By Michael BenderAssociate Editor

Chiara Luce, the first mem-ber of the Focolare movement to be canonized, lived for only 18 years, but during that time her devotion to Christ and spirit of self-sacrifice inspired thousands of youth to develop a closer rela-tionship with God. To honor her life and celebrate her beatification, thousands of young members of the Focolare movement, including freshman Timothy Li, journeyed to Rome to attend the beatification mass and celebrate her life.

Timothy and 10 others, from age 13 to age 18, arrived in Rome on September 24. They stayed at the Focolare center at Castel Gandolfo, where they were given the opportunity to tour impressive local sites, such as the Pope’s old summer home. The following day, they attended the Solemn Mass and Beatification of Chi-ara Luce Badano at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love. Over 30,000 people were present for the mass, and Timothy’s group was lucky enough to find seating in the church, directly in front of the altar. Timothy witnessed a several hour-long mass and, despite the fact that it was in Italian, found it “extremely moving.”

After the mass, Timothy had the opportunity to visit Vatican City for the Youth Celebration of Chiara Luce. During this fun-filled night, he sang, danced, and learned more about the life of Chiara Luce.

His trip also afforded him the opportunity to learn more about the Focolare movement and the other participants from his age group. The Focolare movement

was founded in Italy by Chiara Lubich during World War II. Based on love and unity, its adherents strive to live their lives according to the gospels. Timothy’s under-standing and appreciation for this movement deepened as he learned more about its history and pur-pose throughout the week. He also had the opportunity to deepen his spiritual and cultural awareness by sharing thoughts and experiences with similarly aged participants from around the world.

Other highlights of his trip include seeing the spectacular sights Rome has to offer, sampling the local cuisine, and hearing the pope speak. Pope Benedict XVI addressed Timothy and the other youth who had come to Rome to attend the beatification mass, praising the Focolare movement and Chiara Luce. Afterward, Timothy received a tour of the

Vatican City and Rome, featuring famous sights such as the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, and the capitol building. He also was able to try local foods such as gelato and nutella tiramisu.

Timothy’s trip to Rome cul-minated in a great, multicultural festival at the Vatican. Hong Kong, Brazil, Portugal, Ireland, Colombia, the United States, the Philippines, India, Japan, Korea, and countless other countries demonstrated aspects of their culture and lifestyle during this exciting night.

This trip has provided Timothy with an opportunity to become close friends with people from around the world and to deepen his understanding of his faith and the Focolare movement.

“It has been the experience of a lifetime,” says Timothy, “one that I will treasure always.”

James BogdanowiczStaff Writer

Prom has been a high school tradition in the lives of stu-dents for decades. Many years after they graduate, people look back at prom as a fun and memorable night. In a sense, it is a rite of passage for teenag-ers who are entering the adult world.

Junior prom will take place at Pierre’s in Monmouth Junc-tion, the same location as last year. After much debate, a “New York City” theme was agreed upon for this year’s junior prom. For the juniors, this will be their first prom, and many of them are excited and look forward to an enjoyable evening out with their dates.

Nothing, however, beats the anticipation held by seniors for their prom, a truly once in a lifetime event. The senior prom will be held in May at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick.

Ms. Tracy Uler, who is in charge of both proms, com-mented, “Prom has always been exciting, especially this year. The Heldrich for the seniors looks like an awesome place. As always, both proms are going to be great.”

In addition to hors d’oeuvres, the juniors and seniors will have a magnificent buffet dinner to complement the fine evening. Both the juniors and seniors will have a wonderful night out with their dates and definitely will not be disappointed.

By Alex GănescuManaging Editor

A long overdue upgrade to the school’s technology has finally completed its first phase this year. As students and faculty know, the computers and network through-out campus have been lackluster, truly showing their age. Requests for upgrades have been made and granted, and the 2010 school year is now up to date with technologi-cal standards of the current day and age.

Mr. Lewis Haber, Informa-tion Technology Director, is at the head of this operation, which includes the installation of new computers in all of the classrooms and the library, as well as Smart-boards for teachers to use in their lessons. A single tower with a quad-core processor runs all of the library computers simultaneously, employing a technology known as MultiPoint. Ninety new com-

puters tote Windows 7, and they have been running much more smoothly than the bogged down machines of yesteryear. “I take pride in my position at St. Joe’s, and I want to ensure that faculty and students can be as productive as possible, using computers, not fighting them,” commented Mr. Haber.

The addition of a new Smart-board to the Math department has been a success, with Ms. Savva already making daily use of it in her classes. “It really facilitates teaching; with the touch of a fin-ger or the click of a mouse, I can instantly pull up lessons and study tools that students benefit from. In addition, students are also less apprehensive about coming up to the Smartboard over a traditional black board.”

This year’s Computer Science independent project members are working on updating the school website to create a page for online

registration in an attempt to elimi-nate inefficient paper applications that new students fill out every year. If all things go as planned, 8th graders and transfer students next year will be the first appli-cants with access to the registra-tion website. “I hope to leave a distinct mark on the school after I leave with this project,” declared Senior George Ozga, a project member.

Steps are also being taken for the next big push in modernizing the school’s information technol-ogy. With the budget planned and passed for the Technology Depart-ment, Mr. Haber looks to get Smartboards in more classrooms and upgrade the servers hosting all of the faculty and student profiles. “It’s all a matter of implementa-tion,” continued Mr. Haber. “All the business and planning is over; now we can see the benefits of updating our campus.”

A Lasting Tradition: High School Prom

Technological Improvements Bring Less Headaches and Better Computers

In the Footsteps of a Saint: One Student’s Journey Through Rome

Congratulations to the Student Council on raising over $18,000 for the Thanksgiving Food Drive.

Photos by Timothy Lee(lower left) Timothy Li ventured to Rome to witness the beatification of Chiara Luce. Some of the places he visited included Castel Gandolfo (top) and the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love (lower right).

New AV System

42%

Update Computer

Network30%

More Smartboards

New Mac Lab12%

16%

The FalconpaGe 4

Open House

paGe 2

Ultimate Frisbee

Vol. LIII Number 2 The Student Newspaper of St. Joseph High School November 2010

STUDENT POLL: What technological improvement

does the school need most?

www.theheldrich.comThis year’s senior prom will be held at the Heldrich Hotel.

2 THE FALCON November 2010

By Sean FinanStaff-Writer

Students shed blood for love on November 10, during the third annual blood drive admin-istered by the Community Blood Council of New Jersey. The pur-pose of this event was to supply hospitals and various clinics in Central and Southern New Jersey with blood for accident victims, cancer patients, and burn victims.

Sixty students volunteered to donate blood, with every dona-tion saving up to three lives. The generosity shown by the school community will certainly help many in need. One lucky student will receive a $1,000 college scholarship for his participation

in the blood drive. All donors were recorded and the winner will be chosen by a raffle.

Brandon Bulman, vice-presi-dent of the senior class and head of the Blood Drive Committee, commented on his donation, saying “the value of a person’s life greatly outweighs a pint of blood.”

Blood donations are so important because they are the only solution for people who are in need of a transfusion. Blood cannot be manufactured to meet demand; it must be donated by others for it to be available to those in need. The selfless char-ity demonstrated by those stu-dents who donated to the Blood Drive exemplifies St. Joe’s com-mitment to helping others.

By Mark LeeManaging Editor

With the growing popularity of ‘Ultimate Frisbee’ at St. Joe’s, the time was right for another school-wide tournament. On November 10 and 11, students from all grade levels competed in the second annual ‘Ultimate Fris-bee’ tournament. Student Council, in cooperation with the ‘Ultimate Frisbee’ club, ran the event.

Brother Paul Joseph, S.C., moderator of the ‘Ultimate Fris-bee’ club, said, “The tournament had many purposes. The partici-pating students had fun while Stu-dent Council raised money for its Food Drive. We had a great turn-out and hopefully, the tournament will be even bigger next year.” With the brisk, sunny weather lasting throughout the two-day tournament, over 12 teams total-ing approximately 90 students competed, vying to be crowned this year’s champion.

The tournament consisted of double-elimination play for the 12 teams. After intense preliminary games, undefeat-ed and tournament-favorite

‘The Sauce’ faced off against dark-horse ‘Magic Swag’ in the final match of the tournament. In a hard-fought game, ‘The Sauce,’ consisting of seniors

David Murawski, Anthony Nguyen, Michael Gargiulo, Michael Brandes, Geoff Can-cro, Austin Addona, Connor Chapkowski, and Patrick Bon-ner, crushed ‘Magic Swag’ in a 4-0 victory.

Reflecting on the victory, team member Michael Brandes stated, “Winning the Ultimate Frisbee tournament was a chal-lenge. There were a lot of good teams competing and we were fortunate to come out on top.”

The event was tremendously successful with over 550 dollars raised. When asked about the event, junior Santino Cozza, who, along with Brother Paul and Mr. Robert Yunker, helped organize and run the event, com-mented, “The tournament was a huge success. There was great weather, we raised a lot of mon-ey, and most importantly we all had a lot of fun. I hope we can get enough support to make this into a yearly event.”

By Jonathan TetersStaff Writer

The Freshmen took a day off from their regular classes to par-ticipate in one of the most memo-rable events of their first year in high school, Freshman Cup. This all-day event gave new students a chance to socialize with their peers while enjoying fun activi-ties. Held on October 8, Freshman Cup is an event that every student remembers as an exciting day, an impression this year’s event has certainly made on the new students.

To prepare for the event, each homeroom class chose a team name and a drawing or picture to be put on the their T-shirts while competing. This year’s teams were Milligan and Southern’s Viral Variables, Br. Matt’s Brothers, Hayman’s Hurricanes, Guber-naut’s Argonauts, Longhi’s Long-horns, Finnegan’s Freight Trains, Burke and Salzer’s Burzerkers and Mahoney’s Misfits. With this year’s array of new and interesting teams prepared, the freshmen were ready to participate in the day’s many activities.

The day began with the teams meeting at the track to pray. After this, the instructions were given for the day’s events. This year’s competitions included Ultimate

Frisbee, kickball, volleyball, knock out, soccer goal shoot-out, tug-of-war, and a new bean bag-toss game known as Bag-O. These various competitions took place all across campus, with events held at each of the fields, the bas-ketball and tennis courts, and the gym. Each team competed to earn the Freshman Cup, along with a sportsmanship award. At the end of the day Mahoney’s Misfits were declared the winners, while Milli-gan and Southern’s Viral Variables were awarded the Sportsmanship

award. The day, however, was not only

about the competition and rivalry. “Freshman Cup is about form-ing new friendships,” commented Ms. Backlund, one of the teachers involved in organizing the event.

After the long day of activi-ties and socializing, the freshmen took a break to enjoy a barbeque with their fellow students. Just as it does every year, Freshman Cup played an important role in welcoming the new students into the school community.

The Falcon welcomes articles from students, parents and fac-ulty members for consideration for publication. All articles are subject to editing. The opinions expressed in The Falcon do not necessarily represent the opin-ions of faculty or administration. Opinions expressed in any col-umn except those of the editors are not necessarily those of the editors.

Graphics and Printing by Media Trends, Metuchen, NJ

(732) 548-7088

Published by the students of St. Joseph High School

145 Plainfield Ave., Metuchen, NJ 08840

732-549-7600 ext 261 www.stjoes.org

Volume LIII, No. 2 October 2010

Editor-in-Chief: Ryan Langton

Managing Editors: Mark Lee

Alex Ganescu

Associate Editors: Mike Syslo

Michael Bender Michael Henton

Mike D’Ambrosio

Sports Editor: Charlie Bruno

Staff Writers: James Bogdanowicz

Sean Finan Christian Goldy Daniel Kozub

Himanshu Patel Alex Schiffer

Jonathan Teters James Ziemba

Photographer: James Ziemba

Faculty Moderator: Dr. Robert Longhi, ‘81

Principal: Mr. John Anderson, ‘70

President: Mr. Lawrence Walsh, ‘68

Student Council Runs Third Annual Blood Drive

‘The Sauce’ Dominates Frisbee Tournament

Photo by staffafter two days of intense Ultimate Frisbee games, ‘The Sauce’ emerged as the tournament champion.

By Ryan LangtonEditor-in-Chief

Eyy now! Everybody take it easy and keep all eyes on Brother because it’s time again for the Brother Mike Movie Review. Brother saw a lot of movies, some good and some not so good, so let’s get right into it.

Unstoppable — This was a very well done movie. It is about how these two guys try to stop a speeding runaway train before it explodes and kills many people. Denzel Washington, a superb actor, does an excellent job in this film. It had tremendous action and a great story line. If you want to be entertained, go see this movie. HHHH

Due Date — Now this movie was simply awful and ridicu-lous! The plot was complete nonsense and I found myself falling asleep halfway through

the movie. Robert Downey, Jr. should be ashamed of himself for being in this film. Even the dog was embarrassed to be a part of this excuse for a movie. Instead of going to see this movie, save some money and go watch paint dry. H

Red — This was one of the best movies Brother has seen in a long time. The story follows four retired CIA agents who go on the offensive after each are almost murdered by a hit squad. The film was full of secret plots, stunts, and intense fighting scenes. It also had an all-star cast, with actors like Bruce Wil-lis, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich. You can’t go wrong! HHHH

The Social Network — This film follows the exploits of the Harvard student as he creates that crazy Facebook thing; cheating, stealing, and getting rich while

doing it. It had a very interest-ing plot, not a lot of action, but overall the movie was decent. HHH

BROTHeR MIKe’S MOVIe ReVIeW

www.movieweb.comUnstoppable

Freshman Vie for the Cup Once Again

Photos by Dr. GubernatIncoming Freshman compete for bragging rights and the Freshman Cup.

By Michael BenderAssociate Editor

The Chess Team is gearing up for a new season, which its members hope will be even more successful than last year’s. With four return-ing varsity members, the team looks with confidence to the coming months.

After a rigorous series of ranked matches, the Varsity team was established. Senior Michael Bender will captain the team from first board. Returning Varsity members senior Evan Tardowski, junior Jason Hill, and senior Patrick O’Connor will play second through fourth board respec-tively. Fifth board will be played by sophomore Mike Ploche, previously a member of the junior varsity team.

When asked what his hopes were for this season, captain Michael Bender responded, “I would like to surpass our per-formance in the previous two years. Both times we qualified for the Shore League Playoffs we were eliminated in the first round by an unlucky pairing against powerhouse High Tech. I think we can do it this year. We have a strong team with a lot of potential.”

CHeSS TeaM UpDaTe

November 2010 THE FALCON 3

FOOTBaLLA Game of Super-Athletes or Gladiators?

By Alex GănescuManaging Editor

The St. Joe’s theatre company performed a compelling mur-der mystery during the week of November 5; it was a story that kept the audience guessing until the very end. Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution is one of her most celebrated works in her extensive bibliography of murder mysteries and dramas, which makes for an even more enjoyable stage adaptation. Chris-tie is reckoned as one of the most successful writers of the 20th cen-tury, her novels and plays widely read around the world.

Witness for the Prosecution details Leonard Vole’s (senior John Matera) battle to prove his innocence after accused of murdering the wealthy Ms. French. He turns to attorney Sir Wilfred Robarts, Q.C. (senior Daniel Chedid) and his partner Mr. Mayhew (junior Michael Thorsen) for help in the case. The case proves to be laden with challenges and complications, with characters’ motives changing rapidly throughout the play, creat-ing a very dynamic and engaging storyline.

The cast for this performance really brought out their best Euro-pean accents for this play, set in Great Britain, in the mid 20th century. Freshman David Siy as Carter was superb in his English

accent, just as sophomore Sean Puzzo, playing the prosecuting attorney Mr. Meyers, Q.C., was amazing in channeling his inner, pretentious Englishman. Fresh-man Nick Skiba as the Justice Wainwright was a commanding presence during the course of the play, providing comic relief to the drama with his dry humor.

“I developed my accent from watching Alfred Hitchcock mov-ies almost all the time, really try-ing to absorb the mannerisms and intonations of the English,” added Dan Chedid, emphasizing the work the cast had cut out for them in preparing for this play.

This fall’s set was a challenge for the tech crew; it was a two-piece set that had to be shuffled about the stage between scenes several times throughout the play.

Seniors Jack Naughton and David Mortellito led the construction and design, while senior Chris Velez was in charge of the sound and light board, a familiar role for the experienced tech crew member.

“I always love watching the reaction of the audience at the conclusion of our shows, particu-larly in one as novel as a British Courtroom Drama, which most Americans are not familiar with,” concluded Brother Ron, Assistant Director and Company Chaplain for the Theatre Company. The Falcon would like to congratulate the cast, crew, and everyone else involved in the production for a job well-done. Witness for the Prosecution was definitely one of the best performances by the Company to date.

By Mike D’AmbrosioAssociate Editor

Future Falcons were able to see just how much St. Joe’s had to offer during the annual Open House, held on October 17. Pro-spective students from all over central New Jersey came to visit and develop their interest in the school.

Anything and everything in the St. Joe’s community had a station set up for potential students and their parents to view in the gym-nasium. Every sport, club, and academic team was represented in some way. In addition, every educational department was there to answer any possible questions that parents or future students had. Students and faculty ran their respective stations while the National Honor Society gave tours of the campus.

There were a few stations that stuck out more than the rest this year. The newly founded crew team brought with them a piece of equipment they use to train in the off-season. This machine, called an Erg, is used to stay in shape

during the winter. It simulates rowing movements to train the various muscles involved with rowing.

The Robotics Club brought with them a robot that could kick a ball and move around. Junior Peter Caravano commented, “It was a lot of fun to drive around the robot and convince incoming freshmen to join the robotics club.”

T h e F r e n c h Club had an Eiffel To w e r r e p l i c a made out of Legos, the Medical Club tested people’s blood pressure, and Mr. Ascolese welcomed guests by conducting the school band.

T h e O p e n House has proven to be an excellent source of informa-tion for prospec-tive students. It is recommended that all students considering St. Joe’s attend it in order to educate

themselves in the vast amount of activities that the school has to offer. The students who attended this year took advantage of the information available to them about the school. Hopefully, the St. Joe’s community will be seeing many of the faces of the Open House in the hallways next year.

Michael HentonAssociate Editor

Every year, the National Mer-it Scholarship Program selects 50,000 students to compete for the National Merit Scholarship. Students qualify based on their performance on the PSAT/Nation-al Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. If a student earns or sur-passes the year’s national Selec-tion Index qualifying score, they are potentially eligible to become National Merit Semifinalists.

At the beginning of the stu-dent’s senior year, the program will name 16,000 qualifiers who meet their state’s semifinalist cri-teria, and students who fail to meet their state’s qualifying score are still commended for scoring in the top 50,000. Of the 16,000 semi-finalists, approximately 15,000 are granted the scholarship each year after a review of their SAT test scores and transcripts.

Seniors Craig Barretto and Michael Bender were National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, meaning they outscored approxi-mately 96 percent of PSAT par-ticipants and met New Jersey’s Selection Index qualifying score. Reflecting on his success, Michael Bender said, “I am honored to have received this recognition. My success on the PSAT was a testament to the terrific educa-tion I have received at St. Joseph High School.” Michael Huber, Mark Lee, and Christopher Velez were commended students, while Michael Fernandes and Michael Valdez earned the title of Hispanic Recognition Finalists.

The success of our student body on the PSAT/NMSQT truly is a testament to the St. Joseph High School education. Moving forward, the students will con-tinue to vie for National Merit Scholarships and to represent St. Joe’s well.

FALL PLAYWhodunnit? Theatre Company performs Agatha Christie’s ‘Witness for the Prosecution’

Open House: Future Falcons Explore Campus

Bender and Barretto lead ‘National Merit’ Scholars

Photos by staffCast members channeled their inner ‘Brit’ for their challenging roles in the Fall production. The professional set gave a realistic setting for this murder mystery.

By Mike SysloAssociate Editor

Most football fans know what is likely going to happen when a receiver runs across the middle. One could also ask Mohamed Massoquoi; while running a route straight across the mid-dle of the field, the Cleveland Browns’ player was laid out by the Steelers’ James Harri-son. Nearly everyone watching the game stood up and cheered for the spectacular hit, except for medical doctors around the country. Due to the recent increase in traumatic brain and spinal injuries (evidenced by Rutgers’ Eric LeGrand’s hit), the NFL has been cracking down hard on its rule, which prohibits head-to-head contact.

In an effort to prevent further dangerous hits, the NFL issued a $75,000 fine to Harrison, as well as $50,000 to the Patriots’ Brandon Meriweather for a hit in a game against the Ravens. A few days after the fine, Harrison released a statement saying that he would quit the league, citing that his hit was representative of the way he always played football.

People have many different ideas on what to do to prevent dangerous hits. Some say, “this is football,” attributing that head injuries are inevitable. Some people, like Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, have radical ideas to remedy this issue. In the weeks following the LeGrand and Harrison hits, Paterno went out and said that players should play without facemasks, stating that players lead with their face-masks while making danger-ous hits, and that these masks make the players feel invincible. While I do agree with Paterno on the fact that there would be less head-to-head hits, I think playing without facemasks would do more harm than good; broken teeth and noses would probably be a much more com-mon site. So the question still remains: what should the NFL do to stop these hits?

The problem, I believe, is that the NFL is taking the

wrong approach to dangerous hits. Instead of trying to pre-vent hits, they are punishing the hitters with fines. To players making millions of dollars a season, these fines are not much in the long run. Rodney Har-rison, former NFL player and now commentator on Football Night in America, said he used to put away $50,000 before the season to pay for fines he knew he would get due to the bone-crunching hits he would lay down. He then went on to say that he would do such danger-ous hits to maintain his reputa-tion as one of the hardest hitters in the league, and that the only way the NFL could stop hits like James Harrison’s would be to suspend players from a game. This is precisely what I think the NFL should do if they want to stop concussions and other head and neck injuries.

The plan to stop traumatic head and neck injuries must be three parts. The first part involves the NFL reducing hits through suspension. The second part deals with youth football coaches; these coaches must teach their players the correct technique in making a tackle. The coaches must advocate keeping the tackler’s head up, to protect himself, and tack-ling with the middle of his body on the middle of the ball car-rier’s body. As a football player myself, I cannot say how many times I have heard my coaches say those two things.

The third part of the plan involves NFL players. These players must lead by example in their play. Since they are the role models for millions of young athletes, the way they play will translate into the way the Pop Warner player conducts himself.

With all the media attention, I hope people will not leave this issue in the dark any longer. Football players at all levels are suffering from serious injuries, and in order to keep the sport the most popular in America, we must try to help prevent these traumatic head and neck injuries.

By Daniel KozubStaff Writer

Coming off of last year’s state championship, the Col-lege Bowl team is continuing to go strong. After placing first in its opening competition, the A team comprised of seniors Michael Bender and Ryan Lang-ton and juniors Alex Frey and Jason Hill finished at third place at Yale University and fifth place at Princeton. In Manhattan, they competed on ‘The Challenge,’ a televised tournament that pits the top teams in New Jersey against each other, where they

defeated the Torah Academy of Bergen 350 to 310. They have also qualified for the national competitions in Chicago several times, where they will compete amongst the top-ranked teams in the nation.

The A team, along with the B and C teams, hopes to continue this strong record and retake the state championship for the third year in a row. In a season that stretches from summer until spring, the pressure is on for the half-senior, half-junior A team as they go against other high school teams such as Kellinberg and Seton Hall Prep, as well as

college teams with the likes of Yale and Harvard.

Showing their great poten-tial, the A team placed fourth in a college-level competition, defeating colleges such as New York University. Under the mod-eration of Mr. Powers and Mr. Hayman, the team pulls on the experience of its senior members and develops the potential of up-and-coming stars, making sure that there is a steady sup-ply of great players. This year’s A team has big shoes to fill, but only time will show if they can live up to and surpass their past teammates.

Photos by Dr. Gubernat(above) Many members of the German Club displayed their heritage proud-ly. (left) The NHS was represented proudly at this years open house.

COLLeGe BOWL UpDaTe

4 THE FALCON November 2010

By Christian GoldyStaff Writer

Although spectators may believe that individual achieve-ment is the focus of the sport cross country, the success of all seven runners is what builds a positive attitude and eventually a tradi-tion of winning. One great accom-plishment of this past season was the work of senior captains Mike Fernandes and Tom Cunningham, who laid the building blocks of such tradition for the team.

After a slow start, the cross-country team finished the sea-son with a 3–3 record in Greater Middlesex Conference meets. Though the overall record may appear mediocre, a look at the team’s statistics proves that the running tradition is thriving. Junior Santino Cozza twice clocked times better than his personal best from last season. Sophomores Jim Gor-man and Tom Hogarty each broke the 17-minute barrier for a 5K, while fellow sophomores Sean Rankin and Christian Goldy both surpassed the 18-minute barrier.

Coach Gary Trojanowski sum-marized the season as “produc-tive.” Aside from consistent per-formances from Fernandes and Cunningham, Coach Trojanowski noted “a great deal of underclass-men ran consistently well all sea-son.” The team’s improvement was displayed at the Greater Middlesex Conference Championships, held October 30 at Thompson Park. After last year’s seventh place finish, the Falcons responded with a fifth place team finish. Out

of a field of 168 runners, Fer-nandes finished eighth while Cunningham also posted a top twenty finish.

The two graduating seniors have certainly left a legacy for next year’s team, which will be led by current junior Santino Cozza. Tro-janowski sees tremendous potential for next season and anticipates that “if the sophomores train hard and return in good shape in September, then they can be very good.”

By James ZiembaStaff Writer

Though only in its second sea-son, the 2010 St. Joe’s Falcon foot-ball team would not settle for aver-age. “I expected our team to take great strides this year. I believed a year of experience would really help us,” commented sophomore quarterback Chris Blades, who is in his second year leading the Falcon offense. The team compiled an 8-3 record, with two of those losses coming against quality var-sity squads. “I definitely did not expect an 8-3 record,” said Blades with a smile.

The team compiled wins against county foes Spotswood and Perth Amboy, winning both games by a combined score of 67-0. The team also racked up wins against the likes of Point Pleasant Beach and Union, defeating Point Pleasant Beach by one point in a thriller. The Falcons also impressed many by being competitive with two varsity squads, losing to Newark

Central by only a touchdown and almost spoiling Moore Catholic’s homecoming game in a heart-breaking loss.

Blades, along with junior standouts FB/LB Matt Wyman, RB/CB Tim Dunn, and linemen Tim Bernisky and Jon Marcano, led the Falcons with their play on both sides of the ball. Sophomore Matt Greene and Freshman Jordan Jimerson shared the duties at run-ning back with Dunn, with each of them scoring at least one touch-down. Junior WR Albert Myers was Blades’ favorite target for the year.

As the Falcons embark on a new journey next year when they play a full varsity schedule, there will be many questions that need answers. Will they be prepared? How will they fare against com-petitive varsity teams? When asked these questions, Wyman stated, “We will not disappoint. We will continue the winning tradition of St. Joe’s.”

By Charlie BrunoSports Editor

The 2010 season opened with an outcome that the Falcon soccer program had seen far too many times before: a crushing 5-2 defeat at the hands of rival East Brunswick. It seemed as though fate had once again determined that the Falcons were destined to fall second fiddle to the “big brother” from East Brunswick.

Following their defeat, the Falcons unleashed their wrath against the rest of the GMC, winning 13 of their next 14 games and earning a spot in the GMC championship versus their opening day foe East Brunswick.

The Falcons jumped out to an early 2-0 lead behind goals from junior Johnny Loubnan and senior Steven Cortez. Junior Brandon Allen added a crucial insurance goal as the squad won 3-2, capturing their first GMC title since 2003. This could have easily been a storybook ending for the Falcons, defeating archrival East Brunswick after years of being bullied by the soccer force. However, the Falcons refused to settle for a county championship; they knew they had larger demons to face on the road to a state title.

For Coach Michael O’Boyle, the grass fields of Christian Brothers Academy haunt him every season. The road to the Non-Public A state championship inevitably runs through Lincroft, and those fields compose a wind tunnel of heartbreak for the soccer program. For the past two seasons the Falcons have had their season end in Lincroft, but this year the squad returned the favor.

With phenom Brandon Allen locked down by swarming CBA

defense, senior Joe Campos rose to the occasion, scoring two of his four season goals to lead the Falcons back from a 2-0-halftime deficit. With the rain beginning to fall, Steven Cortez broke the hearts of the “Colt’s Crazies,” with the clinching penalty kick to send St. Joe’s to the Non-Public A final.

In a Non-Public Final that will go down as one for the ages, the Falcons came up just short, falling 3-2 in overtime to St. Augustine’s Prep. A tremendous Falcon Flock helped to cheer the team back from a 2-1 deficit, as Allen knotted the game at two with just four minutes left. However, an unlucky touch on defense resulted in the game-winning goal for St. Augustine’s.

T h o u g h t h e t e a m w a s heartbroken at how close they came to capturing what would have been the Falcons first state soccer title

since 1995, senior Joe Campos put the year in perspective. “Despite the outcome, I’m proud of the way we finished the season. The GMC title was awesome, and the CBA game was a great way to end my career at St. Joe’s. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way.”

Campos was an integral member of a Falcon team that remained cool under pressure down the stretch. Although Brandon, who netted 30 goals this season, is undoubtedly the most lethal striker in the county, and possibly the state, what vaulted this year’s squad to greatness were the heroes who stepped up when called upon. Everyone played an essential role to the Falcons’ success.

The squad looks to continue their success next season with the young team returning 13 varsity members.

CROSS COUNTRy WRap UpSeniors Leave Legacy

By Alex SchifferStaff Writer

The weather was cold and the ground was frozen, but in the end, even the elements could not stop Team Untitled as they rolled to their second consecutive Joe’s Bowl title with a 14-8 win over the Danglers. Team Untitled became only the second team in Joe’s Bowl history to pull off a repeat championship victory. The only other team to accomplish this feat was Da Bears in 2002 and 2003.

The game was filled with excit-ing plays all over the field. It took both teams several drives before the scoring started, with little prog-ress being made in the initial plays of the game. Team Untitled started off the scoring when quarterback Ace Sudah connected with Kevin Gilsenan in the end zone to put Team Untitled up 6-0. Another brilliant pass by Sudah to Kevin Mayce put Untitled up 8-0. The Danglers were a threat in the first half, but left the field at halftime scoreless. Last year’s Joe’s Bowl MVP Brandon Dolan intercepted quarterback AJ Proulx, thwarting the only hopeful play for the Dan-glers in the first half. The Danglers would not regain possession as Team Untitled ended the half with a touchdown by Nick Straughn to put Team Untitled up 14-0.

The Danglers started off the second half with possession. The Danglers threatened early with impressive runs by AJ Proulx and receiver Kevin Waitkovitch. Despite these plays, the Danglers could not find the end zone due to the tough Untitled defense. The next Untitled drive did not last long as Dangler Ryan Loughlin picked off Ace Sudah and ran the ball all the way to the end zone, putting the Danglers on the board. AJ Proulx would garnish his team’s score with two additional points, making the score 14-8. Despite the Danglers’ best efforts, Team Untitled would seal the deal when MVP Kevin Hoagland inter-cepted Proulx, earning his team’s second consecutive championship. “It shows our team has a lot of fight in us to win back-to-back championships,” commented the MVP.

This year the league also host-ed the first third place consola-tion game, nicknamed the Joe’s Cup. The Channel 4 News Team squared off against Dirty Mike and the Boys on November 12, with the Channel 4 News Team winning 14 – 0. “It’s been a great season, with an exciting finish,” com-mented assistant commissioner Coach Yunker at the conclusion of yet another successful flag football tournament.

FLaG FOOTBaLLTeam Untitled defeats The Danglers 14-8 for a Back – to – Back Victory

Photo by staffJunior Dimitrios Vassiliadis goes up for a header.

Photo by Mrs. Wymanafter finishing 8-3, the Falcons look forward to their next season as an official varsity team.

SOCCeR WRap Up

Falcons Live for the DramaUnsung Heroes Help Conquer Demons

St. Joseph High School

Falcon Sports

No Sophomore Slump for Football Falcons

Photo by Mr. GoldyThe Falcons pause for a team picture after the GMC Championships on October 30, where they placed 5th.