Sectionals Story 2010 – by A Friend of the Prep

When the incomparable Fordham Prep track-and-field Class of 2009 graduated, people associated with the Rams wondered how the team would do with the foundation of the team absolutely gutted by graduation.

Not much was expected from Fordham Prep’s cross country team, yet against all odds, they pulled together at the very last minute, earning a 5^th place finish at Cities and a top-25 finish at States the following week, finishing the season ranked 24^th in the entire state---this after, at one point, being ranked 10^th in their own league. With the successful cross-country season in the rearview mirror, it was now time for track season, which was dominated by the Rams in 2008-09.

The Fordham Prep track-and-field team had massive shoes to fill---the 2008-09 Rams arguably had the greatest season ever by a CHSAA team. In a span of a little over four months, they were Bronx champions, Jesuit champions (twice), Millrose Games champions, and NYCHSAA champions (twice) (recording a “perfect meet” en route to a whopping 94 points indoors, and defeating Monsignor Farrell on the meet’s final event outdoors, winning a thrilling meet, 88.5-86).

They saved the best for last, sweeping both CHSAA championships, winning indoors with 54 points (the most since 1982) and the biggest margin of victory (30 points) since 1960. Throw in numerous school records broken a national championship in the shuttle hurdle relay to boot, and it was clear that the 2008-09 Rams were a once-in-a-generation team. Now, it was up to the Rams, led by the Class of 2010 to show the league that they were still a force to be reckoned with despite the departed seniors, and that they still had enough to win.

True to form, the 2009-10 Fordham Prep track-and-field team started out slowly, doing nothing to scare the CHSAA. After winning the Millrose Games last year, the Prep failed to qualify this year---but when you lose all four legs on a 4x800 that broke the school record with a 7:46.4 clocking last outdoor season, it is not surprising. The Prep still ran well at trials, running a season-best 8:17.65.

When the calendar turned to 2010, the Rams hit the accelerator, turning it on and leaving their opponents in the dust. First came a Bronx championship, as the Prep scored an amazing 105.67 points. The Rams then defeated improving Xavier and Regis squads at the Jesuit championships, winning their 21^st consecutive Jesuit indoor title. But those two championships only served as appetizers for the main course: the 2010 NYCHSAA Championships, where the Prep was the two-time defending champion.

The NYCHSAA was seeing a shift in power. The two elite teams of 2008-09, Fordham Prep and Farrell, were back in the pack thanks to graduation, and teams like St. Joseph’s and Xavier were on the rise. For example, just seven days prior to the Sectionals, St. Joseph’s became only the third Staten Island team to ever defeat Farrell at the Staten Island Championships, winning a close meet, 109-101. The 2010 NYCHSAA Championship was up for grabs, with Fordham Prep, St. Joseph’s, Mount St. Michael, Xavier, Iona Prep, and Farrell all having a chance to walk away with the first-place plaque. Who would win?

Part 1: The Rams have a Field Day

While the Freshman and Weight Division track events were ongoing, the Varsity field events began. The Varsity shot put, triple jump, and high jump all started early on in the meet, as they took place after the freshmen were done after those field events.

First was the shot put, and juniors Joe Paulus (47’9”) and Michael Seminario (46’7.5”) came through, going 1-2 to give the Prep a quick 10 points. Xavier’s Gino Giglio took fifth.

With the great Andrew Hemmings, who set the school record in the triple jump, graduated, it was up to senior Dan Turner to get the Prep some points and help the Rams build a cushion for when the track events started. Turner came through in monumental fashion, beating his personal best by over a foot and a half, jumping 41’0.5” to take second place behind the winner, Xavier’s Serge Efap. St. Joseph’s Liam Vogt took third, Iona Prep’s Rich Barton took fourth, and Xavier added another point behind Jake Busuttil’s fifth-place effort.

Like Turner being called upon to succeed Hemmings, junior Trevon Tann was faced with the task of replacing a 6’6” high jumper, Jourdan White. Trevon jumped 5’10” at the first meet of the year, and a similar effort would be needed to give the Rams points. Trevon did it again, jumping 5’10” for second place, as St. Joseph’s Charles Alcasid won with the same height but fewer misses. Farrell’s Robert Pinto got the Lions on the scoreboard with a fourth-place finish.

With the three early field events in the books, the scores read: Fordham Prep 18, St. Joseph’s 9, Xavier 8, Iona Prep 2, Farrell 2.

Part 2: “Bruuuce,” Hurdles Edition

The first running event of the day was the 55-meter high hurdles, and the overwhelming favorite in the event was the Prep’s Bruce Grant, or as he was affectionally called while he was racing, “Bruuuce.” Bruce breezed through the trials in 7.80 to easily qualify for the finals, and senior Craig Edwards came through with an 8.43 to qualify fifth. He turned it up in the finals, crushing the field with a 7.74, and Craig’s 8.47 was good enough for third place, giving the Prep nine more points. Farrell’s Ralph Esposito was fifth after qualifying third, and their top hurdler, Chris Rommel, was disqualified in the finals. With the hurdles in the books, the Prep now had 27 points and an 18-point lead on second-place St. Joseph’s.

Part 3: The 4x400 and 4x200’s Come Through

The first Varsity event on the “oval” was the 800 meters, and St. Joseph’s Nick Italiano paced a strong field, just holding off Xavier’s Brian King, 1:59.21 to 1:59.73. Tyrae Woodson-Samuels of Iona Prep took third, while Farrell’s Tim Brandt took fourth. Next was the 4x400-meter relay, an event that the Prep had won three years running, but that streak came to an end, as Mount St. Michael emerged victorious, with Iona Prep taking second and Farrell taking fourth. The Prep’s season-best effort of 3:33.59, anchored by a blazing 51.2 anchor leg by Turner, was enough for fifth, as Turner blew by St. Joseph’s anchor leg to keep the Vikings off the board.

While the Rams’ 4x400 and 4x800 relays suffered greatly due to the departed seniors, the one relay that maintained their 2009 performance was the 4x200 relay, and Sectionals proved to be no exception, qualifying for the finals second with a 1:35.49 clocking, as Mount St. Michael qualified first. Also qualifying were Farrell (fourth), Xavier (fifth), and Iona Prep (sixth).

With the hurdles and the first two “oval” events taken into account, the scores through six events were: Fordham Prep 28, St. Joseph’s 15, Xavier 12, Iona Prep 9, Farrell 7, Mount St. Michael 6.

Part 4: Gallo, Rosa, and the Vault Crew Deliver

Senior James Gallo had undergone an amazing metamorphosis throughout his career as a Fordham Prep runner. James was better known as the most exuberant freshman in 2006-07 and the most exuberant sophomore in 2007-08, and his times were nothing to write home about. But beginning last cross-country season, everything changed for James. He enjoyed a magnificent campaign, tearing up the back hills for a stunning 14:24 clocking at the 2008 CHSAA Championships, an obliteration of the five-minute barrier (he was the CHSAA Novice Champion at the 2009 CHSAA Championships with a scorching 4:45.14), and an amazing personal best in the 3,200 (10:13 in the pouring rain at the 2009 outdoor Jesuit championship). Gallo also rescued the Prep during cross-country, popping a 23-second personal best (13:47) to finish first for the Rams and helping them punch their ticket upstate.

Now, he was being counted on to be a scorer at the NYCHSAA Championships, and he came through in huge fashion, nearly missing winning a second sub-5 sweatshirt, which he would have done if he had broken 10:00. Nonetheless, his personal best of 10:02.52 placed him fourth, and even though he didn’t get sweater #2, senior Tom Jennings did, with a 9:53.53 bronze effort. St. Joseph’s Alex Civitano took fifth place and got the Vikings a much-needed point.

Junior Tony Rosa was injured during cross-country season, but he proved to be a quick healer, and in no time, he was on the Prep’s “A” team for the 4x800 relay and 4x400 relay, splitting a 2:04.5 and 55.4, amazing times for a runner who was out of action for three months. He was the Rams’ only entrant in a thin 1,000---there was only one heat---and was toeing the line against St. Joseph’s Dan Zaccariello and Xavier’s Avery Sternglass, both top-flight middle-distance runners. Tony did what he had to do, clocking a 2:43.00 to take fourth place as Zaccariello shattered the meet record held by Blaise Rewaka of Iona Prep with a 2:30.22 (running U.S. #3 as well) and Sternglass broke the Xavier school record with a 2:33.47. Iona Prep’s Nick Athanasidy was third, and Xavier Dmitri Zuccarello took fifth.

With top pole vaulter John Horvath graduated and the also-excellent Anthony Carr and Keegan Talty off to college, the onus fell on the Toms, Ferguson and McShane. They both delivered, with Ferguson’s 13’0” placing him third and McShane’s 12”6” placing him fifth. Farrell’s Cory Duggan captured his second consecutive sectional championship with a spectacular 15’9.5” vault, breaking the 2008 meet record of Brian McGovern of Mount St. Michael (15’9”) and capturing Field Events MVP. Iona Prep’s Vince Fellegara and Greg Gallagher went 2-4.

The scores through nine events: Fordham Prep 39, St. Joseph’s 22, Iona Prep 18, Xavier 17, Farrell 13, Mount St. Michael 6.

Part 5: “Bruuuce,” Sprints Edition

Last April, Bruce was running an ordinary leg of the Shuttle Hurdle Relay at Icahn Stadium when he smacked into a hurdle official, dislocating his jaw in the process. With his jaw wired shut, Bruce would be out until Cities, and Coach Febles Jr. entered him the 100 just to get him a race, never expecting that he would place 4^th in the city.

Now, Bruce was the top seed in the 55 meters, and easily qualified for the finals with a 6.65 effort. In the finals, he would be matched up with Cardinal Hayes’ Jeremiah Kobena, the defending outdoor CHSAA champion in the 100 meters. Up and off went the starter’s gun, and “Bruuuce” didn’t get off to a great start. However, his raw speed enabled him to catch up with Kobena and just nip him at the line, 6.58 to 6.62. Mount St. Michael’s Terrence Tyler took third and St. Joseph’s Chris Murphy took fourth.

With the 55 scored and ten events completed, the scores: Fordham Prep 45, St. Joseph’s 24, Iona Prep 18, Xavier 17, Farrell 13, Mount St. Michael 9.

Part 6: Gearing up for the Final Push

Results started pouring in, and the Prep took a relative backseat to the scoring, fortunate that they held such a large cushion at the time. The long jump results came in, with Xavier’s Keith Mesidor taking the sectional crown while Mount St. Michael’s Tarik Hawkins took third and Vogt of St. Joseph’s took fifth. The 600 saw all of the Prep’s competitors score---King of Xavier was the winner with a 1:25.74 effort, just edging Mount St. Michael’s Jordan Rollieson (1:25.79). Adam Civitano of St. Joseph’s took third, while Farrell’s Tom Donegan and Pete Kennedy took fourth and fifth. Mount St. Michael’s Winston McCormack captured the 300, while Michael Vallario and Anthony O’Malley of Iona Prep went 3-4 and St. Joseph’s George Setteducato took fifth, as the other teams were taking bites out of the Prep’s sizable lead.

Senior Gianni Matera was enjoying a breakout season, hovering around the 55-second mark for the 400, but busted through in a big way when the chips were down, threatening Italiano of St. Joseph’s with 150 meters left before slipping back a bit to fourth. Italiano ended up victorious, while Woodson-Samuels of Iona Prep was second, Mount St. Michael’s Anthony Harrison was third, and Farrell’s Harry Gumb was fifth.

Senior Eric Engelbrecht executed a perfect race strategy, taking fifth with a 4:40.14 clocking in a fast 1,600 that was won by Zaccariello in 4:33.35, who along with his meet-record 1000 netted him the meet’s Track MVP. Farrell’s Matt Buell was third while Sternglass of Xavier was fourth.

St. Joseph’s had made their move along with Xavier, Iona Prep, Mount St. Michael, and Farrell, and through fifteen events and with only the 4x800 and 4x200 to go, the scores: Fordham Prep 48, St. Joseph’s 41, Xavier 31, Iona Prep 27, Mount St. Michael 25, Farrell 20.

Part 7: The Knockout Blow

Likening this meet to a boxing match, the Prep struck early and hard with a series of body blows, knocking their opponents down. Their opponents had gotten off the mat, and were fighting back---the Prep was doing just enough to keep upright and held a slim seven-point lead going into the final two events. But with a weak 4x800 and no 4x200 in the finals, St. Joseph’s, the only viable threat to steal the crown from Fordham Prep, had little chance of making up that deficit.

Just to be sure, the Rams reared back and threw two more haymakers, scoring a KO. The knockout came in the 4x800, where the Prep took gold in 8:31.91. Iona Prep scored two teams second and fifth, while Mount St. Michael took third and Farrell took fourth.

With their third consecutive sectional championship sewed up, the Prep took a shot at scoring 60 points, but fell short of that when they placed second in the 4x200 to the champions, Mount St. Michael. The Rams’ 1:35.04 was swift nonetheless, while Farrell took third and Xavier fourth.

The announcement came over the public address system soon thereafter: “And, your 2010 New York Catholic High School Athletic Association champions, with 58 points, from the Bronx, their third consecutive sectional championship, Fordham Prep!” The Prep faithful erupted, and the entire team and coaching staff came downstairs for the victory picture.

The final scores: Fordham Prep 58, St. Joseph’s 41, Mount St. Michael 34, Xavier 33, Iona Prep 32, Farrell 25. It was an extremely even meet, with the top two teams and a tightly bunched pack of four. The five other teams “beating each other up” prevented any one of them of having a real chance to take down the Rams. It was Fordham Prep’s third consecutive Archdiocesan championship, and incredibly, they led wire-to-wire in each of the three meets. Simply put, they have not trailed at this meet since 2007.

With a successful-against-all-odds cross-country season in the rearview mirror, the attention now shifts to the track season. The Prep is the two-time defending indoor CHSAA champions. They lost almost all of their heavy hitters to graduation---wait a second, doesn’t that sound familiar? People were saying the same thing about the cross-country team, and look how that turned out. What can Coach Febles do with the 2009-10 team? We will find out over the next six months!

That passage was taken from the 2009 Cross Country story. “They lost almost all of their heavy hitters to graduation---wait a second, doesn’t that sound familiar? People were saying the same thing about the cross-country team, and look how that turned out.”

Well, people said the same thing about the indoor track team. Too much lost. Everybody else has improved too much. Not enough talent left over to make noise at the championship meets.

Well, it looks like the Prep has proven the pundits wrong again, winning a Sectional championship with relative ease the year after losing most of the best team in CHSAA history to graduation. The Prep is perfect so far in the indoor championship season---the freshmen have won the Bronx and sectional championships, the sophomores have won their sectional championship, and the varsity has taken the Bronx, Jesuit, and sectional championships.

So far, so good. But now, the stakes are increased even higher, and Cities for the freshmen, sophomores, and varsity are knocking on the door. The Rams will enter as underdogs to St. Anthony’s and St. John the Baptist. They’ve been doubted all year---yet somehow find a way to come through. Can they do it again? Stay tuned!