Varsity Aces

Football: More fuel for the fire

Well, you knew this was inevitable.  All it takes is a weekend like this and you can all but guarantee that there will be some hooting and hollering about the public/non-public issue in football.

It begins in Wayne, where the Patriots of Wayne Hills saw their 55-game unbeaten streak end at the hands of St. Joseph Regional, 17-15.  It was the second longest active winning streak in the country behind the 71-game run of Smith Center in Kansas.

Football: Bergenfield 12, Indian Hills 6

When your last .500 season goes back to 2002 and your last winning record was in 2000, winning close games is no guarantee.  Bergenfield is a classic example, a team that was winless last season and is still a very young team this season.

For many of the Bears, just playing is a new experience, so when they were sitting on a lead late in the fourth quarter against Indian Hills, the game was anything but over.  When they fumbled at the Braves' 8-yard line with 1:46 left, you could sense the "here we go again" coming.

When your last .500 season goes back to 2002 and your last winning record was in 2000, winning close games is no guarantee.  Bergenfield is a classic example, a team that was winless last season and is still a very young team this season.

For many of the Bears, just playing is a new experience, so when they were sitting on a lead late in the fourth quarter against Indian Hills, the game was anything but over.  When they fumbled at the Braves' 8-yard line with 1:46 left, you could sense the "here we go again" coming.

Football: Paramus Catholic 34, Northern Highlands 6

If there was ever a team that was desperate for a win, it was Paramus Catholic.  Coming off of that heartbreaking loss to St. Joseph last week and heading into a bye next week, the prospect of being 0-3 and seeing the season slipping away would have been disastrous.

When Northern Highlands left them a short field after a shanked punt, the Paladins jumped on the chance.  Getting the early 7-0 lead sent them on the way, and when the Highlanders gave them two more scores with mistakes, PC had its requisite victory.

Don Bosco - De La Salle pregame

Welcome to Granatell Stadium, where tonight Don Bosco begins its quest for national prominence against Calfornia powerhouse De La Salle.

It's 5 minutes prior to kickoff, and the press box is packed.  The stands are filling in, and it will be intertesting to see if the weather plays a factor in the crowd.  Right now, the rain has stopped.

That spells good news for Bosco and their passing attack.  It is also important to note that the Ironmen will be without their two starting guards, as Shane Scannell and TC Sweeny are both out.  A third guard, Peter Miele, may also not be playinmg.  Will this hurt the Bosco game which depends on the ability to run the middle?  We'll see shortly.

We'll be blogging live, so keep coming back every 10 minutes or so for updates. 

Ramapo-Indian Hills to play tonight

We're getting word that the Ramapo-Indian Hills football game is going ahead as scheduled tonight.

Shades of 2003, when the two teams played in a torrential downpour Thanksgiving weekend and IH upset a much more talented Ramapo team on a last-second field goal.  Wonder how much that played into the Braves' decision to go forward tonight.

Ridgewood-Hackensack football on for tonight

Just got a call from athletic director Greg McDonald at Ridgewood to let us know that the Ridgewood-Hackensack football game is ON for tonight.  With the winds expected to weaken and the rain starting much later than expected, the optimum field conditions on the grass will be this evening.

Should be interesting to see which team is affected the most.  Will the Maroon Wing-T offense be clicking with the slick pigskin?  Will this take away the Comet passing game in QB Malik Bush's debut?

We'll find out in a few hours.

Ridgewood-Hackensack football update

After all the rain we suffered through in the summer, you'd think the skies were dried out, but no.  So, for the second year in a row, week one will be a wet one.

That means the best laid plans are subject to change.  I spoke with Ridgewood athletic director Greg McDonald today and he informs me that they are going to everything possible to play Friday night's home game with Hackensack.

Bergen baseball: Heart of a Champion

Love them or hate them, you have to give St. Joseph a lot of credit for their 72 hour journey into baseball's version of the abyss.  Don Bosco. Ramsey. Ramapo.  Three very worthy opponents; three very difficult games.

For 16-18 year olds, the ability to not only perform but control the emotions and handle the enormity of the moment is hardly an easy one.  Yet, the Green Knights not only did that, but they may actually have relieved a big portion of the pressure with their 10-0 mercy rule defeat of Ramapo in the championship game of the Bergen County tournament.

Bergen Baseball: Pitching, pitching, pitching

Bob Graber stepped back in time on Saturday to an era that for all intents and purposes is long gone in baseball.  Because of that, Ramapo is in the Bergen County baseball championship game.

Rob Frank stepped out of the shadows this past week, and on Saturday he cemented himself in St. Joseph history.  Because of that, the Green Knights are still alive in two tournaments.

So was a beautiful end of May day in Demarest, a compelling doubleheader of baseball that drew a crowd of over 2,000 people throughout the afternoon.  They were treated to 14 innings of drama, though the two games were as diverse as they were similar.

County baseball: A rough quarterfinal day

As a follow up to the Mark Czerwinski and Andy Vasquez posts, this was a difficult day for Bergen County baseball.  All four games were one-sided affairs, and even though Ramsey went the full seven innings in a 9-3 win, they went virtually coast to coast after a five-run first offset a Park Ridge run in the top of the opening inning.

St. Joseph knocked St. Mary ace Dan O'Neill around in a 10-0 mercy rule win in six innings, a surprise in that O'Neill was expected to give the Gaels a punchers chance.  The problem is that St. Mary struggles offensively, and when your ace is down 4-0 in the bottom of the third, the sense is that the game is all but over for the Gaels.