The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Long Wait Is Over for Wayne Hills

WAYNE -- Not even the pouring rain could dampen this victory. After waiting four long years to celebrate a championship of any kind, the seniors of Wayne Hills' field hockey team soaked in their North 1, Group 3 title with youthful exuberance.

Ruzich Vaults to Top ; Pv Star Captures All-Around Title

RIDGEWOOD - Natali Ruzich went from team manager to sectional champion in two months. Ruzich, the Pascack Valley Regional sophomore, scored a stunning triumph at the North 1 sectional championships Saturday, edging defending State champion Chelsea Goldschrafe of Ramapo by .1 to win the all-around title.

Trumbetti Tumbles ; Leader Near Finish Line Is Passed After Fall

WEST PATERSON - The immortal Satchel Paige once said "Don't look back, something may be gaining on you." But if Taylor Trumbetti of Pascack Hills had looked behind him with 150 meters to go in Saturday's Group 2 North 1 cross-country race, he would have seen that Rob Albano of Pequannock was not closing the 60-meter gap. And maybe Trumbetti, not Albano, would have been the gold medalist.

Sore Ankle Doesn't Slow Down Durakovic

ELIZABETH - A sore left ankle was enough to impede Elvis Durakovic, but not too severe to deter him from his ultimate goal. Ridgefield Park's Durakovic overcame his injury to finish fourth in the North 2, Group 2 boys race at Saturday's sectional cross- country championships at Warinanco Park. Because of his top-10 finish, Durakovic qualifies for the State group championships next Saturday at Holmdel Park in Holmdel.

A Brave Effort Spurs On Indian Hills

WEST PATERSON -- They had run in the shadow of the boys all season. But coach Tom Zaccone had a feeling about his Indian Hills girls cross-country team before it toed the starting line at the North 1, Group 2 championships Saturday. "I thought we had a real good chance to win," said Zaccone, whose team delivered an impressive victory over NBIL rivals Mahwah and Ramsey to win its first sectional in five years, the only team title recorded by a North Jersey team at Garret Mountain on Saturday.

Ramapo Clicks From the Outset

Andrew Imperatore didn't waste any time. The Ramapo running back broke a 50-yard run on the Green Raiders' first play from scrimmage Saturday to set the tone in a 31-12 victory over Northern Highlands in an NBIL game at Allendale. The win clinched a berth in the North 1, Group 3 football playoffs for Ramapo (6-2).

Lodi has Momentum After Hearing Big News

LODI -- Back door. Side door. Heck, even the basement door would have been fine. It didn't matter which way Lodi secured a berth in the North 1, Group 2 football playoffs, as long as the Rams got there. They had a little extra spring in their steps Saturday, even before they stopped Elmwood Park, 44-12, in Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League action, because they clinched a playoff spot when Mahwah lost Friday night.

Ridgewood Rolls, Lands No. 2 Seed

TEANECK - Ridgewood wasn't playing for a football playoff berth Saturday. It only appeared that way.

Hackensack Back to Earth ; Gets Thumped As Playoffs Near

MONTCLAIR -- Learning from a loss is much easier to do when a playoff berth is a certainty. "The good thing is that we're in the playoffs," said Hackensack coach Mike Miello, whose Comets dropped a 35-13 decision to NNJIL rival Montclair on Saturday at Woodman Field. "But if we play like this, we won't be in it for long."

Boys Soccer Final Postponed ; Bosco Players Suffer Injuries in Auto Accident

ORADELL -- The final of the Bergen County boys soccer tournament was postponed Saturday after several players from top-seeded Don Bosco were involved in a car accident on the way to the game. Three players were taken to the hospital, two by ambulance, as a precaution and released later Saturday afternoon.

Winning Attitude ; Ramapo Players Show Concern for Rivals

ORADELL -- The competitive intensity on the faces of the Ramapo players dissipated rather quickly when they heard the news that there would be no soccer game Saturday. A varsity dream showdown between their second-seeded side and top- seeded Don Bosco for the Bergen County tournament championship had been scheduled, but reality ended up taking center stage.

Bulls On the Road to Ruin? ; They've Faltered Away From Home

Dave van den Bergh stared straight ahead, his eyes searching for an answer, but came up with nothing. On the eve of a must-win road playoff game in Houston, the midfielder couldn't figure out why the Red Bulls have failed so miserably away from Giants Stadium. "Nope, I don't have an explanation," he said. "If I did, maybe we wouldn't have struggled."

Hand Injury has George On Sidelines

NEW YORK -- Shaun George watched the Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones Jr. light heavyweight fight from his home in Wayne on Saturday night. The light heavyweight contender will watch the Jermain Taylor- Jeff Lacy super middleweight fight from the same spot a week later. George (17-2-2, 8 KOs) was scheduled to box Donnell Wiggins (24-11- 4, 14 KOs) in a 10-round fight on the non-televised Taylor-Lacy undercard Saturday in Nashville, Tenn., but he has withdrawn from the bout because of an injury to his r...

Local Men's College Preview 2008-09

Rutgers Coach: Fred Hill Jr. (21-39, third season)

Rutgers Replay

Star of the game Rutgers' run defense does it again. Outside of Doug Hogue's 82- yard touchdown run on Syracuse's first possession, the Orange managed only 51 rushing yards. The Scarlet Knights' defense held yet another star running back in check, ending Curtis Brinkley's streak of five straight 100-yard rushing games. Brinkley finished with 67 yards on 18 carries.

Rutgers Notes

Hunting QBs Kevin Malast blitzed, nose tackle Pete Tverdov drove and Syracuse quarterback Cam Dantley went down. And stayed down.

Ru Doing an About-Face ; Rallies Past Syracuse for Third Consecutive Win

PISCATAWAY -- Tiquan Underwood hadn't broken free, the ball sailed out of Mike Teel's hands anyway, and six and a half minutes into a painstaking opening drive, the latter threw an interception at the Syracuse goal line. Rutgers Stadium's boos rained down and Rutgers coach Greg Schiano immediately started thinking about "what I was going to say to Mike." Wideout Kenny Britt started mulling over the same, tailback Kordell Young made a move to go toward Teel and Timmy Brown, well, he did nothing.

Knicks' Lee Not On the Rebound ; Out of Starting Lineup Due to Poor Performance On Boards

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Antawn Jamison's shot caromed off the rim Friday night with less than eight minutes to play in the Knicks' 114- 108 victory over Washington and David Lee grabbed the rebound. No big deal for a guy who's averaged 10.4 and 8.9 boards primarily off the bench the past two seasons, right?

Harris' Ankle Healing

INDIANAPOLIS - Devin Harris' sprained left ankle kept him out of Saturday's game, but the Nets' point guard doesn't expect to miss much more than that. Harris turned his ankle during his astonishing 19-point third quarter in the Nets' 103-96 win Friday against the Pistons. He received treatment on the ankle, which didn't swell up much overnight. His limp was much less pronounced Saturday and he wouldn't rule out playing Monday in Miami.

Nets' Intensity Gone ; Uneven Effort in Loss at Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Nets arrived here early Saturday morning without the intensity and efficiency they played with the night before on their home court. Not having Devin Harris, who spurred the Nets to the upset win over the Pistons, hurt. But these were the Pacers, and even if the Nets are not at full strength they have enough to competitively play Indiana.