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F O R D H A M P R E PA R AT O R Y S C H O O L February, 2009 Volume 69, no. 3 Rampart By: John Hawley ‘10 Cregan was always there in our meetings. His guidance proved invaluable, a living example of the spirituality we strived to achieve. The peace with which he faced death and the love he shared with us endures. I guess that’s how I will always remember Father Cregan. Not for his stories, not for his teaching, not even for the little candies he seemed to always carry around. I will remember Father Cregan for his love. The love he had for God, the love he had for his fellow faculty members, and especially the love he had for his students. Father Cregan may be gone, but I know the love he had for the world is not. As Mother Teresa wisely said, our sole responsibility in life is to “spread love everywhere we go.” In today’s world we sometimes find that calling impossible. How can we love that person honking at us, or someone who hurt our loved ones? We see no plausible way to live a life that would satisfy Mother Teresa’s command. However, Father Cregan found a way. The lives of everyone he encountered were permanently improved through meeting him. My life was forever bettered because of his presence. So I just wanted to say thanks Father Cregan, and although I miss you, I know you live on in the hearts of everyone you met, because you do in mine. A Fond Farewell To Father Cregan As we are all aware, the Prep community has recently lost one of its most beloved figures, Father Robert Cregan. Father Cregan was a teacher in the true sense of the word loving his students more than the subjects he taught. He was an astonishingly courageous man. He fought lymphoma for 14 years while still teaching, and never once let on how much he was suffering. He was the quintessential man for others, looking to help his students and faculty, whom he served as chaplain, before looking to help himself. He left deep footprints everywhere life took him, from Jersey City, to Canisius High School in Buffalo, to Xavier, and then finally here at the Prep. While his impact on the institutions where he worked was profound, Father Cregan lives on most vividly in the hearts of those lucky enough to have known him. I count myself among the fortunate few to have had direct interactions with Father Cregan during my time at the Prep. I remember the stories he told during the Faculty Talk he gave on my Freshmen Retreat, but what really stuck with me was the way he told the stories. He openly shared his intimate and vulnerable moments with a room of virtual strangers and he cared about us. For the last two years, Father Cregan served as my Campus Ministry Board advisor, along with Mr. Carney. We all knew that Father Cregan was sick, but even when he may have been having a case of what Fr. Boller called the “general body dysfunctions,” Fr. A Musical Production Is the Sum of Many Parts By Douglas Bajan,’10 Morality, vice, self-righteousness, and especially the act of generosity only in the public eye; these are but a few of the many themes that Fordham Prep’s latest musical comedy, The Threepenny Opera, revolved around. The Fordham Prep Drama Society’s chosen musical this year, both directed and co-produced by Mr. Otis, created an atmosphere significantly more serious and philosophical than last year’s more whimsical South Pacific production. To shed some light on the actual processes of directing, producing and conducting such a performance, Mr. Otis agreed to explain exactly what must be done in order to make such a production possible, as well as some of his own personal history in regards to theater. When it comes to selecting both Fordham Prep plays and musicals, Mr. Otis always has the final word on the decision. Thus, to have picked Threepenny Opera, a markedly German musical comedy with a vein of cynicism, having first been staged on August 31, 1928 at Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, may strike some as a bit odd at first. “We’ve never done [Threepenny Opera] and it’s one of my favorite plays,” Mr. Otis began to explain, “I love the music from the show; it’s by Kurt Weill. This was my sixth time doing the play.” Mr. Otis then continued to explain why this play was markedly different from South Pacific, stating that “South Pacific is a play for the general public and it’s a feel good musical.” (continued on page 2) 2 Fordham Preparatory School plus songs.” In addition to the band, other behind-the-scenes contributors, mainly the stage crew, were entirely responsible for the construction of the set. The stage crew “was managed by two seniors, Rocco Vitulli and Kevin Malloy.” Apart from past productions such as Threepenny Opera and South Pacific, Mr. Otis has had a substantial and lengthy history in directing, producing, tech directing and musical directing. “My first play in Fordham Prep was in 1974, that was South Pacific,” said Mr. Otis, “First play I directed [ever] was in 1969; I was twenty years old. By that time I had finished fifty shows. I did musicals all through high school.” When asked why he had made the decision to direct, Mr. Otis answered with a short, serious response: “I was the last one standing.” He further elaborated by stating that, “When you’re directing, you gotta know about everything, from costumes to lighting…This is my three-hundred sixty third show…even if you’re an idiot you pick up something by then. So I was the last one standing.” Apart from directing, Mr. Otis has shown great interest in other fields of theater, stating “I wear four hats, by rank: Producer, director, musical director, tech director…[For producing] you gotta pick the play…you’re in charge of all the money, bills, creating a budget…ushers, the program, the house, concession stands, all ticket money…I mean that list is endless.” As for musical direction, Mr. Otis was quick to make the comment that “it’s not just band [work], it’s teaching all of the vocals, it’s transposing the songs, it’s conducting. I have to be in the pit and play the piano [during the play].” Lastly, tech directing mostly involves “shopping, going out and buying everything; designing.” Thus, with the midterms over and done with, the SATs accomplished, and the first semester a thing of the past, many students are finally taking the long-awaited chance to relax. For the Fordham Prep Drama Society, band, and stage crew, however, extra weeks of work, practice and rehearsal were necessary in order to bring The Threepenny Opera to completion. As for Mr. Otis, Fordham Prep’s director, producer, musical director and half tech director ended the interview by revealing whether or not he favored one aspect of directing or production over the other: “They all have their place, I say music is number one in terms of what I like. Producing is the biggest pain in the neck, you gotta pull everything together…all the prep work has to be done by somebody. I do it.” (continued from page one) “This play is philosophy…there’s [even] an actual line at the end of the play where the playwright…Bertholt Brecht… says, ‘Look the play sucks the way it is so we’re gonna change it.’” Bertholt Brecht was a German playwright, theater director and poet who survived both Nazi Germany and the Cold War; Kurt Weill, on the other hand, was a well-known Jewish German classical composer. “There are many categories of music,” Mr. Otis continued, “One of them is called German Bistro. There are a number of plays that use this genre of music, and it’s one of my favorites.” Of course, the actors of any play can make or break the production, and Mr. Otis explained just what he looks for in a lead role. A stage actor must obviously look the part, which means that “you have to type out or type in people based on what they look like. For example, if you have a black father it would be difficult to cast a white daughter. Race, ethnicity, size, look, that all has to do with whether or not they look the part. That’s referred to in the business as ‘typing out.’” When it comes to past experiences with a student as well, Mr. Otis commented that, “If I have a positive history with the kid and if everything else is equal…it’s not a deciding factor but it’ll seal the deal.” What’s most important for any stage actor, however, is their voice, along with the range that it covers. “If they can sing,” Mr. Otis stated, “That means they have a range that covers the range of the part…low note to high note is a 10-note spread.” It is possible, however, for an actor to have such a range that, for their character, is “lower than the low and higher than the high.” If this is the case, then the songs for such an actor must be transposed, or adjusted to the individual range of any given actor. “In this show out of twenty-two pieces of music, we’ve had to transpose ten of them,” Mr. Otis began to explain, “which is a phenomenal amount of work to transpose music for forty instruments.” To prepare for the necessary transpositions as well as for the original, intended score of the musical, the band also had to go through a demanding practice schedule, one which included “twenty rehearsals per section. [There were] two sections, all wind and all percussion, as well as keyboards and guitars…basically twenty rehearsals to do twenty songs. To put it into context, a garage band of four people takes a year to do three songs; we did, as a group of forty people, in twenty rehearsals twenty or Fr. Boller Creates ew Administrative Position By Eric Engelbrecht,’’10 As the Prep grows finances have become more complex. With that in mind, Father Boller and the Board of Trustees deemed it necessary to create a new position, Chief Financial Officer. This position involves producing financial statements and managing the budget. The position also involves the receipt and prioritization of financial statements from academic departments as well as support departments including Financial Aid, the Technology Department, and Cater to You. This is all done with Father Boller. The Prep is fortunate to have attained the services of Ms. Carol Purcell for this position. Ms.Purcell attended Clifton High School in New Jersey and earned a degree from Montclair State College (now known as Montclair State University). (please turn to page 6) Ms. Carol Purcell Fordham Preparatory School 3 Prep Student Is Eyewitness to History by Salman Rangrez ‘10 nation’s political happenings, President Barack Obama’s inauguration marked the beginning of a new cycle. More than ever, young people were the ones who supported President Obama’s campaign and made up a large part of the attendees at the inauguration. Alicia Guerrero and Vivian Tan, two teenage girls from Texas who also attended PYIC, found that, despite the weather being extremely frigid compared to their hometowns, the once in a lifetime experience was well worth the wait. Vivian expressed that it was an experience that she “would look back on and say ‘Wow’. It was something [she] would tell [her] kids about someday.” Alicia found that instead of reading about history in a textbook, the trip was “her chance to be a part of history.” She believed that “it was the chance of a lifetime to see what made this country so great, the peaceful transition of power from one leader to another. There [was] nothing in the world [she] would trade in for this opportunity.” The two girls’ words were sentiments shared From January 17th through 21st , I was lucky enough to get by all the attendees present at the inauguration who felt honored to see the chance to attend the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference the 44th President of the United States sworn in and all wished him the (PYIC). This was a conference that chose high school students from best in the coming years. around the United States and invited them to come to Washington D.C. to hear key speakers and attend the Presidential Inauguration. There I heard many key speakers such as Doris Kearns Goodwin, Lisa Ling, Erik Weihenmayer, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and former Vice President Al Gore. Each shared their life stories with the the Conference. They explained how they were able to overcome certain adversities in their lives in order to succeed and attain their life goals. Their speeches helped to fill the audience with an almost contagious feeling that we too could achieve anything we wanted if we put our minds and hearts to the task. The high point of the trip was attending the actual inauguration. Washington D.C., especially the National Mall, was absolutely packed. I, along with a few other newly made friends, managed to get fairly close to the capital. The atmosphere there was something indescribable in words. Though physically tired myself, I was able to leech off the energy of the other people and found myself cheering and booing with the rest of the crowd. When President Barack Obama finally emerged, the crowd erupted in bellow of applause and cheering that rivaled any I had ever heard in my life. To my own amazement, I realized that I too was shouting and cheering with everyone else. Throughout his Inaugural Speech, President Obama seemed to express his determination to unite Americans whether they are Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, or non-believers and to stretch out the United States’ hand in friendship to the rest of the world. The crowd was absolutely captivated by his words and was riveted to the spot. The silence was only broken by applause at certain points of the speech. It was clear that President Obama’s greatest strength lay in his skill as an orator who gained undivided attention from his audience. A faculty member of the PYIC commented that she had never seen this many people at previous Inaugurations before. The presence of so many young people was a testament to the close association that President Barack Obama had to the younger generation. While the younger generation is normally considered to be out of sync with the 4 Fordham Preparatory School Rampart The Rampart is the Official Student Newspaper of Fordham Prep. Its goals are to provide accurate information in the spirit of responsible journalism, to entertain, and offer a forum for the ideas of students, parents, graduates, faculty, and administrators. The Rampart is published monthly by the students of Fordham Prep. STAFF Editors In Chief: Brandon Inkles ‘09 Douglas Bajan ‘10 Associate Editor: John Hawley ‘10 Feature Editor: John O’Shea ‘09 Sports Editors: Mike Spillane ‘09 Gianni Matera,’10 Photo Editor: Michael Zagreda,’10 Tech. Editor Gianni Matera,’10 Moderator Richard Langellotti Reporters: Mike Panzarino,’09,William Hopkins Powers,’12,Gregory McGuinness,’12,Salman Rangras,’10,Philip ReidFrancisco,’10,Eric Engelbrecht,’10,Anthony McGuinness,’09,Brendan Duffy,’11 From Greek to Sheik By John O’Shea,’09 The MTV series, “Made,” claims to have given Fordham Prep junior James Gisante a complete makeover and transformed him from a nerd into God’s gift to women. At first thought, it may seem like a good idea for Fordham to allow an episode of “Made” to be filmed in our school. It gives James Gisante a chance to make himself into whatever he wants and it provides publicity for the school. However, this is merely a flawed, superficial way of looking at a decision, which turned out to be a big mistake. The values expressed in the show “Made” are in stark contrast to the values that should permeate a Jesuit school. A Grad at Grad should be able to “See God In All Things.” The television episode that starred Fordham Prep’s own James Gisante feeds the negative elements of pop culture and encourages common stereotypes. James’ hobby of collecting comic books is condemned as the activity of a “geek.” How can a school endorse this labeling of a person based on his or her social group and hobbies? At Fordham Prep, many students other than James Gisante are a part of clubs with similar societal reputations as the Comic Book Club. What message does this send to them?! When Fordham allowed MTV to shoot their “Made” episode in the school, it looked as if the school sanctioned these flaws in pop culture. Does this practice enforce the belief that Jesuit students should see God in all these things? Apparently not. The show tells young people that they must conform with society and that those who do not, need to alter their lives like James Gisante did. Fordham Prep students should strive to become men for others. However, the show “Made,” asked students to insult James Gisante on camera, simply to make their show more amusing. How could our school let this happen? The television producers put Fordham Prep students on air talking against their fellow classmates. What message does this send to others about the community of the Prep? Our reputation has taken a hit. EXTRA!!!!!!!!!!!By Gianni Matera,’10 Rampart can now be accessed online by going to www.fprampart.org. It currently features the most recent edition of the paper as well as previous archived issues. More are on the way as we are steadily scan and upload more editions. Eventually, all of the past newspapers will be online and searchable to students, teachers and alumni. Hopefully it will prove to be a valuable research tool as some newspapers stored in the library go back many decades. The site is easily navigable with all editions available on the left navigation column. There is a search page so viewers can easily find specific keywords and a contact page so viewers can ask questions or request more information. The website will also serve as a forum so that the newspaper can address more immediate issues without waiting for the next issue to be released. This will undoubtedly change the way the newspaper interacts with the prep community and help expedite the arrival of relevant news. Students will also see the site as a fun way to step into the past and read about the news and events that affected Fordham Prep in past years. Remember to check the site often for new content. Enjoy! 5 Fordham Preparatory School Doubt Is A Riveting Drama By William Hopkins Powers.’12 Academy Award winner John Patrick Shanley writes and directs the screen adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize winning play, Doubt. The film is set in 1964, at a catholic school in the Bronx. It stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep both of whom have already earned Golden Globe Nominations for their role, and the film has also been nominated for best screenplay In the first few moments of the movie we open on an early Sunday morning in 1964 Bronx. As most of the neighborhood moves into the church and gets settled in, Phillip Seymour Hoffman approaches the alter to deliver his sermon, and out of his sermon comes the title. As he begins his sermon he mentions the assassination of President Kennedy just a year before and he speaks of how the nation was in a state of fear and doubt. This is where he begins his transition to a story about a man lost at see and his doubt in god and his own faith. In his sermon he delivers one of the pivotal lines of the movie, “Doubt can be a bond as powerful as certainty”. The films story revolves around Sister Aloysius’s(Meryl Streep), the principal of a Catholic school in the Bronx, who comes to suspect that her supervisor, Father Flynn(Phillip Seymour Hoffman), has developed an unhealthy relationship with one of their students, Donald(Joseph Foster II), the school’s first and only AfricanAmerican student. She first is brought to this conclusion when she is told by a younger nun, Sister James (an unsteady Amy Adams), who tells her that Father Flynn called Donald down to the rectory. At this Sister Aloysius suspects the worse but Sister James has doubts. This begins Sister Aloysius, pursuit to prove Father Flynn’s guilt. At most times Father Flynn seems to be above suspicion: a kind, friendly, and forward-thinking man who’s only intention appears to be a role model and educator to the young students. When he first suggests that the church add a secular song to their Christmas pageant Sister Aloysius reacts as if he’s suggested a human sacrifice. To the audience he appears as a good and loving man but to Sister Aloysius he is someone who is trying to fix something that in her eyes isn’t broken. This spirit of change and reform is most evident when Sister Aloysius asks Father Flynn what he means when he says the it is a time for the church to change he simply states ‘We should be nicer”. One of the most surprising roles in the movie was that of Donald’s mother (Viola Davis) who with only a few minutes on-screen delivers one of the most powerful performances in the movie. Her character turns from a sympathetic to horrible when she explains to Sister Aloysius that she wants to keep her son ion the school no matter what the truth is about him and Father Flynn. The pivotal scene of the movie is when Father Flynn confronts Sister Aloysius after he sees her speaking with Donald’s mother at the school. It starts out as a heated argument and develops into a full scale screaming match in which both actors deliver dominating performances. This film is a look at what people are willing to do and the doubts they must overcome to do so. It shows what lengths people are willing to go to just to achieve what they believe is right. One of the great lines of the film is when Sister Aloysius addresses Sister James’s doubt, “When you take a step to address wrong doing you are taking a step away from God but in his service.” Are We Looking At An Oscar Winner? By Brandon Inkles,’09 Not your traditional Hollywood flick, Slumdog Millionaire was one of the better movies released in 2008. Its exciting story, subtle social commentary, and rags-to-riches display made it so. A British drama film directed by Danny Boyle, it was adapted from the novel Q and A by Indian author Vikas Swarup. Set and directed in Mumbai, India, the movie revolves around the story of a young uneducated man appearing on India’s version of Who wants to be a Millionaire? His unexpected success on the show prompts interrogation and suspicion among law officials. The movie constantly switches from the live game show to flashbacks of his childhood that explain the reason behind Jamal’s knowledge. Growing up in the slums of Mumbai, Jamal was able to use his own life experiences to identify the correct answers. Through these experiences, we are able to meet Jamal’s brother, Salim, the orphan girl Latika, who befriended the brothers one night, and Maman, a gangster who gathers abandoned children and trains them to use their voice to collect money on streets. Jamal, Salim, and Latika are tracked from their time as young children up until young adults, with various obstacles causing their split along the way. When the two escaped from Maman’s scheme, Latika was captured. Jamal and Salim earn a living as children by traveling on trains, being pretend tour guides in the Taj Mahal, and pick pocketing. Salim is continually haunted by the thought of Latika, and wishes to locate her at any cost. When they find her working at a brothel years later, the brothers attempt to rescue her. The incident results in death and another split between Jamal and Latika. As the game show continues to progress, Jamal approaches the one million dollar prize. All the questions he answers have a unique explanation, but also an insightful social commentary that catches the viewer attention. For a contestant once mired in the slums of India, it is interesting enough that each question is rooted in a possible path to fame or fortune. Each question relates to the troubles of his life, and the path to destiny. With an exhilarating final scene, the movie is well worth the cost of admission. An untraditional, feel-good film such as this one leaves the viewer with a positive message, and a bright reprieve from the dark times our nation faces. It certainly deserved the Golden Globe it won for Best Drama, which hopefully will lead well into the Oscars. Four stars to an excellent movie. 6 Fordham Preparatory School Frost/ ixon, Myth or Reality? By Gregory McGuinness,’12 The first thing I would like to say is that Frost/ Nixon is a very good film. Director Ron Howard does a superb job telling a phenomenal story of political drama and justice. The acting in this movie is fantastic, especially the jobs done by Frank Langella who plays Richard Nixon, and Michael Sheen who plays David Frost. Indeed this movie is one of the better political dramas ever made, but it has one vital flaw, it’s not very accurate. Before viewing this film I had a chance to watch a condensed version of the actual Frost/Nixon interviews, and from what I saw the film is a far cry from the interviews. Ron Howard, as well as most people in the film business, is well known for his very strong liberal views. So it comes as no surprise that he’d turn this film into a 135 minuet thrashing of Richard Nixon. In the actual interviews, Nixon was very composed and not as arrogant as the film depicted. A large part of the film is about the preparation for the interviews, and of course there is no way of knowing what actually went on behind the scenes, but there’s a good chance that what the film portrayed is part fiction. This film shows Nixon as a horrible monster, and David Frost as the white knight who brought this evil person to justice. The film follows the two story lines of Richard Nixon and David Frost and each of their roads to the interview. The film begins with Nixon resigning from office due to the illustrious Watergate scandal, and Frost running a variety show in Australia. Upon viewing the news of Nixon’s resignation, Frost gets the idea to interview him, thinking of the enormous money it would bring in. The film then cuts from Frost trying to get a studio backing to Nixon’s slow and painful decline from the presidency. Then Frost deicides to finance it himself with funding from friends. He then contacts Nixon and offers him the interview. He is reluctant at first because he does not take this as a serious offer, but then when his close bodyguard Jack Brennan (Played by Kevin Bacon) suggests he does it, Nixon changes his mind and accepts the offer. Frost then recruits two researchers (Played by Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell) to help him with the evidence needed for the interview, both of which are determined to take down Nixon for Vietnam and Watergate. Through the whole process of preparing for the interviews Frost is elsewhere, doing various publicity functions and attending different parties. Then the night before the interview an intoxicated Nixon calls Frost and talks about his hatred for privileged people, and how he thinks him and Frost are very alike, and then he lets Frost know that he is going to come at him with “everything I’ve got.” Then when the day of the first in a series of four interviews comes, it is evident that Frost is not prepared and Nixon clearly dominates the interview on Vietnam. He then takes the interview on his personal life and foreign policy with ease. The night before the interview on Watergate Frost gets a sudden sense of purpose, and spends a sleepless night studying various files and documents. Then the day of the Watergate interview comes. The Watergate scene is when justice is served, good beats evil, and Nixon is defeated. The way the film depicts this scene is largely false. In the actual interview, Nixon keeps himself very composed and though he does falter on some questions, he never loses his composure. He never gives a straight confession that he did indeed commit the crimes he was accused of, like it is shown in the film. And at no point in the actual interview I saw does he blare out, “IF THE PRESIDENT DOES IT, IT’S NOT ILLEGAL!” As I said in the beginning of this article, Frost/ Nixon is a very good film, and it deserve all of the awards and nominations it has garnered. It is superbly acted and very well directed. But if this film in is viewed as a great and accurate portrayal of one of the greatest interviews in the history of journalism, it is mistaken. (continued from page 2) Ms. Purcell, who is a CPA, has a background in public accounting, financial management of hospitals, and she was the chief financial officer of the Archdiocese of Newark. Ms. Purcell’s expertise supported by Mrs Gedeiko, Mrs Repetti , amd Mrs DiDomizio will prove invaluable as the Prep expands. Ms. Purcell stated that “The energy and enthusiasm that exists here between the faculty, the staff, and the students, is hard to replicate Its an upbeat place to be.” Fordham Preparatory School Track continued from page 8 Bruce Grant '10 came in second in the 55m dash with a time of 6.5s. Zach Keefer '09 won the 400m dash with a lightning 49.9s and came in second in the 800m run by .2s with a time of 1:57.2s. Carlos Petrovich '09 came in third in the 600m dash with a time of 1:22.6s. Harley Griffiths '09 came in second in the 1000m run with a time of 2:36.2s. Finally, Michael Jennings '09 came in second in the two mile run with a time of 9:48.0s and second in the mile run with a time of 4:30.6s.The Prep's relay teams served as an embodiment of the team's combined effort. Their times were very impressive and showed that the workouts of the previous weeks truly payed off. The 4x200m relay, consisting of Jared Blake '09, Anthony Rivera '09, Dan Turner '10 and Ramzy Salem '09, came in third with a time of 1:35.3s. The 4x400m relay team came in first in tense race with a time of 3:27.0s; the team consisted of Jared Blake '09, Anthony 7 Rivera '09, Ramzy Salem '09 and Carlos Petrovich '09. On Friday, January 30th, the Prep won the 4x800m relay at nd the 102 Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden. The team consisted of Harley Griffiths '09, Carlos Petrovich '09, Zach Keefer '09, and Michael Jennings '09. It was a very exciting race that continued the Prep's historic legacy in the event. According to Coach George Febles, all four of them “executed their race plans perfectly.” There time was 8:05.27s, an impressive time on the garden's challenging track. In addition to the 4x800 trophy, the Prep also brought home the George Eastman trophy, an award presented to the team that wins the race for a third consecutive time. This is the Prep's second George Eastman trophy and sixth overall Millrose win in eight years. Basketball By John Hawley,’10 This year’s Fordham varsity basketball team has enjoyed a far more successful season than it has in recent years. The Rams returned five seniors from last year’s squad (including senior tri-captains Kristian Duravcevic, Khalid Robinson, and Joey DiPaolo) and added five juniors as well as three sophomores. The team’s youth, coupled with a JV team that looks ready to make a run at a city championship, bodes well for future years. However, the Rams are doing exceedingly well this season and are poised to make a serious run in the CHSAA playoffs. The team started off sluggishly in the preseason. They lacked the defensive intensity necessary to do well in the ubercompeititve CHSAA. They suffered an embarrassing loss to Cathedral, a “B” Division team, playing out-of-sync offensively and allowing the opposition to penetrate at will. The Rams began the season with a win against the athletic Blessed Sacrament and then prepared to face rival Iona Prep, who returned four starters from a team that lost in the final minutes of last year’s City Championships. Iona started the game with a barrage of threes that left the Rams shell-shocked to find themselves down by twenty points by the end of the first quarter. The Rams fought valiantly the rest of the game, and despite holding their own with Iona for the next three quarters, the Prep lost by 22 points. The Rams won their next two games, including an impressive road win in which they defeated St. Edmunds while silencing their crowd. The team dropped their next four games, their longest losing streak of the season. They lost a close game at home to Cardinal Hayes, and went winless on their annual trip to Buffalo over Christmas vacation. The Rams learned from their mistakes in Buffalo and gained confidence in the fact that they had started to play better by the end of the trip. When the team returned to New York it was time to begin playing division opponents. The Rams trounced division rivals Regis and Xavier on successive days during the Christmas tournament they place host to. The Rams marched forward into 2009 by defeating division foe Cardinal Spellman and then set their sights on defending CHSAA champion Bishop Ford. The Rams led for much of the game, shutting down Ford’s star point guard through a combination of stellar on-ball defense by sophomore Brandon Goldson and the shot blocking (or should I say swatting) of Duravcevic. However, a defensive breakdown by Fordham gave Ford two foul shots in the final seconds of a tie game, the first of which gave Ford the lead. Ford missed the second shot, and the Rams grabbed the rebound with a few seconds on the clock. A mental error in not calling a timeout led to a desperation pass that Ford intercepted sealing the Rams fate. While the Rams were angry that they lost, the game showed them that they could compete with any team in the city. The Rams ventured into Manhattan for their next two games, winning at LaSalle (where Ron Artest used to play) and then at Regis giving the team a season sweep of its Jesuit rival. Fordham’s road trip continued as the team was cut down by Stepinac and then played arguably its worst game of the year, losing badly to Moore Catholic. Returning to the Bronx, the Rams defeated St. Anthony’s from Long Island, before falling to St. John’s Prep. In one of the most heated games in the CHSAA this year, the Rams defeated divisional challenger LaSalle 73-61. The game contained numerous ejections of the LaSalle team, but the Rams remained unshaken and the foul shooting of Sophomore Nihad Musovic made the Cardinals pay for their outbursts. The Rams won again two days later on Super Bowl Sunday against Nazareth high school. This win brought the Rams overall record to 11-9 and their league record (the record that counts for the playoffs) to 8-5. The Rams enter their final four games of the season at first place in their division looking to win a new banner for the gymnasium. They face four tough opponents in the next two weeks, including a showdown with Mount Saint Michael on February 13th (coincidentally Friday the 13th) at 4:00. The team looks forward to a large cheering section as it takes on the Mountaineers the day before break begins. The playoffs loom in the Rams near future, but first and foremost the team is concerned with wrapping up its division title. Then, once the playoffs begin the Rams are excited to see how far they can go, and maybe even get another chance at Ford or Iona, both of whom would see a Fordham team vastly improved from the one they faced earlier this year. Swimming By Michael Panzarino,’09 The Swim Team accomplished an impressive victory Thursday January 22nd against their arch rival Chaminade. The team started out their domination of Chaminade by winning and setting a new school record in the 200 medley relay. The relay team consisted of Seniors Mike McVicker, Sean Powers, Andrew Ellman, and Junior Connor Downey. The team was led to victory by seniors Michael Panzarino and Michael McVicker who both had double wins. Sophomore Joe Casino won the backstroke and continued Fordham’s streak of 10 straight events with a first place finish on the night. It was a good meet. Fordham’s divers had a one, two, three finish lead by Junior Phillip Troung. Inspiration for this win was offered by David Schnitzer 99’ who showed up before the meet to offer some words of advice. Hockey By Michael Spillane, and Anthony McGuinness,’09 Another highlight was a match against Farrell that was played at Madison Square Garden. Despite losing 3-2, the Rams were afforded an opportunity that they would forever cherish, as they skated on the very same ice as so many Ranger greats before them. The non-league competition has been highlighted by impressive victories against White Plains and Mahopac. Towards the end of their season the Rams began an exciting late season run that began with a 21 victory over Farrell. The playoff push continued with key victories over Stepinac, Iona and Farrell again. In the final week of the season the Rams found themselves in a do or die situation. Friday at the Playland Ice Casino., the Rams lost 75 in the final minutes keeping them out of the playoffs. The team loses ten seniors including Captains Michael Spillane, Jaime Rivera and Anthony McGuinness, all of whom were dedicated too their team and program. They will be missed G O R A M S Following last season’s first round loss to the eventual champion Iona Gaels, this year’s Varsity hockey team was eager to avenge that defeat. With a roster returning sixteen players, including all three goalies and twelve seniors, the Rams considered themselves to be a team talented and experienced enough to not only gain a playoff spot, but also to potentially contend for a championship. During the season as evidenced by the amazing parody in the CHSAA, the Rams were right in the mix for the playoff spot that they desired. The CHSAA features six teams, with Saint Anthony’s, Stepinac, Monsignor Farrell, and Chaminade joining the Rams and Gaels. Each team in the league has proven capable to be talented enough to win on any given night. The Rams have been defeated by all five teams in the league, but have also beaten each and every team. Their record in the league is highlighted by two exciting defeats of Iona, including a thrilling 6-5 victory on Homecoming Night. Track By Gianni Matera,’10 The 2009 Fordham Prep Indoor Track team continued their dominant streak with a very impressive array of times this past week. On Sunday, January 25th, the Prep came in first at the NYCHSAA Archdiocesan Sectionals with a devastating 94 points! Monsignor Farrell was second with a meager 61 points. The meet MVP was Wayne Seaton '09, who tied the school 55mHH record with a time of 7.4s and won the 300m dash with a personal best of 35.4s. Andrew Hemmings '09 was the meet field events MVP with a triple jump of 44'8 and a long jump of 21'4.1. Shot put and pole vault also put up some serious numbers. John Horvath '09 vaulted 14'6 to win silver in the event. Also, Anthony Carr '09 vaulted 13'6 and Keegan Talty '09 vaulted 12'6. Jon Annunziata '09 won the Sectional Shot Put Championship with a 49'4 toss. The depth of the Fordham Prep Track team was unmatched. The team had so many different types of runners that they won points in every single category. (continued on page 7)