By Joseph Staszewski
Queens teams produced a memorable 2012-13 high school season filled with great players, great games and exceptional squads. Who had the best year of them all?
TimesLedger Newspapers sports editor Joseph Staszewski breaks it down as he ranks the Top 10 Queens high school teams regardless of sports for the 2012-13 season. The squads are selected keeping in mind their level of dominance in their sport, the level and difficulty of any title won, the historic nature of its season and quality of their overall year. Here is how the list shaped up:
1. Christ the King boys’ basketball (28-3)
The Royals earn the top spot for simply being the most dominant team in the state’s most competitive sport. Christ the King went 28-3 en route to wining a second state Federation Class AA title in the last four years. Led by New York state’s Mr. Basketball Jon Severe, CK often made what was supposed to be tough contests look easy and also gutted out tight wins late.
2. Construction softball (24-1)
The Red Hawks come next after having the most historic season in the borough. Construction ace Britney Rodriguez won the school’s first PSAL Class A softball title and became the first Queens team to win since 2002. They did so by ending two-time defending champion Tottenville’s 117-game regular season winning streak before beating them again in the final.
3. St. Francis Prep girls’ volleyball (15-1)
St. Francis Prep continued its dominance of CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens and Queens volleyball in general. The Terriers claimed their sixth-straight diocesan title and reached their second-straight CHSAA Class ‘AA’ state final, a rare feat for a city team. SFP features a senior group of Kelly Flynn, Kendra McCalla and Kiara Pierre that helped propel the program to an elite level in New York City.
4. Christ the King girls’ soccer (16-1-0)
A year ago, the Royals made history by winning their first CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens title. This year they came back and repeated the feat in unbeaten fashion. What made the championship extra special was CK did it with a much different and younger roster. Freshman phenoms Medina Mulic and Sarah Nolan picked up the scoring.
5. Archbishop Molloy boys’ soccer (17-2-0)
The Stanners ground out a tough regular season with Denes Kostel and Nick Matusewicz scoring big goals and Chris Mouzakitis leading a stingy defense. Molloy had extra motivation for its 1-0 win over Fordham Prep in the city title game, its first crown since 2009. The victory made good on a promise made to former teammate Justin Thompson, who was left paralyzed from the waist down in 2011.
6. John Adams boys’ basketball (24-6)
John Adams made a little history itself. As a No. 13 seed, the Spartan won the school’s first PSAL Class A crown. Their magic run ended all with a loss in the state Federation final to Albany Academy after upsetting McKinley in the semifinals led by Markell French and Paul Johnson. By making the title game, they became the first PSAL team to do so since 2001.
7. St. Francis Prep boys’ handball (18-0)
Perfect and historic are the best ways to describe St. Francis Prep’s season. The Terriers won their 11th-straight undefeated CHSAA city title, tying a record set by the school in 1981. Also, by not losing a single game all season, SFP became the first team to do so since St. Francis did back in 1976. The year marked the emergence of sophomore Ryan Delevan.
8. Academy of American Studies boys’ volleyball (15-0)
The Eagles handled the pressure of being the hunted a year after winning the school’s first PSAL Class A volleyball title. They made it two straight by knocking off previous unbeaten Cardozo in the final to finish their own perfect season. Senior stars Michal Kasza and Conrad Zajkowski ended their stellar careers on top.
9. Monsignor McClancy boys’ soccer (15-1-3)
McClancy and its high-powered offense has become the class act of the CHSAA’s ‘A’ division. The Crusaders lost just once in the regular season and reached its fourth city final in the last five years. There they pulled out a 1-0 win over St. Joseph by Sea for a second straight title behind Joey Mifsud and George Alissandratos.
10. Long Island City cricket (13-3)
Defending champion Long Island City didn’t come into the playoffs as the favorite, but left with the crown. The Bulldogs had to win their semifinal over top-seeded Bryant and the final against Hillcrest on the same day. They became the second team to reach the final for the third straight year and the second to win consecutive crowns behind seniors Tufayul Ahmed and Attaur Khan.
Honorable mention
Archbishop Molloy girls’ basketball
John Adams baseball
Benjamin Cardozo track and field
Aviation boys’ soccer
Bayside boys’ handball
Scholars Academy girls’ basketball
