There is enough chill to the air that the amazing ice down at Beaver Dam is already hosting games, and at night, the lights of Wellington Gym shine out like a beacon alerting all around that their is some Basketball action going on. So here we go with the Winter Sports Season at Portledge School. We have a unique variety of Varsity offerings that range from the big four teams, Girls and Boys Basketball and Girls and Boys Ice Hockey, to the more boutique programs that make up the coed Fencing and Squash teams. The fencing program actually has several components that combine to make up the overall team.
Let's start today by concentrating first on Basketball.
Last year was an important one for the Varsity Girls team as it improved significantly under new Head Coach Skip Amadio. This season, with almost all of the significant players returning, the Lady Panthers have their eye on an IPPSAL Championship - something that the girls program has not achieved since the 1999 season. Wouldn't it be great to see our girls claim the title a decade after their last championship. Things pretty much start with Monique Kelly and Robyn Worrall, a talanted duo of senior guards. These two have been playing together for a long time and do a great job of handling the ball. Worrall can be deadly from outside when she is hot, and Mo Kelly is showing real confidence taking the ball to the hoop. She had 21 pts and 12 pts in the first two games , respecrively, for a 16.5% per game average so far. This type of back court scoring will be key if the girls want to build on their early season success. Inside there are the twin towers of Senior Akanksha Trivedi and Freshman Ceci Mulry. The two, over six footers, give the Lady Panthers a real presence under the hoop. Mulry went for twelve points and ten rebounds in Monday's 39-19 win over league rival Solomon Schechter, and certainly looks like she is going to have a big impact on the future of the girls program here at Portledge. The glue to the team is Senior swing player Claudia Rogers who is an expert defender with lightning fast reflexes that can play multiple positions. It doesn't matter whether she is playing guard or forward though, because she is consistently stealing the ball and disrupting the opponents offense. Senior Martian Juste is another player who can play guard or forward, and her incredible leaping ability gives Coach Amadio a nice option in the starting line up or off the bench. Junior guard Tatiana Parris has also found some playing time early on and provides another ball handler when needed. If Parris can learn to get her outside shot off at the Varsity level it will give the Lady Panthers another strong outside shooter. Right now the team's record stands at 2-0 and they will be @ Waldorf on Tuesday (5:00pm) and Home for Knox on Wednesday(4:15) during the upcoming week, before competing in the always challenging Martin Luther Tournament next Saturday and Sunday.
On to Varsity Boys Basketball and the debut season of new Head Coach Nick Woll. Enthusiasm and excitement are the terms that best describe Woll's practice sessions as he consistently puts the Panthers through tough and fast paced workouts. Up tempo basketball will be the emphasis as Woll tries to blend some experienced players with some fresh faces to the Varsity Team. Senior swingman Mark Dourmashkin is the most experienced player on the team and he returns for a fourth Varsity season without a championship so far. It would be great to see this exceptional athlete lead the team all the way to an IPPSAL crown in his last season on the wellington Gym hardwood. Right along side will be Senior transfer Christian Sbarro. The sleak, but powerful Sbarro has shown in pre season that he can do everything on the floor and certainly gives a big boost to the overall talent level of this interesting team. Probably the most important player to the ultimate fortunes of this pride of current Panthers is Senior center Ben Shapiro. If Ben can play with dominance inside and free up Dourmashkin and Sbarro for open looks on the perimeter, this will be a tough group to defend. Another key will be the play of Senior guard Jon Brailsford. Patiently waiting to play big minutes for a long time, Brailsford will get his chance this winter to hopefully lead the Panthers all the way. A variety of underclassmen provide Coach Woll with some depth, but we will have to see which of them emerge to play significant roles during the season. An opening night win over St. Demetrios from Queens, NY was a step in the right direction, but we will learn more about the Pathers when the suit em up exactly opposite the girls this week with a game Tuesday at Home v. Waldorf (5:00pm) and another contest Wednesday @ Knox (5:30) as part of a double header with the JV Boys team. Then next Saturday and Sunday, the 5th and 6th, come tough games at the Martin Luther Tournament where Portledge has failed to win a game in several years.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
A Game to Remember!
Last Thursday night's PSAA Girls Varsity Soccer Championship Game which pitted The Portledge Lady Panther Booters v. the Lady Lions of Staten Island Academy was an athletic contest that will certainly be remembered for a long time. It was a physical match that somehow the refs managed to keep just on the edge of out of control, but still relatively safe for the players, as well as an illustration of excellent soccer skill and tactics demonstrated by both sides. Portledge's 1-0 sudden victory in double overtime made the game a very happy memory for everyone involved in Portledge athletics but in reality this contest was something of which both teams should be proud. The final result could just as easily gone the other way in what was an up and down affair, and both sides left everything they had on the field. Congratulations to the players on both Portledge and Staten Island for playing in what was one of the greatest games in the history of Portledge athletics.
Where does this game rank in the list of great Portledge games?
After giving this question some real thought, the conclusion reached is that it belongs in the top three Portledge games of all time. Back in the late 1990s there were a series of tremendous Varsity Boys Ice Hockey games. Victories over the Hill School, Lawrenceville, Millbrook, New Hampton, Pingree, Pomfret and others. While they were all extraordinary in their own way, they seem to blend together in an era of great Varsity Boys Ice Hockey play. There have also been mumerous Varsity Boys Soccer games that can be remembered with tremendous fondness. Just last year there was a thrilling 2-1 win over Packer that was exceptional and went a long way in establishing the quality of the current Boys Soccer Program. It is to the girls, however, that one has to give the top three spots, along with an honorable mention to last year's NYSAISAA Championship lacrosse game as fourth. They are in no specific order because they were all amazing. We'll go first with January, 2007 Portledge Varsity Girls Ice Hockey @ Lawrenceville. Junior captain Siena Falino scores seven goals to lead the Panthers to a 9-8 overtime victory. Certainly the greatest individual achievement in Portledge sports, thus consideration as the greatest game. Next, one would go to late October, 2004 Portledge Varsity Girls Soccer @ Lawrence Woodmere Academy in the last game of the regular season with a play off spot on the line for the winner. Tied throughout the second half the game was decided in the last minute when then Freshman Alex Siwiec sent a beautiful cross into the box only to see Junior Monica Mangani bycicle kick the ball over her head into the LWA net. The girls made the PSAA play offs for the first time and this great run of Girls Soccer had begun. Lastly we come to last weeks Championship Game in Varsity Girls Soccer v. SIA. The inclusion of this game is based on all the hard work put in by a group of girls who have been playing soccer together for four years. The game and the team is so special because of the thunderous sweeper play of Claudia Rogers - who decided to make a sacrifice for the team by playing in the back and went on to earn Tournament MVP for her sheer dominance of the championship game - and because of the determination of Chelsea Caracciolo - who basically playing on one foot made run after run up the left side until she came onto the perfect ball and neatly netted it into the SIA goal for sudden victory - and becuase of the tenacity of Addie Reilly who along with Monique Kelly and Denise Mikalev battled the SIA players in midfield all game long. We could go on and on to mention the savvy of Natalie Flammia or the all out effort of Natalie Gray, or what about the key saves delivered by goaltender Chelsea Estevez. In the end though, I can honestly say that I have never seen two teams go at each other like this and that's what makes this one so special! WAIT - I forgot all about the hockey rivalry with Mo Beard...........
Where does this game rank in the list of great Portledge games?
After giving this question some real thought, the conclusion reached is that it belongs in the top three Portledge games of all time. Back in the late 1990s there were a series of tremendous Varsity Boys Ice Hockey games. Victories over the Hill School, Lawrenceville, Millbrook, New Hampton, Pingree, Pomfret and others. While they were all extraordinary in their own way, they seem to blend together in an era of great Varsity Boys Ice Hockey play. There have also been mumerous Varsity Boys Soccer games that can be remembered with tremendous fondness. Just last year there was a thrilling 2-1 win over Packer that was exceptional and went a long way in establishing the quality of the current Boys Soccer Program. It is to the girls, however, that one has to give the top three spots, along with an honorable mention to last year's NYSAISAA Championship lacrosse game as fourth. They are in no specific order because they were all amazing. We'll go first with January, 2007 Portledge Varsity Girls Ice Hockey @ Lawrenceville. Junior captain Siena Falino scores seven goals to lead the Panthers to a 9-8 overtime victory. Certainly the greatest individual achievement in Portledge sports, thus consideration as the greatest game. Next, one would go to late October, 2004 Portledge Varsity Girls Soccer @ Lawrence Woodmere Academy in the last game of the regular season with a play off spot on the line for the winner. Tied throughout the second half the game was decided in the last minute when then Freshman Alex Siwiec sent a beautiful cross into the box only to see Junior Monica Mangani bycicle kick the ball over her head into the LWA net. The girls made the PSAA play offs for the first time and this great run of Girls Soccer had begun. Lastly we come to last weeks Championship Game in Varsity Girls Soccer v. SIA. The inclusion of this game is based on all the hard work put in by a group of girls who have been playing soccer together for four years. The game and the team is so special because of the thunderous sweeper play of Claudia Rogers - who decided to make a sacrifice for the team by playing in the back and went on to earn Tournament MVP for her sheer dominance of the championship game - and because of the determination of Chelsea Caracciolo - who basically playing on one foot made run after run up the left side until she came onto the perfect ball and neatly netted it into the SIA goal for sudden victory - and becuase of the tenacity of Addie Reilly who along with Monique Kelly and Denise Mikalev battled the SIA players in midfield all game long. We could go on and on to mention the savvy of Natalie Flammia or the all out effort of Natalie Gray, or what about the key saves delivered by goaltender Chelsea Estevez. In the end though, I can honestly say that I have never seen two teams go at each other like this and that's what makes this one so special! WAIT - I forgot all about the hockey rivalry with Mo Beard...........
Sunday, November 1, 2009
"Glory Days"
To say that things came together this fall in Portledge Athletics would be an understatement. In an unprecedented show of gender balance, our Varsity Girls and Boys Soccer teams both captured the regular season championships of their respective leagues and earned automatic bids into the NYSAIASAA Soccer Championship Tournaments. Since then the Varsity Girls have gone onto win the PSAA Post Season Tournament Championship with two incredible 1-0 victories over long time rivals Berkeley Carroll and Staten Island Academy. On the Boys side, even though they suffered a heart breaking defeat to Lu Hi in the final of the IPPSAL Post Season Championship Tournament, their regular season title was their third straight and speaks volumes about the consistently high quality of Head Coach Kevin Coleman's Varsity Boys Soccer program. In addition to these tremendous soccer accomplishments, the Varsity Girls Tennis team captured its second consecutive, and thirteenth overall, IPPSAL Girls Tennis Championship. The Lady Panther Netters were only able to continue the trend of Portledge dominance of IPPSAL Girls Tennis because of exceptional Senior leadership on the part of Robyn Worrall, Elizabeth Girgenti and Stephanie Hegarty. The success of the athletic program at Portledge does not stop there though as the Middle School soccer teams enjoyed a very successful year in competition against our local day school rivals from Green Vale, Buckley, Holy Child and East Woods. The 7/8 Boys Soccer team led the way with a 7-2-1 overall mark that was highlighted by some tremendous play throughout the fall. Not only did the team have a exceptional group of attackers in Ronel Juste, Cameron Daniels, Kyle Flowers David Anderson and Solomon Hur, but the cadre of deep players made up of the Roel brothers, Jimmy and Tommy, stopper Sam Lerner and sweeper Zak Kleinwaks were stingiest defense in memory. Behing all this there was goaltender par excellence Patrick Byrnes. As team leader Byrnes consistently made incredible saves look easy as he was a rock in the Panther nets. Many great keepers have worn the Portledge crest, but Patrick Byrnes has the opportunity to go on and be the not only the strongest goaltender in Portledge history, but possibly one of the finest soccer players we have ever had at this institution. The 7/8 Girls team won several games this fall and showed a marked improvement in their overall play. Head Coach Miss Maiello will have most of her team returning next year and with the addition of a few more pieces from an also improved 5/6 Girls program should be very hard to beat in the fall of 2010. While the 5/6 Boys Soccer team, Middle School Coed Cross Country team, and Varsity Coed Cross Country teams are all still developing programs, there is no shortage of effort on behalf of their players to make those teams as strong as possible Thus, it is with a great amount of appreciation and congratulations that we commend all the Portledge fall sports players and coaches on a fantastic 2009 fall sports season. Special thanks also go out to all the parents and faculty who came out and supported our athletes this fall. Lastly, please give our Varsity Soccer players, both girls and boys, a wish of good luck as they prepare to compete in the state independent school championships coming up this week. The boys will play first on Wednesday, Nov 4th @ Randall's Island - Field # 70 (3:45pm) in a round of 16 game v. Lycee Francais of NYC. If they can secure a positive result, they will be back at Randall's Isaland the next day to face 2nd seeded UNIS. The Varsity Girls team will move right to the quarter finals when they face 2nd seeded St Ann's of Brooklyn on Thursday, Nov 5th at 3:45 at either the Red Hook or Aviator Field complex. Please feel free to check the homepage of portledge.org for more details as those contests draw closer. You can also learn a bit more about Portledge Athletics as Hey Hills goes on to answer a question we have heard a lot lately!
How is it that Portledge is experiencing so much success lately in its athletic programs?
The one thing that has become apparent during this exciting run of athletic accomplishments at Portledge is that, while hard work does not guarantee victory, it certainly does consistently put you in a position to achieve great things, and that if you put yourselves in that position often enough, you gain the type of experience, that when coupled with hard work, brings success. That's certainly a lot to say in one sentence and I'm not sure if it's even grammatically correct - I guess I'll have to check with someone in the English Dep't - but I do know that it is emphatically true. Portledge has enjoyed many periods of athletic bloom. During the late 1980s Boys Soccer and Lacrosse, and Girls Tennis were all having a great deal of success and establishing themselves as foundational blocks in the Portledge Athletic program. The 1990s saw Boys Tennis go through a boom and the Varsity Boys Ice Hockey team reached tremendous heights as it consistently defeated very strong prep opponents from around the country and was a team on which future NHL players honed their skills. This latest round of progress and growth in Portledge Athletics really began six tears ago when Michael Coope challenged a group of girls soccer players to work harder than they ever had athletically and to come together as a group as they never has before. The result, in only the fourth year of the programs existence, was a trip to the PSAA Girls Soccer Championship and the realization that hard work, and commitment to each other, could certainly breed success and put you in position to achieve great things. Since then we have seen the Girls Basketball program challenge for championships behind the relentless play and exceptional leadership of Emily Edwards Bourdrez, the creation of a Girls Ice Hockey and Baseball programs and in the case of Girls Ice Hockey its ultimate evolution to championship status. All of these developments have beeen powered by the hard work of players and coaches and their commitment to the success of our programs. Now that we are getting to these lofty places more often, we know how to prepare and how to act once we are there. So whether you are a girls or boys ice hockey, basketball, soccer, tennis, lacrosse, baseball or softball player - be ready to work, have a great overall experience and ultimately achieve some great things of your own.
How is it that Portledge is experiencing so much success lately in its athletic programs?
The one thing that has become apparent during this exciting run of athletic accomplishments at Portledge is that, while hard work does not guarantee victory, it certainly does consistently put you in a position to achieve great things, and that if you put yourselves in that position often enough, you gain the type of experience, that when coupled with hard work, brings success. That's certainly a lot to say in one sentence and I'm not sure if it's even grammatically correct - I guess I'll have to check with someone in the English Dep't - but I do know that it is emphatically true. Portledge has enjoyed many periods of athletic bloom. During the late 1980s Boys Soccer and Lacrosse, and Girls Tennis were all having a great deal of success and establishing themselves as foundational blocks in the Portledge Athletic program. The 1990s saw Boys Tennis go through a boom and the Varsity Boys Ice Hockey team reached tremendous heights as it consistently defeated very strong prep opponents from around the country and was a team on which future NHL players honed their skills. This latest round of progress and growth in Portledge Athletics really began six tears ago when Michael Coope challenged a group of girls soccer players to work harder than they ever had athletically and to come together as a group as they never has before. The result, in only the fourth year of the programs existence, was a trip to the PSAA Girls Soccer Championship and the realization that hard work, and commitment to each other, could certainly breed success and put you in position to achieve great things. Since then we have seen the Girls Basketball program challenge for championships behind the relentless play and exceptional leadership of Emily Edwards Bourdrez, the creation of a Girls Ice Hockey and Baseball programs and in the case of Girls Ice Hockey its ultimate evolution to championship status. All of these developments have beeen powered by the hard work of players and coaches and their commitment to the success of our programs. Now that we are getting to these lofty places more often, we know how to prepare and how to act once we are there. So whether you are a girls or boys ice hockey, basketball, soccer, tennis, lacrosse, baseball or softball player - be ready to work, have a great overall experience and ultimately achieve some great things of your own.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Blog is Back in Town
Hi everyone - it's been quite some time since I took some time to blog about my favorite topic of Portledge Athletics. That said, I have no excuse to offer other than I was fairly busy last spring and wherever creative juices come from, they had temporarily stopped flowing in me. Now that a new year of athletic competition is under way, however, it appears that my mojo is back and I'm ready to go. So as they say, " here it goes"!
What are people saying about the Varsity Girls Soccer team?
Well let's start with the Varsity Girls team because I've spent a bit more time with them so far this fall. Anytime you have you have the option to start eight Seniors you obviously have a team with tremendous experience. This is certainly true about the Lady Panthers as half their players will be earning their forth Varsity letter in Girls Soccer this fall. These seniors are spread out throughout the formation as coaches Coope and Luken seemed to have settled on a 4-3-3 set up. The middle three will be playing in a triangle with Senior Monique Kelly advanced on the point just behind three forwards coming from a some combination of Seniors Addie Reilly and Marian Juste, Juniors Ashley Wade and Tatiana Parris, and Freshman winger Erica Cohen. Right behind Monique, completing the midfield triangle, will be the central midfield pair of Seniors Claudia Rogers and Chelsea Caracciolo. All three players have a green light to join the attack and the coaches feel that this Senior midfield triad can potentially dominate against any other central grouping in the league. As of now, the defense will be a flat back four manned by seniors Natalie Grey and Natalie Flammia on the left and right flanks, respectively, with a pair of traditional center backs comprised of Sophomores Alexa Lodenquai and Denise Michalev. Returning letter winner, Freshman Ceci Mulry, should be able to fill in anywhere in the midfield or on the back line and will give Coach Coope a small amount of flexibility as the season wears on. Lastly, we have Senior keeper Chelsea Estevez between the pipes. As a starter for the last two seasons Chelsea has been in goal for many big contests including numerous PSAA Playoff and NYSAISAA Tournament games. So there shouldn't be anything coming Chelsea's way that she hasn't already seen during what has been an overall excellent career. Thus, here are the ifs......if Reilly can maintain her past scoring output and get some production help from another forward or two, if the midfield triangle concept works and teams cannot disect which midfielder will be coming forward, and if the back four set up can support the attack and while maintaining solid defense.....then the Lady Panthers might have a rare opportunity to play for a PSAA league championship. COME ON OUT THIS THURSDAY as the girls open their season with a tough match against Friends Academy @ Home on the Lower Field (4:30pm)
Can the Varsity Boys Soccer Team Continue Its Streak of Excellent Seasons?
The last few years have certainly been interesting ones for Head Coach Kevin Coleman and the Portledge Varsity Boys Soccer team. Two straight first place finishes in IPPSAL Division I Boys Soccer regular season play have led Panthers to consecutive NYSAISAA Tournament appearences for the first time in the school's history. Last year that appearence was in the form of a #4 seed - again a first in school history. The other side of the coin, however, is that not only have both those NYSAISAA appearences been of the one and done variety, but the team has also failed to capture an elusive IPPSAL Championship, although twice being seeded first in the playoffs. So we have some questions coming into what should be another very exciting season. Can the squad duplicate its regular season dominance and secure more home dates for IPPSAL Championship and NYSAISAA Tournament play, and even more importantly can they then go on to the next level by winning some of these intense late season clashes. The team's showing late last season in a very competetive Portledge Tournament that saw the Panthers gain victories over perennial NYSAISAA Tournament squads from Packer Collegiate and Columbia Prep is a real reason to believe that this group of players is maturing and has the depth to produce a truly memorable season.
Coach Coleman is taking a big chance in listening to the desires of his players as he moves steady defender Vishal Chinchwadkar out of the back line up into midfield. This could back-fire, or it could give the Panthers the explosiveness you need at the highest levels. Either way it will leave Seniors MJ Shin and Bashir Desgrottes, and Sophomore Eric "Dima" Diamataris, with a good deal of work to do in order to maintain a solid defense. They should get great support, however, from the team's pair of very experienced keepers, Seniors Dan Leask and Ben Shapiro. Chinchwadkar will be joining an already potent midfield comprised of the Dourmashkin brothers, Senior Mark and Junior Steven, along with Junior Nic Leask, who is arguably the most skilled and polished player on the field. Up front, Junior Chris McCloskey will try to keep up the tremendous scoring he contributed as a 9th and 10th grader. This will not be easy though, as Chris' strike partner of the last two years, Trevor Wolfson, has departed for college. The first chance to secure a spot alongside of McCloskey will go to Junior Anthony Pergola. Anthony is a very tricky player with a sly and deft touch. He was an excellent complimentary forward in junior high, and had a very solid season with the junior varsity team last fall. Needless to say, LET'S GO PANTHERS!!! Come on out this Wednesday afternoon when the Vrasity Boys Soccer team will open their season at HOME v. Tevor Day School on Sawyer Field @ 4:00pm.
What are people saying about the Varsity Girls Soccer team?
Well let's start with the Varsity Girls team because I've spent a bit more time with them so far this fall. Anytime you have you have the option to start eight Seniors you obviously have a team with tremendous experience. This is certainly true about the Lady Panthers as half their players will be earning their forth Varsity letter in Girls Soccer this fall. These seniors are spread out throughout the formation as coaches Coope and Luken seemed to have settled on a 4-3-3 set up. The middle three will be playing in a triangle with Senior Monique Kelly advanced on the point just behind three forwards coming from a some combination of Seniors Addie Reilly and Marian Juste, Juniors Ashley Wade and Tatiana Parris, and Freshman winger Erica Cohen. Right behind Monique, completing the midfield triangle, will be the central midfield pair of Seniors Claudia Rogers and Chelsea Caracciolo. All three players have a green light to join the attack and the coaches feel that this Senior midfield triad can potentially dominate against any other central grouping in the league. As of now, the defense will be a flat back four manned by seniors Natalie Grey and Natalie Flammia on the left and right flanks, respectively, with a pair of traditional center backs comprised of Sophomores Alexa Lodenquai and Denise Michalev. Returning letter winner, Freshman Ceci Mulry, should be able to fill in anywhere in the midfield or on the back line and will give Coach Coope a small amount of flexibility as the season wears on. Lastly, we have Senior keeper Chelsea Estevez between the pipes. As a starter for the last two seasons Chelsea has been in goal for many big contests including numerous PSAA Playoff and NYSAISAA Tournament games. So there shouldn't be anything coming Chelsea's way that she hasn't already seen during what has been an overall excellent career. Thus, here are the ifs......if Reilly can maintain her past scoring output and get some production help from another forward or two, if the midfield triangle concept works and teams cannot disect which midfielder will be coming forward, and if the back four set up can support the attack and while maintaining solid defense.....then the Lady Panthers might have a rare opportunity to play for a PSAA league championship. COME ON OUT THIS THURSDAY as the girls open their season with a tough match against Friends Academy @ Home on the Lower Field (4:30pm)
Can the Varsity Boys Soccer Team Continue Its Streak of Excellent Seasons?
The last few years have certainly been interesting ones for Head Coach Kevin Coleman and the Portledge Varsity Boys Soccer team. Two straight first place finishes in IPPSAL Division I Boys Soccer regular season play have led Panthers to consecutive NYSAISAA Tournament appearences for the first time in the school's history. Last year that appearence was in the form of a #4 seed - again a first in school history. The other side of the coin, however, is that not only have both those NYSAISAA appearences been of the one and done variety, but the team has also failed to capture an elusive IPPSAL Championship, although twice being seeded first in the playoffs. So we have some questions coming into what should be another very exciting season. Can the squad duplicate its regular season dominance and secure more home dates for IPPSAL Championship and NYSAISAA Tournament play, and even more importantly can they then go on to the next level by winning some of these intense late season clashes. The team's showing late last season in a very competetive Portledge Tournament that saw the Panthers gain victories over perennial NYSAISAA Tournament squads from Packer Collegiate and Columbia Prep is a real reason to believe that this group of players is maturing and has the depth to produce a truly memorable season.
Coach Coleman is taking a big chance in listening to the desires of his players as he moves steady defender Vishal Chinchwadkar out of the back line up into midfield. This could back-fire, or it could give the Panthers the explosiveness you need at the highest levels. Either way it will leave Seniors MJ Shin and Bashir Desgrottes, and Sophomore Eric "Dima" Diamataris, with a good deal of work to do in order to maintain a solid defense. They should get great support, however, from the team's pair of very experienced keepers, Seniors Dan Leask and Ben Shapiro. Chinchwadkar will be joining an already potent midfield comprised of the Dourmashkin brothers, Senior Mark and Junior Steven, along with Junior Nic Leask, who is arguably the most skilled and polished player on the field. Up front, Junior Chris McCloskey will try to keep up the tremendous scoring he contributed as a 9th and 10th grader. This will not be easy though, as Chris' strike partner of the last two years, Trevor Wolfson, has departed for college. The first chance to secure a spot alongside of McCloskey will go to Junior Anthony Pergola. Anthony is a very tricky player with a sly and deft touch. He was an excellent complimentary forward in junior high, and had a very solid season with the junior varsity team last fall. Needless to say, LET'S GO PANTHERS!!! Come on out this Wednesday afternoon when the Vrasity Boys Soccer team will open their season at HOME v. Tevor Day School on Sawyer Field @ 4:00pm.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Faculty beat Varsity 71-68!!
The Varsity Basketball teams took on the Portledge Faculty again this year. Congrats to the "more experienced" faculty who defeated the poorly coached (by Phil Hills) Varsity teams. Playing for the faculty were Mr. LaFlair, Mr. Woll, Mr. Sandoval, Mr. Hahn, Mr. Amadio and Ms. Maiello (game MVP).
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Like Climbing a Mountain / Six Years After Starting From Scratch Portledge Varsity Girls Hockey Are Mid Atlantic Interscholastic Champions
Like the old song says," you just have to put one foot in front of the other". This is the strategy that was adopted by Portledge School over seven years ago when it was decided that a girls ice hockey program should be created. The first discussions come to mind very easily, as I remember someone saying,"we will build slowly... and in five or so years we will have girls playing in the Middle as well as in the Upper School, and we will be playing for the championship of whatever league we decide to join". Thanks to the efforts of our former Headmaster, Huson Gregory, our current Head of School, Steve Hahn, former Head Coach, Kelly Weideman, and most recently, current Head Coach Zoe Schwam, this has all come true. This past Sunday afternoon the Portledge Varsity Girls Ice Hockey team stepped out of Locker Room #1 at the Lisa McGraw Rink, on the campus of Princeton Day School, to play the Varsity Girls team of the Morristown Beard School for the Mid Atlantic Interscholastic Championship. At the same time the Portledge Athletic Dep't is expecting at least 15 young ladies to participate in the Middle School Ice Hockey program next winter, and this is a conservative estimate considering we had 11 girls playing in the Middle School this past winter. Isn't it amazing how some strategies stand the test of time, and how the some people's words turn out to be quite prophetic!
What Happened in the WIHLMA Championship Game?
Both Portledge and Morristown were coming off of hard fought wins in the semi finals. Portledge, the tournament's #1 seed had a surprisingly difficult time getting passed a determined group of girls from the Hill School. The Hill team does have the league's top goaltender and boosted by her fine play, the Hilltoppers found themselves only trailing the mighty Lady Panthers by one entering the third period. The Portledge girls, however, were equally determined to make this their weekend, and send their leader, Senior captain Siena Falino, out as a champion. Thus, the third period turned out to be a Panther blitz, as Falino and her mates turned up the speed of play a notch or two and netted three straight goals on the girls from Pottstown, PA.
In the second semi final the tournament's other favorite, the Crimson Ladies of Morristown Beard, faced an even greater challenge to advance from the Shaddy Side Varsity Girls from Pittsburgh, PA. Shaddy Side's incredible #10 banged in two quick goals to give the underdogs a formidable 2-0 early game lead. Slowly but surely though, the Morristown girls clawed their way back into this hard fought contest. The score was tied at two mid way through the third period when Mo Beard finally took the lead for good at 3-2. So both of Sunday's final contestants had been tested and had come through. Now we would settle once and for all the question of who was the best girls interscholastic hockey team in the mid atlantic region, The Portledge Lady Panthers, or the Crimson Ladies of Morristown Beard.
I once heard someone say that Princeton had given two great gifts to amateur ice hockey, Hobey Baker and Harry Rulon Miller. I reflected back on that statement as the venerable Mr. Rulon Miller took the microphone to introduce the teams competing in the WIHLMA Championship. In his most gravely and gargled voice, Harry wished both teams the best of luck, then eloquently and ever so simply stated,"play ball"!! These two teams took that simple statement to heart, as they both attacked the game with a youthful exuberance that literally shook the building. Up and down the ice they went, trading scoring chances and fine defensive plays from end to end. Little by little the territorial advantage started to slide towards the Lady Panthers as they consistently kept the puck in the Mo Beard end. The Portledge defensemen, Emily Prey, Chelsea Caracciolo, and 8th grader Erin Brand fearlessly pinched down the boards time and again denying the Crimson Ladies a respite from the growing pressure on their goal. Finally, half way through the second period, after 22 minutes of scoreless and tension packed play, the nervous tie was shattered as Portledge Sophomore winger Alyssa Parke came out of the corner in control of the puck and deftly snapped a wrister into the top corner of the Mo Beard net. A jubilant celebration by the Lady Panthers followed, and for a moment all seemed right in the world...but just for a moment!
Before the Portledge girls had the chance to get really comfortable with the lead a questionable penalty was called on Falino during a scrum in front of the MB net. The Crimson took advantage of the ensuing power play to tie the score at one. The Morristown goal came on a blistering slap shot by the Crimson's dominant offensive player, Sarah Beyerdorf. As the second period ended with the score tied at one, everyone in attendence realized that they were in for something really special because the third period would determine the WIHLMA champ, and what a period it would be!
Right from the drop of the puck the Lady Panthers were flying. Falino attempted rush after rush into the Mo Beard end, only to be efffectively steered away from the Crimson net by a well prepared Mo Beard defense. Every once in a while the Crimson managed to get off a shot at the Portledge goal, but they were usually from off angle and were easily handled by the Lady Panther's keeper, Sophomore Olivia Rivera. A side note on the weekend is that Rivera played solid throughout both games, providing a calm and cool presence in the Portledge net during some highly stressful situations. As the game was winding down and the coaches were beginning to think about the possibility of overtime there was a break. A Mo Beard turnover right at the Portledge blue line left Junior Addie Reilly with the puck just as speedy Sophomore winger Ashley Wade started to break down the ice. Reilly feathered a perfect pass between the Crimson defendrs and all of a sudden Wade was in alone. The crowd rose to their feet and witnessed Wade pull the puck to her backhand side before slyly slipping it through the ol' five hole and into the net. Over the last three minutes the Lady Panthers resisted a furious charge by the Morristown girls and finally, after what seemed like forever, the final horn sounded. This championship culminates a dream that people had and a tremendous amount of work by a very special group of girls. One girl, in particular, has strived for six years to put Portledge on the Girls Hockey map. The exceptional Miss Falino can now move on to Northeastern University for the next stage of a very special hockey career satisfied that her contributions to Portledge Girls Hockey did establish a program that is now recognized throughout the region. Congratulations to Siena, Head Coach Zoe Schwam, all the girls on this years incredible team and all the girls who have played for, and contributed to, this special program over the years!! WAY TO GO LADY PANTHERS!!!!
What Happened in the WIHLMA Championship Game?
Both Portledge and Morristown were coming off of hard fought wins in the semi finals. Portledge, the tournament's #1 seed had a surprisingly difficult time getting passed a determined group of girls from the Hill School. The Hill team does have the league's top goaltender and boosted by her fine play, the Hilltoppers found themselves only trailing the mighty Lady Panthers by one entering the third period. The Portledge girls, however, were equally determined to make this their weekend, and send their leader, Senior captain Siena Falino, out as a champion. Thus, the third period turned out to be a Panther blitz, as Falino and her mates turned up the speed of play a notch or two and netted three straight goals on the girls from Pottstown, PA.
In the second semi final the tournament's other favorite, the Crimson Ladies of Morristown Beard, faced an even greater challenge to advance from the Shaddy Side Varsity Girls from Pittsburgh, PA. Shaddy Side's incredible #10 banged in two quick goals to give the underdogs a formidable 2-0 early game lead. Slowly but surely though, the Morristown girls clawed their way back into this hard fought contest. The score was tied at two mid way through the third period when Mo Beard finally took the lead for good at 3-2. So both of Sunday's final contestants had been tested and had come through. Now we would settle once and for all the question of who was the best girls interscholastic hockey team in the mid atlantic region, The Portledge Lady Panthers, or the Crimson Ladies of Morristown Beard.
I once heard someone say that Princeton had given two great gifts to amateur ice hockey, Hobey Baker and Harry Rulon Miller. I reflected back on that statement as the venerable Mr. Rulon Miller took the microphone to introduce the teams competing in the WIHLMA Championship. In his most gravely and gargled voice, Harry wished both teams the best of luck, then eloquently and ever so simply stated,"play ball"!! These two teams took that simple statement to heart, as they both attacked the game with a youthful exuberance that literally shook the building. Up and down the ice they went, trading scoring chances and fine defensive plays from end to end. Little by little the territorial advantage started to slide towards the Lady Panthers as they consistently kept the puck in the Mo Beard end. The Portledge defensemen, Emily Prey, Chelsea Caracciolo, and 8th grader Erin Brand fearlessly pinched down the boards time and again denying the Crimson Ladies a respite from the growing pressure on their goal. Finally, half way through the second period, after 22 minutes of scoreless and tension packed play, the nervous tie was shattered as Portledge Sophomore winger Alyssa Parke came out of the corner in control of the puck and deftly snapped a wrister into the top corner of the Mo Beard net. A jubilant celebration by the Lady Panthers followed, and for a moment all seemed right in the world...but just for a moment!
Before the Portledge girls had the chance to get really comfortable with the lead a questionable penalty was called on Falino during a scrum in front of the MB net. The Crimson took advantage of the ensuing power play to tie the score at one. The Morristown goal came on a blistering slap shot by the Crimson's dominant offensive player, Sarah Beyerdorf. As the second period ended with the score tied at one, everyone in attendence realized that they were in for something really special because the third period would determine the WIHLMA champ, and what a period it would be!
Right from the drop of the puck the Lady Panthers were flying. Falino attempted rush after rush into the Mo Beard end, only to be efffectively steered away from the Crimson net by a well prepared Mo Beard defense. Every once in a while the Crimson managed to get off a shot at the Portledge goal, but they were usually from off angle and were easily handled by the Lady Panther's keeper, Sophomore Olivia Rivera. A side note on the weekend is that Rivera played solid throughout both games, providing a calm and cool presence in the Portledge net during some highly stressful situations. As the game was winding down and the coaches were beginning to think about the possibility of overtime there was a break. A Mo Beard turnover right at the Portledge blue line left Junior Addie Reilly with the puck just as speedy Sophomore winger Ashley Wade started to break down the ice. Reilly feathered a perfect pass between the Crimson defendrs and all of a sudden Wade was in alone. The crowd rose to their feet and witnessed Wade pull the puck to her backhand side before slyly slipping it through the ol' five hole and into the net. Over the last three minutes the Lady Panthers resisted a furious charge by the Morristown girls and finally, after what seemed like forever, the final horn sounded. This championship culminates a dream that people had and a tremendous amount of work by a very special group of girls. One girl, in particular, has strived for six years to put Portledge on the Girls Hockey map. The exceptional Miss Falino can now move on to Northeastern University for the next stage of a very special hockey career satisfied that her contributions to Portledge Girls Hockey did establish a program that is now recognized throughout the region. Congratulations to Siena, Head Coach Zoe Schwam, all the girls on this years incredible team and all the girls who have played for, and contributed to, this special program over the years!! WAY TO GO LADY PANTHERS!!!!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
GIRLS ICE HOCKEY WINS WIHLMA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Congrats to the Varsity Girls Hockey team who defeated Morristown-Beard 2-1 to capture the WIHLMA Championships. Pictured to the left is Senior Captain, Siena Falino who finished off her spectacular career with this Championship. Congrats to Siena -- she will be missed.
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