Jersey Sporting News

Jersey Sporting News • January 10 - January 24

By Anil K Sharma, MD, DABPMAcute low back pain is defined as low

back pain present for up to, but less than,six weeks. Low back pain may begin fol-lowing a strenuous activity or trauma,but often is seemingly unrelated to a spe-cific activity. The pain may begin sudden-ly or develop gradually. It may be expe-rienced as aching, burning, stabbing,sharp or dull, well-defined, or vague. Theintensity may range from mild to severeand may fluctuate. The pain may radiateinto one or both buttocks or even into thethigh/hip area.

Who can get acute low back pain?Anyone can experience low back pain.

At least 85% of individuals will experi-ence a significant episode of low backpain at some point in their lives. In ageneral survey at any point in time, 15%of individuals report that they are experi-encing low back pain.

What causes low back pain?The exact source of acute low back pain

is often difficult to identify. In fact, thereare numerous possible structures that canproduce pain. These include muscles,connective/soft tissue, ligaments, jointcapsules and cartilage, and blood vessels.These tissues may be pulled, strained,stretched or sprained. Additionally, annu-lar tears (small tears that occur in theouter layer of the discs that are betweeneach vertebra) can initiate severe pain.Even if the actual tissue damage is minor,and likely to repair quickly, the pain expe-rienced may be quite severe.

Numerous chemical substances arereleased in response to tissue irritation.Some of these chemicals trigger theprocess of inflammation, or swelling,which also contributes to pain. Thisinflammation may persist for days toweeks. As a result of injury, musclespasm in the surrounding tissues may

occur. This can result in a decrease of the

usual blood supply to the affected area,which reduces delivery of nutrients andoxygen and impairs removal of irritatingbyproducts of inflammation.

How long will acute low backpain last?

The good news is that 50% of episodesof acute low back pain nearly completelyresolve within two weeks, and 80% bysix weeks. Unfortunately, the durationand severity of a single episode cannot bepredicted based on the onset, location ofpain, or even the initial severity.Excruciating initial pain may resolvewithin several days, while moderate ormild symptoms may persist for weeks.

Is this pain serious?The seriousness of low back pain

varies. The symptoms of acute low backpain are usually benign and self-limited.Even a ruptured disc has a chance ofimproving without surgery. Rarely, how-ever, low back pain is caused by a moreserious process such as a fracture, infec-tion or cancer. This is more common inindividuals over the age of 50, those witha history of cancer, those with severe painat rest, pain associated with fever, and inpersons with underlying medical prob-lems such as diabetes, heavy alcohol ordrug use, long time corticosteroid use, orosteoporosis. Pain in the legs, weakness,or difficulty with bowel or bladder controlwarrant prompt medical evaluation, asthis may indicate a severe problem.

How should acute low back painbe managed?

Some of the best advice for treatmentfor acute low back pain is to continue toremain active “as tolerated”. Most indi-vidual’s natural inclination would be tostay in bed and avoid activity. Actually,activity keeps blood and nutrients flow-

ing to the affected area, which inhibits

inflammation and reduces muscular ten-sion, so continuing to perform everydayactivities is generally encouraged. Manyindividuals with low back pain find thatthey can perform controlled cardiovascularactivities, such as walking, in spite of thepain and often feel better after the activi-ty. More vigorous or uncontrolled activ-ities such as weight lifting or competitiveor contact sports are inadvisable whilepain is severe.

Stretching exercises for the back andlegs may be done during an acute episodeof low back pain, but stretching shouldnot cause more severe pain. If pain isaggravated by a particular exercise orstretch, avoid that particular activity.

Local application of heat or ice cantemporarily reduce pain and heat mayfacilitate stretching, but does not neces-sarily speed long term recovery.

Medication: Both acetaminophen andnon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) are analgesics (pain relievers)which are known to provide effectivereduction of acute low back pain.NSAIDs also inhibit the inflammatoryprocess described earlier. These are usual-ly the medications used initially for man-agement of acute low back pain. They areavailable “over the counter” in lowerdosages, or a higher dose may be pre-scribed.

“Muscle relaxants” are medications thatdo not actually relax skeletal muscle.However, they work by sedating the cen-tral nervous system and can be useful tofacilitate sleep and secondarily reduce con-tributing muscular tension in the settingof severe pain.

Narcotics (also called opioids) arestrong pain relievers and do reduce thesymptoms of acute low back pain.Because narcotics are sedating, they canbe useful to facilitate sleep during the

first few nights of symptoms. Long termuse of narcotics is associated with unde-sirable side effects including physicaldependency, sedation, depression, consti-pation. Narcotics should only be used fora very short duration for severe low backpain.Other treatments: Physical therapymodalities such as ultrasound, electricalstimulation, traction, mobilization andchiropractic manipulation can providetemporary relief, but are not proven toimprove long term recovery. Acute lowback pain usually resolves spontaneouslyon its own and in most cases, as long asactivity can be maintained, formal thera-py may not be required. If the pain issevere, if participation in activities isimpaired, or if motion is significantlyrestricted, a physical therapist can provideadditional education and advice regardingstrategies for restoring motion, resumingactivities, preventing deconditioning andachieving a position of comfort duringsleep.

For those with persistent or recurrentlow back pain, a medical evaluation isindicated. The goal should always be

All You Want to Know About Acute Low Back Pain

Anil K Sharma, MD, DABPM

Continued on page 4


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By John HealyAfter a slow start to the season, the Neptune

boys’ basketball team appears to be hitting theirstride after its two recent victories over ColtsNeck and Ocean.

Junior forward Keith Kirkwood led a bal-anced attack during the January 4th gameagainst the previously undefeated Cougars,recording a double-double with 11 points and16 rebounds. Senior guards Rasul Holland, IkieCalderon and Jaheem Morris each added 10,nine and eight points, respectively. Calderonalso chipped in with seven steals and fiveassists. “We’re giving a good team effort, thereis not one standout scorer,” Head Coach KenO’Donnell said. “Our style is pressing, running,and fast-break. Different games we’ll have dif-ferent scorers.”

This was evident in the following gameagainst division rival Ocean on January 5th,where Morris led the scoring with a team-high11 points in a 39-25 win. “The game againstOcean: we played really good defense,”O’Donnell said. “We only held them to 25points so we’re starting to turn around.” Thetwo wins improve the Scarlet Fliers record to 5-2 overall, 3-0 in their division. O’Donnell cited

the slow start to many players being on the foot-ball team (which reached the state champi-onship) and key players, such as Kirkwood,returning from injuries. “With the footballteam’s success, they needed time to get intobasketball shape,” O’Donnell said. “And withKirkwood’s knee injury, it just took a while tocome around as a team.”

While the Scarlet Fliers have played consis-tently on both sides of the ball recently,O’Donnell expects the team to make improve-ments in order to achieve their goal as divisionchamps and compete for a Shore Conferencetitle. “We need to improve at the foul line, playmore consistent defense and distribute the ball,”O’Donnell said. “Our goals are no differentthan they are any other year. We just have tokeep working hard.” The Scarlet Fliers nexthighly anticipated match up will be againstRaritan at Long Branch High School on Jan. 14at 5 p.m. in the Battle of the Boardwalk.

Neptune Boys’ Basketball Begins To Click

PHOTO: FRANCINE ATTARDIRight: Neptune’s Keith Kirk goes up againstColts Neck defense.On the front page Neptune’s Ikie Calderonfights off two Colts Neck jplayers.

Better than Expected: Neptune 7-0By Ted KaiserNEPTUNE — Last spring theNeptune girls’ basketball team grad-uated its most storied class in schoolhistory. Syessence Davis andShakena Richardson are both atRutgers University and several otherkey players are no longer on the ros-ter after dominating the ShoreConference. Yet despite the rosterturnover, the Scarlet Fliers haveextended their Shore Conferenceopponent winning streak whichbegan the season at 59 straightgames. Neptune enters this week of

play with a 7-0 record and a 3-0 markin the Class B North Division.

The Fliers flew past Ocean by ascore of 57-16 last Thursday. CydneyMooney poured in a game-high 24points and Ivy Harrington added 10points. The defense completely sti-fled the Spartans in holding themscoreless in the second quarter. Alsolast week, Neptune blasted ColtsNeck for a 70-41 win. Mooney had18 points including four three-pointfield goals. Harrington scored 14 andhauled down eight rebounds. Nahja

Carter chipped in with 10 points. The competition will get more dif-

ficult for Neptune this coming week-end. They will play traditional powerRumson/Fair Haven in the girls’opener of the Hoop GroupBoardwalk Showcase on Sunday atnoon at Long Branch High School.The Bulldogs are similarly rebuild-ing so the game will be an interest-ing test to see which of these powersis most ready to assert themselves aschampionship contenders.

PHOTO: FRANCINE ATTARDINeptune’s Desire Moss (10) goes to the basket fortwo points.


Low Back Pain Continued from page 2

towards developing and transitioningto a fully independent home orhealth club exercise regimen.Emphasis should be placed on opti-mizing trunk or “core” strength andimproving general flexibility andcardiovascular endurance.

Spinal injections: Spinal injec-tions are generally not considered anappropriate treatment for acute, self-limited low back pain. There are sev-eral injection options for persistentor recurrent pain, including epiduralsteroid, facet joint and trigger pointinjections. The appropriateness ofinjections is determined following acomprehensive medical evaluationby a pain management specialist.These procedures should be per-formed under fluoroscopy or x-rayguidance.Surgery: The need for surgery isextremely rare in episodes of acute

low back pain. Instances where sur-gery would be indicated include sig-nificant nerve damage, weakness oflegs which is progressively gettingworse, bladder or bowel dysfunctiondue to compression of the spinalcord and from trauma when a fractureis unstable.

Do I need any type of tests done?

The majority of cases of acute lowback pain do not require any type oftesting. Diagnostic imaging testsmay be advised in cases of pain asso-ciated with severe trauma, history ofcancer, fever, diabetes, other medicalproblems, illicit IV drug use, ageover 50, bowel or bladder dysfunc-tion, nocturnal pain or osteoporosis.These tests include regular X-raystudies, bone scan, computedtomography (CT) scan and magnetic

resonance imaging (MRI). Thechoice of test depends on what med-ical condition your physician is sus-pecting. It is important to realizethat the “final” diagnosis is based ona combination of history, physicalexamination and diagnostic testing,not imaging tests alone.

Acute low back pain can be a verypainful experience, but fortunately itusually resolves fairly quickly. Insituations when the pain does notimprove satisfactorily, prompt com-prehensive medical attention shouldbe sought. The primary goal is toresolve the acute episode as quicklyas possible and secondarily to pre-vent future episodes through propereducation, exercise and conditioning.

Spine and Pain Centers of NJ and NY Spineandpain.com

[email protected]

By Eric BraunMANASQUAN — Coming into this sea-son the girls’ basketball team fromManasquan High School carried lofty goalsset by both the media and their own expec-tations. The Warriors entered the seasonafter a disappointing 2010-11 campaignwhere they were eliminated by St. JohnVianney in the quarterfinals of the ShoreConference Tournament and eliminated byconference rival Pt. Boro in the semifinalsof the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IITournament. This season the Warriors havejumped out to an 8-0 record and numberone ranking in both the Shore Conferenceand NJSIAA.

Led by Notre Dame bound seniorMichaela Mabrey, Manasquan is off to ahot start by averaging 65 points per game.Lately however, the Warriors have had atough time putting their opponents away,winning their past three contests overRumson/ Fair Haven (RFH) by nine,Jackson Memorial by 10 and PointPleasant Boro by 12 points. Manasquanhad a gritty performance in the semifinalsof the WOBM Classic against RFH whereit looked like the Warriors overlooked theyounger Bulldog squad by coming out

sluggish and trailing at the half by sixpoints. Led by Mabrey's 18 of 21 first halfpoints, Manasquan was able to hangaround and eventually wake up in the sec-ond half. They used a 21-12 run in thethird period to take the lead for good.

Manasquan would once again be chal-lenged in the WOMB Classic this time inthe finals against Jackson Memorial. Itwould be Mabrey who would lead theWarriors in this contest; however it wouldbe younger sister Marina Mabrey this time caring the Warriors to victory.With Jackson taking Michaela out of thegame and only allowing her 11 points forthe contest, it was her younger sister alongwith sophomore sensation KatelynFlaherty who would provide the offensivefire power. Once again the Warriors trailedat halftime and once again used a third quar-ter period to put their opponent away andcapture the school's first ever WOBMClassic Championship, with MichaelaMabrey earning the tournament’s MVPhonors averaging 20 points per game.

The past couple of years Mabrey andcompany have had to listen to everyonetalk about St. John Vianney and Neptunebeing the top girls’ basketball programs at

the Jersey Shore, but this year they are set-ting out to make their own mark.Manasquan has also had to deal with PointBoro over the past couple of years with thePanthers holding the edge on the Warriors,so far this season Manasquan has taken careof business with Point Boro beating themin their first contest 79-67. With onechampionship under their belts already,this year’s Manasquan girls’ basketballteam has their sights set on a couple of

more titles, but will need to bring their"A" game every night.

Key games in the upcoming weeks forthe Warriors include Christ the King (NY)in the Boardwalk Showcase, Pt. Boro, St.Rose and the MECCA Tournament onSunday February 12th. This competitionshould put Manasquan in position to gainexperience and confidence heading into theNJSIAA tournament in late February.

PHOTO: ERIC BRAUNManasquan’s Michaela Mabrey (23) drives past RFH’s Jess Harvey.

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Manasquan Off To Fast Start Jersey Sporting News • January 10 - January 24

By Michael RogersComing into this season, the Rumson/

Fair Haven (RFH) girls’ basketball teamknew they would have to deal with a toughschedule. They would also have to dealwith losing some important players due tograduation which meant some young play-ers were going to have to step up early inthe season. The Lady Bulldogs have gottenoff to a good start (6-2) to the season andmade a real strong showing in the WOBMChristmas Classic tournament. HeadCoach George Sourlis said, "So far, sogood. I am very happy with the way thisteam prepares and comes to play everyday."

In the WOBM tournament the LadyBulldogs reached the semifinals before los-ing to the top seeded Manasquan Warriorsby the score of 59 to 50. RFH led 27 to 21at halftime but the Warriors led byMichaela Mabrey's 35 points overcame theLady Bulldogs who were led by JessHarvey's 16 points. The Bulldogs showedtheir resolve by coming back the next dayand defeating last season’s South JerseyGroup III Champions Point Boro by thescore of 62 to 50. In that game, RFH wasled by a balanced attack with Harvey lead-ing the way with 14 points. ClaireStefanelli added 11 points, while EmmaMiller and Samantha Sabino each scored

10 points. The Lady Bulldogs also held lastseason’s fourth leading scorer in the ShoreConference in Kelly Hughes to just 20points.

The Lady Bulldogs returned after the hol-idays to face another Shore Conferencepower in Saint John Vianney. The Lancerswho are ranked fourth in this year’s pre-season poll also lost some key players tograduation but still have another strongteam. RFH jumped out to a 27- 22 half-time lead behind some key baskets byHarvey and Miller.

The Lady Lancers came out strong in thesecond half starting the half with a 16-1run and the Lady Bulldogs just couldn’t

recover. RFH was led by Harvey's 12points and Sabino's 10 points.

RFH’s latest game had them in arematch from the WOBM tournament withPoint Boro (now ranked 8th) who was try-ing to end a three game losing streak. In ahard fought game the Lady Bulldogs justcould not repeat the WOBM tournamentvictory as Point Boro ended their threegame losing streak with a 61 to 57 victoryover RFH. RFH will look to get back onthe winning track with games coming upagainst Red Bank Regional on the road andat home against Neptune.

Young Lady Bulldogs Impressive So Far This Season

B y Ted KaiserLONG BRANCH — The 12th AnnualBoardwalk Hoop Group Showcase willkick off next weekend on Saturday,January 14 and Sunday, January 15, 2012with a ten game slate. This year’s eventwill be held at Long Branch High School.The first game tips off at noon each daywith the last game scheduled for 6:40 PM.There will be five boys’ games onSaturday followed by five girls’ games onSunday.

The Boardwalk Hoop Group BoysShowcase features some exciting match-ups. The boys’ schedule includes fourteams ranked in NJ Hoops Top 25 in thestate including Colts Neck (#17), JacksonMemorial (#18), Middletown North (#19)and Lakewood (#23). The girls schedulefeatures Manasquan, the number one teamin the state, as well as six teams in the top20. The ranked teams in the state areManasquan ( #1), St. Rose (#4), Red BankCatholic (#6), St. John Vianney (#8),Jackson Memorial (#12) and Rumson/fairHaven (#14). New York national powersChrist the King and Blair are also on the

schedule.On the boys’ side, Lakewood, led by

guard Tyrice Beverettte will take onHunter Wysocki and Colts Neck in theopener. Brandon McDonnell and JacksonMemorial will face Middletown North.Point Beach takes on CBA in a rematch oflast season’s epic Shore ConferenceTournament (SCT) game won by theGarnet Gulls. Last year’s SCT championRaritan and Player-of-the-Year MikeAaman will battle Neptune. The finalgame will be Manasquan against LongBranch.

For the girls’, Neptune will take onRumson/Fair Haven in the opener. Blair(NY) faces St. John Vianney. KellyHughes and Point Boro return again to theshowcase as they are set to play St. Rosewho is led by center Samantha Clark. Thetop ranked team in New Jersey;Manasquan, will battle Christ the King,who is currently one of the top teams inNew York. Jackson Memorial and RedBank Catholic will square off in the finalgame of the weekend.

Jayson Hernandez

Jersey Sporting News • January 10 - January 24 Local Professional Baseball Players Call Frozen Ropes Tinton Falls Home For The Off Season

In 2006 Jayson Hernandez was an All Shoreselection as a Catcher for St Rose of Belmar.With aspirations of being a professional playersomeday he embarked on a soon to be stellarcollege career. Hernandez honed his skills atRutgers University helping the Scarlet Knightsto a Big East Conference Tournament appear-ance in 2010. Selected by the Boston Red Sox inthe 41st round of the 2010 First-Year PlayerDraft he began his professional career as acatcher in the Boston organization. Hernandez

now spends his off season days at Frozen RopesTinton Falls getting prepared for Sox springtraining, When not working on his personalgoals he shares his knowledge with local youthplayers during the classes they attend at FrozenRopes. Hernandez prides himself on hard workand along with Ryan Kalish Red Sox, KeithCantwell Diamondbacks, Ryan Cuneo Cubs, JCMenna A’s and others they call Frozen Ropeshome in the off season.

Boardwalk Hoop Group Showcase Set For Next Weekend

SJV Builds On Early Success Jackson Memorial Pinning The CompetitionBy Eric BraunHOLMDEL — TheLancers from St.John Vianney (SJV)are off to a hot startthis season with arecord of 6-3-2 andlook to continue theirearly success andpush towards ShoreConference and NJSI-AA titles. TheLancers haveimproved over thepast couple of yearswith young talent thathave the programprimed with traditionand ready for successthat their Non Public competition in CBAand St. Rose have experienced over theyears.

SJV has been powered on offense thisseason with 39 goals as a team, with sen-ior Nick Saporito tallying nine goals andthree assists. The Lancers have also beengetting consistent play between the pipesfrom James Ellis and Anthony Stoeblingwho have continually gotten better andlook to be the leaders in the defensive zonewith their play and communication .SJVlooks to take a step forward as a programthis year and have already started thatprocess with impressive wins againstShore Conference powers MiddletownSouth (3-2), Middletown North (6-4) andToms River South (7-2). They will con-tinue to rely on the veteran leadership ofSaporito, Tim Gelatt and Chris Baker topush their offensive lines and looktowards freshman Matt Kidney to add

speed and production in the offensivezone.

The Lancers have a chance to solidifytheir spot in the ice hockey circles as ateam to contend with, with their fast andphysical style of play and offensive pro-duction throughout the Shore Conferenceand state levels, but need to take care ofbusiness when they face consistent pow-ers in St. Rose, Pope John XXII andHowell. Currently they sit just one gameback of CBA (7th) and four games back ofSt. Rose (3rd) in the NJSIAA Non Publicstandings where SJV is ranked 9th. Withthe Shore Conference Tournament loom-ing in the wings, the Lancers have achance to rattle off several divisional winsto earn themselves a higher seed and givethemselves a chance at competing for thetitle but will have to go through BrickTwp. and CBA at some point in the tour-nament to take the cup.

By Eric BraunJACKSON — New year, same results.The Jackson Memorial Wrestling pro-gram is ranked among the top three pro-grams in the State and Shore Conference.Last season the Jaguars finished as ASouth, NJSIAA Group IV and District21 Champions, but the one title thateluded them was a Shore ConferenceChampionship which they lost toSouthern Regional by one point. Thatseems to be the extra motivation that hasthis squad eager and working harder thanlast season.

With the loss of their 20- plus matchwinners, Jackson looks to rely on thereturning letterman that include 40-match winner Dallas Winston, 21- matchwinner Randy Royle, 18- match winnerBrian Hamann and 28- match winnerAlec Huxford. With a younger roster, the goals of thisprogram have not changed and they are still pushed to

capture the A South, Shore Conference, District,Sectional, Group and Individual Titles. Once again it

will be their middle to upper weights that will carrythe Jags and they will look to get extra productionfrom their lower weight classes.

Their middle weight classes present probably thebest lineup in the state with Hamann, Royle, SpencerYoung, Dylan McLaughlin and Randy Royle, withwhom Jackson returns a combined 194 plus wins andeight district titles. Jackson will look towards juniorHuxford at 106 pounds to push and motivate the lowerweight wrestlers and make this lineup a formidableone from top to bottom. First year Head Coach AaronGottesman takes over for Doug Withstandley who hashad to step down but will stay on board asGottesman's assistant. Outside of this change the Jagslook to reclaim their Shore Conference Title fromSouthern Regional and head back to the NJSIAA tour-nament to defend their team and individual titles.

Wrestlers to watch this season for Jackson will beAlec Huxford (106), Brian Hamann (126) and BradRoyle (132). All three had outstanding 2010-11 cam-

paigns and look to be the vocal and production leadersfor Coach Gottesman's squad this season.

By Mike RogersThe Red Bank Catholic

(RBC) girls’ basketball teamstarted the season rankednumber five in the ShoreConference and the Caseyshave lived up to their rank-ing. They have started theseason with a 7 - 1 record andalso reached the finals of theirholiday tournament; TheDiamond State Classic. RBCreturns a solid nucleus ofplayers to a team that went21- 7 last season under HeadCoach Joe Montano.

After starting the seasonwith a 4 - 0 record thatincluded wins by an averageof 30 points, the Caseysmade it to the finals of theirholiday tournament. In theirfirst game they defeated St.Marks (Delaware) by thescore of 53- 38. CarolineCorcoran led the way with 19points as she hit five three-pointers along the way. Alex Alfano added 10 points and Megan Arnott added ninepoints. In the finals of the tournament RBC came up just short, losing to CouncilRock South (Pennsylvania) by the score of 44- 39. Corcoran once again led the waywith 19 points while Arnott added 10 points.

The Caseys returned to their winning ways in the New Year with victories overOcean (43 - 26) and Monmouth (48 - 38) to improve their record to 7-1. In the winagainst Ocean, Corcoran led the way in a balanced scoring attack with 12 points.Arnott finished with seven points, Mary Balocco had six points and Mary KateCaverly added five points. In the win over Monmouth, Corcoran once again led theway scoring 14 points while Grace Fallon added 12 points and Caverly contributednine points.

The Caseys kept their winning ways going with a road victory at Howell winningeasily 60- 24 to improve their record to 8- 1. Leading the Caseys in scoring wasAlfano who led a balanced scoring attack with 12 points. Arnott, Corcoran and Falloneach finished with 10 points. RBC will try and continue their winning ways withgames at Freehold Boro and at St. Rose before a home game on January 15th againstJackson Memorial.

PHOTO: ERIC BRAUNSt. John Vianney’s James Ellis has been stellar betweenthe pipes for the Lancer’s so far this season.

PHOTO: FRANCINE ATTARDIAlex Alfano (33) brings the ball downcourt forthe RBC girls’ basketball team.

Jersey Sports News • January 10 - January 24 Jersey Sports News • January 10 - January 24 Page 9

PHOTO: ERIC BRAUNJackson Memorial’s Mike Lopez escapes from BrickMemorial’s Tyler Poling.

Caseys Off To Strong Start

St. Rose Girls’ Basketball Off To 8-0 StartBy Ted KaiserBELMAR— The St. Rose girls’ basketballteam is expected to be one of the contenders forthe Shore Conference Tournament (SCT) titlethis winter. So far, they look like they are liv-ing up to that billing. The Purple Roses are offto an 8-0 start heading into this week’s sched-ule which will be capped by the Hoop GroupBoardwalk Showcase this weekend. St. Rosepowered their way to two victories last week.

Last Wednesday, the Roses proved to be fartoo powerful for divisional foe Keyport in theClass B Central opener. Cindy Napolitano

poured in a game-high 26 points including fourthree-pointers in an 82-22 demolition. Seniorcenter Samantha Clark, a Fordham commit,was the only other St. Rose player in double-figures with 13 points. The rest of the Rosesscored in a well-rounded team effort that sawthe bench play extended minutes due to thescore.

St. Rose moved to 2-0 in the division onThursday with a 54-25 victory over HenryHudson. The Roses held the Admirals to justtwo points in the first half in a remarkable

defensive effort. Sarah Kurtz led the team withnine points and a pair of shots from three-pointrange. Guard Kasey Chambers, who is aMonmouth University recruit, added eight inthe win.

The Roses will play Point Boro in the HoopGroup Boardwalk Showcase on Sunday at3:20pm in the third game of the day at LongBranch High School. The match-up will featuretwo of the top teams in the Shore Conferencewho could very well meet down the road in theSCT later this winter.

PROTECT YOUR ATHLETES’TEETH LIKE THE

PROFESSIONALS DO!!

By John HealyInjuries to two upperclassmen for the

Middletown North boys’ ice hockey teamhas made this season a bit of a struggle forthe Lions. Head Coach Matthew Clementehas relied on underclassmen, mainly fresh-men, to fill the void on the ice, which hasresulted into a 3-5-1 record. “We’ve beenstruggling a little,”Clemente said. “Wehave a young, inexpe-rienced lineup, a lot offreshmen, so we’relearning as we go.There have been somegood things, butwe’ve also made mis-takes due to inexperi-ence.”

During a gameagainst St. JohnVianney on Jan. 4th,the Lions showed thegood and the bad ofhaving a young team.They jumped to aquick 1-0 lead, butquickly saw it erased in the second period asthe Lancers tallied three unanswered goalsand eventually defeated the Lions, 6-3.Scott Huber finished the game with twogoals, while senior Joe Dickinson finishedwith a goal and an assist for the Lions. “Ithink that game showed we can play witheveryone,” Clemente said. “It’s tough tobounce back from those three goals in thesecond period.”

Along with Dickinson, Clemente notes

that freshman Craig Evans and senior cap-tain Frank Rodriguez have been impactplayers for the team this year. “Evans hashad a couple of big goals for us. He hadtwo in a game over Freehold Township andanother against Monsignor Donovan,”Clemente said. “Rodriguez is a great locker room guy. He gets the team ready to

play and brings a great attitude and intensi-ty.”

As the season progresses, Clementeexpects the younger players to becomeaccustomed to the speed of the varsitylevel. “The more games we play the morethey’ll get used to the speed,” Clementesaid. “Once they get caught up to the timeand pace, its one extra step to catching upto the play.”

PHOTO: ERIC BRAUNConnor Hall brings the puck across the ice forMiddletown North.

Middletown NorthBattles Through Injuries


Green Wave Tops Raiders In HoopsBy Ted KaiserLONG BRANCH— Next weekend will be a busy time atLong Branch High School. The Green Wave will host theHoop Group Boardwalk Showcase for the first time in the12 years of the event. The Long Branch boys’ basketballteam will be among the participants when they playManasquan (6-3, 1-2) in the final game on Saturday sched-uled for 6:40pm. The Green Wave are off to a 2-5 overallstart and are 1-2 in the division, but have shown flashes ofbeing a playoff-caliber squad.

In a tune-up last week, Long Branch hosted Toms RiverEast (3-4) in a non-divisional contest. After holding a slim

three-point lead at halftime, the Green Wave turned up theintensity in the second half. They outscored the Raiders 19-8 in the third quarter to take a commanding lead. The fourthquarter saw Long Branch employ a stifling defense that heldToms River East to just four points en route to a 53-32 vic-tory. Dwight Clark scored a game-high 18 points andHassan Foster added 16 points. Terrell Cox also hit double-figures with 10 points.

The Green Wave also faced Class B North power and divi-sional opponent Colts Neck last week. The Cougars provedtoo powerful in a 71-35 win. Cox scored a team-high 13points and Clark added another 12 points for Long Branch.

PHOTO: FRANCINE ATTARDILong Branch’s Dwight Clark (5) ends up on theback of his opponent while going to the basket.


By Ted KaiserCOLTS NECK— An undefeated Colts Neck boys’ basketballteam rolled into last week’s divisional tilt against Neptune.But the Scarlet Fliers handed the Cougars their first defeat ofthe season. Colts Neck made sure they bounced back quicklythough. On Thursday, they came out strong against LongBranch and cruised to a 71-35 victory.

The Cougars won every quarter in a dominating bounce-back effort. Sean O’Reilly scored a game-high 25 pointsincluding three bombs from long range. Senior forwardHunter Wysocki added 13 points. In all, eight players enteredthe scoring column of the box score for Colts Neck. Thedefense limited the Green Wave to single-digit point totals ineach of the first two quarters.

In the loss to Neptune, the Cougars trailed by only twopoints at halftime. The Fliers pulled away in the second halfbehind 11 points from swingman Keith Kirkwood. Wysockiled Colts Neck with a game-high 15 points and five rebounds.The Cougars head into this week with a 7-1 record. They willplay Lakewood in the opening game of the Hoop GroupBoardwalk Showcase next Saturday at noon at Long BranchHigh School.

PHOTO: FRANCINE ATTARDIColts Neck goes to the basket aginst Neptune.Neptune topped the Cougars 71-35.

Cougars Bounce Back After Loss

By Mike CelliWelcome to Aggressive Sports: This

is a new section for 2012, that willaddress a plethora of issues concerningathletes and their families. As this is aNew Year, lets address setting Goals.Every athlete and their families shouldbe aware of realistic goals to achievethis new year. These goals should ful-fill a purpose in life, that we all have.The element of achieving this purposein life is setting goals and reachingthem. Developing a plan is essential infulfilling goals. Maximum successcomes from clear cut goals and anaction plan for achievement. Goalsmay differ based upon age, yet thepower to achieve goals is within andageless. Now is the time to plan andset goals in some of the following cat-egories; Family, Education, Health,Wellness, Religion, Physical Fitnessand Career. A goal is nothing morethan a look into the future at what youwould realistically like to be or accom-

plish within a specific time period.Make your goal specific as to what

and when. Desiring to accomplish orachieve something without parametersis not a goal. Doing something you arecurrently able to do is not a goal.Striving to reach a certain level in acertain time frame is a goal. This timeframe must be measurable and realis-tic.

Take a "time out" in the beginningof your day to think about your goals.It is best to review your goals whenyou are rested and focused. This willhelp you be more optimistic in yourapproach to achieving your goals witha positive attitude.

For each goal you set you mustdetermine what must happen toachieve that goal. Will it require spe-cific training? Will it require specifictime set aside? Will it require prac-tice? Will it require some physical orfinancial sacrifice on your part?

Periodically, take the time to track

your goals. This is easier if your goalshave been put in writing, use a note-book, it can be as simple as a recordingon your phone or P.C.. You can itemizethe things you have accomplishedtoward reaching your goals and alsowrite a to-do list of action steps whichmust be taken.

Believe in your goals. Dream aboutthem. Believe in yourself. Visualizethe horizon of success in the future.Make your goals important to you anddevelop the habit of achieving shortterm goals for future success. Thisshould be the driving force behindyour daily activities towards theadvancement of your goals.

The achievement of long term goalswill require a stairway of steps to theadvancement of accomplishing largergoals. It's a great feeling to recognizewhere you started, where your at andwhere you want to be. This evaluationis helpful to contribute to a more posi-tive mental attitude, to enhance yourachievement of your goals.

Some times the advancement of your

goals may require the assistance ofother people. Your teachers, coaches,advisors, family members and profes-sionals can all play an instrumentalpart of achieving harmony in your suc-cess. Recognize their value and appre-ciate their assistance. Be realistic withyourself and everyone to avoid frustra-tion and conflict. Understanding therecan be satisfaction in having made aneffort to move forward which is theultimate objective of your goal.

Goals should be reflective of objec-tives which you can exercise somecontrol or at least have the ability to bea major influence on the result.Objectives based on luck, or chanceare not factors to achieving goals.

1. SET YOUR GOALS2. MAKE A PLAN3. EXECUTE THE PLAN4. ACHIEVE THE GOAL

Lets Go, it's a New Year. Every Dayis a new gift to try again. Welcome toAggressive Sports!

Set Your Goals Jersey Sporting News • January 10 - January 24

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By Eric BraunBELMAR — Senior Mark Kukodacontinues to be the main consistentplayer for Coach Dennis Devaneyas the Purple Roses struggle forconsistency this season. A rollercoaster season so far has St. Rosesitting at 5-3 and sitting in thirdplace in the South Jersey NonPublic B Division behind St.Josephs at 6-1, Cardinal McCarrick6-1 and Timothy Christian at 5-1.

The good part for Kukoda and therest of the Purple Roses is that theyare getting great experience anddepth from underclassmen that

should help them in their pursuittowards the NJSIAA tournament inlate February. Kukoda currentlyaverages 17 points, steals and threeassists per game while leading theteam in scoring but more important-ly, it is his leadership away fromscoring that is keeping St. Rose incontention. Along with Kukoda,Coach Devaney is getting plenty ofdefensive production from juniorcenter Sean Maguire who has ateam high five blocks and DeanDevaney with 38 rebounds.

St. Rose has the talent and leader

ship to still make some noise in theShore Conference and NJSIAAtournaments, but it must start nowas they hit the heart of their sched-ule. With a strong showing at theWOBM Classic where theyadvanced to the semifinals beforelosing to host school Toms RiverNorth, the Purple Roses look tobuild on that momentum as theyhave rattled off two wins in a rowsince the tournament. St. Roselooks to build on that success withupcoming key games at MonsignorDonovan, Point Beach and CBA.

St. Rose Struggling For Consistent Play

PHOTO: ERIC BRAUNSt . Rose’s Mark Kukoda goes in for a layupagainst Toms River East.


Ocean Wrestling Looks EliteBy Josh Lashley

Prior to the start of the season,the Ocean Township High Schoolwrestling team was billed as an eliteprogram not only in the ShoreConference, but across the entirestate. Thus far, the Spartans havedone nothing to hinder those loftypre-season accolades.

Before taking a look ahead towhat awaits Ocean in the upcomingweeks, let’s take a glance back atjust how they built the momentumthat they currently carry.

After capturing the season open-ing Neptune Classic team title withfour champions: Zach Hertling(120), Jason DaCruz (126), Colton

Bigelow (220) and Kyle Gora(heavyweight), the Spartans toppledMarlboro, 64-9. Max Rollo (106)and Nick Pappayliou (145) placedsecond, while Sam Sottile (195)was third at the Neptune Classic.

From there, it was off to thealways challenging Brick MemorialMustang Classic, where Bigelow(220) and Gora (heavyweight) werecrowned champions. In four straightdual meets after the MustangClassic, Ocean went 4-0 with thevictories over Toms River North,Christians Brothers Academy,Manalapan and Neptune. The com-bined margin of victory for the

Spartans in those meets was nearly37 points.

Now a difficult stretch in the dualmeet season is about to take placefor Ocean and it all starts with a roadmatch at Long Branch onWednesday, January 11, followed bya quad meet at Montville withRoxbury and Wayne Valley. Theywill face a very good Howell teamas part of a quad meet on January 21and close out the month by travel-ing to traditionally strong RosellePark for a quad meet with WarrenHills and Ramsey.

Missry and Montagne Leading The Way For JacksonBy Eric BraunJACKSON- It seems that this year’s title of underdog isgoing to go to the Jackson Memorial girls’ basketballteam. With Manasquan getting the hype throughout theState and Shore Conference and Pt. Boro falling in rightbehind the Warriors, the Jaguars have quietly put togeth-er an impressive 7-1 record. But Jackson was quick tocrash the party as they ruined everyone's anticipatedWOMB final between Manasquan and Pt. Boro, with a51-46 victory over Pt. Boro in the semifinals.

Riding the great one-two punch of sophomore HannahMissry and junior Tiffany Montagne, the Jaguars arebuilding early momentum that will pay dividends forthem heading back into the NJSIAA tournament wherethey were eliminated last season in the semifinals byTrenton. The young Jackson Memorial squad is loadedwith young talent that has only one senior on this year’sroster and has Coach Rachel Goodale sitting in a greatposition to put Jackson Memorial on the map.

Hannah Missry is by far one of the clutch three- pointshooters in the Shore Conference this season and haslead the Jaguars in scoring with an average of 14 pointsper game while her scoring counter-part TiffanyMontagne is averaging 13 points per game and continu-ing to be a nightmare for opposing coaches to control

off the dribble. More importantly for Coach Goodale,these two athletes bring more than just their drive to winon and off the court; they also bring a calming effect tothe rest of the team. Watching them as they interact withtheir teammates in warm-ups, before games and aftergames, they are both years ahead in maturity. You wouldnot be able to tell during their pre-game warm-upsagainst Pt. Boro or Manasquan that they were about toplay some of the best competition in the state, as theyboth had smiles on their faces and joked around withtheir teammates, keeping everything loose. This type ofveteran leadership, especially from underclassmen, willcontinue to help them throughout this season and sea-sons to come.

When the season started, Jackson was not even rankedin the top 25 in the state, but since their great run in theWOBM Classic they have jumped up to #12 in the stateand look to build on that with their upcoming schedule.Ahead for Jackson are contests against Rumson/FairHaven, Boardwalk Showcase at Long Branch HighSchool against Red Bank Catholic and St. Rose.PHOTO: ERIC BRAUNJackson Memorial’s Ti ffany Montagne goes in foran easy layup against Pt. Boro.

General Manager Bobby Ciasulli

By Ted KaiserEATONTOWN— When a business has beenopen for over 50 years, it becomes a part ofthe surrounding community. Galaxy Toyotain Eatontown and Honda Universe inLakewood are third generation automobilebusinesses. Both dealerships continuallyshow their support for the local communityand in particular for local athletics. Whilethey are new advertisers to Jersey SportingNews, Galaxy Toyota and Honda Universehave been involved in the Jersey Shore ath-letic scene for years. “We like to support thelocal community and if there is any area to

really support, the kids are where it’s at,”said General Manager Bobby Ciasulli.

Galaxy Toyota is one of the headlinesponsors for Monmouth University athlet-ics, especially for basketball, baseball, foot-ball and soccer. The dealership also sponsorsthe Central Jersey Hitmen; a competitiveyouth travel baseball team who played inseven out-of-state tournaments in 2011. “It’sa great program,” explained Galaxy ToyotaGeneral Sales Manager Carmen Catena. “Wehave children and families in New Jersey sowe figure why not give something back

starting with kids and going all the way upto the university level.”

Honda Universe is also involved in athlet-ics near its location in Lakewood. GeneralSales Manager James Frederick says they areregular sponsors of Holy Family School andLakewood High School. In addition, bothdealerships participate in local events andcauses such as the Oyster Fest in AsburyPark, Count Basie Theater in Red Bank,turkey giveaways at Thanksgiving, Toys forTots and the local D.A.R.E. programs.


Dealerships Support Local Community and Athletics

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