Valley's Season Ends on High-Note
11/14: Wayne Valley's injury-marred season ended on a high-note. The hard-luck Indians (3-7) beat Bergenfield in a consolation game, 28-21. Three of Valley's senior captains were hampered by physical setbacks this year. Another captain-to-be, unexpectedly moved over the summer. The Indians somehow pieced it together and won two of the last three games.
Against Bergenfield, Ray Fiumefreddo was responsible for two touchdowns. First, he scored on a 7-yard run. Then, on a fullback-option, he threw a a 37-yard scoring-strike to Bobby Hayes. Jeremy Hreha had a touchdown reception and a touchdown run. First, hepulled in a 7-yard toss from Nick Agelis. Next, he ran in from 14-yards out. Mike Valera converted all four-extra points.
Fiumefreddo ran for a team-high 97 yards. Remo Fioranelli led the defense with 10 tackles and two sacks. Andy Koppel and Fiumefreddo had nine tackles each.
Valley's 2004 setbacks, might actually prove helpful in 2005. The injuries afforded playing time to several up-and-coming underclassmen. The Indians should enter 2005 with a more experienced group.
Lakeland Defeats Wayne Valley
11/7: Andy Koppel ran for 55 yards, but Wayne Valley still lost to Lakeland, 24-2. Nick Agelis and Ray Fiumefreddo had seven tackles each. Chris Cippola and Vinny Prudenti had five and four tackles respectively.
Fiumefreddo Leads Valley Past Orange
By Skiffo Drake
10/30: Brian O’Connor gave Ray Fiumefreddo the news just before Wayne Valley’s game with Orange (1-7). Fiumefreddo, the team’s leading rusher, would only play offense in the fourth quarter. The bruising back suffered a high ankle sprain in the game with West Orange two weeks ago.
Doctors informed O’Connor that Fiumefreddo’s ankle would not hold up over the course of an entire game. They recommended that the senior be used on a limited basis. O’Connor decided on playing the back in the fourth quarter alone.
The strategy worked to perfection. Fiumefreddo rumbled for 67 yards and two touchdowns as Wayne Valley (2-6) beat Orange, 27-19.
The first three quarters belonged to Orange. With about a minute remaining in the third quarter, the Tornadoes led 19-7. The Indians then rallied and scored the last three touchdowns of the game.
The rally began late in the third period when Nick Agelis hit Andy Koppel with a 33-yard scoring-strike. Fiumefreddo then galloped for fourth quarter touchdown runs of 4 and 31 yards.
Valley’s first score came in the second quarter when Agelis completed an 18-yard touchdown toss to Jeremy Hreha. Mike Valera converted three PAT’s for the Indians.
The Wayne defense was led by Remo Fioranelli, who had six tackles and two sacks. Casey Pickler had six tackles and one sack. Fiumefreddo had five tackles and a sack. Koppel added five tackles.
Wayne Valley Falls Short to Caldwell
10/28/04
With Ray Fiumefreddo sidelined with a high ankle sprain, Wayne Valley limped to another loss. The Indians (1-5) fought valiantly, but ultimately bowed to playoff-bound Caldwell, 33-20.
Fiumefreddo, a senior captain, injured the ankle last week against West Orange. He started against Caldwell, but was pulled when the injury flared up.
Vinny Prudenti led Wayne with 69 yards total yards (rushing and receiving). He also had 65 yards in kickoff and punt returns. Andy Koppel had 71 total yards and an 11-yard touchdown reception from Nick Agelis. Joe Portelli and Agelis ran for scores.
Remo Fioranelli led the defense with 11 tackles. Anthony DeDilectis had 10 spills. Casey Pickler and Don Heffern had eight and seven tackles respectively.
Wayne Valley Bit Again By Injury Bug
10/21/04
The painful script continues for the Wayne Valley football team. Ray Fiumefreddo, a fullback/linebacker, sprained his ankle in Friday night’s 21-13 loss to West Orange. Fiumefreddo is the third Indian senior captain to suffer a significant injury this year.
Matt Rigoglioso, the team’s wide receiver/defensive back, blew out his ACL over the summer. Andrew Koppel broke his wrist and missed several mid-season games. Gilbert Ellerbe, a projected captain, moved to New Mexico before the season started.
The severity of Fiumefreddo’s injury is unknown at this time. Valley is hopeful that he’ll be back for Friday’s game with Caldwell.
Before the injury, Fiumfreddo ran for 60 yards and a touchdown. He also contributed seven tackles.
Valley (1-5) scored first when Vinny Prudenti returned the opening kickoff for an 80-yard score. The Indians couldn’t hang on, though. Sean Carr, Darius Jones and Chris DeRosa scored for West Orange.
Wayne’s defense was led by Gino Varone and Casey Pickler, who had 10 and 9 tackles respectively.
PCT Beats WV
By Doug Scancarella, 10/14/04
10/9/04: Wayne- As the Passaic County Tech football team (4-1) prepared for last Saturday’s game with Wayne Valley (1-4), it’s unlikely that they reviewed film of the last game between the two schools.
These football-proud schools, separated by a 1.5 mile strip of Preakness Avenue,
last met up on the gridiron in 1987.
“That was a long time ago,” recalled John Iurato, Tech’s longtime coach. “Wayne Valley was a powerhouse back then. They were undefeated one of those years (1984). They beat us convincingly in some of those games.”
Despite those long ago set backs, it’s doubtful that any of the current Tech players were screaming for revenge. Many of the Bulldogs weren’t even born in 1987.
None of the four Wayne high schools (Tech, Valley, Hills and DePaul) play in football on a regular basis. It is a state of affairs that has many township residents scratching their heads.
According to township officials, the teams are kept apart by design.
“Putting Valley and Hills in different conferences was a conscious decision. And we tried to steer clear of DePaul and Passaic Tech as well,” explained Ernie Zuberer, a former Wayne Valley coach and former Board of Education member. “Wayne has always been a close-knit community. We didn’t need to create rivalries and divide the town.
“We didn’t need to turn over rocks and look for snakes.”
Until recently, the teams stayed away from each other. Occasionally, two of the schools met up in an independent game. Sometimes, two met up in the playoffs. These games, however, have been far and few between.
In the case of Passaic Tech and Wayne Valley, all of that has changed.
PCT had long-been the largest school in the B-PSL. The conferences smallest teams grew weary of taking on the Wayne-based juggernaut. Eventually, they asked Tech to leave.
The Bulldogs were in search of a new home. They were welcomed by Wayne Valley’s conference, the Northern Hills Skyline. This means the two neighbors will now square off annually.
Even though Passaic Tech does not draw many students from Wayne, it is still believed that this can develop into a new rivalry.
“It’s not a rivalry right now,” Iurato said. “We haven’t played frequently enough. But based on the proximity of the two schools, it certainly could be a rivalry.”
Wayne Valley’s Brian O’Connor added, “The kids have gotten to know each other during high school. Before they were in our conference, we would scrimmage against them every year. We also play them in some of the other sports.”
Round 1 in this new backyard brawl goes to PCT, 34-14.
Rashon Jackson ripped through the Indian defense for 258 yards and three touchdowns. He first scored on a 66-yard run on the second play of the game. He added touchdown runs of 45 and 51 yards in the second half.
"We always try to get off to a good head start," Jackson said. "If we can jump out in front, we feel the other team won't catch up."
Passaic Tech quarterback Andre Keeling threw for 58 yards and two touchdowns. Kedema Perkins and Max Brown were on the receiving end of Keeling’s touchdown heaves.
Wayne Valley, meanwhile, put together several sustained drives against vaunted Passaic Tech defense. With PCT leading 14-0, Valley drove to the Tech 1-yard line. The drive was highlighted by a Nick Agelis to Vinny Prudenti 32-yard completion. Tech’s defense stiffened and refused to allow the Indians to score. PCT went on the dominate the second half.
Valley was led by Ray Fiumefreddo, who rumbled for 103 yards and a bullish 5 yard touchdown. Agelis passed for 60 yards and one touchdown. Andy Koppel caught an 11-yard touchdown pass and ran for 46 yards.
On defense, Fiumefreddo led the way with 12 tackles. Anthony DeDilectis added 10 tackles. Gino Varone and Remo Fioranelli had eight tackles each.
"We made too many mistakes,” O’Connor said. "We were in the right places, but we didn't bounce off our block and get to the outside. We were trying to make arm tackles, but they're too athletic for that. We just didn’t make plays."
Wayne Valley Torched By NHC Rival
Nick Agelis threw for 150 yards and one touchdown, but Wayne Valley (1-3) still lost to West Milford (2-2), 41-14. Ray Fiumefreddo led the Indians with 130 total yards (65 rushing and 65 receiving).
Fiumefreddo followed a crushing Casey Pickler block and rushed for a 25-yard score. Vinny Prudenti, who retuned a kickoff 70 yards, scored on a five-yard strike from Agelis. Jeremy Hreha caught a two-point conversion toss from Agelis.
Fiumefreddo and Anthony DeDilectis led the Indian defense with 12 and 11 tackles respectively.
The Highlanders were paced by Anthony Cisternino who passed for two scores and ran for three more. Tyler deRouen had a 70-yard touchdown reception and a 30-yard rushing score.
Cup In Hand
9/30/04
By Doug Scancarella
The Passaic Valley football (2-0) team refused to turn around. The Hornet offense was in the process of running out the clock in the team’s 20-12 win over Wayne Valley (1-2). Behind the team’s bench, Today Newspaper officials were readying the Today Cup, the trophy that is awarded to the winner of this yearly backyard tussle.
Although the win was apparently secure, no one wanted to jinx it. The Indians were only a touchdown and a two-point conversion behind. Finally, a PV assistant coach allowed a glance.
“Not yet guys,” he called out to the newsmen. “It’s not over yet.”
PV was eventually successful in running the clock out. Still, no on wanted to celebrate early. The Hornets were showing the utmost respect for this rivalry. Over the years, this clash has yielded numerous unbelievable finishes. Passaic Valley was not about to take any chances.
After time expired, they embraced the Cup enthusiastically. PV coach Angelo DeSalvo likened it to a miniature Stanley Cup.
“Where’s the ice?” he bellowed. “I want to hold this thing up and skate around the field!”
Ben Fazio, the team manager, then passed the trophy from Hornet-to-Hornet. Each one hoisted the Cup high in the air as the PV fans roared with approval.
Winning the Today Cup might not signify a championship, but the fans did not seem to mind. To many of them, beating Wayne Valley is viewed as more important than the conference title or the state playoffs.
The two schools have been meeting on the gridiron since 1952. It is one of the proudest rivalries in the state. For years, the game was played on Thanksgiving and was the last game of the regular season. It has often decided a conference title. It was always viewed as an “unofficial championship.”
The game was switched to September in 2001. To some, the rivalry lost some of its flavor. The games, which were almost always close, turned into blowouts. Wayne won easily in 2001. PV came back with lopsided victories in 2002 and 2003.
When PV’s Ricky DeFeo returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in this year’s game, it appeared as if another blowout was afoot. This time, though, Wayne Valley had different ideas. On the Indians first two possessions, they served notice that they were not going to be pushovers.
On its first two possessions, Wayne mounted two length-of-the-field drives. Unfortunately for Big Blue, neither ended in a score. Mike Valera, Wayne Valley’s deadly accurate kicker, was off Friday. He missed two field goals (24 and 26 yards) in the first quarter.
Passaic Valley seized the momentum again with a 55-yard drive late in the second quarter. Quarterback Kyle Dearani scored on a five-yard rush with 1:34 remaining in the half.
Again, the game appeared to be headed for a blowout. Again, Wayne Valley demonstrated that it had different ideas.
On its first possession of the third quarter they put together a poised, answer back drive. This time they punched it in on an eight-yard dash by Joe Portelli.
“Wayne Valley is much better this year,” Dearani said. “We thought we had them in the first half, but they came back and scored on us in the third quarter. We knew we had to bounce back quickly.”
“Wayne Valley is a well coached team,” added DeSalvo. “We knew that they’d adjust at halftime. We made some adjustments as well. We reacted to what they were doing in the first half and it worked out pretty well.”
The Indians momentum was indeed short-lived. PV responded with a 66-yard march. Dearani capped it off with an 11-yard TD run.
Wayne Valley bounced back when Nick Agelis lofted a 19-yard scoring strike to Bob Bishop with four minutes left in the game. Passaic Valley was then able to run out the clock with a time-consuming drive.
“We call that our four-minute offense,” DeSalvo said. “We needed to put together a long drive. We didn’t want to give them the ball back.”
Leading the way for Passaic Valley was Bryant Rodriguez, who gained 101 yards on the ground. Dearani passed for 88 yards.
Wayne’s Portelli and Ray Fiumefreddo combined for 110 yards. Agelis passed for 90 yards. Fiumefreddo and Anthony DeDelictis accounted for 11 and 10 tackles respectively. Kyle Hayes had six tackles and an interception. Mike Payne added six tackles and a fumble recovery.
The Cup, meanwhile, was immediately driven to Little Falls and placed securely in the Hornet trophy case.
NOTES: For Wayne Valley, they lost more than just a game. Linebacker Bobby Hayes injured his hamstring and will miss 4-to-6 weeks. He is the third Indian senior to suffer a significant injury this season.
Wayne Valley Rolls Past West Side
9/18/04
By Doug Scancarella
Newark - In just the second week of the season Wayne Valley had already reached a critical juncture. Some might argue that its Saturday match up with Newark West Side was a must win.
The Indians were reeling. Two of its captains (Matt Rigoglioso and Andy Koppel) have already suffered season ending injuries. Gilbert Ellerbe, another captain, moved to New Mexico late in the summer.
Then the Indians lost its opener with High Point, 25-7. Valley was in need of a bounce back win. A loss to Newark may have sent Wayne spiraling out of control. With its back to the wall, Wayne Valley responded with a convincing 45-22 triumph.
“It was an extremely important win,” Wayne Valley head coach Brian O’Connor said. “Everything seemed to be going against us. We needed to get back on right track.”
Beating West Side in convincing fashion might have done just that. Wayne Valley scored on nearly every possession in the first half and led 38-0 at halftime. That enabled O’Connor to put the second and third teams in.
“Everything went our way,” O’Connor said. “If we kept our starters in, we might have won, 70-0. It was nice to get some of our younger players into the game.”
Wayne’s Ray Fiumefreddo led the way on both sides of the ball. The fullback rushed for 65 yards and one touchdown. On defense, he had 12 tackles, a forced fumble, a blocked punt and an interception for a touchdown (30 yards).
“Ray had an outstanding game on both sides of the ball,” O’Connor said. “His rushing total could have been a lot higher. Because of turnovers and a blocked punt, we had great field position all afternoon. We never had to go too far.”
Fiumefreddo was responsible for two of those turnovers and the blocked punt. Bobby Hayes added an interception and four tackles.
Quarterback Nick Agelis led the scoring-onslaught with three rushing touchdowns. Charlie Rigoglioso, the backup quarterback and Matt's younger brother, spelled Agelis and tossed one yard TD pass to Matt Lenhard.
O’Connor is now hoping that his young team, after a slow start, can come together more and more as the season goes on.
“We’re hopeful that that’s the case,” he said. “There’s a lot of parity in the (Northern Hills Skyline) conference this year. If things start to click, we might be able to bounce back.”
Wayne Valley got even more good news over the weekend. Koppel, who broke his thumb in Week 1, was initially listed as ‘out for the year.’ But Koppel had decided to seek a second opinion. It is now believed that he may be cleared to play with a hard cast.
“That would give us a lift,” O’Connor said. “We’d only use him one-way. With a hard-cast, he won’t be able to play split end. We would be able to use him at safety, though. We’re hopeful that that will be the case.”
Wayne Valley now prepares for its annual slugfest with Passaic Valley:
WAYNE VALLEY vs. PASSAIC VALLEY
Wayne Valley Skid Hits Six Games
By Doug Scancarella
9/10/04
The Wayne Valley football rooting section could sense the excitement building as the Indians lined up in the back of the north end zone for the pre game introductions. As the team streamed past the goal post and onto the field they were met with a monstrous roar. Several players greeted the crowd by pumping fists in the air as they galloped toward the home sideline.
Everyone, it seemed, was energized. The season was about to begin and the team appeared set to get going. They had been hitting each other in practice for more than a month. Now they were going to do it on the opposition.
Valley had just gone through a horrifying off-season. Last year's team began the 2003 season 4-1, before losing its last five games. The first four of those five were all shutouts.
The off-season was equally unkind. The team had four returning seniors – Matt Rigoglioso, Gilbert Ellerbe, Ray Fiumefreddo and Andrew Koppel - that were considered sure-captains.
Two were scratched from the roster in July. Rigoglioso, who would have started for the third straight year, suffered a torn ACL during wrestling camp. Ellerbe, last year's second leading rusher, informed the school that he was moving to New Mexico with his family.
Brian O'Connor, the team's coach, was in search of a way to stop the bleeding. The new season would give the Indians a chance to put those setbacks behind them. One thing, at least, seemed certain. Things couldn’t get much worse.
Amazingly, things got worse . . . significantly worse. Wayne Valley dropped its opener with High Point, 25-7. Unfortunately, that was only part of the story. Koppel broke his wrist halfway through the second quarter. The senior will likely miss the rest of the season.
Fiumefreddo, the last member of the quartet standing, now teams with a cast of untried juniors and sophomores. O’Connor has called those underclassmen “talented.” But the fact remains that they are now forced to go against older and more experienced opponents.
Against the Wildcats, the young Indians put up a courageous fight early. Up to Koppel’s injury, things were even. High Point then went up 12-0 with two second period touchdowns. Steve D’Amato and J.P. Noon scored on one-yard touchdown runs.
Valley narrowed the gap in the third period when Nick Agelis scored on a quarterback sneak. Mike Valera converted the extra point to make it 12-7. The score was set up when Fiumefreddo blocked a High Point punt. Two plays later, Agelis reached pay dirt.
The youthful Indians finally ran out of steam in the fourth quarter. Noon scored on an 18-yard pass from Brian Konopka. D’Amato scored on a 96 yard run.
Fiumefreddo led the Valley defense with 15 tackles.
String Of Bad Luck Not About to Sidetrack Wayne Valley
September 8, 2004
By Doug Scancarella
Stretched out on a wrestling mattress, Wayne Valley's Matt Rigoglioso was gripping his knee and cursing his luck. The Indian football and wrestling star, was attending the Jersey City Wrestlers Camp early in the summer.
He appeared to be easily winning his final match of session. His opponent, desperate to escape defeat, made a sudden move and managed to flip Rigoglioso over. Rigoglioso was still in control, but his left knee slammed into the mat. In one instant, he realized that his senior football season over.
Rigoglioso, who would have started on the football team for his third straight year, blew out his ACL. The wide receiver, safety and sometimes quarterback was hoping to lead Valley back to its first post season since 2001.
Instead, he was left with the unthinkable realization that he had suffered a season ending knee injury two months before the season started.
Unfortunately for Wayne, that wasn't the only bit of bad news. Gilbert Ellerbee, the team's second leading rusher in 2003 and a sure-starter this year, moved to New Mexico with his family.
Brian O'Connor, the team's third year coach, was left to somehow convince his playoff-dreaming Indians that the team’s aspirations were not headed to the shredder.
"Those were two unfortunate setbacks," O'Connor said. "Matt was winning the match. It was a freak accident. He’s definitely out for the football season. Hopefully, he’ll be back in time to wrestle.
“Gilbert was going to be our primary back. His mother got a job in New Mexico, though. Just like that, we were with out two guys that probably would have been captains."
But O'Connor insists that the team is not going to throw up the white flag.
"We're all disappointed," he said. "No one's going to quit, though. We're just going to be younger than we thought. We still have a strong senior class and we still have a lot of talented juniors. We'll have to adjust."
The biggest adjustment will be the offensive attack. O'Connor says that instead of relying on the swift Ellerbee, they will now spread the offense and rely
more on a single-back inside attack.
Ray Fiumefreddo, the team's bullish fullback, will now take over most of the rushing chores. Fiumefreddo started at fullback last year, but was utilized mainly as a blocking back for Ellerbee and the recently graduated Richard Capers.
"Ray's not as big as most fullbacks," O'Connor said of the 5-foot-9, 195 pound senior. "But he’s put together well. He's strong, tough and solid. It'll be
like having a bowling ball bouncing through the line."
When Fiumefreddo, who also plays middle linebacker, is not bruising his way through the inside, the Indians will rely on the passing arm of junior Nick Agelis. Rigoglioso started the 2003 season at quarterback, but was switched to wide receiver when Agelis’ quarterbacking skills blossomed.
"Matt was a good quarterback," O'Connor said. "But we felt that he was a better wide receiver. And that's where we needed more help last year. Nick wasn't quite ready to start at the beginning of the year, but he eventually matured into a mobile quarterback with a good arm.
"He worked hard all summer and we’re expecting him to have a good year. But now he won't be able to throw to Rigoglioso, who would have been one of his primary targets."
Now Agelis will be looking in the direction of slot-back Andy Koppel, one of 2003's leading receivers. O'Connor says that the rest of the team we'll be made up of up and coming performers.
"We have a lot of guys competing to spots," he said. "We've got some talent, but at this point we're trying to determine who fits where."
O'Connor got a pretty good idea of where the team stands this past July, when he took the team to camp at his alma mater, Boston College. The team trained with high school football players from all over the northeast. Don Bosco Prep and West Essex also attended from Northern New Jersey.
“Going to Boston is really going to help us,” O’Connor said. “There were a lot of good teams up there. I thought that it went very well. We’re moving in the right direction.”
O’Connor is hoping that the off-season camp on the Heights will help prepare his team for the always-competitive Northern Hills Skyline Conference.
In some rare good news for Valley, Delbarton, the long-time conference juggernaut, was re-assigned to the conference’s Suburban Division. Wayne will not have to face them this year.
Instead, they will have to play Passaic Tech, who was recently admitted to the conference. The two Wayne teams will meet for the first time ever this year. Tech has long been one of the top Group IV schools in the state.
“Passaic Tech is always good, but it helps us more to play them,” O’Connor said. “They’re a Group IV school and much bigger (enrollment wise) than Delbarton. That means we get more power points for playing them.”
And Valley, who just missed out on the playoffs last year, knows how important that is.
No comments:
Post a Comment