The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Any Swing Can Be a Ko for Wayne Valley

WAYNE Five fingers equal one fist, and that's why Wayne Valley is favored to win a third consecutive Passaic County girls volleyball title. The Indians cruised to Saturday's Passaic Invitational title and demonstrated that their five hitters form a punch as potent as the one delivered the previous two years by Michelle Powers, the former All-State middle hitter.

Victory a Good Habit for Indians

HILLSDALE The routine is the same before every game. After her team huddles around her, Pascack Valley soccer coach Nicole Olshalsky provides a quote that focuses on an area the Indians need to improve. Everybody is always in the same place, including the coach. After this pregame bonding, the team goes out for warm-ups.

Pompton Lakes Upends Bergen Tech

HACKENSACK - The time had come to make a play. And Ruel Ellis found the ball in his hands again. Pompton Lakes had done something most said they couldn't, forcing overtime with Bergen Tech. No way could a Group 1 team step onto the home field of a Group 4 school and wreak havoc. But Ellis knew forcing overtime just wasn't enough.

Eagles Devise Right Formula ; Lineup Moves Pay Dividends

NORTH HALEDON A lot of Eastern Christian's most recent success can be traced back to its overtime loss to Hawthorne Christian three weeks ago. The Eagles moved several players around after what was their second loss in their first four games and have run off five straight wins, including Saturday's 2-0 victory over Hawthorne Christian in the first round of the Passaic County boys soccer tournament.

Kennedy's Kick Lifts Wayne Hills

Sean Kennedy gave Wayne Hills the lead when he scored and Passaic Valley missed on the ensuing penalty kick Saturday as the 11th- seeded Patriots outscored the No. 6 Hornets in penalty kicks, 3-2, in the Passaic County tournament. In a game that was tied at one after two overtimes at Little Falls, senior Alan Bernstein saved two penalty kicks for the Patriots, and Passaic Valley's final try sailed over the crossbar to give Wayne Hills the win.

Rp Hands Dumont First Defeat

The BCSL American Division football race got a little tougher Saturday, courtesy of Ridgefield Park. The Scarlets quashed the idea of Dumont being the team to beat, holding off the No. 16 Huskies, 14-3, at Dumont. The win was the second straight for the Scarlets, and it snapped Dumont's three- game winning streak.

Taylor Takes Toll On the Tenafly 'D'

WESTWOOD James Taylor really didn't get stronger as the game went on Saturday. It just looked that way. Westwood's senior workhorse running back picked up 105 of his 138 rushing yards in the second half, almost single-handedly wearing down the Tenafly defense. He also scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals, ranked No. 18 in The Record's Top 25, a 12-7 football victory over the No. 14 Tigers in the BCSL American Division.

Peck's Run Key for W-R

WOOD-RIDGE After each tackle he broke and each block laid out in front of him, Wood-Ridge senior Marc Peck felt the end zone got bigger and bigger. "I just kept running straight," Peck said after Wood-Ridge completed its 33-6 victory over Wallington.

Pascack Hills Upsets Saddle Brook

MONTVALE The table was all set for Saddle Brook. The Falcons were 3-0 and facing 0-3 Pascack Hills. A victory would have set up a B-PSL battle of unbeatens next Saturday against Hawthorne.

Rp Guys Never Give Up

DUMONT It's a whole lot easier being the underdog. Those were the first words uttered by Ridgefield Park football coach Tony Gonzalez when his team took the field before Saturday's 14-3 victory over Dumont, his sentiment serving as the perfect story line for what turned into yet another stunning upset.

Hard Spun Gets the Best of Street Sense

FLORENCE, Ky. Hard Spun turned the tables on Street Sense, going right to the lead and then holding off the Kentucky Derby winner in a determined drive to win the $350,000 Kentucky Cup Classic on Saturday at Turfway Park. Hard Spun broke from the inside post and was taken to the lead by jockey Mario Pino, with Street Sense outside him just a half length back. They ran that way down the backstretch, until Hard Spun edged away by a length near the far turn.

Jets' Baker Is a Touchdown Maker ; but Veteran Te Would Like to See More Passes Thrown His Way

Chris Baker has had one touchdown reception in each of the past two games. And both of those scores weren't made official until reviewed by replay. Potential controversy aside, maybe people just wanted to see those catches again to marvel at how excellent they were. Even Baker admits to stealing a look at the video screen while waiting for them to become official.

Big-Play Guys Key to Rivalry ; Westbrook, Burress Aren't at 100 Percent

EAST RUTHERFORD Brian Westbrook won't be trying to beat the Giants blindfolded tonight. But he might be hampered by one well- wrapped abdomen. Plaxico Burress won't be battling the Eagles with one arm tied behind his back. But he might be doing it on one ankle.

Around the League

Missing McAllister Mike Karney is a burly, nose-busting 258-pound fullback for New Orleans. But he broke down and wept like a baby when he heard RB Deuce McAllister would be lost for the season with a knee injury.

Burning Questions

Has Brett Favre discovered the NFL's version of the Fountain of Youth? The 37-year-old has six TD passes and only two picks in leading Green Bay to a 3-0 start, and needs one TD throw today to surpass Dan Marino's career mark of 420.

Bears Aren't Fazed by Shift in Qbs

Guess which Bears' wide receiver caught 16 passes for 221 yards from Rex Grossman in the first three games? And which Bears' receiver caught four passes for 36 yards from the now-benched Grossman? "That's a hard question to answer," Bernard Berrian replied when asked about new quarterback Brian Griese's strength. "The only thing I could really say is Rex has a stronger arm. That's all I know, but I think Griese is smart enough where he knows how to make up for that."

Ru Defense Exposed ; Smaller Linemen Take It On the Chin From Terps

PISCATAWAY Repeat after me, Rutgers fans: Your team's season is not ruined. There's still a Big East Conference championship that can be won, along with the school's first-ever invite to a BCS bowl game.

Notes

Feeling beaten Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said his defense didn't "execute our techniques." Linebacker Brandon Renkart said his teammates weren't always in the right place, and tackle Eric Foster said "not every guy kept chopping."

London Calling: Kings Win Opener

LONDON The NHL opened its season on the banks of the River Thames, and as far as the Los Angeles Kings were concerned, this was hockey country. "I love London," said Kings center Mike Cammalleri, who scored two power-play goals Saturday in a 4-1 victory over the defending champion Anaheim Ducks. "It was good to us tonight."

Lou Who? Gm Takes Hands-Off Tact

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. Lou Lamoriello often says he doesn't live in the past. So, there's nothing metaphorical about the Devils' president and general manager being one of the few members of the organization still holed up in the team's old offices at Continental Arena with the 2007-08 opener at Tampa Bay only four days away.