Sports Digest: Weekend Championship Previews

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The high school athletic season in the Town of Hempstead has been filled with excitement, surprises and great stories. If you have any stories you would like to share, feel free to comment or send in emails recognizing great team or individual athletic performances in your community. 

A number of teams are still vying for championships in their respective sports. For information on all fall championship playoff games, including dates and locations, please visit the Nassau Boces Interscholastic Athletics page here.

Football (all games hosted at Hofstra University):

Conference I Championship:

No. 2 East Meadow (9-1) vs. No. 1 Freeport (9-1): Saturday at 4 p.m.

The East Meadow Jets boast one of the top offenses on Long Island, tallying 463 total points as a team in its 10 games this season. Running back Robbie Healy has done it all for the offense, totaling 31 touchdowns, six of which were reception scores from quarterback Dylan Curry. Ten of Healy's scores have come in the two playoff games against Uniondale and Massapequa.

East Meadow has one blemish on its record thus far, a 44-29 loss to its opponent this weekend, top-ranked Freeport. The Red Devils, winners of the last three Long Island championships, posed a large problem for the Jets in their last meeting with the rushing attack. Isaiah Barnes and Maurice Irby combined for 370 yards on 40 carries and five touchdowns in their last effort against the Jets. The East Meadow defensive unit, led my Marvin Cajoles and Andrew Lynch, will need to withstand the offensive pressure of Freeport to have a shot this weekend.

Conference II Championship:

No. 2 Wantagh (9-1) vs. No. 1 Garden City (10-0): Friday at 7 p.m.

Top-ranked Garden City is arguably the top team on Long Island and just one of three undefeated schools (Sayville, 10-0, and St. Anthony’s, 9-0). The Trojans defeated Wantagh in Week 2 by a 21-3 final to hand the Warriors their only loss of the season. Garden City is well balanced in all phases of the game, posing tough matchups for any team on the opposing side. Mark Ellis recorded 15 total touchdowns, including setting a new school record with 293 rushing yards against Long Beach, breaking the 42-year-old mark by a single yard. Patric Berkery, Brett Stewart, Rob Savage and Ryan Norton, who set the new school record for career field goals, are just some of the players Wantagh must watch out for.

Wantagh boasts a strong rushing attack, led by Brian Von Bargen, who has 11 total touchdowns, including six in the playoffs. Also helping on the rush is Joe Giardina and Shawn Charkowick, who is also a top defender for the team. The Warriors don’t generate an overwhelming amount of points -- 21 or fewer in five games -- but their strong defense has been the key to victory all season. Charkowick, along with Gerard Roche and Peter Brasile, will need to lock down the Trojan offensive unit to pull off an upset this weekend at Hofstra.

Conference III Championship:

No. 2 Lawrence (9-1) vs. No. 4 Plainedge (7-3): Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Lawrence was preparing for an anticipated rematch with Bethpage for the title, the only team it lost to this season. However, when the Golden Eagles had their top rusher lost to injury, it opened the doors for Plainedge to run away with an upset in the semifinals. The Golden Tornadoes defeated the Red Devils earlier in the season by a high-scoring 56-40 final.

Arguably the most dominant rushing duo on Long Island, Ryan and Tyler Fredericks have given Lawrence one of the top offenses. The senior, Ryan, has 27 total touchdowns, compared to 21 for the junior, Tyler. The defense, led by Matt Leone, Kenny Perez and Akil Mauruk, has emerged in a big way in the second half of the season, allowing seven or less points to their opponents a total of five times. Although Plainedge has a top-notch offense as well, if the Lawrence defense can play like it has been, the Golden Tornadoes will be especially tough to beat on Saturday.

Conference IV Championship:

No. 6 East Rockaway (6-4) vs. No. 2 Roosevelt (8-2): Thursday at 7 p.m.

Many are surprised that East Rockaway has reached the finals, except for its own sideline. The Rocks, who have never won a county title, have looked dominant in running a wishbone-style offensive attack to defeat No. 3 West Hempstead and No. 1 Locust Valley in the playoffs. This senior-heavy team is led by three fierce running backs in Nick Ulip, Luke Fahrenkrug and Anthony Tesoriero, along with quarterback Sean Bohan, who you can find lining up at cornerback and punter as well. 

East Rockaway fell to its finals opponent, Roosevelt, earlier in the season by way of a 15-14 comeback effort. The Rocks defense, led by Tom Dolan and Josh Warner, must contend with one of Nassau County’s best running backs in Erin Parker, who has 23 total touchdowns this season. The back has the capability to break off big runs with his speed, so East Rockaway must keep him in check to have a chance.

As a side note, Roosevelt head coach Joe Vito is an East Rockaway resident and a graduate of ERHS, class of ’79. His nephew, Dan, is a current assistant coach for the Rocks. The family rivalry has added a completely different dynamic to the championship game.

Girls Soccer (all games hosted at SUNY Cortland/Homer HS/Tompkins CC)

Class AA New York State Semifinals:

MacArthur vs. Brockport: Saturday at 2 p.m. at SUNY Cortland

MacArthur (16-2-0) cruised to a county championship with a 3-0 win over Calhoun, followed up by a close 1-0 win over Suffolk champion Ward Melville for the Long Island title last weekend. Led on offense by senior Jill Mulholland with 16 goals, the Lady Generals will look to keep their run alive against Brockport, which recently won the Section V championship over Greece Athena to avenge its only loss earlier in the season to the same team. 

The MacArthur defense, led by Jenny Scro and goalkeeper Jenna Cozza, has everything to do with the team making it to this point. The team has let up just six goals all season and none in the playoffs thus far. The winner of this game will square off with either Arlington (Section I) or Bethlehem (Section II) for the New York State championship on Sunday.

Class A New York State Semifinals:

South Side vs. Williamsville South: Saturday at 2 p.m. at Cortland HS

South Side (13-2-4) had been seeking redemption after it lost to Garden City in the 2010 Nassau County finals. In 2011, the Lady Cyclones defeated the Lady Trojans in the semifinals, followed up by a triple overtime win in the finals against Division by way of last-minute goals from Christina Klaum in regulation and Julie Beyer in the second overtime. The scoring was capped off by the game-winner from Meghan Hines.

South Side topped Suffolk champion Islip in the Long Island finals to reach the state tournament, where it will face Williamsville South, the Section VI champions. Williamsville recently edged out Our Lady of Mercy to set up a meeting with South Side. Klaum, who has totaled nine goals in five playoff games, will look to lead the team up front. The winner of this game will square off with either Somers (Section I) or Burnt Hills (Section II) for the New York State championship on Sunday.

Field Hockey (all games hosted at Cicero-North Syracuse HS)

Class B New York State Semifinals:

Garden City vs. Maine-Endwell: Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Garden City (16-0-1) is heading into the State semifinals with an unbeaten record once again in 2011. After handing Suffolk champion Sayville its first loss with a 2-1 result in the Long Island championship game last weekend, the Lady Trojans are looking to redeem themselves from a state finals loss in 2010 to Lakeland-Panas. 

Led by Alexandra Bruno, Jenna Fuchs and Charlotte Castronovo on offense, as well as Catherine McTiernan and goalkeeper Laura Fanning on defense, Garden City will look to continue its run this weekend against a tough Maine-Endwell team, the Section IV champions. The winner of this game will square off with either Lakeland (Section I) or Camden (Section III) for the New York State championship on Sunday. Garden City may have a shot to defeat the very same team it lost to last season if all pans out correctly on Saturday.

Boys and Girls Cross County Championships:

Athletes from the local area who have qualified will be competing this Saturday in the State Federation Meet at Bowden Park, located in Wappingers Falls, NY. The start time for the meet is set for 9 a.m.

Girls Swimming Championships:

Athletes from the local area who have qualified will be competing in the New York State Finals this Saturday at Erie Community College. The start time for the meet is set for 9 a.m.