Archive for October, 2011

Perhaps the most likable characteristic a person can have is that when they reach a level of success that few have, they are unchanged and remember their roots. Donald Jones is nursing a high ankle sprain and will be out of action at least this week (bye) and next week against the Washington Redskins.  The money hasn’t changed his attitude.  He is still a very sensible and grounded human being and returned to Youngstown State to talk with the team at this week’s pregame dinner on Friday night.

When addressing the players, Jones talked about his personal hurdles in establishing his goal.  “There were only two teams interested in signing me as a free agent, Buffalo and the New York Giants.  The chances of you making it to the league (NFL) are not very good.  I am not saying that you can’t do it, because I am proof that you can, but embrace the education you are receiving while in college and prepare yourself for a future.”

Jones not only talked with the team but introduced himself to many of the faces he had never met.  He sat with various members and chatted during the dinner.

Aaron Pitts, Jones’ college roommate, is on a different path of success.  Pitts is training with the Cintas Corporation locally and enjoys what he is doing.  Pitts showed up at the dinner to hang out with his old friend and it was nice to see the past interact with the future.

“We haven’t seen each other much”, said Pitts.  “As you know, Donald and I were roommates and got to be pretty close.  I am glad he is doing well and it is great to spend some time with him and catch up.”

Youngstown State second-year coach, Eric Wolford, introduced Jones to his team and talked about how hard work and taking care of your body can pay dividends. Interestingly, Jones graduated before Wolford was hired, but the two interacted like old friends.  It was a nice union of old meets new and everyone walked away happy.

Jones and Pitts showed up at the Youngstown State – Saint Francis game, which the Penguins won, 49-23.  Jones was on the home sidelines and spent time talking to reporters, signing autographs, and talking to anyone that approached him.  He is a refreshing change from the stereotype of a successful athlete, often perceived as a prima donna.  Jones is anything but.

“The biggest problem I have now”, joked Jones at the dinner, “is that everyone wants something.  Everyone calls and wants something from you.”

The most satisfying thing Youngstown could ever want, they got, when Jones showed up as an unchanged and respectable person who has not let the limelight change who he is and how he acts.

The Youngstown Phantoms saw their four-game winning streak come to an end Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich., when they fell 5-4 to Team USA. The Phantoms got a pair of goals from Austin Cangelosi and Ryan Belonger with the net empty, but ran out of time and USA skated off with its first win in five games.

“I think if there were a few minutes left in the game, we would’ve had a chance to tie it,” Head Coach Anthony Noreen said. “That’s not an excuse though. That’s why you need to take care of business within the 60-minute frame.”

It was a back-and-fourth first period that saw the Phantoms take the lead twice only to have Team USA knot it back up. Defenseman Kevin Liss opened up the scoring 6:58 into the period when he knocked in a rebound off a Mike Ambrosia shot. USA tied it up on the power play less than two minutes later when Anthony Louis snuck one low past goaltender Matthew O’Connor, who was screened.

Ambrosia regained the lead for the Phantoms on a fluke play minutes later. The Chatham, N.J. native got the puck in from center ice wound up and knocked it deep toward net for a line change but USA goaltender Hunter Miska was caught off guard. He mishandled it and the puck bounced past him and into the net to put Youngstown up once again.

“You’re going to get them both ways – lucky bounces and unlucky bounces – but that was fortunate for us,” Ambrosia said. “We’ve got to manufacture goals, so it’s whatever it takes.”

But with 5:19 remaining in the period, Connor Chatham found Evan Allen open on the back door and he had no trouble popping it in to make it 2-2 heading into the first intermission.

The second period belonged to Team USA, which took full advantage of a four-minute double minor to Mike Gunn. Defenseman Keaton Thompson scored a pair of power-play goals – the first by knocking in the puck after a bad bounce off the glass behind the net, and the second via a screened shot from the point – to give Team USA a two-goal cushion after 40 minutes.

Connor Clifton put Team USA up 5-2 near the midpoint of the third off a shot from inside the blue line that O’Connor couldn’t handle. Then, with 3:41 remaining, Team USA center Tyler Kelleher was boxed for tripping and Noreen elected to pull the goalie to make it a 6-on-4 power play. Team USA was able to kill off the penalty but the Phantoms retained possession and Cangelosi was able to knock in a rebound from a Chris Bradley point-shot to cut the lead to two with 1:32 remaining.

With the net empty again, Belonger shoved a puck five hole on Miska to make it a one-goal game with 25 seconds left, but the Phantoms ran out of time and Team USA skated off with the win.

“I think we showed that we’re not going to stop until the final buzzer,” Ambrosia said. “But we didn’t bring it for the full 60 minutes tonight. It’s disappointing but we’re still 4-2”

Sometimes Youngstown State University starts a game slowly, something Coach Eric Wolford claimed needed addressed.  Other times the Penguins had problems on both sides of the ball with missed assignments, lining up wrong, and fundamentals.  Against Saint Francis, a game which the Penguins won, 49-23, the maturity of this young team continued to take place.  There were few missed assignments, little that was not properly executed, and everyone looked fundamentally sound for the Penguins.

Jamaine Cook came into the game 4th in the FCS in rushing with 131.2 yards per game.  One of the backs ahead of him at number three on the list was Saint Francis’ Kyle Harbridge.  Cook put on a show, racking up four first half touchdowns and gaining 162 yards on 19 carries.  Harbridge managed to crack 1,000 for the year, but the Penguins RB had the much more productive day.  What was more impressive of Cook’s day was that Saint Francis runs a plus one defense most of the time, meaning they have nine guys in the box.  The line did a great job of picking up the extra man and sprung Cook, Adaris Bellamy, and Jordan Thompson for good yardage all day, to the tune of 450 yards combined on the ground.

“We came out to play up to our standard”, said DT Aronde Stanton.  “We prepared for this game like it was a conference game.  Because there are so many good running backs in our conference, we were prepared to face this kind of an offense that runs the ball.”

The Penguins (4-3, 2-2) never punted in the first half.  Cook had touchdown runs of 1, 4, 8, and 26, to account for his four first half scores, which marked the first time a Penguin scored four times in a game since PJ Mays did it in 2001 against Indiana State.  The Penguins also got a 5-yard touchdown from Bellamy, and Kurt Hess hit Christian Bryan for 19-yard score to account for the 42 first half points for Youngstown State.  Saint Francis managed a 35-yard Josh Thiel field goal.

In the second half, the Penguins sat the starters and Coach Wolford got the depth chart some playing time.  Saint Francis scored a few touchdowns in the second half to salvage some pride on offense.  The damage was pretty well done in the first half though and the Penguins and Wolford can be content with the first unit’s play on both sides of the ball.  The Penguins, however, put some icing on the cake when Jordan Thompson tore off a 95-yard touchdown run, off right tackle, tying a school record.  Thompson will be a force to be reckoned with going forward and he is finally 100% after suffering a shoulder injury early in the season.

“I didn’t know I had tied a record”, said Thompson.  “We have a bunch of talented backs and we were able to make some plays against a plus one defense, forcing misses.  I am happy to get the ball and contribute.”

For Saint Francis (1-6), Harbridge finished the game with 117 yards on 28 carries (he had 52 yards in the first half).  John Kelly threw for 288 yards on 16 completions in 28 attempts (including a 70-yard TD) and had 5 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

The Penguins really distributed the ball well in both halves.  Cook finished with 162 yards on 19 carries.  Thompson, aided with his 95-yard score, finished with 135 yards on 4 carries  (33.8 ypc).   Hess was 11-14 for 172 yards and a touchdown again doing a very efficient job of managing the offense.  Bryan finished with four catches for 49 yards and a score.  Torrian Pace got 15 carries in the second half and finished with 81 yards.

Defensively, Josh Garner and Aronde Stanton finished with five tackles each an Andrew Johnson recorded a sack. Sir Taylor nabbed an interception and returned it 42 yards, just missing a 65-yard touchdown when the last possible tackler tripped him up near the YSU sideline.

The first meeting of these two teams since 1953 ended sort of lopsided, but both coaches will have things to build upon despite the wide scoring differential.  Youngstown State will jump back into conference play when they welcome Western Illinois to town for Homecoming next weekend.  Saint Francis will host Central Connecticut State.

Coach Wolford talked about the victory at the postgame press conference.  “You always worry that the team will look at the record of the other team and have preconceived notions of chalking up a win.  Upsets happen all of the time and this team posed some challenges with a solid running game.  We did good things in the first half against the ‘plus one’ look, and defensively, the only thing that had me worried was the abundance of penalties.  We continue to strive though, and are putting things further behind us.  We now have to get ready for Western Illinois.”

One of the things about Wolford that has become more obvious to me over the past couple of weeks is his character.  I knew he had a big heart because of his ‘paying ahead’ attitude and charitable contributions through No Stone Unturned.  However, what I learned about this guy in the last 48 hours is that he worries about the personality and character of his players as responsible young men.  Everything from what they eat the night before a game, to what they do in their spare time, to the value of their education.  Wins and losses aside, Eric Wolford is now a better fit, in my mind, more than I ever could have imagined.  He is honest, refuses to make excuses, has tackled adversity head-on several times in just his second season, and more than anything — finds time for everyone.

Call me a mark.  Call me a homer.  Call me anything you would like.  Facts are facts.  Wolford is solid.

Austin Cangelosi is chasing Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record in his first stint out of high school, but Alex Gacek wore the cape for the home team in the end.  The Youngstown Phantoms got two goals from the gifted and youthful Cangelosi and Gacek buried the winning goal in overtime to lift the Phantoms to their fourth consecutive win as they got by the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders, 4-3.

Gacek talked about the game-winning goal.  “I went in two-on-one on the right wing and saw the whole blocker side open.  I shot there and by good luck, it went in.  We had a couple of turnovers when we lost the lead, but we knew we had the momentum and were able to capitalize.”

The scoreless first period saw good back-and-forth action with the opposing goaltenders and defensemen taking center stage as no one found the net in the first twenty minutes.  Matt O’Connor turned away nine Cedar Rapids shots and Jake Hildebrand recorded seven saves in a rare penalty-free period of hockey.

In the second period, offense was plentiful as the Phantoms put together a three-goal period.  Cangelosi (above) got the party started with his sixth goal of the season as he took a beautiful feed from Mike Ambrosia right in front of the goal crease and buried the puck to put the Phantoms ahead 1-0. Ryan Belonger nabbed an assist on the opening goal as he hit Ambrosia on the left board.  With good vision, Ambrosia spotted Cangelosi breaking from center ice toward the goal and made a perfect pass for the Phantoms.

Cedar Rapids tied things up at the 15:04 mark of the second period when Jared Linnell snuck one past O’Connor to tie the game.  For Linnell, it was goal number two of the season. Tanner Pond and Greg Amlong picked up assists for the Rough Riders.

The Phantoms showed what kind of shape they are in physically by closing out the second period with force and style.  At the 17:40 mark, newcomer Brent Norris (below), who signed earlier in the day, made himself a whole lot more popular with his new mates as he connected for his first goal. Stephen Collins was credited with an assist on the goal that made it 2-1 in favor of the Phantoms.

Cangelosi had more to say as he recorded a shorthanded goal with 53 seconds left in the second period.  Ambrosia got a turnover and hit Cangelosi just above the right face-off circle.  Cangelosi then danced toward the net and put the puck past Hildebrand while falling down for the goal.

In the third period, Cedar Rapids scored with 6:53 left in the game to pull within a goal.  They would tie the game with 4:37 remaining when Ambrosia was sent to the box for a broken-stick illegal equipment penalty.  The Rough Riders already had a pair in the penalty box and losing Ambrosia gave the Phantoms a one-man advantage instead of two.  With the Phantoms working the puck in the Rough Riders zone, a near goal deflected toward center ice and was scooped up by Greg Amlong who traveled half the ice on a breakaway chance and beat O’Connor to tie the game and force overtime.

In the overtime, Alex Gacek broke in off of the right wing and buried the game-winning goal, his second of the season, just 1:34 into the extra session.  The win gives the Phantoms their fourth win in a row and puts them at 4-1-0 on the season.  Cedar Rapids fell to 2-2-1 with the loss.

O’Connor stopped 25 shots and got his fourth win in a row as well.

Coach Noreen commented on the three goal second period.  “Our first period was just okay.  It was good, but not good enough to play with the elite teams like Cedar Rapids. The second period was probably the best period we played all year. We popped a few goals and three more shots hit the post.  It was good for our team, mental toughness wise, to have a team come back on us to see what we are made of.  I think in the past, you would have seen teams fold up shop after that, but these guys never got rattled and remained unfazed.”

The Youngstown Phantoms are proud to announce that defenseman Mike Gunn has committed to play hockey at Northeastern University beginning in the 2012-2013 season. The Livonia, Mich., native joins nine other Phantoms currently committed to play at the collegiate level and is the first player to commit this season.

The Phantoms acquired Gunn, 19, from the Chicago Steel this offseason just prior to the 2011 USHL Entry Draft. The three-year USHL veteran was voted one of the team’s assistant captains prior to the Phantoms’ home opener against Des Moines on Oct. 14.

“As a staff, we couldn’t be more proud of Mike,” Head Coach Anthony Noreen said.   “He’s a natural leader, he works hard and he’s as naturally talented a defenseman as we have. He has the size, the strength and the shot.  When he’s healthy, I think he’s one of the best defenseman in the league.”

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound blue liner has one assist, eight penalty minutes and a plus-2 rating in four games this season. In 39 career USHL games, Gunn has one goal, five assists and 89 penalty minutes.

Last season Northeastern went 14-16-8 and finished sixth in the Hockey East conference with a 10-10-7 record. Through three games this season the Huskies are currently 1-1-1, good for second place in Hockey East.

“Northeastern really attracted me because they have such a great coaching staff and it’s right in the heart of Boston,” Gunn said. “When I visited out there I got to stay with some of the guys on the team in the dorms and I had a great experience. I just loved all of it.”

Gunn said that Assistant Coach Rob Rassey, who was a four-year letterman at Northeastern from 2005-2009 and later volunteered as an assistant coach from 2009-2011, encouraged him to consider the Huskies.

“Growing up in Detroit, I followed Michigan and Michigan State, but when [Coach Rassey] came here he opened my eyes a bit to Hockey East,” he said. “He gave me some of the ins and outs of what goes on at Northeastern and it was a huge help.”

The Buffalo Bills enter their bye week at 4-2.  Donald Jones missed last week’s game, a 27-24 loss to the New York Giants, with an injury he sustained against Philadelphia the week before.  Because it is the bye week, Jones is missing one less game and is working hard to get back on the field and mend his high ankle sprain.  The original diagnosis was four to six weeks of no football, but Jones is determined to get back in the mix.

“It’s a tough injury”, remarked Jones. “So far things are going pretty well and I feel like I am ahead of schedule.  I am doing a lot of pool workouts and I am going to get on the field Monday to do some agility drills and test it a little.”

So how will Jones spend the bye week?  “Everyone went home after practice for the bye week.  We put in the first installment of plays for the Washington game, our first game after the bye.  On Monday, we will put the rest in and start to work on the plays.  I am coming to Youngstown State to talk to the team on Friday and am going to the game on Saturday, I am looking forward to that.”

The Bills have exceeded expectations from coast-to-coast so far with big wins over New England and Philadelphia.  Jones feels that the team has more to do, much more.

“So far it has been really good.  We felt like we let the game against the Giants last week get away, the same as Cincinnati.  We were winning both games and all of the guys are upset that we didn’t come out of those two games with wins.”

Stop by Stambaugh Stadium this Saturday and say hello to YSU’s biggest representation in the NFL since Jeff Wilkins.

I also spoke with Jones’ father via telephone.  He is working hard on promoting his Buffalo’s Soldiers group.

“Buffalo’s Soldiers is a group of former policemen who go to various football events and games covering a pretty wide area”, said Mr. Jones.  “We are now working harder to promote Donald and the DJ3 logo.  We want to get the people where he was and keep them informed.”

When asked whether or not he could take a team like Saint Francis lightly, Eric Wolford gave reasons why he could not.  Saint Francis is coming to Youngstown State this weekend for a rare midseason non-conference game and they bring plenty of offense to town.  The Penguins got a huge win last week at Southern Illinois, posting a quality 35-23 win over a good team.  Wolford knows that his Penguins have to stay focused and sees some daylight.

“Last week was a step in the right direction,” said Wolford.  “Southern Illinois has a very good football team and won this conference a couple of years ago.  I felt coming into this season that they were the second or third best team in the conference, so I am very pleased to get that win.”

The win came on the road, a first for Wolford.  It was also his first come-from-behind win, small landmarks in a bigger path of goals.  With playoff chances looming with every game, YSU cannot afford another loss, at home or on the road.

“We will prepare for Saint Francis like they are the best team we play”, remarked Josh Lee (below), one of last weeks heroes. “We have to prepare and can never underestimate an opponent.”

The Penguins defense will have their hands full against the Red Flash offense.  Kyle Harbridge has been outstanding at RB this year.  The gutty running back put up 189 yards on 23 carries last week and has 955 yards on 150 carries this season.  That is an average of about 132 yards per game.

“We rely on the run game and when it is working, we click on all cylinders.  My line does a fantastic job and we look to establish the run early in games.  It is the same approach every week, get it going early… early and often, hopefully”, said Harbridge via telephone.  “We want to play 60 full minutes to beat YSU, they are an FCS top power type team and we hope it is going to be a fight until the end.”

The Red Flash also have QB John Kelly.  Kelly is 79-173 for 942 yards and six touchdowns.  This team can score, they have just been outscored in most of their games so far this season.

One of the things that concerned Wolford in last week’s win was the kickoff coverage.  It seemed like Southern Illinois started every drive close to midfield.

“Guys didn’t do what they were supposed to do”, said Wolford.  “Those problems should be fixed and some changes will be made, but I think the coverage will be fine this week.”

Wolford praised several of his young players for their effort but says the celebration ends Sunday and there is still a lot of work to do to reach the goal of making the playoffs.

“We can play with anyone.  We could win or we could lose.  We can’t look at the schedule and circle the games we think we will win and the games we think we will probably lose.  We finally feel as though we have some depth at every position.  We are maturing and with that will come better execution.  This season isn’t over yet, I’ll tell you guys when it is over.”

The Penguins will be without David Rogers and Carson Sharbaugh will get the start at tight end on offense.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

Anthony Pietrantonio is finally getting a big venue break.  Pietrantonio will challenge undefeated Light Heavyweight Prospect, Sean Monaghan at Madison Square Garden this Saturday, October 22.  Monoghan is 9-0 with 6 KO’s but is the style of fighter that Pietrantonio can match up with.

“He is from Ireland, and those guys draw big, especially in New York”, said Pietrantonio of his opponent.

“He fights my style, very straight-forward, and to be honest with you, he doesn’t look any tougher than the last guy I fought.”

The scheduled six-round fight is part of the undercard featuring the main event of Nonito Donaire (26-1) against Omar Andes Narvaez (35-0), a couple of big name bantamweights.

Pietrantonio is thrilled about the chance to fight at The Garden.

“It is going to be awesome., it’s the biggest stage in the world and it is very historical and exciting”, claimed the underdog.  “I want to deliver and put on an awesome show.  I rise to the occasion when I get chances like this and have a habit of fighting to the ability of my opponent.”

Pietrantonio (7-7, 6 KO) has been training with Jack Loew after switching gyms.  He won his last fight at the Covelli Centre and ended a skid of consecutive losses that had him questioning his future in the sport of boxing.  The 34-year old feels like he is on the right track and wants to make the most of the opportunity.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase my skills”, said Pietrantonio.  “I am the underdog, no doubt about it.  People see my record and think that this will not be much of a fight.  I can’t wait to show the ‘experts’ who I am and why I am in that fight.”

Results from the fight will be posted when I get them Saturday night. Good Luck Anthony!

The Youngstown State women’s basketball team was recently picked to finish last in their conference.  In an oxymoron-type move, Brandi Brown was voted Horizon League Preseason Player of The Year.  Do the people that vote fail to realize that the best player, of their choosing, is on the team they picked to finish last?

If I were Bob Boldon, second year head coach, I would relish being picked last.  It opens the door for a lot of putting the stick in the mud at season’s end.  Granted, this years women’s team may not be cutting down any nets, but they will win at least 12 games.  Even if they only win ten and my prediction is wrong, it is marked improvement from where the program was when Boldon and staff came to town.

Warning Horizon League readers outside of the Youngstown area… Take this team lightly and you will lose to them this year.  Boki Dimitrov is gone, but all of the others are back, and then some.  I will do a full women’s basketball preview piece this weekend, but for now, write my fearless prediction of 12 wins down somewhere, if you lose it, I will remind you in February.

Fresh off its Sweet 16 run last season, Green Bay was chosen as the preseason favorite in the team poll. The Phoenix received 29 out of 30 first-place votes for 299 points, and Cleveland State was a distant second with 238 points. Wright State, Butler, UIC and Milwaukee all finished within 35 points for the third through sixth spots. Detroit was picked to finish seventh by a sizeable margin, and Loyola, Valparaiso and Youngstown State rounded out the bottom three. The Penguins defeated Valpo in both meetings last season and came within a bucket of forcing overtime at Loyola in the opening round of the Horizon League Tournament.

Head coaches, sports information directors and select media members voted in the poll.

The last Penguin to earn conference player-of-the-year honors was Brianne Kenneally in 1999-2000 while YSU was competing in the Mid-Continent Conference. YSU’s last first-team all-league performer was Jen Perugini in 2004-05.

Youngstown State begins the 2011-12 season at West Virginia on Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m.

2011-12 Preseason Poll

(First Place Votes)

1. Green Bay (29) – 299
2. Cleveland State – 238
3. Wright State – 212
4. Butler – 197
5. UIC – 186
6. Milwaukee – 177
7. Detroit (1) – 141
8. Loyola – 88
9. Valparaiso – 64
10. Youngstown State – 48

Player of the Year: Brandi Brown, Youngstown State

All-League Team

First Team
Brandi Brown, F, Youngstown State
Julie Wojta, G/F, Green Bay
Molly Fox, F, Wright State
Shalonda Winton, F, Cleveland State
Jasmine Bailey, G/F, UIC

Second Team

Angela Rodriguez, G, Milwaukee
Yar Shayok, F, Detroit
Shamiea Green, G, UIC
Monica Albano, G, Loyola
Betsy Adams, G, Valparaiso

Youngstown State junior forward Brandi Brown has been selected as the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year in the conferences 2011-12 preseason poll that was released Wednesday.

Brown, a second-team all-conference pick last season as the league’s top scorer, edged Green Bay senior Julie Wojta by one point for the preseason player-of-the-year nod. Brown finished with 260 points, and Wojta and Wright State’s Molly Fox were the only other two players to finish with at least 140 points. All five First-Team All-Horizon League members last season were seniors.

Brown (Pomona, Calif.) scored 597 points in 30 games last year for a league-leading 19.9 points per game. She ranked fourth in rebounding with 9.2 per game and tied for the league lead with 13 double-doubles. Additionally, her .472 field-goal percentage ranked seventh. Brown was even better in league play, averaging 22.6 points and 9.6 rebounds while shooting 51.4 percent from the field.

On the national level, Brown ranked 15th in scoring and 49th in rebounding. She was one of only 10 players in the country to rank in the top 50 in both categories.

Brown, Wojta and Fox were joined by Cleveland State’s Shalonda Winton and UIC’s Jasmine Bailey on the first team. Second-team members were Angela Rodriguez (Milwaukee), Yar Shayok (Detroit), Shamiea Green (UIC), Monica Albano (Loyola), and Betsy Adams (Valparaiso).

Brown was snubbed for Horizon League Newcomer of The Year two seasons ago when Detroit’s Shayok, a good player, and second team preseason pick this season, was handed the hardware.  Last season, Brown led the conference in almost every statistic but was somehow kept off of the First-Team in another bad vote or however their procedure works.

Congratulations Brandi!