The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Ailing Conheeney Lifts Ridgewood by Clifton

RIDGEWOOD -- Playing with 22 stitches in her forehead and wearing a soft helmet, Kelly Conheeney scored on a cross late in the first half as Ridgewood, No. 3 in The Record Top 25, downed No. 5 Clifton, 2-0, Wednesday in an NNJIL showdown . "She obviously wasn't heading the ball today," Ridgewood coach Jeff Yearing said, laughing.

Pompton Aims for Title Repeat ; Cardinals Favored in Passaic

Pompton Lakes is the top ranked team in North Jersey and the top- seed for the upcoming Passaic County tournament and it's easy to see why. The Cardinals, who won the Passaic County tournament last year, have an incredibly versatile offense, headlined by prolific goal scorer Danielle Allan. With their defense starting to jell around freshman goalie Amy Cahill, the Cardinals look poised to put up a strong defense of their County crown.

Manchester Handles a Tall Order

NORTH HALEDON -- For a while, it seemed, Kendall Everett was an impenetrable wall in front of Eastern Christian's net. Manchester's shots came from different angles, from different players, but almost each one was deflected away by Everett's long arms.

Ramsey Locks Up Tournament Ticket

RAMSEY -- Ramsey is safe. Midland Park won't find out if it also has qualified for the Bergen County girls soccer tournament until this afternoon. This is life on the bubble when the cutoff date arrives. Ramsey did what it had to do Wednesday, overcoming a sluggish start to hand the Panthers a 6-0 defeat. Mackenzie Cobb scored twice to lead Ramsey. Freshman Lexi Knief added a goal and an assist.

St. Mary Ace Says Rutgers Is Right

On his unofficial visit to Rutgers, Dan O'Neill attended his first college football game. "It was like the best experience of my life," O'Neill said. "It was awesome. I knew right then that [Rutgers] was the right choice."

Macchio Is 'the Man' for Dumont

Alex Macchio can line up in Dumont's backfield and run for a touchdown. The senior can line up in the slot as a receiver and catch a touchdown pass.

Mcgovern On Tour

Oradell's Jim McGovern, 43, is playing full time on the PGA Tour for the first time in 10 years. The Record is charting his season. (Note: Number in parentheses represents tour ranking.)

October Trout Spots Hole of the Week

Ramapo River, Mahwah/Oakland How to get there

Wayne's Alex Making an Impact

Marina Alex has wasted no time in making an impression on followers of women's college golf. The Vanderbilt freshman from Wayne finished sixth in the 90- player field at the season-opening Mason Rudolph Championship at the Vanderbilt Legends Club. She was the top freshman finisher.

Devilish Ups and Downs ; Fedorov Is Gone, Vrana Looks Good

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Fedor Fedorov's brief stint as a Devil is over, but Petr Vrana appears to be carving a niche for himself that might earn him an opening-night spot in New Jersey. While Fedorov's agent was working Wednesday night - with Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello's permission - to find a team that will take his client, Vrana was trying to demonstrate his versatility during the team's 3-0 preseason victory over the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. Martin Brodeur made 17 saves to post t...

Rangers' Drury Takes Charge

The next Rangers' captain could be named as early as today, though Friday is more likely. Either way, Chris Drury made coach Tom Renney's decision a whole lot easier Wednesday. The center-turned-right wing scored two goals and Ryan Callahan netted the winner with 20 seconds remaining as the Rangers rallied from a three-goal deficit to defeat European champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk of Russia, 4-3, in the inaugural Victoria Cup at the Post-Finance Arena in Bern, Switzerland.

Santana Shows He's King of Pain ; Turned in Stellar Starts On an Injured Knee

Johan Santana carved a place in Mets' lore with his gutsy performance Saturday, taking the ball on three days' rest and throwing a three-hit shutout to keep the season alive for another day. But the courage part of the story rose to another level Wednesday when the Mets revealed that Santana pitched his final two games of the season with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Santana underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday morning at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

Rutgers' Brown Is Going Deep

PISCATAWAY - He'd barely had his number called through Rutgers' first two games and he supposedly wasn't done working his way back into coach Greg Schiano's good graces. But Timmy Brown's mother still had a very explicit message for her son. "I want to see a touchdown," she told him, "if you get in [the game]."

Jets' Coach Is a Special Assistant ; Westhoff Well After Leg Surgery

FLORHAM PARK - Mike Westhoff walked into a conference room inside the Jets' new practice facility Wednesday afternoon and gently laid his cane against a wall. Remarkably, the cane is all the 60-year old Jets' assistant coach needs to assist his walking these days, quite a testament to his healing powers. Last February, Westhoff was on the operating table for nearly 10 hours having a ninth surgery on his left leg, one that was diagnosed with bone cancer more than 20 years ago. After a decade o...

Giants' Foe Is in Good Hands ; Seattle Receivers Will Return

EAST RUTHERFORD -- The Giants' offense must figure a way to survive against Seattle on Sunday without suspended wide receiver Plaxico Burress. On the flip side, the Giants' defense must figure a way to cope with three returning Seahawks receivers who have yet to play a down this season.

Williams Out for Redemption

EAST RUTHERFORD - Sean Williams still doesn't know why he went from starting early last season to barely playing at the end, but the Nets' second-year forward is doing everything to avoid a repeat performance. "I don't know what the hell happened last year, but I won't let it happen again," Williams said after practice Wednesday. "I feel like I had a lot of success early in the year and I proved to myself that I could be a player in the NBA. I want to build upon it."

Jets Notes

Bye-bye baby? Jets coach Eric Mangini has plans to spend time with his family this weekend while his team takes the bye weekend off, mentioning a possible trip to the movies and perhaps an apple-picking outing. Those plans could change at any moment, however, as Mangini's wife, Julie, is expecting their third child on Oct. 10.

Giants Notes

Holmgren not certain Seattle coach Mike Holmgren asked members of the New York-area media Wednesday if they were sure Plaxico Burress will not play Sunday for the Giants. "I know he's suspended but everyone makes up and hugs and off you go," he said. "I think our defensive coaches are telling the players, 'If Plaxico plays, this is what we are going to do.' "

Houston Set to Make His Case

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. _ A few weeks after he stood on a stage and announced his retirement three summers ago, Allan Houston's knees started to feel better and a little something inside of him began to itch. So at 37, he's now scratching it, back at a Knicks' training camp after a brief cameo a year ago, this time with four weeks to prove he can still play and with license to step aside and take a practice break if he feels the need.

Autumn: Big Trout, Small Game

One of the real treats of autumn, at least for me, is the way the hunting and fishing seasons seamlessly blend into one another. While I'm anxiously awaiting a crack at some of those big trout stocked in the Ramapo River next week (for more on that, see below), it's also squirrel season in New York State. I have some hunting buddies who consistently turn up their noses at small game -- it's deer and /or turkey or bust for them -- but I still find a lot of enjoyment in a good old squirrel hunt.