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Raider Ramblings

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  ***Update*** . . . Kevin Rogers, another Ryan student, has taken over from Joe DeSanto as of the 1/30 report. He may be reached at Rog12588@aol.com.
    Joe DeSanto, a senior at Archbishop Ryan with an interest in writing, will be covering the Raiders this basketball season. Joe competes in football and track. We thank him for offering to help! Joe may be reached at joeyd187@comcast.net.                   

JAN. 30
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Dougherty 45, Ryan 40
  We arrived with about 20 seconds to go in the first half because Tom “I swear I got my green card” Yabor drives like a woman and partly because my esteemed colleague Matt “Aces” Amato was “getting sick” out the car door. (Sidenote: Dougherty should think about investing in some sort of ventilation system for their gym because I had swamp a** the entire time I was there.)  The second half opened up with Dougherty’s Vinny Simpson hitting an elbow jumper, which was quickly answered by Sr. Mars Shah dropping a 3-ball of his own.  A few minutes later Sr. Jon “Bruuuuu” Bruce hit 2 free throws as the Looney Bin's occupants did their best to distract him, but Brucey had ice in his veins.  The next trip down the court Sr. G/F Mike Varanavage hit a huge 3 to put Ryan up 27-24.  Later, after some superb ball movement 6’8 Sr. Kevin “I’ll throw the ball into the stratosphere” Hudgeons found an open Shah for his second trey of the half.  With about a minute left in the 3rd quarter Greg “G-Will” Williams and Chrome-Dome Dethloff entered the game.  When these guys, along with Sr. Doug “Taco Bell” Andrews, enter the game they always bring a spark to the team, because all three are hard workers and will be essential to Ryan’s Playoff run.  Soph. PG Andrew “Yeah, we're related” Rogers made a nice move and took it strong to the hole and drew the foul.  He made 1 of 2 from the line which cut Dougherty’s lead to 33-32.  In the 4th Quarter Hudgeons worked hard on the boards, and also drew a foul, he made 1 of 2 to tie it up at 33.  After a couple trips down the court Mike V hit a huge 3 to put the Raiders up with about 6 minutes left.  V and Rogers also did a nice job breaking the press and V took it hard down the lane but missed the lay-up.  Hudgeons was there for the put back and gave Ryan a 38-37 lead. Rogers went to line with a little under 3 min. to go and hit 2 free throws to give them a 3 point lead.  I thought Ryan would be up for good until Bruce lost his handle on the ball (I thought a foul should have been called but I’ll get to that later) and Dougherty headed down court for an easy layup. Ryan also had another chance after Jr. Tim Gates missed the front-end of a 1-and-1, but Hudgey and V couldn’t get control of the lose ball and Dougherty had another easy lay-up.  Dougherty hit two foul shots to put the game away.
  Notes: I thought the officiating in this game was sub-par mainly due to 2 or 3 charges called against Ryan when the Dougherty defender clearly did not have position and was not set.  And another call in the corner where Jon Bruce was bulldozed by one of the Dougherty defenders and the whistles were silent.  From what I saw everyone on Ryan played pretty well defensively and they all moved the ball better then usual which they will need to do to win their final 5 games of the season. Also I gotta work on a nickname for Mike V so hopefully when I post my next report I’ll have something for him.  I’d like to thank my stat man Matt “Aces” Amato for basically do nothing the entire second half and that is the reason for me having no stats for you.
  Famous Faces: As I looked around I saw Dougherty alum and former All-Catholic Pete “Petey Pablo” Varanavage.  Next to him was former star athlete at Ryan John “I went to Wake” Zeglinski. And of course Joe “I may be hurt but I’m still the MVP of the Northern Division” Zeglinski Other than that, there were not too many legendary fans in attendance.

JAN. 6
CATHOLIC NORTH
Dougherty 57, Ryan 50
   When I arrived at Ryan the first quarter was well under way and Dougherty was just controlling the game with a 13-4 lead. The Raiders just couldn’t seem to get anything going with no help from the referees, who made a handful of ridiculous calls in Dougherty’s favor. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone or something cause I could have sworn this was the same game I saw earlier in the week when Ryan faced Judge. Dougherty, with scoring from Roberto Townsend (15 pts), Christian Smith (7 pts) and Kahlil Mumford (13 pts), stretched its lead to 18 points at one time. Once again Ryan found itself down big at halftime, 27-11. In the third quarter the Raiders came out strong relying on their guys down low, mainly Kevin Hudgeons (18 points), and Jon Bruce (15 points), who both bounced back nicely after a quiet game against Judge. But every time Ryan looked like they were going to make a run Dougherty would hit a big shot, mainly Mumford. This kid was just knocking shots down. Still down by 15 with five minutes to play Ryan found life behind guard Mike Varanavage (8 pts) who started taking the ball to the basket hard which led to a 3 point play, then he came back and hit a three which got the Raiders within 10. The Raiders continued their run with 2 points from Jon Bruce and a big three-ball from Andrew Rogers (7 pts), which got the Raiders within five. But once again Dougherty answered back, stretching their lead to 10 with little time left resulting in another win for Dougherty; that makes it nine straight against Ryan. Once again Ryan struggled in the first half causing them to have to battle back from a big deficit. Hopefully that will change on Monday when Ryan faces Conwell-Egan (2-0, 10-3).
  Plays of the game: There were three plays that just left the crowd in awe, Two sick dunks by Roberto Townsend and Kahlil Mumford and a nasty block by Kevin Hudgeons. All three plays were the best I’ve seen in a while.
  Notes: I just want to shout out to the entire student section, as led by seniors like Nick Pratico, Chris Chiodetti, Dan Levan, Ron Sankus, Matt Amato, Joe DeCree, Reds Davis and myself just to name a few. We were in the game the whole time even when the Raiders were down big.

JAN. 2
CATHOLIC NORTH
Judge 51, Ryan 41
   I know it’s hard to believe but yes people I am finally back.
After going postless for a solid month as a result of just pure laziness
to go to pre-season games that were just too far away, I have made my
return for the Catholic League season. I've got to say, though, the Raiders
played some great basketball while going 8-2, a performance highlighted
by a win over a very good Abington Friends team.
   One thing they have proved is that they can
beat any team any night. Now onto the Catholic League North opener. What
a better way to open the season then with one of the most storied
rivalries in the entire Catholic League. The Bill Fox gym was filled
with many past and present students of both schools, which is guaranteed
every time these teams meet. In the first quarter both teams came out
ready to play keeping the game close. But in the second quarter Judge
started doing everything right, making almost every shot they took and
owning the Raiders on the boards. With good defense and scoring led by
Jim Schule (13pts) and Chris Schwartz (8 pts) the Crusaders stretched there
lead to 18 points. In the second half Ryan came out with a lot of heart.
Guys like Mike Varanavage (12 pts), Mars Shah (12pts), Greg Williams (4
pts) and Andrew Rogers (3 pts) led the Raiders back to cut the lead to
6, but that's as close as the Raiders would get. Down the stretch
turnovers and missed free throws just killed the Raiders. Also key
contributors Kevin Hudgeons (8 pts, half of them coming when the game was
already over) and Jon Bruce (2 pts) were non-factors for most of the
game. The Raiders will hope to rebound from the loss when they host
Cardinal Dougherty at home on Friday.

DEC. 2
NON-LEAGUE
Ryan 42, Bonner 28
  Coming into this game the Raiders knew that if they were gonna win they would have to somehow stop or slow down Bonner junior Jeff Jones, who committed to Maryland earlier in the week. He started out hot in the first quarter but only finished with 14 points. Senior guard Mike Varanavage should be credited for his tough defense, which frustrated Jones the whole night. He also contributed 9 points and 3 assists. Kevin Hudgeons led the way for the Raiders with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Jon Bruce also chipped in with 11 points -- nine of Bruce’s 11 points came after his Dad stood up midway in the third quarter with disgust and yelled, "Do something!!" That proved to be the turning point of the game. Sophomore Andrew Rogers hit a 3-ball to give Ryan a 23-21 lead at the end of the third and the Raiders never looked back. This game was a defensive struggle for both sides until the fourth quarter, when the Raiders exploded for 19 points and put this one in the bag. This game was ugly but it's early in the season and a lot of players are just joining the team from football, including two key players Doug Andrews and Greg Williams (two points apiece off the bench). I look for one of these two to move into the starting lineup.
   Notes: The stands were pretty empty for this one, which might be the result of the fact admission cost 4 dollars for students. I give credit to guys like Mikey "Reds" Davis and Gavin "Diesel" Keirans for paying full admission. Although Gavin had to leave the game early to catch the 8:45 showing of RENT. I also wanna thank first-team All-Catholic defensive back Joey DeCree for helping with stats.

DEC. 2
SEASON PREVIEW
Ryan Raiders
   Before Ryan’s all-time leading scorer, Sr. Joe Zeglinski, tore his ACL during the football season and was lost for the entire year the Raiders were an easy pick to win the North. Without "Zig" many people are writing them off, but they still return four starters from last season two of which were all-catholic. The Raiders should still definitely be in the mix to win the Northern Division title. Here’s a look at the players that will be key for Ryan to have success.
  1) Sr. 5-11 G Mike Varanavage-"The Iron Man" is a physical player and a great defender. Mike goes full speed at all times. With Zeglinski out of the lineup "V" becomes Ryan’s leading scorer returning from last season. He averaged almost 10PPG last season and was a second team All-Catholic selection.
  2) Sr. 6-8 C Kevin Hudgeons- At 6-8 Hudgeons should dominate the middle and own the boards. He averaged about 9PPG last season but will need to become more consistent. A third team All-Catholic selection last season will need to step up his game and play more like a first or second teamer.
  3) Sr. 6-2 F Jon Bruce-A returning starter from last season, Jon may be one of the most underrated players in the Northern Division. He works hard on the glass and does all the little things. I look for Bruce to step up his scoring whether it’s slashing to the net for a lay-up, working in the post, or hitting the 12-foot jumper.
  4) So. 5-7 G Andrew Rogers- Playing as a Freshman last season Rogers struggled at times shooting the ball, but towards the end of the season he really started to find his shot. He is an excellent passer and will most likely play the point and run the offense.
  5) Sr. 6-2 F Greg Williams- "G-Will" provided some valuable minutes off the bench last season. He will step into the starting lineup this season and should cause some match-up problems with his size and ability to play anywhere on the floor.
  6) Sr. 6-2 G/F Doug Andrews- "E Fresh" is a versatile player. He has the strength and size to play down low as well as a sweet shot from outside that allows him to play on the wing. Although he didn’t play much last season Doug should be a key contributor whether he’s in the starting lineup or coming off the bench.
  The Raiders aren’t a deep team off the bench this season but I look for Eric "Chrome-Dome" Dethloth, Chris Wilk, and Mars Schah to provide some valuable minutes. In Bernie Rogers' five seasons as Ryan’s head coach they have made the playoffs every year. Without Zeglinski he'll have to run more of the Princeton offense and find a way to spread out the scoring. He is a great coach and should be key in the success of this team.
The rest of the contenders:
North Catholic
Key Players: Jr. Andrew Pomager, Sr. Nate Edwards, Jr. Chris Edwards (transfer from Dobbins)
  What to expect: The Falcons have lots of talent and on paper might be the best team in the division. But they had just as much talent last year and went 8-6 in the division. Unless they become more consistent I don’t see them any higher than the second or third seed.
Cardinal Dougherty
Key Players: Jr. Roberto Townsend, Jr. Justin Minter, Sr. Vincent Simpson
  What to Expect: The loss of Josh Martin is tough. If he was still there I would have to say that they would be the hands down favorites to win the North. Even without Martin this is still a very good team. They are very feisty and tough to beat. I look for them to take the first or second seed.
Father Judge
Key Players: 5th yr Sr.Arthur Livingston, Sr. Jim Schule, Sr. Justin DeCristofaro.
  What to Expect: Arthur Livingston is back for an extra year, and he'll have to work on layups and free throws so his hustle truly pays off.  This team is pretty young but Judge always seems to be all right. I see them battling with Egan for that last payoff spot.
Conwell-Egan
Key Players: Sr. Ryan Van Zelst, Sr. Adam Van Zelst, Sr. Wilson Acevedo.
  What to Expect: They will rely on the play of there guards and will try to get any help they can down low. I look for the Eagles to maybe sneak in and steal the fourth seed.