By Joseph Staszewski
The stories behind the box score are what make high school sports special. They produce genuine, raw emotions in the players and connect those watching from the sidelines and beyond to the game at a whole different level.
The current spring post-season in Queens, which is kicking into high gear, is filled with such tales.
On the baseball diamond, look at Archbishop Molloy, which mourned the death of legendary head Coach Jack Curran earlier this year. The players and new coaching staff dedicated their season to Curran and have gone on to be one of the best teams in the CHSAA Class AA baseball league and a favorite for the intersectional title.
How fitting would it be for the Stanners to hoist the championship trophy in the air in memory of Curran, a man they all respected, revered and genuinely loved? Acting Coaches Brad Lyons, Matt Rizzotti and Brother James Vagan have done an excellent job of guiding the players through an emotional campaign. And having big-time pitchers like Greg Boyle, Chris Piteo and Donovan Armas on Molloy’s roster certainly has helped the team succeed so far.
Rival St. Francis Prep also has a special motivation to play well this season. Student Daniel Fernandez, a close friend of pitcher Dylan Lawrence, died in August when his head hit an overpass while he and other teens were riding a bus. Many of the Terriers players knew the 16-year-old Fernandez well and have kept him in their hearts throughout an up-and-down season. St. Francis Prep has enough talent to win it all if they get healthy and put it all together.
Hurricane Sandy is still having an effect on high school sports in the storm-battered Rockaways. The Beach Channel girls’ lacrosse team has been unable to use the school’s field all year for games or practice because of the damage inflicted by the storm surge. But the Dolphins, despite having to get used to a new head Coach Eric Wozniak, have persevered and now have their sights set on their first PSAL Class A title since the program won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.
The Bayside softball program is shaping up to be an interesting story as well. Commodores Coach Steve Piorkowski is a year removed from his successful bout with cancer. He won his second division title of the year last week when Bayside beat Cardozo to claim the PSAL Queens A-I crown and post a 15-1 regular season record. His other title came on the basketball court in February.
It would be a touching achievement if the fourth-seeded Commodores could make a run at a city crown since victory would provide a fitting finish to Piorkowski’s first year back on the bench.
We get to watch these special stories play out in the coming weeks along with Construction’s softball team looking to break through to the PSAL Class A softball final for the first time and St. Francis Prep aiming to claim its first diocesan softball title in the last four years.
In addition, underdogs Cardozo and John Adams hope to upset the PSAL baseball powerhouses.
Seeing these human stories unfold is sure to provide surreal moments that are hard to forget.
