Revelry And Rivalry
Liberty Upends Sullivan West In League Debut For Both Squads; Electrifying Atmosphere Features “Battle Of The Fans”; Byrd Leads All Scorers With 18 As Rival Schools Redial Their Intense Competitive War Without End
Liberty 60, Sullivan West 38
UPDATE: LIBERTY DISCOVERS ONE OF ITS PLAYERS IS INELIGIBLE AND FORFEITS ALL OF ITS WINS INCLUDING THIS ONE. PLEASE READ THE PRESS RELEASE IN THE NEWS COLUMN FOR THE FULL STATEMENT BY THE LIBERTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. THIS STORY REMAINS ON THE WEBSITE AS THE RIVALRY BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS IS VIABLE AND ONGOING. THIS WILL RESULT IN LIBERTY HAVING AN 0-7 (0-1 ) RECORD AND SULLIVAN WEST’S RECORD WILL IMPROVE TO 6-3 (1-0)
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Scenes From A Night To Remember (clockwise) Liberty senior Andy Hazelnis is carried off the floor by SW grad Bradon Wagner in front of the Dawg Pound but the smile on his face shows Liberty has the last word...this time anyway. Fans from Liberty and Sullivan West call each other out across from opposite sides of the gym. Eddie Byrd rises aloft to score. Byrd had a game-high 18 points on the night. Sullivan West's Matt Cardona hits a trey from the corner. Liberty senior Marshon Williams looks to drive on Matt Cardona. It was Williams' birthday and he got the best gift of all, a redemptive win against the team the school that ended his hopes for a playoff berth in the twilight of his gridiron career.
LIBERTY, NY—It doesn’t get any better than this.
High school sports rivalry at its best. Two schools who batter each other from season to season and sport to sport, zealous fans decked out in their full regalia of color and style, a deafening din and a game on the hardwood featuring players who give their all. It’s Liberty vs. Sullivan West and it never disappoints.
I can’t wait to tell this tale but first, permit me to begin this treatise with a short sportswriter/photographer’s invocation:
Lord, Avail me countless more years to walk the sidelines of these courts (and fields); To revel in the passion of youth with all of its exuberance and spirit and to celebrate it for all to witness.
Grant me the clarity of voice and vision to find the words and images to extol such gallantry and passion, for someone needs to shout it to the rafters just how wonderful it is to be young, strong and full of life.
Help me shed some light on the long-enduring lessons of these frays, the insights gained by its participants that will serve them long after these games are done. Let these stories and pictures remain a timeless memory of these wondrous days.
Through the laughter, the tears, the din and the silence, through the wins and the losses, the friendships formed and the rivalries that endure, let me do my part to quantify it all with every fiber of my being.
Because for these young athletes, their parents, friends, coaches and communities, these surely are the days of their lives.
Travis Beaupierre slashes to the rim and scores.
Inside of me resides a 17-year old who never ages.
He still hears the cheers emanating from the stands as his Midwood High School football team completes yet another undefeated season. He closes his eyes and calls to life the seas of blue and white legions who populated the stands back then. He hears the band, reclaims the memory of his first love (with a cheerleader, no less) and he never, ever lets it fade to black.
That inner teenager comes alive day after day within this aging sportswriter/photographer who can’t stop smiling at games like this iconic early January clash between Liberty and Sullivan West, the next chapter in a rivalry without end.
Without such rivalry and the hordes of zealous fans who keep it alive, high school sports would lose much of their luster. Though I continue to aver that the sheer participation in athletics with the right degree of commitment, sportsmanship and mentoring can arm a young person for life with strengths and insights gained.
That would be true even if there was no such thing as packed gymnasiums, barking cheerleaders, bands and those pulse-stirring “battles of the fans” like the one staged between the Indian Tribe and the Dawg Pound.
But thank goodness all of that was in place for this much-anticipated battle, the next chapter in the “Neverending Story” that has come to define the season-to-season rivalry between the neighboring schools.
There can be little doubt that this first league basketball game would carry with it the trappings of much more than just another hardwood engagement considering the residue of the two schools’ most recent encounter.
It was Friday night October 7 and host Sullivan West and Liberty were locked in an overtime gridiron battle to the death. The winner would earn a berth in the coming Class C playoffs and the loser would have its hopes for such dashed.
A painful memory for senior Marshon Williams and the Liberty Indians as Williams drops a catch for the two-point-conversion in overtime after his team scores the tying touchdown against the Sullivan West Bulldogs Oct. 7, 2011 at the Bulldogs stadium in Lake Huntington, N.Y. This game was a rival game for the schools and the winner advanced to the playoffs while the loser's season ends just halfway through the regular season. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Nicholas Pilch)
Sullivan West won the overtime toss and proceeded to score on a TD run by Tom Mootz. Kitt Borowski’s PAT made it 21-14 but Liberty answered right back on a TD by Kenny Jaycox. On the ensuing two-point conversion try that would have given Liberty the victory, senior quarterback Marshon Williams missed a pass from holder Quinn Jackson.
That unforgettable moment will be forever branded in the memory of the victorious Bulldogs and the defeated Indians. Williams would remember it all too well as the accompanying picture taken by USAF Staff Sergeant Nicolas Pilch who was shooting pictures for the Eddie Adams Workshop that night, will timelessly recall.
But on this January 10, Williams’ birthday, the agenda was a bit of redemption for that bitter memory and that could only come by turning the tables on the Bulldogs. It wouldn’t bring back the football season but it could deal the Carolina Blue and White a taste of their own medicine. Fellow football players Ryan Henry, Joe Franke, Victor Agunbiade, Javier Baez and Tayor Vankeuren no doubt fell the same surge as they took to the hardwood in the deafening din.
Prior to their introduction they had stared or rather glared as Sullivan West players were introduced including quarterback E.J. Franskevicz, running back Sawyer Erlwein and SW lineman of the year Andrew Parsons. Sub Brad Hemmer was also a part of the Bulldogs grid force.
Simply put, there was no love loss between these players though the sport had changed. Rest assured, it will continue on into baseball and track in the spring. It should be noted the rivalry on the soccer pitch was intense as well to say the least.
And so with the opposite stands filled, the band pumping between segments of great music put forth by announcer Mike McGuire and the introductions complete it was time for the tip. Both teams know what a challenge it will be to win against Burke and O’Neill so their desire to gain a valued key league win was that much more crucial.
Sullivan West's Matt Cardona scores as Liberty's Yovanni Fields defends.
Liberty senior Travis Beaupierre controlled the tip against Sullivan West sophomore Patrick Pierce. Eddie Byrd kicked it out to Franke for three as the Tribe drew first blood. Committed to play man-to-man defense, Sullivan West was going to have to contend with Liberty’s quickness, its ability to outmuscle and its rebounding edge which would neutralize the Westies solid first-possession defense.
Talking to Liberty Coach Mike Salvia after his team’s demonstrative win over Chester, Salvia felt Sullivan West would have trouble trying to man his team. In addition he felt his team’s tough helping defense would keep SW big man Pierce from getting comfortable in the paint.
In the early going in particular and by and large for most of the night, Salvia was right on both counts. Pierce who lit it up in the Westie’s two prior wins against Tri-Valley and Chapel Field was quieted to a lone trey on the night.
But back to the action at hand.
Liberty would tear off a 9-0 early run while keeping the Westies at bay for half of the first stanza. A layup by Franke, a pair of free throws from Byrd and a dish from Williams to a slashing Beaupierre led to the nine-zip lead with 4:47.
Sullivan West coach Bruce Nober called a time out and reminded his team that they would have to weather the anticipated early storm. Matt Cardona heeded the call with a trey and Erlwein stood in and took a charge as Byrd picked up his first foul. The Westies were moving well without the ball and a nice feed to Cardona gave him an open look but he missed as the ball went out off of Liberty. The Dawgs converted off an inbounds pass from Franskevicz to John Masten to close 9-5.
Eye to eye with a deadly stare two rivals regard each other from the rival schools: Liberty's Ryan Henry and Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein stare each other down at mid-court.
Byrd answered with a trey but Liberty was piling up early fouls. A dish to Masten coming down the lane cut the lead to 12-7. Pierce hit a trey and it was 12-10 as Salvia called a halt to play to talk it over. Like a great prize fight it had been punch-counterpunch and the crowd was loving it.
Liberty looked a bit out of synch despite getting a steal which they quickly squandered. The Westies turned it right back. Williams hit a pair of free throws to make it 14-10 but the Westies had the last word of the stanza as Erlwein buried a put back of Pierce miss. The quarter ended with the Indians clinging to a 14-12 lead.
The second quarter was an entirely different story as the Tribe would outscore the Dawgs 18-7 to take a 30-21 lead into halftime. This is how it shook out: SW inbounded the ball and Cardona missed an open three as did Erlwein. Beaupierre hit one of two from the line. Byrd’s shots weren’t dropping but and Masten put back a miss by Franskevicz to make it 15-14 with 5:46 to go. This would be as close as the Bulldogs would get in a game they never led in.
Byrd missed two free throws but after a rebound by Henry he canned a bucket. These multiple chances would be Sullivan West’s death knell. A Byrd steal and a Beaupierre lay up made it 19-14 but Cardona ripped through the lane to make it 19-16. Williams took his rage to the rim as Liberty went on a run fueled by a nifty dish from Yovanni Fields to Trevor Vankeueren with Byrd on the bench.
Andrew Parsons was fouled by Vankeuren and hit one of two. Liberty now had seven fouls as did Sullivan West after Williams was fouled. He missed the front end of a one and one. The Dawgs closed within a bucket again as Parsons scored off an offensive rebound to make it 23-21. Liberty closed out the half on a 7-0 run begun by five straight points from Byrd including a trey. Franke hit a shot at the buzzer to punctuate the half. As noted, Liberty led 30-21 at the break.
True colors; Sullivan West fans came out in droves to cheer on their team. Hey Tom Mootz, love that hat and body paint!
Liberty inbounded to start the second half and quickly added two points to the ledger. Cardona scored and hit a free throw to make it 32-24. The Westies were missing long range as Williams raced wire to wire to score. You could feel the intensity as Liberty’s defense was upping the ante looking for the kill.
Sometimes their defensive intensity to double on the ball left an open shooter. Masten profited from being ignored as such with 6:24 to go in the period. Henry nailed a trey to make it 37-26 with 3:40 to go. Franke picked up his third foul. Cardona missed another trey and Westies’ turnover wasn’t helping things either. Pierce fouled Fields on an attempted block.
Fields got a lay up before Franskevicz hit a trey to make it 39-29. Fields added a floater to make it 41-29 and iced the quarter with a trey to make it 44-29. Byrd sent Masten to the line who missed both. Henry hit a free throw to make it 45-29 at the end of three by dint of Liberty’s 15-8 surge in the stanza.
Liberty’s depth was a big plus as Salvia was able to shuttle players in to give his starters a blow. Nober had no such luxury and the pace of the game and the demands on his team at both ends of the floor were taking their toll. In addition, Liberty was outmuscling the visitors in the paint and off the glass, thereby preventing the kind of reassertion Sullivan West would need to get off the mat down 16 with eight minutes to go.
E.J. Franskevicz hits his second of two threes but that was all he would score in this game. Liberty posted five from beyond the arc. to Sullivan West's four but the game was decided more profoundly in its other facets.
Tired teams often foul and Sullivan West fit that description. They sent the Tribe to the line for seven attempts in the fourth quarter of which they only converted three. By night’s end Liberty was a lackluster nine-for-18 from the stripe for 50%. They got lone buckets from Byrd, Franke, Brandon Wilson, Ahmir McCree, Vankeuren and Beaupierre.
The Westies scored nine in the final frame to Liberty’s 15. Bulldog points came via Franskevicz’s second trey, four points from Cardona and a pair of free throws from Parsons. Sullivan West was even worse at the line than Liberty with its four-for-11, accounting for 36.4%.
Liberty (4-3, 1-0 OCIAA) was led by Byrd with 18. Fields had nine, Beaupierre and Franke had seven, while the birthday boy Williams had six and a smile to go with it.
Sullivan West 5-4 (0-1 OCIAA) was led by Cardona’s 14. Franskevicz and Masten posted six, while Parsons added five. The Westies must now travel to Burke while Liberty takes off to visit O’Neill. Burke beat O’Neill 82-56 to give you some idea about the lay of the land in Division IV.
Salvia noted: “One of our biggest assets on this team is our depth. Every kid wants to be a starter. That’s a great motivator for us. The kids came out and executed the game plan and I couldn’t have asked them to execute any better. We had a couple of great days of practice and the kids came in ready to play basketball,” he noted.
“Our kids were very hungry today. We have a couple of football players on this team and they were really upset after that loss and they really wanted to make a statement tonight. We’re having a blast playing basketball,” said Salvia in response to the point that Byrd wasn’t as accurate as he can be.
“Play the game with a smile, that’s one of our quotes,” said Salvia. “We’re having a lot of fun.”
A coach and his star: First year Coach Mike Salvia counsels veteran Eddie Byrd during a timeout. Byrd's transformation into a more complete player is the subject of a prior story about Liberty's win over Chester.
Salvia commented on the rivalry that Liberty has with Sullivan West in every sport. “It’s great competition when these two schools play each other. The fans came out and we couldn’t ask for better support.”
Asked about what still needs work, Salvia quickly answered, “We need to rebound the ball better. They got a lot of their points off offensive rebounds. When we go down to Burke and O’Neill that’s not going to get it done, nor will it work when we have to play Sullivan West at their place. We’re lucky we were at home tonight. We need to rebound better at both ends of the floor.
We’re doing a much better job with ball pressure and help defense . We have to finish that off by rebounding the basketball. We took open shots in rhythm. We got up and down the floor and scored in transition,” Salvia noted as he noted the plusses.
Nober said, “First of all it was a great atmosphere. This is what high school basketball is all about. I thought we weathered the storm. We started to get in the flow and got some good looks and cut it to one. But we had a few lapse there and they went on an 8-0 run to end the first half,” he recalled.
“We’re not a very deep team but more than being tired I think they were more physical than us. They go those offensive rebounds, won the 50-50 loose balls. We just didn’t match their toughness tonight,” he added.
In terms of the positives Nober said “We played pretty good initial man-to-man defense and forced them to take some bad shots. But then we gave up an offensive rebound and they’d get a put back. You work hard for 25 seconds and it all goes for naught,” he added.
“Give them credit. They play good defense and we couldn’t get into the flow or our half court sets. We’ve got to get tougher on the boards,” he concluded.
The war continues on February 10 in Lake Huntington. I can’t wait.
For an album of photos by Richard and Nick Piatek, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Better yet, buy some pictures and keep this eternal teenager on task.
Speed Kills
Liberty Unveils Awesome Speed And Stifling Defense In Dominating Non-League Win Over Chester; Eddie Byrd Leads All Scorers With 18 As Talented Guard Evolves As A Total Player
Liberty 66, Chester 38
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Scenes from the Tribe's massacre of Chester (clockwise) Chester sophomore Lawrence Young scores the first points of the game. He'd add a three pointer in the first quarter and ended up with a team-high 11 on the night. Liberty's Eddie Byrd drives and scores over Chester's Justin Delgado. Byrd led all scorers with 18. Chester senior Zach Larkin looks to drive, pass or shoot. All three options were trying given Liberty's defensive intensity. Liberty's Yovanni Fields fires up one of a pair of consecutive treys he authored. Eddie Byrd gets a steal and races ahead to score. Liberty's Taylor Vankeuren hits the first of a trio of third quarter treys.
LIBERTY, NY—Night and day.
That’s the difference between the seemingly hapless Liberty squad I watched suffer a miasma of a game against S.S. Seward on December 10 after being ambushed by Millbrook in the Spartan Tourney opener and the contentious Tribe I watched dismantle Chester on January 6.
First year Coach Mike Salvia was not a happy camper the night that I interviewed him after the loss to Seward. He vowed that the coming two weeks with no games scheduled would be put to good use to sharpen up things at both ends of the floor.
Liberty Coach Mike Salvia replaces Jason Semo who has moved on to become the A.D. at South Colonie High School. But Semo's precepts about speed and defense, as well as the deportment of excellent character live on in Salvia who was his assistant. Those earmarks are showing up now in Liberty's style of play and its attitude.
Salvia is a disciple of Jason Semo having worked as his assistant and you can see the imprint of his mentor on this year’s Tribe which is starting to show why Liberty has to be taken seriously in Division IV. Semo has moved on to assume the Athletic Directorship at South Colonie High School in the Capital District, but his precepts for the development of great team play and impeccable character live on in Salvia.
Liberty has to play in one of the toughest divisions in Section Nine and given its struggle over the past few years, coupled with the departure of Semo, many might have assumed the Tribe would be struggling.
Guess again.
Everyone has already canonized Burke, the defending state champs as a shoe-in for the Section Nine Class B title but those of us who have been around the game of basketball for more decades than I care to disclose here know that on any given night anything can happen.
The division is rife with talent and bereft of any doormats. The coming fray against 5-3 Sullivan West in Indian Country on January 10 will be the first league tilt for both squads. Needless to say the after-effects of their football rivalry won in OT by Sullivan West will still hang in the air over this one and as league wins are extremely precious, expect this to be a war.
The same can be said about tilts with talented O’Neill.
But back to the present.
The mark of a leader: Chester's Anthony Ognibene knows what it takes to win. He steered Chester all the way to state title game in football. Now it's the hardwood that becomes a new forum for challenge. He's tough, quick and talented and Chester hopes to marshal some of its success from the fall and have it carry over this winter.
Imagine my surprise to watch Liberty come out and devastate a talented Chester team with a combination of uncanny speed, suffocating defense and just for spice, nine treys. What was most impressive was the cohesive play and the involvement of all five players on the floor.
Needless to say when you bring up the subject of Liberty basketball, the first name on anyone’s lips is Eddie Byrd. Byrd has always been a prolific scorer. He’s quick off the dribble, a lethal slasher to the rim and a great long range threat.
But Salvia, who was coaching out of the state last year, notes that this past summer he witnessed a big change in Byrd who understands that Liberty’s success mandates the involvement of the entire team. Naturally teams will key in on him and if he is the only cog in the machine that is working well….I give you the Millbrook and Seward games as examples of the resulting breakdowns that could result.
Byrd is a senior as are the most of the rest of Liberty’s starting five in Travis Beaupierre, Joe Franke and Marshon Williams. Ryan Henry is a junior. After the disappointment of not making the playoffs in football, Liberty is bent on making it to sectionals and doing some damage therein.
Byrd is certainly the nexus of the squad and his game-high 18 points on the night would attest to that. But the fact that the Indians had three more players in double figures attests to his distribution of the ball. By night’s end Henry had 11 points, Yovanni Fields had ten as did Aitmar McCree, while Taylor Vankeuren poured in a trio of treys make his presence felt. If Liberty is able to deploy its total arsenal of talent, it’s going to be tough to reckon with.
And no one knows that better than the Byrd Man of Al-Pizzazz.
“We’ve started to play as one..working together as a whole. I find a way to trust my teammates more now. We’re all getting more shots and we’re getting better.
Prior to the game Chester Coach John Marsilio seemed confident. “We need this win,” he averred. By night’s end he knew his team had been totally outplayed. “They are very quick. It’s a fast defense. They’re all over the place,” he noted as he would go on to enumerate the problems his team faced in trying to get on track against the triumphant Tribe. More on that a bit later as well as Salvia’s take on what’s beginning to fall into place.
Chester’s Andrew Lakis controlled the opening tip against Beaupierre. Chester sophomore Lawrence Young scored the game’s first bucket and a Liberty turnover seemed to indicate a faulty start but the Indians forced a shot clock violation on the Hambletonian’s next possession as Chester couldn’t get a sniff of a decent look.
Another Liberty turnover led to a transition bucket by Young for the 4-0 lead. Liberty’s defense tightened and Chester’s offense began to dwindle as they would score only four more points in the first quarter.
Liberty's Aitmar McCree scores two of his ten points in the paint, six of which came in the fourth quarter.
In stark contrast, Liberty poured in 19. It all began with a bucket by Beaupierre at 4:42 and continued with a pair of treys from Fields, six points from Byrd including a free throw, four from Henry and one from the stripe from Williams.
Chester got five from Young, two from Marley Vil and a free throw from Anthony Ognibene. Chester’s woes continued in the second stanza as they were only able to muster five points with two each from Lakis and Vil. Lakis hit one of two from the line.
Liberty countered with 12 points in the second quarter to take a 31-14 lead into the half. Byrd had a trey and a free throw to go along with four points from Fields, two from Henry and Beaupierre.
Chester couldn’t get the ball inside or attack on the wing as Liberty’s defense was omnipresent.
The die had already been cast on this game and the third quarter added to the Indians’ favorable roll with a game high 23 points in the frame to which Chester was able to counter with only 11. The result, Liberty led 54-24 after three.
Chester got four points from big man Justin Delgado and Vil, two from Lakis and one from Young. For its part Liberty profited from Vankeuren’s trio of treys that had the crowd in a tizzy, as well as treys from Byrd and Henry who scored five and four points respectively. McCree came alive with four in the paint to punctuate the damage. He’d add six more in the final frame as Liberty scored 12 more points to reach its total of 66. Byrd had three points in the quarter and Williams added a bucket for good measure.
The fourth quarter was Chester’s most productive outing, staged against many of Liberty subs who got valuable minutes of experience. Seven of those points came from the stripe as Young hit four and Lakis canned three. Senior Zach Larkin scored four points and Zach Krawczyk added a trey as Chester (3-3) finished up with three points on the night. Young led the Hambos with 11.
Liberty improved to 3-3 with the win.
Liberty pride and spirit is second to none as evinced by Indian cheerleaders, an integral part of the atmosphere and tradition.
Marsilio summed it up: “They couldn’t miss tonight. They had guys hitting threes I haven’t seen take any. Trying to defend these guys man to man is very difficult and going zone if they’re going to hit those shots they’re going to kill you,” he averred.
“They pressure the ball very well. We couldn’t get our pick and roll going. We struggled trying to go through our offense as we often had one or two players out of position. We missed wide open looks on the low block because we couldn’t get the ball in. Our vision wasn’t there in the first half,” he added.
“We started off with a three-two zone but they were getting to the baseline and getting to the corner pretty easy on us. We had to extend out to get that.”
Chester will have Seward at home on Monday as the league season gets underway. “That’s a big game for us,” said Marsilio.
Salvia described the change in his team from its early season struggles. “The last couple of weeks the kids have really bought into what we’re trying to do and we’ve had some great practices along the way.
I coached under Jason and his principles are what’s driving me right now. You can’t win basketball games unless you play defense. Now the kids are enjoying playing defense and that’s what’s going to make us successful the rest of the year.”
Burt Lancaster was the Bird Man of Alcatraz; Eddie Byrd is the Byrd Man of Al-Pizzazz. Here the Byrd Man displays a familiar sight, namely going airborne and scoring. It's a thrilling image for Liberty fans but a nightmare vision for foes.
As to Byrd, Salvia observed the following: “I wasn’t here last year but this summer I’ve seen a 180 degree turn in his attitude. He’s sharing the ball and getting everybody excited to play basketball with him. Going into games other teams will key him. Other kids are understanding that and embracing their job as role players and really having fun just playing basketball.”
“It’s no secret that our strength is our speed and our defense. We’re going to try and get and run to ge easy baskets. Our primary offense is the fast break.” Salvia was shocked that his team netted nine treys but noted “we’ve been doing a lot of shooting in practice. Early in the season our problems were the reluctance to take open shots. Kids were looking for the perfect shot and not taking the open one. Now we’re just getting the ball in rhythm and letting shooters fire.”
With the coming home league game vs. Sullivan West and the away game at O’Neill this coming week, Liberty hopes to make its presence felt in the hard-nosed hardwood world of Division IV.
Is that a war whoop I hear? I do believe it is.
For an album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
