Joseph Staszewski

Joseph Staszewski

Staszewski: Blue Chip USA Invitational player breakdowns

July 10, 2011 , ι By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Summer time is when we high school reporters turn from collectors of stats, times and point totals into evaluators of sorts. While college coaches sit across and sometimes next to us at AAU events... Read on

Summer time is when we high school reporters turn from collectors of stats, times and point totals into evaluators of sorts.
	 
While college coaches sit across and sometimes next to us at AAU events they are trying to figure out if a particular player will be a good fit for their team and their conference. As a reporter you also find yourself caring a bit less about what a particular player does, but how they do and how they have improved.
	 
This week my colleague Marc Raimondi and I had the pleasure of watching some of the top city-based girls basketball travel teams at the Blue Chip USA Invitational tournament at Penn State. Those included Positive Direction, NYC Heat, NYC Lady Warriors and Baseline among others.
	 
Here I take my shot at breaking down some of the top players I got to watch.
	 
F 5-10 Kelsey Carey, St. Joseph Hill (NYC Heat White 2013)
	 
This is the rising junior's first season with the Heat and playing against travel ball competition of this level, something she is thoroughly enjoying. Carey has been asked to play away from the basket more and her comfort level is growing. She is always going to be a force on the boards, is becoming a threat in transition and is a superb passer.
	 
G 5-6 Amanni Fernandez, Christ the King (Lady Warriors DeLuca 2013)
	 
Christ the King fans should be pretty excited about what she can bring. Fernandez’s speed, strength and athletic ability can make the rising junior the motor of its offense. There isn’t anything she can’t do physically – rebound, score, defend and run a team. She is tough as nails and even added a game-winning jumper to her resume for the NYC Lady Warriors. If her mental understanding of the game continues to improve she can really develop into a dynamic point guard.
	 
F 5-10 Elisabeth Gully, Mary Louis (Positive Direction 2012)
	 
The Hilltoppers' rising senior was certainly the most improved city big girl. She lost 40 pounds since December and added important nuances to her games. Gully was consistently knocking down the mid-range jump shot, taking the ball strong to the basket and running the floor effectively for Positive Direction.
	 
G 5-7 Brittany McDonough, Leon Goldstein (Coaches Choice USA Brooklyn 2012)
	 
Division II schools are starting to fall in love with the lanky, athletic guard. She is arguably the city’s best passer and creator and showed that all week, carrying Coaches Choice USA Brooklyn at times. McDonough can score with the jumper or by attacking the basket. Doing all of it against more athletic competition seems be all that’s left for her to prove.
	 
G 5-4 Joya McFarland, Kennedy (CAS Douglass Panthers 2012)
	 
The loquacious guard may have been the most improved player out of the city girls in the tournament. The rising senior has always been known as one one of the city’s best shooters and that sure hasn’t changed. But this week she was taking the ball to the basket and finishing without hesitation and showed a better handle playing with the CAS Douglass Panthers. A big season could be ahead.
	 
G 5-7 Jasmine Nwajei, Mary Louis (Positive Direction 2013)
	 
Nwajei's scoring ability has never been in question. The rising junior is a streak shooter who can get to the basket at will. Where he needed to improve was her decision-making, passing and ability to make the players around her better. She put all of them on display at Penn State for Positive Direction. She made smart passes out of double teams and drives to the paint weren’t just meant to score, but to dish to open teammates.
	 
G 5-8 Christina Rubin, Moore Catholic (NYC Heat White 2012) 
	 
It’s all about confidence for this Staten Islander. When the rising senior gets going she can take over a game with her outside shooting touch, but sometimes needs encouragement to let it fly when she is struggling. Rubin will always bring an effort on the defensive end and has shown improvement in her ball-handling skills. She has taken the initiative at times when it comes to wanting to bring up the ball for the Heat.
	 
Quick hits: Moore Catholic guard Jamie O’Hare (NYC Heat White 2012) had one of the highlights of the week. She spun on a defender after grabbing a rebound and fired a one-handed pass while dribbling at full speed to Katie Poppe for a layup in transition. … Poppe of Holy Trinity really impressed by using her length to get in the passing lanes, along with her scoring ability. … Banneker guard Jenipher Rodriguez (Baseline 2012) has an endless motor. … TMLA star Rena Mohamed continues to be Positive Direction’s most consistent player and is growing into an on-court leader… Lincoln’s Erica Juarbe (Coaches Choice USA Brooklyn 2012) is still rough around the edges, but her athletic ability is tough to match.
	 
jstaszewski@nypost.com

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No matter his name, Artest's loyalty is one of a kind

July 05, 2011 , ι By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

More NBA players should be like Ron Artest. That’s right: more.The Los Angeles Lakers star, who recently officially changed his name to Metta World Peace, I’m sure isn’t first on the list of stars... Read on

More NBA players should be like Ron Artest. That’s right: more.
	 
The Los Angeles Lakers star, who recently officially changed his name to Metta World Peace, I’m sure isn’t first on the list of stars NBA commissioner David Stern wants as the poster boy for his league. But for all of Artest’s faults and off-the-wall tendencies, the Queensbridge native has always remained true to himself and his roots.
	 
While other NBA players are likely enjoying the summer and the holiday weekend, Artest was on the blacktop courts of New York City playing – for free. The 6-foot-7 forward, who starred at St. John’s University and LaSalle Academy, makes a yearly stop on the streetball circuit. What makes this special is he shows no favorites and plays hard.
	 
His week started Tuesday with a stop at Nike Pro City to play with his Queensbridge team. Wednesday he was at Dyckman to help a star-studded Ooh Way club beat Team 914. Friday he headed to Rucker Park to propel Bingo’s All Stars to an 85-82 win against rival R2K. On Saturday, Artest played not just once, but twice. He took the court again for coach Bingo Cole in the afternoon at Hoops in the Sun and later that night was back at it at the Tri-State Classic.
	 
Robert ColeRon Artest falls into the crowd attempting to prevent the ball from going out of bounds during game between at Dyckman this summer.

Sunday you would think he would rest. No sir. Not Ron Ron.
	 
There was Artest walking through the rain into the St. Mary's Recreation Center to play his second Hoops in the Sun game of the week. It probably wouldn’t have taken much persuasion to get Artest to suit up for a pickup game outside later. No matter where he is he plays with a high level of intensity as Geoff McDermott learned Wednesday at Dyckman. Artest began to body him up on defense after he got by him on a previous possession and took it to him on the offensive end. His body, possible safety and career is put on the line each time he steps on the court.
	 
He’s said in the past playing all those games against this level of competition is a great way to keep in shape for the upcoming season. With a lockout in effect you might see more of Artest on the streets playing and maybe he can convince some of his NBA brethren to come with him.
	 
Watching him play is easy to take for granted, especially when you are me and you watched him three times in one week. It was like, “Oh, it’s Ron again.” But it shouldn’t be that way. It could be awhile before we see any NBA stars play again, let alone one the caliber of a champion like Artest. Even when they do return, ticket prices are certainly not cheap.
	 
But there was Artest for anyone who could squeeze into a respective park or gym last week. These aren’t nose bleed seats, either. You're close enough to touch him. It’s an experience few people get and Artest should get plenty of praise for helping create those memories over and over this week.
	 
More NBA players should be like Ron Artest. It’s easy to see why.
	 
jstaszewski@nypost.com

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Owens, Philson excelling on national track stage

July 02, 2011 , ι By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Eddie Owens realized his dream.Coming into the US Junior Outdoor championship, the Packer Collegiate seniors talked about earning a chance to represent the United States for the first time in his... Read on

Eddie Owens realized his dream.
	 
Coming into the US Junior Outdoor championship, the Packer Collegiate seniors talked about earning a chance to represent the United States for the first time in his career. It was going to take a top-two finish and that's exactly what the Princeton-bound star got. Owens placed second in the 3000 meter steeplechase in a time of 9:04.79 last Saturday at Oregon’s fabled Hayward Field.
	 
Owens' finish earns him a chance to run the event for Team USA at the Pan-American Junior Athletics Championships from July 22 through 25 in Miramar, Florida. There the All-City first team selection by The Post will complete against athletes from 43 countries throughout the Americas. Owens holds the nation’s best time this season in the event at 8:59.53, run in April at the Larry Ellis Memorial Invitational. It’s the fourth fastest high school mark ever.
	 
He came into the meet off a win at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in the 2000 meter steeplechase, in 5:49.40. Owens’ time is the fifth fastest time in high school history and the fastest time in the country this season.
	 
Philson sets NYS junior hurdle record: Lateisha Philson is healthy and its shows. The Cardozo junior battled through hamstring injuries early in the outdoor season and has shown no ill effects in the later stages. She continued her surge by breaking the New York State junior record in the 100 meter hurdles at World Youth Trials Wednesday in Myrtle Beach, SC.
	 
She first set the mark in the trials on Tuesday, posting a time of 13.85 to best the mark of 19.95 run but Lisa Taylor of East Rochester in 1990. Philson would do even better in the final when she posted a time of 13.69 to place third. Trinity Wilson of St. Mary’s in California won in 13.42 and Kendell Williams of Kell HS in Georgia, was second in 13.52.
	 
Philson ended her high school season by winning the 100 hurdles in the PSAL Outdoor City Championship in a time of 14.36 and placing third in the 100 meters dash after running 11.92, the state’s second fasted time in the prelims.
	 
jstaszewski@nypost.com

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Staszewski: Molloy mess hurts players, program

June 28, 2011 , ι By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Archbishop Molloy has mastered the art of creating an unnecessary mess that benefits no one. For the second time in four years, the school’s girls basketball coach was unceremoniously let go... Read on

Archbishop Molloy has mastered the art of creating an unnecessary mess that benefits no one.
	 
For the second time in four years, the school’s girls basketball coach was unceremoniously let go following a championship season and without concrete reason. Each time the school cited the need for a new direction, though that direction has yet to be explained. It’s quite an accomplishment for a school that is image conscious and a program that is just a decade old.
	 
The only direction things seem to go is reverse – or in circles for that matter – when Molloy is on the cusp of putting its name among the elite girls basketball teams in the city.
	 
The moves have not only hurt the perception of the program, but the kids in it.
	 
It was all hugs and smiles in March for third-year coach Tom Catalanotto as he and his kids celebrated winning the state Federation Class A title. The image of Catalanotto hugging guard Alexa (Weazel) Dietrich like a father would a daughter remains etched in my mind.
	 
The same can be said for his predecessor Dom Cecala, who took over on an interim basis after John McGlynn resigned in 2008. He beat Christ the King twice and ended the Royals' string of 23 consecutive CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens titles. Both were wanted back by the majority of the team’s parents and players. Both were Molloy alums and both were sent packing.
	 
What a great way to treat two of your own.
	 
Molloy’s camaraderie and visible love for each other and their coach made their run so special to watch last season. That bond is what also made Catalanotto’s dismissal so hard on players like Dietrich, Amani Tatum, Carolyn Gallagher and Dallas Pralle, who are also coached by Catalanotto on the NYC Lady Bulldogs travel team. Tatum said it feels like she as is losing a male role model in her life.
	 
Chemistry is a big part of sports and especially girls basketball. Molloy, a team filled with sophomores, possessed the rare version of champions. It is hard to get back when pieces are taken away. It made the season one of redemption for Catalanotto after two tumultuous years where all the pieces, including him, didn’t mesh quite right.
	 
Letting him go before might have made some sense, but he and the program appeared to have turned a corner. They were headed for bigger and better things with players and coaches who fed off each other. That was the theme during their state title run. It made the timing of the school’s decision even more unfair and unjustified. The majority of players will need to adjust to a new coach and learn to a new system as juniors, the most important year of their college recruitment.
	 
Why, again, create the mess it took three years to recover from the last time?
	 
Catalanotto being let go could kill championship momentum once again, the same way it did when Cecala was not brought back. Molloy had the gall to ask Cecala to return to his junior varsity coaching job.
	 
Instead, he took the JV job at Christ the King and star guard Kelly Robinson transferred to Francis Lewis. Whoever the next coach is shouldn’t think they will be treated any differently. Molloy has given them no reason to believe that.
	 
The stability of the Stanners program will be brought into question by parents thinking about sending their kids there in the future. If I was parent or a player why would I want to be a part of a school that has twice in three years shown a blatant disregard for success and their input?
	 
When the parents tried to set a meeting with administrators on Monday Molloy told them it would not discuss the issue further in respect for Catalanotto’s privacy. . Still, no real reason was given for his dismal, allowing dozens of rumors to circulate. Catalanotto can put a stop to that, but he’s declined public comment and has not gone into details with parents and players.
	 
The players deserve an answer – from someone.
	 
Catalanotto hasn’t been an angel, but he wasn’t anything Molloy shouldn’t have seen coming when they hired him. It was his dream high school job.
	 
Catalanotto's son Tommy graduated from Molloy and his wife, Nancy, works at the school. He is a prideful Stanner who wanted nothing more than to bring success to the school. He wasn’t shy about showing his competitiveness and love for his team, even if they weren’t quite getting along. Catalanotto tells it like it is, to a fault sometimes.
	 
His emotions can get the best of him. Catalanotto and Christ the King coach Bob Mackey exchanged words after Mackey took issue with Molloy pressing the Royals bench players late the third quarter after not pressing their starters earlier in the frame of a blowout. In February, Catalanotto had a heated back and forth with Bishop Kearney athletic director Anthony Troiano over the use of a pink and white basketball in conjunction with the league’s Coaches vs. Cancer month.
	 
He did so because he felt it was not a regulation ball his players didn’t want to use it. While as a coach and an adult Catalanotto should have kept his cool, he felt he was only defending his team.
	 
So far he has been quiet while others voice their displeasure over the way he was treated. Maybe he is continuing to learn from some of the mistakes he’s made in the past when his emotions got the best of him.
	 
One thing is for certain though. The Molloy administration is developing a disturbing history for repeating theirs.
	 
jstaszewski@nypost.com

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Sources: Archbishop Molloy to part ways with Catalanotto

June 23, 2011 , ι By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Tom Catalanotto may not be returning to the Archbishop Molloy bench next season.Mere months after leading the Stanners to the New York Sate Federation Class A title, the third-year girls basketball... Read on

Tom Catalanotto may not be returning to the Archbishop Molloy bench next season.
	 
Mere months after leading the Stanners to the New York Sate Federation Class A title, the third-year girls basketball coach’s contract was not renewed by the Briarwood school, sources told The Post late Wednesday night.
	 
Catalanotto would not confirm or deny that he had been let go and athletic director Mike McCleary did not return a message left late Wednesday.
	 
“It’s not what people think,” Catalanotto said. “I can’t talk about it right now.“
	 
Last year was his finest at Molloy. Catalanotto, The Post’s All-Queens Coach of the Year, led a sophomore-laden team to the school’s third Federation crown in 10 years after a fifth-place finish in loaded CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division I.
	 
Catalanotto took over for Dom Cecala three years ago. Cecala, now the Christ the King junior varsity coach, was also not asked back as varsity coach after taking over an on interim basis and leading Molloy to its first Brooklyn/Queens crown and ending Christ the King’s 25-year reign atop the league.
	 
After two uneven seasons, Catalanotto and Molloy appeared to have regained their footing with a talented core that fit both his personality and style, though Catalanotto did find himself in hot water on occasion.
	 
Early last season, he got into an argument with Christ the King coach Bob Mackey in the post-game handshake line after Mackey took issue with Molloy pressing the Royals bench players in a blowout. In February, Catalanotto had a heated exchange with Bishop Kearney athletic director Anthony Troiano over the use of a pink and white basketball in conjunction with the league’s Coaches vs. Cancer month.
	 
Catalanotto's job, however, seemed to be secure following the Stanners' 53-48 win over Peekskill at the Times Union Center in Albany in the Federation Class A final.
	 
Molloy will head into this season with one of the most talented and experienced rosters in the city. Rising juniors Amani Tatum, Carolyn Gallagher and Alexa (Weazel) Dietrich helped lead the NYC Lady Bulldogs, coached by Catalanotto, to the tournament title at the prestigious GymRat Challenge in Albany.
	 
They will return to Molloy next season, but Catalanotto may not be coming with them.
	 
jstaszewski@nypost.com

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Brooklyn/Queens playoff change one for the better

June 09, 2011 , ι By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

For the second straight year the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens girls basketball playoffs will undergo change and it is for the better. Last season in this space I took issue with the league deciding CHSAA... Read on

For the second straight year the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens girls basketball playoffs will undergo change and it is for the better.
	 
Last season in this space I took issue with the league deciding CHSAA state playoff spots with play-in games instead of the Brooklyn/Queens tournament, which for the last three years had been rendered meaningless. The decision to do that was forced with the addition of Nazareth. It gave the league eight teams for six state tournament spots. The league is back to seven now with Bishop Kearney dropping down to Division II.
	 
Next season, Brooklyn/Queens will get four teams instead of three in the CHSAA Class AA state bracket after the closing of St. Peter’s and the Diocese of Buffalo’s participation at the highest level still up in the air, sources told The Post. Those will go to the Brooklyn/Queens Division I teams that finish in the top four spots during the regular season. Unlike previous years, their ranking in the state tournament, as well as the teams going to Class A bracket, will be decided by the diocesan tournament.
	 
That means the postseason winner will be its top-seeded team and the runner up No. 2. The first team of the four to lose is the No. 4 seed. If two teams fall in the same round their order is decided by regular-season finish. If you use last year’s results as an example, Mary Louis’ semifinals upset of Christ the King would have earned them the league’s second seed in the state playoffs and the Royals would have been No. 3.
	 
The tournament would also affect the team finishing fifth, sixth and seventh during the regular season. If one of them pulls an upset over one of the top-four finishers it would be the diocese's top seed in the Class A bracket. If two teams pull upsets the top spot goes to the squad which beats the highest-seeded team. A playoff win could save the last-place team’s season if things stay the same in the state 'A' bracket. It adds even more drama to an already exciting time of year.
	 
It’s been a shame that the playoff format has been in such flux over the last three years, since the implementation of the state tournament. But I applaud the coaches and administrators of Brooklyn/Queens with changing to a better system. It rewards teams who are playing well at the end of the season and makes every game have meaning. It’s almost summer, but this reporter is now looking forward to the madness of March.
	 
jstaszewski@nypost.com

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Time not right for CHSAA girls basketball realignment

June 07, 2011 , ι By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

The CHSAA boys basketball league announced an extensive realignment of its classifications and divisions based on coach-voted power points. Dominant teams from its Class A have moved up into the prestigious 'AA' league. Would such a move work for the landscape of Catholic girls basketball?
	 
The answer right now is no.
	 
If you had asked two years ago, it would have been a resounding yes, but a lot has changed since then and there are gaping holes in the girls basketball landscape left by issues that had nothing to do with realignment. Back in 2009 and early 2010 there was a nationally ranked team at St. Michael Academy. The 2009 state Federation champions and coach Apache Paschall were thirsting for the competition a “super league” would grant them.
	 
Over in Staten Island, CHSAA power St. Peter’s was wrapping up its 14th and 15th straight division titles and continuing its dominance of the borough despite the rise of Moore Catholic. In the Bronx, Our Lady of Victory was still a vibrant and competitive team.
	 
None of this is true at the present moment and with it – for now – goes the chance for a viable, competitive and workable super league.
	 
St. Mike’s closed its doors last June and Paschall and his player just won CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens and another Federation crown at Nazareth. St. Peter’s and Our Lady of Victory just completed their final seasons after the Archdiocese announced both will shut their doors. In addition, Bishop Kearney has dropped down to a 'B' team in CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division II.
	 
While the city’s boys league was faced with the problem of too many 'AA'-level teams playing in the 'A' league, the girls don’t have many true 'AA' squads outside of Brooklyn/Queens. Only Moore Catholic, which was just bolstered by the addition of guard Jamie O’Hare, has proven it can compete with the best teams in the city. But with its stellar senior group graduating, can they sustain it? The same thing can be said of Cardinal Spellman in The Bronx, which loses Boston University-bound forward Troi Melton.
	 
With CHSAA Staten Island now made up of just five teams and former St. Peter’s coach Bob Daggett likely headed to Curtis -- a boon for the PSAL -- it is the Archdiocese that needs some realignment. The Staten Island teams, outside St. Peter's, already played crossover games with their Bronx/Westchester counterparts. More games between the league’s top teams are in order.
	 
The changing landscape of CHSAA girls basketball should however bring about a different state tournament format. St. Peter’s and St. Mike’s closing leaves the Archdiocese with likely one 'AA'-level team in Moore Catholic and currently two spots in the tournament. Next season that should be limited to just one for the winner of the Archdiocesan tournament.
	 
Brooklyn/Queens deserves a fourth 'AA' team as evidenced by Molloy winning the state Federation Class A title. With Kearney moving down, it will eliminate the unnecessary play-in games that kept two of the Brooklyn/Queens teams from participating in the Catholic state playoffs, while less deserving teams got the opportunity.
	 
The makeup of CHSAA girls basketball has changed greatly over the last three years. Until we see how the future shapes up, a major realignment is not the answer.
	 
jstaszewski@nypost.com

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Great debate: Is Fordham or Poly city's top boys lax team?

June 01, 2011 , ι By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

With Mayor’s Cup events heating up again this weekend, NYPost.com boys lacrosse beat writer Joseph Staszewski tackles the debate over which is the best team in the city: The boy’s lacrosse season in... Read on

With Mayor’s Cup events heating up again this weekend, NYPost.com boys lacrosse beat writer Joseph Staszewski tackles the debate over which is the best team in the city:
	 
The boy’s lacrosse season in the five boroughs came to an end Tuesday with Fordham Prep's loss to Holy Trinity in the CHSAA downstate final. So it begs the question, who is the best in the city? The Rams or NYSAISAA champion Poly Prep?
	 
For all you Midwood fans we are leaving the PSAL champion Hornets out of this because they dropped a 9-3 non-league defeat to the Blue Devils early this season. The Rams won the NYCHSAA crown and beat top Long Island squads Holy Trinity, Kellenberg and St. John the Baptist during the regular season. The Blue Devils knocked off Ivy League power Hackley to cliam their state crowns.
	 
Three years ago, Fordham Prep and Poly Prep, which did not play a game against each other during the regular season, would have likely met in the championship game of the now dissolved Metro lacrosse playoffs. Instead they will face off right here in this blog.
	 
The teams are of very similar in makeup, but play different styles. Junior Hugo Francis is the do-everything midfielder for the Blue Devils and Fordham Prep has a similar player in senior Chris Smith. Both squads are balanced offensively. Matt Casella, Chris Sullivan, Ben Andreycak and Joe Regan can all dominate a game for stretches. Poly Prep has said all season it is not built around one star. Brian Ingrassia, Max Goupit, Greg Pietroforte and Francis have all shared the load.
	 
The Rams may win the battle of defensive depth with J.C. Sullivan, Thomas Whalen and Logan Williamson. Poly’s Theo Kalogerakis is one of the best long poles in the city and he has helped make others like Will O'Hearn and Graham Hill even better around him. Goaltending is a bit of a wash. Fordham’s Conor Gowan and the Blue Devils got a stellar season from freshman Dylan Moser. Both made the ordinary saves and come up with more than a few that leave offensive players shaking their heads.
	 
The game will be slow-starting and low-scoring early -- both teams have been notorious for that. The key for Poly is to be the first team to explode. Like we saw in the NYSAISAA final the Brooklyn school is tough to stop when they get rolling, their ball-control style and Chris Moser taking faceoffs can make comebacks quite a task.
	 
It is something Fordham Prep would be up to. The Rams can score quickly and in bunches because of their superb passing ability, the creative skills of Andreycak and Regan and Sullivan find openings.
	 
Fordham Prep would rally late and after a back-and-forth fourth quarter the game would need overtime to break a 10-all tie. Following a possession for each team Whalen would jar a ball free from a Poly player. Smith scoops it up, races down field and feeds Andreycak. He beats a defender and dashes for the crease. Andreycak fires a ball in the turf that bounces up toward Moser. The goalie flashes his stick right and watches the ball…
	 
jstaszewski@nypost.com

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Riverdale girls lax earns NYSAISAA top seed, boys squad No. 2

May 21, 2011 , ι By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

The NYSAISAA boys and girls lacrosse playoff seeds have been released and there are no big surprises on the either side, but the Ivy Prep League fared well.On the girls side, Riverdale was awarded... Read on

The NYSAISAA boys and girls lacrosse playoff seeds have been released and there are no big surprises on the either side, but the Ivy Prep League fared well.
	 
On the girls side, Riverdale was awarded the top seed after winning its first ever Ivy League crown. It finished the regular season with one loss and head into postseason play having never made a NYSAIS final. The Falcons are a senior-laden group led by Mia Hopper, Lindsay Picard and Katherine Coles hungry to bring home a title.
	 
The only team to knock off the Falcons was second-seeded Poly Prep. The Blue Devils are one of the hottest teams in the tournament after winning seven straight to end the regular season and have arguably the draws best player in Northwestern-bound midfielder Jessica Dahldorf. Hackley is the No. 3 seed and No. 8 Horace Man hosts No. 9 Brearley in a play-in game on Saturday for the final spot.
	 
Hackley earned the No. 1 spot in the boys tournament after winning its second straight Ivy title. Its only league loss came at the hands of second-seeded Riverdale, 15-14, thanks to four goals from Will Hendrickson on the final day of the regular season. Poly Prep, losers of two straight to end the regular season, is the No. 3 seed and will be without starting goalie Dylan Moser, who suffered an stress fracture in his lumbar in a win over Horace Man back on May 11. Star attack Mark Philipps and Dalton are No. 4 while Fieldston grabbed the seventh spot.
	 
Below is the schedule for both tournaments:
	 
NYSAISAA girls lacrosse
	 
May 21
	 
Play-in game
	 
10 a.m. – No. 9 Brearley @ No. 8 Horace Mann
	 
May 22
	 
Quarterfinals
	 
11 a.m.– No. 9 Brearley/No. 8 Horace Mann @ No. 1 Riverdale
	 
11 a.m.– No. 7 Trinity @ No. 2 Poly Prep
	 
11 a.m.– No. 6 Holy Child @ No. 3 Hackley
	 
11 a.m.– No. 5 Rye @ No. 4 Long Island Lutheran
	 
May 23
	 
Semifinals 
	 
TBD @ Higher seeds
	 
May 25
	 
Final @ Manhattanville College
	 
6 p.m. –Semifinal winners
	 
NYSAISAA boys lacrosse
	 
May 22
	 
Quarterfinals
	 
11 a.m. –No. 8 Trinity @ No. 1 Hackley
	 
11 a.m. – No. 5 Portledge @ No. 4 Dalton
	 
2 p.m. –No. 7 Fieldston @ No. 2 Riverdale
	 
2 p.m. – No. 6 Rye Country Day @ No. 3 Poly Prep.
	 
May 23
	 
Semifinals 
	 
TBD @ Higher seeds
	 
May 25 
	 
Final @ Manhattanville College
	 
3:30 p.m. – Semifinals winners
	 
jstaszewski@nypost.com

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Rain putting a damper on city high school sports schedules

May 18, 2011 , ι By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

It’s become a rite of the spring season the last few years – crippling rain.New York City has been pounded the last three days by downpours, bringing baseball and softball games to a halt across the... Read on

It’s become a rite of the spring season the last few years – crippling rain.
	 
New York City has been pounded the last three days by downpours, bringing baseball and softball games to a halt across the five boroughs. It comes at exactly the wrong time. Seniors last days are approaching and proms are a plenty, thus making scheduling a nightmare with the baseball regular seasons coming to a close and the softball postseason trying to get some momentum.
	 
Doesn’t Mother Nature know that Tottenville and Susan Wagner aren’t trying to play a game?
	 
Just today, I was in my car in the pouring rain, waiting to see if St. Francis Prep and Mary Louis were going to call off their CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens softball semifinal that was originally scheduled for Tuesday. That will likely be made up Friday with the Hilltoppers prom set for Thursday. Bishop Kearney’s prom forced them to try to set their semifinals matchup with Molloy for Friday, the same day the finals were suppose to begin at Queens College.
	 
Over in CHSAA Bronx/Westchester, they are still waiting to crown a division champion as Cardinal Spellman needs to play Our Lady of Victory to see if OLV or Preston takes the title. On Staten Island, St. John Villa will need to beat St. Peter’s to force a possible tie breaker game with St. Joseph Hill. Will the league just go to Hill's two wins in the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Archdiocesan quarterfinals supposed to begin Saturday on Staten Island? A boat, raft or ferry might be needed to get there with all the water that has hit the ground the last three days.
	 
The PSAL could be looking at some trouble. The city title games are set for May 28 at St. John’s University, but they have only gotten one first round game in. That means they will need to play five rounds in a nine-day span. That includes the two-out-of-three semifinal series in the Class B division. Glad I am not in charge of making those schedules.
	 
Baseball has a little more wiggle room with regular season games still being played. A contest with first-place implications between Kennedy and Lehman had to be cancelled. The Ivy league's final regular season games have not been played since Monday. The NYSAIS seeding is supposed to be announced tomorrow.
	 
The first round of the CHSAA baseball playoffs were originally scheduled for Saturday, but now will not likely start until next Wednesday with a bevy of makeup games still to be played, including the Bronx/Westchester division-deciding contest between Iona Prep and Fordham Prep, which is now set for Sunday at noon. Weather permitting, of course.
	 
It’s been perfect for lacrosse, however. The PSAL Class A boys and girls semifinals are set for Thursday, including a doubleheader at Tottenville. Their girls will play rival Beach Channel in a rematch of last year’s final and the boys take on Cardozo. The CHSAA boys Class A quarterfinals will also get underway with an interesting game between St. Francis Prep and St. Joseph by the Sea in Huguenot. Only lightning can keep those from happening.
	 
The skies will eventually open – we hope – and an excited 2011 postseason will finally get underway. For now, stay dry and enjoy the down time before the sprint to the finish begins.
	 
jstaszewski@nypost.com

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About the Author

JOSEPH STASZEWSKI Joseph Staszewski is a graduate of St. Francis Prep, who earned his BS in journalism at St. John’s University. Before recently being hired by the New York Post, he freelanced for the TimesLedger Newspapers and worked at Newsday for more than two years. He was Newsday’s high-school boys’ soccer, indoor track and boys’ lacrosse beat writer. Staszewski has covered high-school and college sports for seven years and was one of the co-founders of FiveBoroSports.com, which covered local sports in New York City extensively on a daily basis. The former varsity basketball player at St. Francis Prep has coached hoops at the CYO, AAU and high-school level.

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