SEASON REVIEW
  In my last article, I talked about the high hopes Tommy Coyle had for
his Crusaders this year on the football field. I believe I said
something along the lines of “although Judge isn’t off to the start they
had hoped for, my prediction is that they will still make it to the
playoffs this year." Well yeah, they did go 3-7, but they did make it to
the playoffs, and went pretty far too, going into a game against Roman
at Wiedner University as the underdog, and coming off with a 27-19 win.
They lost next week to the Prep, knocking them out of the playoffs, but
for a team who was expected to fall into the pits of the division,
getting one game short of the championship isn’t that bad of a season.
And remember, the Crusaders are a rebuilding team, with a lot of
underclassmen ready to go for next season. Even the freshman team is
something to get excited about. Led by guys like Rob Harris, Adam Noack
and Tim McCaffrey, the future looks bright for years. All-Catholic
players include Jude Cooke (1st team), Jeff McMahon, Mike Murphy, and
Mark Ryan (2nd team), and Mike McKnight, Mike Ulrich, Justin
DeCristofaro, Jim LaVelle, and Chris Dowling (Honorable Mention).
The stat leader this season for Judge in rushing was Jim LaVelle with a
995-yard season, just shy of 1,000.Second was Joe Thompson with 524
yards. Mark Ryan led the team in receiving yards with 408. Tom Hayes
finished close behind with 340 yards. In overall scoring, Joe Thompson
was the red zone go-to guy on the ground with five touchdowns. The go-to guys
through the air were Mark Ryan and Tom Hayes with four TDs apiece.
Overall, this team impressed many people and definitely made Judge
proud.

NOV. 24
THANKSGIVING RIVALRY
Judge 34, Lincoln 0
   Ah, the Turkey Bowl. Whether your local team went undefeated or hasn’t
gotten a win all season, it means nothing on that last Thursday in
November, because in the end, it all comes down to that one game. If you
go to Judge, then you get to enjoy this game every year. If you go to
Lincoln, then…well…”better luck next year” is a very overused phrase.
The record for the Judge/Lincoln game is currently 25-3-1 in favor of
the Crusaders.
  The day before, I was in a Modell’s, and I heard some of the workers
talking. This was their conversation…
  “Yo, you goin to the Turkey Bowl?”
  “Yea pro’lly. It doesn’t look to good for Judge this year though.”
  “How you figure?”
  “Well their quarterback is injured and Lincoln is good this year…”
  This is where I figure that I’ve heard enough and walk away.
  Obviously these people didn’t have a clue as to what they were talking
about. First of all, Justin DeCristofaro started that game, only going out when
it was safe that it was a win. Second, Lincoln was 6-5 in a new and less
competitive conference. Yes, Judge didn’t have a record as good as that, but
please remember while reading this that they have to play teams like
the Prep, as well as O’Hara (who they might have even beat if it weren’t
for a fumble with seconds to go). Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll
get on with the game report.
  The first score came quickly by All-Catholic running back Jim Lavelle
on an 8 yard run, which would eventually lead to a 154-yard game
(putting him 5 yards short of a 1,000-yard season). A few scoreless
drives would later lead to their next score by John Tomaszewski on a
short pass from DeCristofaro. The last score of the half came
from a beautiful 35-yard pass to Mark Ryan to put them up 21-0.
The second half belonged to Jeff McMahon, who scored a pair of rushing
touchdowns (one from 2 yards out and another from 28 yards out, breaking
about 6 tackles in the process). He was just as impressive on the
defensive side of the ball, recording several sacks and at least 3
full-magnitude hits. You all know the ones I mean. The ones where you
just hope the kid who got hit can get up with all his limbs. It’s always
exciting to watch this kid play. If you haven’t gotten a chance to see
him and the Crusaders play this year, then I feel bad for you, because
you definitely missed out. His performance was awarded with the team’s
MVP award after the game.
  With that I’d like to end this article. I am really sorry to those who
check this religiously and haven’t seen an article since September, but
you must understand, that I am an EXTREMELY lazy man.

SEPT. 24
CATHOLIC RED
O'Hara 13, Judge 7
  Ladies and gentlemen, I have a story. A story with a thrilling plot, some heroic characters, and a sad, sad, ending. I call it, “The Judge/O’Hara Game Report.”
  If you like great underdog stories and close games, then Lincoln High School was the spot to be. Judge got off to an amazing start thanks to Jeff McMahon, who registered 4 sacks and a TD run. Watching Jeff play was definitely a sight to see. The first half belonged to the Crusaders, with McMahon’s TD run being the only points on the board. Judge almost sealed its victory in the second half with minutes to go, but there was a fumble on O’Hara’s 2 yard line and Judge did not recover and that was followed by an almost unstoppable run (by Joe "Juice" Juisti) that went around 80 yards and led to an O’Hara TD. The extra point was missed, and with a minute left and the ball in Judge’s hands, you could look up into the stands from the field and see every almost every Crusader faithful out of his/her seat. Almost immediately, the ball was turned over due to an interception. 
   Even though the Crusaders didn’t come away with the win they desired, they definitely turned some heads. (Huck predicted a 42-7 loss. Puck predicted a 35-13 loss.)

SEPT. 16
SOME THOUGHTS . . .
   Yes, Father Judge isn’t off to the start they had dreamed of, yes, Lamone Fox did play out of his mind last week, and, yes, all of this means absolutely nothing and Judge will make it to the playoffs this year. This article is NOT a game report, so if you are looking for some Judge/Northeast coverage, stop here.
   Judge is an up-and-coming team with lots of potential. I know, everybody says that about their team even if they have absolutely no one and couldn’t stand a chance with 3 year olds, but I speak only the truth. Such eye-popping talent exists in sophomore players Paul Volpe and Andrew McHale. Volpe, a quarterback and McHale, a kick returner/running back/wideout, alone show promise. But why talk about the future? Because for Tommy Coyle and the Crusaders, the future is now. Even with such talent lurking around for the near future, first team All-Catholic quarterback Justin DeCristofaro is definitely a good conversation piece when at the bar or barber shop talking about high school football. Justin has a lot of options through both air and land this year with Joe Thompson, Jim Lavelle, Tommy Hayes, Will Taggert and Mark Ryan to go to (along with my boy McHale, of course). He also has a solid line of offensive soldiers blocking his way led by captain Mike McKnight, Mick Ulrich, and Kevin “Cookie” Keenan. Now, as someone who has been to about every other practice this season, I can safely say that the last time they looked this good was in 2001 when they went 9-3 (the year of Kyle Ambrogi and Vince Gallagher of the Prep).
   The defense looks just as promising with captain Matt Rodriguez, or “Matt-Rod”, at the defensive back position. Needless to say, Coach Bill Koch has his defensive back unit, or his “team within a team” as I like to call it, and it's in top condition and ready to hit some people.
    I’d like to talk more about the defense and special teams, but I have a dance to go to. Another article is soon on its way. Stay posted and thanks for choosing the KingDom for the Father Judge scoop.
Dominic “Smocis” Mallon
Father Judge assistant trainer, manager, and waterman (not waterboy).