PCL SOCCER 2010: FALCONS WILL BE FLYING EVERYWHERE

PRE-SEASON REVIEW: FALCONS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PCL CHAMPIONSHIP

NORTH PLAYERS TO FIGURE ON NEXT PCL CHAMPION

The nightmare became reality this week as pre-season, high school soccer has officially started. It feels surreal that there is no North Catholic Soccer squad contending for another title, dominating pre-season polls and highlighting some of the best soccer talent in the area. But alas, it is true and very sad. In the soccer community, there is much empathy but the reality of our closing has made it easier for other teams to now win and possibly dominate the PCL. The league will never be the same, its reputation is now diminished and its title is diluted than in years past. This decision was never about the boys rather about an institution and vengeance and revenge from two men who have left the area (Thanks Joe and Vince).

Back to the pitch. Falcons will be flying over many fields this fall in attempts to help lead their substitute school to a possible title. Here is an update on where are boys are:

Archbishop Ryan: Senior, All Catholic Dan Venuto will be anchoring the Raider defense this year. Junior Matt Martinez in the back, Senior Eric Crudele in goal and senior midfielder, Brendan Bradley, will join him. Ryan looked strong in their first scrimmage versus Penn Charter, which they won 4-2.

Father Judge: Sophomores Kevin Lockhart and Justine Hiltwine will help the Crusaders defend their PCL title. Both boys were the focus of North’s phenomenal freshman class. Kevin will anchor the left side of Judge’s backline while Justine will control the left side of the midfield. Both were instrumental in Judge’s first scrimmage at Council Rock North playing to a 2-2 tie. Also joining Kevin and Justine is Sophomore Teddy Maciocha.

Roman Catholic: Roman’s hope of competing for a title was enhanced with several Falcons possibly playing a big role this season. Junior, Thomas Kostic, Sophomore Daniel O’Brien, Junior Norman “Boomer” Stiegelman, Senior Kyle McCabe, Senior Tim Zemczak, Sophomore Dylan Rutledge, Junior Ryan Likasienski, Junior Alex McKee, Sophomore Billy Broadbent , Sophomore Chris Furman, Sophomore, Shane Holton will battle to bring Roman its 2nd PLC championship. In addition, Sophomores Jader Espinosa and Michael Flanagan are at Roman but are on the mend from injuries but will add to Roman’s depth next year.

LaSalle: Senior and three times All-Catholic Khristian Hall will help the Explorers to compete for the championship. Khristian just got back from Iowa where his club, PSC Coppa competed in the National Championships.

The odds suggest that one of these teams will be at the top at the end of the season. And you know what, whichever of these teams are successful; they will only have gotten there because of North Catholic.

While no North is a bitter pill to swallow, this fact will again solidify North’s success and its impact on high school soccer in Philadelphia.

Keep on following North soccer on this site and the success of its players and alumni.

The Archdiocese's New "Gold Standard"

Recently, an article was written in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the new Pope John Paul II High School in Upper Providence.  If you would like to read this article, along with a NC alum's letter to the writer, click on the Opion link on the Menu to the left.

Some Children Left Behind

As everyone seems to know, a Catholic education is not as cheap as it used to be. In fact, at North today, close to 70% of our boys receive some sort of financial assistance. Families usually have to sacrifice much more now than they did back in the day when there were more religious vocations, and back when Catholic high school was supplemented by the parish where the student’s families belong. But, as the number of priests and nuns has diminished over the years, the number of families practicing and supporting the church has significantly declined, the changing demographics of the neighborhoods, and with the popularity of charter schools, our parishes could no longer bear the entire cost of tuition for their parishioners; parents had to make some tough decisions. Many families just sucked it up by creating additional income streams (second and third jobs), while others modified their spending and gave up certain material goods, all in the name of a good Catholic education for their children. But, there were, and still are, many families who are stretched thin as far as money goes. Those families needed some sort of tuition assistance. There are many options for students’ families when it comes to financial aid, but for this article, I’ll discuss just a couple.

Anatomy of a Murder, the Closing of North Catholic

By Mike Ferris, class of 1982
Also contributing to this column was Tom Crossett, class of 1975

A funny thing happened on the way to transitioning North Catholic into a Cristo Rey network school. You see, the feasibility study was going along just fine. The archdiocese’s Office of Catholic Education (OCE) had orally given its blessing (remember this!), businesses were lined up, the alumni association was backing the plan, an existing student base was in place, money was being raised, and many people were on board for this new venture. The only two things that needed to be done were to secure a building, and have a religious order take “ownership” of the building and school. The former is a requirement of any school, but the latter is a requirement of the Cristo Rey board. While Cristo Rey is a Jesuit application, the Jesuits were open to any order to lend a hand. The final pieces to this puzzle seemed like slam dunks, right? Not so fast.

The Alumni Scholarship Fund

With the recent news regarding Northeast Catholic, many people have been wondering what would happen with the NC Alumni scholarship fund. After gathering information from the Alumni Association, I have attempted to answer many of the questions regarding this fund. Below, you will find the timeline of the evolution of the fund, followed by the latest changes to the fund. If you have any additional questions, please contact the NC Alumni office at 215-289-4994.

History of the Northeast Catholic Alumni Association Memorial Scholarship Fund

April 30, 1968 - Founded to award tuition assistance grants to graduating seniors at NECHS to attend Allentown College of St Francis DeSales (now DeSales University)

1973 – Board of Trustees expanded the number of colleges to also include LaSalle, St Joseph University, Villanova University and St Charles Borromeo Seminary.

1977 – Expanded scholarship program to include sons/daughters of dues paying alumnus. Established a grant to partially underwite the tuition of incoming Freshmen at Northeast Catholic High School. (The Fund was now awarding $106,000 annually to four college students and twenty-one Northeast Catholic students.)

1992 – Due to the threatened closure of North, the college awards were suspended and the fund was now focused solely on tuition assistance grants to incoming freshman. At this time, the fund awarded 57 incoming freshman grants, with an annual value of $165,000.

2008 – The scholarship fund is now awarding 30 grants with an annual value of $250,000, in the following increments: five at $12,000, five at $10,000, ten at $8,000, ten at $6,000. These grants were paid directly to Northeast Catholic in equal semi-annual installments on the students’ behalf. Over the years, the fund has paid out nearly $3.2 million in tuition assistance to Northeast Catholic students.

The Future of the Scholarship Fund
Due to the closing of Northeast Catholic High School, the scholarship fund will change once again. The fund will continue to support catholic education by expanding the mission of the fund to include the tuition assistance grants for high school, college and elementary school students of children and grandchildren of dues paying NC Alumni Association members. Please note: Awards will continue to be based on academic success and financial need.

Current award recipients
Any student (NC freshman, sophomores, and juniors) who is receiving a grant from the scholarship fund, will continue to receive tuition assistance, based on their grant contract, provided that student transfers to a Philadelphia Archdiocesan high school. Pleas note: All other contract conditions apply. You should have been notified by the Alumni Association regarding current awards.
College Grants
The 4 years college grants will be awarded to high school seniors at Northeast Catholic, as well as children and grandchildren of dues paying NC Alumni Association members. These grants may be used at catholic colleges and universities in the Philadelphia region (Contact the NC Alumni Office for the specific colleges/universities that are included.) The student’s application must be submitted while the student is a senior in high school.

High School Grants
The 4 years high school grants will be awarded to 8th grade children and grandchildren of dues paying NC Alumni Association members. These awards may be used at any catholic high school in the Philadelphia, Camden and Trenton Dioceses. The student’s application must be submitted while the student is in the 8th grade.

Elementary school Grants
These 3 year elementary school grants will be awarded to 5th grade children and grandchildren of dues paying NC Alumni Association members. These awards will be granted to any qualifying student who will be attending a catholic elementary school in the Philadelphia, Camden and Trenton dioceses. The student’s application must be completed while the student is in the 5th grade.

Qualifications and Notes:

1. 1. The student must be a Northeast Catholic senior (in 2010), or the child or grandchild of a dues paying member of The Northeast Catholic Alumni Association.
2. All grants are based on academic success and financial need. Official transcripts and tax information will need to be provided with the applications.
3. Awarding of any grants does not automatically qualify that student for future grants. For example, if a student wins a grant for elementary school, it does not mean that student will automatically qualify for a high school grant. Each level of grants must be applied for separately, and transcripts and tax information must be provided with each application.
4. 
   
   Once a grant is awarded, it will be for the time specified in the contract (3 years for elementary school and 4 years for high school and college awards.) The amount of the award will be divided equally over the number of years for that award.

Tax deductible donations may be sent to the Fund at P. 0. Box 4896, Philadelphia, PA 19124-0896.

Administration Feels No Responsibility to Those Left Behind

Has North Catholic closed already? By the looks of the North Catholic sign at Hunting Park and Torresdale, evidently we have. For the past six weeks, since before the Communion Breakfast, our sign has been blank. Are there no more baseball or lacrosse games? Has the crew boat sunk? Is there nothing positive happening in our school that the world needs to know? It would appear so!

When the shameful news of our demise was announced, our boys were promised a year like any other year, everything status quo. Nothing would be removed from the walls, proms and athletic events would take place. Do yourself a favor, take a drive by the school and see if you get the same sick feeling in your gut as I have, one that suggests it has been over for months within the walls. To not promote our boys in their spring endeavors is an abomination. The last time I checked people are PAID to provide these services to our men and the community. Isn't it torture enough that we'll have to endure that emptiness in two months time? Time for the powers that be to wake up and fulfill their half-hearted promises.

If you wanted to call and ask about this, or find out about the next baseball game, direct that call to the President's Office. That number is 215-831-1234. One might ask, at times like these, wouldn't the adults attempt to make these disenfranchised boys feel good about their uncertain future. But then again, why would they? Remember, the President of the school is primary responsible for the closing of the school. It was calculated and done purposefully. Not much of a legacy except in his own mind.

Some Alumni have approached the school about having one last mass at the school. Sort of a send off, in a perverse way, to say good-bye and remember what North stood for for most of us. I guess I don't have to tell you the answer, it was "No." Think twice about contributing to the Heritage of Faith campaign being sold at your local parish. Remember, that within this campaign, 20% of what you give goes to the building of those cathedrals they call new schools in the suburbs. You know the schools that none of our boys can attend. And when one might ask you why you don't help, you can tell them because of North's President forced you to reconsider Catholic education and who should pay for it. Yep, a great legacy, "What would Jesus say." Someday, we will all find out and I want to be there.

Administration

Let The Record Show....

Since it appears as though Northeast Catholic, as we know it, will cease to operate after June, 2010, I thought I’d jot down some facts and figures that may or may not be commonly known. Note: If any of the following is wrong or misrepresented, I’m sure I’ll hear from people, and corrections will be made at a later date.

Timeline
One big happy family....
1993 – The Office of Catholic Education (OCE) gathered the school administrators and alumni association together and told them that as long as the entire school system was making a profit, no one school would be held accountable for, or closed, due to their debt.

Promises, Promises.....
2003 – Apparently, someone forgot about the promise made in 1993, as the school system was still running at a profit, yet the OCE sent a bill to Northeast Catholic for payment of their debt. This “bill” was North’s debt for the year, which means the school spent more than it took in through tuition, fees, and fundraisers. That debt was satisfied by a generous donation by the Alumni Association’s “Save North Catholic” fund.

Hope on the Horizon....
2006 – With the addition of the NC IT Academy, the OCE promised North that they would have 5 years to get the program off the ground and start making money, which would be given to the school in the form of tuition assistance. I wasn’t at that meeting, but the NC administration was either told, or got the impression, that North would be safe for, at least, 5 years. From what I understand, there are nearly 100 students currently enrolled in the evening school at the IT Academy. What that means is that profits are being realized, despite what the OCE claimed in the newspapers. But, moving forward, we’re not exactly sure what will happen with this program.

Generous Alumni.....
2003 – 2009 – From 2003, through 2009, when the OCE started demanding a debt payment, the Alumni Association, through the Save North Catholic Fund has given MORE than what was asked for by the school to cover this debt. What this means is that North Catholic carried NO DEBT between the years 2003 and 2009, thanks to the good folks at the alumni association and the contributors to those programs.

Screw You, Pay Me!
Spring, 2009 – The archdiocese demands payment of the 2008-2009 debt. The alumni association, as well as the school administration, was told that if the debt (and it was a big number) wasn’t paid immediately, they would be forced to close the school in June, 2009. Well, the debt was once again paid, mostly by the Save North Catholic Fund, and the school did not close in June, 2009.

All Bets Are Off....
Oct, 2009 – Since the archdiocese kept it’s promise to not close North in June, 2009, it appears that announcing the closing fourth months later would be a better idea. This announcement came without warning and as a total shock to the North Catholic (and Cardinal Dougherty) communities.

More Hope, More Despair.....
Oct, 2009 – March, 2010 – A group of prominent NC alumni, with the help of the Jesuits, as well as the alumni association, began a feasibility study to re-open North in September, 2010, as a Cristo Rey Network school. This feasibility study had that approval of the Cardinal, and help from the Jesuits in Philadelphia. In March, 2010, it was determined that opening the “new” school could not occur in September, 2010, as planned. Some of the planning committeemen approached the archdiocese to ask if they would keep the school open for the 2010-2011 school year, as an archdiocesan school, while the transition to the Cristo Rey school took place. The group promised to raise funds enough to cover not only the 2009-2010 school year, but the 2010-2011 school year. What this meant was that keeping the school open for one more year, during the transition, would not cost the archdiocese a dime. There were no grand delusions that the school would be open for one more year for any other reason than to transition the school to the Cristo Rey model. In the process, it would allow continuity for the current NC students, and would allow a class to graduate each year moving forward, with the only difference being that the school would be, once the 2011-2012 school year began, a Cristo Rey Network school. Regardless of the plan, and the promise to fund the debt, the archdiocese would not budge from their decision to close the school in June, 2010. You can draw your own conclusions as to why they took this stance.

Just a Personal Rant
I keep hearing the same thing, over and over again. I keep hearing that the alumni should have done something before the closing announcement. I even heard this was part of an article that a certain teachers’ union president wrote within the last month. Of course, she didn’t have a clue before she went off on her rant. The fact is, the Alumni Association, through the Northeast Catholic Alumni Memorial Scholarship program, as well as the Save North Catholic Fund, have donated over $4 million dollars to North Catholic since the early 1990’s, including over $3 million for tuition assistance, not to mention an additional $1 million towards the school’s debt and other programs since 2003.

The decision to close North wasn’t just about money. The problem is that we’re dumbfounded as the real reason for the closure. I say it “wasn’t just about money” because the school has not cost the archdiocese a dime over the past 7 years, yet the school was closed. But, one reason that it was about the money was because when the archdiocese came to the alumni, FONECHS and the school demanding money last year, they were given a big chunk of what was in the Save North Catholic Fund. And, after that, the alumni association was asked about the funds in the scholarship program. When they were told that the money in the scholarship program could not be used for the school’s debt (as per that corporation’s charter), the archdiocese must have figured that they bled the association and school of everything they had. But, as I mentioned above, they kept their promise and didn’t close the school in June, 2009. Instead, they waited 4 months and announced the closure in October, 2009. Once again, and contrary to popular belief, the school didn’t cost the archdiocese a dime in the 7 preceding years. So, it wasn’t ONLY about money, because if it were just about the money, the archdiocese would have continued with North Catholic until the debt couldn’t be paid. With North's dedicated and generous alumni, and the track record in recent years, paying the annual debt would have been a "no-brainer."

Moving forward.
As it stands now, even if a school called “Northeast Catholic High School” were to open in September, 2011 (don’t count on it with the Oblates taking the lead), it wouldn’t be until June, 2015 that the first class of seniors would graduate. My assumption is that the school would no longer have ties with the alumni association, as it would be a new and private school. You might as well call it "Joe's High School and Tackle Shop." I don’t speak for the alumni association, but I just don’t see how that organization would consider graduates of that school to be part of the Northeast Catholic Alumni Association.

Alumni Scholarships
As far as awards from the Alumni Memorial Scholarship program, there are several things currently in the works regarding current awards, as well as the future of the Scholarship Program. More information is expected on or after April 8, 2010, when the alumni association meets to sorts out some of these issues. Once that happens, I’ll post any information that I have for you.

No NC in 2010-2011. What Now?

Now that the announcement has been made regarding North Catholic and Cristo Rey, I have decided to share some of my thoughts on this matter. These are thoughts that I have kept to myself since the announcement of the closing of North Catholic and Cardinal Dougherty. Mainly, I was hoping, as many of you were, that the Cristo Rey option would become reality in the 2010-2011 school year. But, as we now know, this will not be the case, and instead, the NC/CR planning team will try for a September, 2011 start date. What I won't do here is point fingers and assign blame for the mess that we currently find ourselves. That would be pointless, and counterproductive. Plus, everyone has an opinion on this anyway, and who am I to point a finger?

What Does This Delay Mean?
Well, the plan was that Northeast Catholic, a Cristo Rey Network School, would open in September, 2010. All of the current students would be accepted in this new school, continuing a tradition that has lasted since 1926. Even though an income requirement would be necessary for new students, the existing students would have no such requirement. Many, but not all, of the traditional North Catholic families could send their sons to North Catholic in the coming years. But, with the decision to move the start date to September, 2011, all of the current underclassmen will have to find another school for the 2010-2011 school year. And, if the Cristo Rey school does open in 2011, many of those students will not come back. And, we still don't know if the offer to allow current students to attend in the 2011-2012 school year, regardless of income, will still be there.

As for the current students who receive NC Alumni Memorial Scholarship money, I'm told that those scholarships will be honored, provided there is no Northeast Catholic, and that student attended a school in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. I'm not sure what would happen if that student, who is forced to transfer, stays at the new school if/when the new Cristo Rey school opens for the 2011-2012 school year. For answers to questions regarding the alumni scholarships, call the NC alumni office at 215-289-4994.

As far as athletics are concerned, your guess is as good as mine. There was a rumor going around that if NC was to stay open in the 2010-2011 school year, the Office of Catholic Education was not going to allow NC to participate in the league, which is contrary to what the PCL's Athletic Directors wanted. Remember, this is a league that NC has participated in since the late 1920's. I'm not sure if that was ever settled or not, but you can count on the OCE trying to prevent NC from participating in the Catholic League if/when the school puts teams on the fields. In my opinion, it's just another way they can kick us while we're down.

Where should your son go?
I'd love to have the answer to this question, but I don't. I'm fortunate, as my only son graduated from NC in 2007, so I don't have to make that decision. But, I've been asked by many people, "Mike, what would you do?" I've given that question a lot of thought, and here's what I came up with. First, you have to look at what is the best fit for your son. Here's how I broke it down:

1. Do you value Catholic Education and will you continue to send your son to a Catholic School? If your answer is "Yes", there are many options. The closest schools are Judge and Roman. Both of these schools are all boys schools. If that is your preference, these are your only choices in the archdiocese. If single sex education is not as important or if you'd rather send your son to a co-ed school, the closest school is not a Philadelphia school, but rather Camden Catholic. CCHS is right over the Betsy Ross bridge, in Cherry Hill. The tuition is a little higher, but they are a quality school, with real good academics and very good sports programs. Other schools in the city are Ryan, Neumann-Goretti and West Catholic, but depending where you live, those schools could be a bit of a travel to get to, assuming you live in the traditional NC feeder area. If sending your son to a Catholic school is not that important to you, there are other non-public options, such as private schools or charter schools. But, keep in mind that these schools are not as easy to get into, especially this late in the game.

2. Is your son an athlete? I have spoken to several of the North coaches, and they all seem to have their players' interest at heart. My suggestion is to speak with the current coach and get their advice before you make a decision. Just keep in mind, that unless your son is an exceptional athlete, he may be seen as an outsider at the new school, especially by the players who may feel threatened by your son.

3. Is your son involved in non-athletic activities (band, art, Model UN, Drama, etc)? Is so, make sure the new school has those activities, and ask hard questions. For example, if your son is in the band, does the new school teach music as a course or just have a band and you're on the hook for the extra cost of studying a particular instrument?)

4. Will your son need transportation? If so, see if the new school will provide a bus to your neighborhood, or make sure Septa can get your son to that school.

What would I do?
After giving this topic much thought, I came to a conclusion. Yes, I value Catholic Education, and I do value single sex education. As I stated above, it would appear that I would have only two options (Judge or Roman). But, in reality, I would only have one option. I would send my son to Camden Catholic. You see, I have been soured by the good folks running the Philadelphia Archdiocese. I would pay the extra money (about 25% higher), and bridge tolls, to send my son across the river. Like I said above, CCHS has both an excellent academic and athletic programs. The only certainty in my decision would be that my son would not go to Father Judge. My problem with Judge isn't the school itself, but the fact that it is run by the Oblates of St Francis DeSales. I have come to know many of the Oblates over the years, first as a student, then as a parent, and finally as a volunteer with the sports programs. Many of these priests are incredible men, but I firmly believe that the Oblates, as an order, gave up on North Catholic years ago. For that reason alone, I would not send my son to Judge. As for Roman, being a school under the control of the Philly Archdiocese is enough for me, but I also wouldn't want my son to travel downtown early in the morning or evening on the EL. But, that's just me.

The bottom line here is that we don't know what the future holds. The only certainty is that there will NOT be a Northeast Catholic High School for Boys in the 2010-2011 school year. After that, it's anybody's guess. As for me, I think it's time to walk away. Based on the feasibility report, the Oblates will be taking the lead in the next round, which could lead to the school re-opening as a Cristo Rey school in 2011. It also stated that the Archdiocese could very well be involved in the new school. Since both of these organization will or could be involved, I have decided that it's time to move on. Who knows, I could very well be rooting for the Fighting Irish of Camden Catholic next season. But, who knows? I certainly don't.

ANTHONY WHITE BECOMES NORTH CATHOLICS FIRST STATE MEDALIST!!!!!

as many people in the wrestling community know, the Pennsylvania Wrestling State Tournament is the toughest high school wrestling tournament in the country. The depth of PA wrestling is legendary and many wrestlers go their entire careers without even wrestling in the state tournament. It is not uncommon for PA wrestlers who did not place in the state tournament to beat wrestlers for other states who are 2 and 3 time state champions!



This past weekend in Hershey, PA, Anthony White became North Catholic's first PIAA State Medalist with a 7th place finish in the 140lb weight class!!!!!!!!!!!!! The entire school community would like to congratulate anthony on a terrific job this past season and best of luck on your college wrestling career!!!!



Lastly, if any old north catholic wrestling alumni are reading this and have not gotten any info about our alumni party on April 24th, please email me at thesav150@aol.com

NORTH CATHOLIC FINISHES 6th AT REGIONALS....QUALIFY 2 WRESTLERS TO STATES!!!!

this past weekend the north catholic wrestling team traveled to Council Rock North HS to take part in the Southeast PA Regional Tournament. This tournament is the final qualifier to the PIAA State Tournament. To qualify, you must place in the top 4 in your weight class. The regional tournament contains all of the schools from the city and the suburbs. NC finished in 6th place, our highest finish in the two years of the event. here is a breakdown of all of the place-winners....

103 - mike mccall - 4th place - PIAA State Qualifier. Mike dropped his first match of the tournament then stormed through the consolation bracket with 3 straight wins to punch his ticket to states. He dropped the 3rd place match 6-5 and finished 4th in the Region.

125 - David Davidson - 5th place - david also dropped his first match. he then won his next two matches to set up the consolation semi-final. David dropped a 8-4 decision to a two time state qualifier. david then exacted some revenge for his earlier loss, winning the 5th place match by major decision. david finishes his career with 103 career wins.

140- Anthony White - REGIONAL CHAMPION!!! - anthony white became the first regional champion in North Catholic and PCL history. on his way to the championship, he defeated the #15, #4 and #5 ranked wrestlers in the state! his performance was so dominating in the finals, the wrestler he was facing QUIT with about 5 seconds left! anthony is now 38-2 on the year and needs 3 more victories to reach 100 career wins.

215 - AJ Vizcarrondo - 6th place - AJ finished his sophomore year with a 6th place finish at the regional tournament. The 215 bracket was one of the toughest brackets in the tournament. AJ dropped his first match, won his next two and had a show-down with last years PIAA 3rd place finisher with a trip to states on the line. AJ fought hard but dropped a 3-1 decision in OT. AJ currently has the most wins by a freshman and sophomore in North Catholics history.

285 - Jeremy Reith - 6th place - Jeremy lost 3 - 1 point decisions in the tournament. He dropped his semi-final match 3-2, his consolation semi-match 3-2 and his 5th place match 4-3 in ot. Jeremy was denied a shot to states by some shady officiating which i still lose sleep over. Lets hope that this motivates jeremy to be more offensive and train hard during the off-season.

Congrats to the Regional Place winners and also congrats to our other regional qualifiers: Erik Stankiewicz, Nick Cancelliere, Thomas Goodyear, and Will Trainor. also, best of luck to our departing seniors and keep it going at the next level.....

stay tuned to the PIAA States and the update to follow.....

NC WRESTLING SENDS 9 TO REGIONALS!!!!

hey everyone, i havent had a ton of time to write up a new post. we have been very busy picking up our intensity for the regionals this week! the whole nc community is very excited about our chances this weekend and feel that good things are gonna happen for north catholic wrestling.....

here is the tournament breakdown
Place: Council Rock North High School
Times: Friday - 5:30 - pigtails, pre-lims, and quarterfinals
: Saturday - 9:30 - 1st and 2nd round consolations
- 11:00 - Semi-finals
- 1:00 - Consolation semi-finals
- 6:00 - Regional Finals
I hope to see many of you at the regional tournament this weekend......

sav

NORTH WRESTLING BEGINS THEIR RUNS FOR STATE GLORY!!!!!!!!!

NORTH CATHOLIC WRESTLING ADVANCES 11 WRESTLERS TO THE DISTRICT TOURNAMENT.



This weekend, the north catholic wrestling team began the grueling march to the state tournament. The PIAA state tournament is 4 weeks of advancement tournaments that ends the second week in march in Hershey PA. this week, 13 wrestlers from north catholic began their runs in the section 8 wrestling tournament held on saturday at north catholic. Out of 13 wrestlers, we advanced 11 to next weeks district 12 tournament. here is a breakdown of all our individuals....



103 - Mike McCall - 1st place.... mike became north catholics 4th sectional champion after a dominating performance in which he did not give up a single point. Mike is now 29 - 4 on the season and currently has 98 career wins. he is looking for his 100 victory this coming weekend at Districts.



112 - Tim Markert - 5th place.... tim came into sectionals dealing with some shoulder issues. despite not wrestling in about 4 weeks in live competition, time went 2-2 and finished in 5th place. unfortunately only the top 4 wrestlers move on to districts....tim finished his senior campaign with a 8-12 record.



119 - Erik Stankiewcz - 2nd place.... erik came into the sectional tournament as the 3rd seed. he wrestled a great semi-final match to reach the finals. unfortunately, nick bongard from bonner is one of the best wrestlers in southeast pa. Erik is now 24-9 on the season.



125 - David Davidson - 2nd place....for the second consecutive year david fell to a tough opponent in the sectional final. david got into a strange scramble position and gave up a takedown and backpoints to go into a 5-0 deficit. that type of hole is tough to come back from on a very tough opponent and david lost 7-2. right now, david's record stands at 31-6 and also has 98 career wins.



130- Tad Meyers - 6th place....tad finished his first year on varsity with a 6th place sectional tournament. Tad needs to improve on his technique and strength during the off-season. He finished his season with 7 wins.

135 - Nick Cancelliere - 2nd place....nick came from the 6th seed and fought his way all the way to the finals. Nick defeated the 3rd and 2nd seed before falling to the 1st seed in the finals. Nick now has a season record of 12-15 going into this weeks district tournament.

140 - Anthony White - 1st place....anthony became north catholics 5th sectional champion with a dominating tech-fall in the finals. anthony is having a monster year and continues to improve each and every day. He currently 32-2 on the season and has not lost nor given up a takedown since early janurary.

145 - Thomas Goodyear - 1st place...thomas was north's 6th sectional champion and 3rd on the day. Thomas is another wrestler who never wrestled in high school and wrestles the old school north style. Thomas is currently 20-8 on the season going into this weeks district tournament.

152 - Will Trainor - 2nd place....will had a very strong tournament and finished in 2nd place. will wrestles extremely hard and wins many matches by outlasting his opponents. Will is now 21-15 on the season.

160 - Tim Maguire - 2nd place....tim has come very far this season and is wrestling as well as anyone on the team. tim wrestled very tough in the final losing by a score of 7-1. Tim currently has a record of 17-16 for the season and has a chance to finish with 20 wins for his sophomore campaign.

171 - Brian Sweeney - 3rd place....brian was seeded last in his weight class (9th)...all he did was go 4-1 on the day and finished in 3rd place. brian is another north wrestler who has improved drastically since the beginning of the season. Brian currently has 9 varsity wins this season and has a chance to be a regional qualifier.

215 - AJ Vizcarrondo - 1st place....aj keeps cementing his legacy as one of the best sophomores in the country with a first place finish in the sectional tournament. aj had 3 falls on the day, pinning bonners talented marcus collins in the finals. aj wrestles a very aggressive style and keeps working for takedowns and for falls. aj currently has a record of 32-3 on the season and currently has 61 career wins in two years.

285 - Jeremy Reith - 3rd place....jeremy was upset in the semi-finals on a fluke throw. jeremy showed his grit by winning his next two matches to finish the day with a 3rd place finish. Jeremy will have a shot to avenge his loss in the semi-finals of the district tournament. Jeremy currently has a record of 31-4 going into the districts.

This weeks district tournament begins at 930am at lasalle....hope to see many of our north fans there.....

NORTH SOCCER UNVEILS THIRD HALL OF FAME CLASS (2010)

NORTH SOCCER ALUMNI NAMES ITS CLASS OF 2010 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES


Ladies and Gentlemen, without further adieu, North Soccer Alumni is honored to announce its third class of Hall of Fame of Inductees. Our third class, like the previous two, spans the glory years North Soccer from the 1940s to 2000. With thousands of players, twenty two Catholic League Championships and seven City Titles, the vetting process is difficult,time consuming but rewarding and like our previous two classes, our third is just as deserving and demands our congratulations and admiration.

The Class of 2010 is:

CHIP CIUPAK, CLASS OF 1969
Mr. Ciupak was a two time All-Scholastic, All-Catholic and Catholic League Champion for North. A graduate of West Point and a three time regional All-American.

BILL CROWLEY, CLASS OF 1967
Mr. Crowley was a two time All-Catholic and All-Scholastic while at North and a Catholic League Champion. He played at Temple and was a MAC-ECC All-Star.

JERRY FRANKLIN, CLASS OF 1972
Mr. Franklin was a three year varsity player at North and a two time All-Catholic and All Schoolboy selection. He was also a Tri-State All-American. Mr. Franklin graduated from LaSalle where he was a three time ECC All-Star.

DAVE MCINTYRE, CLASS OF 1984
Mr. McIntyre was a three year starter for North where he was a two time All-Catholic and All-Scholastic player. Mr. McIntyre was named All-State and was the Catholic League’s Co-MVP.

TOM OLIVER, CLASS OF 1952
Mr. Oliver was a four year varsity player at North. He was named 1st team All-Independent in 1951 and was inducted into the Philadelphia Old-timer’s Hall of Fame in 1990.

TIM O’NEILL, CLASS OF 2000
Mr. O’Neill was a three year varsity player at North. During this time, Mr. O’Neill was a two time All-Catholic and Catholic League MVP in 1999. In 1999, he was a Catholic League Champion, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Player of the Year and All-American. He was a four year starter at Rider and at St. John’s.

TONY ROD,Sr., CLASS OF 1978
Mr. Rod was a three year starter for North. During his playing career, Mr. Rod was a two time All-Catholic selection and a two time City Champion.

JOHN WEICK, CLASS OF 1981
Mr.Weick was a three year starter at North. During this time, Mr. Weick was a two time All-Catholic and Catholic League MVP. Mr. Weick also was a two time Catholic League and City Champion.

This year’s induction ceremony is slated of Sunday, March 28th at Romanos Caterers located at Wingohocken Street below Castor Avenue. Starting time is 2 PM, ending at 6 PM. Tickets for the event are $60 that include open bar, dinner and desert. Last year’s event was sold out, this year should be no exception, so get your tickets early.

For more information, please contact Joe Steffa at jsteffa@comcast.net, 215-783-8020 or Jerry Brindisi at brindinski@aol.com or 215-906-8496. Additional information can be found at www.northcatholicsoccer.com.

NORTH DEFEATS BONNER - HEADS TO THE PCL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

the north catholic wrestling team defeated monsignor bonner on saturday 46-20 on saturday afternoon to ensure themselves another trip to the pcl finals. North will wrestle rival LaSalle on wednesday night at 7pm. The match will take place at the famous north catholic "pit". i would recommend that you get there early...i have a feeling it is going to be packed....

NORTH WRESTLING WINS ABINGTON'S GHOST TOWN DUALS!

Another weekend, another impressive showing by the north catholic wrestling team. north catholic earned 5 hard fought victories to come away with the team title at the abington duals. this marks the 3rd tournament trophy for the north catholic squad out of 4 tries (although an 8th place showing at the escape the rock was not too shabby!) here are scores from this weekend:


NC - 41 - Abington - 21
NC - 50 - Pottsgrove - 24
NC - 37 - Upper Moreland - 36*
NC - 51 - William Tennet - 18
NC - 39 - Plymouth Whitemarsh - 27


* the match with upper moreland was tied 36-36 after regulation. big pins by anthony white, aj vizcarrondo, and david davidson allowed us tie the score. nc won the match on the 8th criteria - most 1st points scored.


some notes from this weekend:

- Mike McCall, David Davidson, Anthony White, AJ Vizcarrondo, and Jeremy Reith all went 5-0 on the day.

- also of note: erik stankiewcz, tommy goodyear, will trainor, and tim maguire all went 4-1.

- anthony "technique tony" siwek got his first varsity pin.

- AJ Vizcarrondo ended the day with 29 takedown in this 5 matches.

- David Davidson was awarded the most outstanding wrestler for the day.

COUNTDOWN TO 100!
David Davidson and Mike McCall creeping up on the 100 win plateau. David has 94 and Mike currently has 93. Both wrestlers are wrestling extremely well right now and should eclipse the mark somewhere during their state tournament run.

NORTH WRESTLERS IN THE STATE RANKINGS

there used to be a time when a north wrestler in the southeastern pa rankings was big news. however, after being ignored most of the season, 5 north wrestlers are currently ranked in the top 25 in the state of Pennsylvania. The rankings are:

mike mccall - 19th @ 103
david davidson - 25th @ 125
anthony white - 7th @ 140
aj vizcarrondo - 15th @ 215
jeremy reith - 12th @ 285

all of these wrestlers have high goals and although a ranking now is nice, the only ranking that matters is the second week of march. i would not be surpised to see all 5 of these wrestlers on the podium in Hershey.

lastly, i would like to thank everyone who turned out for our beef-n-beer on saturday night. i was great as always to see many of our old parents and wrestlers. please keep the last saturday in april open of the north catholic alumni and friends of the program bash. more info to follow.....

North Wrestling goes 3-2 at the NHSCA Wrestling Festival

The North Catholic wrestling team traveled up the northeast extension this weekend to attend the NHSCA Wrestling Festival held in Broadsheadville, PA. North competed in 5 duals and ended the day with a 3-2 record. North wrestled hard but were not able to overcome a lot of pins that were given up by our inexperienced wrestlers. Here are the match scores.....

North Catholic 49- Ponoco Mountain West - 24

North Catholic 37 - Emmaus - 40

North Catholic 49 - Central Bucks East - 24

North Catholic 29 - Stroudsburg 39

North Catholic 43 - East Stroudsburg South - 25

Some notes on the matches:

- Mike McCall, Erik Stankiewcz, David Davidson, Anthony White, and AJ Vizcarrondo all went 5-0 on the day for the varsity and Anthony "technique tony" siwek and Gary Robinson both went undefeated on jv

- David Davidson and Mike McCall increased their career win totals to 88 and 86 respectively. Both will have a chance to surpass 100 career wins by the end of the season.

- Gary Robinson went 1-0 in his only varsity match increasing his varsity record to 2-0.

- Gary also beat a wrestler from Blair Academy and Easton in the same day....

- Coach Rick lost us his first team point of the season and 5th for his career. he only has to get thrown out of 5 more tournaments and lose 13 more points to surpass the career totals of former coach Bill Hunter.

North wrestling returns to action this weekend. We wrestle Germantown Academy on friday night at GA and travel to Abington to compete in the postponed Abington Duals on Saturday.

WRESTLE-PALOOZA

yesterday, the north catholic wrestling team had their annual wrestle-palooza inter-team wrestling tournament. after 2+ hours of intense wrestling, Anthony White defeated Jeremy Reith in the ultimate rideout to win 3-2 and become 2010's wrestle-palooza champion. Congrats also go out to coach canc for this stunning fall over coach cosimo to take 3rd place and finish on the podium for the first time in his career. Here is a picture of coach cosimo on the medal stand....

as for coach savage, he was the victim of shady seeding politics and even shadier officiating and dropped both of his matches to go 0-2 on the day. he had to defeat coach mascino and coach murphy to advance. after giving up 50+ pounds to each coach and wrestling like the warrior he is, he lost 4-2 (in OT) to coach rick, and 6-4 to coach teddy. if some of you dont know what they look like, i have attached some photos.....

Coach Rick Mascino

Coach Ted Murphy

Lastly: the north catholic wrestling beef-n-beer will be held this saturday at 7pm at north catholic. tickets are $25 and can be bought at the door. hope to see you there.

One Alum's View of Cristo Rey and NC

Background

To begin with, I will admit that although it sounded exciting to me when I found out about the possibility of North Catholic staying open, or re-opening, as a Cristo Rey Network school, I was a little skeptical about the idea.

I was told that these schools are high caliber academic places at a fraction of the cost to the students’ families. With education costing around $10,000 or more per student in this area, how could someone provide a better education at a fraction of the $5,200 per year that it currently costs for an archdiocesan school? But, be the ever diligent guy that I am, I looked into this network myself. I visited school sites of other Cristo Rey schools, I read news reports, watched the 60 Minutes story, and I asked a lot of questions. What I found out was that this is a model that has worked in about 2 dozen other schools, so why can’t it work at Northeast Catholic?

Keep in mind that at this time, the Cristo Rey plan for North Catholic is not a “done deal”. But, the work that the team has done to date had me leaving the meeting last night with a very optimistic feeling that this is going to happen, and real soon. The expectation is that by mid to late February, the team will complete the feasibility study, which will then be presented to the Cristo Rey Board for approval. If all goes well, and the plan is certified, it’ll be all but a done deal. But, at that time, there will still be a lot of work to be done if this model is to be implemented by the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.

Informational Meeting

I wasn’t able to attend the first meeting which was held on January 7, 2010, but that was mainly for current and prospective students and their families. I decided that I would attend the January 14th meeting and listen to what the Feasibility study group had to say. I have to tell you, I was impressed. The thing I liked the most was that this group dispelled many of the bad information that has been floating around. And, because of some of those rumors and innuendos, the group has launched an informational website (see link at the top of this page). My opinion changed from “can this happen?” to more of a “when will this happen”. I know most of the people on this team, either personally or through others, and I’ll tell you that these are some of the best and brightest people that North Catholic has produced. And, like many of us, they have an unwavering passion for our alma mater.

Myths and Other Bad Information

Since Cristo Rey option has been made public, I’ve spoken with many people about the prospects of this keeping North open. And, more often than not, I’m told things that sound less than promising, and some things that are downright depressing. Last night, many of those things were addressed. I’ll try to sum up what I heard at the meeting, and attempt to separate some of the fiction from the facts that I’ve heard over the past month or so. If anyone reads this and knows that I am writing anything that is not true, please let me know and I will make corrections.

Rumor - The new school would be called Cristo Rey.

Fact – The new school will be called Northeast Catholic, a Cristo Rey Network School. The colors will remain Red and White. The mascot will be the Falcon. Even the current uniforms will remain the same. Basically, the identity of the school will not change.

Rumor – The school would have to be purchased, and it’ll cost several million to do so.

Fact – The group is pursuing a couple of options. The hope is that the school would be purchased from the archdiocese, but before that can be done, an owner would need to be named. In many of the Cristo Rey schools, a religious order is named as the owner, but in some instances, a group of lay people, as a foundation, owns the building. At this time, no owner has been named, but work is being done to do so. As an alternative, in the unlikely event that a deal cannot be struck with the archdiocese to purchase the current building, the team is exploring other options, including other existing buildings and/or sites for a new North Catholic. This option would be more of a contingency plan, as the group stressed that their desire is to use the existing building. At this time, the cost of the school has not been made public.

Rumor – Some alumni only tried this “last ditch” effort to bring Cristo Rey to North Catholic after the archdiocese decided to close North.

Fact – This is absolutely false. Some of the members of the Feasibility board have been looking at the Cristo Rey model for more than two years. One of the board members mentioned that he actually visited a Cristo Rey school in Boston in 2007. The network was engaged about the possibility of coming to North long before the announcement was made.

Rumor – The income requirements for the new school would exclude most of the current students and their siblings.

Fact – The North Catholic group has worked out a deal with the Cristo Rey network to waive any income requirements for existing students. Basically, if a student is currently enrolled at North, they will be guaranteed a seat in the new school, regardless of family income. What should be pointed out is that this waiver only applies to current students. If a currently enrolled student has a younger brother who is not yet in high school, the income guidelines would be used for that not yet enrolled student to determine eligibility. As for the exact income requirements, that has not yet been determined. But, it should be pointed out that there is not a single requirement across the entire network. Each school in each community sets its own requirements. Those guidelines are based on the economic situation of that community. Finally, the income requirement is a “net” number, meaning it depends on income less expenses and size of family. The group is working to develop a formula and they expect to have more information in the next month or so.

Rumor – The new school will not have athletics, and if they do, they would participate as an independent school.

Fact – The expectation is that North will have the same sports and other extra-curricular activities that the school has now. Furthermore, the expectation is that the sports teams will continue to participate in the Philadelphia Catholic League and the PIAA. The PCL athletic board will not take up the matter until we know there will definitely be a school, but based on informal inquiries, there doesn’t seem to be a problem with the PCL accepting North as a member in the future. The PIAA may be another matter, but the board is confident that they will be able to convince the PIAA board to continue North Catholic’s membership in that organization.

Rumor – The jobs that the students will have are all meaningless minimum wage jobs, where the student will not get any real experience.

Fact – Based on what I heard last night, the jobs that the students will have are white collar clerical type jobs, and the responsibility of the jobs increases as the student moves from 9th through 12th grade. These jobs are expected to pay an annualized salary of $26,000 to $29,000. Of course, during the school year, the salaries for these jobs will be paid directly to the school to offset the tuition for the students. In other cities where Cristo Rey operates, many of these students are kept on during the summer, if they choose, and the money earned during the summer will go to the student.

Rumor – None of the current teachers will be offered jobs at the new school.

Fact – When it comes time to hire teachers, the school will do what any other private schools attempts to do; hire the best teachers they can find. What that means is that any current North Catholic teacher can apply for a teaching position at the school. Some may choose to do so, while others may not. From what the folks on the board said, the salaries will be comparable to the salaries of the archdiocesan teachers, and there will be benefits (medical, life insurance, LTD, 401(k) plan, etc) that go along with the position. But, those benefits may not be as good as a tenured teacher working for the archdiocese. That will be a personal decision made by each teacher.

Well, that's about all that I have to say at this time. I'm just one alum who is passionate about Northeast Catholic and interested in keeping the school open. This new school is an opportunity for the North Catholic community to come together and help the school and the community where most of us began our lives.

North Catholic Wrestling Escapes from the Rock!!!!

NORTH WRESTLING FINISHES 8TH OUT OF 24 TEAMS IN THE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FIELD!



this past friday and saturday the north catholic wrestling team traveled to council rock south high school to compete in the escape the rock wrestling tournament. over the past 4 years, this tournament has been considered one of the toughest tournaments in the east. this past season, the tournament boasted 5 teams that were ranked in the top 40 teams in the country by W.I.N. magazine...they were....wyoming seminary - 6th, central mountain - 8th, parkland - 27th, council rock south - 34th, paulsboro - 38th.... after a tough two days of wrestling, north catholic finished in 8th place....2.5 points out of 6th and 5 points out of 5th! here is a breakdown of the placewinners and notable wrestlers....


mike mccall - 103 - 3-2 - 5th place - mike lost his semi-final match to the #15 ranked kid in the country. two of his wins were against the #4 seed who finished 3rd in the delaware state tournament last season.


erik stankiewcz - 119 - 3-2 - DNP - erik dropped to very close decisions to the #6 and #7 seeds. erik make it to the round of 12 and would have placed if he won his last bout. he has improved dramatically the past few weeks and is wrestling very well.


david davidson - 125 - 5-2 - 4th place - david came into the tournament un-seeded. all he did was defeat the #8 seed, the #5 seed and the #6 seed to finish 4th. he also beat 2 PIAA State placers.


anthony white - 140 - 3-2 - 4th place - anthony lost two very close battles to the #3 and #5 ranked kids in the state. with some more big match experience, anthony has a chance to defeat both of them later on in the season.



thomas goodyear - 145 - 3-2 - DNP - thomas saw his first action since before christmas break and came within one match of placing. he entered the tournament not seeded and came within a hair of defeating the #6 seed in the 2nd round. all 3 of his wins came via pin fall to lead the team.


aj vizcarrondo - 215 - 4-2 - 4th place - aj had a great tournament. he was seeded 7th and defeated the #5 seed and #4 seed and the #5 ranked sophomore in the country. he lost a heart-breaker in ot to the 4th place finisher in the PIAA state tournament last season (personally i think he was hosed!)

jeremy reith - 285 - 4-1 - 3rd place - jeremy finished the highest of all the north catholic wrestlers with his 3rd place finish. jeremy lost his semi-final bout 3-1 to the #1 seed and the #2 ranked wrestler in the state. jeremy also did not give up a takedown in all of his bouts to keep his season total of takedowns against at 1!

the escape the rock was a total team effort...also winning matches were: will trainor (152) tim maguire (160) and brian sweeney (171). full results can be found here: http://www.crsd.org/5034011314232/lib/5034011314232/ETR2010_final%282%29.pdf

WRESTLING BEEF-N-BEER

JUST A REMINDER: THE WRESTLING BEEF-N-BEER IS LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AWAY! TICKETS ARE $25 AND CAN BE BOUGHT AT THE DOOR. PLEASE CONTACT ME AT 215-831-5246 OR AT THESAV150@AOL.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION....

NORTH WRESTLING FINISHES 2nd AT GOVERNOR MIFFLIN TOURNAMENT

North Catholic Wrestling was busy after the holiday season and traveled to Shillington PA for the 36th annual governor mifflin wrestling tournament. Over the past 7 years, north catholic has finished no higher than 3rd (last season) and had a grand total of 3 champions. This season, north blew the doors off those statistics with 4 champions and a 2nd place finish out of 17 teams.

North Catholic were led by champions Mike McCall (103) , Anthony White (145), AJ Vizcarrondo (215) and Jeremy Reith (285). Also placing for the falcons were David Davidson (125) - 3rd, Tim Maguire (160) - 5th, Will Trainor (152) - 7th, Nick Cancelliere (135) - 8th.

RANDOM NOTES FROM THE TOURNAMENT:

• north catholic went 7-1 in the medal rounds to pull away from Hempfield and Big Spring
• mccall, white, vizcarrondo, and reith did not give up a takedown all tournament
• anthony white has not given up a takedown all season
• this was aj and jeremy's first ever varsity tournament championship
• tim maguire increased his varsity win total by 400%
• coach rick mascino ate 35 chic-fil- A sandwiches. we believe this was a tournament record.
• north went 35-14 in the two day tournament

OTHER HAPPENINGS

North takes the mats again this wednesday at home against Cardinal Dougherty. This is going to be the final regular season home wrestling match. we hope to see many of the wrestling alumni to celebrate wrestling at north catholic. The match is scheduled to begin at 7pm.

Reminder, the wrestling beef-n-beer will take place on saturday jan 23rd at north catholic. tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions....

That is about it for now, have a safe and happy new year!!!!