Bellino changing the culture at FDR

New coach has more players, looks for balance on offense

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

   HYDE PARK – Attrition happens at all levels of sports, particularly in high school football.

   Players come out for the team, get a whiff of the kind of commitment it takes – multiple practices, off-season weight training, film sessions, not to mention the actual physical punishment – and, for one reason or another, they decide not to play.

   For new Franklin D. Roosevelt High School football coach Brian Bellino, priority No. 1 when he took over was to keep numbers high and attrition low. So far, he’s done a pretty great job of that as the Presidents prepare for Friday’s season opener against Goshen.

   “We went and looked at our modified program that had 50-60 kids in seventh and eighth grades, and somehow it wasn’t translating to the varsity,” said Bellino. “We just weren’t getting the numbers. So we had to do some recruiting in the schools, in the hallways.”

   This season, Bellino had more than 80 players come out for varsity and jayvee, and kept 42 on the varsity, “which is a Roosevelt high in, I don’t know, God knows how many years,” he said.

   It’s a new era at FDR as Bellino, 33, takes over for the retired Harry Harrington, for whom he served on staff the last two years as defensive coordinator. Bellino is a football junkie, having played at Arlington High School and SUNY Cortland, and having previously served as an assistant at Poughkeepsie.

   He has his work cut out for him – even he admitted that part of his job was changing the culture at the school and convincing players that the program can be special.

   Offensively, FDR has one of the best running backs in the Hudson Valley in Errol Evans, who nearly rushed for 1,000 yards last year on a 2-7 team. Teams will key on Evans, no doubt, but they may be surprised if they do.

   “Errol is a phenomenal player but when you’re limited to that it becomes an easy thing for defenses. So we’re trying to get more people involved,” Bellino said. “We have some very good talent around him that will help us succeed. We’ll be more balanced. Being in the I (formation) you become very predictable. We’re trying to get away from that.”

   Junior Joe Soltysiak will start at quarterback, and “he gives us a lot of positive things in the passing game and the running game,” Bellino said.

   Soltysiak certainly won’t lack for receivers. Mike O’Connor and Cody DeBenedictus (see sidebar below) leading a pass-catching group that is talented and deep. Real deep.

   “We could easily have as many as eight receivers,” Bellino said. “That group is very deep, and that’s a beautiful thing.”

   The defense – Bellino’s baby – should be solid and aggressive. The Presidents did a great job last year of flying to the ball and creating turnovers, and Bellino suspects that won’t change.

   Linebacker Mark Scott and lineman Eric Holden are the keys to anchoring the ‘D.’

   “I have a lot of guys coming back, they know the scheme, and I don’t think there’s anybody on the defense that didn’t play a significant amount of time last year,” Bellino said. “They know what I want to do. We were efficient at forcing turnovers and we eliminated big plays last year.”

   Bellino then paused and quipped, “We played a lot of defense last year so that will help.”

OLL players excited for new coach

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

   When Krysta Vanacore heard that Al Viani was to be named the new head coach of the Our Lady of Lourdes High School girls’ basketball team, the senior was thrilled.

   “Some of us knew who he was; I played for the Hudson Valley Knights (AAU program) when Mr. Viani was on the board there,” she said. “I think we’re all pretty excited.”

   Viani was named to the position and held his first meeting with the players on Tuesday night. The news was first reported in Wednesday’s edition of Hudson Valley Sports Report.

   “We’re very excited,” senior Blair Weigescheide said. “He told us that some things will be different but that his style was similar to coach Mesuch.”

   Viani replaces Sarah Mesuch, whose dismissal was badly botched by school administrators. Mesuch, who won a state championship as a player at OLL and then as the head coach, lost her teaching position as a physical education instructor when Lourdes went through a downsizing in May. She also lost her coaching position when she was dismissed by school principal/CEO/COO Father John Lagiovane, even though he could have kept her on since OLL employs coaches who do not work or teach at the school.

   After several parents approached Lagiovane about his decision, he later offered Mesuch her coaching position back. But she declined after taking a full-time job in the Arlington school district.

  Also around the same time, athletic director David Seipp was mysteriously demoted from his position, although he retained his job as a phys ed teacher. Seipp, though, left the school in August when he got a job in the Wappingers school district.

   Viani is the father of three daughters who payed and won state championships at OLL. Two of them, Jenna and Julianne, went on to earn college scholarships. Julianne, of course, became a star point guard at Marist College, leading the Red Foxes to multiple NCAA tournament bids.

   “That’s how I knew him,” Wegescheide said. “I was never coached by him, although I knew he was a coach, but obviously I recognized the name.”

   Both Vanacore and Wegescheide attended the players-only meeting on Tuesday after receiving word from new athletic director Brad Westrick. Wegescheide said it was hard to be in limbo not knowing the coaching situation.

   “From the start, when we heard that coach Mesuch was let go, we were all disappointed,” she said. “We loved her. Knowing that we were starting a new season without a coach, it was hard to figure out what was going to happen next.”

   But Vanacore said she and the team were impressed right away at Tuesday’s meeting.

   “I think a lot of us were excited that he knew several of us by name, and also that he involved us by asking what kind of things we wanted to do in the preseason,” Vanacore said.

   Viani could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Roosevelt receiver DeBenedictus battles back from spleen injury

By Rich Thomaselli

HVSR

   HYDE PARK – At first, it was just a dull pain. More annoying than anything. A little uncomfortable, perhaps, but nothing that would have kept him out of the game he loves.

   Hey, football’s a physical game, right? Pain is part of the equation, right?

   For Franklin D. Roosevelt High School wide receiver/free safety Cody DeBenedictus, he had no idea just how painful

   “It all started at the Washingtonville game,” DeBenedictus said. “I took a good hit. The kid kind of speared me in the side.”

   DeBenedictus continued to play until two weeks later, when the pain moved from annoying to searing. One night at home, he complained to his mother, who had him walk up and down the hallway to see if he could work the kinks out. When it didn’t subside, it was off to the doctor.

   The diagnosis? DeBenedictus suffered a lacerated spleen from that hit in the Washingtonville game, and it became worse and worse with every hit he took in practices and games the next two weeks.

   “The doctors put me right into a CAT scan and I remember we were supposed to play Red Hook the next day,” DeBenedictus said, “and my first question was ‘Can I play tomorrow?’ ”

   The doctor laughed. DeBenedictus wasn’t headed back to Hyde Park. He was off to the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, where he remained for a week before returning home for a month, where teachers came to his home to mentor him to make sure he didn’t fall behind.

   He was out of physical activity for six months. When he returned, he hit the weight room with his teammates.

   “When he was finally cleared to play in the spring, he was our most dedicated and committed player in the off-season program,” Roosevelt coach Brian Bellino said. “He’ll start at wide receiver for us. He’s a great kid.”

   DeBenedictus not only lifted and was a part of all drills, but he was on the field in July when FDR participated in the full-contact Mid-Hudson Football Camp.

Marist men push past Army in opener

   POUGHKEEPSIE – In a matchup of the area’s only two Division I-A schools, the Marist College men’s soccer team opened the 2010 season with a 2-1 victory over Army on Wednesday night at Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field.

   Sophomore Stephan Brossard and junior Lucas Szabo each scored goals for the Red Foxes to begin the campaign.

   Marist (1-0) outshot Army 17-9, and Szabo took four shots, all of which were put on the frame. Brossard also boasted a perfect shooting percentage on the night. He put all three of his shots on goal. Senior Joe Pilla made three saves in goal for the Red Foxes for his first win. All three of his saves came in the second half.

   In the 16th minute, Szabo put Marist’s first shot of the match on goal. A diving save by Army keeper Michal Fiuk kept the ball from crossing the goal line. Brossard connected with the first goal of the match 1:05 after Szabo’s shot on goal. After Steven Morales stole the ball deep in the Army end, he fed Brossard who converted the opportunity to the far post.

   Marist added what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 60th minute. After Fiuk was charged with a hand ball outside the 18-meter box, Szabo took the ensuing free kick and put the ball into the upper right corner of the goal. His first marker of the season put Marist up 2-0.

   Army cut the lead to one in the 86th minute when Mitch Johnson finished a corner kick in the box, after a scramble. The Black Knights had a corner kick in the final minute of the match, but no shot came from the opportunity.

   The Red Foxes held an 8-5 edge in corner kicks. Army made eight saves, to Marist’s three in the match.

   Since head coach Matt Viggiano took over the program, Marist is 3-0-1 in home openers, and won the last three openers at Tenney Stadium. Additionally, the Red Foxes have won the last three matches over the Black Knights, while each of the last eight matches decided by one goal. Marist holds a 6-2 advantage during the stretch, which began in 2000.

Saugerties off to fast start

   SAUGERTIES – The Sawyers are off to an impressive start.

   Kyle Gentile earned medalist honors with a 6-over-par 41, and the Saugerties High School golf team whipped Onteora, 174-242, in a Mid-Hudson Athletic League match played at the Lazy Swan Golf and Country Club.

   It was the opening match of the season for both schools.

   Matt Hogan and Jeff Miron each shot 44 for the victors, while Hunter Panek paced Onteora with a 48.

RV opens with win over Marlboro

  ACCORD – Well, Andrew and Ben DeForest might have graduated, but the Rondout Valley High School boys’ golf team is still loaded.

   Bo Madea shot a 1-over-par 36, and Ethan DeForest added a 2-over 37, and the Ganders opened the 2010-11 high school sports season with a 155-186 win over Marlboro on Tuesday in Mid-Hudson Athletic League action at Rondout Golf Club.

   Patrick Kelley and Joe Redmond each shot a 41 for Rondout, the defending league champions.

   Marlboro’s Robert Morris had team low honors with a 40, while teammate Dominic Porpiglia shot a 43.

Marist volleyball takes win in home opener 

   POUGHKEEPSIE – The Marist College volleyball team found life in Poughkeepsie much to its liking.

   Marist won its home opener Tuesday over the Hartford Hawks, 3-1 (25-23, 27-29, 25-22, 25-14), as freshman Grace Hill led the Red Foxes with 24 kills in addition to hitting .345 for the match.

   Marist (2-3) took an early 5-1 lead to start the first set on two kills from sophomore Leeann Harridsleff and two service aces from Hill. Marist would extend its lead to 20-11 after two combined blocks by senior Allie Burke and Harridsleff, before opening up a ten-point lead on a kill by Hill. The Red Foxes then closed out the first set on a kill from junior Kayla Burton.

   The second set saw 24 ties and nine lead changes as Hartford (0-4) had an answer for every time Marist took the lead. With the score tied 12-12, a kill by Harridsleff gave the Red Foxes a one-point led, only to see the Hawks even up the score on a kill by Michelle Cordell. Hartford gained its first lead of the set, 14-13, on a Marist attack error as both teams continued to trade points.

   Leading 25-24, Marist had an opportunity to close out the set, but a service error would give the ball back to Hartford with the score tied 26-26. After briefly retaking the lead, 27-26, on a kill by Hill, Marist saw the Hawks even up the score once again on a kill by Dionna Kirton. From there, Hartford closed out the set on a Marist attack error and a Lindsay Makowicki kill.

   In the third set, Hartford built a 4-0 lead on a kill by Michelle Cordell and a service ace by Kirton. The Hawks would increase their lead to five points, 8-3, before the Red Foxes stormed back to even up the score at 10-10. Marist found itself trailing later in the set, 20-17, but managed to string together three straight points on kills by Burke, Hill, and a service ace from sophomore Katie Estes. From there, Marist would not look back, as it received three more kills from Hill and a service ace from Stoiberg to claim the set 25-22.

   The Red Foxes picked up where they left off to start the fourth set, taking an 8-2 lead on kills by Estes and Burke as Hartford trailed by as many as ten points in the set. Leading 24-14 with a chance to close out the match, a Burton kill gave Marist the 25-14 fourth set victory and its second win of the season. 

   For the match, Marist outhit Hartford, .261 to .241 in addition to holding a 62-53 advantage in kills. Hill’s 24 kills in the match tied her for ninth most on Marist’s all-time single match kills list and gave her double digit kills in four of the team’s first five matches. Junior libero Stephanie Robinett (Sugar Land, Texas) recorded a match-high 17 digs for the Red Foxes while Estes and Harridsleff each finished with 11 kills.