Steinert - Hamilton West ready for 50th Thanksgiving Day football game

by Martin Griff

Wednesday November 26, 2008, 8:47 PM

BY MARY ANN TARR -HAMILTON -- The school spirit continues to grow at Hamilton and Steinert High schools. In preparation for the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between the cross-town rivals, both schools participated in Spirit Week activities and pep rallies. ¶

Hamilton High principal David McWilliam, pictured with the Hornets' football captains, from left, defensive lineman Matt Hohl, running back Brandon Johnson and quarterback Gil Quinones, has seen 31 of the 49 Hamilton-Steinert games. The players are wearing special T-shirts and sweatshirts that the school prints up each year with all of the previous game results to promote the event that has become a tradition in Hamilton Township. ¶

A highlight of Spirit Week at Hamilton is Wacky Hair/Clash/Superhero Day. Math teacher Jason Malloy models his noteworthy attempt at fulfilling that assignment. ¶

Event organizers expect a record crowd, perhaps as many as 10,000, will be on hand to watch the game that begins 10:30 a.m. at Steinert.

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Pitching, Utley HR, propel Phils to World Series win

by The Associated Press

Wednesday October 22, 2008, 11:59 PM

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and the rest of the Phillies shook off a week's worth of waiting and turned it into a World Series win.

Hamels escaped trouble to win his fourth postseason start, Utley hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in the opener Wednesday night.

The worst-to-first Rays flopped in their first game in baseball's ultimate event, managing just five hits.

The Phillies showed little evidence of rust. They'll try to make it two in a row at Tropicana Field when Brett Myers pitches against James Shields in Game 2 Thursday night.

The team that won the opener has won the Series 63 of 103 times, including 10 of the last 11. But the team with home-field advantage has won 18 of the last 22 titles.

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Phillies return to World Series for first time since '93

by Assoociated Press

Wednesday October 15, 2008, 11:47 PM

LOS ANGELES -- Jimmy Rollins got the Phillies rollin' with a leadoff homer and they kept right on going. Next stop, the World Series.

Rollins homered in the first inning, Cole Hamels pitched his third gem of the playoffs and Philadelphia beat the bumbling Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 Wednesday night to win the NL championship series 4-1 for its first pennant since 1993.

The NL East champions -- the losingest team in pro sports history -- took advantage of three errors by shortstop Rafael Furcal in the fifth inning and shrugged off another home run by Manny Ramirez.

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Moyer's rough start dooms Phils in Game 3

by The Times of Trenton

Sunday October 12, 2008, 10:47 PM

Jamie Moyer endured one of the worst outings of his career at a bad time for the Phillies Sunday night.

The Los Angeles Dodgers tagged Moyer for six runs in 1.1 innings, including Blake DeWitt's bases-clearing triple in a five-run first inning, in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. The 6-1 hole by the end of the second inning helped Los Angeles cruise to a 7-2 win at Dodger Stadium and cut the Phils' lead in the best-of-seven series to two games to one.

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Phils get homer happy, sink Dodgers in Game 1

by Barry Federovitch/The Times

Thursday October 09, 2008, 11:55 PM

PHILADELPHIA - Manny Ramirez is still hitting like Manny Ramirez, but the middle of the Phillies' lineup, asleep for most of the National League Division Series, appears to have woken up in time.

Chase Utley ripped a game-tying two-run homer and Pat Burrell added a solo shot in a three-run sixth inning (his third homer in two games) as the Phillies drew first blood in the National League Championship Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2, at Citizens Bank Park Thursday night.

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Notre Dame picks up seventh win vs. PDS in field hockey matchup

by The Times

Thursday October 02, 2008, 11:47 PM

LAWRENCE -- The Notre Dame High field hockey team's surprise season continues to roll along.

Ranked No. 9 in the latest Times-area Top 10, the Irish surpassed last season's win total just nine games into the year.

Jenna Giaquinto scored with less than five minutes remaining Thursday to lift the Irish to a 2-1 victory over Princeton Day School for the squad's fourth win in a row.

The tally was Giaquinto's first of the season. Kelly Rafalski also scored for Notre Dame (7-2), which owns first place in the Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division. Rafalski has four goals this season.

Victoria Maloney scored for Princeton Day (4-5). Brianna Mayes made 12 saves for the Panthers.

Photo Gallery:
-- Field hockey: PDS vs. Notre Dame

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Pearson carries blueprints for Lawrence win

by Mary Ann Tarr/The Times

Saturday September 27, 2008, 8:34 PM

HAMILTON -- He dreams of a career as an architect. But in the meantime he is helping the Lawrence High football team create another successful campaign.

Sean Pearson and the rest of the 2008 Cardinals followed the blueprint designed by their coaching staff as they built an insurmountable lead on the way to a 42-27 victory over Hamilton Saturday.

Pearson scored three touchdowns, including two to stake Lawrence to a 28-13 lead by halftime.

A busy guy by nature -- Pearson is a three-sport athlete -- the senior fullback carried the ball 17 times for 156 yards and helped Lawrence put the finishing touches on the victory at William J. McEvoy Field.

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Princeton's first women's squash coach Betty Constable dies

by The Associated Press

Friday September 19, 2008, 1:13 PM

SKILLMAN -- Betty Constable, who dominated women's squash in the 1950s and went on to post an impressive record as Princeton's first women's squash coach, has died, according to the university.

Constable's daughter Kacey Constable Nugent told The New York Times that her mother died Sept. 9 in Skillman. She was 83.

The United States Squash Hall of Fame described Constable as a "central force behind the growth of women's squash in the United States" when it inducted her in 2000.

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Thunder fall in shootout; series tied 1-1

by Anthony Coleman/The Times

Wednesday September 10, 2008, 11:26 PM

AKRON, Ohio -- The Thunder almost pulled off the franchise's most unbelievable postseason comeback.

Trenton rallied from five runs down to tie the game. However, the bullpen, which hadn't allowed a run in 13 1/3 playoff innings, collapsed in the eighth inning. Three relievers allowed seven Akron runs in the frame as the Aeros tied the Eastern League Championship Series at one game apiece following last night's 13-10 victory over the Thunder.

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TCNJ football falls in opener

by The Times of Trenton

Friday September 05, 2008, 10:56 PM

MADISON -- The College of New Jersey and FDU-Florham scored the most combined points on opening day in TCNJ football history, but it the Lions came up short, falling to their hosts, 42-41, Friday night.

The 83 points surpassed the old mark of 71 set in a 37-34 loss to Upsala in 1986. The Devils' victory ended a nine-game losing streak to the Lions and a seven-game losing skid overall.

FDU-Florham's junior quarterback Billy Winters (Brick, NJ/Brick) rushed for four touchdowns, threw for two others and netted 415 yards of total offense to lift his team to the victory. Senior kicker Michael Barnard (Easthampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) broke the 41-41 tie with his point after with 19 seconds remaining in regulation.

TCNJ had rallied late in the fourth quarter to take a 41-35 lead as junior quarterback Chris James connected with Burlington Township grad Cameron Richardson from 13 yards out with 1:46 to play. James was 13-for-25 for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

But there was no stopping FDU-Florham quarterback Billy Winters who rushed for four touchdowns and threw for two, netting 415 yards of total offense. Rancocas Valley grad Michael Barnard broke a 41-41 tie by kicking an extra point with 19 seconds left.

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Coste's hit in 13th puts Phils back in first place

by Barry Federovitch/The Times

Wednesday August 27, 2008, 12:28 AM

PHILADELPHIA -- Before Tuesday night's series opener with the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel suggested that Jimmy Rollins gets up for the big games.

"A lot of TV cameras and media and he likes to go out and play better,'' said Manuel of the reigning National League Most Valuable Player.

Then Rollins went out and made Manuel a prophet, leading the Phils to their best comeback victory of the season and back into first place atop the National League East.

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Robbinsville World Series game to be simulcast

by Central Jersey News Updates

Wednesday August 13, 2008, 10:17 AM

Robbinsville High School will host a simulcast Wednesday of the Little League Softball World Series final game featuring Robbinsville's 12-year-old girls team against Simpsonville, S.C.

Robbinsville defeated Sterling, Ill., 1-0, Tuesday to advance to the Little League World Series championship game in Portland, Ore., against South Region champion Simpsonville, S.C., a 7-6 winner over ASOFEM Little League of Maunabo, Puerto Rico in 10 innings. Simpsonville scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning to take the lead and then held on as Puerto Rico struck for one run in the bottom of the inning and left the bases loaded when the game ended. The Simpsonville-Puerto Rico game didn't end until almost 12:50 a.m. EDT Wednesday, more than 3 hours after it began Tuesday night.

The Wednesday night championship game will be broadcast at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 and will be simulcast for local fans at the high school, 155 Robbinsville Edinburg Road, Robbinsville.

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World Series success for softball teams

by The Times

Tuesday August 12, 2008, 10:01 PM

Robbinsville defeated Sterling, Ill., 1-0, Tuesday to advance to the Little League World Series championship game (7 p.m. Wednesday ESPN2) in Portland, Ore., against South Region champion Simpsonville, S.C., a 7-6 winner over ASOFEM Little League of Maunabo, Puerto Rico in 10 innings. Simpsonville scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning to take the lead and then held on as Puerto Rico struck for one run in the bottom of the inning and left the bases loaded when the game ended. The Simpsonville-Puerto Rico game didn't end until close to 12:50 a.m. EDT Wednesday, over 3 hours after it began Tuesday night.

Tuesday in the Babe Ruth softball 12s World Series, the Hamilton Hurricanes fell in a winners' bracket semifinal, 5-1, to an Oviedo, Fla. team that handed it its only loss of pool play. However, with the double-loss elimination format of the tournament, the Hurricanes were able to bounce right back to defeat Kimberton, Pa., 10-4. The Hurricanes will play Angola, Ind. at 3 p.m. today. If they win, they advance to a 5:30 p.m. losers' bracket final against the loser of today's winners' bracket final between Oviedo and Plaquemine, La.

For complete coverage of the Robbinsville and Hamilton games see Wednesday's editions of The Times.

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Legion baseball

by The Times

Monday August 04, 2008, 11:26 AM

Sunday's American Legion playoffs held at Moody Park left one local team still alive and another making a dignified exit. North Trenton Post 458 came to the opening round of the final eight with three call-ups from the Junior Legion team and without seven starters. They still managed to play well, but lost 6-4 to Alpha Post 446. Read Kevin Maloney's story in Monday's Times.

BTW, in case you're wondering. I am not related to North Trenton's Jordan Guest. He just wound up by chance in two of my three best photos.

Now for the other local team. Bordentown played next and it was a long game, 13 innings. I only know that once again from reading Kevin Maloney's story in today's Times because I had to leave this game in short order to make my assignment to cover the Puerto Rican Day Parade in Trenton happening at the same time as this game.

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Thunder win to snap skid at six games

by Anthony Coleman/Staff Writer/The Times of Trenton

Wednesday July 30, 2008, 10:47 PM

Three relievers combined to shut out Altoona over the final 6 1/3 innings as the Thunder defeated the Curve, 6-3, to snap a six-game losing streak.

Zach Kroenke (6-0) picked up the win while Jose Valdez notched his second save. The offense received a big boost from infielder Walter Ibarra, who smacked a three-run homer in the third inning. With second-place Portland losing, the Thunder are six games in first place in the Eastern League Northern Division.

For the game story, visit nj.com/thunder.

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