The Guardian Vol. 51 Issue 15 Saint Joseph Regional High School, Montvale, NJ Friday, May 23rd, 2014

Seniors Celebrate Four Years of MemoriesBy Ryan Doran ‘15With the sudden influx in promposals and bouquet purchas-es it’s no wonder that prom has arrived here at SJR. Prom is a springtime ritual that dates back to the 1890s in the Northeast. Since then, every spring, high schoolers have been wearing slick tuxedos and stunning dresses to eat, dance, and have a good time. Wednesday May 21st marked this year’s senior prom, a night that celebrates four years of memories, friendships, and the end of an unforgettable high school experience. Senior Prom is an annual event held at the Sheraton Crossroads in Mahwah, an event that allows the senior class to come together one more time before June’s Graduation. Prom is not just an opportunity for the Seniors to party with their friends, but is a memorialization of four years spent becoming closer and closer to one another, and ultimately becoming a brotherhood.

Many seniors had great anticipation for this event including future graduate, Pat Bermudez who said, “It’s the last moment that I get to spend with guys who I’ve known, and gone to school with for four years now. Initially I wasn’t friendly with some guys, but all of us have changed over the course of high school. I can hon-estly say that I’ll miss them.” Before Prom, most seniors took the traditional pictures with their dates either at one of their houses, or at a house with their friends.

After all of the pictures, limos, corsages, and boutonnieres, it was

finally time for the party to begin. It didn’t take long for the dance floor to fill up, as Louis Napolitano said, “The party started once the doors opened. Right from the beginning, people were on the dance floor, it was an incredible night and everyone had fun.” In addition to the dancing and partying, the seniors and their dates were treated to a gourmet dinner of Filet mignon, chicken, and penne with vodka sauce. There was also a DJ who played dance music, including a slow dance song, latino music, and eventually ended the night with Classic Rock. Seniors agreed that Eoin Rog-ers, Mark Fossati, Jack LoCasto, and Spencer Aukamp were the kings of the dance floor as they showcased their moves and made sure everyone had a great night.

The Senior class will certainly be missed. There is no doubt that they left their mark on SJR athletically, academically, theatrical-ly, and the work they have done both for the school and their respective communities. Even though their time at SJR may have ended, the Class of 2014 will always carry the pride, courtesy, and the friendships that they have made here. The students and faculty alike will miss the seniors, including Mr. Malaterra, who chaperoned the Prom, who said, “They are a great group of guys, and I will absolutely miss them.” The lessons they have learned from teachers, coaches, and other students will guide them as they live the SJR motto of the Vir Fidelis in whatever path that their life takes them on.

Seniors Michael Cushing (L) and Chris Ambrogio with friends. Photo by Mrs. Grillo

Feature2 The Guardian, Friday, May 23rd, 2014

Editor-in-Chief: Nick CaramicoManaging Editors: Ryan Doran, Liam Glass, Christopher WalkerPhotography Editor: Jeff ChimentiSports Editor: Joseph MalfaLayout Editors: John Henry Da Silva, Andrew ZoltowskiPhotographers: Nico Blasucci, Ken Callegari, Greg De Biasio, Steve Kotoros, Christopher Mingone, Brandon Valente Staff: Jack Battle, Chris Brennan, Chris Cheeseman, Steve Collins, Conor Dickson, Jimmy Dronzek, Arkadius Goetz, Greg Kaulfers, Ryan Soranno, Thomas Stewart, Alex WalshModerator: Mr. Mackie

The Guardian Staff

Giving & Getting Through the Fresh Air FundBy Steven Collins ‘15

The Guardian- For readers who haven’t heard of it, could you ex-plain the Fresh Air Fund and its mission?

Anthony D’Apolito- The Fresh Air Fund is a non-profit organization where families take kids from the city into their homes. Its mission is to help kids from the city get out to the country and it is sort of a vacation for them.

The Guardian- How did you and your family first find out about the fund?

AD- My father always wanted to participate in the Fresh Air Fund. He found out about it on T.V. and from friends.

The Guardian- What made you become a host family?

AD- We wanted to open our home to another child and my father thought it was a good idea for my brothers and me. He wanted us to appreciate life more and we accomplished that with Cameron.

The Guardian- How receptive were you and your brothers to the idea at first?

AD- We loved the idea to take in Cameron at its conception. We didn’t have any second thoughts from the point we first met Cam-eron onward.

The Guardian- How long does Cameron usually stay with you?

AD- Cameron stays with us for two weeks, and we also take him places outside of the program. For example, he came to the Brook-lyn Nets game with us just last week.

The Guardian- Do you, personally, do anything extra to make Cam-eron feel comfortable staying with you and your family?

AD- I spend a lot of time with Cameron and do things that he enjoys.

The Guardian- Has Cameron ever faced any challenges in adapting to living with you and your family?

AD- Cameron has always felt right at home when he’s stayed with us.

The Guardian- Have you learned anything about yourself through your family’s participation in the Fresh Air Fund?

AD- I have learned that I can be a very patient and understand-ing person. A lot of the time people will not do stuff with others because they don’t like the particular thing they are doing. Howev-er, now with Cameron and with others I think of them first before myself and will do what they want to do just to get that satisfaction of maybe making someone else feel good.

The Guardian- Cameron has stayed with your family before and is coming back this summer to stay with you for another two weeks.  What type of relationship have you and your brothers built up with him since you two first met?

AD- Cameron is family to us now and he feels like another brother in the family.

The Guardian- Anything special that you guys do when Cameron comes to visit?

AD- Cameron and I hangout with my neighborhood friends, and they love being around him just as much as my family and I do. A lot of the time we play sports and go swimming when he is over. We actually taught Cameron how to swim over the years that he has stayed with us.

Freshman Anthony D’Apolito (L) with Cameron Huntley.

Freshman Anthony D’Apolito and his family are a part of the ex-ceptional Fresh Air Fund. The fund offers children living in cities the opportunity to enjoy a suburban or rural environment. 9,000 kids take part in the program each year with around 4,000 staying with host families and 3,000 staying at camps located in Fishkill, New York. The D’Apolitos have hosted Cameron Huntley over the past three summers and have forged an unbreakable bond with the 14-year-old Brooklyn resident.

Photo by Mr. D’Apolito

For more information about the Fresh Air Fund, please contact Mr. T.J. D’Apolito at 862-226-6103 or dapolito5@aol.com

News The Guardian, Friday, May 23rd, 2014 3

St. Joe’s Raises Over $2,800 for ‘Relay for Life’By Conor Dickson ‘15An essential component of the Vir Fidelis or “Faithful Man” is charity. Charity is prevalent everywhere at SJR, as students never fall short of helping those in need. SJR’s most recent event took place on Saturday May 17th, where students participated in the “Relay for Life” of Pascack Valley. Sponsored by the Amer-ican Cancer Society, this national event includes an all-night walk and other activities to raise money for cancer patients and research. With over 1000 participants at Westwood Regional HS, $173,284.83 was raised in support of beating cancer.

With over 25 SJR students and family members the Saint Joseph Regional High School team were able to raise $2,815 -- almost tripling the original goal of $1000. Team captain Nick Andresini ‘16 said, “Although this was the first ‘Relay for Life’ for many of our team members, we were able to surpass our goal and make a substantial contribution to the fight against cancer.” The event was truly a success, not only for SJR, but for the Pascack Valley community as a whole. The night began at around 5 o’clock, with an opening ceremony followed by an honorary lap for those who have survived cancer themselves. After many guest speakers, the night continued with various activities, events, and “laps,” including the USA lap, Crazy Hat lap, and Pink-Out lap. There were many opportunities to buy delicious food, play games with friends, and meet new people. With football, ultimate frisbee, and even knee hockey tourna-

ments there was no chance to be bored in such an energetic envi-ronment. As Eddie Klein ‘16 said, “Whether it be playing sports, walking laps, or just talking to friends, I always had something to do. It was a great experience and I cannot wait for ‘Relay for Life 2015.’”

(L-R) Sophomores Conor Dickson, Ryan Grieco, Eddie Klein, Shane McDonaugh, and Donny Cutone at ‘Relay for Life’ at

Westwood Regional HS Saturday, May 17.

RL/FC Club Collects Supplies for Moms & BabiesBy Steven Collins ‘15The Respect Life/Faithful Citizenship Club is collecting diapers, baby wipes, and money for its spiritually adopted babies through Monday, June 2. All donations will go to the Good Counsel Home in Spring Valley and Several Sources in Ramsey.

Tom Murphy ’15, a club member, said, “It’s been a successful year for the Respect Life group. We have been able to help with the 40-Days-for-Life Vigil, run the Spiritual Adoption program at SJR, and a group of us attended a Pro-Life rally at Seton Hall Uni-versity. We also recently went to IHA to hear a speaker talk about post-abortion healing.

Murphy elaborated on Spiritual Adoption: “The idea is to raise awareness for those unborn ba-bies who are in danger of being aborted. It makes us think of the mother and the difficult situa-tion she is in, and allows us the opportunity to pray for them.

One of the ways the club spreads awareness is through prayers

during the morning announcements over WSJR. Other ways are by posters, and handouts and pamphlets they distribute through-out the year.

The items the club is collecting now will be sent to mothers in need of help and assistance in raising their children.

(L-R) Anthony Della Fave ‘15, Joe Malfa ‘16, Luke Gardner ‘14, Steven Dinallo ‘15, and Brandon McCann ‘14.

Photo by Jeff Chimenti ‘15

Entertainment4 The Guardian, Friday, May 23rd, 2014

Godzilla Roars in Return to the Big Screen

By Liam Glass ‘152014 marks the 60th anniversary of the monster Godzilla’s first appearance on the big screen. He has appeared in 30 movies so far, and is easily considered the most iconic movie monster in cin-ema. This year, we are lucky to be graced with a new Godzilla film after a 16-year hiatus, during which Godzilla fans were recovering from the horrible taste that 1998’s Godzilla left in their mouths. Thankfully, this year’s film does not just relieve that era’s pain, it also satisfies all moviegoers. This is the first American Godzilla of the millenium, and the franchise is off to an incredible start.

Godzilla is about an apocalyptic scenario where gigantic monsters awaken from the earth’s core and challenge humanity’s existence. There are multiple creatures in the movie, Godzilla being the lead. While previous Godzilla movies focus on the monster wreaking havoc or fighting other monsters, this film is more about human-ity’s response, and how horrible the fate of humanity can turn out after the attacks from said monsters. While it is a different style of Godzilla movie, it works well and the action sequences are just as rewarding as would be expected.

This film is visually stunning. The scenes of city destruction are

gritty and realistic, and the portrayals of the beasts, including Godzilla, are better than ever. Godzilla is larger than he has ever been in any film before, standing at 355-feet tall and looking menacing as ever. The monster fight scenes, while only occasional compared to previous films, are incredibly choreographed and perfectly executed. The military scenes with one of the main char-acters are also well-done and intense with a quiet score and the occasional jump-scare.

The actors in the movie are fantastic. The movie focuses on two sets of leads, one set helmed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) and the other by Ken Watanabe (Inception). Johnson plays a lieu-tenant in the Navy, who during the turmoil leaves his wife and son to help the military battle the disaster during his day off. Elizabeth Olsen (Oldboy) plays his wife, and we get to see her perspective occasionally as she showcases the civilian aspect of the problem, and how hopeless humanity stands against titans like Godzilla. Watanabe is a scientist that led the factory that just about caused the initial crisis. In the film he works with the government to try and strategically stop the tragedy with as little casualties as possi-ble. The only real problem with the movie’s story is that it does not use its strongest actor, Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) enough. He has very little screentime and it is unfortunate to see his power misused.

Godzilla is the quintessential blockbuster. It is the summer movie of the year, and it’s only May. It’s no wonder that the movie made 93 million dollars in its opening weekend, the biggest opening weekend of the year so far. I recommend seeing it as soon as pos-sible, and if you have an extra five bucks lying around, seeing it in IMAX is completely worth it.

The poster for “Godzilla.”

Story: 8/10Acting: 9/10

Special Effects: 10/10Verdict: 9/10

Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) investigating a quarantined zone with his son, Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

Godzilla is the most fun I have had in a theater in a long time. See it with your friends in IMAX for perfect popcorn fun with

some heart.

The Guardian, Friday, May 23rd, 2014 5

Manziel’s Autograph, Goodell’s Picture at the NFL Draftthe 10 remaining Day-One wristbands. Our five-hour wait was a success. Had the Packers’ fan not told us we were allowed to move in front of his group, we never would have gotten Day One wristbands.

We came back on Thursday, waited on line for an hour, made some new friends, started a few more arguments, and eventually got our tickets. We went to the seats and discovered they were awful – they were behind the ESPN set with no view of the stage. I went out onto the concourse, worked some negotiating magic, and swapped seats with a few naive fans sitting in the mezzanine with a great view of the stage. We watched the first 18 picks from those seats until Devin’s father, who was working as a security guard, came up to our seats and brought us down to the lower lev-el; we were right by the tables where the draftees were interviewed after they were drafted. I was able to shake hands with Calvin Pryor (NY Jets’ pick), C.J. Mosley (Baltimore Ravens’ pick), Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Green Bay Packers’ pick), and Brady Hoke (Mich-igan’s head coach). The best moment of the night was getting Johnny Manziel’s autograph. He was very rude, spurned hand-shakes, and avoided signing autographs, but I was one of the lucky few to obtain his John Hancock (the bidding starts at $100; e-mail malfaj98@gmail.com). Am I proud of the manner in which I got his autograph? Not really. There were three little kids in the front row as he was walking towards us. He was ready to pass us by until a lady said to sign since they were little kids. I reached over them and shoved my paper in Manziel’s face. I would have felt bad if one of the three kids didn’t get his autograph because of me, but he signed for them as well. Everything worked out in the end.

Overall, it was one of the best two-day periods of my life. If you are a big fan of the NFL, I strongly suggest you attend the draft one year. I hope to attend again next year – as long as the NFL keeps the event in the greatest city in the world.

In the last edition of The Guardian, Coach Karcich shared a buck-et-list experience – attending The Masters. Hopefully I have many years to fulfill or even worry about a bucket list, but it’s never too early to cross something off. On May 8th, I was able to draw a line through “Attend the NFL Draft.”

I had no intentions of attending this year’s draft until I heard that the NFL was in serious talks to move the draft from Radio City Music Hall to Chicago or Dallas in 2015. Devin Buonanno ’14 asked if I wanted to go with him – this wasn’t a tough question to answer.

We learned that in order to attend, you had to wait on line outside of Radio City the day before the draft to get a special wristband (only a limited amount were to be handed out). Andrew, a friend from Old Tappan, decided to tag along, and we set out for New York City as soon as Wednesday’s school day ended.

The NFL announced they would start handing out wristbands around 7P.M., so we were pretty confident in our chances of getting a wristband by lining up at 3P.M. – that confidence was shattered when we got there and saw the line.

A small rant: the loyal, passionate fans who were willing to wait for hours to watch a draft – A DRAFT! – were treated like ani-mals. Rather than just a conventional line, small, gated areas were set up from Radio City down past Rockefeller Center (about two blocks away). 100-120 fans were crammed into these small areas, and as each group got their wristbands, the groups behind moved up; this process was more like cattle herding than waiting on line for an NFL event.

Anyway, we were placed in the 10th group. Groups 1-8 were guar-anteed wristbands, but there were no promises for 9 and up. We came to terms with the fact that we probably were not going to re-ceive wristbands, but made the most of our time. I spoke to about 80% of the people in my group. I met some interesting characters, heard some interesting stories, and took part in a heated discus-sion with a Patriots’ fan, wearing a Devin McCourty jersey.

Eventually, the line started moving. We moved up a few stations, received lanyards, and filled out forms. We weren’t told what the lanyards were for, but soon found out that it guaranteed a wrist-band for entry to either Day One or Day Two.

Here is where things got a bit more interesting. One can only re-tain 50 ounces of water for so long. When I went to relieve myself, the groups moved up, but Devin stayed behind so I would know where to find him; we were behind group 11 when I returned. A Packers’ fan in front of us noticed our lanyards said we were from group 10, and he told us we were allowed to go ahead of his group. We ran ahead of them and came to a screeching halt when we noticed Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the NFL, signing autographs and taking pictures. This is where my luck began. Miraculously, my phone lasted on 1% battery for over 40 minutes. It died no less than five seconds after the picture on this page was taken.

We heard there weren’t many wristbands left so we sprinted inside. Devin, Andrew, and I were lucky enough to get three of

Sophomore Joe Malfa with NFL Commissoner Roger Goodell.Photo by Joe Malfa ‘16

Joe Malfa on Sports

6 The Guardian, Friday, May 23rd, 2014

Bazille Wins 110 Hurdles at County ChampionshipsBy Ryan Sorrano ‘17Down the home stretch of the track season, Se-nior Zack Bazile finally returned from his injury to place first in the 110h not once, but twice. He did so at the County Group Championship and the Bergen Meet of Champions, where he was able to place second in the Long Jump.

“Even after the injury, Zach is still just as domi-nant. I was very happy to see that he is in healthy condition and am looking forward to see how he will perform at the State Sectional meet this weekend,” says Coach Nick DeVito ‘97.

Along with Zack Bazile, CJ Fitzpatrick ‘14 had a large impact for SJR at the County Group Cham-pionship. CJ finished second in the 100m and fourth in the 200m. Many people may wonder who will step up to lead the team with these two seniors graduating. Junior Jon Meli may seem to be a good candidate as he recently was victori-ous in the Novice 100 and the Long Jump at the County Seat Invitational. In addition to Meli, Hunter Hayek ‘17 and Andrew Pierre ’15 competed in the Novice 4x200 at the County Seat Invitational. All three placed first. Coach DeVito was very pleased with the overall performance at the county Seat Invitational and looks to keep up the pace. The

season ends on June 4 and there are still many meets to come in a short amount of time. DeVito says it may be a lot, but they will be prepared and work extremely hard for the last few days of the season.

Sophomore Brian Kearns crosses the finish line 1st.

Tennis 7-7; Comet-Tournament Win Highlights Season

By Chris Brennan ‘15The Varsity Tennis team is near the end of yet another successful season. With Coach Dates winning his 100th Match as head coach, the team is grateful to have such a great leader.

The Varsity Tennis Player, Anthony LaRegina has a lot to say about his beloved Coach Dates. “Since tennis is focused

on mental aspects Coach Dates really focuses on making sure his players have the right mindset even in some of their toughest matches. It would also be nice to mention that he coached both of the Galbo brothers together for eight consecutive years. They were great teammates to have on our Green Knights Tennis team. Also, he is the fourth coach in SJR history to get 100 wins including Coach Karcich, Coach Salvano, and Coach Doherty, that is a major achievement. I would like to not only like to congratulate Coach Dates but thank him, being the fact that he is now among an elite group of coaches making him one of the best coaches in Saint Joes 52 year-long history. He makes me proud to be a Green Knight.”

He sounds like a great Coach! It is very tough to have such a successful career as a coach both in high school and professionally so 100 wins is a very prestigious accomplishment. Not many can achieve such greatness as a Coach and the Green Knights are honored to have such a great coach lead them towards victory.

Senior Chris O’Bryne follows through in a recent match.

Sports

Photo by Nico Blasucci ‘16

Photo by Karyn Ochiuzzo

Sports The Guardian, Friday, May 23rd, 2014 7

Bodrato’s One-Hitter Lifts Baseball into County Semi-FinalsSome big things are happening around the SJR baseball program. Recently, Coach Frank Salvano reached a career milestone as he earned his 600th win in a game against Demarast. Sean Connolly ‘14 pitched a complete game, striking out seven batters, to help Coach Salvano get a win worth remembering.

“It’s been a great ride here St. Joe’s and I hope to coach many more excellent teams in the future that will help me reach goals like these,” says Salvano. “I wouldn’t have wanted to do it anywhere else but here.”

Isias Quiroz ‘14, Joe Toepert ‘15, John Greeley ‘15, and Austin Bodrato ‘16 all drove in at least one run in this big 5-3 victory.

“Winning is always important to us, but this will definitely go down as one of the biggest wins this season. It feels great to help Coach Salvano achieve something like this,” said Quiroz.

Senior day was another big day for St. Joe’s as they took on Marist.

“Senior Day is always a must-win game on the schedule,” said Mike Warren. “We always have to do our best to cap off great careers for the seniors.”

Devin Ortiz ‘17 got the nod on the mound for this senior-day game. The Green Knights’ offense shined just as much as its pitching did. Dom Paiotti ‘14 started the scoring with a RBI sin-gle, which sparked the offense. This was followed by a three-run homerun by Greeley, two RBIs for Ortiz, and an RBI for Toepert. Ortiz threw the complete game shutout in a 7-0 win.

The biggest event for the players and coaches right now, howev-er, is the Bergen County Tournament. SJR is always one of the best teams heading into the tournament, and they have played up to that standard this year as well. They started as the number-three seed in the tournament against Dumont, seeded at number fourteen. Mike Gallo hit a triple and was brought home for the first run of the game on a base-hit by Bodrato; Greeley followed this up with a RBI sacrifice fly. The game was called off to resume the next day, and the Green Knights came back ready to finish the job; they scored two more times. Bodrato and War-ren combined for the no-hitter in a 4-0 win that sent SJR to the quarterfinals.

Next on the schedule for SJR was a strong River Dell team which proved to be a hard test for the Knights. Bodrato was

sent out for the start, which is not rare in this tournament consid-ering how well he has been pitching for this team.

“There is a lot of pressure pitching at every county game and basi-cally having to carry your team to victory, but I am always up for the challenge,” said Bodrato.

Just as expected, he delivered for his team throwing a complete game shutout, only allowing one hit to River Dell. Toepert drove in the only run in the 1-0 win as the Green Knights move on to the semi-finals tomorrow.

To make it to the County Championship, St. Joe’s will have to beat second seeded Indian Hills. Indian Hills won in the only match-up of the season between the teams in a close game that held off Coach Salvano’s 600th win. Seeking revenge, the Knights will most likely have Bodrato start once again, as he has been great under pressure. As far as offense goes, Quiroz, Ortiz, and others will look produce some runs. SJR may try to steal a lot of base in order to get runners into scoring position. Small ball has benefitted this team, and they will need to pour their heart into this game to keep their hopes of another county championship alive. It should be a great game no matter the outcome.

As the season winds down, the team will be focused on winning the county tournament and going as far as possible in the state tournament, where they were also given the third seed.

“This group of players has been wonderful all season and will look to go out with a bang. Coach Salvano says, “I believe in my guys. We just have to go out there and execute our plan, which has worked all season. It should be a great end to the season.”

By Jimmy Dronzek ‘17

Junior John Greeley had a three-run homer against Marist.

Photo by Karyn Ochiuzzo

Sports8 The Guardian, Friday, May 23rd, 2014

Lacrosse Finishes 14-4, Best Record in HistoryBy Chris Walker ‘15The Green Knights’ 2014 season came to an end Thursday after-noon in an 8-4 loss to Delbarton in the second round of the state tournament. Thursday’s loss came only two days after the pro-gram’s first-ever state tournament win, a 10-4 victory over Pope John. SJR Lacrosse finished the season with a 14-4 record, which ties the school record for most wins in a season.

SJR’s victory over Pope John was only the team’s second home state game in school history. St. Joe’s was able to seal the victory with solid defense and extraordinary play from Tom Tornetto ’15 in goal.

“The win [vs. Pope John] was a great win for St. Joe’s,” said Head Coach DeCicco. “I did not think we would win as easily as we did. Our offense was struggling at points, but our defense played their best game of the year with Tom Tornetto leading the way.”

St. Joe’s came into this season with high expectations, hoping to build off last year’s campaign that resulted in a 9-8 record and state and county tournament berths. Senior captain Fernando Porras explained that the team had high expectations for itself, as they believed they had the ability to win every game on their schedule and compete in the state and county tournaments.

Despite losing 16 seniors to graduation and sustaining multiple changes to their coaching staff, the Green Knights were able to achieve success this season. Coach DeCicco said that this team was successful in several areas and is the best team he has coached in his four years at St. Joe’s.

The team’s success was due in large part to junior goalie Tom Tor-netto’s play over the second half of the season. DeCicco said, “He is a totally different player than he was at the start of the season and has been a major reason for our team’s success this year.”

The Green Knights were also helped on the offensive end by huge seasons from juniors Jack Walsh (80 points) and Huestin Herman (70 points).

One of the team’s biggest accomplishments this year was matching the school’s previous record of 14 wins in a season. Porras saidthat the 14-win mark was a big point of emphasis in the locker room throughout the season. “[The 14 win record] definitely gave us a lot of motivation. We took each game one at a time and I think that really helped us to achieve our 14-4 record.”

DeCicco was recognized for his achievements in 2014 by being named Conference Coach of the Year, his first coaching award since being named North Jersey Coach of the Year in his first year at St. Joe’s.

DeCicco saidthat he was very honored and excited to win the award because it confirms that his team had a successful year and shows that the program is moving in the right direction. He also said that he believes the award should be more appropriately titled “Coaching Staff of the Year,” as each of his assistant coaches played a significant role in the team’s success.

Several SJR Lacrosse players were also recognized for their accom-plishments in 2014. J.T. Giles-Harris ‘16 was named Conference Player of the Year and was named First Team all Conference and

First Team All County. Jack Walsh ’14 was named Second Team all Confer-ence and Third Team All County. Joe Giles-Harris ’15 and Huestin Herman ’15 were named Second Team All Conference, and Nick Haubner ’14 was named Honorable Mention All County.

SJR Lacrosse looks for-ward to a very large group of players returning next season, as they will only be losing six seniors to graduation. Porras be-lieves the team is headed in the right direction and is poised for success going forward. He said that Coach DeCicco is one of the most respected coaches in New Jersey and has a chance to create one of the top programs in Bergen County.Junior Steven Dinallo looks to throw to a open teammate.

Photo by Jeff Chimenti ‘15