After competing last week at the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park, the St. Dominic Academy cross country team will travel almost in entirety to Orlando, Florida this weekend to compete in the Walt Disney Invitational, with about 200 other teams from all across the country.
“We talked about doing something together as a team last March, and this made sense,” said veteran SDA cross country and track coach John Nagel. “Let’s set things straight. We’re not going there to see Mickey Mouse. We’re going to run. I think we have a nice team with only one senior. This is going to be a good experience for the young team. We have a team that is better than we’ve been in a few years, so this trip should be a good test.”
The course in Orlando is not your conventional cross country venue. It’s a three-mile course on flat ground with no hills.
“We should do fine,” Nagel said. “This is not a field trip. We’re going to run. We should do well.”
Senior Nicole Miklas is the lone senior on the Blue Devils’ roster.
“It’s only going to be my second time on a plane and my first time ever going to Florida,” Miklas said. “I’m really excited about it. I started running track late, so I decided to dedicate my entire senior year to running better. I’m excited about the trip, because I’ve never done anything like this before.”
Miklas said that it should be a good weekend because the entire team is going.
“It’s great that we’re traveling as a group,” Miklas said. “We’re going to stay together and be there for each other, give each other confidence. It’s invigorating to know that we’re all going to Florida together. We’re all in this together.”
Nagel said that during his 30-year tenure at SDA, his teams have traveled to 21 different states and collected medals in 18 of those states, which makes it just another accolade for the county’s top girls’ track and field and cross country program…
While the St. Peter’s Prep big three of Savon Huggins, Sheldon Royster and Rutgers-bound lineman Keith Lumpkin gather a lot of the attention, and deservedly so, the Marauders have been getting solid play from unsung heroes Denzell Thomas and Marquise Watson on defense and young Jared Crayton carrying the ball.
All three of those players may be the next in line to collect big-time scholarship offers, because they all look like the real deal…
Two juggernauts will square off this weekend, when undefeated 4-0 Lincoln takes on undefeated 4-0 St. Anthony. The two teams have had similar success, each posting four lopsided victories. St. Anthony has outscored its four opponents by a combined score of 194-20 (or an average of 48.5 to 5), while the high-flying Lions have outscored their four opponents by a combined total of 196-38 (or an average of 49 to 9). One thing is for sure. One of those two offensive powerhouses will have a loss after this weekend…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Football Top Five: 1. St. Peter’s Prep (3-1). 2. Lincoln (4-0). 3. St. Anthony (4-0). 4. Secaucus (4-0). 5. Hoboken (4-0)…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Soccer Top Five: 1. Bayonne (7-2-1). 2. St. Peter’s Prep (6-3). 3. Union City (5-2-1). 4. North Bergen (4-4). 5. Hudson Catholic (5-4)…
Great news for local soccer fans: The upcoming Hudson County Tournament championship game will be played at the new Red Bull Arena in Harrison. It’s a great coup for tourney director Tom Mullahey, the athletic director at Snyder, to secure the services of the state-of-the-art facility for the title game. What a thrill it will be for the local kids to play at a professional stadium. It should be a great venue for the county title game…
Bad news for the St. Peter’s College men’s basketball team before the season even begins: Standout guard Wesley Jenkins suffered a serious knee injury that could keep him out for the entire season. That’s a huge blow to the Peacocks, considering Jenkins has been the team’s leading scorer in each of the last three years. It’s not known yet whether Jenkins will sit out the season as a red-shirt…
More on the High Tech-County Prep transfer woes: There are several student-athletes who left their respective Hudson County School of Technology and transferred to other schools in the county, because the Schools of Technology eliminated their sports programs, who believe that they received a waiver that will enable them to play for their new schools right away.
Well, that’s not true at all. The NJSIAA is remaining steadfast that these students transferred and have to sit out the mandatory 30 days that come with being a transfer student/athlete. There is no waiver that will circumvent that rule.
If the student-athlete left the Schools of Technology and went to another school, they have to sit the 30 days. There is no way around it. It’s certainly sad, awful, and wrong for those kids, but that’s the law and it has to be upheld.
If any kid heard from a coach or an administrator that they could play right away with this so-called “waiver,” they are way wrong.
Here’s a tip to everyone involved: Make sure you take the time to call the NJSIAA if needed with each and every kid who transferred. Don’t think because you have some piece of paper that you can play right away. In the eyes of the state, a transfer is a transfer. Case closed.
And as for the Schools of Technology officials who wanted to refute the claim that there was a mass exodus of student-athletes, the latest count is somewhere between 80-to-100 student-athletes who left the two schools after the demise of their programs. It’s safe to say that the number 100 constitutes more than “a handful.” Unless we’re talking about Andre the Giant’s hands. But unfortunately, Andre’s dead, so “handful” doesn’t apply here…
In closing this week, there’s an upcoming softball tournament Oct. 16 at Miller Stadium in West New York to help a truly great guy batting a tough disease.
Former High Tech standout athlete Andy Garcia, now 26 years old, is battling an aggressive form of testicular cancer. He needs help to receive funding for his medical treatments. The softball tourney will take place at Miller Stadium all day on Oct. 16, with donations starting as little as $5.00.
Every little bit helps, so if you can, make a visit to www.helpandyfightcancer.com and make a donation.
A nice gesture already came from Boston Red Sox retiring standout Mike Lowell, a testicular cancer survivor. Lowell learned of Garcia’s plight, and sent him an autographed book and baseball as a show of support. It would be nice if others in Andy’s hometown and backyard can do the same… — Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.