The Guardian · A “friendly word” case in point. After I had hammered my SJR classmate and good friend Andy White (now Pastor Andy White) with a wad of spitball paper in typing

The GuardianVol. 50 Issue 9 Saint Joseph Regional High School, Montvale, NJ Friday, February 1st, 2013

‘Scoundrels’ Certainly Not ‘Rotten’ SJR unveiled its latest theatrical production this past week-end: “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” The musical is based on the 1988 hilarious Steve Martin-Michael Caine movie that made its way to Broadway in 2005 and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards. The story follows Lawrence Jameson (por-trayed by Dan Gettler ’13 and Chris Farrell ’14), a debonair, smooth conman throught his many cons throughout the French Riviera. Lawrence is assisted by his right-hand man, the chief of police, Andre Tibault (portrayed by Sal Bello-mo ’13, Bryan Mejia ’14, and Joe Murphy ’15). Lawrence then meets the boisterous, rough-around-the-edges Freddy Benson (portrayed by Nick Berninger ’16 and Chris Chee-seman ’16) and agrees to take him on as a student and teach him what he knows. The two men realize that the town is too small for the both of them, and make a bet to see who can extract $50,000 out of the “American Soap Queen,” Christine Colgate (portrayed by IHA’s Maria Ganowski ’14 and Pascack Hills’ Rosemary Lambert ’16), first. Through a series of bizarre accents, mishaps, and false identities, the two men go through a wild ride in trying to get Christine to fall for either one of them and get the money. “It’s really fun playing the different characters that Lawrence has in his bag of tricks,” said Gettler. “One minute you’re a prince from some unheard of country with your throne being taken, and the next you’re a Spanish real-estate agent who has property all over the world.”

By Christopher Farrell ‘14 The show takes comedy to a new level, with plot twists and turns that will make your jaw drop in surprise. “The show really takes some odd turns and you find out a lot of things that you wouldn’t even expect,” says Berninger. “After read-ing through the show the first time, my mind was blown and all I kept thinking was, ‘did that just really happen?!’”

“After Les Mis and Cabaret, I really wanted to do something with a lot of comedy in it to switch gears. After seeing peo-ple leave in tears from the past 2 musicals, I thought it was time that people in our audience got a chance to laugh and leave with smiles on their faces!” commented John Asselta, SJR’s long-time theater director. The cast is comprised only about 67 students, one of the smallest casts SJR has had in a while. But, it is also one of the most talented in years past. “We really have some extraordinary talent in this show,” said Gettler. “It really is a talented cast that we have, and we have quality over the quantity of people- something that I would rather take in any show.” Chris Cheeseman added,“It really is a thrill being on stage in front of so many laughing people. And there is no better feeling than having an audi-ence applaud you for the job you’ve done and the fact that you know that you showed them a good time.” The show continues this weekend, with performances Fri-day (2/1) at 7 pm, and Saturday (2/2) at 2 and 7 pm. Tick-ets can be purchased at the main office or through a cast member.

Dan Gettler ‘13 and Larissa Marten of Northern Highlands lead the Riviera Rich dance

Ian Castro, Bryan Mejia, Anthony Halko

2 The Guardian, Friday, February 1st, 2013

Alumni SpotlightLife after SJR…There is No Life after SJR

Flashback 1970s: The classmate moans, “I can’t wait to leave this place,” while another classmate hopes to “stay longer” than the four quick years.

Then, as now, some students are passengers in life and others are drivers. You either are involved and “get it” or not involved and don’t “get it” yet.

So much of what you do as a teenage student at SJR is molding your future. Study? Sports? Clubs? School Play? Girls? Yikes!!! There are many obvious differences in public and private schools but the positive SJR long-term differences take time. From the bumps and grinds in the hallways to the “friendly” words you exchange with your fellow classmates. The real difference is the seeds of a Catholic way of life are planted and grow to help you live to serve others. Is there life after SJR?

A “friendly word” case in point. After I had hammered my SJR classmate and good friend Andy White (now Pastor Andy White) with a wad of spitball paper in typing class (yes, we had typewriters), Brother Bucky (yes, that was his name) faced me with a trip to the principal’s office, detention and an all-day, Saturday work sanction of cleaning up under the football stands. Thinking on my feet I pulled a popular movie line from the grey matter on my shoulders and out of my mouth “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Case closed, I sat down while Andy wiped clean the side of his face. The seeds of lifelong SJR friendship were planted!

It was a case of risk-reward; Man up! Get involved or not. Give to get. There was no middle ground; you learn that you’re learning the difference of living or being alive in life. This incident was a case of providing the correct answer and one of many risk-rewards in my time at SJR. If I am invited back for another column, I’ll be glad to share some of the risk-rewards achieved “get it” SJR behavior.

Hard as it seems, you have it good with the SJR Family that carries you after you graduate or get thrown out. The way out is your choice. I chose to graduate with the help of teachers that wanted to see me graduate.

Hopefully, some years down the road you’ll “get it” and realize the great life of SJR. Within four walls and four years of SJR, now is the time to avail yourself to all the activities, clubs, buddies, embarrassments and educators so you can feel the gift of life. Once you get involved in SJR you will carry the flame of St. Joseph the worker in your heart and every day life. This is a gift in itself to help in potentially difficult times ahead.

It does take time for you to “get it” at SJR because your way of life improves and grows as SJR becomes part of your personal DNA.

In time you will feel and understand that there is no life after SJR because SJR transforms your life forever to help and love others in so many ways. Until that moment comes upon you, will you understand SJR stays with you and paves the road of life ahead of you. Get it?

David and his wife Mary reside in Wyckoff, where he has served as mayor. Their son John graduated from SJR in 2011.

David N. Connolly ‘73 and Mike Vaupotic ‘73at a recent SJR event.

By David N. Connolly ‘73

David N. Connolly ‘73 (Left) senior class photo

David N. Connolly today (Right)

The Guardian, Friday, February 1st, 2013 3

Staff Spotlight

Staff Writers: Chrstopher Ambrogio, Kirk Brouwer, Devin Buonan-no, Brian Buonauro, Chris Cheeseman, Vincent DePinto, Patrick Doherty, Chris Farrell, Liam Glass, Louis Napolitano, Christopher O’Byrne, Brandon O’Connor, James Quinn, Jeffrey Richardson, Christopher Walker, Alex WalshModerator: Mr. Mackie

Editor: Dan GettlerManaging Editor: Elliot FerrisLayout Editors: Shane O’Brien, Nick Caramico, John Henry Da SilvaPhoto Editor: Peter HolzknechtInternet Manager: Daniel Scalera

The Guardian Staff

By Christopher Walker ‘15 As students, we get to experience the scholastic side of St. Joe’s. We spend nearly every day of our lives in classrooms here for four years of our lives. What we don’t really hear about is the “business” side of the school; the part of the school that deals with expenses and fundraising. Mrs. Trac-ey Taylor, the director of the development office, is a key part of this “business” side of the school. Mrs. Taylor didn’t always work on the development side of schools. She used to be a history teacher at Immaculate Conception in Montclair. It was while she was working there that she gradually started working with the develop-ment side of the school. As she got involved in develop-ment, she enjoyed many aspects of the job, like meeting with alumni, planning events, and the increased flexibility that came with the job.

After working at Immaculate Conception, Mrs. Taylor went on to work at Holy Family in Bayonne. At Holy Family, her alma mater, she worked in development full time. Even-tually, she moved on to Short Hills, which is a school for children with language-based learning issues. She was in-volved in many fundraising events there, one of which was an event where celebrities with learning disabilities came in to talk to the students, one of whom was Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, whom the movie “Rudy” is based on. From Short Hills she came here to work in development.

Mrs. Taylor was very excited about coming to St. Joe’s. When asked about her work, she said “there is a great build-ing block here.” She said she wants to help bring this school to the next level and also help people see SJR on a grander scale. She wants to help people see our mission, which is continuing to get more SJR alumni involved in the school and continuing to improve the buildings and property of the school.

Although she has only been at St. Joe’s for two years, Mrs. Taylor has been a part of some major accomplishments. She is really excited about the work she’s done since she’s been here as well as the work to be done in the future. When asked about this, Mrs. Taylor described the “five-year plan” which the school is in the middle of right now. The first phases of this plan included the New Media Center and the renovation of the gym locker room. The next, or current phase of the plan includes the renovation of Dinallo Stadi-um, which is the main goal right now. The latter parts of the plan include improving the science labs and renovating the Brothers’ residence. The development office also works to raise money for scholarships.

Having attended both Catholic grammar school and Cath-olic high school, Mrs. Taylor is a big believer in Catholic education: “There is so much more at Catholic school, there are so many pieces. It’s not just academics and sports. There’s a significance of morality and ethics in a Catholic school. Catholic school builds and shapes people. It’s very important.” She acknowledged that people made sacrifices for her to be able to attend Catholic school, so she enjoys her job because it enables her to give back.

Mrs. Taylor started at St. Joe’s two years ago, but she got sick and missed a lot of time her first year, so she considers this year her first year here, in a way. Mrs. Taylor was very grateful for how supportive everyone was when she got sick. She recalled somebody telling her: “You’ll be alright, you’re a Green Knight now.” She said this really showed her what SJR is about.

Mrs. Taylor Directs SJR Developement

Left to Right: Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Gardella, Mrs. Mistretta, and Mrs. Karcich at the 50th Anniversary Gala

4 The Guardian, Friday, February 1st, 2013

School LifeSJR Celebrates Catholic Schools Week

Despite standout performances by sophomores Kyle Delehanty and Tom Murphy, who scored a combined 22 points in the 2nd quarter, the Sjr faculty prevaled over the Students, 73-70.

Above: John Delu-ise, Mark Mat-thews, and Kirk Brouwer leading the procession.

Left: Mr. Donel-ly addresses his students at the end of mass.

Sal Bellomo leading the SJR chorus.

St. Catharine’s paritioners with Father Tom Wisniewski.

Above: Tom Murphy defends assistant basket-ball coach Charlie Weinfeld. Right: Austin Triglia turns the corner against Mr. Purcella

Right: Devin McCourty ‘05 takes a shot over freshmanAntione Lash.

The Guardian, Friday, February 1st, 2012 5

Sports

Wrestlers led by 10 SeniorsThis year’s SJR senior wrestlers has proven to be a very special one. They are one of the smartest, most talented, athletic classes in Saint Joseph’s 51-year history. This season the team has five starting seniors that all dream of going to college with wrestling scholarships. Led by Austin Cantone, Joe and Tom Porres, Rob DeMauro, EJ Vetterlein, Jeff Fa-rina, and Christian Rivera, SJR’s varsity wrestling team has enjoyed a lot success so far this season.

The team has piled up win after win and has brought them to be recognized as one of the most dangerous varsity wres-tling teams in Northern New Jersey.

Even though this is a talented group of seniors, that is very focused, they still keep in the back of their minds, that this will be their last year of wrestling for the Green Knights. “ We have a huge senior class. We all have that “brotherly love” on the team”, says Vetterlein. He also spoke about the approach of the end of the season, “This is going to be one of my toughest obstacles to over come. It’s going to be very hard when this season is over. We all are going to have to move on. Hopefully wrestling will make us smarter people later in life”.

By Devin Buonanno ‘14 Coach Anthony Riotto on his seven seniors: “It’s going to be tough to replace these guys. They work so hard.” Rob DeMauro feels the same way, “I first started varsity my sophomore year and had an okay year. After that, I ended up breaking my leg. So that was pretty hard to overcome, but I did. After my injury, I would beat kids I never thought I would before my injury. I’m going to really miss every-body on the team. Not only the seniors but the underclass-man too.”

This hard work has really paid off for the Green Knights, as SJR has only lost three matches this season. Those three matches were probably SJR’s most difficult matches-with losses coming to Don Bosco, St Peters Prep and Bergen Catholic. All these seniors, led by its starters Austin Can-tone, DeMauro, Vetterlein, Jeff Farina, and Christian Rivera, have brought SJR to the pinnacle of the wrestling world in Northern NJ. They have made everybody on the wrestling team better wrestlers. Using their experience, skill and knowledge of the game, they will pass on all their “wres-tling tools” to the underclassman so that they will benefit. These seniors will never forget their memories made at St. Joes. All this, because of their wrestling experiences at Saint Joseph Regional High School.

Standing: Chris Lesica, Rob DeMauro, Eric Vetterlein, Jeff Farina, Mike SchimanicoKneeling: Anthony Halko, Austin Cantone, Tom Porres, Joe Porres, Christian Rivera

6 The Guardian, Friday, February 1st, 2013

SportsBasketball Improves to 10-8;

6th Seed in Jamboree

The Green Knights varsity team has begun to hit its stride, win-ning 5 of its last 7 games, and improving to 10-8 overall on the season. Last week was pivotal for SJR as the Knights knocked off Don Bosco, 66-52, and Paramus Catholic, 65-62 to solidify a spot in the Bergen County Jamboree. SJR earned the #6 seed in the Jamboree and will face #11 seeded Fort Lee this Sunday at 10am @ Tenafly HS.

SJR’s only losses during this stretch have been to North Jersey’s #1 and #3 ranked team, Teaneck and DePaul. In SJR’s upset over #4 ranked Don Bosco, junior Kiy Hester scored a team high 21 points, while Ricky Jeune scored a season high 13 and controlled the boards while limiting Bosco’s 6’6” center Tom Sweeney to 8 points. Quai Jefferson added 10 points for SJR, and Sean Kelly hit three huge 3-pointers for SJR. In the Green Knights come-from-behind win over Paramus Catholic, Hester again led the way with 18, while Pat Mensah hit for 16 and sophomore Andrew Mc-Guire stepped up in a big way, also scoring 16, all in the 2nd half. McGuire’s 3 pointer to end the 3rd quarter gave SJR its first lead of the game. He then hit two more in the 4th to help SJR build a double-digit lead before PC mounted a comeback to make it a close game at the end.

SJR’s next home game is Friday, February 8th , when they take on Demarest. Tuesday, February 12th, they host Indian Hills, will be Senior Night, honoring their four seniors – Sean Kelly, Ricky Jeune, Pat Mensah and Laquan Robinson.

Senior Laquan Robinson gets the team ready for its 65-62 Bosco victory.

By Coach Michael Doherty

The Saint Joe’s wrestling team had a short break this week after wrestling 10 matches since January 11. With the exception of a close win over Paramus and a loss to Bergen Catholic, the Green Knights have dominated with lopsided victories against Wayne Hills, DePaul, Morristown, Whippany Park, Parsippany, Demar-est, Old Tappan, and Pascack Hills. The team has outscored these eight opponents with a combined score of 443-83. Matt Zovisto-ski, Jeff Farina, and Dom Carfagno anchored the team, each with 10 consecutive wins.

It has become apparent that Jeff Farina’s absence at the start of the season has not affected his focus. When questioned about how his injury has affected him this season, Farina responded, “I don’t think my injury has set me back for the season. I’m well rested and ready for the end of the season. My recovery has been rough, but I like to take on the challenges in life. I’m confident in my technique, conditioning, and toughness to take me through the sectional tournaments.”

The win over Paramus was with a narrow margin, 38-33. SJR won only seven of the 14 matches, with four pins and one forfeit. This victory was one of great importance, as the Green Knights dis-placed Paramus from its #5 ranking dropping them to #6 in The Record top 25. It was also a personal matter since three of SJR’s wrestlers – Ryan Freeman, Matt Zovistoski, and Austin Cantone – are Paramus natives and served as captains for the night. After the match, head coach Anthony Riotto said, “This is a big rivalry. They came ready to wrestle. But we did what we had to do to win the match.” He also admitted to being disappointed about the team’s new ranking at #5; he believes they are better than both River Dell (#4) and Northern Highlands (#3).

Looking ahead, the team is preparing for Sectionals which begins on February 11 after a week-long break from matches. When asked if this respite was an advantage or disadvantage, Riotto said, “It should work to our advantage. We get to rest, heal our inju-ries, and train hard.” Although their next opponent has not yet been determined, it is likely that the Green Knights will wrestle Delbarton in the quarter-finals and, if victorious, will see Bergen Catholic in the semis. “It should be a competitive match against Delbarton; they’re ranked 12th in the state,” said Coach Riotto. “But I expect to advance and wrestle tough against Bergen.”

By Chris Ambrogio ‘14

#5 SJR Wrestlers Look Forward to Sectionals

Senior Jeff Farina is 8-1 in matches since re-turning to the mat after a football unjury

The Guardian, Friday, February 1st, 2013 7

Georgia Tech Looks to Improve Passing Game with Ricky Jeune

In college football, you can expect a few things every year. People are going to complain about the BCS, there will be an unbelievable amount of upsets, and Georgia Tech is going to run the football.In 2008, Georgia Tech signed coach Paul Johnson, who then implemented the triple-option offense. His main

weapon was, and still is, the flex-bone formation, which includes two slot-backs, one on each side of the quarterback, a fullback behind the quarterback, and two wide receivers. The purpose of the formation is to include as many different options as possible to run the ball in order to keep the defense off balance. He also uses the unbalanced flex-bone formation, which replaces one of the wide-outs with a tight end, in order to have another big body on the field to block. The strategy has clearly been working since the signing of Johnson. After the 2007 season, the Yellow Jackets have been in the top five in rushing yards, and in the top six in rushing at-tempts in the nation. Last season, Georgia Tech ran the ball an amazing 808 times, most in the NCAA, for 4357 yards, second to only Army.

The Yellow Jackets have made it clear that they have no prob-lem in the running game; however, their passing game has been less than exceptional. Since 2004, Georgia Tech has not been ranked higher than 70th in passing yards.

Georgia Tech is not going stop running the ball now or any-time soon, but they are addressing the problem they have in the passing game, and Ricky Jeune just might be the perfect solution.

Vincent DePinto on Sports Their best season was in 2006, when Calvin Johnson, the Detroit Lions wide receiver who broke the NFL’s single season receiving yards record, attended the school. During his junior year, his last with Georgia Tech, Johnson accounted for 1202 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns, but even with his support, the Yellow Jackets were only able to accumulate 2375 yards through the air.

Paul Johnson knows that this weakness in the passing game is what has kept his team from achieving greatness in the ACC, with teams like Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Florida State dominating the conference for the last decade. For this reason, he spent this offseason looking for threats in the passing game, and he found one with St. Joe’s Ricky Jeune. Jeune, according to Scout.com, is a three-star recruit, and is ranked as the 133rd best wide receiver in the nation.

When GT coaches were asked why they had an interest in Jeune, they responded that his “size and aggressiveness in get-ting the ball were two things that got [their] attention.” Coach Karcich also believes that the presence of Jeune will help turn around GT’s offense, “Ricky’s length and speed should help in the vertical passing game which can only help Georgia Tech’s running game.” Jeune has shown off these skills during his three-year run for the Green Knights, which included 2277 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns. The Georgia Tech coach-es seemed interested to implement Jeune into their system

Above: Ricky Jeune scoring a TD in the state championship against Delbarton. Left: Ricky Jeune with his coach August Hoffmann III

8 The Guardian, Friday, February 1st, 2013

SportsSJR Hockey Defeats BC 5-1

The past few weeks have been a very busy for the SJR hockey. A stretch that included wins, a loss, and a tie. This positions the team at 8-4-1. With the league and state playoffs starting shortly, the Green Knights are starting to gel at the right time.Two weeks ago, the team skated into the Bergen County Tournament as decided underdogs, entering the tournament as #11 seed. They were matched up the #6 seed Ramapo, a major rival. Ramapo outworked the Green Knights in the 1st two period, taking a 5-2 lead, but the 3rd period was a different story. St. Joe’s came out on fire and tied the game by scoring three goals in the first three minutes. The clock ticked away as many thought the game was destined for overtime. But Stephen Coscia made that an impossibility when he scored the deciding goal with three minutes left.

Next was Ramsey, a good, fast, smart team which was undefeated and the #2 seed. St. Joe’s thought otherwise. The Green Knights started quickly and took a 2-0 lead after the 1st pe-riod. It looked like the Green Knights could be headed for another upset, but things always don’t go to plan. Ramsey tied it up during the 2nd period and took the 3-2 lead midway through the 3rd period. The Green Knights were not able to tie the game as Ramsey held on to the 3-2 win.

By Wed. January 30th, the tournament was long over and the Green Knights were ready to play what they considered the “biggest game of the year” versus Bergen Catholic. Whether they were in the Gordon Conference or not, the Green Knights would be ready to play. St. Joe’s scored early and often with goals by James Quinn, Tommy Kemly, and Devin Moran to grab a 3-0 lead by the end of the 1st period and never looked back. Jake Healey made it 5-1 to put the game away midway through the 3rd period to finish the night’s scoring.

When asked about the game Assistant Coach Frank Kern said, “It was a great effort by the boys, every single person worked extremely hard and our goaltender [Phil Babb] came up huge.” He also added: “getting the two-goal lead from [Quinn and Kemly] took off the pressure a little bit and made it easier to play.”

The Green Knights have some important games coming up. They travel to the Ice House to play 18-1 Paramus Catholic on Feb. 6 and play division rival Glen Rock on Feb. 9. It’s that time of year when they need to play their best hockey, and it looks like the Green Knights are up for the challenge.

By James Quinn ‘13

SJR Hockey Captian James Quinn ‘13

The St. Joe’s bowlers recorded a three-game sweep of Ridgefield Park on Wednesday with a strong outing from junior Ryan Sweeney who rolled a 637 series. The team’s overall match record now stands at 8-3. For the season, senior Devin Ochiuzzo leads the team with a 190 aver-age, followed by Sweeney at 189, and senior Ryan Hurler at 185, and sophomores Dan Difresco at 143, Matt Tuite at 135 and Chris McCann at 119.

Prior to the winter break the team started with an impressive 4-1 record with wins over Ramapo, Don Bosco, DePaul and Cliffside Park.During the winter break, senior captains Hurler and Ochiuzzo competed in the North Jersey High School Singles Championship against

bowlers from all over New Jersey. Out of a field of 99 bowlers, both advanced to the top-40 roll off matches. In the roll offs Hurler threw a 202 and Ochiuz-zo rolled a 215, with Ochiuzzo advancing to the 3rd round. Ochiuzzo rolled a 209 there but it was not enough to advance to the semis. Ochiuzzo finished in 8th place overall and Hurler 20th.

After the winter break the team bowled two tough matches against the top two teams in North Jersey – Paramus Catholic (PC) and Bergen Catholic (BC). Despite a 200 game from Hurler and 600 series from Ochiuzzo (609) and Sweeney (613) the team lost to PC 2-5. Then came a very hot Bergen Catholic team, which took all three games from SJR.

One of the season highlights was SJR’s 1st 800+ game as a team against Don Bosco. In that match Sweeney rolled a 691 series and the Green Knights won 5-2

Coach Frank Salvano has been pleased with the team’s performance, “Co-captains Ochiuzzo and Hurley along with junior Ryan Sweeney have been carrying the team. They should be able to take that momentum into the state tournament.” Salvano added, “Our goal is to repeat last year’s perfor-mance of qualifying for the state championships. Then anything can happen.”

By Devin Ochiuzzo ‘13SJR Bowlers Off to Impressive 8-3 Start

SJR Varsity Bowling Captains Devin Ochiuzzo ‘13, Ryan Hurler ‘13, and Ryan Sweeney ‘14