Much like the dreary weather conditions of the last few days, which have caused the cancellation of numerous Middle School athletic contests, the mood of many Portledge Varsity athletes was dark and gloomy Monday evening. Earlier that afternoon the seasons of three Varsity teams had come to a close because of defeats in playoff contests. Players on each of these teams had dreams of celebrating championships with raucous pile ons in the middle of the field, followed by joyous bus rides home from the championship sites filled with laughter and lauding. Sadly, however, these dreams were not to be realized as the Portledge squads ran into obstacles that were too difficult to overcome. What should not be lost though in the deflation of defeat is an appreciation for, and a recognition of, the truly amazing effort and commitment that all the individuals who make up these athletic programs have put forward. I vividly remember coming to my office in the gym on a Sunday afternoon in February and, to my surprise, seeing Reid Erickson, Adam Kravietz and some of the other Panther hurlers throwing pitches to Mr. O'Rourke in preparation for the opening of baseball season. I also remember the Varsity Lacrosse teams gathering at 4:00am to catch their early morning flight to Florida, just so they could get in that one extra afternoon of practice in the warm weather. Because of some delays with their baggage, the Varsity Girls team was not ready to go over to the practice facility until around 11:00pm that night, but rather than go to bed and wait till the next day, the girls coaches, who did an amazing job all year, tracked down a bus and the team wound up practicing to well past midnight, only to be on the field again early the next morning. These are stories of true dedication to a shared purpose, that is to be the best you can be. Somehow athletics finds a way to bring this type of noble character out of all those that choose to participate. So while I hold some sadness in my heart that our teams were beaten on Monday afternoon, it is quickly replaced by the feelings of respect and pride I have concerning our Portledge athletes and their coaches. Don't you worry, plans for next year's spring training trips and Varsity scheduling making are already underway, and I can assure you that the Varsity Lacrosse teams, the Varsity Baseball team and the Varsity Boys Tennis and Varsity Golf teams will all be back looking, once again, to capture championships and unleash raucous celebrations. Let's hope we can all be part of one!
What Happened in the IPPSAL Varsity Boys Baseball Semi Final?
What happened was that a heavily favored Upper Room team received the scare of its life before finally cruising to victory over a young and eager Panther squad. Portledge "Ace" pitcher, Senior Reid Erickson, did a masterful job through the first four innings keeping the heavy hitting Upper Room line up off balance, and the Portledge offense managed to score a few runs gaainst what has beena dominant pitching staff all year. Then, with Portledge trailing by a score of 4-3 and the Upper Room bench getting a bit nervous, some of the Panthers inexperience began to show a bit. A few errors and some timely Upper Room hits later, the Big Red Machine of Dix Hills was on its way to the IPPSAL Championships (which they went on to win by a score of 13-4 over OSNA of Centereach). Most of the juniors and seniors on this Panther team have been with the baseball program since it began. They should all be very proud of their combined accomplishment of getting Portledge Baseball on the map and on its way up in the independent school ranks. With the arrival of many new faces from what is currently an undefeated 7/8 team next year, the Portledge Varsity Baseball team is certainly looking good going forward.
How Did the Varsity Girls Lacrosse Team of Hackley Manage to Defeat Our Promising Squad?
Sometimes in playoff competition it comes down to goaltending. This was one of the biggest reasons behind Hackley's victory. The black clad keeper made several incredible saves and played an all around great game in leading her team to victory by a score of 10-8 over the Lady Panthers. The Portledge girls really came together this year and saw the potential of what the Portledge Girls Lacrosse Program can become. Hackley has been a quality program, sending many players to Division I college teams, for a long time, and the Portledge girls played them hard all season defeating them once earlier, before losing the hard fought playoff contest. While the team will have to rebuild on defense a bit, the entire offense will return and should lead the way to another assault on the NYSAISAA Girls Lacrosse Championship.
What Happened in the NYMLA Semi Final Between the Portledge Varsity Lacrosse Team and Their Opponents, the Fordham Rams?
The most important play of this game might have occurred in the closing seconds of the Panther's 12-11 quarterfinal win over the Trinity School of NYC. That's when Portledge captain, face off man and star midfielder, Aaron Lee, went down with a broken collarbone. The Panthers had already lost another potential All American, Junior Tim Morrison, to the same injury half way through the season. The team had really come together since that injury and was playing some outstanding lacrosse. This time there just wasn't enough time to successfully make the necessary adjustments to compensate for the loss of such a fine player. The Panthers played a hard game v. Fordham, taking the lead early and pushing the pace of play, but in the end, without Lee's controlling presence in the midfield the deeper and very solid Fordham team proved to be a bit too much for the Panthers to handle. The final score of 7-5 illustrates how well the Panthers defense and Junior goalie Dan Duffy played, however, it wasn't enough as the offense struggled a bit against an excellent zone defense played by the aggressive Rams. While the team will miss the contributions of graduating Seniors Austin Prey (Academic All American), Christian Works (15 goal scorer), Alfred "Big Al" Vitsentzos, Zach Lombardi and Eric and Alain Mathieu, the returning cast of characters (and they certainly are that) is a strong one. So watch out NYMLA, because the Panthers will be a growling, hungry lot next spring.
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1 comment:
Hey Hills! Enjoyed reading your most recent post. Best of everything to all the athletes and coaches. Hope all have a great summer.
LB
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