A Valley Indian For Life

I can't believe this is all coming to an end. 

It feels like just yesterday when this all started. It was the summer and I had covered Boys Basketball and Lacrosse the previous year. I thought to myself, "If I could cover two sports, why not try to cover them all." Of course, before planning a method of attack, I had to consult the audience. I decided to get to twitter and asked if people would be up for me starting a PV Sports twitter account. After the countless positive feedback and encouragement, @Feartheindian was born.

Many people ask where the name @Feartheindian actually came from. To be honest, not a lot of thinking went into it. When making a name, I wanted to make something that resembled our mascot, the Indian. The first thing that came to my mind when I thought of Indians was fear. I mean, if you were walking around and you saw an Indian tribe, you're going to tell me you wouldn't be scared? Didn't think so. 

Once the twitter account was in order, I decided that it was only right that a blog go with it. I decided to start feartheindian.blogspot.com to go with the account I had created. On the site, I decided there would be Daily Recaps, Feature Articles, and Analysis pieces. If I am going to be a sports journalist in the future, why not write about my high school sports teams too?

After everything was in order, the journey was set to begin. Since I started this all in August, I had to anxiously wait until September for the Fall sports to begin. After the first set of games on that Friday, everything started rolling. I had Allison Schramm help me with Tennis. Nick Sunseri and Cory Gottlieb had me covered with Boys Soccer. Alexa McManus loved giving me updates for Girls Soccer. I would receive texts from Kelly Bischoff after every Volleyball game. Olivia Cassano had Gymnastic updates for me whenever I needed it.  As for football, well, football kind of spoke for itself.

It was actually football that really got the twitter account into full swing. Because of the success on the field, the students and faculty were filled with school spirit. Once the hashtag #feartheindian started being used by others, I knew that I had founded something special. 

Side story: The reason I decided to hashtag #feartheindian after every tweet was because no matter what the final result, the opposing team learned to "Feartheindian".

The fall season was over and the winter season was set to begin. Since I would be covering Boys Basketball, there were many other sports going uncovered. I reached out to several individuals who helped me during the long winter months. Cory Gottlieb got me caught up in Wrestling. Jamie Saslaw had me for Bowling. Jenn Ianello would text me for Swimming. Nicky Tintle went to almost every hockey game, helping me out immensely. Last but not least, I had a parent give me maybe the greatest help of all. Susan Liebeskind would always keep me updated on Girls Basketball when I couldn't make it and I cannot thank her enough. There were some great moments during the winter season and I will always remember them.

The last season to cover was the spring and wow was it busy! I followed the tradition by covering Boys Lacrosse and witnessed the best season in program history. For the games I couldn't attend, Allison Schramm kept me updated on baseball. Kyle Schneider had me for Softball. Sam Komrower was the man for the job for Golf. Jamie Saslaw controlled Girls LAX. Greg Gottfried gave me tennis updates.  Kayla Begen and James Almeida had me updated on everything related to track.

Before I knew it, the school year was over, @Feartheindian had blown up, and I had covered every sport that Pascack Valley had to offer.

This has truly been a remarkable thing for me to be a part of. We have truly bonded over something that means so much to our school: athletics. Our school spirit is incredible and our blood truly runs green in white. I wouldn't want to be anything else but a Pascack Valley Indian.

I don't know if you know, but I will be handing off @Feartheindian to Kyle O'Connor next year. He is going to be a senior and I have full confidence that he will continue what has been started here at PV. 

Before I hand the baton over to my man Kyle, I would like to thank a few special people that made all of this possible.

First, I would like to thank my Aunt Patty for continuously bugging me to start writing about sports. Without her, none of this ever would have been possible.

Next, I would like to thank Mr. DeMaio. He always promoted me and gave me positive feedback on what I was doing. He truly is a role model for our school.

Finally, I would like to thank the athletes and the fans. My twitter account would be nothing if I had nothing to tweet about or no one to follow me. You guys are the ones who really made this experience special and I cannot thank you enough for that. You have given me a memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Schools are usually defined by their traditions and hopefully I have started one that will live on for years to come. 

One last time, this is Kyle Stackpole and never forget to...

#feartheindian

Top 10 Moments

My name is Kyle Stackpole. I am a senior at Pascack Valley and run the twitter account @Feartheindian if you didn’t already know.

There have been so many great sporting moments throughout the year that it was hard to narrow it down to just 10.

 

10) Baseball: Pascack Valley’s Near Upset of Undefeated St. Joes: Coming into the game, Saint Joseph’s sat at #1 in the county with an unblemished record. No one gave the Indians a chance to win this game. Going against all of the odds, Pascack Valley gave St. Joes one of their best games of the season before falling 2-1. The Indians showed their true potential and almost pulled what would have been the upset of the year.

9) Softball: Pascack Valley Silences Old Tappan: The date was May 7^th and the Indians had gotten off to a great start to the season. However, no one gave them the respect they deserved because their competition was sub par. That all changed after a 9-8 win over a ranked Old Tappan squad. From that point forward, Pascack Valley was looked at as a threat instead of a pretender.

8) Girls Soccer: Pascack Valley Earns State Tournament Win against Paramus: Coming into the game as the 9^th seed, Pascack Valley was the underdog. Because of this being a state game, a loss would have ended the Indians’ season. Pascack Valley refused to let that happen by defeating Paramus 4-3. The Indians were led in scoring by Seniors Dara Liebeskind and Kelsey Witt and Juniors Shannon Evans and Amelia Della Pesca. With the win, Pascack Valley extended their season and lived to see another day.

7) Football: Pascack Valley Defeats Ramapo in the Battle of the Undefeated: Not only were both teams undefeated, but this game determined the league title. The stage was set for it to be one of the best games of the year and it lived up to expectations. After falling behind early, Pascack Valley roared back to take a 10-point lead. However, Ramapo scored the next two touchdowns and the Indians were in trouble. Kyle Schneider would not allow the Indians to lose. He led them down the field to regain the lead. On fourth down and Ramapo driving, the quarterback’s pass was knocked down by Nick Soravilla to seal the victory. This victory was one of the best moments of Pascack Valley’s undefeated regular season.

6) Ben Malone and Mike Manente earn “Athlete of the Week”: Rarely does a school have on recipient of this prestigious award. At Pascack Valley, there were two winners. In the fall, Senior Mike Manente earned this honor with his remarkable game against Wayne Hills in the playoffs. Ben Malone received his accolades in the spring after a remarkable track performance. Both of these athletes deserved of this award and have made Pascack Valley proud.

5) Boys Lacrosse: Pascack Valley Nips Fair Lawn to Enter Uncharted Waters: Pascack Valley had never before made it to the Bergen County semifinals. To accomplish that task, they had to defeat Fair Lawn, a team that gave them a tremendous battle earlier in the season. In the best lacrosse game of the season, Pascack Valley held off a late run by Fair Lawn to win 7-6. Anthony Setola made some unbelievable saves in goal while Mike Buldo Licciardi led the offense with 5 goals.

4) Boys Basketball: Indians stun Don Bosco to reach the Elite 8 of County Tournament: After falling to Don Bosco in the semifinals only two years prior, Seniors Nick Soravilla and Kyle Schneider were determined to get revenge. As the 14^th seed, they did just that; defeating 3^rd seeded Don Bosco 62-51 in what became the upset of the tournament. Throughout the regular season, the Indians have played the top teams tough but could not pull out many victories. This win showed that Pascack Valley was much better than what their record indicated.

3) Ben Malone Wins the Mile Run at the Millrose Games

At the 106^th Millrose games at the Armory in New York, Ben Malone competed in the high school mile. This was a prestigious event, bringing the best runners from around the country to compete. After laying low for the first two laps, Malone began to gain on the competition. By the final lap, Ben Malone cruised by his competitors, winning with a time of 4:12.62. As a student of Pascack Valley high school, Ben Malone was able to represent at the highest level.

2) Football: Pascack Valley Ends the Olsen Dynasty with a Loss

Earlier in the season, Pascack Valley defeated Wayne Hills to cement their place atop the league standings. However, there was a catch. Wayne Hills was without their starting quarterback Kevin Olsen. The two teams met again later in the season, only this time for a chance to advance to the state title game. Before the season, the Indians had never beaten the Patriots. After a 20-11 win, Pascack Valley had beaten them twice and was well on their way to the championship game.

1) Jasper Reaches Incredible Milestone:

I decided to put this as my #1 moment because this achievement is something that Coach Jeff Jasper has been working at for decades. A 63-21 victory over Dumont in the first round of the Bergen County Tournament gave Coach Jasper his 900^th win, a number that seems insurmountable to coaches around the area. Not only has Jasper led Pascack Valley to a successful 2012-2013 season, but has also put in dedication and hard work for so many years and deserved to be rewarded for his tremendous achievements. He truly is the meaning of a Pascack Valley Indian.

Daily Recap: Tuesday, May 21st

Boys Lacrosse:

Northern Highlands 12, Pascack Valley 9

After their debut in the Bergen County semifinals, Pascack Valley was looking to achieve the same result, only this time in states.

Their opponent? Northern Highlands.

These teams met earlier in the season with Northern Highlands pulling out a hard fought 8-5 victory. Many believed that Pascack Valley was much improved from that game and could give Northern Highlands a real run for their money.

Unfortunately, the game couldn’t have started any worse for Pascack Valley. On offense, they could not keep control of the ball and barely attempted any shots on goal. On defense, they left holes open that Northern Highlands was able to exploit, leading to easy goals. The Highlanders scored the first four goals of the game, putting the Indians in a deep hole.

Luckily, Mike Buldo ripped one past the goalie late in the first quarter to cut the lead to 4-1. Despite their poor play throughout the opening period, Pascack Valley was fortunate only to be down by this margin.

Northern Highlands added two more goals in the 2^nd period and the game was looking more and more like a blowout. Brendan Morrissey did add a goal towards the end of the half, but Pascack Valley still went into intermission down 6-2.

I’m not sure what Coach Craig Buckley said at halftime, but it must have been motivating. Senior Mike Buldo, potentially playing his last game, netted two more goals to cut the Highlands lead to 6-4. All of the sudden, the momentum was in the Indians favor.

Northern Highlands then scored one of the flukiest goals I have seen in a lacrosse game. The ball bounced off a player, high up into the air, over Anthony Setola’s stick, and into the net.

Even with their misfortune, Zach Beja scored at the buzzer and Pascack Valley went into the final period only down 7-5.

When Pascack Valley failed to win the faceoff to start the fourth quarter, the game was all but over. Northern Highlands scored the next three goals to give them a comfortable 10-5 lead. Through the rest of the game, Valley and Highlands continued to trade goals.

The game ended 12-9, ending Pascack Valley’s season.

This ends my coverage of the Boys Lacrosse team that has spanned over the last two seasons. I am so grateful for the opportunity to cover this squad and will miss it tremendously. I would like to wish the seniors farewell as they move on in their lives to bigger things.

Looking back at my life, I will always remember that my career started on the lacrosse field.

Record: 16-3

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Softball:

Pascack Valley 7, Paramus 5

If it was not for Lacrosse having their state game, this is the game I would have attended.

With about two minutes left in the Lacrosse game, I got a text from my bud Billy Beattie saying that the softball team was down 5-2 going into the seventh inning. Walking back to my car from the field, it had hit me that this was the last game I would cover as a student at Pascack Valley. As I got into my car, I decided to check my phone one more time to see if Billy had sent me the final score. Instead, I had gotten a text saying that Pascack Valley had scored three runs in the 7^th to tie the game at 5. For the remainder of the game, I sat in the Northern Highlands parking lot and live tweeted the ending.

How did the game play out you ask? Pascack Valley fell into a hole in the bottom of the first when Paramus scored two runs against Indians’ ace Alex Pleasic. It only got worse in the 2^nd when Paramus scored three more runs to take a commanding 5-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth, Pascack Valley got two runs back, making the score 5-2. Still, there was little hope that the Indians could come back with only a couple of innings to play.

The score remained the same until the top of the 7^th. Junior Caitlin Unger started off the rally with a pinch hit double. Pascack Valley added a run to make it 5-3 when Alex Pleasic stepped to the plate. There were two runners on and the opportunity to tie the game was right at their fingertips.

Pleasic delivered, singling home two runs and tying the game at 5. The comeback was complete, but the Indians wanted more.

Pascack Valley took a 6-5 lead with a sac fly from Rachel Squiccimarri and added a 7^th run when Carly Parenta stole home on a past ball. By the time the inning was over, 5 runners had crossed the plate and Pascack Valley held a 7-5 lead.

Paramus still had their last at bat in the bottom of the 7^th. After getting two easy outs to start the inning, Michelle Orden caught a line drive to first to end the game. In a matter of 15 minutes, Pascack Valley had gone from dead in the water to earning the biggest win of their season.

Alex Pleasic was huge on both sides for Pascack Valley. After giving up five runs through the first two innings, Pleasic shutout Paramus for the final 5. At the plate, she went 3-4 and stabilized the middle of the Indians lineup. Christina DiBella also contributed at the plate by going 3-4.

As the 12^th seed in the state tournament, this was considered a pretty big upset for Pascack Valley. With the win, they have a date with 4^th seeded Ramapo, who defeated Wayne Hills in the opening round.

Pascack Valley and Ramapo have split the season series. The Indians won the first game 5-2 while Ramapo took the second game 7-3.

With their backs against the wall and their season on the line, Pascack Valley bought themselves a few more days in their high school softball lives.

They will be looking to buy themselves a couple of more in a game that the Indians should definitely believe they could win.

Record: 11-12

Next Game: Thursday, May 23^rd at 4: 15 PM against Ramapo (Away)

Weekend Recap: May 19th to May 21st

Tennis:

Ridgewood 4, Pascack Valley 1

This was the last game of the season for Pascack Valley.

Good luck to the seniors as they graduate and move on.

Record: 11-10

Next Game: TBD

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Boys Lacrosse:

Pascack Valley 16, Morris Hills 5

When the original state seeding came out, Pascack Valley was slotted as the 4 seed and was supposed to play Nutley in the first round.

After a late change by the seeding committee, Northern Highlands took the 4 seed, Pascack Valley was bumped to the 5 seed, and Mahwah was the 6 seed.

Because of the changes, the Indians instead had to play Morris Hills in the first round of the state tournament.

As much as I would like to write about this game, there simply isn’t much to write about. Kevin Illian was dominant in the first half. He had half of Pascack Valley’s 10 goals in the opening 24 minutes.

Zach Beja recorded a hat trick in the first half and the Indians held a 10-2 going into intermission.

After adding 6 more goals in the third, the clock had continued to run and Pascack Valley ran away with a landslide victory.

With the win, Pascack Valley now plays Northern Highlands in the quarterfinals. This is a rematch of a game earlier in the season where Pascack Valley took a tough loss.

They will be looking to avenge that loss and make their way to the semifinals.

Only this time, a loss would end the best season this program has ever had.

Record: 16-2

Next Game: Tuesday, May 21^st at 4:30 against Northern Highlands (Away)

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Baseball:

Northern Highlands 7, Pascack Valley 2

Pascack Valley fell to Northern Highlands in their final game on Saturday.

It has been a good season for Pascack Valley and they should keep their heads held high. Good luck to the seniors as they move on to bigger and better things.

I would also like to thank Allison Schramm for her updates throughout the season.

Record: 9-15

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Boys Track:

Benny Malone and company took their talents to the county relay.

Here are the individual results:

400m: Ben Malone (1^st), Jaleel Felton (2^nd)

800m: Ben Malone (1^st)

4x400m: Jaleel Felton, Jorge Cortes, AJ Hall, Ben Malone (1^st)

Javelin: Mike Begen (2^nd)

Discuss: Mike Begen (6^th)

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Girls Track:

Pascack Valley competed in the county meet this weekend and performed well.

Here are the individual results

100m: Nicole Miller (3^rd)

400m: Alice Urbiel (2^nd)

200m: Nicole Miller (3^rd)

4x400m relay: Abby Lee, Kayla Begen, Chelsea Lee, Alice Urbiel (3^rd)

Pole Vault: Olivia Cassano (3^rd)

Daily Recap: Thursday, May 16th

Baseball:

Pascack Valley 4, Fair Lawn 2

Pascack Valley played a solid all around game today as they defeated Fair Lawn 4-2.

Although he has had injuries throughout his pitching career, Senior Kyle McDonald started the game for Pascack Valley. He was very effective in his three innings of work.

Valley got on the board in the second inning when Ricky Tiburcio knocked in Mikey Scalia. Later in the inning, Dan Corvo and Colin O’Shea added RBI, scoring Ryan Orr and Billy Beattie respectively. At the end of two innings, the Indians held a 3-0 lead.

Pascack Valley added another run in the 3^rd inning when Ryan Orr drove in Kevin Dehn. Fair Lawn responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning, making it 4-1 Valley after 3.

A pair of seniors pitched the rest of the game. Colin O’Shea went an inning and JJ Ruehl pitched the last three. 

I initially thought that this was the last game of the season, but that was not the case. Pascack Valley has its last game on Saturday at 11 AM against Northern Highlands.

Let’s hope the Indians can end the season on a positive note.

Record: 9-14

Next Game: Saturday, May 18^th at 11 AM against Northern Highlands  (Away)

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Softball:

Bergenfield 4, Pascack Valley 3

Record: 10-12

 Next Game: TBD

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Golf:

Pascack Valley came in 6^th place in the Bergen County Tournament at Darlington Golf Course.

Sam Komrower and Will Gallagher shot an 81 and Kevin Sinisi and Jack Gallagher shot an 86.

Next Game: TBD

Daily Recap: Tuesday, May 14th

Softball:

Pascack Valley 1, Holy Angels 0

Tuesday afternoon marked Senior Day for Pascack Valley softball. The players who have dedicated four years to this program were being rewarded for their hard work and persistence.

However, on a day dedicated to the seniors, Freshman Alex Pleasic stole the show.

She pitched a complete game shutout while recording 11 strikeouts and a couple of hits along the way. The hardest ball hit off her was when the leadoff hitter blasted one into the left-center field gap. Centerfielder Christina DiBella kept her eye on the ball the whole way and made a fantastic running catch.

From that point on, Pleasic dominated the lineup of Holy Angels and continued her stellar freshman campaign.

On the offensive end, this was a subpar performance for Pascack Valley. With that being said, the way that Pleasic was pitching, all the Indians needed was a single run.

They were able to manufacture that run in the 4^th. Christina DiBella led off the inning with a single and stole second with ease. DiBella got to third on a sacrifice bunt and Pleasic came to the plate, hoping to help herself with her bat. She did just that, hitting a sacrifice fly to centerfield that was deep enough to score DiBella. That was the lone run of the game and the only one Pascack Valley would need.

Pascack Valley played one of its most crisp games of the year when it mattered most. The pitching was dominant, the fielder slick, and they were able to do enough at the plate to get by.

If I was one of the seniors on this Pascack Valley team, I will remember this one for years to come. Good luck to all the seniors graduating this year and good luck in your future endeavors.

Record: 10-10

Next Game: Wednesday, May 18^th at 5 PM against Northern Highlands (Home)

Daily Recap: Monday, May 13th

Baseball:

Pascack Valley 3, Paramus 1

Pascack Valley played well on Monday and picked up a nice win against a solid Paramus squad.

Paramus started the game on the right foot by scoring a run in the top of the first. The Indians responded in the third when lead off hitter Ricky Tiburcio knocked in Ryan Orr.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the 5^th. Juniors Jimmy Butler and Kevin Dehn had RBIs to give the Indians a lead they would not relinquish.

Ryan Vasel continued to build on a solid sophomore campaign by throwing a complete game. He will be looked at to step up as a complement to Ryan MacNaughton next season.

Record: 8-14

Next Game: Wednesday, May 15^th at 4:15 PM against Ridgefield Memorial (Home)

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Softball:

Paramus 8, Pascack Valley 3

After falling into an early hole, Pascack Valley was unable to recover. They allowed Paramus to score 6 runs in the first two innings while they were shutout.

They scored two runs in the third and a run in the fourth to cut the Paramus lead to 6-3. Unfortunately for the Indians, that is the closest they would get.

The loss puts Pascack Valley under .500 for the season with a record of 9-10.

This is the first of four games for Pascack Valley this week so lets see if they can bounce back tomorrow.

Record: 9-10

Next Game: Tuesday, May 14^th at 4:15 PM against Holy Angels (Home)
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Tennis:

Pascack Valley 4, Paramus 1

Pascack Valley started the week off right on Monday afternoon by defeating Paramus 4-1.

After falling in the first round of the state tournament to Ramapo, this was a good bounce back win for the Indians.

Record: 11-9

Next Game: Friday, May 17^th at 4:15 PM against Ridgewood (Home)

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Golf:

Pascack Valley had a good showing on Monday afternoon in the North 1 Group 3 Golf sectional. The Indians came in 8^th place by shooting a 351.

Sam Komrower tied for 22^nd by shooting an 85.

Will Gallagher tied for 33^rd by shooting an 88.

Jack Gallagher and Kevin Sinisi both tied for 35^th by shooting an 89.

Pat Clancey finished tied for 42^nd by shooting a 91.

Next Game: Thursday, May 16^th (TBD)