Varsity Aces

KICKING MARK

Got a call from kicking guru Pat Sempier to let us know that those four field goals Wallington's Marcin Koc kicked Saturday tied a state single game record held by four other kickers. His 14 points ina game was also the second highest total in a game according to Sempier.

Look for a story on Koc later this week.

AROUND THE BCSL OLYMPIC

Three weeks into the season, and two things have become crystal clear about the BCSL Olympic Division. For openers, Hasbrouck Heights is still the team to beat. But, and this is crucial, outside of a rebuilding Ridgefield team, this league is very evenly matched and extremely competitive.

And that means you are going to get a lot of games like ones Bogota and Cresskill played Saturday (21-13 Cresskill) or Friday's Pascack Hills-Emerson slugfest (6-0 Hills). Lots of edge-of the-seat action. Big plays. Just solid high school football.

So, can anyone beat Heights? This week, Park Ridge gets the opportunity.

BAD NEWS FOR RAMSEY

This isn't unexpected, but it's still a blow to Ramsey. Senior captain and quarterback Rob Archetti's knee injury is an ACL that will require surgery and cost him the rest of the season. Archetti, one of those heart and soul type players that mean the world to a program, injured his knee on the first play of the season.

This is a double whammy for Ramsey sports because Archetti is also an All-Bergen caliber baseball player and one of the best hitters in the NBIL.

And so, the Ramsey quarterback chores officially fall to sophomore Danny Kelly. The Rams, who are at Pascack Valley Friday night, are still going to do most of their work on the ground, and Kelly is going to get some serious on the job training.

AROUND THE BCSL OLYMPIC

It was an interesting weekend for Olympic Division football teams, but nothing compared toi what's on tap this week. The game to see is Pascack Hills, ranked No. 19 in the North Jersey Top 25, at Emerson Friday night.

The Cavos are a hot topic after last week's impressive win over St. Mary in a non-league game, and you can read more about them in my Page Two column in Monday's paper. I saw Mike Menditto, along with just about every other Olympic coach, at Saturday's Hasbrouck heights-Bogota game, and he provided some insight into his team.

WELCOME TO THE STANTON ERA

Not only has Mike Stanton played in the major leagues, but the new Don Bosco baseball coach is from Texas. That means he knows a thing or two about high-profile high school sports programs.

"I do know what big time high school sports are all about," Stanton said Friday afternoon after officially informing the Bosco players that the job is his. "But ultimately, what I'm trying to do is create youing men who are ready to go on to the next level and become a productive part of soceity. There are plenty of ways to do that, but baseball is one of their avenues.

"Winning baseball games are great, but I think you can learn a lot from those times when everything isn't all roses."

Is Stanton, who has no high school coaching experience a good choice? Time will tell. But Greg Butler, one of the best baseball men in North Jersey, will still be there for him to lean on and he has top-shelf assistants in Jimmy Wladyka and Lou DiChiaro.

NEW BOSCO BASEBALL COACH

There's a meeting going on at Don Bosco this hour at which Greg Butler is telling the players he is stepping down as baseball coach and turning the reins over to Mike Stanton.

Butler, who is also the athletic director and supervisor of physical education at Demarest High School, will however stay involved with the team in what he calls "a general manager role."

Stanton, a former major leaguer who played for the Mets and Yankees, was one of Bosco's pitching coaches last season. This is his first head coaching job at any level.

Butler wanted to stay on as head coach, but there was no way to swing the schedule so he could be effective in both his jobs. I will be speaking to Stanton when the meeting with thye players is over, and there will be much more on this later both here and in Saturday's Record and Herald News.

NEW MILFORD 28, PARK RIDGE 10

I'm a little late blogging on this one, but I had to make a quick side trip to my daughter's first parent-teacher night at Albertus Magnus. This game was a good one, and I was especially impressed with New Milford because I didn't know what their offense would look like this season.

 You can always count on the Knights finding a good running back, and the newest in their growing line of gamebreakers is senior Filip Piasevoli. Not as easy to spell as Jeff Bliss or A.J. Scoppa, but if his 306-yard, three-touchdown performance is any sign of things to come, we'll get plenty of practice.

The Knights made some smart plays on defense, and it looks like Sam Doran has matured a s a quarterback. You can read a full report in tommorrow's Record and Herald News.

BC 38, IONA PREP 2

Bergen Catholic scored five touchdowns in the second half and blew past Iona Prep, 38-2, in the opener Friday night at Giants Stadium. It was a great defensive effort, snapping the Gael's 11-game-winning streak.

BC 31, IONA PREP 2

And Crusaders keep piling on. They opened the fourth quarter with another touchdown, this one an 11-yard run off a lateral by Ernie Wingate with 11:11 remaining.

BC 24, IONA PREP 2

The first half nailbiter has suddenly become a romp. The Crusaders are starting to pile on, taking a 24-2 lead on Spencer Kulcsar's three-yard touchdown run with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter.