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BROOKLINE -- Classical, the No. 9 seed with a record of 11-4-3, traveled to Brookline to play the eighth-seeded Warriors with a record of 10-3-5 in a Division 1 North first-round game. The winner would play the top seed, Lexington, which is undefeated and untied with a record of 18-0-0. Brookline blanked Classical, 3-0.

Brookline had some definite advantages coming into the game. Classical defensive standout Danny Henriquez was suspended from the game for acquiring his third yellow card in the Rams' last game, against English.

The other major advantage was the size of the Brookline team. Excluding the keeper, the Warriors' back seven (the four deep backs and three midfielders) had five players 6-2 or taller. Classical likes to play the long through balls, and there was no way the Rams were going to win a battle in the air.

Add to this the fact that in the first half, Brookline had a strong wind at its back and the sun shining into the eyes of Ram keeper Jeremy Dorson.

The game was six minutes old when Brookline senior midfielder Kostis Theoharides chipped the ball over the head of a defender to striker David Taylor, who was flying down the wing. He picked up the ball in stride, took two dribbles and blasted a shot about a foot off the ground that went under a diving Dorson and found the back of the net. That was all the scoring in the first half.

Classical changed ends for the second half, anticipating the wind and sun advantage. The wind shifted to a cross-field direction and the sun went behind the clouds for most of the rest of the game.

In the 51st minute, Brookline increased its lead to 2-0. A through ball from a wing defender found striker Jack Pold going down the left wing. As he came even with the top of the area, he drew two defenders to him. He put a square pass along the top of the area to the other striker, Jacob Ebbs, who collected the pass and powered the shot over the head of Dorson in the net.

Ten minutes later, Brookline scored the clincher. When Taylor headed the ball from the six-yard line at Dorson, who swatted the ball, it went right back to Taylor, who made sure of the second head ball. He put it in the corner for his second goal of the game.

The last 15 minutes got a little chippy, and the referees issued 2 red cards and 6 yellow cards. The coaches calmed everyone down and the game finished. Classical finished the season with a record of 11-5-3. Coach Joe Skahan has some rebuilding to do, as nine of his 11 starters will graduate, and he only has seven back next year from the present squad of 20 players.

The North Shore will be well represented in the MIAA Division 1 boys soccer tournament, with five out of the 22 teams residing on the shoreline just north of Boston.
"This is great for the North Shore," English coach Kerry King said. " I think teams in this area have a tendency of getting overlooked. There really is some great talent around here."
Peabody has been the best of the bunch all season long. The Tanners drew the fourth seed with a record of 14-1-3, and will play the winner of the preliminary round matchup of 13th-ranked Everett and 20th-ranked Lowell on Sunday at 1 p.m
Classical drew the ninth seed. NEC Player of the Year Miguel Castro and his 26 goals and nine assists will lead the Rams (11-4-3) against Brookline (10-3-5), the eighth seed, on Sunday at 11 a.m. in Brookline.
"I think this is going to be a fairly evenly-matched game," Classical coach Joe Skahan said. "The only thing that I really know about (Brookline) is that they have the second-leading scorer in the Bay State Carey Conference."
The Rams' strength all season has been their offensive attack. Carlos Cifuentes had 14 goals and 10 assists; and Rafael Rosa and Cristian Lopez both had over 10 points on the season.
"We haven't been shut out once this season," said Skahan. "Our struggles have been on the defensive side of the field."
English drew the 15th seed and will face the 18th-ranked and perennial powerhouse Andover (8-6-4) in the preliminary round, at home on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
"(Andover) is a very strong program," said King. "They play in a very tough conference, and their record can most likely be attributed to that."
This is the Bulldogs' (8-5-5) first tournament berth in three years. Only three players have any tournament experience: Mubarak Nyang, Kevin Garduno and Alex Alvarez.
"It's a great accomplishment," said King, "especially for the seniors. We have a great group of kids that have worked hard all season long."
Nyang led the scoring attack with 16 goals and eight assists. Daniel Cordoba has played solid in net all season. However, King believes much of English's success should be attributed to the defense.
"Chukuma (Halewalu), Ashani (Nelson) and Alex (Alvarez) have been solid all year," he said. "We really are a defensive-oriented team."
The winner of this matchup will earn the right to play second-ranked East Boston (13-1-1).
In the final Division 1 matchup featuring North Shore teams, 19th-ranked St. John's (7-5-6) will travel to 14th-ranked rival Salem (10-6-3) at 2:30 on Friday. The winner will travel to third-ranked Haverhill on Sunday at 3 p.m.
NEC South MVP Chris Nenshati will lead Division 2's ninth seed, Swampscott (11-2-5), against eighth-ranked North Andover (12-2-4) on Saturday at 10 a.m.
"(North Andover) has been a powerhouse for the last several years," Big Blue coach Mike Chase said.
D.J. Marquis will start in net for Swampscott. Marquis has had a strong first varsity season.
"He is one of the most improved players that I've seen in a single season, in all of my years of coaching," said Chase. "He has come up huge for us. Twentieth-ranked Marblehead (7-7-5) will match up with 13th-ranked Newburyport (9-5-4) on Friday at 4:30 p.m., for the right to play at Wilmington on Saturday at 5 p.m.
"We don't have any superstars on this team," Magicians coach Steve Ingemi said. "We're just a very balanced team."
Danvers, which drew the 19th seed, was the final team from the North Shore to make the Division 2 tournament. The Falcons (8-7-3) will travel to Melrose (8-4-6) to play the 14th seed on Friday at 3:30. The winner will earn the right to play Chelsea on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Al Jackson will lead St. Mary's to the Division 3 tournament for one last time. The 10th-ranked Spartans (8-7-2) will do battle with seventh-seeded Matignon (10-6-2) in Cambridge on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Last season, Lynnfield made it all the way to the D3 championship game. This year, the Pioneers find themselves with a similar record (8-7-3).
"We have the capability of playing well against anyone," Lynnfield coach Brent Munroe said. "We know we don't have an easy road. We know we can't look too far ahead, because if you lose, it's one-and-done, and it doesn't matter what is ahead."
The 12th-seeded Pioneers will travel to fifth-ranked Northeast (8-5-0) on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Eighth-ranked Bishop Fenwick will host ninth-ranked Greater Lowell on Saturday at 4 p.m.
No. 16 Winthrop will face off with top-ranked Maimonides on Sunday at 5 p.m.

Miguel Castro was named the Northeastern Conference North Most Valuable Soccer Player of the Year !!!

Congratulations to Miguel Castro, Carlos Cifuentes, Cristian Lopez, Juan Deleon and Jeremy Dorson of Classical HS, who have been named as Northeastern Conference North Soccer ALL-STARS !

LYNN -- For some students, soccer is a way to pass the time with friends, an alternative to immediate homework and the monotony of life at home.

For Classical junior Miguel Castro, soccer is life, and his passion has earned the striker the 2008 Player of the Year award in the Northeastern Conference North, and propelled the Rams to a top spot in the standings.

Impressive, perhaps. But maybe only the beginning.

"It means a lot to be recognized," Castro said. "It's the best thing that has happened to me. I've been playing soccer for thirteen years. It's all I do everyday. It's nice that all the hard work has paid off."

Castro, who was introduced to the game as a child by his uncle in his native El Salvador, moved to the United States roughly two and a half years ago and has showcased his talents ever since. The junior tallied 31 goals and 14 assists last season, and added 26 goals and nine assists in his Player of the Year campaign.

"He's a player everyone knows can make something happen. He makes a move on the field and everyone says, "whoa"," said Classical (11-4-3) coach Joe Skahan.

"He's an unbelievable scorer. The kids look up to him. The referees and the other coaches look up to him. He has a gift, and his potential to go places is what's noticeable to everyone."

When he's not excelling as a tri-captain for the state tournament bound Rams, Castro is a member of the New England Revolution's U-18 team, especially notable considering Castro was one of 700 players in New England invited to try out in Foxborough for a spot on the sixteen-man roster.

"The Danvers coach (Antonio Lage) was one of the people in charge of picking who made the team, and he said Miguel was the only player who should have undeniably made it," Skahan said.

In July, Castro flew to Colorado for a tournament with the Junior Revolution, and the team will venture to California in Dec. and Florida in Jan. for additional tourneys incorporating the majority of Major League Soccer's U-18 squads before the season begins in Feb.

"It's a really great experience," Castro said. "We play and practice at Gillette, and they pay for our uniforms and everything we need when we travel. They move two players to the professional team every year, and I want to be one of those two players".

The Junior Revolution is not Castro's first experience with a professional soccer club. Beginning as a ten-year-old, Castro played for Real Madrid, one of the world's premier clubs, of Spain's youth team in El Salvador and continued with the squad for three years before leaving for the USA.

As for the present and Castro's somewhat immediate future, schools such as Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis and Union in New York have already expressed interest in having the striker transport his game to their places of higher education as soon as his days at Classical are completed.

"The coach from BC wants me to go there, and right now I'd like to go there, but I still have two years to go," Castro said. "My dream is to be a professional soccer player."

Castro models his game after Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi, and he would love to play for Spain's Barcelona or Manchester United in England.

Before Castro can take his talents to La Liga or the English Premier League, he and his Ram teammates are awaiting their seeding in the tournament, and the load on Castro's shoulders has gotten heavier as fellow captain, Cristian Lopez, rolled his ankle in the NEC All-Star game last Sunday. Lopez' status is uncertain for Classical first postseason game, especially if it does not earn a bye.

"I couldn't tell you the last time we've had a season like this. I haven't seen a season like this in a long time," Skahan said.

"He's not the only reason we had this year's success but a big part of it. He's confident in the players around him, and that allows him to be so successful. The kid just loves soccer. There has never been a time where he didn't want to come in and play. He's always at practice, always on time. He has a passion. This is the only thing he wants to do."

The next step in Castro's soccer career is this year's tournament. How far his star can rise from there is still unseen.

LYNN -- When the game ended, both coaches, Joe Skahan of Classical and Kerry King of English, both agreed that it was a game of goalkeepers. Without the exceptional play of the two keepers, Jeremy Dorson of the Rams and Daniel Cordoba of the Bulldogs, the goal total might have gone to double figures. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.

Click here to see a photo gallery from the game.

You would need an adding machine to total up the number of saves by each keeper.

Besides the keeper play, the field players put on a passing and dribbling show that had the crowd cheering for almost the entire game. Both teams received excellent defensive play from their deep defenders; for English, Huber Robles, Ashani Nelson, Eric Bransfield and sweeper Alex Alvarez; and for Classical, Jeffrey Chavez, David Lopez, Greg Rybak and sweeper Danny Henriquez.

The first half was one of the best performances of the year, as offensive passing and outstanding tackling by the defenders resulted in a 0-0 halftime score.

All the action took place in the second half.

In the 50th minute, Classical was fouled in the deep left corner near the flag. Miguel Castro, the NEC's leading scorer, lined up the forty-yard kick and put it in the far top right corner of the net to give Classical a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, at the 60th minute, Classical was awarded a penalty kick for a trip in the area. Castro lined up the shot from the 12-yard spot and blasted a low bullet to the low right corner. English keeper Daniel Cordoba guessed correctly on the shot, dove, and tipped the shot wide of the post. This save fired up the Bulldogs and they pressed the Classical defenders trying to tie the game. With less than 30 seconds to go, English's all-league striker, Mubarak Nyang, blocked a Classical clearing pass that rolled back towards the Ram keeper. Nyang split the two defenders, took a couple of dribbles and beat Ram keeper Jeremy Dorson to the low right corner.

This tied the game at 1-1. The referee announced that there were four seconds left on the clock. The game ended and both teams now get ready for the tourney pairings the middle of next week and the start of the playoffs on Nov. 7.

King was on top of the world. He said, "We have a week before we play again and tonight is something to build on."

Skahan essentially echoed King's words. He said, "We are ready to go. We have a lot of seniors that should help us in the playoffs."

Peabody clinched the Northeastern Conference North Division crown in boys soccer yesterday. The Tanners defeated second-place Classical, 5-3.
Unfortunately, some of Classical's top players were unable to participate due to injuries.

"We really wanted this game to get the championship," Peabody coach Stan McKeen said.

Matt Quadros scored a pair of goals in the first half to give the Tanners (12-1-2) a 2-1 lead going into halftime. Dominic Mondi, Jordan Hoofnagle and Seni Qoshja scored the Tanners' second-half goals.

"We had to play catch-up for the whole game," Rams coach Joe Skahan said.

Miguel Castro was phenomenal in the losing effort. He scored all three of the Rams' (11-4-2) goals. Kevin Kakou picked up Classical's lone assist.

Matt Rodgers and Kevin Kulhonen each finished the day with a pair of assists.

Keith Walsh, Greg Doonan and A.J. Grube all had great games defensively for the Tanners.

Jeremy Dorson had a great game in net for the Rams. However, he hyperextended his shoulder on the last goal scored by the Tanners. Dorson was not able to return for the final 10 minutes of the game.

Cristian Lopes headed in a ball from Abdoulaye Bah early in the first half to put Classical up 1-0 and Carlos Cifuentes made it 2-0 early in the second half (Miguel Castro assist). Salem cut the to one on a goal by Edwin DeMoya and then tied it with seven minutes remaining on a Michael Steeves' goal.

The Rams pulled this one out of the fire when Cifuentes scored with 11/2 minutes left.

The Rams have a key league matchup Thursday against Peabody, which is in first with an 11-1-2 conference record.

Classical 4, Beverly 2 ITEM ROUNDUP 10/19/08

At Beverly, Miguel Castro had a field day for the Rams, scoring three goals and assisting on another. The Rams (10-3-2) found themselves trailing, 1-0, early in the game, but Castro caught fire and netted two to give Classical a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Carlos Cifuentes (goal, 2 assists) made it 3-1 and Castro popped in the final goal. Rodrigo Valdez scored both Beverly goals. Jeremy Dorson (16 saves) got the job done in net for the Rams and midfielders Jake Petronzio and Yuri Lazarek played well in the midfield for Beverly.

Classical 2, Revere 1 ITEM ROUNDUP 10/15/08

At Lynn, Miguel Castro scored a goal and added an assist for the Rams. Doodley Aldouvry scored the other goal. The Patriots goal actually came when Classical inadvertently scored on their own goal. Paul Buccheri and Omer Wago played excellent, filling in for two starters.

Classical Boys Soccer Qualifies for StateTournament
Miguel Castro had a four-point day for the Rams. (ITEM FILE PHOTO)

The Classical High boys soccer team qualified for the state tournament Thursday with a 5-0 win over Winthrop at Manning Field.

The last time the Rams (8-3-2) made it to the postseason was the 2006 season under former coach Ken Norris. Current coach Joe Skahan was running the junior varsity program at the time. Although the Rams came close last year, they came up a few points shy.

"I'm very happy," Skahan said. "All the hard work, it's really starting to pay off. It's a good feeling."

Although the senior-laden Rams have cleared one hurdle in qualifying for the state tournament, Skahan said the goal now will be to work for the best seed possible. He said his team lost some of its momentum after getting out to a strong start, but things have picked up in the last few games.

"We've been a whole different team the last few games. It's a good feeling," Skahan said.

Junior Miguel Castro had another big day for the Rams Thursday, scoring three goals and assisting on another to bring his season total to 18 goals and six assists. Carlos Cifuentes had a goal and an assist and freshman Kevin Kakou, who was brought up from junior varsity this week, had a goal. Jeremy Dorson picked up his second shutout of the season.

MARBLEHEAD -- Classical visited Sgt. Chris Piper Field at Marblehead High School to face the Magicians in their only meeting of the year, as they are in different divisions in the Northeastern Conference (Classical is in the large school division, while Marblehead is in the small). Classical defeated Marblehead, 1-0.

Classical improves to 7-3-2, while Marblehead drops to 4-4-2.

Marblehead coach Steve Ingemi said before the game, "We have no stars on this team. We work well together and, hopefully, come out on top at the end. We have scored seventeen goals this season, and nine different players have done the scoring."

Joe Skahan's Rams were coming off a defeat last Thursday to Danvers.

Before the game, Skahan said, "We have to turn it around ... After Marblehead, we have played the rest of the schedule already this year and we only lost to Peabody. We have made a couple of changes that we hope will strengthen both our offense and defense."

In the first half, both teams went end line to end line, with the defenders and keepers all doing an outstanding job. Two things that Classical did helped the Rams: The team moved Danny Henriquez from wing defender to sweeper. It looks like he found a home at the deep back position. He was all over the field, clearing balls before they could get to Jeremy Dorson, the Rams keeper. The other change was to move Miguel Castro from wing to striker, making it difficult for the Marblehead defenders to cover him. In the thirty-ninth minute, Kevin Kakou, a freshman midfielder, carried the ball down the left wing, and hit a left-footed square pass to an uncovered Castro in the arc. The keeper came off the line to make a play on Castro, but he went by the keeper and had the whole net to put in the ball. This made the score Classical 1, Marblehead 0. A few seconds after the restart, the half came to an end.

The second half was a carbon copy of the first, with both teams having multiple chances to score. Castro hit the post twice. Marblehead keeper Kurt Grossman and Classical keeper Dorson were outstanding, making more than a dozen saves each in the game. Marblehead has a very unique offensive weapon. Junior Matt Frankel can throw the ball from the sideline across the goal mouth. Since there is no offsides on a throw-in, this makes for some interesting situations when the Magicians have a throw-in down inside the area.

With 15 minutes to go, Ingemi sent in a new keeper, Nat Williams, and moved the starting keeper to striker to add some punch to the offense.

With 10 seconds to go in the game, Marblehead had a throw-in near the Classical end line. Ingemi called a time-out and set up a play with a long throw-in from Frankel. The ball came down in front of the Classical keeper, but it was cleared away by a Classical defender, and that was the game.

After the game, Skahan had praise for everyone. He said, "They all played well especially, Danny (Henriquez), Jeremy (Dorson) and Miguel (Castro). We need one more point to qualify for the states and we hope to get it Thursday in a make-up game at Manning against Winthrop."

LYNN -- At Hood Park, across the street from Classical, in a game that was marked by intense physical play, the Danvers boys soccer team knocked off Classical, 4-2.

For a photo gallery of this game, please click here.

The Falcons, coached by Antonio Lage, brought a 4-3-2 record into the game. As a third-year coach at Danvers, Lage was aware of the skills of the Classical players. He said, "We have to slow down (Rafael) Rosa, (Carlos) Cifuentes and (Miguel) Castro. If we can get them out of their game, then we have a chance to win the game."

Joe Skahan, the second-year Classical coach, had his 6-2-2 Rams ready to play.

"Our guys are really coming together," Skahan said. "Rafael, Miguel and Carlos have really led the team up front."

The game started with Classical controlling the ball with its usual short-pass game. Danvers, however, turned it into a very physical game. As the first half moved towards the twenty-minute mark, Danvers started to take control of midfield and was shutting down the Classical passing game. In the 25th minute, Falcon midfielder Chris Ciampa put a perfect through ball from 35 yards out to Wesley Moreira, who picked up the pass in the arc and one-timed a low shot to the right corner that just beat Classical keeper Jeremy Dorson. This made the score Danvers 1, Classical 0.

In the 33rd minute, a mistake by a Classical defender gave Danvers its second goal. The defender, in attempting to clear a bouncing ball, missed the kick, and Moreira blasted the ball from the 12-yard line and beat the keeper, who had no chance on the shot. At this point in the game, both teams reverted to the long ball down the wing, hoping for the perfect cross and score. Both keepers came up big, as each of them, Dorson of Classical and Andrew Mikulski of Danvers, stopped a half-dozen shots each.

In the 39th minute, with less than one minute to play in the half, Moreira had the ball on the left wing, and his shot was deflected by the Classical keeper. The ball bounced to Tom Hurley, who had the whole net from 6 yards out. He made no mistake, and the score went up to 3-0 in favor of Danvers. The half ended a few seconds later.

All the scoring in the second half was compressed into the first seventeen minutes. At the 44th minute, Classical got on the scoreboard. Rosa stole the clearing pass deep in the Falcon defensive end and put a rocket into the corner that cut the score to Danvers 3, Classical 1. In the 51st minute, a Classical defender fouled a Danvers wing at the end line at the edge of the penalty area. Ciampa took the free kick and found Hurley unmarked in front of Dorson, and he notched his second goal of the game. That was also Ciampa's second assist of the game. That made the score Danvers 4, Classical 1.

Classical finished the scoring in the game when, in the 57th minute, Castro carried the ball down the right wing and found Rafael Rosa alone just outside the area. When the Danvers defender challenged him, he beat the defender, and then beat the keeper to the far corner. This made the score Danvers 4,Classical 2. The remaining 23 minutes of the game were very physical. Four times, the game was stopped so that the trainer could aid an injured player. In this period, two yellow cards were issued.

After the game, Skahan was upset with the rough play on the part of the Falcons.

"I don't think we got the calls that we should have," he said. "They took us out of our game. We will be ready for Marblehead next week."

Classical, which is at Marblehead next Tuesday, drops to 6-3-2, while Danvers moves up to 5-3-2.

Classical 5, Beverly 2

At Manning Field, Rafael Rosa scored all three of his goals in the second half to give the Rams (6-2-2) a little breathing room. Beverly (0-6-2) had taken a 1-0 lead on a goal by Mike Collins, but Classical's Miguel Castro tied it with the assist going to Carlos Cifuentes (3 assists). Juan DeLeon scored from Rosa (3 goals, 1 assist to give Classical a 2-1 lead, but Beverly's Brad Surette came up with the equalizer. Jake Petronzio assisted on both Beverly goals.

The second half belonged to Rosa and the Rams. Cifuentes assisted on two of Rosa's goals and Cristian Lopez on the other. Jeffrey Chaney anchored the defense.

"Both halves we started out slow, but we picked up the momentum," Classical coach Joe Skahan said.

Kyle Taylor scored two goals to lead the Swampscott High boys soccer team to a 3-1 win over Classical Tuesday at Swampscott.

"We controlled a lot of the tempo," Swampscott coach Mike Chase said. "They're a strong opponent. This is the best we played all season."

Swampscott's Walter Morrell, a senior captain, had the unenviable task of shadowing Classical sharpshooter Miguel Castro all game and he got the job done.

"His job was one thing. Stop Castro from hurting us. He did a tremendous job of shadowing him," Chase said.

Castro did find the net once, on a direct kick in the first half that made it 1-1, but the Big Blue iced the win with two goals in the second half. Rocky Nenshati scored Swampscott's first goal, with the assist going to Chris Nenshati, and Taylor scored two, with Rocky Nenshati assisting on the first goal and Chris Nenshati on the second.

Swampscott is 5-0-2.

LYNN -- In a rematch of the city tourney final, where Classical won in a shootout, the Rams came from behind in the final seven minutes to score twice and pick up their fourth win in this young season. Classical defeated English, 3-2.

Coach Joe Skahan brought his veteran ballclub into the clash with the Bulldogs with a 3-1-1 (2-1 NEC) record. Of his nineteen players, fourteen are seniors and have been battle-tested in the wars in the NEC.

Kerry King's Bulldogs have a record of 3-2-1 (2-2 NEC). They are led by Mubarak Nyang, who was an NEC all-star last year as a junior. King has moved Nyang from midfield to striker to take advantage of his remarkable skills and speed. He could be the best player in Lynn this year.

Skahan said before the game, "We are coming together as a team, and we have a shot at the title. Peabody, English and our team all have a good shot at it."

King agreed, saying, "This is the first time in many years that both English and Classical are both strong. We are starting a new keeper, Daniel Cordoba, tonight."

The first fifteen minutes were like two fighters testing each other out. In the 16th minute, English broke in on Classical keeper Jeremy Dorson.

Gabe Smith crossed the ball to Kevin Garduno at the six-yard line, and he headed it over Dorson towards the goal. A Classical defender attempted to clear the ball off the line, but missed the ball, and it rolled across the goal line for the first goal of the game.

In the 22nd minute, Classical tied the score at 1-1.

Doodley Alavidor carried the ball deep into the left corner and dropped the ball back to Christian Lopez, who was set up in the arc. He one-timed the ball at the net and it went in under a diving attempt by Cordoba.

In the 39th minute, Nyang put on the show of the night as he picked up an errant clearing pass about forty yards from the Classical goal. With a series of stops and starts and reverses, he left the Classical defenders in his wake, and with the keeper at his mercy, he feathered a shot over the keeper's head and under the crossbar to make the score English 2, Classical 1. The half ended a few seconds later.

The second half started with both teams flying up and down the field. Both teams substituted liberally and kept the pressure on both keepers, who were forced to make numerous saves.

With seven minutes to go, it was looking like English was getting even for the loss in the City Tourney. Then Classical struck.

All the damage was done by one player, junior Miguel Castro. To score a goal unassisted is one thing, but to score two of them in seven minutes is remarkable. Castro tied the game with seven minutes to play when he stole a pass and beat the keeper to the short side. After the restart, Classical took the ball deep into the English end, where English put the ball over its own end line for a corner kick. Castro took the kick from the left corner and put the ball into the net over the hands of the keeper.

With three minutes to play, Classical had come back to take the lead, 3-2. It held on as time ran out and won 3-2 to raise its record to 4-1-1 (3-1 NEC). English drops to 3-3-1 (2-3 NEC).

LYNN -- Peabody boys soccer coach Stan McKeen knew coming into Monday night's game against Classical that keeping the Rams' sharpshooting duo of Miguel Castro and Carlos Cifuentes from doing too much damage would be the key in coming away with a win.

Although Castro did manage to find the back of the net once, late in the game, the Tanner defense bent but it didn't break in a 3-2 win at Manning Field.

"Castro and Cifuentes are their two key players," McKeen said. "We felt we had to do a good job marking them. I thought we did a great job defensively all around. We moved the ball well and had our opportunities, although I thought we could have scored a few more."

Although it wasn't the result he wanted, Classical coach Joe Skahan came out of the game encouraged by how much his team has improved since last season, when the Tanners took it to the Rams twice, once by a score of 7-1 and once by a score of 8-1.

"This is a team that has dominated us in years past, and we gave them a good game," Skahan said. "We just had trouble finding the back of the net."

Peabody (3-0) drew first blood, scoring 9:30 minutes in on a Kyle McGlone goal from Matt Rodgers. The lead didn't last too long. Classical's Abdoulaye Bah scored off a pass from Cifuentes to even things up, and at the half, the game was tied, 1-1.

The Rams, after starting out a bit sluggish, hung right with Peabody through most of the first half, but the momentum took a noticeable shift about 15 minutes into the second half when Dominic Mondi scored from McGlone. Peabody bumped the lead up to 3-1 on a goal off an indirect kick from Hysen Qosha with 13 minutes remaining. It looked like the Tanners had this one safely in the win column and for the next eight or nine minutes, they controlled play. The Rams made things interesting when, with under two minutes remaining, Castro scored on an indirect kick with Cifuentes getting the assist. The Rams couldn't come up with the equalizer before time ran out.

Despite the fiery finish, McKeen was happy with the way his team played, and, in particular, the efforts of Greg Noonan and Keith Walsh, who had the tough task of keeping Castro under wraps.

"We contained him," McKeen said. "He can do so many things with the ball."

Skahan said he was happy with his team's play in the first half, but thought the Rams didn't come out as strong after the break and that was something that needs to be improved upon.

"They know we're a force to be reckoned with, and that's a good feeling," Skahan said.

Classical is 3-1-1 with English on tap for Wednesday.

"It was a fantastic game," Classical coach Joe Skahan said.

Jeremy Dorson had another excellent game in net, shutting down the Witches on breakaways several times.

"He's just really stepping it up unbelievably. He's been playing off his rocker," Skahan said. "I'm extremely happy (about the strong start of the season). Kids are working so hard. To see it actually pay off is phenomenal for me."

The Rams play defending Northeastern Conference North champ Peabody Monday at Manning Field (5:15).

Classical Boys Defeat English in Shootout, Claim their Third City Series Title 3-2

In the finale of the Lynn city soccer tourney, the "ancient rivals," Classical and English, were fighting it out again for the title. Along with the trophy goes the bragging rights between East Lynn and West Lynn. The game will officially go into the record books as a tie game. Because the MIAA only allows overtime and shootouts during the state tourney in November, neither team was content to be co-champions. The result: A shootout, won by Classical, 3-2, for the Rams' third City Series title.

Before the game, Classical coach Joe Skahan was very happy with the way the season had started. He said, "A win tonight will make us 3-0, which hasn't happened here in a long time. This has to be our year. We dress 19 players for the varsity games and 14 are seniors. They have the experience and maturity to stay in every game."

Kerry King, the Bulldog coach, is not far behind Skahan. He also dresses 19 for his varsity games, and 15 are juniors and seniors. He said, " Like Classical we have a lot of upperclassmen who have been playing the game for a long time."

Both keepers are seniors with very little game experience. Both teams graduated their keepers last year.

Jeremy Jackley of English and Jeremy Dorson of Classical have risen to the occasion so far this year and have made the big saves.

There was an additional guest at the game. Tropical Storm Hanna made her appearance for most of the game and through the shootout.

Classical wasted no time in hitting the back of the net. In the 8th minute, a Classical shot was punched out by the Bulldogs' keeper. The ball went up in the air and was headed back by Ram midfielder Juan DeLeon over the sprawled keeper and into the net. This made the score Classical 1, English 0. Both teams had excellent chances to score but the defenders on both sides were equal to the task and the half ended with the score Classical 1, English 0.

The second half started and Classical continued its relentless attack. In the 53rd minute, a Classical shot was deflected by Jackley, and Rafael Rosa, a senior striker for the Rams, pounced on the loose ball and tucked the shot into the left side of the net. This made the score Rams 2, Bulldogs 0. With twenty-seven minutes to go, it looked like the Rams were going to sit on the lead and go home with their third trophy.

However, there was still fight left in the Bulldogs. In the 66th minute, English forward Kevin Garduno picked up a loose ball in the area and beat Dorson to the left side from about fifteen yards out. This cut the Classical lead in half, 2-1. With less than one minute to go, English all-NEC midfielder Mubarak Nyang broke in alone down the left wing and beat Dorson to the short side. This tied the game and sent it to penalty shots.

Penalty shots are all taken in the same goal with the keepers swapping in and out. It is the best of 5 shots from the penalty kick spot. Both teams have all of their players on the field. English went to one side and Classical to the other. The fans all crowded to the end of the field. The first kicker for English was the keeper, Jackley. The shot missed on a save by Dorson. The first kicker for Classical was Jefersson Avila, who scored. The second shooter for English was Alex Alvarez, who scored to tie the shootout at 1-1. Classical's second shooter was Rafael Rosa, who missed his shot. English's third shooter was Gabe Smith, who put the shot into the top right corner of the net. This score put English ahead 2-1. Classical's third shooter, Juan DeLeon, also missed. English's fourth shooter, Anthony McCullough, also missed. Classical's top gun, Carlos Cifuentes, took the fourth kick, and he missed. English's fifth shooter was Ashani Nelson. He missed.

The fifth shooter for Classical was Miguel Castro. Castro hit the back of the net, setting up sudden death with the sixth shooter. The English shooter, N. Cherosti, missed, and it was all up to Classical's Doodley Alavidor, who calmly put the shot past the keeper into the net and Classical became the city champion for the third straight year.

The traditional MVP awards, picked by their coaches, were presented to keeper Jeremy Dorson of Classical and to midfielder Mubarak Nyang of English. These two teams will play twice more in the regular NEC season.

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Miguel Castro capped off an impressive sophomore campaign for Classical's boys soccer team by scoring both goals for the NEC North all-star squad in a 2-0 win over the South. Both of Castro's goals came in the second half.
"All the goalies played well," said Peabody (and North) coach Stan McKeen. "Everyone played well. We had three (goalies). The South had four."
Castro's effort came after he recorded his 31st goal in a1-1 tie against the crosstown rivals at English. Castro also had 10 assists this season, making him the top scorer in all of eastern Massachusetts.
"This is an absolutely amazing accomplishment for a sophomore," Rams coach Joe Skahan said.

LYNN -- It is wonderful to be a sports fan in Boston. The Patriots are undefeated, the Red Sox are going for the World Series title and the Boston College Eagles are still trying to figure out how they pulled out that win in Virginia in that driving rainstorm. At Manning Field, the same feeling was going through the Classical and English boys soccer teams. They were finishing a season that started in the hot summer days of August and was ending in the rains of late October. There would be no league title or even a trip to the state tourney as neither team qualified. Their biggest game of the year would be Saturday morning in Lynn and they were playing for pride and the knowledge that they were the best team in the city. Perhaps appropriately, the result was a 1-1 tie.

The Bulldogs are led by Kerry King. They had an overall record of 4-11-2. The Rams, led by Joe Skahan, had a 4-8-5 record in his rookie year. Both coaches had their teams ready to play. The only problem was the weather. The rain put a damper on the speed and cutting abilities of both teams. Many games in the North Shore area were cancelled. King said, "The field is perfect despite the amount of rain. We are ready to play."

Skahan agreed. "This is the most important game of the year and the rain won't stop our style of play," he said.

The game started at a slow pace with each team getting used to each other as well as the turf. Classical struck first. In the 21st minute, Carlos Cifuentes, a junior midfielder with exceptional speed, shook off an English defender at midfield and fed a through pass to sophomore striker Miguel Castro, who came clear at the top of the area and beat English keeper Eric Hamlin as he came off his line to make a play on Castro. This was Castro's 31st goal of the season to go along with 10 assists. This makes him tops in the city. The half ended without any further scoring.

In the second half, English finally got untracked. With All-League Mubarak Nyang leading the attack and Alex Alvarez shutting down the Classical attacks, the Bulldogs came to life. In the 58th minute, co-captain Ulisis Guevara carried the ball down the right wing and crossed it to an unmarked Jesus Maldonado, who was in the arc and beat the Classical keeper to the low right side. This tied the game at 1-1.

The next twenty minutes were played between the penalty areas. With two minutes to go, Bulldog keeper Hamlin made the biggest save of the game. Castro, Classical's top scorer, carried the ball into the top right corner of the area, and as an English defender closed in on him, he let go a rocket destined for the top right corner. Hamlin managed to get one hand on the shot and deflect it high enough that it hit the crossbar and bounced harmlessly over the sideline. The game and the season ended two minutes later with a 1-1 tie. English finished up at 4-11-3 and Classical at 4-8-6.

King, the English coach, said, "We had too many offsides and the wet field changed the speed of the ball. But all in all it was a good game." When asked about next year, he said, "We have seven returning starters, so we will have something to build on."

Skahan was very happy with his team's performance. "We did very well," he said. "I am looking forward to next year with eight starters coming back."

The league all-star game was played Sunday evening at Manning Field. Representing Classical at the game were Castro and Cifuentes and representing English were Nyang, Alvarez and Nelson Manuelo.

Peabody 6, Classical 1

At Manning Field, the Tanners' (15-1, 14-1 Northeastern Conference) Jared Rizzo had two goals and an assist and Josh Boyce, Matt Quadros and Jordan Hoofnagle each had a goal and an assist. Mike Pennachio had a goal. Brian Fleming and Justin Famiglietti split the game in net.

"We had plenty of chances and just couldn't find the net," Classical coach Joe Skahan said.

The Rams (4-6-5) had a penalty kick of their own but rang the shot off the crossbar.

At Della Russo Stadium in Revere, the Patriots (6-8-1) got goals from Max Ochoa and Luis DaCunha to hold off the tough Rams.
Ashley Barrios and Joe Spofford had one assist each while goalkeeper Alfonso Rosales turned aside a Classical penalty kick that would have tied the game.

Miguel Castro wasn't able to top the numbers he put up against Winthrop earlier in the week (5 goals and 2 assists), but he came darn close, scoring all four goals for Classical Thursday in a 4-4 tie against Gloucester at Manning Field.

Although a little disappointed to see the win slip away in the final two minutes, Classical coach Joe Skahan was very happy with the way his team played against one of the tougher teams in the Northeastern Conference.

"We haven't beaten or even tied Gloucester in years," Skahan said.

Things didn't start out well for the Rams, who trailed 3-1 at the half. Gloucester would have been wise to consider Castro's first goal a warning shot and take cover. The sophomore buried a free kick from 35 yards out in the top right corner.

"Everyone's jaw hit the ground on that one," Skahan said.

Classical (4-3-4, 2-3-4 Northeastern Conference) hasn't had much success against Gloucester in recent years, but the Fishermen were in for a surprise this time around.

"I think they came in thinking, 'We beat this team every year,' but we worked our butts off. They were extremely frustrated by their play. They broke down, made mistakes, and we capitalized on them," Skahan said.

Castro, who has 26 goals and nine assists so far this year, put the Rams back in the game with two quick goals within the first 10 minutes of the second half. Castro scored the go-ahead goal midway through the half and hung on until Gloucester beat Classical keeper Marc Moise with under two minutes remaining.

"He played unreal," Skahan said about Moise, adding that he made several diving saves and did a great job clearing the ball out on corner kicks and throw-ins.

When the Classical boys soccer team puts all the pieces to the puzzle together, its a beautiful thing to behold. On Tuesday at Miller Field, the Rams had it in high gear.

Miguel Castro was a man possessed as he scored five times and assisted on three other goals in an 8-1 Rams win that moved Classical's record to 4-3-3.

In just 10 games, Castro has racked up 22 goals and nine assists for 53 points.

"He's unreal," Classical coach Joe Skahan said. "We played like a team (Tuesday). All I can say is that it went swimmingly."

The Rams were in a fight for a half, leading only 3-1. Castro changed all that though as he scored three times in the first 10 minutes of the second half to put the game away.

Carlos DeOliveira had two goals and Mark Moise added one on a penalty kick.

"We moved the ball well around the field and won all the balls we needed to win," Skahan said. "I was excited with how we played."

Miguel Castro scored with just under two minutes remaining to give the Classical High boys soccer team a 4-3 win over Saugus Wednesday at Anna Parker Field.

The Rams jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the half, only to see Saugus climb right back in the game on goals by Lamin Sawo, Carmen Bordenaro and Tom Duplisea, who tied the game with about four minutes remaining. Castro and Carlos Cifuentes each had two goals with Castro also collecting two assists.

"Those two work very well together," Classical coach Joe Skahan said. "They don't give up regardless of what happens out there ... this was our first conference win and that's important. We came out strong."

Saugus coach Chris Coviello was pleased with the play of defender Nick Sampson and his captains, John Friend at midfield and Corey Rutledge at sweeper.

"It was a great game. We played really well in the second half, but we had trouble in the first half," Coviello said. "We expended so much energy getting back into the game. It is what it is."

Saugus is 1-4-1 and Classical is 3-2-3 overall

LYNN -- In the second game of a doubleheader, the Classical and English boys played to a 2-2 tie. This was the second meeting of the Bulldogs and the Rams this year. They met in the finals of the City Tourney with Classical winning 4-1. The Bulldogs came into the game with a 1-4 (0-3 NEC) record. Coach Kerry King was looking forward to notching his first league win of the season. Ram Coach Joe Skahan brought a record 0f 2-2-3(0-2-3 NEC) into the game. He was also looking for his first league win.

The game was less than 1 minute old when co-captain Ulisis Guevara fed Gabe Smith a crossing pass and he pushed it by keeper Marc Moise to make the score English 1, Classical 0. Both teams displayed outstanding skills. As they went up and down the field the hitting was fierce. At the 32-minute mark, Ezequiel Rodriques picked up the ball on his side of midfield and dribbled his way through and past four Classical defenders. He broke free of the Ram players as he entered the top right corner of the area and blasted a low shot about a foot off the ground into the left corner. This pushed the score to English 2, Classical 0. The score should have been tied but for the outstanding work of keeper Eric Hamlin in the English net. The half ended with the score English 2, Classical 0.

The second half opened with the same display of foot skills by both teams, Classical seemed a bit more determined and started pushing at the English defenders. It paid off in the 58th minute when Miguel Castro was sent in off a dead ball kick by Carlos Cifuentes. Castro beat the defender to the ball and had Hamlin at his mercy and put it under the diving keeper to narrow the score to 2-1.

In the 70th minute, English had a chance to put the Rams away when a penalty shot was called. An English player was taken down and a yellow card issued to a Ram defender. The shot was taken by Alex Alvarez, who had the keeper going the wrong way, and his shot slid by the outside of the left post.

In the 76th minute, Classical tied up the game. Castro intercepted a clearing pass, dribbled 30 yards through three English defenders, and beat the English keeper to the low left side. That was Castro's second goal of the night and his 13th goal in 7 games so far this season. The game finished and the final score was English 2, Classical 2.

King was not happy with some of the calls in the game. He said, "I thought we had the better of the play. They came on strong late and we could not hold them."

English plays Wednesday at Marblehead.

Skahan said, "We started off slow and got up to speed in the second half. Miguel Castro has 13 goals and 5 assists in 7 games."

Classical plays next Wednesday at Saugus.

Dominic Mondi had the other Peabody goal with Brian Fleming and Justin Famiglietti splitting the win in goal.

"It was a good win. We controlled the game," Peabody coach Stan McKeen said.

Classical defender Christian Lopez attempts a scissor-kick over Salem Tuesday at Manning Field. The Witches won the game, 5-4. (ITEM PHOTO / REBA M. SALDANHA)

LYNN -- The Lynn Classical boys opened the first game of a tripleheader at Manning Field playing host to the Salem Witches on Tuesday. Salem won 5-4. The game had an added twist as cousins were facing each other as head coaches.

Mike D'Agostino led the Salem team with a record of 2-2 (1-1 NEC). The Witches lost to Peabody in the NEC and North Andover in a non-league game.

D'Agostino said, "We are starting to jell in the midfield and the defenders have been getting better every game."

Joe Skahan, the first-year Classical coach, played at Classical from 1996 to 2000 for Norris Gibson. He said, "I have patterned my drill and tactics after what Coach Gibson taught us." Last year, he was the Classical JV coach and moved up when coach Ken Norris could not continue as coach due to work conflicts. Classical has a 2-1-2 (0-1-2 NEC) record, having won the City Tourney and tied its first two league games.

Coach Skahan praised his two strikers, Miguel Castro and Carlos Cifuentes. "Miguel is our top scorer with 8 goals and 5 assists in 4 games," Skahan said. "Carlos makes our team go. By controlling midfield, he set up everyone else."

The game was less than two minutes old when Salem struck. Max Mondestin carried the ball into the left corner of the area and fed the ball across to Martin Amin, who put the ball under diving Ram keeper Marc Moise. Seven minutes later, Salem upped the score to 2-0 on a corner kick by co-captain Alejandro Alvarez right to the head of Amin, who nodded the ball to the top short side corner. This was Amin's second goal in 9 minutes.

On Classical's next rush at the Salem goal, Castro was taken down in the area and Classical was awarded a penalty shot. He took the PK and buried the ball in the low left corner; the score was now Salem 2, Classical 1. In the 17th minute, Salem midfielders combined on a give and go through midfield and centered the ball through the area about 10 yards out from the keeper. Mike Steeves deflected the ball into the short side corner for Salem's third goal with Edwin Demoya and Nuur Mahamed picking up the assists. Four minutes later, at the 21st minute, Salem struck again. Mondestin, probably the fastest player on the Salem team, dribbled through three defenders, went left, and buried a left-footed shot in the low right corner of the net. Halfway through the first half, the score was Salem 4, Classical 1. In the 26th minute, Amin scored the hat trick, registering his third goal of the half. Steeves put a through ball between two defenders and Amin beat them to the ball, took one dribble, and rocketed the ball into the left side of the net. This made the score Salem 5, Classical 1. One minute later, Salem keeper Mike Collins, who had been a force in the net, received a yellow card on a Classical corner kick. He had to leave the game for at least one play. D'Agostino kept him out of the game for 43 minutes. He returned with 10 minutes to go in the game. He was replaced by Jon Hammond. The half went to full time without any more damage by either team.

The second half started as the first finished, with both teams making attacks into the other's areas only to have the defenses and clear the ball back to midfield. In the next eighteen minutes, from the 53rd to the 71st minutes, Classical struck for 3 goals to make the score Salem 5, Classical 4. At the 51st minute, Cifuentes broke in on the right wing and the keeper came off the line and challenged him. His shot was about to be cleared by a defender when Rafael Rosa deflected it past the defender into the net. In the 59th minute, Castro beat the defender to a clearing pass and put it by the keeper from the top of the area. This made the score Salem 5, Classical 3. In the 71st minute, Castro scored his third goal of the game. Coming down the right wing, when he reached the top of the area, he fired a bullet over the keeper's head into the net. D'Agostino then put Collins back into the game and he defused any more attacks.

D'Agostino, after the game, noted, "Our front lines are doing very well for the time of the year. Our backs are getting better every day."

Skahan was disappointed by the loss but was very pleased with the comeback. "We never gave up and played out the game," he said. "We hustled to the very end."

Things weren't looking too good for the Classical boys soccer team at halftime against Beverly Thursday.

The Panthers had dominated the first 40 minutes and held a 3-0 lead. But first-year coach Joe Skahan rallied his troops in the intermission Classical's respond to the pep talk.

Jackson Olivera, Juan DeLeon and Miguel Castro all scored second half goals as the Rams stonewalled Beverly's potent attack, leaving with a 3-3 tie with one of the Northeastern Conference's top programs.

"To comeback from 3-0 down against that team is great," Skahan said. "The kids worked so hard and played so well in the second half. To get a point over Beverly is fantastic."

The Rams might have gotten both points from the game but a penalty kick inside the final minute was thwarted by the Panther netminder. Nonetheless, Skahan was happy to see his team circle the wagons and stay unbeaten at 2-0-2.

"We didn't play tough in the first half and we came out and took control in the second half. The kids are playing well and having fun," Skahan said.

LYNN -- In the first of three games that cross-town rivals Classical and English will play against each other, Classical eked out a 4-1 win for new coach Joe Skahan.

Classical jumped off to a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute when Miguel Castro beat English keeper Eric Hamlin off the right wing. Castro stole an outlet pass and beat the keeper from the top right corner of the area. At the 20-minute mark, English tied the game, 1-1. Gabe Smith fed Ulisis Guevara down the left wing. He hit a shot with the outside of his right foot that curved into the far top right-hand corner of the net.

In the 24th minute, Classical was awarded a penalty shot when a Ram striker was taken down in the area. Carlos Cifuentes calmly stepped up and drilled the ball into the top right corner, and the Bulldog keeper had no chance to make the save. The half ended with the score Classical 2, English 1.

Classical opened the second half on the same high with which it finished the first half. It was rewarded seven minutes later, when Cifuentes went left with the ball across the top of the area and reversed himself, and planted the ball in the top right corner that no one could get. The fourth and final goal of the game came in the 58th minute. Castro had a free kick from 40 yards out. His shot started out as if it was going over the crossbar. All of a sudden, it bent like a curve in baseball and caught the far top left corner of the net.

Because of the rain delay in the girls championship game of more than an hour, the lights at Manning Field went out at 10 p.m. There is no way to override the switch and restart them. Since there were only a couple of minutes to go, and Classical was leading 4-1, the referee stopped the game and awarded the win to Classical The final two tourney MVPs were Castro for Classical and Guevara for English.

LYNN -- The second game was a complete reversal of the first. After the injury to veteran Rams keeper Eric Silva, both Classical and Tech went with rookie inexperienced keepers that turned the game into a shooting contest. Classical won, 7-6, to advance to the final of the Lynn City Soccer Tournament, where it will face English (Saturday, 7 p.m.). Tech plays St. Mary's in the consolation.

The scoring started at the 6-minute mark with Steve Lavin beating Tech keeper Gerson Rodriguez from 10 yards out. The assist went to Carlos Cifuentes. The second goal came at the 11-minute mark when Classical's Miguel Castro scored with an assist to Joe Basher. That made the score Rams 2, Tech 0. Tech's Richard Jones-Alas cut the lead to 2-1 when Silva dropped a cross, and in the melee Silva was injured and did not return to the game. Jeremy Dorson replaced Silva in the net. At the 16-minute mark on a through ball from Castro, Marc Moise beat the Tech keeper low left to push the score to 3-1, Classical. Tech would not quit and a minute later, Jones-Alas scored his second with an assist to Prince Tchoumi. Classical opened up a two-goal lead with Rafael Rosa scoring with an assist to Castro. Classical opened up a 3-goal lead on an unassisted left-footed shot from the arc by Castro. With the clock running out and seconds to go to the end of the half, Tchoumi cut the lead to 5-3 with an assist to Goran Susa. The halftime score was Classical 5, Tech 3.

Five minutes into the second half, Classical hit again with Castro scoring with an assist to Cifuentes.

In the next 15 minutes, Tech controlled both ends of the field, scoring three times. In the 47th minute, Tchoumi scored with an assist to Aloysius Fonta, and four minutes later the same combination hit again. At the 61st minute, Tchoumi scored his 4th goal of the game -- also a natural hat trick, three consecutive goals. The game was now tied at 6-6. Both teams were exhausted after all the scoring. Classical, however, had one more attack left and scored the winner at the 77th minute on a cross from Rosa to Lavin, who headed it by the Tech keeper.

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Norris Resigns Classical Boys Soccer Coaching Job From the Daily Item of Lynn, 2/28/07

Ken Norris has resigned the Lynn Classical boys soccer coaching job after 10 years at the helm.

Norris, a former monitor in the school, got a new job working with the Middlesex County sheriff's office. Last year, he tried to reconcile the dual demands of his work at the sheriff's office and coaching Classical. However, now, school athletic director Dick Ruth said, "He thought it would be best if he stepped down ... The schedule's not going to change."

Because of this, Norris informed Ruth of his decision in a letter two weeks ago. The job opening was posted yesterday.

"He certainly brought the program to a competitive level that it hadn't been before," Ruth said. "He was able to work very well with a tremendously diverse team. We have players from all over the world - Europe, Asia, Africa ... He was able to work well with all of them. That was a tremendous asset."

Ruth, who has been athletic director at Classical for 19 years, hired Norris a decade ago.

"He had great knowledge of the game," Ruth remembered. "His youth helped a lot. He worked right in the building. He brought a lot to the table. He taught the game well."

Although Norris did not attend Classical (indeed, he graduated from English), he will leave a significant void at the school.

"He's going to be sorely, sorely missed," Ruth said. "I was really hoping we would be able to work something out ... He did a great job. I'm really going to miss him a lot

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