All Shore Media High School Sports 2-18-13 Issue - 4 - Volume V

February 18, 2013 Volume-V

Issue-4

Lakewood Basketball On A Mission

Open MRI of Wall 3 Basketball 2013 Senior All-Star Title Sponsor

5 Sports Performance 5 ELITE Ask the Experts Mustang 7-8 Redemption

Beach Reaches 10 Pt. SCT Semifinails TRN Boys Basketball 11 Sets School Record Long Branch Wrestling 12 Reaches Group II Final

15 Stumpy’s Corner

The first thing fans, players, coaches and parents want to know after the big game is always,

�Is this going to be on

�

All Shore Media has established itself as a leader in scholastic sports coverage in Monmouth and Ocean counties, providing more video highlight clips, in-depth reporting, feature stories and regular updates than ANY OTHER OUTLET in the area.

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All Shore Media Web Site Features

n Get Video Highlights of all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about. n Catch up on the action you might have missed n Watch video clips of everything from the action early in the event to the big finish as well as video interviews with various athletes. n www.allshoremedia.com is the most visited sports site in the shore conference during the scholastic year n Follow us on Twitter (over 4,100 followers) and Facebook, we keep fans posted on the latest scores and news n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

Advertising Opportunities

for the

2012 All-Star Game Day Program B e part of a tradition at the

SteveMeyer Director/CEO/Marketing s m ey er @ al l s h or em e di a .c om 732-233-4460

ScottS t ump

Director/Managing Editor stump@allshoremedia.com

Senior Content Providers M a tt M a n l e y / / M ma nl e y21 @ gm ai l .c o m

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Jersey Shore that reaches a large and enthusiastic Basketball audience from Monmouth and Ocean counties by having your business featured in this year's 2013

Open MRI of Wall Shore Basketball Coaches Senior All-Star Game official game

day program. The detailed game program put together by the All Shore Media staff not only recounts the past season and highlights this year's group of All-Stars, it also serves as a keepsake for all the players, coaches and fans involved. Not only is the program a chance for your business to reach a wide and passionate audience, it is a chance to become a permanent part of a lasting memory for many members of the Shore Conference Basketball community.

On the girls side, 2,000-point scorer Kelly Hughes of Point Boro, a Boston College recruit, highlights a talented group that also includes Jackson Memorial’s Hannah Missry, St. John Vianney’s Lyndsay Rowe, Middletown South’s Jackie Dluhi and Kiera Gannon, Red Bank Catholic’s Mary Kate Caverly and many more.

Open MRI and Diagnostic Imaging of Wall is the title sponsor of this year’s boys and girls games, which are on March 20 at Wall Township High School. As always, the games are a great way to send off the Shore Conference’s top seniors in their final game representing their high school. Open MRI has become a regular sponsor involved in the Senior All-Star Games and a regular supporter of Shore Conference basketball.

The girls all-star game will be at 6 p.m., followed by the boys game at 8 p.m.

“This game continues to get bigger and better, and adding Open MRI of Wall as a sponsor only enhances this event and allows us to send these seniors off on a great note,’’said Steve Meyer director of All Shore Media who has partnered with the coaches assocation “Their support of Shore Conference basketball is certainly something that is appreciated by all the coaches and players.’’

This year’s games will once again feature the Shore Conference’s biggest names from the senior class on the girls and boys side.

Players like Lakewood guard Tyrice Beverette, the Manasquan tandem of Stonehill College recruit Jimmy Walsh and Brown University recruit J.R. Hobbie, Harvard-bound Manalapan guard

for long-range supremacy.

There also will be a 3-point shootout during halftime of the boys and girls games, with players chosen from the all-star practices competing

Once again RKE Athletic is supplying the game shirts for the boys and the girls, “These games for the seniors are a great way for them to go out, and we are happy to be a part of it” siad Ted Maciejewski owner of RKE.

The top player in each of the seniorall-star games will receive the Arthur W. Harmon Jr. Most Valuable Player Award, named after the late Art Harmon, a long-time official in the Shore Conference. The high school games this season should be loaded with talent,

Check our website for more information www.allshoremedia.com

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he Shore Conference Basketball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Game has carved out a proud tradition, and the support of Open MRI of Wall has helped its continued growth.

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Anthony Firkser, Colts Neck guard Brandon Federici, Toms River North’s Damien Singleton and Solly Stansbury and many more will be in action in the boys game, which follows the girls game.

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By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

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OPEN MRI OF WALL Continues its Support of the Shore Basketball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Game

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Lakewood Basketball is on a Mission to Finish the Job in SCT

Player of the Year candidate Tyrice Beverette led the way with a game-high 22 points, including a 10-for-12 showing at the foul line, and center Ben Watson scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half to go along with 14 rebounds to help close out the win. Sophomore guard Jason Dunne led the Huskies (12-10) with 17 points, burying four 3-pointers, in the loss.

This is the second time in the last three seasons the Piners have reached the SCT semifinals and a step further than they made it last season, when they were upset in the quarterfinals by Manasquan.

"We were fired up because we had to pick up the slack from last year,'' Beverette said. "The rankings go out the window when you go on the court. In previous years, we've been good throughout the regular season, but that doesn't count. This is where it counts."

"Our pregame speech was that we made it to this point last year and we couldn't advance so let's redeem that loss,'' said Lakewood coach Randy Holmes. "We're on a mission. We truly are taking it one game at a time. Even though they (Matawan) are a so-called Cinderella, they're a good team. In order to beat the two teams that they beat to get here, they're a good team.''

After taking an 11-8 lead in the first quarter, the Piners never trailed again as they forced 19 turnovers and consistently created second-shot opportunities on the glass. Beverette had 12 points to stake them to a 29-15 lead at the half despite the Piners shooting 11-for-29 as a team from the field. Matwan only had 13 shot attempts in the first half because of a Piners defense that forced 14 turnovers with its full-court pressure. Lakewood made sure the Huskies didn't gain any early confidence after coming off a

"We knew we had to jump on them because we knew that they shoot a lot of threes, and we didn't want to let them into the game,'' Watson said. "If we gave them momentum, they would've been able to hang right with us.''

"When you're No. 1, everyone plays their hardest against you, and when you give the not-so-good teams confidence, they seem to play harder and get themselves back into the game,'' Beverette said. "It was important to get after them right from the beginning."

Matawan fought its way back into the game in the third quarter, which has usually been Lakewood's most explosive quarter this season, by holding the Piners to nine points and hitting open looks. They trimmed the lead to 38-30 going into the fourth quarter, but couldn't get any closer than seven points in the final period because of a combined 12 fourth-quarter points by Beverette and Watson.

While it was a disappointing loss for the Huskies, they return pretty much their entire team next season so the future is bright.

"I told the guys that it hurts, but it shows us the level we have to reach to get back here and make it a step further next year,'' said Matawan coach Tom Stead.

"This was a great run for a young team, but these guys are hungry for more.''

A 3-pointer by Dunne cut it to 40-33 early in the fourth quarter, but guard Malik Mendez answered with coast-to-coast layup to push the lead back to nine points.

Holmes had yelled at his team not to help on any lobs in the post because it was leaving Matawan's array of 3-point shooters Senior guard Tyrice Beverette with open looks, and the Piners heeded the call the rest of the way by only allowing one harmless 3-pointer. Mendez's bucket started a 6-0 burst that made it 46-33 after Watson dropped in a layup off a nice dish by Mo Diawara with 3:12 left in the game.

"With our defense and with our big guys inside and how active they are, we're a hard team to beat,'' Holmes said. "Ben is 6-7, 315 pounds. He just puts a body on you and that wears you down.

In the fourth quarter, he still has energy and the other team is sapped of its energy.''

So is Lakewood, which is out to capture its first title since way back in 1991, when Holmes was a star guard for the Piners.

by:

Scott Stump

www.allshoremedia.com Photo by:

Dave Thorne www.davethorn ephotography .com

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Top-seeded Lakewood avoided the slow starts that have plagued the Piners at time this season and used its winning formula of attacking the offensive glass and forcing turnovers to dispatch the 24th-seeded Huskies 57-42 at Brookdale Community College. The Piners (20-2) moved on to face Toms River North in the semifinals in search of their first trip to the SCT final since 1995.

The Piners contested every 3-point attempt down the stretch, expanding the lead to 49-36 after a free throw by Watson with 2:14 left in the game. By the time Erick Davis threw down a dunk on a slash to the basket, it was 53-39 with under 1:30 to go and Lakewood was on its way to the semifinals.

buzzer-beating, one-point win over Christian Brothers Academy in the previous round that put them into the SCT quarterfinals for the first time since 1958.

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akewood's boys basketball team knows what it's like to get deep into the Shore Conference Tournament only to get its heart broken by a lower-seeded team, so the Piners were taking nothing for granted against a Cinderella Matawan squad in this season’s quarterfinals.

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By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

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Toms River South Battled South Plainfield Admirably

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Written by Bob Badders - Senior Staff Writer

s soon as South Plainfield defeated Phillipsburg a week before the state tournament began, attention turned to Toms River South, the only team left that conceivably stood a chance against New Jersey's best.

On paper, the matchups gave Toms River South a fighting chance. But the margin for error was slim.

There is a reason why the Tigers entered the day with a perfect 30-0 record.

"We knew it had to be a perfect match to have a chance to beat them," said Indians head coach Ron Laycock.

Toms River South battled South Plainfield admirably, but perfection was not in the cards.

Toms River South held a six-point lead with four bouts to go. The only problem was those four remaining wrestlers are all nationally ranked, the heart of South Plainfield's lineup known as 'Murderer's Row.' Corey Stasenko, Scott

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DelVecchio, Anthony Ashnault and Troy Heilmann closed the match with four straight pins to give the Tigers a 40-22 victory in the NJSIAA Group III final Sunday at Pine Belt Arena. The Tigers finished undefeated and will conclude the season as the No. 1 team in New Jersey for the second season in a row.

"We had to wrestle a perfect match and it didn't happen," Laycock said. "And obviously they have some horses who are going to get bonus points. You have to hope you have a 24-point lead and hope you can stay off your back to have a chance heading into that part of the lineup."

The Indians won six bouts against South Plainfield, including a 2-0 win by senior Kevin Corrigan over standout freshman Dan Hedden at 113 and Brandon Murray's 7-1 decision over Ray Jazikoff at 120. What was already an uphill battle became even more difficult when sophomore Joe Salvato re-injured his knee during Toms River South's Group III semifinal match with Brick. The 160-pounder, who entered the day with a 27-2 record, was an integral part of the Indians' plan of

attack against the Tigers.

"Salvato getting injured in the first match certainly didn't help us, but at the same time they didn't wrestle (160-pounder Inan) Sikel so I guess it was an even match anyhow," Laycock said.

A potential matchup that loomed at 145 pounds was Toms River South senior state champ B.J. Clagon versus South Plainfield senior and state runner-up Troy Heilmann. Clagon weighed in at 152, however. Toms River South was willing to give up a win to Heilmann at 145 if it meant Clagon could pick up bonus points against Dylan Painton at 152, starting what the Indians hoped would be a nine-bout winning streak.

"Our goal with having B.J. up at 152 was to try to win every match from there to 113," Laycock said.

"We thought they would wrestle (Jordan) Handwerger at 160 and move Sikel up to 170, and I think Antres (Clagon) is wrestling tough enough right now that he could have beat him."

Instead Painton defeated Garrett Applegate by

Dr. Sharon Wentworth & Dr. Stephen Bade

My 15-year-old daughter plays school and club soccer. She has been experiencing knee pain but she did not have a specific knee injury that she remembers. What should I do?

ANSWER: With the current trend of young athletes playing a

QUESTION: Bobby Smith, Owner and Founder of Reach Your Potential Training

QUESTION: The cold and flu has been

going around my son’s soccer team this past month. If my son does get sick, at what point do I decide whether he can still practice and train or not?

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sport year round we are seeing a greater incidence of overuse syndromes such as tendonitis. There are also syndromes common in adolescent athletes that cause knee pain such as Osgood Schlatter and Patella Femoral Pain Syndrome. Since there was no mechanism of injury, without performing an evaluation, we can assume that your daughter's pain may fall into one of these diagnoses.

Tendonitis is the inflammation of a tendon and is commonly the cause of pain in the front of the knee (Patella Tendonitis).

Osgood Schlatter presents very similarly to Patella Tendonitis but is caused by a growth spurt, at which time the bones grow faster than the muscles and tendons, resulting in pain where the Patella tendon attaches to the Tibia (shin bone). Patella Femoral Pain Syndrome is a muscular imbalance around the patella (knee cap) and causes the patella to track incorrectly on the femur (the thigh bone), which causes pain. This is more common in female athletes. With proper stretching, sports performance training (RYPT), and adequate rest/recovery, your daughter's symptoms can be resolved without long-term issues. Either a physical therapist or her school athletic trainer can provide her with the proper exercise and two weeks of rest will do a world of good. If the symptoms do not resolve, you may want to see a sports orthopedic surgeon for further evaluation.

If you have a Question for our Experts please email us at info@elitespc.com

At 195 Luigi Gerardi held off Mike Rutter for a 21 win. At 220 pounds Tory Russell pinned Marvin Hayden in 3:20 and at heavyweight Tyler Calderone put James Kearney to his back late in the bout to break open a close matchup and win 7-1. Toms River South's 13-4 lead had turned into a 16-13 deficit and relief was nowhere in sight. Freshman Owen McClave defeated Ryan Walsh 7-4 at 106 before Corrigan's win over Hedden at 113 and Murray's clutch win over Jazikoff at 120. Murray was up 2-1 in the third period when he head-locked

TRS senior Kevin Corrigan

Jazikoff to his back for a five-point move and a 7-1 win. But with just a 22-16 lead left heading into that brutal stretch from 126 to 145, the match was essentially over.

"We were a couple bullets short," Laycock said.

"At heavyweight and 195 they weren't that strong, but they happened to be a point better than us. And their 220-pounder was a little better than I thought he was. But I think everyone in the gym saw we weren't intimidated. We went out there and wrestled our butts off."

"Gerardi did a great job and Tory Russell has been doing that all year for us," said South Plainfield head coach Kevin McCann. "People underestimate

"Time goes by too fast, I wish it would slow down a little bit so we could really enjoy it," said Laycock, referring to the two-day turnaround between the sectional finals and group championships.

"I'm sure it will sink in and we'll have a couple days to enjoy it before districts."

by:

Bob Badders

www.allshoremedia.com

Photo by:

Doug Bostwick ww w.spo rtsho tsw lb .com

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The toss up bouts in the upperweights had an enormous amount of weight on them. The blueprint to beat South Plainfield is simple: pile up points against its upperweights to counteract the power from 113 to 152.

Bergen Catholic thought they could execute that same plan earlier in the season and lost by the exact same score. South Plainfield's wrestlers from 170 to heavyweight don't get much attention, but they have been the key to many of the Tigers' biggest victories.

The team season still technically extends to next weekend's district tournaments, but regardless of what happens at District 24, Toms River South put together the best season the program has had in 30 years, and possibly ever. The Indians won their first NJSIAA sectional title in their fifth straight finals appearance, advanced to the Shore Conference Tournament final for the first time since 1978, beat Southern and Brick Memorial in the same season for the first time ever and claimed a share of the Class A South division title.

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him. And even a kid like Lynch battling and not giving up bonus points. Those are the differences in big matches."

major decision, 8-0, at 152 before South Plainfield forfeited to B.J. Clagon up at 160.

Antres Clagon won by major decision, 14-4, over Handwerger at 170 before Quentin DeCarlo held off Collin Lynch, 3-2, at 182 pounds to give Toms River South a 13-6 lead.

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By Bob Badders - Senior Staff Writer

or 371 days, Brick Memorial's wrestling team had one singular, unified goal: return to the NJSIAA Group IV final and complete a task left unfinished last February.

"We had a thirst from the beginning," said sophomore Alec Donovan. "Our goal was to get back here. And this time win it all."

Another chapter in the storied history of Brick Memorial's wrestling program was written Sunday evening at Pine Belt Arena. And as it so often has in the past, the defining moment will be talked about for years to come.

him we were all overwhelmed, speechless," said senior Connor Maliff.

The call did not sit well with Southern Regional head coach John Stout, who was adamant that it was not a pin. Donovan had not been awarded two points for a takedown prior to the fall. However, a wrestler doesn't have to be taken down to be pinned from the neutral position.

"I've been involved with wrestling for 32 years and I know what a pin is, I've seen it a thousand times, and it wasn't even close to being a pin, especially in that situation," Stout said. "He didn't even call two for the takedown. And I know you don't have to be taken down to be pinned, however, it wasn't even close."

"I couldn't really see what it was, it was right in front of them," O'Cone said.

"I can only go by what the officials say. Of course if they say it's a pin I'm not going to argue with that. I do think he had the two (points for a takedown)."

haven't been able to sleep, I haven't been able to eat, I haven't been able to dream about anything else but coming here to wrestle and erasing the chalkboard and writing something new. It's been a weight on my shoulders that, as a professional, I couldn't wait to get back here and get rid of."

"We've been waiting for this moment ever since last year," Maliff said.

"We took advantage of it, wrestled our toughest and came out on top."

Southern, which won the Group IV title in 2005, saw its bid for the program's second state title thwarted again by one of its familiar foes. The Rams made four straight Group IV finals from 2006 through 2009, losing twice each to Jackson Memorial

Donovan matched up with Southern Regional junior Zach Wilhelm, a state medalist in 2011 and a Brick Memorial Beast of the East medalist won seven of the 11 this season, at 138 pounds J u n i o r 1 9 5 - pounder N i c k C o s t a contested bouts with the Mustangs holding against the Rams, a seven-point lead. including bonus points from Nick Costa at 195 and Donovan scored a takedown in the third period to Joe Ghione at 120, for the second win over its Class A force overtime, and in sudden victory he pinned Wilhelm out of a scramble with one second left on the South rival this season. Mustangs senior Matt Moore was awarded a forfeit at 220 pounds while Brick clock to send Brick Memorial on its way to a 34-27 Memorial forfeited the final two weights to Chris victory and the 2013 NJSIAA Group IV title.

Serpico and Gerardo Donovan, who on Friday handed Howell senior Ben Jorge at 160 and 170, Esposito his first loss of the season during the Central respectively, after Jersey Group IV final, etched his name into Mustangs Cliff Ruggiero's 8-1 lore by effectively clinching Brick Memorial's eighth win over Jake state championship. Wilhelm was almost in on a Campana at 152 takedown late in overtime but Donovan countered pounds clinched the with a whizzer and a single on Wilhelm's right leg as match. The eighth he attempted to scramble out of harm's way. Wilhelm title for Brick tried to reach over the top as Donovan drove forward, Memorial is also its but the Mustangs sophomore rolled through and sat third under O'Cone his hips out while hooking Wilhelm's right leg. It and third in six happened in a flash and in the nick of time, the fall seasons. It places them coming at 6:59, to give Brick Memorial a 28-15 lead tied for fifth in state with four bouts remaining. history with South Plainfield and "Actually, in the practice before this my coach Kittatinny, which also (Brian Grainer) got me in that same position and I have eight. picked it up out of nowhere and hit it here," Donovan said.

"There's no name for that, I just caught his arm and turned him."

"We know (Alec) is in good shape but Wilhelm is a tough competitor," said Brick Memorial head coach Dan O'Cone.

"We knew it was a toss-up."

"When he pinned

J u n i o r h e a v y w e i g h t Ty l e r P o l i n g

"It has been an almost unquenchable thirst for me, personally," O'Cone said. "I

and Brick

"I'm proud of how we wrestled, couldn't be more proud," Stout said. "They went on a great run and had a great tournament as a team. We've got to keep our heads up going into districts and keep wrestling at the same level."

Connor

S o p h o m o r e 1 4 5 - pounder R o b R u g g i e r o Case started the Rams off with an 8-3 decision over

Tyler Poling's 5-0 decision over Jesse Bauta at heavyweight.

James Knoeller topped Luke Vescovi 4-0 at 106 pounds to make it 15-6 before Brick Memorial won the next two bouts to open up a 22-6 lead. Maliff used a late takedown to edge Chris Crane, 4-2, at 113 before Ghione won by major decision, 13-5, over Pat Mooney at 120, also utilizing a late takedown to secure bonus points.

"We're fighters and we never give up," said Maliff, whose tough weight cut down to 113 pounds was a key factor in the Mustangs' title run.

"Overtime, first period, third period, it doesn't matter.

We're a tough team."

Andrew Tonneson's 9-2 decision over Jared Staub at 126 pounds and Nick Racanelli's pin over Jose Bocalman at 132 thrust the Rams back into the match, however, with the score now 22-15, setting up the dramatic pin from Donovan over Wilhelm at 138.

"If you see (Donovan) in the room he's the hardest working kid in there," Maliff said. "He'll outwork almost anyone, and it shows out here and with how far he's come."

Connor Owen at 182

At 145 pounds Rob Ruggiero used a first-period takedown to defeat Matt Wilhelm, 3-0, to set up his twin brother Cliff for the match-clinching decision at 152. Cliff Ruggiero threw Campana to his back in the first period for a four-point move. Those were all the points he would

"To look at that trophy case before I started, it looked like an insurmountable task," O'Cone said. "And I don't ever think I'll fill it up as much as coach Caravella did, but to win three state titles makes me feel personally like I can stand up to the standards he left."

O'Cone's biggest problem now will be enjoying the win.

He admitted he has to fight off urges to think ahead to the

Head coach Dan O'Cone holding the trophy.

District 23 tournament even in the immediate moments after winning a state title.

"I'm not good at this part," he said. "Right now I want to start thinking about districts. I tried to promise myself I would enjoy this."

A year ago Brick Memorial left Pine Belt Arena with an empty feeling. A year later they found redemption.

"As O'Cone would say," Maliff said. "Our thirst is finally quenched."

by:

Bob Badders

www.allshoremedia.com Photo by:

Doug Bostwick ww w.spo rtsho tsw lb .com

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A program that was established in 1981, Brick Memorial has enjoyed tremendous success basically from its inception. It won its first group title in 1986, the first of five under legendary head coach Tony Caravella. The Mustangs have enjoyed great continuity, as well, with just three coaches in their history. Caravella retired from head coaching after the 2003 season with 325 wins, two teams that finished No. 1 in New Jersey and a massive shadow cast over those who would follow him. Current assistant coach Dean Albanese took over for three seasons before O'Cone came over from Point Beach to start the 2007 season. In that span he has guided the Mustangs to three Group IV titles, two Shore Conference Tournament championships and piled up 147 wins.

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"It feels awesome," said Moore, one of five senior starters for the Mustangs. "We've been looking for this moment since we lost last year.

It's all we've been thinking about."

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Memorial. Despite injuries and a lineup that seemed to be in constant flux, Southern rallied late in the season to top a solid Shawnee program and capture its ninth South Jersey Group IV title. In the group semifinals, the Rams knocked off perceived favorite Hunterdon Central, which was coming off its second victory over Phillipsburg this season and had only lost to top-ranked South Plainfield.

need as he won by decision, 8-1, to clinch the match.

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pounds for an early 3-0 lead.

The Mustangs pulled ahead, 15-3, on a pin

by Costa over Patrick Ferraro at 195, a forfeit to Moore at 220 and

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Point Beach Reaches SCT Semis for 2 Time in 3 Years nd

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By Matt Manley - Staff Writer

oint Beach coach Nick Catania knows his team is talented enough to win the Shore Conference Tournament championship, but if there is one variable that he has been imploring his team to pay attention to, it is mental toughness.

Entering the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinal against No. 10 seed Manalapan, the second-seeded Garnet Gulls had not won a game this season in which they trailed in the second half.

Early in the fourth quarter on Feb. 17, Point Beach trailed a streaky-shooting team with a future Division I guard at its disposal.

Trailing by four points early in the fourth quarter and struggling to contain Manalapan senior Anthony Firkser, Point Beach rediscovered its game on both ends and closed out the Braves 52-45 at Collins Arena to advance to the SCT semifinals for the second time in three seasons. Point Beach is looking to advance to the SCT final for the first time since 1963 while seeking its first ever title.

"When we started the season, we had three goals: win our division, win Shore Conference and win states," junior guard Matt Farrell said. "We got the first one and today was a step toward getting to our second goal, but we still have two games to go."

Manalapan went on a 10-0 run over a stretch of the third and fourth quarters to take its first lead of the game, 35-31, with seven minutes left. Point Beach regrouped, scoring on an alley-oop from Farrell to junior forward Dominique Uhl, who slammed home a dunk that halted the Braves run. Farrell then hit a pullup, midrange jumper off an offensive rebound to tie the game at 35. After a pair of free throws

by Uhl and two more by Farrell, the Garnet Gulls had answered with an 8-0 run of their own to take the lead for good.

"The one thing we've harped on in practice and even going back to the preseason was being mentally

tough," Catania said. "I feel like sometimes, in previous years, we could have been a little bit mentally tougher, and you don't really know how that's going to go until you get into situations. The good thing is this team has a high buy-in. Our guys have made the commitment, putting in the hours, driving to Linden in the summer, and the commitment is there."

After Point Beach built the lead to 42-37, Manalapan guards Joey Pisciotti and Mike Busto hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to slice the Garnet Gulls lead to 44-43 with 1:25 left.

Point Beach then put the game on ice by going 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in its final four possessions, with Farrell going 6-for-6 in the fourth quarter. For the game, the Garnet Gulls went 18-for-20 from the charity stripe.

Farrell and Firkser finished with nearly identical lines, with each tallying 16 points, four assists and three steals. Firkser had to work hard for his 16 points while matched up against Point Beach junior Noah Yates, who has been called upon to defend the best player on the opposing team in the Garnet Gulls' biggest games.

"Noah has a really long wingspan and he's a great athlete," Farrell said.

"We can put him on any player on any team, and we know that guy is going to have to work a lot harder trying to get past him. Firkser is a really good player and he still got his points, but Noah made him work for everything."

Like the rest of his teammates, Firkser could not find the range on his jumper in the arena setting. Firkser shot 0-for-6 from 3-point range and as a team, Manalapan shot just 4-for-26 from behind the arc.

"We were sending double-teams at him early trying to get him to give up the ball before he could break down the defense," Catania said. "What makes them tough and what makes Firkser tough is that their guys can all shoot. You can't leave their other guards because they can all hit the open shot, and that gives Firkser a chance to take advantage of match-ups."

Uhl scored 11 points to go with 11 rebounds and three blocks, showing no ill effects from a sprained ankle that kept him out of action during the week prior to the SCT. Two of his three field goals Junior guard Matt Farrell

came on alley-oop dunks, the first on a long feed from senior P.J. Kineavy just before the second-quarter buzzer and the other on a lob from Farrell to end the 10-0 Manalapan run.

"It's good playing with the guards we have," Uhl said. "They can both shoot the ball and Matt, he finds me every time. Any time I'm open, somebody is going to get me the ball where I can score."

Kineavy added 10 points and hit Point Beach's two 3-pointers, while Yates added nine points and senior Riley Calzonetti had six to round out Point Beach's scoring.

Senior center Dennis Girolamo had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Manalapan and Busto added eight points for the Braves.

Girolamo helped neutralize Point Beach's size with his effort down low.

"He really battled for us today," Manalapan coach Rick Garretson said of Girolamo. "He is so crafty down around the basket, whether it's on the glass or finishing around the rim.

Between he and Anthony today, those guys were outstanding for us."

Manalapan's run ended in the quarterfinals with the Braves making their deepest SCT run since 1997, when they lost to Christian Brothers Academy in the semifinals after beating Neptune and Lakewood to reach the final four.

"It's really tough leaving here today because this group has worked so hard and played their hearts out today," Garretson said. "I just told them how proud I was of them. Before the year started, if I told them all that we would have made it this far, not a lot of guys would have believed it, but they've believed in each other all year, and they had a great run."

by:

Matt Manley

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TRN Boys Basketball Sets School Record for Wins

n Sehmonyeh Allen—Neptune n Sean Armand—Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis HS (NY) n Delvon Arrington—St. Anthony’s n Brian Baker—Colts Neck n Mustafa Barksdale—RBR n Robert Barksdale—Asbury Park n Billy Beggans—Ocean Township n Kate Beriont—St. John Vianne n Steve Bridgemohan—E Brunswick n Josh Brody—RBR n Brandon Brown—Freehold Boro n Yesenia Burgos—St. John Vianney n Rashon Bruno—St. Anthony’s n Courtney Calderon—St. John Vianney n Isaias Calderon—Neptune n Richard Calia—Holmdel n Shilique Calhoun – Middletown North n Quarran Calhoun—Raritan n Cooper Calzonetti—Neptune n Chase Campbell—Oak Hill Academy (NC) n Cleveland Cannon—Long Branch n Raheem Carter—Long Branch n Corey Chandler—East Side n Robert Cheeks—St. Anthony’s

Scott Stump

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A S A M P L I N G O F C U R R E N T A N D F O R M E R M A C A L L - S TA R S n Rahmir Cottman—RBR n Vincent Council—Lincoln (NY) n Don Coven—Long Branch n Jared Craddox—Lakewood n Paul De Salvo—CBA n Syessence Davis—Neptune n Allen Dean—Neptune n Taquan Dean—Neptune n Dana Jean DeGennaro—RBC n Chris Delaney—CBA n Pat Delaney—CBA n Jose Diaz—Pt. Pleasant Beach n Mark Donnelly—RBR n Sean Dunne—CBA n Kristian Duravcevic—Fordham Preparatory School (NY) n Mike Faherty—Brooklyn Polytech n Matt Farrell—Pt. Pleasant Beach n Crissie Fisher—Rumson-Fair Haven n Sarah Fisher—RBR n Adam Fleischner—Holmdel n Colin Ford—Manasquan n Glen Ford—RBC n Greg Ford—Trenton Central n Avery Gardner—Long Branch

n Billy Gilligan—RBR n Tyler Glass—Mater Dei Prep n Erica Gomez—St. John Vianney n Dana Graziano—Holmdel n Kevin Grier—CBA n Paul Halas—St. Rose n Felicia Harris—RBR n Michael Harris—Randolph n Mykel Harris—Great Mills (MD) n Ashley Hart—The Peddie School n Eugene “Nu Nu” Harvey—St. Benedict’s Prep n Corey Haskins—RBR n Kasey Hobbie—RBC n Norman Hobbie—Manasquan n Darien Hutton—Ewing n Nolan Ivers—Holmdel n Jasmine Jackson—Old Bridge n Rosie Jackson—St. John Vianney n Tyson Johnson—St. Mary’s HS (NY) n Billy Kiss—Long Branch n Michael Kelly—St. Anthony’s (NY) n Nick La Morte—Mater Dei n Herve Lamizana—St. Patrick’s n Erin Leahy—Rumson-Fair Haven

n Carl Little—Asbury Park n Maggie Loundy—Pt. Pleasant Beach n Charles Markens—St. Patrick n Mike Mavrinac—Middletown South n Jasmine McCall—Manalapan n Billy McCue—CBA n Christian Morris—S. Kent School (CT) n Darius Morris—Long Branch n Valerie Morris—Freehold Boro n Michael Murphy—Howell n Sachin Nagpal—Ranney School n Brian O’Reilly—Middletown South n Karen Otrupchak—RBR n Kevin Owens—Neptune n Toni Panza—St. John Vianney n Anthony Perry—St. Anthony’s n Shinece Perry—RBR n Earl Pettis—Saints John Neumann & Maria Goretti Catholic (PA) n Simon Press—Asbury Park n Joey Raines—Asbury Park n David Reeves—RBC n Anne Richards—The Lawrenceville Sch. n Charlie Rogers—Matawan n Amanda Rosato—St. John Vianney

V i s i t o u r w e b s i t e , w w w. m a c t e s t i n g . c o m

n Alifiya Rangwala—The Ranney School n Will Sanborn—RBR n Keyron Sheard—RBR n Brian Snodgrass—Holmdel n Lauren Sokol—The Peddie School n Stephen Spinella—Colts Neck n Matt Stahl—Middletown South n Missy Stavola—Rumson-Fair Haven n Jenna Strich—RBC n Scott Stump—RBC n Kim Talbot—RBC n Aaron Tarver—RBR n Terrance Todd—Neptune HS n Maurice Turpin—Long Branch n John Weldon—Freehold Boro n Dawn Werner—St. John Vianney n John Werner—St John Vianney n Kade Weston—RBR n Kayshanna Wesley— Asbury Park n Eric Yarborough— Asbury Park n Tomora Young—RBR n Terry Zinn—RBC n Lynne Zoltowski—RBC

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Stansbury snatched the rebound and was fouled. He made one of two free throws with 35.9 seconds left for a 57-54 advantage. Federici then buried his game-tying 3-pointer to set the stage for Singleton's ultimate heroics.

While Federici finished with 30 points, the Mariners were content to let him get his points as long as they shut down everyone else.

Senior forward Tim Vangelas had 10 points, but no one Senior guard Damien Singleton else on Colts Neck managed more than seven. Outside of Federici, the Cougars shot 11-for-30 from the field.

"That was our scouting report,'' Caswell said.

Several Toms River North seniors were part of a group that set the single-season record for wins at Toms River-Intermediate North when they were in eighth grade.

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shot 3-for-13 from the floor. Singleton also gained some early confidence with a team-high seven first-half points as the Mariners attacked in transition and off the dribble.

"I just wanted to come out and be a leader,'' said Singleton, who was also a starting wide receiver on the football team.

Toms River North was leading 33-24 with 5:42 left in the third quarter when Stansbury picked up his third foul and went to the bench. Without one of the Shore Conference's top shot blockers patrolling the middle, Colts Neck attacked the paint relentlessly, and forward James Sobieski (7 points) began creating points with offensive rebounds. The Cougars went on a 19-7 run to end the quarter, with Federici rattling off 11 points during the run and assisting on two other buckets. The burst gave Colts Neck a 44-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter and left open the question of whether Caswell let Stansbury sit too long on the bench to allow the Cougars to get back into the game.

"We did (consider putting Stansbury back in), but we knew it was still the third quarter,'' Caswell said. "It didn't get too far out of hand, so we kind of just stuck with it.''

"Teams always make runs when he's on the bench, so we he can back in, I knew we were going to answer with a run,'' Singleton said.

An 8-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters gave Colts Neck a 48-40 lead with 6:51 left in the game, but the Class A South champions would not back down. They came right back with a 6-0 run of their own to cut the lead to 48-46 with 5:21 left in the game after a bucket by junior guard Kyle Carrington (10 points).

"We were actually dominating for most of the game,'' Caswell said. "We had some foul trouble and went down, and in years past and games past where kids might have given up a little bit, they just fight back. Damien Singleton was unreal."

After Colts Neck ran a minute off the clock and scored on a dish from senior point guard Luke LaLima to Federici for a layup, Singleton made a huge play to keep the Mariners breathing down the Cougars' neck. The 5-foot-9 guard snatched an offensive rebound in the middle of the paint, scored and was fouled for a three-point play that cut it to 52-51 with two minutes to go.

"I'm a football player, so when I see it, I'm going to go get the ball,'' Singleton said.

After the teams traded baskets, Singleton again finished at the rim and was fouled for a three-point play that gave the Mariners a 56-55 lead with 57.7 seconds left in the game. After a miss by Federici,

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oms River North head coach Rory Caswell knows Damien Singleton is an outstanding athlete, but the difference between a good performance from him and the game-saving effort he gave on Feb. 17 came down to one thing.

"It's all about confidence with him,'' Caswell said. "Once he hit a bucket or two, I told him, 'You need to lead us.' He took it on his back and just went. He's that type of athlete that can just make play.''

That confidence was on full display at the most critical juncture of the game in Sunday's Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Singleton scored 11 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter and sank the game-winning free throw with 5.1 seconds remaining to send the fifth-seeded Mariners to a thrilling 58-57 win over fourth-seeded Colts Neck (18-4) at Brookdale Community College. Toms River North (22-2) set a single-season school record for wins and reached the SCT semifinals for the first time since 1998, according to Caswell. They moved on to face topseeded Lakewood in a bid to reach their first SCT final since 1996 and just the second one in school history.

Singleton made the biggest play of the game when Toms River North spread the floor in a 1-4 set only seconds after Colts Neck senior Brandon Federici buried a game-tying 3-point bomb from NBA range at the top of the key with 16 seconds left to cap a 30point effort. Toms River North did not call timeout, setting up the play as Singleton beat his defender off the dribble and was fouled on a lay-up attempt. He hit the first shot for a 58-57 lead and then missed the second, but Federici's desperation heave from halfcourt was off the mark to make the Mariners the first Class A South team in at least a decade to reach the SCT semifinals.

"We didn't expect (Federici) to hit the shot, but we just wanted to push the ball after that,'' Singleton said. "They were fouling a lot so I just wanted to get to the rim. I realized my opponent was smaller than me, so I just wanted to take him off the dribble and body him up."

"That was a hell of a shot by (Federici),'' Caswell said. "We work on this in practice all the time. Shot goes down, 20 seconds left, they know to push it and if we like what we're in, we'll continue or we'll call the timeout. Don't worry about calling the timeout. You go, and I'll take the timeout if we need it."

The Mariners were in control of the game for 2 1/2 quarters before foul trouble for senior center Solly Stansbury (9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks) gave Colts Neck an opening to seize the lead.

The Mariners led 29-22 at the half, with Federici scoring 14 of the Cougars' 22 points on 6-for-11 shooting, but the rest of the team

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Long Branch Comes up Just Short in Impressive Run to Group II Final

W

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

hile many teams would have been beyond proud to have made the run Long Branch did in reaching Sunday's NJSIAA Group II wrestling final, it didn't make the disappointment any less devastating when the Green Wave came up just short against High Point.

Long Branch won eight of 14 bouts, but could not contain the bonus points by the Wildcats, whose five pins helped them pull out a thrilling 33-30 win in front of a capacity crowd at Pine Belt Arena to win the Group II title. The Green Wave pulled out an impressive 26-22 win over state-ranked Voorhees in the semifinals earlier in the day just to get a shot at their nemesis, and they built a 27-12 lead on High Point through nine bouts but could not hold on. High Point won its 15th Group title while denying Long Branch its fourth Group championship in program history by beating the Green Wave for the second time this season. The crucial bout came when High Point's Chris Auer scored a 9-2 decision over Nick Menkin at 138 to give High Point a 33-27 advantage going into the final bout.

"We wrestled our butt off to get here to the finals and that's going to be forgotten by a lot of people, but we competed and we wrestled tough,'' said Long Branch

head coach Dan George.

"That's why you see my guys crying because the bar here is set at winning a Group title.''

High Point, which beat Long Branch 36-25 on Jan. 5 despite missing two starters, won the toss and shuffled its lineup among the upper weights, which gave an opening to the Green Wave. Long Branch jumped out to a 15-0 lead after Jake George and Luke Balina started the match with Long Branch sophomore 112-pounder Tommy Flannigan decisions at 152 and 160, respectively, and for a 12-0 lead. His twin brother Chris Pappayliou then then the Pappayliou brothers came up with two key followed with a 3-0 win over Porraspita in which he wins. Nick Pappayliou, who lost a one-point decision escaped to start the second period and then scored a while wrestling at 160 in the first meeting with High takedown with 45 seconds left in the second for a 15-0 Point, secured a pin at 170 after High Point decided to advantage. High Point got on the board when Kyle bump Antonio Porraspita up to 182.

Stoll pinned Vin Roselli in 1:41 at 195, but Long Pappayliou was leading Brien Alvino 4-0 in the second period when he turned and pinned him at 2:48

Branch came back with another win that seemed to signal maybe things would be different the second time around.

After a pin in 52 seconds by High Point's Dominick Gallo over Mike Jones at 106, Long Branch's Tommy Flannigan responded with a pin in 3:24 of Leo Haines at 112. Flannigan, who was pinned in Long Branch's regular-season loss to High Point, built a 5-0 lead before putting Haines to his back for a 27-12 advantage with five bouts remaining.

"I felt good at that point, but I knew they had a lot of bullets left in the gun,'' George said. "We were looking for eight (wins) and managing the bonus points. I don't think you can expect to beat High Point in nine bouts."

With High Point's big guns coming up, Long Branch was just trying to minimize the damage enough to get to the last two bouts with a chance to win it. Two different times Long Branch 120-pounder Danny Rios fought off his back against Jared Kobis and looked like he might save a point by limiting Kobis to a technical fall. However, Kobis stuck him with 30 seconds left in

The win by Auken was crucial because it was a lot to ask Long Branch's Nick George, the son of the Long Branch heavyweight Gianni Augustin head coach, to pin Joe Gaccione at 145 in a match-up of two state contenders. the third period to cut the lead to 27-18.

George escaped to start the second period and took "I felt bad for our 120-pounder, who wrestled so well Gaccione down with 26 seconds left in the period right to the end, and then he stopped wrestling and before riding him out for the whole third period for a started defending,'' George said. bittersweet 3-0 decision over a highly-regarded opponent that left Long Branch just short.

Connor McHugh then made short work of Long Branch's Andy Fernandez, pinning him in 1:32 at 126 to keep the momentum going for the Wildcats. The High Point crowd was roaring by the time Mike Derin pinned Danny Mullan in 1:20 at 132 to help High Point surge ahead 30-27.

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"I just think until you're in this environment, it's hard when the momentum switches a little bit,'' George said. "I felt confident if we were still close the last two bouts, we could pull it off, and we almost did.''

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"Gianni was in my doghouse a little bit, but he finally wrestled like he's capable of, and I thought we were in a good spot after that,'' George said.

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After a scoreless first period at 138, Auer chose defense and then reversed Menkin for a 2-0 advantage going into the final period. Another takedown from the neutral position gave Auer a 4-0 lead in the third before Menkin fought back with a reversal to make it 4-2. However, Auken then hit a fivepoint move, nearly pinning Menkin inside the final minute for a 9-2 decision and a six-point lead. It was a tough loss for Menkin, who was a huge reason the Green Wave even reached the championship match because of a 5-4 decision at 138 in the final bout of the win over Voorhees.

High Point decided to bump Rob McDonnell from 220 to heavyweight after McDonnell had pinned Long Branch's Joe Guidetti in the first meeting. Guidetti came up with a 5-2 win over Gunther Wassong, getting a third-period takedown for a 5-1 lead and holding on for a decision that made it 18-6. Long Branch heavyweight Gianni Augustin then had the Green Wave faithful roaring when he decisioned McDonnell 4-1 for a 21-6 advantage. Augustin had a takedown on the edge for a 2-1 lead with nine seconds left in the second period, and then when McDonnell took a weak shot out of desperation late in the match, Augustin took him down with eight seconds left in the third period to seal the decision.

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on a solid academic resume.

Every fall, this seems to happen to a handful of seniors. For many of them, it not only derails their careers, but their life. They never considered the possibility of what life would be like without football, and once it’s gone, they are lost.

Academics often suffer and a bright future dims, leaving them wondering what might have been.

ww w.spo rtsho tsw lb .com

“I took it the opposite way,’’ Corcione said. “I think right after the weekend, it hit me that I’m not going to let this bring me down. It gives me an opportunity to focus on academics and life at home and all that stuff. I used it for good.”

Corcione said he had interest from Monmouth University, Yale and others going into the season, but “the contact with those coaches went away.” He had to find out what kind of person he was beyond athletics because there was the chance that his career in organized sports was done. That day is going to come for a majority of football players, and Corcione received a taste of it in high school.

“I think it’s prepared me hopefully not future disappointments, but if something bad were to happen, I think it would be able to handle it better,’’ he said. “It’s not the end of the world, and you have to get right back up.”

“Unfortunately , you see a lot of kids getting their self-worth tied up in what they do on the football field,’’ said RBC coach Jim Portela. “When you lose that, you start to wonder, ‘What’s my identity?’ In 20 years, people aren’t going to remember that Michael scored X amount of touchdowns or made X amount of tackles. They will remember whether he was a good guy or not and how hard he worked. It’s about what kind of person you are at the end of the day.”

Rather than let his schoolwork slide, he improved

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His film from his junior year also was still floating out there and receiving some interest. In the meantime, he spent (from left) RBC's James Taylor, head coach Jim Portela, Mike Corcione the season helping junior quarterback Pat Toomey Marist had remained interested in Corcione and sophomore safety Mike Cordova, who took despite his injury, and his strong academic standing ed Ban k over his positions after he was injured. The also helped him because it allowed the program to Cath olic’s M ike Cor cion e h ad pu t in th e Caseys finished as the Shore Conference’s No. 1 get him some academic money as part of a team for the second straight season in going 10-1. wo r k all s u mmer, excited f or h is on e an d scholarship package. The player who did not play on ly s h ot to be th e Cas eys ’ s tar tin g one down in a game his senior year ended up When you are a junior and you tear up your knee, qu ar ter back th is f all in addition to committing to the Red Foxes on Feb. 9. there is always the incentive to stick with the team r etu r n in g a s a s tar ter in th e s econ d ar y. and gear up for a big comeback senior year. When “It was great,’’ he said. “My family was in tears you’re a senior and In a scrimmage that day. I was holding back tears myself. It was your season gets wiped against Toms River just such a relief that all my hard work eventually out, it would be easy to North, he ran a bootleg paid off with the difficulties that I faced.” wonder why bother play that he had run a putting in the work Statistically, it’s almost certain that it will happen thousand times, only when there is no in some team’s camp next summer or early in the for his cleat to get concrete payoff on the season. Some seniors will have the year they have stuck in the turf. He field. dreamed about wiped out by a knee injury. felt a pain in his right Corcione has some advice for those guys. knee, but still was able “Standing on the to jog around on the sidelines in that first “The best advice I had was that you’re not only a sidelines. However, game was very hard, but football player, you’re an individual,’’ he said. “If one day later, he got my dad told me to use it you’re out for the season, don’t let it bring you the news from the as an opportunity to down. Let it open your mind to other things. I doctor – torn ACL and possibly get into explored it, and found a bunch of things I was meniscus. Goodbye, coaching one day,’’ interested in to possibly major in for college. senior season, and Corcione said. “I went Football is just a precursor to what life is going to possibly, goodbye RBC's Mike Corcione (#13) to almost every practice be like.’’ college football. and games and helped them where I could. It “It was very devastating at first,’’ Corcione said.

Photo by: helped me take my mind off not being able to play “For about a week, I was just thinking about what I Doug Bostwick in the games.’’ was going to do now. What was the next step?”

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“If most colleges are going to take a chance on somebody, it’s on somebody with good grades,’’ Portela said. “Most schools are not going to waste their time on a kid who can’t cut it academically.’’

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