Awards Night/Pizza Party

The 2011 St. Ephrem Flag Football season will come to its official end on the evening of January 13, 2012.  On that evening we will all meet at 7:00 PM in the St. Ephrem New School Hall (74th Street between Ft. Hamilton Parkway & 10th Ave.)

Please invite your family to accompany you to help us celebrate the end of our successful 10th season.  Every member of the league will receive a trophy to commemorate the season, plus additional trophies will be awarded to our All Stars, to the Championship teams and to an MVP in each division.  The Championship teams will also be presented with personalized sweat shirts.  Finally, the third annual St. Ephrem Youth Program Scholarship will be presented to the person that has shown a "Joy of the Game" among other traits. 

We will cap this off with pizza and soft drinks for all in attendance.  Of course there is no charge to attend.  So please make it a point to attend and to bring along anyone that might be interested in our program.

See you on the 13th.

Week 10: Championships, Bantam All-Stars & Officials, Coaches, Parents Game.

Our tenth season came to an end on Saturday November 19^th, with 3 great games, an All-Star game, and a fun filled route in the annual Officials, Coaches, and Parents game.

9:00 AM: Bantam elimination game.  Black, our # 3 seeded Bantam team squared off against Silver, #4, in an elimination game; the winner to advance to the Championship and the loser eliminated from the playoffs.  This would be the third meeting this season for Black and Silver.  In week 5, Black had earned a tough 4 point victory.  In week 7, the first week of the playoffs, Silver repaid the debt with a 38 – 32 overtime win.

In this game, Black jumped out early, but Silver scored at 3:44 to cut the lead to 13 – 6; before giving up a score just before the half to go into halftime trailing 19 – 6.  Silver cut Black's lead again just 3 minutes into the second half, but Black again came back to score with a little over 4 minutes remaining, to seal the victory and advance to the Championship.  Silver was led by Keion Stanton and All-Stars Mikey Marano, Allen Blackman and Jeff Rios but missed having All-Star and starting quarterback, Michael Boccadifucco, who missed the game due to illness.  Final score Black 26, Silver 14; Black advances, Silver is eliminated.  

10:15 AM: Novice Championship Game.  This game pitted undefeated #1 seed Blue vs. #3 seed Black.  A win for Blue would earn them the championship while a Black win would cause a winner take all rematch.  Blue led by MVP candidate Anthony Coccimiglio has been playing a consistently solid game on both sides of the ball.  Coach Frank Stella has the team performing beautifully; using every player, and every player contributing.  Meanwhile, the Novice Black team has been steadily improving each week and has become a formidable foe.  Coached by first year coach Justin Klug, the Black team was prepared to give Blue all it could handle, and that is exactly how the game played out. 

Black opened the scoring just 39 seconds into the game to take an early 6 – 0 lead.  But Blue answered 7 minutes later and the teams went to the half tied 6 – 6.  Blue then came out of the break and scored and made a conversion so with 18 minutes remaining Blue held the lead 14 – 6.  Black was not done though and answered with a score of their own to cut the lead to 2; 14 – 12.  So with about 8 minutes left it was anybody’s game.  Led by two touchdown catches by game MVP Stephen Stella; Blue now took over. Their balance and experience allowed them to  widen the lead to 8, with less than 6 minutes remaining; and then again to 14,  just after the 2 minute warning.  Black would not go away quietly though, and drove for a TD and conversion at 28 seconds, to ultimately loose 26 – 20. 

The Black can be proud of their season and their performance in this championship game.  This was a totally new team; players and coaches had never participated in our league before.  Yet they continued to play better each week, and as anticipated, gave Blue all they could handle.  Black was led by All-Stars Brandon Boefer, Alexander Messina, Luke Midthassel and Anthony Pollari.  There were major contributions by Mark Albdewi, Jake Cadotte, Justin Cook, Steven DiServi, Luke Johnston, Angelo Menna, Adam Nash and Tom Oblocki.  Thanks to Head Coach Justin Klug and assistants Ken Klug and Kevin Griffin for a great game and a great first season.

Novice Blue completes their second season under head coach Frank Stella with and undefeated 9 – 0 record and a Novice Division Championship.  This is only the second time in 10 seasons that the championship was won by anyone other than Black.  Thanks to the coaching staff, especially Vinny DiCupillo, for having the team ready to play each week, and especially for their excellent use of the entire roster.  The champion Blue team was led by All-Stars Kellan Cohill, Anthony Coccimiglio, Matt Faicco, and George Zain.  Chris Coad, Michael Coccimiglio, Chris DiCupillo, Hady Farhat, Brendon Lynch, Michael Marino, Greg Sarn and Stephen Stella all played prominent role in the undefeated season and in the championship game. 

11:30 AM: Bantam Championship Game. As great as last week’s Novice All-Star game was, this game turned out to be the best game of the year.  It had a lot of the same elements as that earlier game, but while the All-Star game was purely for fun, this game had the importance of being for the Championship.  Bantam Purple, coached by Joe Cavalcante entered the game as the well rested favorite, with an impressive 9 – 0 record; while Black, though less rested (having won the earlier game versus Silver), was determined to break Purple’s impressive streak of victories.

As if scripted, Purple won the coin toss and promptly drove the field for an early 8 – 0 lead, and then scored again just 4 minutes latter.  It looked as if the route was on.   But Black would not go away quietly and got back into the game with a score half way through the period.  Purple answered with a touchdown at 6:50 and a       Purple answered at 7:26, and Black answered back at 5:08.  So Purple had the ball, and a 32 – 25 lead, with 5 minutes to play.  Black’s defense held, and the Black offensive took over; it was now or never time.  Quarterback Matthew Bramante took control, and mixing runs by Greg Juliano with pin point passes to All-Star receivers Ryan Boyle and George Mendez, drove his team down the field for a score with only 1:37 remaining.  The conversion would tie the game, but Black failed to convert, so despite a great drive under pressure, Black still trailed.  Purple took over, but when they could not make a first down, decided to turn the ball back over to Black with 45 seconds and 1 time out.  Bramante didn’t need the timeout and promptly shocked the crown when Ryan Boyle scored, giving Black its first lead of the day 37 – 32, with only 31 seconds on the clock.  However, this was all the time that Purple quarterback Julius Arcaro needed.  He sent speedy, sure handed receiver Joe Nugent on a stop and go pattern down the left side line.  When the Black defensive back bit on the hard stop move, Arcaro lofted a perfect pass that hit Nugent square in the hands on the dead run.  Nugent made the catch and raced into the end zone for the incredible 38 – 37 victory.  In the last 1:37 there had been 3 scores, 2 by Black; and so Purple emerged as our 10^th anniversary Bantam Division Champion.

Black gave their all in this contest and showed that they were more than worthy competitors.  Congratulations go out to the entire Black team; All-Stars Boyle, Bramante, Juliano and Mendez along with Brandon Abrenica, Ryan Coad, Jake Higginson, Nicolas Maddaloni, Michael Martell and Allen Wen.  Congratulations also go out to the entire coaching staff who did an outstanding job. 

In completing their magical 10 – 0 run through the season and playoffs, Bantam Purple consistently showed how a well coached “team” could perform and win. Head coach Joe Cavalcante and assistant Tommy Gulino should be commended and congratulated. This championship was truly an effort by the entire unit.  They were almost impossible to defend because you never knew who would make a big play.  Congratulations go out to All-Stars Julius Arcaro, Andrew Cortese, Ben Gulino, Alex Micciola and Joe Nugent; also to significant players, Thomas Cappa, Joseph Cavalcante, Louie Mariani, Kyle Twohig and Frankie Ungaro. 

12:45 PM: Bantam All-Star Game.  After the thrilling Bantam Championship game, the All-Star game that followed had to be somewhat of a letdown.   However, understanding that the game was simply for our All-Stars to go out and enjoy themselves, the game was a great success.  This game pitted All-Stars from the Purple, Blue and Red against their counterparts on the Burgundy, Black and Silver.  The Purple All-All stars were Julius Arcaro, Andrew Cortese, Ben Gulino, Alex Micciola & Joe Nugent.  Blue sent Joseph Catuogno, Pasquale Coretto, Dean Lombardi & Jack Slattery.  Red’s Stars were Joe Cirruzzo, Nick Consolazio, Nick Ferrer & Max Ferrigno.  Burgundy selected Kyle Codispoti, Shamus Connolly, Jacob Loff & Mike Skarl.  Black’s All-Stars were Ryan Boyle, Matthew Bramante, Greg Juliano & George Mendez.  And Silver’s Stars were Allen Blackman, Michael Boccadifuoco, Michael Marano & Jeff Rios.

The game was very competitive, and the kids all had a good time.  Burgundy-Silver-Black prevailed 18 - 6.

2:00 PM: Parents-Coaches-Officials game.  Our annual last game of the year had our officials going against a rag tag bunch of parents & coaches in an hour long 2 hand touch game.  Several of our Flag players acted as unofficial officials.  The outcome of this game was never in doubt as the officials jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.  The highlight of the game was undoubtedly Director Joe Guarino’s spectacular touchdown catch that set the tone of the game; as well as his hard, clean tackle of Angelo Gnerre.  Final score was Officials: a lot, Parents-Coaches: a little.

Our annual Awards Night/Pizza Party will be held in the St. Ephrem Gym (74th St. & Ft. Hamilton Parkway) on January 13, 2012 at 7:00 PM.  Trophies and jackets will be given to members of our  Championship teams.  All-Stars and an MVP in each division, will also be recognized with trophies, as will all participants. We will also present our third annual Scholarship to a multiple season player who is currently attending a catholic high school. Pizza and soft drinks will be served to all in attendance.

More on this event soon.

THIS WEEKEND

This weekend, November 19^th & 20^th, we will be playing the final games of the season.  This has been the 10th season of St. Ephrem Flag Football, and I’m sure that everyone involved will agree it has been an enjoyable 10 weeks.  Over the last 3, weeks the double elimination playoff format has narrowed the field of teams vying for championships in our two divisions down to three Bantam and two Novice teams. 

In the Novice division, our Blue team enters the championship game as the favorite having completed the regular season 6 – 0 and adding 2 successive wins in the playoffs to run their overall record to 8 – 0. Coach Frank Stella’s Novice Blue is led by Anthony Coccimiglio and Kellan Cohill, who along with the other All-Stars on the team, Matt Faicco & George Zain, have rolled through the season and playoffs.  In the championship game they will be facing the explosive and considerably improved Novice Black team of Coach Justin Klug.  In their first year of play, the Novice Black have made great strides; defeating our # 2 seed Red and our # 4 seed White to advance to the championship round.  Novice Black has a balanced attack that can run and pass the ball, while playing a tough adaptable defense.  All-Stars Brandon Boefer, Alexander Messina, Luke Midthassel & Anthony Pollari promise to give Blue all they can handle.

The Bantam division has been cut to three teams still competing for the championship.  Joe Cavalcante, coach of the undefeated Bantam Purple, enters the final weekend as the favorite having compiled a 6 – 0 regular season record and a 3 – 0 playoff record.  Their complex and well executed offence will be difficult for their foes to stop.  The team that will be going against Purple will be determined by a game played earlier in the day on Saturday.  Bantam Black (#3 seed) will host Bantam Silver (#4) at 9:00 AM. and both teams are capable of winning that game. Bantam Black’s squad is smaller but quick and smart, while Bantam Silver is bigger, and more athletic.  Whichever team wins that 9:00 game is sure to give Purple all they can handle in the 11:30 AM championship.

Since this is a double elimination playoff, we may have to play a second championship game in either or both divisions.  Both Novice Blue and Bantam Purple are undefeated and will win the championship with a win on Saturday.  However, if Novice Black or the winner of the Bantam Black/Silver game should win their championship game, then we will play again on Sunday. 

On Saturday we will also play our Bantam All-Star game.  This game will pit All-Stars from Purple, Red and Blue against All-Stars from Burgundy, Black and Silver.  The game is scheduled for 12:45 PM on Saturday.  We can only hope that the game is as good as the Novice All-Star game held last Saturday.  In that game, the Novice Red & Black team defeated the Novice Blue & White 38 – 36 on a closing second’s score and conversion by the Red/Black team.  In the game Blue/White scored 6 times but could not  make a conversion while the Red/Black team scored only 5 times but made 4 of 5 conversions.  It was a fun game for all. 

Lastly, we have scheduled a parents – coaches – official’s game for Sunday afternoon.  This is always a fun way to mark the end of our season, and with neither the GIANTS or jets playing early on Sunday, I thought that we could still get that game in.  Please notify me if you would like to participate, all are welcome.  I will write again next week after the games have been decided and let everyone know about our awards pizza party in January.  See you on the field.

SPECIAL NOTICE:  There will be a Blood Drive for McKenna Coyle this coming Sunday, November 20, at the Old School Hall, from 830a-230p.  Please donate blood if you can.

NOVICE ALL STAR GAME RECAP

Anthony Pollari threw a touchdown pass threw a long touchdown pass to Chase Gardner (2 touchdowns) with 14 seconds left to tie the game and then converted with Chris Morales for a 2 point conversion (3rd one of the day) to lift the Black/Red Novice all stars over Blue/White 38 - 36 in arguably the most exciting Novice game this year.  Pollari threw 4 touchdowns in total with 2 of them going to Brandon Boefer who shined offensively.   Mark Albdewi contributed to the scoring a rushing touchdown in the shootout.  Steve DiSiervi, Andrew Rogers, and Alexander Messina played outstanding defense especially in the 2nd half.   Anthony Coccimiglio continued his MVP like season accounting for all 5 scores, 3 of them passes to Grace Campbell who caught everything thrown her way.

Week 7 Game Recaps - Playoffs - 1st Round

Novice

#1 Blue 38,  #4 White 18

Top seed Novice Blue continued their perfect season with a great win over #4 seed Novice White.  The games big play came with Greg Sarn catching a perfect TD pass from Kellan Cohill in the 2nd Half.  Both teams played a hard, competitive game.

# 3 Black 36,  #2 Red 0  

# 3 Novice Black pulled off the first round upset with a convincing 36-0 victory over a Novice Red team that defeated them twice in the regular season.  The key to the game was the smothering black defense.  Cornerbacks Alexander Messina and Mark Albdewi took away the sidelines while line-man Anthony Pollari controlled the line of scrimmage.  They were able to hold Red running back Chase Gardner without a score for the first time all season.  Offensively, Brandon Boeffer scored 5 touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball in an MVP-like effort.  After the game, Head Coach Justin Klug stated, "I was so proud.  The team put on a performance on both sides of the ball that exceeded my wildest expectations."  Novice Black looks forward to getting a shot against the undefeated Novice Blue Squad this coming weekend. 

Next Saturday (October 29) Blue will be home to Black at 9:00 AM and Red will host White at 11:00 AM.  The loser of the Red/White game will be eliminated from the competition.  The loser of Blue/Black will face the winner of Red/White on Saturday 11/5.  The winner of Blue/Black will have a bye on 11/5.

Bantam

 #1 Purple 44,  #6 Blue 6

#1 Bantam Purple continued their dominance over the Bantam division with a 44-6 1st round playoff win over Bantam Blue.

#5 Red 21,  #2 Burgundy 18

Nicholas Ferrer managed a good game on offense at the QB position for #5 Bantam Red and kept a critical 4^th down play alive with his feet, before hitting Max Ferrigno with a pass to get the first down and run out the clock at the end of the game.  #2 Bantam Burgundy had opportunities but couldn't capitalize.  Ferrer also threw for a couple of touchdowns to Giovanni and Emily Bianchino.  Joe Ciruzzo earned the game ball on defense with an interception in the end zone and 3 pass deflections.  John Rindone also came up with a big catch on a critical scoring drive.

#4 Silver 31,  #3 Black 25 (OT)

After a late score and failed extra point, # 4 Bantam Silver took the ball in overtime and drove for a one possession overtime win over # 3 Bantam Black 31 – 25.  Jeffrey caught the tying touchdown pass from Michael Boccadifucco with 15 seconds on the clock.  Allan Blackman scored the winning TD on a run in overtime.  Blackman had a great day running the ball, and also threw for a TD.  

The pairings for playoff round two are:

10:00 AM – Burgundy is home to Black

12:00 Noon – Purple is home to Red

1:00 PM – Silver is home to Blue

Playoff Update

Week 7 was an exciting day on the field.  We had 3 upset wins, 1 late score and overtime victory, and 2 undefeated seasons that continued.

As we go into week 8, and the second round of the playoffs, this is how things stand:

Novice:

Blue continues undefeated with a convincing 38 – 18 victory over White.

The surprising Black shut out Red 36 – 0, holding Chase Gardner without a score for the first time this season.

Next Saturday (October 29) Blue will be home to Black at 9:00 AM and Red will host White at 11:00 AM.  The loser of the Red/White game will be eliminated from the competition.  The loser of Blue/Black will face the winner of Red/White on Saturday 11/5.  The winner of Blue/Black will have a bye on 11/5.

Bantam:

Purple continued undefeated by beating the struggling Blue 44 – 6.

Red, the #5 seed, upset #2 Burgundy 21 – 18.

After a late score and failed extra point, Silver took the ball in overtime and drove for a one possession overtime win over Black 31 – 25. 

The pairings for playoff round two are:

10:00 AM – Burgundy is home to Black

12:00 Noon – Purple is home to Red

1:00 PM – Silver is home to Blue

The loser of Burgundy/Black will be eliminated from the competition.  If Blue should lose to Silver, Blue will also be eliminated; but will advance with a win.  Purple, Red and Silver will remain active in the competition regardless of the outcome of their week 8 game. If five teams advance to round 3, the highest seeded team will have a week 9 bye.

Week 6 Game Recaps

Novice

Blue 14,  Red 6

Chase Gardner threw a TD to Chris Morales but it wasn't enough as Novice Blue (6-0) held Novice Red (3-3) in check with a suffocating defensive effort.  Jason Morales, Vin D'acierno, and Nick Boccadifuco had strong defensive games for the Red squad.  Blue finishes the season undefeated and will be the #1 seed in the Novice playoffs.  Red is the #2 seed.

 

Black 36,  White 12

Novice Black (2-4) gained some momentum going into the playoffs with a 36-12 win over Novice White (1-5). Anthony Pollari led a very potent passing attack with touchdown passes to Steven DiServi, Brandon Boeffer and Alexander Messina. Mark Albedewi and Luke Midthassel made key defensive plays to keep the White offense in check. Rookie coach Justin Klug has his Black squad positioned as the #3 seed in the Novice playoffs.  The White team were led by Marc Codispoti on offense, and they head into the playoffs with a 5 game losing streak, seeded #4.

 

Bantam

Black 54,  Blue 12

Bantam Black (4-2) surged into the playoffs with a win over the struggling Bantam Blue (1-5) squad.  Black goes into the playoffs as the #3 seed, Blue the #6 seed. 

Purple 38,  Burgundy 12

Purple (6-0) finished their undefeated season in impressive fashion with a 2nd straight convincing victory over the Burgundy (4-2) team.   Purple and Burgundy remain #1 and #2 in playoff seeding, respectively.

Silver 33,  Red 13

The first half was a back and forth defensive battle until Victoria GNERRE's interception changed the momentum.  Allan Blackmon scored a touchdown, Kayla Stanton got the extra point and Bantam Silver (2-4) was on its way.  Kion Stanton threw for three touchdowns.  Mike Marano had multiple catches and Mikey B ran for another.  Nick Ferrer threw a couple of touchdowns for Bantam Red (1-5)  and Max Ferrrigno & Gabby Monferrato did well on defense.  Silver and Red go into the playoffs as the #4 and #5 seeds, respectively.

Special Announcement

To All Coaches and Parents:

Be advised, next Saturday, October 29th, there will be camera crews at the field to record footage for our 10th Anniversary DVD.  These DVD's will be available year-end, and will include chapters for each individual game, as well as a special 10th Anniversary video, which will highlight the 2011 season.

If any parents object to the use of their child's image in these DVD's, please let us know and we will be sure to avoid using their likeness in the final DVD.  Please email Joe Guarin at joeguarin@aol.com or Steve Loff at steveloff@gmail.com with any concerns, or for further details.

Thank you all in advance for your cooperation with this special event!

PLAYOFF FORMAT

We enter the playoffs this Saturday, October 22, 2011.  As in past years, the playoffs will be a double elimination contest; that is, a team is eliminated from competition when it loses 2 games during the playoff period.  Wins and losses during the regular season, which ended last Saturday (October 15), do not count during the playoffs.  Regular season records were used in determining the playoff seeding and playoff game pairings. No teams will be eliminated this weekend; all 10 teams will play next Saturday (October 29)!  The regular season ended as follows:

Novice 

1)    Blue     2)   Red     3)   Black     4)   White

Bantam

1)    Purple     2)   Burgundy     3)   Black     4)   Silver     5)   Red     6) Blue 

Pairings for week 1 of the Playoffs are as follows:

Novice

#4 White at #1 Blue (9:00 AM)

#3 Black at #2 Red (10:00 AM)

Bantam

#6 Blue at #1 Purple (12:00 Noon)

#5 Red at #2 Burgundy (11:00 AM)

#4 Silver at #3 Black (1:00 PM)

Next Saturday (October 29) will be round of 2 of the playoffs, winning teams from this week will play each other and teams that lose this week will be paired against each other.  Therefore, after next weekend, 2 to 3 teams will be eliminated from the competition.  The other teams, teams with 1 or less lose, will advance to week 3 of the playoffs (November 5).

Good luck to all! 

Week 5 Game Recaps

Novice

Blue 30, White 6
 
Quarterback Kai Higginson connected on a big play with Grace Campbell, then followed up with a short TD pass to Marc Codispoti for Novice White's (1-4) only score.  Thomas Murray had some big runs for White but Novice Blue (5-0), led by QB Anthony Coccimiglio, continued their dominance of the Novice Division.  Nicholas Macchia starred on defense for the White squad.

Red 26, Black 18

Chris Morales threw TD passes to Jamie Wilson, Chase Gardner, and a 2pt conversion to Alex Natale as Novice Red (3-2) continued to play well.  Gardner and Andrew Rogers also scored on rushing TD's to help the Novice Red team to a hard fought victory over a very competitive Novice Black (1-4) Team. Brandon Boefer had another outstanding game for the Black team.

Bantam

Purple 32, Burgundy 14

The battle of the 2 undefeated Bantam teams, Burgundy (4-0) and Purple (4-0), turned into a lopsided affair.  Purple was missing two top players in Alex Micciola and Andrew Cortese, but Thomas Cappa, who had a long touchdown run off of a handoff, and Joe Nugent who took a swing pass the distance, stepped up to the plate to ease the burden on QB Julius Arcaro, who was without his top back, Joseph Cavalcante.  Julius also hit Ben Gulino on multiple passes and touchdowns throughout the game.  Gulino was solid on defense as usual making some important stops including an interception and a significant 4^th down deflection.  Assistant coach and defensive coordinator Thomas Gulino’s schemes were working throughout the day.  Frankie Ungaro and Louie Mariani were steady as usual being in the right place and opening spaces for the other players along with their solid line play.  Kyle Twohig also made a beautiful catch opening up the second half on a slant pattern toward the right sideline.  Joseph Cavalcante, who missed the last 2 weeks due to a knee injury, came off the bench to catch a 10 yard pass.  Burgundy scored touchdowns with receptions from Michael Albdewi and Shamos Connelly.  The teams will meet again in this upcoming position week, Week 6, the final week of the regular season.
 
Red 27, Blue 6 

Will Fernandez started his first game at QB for Bantam Blue (1-4) and played very well, throwing a TD pass to Joseph Catuogno who celebrated his birthday on 10/9. Chris Boumoussa led the defense with 1 interception.  Nicholas Ferrer threw 4 TD's to lead Bantam Red (1-4) to their first win of the 2011 season.
 
Black 23, Silver 19

Bantam Silver (1-4) came up short in this tight game as QB Michael Buttafuco quarterback threw for 3 touchdowns, to Michael Marano, Kayla Allan and Keion Allan.  Bantam Black (3-2) was led by Ryan Boyle, who had a big game with 2 touchdowns and 2 conversions.  George Mendez also scored.  QB Matt Bramante threw all 3 TD passes.  Michael Martell and Ryan Boyle had big interceptions to preserve the close win over the very tough Silver team.

PLEASE MAKE A BLOOD DONATION ON BEHALF OF THE COYLE FAMILY

To our dear family and friends,

Many of you are aware that McKenna was diagnosed this summer with a rare cancer, a synovial sarcoma. She is a strong, brave girl and has faced this obstacle head-on with determination a fierceness of spirit that we know will help her pull through. Ed and I are thankful that she is being treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering and receiving the very best of care.

Her treatment, however, will go on for several months and will include chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. McKenna has just completed her third "cycle" of chemotherapy (there will be a total of 8 cycles), marking nine weeks since treatment began in August. Already, she, like most chemotherapy patients, has required several transfusions and will require more as the weeks and months progress.

It is for this reason that I write you today. Please consider making a blood or platelet donation in McKenna's name.  All blood types are acceptable; if McKenna is not a match to your blood type someone else will be, and very possibly it will be another child. Blood and platelets have a limited "life". If they are close to expiration and McKenna doesn't need them, they will be released for use by other patients.

In return for your donation you will receive our unending gratitude (and free parking and probably cookies!)

Below is information from Memorial Sloan Kettering's blood donor program that should answer all of your questions. Please forward this email to everyone on your contact list!

With love and gratitude,
Lisa and Ed Coyle

* THE DONOR INFORMATION:

To benefit McKenna Coyle all designated donations must be made in the Blood Donor Room of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Please visit www.mskcc.org/blooddonations <http://www.mskcc.org/blooddonations> for complete information about donor eligibility and the donation process for blood or platelets.

For answers to questions and to schedule an appointment that is convenient for you please Contact:
Joe Licata - 212-639-8177 <tel:212-639-8177>
Manager, Blood Donor Program
licataj@mskcc.org


Blood Donor Room – 212-639-7648 <tel:212-639-7648>
1250 First Avenue (between 67th/68th Streets) NYC - Schwartz Building lobby
Open Every Day
Fri Sat Sun Mon     8:30am - 3:00pm
Tues Wed Th         8:30am - 7:00pm

The process for donating whole blood takes approximately1hour
The process for donating platelets takes about 2 ½ hours.

Appointments are necessary- All blood types are acceptable

FREE Donor Parking -
-Somerset Parking Garage, 1365 York Avenue –entrance on NW corner of 72nd Street

Week 4 Game Recaps

Novice

Blue 26, Black 20

After falling behind 14-0, Novice Black(1-3) made a furious comeback but fell short due to a few clutch defensive plays from Novice Blue (4-0).  Alexander Messina and Brandon Boeffer scored touchdowns for Black, which tied the game at halftime.  After the game Novice Black head coach Justin Klug said "Games like this show the character of our team. Blue just made plays in big spots. We'll be ready for them next time."  Novice Blue, led by Head Coach Frank Stella sit atop the Novice Division and can clinch with a win over Novice White this coming week.

Red 24, White 0

Andrew Rogers and Louis Guerra each scored rushing touchdowns and Chase Gardner and Vinny D'acierno scored defensive touchdowns to lead the Novice Red (2-2) to a 24-0 victory over a young, struggling Novice White (1-3) team.

Bantam

Purple 46, Red 6

Purple (4-0) remained undefeated as they overwhelmed the winless Bantam Red (0-4) squad.

Blue 33, Silver 27

It was a tug-of-war game that remained close until the end.  Bantam Blue (1-3) got its first win after AJ Poraccio interception return for a TD in overtime.  AJ also had another big interception late in the second quarter.  John Poraccio led the victory as QB and threw 4 touchdowns.  Bantam Silver fell to 1-3 on the season.

Burgundy 25, Black 22

Bantam Black (2-2) took an early 1st half lead 20-0, but Jacob Loff's interception return for a touchdown before the half made the score 20-6.  Burgundy's defense played a great second half, not allowing a single offensive point.  The defense came up with a hugh stop on a third down late in the game, giving the offense the ball with just 45 seconds remaining and no time outs.  A key reception by Kyle Codispodi on 4th down gave Burgundy a first down and kept the drive alive.  Mike Skarl connected with Shamos Connelly for the winning touchdown with one second remaining on the clock to keep the undefeated record at 4-0.   Burgundy meets Purple in a battle of the undefeated teams in Week 5.

Week 3 Game Recaps

Novice

Blue 36, Red 26

Once again, Novice Blue (3-0) comes away with a win on Saturday. The team has improved their skills from last season and are riding a 3-game winning streak to open the season.  "The boys are enjoying themselves out there," said a proud Coach Frank Stella of his division leading Blue team.  Chase Gardner had another great game for Novice Red (1-2) scoring 3 touchdowns in a losing effort, the last TD coming on a pass from Chris Morales.  Kevin Bacca and Matthew Rogers played well on the defensive end for the Red squad.

Black 28, White 8

Novice Black (1-2) picked up their first win of the season with offensive touchdowns from running back Alexander Messina, receiver Brandon Boeffer, and Quarterback Anthony Pollari.  The defense got some big plays from Luke Midthassel, Adam Nash and Tom O'Blocki. Novice White (1-2) lost their 2nd in a row.  "We're struggling on offense right now," said Coach Steve Loff.  Marc Codispoti had another pick and a few big catches.  Newcomer Sean Murray scored his first touchdown of the season, a rushing TD, the only tally for White.

Bantam

Burgundy 36, Silver 25

Bantam Burgundy (3-0) had a great defensive game with interceptions by Kyle Codispoti, Shamos Connelly, Jacob Loff, and a key interception by Matt Edwards with under 2 min left in the game, to stay undefeated and tied atop the division with Purple.   Mike Skarl led his offense with TD passes to Kyle Codospoti (2), Shamos Connolly, Jacob Loff, and Michael Albdewi. Turnovers were the difference in this tight matchup.  Bantam Silver (1-2) were led by Michael Boccadifuoco and Michael Marano, who combined to launch three TD passes.  Kion Stanton pitched in to throw a strike to Kayla Stanton, his little spark plug of a sister.  Team Silver were driving down the field for the tie when Burgundy came up with a big interception to seal the win.

Purple 30, Blue 24

Bantam Blue (0-3) jumped out to an early lead with an A.J. Poraccio interception that was returned for a TD.  Purple (3-0) then gained a 12 point lead in the second half and held on for the win.  Bantam Blue Coach Tony Tartaglia said of his Blue squad after the game, "We're getting better every week."

Black 31, Red 25

Bantam Red (0-3) fell short with their great 2nd half comeback.  Nick Consolazio, Emily Bianchino, Adrianna Boumossa, and Gabby Monferrato played well on the offensive side for the Red team.  Joe Curuuzoo did his part on the defensive end.  Nicholas Ferrer passed lights out in the 2nd half, throwing for 4 touchdowns.  He also had 3 deflections on defense.  Bantam Black (2-1), led by head coach Steve Juliano, picked up their 2nd win and are right in the thick of the race for the Bantam division.

 

Week 2 Game Recaps

Novice


Red 32, Black 30


Chase Gardner scored the last of his 5 touchdowns with 2 seconds left and converted on the 2pt conversion to help lift Novice Red (1-1) to a 32-30 victory over Novice Black (0-2).  Andrew Rogers and Nick Boccadifuco starred defensively for the Red squad.


Blue 44, White 6


Novice Blue (2-0) won their 2nd straight game to open the season.  QB Anthony Coccimiglio had another stellar game, connecting on TD's with George Zain, Stephen Stella, and Matthew Faicco. Marc Codispoti had the lone Novice White (1-1) score, and Grace Campbell had an interception for the White defense.


Bantam


Burgundy 46, Red 15


Bantam Burgundy (2-0) thrived once again as QB Mike Skarl threw 4 touchdown passes to 4 different receivers.  Jacob Loff and Shamus Connolly both caught a TD and returned an interception for a TD. Kyle Codispoti, Matt Edwards and Ed Morgan also scored TD's for Burgundy.


Black 46, Blue 28


Bantam Blue (0-2) seemed to be rolling in the first half, but were slowed down in the second half due to a couple of turnovers.  Bantam Black (1-1) played better defensively as the game went on.  Aside from A.J.  Poracchio, the Blue team is very young and inexperienced, however they showed signs of improvement from the previous game.


Purple 52, Silver 12


Bantam Purple (2-0), led by veteran coach Joe Cavalcante, looks like the class of the Bantam Division, as they rolled past a very good Bantam Silver (1-1) team.