By RICHARD A. ROSS

	TRR photos by Richard A. Ross As the season approaches, Coach Ron Bauer intensifies his teaching to prepare his lineman for the upcoming wars in the trenches. Here he gives pointers on blocking to a group of lineman. (Click for larger image)

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — During the week prior to the opening of school, the Bulldogs football team has gone to two-a-day practices in an attempt to compact as much preparation as possible into the waning days prior to the September 6 season opener.

In addition to the usual fare of running and conditioning needed to build stamina, quarterbacks, along with running backs and receivers, have worked plays, drills and techniques. Linemen have worked on blocking and defensive players have worked on their rushing passes, covering receivers downfield and most importantly, tackling. There has been much to learn.

Practice began on August 18 and time is short. Head Coach Ron Bauer’s many years of football coaching experience have enabled him to teach skills effectively and quickly to his team. While there are veterans on board, a number of players are coming out to play at the varsity level for the first time. At this juncture, final decisions about who will be starting at each position are still up in the air.

A scrimmage at Port Jervis on August 30 against teams including Livingston Manor, Eldred, Ellenville, Liberty and James I. O’Neill was useful in helping the coaching staff to determine which players would be most suitable for each slot.

According to Bauer, there will likely be competition for some of those positions. At quarterback, Corey Hornicek and Joe Meyer are vying for the starting role. Running backs will include Steven Daley, Mike Oralls, Scott Peters and John Glassel. The squad has three seniors, including Artie Ward, Brian Sandler and Dave Abrams, who is currently being evaluated for a knee injury and may be sidelined.

Running back/linebacker Steve Daley has looked promising during practice, as has Orion Darder, who could be a defensive standout. Darder is an excellent tackler.

“This team has some weight,” Bauer said. This will be key in match ups against the other “B” schools on the schedule, including Spackenkill, Liberty, Pine Plains, O’Neill and Highland.

The following is a schedule for the 2003 season. All Saturday games begin at 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, 9/6: Delhi

Saturday, 9/13: Burke Catholic

Saturday, 9/20: Spackenkill

Thursday, 9/25 at 4:30 p.m.: @Liberty

Saturday, 10/3: @ Pine Plains

Saturday, 10/11: Ellenville

Saturday, 10/18 @ Tri-Valley

Friday, 10/25 at 7:00 p.m.: @Highland

Friday, 10/31 at 7:00 p.m.: @O’Neill

Boys’ soccer team is ready to contend

	The boys’ soccer team features a mix of experienced players and newcomers. Two-a-day practices have concentrated on dribbling, passing, defense and conditioning. (Click for larger image)

With new coach Joe Ebeling on board and six returning skilled players, the Bulldogs are bound to supersede last year’s winless season. The team is a mix of seniors, sophomores and freshmen. Returning players include Mike Erlwein, Jeremy Morgan, Jonathan Reynolds, Ed Raum, Bill Nordenhold and goalkeeper Carlos Argueta.

Like football, the boys’ soccer team has been working at two-a-day practices in an effort to work on skills. Last year, in the team’s first season against “B” competition, the going was rough, but the Bulldogs were still in a position to win a number of games.

The following is a schedule of September games:

Thursday, 9/4 at 4:30 p.m.: @Monticello

Friday, 9/12 at 4:30 p.m.: @­Liberty

Monday, 9/15 at 4:30 p.m.: O’Neill

Wednesday, 9/17 at 4:00 p.m.: @Goshen

Friday, 9/19 at 4:30 p.m.: @­Cornwall

Monday, 9/22 at 4:30 p.m.: @Burke Catholic

(Complete varsity schedules for all sports will appear in the September 11 issue of The River Reporter.)

Bulldogs cross-country: a force to be reckoned with

Last fall, the girls’ cross-country team made major headlines. Coach George Shakelton’s cadres of fine young runners were tearing up the circuit and the majority of the pack is back in force. Logging many miles this summer, sophomore April Ackerman looks to be in top shape. She ran in a number of races this summer, including The Monster in Monticello and the Jeff Jam.

She is joined by sophomores Jessica Wagner and Amanda Ward, both of whom did a considerable amount of running this summer. Junior Jamie Clifford also returns. Though she will tell you that she really doesn’t like running, she is a tremendous competitor who will steadily improve as the season moves ahead.

Sophomore Eleanor Bryan is one of the team’s hardest workers. Bryan improved steadily last year in both cross-country and track. Rounding out the team are returning runners Stephanie Clifford and Moselle DiPane and newcomer Rebecca Peters. Peters ran cross-country for Chapel Field and is working hard to get ready for the season.

While the boys’ team was shorthanded last year and lacked the numbers to compete, that has changed for 2003. Ian Parnett had a terrific summer, concentrating on training and logging miles. He broke a course record in Hancock with a time of 16:11. A senior, Parnett knows this is his last chance to make major waves in both cross-country and track.

He is joined on the team by the solid running of sophomores Trevor Kreznar, Mike VanWagenen and Matt Gain. Gain did not run last year but won the Unatego Invitational as a modified runner in eighth grade. A pleasant addition is freshman Rob Ward, who switched over from football at the start of practice. Ward won the Marathon Invitational in eighth grade and gives Coach Shakelton the required five-man roster for team competition.

The harriers began their first week of practice logging miles and then moved up to some track work with medium-paced 200s. The workouts have integrated some hill running. Shakelton’s emphasis at this point is on building mileage, not on speed.

The team will compete at the Windsor Invitational on September 6 where they will face some stiff competition. On September 13, they will head out to the Washingtonville Invitational. Other meets for September are as follows:

9/13: @ Monticello

9/23: Liberty

9/30: @ Burke Catholic

Girls’ soccer

	A late-day workout involved medium-paced 200s and uphill treks for the cross-country team. Leading the pack are Ian Parnett, left, April Ackerman, Jessica Wagner and Amanda Ward. Coach George Shakelton runs with his team during workouts. (Click for larger image)

With eighteen returning players, the Bulldogs look to be very competitive. Amanda Patterson will return in goal as keeper. According to Coach Mike Mahoney, several players will be key in defensive positions. These include Maura Mullally, Jessica Lederman and Katie Thelman.

The loss of Margaret Norden, Kayla Peters and Kelly Mullally to graduation was significant, but Mahoney hopes that his team can outwork many of their opponents. Fitness will be a key factor. The team is a good blend of experience and new players including two freshmen, Jess Corbett and Erin Bernhardt.

The Bulldogs can take advantage of a restructuring in the league that places Sullivan West in the smaller “B” division with Marlboro, John S. Burke Catholic, Highland, James I. O’Neill and Liberty. They will have to face Cornwall, which has moved up to the “A” group only once.