Visions of a
memorable spring: Part I

By RICHARD A. ROSS

NARROWSBURG, NY—It’s over now. The baseball and softball diamonds are quiet and the rain blows across the deserted tracks. The spring sports season of 2003 has come and gone.

Gone, but not forgotten.

If you close your eyes and listen really hard you can still hear the cheers and the groans, the grunts, the gasps and the crack of the bat. In your mind’s eye, you can still see the ball flying over the right field fence or the dominant young pitcher striking out batter after batter. A still frame in the imagination shows the hurdler poised in mid air suspended in perfect stride. It’s been that kind of spring. The shortest of sports seasons is finally ended. No more sectionals, qualifiers, or state tournaments. Just memories, and those we’ll always have.

For Sullivan West this spring spelled redemption. All of the Bulldog teams registered fine seasons. There were Division IV titles in baseball and boys’ track, a terrific girls’ track season and the softball team going to sectionals. There were golf victories. Records were broken. Kids’ names you may never have heard before morphed into banner headlines: Morgan, Ackerman, Ward and Parnett. Saul, Henry, Nordenhold and Berger. Meyer and Sauer-Jones. Clifford and Mullally. Rosenberger, Hauser, Jay and Bright. Wagner, Lederman, Relyea, Parks and Semenetz, and don’t forget Norden. The list goes on (see next week).

Local athletes made themselves known throughout sectionals, qualifiers and states. What softball player didn’t face state champion Julie Schaper? The glory of Chapel Field’s title is appreciated by every batter who faced her this year. Though each team wishes they had won, a Section 9 title graces us all.

Heather Iatauro ran her way to a state and federation title. The bright red uniform was a familiar blur on the tracks in Grahamsville, Liberty and Jeffersonville. And April Ackerman can tell her kids one day that she beat the legend on a humid day in May in a 400 she’ll never forget.

Norden won the OCIAA golf tourney and Semenetz went to states. Jeremy Morgan blew away all the hurdlers in Section 9 and Ackerman dusted the Division II in the 3000. Spring 2003? Like I said, gone but not forgotten.

Track and field state and federation meets

Iatauro and Schlichtman rule state with Federation wins

By RICHARD A. ROSS

ENDICOTT, NY — Section 9 runners Heather Iatauro of Tri-Valley and Katy Schlichtman of Monticello proved their dominance at the Federation Title meet on June 7.

After trying to clear the last barrier, Iatauro won the 2000 steeplechase in 6:57.31 despite falling during the final lap. The 30-inch hurdles were missing the coating that makes them less slippery and Iatauro’s left foot slipped off the base of it causing her to fall just in front of a water pit. The undaunted junior got up and bolted to the finish line, garnering her spot as the best in the state in the event.

The Federation meet is one step further than the state meet. It mixes all runners from Catholic high schools, the Public School Athletic League of New York City, the Alliance of Independent Schools and the Public High School Athletic Association Members.

Katy Schlictman, a senior from Monticello High School, proved her dominance as well. At the state meet, Schlictman won the Division I 400 hurdles in 1:01.57. She went on to best all runners in the Federation meet with a 1:01.85. Schlichtman will next turn her attention to a national high school meet this coming weekend in North Carolina, and she will run on the track team at Columbia University next fall.

Morgan and Ackerman finish season at States

Sullivan West’s Jeremy Morgan fell coming over the last hurdle in his heat at the state meet, causing him to register a disappointing time of 58:24 and a ninth place in Division II. He was seeded second in the state by virtue of his blistering Section 9 time of 55.5 seconds. Morgan was second in the heat prior to his fall. The junior has one more crack at the state title next year.

April Ackerman’s nerves got the best of her before the meet and the freshman came in eleventh in the 3000 with a time of 11:30.85. Coach George Shakelton felt it was a great experience for Ackerman to get under her belt. She and teammate Jamie Clifford have already begun a long run regimen to gear up for cross-country.

Other county athletes finish up at States

Renauld Buck of Liberty took 11th in the Division II shot put with a throw of 45-4 3/4. Matt Manzi of Liberty came in fourth in the Division II 800 with a time of 1:58.37. The Tri-Valley 3200-relay team of Erina Beach, Heather Iatauro, Melinda O’Neill and Courtney Roosa placed eighth with a time of 10:00.24. It was their best time of the year. The Tri-Valley 1600-relay team of Jen Gorman, Colleen Carey, Megan Drown and Candice Carroll came in 10th with a time of 4:11.9.

State softball tournament

Chapel Field rides Schaper’s no-hitter to win Class D title

Chapel Field 3, Fort Ann 0

By RICHARD A. ROSS

CLIFTON PARK, NY — Ask any Section 9 softball player about Julie Schaper of Chapel Field and you’ll get the same response. She is dominating.

Schaper put together 13 strikeouts in a no-hit stunner as Chapel Field defeated Fort Ann on June 8 to capture the state Class D title.

Schaper burst onto the scene in 2001 as a freshman. It was a year after Chapel Field won the title in 2000. She has improved steadily and during this postseason, she carried her team past Haldane 9-0 in the quarterfinals. She then handled Rochester area Prattsburgh (19-2) by striking out 19 in a 3-1 victory.

Last year, the Lions lost in the semifinals to Afton by the score of 7-1. This was the fifth straight year that Chapel Field reached the state final four. Shaper has some amazing notches in her belt, including pitching 66 scoreless innings as a freshman, striking out 300 batters in a season and now throwing two no-hitters in the three most important games of the Lions’ season. Chapel Field ended up 16-2.

The bad news for Section 9 softball players is that Schaper has one more year. It reminds us of a quote from “The Terminator:” “I’ll be back.”

State baseball tournament

Marlboro just misses out on state Class B title

Semifinals: Marlboro 17, Ilion 8
Finals: Carle Place 3, Marlboro 2

By RICHARD A. ROSS

BINGHAMTON, NY — Marlboro came into the finals undefeated and top-ranked in the state. There was only one problem. Their star pitcher, Jason Monti, broke his right index finger laying down a bunt in the 2-0 quarterfinal victory on June 5 against Briarcliff.

In the semifinals against Ilion, third starter Jesse March took the ball and pitched six innings as Marlboro pounded out seventeen runs to gain the 17-8 victory.

For the finals, the Iron Dukes called on Justin Duchin to start. The plan was to bring in Steve Macfarland, their best healthy pitcher in the later part of the game. Mcfarland was coming off of only two days of rest after throwing 113 pitches in a two-hit shutout over Briarcliff.

Unfortunately, Duchin gave up a two-run homer to Carle Place’s Billy Simpson. Marlboro subsequently tied the game, but Mcfarland gave up a home run to Carle Place cleanup batter Mike Miele with two outs in the fifth. It was a devastating blow. Winning pitcher Evan Shanahan got the last nine batters out in order, and Carle Place celebrated while Marlboro looked on in shock. It was Marlboro’s third trip to the finals since 1985.

Marlboro ended its season at 23-1. Carle Place’s final record was 22-5.

OCIAA girls’ golf tournament

Sullivan West’s Norden wins golf title

By RICHARD A. ROSS

HAMPTONBURGH, NY — Nellie Norden won the first Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association’s girls’ golf tournament at the Stony Ford Golf Course on June 5. Norden fired a 13-over par 49 in the rain-shortened tournament. Roscoe’s Diana Failla finished second with a 52.