Vol. 52 Issue 13 Saint Joseph Regional High School, Montvale, NJ Friday, April 17th, 2015

The GuardianSJR Alumni Offer Views on Variety of Careers

By Conor Dickson ‘16One of the many outstanding opportunities offered to students at Saint Joseph Regional High School is the annual Career Day. Like years past, current SJR juniors and seniors spent part of their day learning about possible future career options. Through SJR alumni, family, friends, and neighbors, students were given numerous career paths to look into. Career Day is an extremely helpful opportunity in assisting students in discovering potential areas of interest for college and beyond.

For Career Day 2015, many interesting and unique careers were showcased. This year, students were able to learn about job opportunities on Wall Street, in the FBI, and even in the kitchen or at a car dealership. Various presenters were available to take questions for students who believe they could have a future in a certain career.

One of the highlights of SJR’s annual Career Day is the return of SJR alumni who come back to help current students become aware of future opportunity. Many alumni, including John Flaherty ‘85, John Tashjian ‘06, Adrian Puzio ‘96, and Chris Donnelly ‘05 seize the chance to help guide the young men who attend their alma mater.

John Tashjian said, “My goal today is to provide some perspective and help for the students as they enter into this important time in their lives.” The assistance and guidance of the alumni is a substantial part of what makes Career Day so important in the SJR community.

Every year, Career Day is extremely well received by the students. Junior Edward Klein said, “Career Day is an exciting event to look forward to each year. The opportunity to learn so much in depth information about certain careers is extremely interesting and helpful.” Classmate Liam Woods said, “Career Day has been an eye opening look into career paths that I never knew I may be interested in. It is definitely an asset to have the opportunity to learn about unique career options that I can pursue.”

George Jenkins, two-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist for The Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Newsday and The Star-Ledger, told students about the life of an investigative reporter.

Overall, SJR’s Career Day is both an exciting and integral event in the SJR Calendar. The opportunity for students to learn about new careers will definitely assist them in the future, whether it in college or in the workforce. With the help of alumni and other members of the SJR community, Career Day remains a success every year.

Psychologist Dr. Kevin Brennan ‘95 gave insight to students during Career Day.Photo by Mr. Donnelly

2 The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015

FeatureCharles Dewey ‘14 on the Virginia Military InstituteBy James Reagan-Ward ‘17In August of 2014, Charlie Dewey ’14 enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute, the oldest state-supported college (1839) in the United States. James Reagan-Ward ‘17 recently inter-viewed him.

How hard are the academics at VMI?

Academics at VMI are very challenging. We are known as a mostly liberal arts school with a very strong engineering program as well. Students that achieve a GPA over 3.5 are rewarded with “academic stars” to be worn on their uni-forms.

How is life outside the classroom?

Life outside the classroom, or barrack’s life as we call it, is very Spartan in that we are not allowed to have many things that civilian colleges have. For example using cell phones outside, eating food while in the view of the public, and appearing unsightly in front of civilians carry a punish-ment.  Rooms must be in strict military order from 8am-12pm to help us keep healthy and sanitary lifestyles.

Are you in any sports and clubs?

Currently I am playing hockey for our club team and next year I look forward to being in the Pre-Law Society.

How hard is it to be accepted into VMI?

VMI has an average acceptance rate of about 50%. The av-erage high school GPA of accepted students was 3.5 and an SAT score of 1200 on the two-part.

The VMI honor code is “a cadet does not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do.” How do you follow the honor code?

The honor code is not just something to be followed; it is a way of life that must be exhibited at all times. Cheating, stealing, and lying carry a punishment of expulsion by the way of a “drum-out,” a tradition that involves the corps of cadets awaking at 3:33am to a loud drum roll and the charges of the convicted cadet are read aloud. The dishonor-able cadets name is never to be said in barracks again.

What is the military aspect of VMI like?

Military uniforms and grooming standards are mandatory at all times. Physical training and classroom instruction are controlled by a cadet’s specific ROTC department. I am currently enrolled in Army ROTC. Participation in ROTC is mandatory for your first two years at the Institute but joining the military afterwards is not.

Why are students called rats?

First-year students are not considered a class nor cadets at the Institute until they endure the Ratline. To matriculate at the Institute makes one a Rat, “the dumbest and lowliest of all God’s creatures.” Intense workouts and training over a six-month period designed to strip away all previous ideas of entitlement and wealth as well as the class suffering together in order to unify them and bring them together in bonds of brotherhood that last a lifetime.

What is the Ratline? How difficult was it?

The Ratline is the most sacred tradition that we have at the Institute. Every cadet must endure it with no exceptions. Harsh training, strict punishments, morning workouts, and the highest standards of any school in the country comprise the Ratline. When the upperclassmen deem the Rats unified enough to be consid-ered a class, they have a Breakout, a full day of grueling workouts, and when it’s over the burden of being a Rat is finally over and you can proudly consider yourself a cadet at the In-stitute. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life but Breakout Day was the most pride that I’ve ever felt.

What was your favorite subject at St. Joe’s?

History was always my favorite subject, and I had excellent teachers at St. Joe’s to help foster my love for the subject. As a result I chose to major in it at VMI.Charlie Dewey ‘14 firing his rifle in training.

Photo Courtesy of Charlie Dewey ‘14

The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015 3

FeatureMontvale to Ratline to VMI CadetWhat electives did you take?

Marketing with Mr. Coppola was an awesome class, and I would recommend it to anyone – AP Euro with Ms. Jen-nings, and CC English with Mr. Donnelly.

Were you in any sports and clubs at St. Joe’s?

I was the Executive Student Council Secretary, a member of the National Honor Society, and I played hockey and base-ball as well as running cross-country.

Who was your favorite teacher at St. Joe’s?

Mr. Huebner changed my opinion on a lot of things and was an excellent teacher that helped me understand math for the first time. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.

When did you decide to pursue a military career?

My entire family has been in the military but none of them have ever been commissioned as an officer. My goal is to be the first one in the Dewey family to achieve that.

What was your hardest subject at St. Joe’s?

Definitely physics, I struggled with that a lot.

Do you feel that your time at St. Joe’s changed you?

I came into St. Joe’s as a kid that was searching for his way in the world. My time at SJR gave me direction and led me down the path I am headed. The friends that I made at St. Joe’s are ones that I’ll have for the rest of my life, and I’m very proud to have shared in such a great four years with them.

Why did you decide to come to St. Joe’s?

When deciding on high schools I asked myself not about academics or sports but rather “Where am I going to be happy?” Joe’s was the clear answer to my question.

Editor-in-Chief: Nick CaramicoManaging Editors: Ryan Doran, Liam Glass, Christopher WalkerPhotography Editor: Jeff ChimentiSports Editor: Joseph MalfaLayout Editors: John Henry Da Silva, Aidan Donohue, Andrew ZoltowskiPhotographers: Nico Blasucci, Stephen Chimenti, Staff Writers: Jack Battle, Chris Brennan, Chris Cheeseman, Steve Collins, Donny Cuttone, Conor Dickson, Jimmy Dronzek, Joseph Inneo, Greg Kaulfers, Aidan Lalley, Cooper Miqueli, Che Paul, James Reagan-Ward, Julio Sanchez, Joe Shelley, Thomas Stewart, Ryan Soranno, Mike Tyrie, Alex WalshModerator: Mr. Mackie

The Guardian Staff

Charlie ended his interview with this. “[VMI] is an educa-tion and a system that is definitely not intended for every-one. One question you didn’t ask is what makes going to VMI so special for me, and if you don’t mind I’d like to give you my answer:

Sitting at graduation last May I watched as all of my good friends received their diplomas. I thought to myself about how my college experience wasn’t going to be normal; it would challenge me physically and mentally without a

doubt but it’s not my place to say whether it would be more difficult or it would make me better than my peers. It would make me different, that is all. I loved and hated the chal-lenge that VMI gave me, and it’s not for everyone, and even though I was able to complete it, it in no way makes me better than any other college kid. Just different.

Best of luck to you, and make the most of your time at Joe’s. Savor every moment you have with your friends and don’t look too far ahead; you may miss some of the best times you’ll ever have. Thank you so much for doing this as well, good luck!

Very Respectfully,

Cadet Charlie DeweyAlpha Company

(L) Luke Bijelic ‘11 and Charlie Dewey ‘14.

Photo Courtesy of Charlie Dewey ‘14

4 The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015

OpinionMrs. LoBianco Reflects on Growing Up in Cuba

By Mrs. Martha LoBiancoThe first three years of my life were spent on an island in the Caribbean known as “the Pearl of the Antilles.” This island is Cuba. This was an island full of optimistic, enthusiastic and triumphantly resilient people. The memories I have are few but very strong. I remember standing on the upper balcony of my home calling my grandmother to come upstairs. I also remember vividly the afternoons in the park on a horse and carriage ride with my grandfather at my side. The rest of my memories have been formed through the eyes and stories of my parents.

I was only three when my dad, my mom and I had to leave our beautiful island. This was an unbelievably difficult endeavor. We had to leave family, friends and loved ones. Everything we were familiar with we left behind. Before the departure, however, life was really good. My dad worked as a correspondent for the Havana Post and the London Times. He interviewed many famous people like actor William Holden. He actually became good friends with Mr. Holden, and every time he came to Cuba they would go to lunch together. My mother was secretary to the attaché in the Guatemalan Embassy. My life was good. We had a driv-er taking us anywhere we wanted to go at any time and at home my mom had three ladies helping her with the house, the cooking and me. At that time there were only two class-es of people, the upper class and the lower class. We were fortunate enough to be part of the upper class.

My life was full of country club parties and beautiful beaches. We owned a beautiful home in Havana and had family all around us. My days consisted of park visits, riding

ponies, and having special birthdays with specially made piñatas just for me. My dresses were handmade, and the foods served were all homemade by our cooks.

Unfortunately this all came to an abrupt end when Fidel Castro grabbed power in Cuba in 1959. The political cli-mate turned, a revolution occurred and before we knew it the beautiful island we once lived in was no more. Castro’s communist government took our freedoms away. Things we took for granted vanished: we were no longer free to ex-press our thoughts; our communication was censored. The government began controlling all the things we possessed. They took over our homes and began dictating how our lives were going to be.

My dad made a difficult decision one night: to leave Cuba for the safety of my mom and myself. He had written against communism and when they found out who he was they threatened my life, so under the pretense of going on business trip he took my mom and I, the coats on our backs, the five dollars in our wallets and got us on a plane for Tampa. I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for them. They had to not only leave all their person-al possessions but my entire family behind. Some of the family members eventually came to the United States but I had grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins that I never saw again.

I always wondered what it would be like to go back to where I was born. Today the political climate is still not good but relations between Cuba and the United States are improv-ing. This past December, Cuba’s president Raul Castro and

President Obama announced the restoration of diplomat-ic relations. Of course this is going to be a long process because I believe that Castro is not going to give us improved relations without asking for something or many things in return. This is only the begin-ning but I have to believe that perhaps in the next decade or so I will be able to take my children and maybe someday my grandchildren to the place I once knew. In my native coun-try I would probably be put in jail for expressing my opinion but as a Cuban-American I feel glad that I have the opportu-nity to know what freedom is in the wonderful country that took my family in when we had nowhere else to go. Mrs. LoBianco with her dad in Cuba .

Photo Courtesy of Mrs. LoBianco

The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015 5

OpinionCooper Miqueli on Cuba and Castro By Cooper Miqueli ‘15Cuba was the place to be in the 1950s. A country, which gained its inde-pendence from the Spanish empire, and then the United States in 1902, strengthened itself to become a power-ful economic center in the Caribbean. Cuba was home to many resorts and many popular hotels, such as Hotel Nacional, La Tropicana, and La Florid-ita. Celebrities like Ernest Hemingway and Frank Sinatra constantly visited the island. A country so beautiful it was referred to as the pearl of the Caribbean.

I was not born in Cuba, neither were my parents. The only knowledge I have of a place that seems so distant, yet so near to my heart, is from the stories my grandparents have told me.

There were two classes, the upper class and the lower class. My mother’s father told me how he had to go to work in the sugar cane fields and how when he first started cutting with a machete at the age of six he almost cut his hand off. He was from a section of Havana called Jibacoa. His family was put to work at young ages; he later joined the Cuban Army.

My grandmother’s family owned a massive ranch that grew tobacco as well as other fruits. The fruits and tobacco would then be sold directly to consumers or to markets. My grandmother is from Matanza, a major city near Havana. My grandfather came to America in August 26, 1960; my grandmother also came here in 1960.

My father’s parents were both in the upper class of the Cu-ban economy, both were from the capital city of Havana. My father’s mother was in the upper class and my grandfather was in the higher end of the upper class. My grandfather’s family owned a few bakeries throughout Havana as well as a cement factory and other real estate. My grandmother’s father owned a warehouse where food was stored and also owned real estate. They came to America on April 3, 1961.

The Fidel-Castro takeover changed everything about Cuban life. Castro acted as an extremist, using violence to intimi-date people especially for political purposes.

The people who are on top of the communist regime have everything, while the people at the bottom have nothing. In the case of Cuba, Castro and now his brother Raul sit on the throne and the rest of the country rests at the bottom.

The movements the United States has made with Cuba under the Obama Administration look to restart a relation-ship. However, the United States has a strict policy of not negotiating with terrorists that is why it baffles me that the U.S. has negotiated with Cuba. Castro would force every-one to attend his meetings and everyone who didn’t attend would be put into jail. Castro would also confiscate all busi-nesses starting with farmers. The farmers’ land and home would be taken away; grocery stores and factories were then taken over and were run by the government. Food was then rationed to control the people. In order to buy food you were given a book, and in that book it told you what you were allowed to buy. If you do not cooperate with the government then the book would be taken away and you would starve.

I ask why has the United States, a country so involved with every problem around the world has not taken positive steps to ending communism in Cuba, a country only 90 miles away.

The United States is influenced in the Middle East to help the elections of positive democratic figures, but why not end communism in a country that a person can swim to from the United States? In my opinion if the United States wishes to improve relations with Cuba, the United States needs to act as the world police, as it has on numerous occasions, and end communism in Cuba.

Fidel Castro led Cuba from 1959 to 2008.

6 The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015

After a successful year of regular competitions, and a strong showing at the New Jersey State Competition, the SJR Green Knits (originally a typo, but the name stuck) Robotics Team was invited to participate in the 2015 CREATE Vex National Championship in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The CREATE National Championship is a three-day tour-nament that showcases and tests the design, construction and functionality of each team’s robot. These robots come from all over the country – from Texas to Wisconsin to Cal-ifornia and even a team from Hong Kong attended.

SJRs’s three team executives, Lucas Baskayan, Eric Bas-kayan, and Jeffery Richardson, attended the competition along with the team’s mentor, Mr. Frank Eppolito.

The turnout for the competition was massive. Over 300 teams arrived in Council Bluffs and, despite the tornado warnings, were ready to compete under the dome in the Mid-America Center.

Teams were split into two divisions, the Create Division and Innovate Division. More than 500 qualification matches were held. After almost two days of heated competition, the SJR Green Knits emerged in 27th place out of over 150 teams in their division. The Green Knits ended their qual-

ifying run with a record of 6-4-0. This was amazing, given the typical underdog position that this first-year team has held for most of the year.

The Green Knits robot, the smallest one on the field, was still ready for more. Even though the placement position was not the best, the Green Knit’s season was not over yet. There was still a chance that they could be chosen as a member in the alliance round, which would eventually lead to the divisional finals and in turn, the competition finals.

Recognizing the versatility and reliability of their robot, the SJR Green Knits were chosen to join two other teams in the 12th alliance. Following a hard-fought battle in the semifi-nals of their division, their alliance was eliminated from the competition. This placed the Green Knits as one of the top 50 robots in America.

After a fantastic multi-award winning first year of compe-tition, the team hopes that it will continue to grow and be able to return to competitions in the 2015-2016 school year, with the goal of surpassing the accomplishments achieved by the 2014-2015 team. Under the guidance of next year’s Robotics team President, Jeffrey Richardson, the Green Knits team aspires to once again compete at the national level, with the goal of attending the worldwide completion next year.

NewsSJR Robotics Team National Semi-Finalists

By Lucas Baskayan ‘15

The St. Joe’s Robotic team (L-to-R): Drukk Lama ‘18, Chris Paladino ‘16, Jeff Richardson ‘16, Alec Goodman ‘18, Eric Baskayan ‘15, Jared Martinez ‘18, Lucas Baskayan ‘15 & Mr. Eppolito. (Missing: Conor McCabe ‘17)

Photo by Mr. Donnelly

The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015 7

Just recently Netflix released a original Netflix series called Daredevil. Daredevil, a Marvel superhero, is a blind lawyer who is a lawyer by day and crime fighter by night. The story of how Daredevil was acquired by Netflix is no stranger to the film industry. A year ago in July Fox owned the rights to Daredevil. Fox had a few weeks to release some type of media involving Daredevil, but they felt it was too late. After the rights were given up, Netflix bought them within days.Netflix released all 13 episodes of Daredevil April 10th. This generally helps out the show with viewers and ratings. Since it was released on Netflix, viewers are able to experience the show in the same light as the comics. The show has no real rating so it is able to be as dark and violent as it wants. Another thing that helps out the show is the fact that all episodes are released at the same time, just like other Netflix shows such as Orange Is the New Black. This al-lows the viewers the chance to watch the show at their own pace.

This is a great way to release TV shows since viewers can watch the show as they please and not have to rush home from work to catch the new episodes. Netflix is definitely changing the industry of media with their new original series and movies. Netflix is becoming compe-tition for prime time television and premium services such as HBO.

Daredevil has a darker, grittier, and more violent tone than most comic book shows. This isn’t so much as a surprise to anymore since Christopher Nolan, the director, decided to make Batman Begins darker; that sparked the rise in grittier comic book adaptations.

Marvel is known for having bright vibrant colors in all their series and movies but Dare-devil takes the fork in the road there. Another thing is that this isn’t really a superhero series. Much of the series is realistic and the superhe-ro and super villains don’t have super powers. Matthew Murdock (Daredevil) does have heightened sense due to his lack of sight but it is much more downplayed than the normal Marvel superheroes.

The morality of the character is questionable. Sometimes it is hard to tell whether Murdock is really being the good guy in the corrupt city of Hell’s Kitchen. He tortures and beats up people for information. Throughout the show, we see Murdock talking to a priest about what is right and wrong. The final thing that differentiates

Daredevil from any other Marvel properties is the fact that death is a real threat. In other Marvel properties characters die and come back all the time, such as the agents that stars in Agents of Shield who was gunned down in the first Aveng-ers’ movie.

Daredevil has enthusiastic fans, and it is worth a watch. It’s unfair to compare it to its 2003 film adaptation since the show is able to take a slower pace to develop the backstory and characters. The story telling is brilliant and the fight scenes are well choreographed. Even the cinematography for some fight scenes adds a “fresh” take on fights. So, if you need a new show to watch, give Daredevil a try.

EntertainmentNext for Netflix: Matthew Murdock in Daredevil

By Julio Sanchez ‘15

Daredevil is the first of five collaberation series between Marvel and Netflix.

8 The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015

FeatureSeoul Journal: 7 Days in South KoreaBy Mr. Robert MackieThree years ago after earning his associates degree our youngest son Tim enlisted in the U.S. Army. So, on Holy Thursday Sue and I found ourselves on a 14-hour flight bound for Seoul to celebrate Easter with him and Will, our oldest son who was flying in from San Francisco.

We knew the basics of recent South Korean history – war between North and South from 1950 to 1953; host of the 1988 Summer Olympics; economic dynamo powered by companies like Samsung, LG, and Hyundai. We loved the sit-com M*A*S*H, which depicted life for doctors and nurs-es during that Korean War. And we knew Tim had enjoyed his deployment there since September of 2013 but we knew little else.

Seoul’s population of 25 million is nearly two-and-half times that of NYC. Its subway system is almost three times as long as New York’s (614 to 232 miles). The Han River, which flows east to west, cuts the city in half. 19 bridges span it, but there is no riverboat traffic. (The seaside ports of Busan and Incheon handle most of Korea’s shipping.)

Hills and countless apartment buildings dominate the Seoul skyline. Looking down from the Seoul Tower, one thinks of Co-op City in The Bronx on steroids.

It also is a city less than 35 miles from the De-Militarized Zone and North Korea.

Prior to visiting the DMZ, we signed a declaration acknowl-edging we were entering “a hostile area [with] the possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action.” North Korea didn’t take action but the sight of South Korean sol-diers with both fists cocked at their sides, standing ramrod stiff staring down their northern counterparts was a stark reminder of ongoing tensions between the two countries.

The rest of our week was stress free. We ate at a beef-and-leaf restaurant, which is a self-serve version of a Japanese steakhouse: you fry meat and vegetables on an elevated pan, place the cooked product onto a salad leaf and then try to transfer it to your mouth via chop sticks.

One night, we ventured into a sushi restaurant without first checking its prices. Entrees started at 60,000 Won (about $55). We sheepishly ordered a ‘very’ few pieces of sashimi, paid our bill, and went looking for a McDonald’s.

During the days, we walked the grounds of the Gyeobbok-gung and Changgyeonggung Palaces (two of five residen-ces of the Joseon Dynasty built), visited the Korean War Memorial Museum and wandered around the hip neighbor-hoods of Itaewon and Insa-dong.

The highlight of our trip was Easter brunch with Tim’s commanding officer Colonel Thomas Nguyen (pronounced “Win”). He and his wife Jill hosted us at the Officer’s Club on Osan Air Base. The colonel is a remarkable man. When he was seven, he immigrated to the United States from Vietnam two weeks before the fall of Saigon. In 1991, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant after graduating from Loyola’s ROTC program and later served two tours in Afghanistan where he won a Bronze Star.

Tim’s been lucky to work for the colonel. When he got to Korea he was told he’d make a good driver and office assis-tant for the commander (Colonel Nguyen) of the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. The downside was he wouldn’t be able to use the Internet skills he was trained in; the up-side has been traveling throughout the Korea peninsula and meeting military and civilian dignitaries such as Vice-Pres-ident Biden.

It was a quick week. On Friday, we were back at Incheon Airport looking forward to a slightly shorter flight (13 hours) and traveling to Tim’s next post – Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Left-to-right: Bob, Will (SJR ’05) & Tim Mackie on a patrol boat at the Korean War Museum in Seoul.

Behind them are tanks & aircraft from the Korean War & the Seoul Tower.

Photo by Sue Mackie

The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015 9

Malfa on SportsJohn Flaherty ‘85 from ‘Shy Kid’ to Yankee Broadcaster

Career Day took place at SJR this past Wednesday, and in the window of the main office hung a sheet of paper with the names of all of the presenters and their respective professions. One of the columns on this spread sheet read “John Flaherty – broadcasting.” It’s something that Flaherty himself never expected to see, but you never know

what life has in store for you.

Flaherty was born and raised in West Nyack, New York. In September of 1981, the 13 year-old boy from a traditional Irish-Catholic family opted to attend SJR.

“When I was looking at schools, the Catholic education was a big part of the decision for me and my family,” said Fla-herty. “One day, I came to SJR with a bunch of my buddies, and it just felt like the right place for me – it was a pretty simple decision.”

Flaherty came to SJR as a quiet kid, who was an average student and a standout baseball player. When he took the field for baseball tryouts freshman year, there were about 120 other kids trying out.

“I had no idea if I could compete at SJR,” said Flaherty. “For the kids in Rockland County coming over to New Jersey, we know there’s a step up in competition. We think we’re pretty good ball players, but we just don’t know how we stack up against the rest of the players.”

Flaherty didn’t perform so well, but he bounced back and made the varsity squad sophomore year as a catcher. He had a good amount of success that season, which is when he be-gan to believe he would be able to play at a high level at SJR and possibly go on to play in college. After a very successful three years at SJR, he did just that, accepting a scholarship to play at George Washington University.

Flaherty majored in speech communication at GWU in or-der to get over his fear of public speaking. On the diamond, he started as a freshman and went on to have a very suc-cessful career. Between his sophomore and junior seasons, he played in the Virginia-Valley league and the Cape Cod league against some of the best collegiate players in the country.

“I was catching and throwing at the top of my game, and this is when I realized I could play with and was just as good as some of the best players in the country. It was huge for my confidence, and I continued my success from there.”

After graduating in 1988, he was drafted in the 25th round of the MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox. He spent four years

in the minors before finally making his debut for the Red Sox on April 12th, 1992 – opening day against the Yankees.

“Finally making it to the big leagues was a dream come true, but it happened so fast I almost didn’t get a chance to ap-preciate it. I was at home, got a call at 10:30 in the morning, and I was on my way to Yankee Stadium. I drove my old, beat up station wagon to the game and actually had to show the security guard my catcher’s bag to prove I was a player. The next thing I know, I was being introduced next to Frank Viola in front of 56,000 people.”

Flaherty batted .252 with 80 HRs and 395 RBIs in a career that spanned 14 seasons with five different teams: the Red Sox, Tigers, Padres, Devil Rays, and Yankees. Upon his retirement prior to the 2006 season, the quiet kid who ma-jored in speech communications merely to get over his fear of public speaking began a broadcasting job with the YES Network.

“Back in the day, I would have never guessed I’d end up as a broadcaster, but I am very thankful that I was given the opportunity. I love my job, I love the camaraderie, and it’s the perfect situation overall for me and my family.”

From playing college baseball, to a 14-year pro career, to a job as a broadcaster, to being the founder and owner of the Rockland Boulders, John Flaherty attributes his success to the time he spent at SJR:

“From my first day at SJR, I learned the importance of hard work and that you have to put the time in. Whether it’s academics, being a professional athlete, or owning a minor league team, it’s all about work ethic. It’s about getting up in the morning and finding a way to get the job done – it may not be pretty, but you find a way to grind it out and get it done. I learned that work ethic at SJR and it’s something that will never leave me.”

John Flaherty is in his 9th year as a YES Network analyst.

The St. Joe’s golf team has shown great improvement over last year, already matching the win total for all of last year

through only half of the season, and per-forming well in a recent tourna-ment. The golf team has already defeated Depaul, Paramus Catho-lic, and Pascack Valley. Antonio Sirianni ‘17, Nick Diani ‘17, Aidan

10 The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015

SportsBaseball 6-1 After Defeating Kennedy 15-0

By Jimmy Dronzek ‘17Coach Frank Salvano and the SJR baseball team have gotten off to a hot start with a 6-1 record.

“I think this team has been living up to expectations and we won’t be slowing down anytime soon,” said Salvano.

Coming into the season, everyone knew the team’s pitching staff would be phenomenal. The great rotation and bullpen has kept hitters quiet through these first seven games and seems to be getting stronger. Devin Ortiz, Austin Bodrato, and other starters have taken care of business, each earn-ing wins in the first seven games, while newcomers Chris Sabino and Hiro Mizutani have also found success on the mound. Joe Neglia, the team’s hybrid closer-saarter, has shut down hitters and sealed a couple of wins for the Green Knights.

“We are all confident in what we throw and we hope that we can stay consistent on the mound all season,” said Neglia. Although the pitching has been SJR’s strength for the past few years, the has had success at the plate as well. In the first game, a power surge helped SJR win 16-0 over Morris Cath-olic. The team kept it going in their next games, and they combined for nine homeruns in a three-game span.

“We all put in the work in practice to score runs, and it’s great to see it pay off during the game,” said Justin Malloy. As they head into the middle of the season, this team hopes to continue their success.

Golf Confident After Fairliegh Dickinson InvitationalBy Aidan Lalley ‘15 Lalley ‘15, and Christian DeLuca ‘17 have performed well

in the early half of the season. Richard Tak ‘16 has also had some good rounds, while players such as Steve Collins ‘15, Stephen Chimenti ‘17, and Andrew Hliboki ‘18 are working things out with their individual games.

On Wednesday, April 15, 2015, the team played in the Fairleigh Dickinson University Invitational, with strong performances coming from Sirianni, 79, and Diani, 82. The rest of the team also performed strongly with Saint Joe’s finishing ahead of West Milford and Passaic Tech. The team shot a 343, which entails the top-4, 18 hole scores that the team shot. The team was narrowly edged out by some of the best teams in the county. This invitational included some of the top teams in the North Jersey region including Bergen Catholic, Ramsey, Don Bosco, and St. Peter’s Prep. When asked about the teams success, Chimenti ‘17 said, “The team feels different and we’re working harder together and playing with more confidence with each match.”

Coach Dan Davis was pleased with the team’s recent perfor-mance and is hopeful for a strong finish to the season. With a difficult remaining schedule, the team has to perform well in order to beat some of the best teams in North Jersey in the upcoming matches. Some future golf matches will occur at Rockleigh Country Club, Valleybrook Country Club, and Paramus Country Club, among others.

John Mesagno ‘16 batting against Don Bosco.

Aidan Lalley ‘15 lines up his putt.Photo by Mr. Donnelly

Photo by Karyn Ochiuzzo

The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015 11

SportsSJR Tennis Hopes to Repeat Comet Classic Win

By Anthony LaRegina ‘15SJR Tennis kicked off its season on April 2nd with a 4-1 win against DePaul Catholic. Since then the team has played four matches and is 2-3.

A tough loss to Bergen Catholic on Monday was a setback to a team that was building confidence. The team has a great mix of varsity veterans and some inexperienced varsity talent.

New members include Tyler Conroy ‘18, Nathan Tombo ’17, and Ryan Kerwin ‘16. Returning members are team captain Anthony LaRegina ‘15, Tom Urdaz ‘15, Mike Hegewald ‘15, and Steve Goodwin ‘16. LaRegina, Urdaz and Goodwin play singles; Conroy, Tombo, Kerwin and Hege-wald doubles.

Coach Jason Dates is excited about this year’s mix of players and has confidence the team can improve over last year’s accomplishments. He said, “Our ability to win lies with our singles group, which has three strong players lead by Antho-ny, who I’ve coached for four years now.”

Dates also expects strong performances from the two dou-bles teams who are, “creating great chemistry and beginning to gel” said Dates. The team looks to repeat last year’s win at the Comet Classic Invitational at Hackensack this Saturday and their chances are stronger than ever with their solid core of players.

Sprint Relay Team 1st at Season OpenerBy Scott Dickson ‘18The Spring Track team won its first meet of the season. This was a dual-meet vs. DePaul on April 1st. After this good start it lost the next two dual-meets – to Paramus Catholic and Bergen Catholic.

After the two losses, the team was motivated for a better performance and went on to win the 4x100 and 4x200 at the Season Opener Relay Invitational on April 4th. The relay team consisted of seniors Jon Meli and Andrew Pierre, and sophomores Hunter Hayek, and Tyler Hayek. They also came in 2nd in the 4x200 and 3rd in the 4x100 at the Comet Relays on April 11th. This group is looking very good together, and Head Coach Nick DeVito ‘97 hopes that it keeps up.

On Wednesday, April 15th, the discus throw-ers competed at Mahwah High School. No St. Joe’s throwers placed at this competition

The County Relays are this Saturday, April 18th, at River Dell High School. The team hopes that Meli, Pierre, and the Hayeks can keep up the good work and get a win on Saturday.

After the county relays, the team will face Don Bosco for another dual-meet. This

meet will be on Tuesday, April 21th at St. Joe’s.

After Bosco, the team will be prepping for the Big North Varsity Championship which will be on April 30th at River Dell High School. Following this will be the Bergen County Varsity Championship in early May. Coach DeVito is look-ing for a strong performance, especially from his the relay team.

Anthony LaRegina’s ‘15 overhead backhand.

The track team races together to the finish line.

Photo by Mr. Donnelly

Photo by Mr. Donnelly

12 The Guardian, Friday, April 17th, 2015

SportsLacrosse 5-1; Walsh Scores His 100th Career GoalBy Ryan Sorrano ‘17Jack Walsh’15 scored two goals for the SJR lacrosse team in a 15-5 win over Wayne Valley on Tuesday.  This puts the senior attackman at 100 goals along with 44 assists for his career. He reached the 100-point mark last season.  Walsh stands at 22 goals and nine assists on the season which has helped lead the team to a 5-1 start.

Previous to the win over Wayne Valley, SJR opened the season with a 17-6 victory over Dwight-Englewood.  Walsh had five goals and four assists along with Huestin Her-man’15 who had four goals.  Steve Dinallo’15 and Joe Giles-Harris’15 also helped with the scoring with two goals each.  

Their next victory would come against a Lakeland team who had beaten SJR the year before.  The final score was 14-6, but the game seemed much closer than the score.  Walsh had six goals and four ground balls and Steve Dinallo added three goals and five ground balls.  SJR closed the game in the final quarter by only giving up one goal and scoring seven of their own.  Captain goalie Tom Tornetto’15 record-ed 12 saves.  

In their next game home against River Dell Jack Walsh would lead the team once again with six goals.  Dinallo had a hat trick along with three assists, while Joe Giles-Harris chipped in with two goals and two assists.  Captain John Thomas Gilles-Har-ris’16 picked up 13 ground balls and Tornetto made 12 saves.  SJR won 14-6.

After a great win against River Dell, SJR beat West Milford 10-8. Mike Donaghy ‘17 scored three goals and had two assists. Walsh scored two goals of his own and had three assists, which outscored West Milford 3-1 in the fourth quarter to break a 7-7 tie.  Pat Fay’17 scored two goals and had an assist the win.  Tor-netto made 16 saves.  

SJR faced Don Bos-co Prep at home in

their next game.  Joe Giles-Harris had three goals and two assists in the 11-10 loss.  Don Bosco scored a game-winning goal in the closing seconds of the game, giving SJR its first loss.  SJR was up 9-6 at one point, but Don Bosco would end the game scoring five goals and only giving up one.  “Al-though the loss was a heartbreaker, it taught us a lot about what we need to improve on,” said Head Coach Andrew DeCicco.  

SJR would bounce back from the disappointing defeat by beating both Wayne Valley and Wayne Hills convincing-ly.  Herman had four goals and three assists against Wayne Valley and Dinallo would add three goals and an as-sist.  Walsh recorded his 100th with one of his two scores and Joe Giles-Harris recorded two goals and four assists.  SJR defeated Wayne Hills in similar fashion 16-5.  

SJR’s next game is away against Columbia on Saturday.  “I think if we keep playing the way we are playing that there will be no doubt about us winning.  We can’t underestimate them though as they are well coached.  We are more skilled and talented at all phases,” said Captain John Thomas Gilles-Harris about the team’s upcoming opponent.  

After Columbia, SJR will be away at Pascack Hills Mon-day, Clifton on Saturday, and Mahwah on Wednesday.  SJR wants to gain some momentum in these games as Bergen Catholic is coming up on their schedule last.

Senior Jack Walsh looks downfield for a open teammate.Photo by Jeff Chimenti ‘15