Sports Digest, Oct. 31 - Nov. 2: Playoff Results, Football Previews

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Kennedy

Football: No. 8 Kennedy (5-3) will travel to No. 1 Garden City (8-0) on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Cougars are on a current five-game win streak after starting the season 0-3. This matchup will be their toughest yet, but Matt Delbianco and company will be sure to give it all they have.

Girls Volleyball: No. 3 Kennedy lost a tough Class A quarterfinal match against No. 6 Herricks on Tuesday in four sets. The Lady Cougars won the opening set, but proceeded to drop the next three to end their season with an 11-6 overall record. Senior captain Heather Hulkower gave a great effort in her final game. Lauren Sustad and Jamie Demmett also gave solid outings along with the rest of the Kennedy squad this season.

Mepham

Football: No. 6 Mepham (4-4) will travel to No. 3 Elmont (5-3) on Saturday at 3 p.m. in a rematch of last year's quarterfinal. The Pirates started the season at 3-0, but struggled in the second half of the schedule. Elmont edged out the Pirates 28-23 earlier this season, as the Spartans had to fend off a furious comeback after leading 22-0 at one point. Look for this to be an exciting and close matchup.

Boys Soccer: No. 9 Mepham had its season come to a close on Wednesday afternoon with a 4-0 loss to top-seeded Hicksville in the Class AA playoffs. The Pirates finish with a 9-7-0 overall record, but avenged two consecutive years of first-round playoff losses with a 1-0 win at Uniondale last Friday. Mepham will part ways with 15 seniors this season.

Girls Soccer: No. 4 Mepham topped No. 5 Oceanside at home by a 1-0 score in the Class AA quarterfinals. Gabby Weiner took a pass from Samantha Trupo early in the first half to take the lead. Trupo, along with Emily Schmitt, goalkeeper Alexa Rinaudo and company, locked the Lady Sailors down on defense to preserve the lead despite a few very close calls. Mepham will play No. 9 Calhoun in the semifinals on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Denton Avenue Field.

Clarke

Field Hockey: No. 4 Clarke defeated North Shore in the first round of the Class B playoffs behind a goal from Kristin Keller in the final two minutes of the game to win 1-0. However, the Lady Rams were eliminated in the semifinals on Wednesday with a 2-0 loss to defending county and Long Island champion Garden City. The girls finish an amazing season with a 10-4-3 overall record.

East Meadow

Football: No. 2 East Meadow (7-1) will host No. 7 Uniondale (4-4) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Jets dominated Uniondale on the road in the regular season, winning by a 56-19 final behind four touchdown passes by Dylan Curry, three of which went to Robbie Healy, who also added a rushing touchdown in the win.

Girls Volleyball: East Meadow defeated Baldwin at home in the first round of the Class AA playoffs. The match went five dramatic sets as the Lady Jets came out on top, 25-12, 18-25, 25-18, 22-25 and 25-19. Becky Syers led the offense with 11 kills, 25 assists, to go with seven serving aces. Jennifer Gundrum also stepped up to lead the offensive unit with 17 kills against the Lady Bruins. She also added five blocks as East Meadow moves on to play No. 1 Massapequa on Friday at 6:30 p.m. hosted at Long Beach High School.

Field Hockey: No. 4 East Meadow fell in the opening game of the Class A playoff to No. 1 Massapequa by a 6-1 final score. With the game all but finished, the Lady Jets scored their lone goal off of a shot from Adriana Guglielmo in the second half. East Meadow finishes the season at 5-9-1 overall.

Hewlett

Football: No. 7 Hewlett (4-4) will make a short trip to No. 2 Lawrence (7-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Bulldogs, led by running back Sam Martorella, lost to the Golden Tornadoes in September, a game in which they led 35-34 at the half, but were then outscored 20-0 in the next half to fall 54-35. Hewlett must be able to stop the running game of Lawrence and finish late in the game to pull off the upset.

Lawrence

Football: No. 2 Lawrence (7-1) will host Five Towns rival No. 7 Hewlett (4-4) on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Golden Tornadoes defeated the Bulldogs during the season by a 54-35 score. Joey Capobianco threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns, and Ryan and Tyler Fredericks combined for six total touchdowns in the win. Look for the offense to step up in this big playoff matchup.

Football: No. 1 Garden City (8-0) will host No. 8 Kennedy (5-3) on Saturday at 3 p.m. Although the teams have not played each other this season, the Trojans boast one of the Island's most balanced teams, led by Mark Ellis on offense and Rob Savage on defense.

Boys Soccer: No. 10 Garden City saw its season come to a close on Tuesday as it lost to No. 2 Island Trees on the road by a 2-0 final score. The two teams played right until the end in a high-intensity quarterfinal matchup. Teddy Spanos nearly tied the score with just more than 10 minutes to play, but his shot off of a cross sailed just wide. Garden City concludes its impressive season at 10-4-2 overall.

Girls Soccer: No. 3 Garden City won its quarterfinal matchup in Class A over No. 6 New Hyde Park on Tuesday by a 2-0 final score. Both Jessica Stein and Hayley O’Hanlon scored in the first half for the Lady Trojans, who held on the rest of the way behind solid team defense. Tracy Rendano and Kelsey Tierney combined for the shutout in goal. Garden City will move on to play No. 2 South Side on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the Denton Avenue Field.

Field Hockey: No. 1 Garden City struggled to score in the first half against No. 4 Clarke in the Class B semifinals, but found its groove with two second-half goals from Alexandra Bruno and Tara Mahon to win 2-0. The Lady Trojans, who are now an undefeated 14-0-1, will move on to the Nassau County championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Adelphi.

Division

Football: No. 6 Division (6-2) will travel to No. 3 Lynbrook (5-3) on Saturday at 2 p.m. Division lost to Lynbrook in September by a 42-21 final score. The Blue Dragons were in that game during the first half, but could not keep up with a dominant rushing attack from the Owls. The defense must step up for Division to have a chance on Saturday.

Girls Soccer: In a district rivalry, No. 1 Division topped No. 8 Island Trees on Tuesday by a 3-0 final score. Krista Fitzpatrick helped the Blue Dragons remain undefeated on the season at 13-0-1 by adding a goal and an assist in the effort. Gina Fader notched another shutout for Division with four saves. Division will play No. 5 Plainedge on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Denton Avenue Field.

Island Trees

Boys Soccer: No. 2 Island Trees used its fast pace of play and upside in stamina to defeat No. 10 Garden City in the Class A quarterfinals, 2-0. Adonis Martinez scored in the first half for the Bulldogs, followed by a late second-half goal by Mike Gronenthal, the team's leading scorer this season. Andrew Barbine made five saves in the big shutout as Island Trees moves on to play No. 6 Great Neck North in the semifinals at Mitchel Field on Friday at 5 p.m.

Girls Soccer: No. 8 Island Trees played its final game of the 2011 season in a 3-0 loss to nearby Division, the top ranked team in the Class A playoffs. Island Trees, which won the Conference A-II title this season, defeated No. 9 Clarke in the first round of the playoffs. The Lady Dawgs finish the season with a 13-2-0 overall record.

MacArthur

Football: No. 3 MacArthur (7-1) will host No. 6 Oceanside on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. The Generals were third in a three-way tie atop Conference I with Freeport and East Meadow. MacArthur defeated Oceanside in the regular season, 20-18, after holding off a late comeback by the Sailors. Gerard Cunningham scored three rushing touchdowns in the win.

Girls Soccer: No. 2 MacArthur dominated No. 7 Baldwin on Tuesday night by way of a 6-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the Class AA playoffs. Kristyn Alonzo led the offensive surge with a pair of goals, whil Jill Mulholland, Tara Lyons and Christina Cottone all added a goal and an assist in the impressive showing. The Lady Generals move on to play No. 3 Massapequa on Friday at 4 p.m. at the Denton Avenue Field.

Football: No. 5 Long Beach (5-3) will travel to No. 4 Carey (5-3) on Saturday at 3 p.m. Carey defeated Long Beach by a 19-14 score during the season behind three touchdowns from running back Rob Zorn. The Marines’ defense will need to stop the dominant back along with some magic from quarterback Tom Rowley to win this weekend.

Girls Volleyball: No. 7 Long Beach gave a valiant effort against No. 2 South Side on Tuesday in the Class A quarterfinals, but fell in four sets to the Lady Cyclones. Patricia Murphy and Haley Crane, despite having exceptional games against Hewlett in the first round, weren’t able to put together a repeat performance as the Lady Marines end their season with a 4-12 overall record.

Football: No. 3 Lynbrook (5-3) will host No. 6 Division (6-2) on Saturday at 2 p.m. Lynbrook defeated Division by a 42-21 final score in September behind 298 rushing yards and three touchdowns by Luke Spitzer on just nine attempts. The Owls will need to succeed in the running game and in stopping the run to win, two factors in which they struggled with at times this season.

Girls Volleyball: No. 3 Malverne will take on No. 2 Carle Place in the Class C playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 4:30 p.m. The game will be hosted at South Side High School. 

Girls Soccer: No. 9 Calhoun came up with an amazing victory over No. 1 Farmingdale in the quarterfinals of the Class AA playoffs. Kristina Gandolfo scored a goal in the second half for the Lady Colts and then put in the game-winner in overtime to advance. Alissa Battaglia played exceptional in goal with 13 saves against the Lady Dalers. Calhoun will play No. 4 Mepham on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Denton Avenue Field.

Football: No. 8 Mineola (4-4) will travel to No. 1 Locust Valley (7-1) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The Mustangs have had an up and down season, but have shown strides of great success led by quarterback Rob Clarkin along with offensive weapon Brian Gaffney. Locust Valley defeated Mineola, 26-6, early on in the season, but the Mustangs have improved greatly since that point.

Boys Soccer: No. 5 Mineola was eliminated from the Class A playoffs after the Mustangs lost to No. 4 Roslyn on Tuesday. The team recently defeated No. 12 West Hempstead in the first round, but its run came to an end in the quarterfinals. Paul Sandoval gave the team a 1-0 lead in the first half, but Roslyn took the lead with a pair of second-half goals. Mineola finishes the season at 12-3-1 overall.

Girls Soccer: No. 2 South Side looked dominant in a 3-0 win at home against No. 10 Wantagh in the Class A quarterfinals on Tuesday. For the second game in a row, sophomore Christina Klaum scored a hat trick for the Lady Cyclones, giving her six goals in the 2011 playoffs. South Side has outscored its first two opponents by a combined 9-0 score. They will play No. 3 Garden City on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the Denton Avenue Field.

Girls Volleyball: No. 2 South Side advanced in the Class A playoffs with a four-set victory over No. 7 Long Beach, 25-19, 15-25, 28-26 and 25-9. Kayla Principato and Allison Glass led the offense with 16 kills and 11 kills, respectively. Main setter Emma Paris, who had 25 assists, assisted many of those points. Grace Healey led the defensive effort with seven key blocks at the net. South Side will play No. 6 Herricks on Friday at 4:30 p.m. hosted at Clarke High School.

Football: No. 4 Seaford (5-3) will host No. 5 Valley Stream North (6-2) on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Vikings will need Joe Richards and Alex Rodriguez to step up and carry this team with the ground game, the staple of the Seaford offense. The defense will need to stop running back Evan Henry, who has totaled 26 touchdowns this season for Valley Stream North.

Football: No. 2 Wantagh (7-1) will host No. 7 New Hyde Park (5-3) on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Warriors dominated New Hyde Park in mid-October on the road by a 35-8 final score. Matt Balzano scored twice and Joe Giardina scored once as a dominant running game led them to victory. The Warriors will look to do more of the same this weekend.

Girls Soccer: No. 10 Wantagh saw its season come to an end at Skelos Field on Tuesday with a 3-0 loss to No. 2 South Side. Despite 12 saves from Brenna Smith, she couldn’t stop three of Christina Klaum's shots in the effort. Brenna Connolly and Kaitlyn Kingston displayed solid play all-around, along with the rest of the 2011 Lady Warriors team. Wantagh finishes its season at 9-3-3 overall.

Girls Volleyball: Top-seeded Wantagh defeated visiting Roslyn in the Class A quarterfinals on Tuesday in four sets, 25-19, 21-25, 25-14 and 25-9. Jenny Ilibassi showed why she is a senior captain this season, collected 19 kills along with 21 digs on defense. Lauren Pennino was dominant at the net with 11 blocks to go along with 11 kills. Julie Struzzieri helped on the offensive side with 25 assists as the Lady Warriors move on to face Garden City in the semifinals on Friday at 6:30 p.m. hosted at Clarke High School.

Football: No. 2 West Hempstead (6-2) will host No. 7 East Rockaway (4-4) on Saturday at 3 p.m. A tough loss to at home to Roosevelt to end the regular season left a sour taste in the Rams’ mouth, but Justin Boatwright, Tayvon Hall and company will look to get back on track against East Rockaway, a team they defeated, 22-14, in October.