The Times of Trenton Sports News

Pro, college & high school sports news

• Princeton drops another close one
PRINCETON TOWNSHIP -- There's no getting around the Princeton University men's basketball team needs to win more games this season to validate progress.

• Vultures swarm around Eagles
PHILADELPHIA -- On the 30th Anniversary of "The Miracle at the Meadowlands," the sharks circled en masse yesterday for "The Nightmare at NovaCare."

• BASEBALL
TRENTON -- Joseph J. Finley is heading to Las Vegas for the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings Dec. 8-11.

• Hummer, 2009 class give Princeton hope
Princeton University men's basketball can rebuild its program by improving its recruiting, which is something second-year head coach Sydney Johnson seems to have done for 2009.

• NO ORDINARY JOE
Thunder co-owner Joseph J. Finley is an influential player within the Eastern League and Minor League Baseball.

• Osgoodby gets 100th TCNJ victory
NEW YORK -- The College of New Jersey wrestling team went a perfect 3-0 in dual meets yesterday as the Lions scored road wins over Hunter College, New York University and Yeshiva University.

• Princeton looks to go out on a high note
PRINCETON TOWNSHIP -- The game that stands out to junior linebacker Brad Stetler of the Princeton University football team this season is Harvard.

• PRINCETON SENIORS
The Princeton seniors who will close out their careers against Dartmouth on Saturday:

• T-Devils fail to score, fall to Nailers
WHEELING, W. Va. -- The Wheeling Nailers have been tough at home this season, and they held serve last night to continue the Trenton Devils' freefall.

• Blue-collar Mercer heads to Nationals
WEST WINDSOR -- The artistic ball skills and the flashy goals are great, but what Mercer County Community College's veteran men's soccer coach Charlie Inverso wants most for his team is to be blue-collar.

• Lions suffer first defeat on the road
LOCAL COLLEGES

• National championship tourney returning to Mercer CCC in 2009
WEST WINDSOR -- As its men's soccer team tries to win the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament in Phoenix this week, Mercer County Community College is starting to prepare for being the host of the eight-team event next year.

• Hun grad Rolle is hoping to earn Rhodes Scholarship
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Saturday will be some day for Florida State's Myron Rolle, the former Hun School and Times All-Area football standout.

• Grentz to speak Dec. 2
WEST WINDSOR -- Former Rutgers and Illinois women's basketball coach Theresa Grentz will speak at the Holiday Hoopla luncheon on Dec. 2 at the Mercer Oaks Country Club Clubhouse.

• QB Campbell under pressure
In a division defined by marquee quarterbacks, Jason Campbell is at a crossroads with the Washington Redskins.

• Reid's fourth-down decisions explained
PHILADELPHIA -- Among cleaning up the rest of the mess of Sunday's 13-13 tie with the miserable Cincinnati Bengals, Eagles head coach Andy Reid tried to ex plain yesterday his decisions on two crucial 4th-and-1 plays.

• Sixers have $10 tickets
PHILADELPHIA -- The Sixers are offering a limited number of $10 tickets in the mezzanine level for all remaining home games at the Wachovia Center in November and December. There will be 2,000 specially priced $10 tickets available per game.

• TCNJ women's soccer advances in NCAAs
LOCAL COLLEGES

• McNabb makes 4 turnovers in tie
CINCINNATI -- Donovan McNabb looked into the camera with a straight face and said he had no idea yesterday's game was over when his desperation "Hail Mary" attempt with no time left in overtime was knocked to the ground, forcing the Eagles to settle for a gruesome 13-13 tie against the lowly Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.

• Bogon, Slocum win DelVal Doubles title
The Delaware Valley Doubles Classic concluded yesterday with the top 24 qualifying teams reporting to Slocum's Bowling Center in Ewing. The team of Paul Bogon and Shawn Slocum made a spectacular run through the finals to claim the tournament championship.

• Cole has faith in Eagles' 'D'

• Rowan rolls to rout of TCNJ
EWING -- Entering its season finale, two things The College of New Jersey football team had not experienced this year was an upset win or a blowout loss.

• A last look at autumn foliage
A dry summer and a warm fall combined to push the prime autumn colors back into the first part of November. As such, things have gotten downright pretty out there in the last couple of weeks, but time is running out, so here are some spots to get a last peek of some pretty fall scenery.

• Gould, Johnson take third stages
WEST WINDSOR -- Yesterday marked the third US Gran Prix competition of the cyclocross circuit and while the UCI Elite Women's race came down to the final lap, the UCI Elite Men's race was more of a runaway win as Georgia Gould and Tim Johnson were the respective victors.

• It's the offseason, time for speculation
Two deals made this week impacted the Phillies -- one indirectly. How it plays out, well, that's what the games are for.

• Mitchell leads TCNJ win
LOCAL COLLEGES

• Rusk misses cut for Stage 3
There will be no PGA Tour Qualifying School Stage 3 for Jon Rusk of Washington Crossing, Pa.

• T-Devils stop Royals
ECHL

• Yale stymies Princeton
PRINCETON 0 So it was little sur prise that against the nation's No. 1 scoring defense, the Tigers were shutout victims, 14-0.

• Shorthanded Rider falls short against St. Joe's
PHILADELPHIA -- Health is wealth for the Rider University men's basketball team.

• Eagles face must-win
PHILADELPHIA -- Unless the Eagles start stringing together some wins beginning tomorrow against the 1-8 Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium, it will not matter that the defense has significantly more takeaways than at this point last season, or that the offense is better in the red zone.

• Finale for TCNJ seniors

• Hun's Davis sparkles in Princeton defeat
PRINCETON BOROUGH -- Hun School graduate Doug Davis couldn't have hoped for much more from his debut with the Princeton men's basketball team.

• Johnstown rolls past T-Devils
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- A four- goal first period set the tone for the Johnstown Chiefs in their 6-2 win over the Trenton Devils last night. The loss was T-Devils' fifth in a row.

• PRINCETON KICKOFF
The matchup: Princeton (3-5, 2-3 Ivy League) at Yale (5-3, 3-2), noon at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Conn. (Versus, WPRB-103.3 FM)

• Rider women assist at Trenton schools
To be able to read a defense on a basketball court, you first have to know how to read.

• Rusk on verge of elimination at Q-School
Jon Rusk's back is against the wall.

• Rutgers wins in NCAAs
LOCAL COLLEGES

• TCNJ KICKOFF
The matchup: Rowan (7-2, 6-2 New Jersey Athletic Conference) at TCNJ (4-5, 4-4), noon at Lions' Sta dium.

• Versatile Tigers set for Yale
Whenever the yo-yo has swung back to the defense for Princeton's Dan Kopolovich, and he returns to play cornerback after stints as a quarterback, his teammates in the secondary give him grief.

• No grumbling, but Birds need wins
PHILADELPHIA -- The only real finger pointing at the NovaCare Complex these days is being done at the head table.

• Big weekend for Princeton sports
LOCAL COLLEGES

• Cyclocross at MCP tomorrow
WEST WINDSOR -- The premier cyclocross series in the United States makes a pitstop at Mercer County Park tomorrow and Sunday, the third and fourth races of the U.S. Gran Prix circuit.

• It's time for whitechins fishing
Most boat captains I speak with on a weekly basis say they are seeing some of the best numbers of good size whitechins along the inshore waters that they have seen in recent years.

• OUTDOORS REPORT/BY J.B. KASPER

• Rusk must improve in Q School Stage 3
Not that he is playing badly, but Jon Rusk of Washington Crossing, Pa., must do better the next two days.

• Eagles 'D' learned from Giants loss

• Princeton readying for "The Game"
PRINCETON TOWNSHIP -- Princeton football coach Roger Hughes admits that even after ar riving at Old Nassau in 2000, he didn't grasp initially the intensity of the Tigers' rivalry with Yale.

• RYAN FITZPATRICK
The Eagles will go up against Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday. The former Harvard standout, making his ninth career start in four NFL seasons, is on Princeton coach Roger Hughes' short list of the best signal- callers he has seen in his 17 seasons in the Ivy League .

• TCNJ wrestling opens with win
EWING -- The College of New Jersey wrestling team opened the season with a 31-3 victory over visiting Stevens Institute of Technology last night.

• Mercer to play Essex in Ariz.
The Mercer County Community College men's soccer team yesterday found out who it will play in the opening round of the NJCAA National Tournament in Paradise Valley, Ariz.

• Princeton makes it look easy

• T-Devils use three trades to fill roster
TRENTON -- The T-Devils made three for-future-considerations trades yesterday to fill out their depleted roster.

• Men take a step back to move game forward
New Mercer County Community College men's basketball coach Howard Levy has always felt players disrupt the rhythm of a 3-point attempt when they take a quick look down at the arc.

• Reid's moves are questionable
PHILADELPHIA -- Andy Reid began his Monday morning mea culpa at the NovaCare Complex as he normally does.

• Rosario, Echenique guide Rutgers
PISCATAWAY -- The expecta tions are growing by the minute.

• Rutgers, S. Florida should be arch-rivals

• T-Devils lose 3 in AHL call-up
TRENTON -- In search of bet ter and consistent play, T-Devils head coach Rick Kowalsky's cause won't be helped by yesterday's changes.

• Williams, Levy take over
The area's two new head men's basketball coaches aren't really new to the area at all.

• Abudmad leads Mercer to nationals
WEST WINDSOR -- During the post-game celebration yesterday, Amit Abudmad got lifted up on his teammates shoulders, who were singing, clapping and hugging around him.

• Giants too much for Birds
PHILADELPHIA -- This was not the NFC playoffs, but with close to 70,000 people jammed into Lincoln Financial Field to see the Super Bowl champion Giants last night and time running out for the Eagles to, as owner Jeffrey Lurie said, "put the pedal to the metal," it might as well have been.

• Mercer falls in overtime
WEST WINDSOR -- Soccer is a game in which luck often plays a huge role. And for much of the second half of yesterday's NJCAA Division I District G title game, it looked like luck was going to be with the Mercer County Community College women's soccer team.

• Eagles guard Herremans begins game on bench
PHILADELPHIA -- Guard Todd Herremans, who showed up for Eagles training camp in the best shape of his life and quickly erased any doubts about him remaining the starter on the left side, was on the bench for the start of last night's game against the Giants.

• Emery-Burch team moves into first place
The team of Tom Emery and Larry Burch posted a five-game set of 2,303, which was the highest set of the second day of qualifying, at Colonial Lanes. The high set propelled them to the lead in the 16th Annual Delaware Valley Doubles Classic with a two-day total of 4,668. This easily outdistanced the second place tandem of Don Nixon and Frank Mulrine with a ten-game total of 4,526.

• Freeman, Weise honored
TRENTON -- Father and son Chuddy and Sean Whalen know what's coming to their mailbox next month: Each will receive a holiday card from Rick Freeman.

• 'Hardest Day of Golf' rescheduled
The annual "Hardest Day of Golf" has been rescheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 28 at Mercer Oaks. By "popular demand" the tournament, which was announced as being held on Nov. 26 was returned to Nov. 28, the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, which had been the traditional date of this competition.

• Swimmers from TCNJ earn split
LOCAL COLLEGES

• Welker making history
Last season, when the New England Patriots were on their way to an 16-0 regular season, quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss set a slew of NFL passing and receiving marks.

• Daniels always in right place
PHILADELPHIA -- Free safety Brian Dawkins has put in 13 years of hard labor with the Eagles and is still searching.

• AROUND THE LEAGUE/M ARK ECKEL
EX-EAGLE UPDATE:

• Beres leads TCNJ defense in NJAC road victory
DANBURY, Conn. -- The College of New Jersey defense, led by defensive back Justin Beres, took advantage of four Western Connecticut State turnovers to defeat the Colonials, 30-20, yesterday in New Jersey Athletic Conference football action.

• Cabrera propels Mercer to final
WEST WINDSOR -- Having led the Mercer County Community College men's soccer team in points last season, Rob Cabrera could be upset that he is only tied for fourth this season.

• CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Nov. 9 -- The Citizens Rifle and Revolver Club will host an open trap shoot. For information call 609-799-9890.

• ECK'S RATINGS
ECK'S TOP 5

• Inept T-Devils tumble

• It's prime time for surf fishing
Fishing along the northern part of the New Jersey coast started to pick up about the middle of October.

• Manocchio-Cunningham leads
BOWLING

• Many rewards after 20 years
Writing this tennis column every week was meant to be just a sideline activity, but over the years it took on a life of its own. This week marks my 20th anniversary, a good time to step back and reflect on how it happened.

• Rutgers' swarming defense KOs Big East foe Syracuse
PISCATAWAY -- It is the kind of statistic about which college teams never would brag. Even in an ultra-physical game like football, in which intimidation can be a major plus, what team would want to make its reputation as one that knocks out rival quarterbacks.

• Shake up the rosters, hope for the best
The moment Carlos Ruiz jumped into Brad Lidge's arms, the offseason officially began in 29 cities (Philadelphia still had some celebrating to do). A quick capsule look at what each team might do over the coming months:

• THE PICKS
BEST BET (6-3-1) Miami minus 9 over Seattle UPSET SPECIAL (5-3-1) Giants plus 3 over Eagles

• Thompson's 17 lead Rider in exhibition
LOCAL COLLEGES

• Burress is a pain for all
PHILADELPHIA -- Plaxico Burress helped carry the Giants to a Super Bowl title and was re warded with a five-year, $27.2 million contract that gives him $11 million in guaranteed money.

• Penn makes statement with win over Princeton
PRINCETON TOWNSHIP -- The way Penn marched downfield for a touchdown on the first pos session of the third quarter last night against Princeton was the type of take-the-game-by-the-horns statement that has been lacking with the Tigers this season.

• NEC honors Rider frosh
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Rider field hockey player Virginia Egus quiza was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year at the conference awards banquet last night.

• Sagging T-Devils squander late two-goal lead
TRENTON -- Much has been made about the Trenton Devils' list of injuries early this season. But if recent history is any indication, the costliest injury for the T-Devils may have come to their NHL owner 50 miles to the northeast.

• TCNJ KICKOFF
The matchup: The College of New Jersey (3-5, 3-4 New Jersey Athletic Conference) at Western Connecticut State (2-6, 2-5), noon at Danbury, Conn.

• TCNJ's Polles is maturing
Dan Polles has grown up at linebacker this season, in the same way The College of New Jersey's defense has grown up around him.

• Win puts Rider in NEC final
LOCAL COLLEGES

• Howard tops sack attack for Eagles
PHILADELPHIA -- Real quick.

• Princeton eyeing a winning season
PRINCETON TOWNSHIP -- The second half of the season usually spells trouble for the Princeton University football program. Even some of the Tigers' more successful teams, Ivy League championship teams included, found stretch runs much tougher than the first halves of seasons.

• Davidson still trails pace
GOLF

• Myernick on Hall ballot
ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The late Glenn Myernick, who starred for Lawrence High and was influential in area soccer, is one of 16 people named to the 2009 veteran ballot for the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum.

• PRINCETON BASKETBAL L MEDIA DAY

• PRINCETON KICKOFF
The matchup: Penn (4-3, 3-1 Ivy League) at Princeton (3-4, 2-2), 7 p.m. at Princeton Stadium.

• Small-game season opens tomorrow
Tomorrow is the start of the small-game season, and an estimated 35,000 hunters will take to the fields in search of pheasant, quail, rabbits, squirrels and other small game. So here is what hunters can expect.