Here’s a peek at what the Great Hagueini saw a year ago for the last year of the ’90s. Last year’s prediction appears in italics, with the eventual result appearing below it. There are several teams who could take a run at the HCIAA title, but for some reason, Hagueini likes a team wearing blue and gold. Yes, it’s the Marist Royal Knights, with Coach Chris Chevannes and one of the best juniors in the nation, Rasheed Dunbar, leading the way to the county crown. Marist did win the title, defeating Dickinson. Although he suffered near-fatal injuries in an automobile accident last spring, Dunbar (correct spelling of his first name is Rashid) recovered and has verbally committed to attend the University of Miami. Individually, Hagueini sees big things for North Bergen’s Rick Apodaca, who will average close to 30 points per game, becoming Hudson County’s most prolific scorer since fellow Bruin Danny Callandrillo exactly 20 years ago. Incidentally, Apodaca will go on to break Callandrillo’s school scoring record and make a solid run at Bill Raftery’s all-time Hudson County scoring mark. Bingo again. Apodaca averaged better than 30 points per game for the Bruins and broke both Callandrillo’s North Bergen and Raftery’s Hudson County scoring marks. Apodaca is now playing at Hofstra. On the girls’ front, it looks like another solid year for Marist and head coach Bill DeFazio, thanks to his super sophomores Makeeda Gleaton and All-World candidate Tara Walker. But Bayonne, which shocked Marist in the HCIAA finals last year, should be the one wearing the crown come late February. WRONG! Marist defeated Bayonne in the finals. But with sensational sophomore Tony Tate and power forward supreme Maurice Jackson, the Friars just might make a legitimate run at preseason favorite St. Patrick’s of Elizabeth. Hagueini’s going out on a limb here. He sees St. Anthony toppling St. Patrick’s to win the school’s 22nd state title. However, the Friars will run into some trouble in the Tournament of Champions with the likes of Seton Hall Prep. Wrong again – somewhat. St. Anthony lost to St. Patrick’s in the Parochial B North finals. Seton Hall Prep did win the T of C title. Tate then left St. Anthony for Marist, but will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. While we’re on the topic of basketball, look for the St. Peter’s College women to make a strong run at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title. Coach Mike Granelli has all the tools to earn another NCAA Tournament. In fact, Hagueini predicts that the Peahens will be an NCAA Tourney participant come March. Right again. Granelli’s Peahens won the MAAC title once again and headed to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Virginia Tech in the first round. Going over to baseball, there’s only one image that keeps appearing, and it’s orange and black. Yes, it’s the Memorial Tigers, last year’s HCIAA champions, ready to make another title run. Led by super smooth infielder Santiago Chi, solid hurler Danny Cainas and the multi-talented Manzanarez twins, namely Alberto and Tony, Coach Tony Ferrainolo should be smiling come Memorial Day. Only fitting. This year, it truly will be Memorial’s day. Although some certain contenders wearing maroon and white (St. Peter’s Prep) are welcoming back some strong pitching with Steve Jiminez and Jack Baker, as well as powerful outfielders Nick Edwards and Mark DiGesu, it just won’t be enough to halt Memorial’s quest to repeat. WRONG-O! St. Peter’s Prep defeated Memorial to win the HCIAA title. In football, it’s hard to overlook the talents and potential of Hoboken’s Red Wings, who are coming off an undefeated 12-0 state championship season in 1998, and have talented underclassmen like Tyrell Dortch returning. But will the Red Wings duplicate their amazing 1998 season? Doubtful, although Dortch will probably have another All-State season, and will be considered among the top college recruiting haunts in the country. In fact, Dortch will be so successful that by the time he is done rushing for nearly 2,000 yards next season, people will consider him to be the best running back in the history of Hoboken High. 50-50. Hoboken duplicated the feat, compiling another 12-0 season and another NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group III state championship. As for Dortch, he did even better than expected, motoring for a school-record 2,605 yards and 32 touchdowns. Best ever? Absolutely. And the major college pursuit of Dortch continues. So what’s the grid team to watch in 1999? We’ve been wrong in predicting this in the past, but Hagueini believes that the Marauders of St. Peter’s Prep will return to prominence. Spearheaded by running back Cabral Edley and bruising fullback/linebacker Mike Gonnelli, the Marauders (and coach Rich Hansen) are looming large as the team to beat in 1999. WRONG again. Although Edley and Gonnelli each had great a season, leading the Marauders to the Parochial Group IV playoffs, they didn’t reach the predicted level of team to watch. That title, of course, went to Hoboken. Here’s another pigskin image Hagueini sees: Although there will be attempts to bring it back, there will not be football at Snyder for another year. Bingo. Snyder talked about bringing varsity football back for 1999, but it never materialized. The program played only underclassman football this year. As for other peeks into 1999? John Valentin of Jersey City will have a banner season with the Boston Red Sox, and will finally fulfill a goal as the American League All-Star third baseman. Wrong. Valentin struggled through an injury-riddled season, but rebounded for a solid post-season for the Sox. The NBA season will never begin, which means a season in limbo for local products Bobby Hurley, Terry Dehere, Rodrick Rhodes, and Roshown McLeod. The season did begin, but Hurley never played, Dehere and Rhodes are currently out of the NBA, leaving McLeod of the Atlanta Hawks as Hudson’s lone NBA representative. Hudson Catholic football coach Rob Stern will be named as the new football coach at St. Peter’s College. As his first big-time recruit, Stern will take All-State linebacker Jon Wasilewski with him. Pretty impressive. Stern was hired at SPC and Wasilewski soon followed after an unsuccessful stop at East Stroudsberg. Another former Hawk, Terrence Murphy, played for Stern at SPC and had a great season, earning MAAC Rookie of the Year honors. However, SPC sputtered to a 1-10 record. A refurbished, state-of-the-art Weehawken Stadium will open to rave reviews. Not bad again. Although production was slowed by a late spring water main break and flood, the stadium eventually opened in September and helped Weehawken to its best-ever football season. All in all, not a bad season of predictions for the Great Hagueini, whose status in the Sports Soothsayers’ Association of America has been renewed for another year. – Jim Hague