Coach Zafiris draws out a play during the second half.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – After entering halftime tied, all signs pointed to the Dumont Huskies and the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen playing a close game until the final buzzer.
But halfway through the third quarter, Dumont took control with an 11-0 run on their way to remaining undefeated.
“We really wanted to beat our rival and come out with fire,” said Fort Lee senior guard Brianna Mattessich. “We were playing with them the whole time. Then in the second half, we came out and turnovers killed us.”
Fort Lee head coach Stacie Zafiris prepared countless hours for Dumont and was not pleased with the final outcome.
“Again, we beat ourselves,” said Zafiris. “I don’t think that they earned the win. I think we gave them the win.”
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January 6, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 11-0 run, 15-point victory, 57-42, advantage, basketball, carries team well, center, changes, coach Stacie Zafiris, control, countless hours, defeat, Defense, deficit, Dumont, Dumont Huskies, earn the win, fire, first half, first quarter, flow, Fort Lee, Fort Lee High School, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, forward, fourth quarter, freshman, freshmen, full court press, gave it to them, girl's basketball, guard, head coach Stacie Zafiris, high school basketball, Holiday Tournament, Huskies, intensity, junior, junior forward Carly Reitano, juniors, Lady Bidgemen, loss, Lyndhurst, Mattessich, Memorial, Memorial High School, New Jersey, NJ, not pleased, one point, Parikh, practice, preparation, Reitano, rely on her, rivalry, run, Saturday, second half, second quarter, senior, senior forward Bindi Parikh, senior guard Brianna Mattessich, seniors, snow, sophomore, sophomores, staying on top, third quarter, Thursday, tomorrow, turnovers, unbelmished, weather-related, win, Zafiris | Leave A Comment »
Coach Sayer said that Ammad Quraishi (left) was one of his more improved players from break.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The holiday season is usually very busy with very little free time.
But throw a blizzard into the mix, and all of a sudden, the holidays just became a little bit more hectic.
With all of the hours spent with family, and maybe even more hours shoveling, you can see where it may be difficult for a student athlete to find practice time in late December.
This is one of the albeit unusual dilemmas that plagued the Fort Lee bowling team during the past week.
Many of the co-ed bowlers made plans to practice during vacation but were forced to break from their normal routines due to the circumstances.
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January 6, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010, 2011, advantage, assisting, back on track, bowl, bowler, Bowler City, bowlers, bowling team, Bridgemen and Lady Bridgemen, Bridgemen Bowling Team, children, coach Dennis Sayer, crazy, Daniels, David Daniels, Dennis Sayer, difficult, dilemma, directions, Englewood, first time meeting, forced to break routine, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee High School, fortune begins to change, freshman, freshmen, friday, get back into it, Hackensack, hectic, holiday seasonm busy, hours shoveling, hours with family, Inalman, junior, juniors, Lady Bridgemen Bowling Team, Lakeland, late December, laughing, little bit of luck, lucky, mid-week session, Mike Radomski, New Jersey, NJ, no driving, out of league opponent, parents, Patch, Patch.com, Pirates, positive attitude, practice, practice time, practicing, Radomski, record snowfall ruins bowler's routine, relaxed, root each other on, rooting, Sayer, scrimmage, senior, seniors, sophomore, sophomores, sport a team, stressed, student athletes, tough, unusual, Wednesday, Yeliz Inalman | Leave A Comment »
Fort Lee's Demir Radoncic lines up to continue his match.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – With the lights dimmed and the crowd filling nearly every seat in the gym, the Fort Lee Bridgemen wrestling team took to the mats for their home opener against Cliffside Park Wednesday night.
Before the match, junior Demir Radoncic pumped up the Bridgemen with chants of “Let’s go,” and “Go hard!” Most of the wrestlers said they were excited to wrestle in front of the home crowd, and some even admitted to being a bit nervous.
“I had some pregame jitters,” said senior Anatoliy Alkazov.
Freshman wrestler Devin Sokolicn went even further with describing the atmosphere.
”Scary,” Sokolicn said. “[The] heart was racing, blood was pumping.”
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January 6, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 152, 160, 171, 19-12, 3-0 lead, Aaron Moon, advantage, Alex Almeyda, Alkazov, Almeyda, Anatoliy Alkazov, atmosphere, back to back pins, blood pumping, Bridgemen, Cliffside Park, Coach Alex Almeyda, coach MacIver, consecutive points, crowd, Dadoncic, deficit, Demir Radoncic, Devin Sokolicn, disrespect, downer, Dumont, excited to play, failed to earn points, final 38 points, final message, Fort Lee, Fort Lee High School, Fort Lee High School Gym, Fort Lee New Jersey, fought back, freshman, freshmen, friday, go hard, great, head coach, heart racing, heavyweights, high school wrestling, home opener, house, intensity, jitters, junior, junior varsity, juniors, let’s go, lightweights, MacIver, match, Moon, nervous, never seen that before, New Jersey, New Jersey High school wrestling, pins, re-gain the lead, Red Raiders, scary, senior, seniors, sophomore, sophomores, strengths, Tantillo, Thomas Tantillo, throw-up, throw-up delay, thrown on my back, trainer, varsity, weaknesses, Wednesday, wrestlers, wrestling, your team verse your team | Leave A Comment »
Coach John Ziemba(left) talks to Dashaun Washington (center) and Tandee Mushanda (right).
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Separated by just five miles, the rivalry between Fort Lee and Ridgefield Park grows large in just the small amount of space that divides the two New Jersey towns.
It is a rivalry where the Scarlets and Bridgemen simply do not like each other, and on Tuesday night, it was Ridgefield Park that walked away with bragging rights in a 52-40 win.
One of the key components of the victory was the play of Nelson Mendez, the Scarlets’ senior forward. Mendez utilized his inside presence and post-up maneuvers to lead all players with a game-high 24 points.
“Mendez is the best player in the league,” said Fort Lee head coach John Ziemba. “He made some unbelievable shots.”
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January 4, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 15 points, 24 points, 52-40, 90 pounds, Anthony Rafes, best player in the league, best players at that position, best point guard, Bridgemen, Bridgemen and Scarlets, center, combined, criss-cross move, crossover, Dashaun Washington, defeat, distance, Dumont, Dumont High School, five miles, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee High School, forward, fourteen years old, freshman, freshmen, game high, guard, half-court offense, head coach John Ziemba, high school basketball, John Ziemba, junior, juniors, loss, mid-40s, Mike Radomski, Nelson Mendez, New Jersey, NJ, Patch, Patch.com, point guard, Radomski, Rafes, Ridgefield Park, Ridgefield Park Scarlets, rivalry, Scarlets, scoring, senior, seniors, separation, sophomore, sophomores, spread offense, stature, Thomas Gerken, Thursday, totaled, Tuesday, unbelievable shots, victory, Washington, win, Ziemba | Leave A Comment »
Coach John Ziemba talks to the Bridgemen in a full timeout.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Fort Lee boys basketball team hoped to carry the momentum of a win over Mahwah into the new year, but the Bridgemen were tripped up against Montclair on Sunday 53-36.
With the win, the Montclair Bulldogs finished fifth in the Jack Reilly Tournament, leaving the Bridgemen looking at what went wrong.
“Thursday we had so much more energy,” said sophomore guard Nick Gentile. “Today we were all dead.”
With a noon start time, Fort Lee head coach John Ziemba emphasized that the team with the quicker start would have the edge in this contest, and it was Montclair who did just that.
“We came out, made two mistakes early and were down 4-0 eight seconds into the game,” Ziemba said. “To me, that set the tone.”
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January 2, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 1-5 season, 13-3 run, 2010, 2011, 4-0, 53-36, 9-0, advantage, Anthony Rafes, basketball, behind every game, boy's basketball, Boy's Basketball Tournament, break, Bridgemen, bright future, Bulldogs, catchup, Chinua Young, Cliffside Park, competative, dead, defeat, down, early run, eight points, energy, few minutes in, fifth place, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee Bridgemen start new year with loss to Montclair, Fort Lee New Jersey, freshman, freshmen, games, Gentile, halftime, head coach John Ziemba, Holiday Tournament, intensity, Jack Reilly, Jack Reilly Tournament, January, junior, juniors, Kabi West, league schedule, loss, Mahwah, momentum, Montclair, Montclair Bulldogs, new year, Nick Gentile, noon start time, ol year, optimism, Padin, players, positive, press, Rafes, rattle off wins, Ridgefield Park, rivalry, seconds in, senior, senior forward, senior forward George Padin, senior guard, seniors, six points, sophomore, sophomore center, sophomore guard, sophomores, Sunday, talent, Thunderbolts, Thursday, tons, trailing, transition, turnovers, victory, West, win, young, Ziemba | 1 Comment »
Coach Stacie Zafiris (center) poses with MVP Bindi Parikh (left) and captain Brianna Mattessich (right).
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Looking forward to 2011, the Fort Lee athletics program hopes the new year turns out to be a lot like how the last year ended.
On the very last day of 2010, the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen defeated the Park Ridge Owls to win the Lyndhurst Girl’s Basketball Holiday Tournament.
Senior forward Bindi Parikh was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament after scoring 25 points and senior guard Brianna Mattessich was also named to the All-Tournament team along with her teammate.
It was the second straight championship for the Lady Bridgemen, who are now 2-2 this season and looking forward to the week ahead.
They have three more games to worry about this week, including a tough road game against Ridgefield Park on Tuesday, back home against Dumont on Thursday and another road game on Saturday morning against Memorial High School.
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January 2, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010, 2011, 26 medals, 4 x 200, 4 x 800, A Look Ahead, A Look Back, A look back and a look ahead, All-Tournament team, athlete of the meet, away, back to back, basketball, Bindi Parikh, Bowler City, boy's, boy's basketball, Brianna Mattessich, Coach Ed Garrison, Coach John Ziemba, December 20th, Dumont, Englewood, fifth, first contests, first home meet, first win, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee High School, Fort Lee High School Gym, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, four o'clock, freshman, freshmen, friday, Garrison, girl athlete of the meet, girl's basketball, girls, Hackensack, Holiday Relay Carnival, home, indoor track, Jack Reilly Tournament, Jersey City Armory, junior, juniors, Lakeland, lasy year, Lyndhurst, Lyndhurst Girl's Basketball Holiday Tournament, Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament, Mahwah, male athlete of the meet, Mattessich, Melanie Plattner, Memorial, Monday, Montclair, most valuable player, New Jersey, Old Tappan, Orange, Parikh, Park Ridge, Park Ridge Owls, Plattner, relay, repeat champions, Ridgefield Park, road, run, Saturday, second, senior, seniors, sophomore, sophomores, sprint, St. Mary's, Sunday, The Week in Sports, third, this year, Thursday, times, Tom Zaccone, Tom Zaccone Invitational. Farleigh Dickinson University, Tuesday, Wayne Hills, Wednesday, wrestling, Ziemba | Leave A Comment »
Bindi Parikh is the Athlete of the Week.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Senior forward Bindi Parikh scored a season-high 25 points in the championship game of the Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament and was named the Patch Athlete of the Week.
As the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen won their unprecedented second consecutive championship, Parikh led the charge from beginning to end.
The forward outscored the Park Ridge Owls 11-5 in the first quarter and continued to pour it on throughout the game.
The soft-spoken Parikh said, “We have an awesome team so with the help of everyone we were able to have a great game.”
What makes the senior’s performance even more remarkable is what happened to her in the team’s opening game of the tournament. Riddled with foul trouble throughout the contest, Parikh saw limited minutes and only scored four points in Fort Lee’s narrow win over Lyndhurst.
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January 1, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 11-5, 25 points, Athlete of the Week, award winning forward, back to back, baskets, Bindi Parikh, Brianna Mattessich, buckets, champions, championships, champs, clicking, coach Stacie Zafiris, double up, emphasizes team play, everyone, first quarter, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, forward, foul trouble, fourth quarter, friday, Golden Bears, great, great game, guard, happy, head coach, January 4th, limited minutes, Lyndhurst, Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament, make the shot, modest, most valuable player, MVP, narrow win, only scored four points, outscore, outstanding play, Owls, Parikh, Park Ridge, pass it to her, Patch.com, performance, personal accolades, presence, Ridgefield Park, season high, season high 25 points, second consecutive, second quarter, senior, senior forward, senior forward Bindi Parikh, senior year, soft-spoken, talented, tch, team, third quarter, threat, trophy, victory, Wednesday, wonderful, Zafiris | Leave A Comment »
The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, back to back championships.
(LYNDHURST, N.J.) – Make room on the mantle! The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen won their second straight holiday tournament Friday, defeating the Park Ridge Owls 50-46 in Lyndhurst.
Senior forward Bindi Parikh led all players with 25 points on her way to being named the tournament’s most valuable player. Senior guard Brianna Mattessich added 15 points in the program’s historic victory.
Fort Lee has now won the tournament in consecutive years for the first time. They also gained a little revenge on Park Ridge for beating them in the finals in 2008.
“Two years ago, we watched [Park Ridge] get their trophies,” said Fort Lee head coach Stacie Zafiris. “It was almost like those players from two years ago made a vow to not have that feeling again.”
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December 31, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 11 points, 15 points, 21-5, 25 points, 50-46, All-Tournament team, amazing, back to back, Bindi Parikh, Brianna Mattessich, center, center court, centers, consecutive, defending champs, Defense, disbelief, doubling the total, first team, first time, first time in program history, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, forward, forwards, foul trouble, freshman, freshmen, game high, guard, guards, head coach, head coach Mike Weaver, head coach Stacie Zafiris, historic win, Holiday Tournament Championship, junior, juniors, Lady Bridgemen, Lyndhurst, Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament, Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament Champions, make room on the mantle, Mattessich, Mike Weaver, most valuable player, MVP, never gives up, offense, Owls, Parikh, Park Ridge, Park Ridge Owls, played hardest, points, revenge, Ridgefield Park, season high, senior, senior forward, senior forward Bindi Parikh, senior guard Brianna Mattessich, seniors, sophomore, sophomores, struggling to score, team high, trophies, want need, Zafiris | Leave A Comment »
Coach Ziemba talks to the Bridgemen
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Fort Lee Bridgemen took advantage of two late technical fouls, earning their first win of the season in a come-from-behind 42-39 victory against the Mahwah Thunderbolts.
The win also secures Fort Lee another game on Sunday against Montclair as Mahwah was eliminated from the Jack Reilly Boys Basketball Tournament.
After going 0-4 to start the year, the Bridgemen were ecstatic to get the win.
“We needed a win in 2010,” said Fort Lee coach John Ziemba. “I know we have a tough team to play on Sunday, but we needed this win so bad.”
To begin the night, Fort Lee held Mahwah to just five points in the first quarter, something many of the players attributed to the return of senior forward George Padin.
“It helped us a lot, and our team defense got a lot closer,” said Josh Ford, the freshman guard. “He is the main focus on our team. He did everything.”
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December 30, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 0-4, 18-18, 30-26, 39-36, 42-39, 8-0 run, advancing, advantage, angle, ball up the floor, basketball, boy's, boy's basketball, Boy's Basketball Tournament, Bridgemen, Bridgemen keep composure in critical fourth quarter, celebrate, center, centers, come from behind, concussion, conference-mandated, Deer, defeat, defense got closer, ecstatic, edge, eliminated, expletive, first quarter, first win, five point first quarter, Ford, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee Fights for First Win of the Season, Fort Lee head coach, forward, forwards, foul, fouled out, fourth quarter, free throws, freshman, freshmen, gam high, game-tying, Gentile, George Padin, Glicini, go ahead, golden opportunity, guard, guards, halftime, he did everything, head coach, helped a lot, high school, high school basketball, inbound, intensity, Jack Reilly, Jack Reilly Tournament, Jim Deer, John Ziemba, Josh Ford, junior, juniors, kept composure, least amount of points, loss, Mahwah, Mahwah Thunderbolts, Mark Glicini, missed three, Montclair, New Jersey, New Jersey high school basketball, Nick Gentile, NJ, only do so much from the bench, Padin, physicality, plan to foul, position to win, positive, reaction, return, second quarte, senior, seniors, Snyder, sophomore, sophomores, stole the game, storm the court, Sunday, team high, techincals, technical foul, technical fouls, technical fouls helped, third quarter, thought it was in, Thunderbolts, Thursday, tie, timeouts, to be in the game, tough team, twelve days, victory, we needed a win in 2010, we needed this win bad, whiff, win, yell, Ziemba | Leave A Comment »
Coach Zafiris runs through the gameplan with the Lady Bridgemen.
(LYNDHURST, N.J.) – The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen basketball team edged the Lyndhurst Golden Bears 48-46 Wednesday afternoon at Lyndhurst, earning their first win of the season and securing a spot in the championship game of the holiday tournament.
Trailing by two points with just 25 seconds left on the clock, the Lady Bridgemen found junior guard Ally Long standing at the top of the arc for a go-ahead three-pointer.
Behind 46-43, Lyndhurst missed their initial shot, but the Golden Bears were able to grab the offensive rebound. Junior Nicole Barratta took full advantage as she swished in the game-tying three.
But when Lyndhurst fouled Long on the inbound pass, freezing the clock with just 2.27 seconds left in a tie game, Lyndhurst coach Perrin Mosca argued with the officials after the play and received an additional technical foul, confusion ensued as to how the free throws would be handled.
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December 29, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 48-46, 48-46 lead, Ally Long, arguing, back to back, Baratta, bench, bonus, Championship game, confusion swept across the gym, defet, disagreement, displeasure, eight points, final buzzer, first win, first win of the year, five second violation, Fort Lee, foul trouble, free throw confusion, freezing the clock, freshman, freshman Grace Tomko, freshmen, friday, game high, Genevieve Noel, girl's basketball, Golden Bears, half court heave, head coach, head coach Perrin Mosca, head coach Stacie Zafiris, high school, Holiday Tournament, inbound pass, initial shot, junior, junior forward Anthe Nikolaidis, junior guard, juniors, Lady Bridgemen, late three, lead, loss, Lyndhurst, Lyndhurst gym, Lyndhurst Holiday Tournament, Midland Par, Mosca, New Jersey, Nicole Baratta, Nikolaidis, Noel, officials, one and one, one o'clock, one of two, Orange, Palisades Park, Park Ridge, players stepped up, plus technical, rematch, repeat, second chance, senior, senior Brianna Mattssich, seniors, six points, sophomore, sophomres, swish, team free throws, team high, team high ten points, technical foul, ten points, tied it up, timeout, Tomko, top of the arc, trailing, unbeknownest to the situation, unecessary foul, victory, want second one, Wednesday afternoon, wide open, win, without her we wouldn't have won, Zafiris | Leave A Comment »
Head Coach John Ziemba instructs the Fort Lee Bridgemen before the game.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Orange Tornadoes defeated the Fort Lee Bridgemen 52-37 Tuesday night in the final game of the opening round of the Jack Reilly boys’ Basketball Tournament at Fort Lee High School.
Junior forward Kahled Muhammad led all players with a game-high 14 points for the Orange as freshman guard Josh Ford netted 10 points for Fort Lee.
The night began with a 6-0 run by the Tornadoes that forced the Fort Lee to play from behind yet again.
“We got outhustled,” said Fort Lee’s sophomore guard Nick Gentile. “It was the hustle that killed us. We just couldn’t execute.”
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December 28, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 14 points, 15 points, 3:45, 52-37, 5:30, 6-0 run, ahead, all in the second half, always on the floor, behind, Boy's Basketball Tournament, Bridgemen, converted, crowd, defeat, easy buckets, energy, enough offense, excellent shots, execute, final minues, first quarter, Ford, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, fourth quarter, freshman, freshman forward, freshman guard Josh Ford, game high, Gentile, great kid, hard, head coach John Ziemba, high school basketball, hit in the nose, hustle, injured knee, Jack Reilly, Jack Reilly Boy's Basketball Tournament, John Ziemba, junior, Kahlad, Kahlad Muhammad, killed us, long-distance, loose balls, lose, loser's bracket, loss, Mahwah, Montclair, Muhammad, Nick Gentile, Old Tappan, open looks, opposite end of the floor, Orange, Orange Tornadoes, playing tough, points, pull one off, quickness, second quarter, senior, seven o'clock, Snyder, sophomore, sophomore guard, St. Mary's, team high, ten points, third quarter, Thursday, tied it up, Tornadoes, turnovers, two o'clock, updates through the week, victory, want a win, Wayne Hills, win, winner's bracket, Ziemba | Leave A Comment »
The Jack Reilly Boy's Basketball program
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Jack Reilly Tournament was postponed Sunday.
Fort Lee Athletic Director Pat Ambrosio made the decision early on Sunday morning after watching the radar, consulting with colleagues and thinking of everyone’s safety.
“Ultimately, the decision needs to made about the safety of everyone first,” Ambrosio said. “It made no sense to force the issue when you have a holiday week.”
The athletic director also said that it became “like a game” trying to see if the school would be able to get the games in and beat the impending blizzard.
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December 26, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 3:45 PM, 5:30, 7:00, AD Pat Ambrosio, all games, Ambrosio, at night, athletic director Pat Ambrosio, basketball, blizzard, boy's basketball, championship, consolation games, consulting colleagues, delayed, forecast, Fort Lee, Fort Lee New Jersey, high school basketball, high schools, Holiday Tournament, Jack Reilly, Jack Reilly Boy's Basketball Tournamet, like a game, losers, Mahwah, Montclair, New Jersey, New Jersey high school basketball, next Sunday, NJ, no sense to play, Old Tappan, on the road, one game, Orange, Pat Ambrosio, postponed, safety to everyone, same time, send them back, snow, Snyder, St. Mary's, Sunday, Sunday morning, thundersnow, Thursday, tournament continues, travel, Tuesday, two o'clock, varsity basketball, varsity boy's basketball, watch the radar, Wayne Hills, winners | Leave A Comment »
Junior wrestler Andrew Lee stares down his opponent
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – During the past week, the Fort Lee wrestling and indoor track teams started their seasons, the co-ed bowling team had their last match before the break and both basketball teams have finished their first slate of games.
Last Tuesday, the boy’s bowling team defeated Westwood 5-0 with strong performances from senior David Daniels and junior Peter King. Both players shot in the 190s as the Bridgemen earned the sweep. On the girl’s side, the Lady Bridgemen were defeated by Westwood 5-0. Senior Yeliz Inalman had a team high game of 175.
On the mats, the Fort Lee wrestling team lost the season opening match on the road to Mahwah 58-15. Junior Andrew Lee recorded a pin for the Bridgemen in the 135 weight class and later on in the evening, senior Anatoliy Alkazov recorded a late come-from-behind win at 152.
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December 26, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 135, 152, 5-0, 58-15, 7th place, Alkazov, Anatoliy Alkazov, Andrew Lee, Ashley Jenq, at home, back to back championships, Bergen County Wrestling Tournament, bowling team, boy's basketball, break, Championship game, Christmas, co-ed bowling, coach, Coach Ed Garrison, consolation game, Daniels, David Daniels, defeated, Ed Garrison, first match, first meet, first wins, Fort Lee, Fort Lee boy's basketball, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee co-ed bowling, Fort Lee girl's basketball, Fort Lee indoor track team, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, Fort Lee wrestling team, freshman, freshmen, friday, girl's basketball, holiday basketball tournament, Holiday Relays, Inalman, indoor track team, Jack Reilly, Jack Reilly Basketball Tournament, Jenq, Jersey City Armory, junior, juniors, King, last match, last meet, Lee, look ahead, look back, loser's bracket, loses, loss, luxury to play at home, Lyndhurst high school, Lyndhurst holiday basketball tournament, Mahwah, Masaru Yamaguchi, medaling, Mike Radomski, Monday, New Jersey, Northern Valley Old Tappan, on the road, Patch, Patch.com, Peter King, placing, Radomski, repeat, Saturday, senior, seniors, sixty teams, snow, snowstorm, Snyder, sophomore, sophomores, Spiked Show Holiday Classic, sports journalist, sports reporter, sports updates, St. Mary's, strong performance, Sunday, Thursday, Tuesday, upcoming week, varsity, Wednesday, week in review, weight class, Westwood, win, winner's bracket, wins, wrestling team, Yamaguchi, Yeliz Inalman | Leave A Comment »
Athlete of the Week: Nick Gentile
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – In the season of giving, it only seems fitting to start giving away our Athlete of the Week Awards.
At the end of every week, Patch will honor one student athlete who performed exceptionally well in his/her sport, while also highlighting their accomplishments.
The first Athlete of the Week is sophomore guard Nick Gentile of the Fort Lee Bridgemen varsity boys’ basketball team.
Nick started the season last Friday with a 17-point performance on the road at Bergenfield and has continued his strong play throughout the following week.
On Tuesday, Gentile added another ten points against Cliffside Park before posting a season-high 18 points Thursday night versus Ramapo.
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December 25, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 0-3, 17-point performance, accomplishments, Athlete of the Week, basketball, Bergenfield, Boy’s Basketball, Boy’s Basketball Team, Bridgemen, Christmas, concussion, Defense, double digits, eager, elevated his game, first win, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Boy’s Basketball, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, friday, Gentile, Jack Reilly Boy’s Basketball Tournament, Jack Reilly Tournament, major minutes, New Jersey, Nick Gentile, offense, on the road, pass the ball, Patch, Patch.com, point guard, Ramapo, ready, season high, season high 18 points, season of giving, senior, senior George Padin, sidelined, sophomore guard, sophomore guard Nick Gentile, student athlete, Thursday night, trying, varsity | Leave A Comment »
Fort Lee head coach John Ziemba talks to the Bridgemen during a timeout.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – In their first home game of the season, the Fort Lee Bridgemen were defeated by the Ramapo Raiders 60-41 on Thursday night.
Fort Lee sophomore guard Nick Gentile lead all players with 18 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop Ramapo from improving to 3-0 on the season.
The Bridgemen were again without their lone senior captain George Padin, who suffered a concussion in the season opener against Bergenfield last week.
“We really miss him,” said Gentile. “He is the heart of our team.”
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December 24, 2010 | Categories: Fort Lee Boys Basketball | Tags: 0-3, 18 points, 60-41, advantage, Bridgemen, Bunting, concussion, consecutive points, December 28th, December 30th, defeat, deficit, execute, first half, first quarter, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee High School Gym, Fort Lee New Jersey, fourth quarter, freshman, freshmen, game high, Gentile, George Padin, getting better, good learning experience, heart, high school basketball, Holiday Tournament, Hunt, Jack Reilly Holiday Tournament, John Ziemba, junior, lead, leadership, lose, loss, Matt Bunting, miss him, mistakes, mounting a comeback, New Jersey, New Jersey high school basketball, Nick Gentile, Northern Valley Old Tappan, older team, Orange, outscoring, progress, Raiders, rally, Ramapo Raiders, runs, Saint Mary's, second half, second quarter, senior, shocked, Snyder, sophomore, Sunday, T.J. Hunt, team, team high, third quarter, Thursday, Thursday night, Tuesday, Tyler Ward, undefeated, underclassmen, upperclassmen, Ward, win, winless, wins, wins and losses, young team | Leave A Comment »
The officials look over the current situation of the game before continuing the suspended affair.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen lost the continuation of a suspended game against the Bergenfield Lady Bears on Thursday night 65-30.
Junior guards Krystal Carvajal and Jessi Corredor invigorated Bergenfield with a combined 32 points as Fort Lee was forced to play from behind, dating all the way back to last Friday.
The two teams started the game Dec. 17 but were only able to play a single minute before referee Greg Dobbin collapsed on the court.
Dobbin was able to rise to his feet and walk off the court under his own power, but the game was suspended until Thursday with Bergenfield holding a 5-2 advantage.
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December 23, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 0-2, 14-4 run, 5-2 lead, 65-30, advantage, Ashley Marfo, Bergenfield, Bergenfield Lady Bears, Brianna Mattessich, Carvajal, centers, coach Stacie Zafiris, combined 32 points, continuation, Corredr, December 17, December 23, defeat, eliminate, first in program history, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, forwards, freshmen, girl's basketball, guards, high school basketball, Holiday Tournament, invigorated, Jessi Corredor, junior, Krystal Cavajal, Lady Bears, Lady Bridgemen, look to repeat, lose, loss, Lyndhurst, Marfo, matchup, missed layups, mistakes, Monday, New Jersey, official, Palisades Park, re-energized, rec level, referee collapses, referee Greg Dobbin, senior, sophmore, suspended game, trailing, trailing since last week, turnovers, two teams, varsity basketball, varsity level, victory, Wednesday, win, wins | 2 Comments »
The captains from both sides meet on the mat.
(MAHWAH, N.J.) – The Mahwah Thunderbirds utilized experience and seven pins in a 58-15 win over the Fort Lee Bridgemen at home on Wednesday night.
Both teams were primed for the match but were forced to wait out an 11-minute delay due to a power failure.
Once the scoreboard was turned back on, Mahwah started lighting it up.
Just 53 seconds into the first match, freshman Erik Molina pinned fellow freshman Devin Sokolicn in the 103 pound match for an early 6-0 advantage.
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December 23, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 285, 2:15, 58-15, Alex Almeyda, Alkazov, Almeyda, Anatoliy Alkazov, Andrew Lee, Bridgemen, coach, conditioning, defeat, Devin Sokolicn, Erik Molina, first match, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, freshman, head coach, high school wrestling, junior, Kalewicz, Lee, lighting it up, lose, loss, Mahwah, Mahwah Thunderbirds, Mike Kalewicz, Mike Radomski, Molina, New Jersey, New Jersey High school wrestling, Patch, Patch.com, power failure, power outage, Radomski, rusty, scoreboard out, season opener, season opening, senior, Sokolicn, sophmore, teams, Thunderbirds, victory, Wednesday, Wednesday evening, Wednesday night, weight classes, win, wins, wrestling | Leave A Comment »
The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen huddle during their first loss of the season.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – In a physical, edge-of-your-seat season opener, the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen lost to the Cliffside Park Red Raiders 35-30 in girls varsity basketball on Tuesday night.
Senior Bindi Parikh tallied a game high 14 points, but it wasn’t enough as Cliffside Park mounted a late fourth-quarter comeback for the victory.
“We panicked a little,” said senior Brianna Mattessich on the final few minutes. “We turned over the ball a lot, and it’s a tough situation. But we’ve got to get past it.”
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December 21, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 35-30, Anthe Nikolaidis, Bindi Parikh, black jerseys, Brianna, Brianna Mattessich, center, Cliffside Park, Cliffside Park Red Raiders, coach, comeback, Defense, Denise, Denise Hadzovic, edge of your seat, Fort Lee, Fort Lee falters in the fourthin 35-30 loss to Cliffside Park, Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, forward, foul trouble, freshmen, Gimson, girl's basketball, guard, Hadzovic, head coach, junior, Lady Bridgemen, Lady Bridgemen Basketball, Lady Bridgemen girl's basketball, Lady Bridgemen varsity girl's basketball, late charge, loss, lost, Mattessich, Megan Gimson, Mike Radomski, New Jersey, New Jersey high school basketball, Nikolaidis, NJ, offense, orange jerseys, panic, Parikh, Patch, Patch.com, physical, Radomski, rebound, Red Raiders, Scala, season opener, senior, sophmore, Stacie Zafiris, Tina Scala, Tuesday night, varsity girl's basketball, victory, white jerseys, win, Zafiris | 2 Comments »
Coach Dennis Sayer congratulates senior David Daniels on a career high score.
(HACKENSACK, N.J.) – Like a baseball pitcher on the mound, a bowler facing 10 pins at the end of a lane can feel like he or she is standing in one of the loneliest places in the world.
The entire world is swirling around you, but the only thing that seems to matter at that moment is winding up, rolling a ball and hoping to knock down all ten pins.
This is the mental side of bowling, and it is something the Fort Lee co-ed bowling team hopes to master on their way to a successful season.
“The more relaxed you are, the more concentrated you are going to be and the more fun you are going to have,” said Fort Lee head coach Dennis Sayer.
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December 19, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: always watching, Ammad Quraishi, baseball, beginning, Bowler City, bowling, boy's team, challenger, co-ed bowling, concentrating, Daniels, David Daniels, Dennis Sayer, enjoy bowling, expectations, first year, focus, Fort Lee, Fort Lee New Jersey, fourth year, freshman, fun, girl's team, goals, Hackensack, Han, happy, head coach Dennis Sayer, Healin Park, high expectations, important, James Han, junior, Justine Valdez, leader, learning, listening, mark, mental, mental side, mess up, Mike Radomski, miss your mark, moments, new bowlers, not perfect, older kids, optimism, optimistic goals, park, perfect, pins, pitcher, preview, Quraishi, Radomski, Sayer, season, second year, senior, sophmore, spares, sports, sports journalist, sports reporter, start, straight ball, stress, strike, team, teamwork, thinking, third year, top bowler, underclassmen, upperclassmen, Valdez, Westwood, winter, winter sports preview, Yeliz Inalman, younger kids | Leave A Comment »
Fort Lee Wrestling Coach Alex Almeyda watches his wrestlers in action.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – With ten seniors graduating from last year, there are a lot of signs pointing to a down year for the Fort Lee wrestling team.
But don’t tell that to Head Coach Alex Almeyda and the Bridgemen, who remain very optimistic.
“My expectations are always high,” said Almeyda. “We did lose a lot but we can hold our own with anybody. It’s just a matter of believing.”
Returning wrestler Anatoliy Alkhazob already sees improvement in the younger student athletes.
“I see big things from them,” said Alkhazob of the freshman and sophomores expected to step up this season. “They have only been wrestling for this year, and within a couple of weeks, they have gotten a lot better.”
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December 13, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 1990s, Alkhazob, Almeyda, Anatoliy Alkhazob, anything is possible, beginning stages, believing, better, big role, Bridgemen, cautions, conditioning, confidence, December 22nd, diamond in the rough, difficult situation, down year, elite kids, exceed expectations, expectations, five part moves, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, Fort Lee wrestling team, head coach Alex Almeyda, hold own, improvement, jamboree level, Johansi Rivera, large group, last year, lessons, lose a lot, lucky, lungs, Mahwah, Mike Radomski, New Jersey, new wrestlers, NJ, novice, novice kids, optimistic, Patch, Patch.com, program, Radomski, rebuilding year, rec-level success, recreation level, room for improvement, signs, skip steps, starting freshmen, step up, student athletes, team leaders, this year, top twn wins, training, turnover, winter sports preview, wrestling, wrestling team, young | Leave A Comment »
A Fort Lee wrestler goes for a pin
(NORTH BERGEN, N.J.) – On Saturday, the Fort Lee wrestling team got some valuable time on the mats against some competitive out-of-town opponents.
The team traveled to play Emerson/Park Ridge and North Bergen over the weekend as Head Coach Alex Almeyda gained a better understanding of his young team.
“It was a reality check,” said the coach immediately after the scrimmage. “A lot of the guys are hesitant right now, understandably so, but it will come with time.”
With ten seniors graduating from last year’s team, the staff is looking to many wrestlers who competed at the junior varsity and recreation levels to make the jump this year.
“The big thing is the underclassmen have to step up,” Almeyda said.
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December 13, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 119, 140, 152, 2010, 2010-2011, 2011, 2:15, Alkhazob, Almeyda, Anatoliy Alkhazob, Bergen County, Bergen County Wrestling Tournament, breakout, coaches, competitive, conference schedule, confidence, Dec 22, Demir Dadonic, drills, Emerson/Park Ridge, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, Fort Lee wrestling team, freshman, graduation, Granados, head coach, head coach Alex Almeyda, hesitant, holes, Johansi Rivera, Jose Granados, jump, junior, JV, kids, last year, Mahwah, matches, mats, maturity, mental side, Mike Radomski, muscles, New Jersey, North Bergen, opening match, out-of-town, Patch, Patch.com, practice, Radomski, Radonic, reality check, recreation, Rivera, Saturday, scrimmage, senior, skills, sophomore, starting lineup, states, strengths, success, ten seniors, this year, underclassmen, varsity, weaknesses, weight class, wrestlers, wrestling, wrestling team | Leave A Comment »
(NORTH BERGEN, N.J.) – In a small high school gym on an early Saturday morning, the Fort Lee wrestlers took part in another scrimmage to prepare for the upcoming season. The Fort Lee Bridgemen have lost ten seniors from last year’s squad but remain extremely optimistic.
Coach Alex Almeyda patrols the mats for Fort Lee.
I talked to head coach Alex Almeyda and he remains as confident as ever. The same goes for many of the new wrestlers who are just itching to hit the mats for their first match of the year.
The wrestling preview and scrimmage story will both appear on the newest Patch.com website on Tuesday for Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Check back later in the week for the notes on how this team has been conditioning unlike any other and which student athletes plan to step up as the newest team leaders.
Also, I will have more wrestling stories throughout the winter sports season as I follow the team and the boy’s/girl’s basketball teams as well.
Thanks again for all of the support everyone and please let me know what you think of the website.
December 12, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010, 2011, Alex Almeyda, Almeyda, boy's basketball, Bridgemen, confidence, Fort Lee, Fort Lee Bridgemen, Fort Lee New Jersey, freshmen, girl's basketball, head coach, head coach Alex Almeyda, high school, high school gym, Jersey, juniors, last year, launch, match, New Jersey, new wrestlers, North Bergen, North Bergen New Jersey, old wrestlers, Patch, Patch.com, practice, preview, Saturday, scrimmage, seniors, sophomores, squad, stories, team, Tuesday, upcoming season, Website, winter sports previews | 1 Comment »
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Today, I officially became the newest member of the Patch.com family and couldn’t be happier with this amazing opportunity.
This week, I start work as the sports editor for the Fort Lee branch and am very excited about the upcoming weeks ahead.
I have a lot of ideas for stories and am extremely anxious to start writing. 
Also, I will make sure to post the articles on this site too.
Here’s to the journey that lies ahead!
Best wishes,
Mike
November 22, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: editor, excitement, Fort Lee, Fort Lee branch, Fort Lee New Jerset, ideas, job, journalist, Mike Radomski, New Jersey, new job, online, paper, Patch, Patch.com, Radomski, reporter, sports, sports editor, sports journalist, sports reporter, sports writer, stories, writer | 2 Comments »
Hey everyone. My name is Mike Radomski and I am a sports reporter currently working in Evansville, Indiana. I have 10 years of sports reporting experience dating back to my time covering the Bergen Catholic Crusaders and continuing with my reporting of the Quinnipiac University Bobcats. As a broadcast journalism major and sports studies minor, I was a play by play broadcaster and radio host at Quinnipiac before moving on to become the lead broadcaster for the Evansville Otters baseball club. I have served as a sports editor for Patch.com in Fort Lee, New Jersey and also announced sporting events for LMC-TV in Mamaroneck, New York. Now, I am back in Evansville as the Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting for the Otters and I want to thank the organization for allowing me to do what I love every day. I would also like to thank my family for their undying support and dedication to my dream.
I started the site to highlight some of my old work and post new pieces of material as well. Feel free to let me know what you think and contact me anytime.
Thanks and best wishes! -Mike
June 23, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: announcing sports, BC, Bergen Catholic, Bergen Catholic Crusaders, broadcast journalism, broadcasting, Crusaders, Evansville, Evansville Indiana, Evansville Otters, Fort Lee, Fort Lee New Jersey, high school, highlight work, Indiana, journalism, journalist, LMC-TV, Mamaroneck, Mamaroneck New York, Mamaroneck NY, Mike Radomski, New Jersey, new pieces, nine, nine years, NJ, old work, Oradell, Oradell New Jersey, Otters, Patch, Patch.com, personal website, Play by play, Play by play broadcaster, QU, Quinnipiac, Quinnipiac University, Quinnipiac University Bobcats, radio host, Radomski, reporter, Saddle Brook, Saddle Brook New Jersey, sports, sports editor, sports journalist, sports reporter, sports studies, sports studies minor, Website, welcome, WQAQ, WQAQ 98.1, years | Leave A Comment »
