Faculty Fan of the Month

Congratulations to the Faculty Fan for the month of October, Mr. Sandoval. Even though Sandoval coached the Junior Varsity Boys Soccer team you could always count on him supporting the teams as they competed throughout the fall. Sandoval even made the trip to the boys and girls varsity soccer games on Saturday, 10/20 at Lawrence Woodmere!!
The athletic department would like to note that Mr. Greene was a very close second place as he also made it out to Lawrence Woodmere and even ventured into Brooklyn for the girls PSAA Semi-Finals.
Thanks to all the faculty who came out this fall we were very pleased with the support and the players really appreciated seeing you. We hope you will come to the courts and the rink for what proves to be an exciting winter season!!

Athletes of the Week

Dressed up in their Halloween costumes Cross-Country runners,"McLovin" aka Bryce Behar and Supertrooper Ranger, Steven Pardo were awarded athletes of the week for their stellar performances during the IPPSAL Championships. Both runners achieved personal best times in the race that took place at Eisenhower Park. Way to go Boys!!

Strong Through the Finish/ Varsity Cross Country Participates in IPPSAL and PSAA Championships to Close Out Successful Season

On Monday, Oct 29th the Portledge Varsity Cross Country team competed in the IPPSAL Cross Country Championships @ Eisenhower Park, and on Wednesday, Nov 7th it was off to Van Cortland Park for the PSAA Championship run . The IPPSAL and PSAA Championship meets are the primary focus of the Porledge runners and one can easily see that the Panthers were ready.

How Did Portledge Fare @ the IPPSAL Championsips?
The IPPSAL Cross Country Commissioner, Ken Johnson from Martin Luther High School, created a special new 5K grass course for the championship meet. It was a tough track with some testing hills and rugged terrain. So it was especially great to see the top two Portledge boys runners,Junior Steven Pardo and Sophomore Bryce Behar, have their best individual performances of the season. Pardo and Behar both ran their strongest times of the fall and both placed in the coveted top 15 medal earning slots. In addition, Sophomore Delphine Starr and Freshman Millie Stallings both earned top five honors and medals in the girls division. Other fine performances were turned in by Alan Phipps, 17th overall with a personal best time, as well as Eddie Huai and Nick Hagedorn. As a team Portledge placed third out of the seven schools competing.

What Happened @ the PSAA Meet?

Portledge sent a limited group to the PSAA Championships because it is not our primary league and has more of an individual focus. Once again, Steven Pardo was the top Portledge runner and finished in the top twenty out of some 100 runners or so. Junior Adam Kravietz, probably inspired by his father's completion of the NYC Marathon a few days earlier, ran one of the best races of his cross country career. Not an easy feet given that the blustery and cold conditions were not ideal for running.

The Portledge Cross Country program has a bright future with almost all of the team returning next year and many fine runners in the Freshman and Sophomore classes. We are also considering offering cross country as a 7/8 athletic option in the fall season. I would love to hear what people think about that. Are there any 6th or 7th graders out there that would consider taking up cross country next fall?

Devastation Road/Varsity Boys Soccer Season Ends With Upset by Solomon Schechter

The stage was set. A big crowd of supporters from both Portledge and SSDS jammed the sidelines of Sawyer field and there was a great sense of anticipation that this was the first step on a march to Portledge's first IPPSAL championship in 5 years. It was not to be though, as the upset minded Lions of Solomon Schechter prevailed on this perfect day for "football".

How Did the Game Unfold?

The game began with SSDS carrying the play through extended possession. The Lions midfield worked the "rock" around with crisp short passing and confidence. For their part, the Portledge Panthers seemed a bit tentative and did not really challenge or pressure the Lions possession in the early going. It was Portledge though, that had the best early chance. Junior Trevor Wolfson, a key to the Panther attack throughout the season, broke loose at the top of the box and sent a hard shot towards the Schechter net. Wolfson's effort passed the goalie, but struck the post solidly before bouncing harmlessly to the corner. The rest of the half was dominated by fine defensive play from both sides and the halftime score was nil/nil.

The second half opened promisingly for Portledge as Senior captain Ray Weinmann sent a quickly played free kick forward in the direction of Freshman striker Chris McCloskey. McCloskey skilfully chipped the ball over the Schechter keeper's head and into the yearning Lion's goal. Now that the Panthers had the lead, it looked as if a date in the championship game was set. This, however, was not to be, as the Lions of Solomon Schechter had other ideas. Mid way through the half SSDS evened the score at 1 when one of the Lions headed in a perfect corner kick to the back post. Portledge seeemed to lose their composure a bit in the following minutes and before too long SSDS added another tally to take a 2-1 lead. This one came from a scramble in the home side area during which the Portledge defense was momentarily confused. All of a sudden the unthinkable was happening, as Portledge trailed 2-1 with time dwindling down. The Panthers threw everyone forward to try and get the equalizer, but the SSDS defense was very solid on this day. When the final whistle sounded the Portledge players were stunned, but to their credit they held their heads high, congratulated the winning side and thanked their loyal fans for all the support throughout the season. Thus, although the scoreboard said they did not win, in my mind the Portledge players were victors. The boys had a great season and displayed some excellent sportsmanship at a very difficult time. Great thanks go out to the seniors on this team. You provided fantastic leadership and helped elevate the entire Portledge soccer program. Also, congratulations to all the underclassmen on a great season, and get ready to work hard next year to get yourselves another shot at "football" glory.

Varsity Girls Soccer Earns Some Respect

The Ivy League's Girls Varsity Soccer Division is widely regarded to be the strongest private school girls soccer league in the metropolitan area. So this past week when the Portledge Lady Panthers were scheduled to take on two of the perennial powerhouses of this league (Poly Prep and Riverdale), there was a good deal of anticipation from the Portledge faithful.

How Did the Girls Do Against Poly Prep?

What turned out to be the toughest thing about this match for the VGS team was trying to regain their momentum and spirit following their huge win at LWA. The Lady Panthers just could not find the same type of spark and struggled to create quality scoring chances against the Dark Blue side of Poly. Towards the end of the game Poly's dynamic #4 sent a long ball into the Portledge penalty area that was misplayed a bit by the home side's defense and goalie. A Poly Prep attacker pounced on the loose ball and Portledge trailed by a score of 1-0 with time running out. Although they fought hard in the closing minutes and almost put one away from some excellent dribbling by Alex DeVivo, it was not to be on this day, as Poly was victorious by a score of 1-0. Things would not get any easier two days later when the Lady Panthers would face an even higher rated Ivy opponent in the Riverdale Country School.

What Happened in the Riverdale Game?

What happened was that the Portledge girls played some of the finest soccer in the history of the program. In an incredibly quick and fast paced game, with hard tackling throughout, the Lady Panthers stood up to everything the Riverdale girls threw at them and then some. The play moved with amazing speed from end to end as both teams created some excellent scoring chances. Sophomore goalie Chelsea Estevez was sensational in the Portledge net making 10 tough saves in all, only to be matched by the solid play of the Riverdale keeper. Portledge's best chance came when Midfielder Mo Kelly got loose down the right side and sent a rocketed cross in front of the RCS net. With both DeVivo and Caracciolo speeding towards her, the Riverdale goalie handled the tough chance with great aplomb and the opportunity went for not. The game was called because of darkness with 8 minutes remaining on the clock and both sides were left to wonder "what if" a bit. The Lady Panthers can take a great deal from this game though. They competed at an equal level with one of the best teams in the city and came away with a renewed sense of confidence and purpose. The girls will be playing on the road this Tuesday in the PSAA semi finals, probably @ Berkeley Carroll in Brooklyn. Please check the athletic hot line (515-750-3162) on Tuesday morning for more specific details. Good luck girls- go get em'.

Varsity Girls Tennis Prepares For Championship Match

The dreary weather of this past week caused the postponement of the IPPSAL Girls Tennis Championship until this coming Tuesday (10/30) . The competing teams will be Portledge and LuHi and the match will be played at Portledge beginning @ 4:00pm. In their only meeting of the season LuHi was victorious in a hard fought match, so the Portledge girls will be looking for some revenge, as well as to extend the amazing Portledge streak of five consecutive championships. I'm sure Portledge coach, Henry Stay, will have the girls ready to go on Tuesday. The team's leader,
Senior Ellen Huai, has been playing solid singles, as has Junior Siena Falino and Sophomore Elizabeth Girgenti. Doubles teams of Maria Wade-Rachael Scheinman and Steph Hegarty-Robyn Worrall have also been very consistent throughout the season. Let's get some fans out there to support the girls in this big match. Go Girls-Beat Those Crusaders!