83 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/05/13 5:00pm)
At the beginning of the 2012 NFL season, Art Modell, the owner of the Baltimore Ravens and a very influential figure in sports, passed away.
A couple of weeks later, the brother of Ravens’ wide receiver Torrey Smith died in a motorcycle accident.
In the final week of the NFL season, Ravens’ linebacker Ray Lewis, arguably the most influential and emotional player of the past decade, announced his retirement, saying this season would be his “last ride.”
Finally, quarterback Joe Flacco elevated his game in the playoffs, putting on a show similar to Eli Manning’s Super Bowl run last year.
No matter which way you put it, destiny played a role in the Ravens winning Super Bowl XLVII.
We’ve seen it quite often in sports, as recently as last year’s Super Bowl run by the New York Giants. Sometimes fate has other plans and players increase their level of play almost out of nowhere.
I was talking to a friend of mine who was a 49ers fan, and we both agreed that San Francisco was the better team in nearly every aspect. However, I pointed out to him that the better team doesn’t always win, and that I had a gut feeling that this would be the case.
It turns out I was right, and despite a power outage and furious Niner rally, Baltimore hoisted the Lombardi trophy in the end.
Shocking is a good word to describe how the Ravens were able to turn it on. Losing four of their last five regular season games, it seemed that the Ravens were toast, and that they wouldn’t be the hottest team come year’s end.
But all of a sudden, as if Lewis’s retirement announcement turned the lights on for Baltimore as quickly as the lights went out in the Superdome, the Ravens were a different team.
Let’s start with Lewis. He played in the first six games of the year and looked a little sluggish, showing his age. After tearing his triceps, the emotional linebacker missed the remainder of the regular season. He then channelled his inner Willis Reed by racking up an absurd 51 tackles in four postseason games, all while leading his team.
Then we must look at the Super Bowl MVP, Flacco. Despite playoff success, Flacco was often disrespected for not having the most guady of stats. He tossed away that notion by averaging 285 yards per game, while tossing 11 touchdowns and not a single interception. It’s safe to say he has reached elite status and his critics will be eating a nice plate of crow.
This is what happens with sports. Sure, there are always times when the best team wins it all (last year’s Kentucky Wildcats, for example). But sometimes, something else happens. Sometimes, some things are just meant to be. And for the Ravens, it is their time.
(01/29/13 5:00pm)
After a week as difficult as this one, the College is certainly happy to put it behind them and look ahead. The Lions dropped all three of the games they played, two of them in a blowout and one of them at the buzzer, to Richard Stockton College, Ramapo College and Princeton University.
The week started off very slowly against Richard Stockton as the Lions (5-15, 3-10) were completely shut down on offense, shooting only 28 percent from the field and being whipped in a 58-38 loss. The team did have a one-point lead with the first half winding down, but fell victim to a 9-0 Osprey run. After the half, the College only managed seven field goals.
“We just came out flat, shots were not falling and that led to easy transition points for Stockton,” senior guard Matt Rista said. “Frustration emerged on the offensive end and we just never really got things going.”
In addition to shooting 52 percent from the field, Richard Stockton outrebounded the Lions by a 42-24 margin. The College only hit three of 10 free throws as well.
“We just struggled overall shooting the basketball and it continued from the free throw line as well,” junior forward Alex Fox said. “We just need to focus more from the line and knock them down.”
There weren’t too many great performances for the Lions, but senior guard William Lester tallied nine points on three three-pointers. Sophomore guard Jayson Johnson also had nine points.
If that wasn’t tough enough to stomach, the game against No. 11 Ramapo came down to a final shot that bounced in and out, which would have won it for the Lions. Rista’s buzzer beater prayer missed as time expired. leaving the Lions with a 73-72 loss.
“It was a tough loss, but it’s important that we remain focused on the primary goal, which is a playoff berth and an NJAC championship,” Rista said. “Everything felt great when the ball left my hand. It was a good look and I need to remain confident and knock shots like that down when they present themselves.”
The College got off to a much better start shooting and eventually even had a double digit lead, which dropped to 40-34 at the end of the first half. This was mainly due to stellar plays by Johnson, who had 15 of his 24 points in the first half.
“Against Ramapo, I think we had a sense of urgency now that we’re in the home stretch of our season,” Fox said. “We’re only two games out of the playoffs and we know we need to get some wins if we’re going to make a run.”
However, the Roadrunners wasted no time getting back in the game, hitting two threes at the half and then converting on a layup to take a 42-40 lead. The Lions fought tooth and nail to keep pace with Ramapo, but the final missed shot did them in.
Despite 21 turnovers, Ramapo was still able to come out on top. Part of this is because in the second half, they shot 57 percent while holding the College to just 27 percent shooting. Junior forward Alex Fox had 15 points and three rebounds, while Rista chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds.
It’s always exhausting to play a back-to-back game, but when it’s against a Division I school, it’s especially excruciating. After the emotionally draining loss to Ramapo, the Lions traveled to Princeton and came out flat, losing by a margin of 71-33.
“Princeton was a tough one,” Rista said. “We did not compete and play like we normally do, which led to an embarrassing effort on both the defensive and offensive end.”
Being kept off the glass and completely muzzled offensively, the College never really stood a chance. They shot 23 percent from the field, missed all 14 of their three-point attempts, and were outrebounded by a margin of 60-30.
The Tigers did an especially good job against the starting lineup for the Lions, which combined for a mere nine points. Sophomore guards Emmanuel Matlock and Ryan Keegan led them with 10 points apiece.
Being outmatched by the bigger school, the Lions were unable to really get anything going in a difficult matchup with the Tigers.
“Princeton is a big and athletic team and were switching on all screens, which made it difficult to get our shots off,” Fox said. “Inside we were unable to finish around their big guys.”
This season continues to be a rough one for the Lions, as they’re still tyring to string together some wins. That quest resumes Wednesday, Jan. 30, against Rutgers-Camden University.
Despite the losses, Rista believes that the team still has the ability to salvage the season.
“I believe that we just need to remain confident and keep our eyes on the primary goal,” Rista said. “We have to continue to work and somehow put together a slew of wins in order to gain some momentum and make a run for a playoff spot.”
(01/29/13 5:00pm)
The casual fan may not pay much attention to college basketball until March Madness begins. However, the madness may have come early this year. This college basketball season has been declared by many experts as the most wide open and wild year in recent memory. And after what has happened in the past week, that could not be more true.
Let’s start on Monday. Yes, it wasn’t too crazy just yet. No. 24 Notre Dame was defeated by a talented Georgetown squad and No. 3 Syracuse wound up holding on to a win over No. 21 Cincinnati. But this was only the beginning.
Now onto Tuesday, the day things started to get crazy. No. 5 Louisville was coming off a loss and it looked like they had a great opportunity to bounce back against Villanova. That was not the case, however, and the Wildcats used stifling defense to knock off the Cardinals. In addition, No. 18 N.C. State was completely outmatched by Wake Forest in a close loss. The Wolfpack looks like the most talented ACC team this season, but lost to a very mediocre team.
By Wednesday, the Madness was in full force. No. 1 Duke was completely embarrassed by No. 25 Miami in a 90-63 blowout. No. 9 Butler, everyone’s darling, fell short by a late layup to La Salle. No. 12 Minnesota continued its struggles in Big Ten play by dropping a winnable game to Northwestern. And finally, No. 17 Creighton could not stop an offensive onslaught from Drake.
Thursday showed no signs of stopping as No. 6 Arizona, arguably one of the best teams in the country, was completely victimized by the talent of UCLA, while another A-10 favorite, No. 19 VCU, was beaten in overtime by an undermanned Richmond squad.
Saturdays in college basketball are always filled with a ton of big games, and this one was no exception. Two Big East squads that ranked in the top five in the country, No. 3 Syracuse and No. 5 Louisville, lost tight games to Villanova and Georgetown, respectively. No. 11 Kansas State came up just short to Iowa State, who everyone should be watching closely. Finally, Minnesota and VCU each lost for the second time this week to Wisconsin and La Salle (they’re back), respectively.
Phew, that was a mouthful. It took an entire column just to talk about the upsets. Basically, the point that I’m trying to make is that if you love the madness, you may want to start paying attention right now. Then maybe, just maybe, you’ll have a leg up on everyone when the NCAA tournament begins.
Or maybe it’ll just be more madness, as usual.
(01/22/13 5:00pm)
This past week the College split two games against conference opponents, as they were narrowly defeated by William Paterson University, but rode some hot hands on their way to a win over Kean University.
The Lions (5-12, 3-8) came up just short against the Pioneers in the fleeting seconds of the ball game. With 5.7 seconds remaining, guard Bright Mensah nailed a tough shot to put William Paterson ahead, and the College was unable to counter as they lost 65-61.
“It was a hard fought game that came down to the wire,” junior forward Skyelar Ettin said. “Every basket was so important, we were one stop, one play away from winning the game. In games like that, sometimes it just comes down to who made the extra effort and extra play and unfortunately with their basket at the end they came away with the game.”
Doing a good job defensively in the first half, the Lions battled back and forth with the Pioneers, trading baskets and leads. At intermission, the College walked into the locker room with a 36-33 halftime lead.
The second half was even closer than the first, with both squads going shot for shot and not giving up enough ground for anyone to build a big lead. With four minutes remaining, Ettin turned a sloppy pass from sophomore guard Emmanuel Matlock into a spectacular save, thus leading to a basket by junior guard Matt Rista.
“As Manny passed me the ball, I saw Matt streaking down the court, so I just tried to stay inbounds and get it to Matt,” Ettin said. “Luckily it worked out.”
The exchange of points continued until Mensah’s shot left the College with no answer. Junior forward Alex Fox led the Lions with 13 points, three rebounds and four steals. Matlock, who has been improving, had an all-around solid game with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists. Ettin also chipped in with 12 points and Rista had 10 to go with his five boards.
Beating Kean was crucial in keeping the College in the playoff hunt. The Lions were on fire, connecting on over 60 percent of their looks and draining 10 three-pointers in an 85-73 win.
This was an exciting game to watch for many reasons. First off, in the game’s first 11 minutes, the College hit 12 of 16 shots (75 percent), including five of six long balls. This was all part of a 22-2 run that built the team a big lead and showed just how effective the Lions are when they’re running on all cylinders.
Despite the Cougars attempt to get back into the game, they were no match for the College. Whenever it seemed that Kean was getting back into it, the Lions would fire back. This was especially evident when a Kean dunk that gave the team momentum was countered with two three pointers by Rista.
Rista had a huge game with 19 points, but he wasn’t the only one. Ettin led all scorers with 25 points and six rebounds and Fox had 20 points of his own. The trio had 64 of the College’s 85 points for the game (75 percent).
“It was very good to see those guys knock down shots,” head coach Kelly Williams said. “I have been waiting for those three guys to have a great shooting night together on the same night. All of their shots came in the flow of the offense, which was encouraging that we were sharing the ball. Our team is so unselfish, that we do not care who scores.”
Over the break, the Lions went 2-3. They picked up wins over Western Connecticut State University and Montclair State University. They lost to Rutgers-Newark University, FDU-Florham University and New Jersey City University.
“We struggled a little bit during the first half of the season, but the good thing about the NJAC is that we play everyone twice so we know we just have to bounce back to give ourselves a chance to make the playoffs,” Ettin said. “We have improved each game and are a different team coming into the remainder of the season, so we just need to do the small things and turn our season around.”
The Lions will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 23 on the road against Richard Stockton College. They will look to build off of these close losses and start converting them into wins.
“It was a much needed win on Saturday for us,” Williams said. “We are to make a run for the playoffs, so we know that we have to continue to win our home games for the rest of season and get a couple road wins over the next couple weeks to ensure a playoff berth.”
(01/22/13 5:00pm)
For many people in our culture, sports are more than just games. Sports is something that’s bigger than ourselves. Sports are something we can hold onto during tough times, and something that can pull us out of those times. Sports has been nothing short of magical for the world in so many ways, and we rely on it more than it makes sense to. We love it. We believe in it. We trust it.
But sometimes, every once in a blue moon, sports betray us. That’s exactly what happened in the hoax of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o’s girlfriend.
Te’o began an online relationship with a girl named Lennay Kekua. The two had supposedly never met, but were still in love. Unfortunately, Kekua came down with cancer and eventually passed away, leaving Te’o heartbroken and at a loss. His grandmother had also died.
Instead of taking time to cope with his loss, Te’o responded by playing inspired football, racking up tackles, interceptions and many end of the year awards. The Fighting Irish defense was unstoppable behind him. They went undefeated and made it to the national championship, while Te’o was the runner up for the Heisman and had the nation on his side.
Everyone loved his story. It was truly heartwarming to see Te’o channel the deaths of his loved ones into top-notch football play.
Until it came out that Lennay Kekua did not die, because she never existed.
Just like that, the nation was turned upside down. How could someone do this? How could they make up the death of a fake girlfriend to gain publicity, or fill whatever other motives a person has? Instantly, the nation had become disgusted with Te’o.
The linebacker claims that he was innocent and had no idea, saying he was embarrassed and duped like the rest of us. But things just don’t seem to add up.
First of all, a story in the South Bend Tribune, an Indiana newspaper, vividly depicted the first meeting between Te’o and Kekua after a football game. Since Te’o never actually met her because she was fake, why wouldn’t he have claimed that the story was wrong?
Also, it’s hard to believe that he could go through a long relationship without meeting her. Te’o claims that meetings between him and Kekua in his native Hawaii always seemed to fall through, so you would think he’d start to get suspicious.
Finally, if the whole thing was truly a hoax, why did Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, the man behind it all, go to such great lengths to prank Te’o? There just seems to be no motivation for a lie that elaborate.
If you ask me, I think Te’o is guilty and that he was doing this all for publicity. Many reports have come out from Notre Dame teammates that Te’o loved attention and that he continued to talk about Kekua, even when he found out it was a hoax back in late December.
But despite whether he was in on it or not, we, as sports fans, were all fooled. Right on the heels of finding out that cancer hero Lance Armstrong was a fraud, the sports world kicked us all when we were down and exposed another special story as a fake.
It’s a shame this has happened and that people have to resort to these tactics. But the biggest shame now is how the public will react to inspiring sports stories. Sports heroes will need to regain our trust as fans. Whether that’s even fully possible remains to be seen.
(01/22/13 5:00pm)
They say the hardest thing to do is make it to the Super Bowl after you made it the year before. A repeat is almost unheard of. So how hard is it to make it after you barely missed it? Is it easy? Certainly not. But Jim and John Harbaugh showed how you can take that negative and turn it into a positive. Only one Harbaugh can win, but they proved they have a special coaching talent in their blood.
Getting so close to the Super Bowl and falling short is difficult. As a result, you can either mope and be down on yourself, or commit to doing anything and everything it takes to get back. John Harbaugh was able to instill this into his players. After many playoff appearances coming up short, he broke the barrier and has gotten his team to the promised land. But not without help.
Joe Flacco, a quarterback who was scrutinized by just about everyone outside of Maryland, has been on fire this postseason. He’s passed for 843 yards and eight touchdowns with zero interceptions, while outdueling Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the process.
And let’s not forget Ray Lewis. The future hall of famer has come back from a torn triceps to pile up 44 tackles in his last ride. The emotion and heart Lewis plays with has not only elevated his own performance, but also that of his teammates. He’s a true leader who makes his teammates better and brings the intangibles that every team wants.
The Ravens’ defense has been feared for the past decade, but injuries changed that this year. In the playoffs, however, the Baltimore defense has stepped up. That was most notable against the Patriots, who saw two Brady interceptions and only 13 points — zero in the second half.
Now, onto Jim Harbaugh and his San Francisco 49ers. In his first year as a head coach, Jim turned the Niners into a legitimate contender. The defense and Frank Gore have always been constant, but Jim was faced with a decision midway through the season. Should he stick with Alex Smith who brought them to the championship game, or take a leap of faith and go with Colin Kaepernick, who may be the missing peace to bringing them to a Super Bowl?
I think he made the right decision.
Kaepernick has become a unique dual-threat quarterback in just his first as a starter. He doesn’t turn the ball over like Michael Vick. He protects himself unlike Robert Griffin III. He can run faster than Cam Newton. But what’s most impressive is how he passed the ball against the Falcons when the team needed him to, down 17-0. Smith couldn’t do that. He was just a game manager. Kaepernick is a force of nature.
Linebacker Patrick Willis shouldn’t be overlooked either. He’s the heart of the 49ers’ defense, and their equivalent to Lewis, only not as vocal. His attitude affects his teammates and his play on the field does the talking.
What’s the most impressive of the way the Harbaughs have made it to the Super Bowl is just how heartbreaking their losses were in last year’s championship games. Everyone remembers Lee Evans’s drop, Billy Cundiff’s miss and Kyle Williams’s muffed punts. To be literally a mistake away from glory is a tough pill to swallow.
The Harbaughs swallowed it, moved on and got better.
While there can only be one winner, it’s important to realize the new culture that the Harbaughs have brought to the NFL. They’ve returned to the smash mouth and physical style of play. They’ve used motivational tactics to get the most out of their players. But the biggest thing with them, like Lewis, is their heart. The sheer will to win has brought success to the Harbaugh family. It’s a mindset that they have instilled in their players and it has translated into results.
In the passing league NFL these days, everyone says you need a top-five quarterback to win a Super Bowl. But there won’t be one in the Super Bowl, so is there a new strategy to follow? Is it get a Harbaugh?
Sorry, they’re both taken.
(12/05/12 5:00pm)
When a team loses its first two home games in a week, it’s a hard thing to bounce back from. Someone forgot to tell that to the Lions, who dropped home games to Centenary College and Richard Stockton College before knocking off Kean University on the road for their first win.
The Lions (1-4) were fueled by a monster performance from sophomore guard Alex Fox who poured in 31 points, 21 of them coming in the second half. Shooting 10 of 14 from the field, Fox was the most efficient scorer on the floor. He also tallied five rebounds and four assists.
“Alex has been battling some injuries in the pre-season and is just starting to get healthier,” head coach Kelly Wiliams said. “I thought it was time to use some of his experience and energy in the starting line up and it was nice to see that he responded.”
The College’s defense was ferocious in the first half, holding the Cougars to only 20 points. They had an 18-point lead with 6:51 left to play, and despite a late Kean run, held on to win 63-53.
“On Saturday, we did an excellent job communicating on the defensive end,” Williams said. “We hope that we can duplicate that same energy and attention detail for an entire game and the rest of the season.”
Junior forward Skyelar Ettin was second in scoring for the College with 16 points. Junior forward Joe Kane also pitched in with seven points and seven big rebounds.
The play of sophomore guard Jayson Johnson was something Williams was certainly happy with. Despite an off shooting night, Johnson had an all-around solid game with six points, nine rebounds and five assists.
“Jayson Johnson did an excellent job controlling the tempo of the game,” Williams said.
In their home opener, the Lions saw another late run fall short against Centenary College in an 87-78 defeat.
The game was close early on, but seven straight Cyclone points made it seem like the College was in for another offensive slump. However, Johnson connected on two layups in a row, while Ettin nailed a jumper to get the Lions right back in it. Ettin finished with a career-best 26 points on the day.
The back-and-forth struggle continued until Centenary began to take control with a 64-47 lead late in the second half, and eventually held a 20-point lead with three minutes to go.
One player who wouldn’t go quietly was junior guard Matt Rista, who scored 14 points in the final three minutes of the game to spur the Lions on a 15-2 run and bring them within five of the Cyclones. Unfortunately, time was not on the College’s side, and good free-throw shooting by Centenary sealed the game. Rista totaled 19 points.
What was maddening about the loss was that the Lions forced an impressive 29 turnovers while only turning the ball over eight times themselves. The battle on the glass was where they lost it, being outrebounded 49-35. Centenary’s Andy Charles was an absolute monster, tallying 24 points and 21 rebounds. The College had no answer for him.
“Rebounding seems to always be an area of concern for us every year,” Williams said. “We have to continue to work on rebounding everyday in practice and hope it translates to success on game day. With so many injuries and size disadvantages, we have to team rebound and position ourselves better when the ball is in the air.”
In the home game against Richard Stockton, the College was overpowered and ran into a team on fire. The Ospreys shot 59.3 percent from the field, including sinking half of their shots from downtown, to coast to an 81-53 win.
The Lions never really stood a chance as another stagnant first half led to a 47-25 deficit at the break. This hole, however, was one that the College was unable to dig themselves out of to make it a close game. For Richard Stockton, Rameel Johnson and Darnell McCargo led the way with 17 and 14 points, respectively. Carlton Whitehead produced an eye-popping stat line of seven points, eight rebounds and six assists, creeping towards what could have been a triple-double.
What was encouraging was seeing Fox make an immediate impact in his first game in the starting lineup. Fox led the team in scoring, rebounding and steals with 16, six and three. This performance led to his outburst against Kean that should keep him starting for good. Ettin continued his strong play with 13 points and four rebounds, while sophomore Johnson netted 10 points of his own.
Rista, the Lions’ best player of the season so far, had an off game, contributing only four points and making only one of his eight shots. He did make his presence felt on the boards by pulling down five rebounds, but the College struggled again on the glass, being outrebounded by a margin of 34-21.
The College will look to build off of its winning ways at home on Wednesday against Rutgers-Camden University. Soon, they’ll have a stretch of games over winter break that will help them learn more about themselves as a team.
“The players have been really working hard, so it was nice for them to be rewarded with a conference road win,” Williams said. “We hope that we continue to build on our play from Saturday’s game.”
(12/05/12 5:00pm)
In this day and age, social media has taken over our lives. Lost are the days when people listen to the radio or even go to sporting events. It’s simply much more convenient to check your smart phone and get on with your life.
A sports writing at the College professor Keith Glock is integrating the two in order to make the process even easier.
Glock is the founder of The MIRE, which stands for Montgomery Internet Radio Experience, a program that broadcasts Montgomery High School in Pennsylvania sporting events where Glock is the guidance counselor, and will now be broadcasting basketball games for the College. It began when Glock was operating a blog while doing the PA system for Montgomery basketball games. He blogged for parents who were out of town and wanted to follow the games, but found it to be difficult and inefficient.
“Eventually I said, ‘There’s got to be a better way to do this,’” Glock said. “Parents were telling me they were there hitting the refresh button and just waiting for an update. There had to be a better way to do it live.”
As a solution, Glock decided to make The MIRE, but still felt like it could be improved because of the decline in radio usage and rise in computer and smart phone usage. Therefore, Glock has made The MIRE accessible for any PC or smart device.
“Who even has a radio anymore?” Glock questioned jokingly. “We feel like we’re more accessible given that you can access us on any PC or smart device that you have.”
Glock graduated from the College in 2003 with a degree in journalism. His senior year, he won the College’s journalism award at graduation. Between 2000-2006, he was a sports reporter for The Trenton Times, where he covered the Philadelphia Phillies.
He founded The MIRE in 2009, and after doing two seasons of basketball at Montgomery he branched out to the school’s football games. He will also be broadcasting Montgomery basketball this season, but is excited to expand to the College.
“I wanted to get involved with The College of New Jersey because I realized that ever since I was a student there, this is the kind of thing that TSR covers occasionally but not consistently,” Glock said. “I thought it was a logical spot because there’s nothing going on at TCNJ in broadcasting these games that’s accessible.”
Glock has a background in radio and does all of the play-by-play for The MIRE. Broadcast journalism is something he truly loves to do, which certainly makes The MIRE a better product.
“It’s fun for me. It’s something that I’ve always really enjoyed and probably wish I did a little more of in college. It kind of comes naturally to me,” Glock said. “Let me do something I really enjoy and if I’m going to put in extra time doing something, let me make it something that’s fun and this certainly is something that’s fun for me.”
However, Glock also realizes the importance in his product in terms of the actual broadcasting aspect. Regardless of convenience, he wants to make, The MIRE as entertaining as it can be to not only attract listeners, but also to keep them tuning in.
“One of the things I understand about doing things on the radio is that you want to have a product that people can get updates for and have real time information,” Glock said. “But if the broadcast isn’t listenable, people aren’t going to listen regardless.”
There has yet to be a profit made in The MIRE. Until Glock can make money from advertising, it will continue to be Glock doing the play-by-play and asking others that he knows who are good and have the time to do it. Glock truly wants to expand, and he knows the key to doing that is to get advertisers.
“I have a bunch of local businesses that I know TCNJ students frequent, so if you listen to The MIRE during games, you’re going to get some access to some deals to local eateries and local places that I know TCNJ students shop,” Glock said. “That’s all coming.”
In addition, Glock’s desire for helping others in the field of journalism goes beyond The MIRE. He wrote a blog for Montgomery Athletics called Glock’s Blogs, and uses it now to get students at Montgomery who are interested in journalism to cover sports and “get bylines.” He wants students to have active clips and experience for when they want to do internships, even if that is in the distant future for high school students.
For this basketball season at the College, The MIRE will be covering both men’s and women’s basketball games on Wednesdays for the double headers. It will be starting 30 minutes prior to the first game of the double headers.
This is the first step in what Glock hopes to be something special for the College’s athletics. Enabling people to listen to the games in an easy, enjoyable and efficient way is the ultimate goal, and one that certainly seems attainable.
“We want to have fun doing this and broadcast basketball games to people that might not always have a chance to be at the game,” Glock said. “Parents and students, we get them to stay connected because we know how busy they are in their lives being parents and students.”
(11/27/12 9:00pm)
It’s never a good thing to open up a season with back-to-back losses, but that’s exactly what the College fell victim to, dropping a pair of away games to William Paterson University and Bridgewater College by scores of 94-63 and 78-68, respectively.
“We suffered two tough road losses, but the key for us to bounce back successfully will be coming out strong Monday night for our home opener against Centenary,” junior guard Matt Rista said. “We need to come out with a positive mindset and grab a win to get momentum moving in a positive direction.”
The first of the Lions’ (0-2) two road games proved to be a blowout as the Pioneers were able to pull away in the second half. Both teams were on in the first half, but with the score 19-18, William Paterson exploded on an 11-0 run that put the College at a 12-point deficit. This eventually led to the score being 45-36 at the half, in favor of the Pioneers.
Proper adjustments were not made coming out of the intermission, as William Paterson used a 17-4 run opening up the half to put a stranglehold on the game. This led to the Lions being outscored by 18 in the half and losing by over 30.
“A loss is never a good thing, but I would have to say that playing our first two games on the road against strong opponents will in the end only make us tougher to beat at home,” Rista said. “I believe that it was a learning experience for some of our younger guys that playing on the road is very difficult and you must come mentally focused for the entire length of the game in order to be successful.”
While both teams started the game shooting the lights out, it only lasted for one of them. The College wound up shooting 41.3 percent, while the Pioneers shot 56.5 percent. They were also outrebounded 41-26 and turned the ball over 22 times.
For the Lions, sophomore guard Jayson Johnson led all scorers with 20 points, while also collecting three steals and three rebounds, all coming on the offensive glass. Rista had 14 points of his own. Sophomore guard Emmanuel Matlock paced the offense with nine points, three rebounds and five assists. Junior forward Joe Kane was big off the bench, tallying seven points, four rebounds and two blocks in only 11 minutes of action.
The game against Bridgewater was much more exciting, as the College put up a good fight. Losing by 24 points in the second half, the Lions cut the deficit all the way down to seven with three minutes to go before ultimately falling short.
Once again, the College’s opponent opened up the game shooting well and getting out to a 23-10 lead. The Lions trailed by a lot before staging an 11-0 run in the second half to breathe life into the game.
“I saw positives, especially in the backcourt, with Jayson Johnson and Matt Rista,” head coach Kelly Williams said. “We really need our backcourt to be our strength this season and it was nice to see that Jayson and Matt got off to a good start. We understand that all road games are tough, so to travel down and play a very tough and athletic Bridgewater team will make us better as the season progress. You want to play a tough schedule, so you can see your team develop and get prepared for the rigors of the NJAC.”
However, once they got it down to seven, the Eagles only allowed them to shoot four more shots in the final three minutes.
Despite the undesirable result, the College showed that they were not a team that would roll over in a game. Junior forward Skyelar Ettin, who drained 22 points to go along with five boards, fueled the late run.
Rista had a big impact on the game once again, netting 17 points and grabbing four rebounds.
“Personally I feel that I have started off this season on the right track,” Rista said. “I believe that I have grown a lot since last season both mentally and physically. I have always held myself to high standards and will continue to throughout the course of my career.”
Johnson and junior forward Alex Fox chipped in on the effort with nine and seven points, respectively.
The team will have their home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 28 against Richard Stockton College, as they look to make their way into the win column in front of their fans.
“Our goal this season is to get better every day as a team and to be in a position for a conference playoff appearance,” Williams said. “A major key for attaining that goal is to win our home games, so we can continue gain confidence as the season progresses.”
(11/27/12 9:00pm)
Sitting on my couch after Thanksgiving dinner, I was hoping to watch my Cowboys defeat the Redskins and continue their run in the NFC East. However, I was greatly disappointed and angered, as they once again dug themselves into a huge hole, only to come up short in a late rally.
This is how it’s always been for the Cowboys. They give me hope, only to let me down in the end.
I was talking to a friend of mine, an Eagles fan, about this situation. Both of our teams were incredibly frustrating, and we couldn’t take it anymore.
Then I said something that offered the bright side of things.
“Hey, at least we aren’t Chiefs fans.”
The Kansas City Chiefs are now 1-10 after losing to the Denver Broncos this past Sunday. They are 29th in the NFL in passing with their quarterback carousel of Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn. Their defense, while ravaged by injures, has underperformed immensely. But it’s gotten so bad that the fans literally cannot take it anymore.
A Twitter account called @SaveOurChiefs has been created to spread the knowledge of how desperately fans are calling for the heads of management. General manager Scott Pioli must be fired, they say. Pioli hasn’t drafted well in the first round since grabbing Dwayne Bowe in 2007 (Eric Berry hasn’t proven to be worth his spot at fifth overall).
Then there’s head coach Romeo Crennel. He was praised after the Chiefs ended the Packers’ undefeated season last year. So what does he do with a new head-coaching job? Not utilize his best offensive weapon, running back Jamaal Charles. There have been two games where Charles has received fewer than 10 carries, four games where he has received fewer than 15 carries, and seven games where he has received fewer than 20 carries. Inexcusable.
And just when you think the Chiefs seem to have turned some sort of corner, they baffle you again.
This past week against the Broncos, the Chiefs had a lead, something they haven’t had much all year. They were faced with multiple fourth-and-1’s in Denver territory. Normally, a 1-9 (now 1-10) team would have some urgency and think, “Hey, we’re toast anyways, let’s just go for it.”
Nope. They kick the field goal.
At that point, it doesn’t matter if they don’t get it. But then again, what does matter to these Chiefs this season?
I’m not blaming it on the players. They’re clearly busting their asses. It’s the coaches and management that need to go, as evident by the @SaveOurChiefs Twitter account paying for a plane to fly over Arrowhead Stadium with a message saying, “We deserve better, fire Pioli, bench Cassel.”
Despite all of these awful stories, the worst hasn’t even been said. Loren Lickteig, a Chiefs fan, passed away this fall at the age of 81. His obituary read this:
“Complications from MS and heartbreaking disappointment caused by the Kansas City Chiefs football team.”
Nothing gets sadder than that.
So when you look at this organization, changes really need to be made. The Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game since 1993 and haven’t won a Super Bowl since Super Bowl IV. A truly dedicated fan base is hungry for success. And if things don’t turn around soon, they may starve to death.
But they still have the Royals, right?
Oh, wait.
(11/27/12 9:00pm)
As far back as anyone can remember, the Atlantic division in the East has been the laughing stock of basketball. After the early 2000s, the Knicks, Nets and 76ers all had fallen off into mediocrity or worse. Gone were the days of Allan Houston, Jason Kidd and Allen Iverson. Then there’s the Celtics. Before their recent five-year span of top play, they too were a disgrace, with Paul Pierce getting essentially no help. And don’t forget the Raptors. They were pretty bad.
But now, the argument can be made for the Atlantic division to be the best in the NBA. Four of the teams are above .500 and firmly in playoff spots. No other division in basketball can say that.
So what’s behind the Atlantic’s resurgence? Let’s take an in-depth look.
Of course, the team to start with is the New York Knicks. After an incredibly hot start, the Knickerbockers are 9-4 and sit atop the Atlantic division. Carmelo Anthony has been playing like a true superstar. He plays with a passion and effort that not all superstars give during the regular season. Playing him at power forward has been a godsend.
Mike Woodson has been orchestrating his defense to a tee. Tyson Chandler is once again the anchor, but everyone is helping out. Adding Ronnie Brewer on the perimeter has paid immediate dividends for a defense that will only get stronger when Iman Shumpert returns from injury.
One of the biggest assets has been J.R. Smith and his willingness to come off the bench. Sure, Smith has the talent to start, but having him as the sixth man not only improves the second unit, but also controls the damage he does with his sometimes-erratic shot selection and play.
Right there with them are the Brooklyn Nets. I was skeptical of this team, but even though Joe Johnson is underperforming and Gerald Wallace has been injured, the Nets have just been winning ball games. Brook Lopez has really stepped up for their high-powered offense, although he does have to crash the boards more.
Something also has to be said about Reggie Evans. His defensive presence is frightening and he is one of the best screeners in the league. You do not want to battle on the boards with this guy.
Even Deron Williams has been off, averaging below 17 points per game. But if the Nets can win with guys playing like this, imagine how they’ll fair when everyone is at the top of their game.
Next up is the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite losing key players and not having the new superstar, Andrew Bynum, on the court, they’ve battled their way to a respectable 8-6 record. The main reason for this has been Jrue Holiday. He has blossomed into one of the top point guards in the NBA, averaging nearly a double-double and knocking down big shots.
As usual, the Sixers’ biggest asset has been their depth. Five players average double figures with Dorell Wright and Spencer Hawes not far off.
Philly is a traditional team that is a superstar away from being a contender. If they get Bynum healthy, that will be the final push they need.
Who can forget the Boston Celtics? The old guys of the division started off slow, but have since gotten back on the winning track. Pierce is scoring again and Kevin Garnett is, as always, the voice of the defense.
New additions like Jason Terry, Leandro Barbosa and Courtney Lee are making up for the loss of Ray Allen. The undersized combo of Brandon Bass and Jared Sullinger are a force down low. And even Jeff Green is starting to slowly get back on track.
I’ve always said, as long as this team has Pierce, Garnett and head coach Doc Rivers, you can never count them out, no matter how old they are.
Speaking of Rivers, it’s important to look at the head coaches and how they’ve dealt with the talent that they’ve been given. After taking over for Mike D’Antoni, Woodson has given the Knicks an identity on defense, something they never had under his predecessor, or under Isiah Thomas for that matter. Avery Johnson has proved in Brooklyn that he can coach with the Dallas Mavericks, and he is now doing well with a roster of good players. Doug Collins has made the Sixers relevant again by developing an old school type of play. And do we even have to say anything about Rivers? He’s already won an NBA title and always gets the most out of his team. He’s arguably the best coach in the NBA today.
Finally, there are the Raptors. Yeah. They’re still pretty bad.
But forget about Toronto and you have four bonafide teams that opponents are sweating as they come up on their schedule. With the way things have been going, it wouldn’t be a shock if any of these teams wind up winning the division.
It also wouldn’t be a shock if two or three of them could win a playoff series.
Beat the Miami Heat? Yeah, that might be a bit shocking. But it’s becoming more of a possibility with every game.
(11/07/12 5:00pm)
For the 19th consecutive year, the men’s cross country team blew away the field and won another NJAC title. The women narrowly lost to Rowan University by a six-point margin.
Senior Andy Gallagher put the team on his back by being the first runner to cross the finish line with a time of 25:13.22 in an 8K race. Junior Dominic Tasco and freshman Jack Leahy also landed in the top five for the Lions, finishing third and fifth with times of 25:29.68 and 25:44.72, respectively.
“Going into the NJACs this year, I knew that I might be able to win the race and I was very focused when the day came,” Gallagher said. “I just trusted my training and went for it, and it was awesome to close out my last NJAC race with a day like that.”
Senior Michael Berti, junior James Seyffart and freshman Jon Stouber finished 11th, 12th and 13th with times of 26:05.61, 26:12.18 and 26:12.54, respectively. Senior Alex Matteson was the last of the College’s top-seven runners in 16th place with a time of 26:19.89.
For the women, their strong performance was led by senior Cathy Gongalves who finished second overall with a time of 22:01.48 in the 6K race and wasn’t far off the leader. The Lions had three other runners crack the top-10: junior Anginelle Alabanza was fifth at 23:05.34, sophomore Jillian Manzo clocked in at 23:30.49 in eighth place, and junior Megan Flynn squeezed into the top 10 at 23:35.83.
Senior Rachel Morris, freshman Marissa Lerit and sophomore Tara Nealon were the final Lions to complete the race. Their times of 23:44.69, 23:49.76 and 23:51.89 were good for 11th, 14th and 18th place, respectively, and helped the College attain runner-up status.
The win was a spectacular highlight to another top-notch season for the men. Being something that has happened so often for the team, winning the NJAC’s has certainly not gotten old.
“Winning NJACs is always one of our main goals going into the season, as we take pride in continuing the long tradition of success in our conference,” Gallagher said. “It feels great, especially for the senior class, to know that we’ve kept that tradition alive for the past four years.”
The team will be looking to capture more strong performances Saturday in the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships in Rochester, N.Y.
(11/07/12 5:00pm)
At one end of the NFL spectrum sit the New York Giants, football’s model for championships and winning over the past few years. On the other end sit their two NFC East counterparts, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys, both with unflattering records. The two teams prepare for a showdown on Sunday, with the loser likely out of the playoff race. This begs the question: Of the two teams that have become gloriously bad at losing, who will win?
For the Cowboys, it’s always something. One week, the offensive line won’t play well. Another week, penalties, mistakes or Jason Garrett’s play-calling lead to a loss. And we can’t forget about a five-interception game by Tony Romo that’s always just lurking around the corner.
This team just cannot play a complete game. Their stingy defense has kept them in games, but the once-explosive offense has done nothing but struggle. It’s mind-blowing a team with so much talent and potential continuously makes these gaffes. They stay in games against good teams and always wind up losing in the end. As a Cowboys fan, I say it’s like watching a movie over and over. It’s the same script every time.
The game against the Giants last week was a microcosm of their whole season. Play terrible, turn the ball over, make a comeback, get everyone’s hopes up and lose. It really makes you wonder whether or not they can beat a good team.
For the Eagles, it’s been a whole different nightmare. Turnovers by Michael Vick have been the main story, completely keeping Philly out of some games. Some people thought that at 3-1, the Eagle could keep winning despite all that, but it’s clearly not true.
There’s also the hyped up defense, which has played very flat. Jason Babin has only two and a half sacks, while former shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha seems to get torched by opposing wide receivers every week.
Finally, there’s the brain of the operation, head coach Andy Reid. The man can be the best coach of the NFL six days a week, but unfortunately for the Eagles, that doesn’t include Sunday.
While neither of these teams is firmly in the playoff race, the loser of the game will certainly be toast. The second wild card spot is wide open, with question mark teams like the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings fighting for the spot. The Eagles or Cowboys could make a run at it, but they have to get back to winning.
The thought of my team’s season being over barely halfway through the season is a scary one. That’s why I’m sort of dreading 4:25 p.m. on Sunday in Philadelphia. And I know I’m not alone. Cowboys and Eagles fans both feel the same way.
(11/07/12 5:00pm)
The events of Hurricane Sandy were not enough to slow down the Lions, as they picked up a pair of wins against William Paterson University and Morrisville State College.
In a much needed win, the College was able to turn their play up a notch and knock off William Paterson, 35-24, and finally put smiles back on some faces.
“The past two wins have shown how we as a team can stick together and rally off a couple of good wins before entering a big game against Rowan,” senior running back Nick Tyson said. “The last game against Morrisville State shows how well we work together, putting up another win with the circumstances that we faced speaks volumes about our team. Hurricane Sandy hit our state extremely hard, especially in the shore area. Even though we had a lot going on off the field we still managed to pull together after an extremely short week of practice and come back home with a win.”
The Lions (4-5, 3-4) relied heavily on the running game, as they have in recent weeks. Senior running back Justin Doniloski paved the way for success with a career-high 165 rushing yards. He also chipped in with a touchdown that started the scoring not even three minutes into the game. Doniloski made his way in from seven yards out to grab an early 7-0 lead.
Freshman Victor Scalici got in on the action early in the second quarter when he ran into the end zone for a 13-yard score to make it 14-0.
“Tyson and Doniloski compliment each other, each one sets up the other,” head coach Eric Hamilton said. “Scalici off the bench is a nice change-up and he brings that extra effort when he gets his opportunities. Our offense is designed on everyone doing their job, not one guy carrying the load. As long as Dugan keeps spreading the ball around, we are a better team.”
The final 1:09 of the first half was wild to say the least, featuring three touchdowns. First, Pioneers’ quarterback Ryan Gresik got his team on the board with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Mick Paye. Immediately following that, junior defensive back Matthew Chierici returned the kickoff 91 yards to the house, continuing his brilliance on special team. Finally, Gresik was able to hook up with Julian Frazier for a 19-yard touchdown to make the score at halftime 21-14, in favor of the Lions.
“Matt is a guy who doesn’t take plays off and sacrifices everything he has for the benefit of the team,” Tyson said. “Time and time again he has given us great field position to start drives to help score as many points as possible.”
A William Paterson field goal had some fearing the College would surrender another lead. However, senior quarterback Daniel Dugan tossed a pair of touchdowns to Tyson and senior wide receiver Glenn Grainger from 14 and 21 yards out, respectively.
A 75-yard bomb from Gresik to Paye gave the Pioneers hope, and certainly aggravated the Lions, but no more points would be scored, as the College went on to pick up the win.
The game against Morrisville State was after the hurricane and featured a defensive clinic put together by the College. They shut out Mustangs 14-0, something they’ve been able to do for three consecutive years.
“The key for us against Morrisville on both sides of the ball was simplicity,” Hamilton said. “We were able to jump on them by scoring on the first possession and that was all our defense needed. As the game went on, we got stronger and really came together as a team. While we were definitely rusty, we played together and made plays when we had to, rather than giving up plays when we didn’t want to.”
The running backs’ talent was on full display yet again, as Tyson punched in a 1-yard touchdown on the game’s first drive. Later on, in the second quarter, Scalici caught an 8-yard touchdown pass, and the scoring would end there.
“Justin is extremely close to breaking the thousand yard mark on the season and Victor is a young talent that has proven that he can play right away because of his abilities,” Tyson said. “Luckily I have been given the chance to play all over the field which could give defenses a headache when game time rolls around.”
Junior defensive back Sean Clark picked off two passes, including one in the third quarter when Morrisville State was threatening.
The defensive domination was obvious in the stats. The Lions allowed the Mustangs to convert only two of 15 third downs.
They say winning cures everything, but it was really something special for the team to come out Saturday in the wake of the hurricane and dominate the way they did.
“This was by far one of the more intriguing experiences I have been a part of,” Hamilton said. “While it wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, seeing the smiles during and after the game made it all worthwhile. Sometimes in adversity, you find out the character of the individuals that make up your team. This is a special group and this is something they will never forget.”
The Lions have their final home game on Friday against Rowan University.
(10/24/12 5:42pm)
What seemed like it would be an emotional win for the College on Homecoming turned into a crushing defeat on Saturday, Oct. 20. An 11-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Chris Johnson with 32 seconds remaining put Kean University in front for good, giving them a 34-30 victory over the Lions.
The game got off to a rough start for the College (1-4, 2-5), as an offsides penalty on the opening kickoff followed by a 46-yard pass from junior quarterback Christian Bailoni to senior wide receiver Deandre Fowlkes put the Cougars inside the 5-yard line. However, the Lions’ defense held strong and stopped them on three rushing plays, while junior defensive back Matthew Chierici blocked an 18-yard field goal, his third block in the past two games.
“That series was a microcosm of what type of character this team has,” head coach Eric Hamilton said. “Our guys have been picking each other up all season. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to put it together for a complete 60 minutes.
On their first offensive drive, the College took the ball down the field and got a fourth-down conversion by senior running back Justin Doniloski. Senior quarterback Dan Dugan followed by hitting senior wide receiver Glenn Grainger for a 12-yard touchdown pass to put the team up 7-0.
From then on, it was a defensive struggle for both teams that involved a lot of punting. The Lions’ defense, a defense that thrives on turnovers, came through with a fumble recovery by Chierici and an interception by senior linebacker Michael Lambert.
Shortly after Lambert’s pick, Dugan threw a 23-yard bomb to senior running back Nicholas Tyson, who made the grab in the end zone for the score. A missed extra point left the College with a 13-0 lead.
Later on in the second quarter, the Lions had a defensive series that they would like to forget. A fake punt by Kean saw their junior wide receiver Prince Stewart take the ball 22 yards down field. Then, a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone set the Cougars up at the College’s goal line. Johnson ran the ball in for a 1-yard score to cut the deficit to 13-7.
Just when it seemed that Kean would catch up, the momentum swung back to the Lions as Chierici got an interception for a big gain, giving him the hat trick for defense and special teams plays.
“Matt played his butt off, as did most of our guys Saturday,” Hamilton said. “He is a kid who just wants to play every snap and do whatever he can to help us win. He is a team player who gives 100 percent all the time.”
With the half winding down, Dugan wasted no time by immediately throwing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tyson, giving the College a 20-7 lead going into the half.
“When we are going well, forcing and getting turnovers is what we need,” Hamilton said. “We practice that every day. Generating points, especially when we gain field position, is something our offense has capitalized on during the season.”
The Cougars stopped the Lions on their first drive of the second half and another momentum shift occurred. Bailoni threw two big chunks of yardage to Fowlkes, 28 and 29 yards, the latter resulted in a touchdown.
The back-and-forth game continued with a fluky play for the College. Dugan passed the ball to Grainger for a short gain, but he spun off a defender, ran to the right, got a block, and sprinted to the end zone for a 57-yard touchdown, giving the Lions a 27-14 lead.
As the fourth quarter began, it seemed like the College’s defense began to slow. Johnson hit Fowlkes for a 34-yard strike and junior running back Sean McKee punched it in for the score.
A 39-yard field goal by Lions’ senior kicker Derrick Hughes increased the lead to 30-21, but those were the last points that the Lions put on a board.
Kean took a long, methodical drive to the house as McKee barreled for pay dirt from two yards out. The Lions couldn’t hold onto the ball long enough to kill the clock, and Johnson’s eventual field goal was the dagger.
“With all the talent a team like Kean has, we never felt like we had the game under control,” Hamilton said. “A couple of plays in the fourth quarter might have helped us keep them out, but in the end, they wore us down and made the plays they had to.”
That makes three straight losses for the College, who couldn’t conjure up their magic from last year’s Homecoming. The start of the game was promising, but once again, they were unable to hold onto a lead. However, after playing on the road so much to start the season, the team was happy to be home.
“Playing away four of the first six games has been tough, but Saturday’s crowd and support was huge,” Hamilton said. “College football on a beautiful day can generate so much excitement on a campus.”
The Lions return to action on Friday at home against William Paterson University, looking desperate to get back in the win column.
(10/24/12 5:29pm)
In my mind, the perfect food is none other than the sandwich. The sandwich enables you to put multiple ingredients together along with different condiments, and seal it between two pieces of bread or a roll. Looking for a new sandwich place, I came across Haley’s Homemade Sandwiches.
Haley’s is run by an alum of the College, Monica Haley and her husband Tommy, who is the owner and head chef. It’s located on 1569 Parkway Ave., not far from campus.
“After I graduated I moved to Edison for a few years and then back to Ewing when Tommy and I got married in 2008,” Monica Haley said. “Due to the personal connection we have with the College, we knew we wanted to open Haley’s Homemade Sandwiches in Ewing Township. When Doolittles closed in March, Tommy jumped at the chance to take the location.”
The sandwich specials range from reuben to pork with broccoli rabe and sharp cheddar to turkey cranberry chutney to pretty much anything you can think up. The homemade aspect is truly brought out in Haley’s wide variety of delicious sandwiches.
“I’m self-taught and love to cook,” Tommy Haley said. “I began with the idea that I would open up a sandwich shop serving South Philly style sandwiches like the roast pork with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone. This lead to the concept of making all my dishes in house, from scratch. I wanted to bring quality food with an authentic ‘homemade’ taste to the area.”
I arrived with some knowledge of the menu, so I knew what I wanted to get. I chose the vodka chicken sandwich and the bacon cheeseburger fries. When I realized that the sandwich was $8 and the fries were $5, I thought that was a little too expensive. However, the portions did not disappoint.
The food came out very quickly, which I was very happy about because I was ready to start eating the table. The fries were in an enormous plate and I instantly knew I wouldn’t be able to finish them. The fries were very good. They were soft but had a nice crispness. The cheese was a little bland, but the ground beef and bacon certainly made up for it. Overall, it was a very solid plate of cheese fries, and bringing the leftovers home was a treat.
The vodka chicken sandwich was also monstrous. The chicken was breaded and nice and crunchy with good taste, but what I really liked about it was that it was thin. It didn’t overpower the sandwich. The vodka sauce on it was very tasty. I would have liked to have more on it, but maybe that’s just because I’m a saucy kind of guy. Also on the sandwich were prosciutto and melted provolone. These were key ingredients. The provolone added a nice texture and the prosciutto gave the sandwich extra flavor that was actually somewhat sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience from top to bottom. Haley’s made a great first impression on me, and I plan on returning very soon to try another one of the endless menu items.
“First and foremost taste is number one at Haley’s,” Monica Haley said. “Quality falls right in line when we make our dishes from scratch with the finest and freshest ingredients. Haley’s truly offers food creations like no other place around in a laidback atmosphere.”
(10/16/12 6:57pm)
The College had a rough outing at Montclair State University on Saturday, Oct. 13, as seven turnovers plagued them in a 24-14 loss to the Red Hawks.
“The turnover battle is a very important aspect of the game that we have, up until this week’s game, done very well with,” junior linebacker Nick Bricker said. “It’s not only the offense. Our defense has to come up with turnovers of their own and by doing that will cut the opponents’ time of possession as well.”
The Lions (2-4, 1-3) started the game off very sloppy by turning it over on their first two drives. On their first attempt, the team drove down the field 62 yards, only to see senior quarterback Dan Dugan throw an interception. No damage was done, but on the College’s following drive, a fumble led to a 2-yard touchdown run by Bill Roman of Montclair to make it 7-0.
“The turnovers that we had were uncharacteristic of our football team,” senior running back Nick Tyson said. “We have to continue to work on the little details in practice so that we can limit mistakes and take advantage of what the defense is giving us. Unfortunately it was hard for our offense to get into a rhythm because of our mistakes that turned into giving the ball away. Offensively, we put our defense in a tough position.”
In the second quarter, another turnover fell into the hands of the Red Hawks, but they gave it right back. The Lions capitalized on that one with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Dugan to Tyson to tie the game.
Fortunate to be even after three turnovers, a 91-yard kickoff return touchdown for Rashad White of Montclair was a tough blow to the Lions’ stomach. A field goal before the half had the College at a 17-7 deficit.
“We have to deal with adversity better,” Bricker said. “We are a team that relies heavily on momentum and when it swings in our favor, we have to take advantage. When it sways the other way, we have to find a way to make it come back.”
The Lions were still very much in the game, but that changed after Roman scored on a 66-yard run as the defensive problem guarding against the big play, which hurt the Lions on multiple occasions earlier in the season, returned
A little later on in the fourth quarter, Dugan scored on a 21-yard run, but it was simply too little too late as a scoreless final period capped off the game.
“When you have seven turnovers it is hard to win a game,” Tyson said. “Usually when a team has seven takeaways they end up blowing the other team out of the water. Our defense held strong and offensively we tried to put the ball into the endzone on every drive.
What’s frustrating about the loss is that the Lions bettered their conference counterparts in nearly every statistical category, but it’s nearly impossible to win a game when you turn the ball over seven times. This hasn’t been an issue this season, so it may just be a fluke, but it’s certainly something that will lead to bad things if repeated.
“On our football team there is no finger-pointing,” Tyson said. “We lean on each other as a unit and regroup to find an answer when things are not going the way that we had planned. There is not an athlete on this football team that would give up on another member. If we were down by 50 we would fight to till the clock hit zero.”
An emotional game awaits this Saturday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. against Kean University for Homecoming. The Lions scored a huge victory in last year’s Homecoming game and will be looking for an encore.
“The beauty of TCNJ’s homecoming is that no matter who the opponent is, the atmosphere of Lion’s stadium brings out the best in us,” Tyson said. “This time around we are going to try to control what we can, limit mistakes and fight’ til the end.”
(10/09/12 6:50pm)
In a riveting conference matchup, the College was unable to hang with SUNY Cortland as the Red Dragons pulled away late to win the contest 42-28.
It seemed like the Lions (2-3) were in a position to take control of the game at times, but the offense was inefficient and Cortland simply overpowered them.
On the Red Dragons’ second drive, senior quarterback Chris Rose turned it over as senior defensive back James Siracusa came up with the interception. This would prove important as the Lions’ ensuing drive lasted 13 plays and saw a heavy dose of senior running back Justin Doniloski running hard, breaking tackles and catching passes. From two yards out, the senior plunged towards the goal line and was pushed across the plane by his teammates for six.
“Turnovers are an important part of the game,” junior defensive back Vince Nocera said. “If you don’t get turnovers, you can’t put your offense in good positions.”
The score was equaled quickly as Cortland’s senior wide receiver Mike Humphrey caught a 21-yard touchdown pass. After that, a pick-six against senior quarterback Dan Dugan made the score 14-7, and left a bad taste in the Lions’ mouths.
The next drive for Cortland was actually a breath of fresh air for the Lions. Senior defensive back Zach Friedrich was targeted twice in man coverage with a big pass, something the College has struggled mightily against all year, but was able to break up both passes.
“We’ve just been getting at it at practice,” Nocera said. “Everybody’s been on our butts all week that we can’t give up the big pass, so we’ve been working hard at practice to avoid it.”
However, the next drive ended in a 33-yard Cortland score for sophomore wide receiver Jack Delahunty, showing that there is still work to be done.
Nearing the end of the first half, the College was in the hurry-up offense desperate for a score. Although Dugan was sacked, a 25-yard pass to junior wide receiver Fred Sprengel set up a 6-yard bulldozing touchdown run by Doniloski.
As efficient as they were on the scoring drive to end the first half, the Lions may have been even better to open the second half. Dugan got going with a 24-yard run on the first offensive play. The entire drive consisted of only run plays until the last one, which was ironically a screen pass that Sprengel took 26 yards to the house. More hard running by Doniloski enabled the College to pull even with their opponents.
Later on, madness ensued that started with a Doniloski fumble. The Red Dragons found themselves in field-goal range, but ran a fake and tossed it into the end zone, which drew a pass interference call and great field position. Then when they scored the touchdown, it was negated by a holding call. Finally, junior linebacker Nick Bricker recovered a Cortland fumble.
While it seemed like momentum was now on the Lions’ side, they were forced to punt. After that, the Red Dragons began to pile it on, scoring three consecutives touchdowns. In between the Cortland scores, the College’s offense just could not get into a rhythm. They looked a bit slower than usual and could not take advantage of Cortland penalties. Dugan was able to score on a 3-yard touchdown run, but by then the game was out of reach.
It wasn’t an easy pill to swallow, but the Lions showed some promise against a tough Cortland team. They need to continue getting better and prepare for their next game on Saturday at Montclair State University.
“We played a good team,” Nocera said. “We didn’t win, but we didn’t back down and kept coming at them. They were physical, but we matched their physicality. Hopefully it’s a lesson to keep playing.”
(10/02/12 9:43pm)
In another offensive explosion, the College came out firing from their bye week with a 55-27 win over Western Connecticut State University. The win brings their record back to .500 at 2-2.
The Lions totaled 576 yards of offense on the day with senior running back Justin Doniloski posting a gaudy line of 170 total yards and three touchdowns.
“Having Justin healthy gives us a real threat every time he touches the ball,” senior wide receiver Glenn Grainger said. “With an effective run game, it opens our passing attack up, which we will need as we begin to face the top teams in the upcoming weeks.”
The scoring frenzy began at the very beginning of the game with the College taking the opening drive to the house on a 10-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Dan Dugan. While Western Connecticut responded with a touchdown of their own, Dugan led another long drive that culminated with an 8-yard pass to Doniloski for his first score.
Over the bye week, head coach Eric Hamilton decided to get creative. In the second quarter, the Lions ran a wildcat play that saw a 39-yard heave from senior running back Nick Tyson fell into the waiting arms of junior wide receiver Fred Sprengel for six to make the score 21-7. Maybe Rex Ryan should take a page out of the College’s playbook, as Tyson has played some quarterback before.
“The way the game goes, every single snap of the ball during the 60 minutes counts,” junior linebacker Sean Clark said. “From start to finish, you cannot take a play off in the game of football.”
Two more touchdown runs from Doniloski from five and two yards out respectively put the Lions at a huge advantage. While the defense surrendered a touchdown pass late in the first half, a 35-14 lead into the intermission was something to be happy about.
Three more touchdowns were scored in the second half in a variety of ways. Dugan had a 4-yard run, freshman running back Victor Scalici had a 12-yard rushing score, and (a fumble recovery) senior defensive back James Siracusa took 34 yards down field to the end zone.
Aside from the fumble recovery, the defense had an all-around good day with multiple athletes making plays. Most notably senior Greg Burns made seven tackles, giving him 285 for his career and the College’s all-time record for tackles that was held by Carl Jones for over 26 years.
In addition to Burns’ monumental game, junior linebacker Nick Bricker led the team with nine tackles and senior defensive backs Zach Friedrich and James LaFerlita each had an interception. It was a breath of fresh air for a defense that had been struggling as of late.
“Our team lives off of turnovers, momentum changing plays, and playing fast,” Clark said. “We are a very aggressive defense that isn’t afraid to bring pressure. Emphasizing intensity and having 11 defenders to the ball every play would produce more turnovers.”
The win was just what the Lions needed, but they know that the biggest thing is to make sure they can play at this high of a level consistently.
“We have a lot of seniors and fifth year guys on the team so we know what it is going to take to win,” said Grainger. “As long as we take care of the little things everything else will fall into place.”
The College returns home this weekend for their first game in over a month on Saturday Oct. 6 against SUNY Cortland. The Lions look to hand the Red Dragons their first NJAC loss.
(09/25/12 5:23am)
It is past midnight. I am sitting in the Signal basement, editing pages and hoping that Jordy Nelson doesn't screw me in fantasy. Little did I know, I wasn't the one about to get screwed.
I was watching the Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks. As many of you probably saw, the Seahawks were attempting a comeback, down 12-7. The replacement officials were at the top of their game, calling horrendous roughing the passer penalties and bullshit pass interference calls. I was literally laughing, although I did feel bad for the Packer fans. There were some questionable calls against my Dallas Cowboys a day earlier, and I know I'm not the only fan who has had their team hurt by these refs.
And then it happened. Seahawks' quarterback Russell Wilson heaved a last second Hail Mary into the endzone, hoping something would go right. Seahawks' wide receiver Golden Tate shoved a Packer defender to the ground, clearly pass interference, jumped up, and hooked his arm around the arm of Packer defender M. D. Jennings, who had intercepted the ball. When the pile of players came down, it was a bit unclear who had possession, even to these wonderful referees. One of them signaled an interception while the other had his hand up for a score.
After seeing the replay, it was obvious. Despite the missed pass interference call, Jennings had secured the interception. Game over. Packers win. The refs had originally ruled it a touchdown, but it had to be reversed. But wait! Never underestimate the power of the replacement officials!
"The ruling on the field stands, touchdown," said the head official, who clearly must be suffering from some drug or disease.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! THAT IS BULLSHIT! THAT IS A CLEAR INTERCEPTION! WHAT A JOKE!"
That was my reaction. And that was the PG version of it.
My colleagues and I laughed and screamed and were in awe of what happened. How could the NFL allow such a travesty? The Packers were literally SCREWED. There were no two ways around it. A blind man could have seen it.
I went on Twitter and bathed myself in the rants of fans, sports writers, and clueless idiots now claiming that they are on the Russell Wilson bandwagon. I watched the highlights on ESPN, still trying to accept the fact that what I saw actually happened.
But don't worry, I found the problem!
It's okay everyone! The ref wasn't paying attention! He didn't actually see the play! Or the replay. Or the review. No one could be that terrible, right? The dude got bored. Give him a break. Here's another ref's take.
This ref was simply uniformed. Why wouldn't anyone tell him that M. D. Jennings, the man wearing white, is on the Packers? That's not his fault. Someone's got to let him know. It's cool that the replacement officials have this Twitter account, so we can all actually know what's going on in their heads. Here's yet another official.
Hey, we've all been there. You've got a rumbling in your tummy and you're not Pooh Bear looking for honey. You need to drop a deuce. This guy must not know how to use the Pepto Bismol in his pocket. Too many yellow flags in there. Another thing he doesn't know how to use. Let's see what this next ref has to say.
This ref never learned what pass interference is! He thinks it's only on the defense. Come to think of it, I kind of get confused with pass interference too. So don't sweat it hombre. Here's one final ref's thoughts.
Hey, Aaron, that's not cool. The woman is married, you do not try to get with his wife. I guess you got what was coming for you.
Now, back to being serious. I know a few people that are Packer fans, and I am sincerely sorry for you. If that was the Cowboys, I would have ripped out my stomach and thrown it at the T. V. That is a complete joke that affects the team in so many ways. Playoff implications may come into play down the line. What if the Packers and Seahawks are tied at 10-6 for the last wild card spot? That would just be pitiful.
But looking at the glass half full, this may have been a blessing in disguise. Despite the horrid officiating through three weeks (especially in last week's Broncos-Falcons game and last night's Patriots-Ravens game), the media has been bailing refs out and saying that they have yet to blow a call that affects the outcome of a game.
Well here it is.
So the ball is in the NFL's court. What will Roger Goodell do? After this game, he has no choice: make a new deal and bring the real refs back. What we all just witnessed was an absolute disgrace. The NFL should be ashamed because it has turned the greatest product in the world to a complete joke. What's the point of watching anymore?
And that right there is the problem. We are at the mercy of our own desire. We can curse, yell, and break whatever we want, but we're still going to watch football. We love it so much. We can't live without it. If you glued my eyelids down with super glue and handcuffed me to a chair, I would find a way to watch football. It's that simple. That's why we are at the mercy of the NFL. That is why we are at the mercy of Roger Goodell. And that's why even though this seems like the final straw, it won't be. This past Sunday, the officials met with the NFL and made zero progress with them on a deal. It's not happening anytime soon.
So fuck you Roger Goodell. For ruining the sport I love. For having everyone take their anger out on these helpless zebras who clearly have no idea what they're doing. For taking your foot and shoving it right up the Packers' asses. And for being the greedy bastards that you were during the lockout last year. You make billions of dollars as an organization in revenue. God forbid you throw the refs a few extra pennies.