All year, it seems the Garden City Trojans football team has a different player step up every week. Last Friday at Hofstra Stadium, while a number of Trojans had exceptional games, senior Jordan Fay was the star who shone brightest in the Conference II Semi-Final match-up against the Levittown Division Blue Dragons.

Fay, a tight end and defensive end, was unstoppable on the turf. On defense, he had three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one sack. Fay broke up one pass, and on another occasion he helped cause a sack when he prevented a screen pass from being thrown. On the other side of the ball, Fay caught two passes. One came on a key fourth down early in the game, which helped keep a Garden City scoring drive alive, and his other catch was a two-point conversion in the 3rd quarter. The senior also had the block of the game when he leveled the Division free safety, which enabled tailback John Maloney to run for a long gain.

"I was just in the right place in the right time," said Fay. "Our defense as a whole was well prepared and we swarmed them all night."

"All year he's been very solid," said linebacker Eric Wenzel. "And on Friday he was awesome. He came up big, no question about it."

The defense was not the only facet of Garden City's game that was clicking Friday night. For the fourth time this season, the offense totaled more than 40 points. Leading the way was Maloney, who rushed for 122 yards on 17 carries on two touchdowns.

Maloney's first score came on a 1-yard plunge which gave Garden City a 13-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. Minutes earlier, quarterback Matt Casey had hit flanker Kevin Waters on a 15-yard scoring strike. Maloney scored again from 6 yards on an option early in the second.

"The line was doing a great job," said the junior. "It was like the parting of the Red Sea. The holes were so big."

With a 19-0 half-time lead, Garden City came out smoking to start the second half. First, Casey hit Waters for another touchdown, this one coming on a 13-yard hitch-and-go pattern. Following a Division punt, senior Jim Wills ran 62 yards off right tackle for a touchdown. The party wasn't over for Garden City as Fay recovered a fumble n the ensuing kickoff and returned it to the 12-yard line. Two plays later, super-sub Rory Connolly bullied his way into the endzone, capping off the 40-0 rout.

The defense played brilliantly, totaling four sacks and frustrating Division's All-County running back, Kevin O'Hagan. Senior DT Kyle Walsh had 2 1/2 sacks, while Wenzel had one of his own. Division threatened to score only once, but their opportunity was squandered when WR Steve Juliano caught a fourth down pass out of the end zone.

"We had better skilled people than them tonight," said Head Coach Tom Flatley. "Next week will be a war though. We have to prepare better than we did last time."

Next Garden City takes on the New Hyde Park Gladiators for the Nassau County Conference II Championship. When the two teams met earlier this season, Garden City won with an amazing last second touchdown catch by Dan Doherty, 20-14. This match figures to be another bruising game. Whichever offensive line has more success will most likely come out victorious.

* Kyle Walsh (DT) - The senior had 2 1/2 sacks, and dazzled the crowd with a celebration dance after each one.

* Jordan Fay (DE/TE) - The senior had the game of his life, although he ruined his perfect catch to touchdown ratio. Entering the game, Fay had three catches, all for touchdowns. His first quarter reception ended the streak.

* Jim Wills (RB/CB) - His 62-yard burst was the seniors' second TD run over 40 yards this season.

The Garden City Boys Varsity Soccer team had their season end prematurely at Bethpage State Park, when they lost to the Valley Stream South Falcons, 1-0. This was the third meeting between the two teams, with the first game ending in a tie and the Trojans winning the second. The game was back and forth all day, with both teams showing great ball control. The lone goal came on a penalty shot, which was the result of an illegal slide tackle by a Garden City defender. "It was a questionable call," said senior defenseman Bill Sebring. "The refs said he was taken down inside the box, but you could see the slide mark was well outside the box."

Although it was not the way the team had hoped their season would end, the Trojans had a very successful year, finishing with a 11-3-5 record, good for second in their conference. Congratulations to Coach Carlo Mazarese, the graduating seniors and the whole team. A special salute to seniors Matt Goldner and Matt Monte, who finished their remarkable four year varsity careers. Both will be competing in the Exceptional Seniors Game, comprised of the best players on Long Island, on Saturday, Nov. 28.

The varsity field hockey team remained undefeated, as they captured their fifth straight Long Island championship at Hofstra Stadium. In the 2-0 victory over Miller Place, Allie Wess and Meggie O'Neil each scored a goal. Once again, Garden City's defense shut down its opponent, as goalie Jessica Kulesa did not have to stop a single shot. The girls will travel upstate for the firth straight year, but hope to bring back a state title, which has eluded them the last two years. "We came so close to winning it last year," senior defender Lauren LiCalzi states. "We've worked too hard and are too close to let it slip away now." The team will play Wednesday in the semis, and with a victory will play for the title Saturday. Good luck, ladies. As reported in last week's issue, the girls' season ended with a loss to New Hyde Park. Seniors Alex Fiore, Ai Yasukawa, Laura Segerdahl, and sophomore Bethany LeSueur were selected All-County. Seniors Jen Keith, Eleanor Weille and sophomore Amy Appelt were selected All Class B. Katie Shaughnessy, a two-time All-Class B defender, suffered an injury, which cost her a chance for post season honors. Junior Basia Dabrowski was selected as the team's most improved player. Katie Houston and LeSueur were elected captains for the 1999 team. With the returning talent and the leadership ability of both Houston and LeSueur, the 1999 Lady Trojans should be a heavy favorite to win it all.