Bronxville League Meet

by Dayton Flannery

On May 11th the Bronxville Boys’ Varsity Track team raced in the league championship meet. Competing against schools including Children’s Village, Blind Brook, and Valhalla, the Bronxville team ran fast and was crowned league champions at the end of the day.

Bronxville began the meet winning the 3200m relay. With Valhalla as their biggest competition it was important to start the meet off with some points. The 4x800 team featured freshmen Jack Dennen, Julian Bardin, James Harrison, and senior, sub-two minute 800 runner Christian Yoo. Our three fresh men worked hard to give Yoo the baton in a nice position, but it didn’t matter because Yoo simply toyed with Valhalla’s anchor leg. After the boys placed in the 110m hurdles, second, fourth, and fifth, the spectators had the pleasure of watching Bronxville’s very own human machine, Nat Recine, run the 100m dash. Recine placed first in a time of 11.3 with teammates Liam Berney and Luke Nichols taking second and fifth.

All of these points were much appreciated considering the boys were missing their star hurdler, Jonathon Sturr. Unfortunately Sturr couldn’t make the meet due to illness. “I thought at three o’clock that we had lost the meet,” says head coach Ed Stickles of Sturr’s absence. Everyone on the team knew it would be a tough meet to win because they had only beaten Valhalla by three points in the regular season. Sturr scores points for Bronxville in both the pole vault and all hurdle events.

Despite their loss of athletes, the boys track team persevered. In the 400m run, freshman Jack Aherne took 2nd in a time of 55.0. Only to follow him was eighth grader Luke Marrone, taking fourth place in a personal best of 58.0. The 1600m followed the 400m and Bronxville placed first, second, and sixth. Within that race were three personal bests from seventh grader John Flannery (5:10), eighth grader John Vetromile (5:11), and freshman James Harrison (5:13). Moments after the 1600, we all had the pleasure of watching Recine and Liam Berney place first and second followed by Xavier Lessane who ran a personal best of 25.8. To finish the meet, Bronxville won the last 5 track events. Overall they won 9 out of the 11 track events at the league meet, meaning at least 9 all-league athletes.

In between track events athletes also participated in field events. In the shot put, Kieran Borcich placed second throwing 44’4”. Right behind him was his fellow sophomore Henry Palermo who threw 39’7.5”. Also placing in the top six (scoring in all events goes six deep) were juniors Luke Nichols and Hart Mechlin. Mechlin and Palermo also came back and placed third and fifth in the discus. Palermo threw a personal best of 97’11”. In our jumps at the league meet, we found Robert Mahlman placing second and Luke Marrone in fifth. Bronxville also placed third, fourth, and fifth in the high jump; they were lead by Tyler Grantham who jumped a personal best of 5’2”. Also among the field events was a very exciting pole vault. Bronxville had five athletes in the pole vault and four of them had personal bests. Jack Dennen came in second, clearing 9’. Right behind him was junior Karl Benziger clearing 8’6”. Freshmen Niki Balac (7’6”) and Thomas Hudson (7’) placed 4th and 6th.

Out of 17 events over the course of the entire meet, the boys’ track team won more than half. It’s fair to conclude that they deserved the win. Even with missing athletes, the boys managed to pull off a 228-208 victory over Valhalla. Children’s Village came in third with 38 points and Blind Brook had 35. On Wednesday, May 20, the boys’ track and field team will try their luck against a bigger field in the Class C Sectional meet held in Bronxville.

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Play Ball: Varsity Baseball Midseason Report

by Dayton Flannery

On Wednesday, April 22, I had the opportunity to sit and talk with Coach Anthony Vaglica and some of his players on the Varsity Baseball team. “I expect this team to take the season one game at a time,” said Coach Ant of this year’s squad. When I looked around at the Senior Captains sitting with us, and saw them nodding their heads in agreement, I realized that this team has every intention of performing at their best, every opportunity they have.

When asked about any goals he has for the season, Coach Ant told me, “Compete. Every inning of every game.” With a record of 3-4, and currently riding on a 3 game winning streak, the players on this team feel the same way. In fact, the team is already showing that they are ready to play. Just the other day, Senior Captain Brad Taylor toyed with the opposing team when he had a no-hitter until the fourth inning. In seven innings he threw 85 pitches and finished an impressive game, allowing just one hit. Supporting him behind the plate was returning starting catcher Dylan Mitchell. He was the first person listed by his teammates when asked if any young players on the team showed potential. Only a sophomore, with a year of varsity play under his belt, it should be interesting to see what he can bring to the table.

“We’ll be 4-4 by Saturday,” said Vaglica. Senior Captain Bob Anderson predicts that the score in the game against Blind Brook this Saturday, April 25, will be a whopping “7-1.” It may seem ambitious but with the attitude these players have, there is no telling what they are capable of. All seven Seniors on the team agreed that their goal this year is to be the sectional champions. Other than that they agreed that they all want to, “Be happy,” joked senior captain Bobby Dejoy.

“Our team will go as far as our Senior Captains will take us,” Coach Ant told me. There is no doubt in my mind that these Seniors are a team and set a great example for the lower classmen who hold spots on the Varsity lineup. The goals they have established seemed quite clear and it appeared that these guys have thought a lot about their last season as Broncos. On the list of goals was a home playoff game. It will definitely be no simple task, but judging by the tone of their voices it seemed assured that they were ready for the challenge. I curiously asked the team who their biggest threat would be during the season. Coach Anthony quickly replied, “Ourselves.”

This year the varsity baseball team is looking good and seems prepared for a successful season. They all have goals and have a great coach leading the way. Hopefully the team will finish off what could be a winning season and we will be able to watch some great baseball.

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Girls LAX

Photo courtesy of Christie Bonfiglio

by Dayton Flannery

Lacrosse is perhaps the oldest team sport in North America. It was a sport developed by the Native Americans to prepare for war. With each goal scored, men of different tribes brought glory and honor to their names. For hundreds of years it was played by men. The sport was thought to be too aggressive for women. But, since the late 1800s, women have represented their schools on lacrosse teams. This year, the Bronxville High School Girls Lacrosse team continues that tradition.

With the spring sports season coming up, some people might be wondering what our girls lacrosse team is looking like. Even I have been wondering how the varsity team will be after losing great players like Camilla Seirup, Vail Horn, and Carrie Poorman. But after watching the team practice, the season looks like it should go fine.

Coach Michael Bird has the girls on a well organized practice schedule. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but these girls have been training hard since the beginning of the winter season. Sophomore Megan Murray had this to say about their practices, “We always start with plyos, then yoga, and then shuttles…” Usually, following that, they practice offense and defense (7 vs. 7) to sharpen both ends of their game. Then the girls end their practices with different interval type runs. As you can see, these girls aren’t following an easy practice routine. Their coach has them doing all sorts of exercises to keep them in shape for the approaching season.

As for how the team will get along without last year’s stars, we’ll have to see. In the opinion of team captain and senior Caroline Harris, they should do fine with the team they have. “It’s a big loss for us…but I think we’re going to make do without them.” Among last year’s seniors who are missed was the incredibly fast and agile offensive player Vail Horn. According to Caroline, however, there are some new girls on the team who are showing some great talent and the team should be able to have a great season.

The only thing to stop our girls from pursuing their desired record is the new and very competitive league in which they have been placed. To start off the season, the Broncos are facing Horace Greeley and Pearl River for their first two games. Each and every game this season should be quite the test for the lax squad but I have been assured that Coach Bird intends all of their games to be just as trying for the other teams.

I have also been guaranteed that the girls are planning on utilizing their strengths to be the best team possible. “We get along really well…,” says Megan Murray. The girls have also shown great strength in their transition from defense to offense. With a team this fast you will be sure to see a lot of fast breaks for the goal. Hopefully, their strengths will come in handy during tough games this year.

With a challenging season nearing its beginning everyone should be ready to watch some great lacrosse. After all of this hard work and with what seems to be a confident team, I’m sure that the Girl’s Varsity Lacrosse team won’t let us down.

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Where Have You Gone Scott Brosius?

by Dan Lentz

Chris Berman called him Scott “Supercalifragilisticexpialil” Brosius. Yankee radio voice John Sterling called him “Brosius the Ferocious.” He is one of the most memorable Yankees for this generation. Who among us cannot say that they grew up watching the Yankees win World Series after World Series and seeing Brosius pulling through in the clutch time after time?

Brosius was a .257 lifetime hitter. He hit just above a thousand hits (1001) over his career. He wasn’t a homerun king (only hitting above 20 home runs in one season once in his career). Nor was Brosius a base stealer, incredible fielder, or RBI machine. Over his eleven year career he made the All-Star Team once and won one Gold Glove (both with the Yankees). Let’s just say the point is that Brosius is not being considered for the Hall of Fame.

Yet, in his four year career with the Yankees, they never failed to reach the World Series. They won three out of four (the only loss came from a blown save off of the greatest closer of all time). Brosius won the World Series MVP in 1998. In Game 3 of the ’98 World Series he hit two home runs. In Game 5 of the ’01 series he hit a bottom of the ninth two out two run home run to tie the game. Brosius was clutch.

Alex Rodriguez, on the other hand, is a sure fire Hall of Famer. He is a .306 lifetime hitter. He has more hits than Brosius (by over a thousand). He is widely considered a possibility to replace Barry Bonds as the Homerun King. He has won three MVPs. Oh, and he made the All-Star Team 12 times (one more time than the amount of years that Brosius played in his career).

Through A-Rod’s tenure with the Yankees, they have won one playoff series (equaling the number that Brosius lost); they have suffered the monumental collapse to Boston that propelled Beantown towards two World Series titles; and for the first time in about a decade, they missed the playoffs. Every time there is a clutch situation, he seems to buckle. The player who is debatably the best in the big leagues cannot seem to buy a hit.

Who could have imagined that Aaron Boone’s hurting his leg in a pick-up basketball game could be so catastrophic for one team? Sure the argument could be that A-Rod is the Yankee’s best player - just look at the numbers to prove this point. But examine the end results (no World Series, one playoff series win) and listen to the stories that come out of the locker room. Just this spring training alone, fans have been forced to listen to stories about “A-fraud” and steroids while Rodriguez will not even be playing for the first few months of the season.

I imagine the old days. Greats like Paul O’Neil breaking his bat over his leg in frustration, playing with broken ribs; Luis Sojo playing every position imaginable; and Tino Martinez seeming to get a hit every time one was needed. Who could forget Bernie Williams, the Yankee hero who was so callously cast off after the 2006 season? But the Yankees that this generation grew up watching and loving are long gone. Sadly now, for better or worse, we are stuck for the next nine years with the steroid taking pre-Madonna who dates Madonna.

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Tradition of Excellence Continues as Ed Stickles Steps Into Head Coach Role

by Michael Sargent

BRONXVILLE, New York- Mr. Ed Stickles, a rogue and handsome elementary school teacher, will finally have to fully adjust his eyes to the spotlight. After three years of being the assistant Track and Field coach at Bronxville High School for both boys and girls, he now steps in to fill the Head Coach position for the Boy’s Track and Field team.

Ed (as all his runners call him) is one of the very few people who can make something as trivial, monotonous, and sometimes torturous as running seem fun. After coaching the boys in the winter as an assistant, leading them to win both the League and Class C title, Ed will now step into head coach role for the spring.

“It feels good,” said Ed with a smile across his jovial face. “It is an excellent change to become head coach. All the things you always have thought about [as an assistant], you can finally do.”

He certainly is suited for the job. An intense and successful cross country runner in both High School and at Cortland College, Ed is a veteran of the sport and has participated in marathons all around the country (Antarctica remains un-tackled, however). In addition, Stickles has previous coaching experience at Harrison High School, a perennial track and field powerhouse.

But as any coach can attribute, there is more to coaching than simply knowing the sport. Stickles has a different coaching philosophy than many track and field coaches, which he hopes will propel his team to new heights. “I like kids to enjoy coming to practice,” said Stickles, something which is not easy for a practice that consists of pretty much nothing but running and strenuous workouts. “I look to bring a positive attitude to the sport, and to win while having fun.” Ed also looks to increase the unity on the team. “I want everyone to be part of the one team,” explained Stickles, who acknowledged that there has been somewhat of a gap between the sprinters and long distance runners in recent years, mostly because they seldom run together in practice.

Long time Bronxville Girls coach and High School Track legend Jim Mitchell will lend Ed a hand in the spring as well. Mitchell has coached with Ed for the past three years and has extremely high expectations for him. “I think he is a wonderful choice,” said Mitchell, excitement in his voice. “He brings humor and intelligence to every workout.” Mitchell will work with the boys mid-distance runners this spring and has high expectations for the team. “The outlook for the team is very good,” said Mitchell, who acknowledges that the whole team, including Ed, will have to work very hard to succeed and win another sectional title. “I hope he will be so busy he can’t make any ‘old man’ jokes to me,” jested Mitchell.

In addition to Stickles and Mitchell, the boys will be coached by James Salerno, a first year coach at Bronxville who works with the Field athletes on the team. After aiding the sectional victory in the winter with 1st and 2nd finishes in the shotput, Salerno looks forward to another successful season. “I am very excited to work with Coach Stickles and look forward to another very successful season,” said Salerno.

Overall, there are very high hopes for the Boy’s spring track team. With fresh leadership, determined coaching, and undeniable talent, the team certainly looks ready to continue the tradition of excellence that characterizes the program. “That is one of the reasons I came here,” said Stickles, “and I look forward to taking on the challenge and continuing it. Maybe I’ll even give Mitchell a run for his money.”

The school offers its congratulations to Mr. Stickles and wishes him the best of luck for the spring season and on. However, there is one vital question that remains unanswered for Stickles: “TWO?”

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State Champions! (It's What They Do)

by Dayton Flannery

Cornell University, Saturday, March 7th:

“There you go, there you go! Good, good! Don’t forget to smile. Smile!” If you stick around the track until about 3:15, you might be lucky enough to watch the Bronxville Girls Track Team practice. And if you listen to Coach Jim Mitchell well enough, you will be able to hear those words. Practicing with these girls is no joke, I know from experience. The Girls Track Team practices almost all year round. Most of them race all three seasons. With this kind of dedication and hard work there has to be some solid goal they are working for.

Among the countless state titles Mitchell has collected, not a single one of them has been an Indoor 4x800m relay title. This year, especially with three seniors on the team, Mitchell wanted it most of all. At the State Qualifying Meet on the Indoor Track at West Point, Olivia Bruton, Tori Flannery, Henrietta Miers, and Caitlin Hudson accomplished the first step to achieving that goal, trouncing the competition with a time of 9:28.39. The second place North Rockland team crossed the line 14 seconds later. Though the race defined the word dominance, the girls ran about 9 seconds slower than their seed time. The next stop after West Point was Barton Hall at Cornell University for the State Championship Meet.

Squeezed into the indoor track facility on the Cornell campus were hundreds of spectators and athletes ready to watch one of the most exciting meets of the year. Even some of Bronxville High School’s own graduates came to watch in hopes of seeing their home town add to their glory. With so many people watching, it must have nerve wracking, but with Chris Murray and Alex Tarantino there, the girls knew they had to put on a show. Running after some great events like the 3000m run and the 1500m run would be hard, but I promise that these girls did not disappoint.

The 4x800m relay is perhaps one of the most exciting races of a meet. An 800 is not quite a sprint but by no means long distance. It’s just fast enough to have a really exciting race, especially at States. With a stacked race including Fayetteville Manlius, Shenendehowa, Cornwall, Garden City, and of course Bronxville, I had no doubts this relay would be exciting. As the gun went off and Bronxville’s first leg, Henrietta Miers, took off it was clear that it wasn’t going to be an easy victory. Henrietta was boxed out and started off in about 9th place. But as one of the fastest legs on the relay, Henrietta picked herself up and made Bronxville a contender for the title. Bringing the team into second place before the first 800 meter leg was up, Henrietta found herself battling with the 1000m state champion Emily Menges of Garden City H.S. Finally handing off the baton in the lead to Tori Flannery completed Miers’ part but there was still 2400m to go.

Midway through Tori’s leg, she was passed by Garden City but as she later said, “I knew when she passed me that there was no way I would let her beat me.” After that thought, Tori took off and again Bronxville handed off the baton in first. This time it was to Olivia Bruton. With Mitchell and Coach Ed Stickles on the edge of the track calling splits and advising the girls on what to do, there was no reason for them to lose. Olivia completed a fast 800 and for a third time passed Garden City to hand off the baton in first to the anchor leg, Caitlin Hudson. Without hesitation, Hudson took off knowing that the title rested in her hands. Keeping a fair distance from second place, the chances were high. “We knew with about 100m to go that we were going to win,” says Henrietta of their victory.

Without a doubt in my mind, when Caitlin Hudson began her kick I knew it was over. She came down the final stretch and finished it, with Garden city well behind. Caitlin ended the race, bettering their seed time by .2 seconds. Crossing the finish line made it official. Jim Mitchell had won his Indoor State Championship.

The smile on Mitchell’s face went literally from ear to ear. It may seem like an exaggeration, but compared to the farfetched stories he tells it is very possible. The crowd erupted in applause as Mitchell and the parents of the girls ran over to congratulate them. Being awarded their medals on the medal stand was the icing on the cake. Everyone knew they deserved the victory. To celebrate his triumph, Mitchell and friends found the nearest pizza parlor in Owego, New York where Mitch treated himself to two slices of anchovy pizza. A meal well deserved.


Girls 4x800 Meter Relay
=================================================
2 Turn Box
State Record: # 8:53.67 3/1/2001 Boys & Girls
A Vargas, K Fernandez, M Francis, S.A. Livingston
Meet Record: * 9:08.18 2003 Bay Shore
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1 Bronxville: Seed: 9:19.46 Finals: 9:19.20
1) 155 Tori Flannery 12
2) 156 Caitlin Hudson 12
3) 154 Olivia Burton 12
4) 157 Henrietta Miers 11

Full Results Here: http://ny.milesplit.us/meets/44505/results/85102

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From Rivals To Teamates

by Will Ruppel

In nearly every sport, three neighboring towns have developed dynamic rivalries spanning generations. I of course am talking about Eastchester, Tuckahoe, and Bronxville. However, past friction has not stopped these three school districts from coming together to create one unified Hockey team.

Varsity hockey players from all three schools are members of the ETB Eagles. Once in League 4 (the lowest league in the section) the team has turned into a League 2 powerhouse in a mere 3 years. The team even beat the third place League 1 team in a decisive victory. Lead by Bronxville Junior Alex Hagen, who scored an astonishing 34 goals during the regular season, the ETB Eagles finished the year with an impressive record of 12-6.

How could these schools play so well together in spite of a long history of hostility in sports? The answer is simple: teammates are family. Whether one kid grows up in the Tuckahoe projects and can barely afford hockey equipment, or another lives in the richest section of Bronxville, they are still teammates, and everything else is put behind them.

Last year’s Varsity captain Joe Mercorella, a freshman in college now, and a Senior at Eastchester last year, provided some nice comments about the entire program.

“ETB players do not look at teammates like ‘that’s an Eastchester or that’s Bronxville or Tuckahoe kid’, they look at each other as ETB players and a tight family.”

Mercorella continued by saying, “When you see a fan from Tuckahoe rooting for a kid from Eastchester or Bronxville, or visa versa, you know that the program succeeded into something amazing.”

He also noted that during the first year of its existence; it only took the first couple of practices to put town backgrounds behind them.

Even after the games the teammates want to be with each other. They go and enjoy a dinner at Mickey Spillanes, a popular restaurant located Eastchester. There, great stories are told of the game, and countless jokes are remembered. These players wish to do nothing more than sit with their diverse family of hockey players.

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3 vs. 3 Basketball: "Sparks" Got Game

by Dayton Flannery

Basketball is a simple sport. You take the ball and put it in the hoop. And if you do that enough, you win. To have a good basketball team you need height, good ball handlers, good passers, and of course, good shooters. On February 25 “Team Sparks” proved that they had all of these prerequisites and more.

On Wednesday, February 25, a 3 vs. 3 basketball tournament was hosted by the Varsity baseball team. Students from all grades, and even coaches, assembled teams that they hoped could pull it together and win it all. Not only would the winning team have bragging rights but they also would have the chance to compete against “The Harlem Wizards.”

In total, 12 teams entered the tournament. Divided up into three different leagues, the teams would play every team within their league and the two teams with the best records would advance to the next round.

From the beginning, one team in particular stood out from the rest. On that fateful Wednesday evening “Team Sparks,” featuring seniors Trent Emanuel, Brian Rogers, and Wyatt Sparks proved to be the greatest three-man squad in the Bronxville High School. Every team fell to this unstoppable force.

In the finals “Team Sparks” was matched up against “Deep Impact” which included juniors Paxton Cane, Derrick Richter, and Matt Troja. This team appeared to be the best team in the tournament based on their loud cries of victory during their undefeated run to the championship match. But their war cries were not loud enough.

With all of the competition’s participants watching on the sidelines, “Sparks” and “Deep Impact” faced off in a savage duel. Both teams went back and forth, shooting and scoring, shooting and scoring. However, Deep Impact’s shooting skills and quick passes couldn’t quite match up to the astonishing speed and finesse of “Team Sparks.” In the end Sparks and his valiant crew emerged victorious.

“I thought we had a pretty good chance to win it,” says Rogers. “We’re good friends so team chemistry is a given.” Team chemistry could have been the thing that brought them there. Everyone passed well and made the shots that counted. Without some of Wyatt Sparks’ beautiful around the back passes maybe Trent and Brian wouldn’t have had as many opportunities to score.

Though the competition was pretty serious, Team Sparks saw the tournament as an opportunity to have a good time. “Wyatt’s job was to distract the defense,” Brian joked.

Sparks had this to say about their strategy, “I think the less I have the ball the better we’ll do.”

Rogers added that besides being friends, everyone was on the team for a reason. “Trent is good at rebounding and scoring and I would handle the ball and score while Wyatt would run around playing defense and being an outlet in case we were in trouble.”

When asked how the squad would prepare for their game against the Harlem Wizards, Wyatt commented, “We practiced some alley-oops before where Brian would toss the ball and I would get on Trent’s shoulders, but we didn’t really have a good opportunity to use it. Maybe we’ll unleash some of our tricks on the Wizards. Ya’ know, show ‘em who’s boss,”

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