Athletes in the News

****ALUMNI UPDATE****

	Freshman swing player Evyn Gregory-Stewart posted a double-double in her collegiate debut

Nov. 15, 2008

BOSTON, MA - Freshman swing player Evyn Gregory-Stewart (Leonia, NJ) registered a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds in her collegiate debut to lead the University of Massachusetts Boston women's basketball team over visiting Eastern Nazarene College, 80-51, today in the First Round of the 2008 UMass Boston Tip-Off Classic at the Clark Athletic Center on the UMass Boston campus. The Beacons improve to 1-0 on the season, while the Crusaders fall to 0-1 in the season opener for both squads.

UMass Boston maintained a 53-27 lead with 16:12 remaining in the second half, before the Crusaders scored six unanswered points to cut the deficit to 53-33 with 12:36 showing on the second half clock. The Beacons held Eastern Nazarene off and went on a 25-9 outburst, paced by eight points from Gregory-Stewart, to give them their largest lead of the contest at 78-42 with 4:37 remaining in the game. The Crusaders closed out the game with a 9-2 run, including six points from sophomore forward Victoria Sontag (Mount Vernon, NH), to set the final at 80-51.

Gregory-Stewart also added three assists, two steals and a pair of blocks to her afternoon, while sophomore forward Cammy Brown (Malden, MA) just missed a double-double with 16 points on 7-11 from the field and nine rebounds in addition to a steal in just 19 minutes of action.

****CSA ALUMNI UPDATE****

Yorlano caps off career with academic award

Yorlano, who received second-team honors, was one of just 26 players chosen in the district, an area that includes Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. To be eligible for nomination, the student-athlete had to be at least of sophomore standing, had to possess a minimum grade point average of 3.2, and had to have legitimate athletic credentials.

Yorlano had no problem surpassing all the criteria. A physics major, he approaches graduation with a 3.63 grade point average. On the diamond, he manned left field for the Lords and rang up a .333 batting average. He tied for the team lead with 11 doubles and also produced 30 runs, 21 RBI, and five stolen bases.

In addition to this award, Yorlano owns two all-North Coast Athletic Conference honors and was named a 2007 American Baseball Coaches Association all-Mideast Region player. He recently collected Falkenstine and Rinka awards, which are presented by the Kenyon athletics department and are based on sportsmanship, integrity, and leadership.

Yorlano was a two-time team captain for both the Lords baseball and basketball teams. On the hardwood, he was the only player to participate in every Kenyon game over the past four seasons. This past season, he led the team with 49 assists.

May 13, 2008 Tuesday's Prep Schools Baseball Roundup: Rutgers Prep reaches Prep B final Prep B Tournament Billy Utasi's second home run of the day highlighted a fourth-inning rally Tuesday and helped the third-seeded Rutgers Prep School baseball team survive an upset bid from seventh-seeded Newark Academy and post a 6-5 win in the Prep B semifinals. With his team down 5-2, Utasi cracked a one-out three-run homer as the Argonauts scored four runs during the inning to take their first lead of the game. The game also featured a milestone, as Rutgers Prep's Dan Piccirillo notched his 100th career hit, a two-out single to center in the third inning. Things looked bleak early for the Argonauts, as the Minutemen jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on two first-inning home runs. Utasi hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning to draw the Argonauts within three. Newark Academy added a run in the top of the fourth, but Rutgers Prep answered with Mike Mento's solo shot in the bottom of the inning. Starter Tory Arnesen (7-1) settled down after the first inning, finishing with a complete game. He struck out eight, walked five and allowed just two earned runs. The Argonauts move on to the championship game Thursday at Rutgers University, where they will play the winner of the other semifinal between top-seeded Morristown Beard and fourth-seeded Montclair Kimberley.

Leonia's Gregory-Stewart nets 1,000th point

From The Record Online Addition at NorthJersey.com

CRESSKILL – Evyn Gregory-Stewart had no clue she was approaching 1,000 points until some classmates put up a progress thermometer at Leonia before the girls basketball season to track the 79 points she needed.
The senior reached the milestone on her first basket of Tuesday night's 53-20 BCSL Olympic loss to Cresskill.
Gregory-Stewart, who became a starter midway through her freshman season, finished with 11 points and now has 1,009 for her career.
"I have five sisters, I'm the second to youngest and the three older ones have played for Leonia," Gregory-Stewart said. "[Basketball] has always been in my family. It's my favorite thing to do."
In fact, Haley Stewart was the team's MVP earlier this decade and their father, Scott Stewart, also attended Leonia. Gregory-Stewart credited her father for instilling her love of the game.
"My dad didn't play basketball, he did other sports like wrestling, but we worked really hard," Gregory-Stewart said. "I always had a good shot throughout elementary school and it just improved as the years went on."
"I just love her intensity," Leonia coach Dave Wunsch said. "We were in a tough game her freshman year and she said, 'Coach, I'm your player.' She prides herself on getting in the middle of tough situations. She wants to take on the best player."
Gregory-Stewart won't come close to breaking the school record – Christine Powers surpassed 1,800 points – but with a solid second half could rise as high as third on the school's all-time list.

*****Alumni Update****** 

Tabatchnick Shines In Bowl Game for Michigan State

Proof that hard work always pay off - former Essex County Player of the Year and Livingston HS Standout Robbie Tabatchnick has overcome various injuries in his college career, but he has fought through all of them and saved his best performance for his last.  The senior LB was all over the field - in a 24-21 loss to Boston College he led the Spartans in tackles.  "As a whole, our defensive guys played their tails off," said defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. "(Senior linebacker) Rob Tabatchnick, I thought, had a superb game. I think he did a great job out there, made some great plays on the ball. He had a nice sack on Ryan and he just did a great job."

Here is the except from SpartanNation.com :

Michigan State vs. No. 14 Boston College

Champs Sports Bowl – Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium – Orlando, Fla.

Dec. 28, 2007

Rob Tabatchnick tied for the team lead with five tackles…he also had two tackles for losses, two pass break-ups and one sack…his first career sack was a 14-yard loss in the second quarter.

Congratulations Robbie!

Click here to read an interview with Rob done in the days leading up to the game..

Moreno signs letter of intent with NJIT

Friday, November 23, 2007

Cranford High School senior baseball pitcher Dan Moreno recently signed his National Letter of Intent to attend and play baseball for New Jersey Institute of Technology next fall.   Moreno, who was named to the all-Union County Baseball Team last year, will look to lead the Cougars on the mound again this spring.

Krautman kicks Ramapo to first win

His three field goals tie county record

RAMSEY - It didn't take long for the Ramapo High School football team and its placekicker, Ross Krautman, to start feeling good about themselves again. It just took the normal week

between games.   After suffering a tough, demorc alizing 19-18 loss to Fair Lawn the previous week in which Krautman's attempt at a game­winning field goal from 39 yards out with about a minute left was blocked, the Green Raiders gott off the ground behind Krautman’s three field goals to post their first win of the season after four losses, upsetting Ramsey, 16-6 on Saturday.­

 The Rams, who got a rare win over Ramapo last year, came intp the game with a 3-1 record, having  registered a 17-12 victory over Pas­cack Valley, a team that had rout­ed Ramapo, 34-7, on Sept. 15.  Krautman's trifecta from three­point land not only tied a school record for most field goals in a game, it also tied a Bergen Coun­ty record, both held by Ramapo's Tom Paterson, who kicked three in the 1982 season for head coach Mike Miello. The state record for field goals kicked in a game is four.   After Ramapo quarterback Andrew Weiss hooked up with wide receiver Zack Moore on a 35-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 6-6 in the second quarter, Krautman proceeded to score the game's final 10 points to lift the Green Raiders to victory. After he kicked the extra point following the touchdown, Krautman connected on field goals from 21 yards in the third period and from 23 and 32 yards in the fourth quarter.

.                    

Krautman, a sophomore, now has four field goals this season in five attempts, which gives him the lead in Bergen County and places him in a tie for second place in the state behind Cumberland Region­al sophomore Ryan Stant, who has kicked five field goals in seven attempts and is 1O-for-13 in extra­point kicks for 25 points.

Krautman has converted all six of his extra-point attempts and leads Ramapo in scoring with 18 points. In his two-year varsity career, Krautman is 5-for-7 kicking field goals and 29-for-29 booting extra points.

"It felt really good, kicking the three field goals;' Krautman said. "It was an emotional lift and gave me a big confidence booster. I always thank my holder, Jack Slingland, my snapper, Steve Bar­na, and my line for blocking:'   "Our offense was driving the ball well in the second half, but we just couldn’t finish it off in the red zone, said Ramapo head coach Drew Gibbs. But Ross came through for us everytime

'.

 "Ross is a kid who works at kicking year round;' Gibbs said. "He has a real burning desire to be an excellent kicker, and he puts a lot of time and effort into practic­ing.  "Ross had a kicker's dream the week before against Fair Lawn, to be able tokick the'winning field goal with under a minute left in the game;' Gibbs said. "Every kicker would love to be in that sit­uation. Ross had one of those opportunities until the kick was blocked, so he was very disap­pointed. But we have a lot of con­fidence in Ross, the snapper, the holder and the protection'   Krautman's older brother, Ricky, a 2003 Ramapo graduate, is New Jersey's all-time leader in career-kicking points in high school football  with 249, which ranks him fifth nationally according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

For years now, Ricky Krautman  along with North Jersey-area kicking  coach and guru Pat SemI has acted as mentors to Ross Krautman.

Fabulous four bring diverse styles to libero

Paramus' Vanessa Sullivan does it with acrobatic headfirst plunges similar to those of an Olympic diver.

Immaculate Heart's Stephanie Cruz excels by handling point-blank blasts like a bulletproof vest.

River Dell's Kiara Besonia succeeds with quickness that allows her to slide from sideline to sideline.

And a rule change has enabled Bogota's Ashley Ramirez to join the cast of North Jersey's standout liberos.

Each possesses the mandatory physical and mental skills necessary to thrive -- fast feet, steady hands and good anticipation -- at a defensive-oriented position where the total number of "digs" is the standard measurement of success.

The diver

Paramus designed its defense to allow Sullivan to run wild, and that's just what she does. There's probably no one in North Jersey better than the 5-5 junior when it comes to sprinting forward and diving to keep a ball alive.  "There are times where you see a hit come over the net and you think it's absolutely going to be a kill," coach MariaElena Bellinger said. "And not only does she get a hand on it, but she manages to make a perfect pass where we're running our full offense off it."  "I really love just sprawling out and diving," Sullivan said. "As much as the floor burns hurt, at the end, winning the point or getting the ball up is the most exciting [thing]. So it's worth it."

Powell helps Rams break through for needed win

Posted: John Chester Sports Writer

When opportunity knocked for Thomas Powell, the sophomore running back for the Hightstown High School football team didn’t open the door. Powell, with the help of the Rams’ offensive line, knocked the door off of its hinges – figuratively, of course.  Powell made his first varsity start at tailback in the Rams’ Colonial Valley Conference Valley League game against visiting Princeton High on Thursday night, September 20.  Powell, listed as 5-foot-5 and 140 pounds on the Hightstown roster, led the Rams to a crucial 26-14 win over the Little Tigers, who came into the game 2-0.

Powell got the start at tailback against Princeton because the regular in the first two games at the position — Francis Puhalski — was pressed into service on defense. A senior, Puhalski was inserted at defensive tackle against Princeton in place of the injured Zach Ahmed.     To his credit, Puhalski did a good job on defense. Meanwhile, Powell was in the stratosphere on offense. After seeing action at running back in a reserve role in the first two games, Powell exploded for 213 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.

Powell’s longest gain in the game went for 79 yards and a touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter, putting the Rams up 26-7.

“I couldn’t have done it without the push from my (offensive) line,” Powell said. “If they don’t get the push, I can’t do anything.”     Senior co-captain James Noebels, who plays left guard on offense, led the push for Powell. Noebels’ performance earned his recognition from the 12th Man TD Club as the “Offensive Lineman of the Week.”

Noebels and his colleagues on the offensive line helped Powell do a lot of damage running the ball inside.

“An advantage Thomas has because of his size is that he’s hard to see in a scrum,” said Jablonski. “He can stay behind guys who are blocking for him and then hit the hole quickly. He can pop through a small crease. Once he’s in the open field, it’s hard to catch him because he’s so quick.”

“Once Thomas became more coachable, he began to make dramatic improvements in practice. The performance he turned in against Princeton is what we’ve been expecting,” Jablonski said. Powell knew he’d be starting against Princeton. Puhalski worked out with the defense in practice. And Powell got all of the reps at tailback.

 

Niland throws career-high 7 TD passes, 3 to Joe Wassel, to lead PV
Saturday, September 8, 2007

By ADAM Z AGORIA

LITTLE FALLS – Opponents of Passaic Valley are going have to do one of two things during the upcoming football season.

Either they will have to figure out a way to contain quarterback Jim Niland's explosive passing game, or they will have to put up a whole bunch of points themselves.

On a warm summer night that marked the start of the 2007 season, Niland made an emphatic statement by throwing a career-high seven touchdowns in a 47-14 victory over Butler before an opening night crowd of about 2,000.

"(Niland) actually orchestrated the game to perfection," Butler coach Jimmy Matsakis said. "His receivers made some great plays. He'll probably be the best quarterback in our (Northern Hills) Conference. We won't see one better. But I think he's surrounded by those four (receivers) and that running back (Joe Wassel)."

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Niland has been playing ball with Wassel and Danny Alcala since they were kids, and their chemistry showed in this game. Wassel caught TD passes of 47, 40 and 3 yards while the 6-3 Alcala received strikes of 32 and 28. The two also combined to make three interceptions of Butler QB Billy Bock (6-of-13, 98 yards). Joe Liscio and Alan Bogoevski each caught a TD pass from Niland as well.  Niland, who last year rebounded from a concussion early in the season to lead the Hornets to the North 1, Group 3 semifinals, completed 18 of 29 passes for 406 yards in less than three quarters. He threw four TDs of over 30 yards and three of more than 40.

"I felt like everything was just working," Niland said. "Everyone was doubting our line, but they stepped up big. (Our) wide receivers had nice catches. They broke a lot of tackles. We all worked together."  "I've had a couple good quarterbacks and he's the most accurate," PV coach Angelo DeSalvo said. "He doesn't throw bad footballs. He knows the offense probably better than us."  PV, No. 6 in the Herald News Top 10, charged right out of the gate, with Niland connecting with Wassel for a 63-yard pass up the middle on the first play of the game. Two plays later, Niland found Liscio for a 3-yard pass that put the Hornets up 6-0.

On PV's next possession, Niland led the Hornets on a seven-play drive that ended when Alcala made a beautiful one-handed, over-the-shoulder grab and reeled in the football for a 12-0 lead.Butler, a Group 1 school ranked No. 10 in the HN Top 10, returned some skill players but are young up front, especially on the defensive side, where they were unable to put any pressure on Niland.

Meantime, Alcala picked right up where he left off as a junior, when he had a breakout year as a receiver and then helped the PV basketball team reach the Group 3 state championship game and the PV baseball team capture the Passaic County championship.

The Bulldogs got on the board early in the second quarter when junior running back Kevin McFall (20 carries, 102 yards) carried the ball for a heavy workload, bringing the Bulldogs down to the PV 7. On the next play, Adam Elgarhi scooted around the right end for a 7-yard touchdown score. On a broken 2-point conversion attempt, Elgarhi added another two points on a run that made it 19-8.

After taking a 26-8 halftime lead, Niland led a scoring drive on the opening drive of the second half, hitting Wassel for a 40-yard shot right over the middle that made it 33-8. 

Super 11: Schuster is Ram tough

By HAROLD GUTMANN
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: September 7, 2007)

Fullback/linebacker Greg Schuster takes the role of two-way player to the extreme. Even when he's on offense, he still acts like a defender, seeking out contact and pounding the other team.

"A lot of other kids are afraid of a good hit, but I kind of like it," Schuster said. "It's one of the reasons I play. I love to drive my legs and make big hits."

The Clarkstown North senior punished defenses two ways last year - running his 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame into them play after play, and chalking up big gains for the Rams' offense. His bullying style led to 1,042 yards rushing in just eight games, including 200-yard performances against Ramapo, Mamaroneck and Yorktown. He also scored eight of the Rams' 14 touchdowns.

"He's always been a straight-on runner, and he just keeps his legs going," North coach Joe Trongone said. "He's determined to get that extra yard."

Schuster showed flashes of agility last year - he opened the Scarsdale game with an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown - but after an offseason of training, he should be even tougher to stop. Schuster went to camps at Maryland, Boston College, Princeton and Williams and has become a more versatile runner.

The senior also put more work into weight and endurance training so that he can play both ways. After running the ball about 25 times as a sophomore, he wound up with almost 25 carries per game as a junior, which didn't leave him enough energy to play defense. Schuster, a second-team all-county defensive end as a sophomore, is now looking forward to hitting players on both sides of the ball.

Schuster's top choice is to play for Princeton next year, but he's also looking at Connecticut, Maryland and Middlebury.

While he welcomes the workload - he had 67 carries on consecutive weekends in September - he thinks this year's Rams offense will be more multifaceted.

"I hope this year we can move the ball around more," Schuster said. "I would have preferred if other people could run, too - not that I couldn't handle it, but I think it would have been a lot more effective."

So Schuster is especially optimistic about strong-armed quarterback Chris O'Grady and tight end J.T. Rinciari, a fellow college prospect. The Rams also return four of the five offensive linemen who helped pave the way for Schuster's 1,000-yard season.

Added up, it seems Schuster could reach even greater rushing totals this season. But that's not his goal. Last year, he got his numbers in the midst of a 2-7 season. This year, he'd rather take the wins.

"It's not how many yards I can get, it's how much more I can contribute to this team," Schuster said.

*****Alumni Update******

McCombs contributes for A&M

Home News Tribune Online 04/5/07

It is a long way from Old Bridge to Monterrey, Mexico, but Bryant McCombs is making his mark as one of Texas A&M's standout track rookies.

To say McCombs has been on the run is precise. No sooner had the indoor track season come to a close, McCombs was on the road to south of the border and the 55th annual Monterrey Tech Relays.

With McCombs the lead runner, Texas A&M garnered the 4x400-meter relay title.

In the 200, McCombs was first in his heat with a time of 22.04 seconds. McCombs was even better in the finals, but finished fourth with a time of 21.59.

With McCombs contributing, Texas A&M went on to claim the team championship.

It has been an interesting and busy couple of months for McCombs. The former Knight joined the Aggies' program in January and ran right into the indoor track season. A prep All-American the last two seasons, McCombs became a national prize prospect when he broke the 18-year-old high school junior record when he won the 400 at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships with a time of 47.37. That shattered the previous mark of 47.69.

McCombs was on the run for Texas A&M at the New Balance College Invitational in the 400 with a time of 48.71. That was good for third place in his heat.

At the Iowa State Classic, McCombs placed first in his heat in the 400 with a time of 48.17.

At the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M., McCombs was a member of the 1,600 relay team that finished third in an NCAA provisional time of 3:10.02. He ran the third leg of the relay team.

McCombs' best time for the Aggies in the 200 was 21.96. In the 400, his best time was 47.67.

At Old Bridge, McCombs was a major performer as the Knights garnered two New Jersey Group IV championships. Individually, McCombs won four state titles, with three posted in the 400 and one in the 200 during his junior and senior seasons. McCombs holds the Old Bridge indoor and outdoor records in the 200 and 400.

McCombs not only was a standout in track, but played football as well. He was an all-star running back.

United Way of Sussex County Scholar-Athlete: Newton's Natalie Elvidge

Monday, March 26, 2007

By VERN MILLER JR.

vmiller@njherald.com

It was easy for anyone watching a Newton field hockey game to see what Natalie Elvidge meant to the Braves.

Or how hard she played to insure a successful outcome for her team.

Newton coach Lisa Bechtel used words like solid, dependable, conscientious and mature to describe the Braves' senior captain and Most Valuable Player.

Observers agreed, awarding Elvidge with All-State Group II, All-West Jersey Defense, All-Area and All-League First Team honors.

"Natalie has been a great team leader for us, not a loud leader, but someone who is completely reliable and has led the team by example," Bechtel said. "She has a great work ethic and is a technically awesome athlete.

"And she brought all of that with her —110 percent — because she was that way when she came to the program."

Working hard, with and for others, is something Elvidge learned to do — and appreciate — when she was 15, after spending her first week working with the Christian Outreach Project.

Working with C.O.P., Elvidge expanded her technical proficiencies from a field hockey stick to using a hammer and saw, becoming part of a new team that helped repair or rebuild the homes of elderly or underprivileged individuals.

The satisfaction she drew from meeting and directly helping others — building a wheelchair ramp, a new deck or fixing a home — has meant so much to Elvidge, who continues to work with C.O.P. every summer.

"Working with C.O.P. is such an amazing time and it's been a very big deal for me," she said. "Lots of kids my age really don't know what's going on around them. They live in a bubble and are too focused on themselves, where everything revolves around 'me, me, me.'

"But working with C.O.P. opened my eyes, it was the catalyst, the big one, for me wanting to help other people."

Several Newton teammates have joined her with C.O.P., and the Braves annually run as a team to help raise money and awareness to battle breast cancer.

Elvidge has also participated in various walks and runs for SCARC and the March of Dimes, organized blood drives and does babysitting for the Center for Prevention and Counseling.

She has also volunteered at Manna House in Newton, again working to help feed and care for the homeless and underprivileged around the area.

Ranked fifth in her class of 205 with a grade-point-average of 4.22, Elvidge is in all honors and advanced placement classes and has been inducted into the National Honor Society and the French Honor Society, where she serves as secretary.

On the honor roll all four years at Newton, she has also been recognized on the National Honor Roll.

Leaning towards pursuing a business degree, Elvidge hopes to attend Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts where she is excited at the prospect of playing field hockey for the Division II Skyhawks.

While she claims she'd "rather be out on the field any day of the week than studying," Elvidge has brought the same focus, discipline and dedication to her academics as to her play at the Braves' midfield or as part of a volunteer group helping others.

"I think I'm passionate about both athletics and academics," she said. "And I've been able to balance the time I devote to school, sports and volunteering. I try to stay level-headed when it comes to handling pressure and I've been able to take on a lot at times. I draw a lot of motivation from my mom and dad and from coach Bechtel, who has also been such a huge influence on me.

"I always finish what I started every day, but sometimes I'm a little less motivated as an individual than I am being a part of a team."

RAMAPO'S KRAUTMAN WINS NATIONAL KICKING CONTEST

THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

January 19, 2007

FRANKLIN LAKES - Ross Krautman, the freshman kicker for the Ramapo High School football team last season, scored big time on the national level in San Antonio, Texas, on Jan. 7.  In his Junior Division of ninth graders, Krautman won the first Kicking.com Combine Series National Championship in a sudden death battle with lYler Feely, the younger brother of New York Giants kicker Jay Feely.

The event was hosted by former NFL kickers Doug Brien of the New York Jets and Michael Husted. The contest consisted of kickoffs, punting and field goals.
Krautman won the kickoff competition, which is judged on distance and hang time. He averaged 51 yards per kick. There had to be over three seconds of hang time;  line drive kicks did not count. Feely, out of Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida, won the punting contest, but then both kickers tied in the field-goal competition, each booting six in eight attempts from varying distances up to 40 yards. Kicking field goals was then the category to determine the champion. Each kicker kicks until he misses. Starting with a 30-yard attempt, both converted it. From 35 yards out, both missed on their first try, and then on the second attempt, Krautman made his, but Feely missed the mark, and Krautman won his national title.

The other two divisions were Varsity Division for sophomores and juniors and Senior Division for 12th graders.
The competition was held on the Trinity University field, thus making the target for the high school kickers more of a challenge, since college goalposts, like in professional football, are eight feet narrower than high school goalposts. College goalposts are 16 feet wide; high school goalposts are 24 feet wide.

Krautman made the national finals by first winning in the regional competition of New Jersey and New York kickers in May at Tenafly High School and then winning in the semifinals in August at Basking Ridge High School, where the competition was more intense, with kickers coming in from the entire East Coast.
Krautman arrived in San Antonio on Jan. 5, and the next day, there was practice and talks from National Football League coaches and players.
Last season, Krautman made second team All-Northern Bergen Interscholastic League, converting all 23 of his extra-point attempts and kicking one field goal in two attempts for the Green Raiders. He works out at DeFranco's Training Systems with Joe DeFranco three times a week and will continue through August.

Krautman is following in the footsteps of his brother, Ricky, a 2003 Ramapo High School graduate, who is New Jersey's all-time leader in career kicking points with 249, which ranks him fifth nationally. Ricky Krautman first played college football at Syracuse University, playing in one game in 2003.

West Essex captures crown, 8-7

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Missed extra points have been a big issue all season for West Essex.

But instead of trying to hide from its liability, the North Caldwell squad entered last night's championship game intentionally making the PAT as big an issue as possible.

It did so in the hulking form of 6-1, 295-pound Tom Grossi, a two-way senior lineman who lumbered in for two conversion points with 1:45 to play to give West Essex an 8-7 victory in the NJSIAA/Gatorade North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 final at Giants Stadium. It was its fourth crown in the past six years.

"That's the Grossi Special. We just put it in this week for this game," West Essex coach Dave Drozjock said. "We've been so inconsistent with extra points all year, we figured what the heck, let's give it to the big man."

Grossi's run followed a 15-yard pass from Mark Cassera to John Veniero to close a five-play, 49-yard drive that followed a Montville punt. And that followed an even more impressive West Essex drive that resulted in nothing but promising field possession with the clock winding down.

West Essex (9-2) was pinned at its one after a Montville punt but methodically worked its way upfield with the running of Veniero and Anthony Hayek and the poised leadership of Cassera behind Grossi and his other lineman. He used almost 10 minutes to march his team to the Montville seven, but the drive died.

"We should have moved the ball like that in the first half, but maybe we were a little too hyped up," Veniero said. "In the second half, we treated it like it was just another football field. We played West Essex football."

West Essex football has been much like Montville football this season: a balanced run-oriented offense (Montville was led by Jay Schwartz and Eric Toporoff) and a smart and stingy defensive unit.

Tenafly supplies heavenly ending
Sunday, October 1, 2006

TENAFLY -- When the clock said there was 1:57 left in the game, Tenafly couldn't have been thinking it would be pleased with the outcome just a few minutes later. The Tigers couldn't have figured that hearing an ambulance siren would be part of a celebration or that they would hear the "Hallelujah Chorus" blaring from the PA system.

The music was appropriate, given the way Tenafly had pulled out a 24-20 football victory over Westwood on Saturday in a battle of undefeated teams.

On the first play after a Westwood interception late in the fourth quarter, the Tigers forced a fumble deep in Cardinals' territory. Quarterback Brendan Mallon refused to be stopped as he bulled his way into the end zone on a 3-yard run to give Tenafly (4-0) the lead with 44.2 seconds remaining.

"It didn't look good," Tenafly coach Kurt Hommen admitted of Kyle Hourigan's interception at the Westwood 17.

Westwood (3-1) was 117 seconds from victory, but all that changed in an instant after Westwood quarterback Max Padula handed off to running back James Taylor. Blitzing linebacker Michael Bruno crashed into Taylor, jarring the ball loose. Tenafly's Christopher Bruno recovered on the Westwood 15.

"It was a date with destiny," Bruno said. "I stripped the ball. Coach told me to go get it and I got it. I was pretty surprised. It was a great call by coach. It was an opportunity for me to get it."

"We knew right then and there that we were going to take it," Mallon said.

Mallon made sure of that. He completed a quick pass to Matt O'Brien for 5 yards. Then on second down, Mallon tucked the ball and ran for 4 more yards to the 6. Mallon gained 3 more yards on a quarterback sneak for a first down. Even though the next play was predictable, Mallon kept inching his way toward the end zone until he broke through for the touchdown.

The score finished a spectacular game for Mallon, who completed 19 of 24 passes for 222 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Mallon also rushed 13 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns. The only Tenafly points Mallon didn't score were taken care of by kicker Matt Miller, who made three extra-points and also boomed a school-record 46-yard field goal in the second quarter that helped Tenafly to a 10-7 halftime lead.

Westwood went ahead in the third quarter, 14-10, when Taylor scored on a 50-yard run. Tenafly grabbed the lead back with a 69-yard drive that finished with Mallon scoring on a 7-yard run with 1:41 left in the third quarter. Taylor, who was a battering ram in the second half, put the Cardinals ahead, 20-17, on a 4-yard run with 5:43 remaining in the game.

"For a game billed to be a defensive battle, there was a lot of hitting going on," Westwood coach Bill Straub said. "Turnovers are going to be the difference in a lot of games. [Saturday], the result was in their favor."

Grades have Ivy feel

Home News Tribune Online 09/7/06

After Brian Pascal got the taste of winning, there was just no denying the Eagles' senior.

Pascal, an offensive guard and defensive tackle, opted out of playing basketball for Edison to focus on football training. He started seeing a strength coach, went to three offseason football camps, and still works out regularly with the team.

Maybe it was all the extra effort, maybe it was his weighted 4.6 GPA in a strictly honors course load, but something got the attention of some pretty prestigious colleges.

Pascal is likely headed to play football at an Ivy League University come next fall. Currently the likes of Harvard, Columbia, Pennsylvania and Princeton are interested.

He said that the increase in offseason work wasn't to impress in the Ivy Leagues but it was certainly a welcomed result.

"I was just doing it to have a good season," Pascal said. "I knew I wanted to play college football, as it started to get closer to the season it was like, "Oh, I can go in this direction.' "

Pascal found a training partner in Albert Jackson, former Georgia defensive tackle and member of the Eagles' 1990 state championship team. Jackson is helping Pascal on the field, picking up where the strength training and conditioning leaves off.

According to head coach Matt Fulham, Pascal is benching over 300 pounds, squatting 400, and can power clean 275 — all as a result of strength training.

"He just has a tremendous work ethic," Fulham said. "He just went above and beyond what is called on to be successful."

Pascal not only went above what is asked, but he brought some friends. Five players would work with the strength trainer with him, and as many as five players would work out with him and Jackson.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Pascal isn't focused on a possible NFL career, but he sees football as a way to cash in on a quality education.

"I know that it's more than likely I'm not (going to play professional football)," Pascal said. "Right now I'm just looking realistically."

Pascal said he plans on studying business in college, a subject for which he's been taking classes at Edison for the past three years.

He might be a future leader of business, but for now, he's focusing on leading an Edison team that tasted victory for the first time in 39 games with a late-season victory over Spotswood.

"It was definitely a big step," Pascal said of finally putting a notch in the win column. "Because when you go out there and you're on like a 35-game losing streak, you're not going out there expecting to lose but it's on your mind. You have no confidence to go off of."

The Eagles were hit hard this offseason, though, as both quarterback John Cirri and wide receiver Justin Thompson transferred to Jackson Memorial High School.

"I guess some of the guys thought the season was done," Pascal said. "But other guys started popping up and we thought we were fine without them. We'll definitely be fine. Of course having them would even be better, but it's not gonna hurt us at all. We're definitely gonna be winning games this year."

Niagara Baseball Adds Two for the 2006-07 Season

Chris Chernisky now has 11 incoming student-athletes on tap for 2006-07.

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y.

The Niagara University baseball team announced Friday that it has signed two student-athletes to national letters of intent. Matthew McCarney (Kanata, Ont.) and Matt Campanella (Middlesex, N.J.) will join the Purple Eagles for the 2006-07 campaign. Combined with nine incoming freshmen who were already on tap to play for Niagara during the early signing period, they make up a recruiting class of 11 student-athletes.

Matt Campanella - Middlesex, N.J. Pitcher (Also plays on the left side of the infield) 6-4, 215 lbs.

Campanella was a first-team all-division and a second-team all-area and all-state at Middlesex High School. He was a starting pitcher and shortstop as a sophomore when his team was a state tournament qualifier. With a fastball that hovers around 91 miles per hour, Campanella had a 5-2 record last year with a 1.12 earned-run average, 63 strikeouts and 17 walks in 43.0 innings. At the plate, he posted a .388 batting average with four home runs. Besides baseball, Campanella played quarterback and defensive back on the football team and was on the wrestling team as a freshman. "Matt is an excellent addition to our program and pitching staff," Chernisky explained. "He is a big body and a hard-throwing right-hander with solid off-speed stuff. We expect Matt to challenge for one of our top three spots in the rotation next year. He has been gunned as high as 94 and will pitch at 88-92."

Chris Yorlano, a Rutgers Prep graduate, and now a sophomore at Kenyon College, is playing two sports at the Ohio school and maintains a 3.65 GPA as a physics major.

On the baseball diamond, Chris was the starting left fielder, and played in 39 of 40 games. The team set a school record for wins in a season, finishing 27-13. They qualified for conference baseball playoffs for first time ever. Chris hit .302 with 19 RBI, 30 Runs scored , 5 2Bs, 2 3Bs. He made only 2 errors for the season.

Chris is also a back-up point guard for the basketball team.

Seton Hall Prep Star RB Headed to Trinity College!

(2006-05-06)

CSA-PrepStar student-athlete and Seton Hall Prep 1st Team All-Essex County running back, Pete Durning is headed to the Trinity College Bantams who have the nation's longest win streak at 30-0 as they head into the 2006 season.

Pete Durning finished his high school career in high fashion after rushing for 1,192 yards on 201 carries for a 5.9 ypc average and scoring 15 TD's on the way. Pete led his team in rushing and scoring and was 3rd in Essex County in total points scored.

Congratulations to Pete for his outstanding athletic and academic (3.5 GPA) accomplishmnts on the high school level.

Freshman Jessica Martin (Demarest, NJ) earned MAAC Defensive Player of the Week honors today for the second consecutive week. Martin, a freshman goalkeeper, ran her winning streak to four straight games, picking up wins over both Colgate and Albany. She allowed a goal in each game and totaled nine saves.

This marks the third consecutive week a Gael keeper has been named Defensive Player of the Week. Sophomore Ticiana DiCarlo (Westbury, NY) won the award for the week of 9/13, with Martin winning the honor on both 9/20 and 9/27.

Martin is currently tied for the MAAC lead in shutouts with two and is third in the conference in goals against average, allowing a mere 1.16 goals per game. The freshman keeper's solid play helped the Gaels finish a five-game homestand unbeaten (4-0-1). The unbeaten streak is the longest in over 10 seasons of Iona women's soccer.

The Gaels (4-4-1) travel to Lafayette on Monday before opening up MAAC play this weekend at Mazzella field. Iona will open the conference schedule with Manhattan on Friday at 3:00pm and St. Peter's on Sunday at 3:00pm.