To view more pictures from the championship game, please visit Mike Scanlan's website.

--By Ron Jandoli

--Photos by Mike Scanlan

GRAY BEES RETURN TO ANOTHER STATE FINAL
Will look for its 22nd straight title on Sunday

Nov. 3, 2010

The Gray Bees stamped their ticket to another state final with a convincing victory over Peddie.

Coach Jim Wandling's team ran their winning streak to 10 games by handling Peddie for the second occasion in 2010, this time by a 5-0 margin on Wednesday in the State Prep A semifinals at NJIT.

St. Benedict's (18-2) will play for its 22nd successive state title - 24th overall - on Sunday against Pennington in a rematch of last year's final. The Gray Bees beat Pennington, 3-2, in the 2009 championship game and 4-1 earlier this year.

Musa Sackoon continued his stellar play late in the season by taking apart the Peddie defense in the first half. The senior forward continually caused havoc on the right flank and eventually helped the Gray Bees cash in on the first goal.

Dani Rodriguez stepped in front of a Peddie player at midfield and served the ball wide on the right to Sackoon, whose initial attempt at getting a cross off failed. But the ball ricocheted off the defender and came right back to the attacker.

Sackoon, in turn, carried the ball down to the end line and hit another cross that made its way into the goalmouth where Christiano Francois converted for goal off a header with 10:18 left in the half.

The game was played a lot like the two teams' first meeting this year - Peddie sitting back in its own end just trying to wait for a counter. But once the Gray Bees scored, it was only a matter of time before Wandling's troops struck again.

"Every time we get the first goal, it releases all that pressure of trying to score and then it's game over," said senior captain Clint Caso.

Caso was referring to the fact that the Gray Bees upped the cushion to 3-0 by the half-time break when Sackoon scored twice more for his team before the break.

His first score, with 4:37 left in the opening half, came after a nice play by Luis Berjarano, who stripped a Peddie player of the ball and carried it upfield to the top of the box where he played a pass to Jon Moraes.

Moraes spotted Sackoon alone in the penalty area with a through pass and Sackoon easily finished off the play while going uncontested on goal. Just 27 seconds later, Sackoon converted a feed from Francois by side-footing a shot from in close again.

The Gray Bees finished off Peddie with goals five minutes apart in the second half. Leandro Lemache scored off a nice through ball from Noah Sadaoui. Sackoon then sent Sadaoui in alone on goal with a beautiful heel pass for the final score.

"Obviously we're excited to be playing in the state final again," said Wandling. "We have a couple days to prepare for the game. I'm confident in our ability and know that we will finish the season the right way."

Notes: Before the state final on Sunday, the Gray Bees have another regular season game scheduled for Thursday (Nov. 4) as part of their Senior Day celebration. Game time is 4 p.m. against Queen of Peace on the Lower Field at St. Benedict's.

--By Ron Jandoli

GRAY BEES RALLY FOR VICTORY OVER SOUTH KENT IN OVERTIME
Get equalizer with only two seconds left in regulation

Oct. 31, 2010

The Gray finally found an answer after falling behind in a game.

Just barely.

Coach Jim Wandling's team scored a stunning goal with only two seconds left in regulation to tie the game and won with golden-goal in sudden-death overtime to wrest victory away from Connecticut's South Kent by a 2-1 margin.

Christiano Francois scored both goals for the Gray Bees, which fell behind on a first half goal for third time this year, but rallied for their first victory after losing their previous two encounters in which they gave up the initial score.

"It looked like we might not get it done again," said Musa Sackoon about try to dig out of a one-goal disadvantage. "But we kept at it and finally were able to break through. Incredible way to end it."

Francois, a junior forward, salvaged the game for the Gray Bees when he ran onto a perfectly played through ball by Beau Gordon into the left side of the box. After pushing the ball forward with a touch, Francois uncorked a low lining shot that settled just inside the far right post with only two ticks left on the clock in regulation.

"We applied the pressure throughout the second half and I thought it would only be a matter of time before we got one back," said Wandling. "But with two seconds left? You could say I thought we were running out of time."

St. Benedict's wrapped up its 17th victory of the season 13 minutes into the extra session. Cris Hernandez served a ball from the midfield toward South Kent's penalty area where Noah Sadaoui ran onto it and pushed the ball into the left side of the area in stride to Sackoon.

Sackoon alertly spotted the goalkeeper coming out and chipped the ball over his head before Francois easily headed the ball into an empty net, which sent the partisan home crowd into a frenzy at NJIT's Lubetkin Field.

"We definitely made a statement that this team can come back," said Sackoon. "Couldn't ask for a better way to finish it off."

The Gray Bees looked in serious trouble after giving up the first goal with just over 11 minutes left in the half. Wandling's troops failed to clear the ball out of their own end and South Kent's Anthony Hunter toe-poked a shot just inside the near right post after some confusion on the part of the Gray Bees.

St. Benedict's (17-2), however, responded by dominating the second half and overtime, out-shooting their counterparts, 10-1, after the ominous opening 40 minutes.

"We challenged the guys at halftime to make sure they were prepared to play for a full 80 minutes," said Wandling. "It took 79 minutes and 58 seconds for us to find the tying goal. But once we found it, there was only one team that was ever going to win the game."

--By Ron Jandoli

GRAY BEES HOPE LATEST VICTORY OPENS SOME EYES NATIONALLY
Coach Wandling's team manhandles Long Island foe

Oct. 28, 2010

St. Benedict's has been a mainstay in the national rankings for years.

But, for some reason, the six-time national champions have been overlooked and, for the most part, have been on the outside of the rankings looking in all year.

"We haven't talked about the rankings because our goal is to always take one game at a time," said Wandling before adding, "but why we are being overlooked is a mystery to me. If you compare our results to some of the top teams in the country, it just doesn't make sense."

Wandling's team, however, may have finally opened some pollster's eyes with their effort on Thursday.

The Gray Bees went out and dismantled Farmingdale - the same team that had tied the Nos. 11 & 12 teams in the country - by a 5-0 margin on their home turf on Long Island.

"This game was only important because of their results against some of the higher ranked teams in the nation," said Wandling. "But I wouldn't say this was a statement game. We just went out and played our game.

"I just hope it reminds people that St. Benedict's hasn't gone anywhere."

Musa Sackoon and Vitaly Zaluha sandwiched goals around Noah Sadaoui's hat trick to help back up the 32-3 advantage the Gray Bees had in shots.

Sackoon opened the scoring off a feed from the left by Beau Gordon in just the third minute of action. From there, Sadaoui took over.

The senior sniper deposited goals 18-through-20 by producing a natural hat trick. He upped the Gray Bees cushion to three by the halftime break by scoring in the 13th and 32nd minutes, respectively.

Gordon registered his second assist by setting up Sadaoui's final goal in the 61st minute before Vitaly Zaluha wrapped up the scoring with only two minutes left in the contest.

Goalkeeper Tom Bull notched the team's 14th shutout as the Gray Bees ran its record to 16-2 and matched its longest winning streak of the season at eight games.

"I do believe if we find a way to take care of our business the rest of the year, I think we'll have a case for the lofty national ranking when it's all said and done," Wandling said.

SBP FACES FIRST HALF MISFORTUNE AGAIN; BUT FINALLY HAVE THE ANSWER
Fire in four goals after halftime break to finish off Pennsylvania foe

Oct. 23, 2010

The Gray Bees had lost both games this year in which they had given up a first half goal.

That trend, however, was put firmly to rest on Saturday.

The Gray Bees surrendered another opening half score, but stared down adversity and erupted for four goals after intermission to break away from a halftime standoff and deliver a 5-1 victory over Mercersburg.

Christiano Francois scored just six minutes after the break and then set up Cris Hernandez' first of two scores only two minutes later and the Gray Bees were on their way to victory No. 15.

"Of course we had concerns at the half," admitted St. Benedict's coach Jim Wandling. "We put ourselves in a position where we'd have to unlock a team in the second half in order to win. Luckily for us, we made some adjustments at the half and put away two beautiful goals early."

Unlike their two losses against Chaminade (N.Y.) and Salesianum (Del.), the Gray Bees weren't forced to try and crack a defensive shell in the second half after Mercersburg scored the knot the score at 1-1 just before intermission.

The school from Pennsylvania, despite playing with six across the back at times, came out with some fight in the second half instead of being content with sitting back. But that spirit was extinguished almost immediately with the Gray Bees' quick-strike ability.

Francois broke the 1-1 standoff when he pounced on a rebound off a shot by Musa Sackoon and fired in his 10th goal of the season into the top of the goal. He then registered his 11th assist on the year when he played Hernandez through into the box for a goal two minutes later.

"When a team employs those types of (defensive) tactics, it puts a premium on the first goal," said Wandling. "When we scored those two early, we knew we had some breathing room."

The Gray Bees finished Mercersburg off when Clint Caso and Hernandez scored three minutes apart later in the half, both off feeds from John Martinez. Caso's goal came off a shot that slipped through the keeper's hands from 45 yards out in the 63rd minute.

Wandling's club opened the scoring on Jon Moraes 7th minute score. Mercersburg made things interesting by squaring the match off a corner kick in the 32nd minute.

The defensive front, led by Spencer Hambleton, Luis Bejarano, Caso and Dani Rodriguez, allowed just one shot after intermission. The Gray Bees held a 25-4 overall advantage for the game.

"Our adjustments paid dividends," said Wandling, whose team chose to attack from the flanks in the second half instead of a more direct approach they employed before the break.

SBP STALLS EARLY, COMES UP BIG IN SECOND HALF
Scores four times after intermission

Oct. 20, 2010

The Gray Bees have had a tendency to become complacent after notching early goals this season.

That trend seemed to take hold again on Wednesday.

Coach Jim Wandling's team grabbed a quick one-goal cushion against Lawrenceville, but then let the pace of the game slip out of their grasp.

"We've now done it a couple of times and it's a little disheartening," said Wandling. "It seems like after we score, we then lack the spirit to go after it and put the other team away."

The Gray Bees, however, managed to regroup at intermission - albeit after a little chiding from their coach - and came out with more intensity in the second half.

St. Benedict's once again cashed in early after the break, but instead of relaxing, Wandling's troops put the game away soon thereafter and coasted to a 5-0 victory over the Big Red at NJIT.

"When we starting dictating the pace, that's when we picked up our game," explained Wandling. "It paid off right away in the second half. But we need to come out and produce that type of effort for a full 80 minutes."

Beau Gordon, who scored the opening goal in the game's sixth minute, helped establish the tempo in the second half.

The senior midfielder chased down a long ball by Clint Caso into the left corner. He quickly carried the ball along the end line and spotted Christiano Francois breaking in a goal. Francois one-timed Gordon's perfect feed from in close to give the Gray Bees a 2-0 cushion just 63 seconds into the second stanza.

Gordon found Francois again only six minutes later after he cut across the middle before slotting a ball into the penalty area. Francois easily outraced a defender and beat the goalkeeper with a shot inside the right post to give the Gray Bees and insurmountable, three-goal spread.

"Beau showed how dangerous of a player he can be today," said Wandling. "He can change a game by himself and today we needed that."

After Musa Sackoon scored off a feed from Cris Hernandez, Gordon wrapped up the scoring when he returned the favor for his first goal of the game by setting up Noah Sadaoui for the final tally.

"We don't let up against the better teams when we score," said Wandling. "I think we have been getting to a point when we play down a level against certain teams. We need to keep reinforcing that this isn't acceptable no matter who we play."

--By Ron Jandoli

CHESEREK JUST MISSES RECORD IN WINNING FOR 2ND TIME IN THREE OUTINGS
Water Polo and Soccer teams keep winning streaks alive

Oct. 16, 2010

The buzz about Edward Cheserek continues making its way up the Eastern Seaboard.

This week's stop was New England.

The sophomore sensation put forth perhaps the best race of his short, yet stunning rookie season when he just missed the course record while winning the Brown Invitational on Saturday in Rhode Island.

Cheserek shredded the 3.1-mile course at Goddard Park with a 15:00.8, No. 2 in course history, to win the Championship race in Warwick. He won by five seconds over John Murray of nearby Shrewsbury High and just missed the course record of 15:00 set in 2004 by Cory Thorne of Rhode Island.

This comes on the heels of his first placed effort two weeks ago American Independent Schools Championships in North Carolina and last week's runner-up finish in the loaded field at the Manhattan Invitational.

"He's getting stronger and stronger. Edward looked like he could have run another 5k when it was over," said St. Benedict's coach Marty Hannon. "We thought he was going to get the course record and go under 15, but just missed it."

Cheserek, who ran 4:38 for the first mile and 5:06 on the sandy, slippery part of the course for the second mile, shattered the school-record of 15:12 that Brandon Jarrett established on the same course in 2007.

Tahlief Jackson and Garland Miller also fared well in the race. Jackson, who ran in his first race as a member of the Gray Bees team since transferring into The Hive this summer, placed 39th with a time of 16:33.7, while Miller, who was toe-to-toe with Jackson, fell down the stretch run and finished in 16:53.2. Adebayo Eisape (17:47) and Morgan Kipchumba (18:00) also ran for Hannon's club.

Cheserek and his teammates will now return to New Jersey with their eyes squarely on the individual and team titles in the Essex County Championships on Oct. 29. The Alumni Association will be holding a gathering that day at Brookdale Park, so come out and root on the Gray Bees as they try to claim the county title. For further information about the Alumni reception, please contact Didier Jean-Baptiste at 973-792-5747.

The water polo team continues to make its way toward a .500 record.

Coach Glenn Cassidy's club moved to 7-9 on the year with their fourth straight triumph with a thrilling 15-13 victory over a club from Princeton on Saturday.

Anthony Nunez led the effort with five goals, while Love Mansuy produced a hat trick and Dennis Tassie and Charles Evans scored twice each when the Gray Bees played without two of its starters - Gio Urquilla (on a college visit) and Isaiah Del Rios (injured).

"I was very impressed with the overall team effort, especially without two starters," said Cassidy, whose team has won four straight games.

All told, seven players made it into the goal-scoring column - a first-time feat for one of Cassidy's clubs - and Andrew Caetano even managed to score his first varsity goal. Also scoring once was Gavin Mulholland and David Philemon.

"It's nice to have this little streak going and to get the record back to a more respectable 7-9," said Cassidy, whose club now has more than a week off before its next test against Lawrenceville (Oct. 27).

The soccer team ruined Pennington's Homecoming celebration Saturday night with its fifth successive triumph.

The Gray Bees came out and played with a purpose in a game that pitted last year's state Prep A Championship teams going head-to-head. And like last year when the Gray Bees captured its 21st straight state title, a dominating first half keyed the 4-1 effort.

Christiano Francois scored twice in the opening stanza - in the 8th and 28th minutes - to keep Pennington at bay.

Coach Jim Wandling's club upped the cushion to 3-0 when Cris Hernandez converted a feed from Musa Sackoon seven minutes into the second half. But unlike last year when Pennington rallied to within one when the Gray Bees prevailed, 3-2, this time around SBP wouldn't relent.

Any hope Pennington had of coming back again this year were dashed by Naoh Sadaoui's goal in the 63rd minute.

The Mercer County school did, however, become the third team to score against SBP's stingy defense this year when they hit the net, but that came with only 57 ticks left on the clock.

WATER POLO TEAM KEEPS WINNING WAYS ALIVE
Soccer team reaches a dozen victories

Oct. 14, 2010

The Gray Bees, on the wake of their most recent triumph, are on a roll.

Coach Glenn Cassidy's team won for the third straight outing - the longest winning streak of the year - with a 13-6 victory on Wednesday over New York City's Horace Mann.

Charles Evans led the most recent success by matching his season-high with five goals, while Anthony Nunez and Dennis Tassie chipped in with two scores apiece.

The Gray Bees will try to extend its streak to four straight conquests on Saturday (Oct. 16) against the Princeton Water Polo Club. Game time is 3:30 p.m.

"I'm really proud of the team today," said Cassidy after the match. "Overall, (we) looked much better - everyone had a part in the win."

St. Benedict's broke away from a 2-2 deadlock in the second quarter by going into the halftime break on a 4-1 scoring spree.

Gio Urquilla snapped the standoff with 5:09 left in quarter before David Philemon gave SBP a two-goal spread with a catch-and-shoot for a goal off an assist from Nunez.

Tassie scored another, on a lob, before Gavin Mulholland capped the first-half scoring with a goal off a rebound to gave the Gray Bees a 6-3 lead at intermission.

The Gray Bees sealed the outcome by scoring all but one of the five goals in the final quarter, including a hat trick from Evans and one goal from Love Mansuy.

Cassidy was quick to point out the outstanding play of goalkeeper Josue Del Rios, who came up with some tremendous saves in the deep end of pool. Philemon, who sparked the team in its last victory over Pingry, had another impressive day, combining with Tassie to really provide some game-changing defense.

"Winning three straight is a major confidence booster," said Nunez. "Everyone on the team has motivation to keep up the good work."

The Soccer Team captured its 12th victory of the season on Thursday with a 5-0 verdict over Maryland's Walt Whitman.

Coach Wandling's team, which has also registered a shutout during each of its triumphs, got the ball rolling on a dreary afternoon when Beau Gordon connected for the team's first goal in the 21st minute.

Musa Sackoon upped the cushion to 2-0 at the half with a goal in the 35th minute. The Gray Bees, however, put the proverbial nail in the coffin for the second straight game by scoring in the opening minute of the second half.

This time, it was Noah Sadaoui who scored as the teams came out of intermission to break the game open. Luis Bejarano scored just 28 seconds after the break in the Gray Bees' last victory, a 3-0 triumph over Hun.

Christiano Francois and Sadaoui scored five minutes apart later in the half to help Wandling's team wrap up its fourth successive victory.

The Gray Bees return to action on Saturday (Oct. 16) in perhaps its stiffest in-state tussle to date - on the road against Pennington at 7 p.m. The Gray Bees beat the Mercer County school, 3-2, for last year's state Prep A Championship.

"We have a big match coming up on Saturday night and we have been stressing the importance of paying attention to details," said coach Wandling. "Today we saw how good we can be at times when we are locked into doing the little things right. We will need a similar approach from our guys this weekend as Pennington can be a very dangerous team. We will look to carry today's performance with us into Saturday."

GRAY BEES RETURN HOME AND PUT IT ALL TOGETHER IN 2nd HALF

Oct. 12, 2010

Luis Bejarano has been the chief reason the Gray Bees have given up only two goals all season.

But the senior center back has also provided the spark that has ignited his team offensively a few times this year. And Tuesday was one of those instances.

Bejarano rescued St. Benedict's from a dismal opening half effort when he blasted home a shot from 45 yards out just 28 seconds into the second stanza and helped propel his team to a 3-0 triumph over Hun.

Coach Jim Wandling's team returned from a six-game road trip and played its first game at home - on the field turf at NJIT - since Sept. 19. Ironically, it was Bejarano who spearheaded his team's 10-0 verdict over Roman Catholic with a goal off a long-range shot in the game's first minute of their last home game.

"When you score a goal like that early in any half, it just kills any momentum the other team might think they can get," said fellow captain Clint Caso. "A goal like that just makes it easier on us."

Whereas Bejarano connected from 40 yards out against Roman Catholic to set the ball rolling in its last home game, he crushed a nearly identical shot this time around, but from 45 yards away. And like last time, the ball clanged off the cross bar and into the goal - this time after it whacked the Hun goalie in the back of the head.

"Whenever I get the ball that far out, I look where the goalie is and if he's out, I shoot," said Bejarano. "It's good to score that early (in the half) and help us wake up."

Bejarano's goal gave the Gray Bees a 2-0 cushion and some breathing room after getting complacent following their first goal, a beautiful chip by Cris Hernandez, who also caught the keeper off his line.

Hernandez received a pass from Musa Sackoon from just outside the box and alertly looked up, spotted the goalie wandering, and floated the ball over his head in the fourth minute. From there, the Gray Bees lacked the sense of urgency.

"After we scored that first goal, we thought it would be a walkthrough," said Caso. "We should have kept the pressure up and put them away right there, but we didn't."

The Gray Bees even made a couple of uncharacteristic plays defensively and almost gave up the equalizer. But goalkeeper Tom Bull was there each time to deny the chance, including on the first one when he made a great reaction with a kick save after a Hun player broke in alone behind the defense..

The Gray Bees finally got back to their game once Bejarano's long-range bomb found its mark. Noah Sadaoui's goal off a header in the 54th minute wrapped it up.

"After we scored the first goal, we kind of sat back a bit and were pretty flat for the remainder of the half," said Wandling. "I was unhappy with the couple of lapses, but that being said, we got it corrected in the second half and played a much better 40 (minutes)."

Notes: To view more pictures of the game, please visit Mike Scanlan's website.

The Gray Bees returned home for the first time in 23 days and now has a 4-1 record at home and a 7-1 ledger on the road. Wandling's club takes on Maryland's Walt Whitman 3:30 p.m. on Thursday (Oct. 14), before traveling to Pennington on Saturday night for a battle between last year's Prep A Championship game participants, a match won by SBP, 3-2.

--By Ron Jandoli

CHESEREK JOINS ELITE COMPANY ON THE X-COUNTRY CIRCUIT
Soccer teams caps 3-week road trip with pair of victories
Water polo team makes it two straight triumphs

Oct. 9, 2010

Jim Rosa of West Windsor-Plainsboro North is supposed to challenge for a national title by season's end.

St. Benedict's Edward Cheserek, however, made the star from Mercer County realize he will have company the entire way.

On Saturday, Cheserek ran should-to-shoulder with Rosa for much of the race and only a stumble separated the two standouts in the Eastern States Championship at the Manhattan Invitational in The Bronx.

Cheserek, who got tripped up less than a half-mile from the finish line, placed second to Rosa just two weeks after returning to training following an injury he suffered back in August. The sophomore turned in a time of 12.34, just 6 seconds behind Rosa after the two went head-to-head in a much-anticipated showdown at Van Cortlandt Park.

"I wanted to show everyone that I could run with the big boys," said Cheserek, who came to The Hive from Kenya in the summer. "I am happy with how I raced. We stayed together the whole way right until the end."

Rosa, who admitted that this was the toughest race he's ever run, couldn't believe the moxie of Cheserek, who, until last week, hadn't even run a race on American soil. He won a much smaller national independent schools race in his debut in N.C. on Oct. 2 and was right with the much-more heralded Rosa until the two tangled coming down the stretch.

"I've had tough competition before, but in terms of effort, that was the toughest," Rosa told The Star-Ledger after the race. "Every time I thought I had a gap on him and thought I had the race won, he'd come right back on me. He's an unbelievable runner."

Cheserek not only hung with Rosa, he beat some of the strongest and fastest runners the tri-state has to offer. He is anxious to see Rosa again next month in the Nike Northeast Regional Championships.

And, who knows, with more than just two weeks training, the outcome might be much different.

"It was nice to have great competition," said Cheserek. "He (Rosa) ran a great race."

Other Gray Bees runners who competed in the race were Adebayo Eisape (14:43), Morgan Kipchumba (15:20) and Jason Pressley (15:27).

To view more photos of the event, please visit Mike Scanlan's website.

The Gray Bees soccer team capped a long road trip that seemingly dragged on forever when the team was stuck on the bus heading to Connecticut for 8 1/2 hours Friday night.

Then, after surviving a traffic tie up that added an extra 5 hours to their trek, the Gray Bees were left without a field when they showed up for their game against Xavier Saturday afternoon.

Unplayable field conditions forced coach Jim Wandling's team to play at a nearby high school instead of at UConn. But to the Gray Bees credit, they went out a posted a commendable 1-0 victory over Xavier.

"To not get to our hotel until 4 a.m. and then be forced to switch fields after showing up, I was just happy to get out of there with a victory," said Wandling after Saturday's game. "I've seen challenges before, but what we went through the last 24 hours is incredible."

The Gray Bees, although scoring just once, were never in trouble against Xavier, as its 21-2 shot advantage would attest.

SBP scored the lone goal in the 21st minute when Musa Sackoon followed his own shot and scored off a rebound after Christiano Francois sent him into the box on a through ball.

The Gray Bees missed a couple of quality opportunities before and after the goal, but Wandling will give his team a pass. But there weren't any free passes on Sunday against undefeated Old Lyme, another Connecticut foe, and the Gray Bees looked fully recovered from their severe case of "bus-lag."

Wandling's club jumped all over the team that came into the contest at 9-0 and posted a resounding 7-0 victory. St. Benedict's ran out to a 3-0 first-half lead and never looked back. Noah Sadaoui opened the scoring just eight minutes into the game before Cris Hernandez and Jon Moraes capped first half effort with goals.

The Gray Bees (10-2) finished off Old Lyme in the second half behind goals from Leandro Lemache, Beau Gordon and Francois before Moraes knocked in his second.

The Gray Bees' trip to Connecticut capped an incredible, six-game road trip that began on Sept. 21. Wandling's club posted a 5-1 mark during that run and gave up just one goal and pumped in 18.

The Gray Bees return home, for the first time in 23 days, when it squares off against Hun at 3:30 on Tuesday at NJIT.

The Gray Bees water polo team made it two straight with its second straight victory of the season over Pingry.

Coach Glenn Cassidy's team traveled to Martinsville and received three goals apiece from Gio Urquilla and Anthony Nunez to post a 13-4 verdict over the Big Blue.

The Gray Bees got off to a slow start for the second successive outing, holding a slim 1-0 after the first quarter. But Cassidy's club started coming alive in the second period when they scored four times to take a 5-1 lead into intermission.

Dave Philemon, who scored twice, helped spark the team in the five-goal third quarter by producing a number of assists and steals as his team built a commanding, 10-2, spread and all but look up the outcome.

Isaiah Del Rios and Dennis Tassie also scored twice, while Love Mansuy added a single goal. Goalkeepers Kevin Gasper and Josue Del Rios played spectacular in net, while also contributing with a couple of assists.

"We had a slow start with memories of Wednesday," admitted Cassidy, whose team struggled early against Trinity (N.Y.) in its last outing. "(But) there's no question that the play of Philemon, especially in the third and fourth quarters, motivated the team."

--By Ron Jandoli

CHESEREK LIVES UP TO ALL THE HYPE: BIG TEST AHEAD
Soccer team drops second game of the season
Water polo team hangs tough in Conn.

Oct. 2, 2010

Edward Cheserek's long-awaited debut didn't disappoint.

The sophomore, who has been hyped since coming to The Hive from Kenya during the summer, ran for the first time in a Gray Bees uniform and bested the field for the title in the American Independent Schools Championships Saturday in Cary, N.C.

"We were excited to have him go in there and get a victory," said St. Benedict's coach Mary Hannon. "We knew he had a really good shot at winning, but it feels even better when he goes out and does it."

Cheserek, who didn't show much rust after returning to competitive running for the first time since suffering a stress fracture in August, won with a time of 15:24, which was good enough to beat out a pair of highly-touted North Carolina runners. He won by six seconds over Tom Graham of Cary and 11 seconds better than Scott Morgan of Winston Salem.

Cheserek's teammate and the runner whose been carrying the workload in his absence, Garland Miller, ran a very formidable race himself, scoring a medal with his 11th-place effort with a time of 16:58. That helped St. Benedict's finish second in the team standings behind Trinity Episcopal from Virginia.

"Edward ran very well for someone who missed a lot of training," said Hannon. "We're really looking forward to his next race."

Next up for Cheserek will be the Eastern States Championships next Saturday at the Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx.

In a much-anticipated showdown, he will be among a talent-laden field, led by the meet favorite Jim Rosa of West Windsor-Plainsboro North. Rosa finished second in last year's Eastern States behind his brother, Joe, who set the meet record a year ago (12:03.8) on the 2.5-mile course. Joe Rosa is out for the season with a foot injury.

St. Benedict's soccer team has trailed in a game only twice this year. The only problem - both those games resulted in losses.

The Gray Bees fell behind in the first half for the second time all year, and for the second time, couldn't solve the defensive effort of the opposition while pushing forward for the final 40 minutes.

This time, it was Salesianum which stymied the potent offensive attack of coach Jim Wandling's team when the Gray Bees dropped a 1-0 verdict on Saturday night in Delaware.

Salesianum scored off a scramble with just 10 seconds left in the opening half and the Gray Bees could never solve the defensive shell of its Delaware foe.

It was eerily reminiscent of the season-opener, which Wandling's troops thoroughly dominated but failed to produce a goal and dropped a 1-0 decision to New York's Chaminade.

"As a coaching staff we realize just how unlucky the boys have been in our two losses this year," said Wandling. "We have dominated both games in almost every way, but have paid a very heavy price on the only two goals we have given up on the season. The boys have deserved better, but that doesn't make it any easier for them."

Like the Chaminade contest, the Gray Bees missed a couple quality chances early and saw a miscue by their own goalkeeper cost them a goal. And for the second time, the Gray Bees couldn't recover, despite out-shooting Salesianum, 23-2.

"We played the game the way it should be played." said Wandling. "Unfortunately, we made one mistake that cost us dearly. This is now the same story following both losses.

"There is a real challenge put in front of the boys on the team now. Their response to these two losses in the early stages of the season will define their character as a team."

The Gray Bees water polo team fell on hard times for the second straight weekend, but salvaged some solid play by the end of a four-game tournament in Connecticut.

Coach Glenn Cassidy's team lost the first two games of the Cardinal Invitational by a combined 20 goals, but righted the ship in time for its final two games.

The Gray Bees played Greenwich B in its third contest and dropped a tight 14-10 contest. Cassidy's club had turned a five-goal deficit into just two, 12-10, with 3:16 left to play. But Greenwich scored on a man-up situation to quell the Gray Bees momentum at the end. Anthony Nunez led the attack with five goals in that game.

In perhaps the best game of the entire tournament, the Gray Bees hooked up with Choate Rosemary. After building a 4-0 lead early, SBP was looking at a 10-8 deficit after three quarters.

David Philemon, who scored his first varsity goal in the first game of the tourney, scored again in this one to close the Gray Bees deficit to 10-9 with 2:58 left. Gio Urquilla, who made the All-Tournament team, squared the match only 50 seconds later.

Choate answered with 1:24 left on the clock to retake the lead. But, once again, Cassidy's club showed its mettle by pulling even on Nunez' goal with 30 seconds left. Choate, however, quickly answered with a goal of its own only 10 seconds later to register the 11-10 victory.

"I was very disappointed with (the first two games). We didn't play to our potential," said Cassidy. "However, I couldn't be upset with the effort and heart shown in the Choate game. The kids never quit and they were playing very well.

"While we have a lot to work on, I really think we're working much better as a team than we were all season and that we are playing good polo. We just need to take it a little bit higher to start earning those wins."

WATER POLO TEAM WINS BACK-TO-BACK GAMES FOR FIRST TIME IN 2010
Soccer team runs its winning streak to 8 games

Sept. 29, 2010

The Gray Bees water polo team made it two straight on Wednesday with an 11-8 victory over Horace Mann in New York City.

Coach Glenn Cassidy's club, who capped an otherwise disappointing weekend with a victory over Hazelton in the final game of the two-day Beast of the East Tournament, kept the winning momentum alive.

Anthony Nunez led the Gray Bees' effort with five goals against Horace Mann, while Dennis Tassie and Charles Evans chipped in with two goals apiece. Gio Urquilla, who joined Isaiah Del Rios with one goal each, keyed a solid defensive effort.

Nunez produced all but one of his scores in the third quarter alone when St. Benedict's outscored Horace Mann, 5-1, to take a commanding 10-5 lead. Evans scored the other goal in the decisive quarter.

The water polo teams looks to make it three straight on Friday when Cassidy's troops travel to Connecticut to participate in the Cardinal Invitational. The team will try to avoid a repeat performance of last weekend when they went 1-3 or, for that matter, last year, when they went winless in four matches in Connecticut.

The soccer team keeps getting it done on the road by beating Germanton, 6-0, in Pennsylvania. It was the third successive victory on the road for coach Jim Wandling's team, which won for the eighth successive outing with all the victories coming via the shutout.

Cris Hernandez and Clint Caso scored two minutes apart bridging the halftime break to give the Gray Bees an insurmountable, 3-0, cushion. Noah Sadaoui opened the scoring with his team-leading 12th goal of the season in the 31st minute.

Beau Gordon capped the shutout by producing a natural hat-trick over the game's final 13 minutes.

Next up for coach Wandling's team is a 7:30 contest Saturday night in Delaware against Salesianum, its fourth-match during a seven-game road trip.

SOCCER TEAM WINS A TOUGH ONE ON THE ROAD IN PENNSYLVANIA
X-Country, Water Polo teams also in action during busing weekend

Sept. 25, 2010

St. Benedict's squandered a couple of early scoring opportunities that could have changed the whole complexion of Saturday's game.

Without the quick strike, however, coach Jim Wandling's team found themselves in a dogfight. But, once again, the Gray Bees found a way to pull out a tight game.

Noah Sadaoui broke a scoreless deadlock midway through the second half for the second straight outing with a goal off a header that helped propel St. Benedict's past Central Dauphin, 1-0, in Harrisburg, Pa.

"We could have put them away right out of the gate, but couldn't find a way to finish," said Wandling, whose team ran its winning streak to seven games. "We kept them in the game and, in turn, that allowed them to get more organized and made it more difficult on us."

Beau Gordon and Musa Sackoon each missed on quality chances at the game's outset. Gordon did a nice job beating two defenders into the box, but misfired on his shot by knocking it right at the goalie, while Sackoon missed the mark by firing from long range instead of taking it toward the keeper on a break.

But, like its last game against Peddie (a 3-0 victory), the Gray Bees found a way to finally put one away.

And just like Peddie, it was Sadaoui who came to the rescue by scoring off a cross, just over a charging goalkeeper. He re-directed a header, on the cross from Cris Hernandez, and the ball bounded off the post and into the goal with 21 minutes left in the game.

The Gray Bees defensive unit, which hasn't allowed a goal in its last seven outings, made the lone goal stand. Goalkeeper Tom Bull made 2 saves, although he was never seriously tested because of the stellar play of his front men, Spencer Hambleton, Dani Rodriguez, Luis Bejarano and Diego Ceron.

Sadaoui extended his team-leading goal-scoring total to 11 goals, while Hernandez handed out his 7th assist to go along with his seven goals this year.

"We're not happy with performances lately," said Wandling. "But Central Dauphin was a quality team and what matters most is that we won."

Coach Marty Hannon's cross country team had its final tune-up before the National Prep Championships next weekend in Cary, N.C. when both Edward Cheserek and transfer Tahlief Jackson will compete for the first time this season.

"It's been like holding back stallions," said Hannon. "But they've really been patient and we're excited to have them out there running with the rest of the team for the remainder of the season."

Without their two stars, the Gray Bees competed in the 44th Passaic County Coaches Invitational at Garret Mountain in West Paterson. Garland Miller placed just outside the top 10 with a time of 17:11, which was good enough for 11th place in the Group 4 race.

The Gray Bees were placed in the largest Group 4 classification, despite being one of the smaller sized schools in the meet. But that was fine with Hannon, who thinks his team benefits more from stiffer competition amongst the larger schools.

Miller's time, however, would have been good enough for first or second place in the other 3 group classifications used for the race.

"Garland is running great," said Hannon. "He and Tahlief should be quite close. (Our) top three will be amazing."

The water polo team traveled to Pennsylvania for the two-day, Beast of the East Tournament.

Coach Glenn Cassisdy's club salvaged a disappointing weekend with an 11-7 victory over Hazelton in the final match of the four-game tournament. Gio Urquilla and Love Mansuy led the way three goals apiece, while Anthony Nunez chipped in with 2.

The Gray Bees dropped two games on Friday, a 19-6 setback to North Penn and a 14-9 decision against Perkiomen Valley. Nunez led the way in the first game and Urquilla the second, each registering a hat trick.

On Saturday morning, Cassidy's club had a low-scoring battle with Wyoming Valley, but couldn't pull it out, losing 7-5 with Mansuy leading the way for SBP with 3 goals.

Mansuy finished the two-day spread with a team-leading 9 goals, while Urquilla and Nunez had 6 each.

GRAY BEES PICK UP "UGLY" VICTORY OVER THE PEDDIE SCHOOL
Field/defensive-minded opponent could have spelled disaster

Sept. 21, 2010

The soccer game on Tuesday had all the makings of being one that wouldn't end too kindly for the Gray Bees.

Coach Jim Wandling's team not only had to battle a team intent on sitting back on its heels, they had to play on a natural turf field that had more divots, undulations and grass higher than the rough on some golf courses.

But, in the end, St. Benedict's persevered, more on grit alone than tactical superiority, in posting a 3-0 victory over Peddie in Hightstown.

"It definitely could have been a long day," said Wandling. "When you consider we played a team that wasn't interested in winning and on as bad a pitch as we'll see all year, it could have been a lot worse."

Give the Gray Bees credit though. They could have sat back and complained about not playing the pristine field turf surface only a couple hundred yards away or gotten frustrated with the defensive-only scheme provided by the opponent.

But Wandling's team ignored the slighted hand they were dealt and took a workmanlike approach into the second half of a scoreless draw and came out on top in a game where a lesser team may have crumbled.

St. Benedict's dominated the first half, but couldn't crack the defensive shell Peddie was content with playing in its own third of the field. The Gray Bees managed 11 shots, but none were terribly efficient, not nearly as they were when striking for 10 goals only two days earlier.

Wandling and company, however, re-grouped at the half and came out more spirited after intermission and finally broke through in the 60th minute.

Noah Sadaoui converted his 9th goal of the year off a header on a cross from Christiano Francois. The two hooked up again only five minutes later, but it was Francois who scored this time when he ripped a shot from 22 yards out that settled into the left side of the net.

Sadaoui reached double-digits in goals when he struck for his second score of the match only two minutes later and from almost the identical range as Francois' goal.

"It was a difficult, frustrating day," admitted Wandling. "The tactics deployed by Peddie were to prevent us from winning instead of them trying to play and win themselves. It was ugly, but the good news is that we played our worst game of the year and won."

--By Ron Jandoli

GRAY BEES HITTING ON ALL CYLINDERS IN VICTORY OVER PHILLY OPPONENT
Cross-County runners continue to show improvement

Sept. 19, 2010

St. Benedict's finally put together the effort coach Jim Wandling has been looking for all season.

The Gray Bees took apart a quality Roman Catholic team with a precision from its attack that hadn't yet been seen this year.

Wandling's troops found their mark early on Luis Bejarano's first minute goal and never relented in beating the school from Philadelphia, 10-0, on Sunday at NJIT.

"In any game, the first goal in key," said Wandling. "Scoring on them early kind of sucked the life out of them a little and we took full advantage."

Bejarano's goal at the 60-second mark, a beautiful shot that saw the ball clang off the crossbar and drop just beyond the goal line, set off a chain of events that Roman Catholic didn't see coming.

In the next 10 minutes, the Gray Bees hit the pipe twice and never stopped firing before eventually hitting for a two more scores 2:15 apart by Christiano Francois and Cris Hernandez, in the 14th and 16th minutes, respectively.

Hernandez scored once more before intermission, and when the dust settled, the Gray Bees had scored four times on 14 shots.

"I don't think they knew what hit them," said Hernandez. "We had our concentration today and got the goal early to give us the momentum and take away theirs. From that point on, we never let up."

Wandling's side didn't rest on its laurels in the second half either. Noah Sadaoui produced a natural hat-trick - three successive goals - in a five-minute span that ended in the 53rd minute and, just like that, the Gray Bees were up, 7-0.

Leandro Lemache and Jon Martinez added scores before Henandez matched Sadaoui with his third goal. Sadaoui still owns the team-lead in goals (8) by one over Hernandez.

Wandling had been concerned, despite scoring 25 goals in its last four games, about his team's inability, at times, to find its range around the goal.

"It's been our main sticking point so far this season," said Wandling, whose team was very efficient against Roman Catholic - 10 goals on 28 shots. "We've been looking for our guys to be more clinical in the final third and have been addressing that a lot in training.

"I think we accomplished our goal today and it was very rewarding."

The Cross Country team traveled to Warinanco Park in Elizabeth on Saturday and coach Marty Hannon's runners continue to show improvement.

Garland Miller led the Gray Bees upperclassmen in the senior race at the 31st New Jersey Catholic Track Conference Bernie Magee Memorial Class Meet. Miller finished 12th with a time of 17:07, a 37-second improvement from a year ago.

In the Junior race, Adebayo Eisape came in 26th-place in 18:02, bettering his time from a year ago by 1:43, while Morgan Kipchumba trimmed 33 seconds off his race last season by clocking an 18:41.

In the Freshmen race, Benjamin Guerin came in 18th at 13:10 and Isaac Rasbury finished 27th with a time of 13:24.

--By Ron Jandoli
--Photos by Mike Scanlan

GRAY BEES CONTINUE TO STEAMROLL OPPOSITION
Stiffer competition ahead - beginning on Sunday

Sept. 15, 2010

St. Benedict's has been able to rebound from a season-opening loss in a big way.

Coach Jimmy Wandling's club has reeled off four successive victories and, in the process, has been able to build some "good habits."

The greatest improvement since its setback to Chaminade has been in the scoring department.

The Gray Bees have outscored the competition, 25-0, during its current skein, including a 3-0 victory over Penn Charter on Tuesday and an 8-0 whitewash in its latest conquest over Blair on Wednesday.

Noah Sadaoui has been igniting the Gray Bees surge of late. He scored the opening goal against Penn Charter at Rutgers Newark and then again against Blair at the Players Development Academy in Zarephath.

"It feels great to finally get my chance," said Sadaoui, who's been thrust into the starting lineup as a senior. "I've waited my turn and now the coaches and the team believe in me and I've been out here doing the best I can to not let them down."

Sadaoui, who has five goals thus far, is hardly the only one scoring goals. He is one of seven players who have scored more than once in the early going.

Junior Cris Hernandez, whose play in the middle has been nothing short of stellar, has chipped in with four goals and passed off for three others, while Christiano Francois, Jon Moraes and captain Clint Caso have contributed three goals apiece.

"Although the last couple games haven't really challenged us," said coach Wandling, "we're still developing by getting into good habits. Our approach is really what matters - if we play our game, we should be very tough to contend with."

Not only has Wandling's team come alive since the opening game, the defense - a staple of any Gray Bees team - has been rock solid since the season's outset.

Junior goalkeeper Tom Bull had to make two quality saves against Blair - his first two "real" saves of the year. His lack of exertion has chiefly been because of the job the back line in front of him has been doing. They include captains Luis Berjarano (Sr.) and Diego Ceron (Jr.), along with Rodriguez (Sr.) and Spencer Hambleton (Soph.).

The Gray Bees, however, can't rest on its recent success. They won the games they were supposed to - against inferior opponents. But beginning Sunday, against Roman Catholic of Philadelphia, coach Wandling's troops begin a stretch of at least five straight games which can make or break the season.

"We've settled in a bit and have made a lot of progress," admitted SBP's first-year coach. "But we can't be satisfied.

--By Ron Jandoli

NEW COACH GETS HIS FIRST VICTORY AFTER HEARTBREAKING START
Gray Bees buzz through weekend competition

Sept. 11, 2010

The weekend couldn't come soon enough for coach Jim Wandling.

After enduring an agonizing defeat on Tuesday in his initial game since taking over the Gray Bees program, Wandling watched his team come back and strike with a vengeance.

St. Benedict's put together a pair of dominating efforts in Maryland and came home with the championship in a tournament at Northeast High School in Pasadena.

The Gray Bees went out Friday night and racked up 10 goals in blanking the host school before coming back in Saturday night's championship game and besting Southern High, 4-0.

"It's been a long couple of days," admitting Wandling, whose team dominated, but lost a 1-0 setback to Chaminade (N.Y.) on Tuesday in the coach's debut. "There's been a lot of thinking, a lot of reflecting, but a lot of preparing for this weekend.

"It certainly feels good for me to get my own win, but more importantly, it feels good that the team got their first win."

St. Benedict's (2-1) came out Friday showing no ill effects from Tuesday's loss. Noah Sadaoui opened the scoring at the five minute mark with the Gray Bees first goal of the 2010 campaign.

But it wasn't until Christiano Francois' goal in the 13th minute that the flood gates opened. Wandling's troops scored three more times over the next 13 minutes to extend its lead to five goals, a mark that stood until the half.

Francois, a junior striker, opened the scoring and Beau Gordon closed another five-goal outburst in the second-half with his first score of the season. Francois finished with two goals and three assists, while Sadaoui and Jon Moraes scored twice each.

"It was tough after what happened Tuesday. But part of our team culture is to come back and to never give up," said Clint Caso. "We just wanted to come out and get our confidence back up and the goal definitely boosted our confidence."

The Gray Bees put up a 37-0 edge in shots during the first game and were just as punishing in Saturday's championship game, putting up 14 shots in the first half alone. But, unlike the opening game, Wandling's team scored just once in the opening 40 minutes of the final - that came on Moraes' 17th minute goal.

Cris Hernandez, however, allowed his coach to breathe a little easier with the second goal midway through the second half before Sadaoui all but sealed the match with another score in the 71st minute. Hernandez scored his second goal of the half two minutes later.

Not to be overlooked was the play of the defense during the two games. The back line of Spencer Hambleton, Dani Rodriguez, Diego Ceron and Luis Bejarano were a big reason neither of the opponents recorded a shot over the two games.

"We hope that we can catch a little momentum and start to clip games off one at a time and see how many we can stack together," said Wandling. "I think we'll settle in and find our grove from here."

--By Ron Jandoli

GRAY BEES PLAY WELL, BUT DON'T GET THE RESULT FOR NEW MENTOR
Wandling won't soon forget his coaching debut

Sept. 7, 2010

Jim Wandling couldn't have drawn up a better script for his coaching debut.

The Gray Bees dominated action for the entire match.

They out-shot the opposition by double digits.

They were awarded a penalty kick.

His goalkeeper didn't have to make a save for the full 80 minutes.

They even had a boisterous partisan crowd behind them at NJIT.

But, as the old adage goes, the best team doesn't always win.

A game that could have been a wonderful beginning to Wandling's career, turned out to be the coach's worst nightmare.

St. Benedict's relinquished a fluke goal off a seemingly harmless cross, missed a penalty kick that would have evened the match and never could crack the defensive scheme of Chaminade and dropped a 1-0 verdict to the seventh-ranked team in the nation.

"I'm at a loss for words because it's tough to explain what I just witnessed," said a dejected Wandling, who is the first new coach for the Gray Bees soccer program in 26 years. "For one team to dominate the majority of the game like that and walk off without a goal is tough."

The Gray Bees, which came in as the 10th-ranked team in ESPN's preseason rankings, looked as though they'd make short work of Chaminade. Wandling's club had three quality chances in the early going against the school from Long Island.

Wagner Pedroso was the cog who got things going early, including a surge toward goal in the third minute when he beat a defender along the end. His cross, however, was stabbed out of the air by Chaminade goalkeeper Ricky Berotti before Noah Sadaoui could connect on a header.

Pedroso then fed Musa Sackoon with a picture-perfect through ball into the right side of the penalty area two minutes later. Sackoon sidestepped one would-be tackler before unlashing a shot that Berotti parried by the left post with a dive to his right. Pedroso then had another chance in the eighth minute, but his shot for the top of the box missed its mark high.

"Had Berotti not been there for us early, if would have definitely been a different game," said Chaminade coach Mike Gallagher. "It has to be awfully frustrating for St. Benedict's. They came right at us, but our defense was there all day."

The Gray Bees' defense didn't let anything get past them either, allowing only one legitimate shot, which came late in the contest when Wandling's club was pushing everyone forward. But it was a harmless cross in the 28th minute that ultimately spelled the demise for SBP.

Chaminade's Rich Petelen served the cross from the left flank and the ball, with a little aid of a gusting wind, floated over the head of St. Benedict's goalkeeper and dipped inside the right post of the goal.

The Gray Bees didn't wilt though and continued its domination and had its best chance at equalizing the score in the 63rd minute when they were awarded a penalty kick after Beau Gordon was dragged down in the box. But Luis Bejarano's subsequent penalty kick sailed over the top.

Wandling thought his team had the equalizer again six minutes later when Cris Hernandez sent Christiano Francois in alone on goal. But Francois pushed a shot with the outside of his right foot just past the right post.

"I do believe if we got the first goal, the second one wouldn't have been that far behind," said Wandling, who has taken the reins from long-time coach Rick Jacobs. "It just didn't happen today. But I still believe we are going to be a difficult team to defend."

--By Ron Jandoli

GRAY BEES ARE STILL IN CAPABLE HANDS WITH WANDLING
First test Tuesday against a nationally-ranked team

Sept. 2, 2010

Following in the footsteps of a legend is never an enviable task.

Jim Wandling, however, has not only welcomed the challenge, but hit the ground running and hasn't stopped since assuming the mantle from Rick Jacobs as the Gray Bees soccer coach back in May.

Wandling not only expects to build on the indelible mark left by Jacobs, but he hopes to add his own imprint.

"The pressure that comes from replacing Rick is what you make of it," said Wandling. "I did not take this job with the intention of failing."

It won't be easy though. Jacobs established the highest winning percentage (.929) of any coach in America over the last 25 years and guided the Gray Bees to 6 national championships and 21 straight state titles, a streak Wandling inherits this season.

Wandling, who graduated from St. Benedict's in '92, will hopefully be able to confirm lessons well learned under Jacobs' tutelage. He was a member of the 1990 Gray Bees team that won the school's first National crown under Jacobs and came back to The Hive in 2000 to assist his mentor on the sidelines.

Any fears Wandling had about Jacobs' former players getting acclimated to a new coach were quashed almost as soon as the preseason began earlier this summer.

"If a few guys were concerned, those fears have been cast aside," said Wandling. "I believe that there are enough similarities between Rick and I that the guys who have been around for three years are already comfortable with the coaching change."

Clint Caso, one of the tri-captains of this year's team, knew the transition would be a smooth one.

"He's the perfect guy to fill the role cause he played for Rick and he was an assistant coach under Rick," said Caso. "He understands the whole philosophy."

This year's team expects to be no different than the past was under Jacobs.

"Every year is the same - to win every game and go undefeated," said Beau Gordon. "That never changes. Even though Jimmie is now the coach, we go by the same standard."

The Gray Bees are coming off a 17-2 mark a year ago, great for most teams, but St. Benedict's doesn't live by the same principles as most clubs. Whereas, Jacobs' squads of the last few years had some trouble scoring goals, Wandling is confident in this year's side being able to find the back of the net.

The new mentor will rely on Gordon, Cristhian Hernandez, Musa Sackoon, Wagner Pedroso, Daniel Rodriguez, Leoandro Lemache and Noah Sadaoui to hit the twine.

"We can be pretty explosive in the attack with the talent we have in the midfield and up front," said Wandling, who was an assistant when the Gray Bees won their last National title in 2006 with Jose Angulo (32 goals, 12 assists) scoring in bunches. Caso shared last year's team lead in goals - hardly what you want from your top gun, especially since Caso is a defender.

Wandling may not get an Angulo-type production out of any one player, but having the luxury of any number of players who can score has the new coach anxiously awaiting the start of the season.

"Our offense is going to define us this year," said Gordon.

As much as Wandling expects his offense to be more potent than that of Jacobs' clubs the last few years, the staple of any Gray Bees team is, and always will be defense. This year's starts with a newcomer in goal, Tom Bull, who expects to carry on a long tradition of goalkeepers who aren't asked to do too much, but when called upon, rise to the occasion.

Bull will be fronted by Caso and fellow captains, Luis Berjarano and Diego Ceron; along with Spencer Hambleton. The Gray Bees didn't surrender a goal in 4 preseason games.

But preseason won't mean anything come Tuesday when Wandling's troops face a serious test right out of the gate against New York's Chaminade, the ninth-ranked team in the nation. The Gray Bees come into its 2 p.m. meeting at NJIT at No. 12 nationally.

"We've prepared for over a month just for this game and we feel really confident right now," said Caso. "Just because Rick left, doesn't mean this program is going down hill.

We're out to show that we're just as good as any team in the past and to prove that preseason rankings don't matter. What matters most is who is No. 1 at the end of the season and we expect it to be us."

Notes: Following the season-opener against Chaminade, the Gray Bees hit the road for a two-game tournament in Maryland beginning Friday, Sept. 10. Coach Wandling's team then returns home for a game on Sept. 14 against Penn Charter (Pa.) at NJIT.

--By Ron Jandoli

A LEGEND STEPS DOWN - HIS APPRENTICE TAKES OVER NATIONAL POWER
Jacobs' tenure as soccer coach ends after 25 stellar years
Wandling to assume the mantle

May 23, 2010

Rick Jacobs and Jim Wandling each had an inkling this day would come to fruition.

They just didn't know when - until now.

Wandling, who came back to St. Benedict's in 2000 after graduating from The Hive eight years earlier, is officially taking over the reins as the soccer coach of perhaps the most successful program in the nation.

"I would say as far back as high school that we had thrown around the idea," said Wandling, a successful player under Jacobs who graduated from St. Benedict's in 1992. "But certainly after graduating college, I knew this is what I wanted to do and it became serious way back then."

Jacobs, a prodigious motivator who has treated every player under his tutelage like his own son, is stepping aside as coach of the Gray Bees, after 25 years and six National Championships, to pursue a career as an executive for a professional soccer team. Terms of Jacobs' new position won't be released until later this month.

"You wouldn't have any idea how tough a decision this was," said Jacobs, who amassed a staggering 519-27-13 record, all at St. Benedict's. "I've been saying for 25 years that you don't feel like you're going to work when you are part of a place like St. Benedict's Prep. Typically, you're not looking around the corner for the next opportunity. This has been a very surprising turn of events - one that I could not and would not have predicted."

Jacobs, who was named New Jersey Coach of the Year in 1990, led his team to its 21st consecutive state title (23rd overall) and finished his final year last fall with a 17-2 slate. He felt the pull of the professional ranks, especially where he is at this stage of his life, made the move a sensible one.

"There comes a time when you're a certain age and you're presented with something that may provide for your family that's in a way lasting in the terms of the future for my children and for my wife," explained the 56-year-old Jacobs, who, with his wife, Teresa, have three teenage children.

"You need to consider those significant things that may not come around again. When other opportunities in the past have comes up, for one reason or another, the timing or opportunity wasn't right. The timing in terms of where I am in my life, the opportunity was too exciting a challenge to pass up this time."

Fr. Edwin, who loses his second high profile coach in as many months - basketball coach Dan Hurley moved on to the collegiate ranks - is sad to see a confidant such as Jacobs leave his nest, but excited about the new challenges ahead.

"In the last 2 months, we've produced a coach who has gone on to a Division 1 college and now another who is going to a professional organization," said Fr. Edwin. "It's a feather in our cap.

"Everything ends, but new things begin and come out of it. It's a great opportunity, not only for Rick, but for us here at St. Benedict's. I'm confident Jimmie will keep the soccer experience here full. I'm looking forward to working with him."

Wandling, 36, was an all-county and all-state performer for Jacobs, who went on to lead St. Peter's College to new heights. As a collegian, he was a conference Rookie of the Year before becoming two-time captain while at the Jersey City College, a place where he has since been elected into the Hall of Fame.

"It's almost too perfect," said Jacobs of his successor. "When you have a guy that's been here since 1988, played here, waited his turn - it's perfect. He helped us win our first national championship (1990), left to go pursue his college degree and came back to coach and teach and continues to do what great Benedict's men do."

"We've talked about him coaching for years as being 'What if?' But he's grown in so many ways over the years and is so ready. I don't think there are a lot of places that can say that with the confidence we can."

Wandling, who has a wife, Diana, and two young children with a third on the way, has been on a whirlwind tour since last summer. He took over the Athletic Director's job at St. Benedict's last July and took a year off from soccer to get acclimated to his new position after spending the previous seven years as assistant to Jacobs on the sidelines.

"When I came back here, my plan was to succeed Rick," said Wandling. "But in the course of those nine years, I put myself in position to potentially explore other opportunities because Rick was just as successful and motivated as ever.

"Then I became AD and now the new soccer coach - my feet haven't touched the ground in the last year. If you would have talked to me a year ago and told me I would be the AD and soccer coach, I would have thought you were crazy."

Wandling's life, however, may become even crazier now. Inheriting the job as the leader for one of the most recognized high school programs in the country comes with the pressure of having to succeed almost immediately. Not to mention his already highly-pressurized job of having to coordinate all the athletic functions at the school as AD.

But Wandling feels ready to assume the mantle, having played under or coached for Jacobs during 14 of his 25 years at the helm.

"The plan is to produce immediately. I'm aware of the success," said the new coach confidently. "I've contributed to that success both as player and coach, so I'm not all that intimidated by it. I know the secrets to our success and the way that we deal with our players and what we demand of them. I see the benefits of those types of demands.

"The idea is to take the best of what St. Benedict's has had to offer over the last 25 years and add my own stamp."

--By Ron Jandoli