Lady Bears (left to right) Autumn Bender, Oliva Rehm, Brooke Gillette, Sabrena Smith, Danielle Graham, Devon Jones and Alex Brooks. Front row: Emily Walligursky, Mallory Peterson, Mary-Kate Bida, Deidre Dwyer and Lillian Gavio. Class C girls leaders Emily Walligursky (forefront) T-V's Autumn Bender followed by Millbrook's Mallory Peterson and Spackenkills Deirdre Dwyer.

BEAR MOUNTAIN, NY—In all of life’s races, there will always be victors and also-rans. No matter what your walk of life or chosen endeavor, some people will get to revel in the riches of their success, while others are left to wonder why their best just wasn’t quite good enough in a particular instance.

While talent is an invaluable prerequisite towards reaching the top, so too is assiduous hard work and preparation. But even with all of that to draw on, one needs a little bit of good fortune in order to prevail over daunting adversity which can loom around
the very next turn in the road.

The start of the girls Class A race eventually won by NFA's Giianna Frontera.

No one understands these challenges better than cross-country runners. Stalwart, gritty and determined to withstand the rigors of hills, mud, trails that twist and turn and the aches and pains that are commensurate with taxing their bodies to the max, harriers build strength for life as they reckon with pushing themselves to exhaustion in search of their best.

And in the context of such quests, they are apt to experience days of unbridled joy as well as those of devastating disappointment. It goes with the territory.

Like the trails they run on, runners know firsthand about emotional ups and downs.

Try as I might to convey the drama of the Section Nine Championships held at a blustery Bear Mountain on November 4, I am bound to fall far short in my humble narration to depict the courage and the heart in the eight races I bore witness to.

All I know is that throughout the day, I had tears in my eyes, a product of not just the wind but the emotions exacted by seeing
hard-fought triumphs as well as heart-rending disappointments

The Sullivan County emphasis in this story is a given since I know so many of these runners, their ongoing sagas, trials and tribulations and what they bring to races like this one wherein their entire season is on the line.

Eldred senior Hunter Proscia finished second in the Class D run and returns to states with teammate Alex Campanella, along with Christine Donnelly and Sarah Malzahn who are making their debut at the state meet.

This is where their hopes of being one of the chosen, that elite group of kids who will move on to states, will be either affirmed or denied.

This race is what many of them have thought about 24/7 as they’ve worked beyond even the limits of their own imaginings to achieve that sought-after state of grace.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” is more than a saying for senior runners like Tri-Valley’s Jim Bernstein (16:12.68) and Eldred’s Christine Donnelly (20:09.84), who finally broke through after years of trying to garner their elusive Section Nine Class C and D titles respectively

Both seniors relegated their summers to rigorous running and both vowed to win. Bernstein returns to states with teammate Omar Lopez (16:51.52) who finished 7^th despite undergoing a fall. More on this duo shortly as I break this story down to detail the day’s component races.

For Donnelly, who missed last year’s state meet by a single place, this victory was sweet beyond reckoning. From the report of the starting gun, she grabbed a lead she would never relinquish, even when pressed by Coleman’s Kate Shults.

O'Neill's Zech Snel and Sullivan West's Reed Scott will be making their debut at states. They finished fourth and eighth respectively.

Sullivan West junior Reed Scott made it too this year in his third endeavor. Scott (18:56) took eighth to punch his ticket.

Many other runners would finally break through to either win or qualify for the state meet.

Then there were the first-timers such as Monticello eighth grade twin sisters Camryn and Sidney Johnson who qualified for states in their debut year. Camryn (19:14.14) took third in the Class B encounter, while Sidney (19:53.59) took eighth.

Livingston Manor’s Neil Mock (18:02.1) made it to states in his senior year cross-country debut as he finished ninth in Class D. O’Neill’s Zech Snell (16:35.90), a harrier who converted from playing soccer a year ago, also made his first attempt pay off with a fourth place finish in Class C.

Eldred’s expected one-two punch of Alex Campanella (16:15.72) and Hunter Proscia (16:54.97) sends the pair back to states.
Campanella who expressed his dismay over his fourth place finish in the OCIAA league championships a week prior, attacked this race with a vendetta to exact a time 31 seconds faster that his 16:46.72 Section Nine time a year ago. Proscia moved up from fifth to second from his 2010 time of 17:43.68.

Campanella will be satisfied with nothing short of a state championship in this his junior year. For Proscia, a senior, you can bet he’ll hold nothing back as he strives to achieve the same goal, or failing that, a finish near the top.

Sullivan West runners and their coach George Shakelton warm up prior to the 'C' race. With two veterans from last year's states in medalist Dani Myers and teammate Kelsey Dutton, the Lady Bulldogs figured to place three in the top ten with eighth grader Courtney Meyerer. They did that but came up four points shy of Tri-Valley and astoundingly had no one qualify for the state meet. Such disappointments are hard to reckon with but the team will be back minus senior Rachel Deppa next year to try again.

While running is an individual endeavor, it is also a team enterprise and there were team sagas aplenty by day’s end. In the Class C girls race, Sullivan West and Tri-Valley each hoped to unseat champion Rhinebeck and stave off a challenge from tough Onteora.

That said, few could have predicted the bizarre result wherein Sullivan West got three runners in the top ten and came up just four points shy of Tri-Valley for the team crown.

Worse yet for the Lady Westies, though Dani Myers (19:45.22), Courtney Meyerer (19:53.79) and Kelsey Dutton (19:55.63) took seventh through ninth, none of the trio made it to states, a crushing blow particularly for junior Myers who won a medal for her 20^th place at the state meet a year prior and Dutton who also ran in the big race.

Meyerer’s eighth place finish as an eighth grader is impressive to say the least and you can expect the Lady Bulldogs to rebound next year with a vengeance as they lose only one senior in Rachel Deppa.

Tri-Valley’s win, its first since 2007 and its 19th overall, was the latest in a remarkable fall.  After garnering their 12^th
straight division title, the Lady Bears traveled to the Mt. Sac race in California and finished first among 30 schools in their division in the race Coach Joe Iatauro describes as “the largest high school invitational in the world.”

Group hug: Tri-Valley Lady Bears share a warm hug as they enjoy the school's first girls team win since 2007.

The girls’ win at Mt. Sac was the first one since 1993. The boys finished fourth there with the first three teams ahead of them from Nevada, Alabama and California.

Eighth grader Autumn Bender finished second at Mt. Sac running the seventh best time of a T-V girl in the school’s nine appearances there.

In this race the Lady Bears were paced by Bender (19:19.25) who took third overall behind Onteora’s Emily Walligursky (18:26.87)  and Millbrook’s Mallory Peterson (19:16.50).

This was Walligursky’s first cross-country championship, an honor to go along with her track titles. Peterson was sandwiching her state-qualifying race between a pair of Section Nine soccer playoff games.

While Sullivan West had  three runners near the top, Tri-Valley had the better of things  from its number four and five runners. Here’show the Lady Bears did it with their number two through five runners:

Olivia Rehm (19:59.88) was tenth;  newcomer sophomores: Brooke Gillette (20:36.40) was 14^th and Sabrena Smith (20:44.03) was 15^th. Junior  Danielle Graham (21:02) was 16.^th  Tri-Valley outpointed Sullivan West 52-56. T-V will send its complete team including Devon Jones and Alex Brooks to states.

S.S. Seward’s boys won their fourth consecutive Class D title; Warwick’s boys won their 14^th consecutive crown; Monroe-Woodbury’s girls won their fourth consecutive title, their 19^th overall; Warwick boys won for the tenth straight year; New Paltz’s boys won their third consecutive Class B title.

Twin Peaks: Monticello eighth grade twins Camryn (left) and Sidney Johnson made their first year in cross-country special as they qualified for states with their third and sixth place finishes. Monticello came in second to Cornwall overall in the girls Class B team standings.

This year’s realignment by the state compacted the former five classes to four. That pushed teams like Monticello, Wallkill, Goshen, Port Jervis and Cornwall down to Class B from Class A.

Race by race details: noted below are not the names of all members of winning teams, just the top five as well as individual runners from other teams heading to states.

Class A Boys:
Warwick’s Patrizio Grandinall (15:55.09) became the fifth Warwick runner to win since the turn of the century. Warwick outpointed second place Washingtonville 22-72 as it took the top four places in the race with Grant Parrell, Aaron Peterson and Ray Farinella. State qualifiers also include: Eric Albino (Minisink Valley), Jeremy White (Washingtonville), Alex Shodai (Middletown), Connor Quinn (Washingtonville), Austin Mermell (Pine Bush). (For times and places of all runners, visit www.milesplit.com.

Class B Boys:

Class B boys approach the path near Hessian Lake.

New Paltz holds off impressive Port Jervis 55-56. Top five runners Alfrez Mazzuca of NP(16:11.5), David Busby (NP); Micke Vecchio (Cornwall); Declan Dwyer-McNulty (Red Hook) and Benn Rodd (Cornwall); State qualifiers also include: Kobie Lane (Port Jervis) and  Chris Maroni (Goshen).

Class C Boys:

Rhinebeck beats Tri-Valley 36-72.  3. O’Neill 89; 4. Pine Plains 127; 5. Onteora 128; 6. Liberty 179; 7. Sullivan West 188. Jim Bernstein’s 16:12.68 significantly outpaced his last year’s sixth place finish in 17:08.68.

Bernstein was followed byJohnny Marvin (RB);  Zach Karas (RB);Zech Snell (ON); Dante Penepent (RB). Other state qualifiers include: Devin DeJoode (Pine Plains), Omar Lopez (Tri-Valley) and Reed Scott (Sullivan West).

Class D Boys:
S.S. Seward beat Eldred 32-48. Webutuck was third with 66. 4. Livingston Manor/Roscoe 8. Alex Campanella and Hunter Proscia were one-two followed by Nelson Fernandez (Seward), Jesse Capellar (Web) and Kevin O’Neill (Seward): Other state qualifiers include Marco DiBella (John Coleman) and  Neal Mock (Livingston Manor).

Valley Central's Holly Cavalluzzo holds a slight lead over a surging Gianna Frontera of NFA. The latter won the race as she did a week prior in the OCIAA league championships.

Class A Girls:
With a mighty kick in the final segment of the race, NFA’s Gianna Frontera (17:34.69) passed Valley Central’s Holly Cavalluzzo to back up her win at the OCIAA league race a week ago. Monroe-Woodbury beat Warwick 56-63. Other top five finishers included Lauren Hehir (Wash); Kathleen Fitzgerald (War) and Amber Goodspeed (Mid).

Class B Girls:

Cornwall defeated Monticello 28-85. 3. Red Hook 86; 4. New Paltz 100; 5. Goshen 110. Ashley Wallace (18:51.96) of Cornwall reigned supreme. 2. Naomi Bouchard (NP); 3. Camryn Johnson (Mont); 4. Keila Sheetz (C); 5. Michelle Lujan (C). Other
state qualifiers include: Cami Ferguson (New Paltz), Sydney Johnson (Monitcello) and Jamie Lisack (Goshen).

Class C Girls:
Tri-Valley defeats Sullivan West 52-56; 3. James I. O’Neill 87; 4. Rhinebeck 89; 5. Millbrook 110; 6. Onteora 111. Emily Walligursky (18:26.87) gets her first x-c title win; 2. Mallory Peterson (MB); 3. Autumn Bender (T-V); 4; Mary-Kate Bida (MB); 5. Deidre Dwyer (Spack). Other state qualifiers include Lilian Gavio (RB).

Class D Girls:
John A. Coleman Catholic defeats Eldred 30-45; 3. S.S. Seward 48.  Eldred’s Christine Donnelly wins her first title in her fifth try (20:09.84); 2. Kate Shults (JACC); 3. Kayla Kohl (Web); 4. Heather St. Germain (Chapel Field); 5. Julia Allen (Seward). Sarah Malzahn of Eldred also qualified for states.

All in all, 16 Sullivan County runners will be heading to states this year.

What People Had To Say:

For Jim Bernstein, having the kind of support he enjoys from parents Lenny and Sandy is an integral part of his success. I've hardly been to any of his athletic engagements be they in cross-country, basketball, golf or track wiithout seeing one or both of them on hand to support his endeavors.

Jimmy Bernstein: “It feels so great. Last week’s race was really a confidence booster for me,” said the smiling Bernstein referencing his fifth place finish in the OCIAA in 16:11.56. “I love this course. I’ve run it two times every year.” I put in a lot of work this summer and it’s finally paid off. I’m so proud of it.

Joe Iatauro (about Bernstein): “I attribute his success to summer running. Not too many kids would get up at 6:30 in the morning and go out and do a run or sometimes two a day. He’s a very special individual who dedicates himself and the work is showing off at this point.”

Reed Scott (SW): I kind of died on the hill over there but Omar Lopez gave me a great race and it’s because of him I wouldn’t have gotten in. I’m still a junior and I’ve got next year to look forward to.”

Omar Lopez (T-V): Last week I wasn’t feeling too well. Today I was third running uphill and then I fell and hurt my ankle that’s when I started dropping places. It will be great to get back to the state meet.”

Alex Campanella (Eld): “Last week I ran like an idiot and didn’t run the race I should have. I felt miserable. I wanted to go for time today but I’m satisfied..I wanted to win and go for states.”

Hunter Proscia (Eld) “I think I ran a little better last week and I went out too slow in this race,” said Proscia who like the rest of
the Eldred team was sporting a throwback jersey Coach Frank Schorling found I a closet from the Yellow Jacket halcyon days of the latter part of the 20^th century.

“We thought it might be fun to wear these,” said Campanella.
The magic clearly worked for this duo as well as Christine Donnelly and Sarah Malzahn.’

With its merged energy, Livingston Manor and Roscoe were able to field a cross-country team this year and proudly send Neil Mock to states.

Neil Mock (LM): “What got me here was that second downhill and all the work that went into it before that with seven days a week practice of two or three hours each with tons of pacing and tons of hills.”

Camryn Johnson (Monticello); It was very exciting. It was hard but it was fun though. It was a new experience. Last week’s race here helped us prepare for what we were going to do today.”

Sidney Johnson (Monticello):  It was really good. The hill was the toughest part but it was a lot of fun.”

Tri-Valley girls on what it feels like to win as a team.

Autumn Bender  “I’ll use a quote: We work together, we win together.”

Devon Jones. “I wouldn’t want to be here with any other group of girls.”

Sabrena Smith: “This is the best first season of cross-country and it’s a wonderful team.”

Danielle Graham. “I thought we get here but to see how much hard work we put in together is amazing.”

Brooke Gillete: “As a rookie it feels great to be here.

Olivia Rehm: “It’s been four years and we’ve worked so hard. It’s finally paid off,” she said through her tears.

Alex Brooks. “We did this all for our senior Olivia and for Mrs. Iatauro.”

Sullivan West Coach George Shakelton. “I can’t believe we could come in second and have no girls going to states. I’ve never seen that before.  Coming in second is a consolation prize I guess. What a disappointment. I knew Rosa Martinez and
Corinne  VanWagner had to pass two girls to get us to a tiebreaker at least,” he said. Shakelton was consoling his
heartbroken team while the T-V girls were posing for pictures.

Christine Donnelly (Eldred): “I’m definitely very excited. Last year I just missed states by one so this year I just wanted to come out and try my best.

Sarah Malzahn (Eldred): “The hill was hard going up. I like uphills but steep downhills are tough, especially when it’s narrow and it turns.”

Coach Frank Schorling  (Eldred) “The kids ran well today but the times were a bit slower than last week’s.  Coleman ran really well. We can’t do anything about that. Christine decided about halfway through the year last year that she wanted to be really good and ever since then she’s worked really hard. She ran really hard this past summer and we just told her, nobody  should beat you in this race and don’t let anybody take it from you. She’s beaten all of these girls especially lately. She ran that 19:21 last week and I
told her, make them run what your time is. “

Summarizing Donnelly’s newfound success, Schorling pointed to his head and said, “There’s a difference up here.”

Schorling said his girls were disappointed that the team didn’t win.

Since I missed this year’s OCIAA league championships for the first time in ten years due to a pair of football playoff games that netted me upwards of 800 photos, I wanted to give kudos to Sullivan County runners who really showed up big time in the race that features all schools large and small:

Boys: Alex Campanella (E) 4^thin 16:07;  Jim Bernstein T-V 5^th  16:11.56; Hunter Proscia Eldred 6^th 16:17.59; Zech Snel  ON 13 16:31.09; Omar Lopez T-V 16:33.90;

Girls: Autumn Bender TV 8^th 18:53.52; Camryn Johnson Monticello 14^th 19:05.31; Christine Donnelly Eldred 20^th
in 19:21.81.

For an album of photos from the Section Nine Championships, visit www.sportsinsights.ny.com

And remember for complete race results visit, www.milesplit.com

On The Rebound

Seward Puts Stinging Loss To Tuxedo In Rearview Mirror With Rhythmic Romp Over Tri-Valley; Lady Spartans and Lady Bears Slated To Play In Sectional Opener As Seward Looks To Begin Another Storied Postseason Run; Loyas Edges Closer To 100-Career Goal Milestone; Stam Scores The Hat Trick

S.S. Seward 7, Tri-Valley 0

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Scenes from a sectional preview between Tri-Valley and S.S. Seward (Clockwise): T-V's Vicky Tingley throws the ball in. Tri-Valley seniors Rachel Adriaans, Sarah Schneyer, Hope Costa and Erin Smith. Rachel Adriaans leaps as she looks to control the ball. Seward's Sinead Brosnan moves ahead as she is marked by T-V's Colleen Jones, T-V's Mareena DiMilia sends the ball forward.Gladys Loyas sends in a corner kick. Vicky Tingley begins a run up the sideline as she is pursued by Seward's Allison Morgan. Danielle Stam works to move the ball between T-V's Kaitlynn Greffrath and Megan Tyndell, Gladys Loyas sends the ball by Sarah Coney and Seward's Cassi Martin and T-V's Kaitlynn Greffrath vie for a ball.

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” goes the oft-quoted line.

Imagine then the pent-up rage of a dozen or more young females who have felt their honor compromised and beware of the revenge they vow to exact.

I’m referencing here the damaged egos of the S.S. Seward Lady Spartans from a stinging defeat the prior day to league rival Tuxedo. The resultant impact would fall first on guiltless Tri-Valley as the orange-clad whirlwind vowed to get the wind back in their sails for the coming “C” wars by playing their special brand of soccer with a renewed fervor.

Seward senior striker Danielle Stam scores the first of her three goals on the day as the ball veers by Erin Smith just over four minutes into the game.

For the immensely talented Lady Spartans of S.S. Seward, it wasn’t their first loss of the season, a 3-0 blanking to Class A Goshen on October 18 in the Middletown Tournament that got the girls from the storied program and their iconic coach Joe DiMattina  in a tizzy.

Rather it was the stunning 5-3 league loss to Tuxedo on October 25 that turned the Orange Crush into the temporarily crushed orange.

To say that DiMattina and his girls were disappointed by the defeat which marred their up-to-then undefeated league record would be a ridiculous understatement.

In their two prior outings, the Lady Spartans had shut out the Lady Tornadoes to the tune of 4-0 in their first league set-to on October 11 and to the harmonious strains of 5-0 in the consolation game of the Middie Tourney.

They say it’s tough to beat a team three times in a season and that may be true. But when you come from a pedigree like Seward’s where success is far more the rule than the exception, such adages seem rather irrelevant  as applied to a school  that has won ten straight Section Nine girls soccer titles, seven of which have come since DiMattina’s arrival in 2004 from Tuxedo (no less).

Moreover, Seward has reached the state final four every year under his watch and won state championships in 2007 and 2008.

Tri-Valley's Collen Jones passes the ball to Rachel Adriaans in one of the instances that the Lady Bears were heeding Coach Mary Feusner's counsel to keep the passes short.

So what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Consequently, losing to Tuxedo may not be the worst thing for Seward, the Institute of impeccable consistency in the realm of athletic excellence, but rather an infusion of a jolting tonic that will get Seward right back on track. Time will tell.

Tri-Valley had the daunting task of trying to contain Seward, while attempting to author a viable attack that would put some pressure on the defending champs.

To get them the day after their loss to Tuxedo was an unfortunate case of bad timing if they wanted to reverse the tone of their prior 7-0 loss to Seward on September 19 down in the cornfield, the very place they are slated to play them as sectionals begin on October 29.

Having recently garnered a sectional berth by dint of their then 8-7 league mark with a win over Fallsburg, T-V locked up the bottom seed in the Class C dance and drew  number-two Seward for the coming sectional opener.

Millbrook is the top seed, Seward’s opponent in the sectional finals the past two years. The Lady Spartans advanced to regional play by getting past the Lady Blazers with one-goal wins in 2009 and 2010.

This was senior day for Tri-Valley, playing its last home game of the season. Rachel Adriaans, Sarah Schneyer, Hope Costa and Erin Smith posed for a group shot before they and then all the other Lady Bears got to hand flowers to their loved ones. That took place at halftime and the girls were all smiles despite being down 5-0 to Seward at that juncture.

Intimidated perhaps by the aura surrounding Seward, T-V had spent far too much time watching rather than running to the ball. Its offensive runs were few and far between, and rarely sustained. Credit Seward’s fine defensive prowess sustained by its flat four back line defense  for that ,and its fine passing skills that enabled them to reverse the polarity of the ball once they had wrested control of it mostly in the midfield.

When the Lady Bears did get a speedy run up the sideline by either Mareena DiMilia, Kaitlynn Greffrath or Rachel Adrianns, rarely was there someone positioned in the box to take the cross. To put it succinctly, Tri-Valley’s hesitancy was making it look easy for Seward despite the repeated admonitions of Coach Mary Feusner.

Gladys Loyas had two goals on the day, bringing this season's total to 34 as the leading scorer in Section Nine. Coupled with 60 goals amassed over the past three years, including 31 a year ago, 26 as a freshman and three as a defensive eighth grader, the talented potential Olympian is just six shy of the 100-goal career miletsone formerly reached by Lady Spartans Theresa Space and Jillian Collova.

Seward senior standout Danielle Stam and Elizabeth Gorshack immediately marshaled control of the ball in the T-V end.

At 4:30 in Stam sent one by T-V’s agile keeper Erin Smith on an assist from Gorshack.

Seward nearly had another goal on a corner kick from Gladys Loyas as Sinead Brosnan just missed a chance in the box.

At ten minutes in Stam struck again to make it 2-0.

At 19:10 in it was junior Alyssa McLaughlin’s turn as she scored off a jumble in front of the box following yet another Seward corner kick. Trailing 3-0 just about halfway through the first half, T-V tried to fight back.

Their physical intensity was there but they were missing that kind of aggressive edge they marshal against teams they know they can beat.

Smith had a nice save on a shot by Brosnan just past the 20-minute mark. By game’s end she’d tally 16.

“Where are we on the attack?” barked T-V Coach Mary Feusner. “We’re standing around and watching!”

Tri-Valley’s first viable run soon came about resulting in a shot by Sarah Coney. Heather Fraser hung on for the save.

Stam picked up her third goal on an assist from Loyas at 33:00 minutes in. It was her 22^nd of the season. For her part, Loyas had five shots in the first half, none of which found their mark. She’d alter that in the second period.

Just one minute after Stam’s latest strike, Brosnan scored to make it five-zip.

That would be it for first half scoring as Seward had outgunned Tri-Valley 27-1 enroute to a 31-4 margin in shots on goal by game’s end.

Loyas got on the board at 28:24 of the second period on the first of two unassisted goals.  Those two goals gave her 34 this season, which coupled with her 60 which she amassed over the past three season leaves her just six goals shy of the 100-goal milestone.  She would be the third Lady Spartan to reach that storied achievement, following in the footsteps of Theresa Space (157 goals) and Jillian Collova  (119 goals).

Loyas got three goals as a defensive eighth grader. As a striker during her freshman and sophomore years she amassed 26 and 31 respectively. She is now positioned as a midfielder.

Erin Smith sends the ball safely over the top of the cage in one of her 16 saves on the day.

Loyas is also running cross-country again this season. Last year she qualified for states with her fifth place finish in the Section Nine Class D championships.

Scoring two goals in Seward’s quarterfinal win over Friends Academy the day before the state race left her without a full tank in the gas for that event.

Last winter Loyas played basketball too, but soccer is clearly her forte.

This past summer she made the Olympic Development Program Regional Team which means that she has been identified as one of the 30 best players in the 13 Northeast states.

She will fly to California in February to compete for a spot to represent the USA. Only about 120 girls from across the country have been identified and invited.

She has also received D1 offers from St Bonaventure and Monmouth University to play soccer in college on an athletic scholarship.

In addition,, she is waiting on offers from American University, Manhattan College, West Point, University of Arkansas, Stony Brook University, Lafayette College and Hofstra, while talking to about a dozen others including Swarthmore and Amherst.

DiMattina responded to this writer’s assertion that the level of soccer his team plays is markedly above what I normally get to cover. “It is… as long as they do what they’re supposed to do,” he answered. “You saw that here today. They all know they didn’t play well yesterday and it definitely showed. I’m glad we got back into our rhythm here and never, ever, ever take anybody lightly.”

Seward plays a different array defensively. “Most teams do play with a sweeper but  I play a flat four. The only reason why I do that is because I think the girls can do it. It all depends on the personnel. This year we have three new girls back there as senior Kari Ward is the only returnee to that backline array. We had to convert a midfielder back to defender and we brought up a player  from J.V.  It seems to be working pretty nicely. At times we do struggle because we’re still learning.”

As to the offensive firepower provided by Stam and Loyas, the coach observed, “People do try to mark them and that’s fine. Then we’ll just use the outside players. They are a very good one-two punch,” he said referencing Stam and Loyas.

With the expected pressure on those two, the rest of the team is very good at passing the ball away from them to relieve the pressure and then getting it back to them, something they didn’t do in the loss to Tuxedo.

“We kind of played a kickball game. I told the girls on the bus coming over here today if it’s not there, it’s not there. Use the outside forwards and then they’ll get it back eventually,” he noted. `

Sarah Coney authors T-V's most viable run in the first half.

Coach Feusner admitted that her team looked timid. “We told them you have to initiate the play. Instead they were sitting back and reacting to everything.

You can’t do that against a team like that. You’ve got to take control of the ball and that was not happening. We asked them to use the short passing game because the long pass just doesn’t go with their deep backs.

I kept reminding them, go back to the game plan..go back to the short passes,” she averred.

“We have to have our numbers up to do something but I think the girls are waiting for Mareena DiMilia or Rachel Adriaans to do something.  They knew they would have to play defense today but sometimes they don’t understand how quickly they have to get into the transition to move on the attack.”

Erin played a wonderful game today,” she added noting that at times when trying to clear the ball, T-V passed it right to orange feet. Then it’s one touch and go for them.”

Feusner hopes she’ll be able to get her team’s psyche ready for a more competitive outing against Seward in the sectional game on October 29.  “We’re going  to practice getting to the ball, a mantra she repeated three times and we’re going to accentuate the short passing game. I’m not going to allow those long passes,” she vowed.

Goalie saves: S – Heather Fraser 4; TV – Erin Smith 16.

Records: Seward 14-2-0 (11-1-0 OCIAA); T-V 8-8-0 (4-8-0 OCIAA).

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

Brave New World

Tri-Valley Returns To The Ethereal Afterlife Of Postseason Contention Behind Its Commanding League Win Against Defending Champion Millbrook; Once Hapless Bears Now Figure To Be A Fierce Foe As They  Evince Newfound Efficiency To Go Along With Existing Heart and Grit

Tri-Valley 31, Millbrook 20

Field of Dreams: Tri-Valley celebrates its 31-20 Homecoming Night playoff-clinching win over Millbrook (Clockwise): Players erupt in jubilation at the game's conclusion. Millbrook's Henry Cardinal gives the Bears and their fans an initial sense of concern with his 65-yard TD run just 46 seconds into the game. Tri-Valley senior cheerleaders (left to right) Jackie Wallace, Stephanie Hyzer, Amber Buley, Brittany Rennison, Jessica Lee and Amber Watch. Wide-eyed and filled with emotion, Conor Walsh and Greg Swarthout listen to Coach John Rusin extol the play of the team and encourage them about the road ahead. The Bears burst through the homecoming banner. Greg Swarthout scores one of his two TD's. T-V senior gridders pose for a photo. Names are all listed in the story.

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—It’s not unlikely that many denizens of the local football world were stunned upon waking up early in the morning on October 22  to learn that Tri-Valley had made the playoffs; that the team many had come to regard as the reincarnation of the “Bad News Bears, had beaten a tough Millbrook team up and down the field in a momentous 33-20 win consigning the defending Class C champs to be observers of the coming playoff rounds they ruled a year ago.

You can't say enough about the heart and toughness of Joe Mickelson. Out for weeks with a hairline fracture to his tibia, the senior returned when it mattered the most. His work over the past two league wins has been immense. This game: 21 carries for 155 yards.

Tri-Valley’s 2-1 league mark would now carry them back to a milieu many figured would be lacking their presence this season, namely a chance to vie for a Section Nine Class C Championship in the coming playoffs.

But those of us who have been close to this team and know these boys and their coaches, never doubted whether they could indeed pass through that magical portal.

We knew that the Bears’ losing record was not a true reflection of the team’s talent and drive,  and that should they qualify for the big dance, that they would be a fearsome adversary for any of the teams they had to face,.

That said, Tri-Valley’s record prior to its two recent league wins against Fallsburg and now Millbrook was a dismal 1-5. As  Coach John Rusin put it, he was tired of opposing coaches telling him how tough his team was, how they had pushed their teams up and down the field and how they were the best 1-5 team in Section Nine.

That and $2.50 will get you a ride on a NYC subway to the end of the line.in other words.. to nowhere. Now the reborn Bears are going for a ride with an entirely new destination, aboard an express train which they are conducting. Warning signals are flashing up ahead to teams in their way: T-V’s express  has no brakes.

What a difference a day makes.

Tri-Valley players and coaches will be the first to admit that for much of this season they had been a train wreck.  After all, when your positive game highlights are overshadowed by countless turnovers and blunders,  you don’t  show up on anybody’s radar as more than a benign blip.

But the Bears knew that were it not for those weekly slip ups, that they could easily have been 5-1 and regarded as fearsome Grizzlies by Section Nine teams instead of being considered….well…..dare we say it.. Teddy Bears to be played with and cast aside.

Rusin knew his team had talent, toughness and heart. What they needed was to play nearly flawless football to show what they were made of.

A picture's worth a thousand words: Greg Swarthout shows his excitement after a rushing TD. He carried the ball 15 times for 102 yards and completed 2/5/33 yards including a TD pass to Cody Exner.

And so it was that after losing  to O”Neill, he told his team that they had destiny in their hands. That if they beat division foes Fallsburg and Millbrook, they’d be in the playoffs with a zero-zero record just like O’Neill, Sullivan West and Burke, a trio of teams that profited by T-V mistakes to marshal victories.

Moreover, he told them, they’d be a dangerous foe, potentially lethal. But first they would have to take care of the business at hand and defer their dreams about paying two of the aforementioned teams back in spades.

Fallsburg could have been regarded as an easy mark, but the Bears did not take the Comets lightly. Playing a team in search of its first-ever win on its Homecoming Night, on a field that was a muddy mire had more than enough potential for a disastrous slip up.

But the Bears who had upended themselves against Chester, Sullivan West, O’Neill, Eldred and Burke were done sliding in the standings, though there was plenty of slippage on the mud at Morningside Park.

Steady Joe Mickelson took the ball 16 times for 175 yards and scored two TD’s, his formerly broken tibia now a distant memory. Greg Swarthout, Brendan Tierney  and Shatik Smith scored as well and Anthony Beale added five PAT points as the Bears rolled to a 41-14  road win over the Comets..

Now would come the acid test.

The Bears and the Fiery Millbrook Blazers were each 1-1 in Division II coming into this do-or-die clash. The winner would advance to the playoffs, while the loser would have its title contention hopes abruptly terminated.

Millbrook's Lucas Lehmkuhl races for an 11-yard TD in the third quarter. The Blazers pulled within a TD and two-point conversion before Anthony Beale iced the deal with a late field goal.

Seniors in particular, would be devastated by such a tragic finale to their high school careers.

The Bears won the toss and elected to defer, daring Millbrook to reckon with its fierce defense .

Egged on by the capacity home crowd the Bears burst through the cheerleaders ‘Homecoming banner to rally around their beloved coach.

The sounds of the pep band, the cheerleaders and the rabid fan base filled the night.

Tri-Valley fans adore their team no matter what the season. Years back nearly every denizen of the community traveled to Westbury, Long Island to watch the Bears play Friends Academy in a boys basketball regional final. Had they won they would have filled the stands at Glens Falls. Last year they packed Mount St. Mary College to watch their Section Nine girls champs vie against Haldane bound and determined to head to Troy if they had advanced.

But back to the present.

At last the long wait was over. The kick went up and the Millbrook blaze ignited forthwith. On the second play from scrimmage tight end Henry Cardinal dashed 65 yards up the left sideline at 11:14 to draw first blood. Devon Jackson kicked the PAT and the Blazers were on the board with a 7-0 lead.

Jackson kicked off and the Bears took over at their own 35. Joe Mickelson took a steady diet of carries interspersed with advances by Cody Exner. In just four and a half minutes the Bears marched 65 yards  in eight plays as Greg Swarthout capped off the drive with a one-yard TD at 6:43. The PAT failed and the Blazers held a narrow 7-6 lead.

Cody Exner cruises into the endzone. He carried the ball 9 times for 62 yards, rushed for a TD and caught a pass for another.

Millbrook began its next quest at its 34with an 11 yard run by Lucas Lehmkul. It soon became evident however that the Bears were getting great backside penetration on Millbrook’s attempted sweeps with tackles from Jesus Lozada, Troy Rossi and Brendan Tierney. Millbrook got as far as the T-V 44 before the Bears held firm and took over on downs.

As the quarter waned it was Mickelson carrying the load again with a first down and Exner getting it to the Millbrook 45. Two plays later Swarthout took off on a keeper for a 35-yard TD run at 11:13 of the second quarter. Mickelson ran in the two-point conversion and the Bears led 14-7.

Henry Cardinal was tagged for a loss by Rossi as was Brad Pitz as the Bears were now extinguishing the Blazers blaze by forcing a punt. The short kick gave T-V the ball at the MB 40. A pitch to Exner netted nine but a penalty made it a first and 15. After two failed run attempts, Swarthout uncorked a 30-yard TD pass to Exner at 6:36 of the second quarter to make it 20-7. Beale punctuated it with a PAT and the Bears now led 21-7.

As Millbrook Coach Sean Keenan would later point out, Tri-Valley disrupted Millbrook’s run game by penetrating from behind and causing loss after loss. “Their kids fly to the ball. We knew this was going to be a war. We didn’t do our best job of blocking and they just ran underneath our blocks and dismantled us,” he said.

That defensive efficiency resulted in a three and out on the Millbrook series following the Bears’ most recent score. T-V took over on downs and made a stalwart stand on a fourth and seven play on an advance that had taken Millbrook all the way to the T-V 16. “Get a stop now,” yelled Rusin and his team took him at his word.

Halftime verve! T-V cheerleaders rev it up with a great show of skill, flexibility and spirit.

The Bears got it back on downs, got off a nice weaving run by Exner but the half ended and the seniors got ready for their introduction and flower rendering ceremony to their parents and loved ones.

The following football seniors were called forth and posed for pictures with their family, friends and loved ones:: Greg Swarthout, Conor Walsh, Anthony Beale, John Monforte, Andrew Malone, Tyler Lopez, Joe Mickelson, Shawn Markle, Troy Rossi, Rafael Ramirez, Jonathan Edwards, Jameshenry Osterhoudt and  Fred Dumond, Senior cheerleaders included Jackie Wallace, Stephanie Hyzer, Amber Buley, Brittany Rennison, Jessica Lee and Amber Watch.

The cheerleaders performed at the half much to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd.

The Bears received to start the second half and within three plays, they were on the board again, this time behind a 25-yard TD run by Swarthout at 11:17. Beale’s PAT made it 28-7 but you knew Millbrook wasn’t going quietly.

On the next series, the Blazers responded with a series of powerful runs by Lehmkul and Pitz and a pass reception by Jackson. Lehmkul capped off the drive with an 11-yard TD run at 8:19. Jackson kicked the PAT and the Blazers had closed the gap to 28-14.

They punctuated that by forcing a three and out on the Bears next series.

With 5:03 left in the third quarter the Blazers began at their own 21 but three plays later, a Lehmkul fumble was recovered by Walsh and  with 1:59 remaining in the period.

T-V safety Shatik Smith makes sure Millbrook's Jonathan Crane stays down after his pass reception. The Bears defense yielded two TD's in the second half but held firm when it mattered for the win.

The Bears did not capitalize on the takeaway however as they began with a delay of game penalty.  The quarter ended with them facing a third and eight at their own 40.

The fourth quarter began with what appeared to be a 60-yard TD pass to Exner but it was called back on a  holding penalty. The series fizzled and the Bears punted.

In the next Blazers’ series, Millbrook compensated for a couple of run losses by garnering a 26-yard TD pass from Crane to Lehmkul at 9:04. The PAT sailed wide right but the Blazers were now a TD and two-point conversion within tying it up as they trailed 28-20 with plenty of time left.

Tri-Valley’s temporary reversion to its errant care of the football afforded Millbrook another try as a fumble on a pitch was recovered by Lehmkul at 6:22 at their own 38. Jonathan Edwards was hurt on the play and didn’t return for the remainder of the game. Soon he’d have company on the bench as John Anzano would join him with an injured ankle. Exner had sat out following his 60-yard callback.

Millbrook couldn’t make hay out of the takeaway. They began with a holding penalty and two snuffed running plays as the Bears were heeding Rossi’s impassioned call: “WE ARE GOING TO SECTIONALS,” he barked to his fellow defenders.

The Bears responded by stopping Millbrook on a fourth and  ten play at their own 28.

The Bears got it back on downs with 3:42 remaining in the game. Mickelson marshaled one first down but the Bears found themselves facing a fourth and four at the nine. Rusin called a time out and decided on a field goal try.

Beale kicked it from the 25 straight through the uprights for the game-clinching 3 points as the Bears now led 31-20 with just 1:27 remaining in the game.

The clock and season ran out on the Blazers as the Bears celebrated the victory with hugs, smiles and a few tears of joy.

Keenan had loads of praise for Tri-Valley:

“We’ve watched them two or three times. They’re a big, physical team and they play hard. John and his staff did a great job. We never show our team film of the opponent but this past week we did it twice so they would know how good these guys were,” he noted.

Millbrook lost to Burke on a fumble recovery earlier in the season which put the Blazers in the same boat as the Bears.

Players listen to their coach John Rusin as he extols their play and tells them to enjoy their weekend safely and wisely. This week's preparation is all about O'Neill.

Rusin praised his troops before turning to talk to this writer, “You executed, limited turnovers and special teams were an asset. I’m so proud of you. You took responsibility. Everybody did what they wre supposed to do. It was a total team effort. Your record before doesn’t mean anything. Do you want the next one?” he barked. The answer from the team was deafening in its unison call of yes.

“It was so frustrating earlier in the season to see so much talent not actualizing its potential. We have senior leadership, a solid line, a good backfield, smart quarterbacks and our defense is tough. It’s a matter of putting things together, limiting mistakes and other teams’ big plays and special teams have to be a big part of it too,” he asserted.

“Millbrook is extremely well coached and they bring an offense you dread to play against. If any of your defensive 11 has a lapse they will exploit it. You just simply have to outscore them. We’ve scored 58 points in a game against them and lost.”

He went on to say, “Our guys did a good job of moving the ball and that allowed our defense to play and not have to worry about every play,.” Looking ahead to the playoffs, Rusin noted that teams will be more prepared the second time around given the fact that all of the other teams in the playoffs played T-V this year.

If the Bears beat O’Neill they’ll face the winner of the Burke-Sullivan West game in the title game.  Last year they lost to Burke in the semifinals. The Bears won the Class C title in 2007 when they defeated Sullivan West 18-6.

The seniors linked arms and walked across their home field to cherish the memory of their last home game. As they walked, I strode alongside to listen to their thoughts and to soak up the final vibrations of a special night.

Here’s what was on their minds:

Greg Swarthout: “It feels so good to get a win at our last home game. I ‘ve got to give a lot of credit to the line. They were shuffling in and out with injuries and switching positions from guard to tackle. Millbrook is a really good team. Their system is tough. They give you fits. We worked extremely hard on extending our ends and clamping down on their jet sweeps,” he observed.

Anthony Beale

Anthony Beale: “The last two field goals I tried I missed but this time I was pretty relaxed. Now every time I try to think of it as an extra point and not worry about the distance. Football is so much fun. I’m just a kicker but these guys accept me and I love how they play with a lot of heart, as does my soccer team. I wouldn’t trade either sport for the other. I’m blessed to have the teammates I have on both squads,” he averred.

Conor Walsh: “It feels absolutely great. I’ve been with most of these seniors since Pumpkin Patch prekindergarten. We’ve grown up together. I used to wrestle with Greg in the hallway. Tonight feels ecstatic. I couldn’t  want anything more than to go into the playoffs with my fellow seniors who I grew up with.”

Conor Walsh

Joe Mickelson:“Playing Millbrook was insane! They play great. Their coaching is great. They knew every play we were calling. I could hear them calling them out. I have to say this was the best defensive game Brendan Tierney has had in his career, penetrating that back side. As a senior I’m excited we’re going to the playoffs,

Joe Mickelson

Now we’re looking to run the table.”

Tri-Valley plays O’Neill at Middletown’s Faller Field on October 28 at 4;00pm.

Tri-Valley Stat line:

Mickelson 12/155; Exner 9/62  with one rushing TD and one 30-yard TD catch; Swarthout 15/102 with a TD;  He completed 2/5 passes for 33 yards and a TD;

Leading tacklers included Jesus Lozada, Troy Rossi, Brendan Tierney, John Monforte and Joe Mickelson. Tackling statistics were not totally tabulated so numbers are not listed.

Happy Berth Day Lady Bears!

T-V senior keeper Erin Smith goes aloft for an electrifying save against Fallsburg.

Tri-Valley needed just one more win to make it to sectionals  and they had hoped to garner that honor under the lights on October 21. But due to the calamitous collision between Fallsburg’s Arturo Perez and T-V’s Hunter Kennedy that had brought an end to the boys game and postponed the girls clash, the game was deferred to the next afternoon.

Fallsburg was about to unveil what Coach Mike Geller would term his team’s best play under his watch. Indeed, it was a highly competive match, even more so in the second half wherein Fallsburg had the lion’s share of the possession. Tri-Valley got two goals in the first half. The first one came at 17:17 as junior varsity call-up Ashley (A.J) Johnson picked up a pass from Mareena DiMIlia and lofted it over the head of Comet keeper Brooke Rappaport for the 1-0 lead.

At 28:00 T-V sophomore midfielder/striker Amanda Tyndell added another goal on an assist from Colleen Jones. With T-V’s staunch defense heading off Fallsburg’s runs that rarely reached keeper Erin Smith, the Lady Bears were able to marshal the needed victory. Smith made an electrifying save, one of her six on the day, as she went aloft to punch a ball skyward out of harm’s way in the upper right corner of the box.

Fallsburg’s Brooke Rappaport would have nine saves on the day and also showed her defiance of gravity on one of those nixes.

“The first half was much better than the second half,” noted T-V Coach Mary Feusner. “I think that everybody that was out there contributed in a good way for us. We were getting our shots off. Sometimes we needed to have a little bit more patience before shooting. In the first half we got to get to the battle of the net and that’s what did it for us,” she observed..

The Bears improved to 8-7 (4-7 OCIAA) and will play S.S. Seward at home on October 25. Sectional seeding will be revealed on October 27.

Mike Geller noted that his team was doing exactly the kinds of things he has taught them. They hustled, and vied to win every 50-50 ball. Geller had immense praise for Rappaport in the cage.

Fallsburg fell to 4-8 -1 (1-8-1 OCIAA).

For albums  of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

Sudden Impact

Tri-Valley/Fallsburg Boys Soccer Game Terminated After Frightening Second Period Collision Of Players; Girls Game Postponed As Well Due To Safety Concerns; Fallsburg’s Arturo Perez Okay After Night’s Stay At CRMC; Hunter Kennedy Treated And Released From Hospital 

Fallsburg 2, Tri-Valley 0

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

A night of great soccer would change into a night of gloomy concern after a scary midfield collision between Fallsburg sophomore Arturo Perez featured in earlier action in the top left photo and Tri-Valley's Hunter Kennedy pictured next to Perez, again earlier in the game in the top photo at right as they observe a scramble in front of the T-V goal. Perez was seriously hurt and had to be transported by ambulance to CRMC where he remained overnight. He' and Kennedy are both okay. Bottom left: Sam Didinsky beats T-V keeper Mike Devault for the game's first goal. Another close encounter of the cerebral kind: Didinsky and Tom Monforte nearly bang heads as Patrick McHugh looks on.

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—It only takes a second for life to suddenly shift from the routine to the starkly dramatic.

The dramatic faces of comedy and tragedy mirror life's starkly contrasting emotions.

Ask drivers or passengers who have ever been in accidents. One minute they were just going along and then out of nowhere comes that unforgettable moment of a collision, that terrifying sound of metal on metal and then the aftermath….

Lives can be changed or even lost in the space of a nanosecond and we rarely see it coming.

As I write this piece that can’t help but focus on the terrifying on the field collision between Fallsburg sophomore Arturo Perez and Tri-Valley senior Hunter Kennedy, I am reminded just how precious life is, how fragile we are.

In the blink of an eye the focus on this chilly night shifted without warning from a compelling soccer game between rivals teams to the grave concerns about what could have been a potentially life-threatening injury.

Before recounting what occurred, it is of paramount importance to report that both boys are okay.

Perez was assiduously attended to by the Grahamsville EMS team and covered with a cascade of donated jackets, sweatshirts and sweaters  from concerned fans to prevent him from going into shock.

Fallsburg senior keeper Dustin Foertsch making one of his powerful punts. Foertsch and teammate Daniel Justiniano went to the hospital to look in on Arturo Perez.. The team is literally a band of brothers.

This transpired just moments following the head-to-head collision with the much larger Kennedy as the two boys raced with all the verve of their youth and determination for a ball that veered towards the near sideline, literally a few feet  from my fixed attention, not to mention far too close to be photographed by my nearly 300mm zoom lens. .

Kennedy was clearly shaken up, but soon able to get up on his own power apply  an ice pack to his aching head and looked over by EMS staff, before heading off to the hospital with his mom to be further checked out.

By stark contrast, Perez had fallen instantly to the field and immediately went into convulsions which then morphed into an even more frightening state of motionless as coaches and other personnel rushed to his aid.

As is the case with volunteer ambulance services in rural areas, it took awhile for the ambulance to arrive. Meanwhile Coach Herb Foertsch knelt over Perez, holding his hand and reassuring him that help was on the way.

The EMS team methodically assessed Perez’s vital signs, checking his pupils for dilation and rendering his neck and head motionless for the ensuing transfer to a backboard beforeh is trip to Catskill Regional  Medical Center.

The collision had occurred in an area of the field partially darkened by a stubborn set of lights that had kept going out during the game. There was  still sufficient light for the game to be played in but officials had already decided during the halftime that if any others had gone out they were going to call the game and the subsequent girls game slated to follow.

Tri-Valley's Anthony Beale nearly gets one by Dustin Foertsch. Operative word here: nearly.

The incident occurred with 18:55 remaining in the second period. Fallsburg led 2-0 at that juncture but the game was clearly no longer the focus at this point; only the safety and well-being of the injured players and by extension, the two teams who awaited news about their condition and what was to happen next.

Foertsch never thought twice about what he needed to do. He accompanied Perez to the hospital in the ambulance. Devoted to his players whom he regards as his own children just like he does his son Dustin who is the team’s keeper, he sped off in the ambulance, leaving things in the hands of his able assistant coach Mike St. Lawrence.

The latter expressed his reservations to the officials about putting his team back out there on the partially darkened field and told them that Fallsburg Athletic Director Tim Bult was on his way and that the decision would rest with him and the Tri-Valley Athletic Director as to whether the game should be resumed.

By now it was getting later and later and the girls game slated to start at 8:00 would have been delayed by more than a half-hour at the least. Bult conferred with Tri-Valley Athletic Director Derek Adams, the coaches and the officials and after a lengthy confab, the game was called.

“Safety is our principal concern, “ stated Bult who noted that the game was official having passed its halfway mark and that the girls game would be rescheduled as quickly as they could agree on a viable date/time.

Foertsch’s wife Winnie, who diligently photographs Fallsburg sports of every ilk and variety was visibly shaken by the scene. Like her husband, she is immeasurably close to her son’s teammates. She messaged me early the next morning to let me know the boys were okay and that Dustin Foertsch and Danny Justiniano had gone to the hospital to be on hand for their teammate.

Such brotherhood is part and parcel of teams like Fallsburg where the bond of playing together forges abiding friendship and love. Perez is the younger brother of the now –graduated Victor Perez. The family ties speak for themselves and by family I am referring to the entire team connection.

While Tri-Valley (1-13, 0-9 OCIAA) is no longer in contention for a playoff berth, Fallsburg now  4-7 (2-5 OCIAA) needed to win every remaining game including this one, two against Eldred and one versus Chester to return to the sectionals where it has had its share of success as well as drama over the past two years.

The Bears kicked off to start the game but Fallsburg went right on the attack. Tri-Valley had trouble clearing the ball in the early going as Sam Didinsky turned it back as did Austin Halchak as the Comets pressed their cause.

Fallsburg drew first blood with 4:37 gone by on a goal by Didinsky for the 1-0 lead.

Fallsburg's Victor Martinez and Tri-Valley's Dan Lederman vie for a ball near the sideline.

Tri-Valley looked to counter as the ball was sent ahead to a charging Tyler Greffrath. Fallsburg knocked it out and on a throw in by Dan Lederman the Bears tried to take advantage of the short field in front of Foertsch to make something happen.

Fallsburg’s Alan Sierra prevented that with a rapid rush up the far side. T-V kicked it back in but Justiniano was there to reverse it again as the back-and-forth parry continued.  Mike Devault made a save on a Fallsburg shot attempt. Devault stopped a Didinsky shot as the fiery Comet held the sides of his head in disappointment.

Much of the play continued in the midfield with great intensity, a foreshadowing of the second half catharsis but there would be no more scoring in the period as the teams came off the field with the Comets holding the narrow 1-0 lead.

The Comets would add to that with a goal by José Rubio on an assist from Didinsky at 24:17. The Bears had a couple of chances to get it by Foertsch including shots by Greffrath and Anthony Beale but the dominant keeper wasn’t going to be beaten on this night.

With the second period now more than half gone, the pace intensified as the Bears tried to break through. It was then that the aforementioned collision occurred and everything came to a halt.

Clearly the game stats were the last thing on my mind so I am unable to report on the minutiae including shots on goal, saves etc. Once the decision to call the game was rendered, Fallsburg’s 2-0 victory went into the books. The fans and the girls teams exited the field. The Tri-Valley girls who were hoping to clinch a playoff berth with a win over Fallsburg will now have to wait for that potential chance.

Good Golly Ms. Volley

Fallsburg senior volleyball players are honored on Senior Recognition Night: Left to right (players and coaches names only not including their representatives (sorry!) Coach Carlye Hyde, Shanice Mack, Isabel Mejia, Alexis McCarthy, Nicolle Freeman and Marie Countryman.

Fallsburg senior volleyball players had were honored on Senior Recognition Night prior to their 3-1 victory over Liberty. T-V seniors include Marie Countryman, Nicolle Freeman, Alexis McCarthy, Isabel Mejiaa and Shanice Mack. The girls posed for photos with their loved ones prior to the game in the ceremony overseen by Athletic Director Tim Bult and Coach Carlye Hyde.

The Lady Indians won the opening set 25-19 but the Lady Comets came back to win the subsequent three sets by the scores of 25-23, 25-18 and 25-20 to garner their third win and a season sweep of the Lady Indians. Fallsburg’s other win came against S.S. Seward.

Top Performers:

Fallsburg: Melissa Melko 7 aces, 19 service points, 4 digs; Shanice Mack 5 aces, 10 service points, 5 kills, 3 blocks, 3 digs; Isabel Mejia 3 aces, 5 service points, 3 kills, 4 digs.

Liberty: Tea Williams 4 aces, 10 service points, 3 assists, 5 kills, 4 blocks; Cortney Sawyer 2 aces, 9 service points, 3 assists, 6 kills, 2 digs; Kristen Siegel 4 service points, 5 assists.

Records: Fallsburg 3-15; Liberty 1-16.

For albums of photos from the volleyball and soccer games visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

NJ Man Arrested in Claryville on Kidnapping Charges

From the Liberty State Police:

The New York State Police in Liberty announce the arrest on 10/11/11, of EMIL DONABERGER, age 55, Passaic, NJ as a fugitive from justice on warrants from the State of New Jersey. The charges against DONABERGER in New Jersey are as follows: Kidnapping 1st degree, custodial interference 2nd degree and larceny 3rd degree.

This arrest came as a result of the City of Passaic Police Dept. contacting State Police in Liberty to check the Claryville area for the suspect and a ten year old male child who was reported missing. It was known that the suspect had camped in this area with the child previously as he resides with and is a close friend of the child’s family. The vehicle reported to have been stolen by DONABERGER, a green Plymouth voyager, was located by patrols at a local store in Claryville. Interviews of local residents provided verification that the child and suspect had been seen in the area.

A search of the wooded area utilizing State Police Aviation, and a State Police K9 unit resulted in locating both parties in a wooded area on Red Hill Road in the Town of Denning, Uster County. The child was located in good health. The two had been staying in a tent since Monday.

DONABERGER was arraigned by Village of Ellenville Justice Matt Parker and committed to Ulster County Jail on no bail, pending extradition to New Jersey. The child was turned over to officials from Passaic, NJ.