By Ian Kamen

The North Shore varsity volleyball team played three matches this week as the season begins to wind down. Last Monday, the Vikings played the first-place Plainview JFK team. In a tight match, we lost three games to one. On Tuesday, we followed the Plainview match with a four game win versus East Meadow. After losing the first game, we roared back to win three straight games. On Friday, we went to Hicksville and there clinched a third-place finish in League II (the second toughest league in Nassau County). We beat Hicksville in three straight games and improved our record to 9-6.

Key players during the week continued to be our seniors. Captains Lauren Ko, Melanie Guardino and Suzanne Long led the charge. Seniors Liz Muscarella and Carly Langer played major roles in the win, with Liz setting a personal record with 19 assists in the East Meadow match.

We finish our regular season on Monday against Mineola. Our playoffs begin on Thursday at home versus Clarke High School in the first round of the Nassau County playoffs.

By Kellie Moritz

The North Shore Field Hockey Team finished its regular season play with a record of 12-1-1. The Vikings tied Manhasset 1-1 with 3:38 left in the game. Manhasset scored at four minutes, and Elizabeth Cottell tipped a shot from Catie DeStio twenty seconds later to tie the game. North Shore ended their regular season play with a 2-1 win over Clarke. The Vikings will play on Thursday, November 3 at 2:30 at Glenwood Landing in the County Semi-Finals against the winner of Cold Spring Harbor and Locust Valley.

By Neal Levy

The North Shore Girls' Cross-Country Team qualified for the Nassau County Championship this past Saturday. They placed 3rd in the Conference Championship, which earned them an automatic berth for the championship next weekend at Bethpage State Park. Leading the way was eighth-grader Brianna Welch, who upset the favorite in the race by winning by an outstanding 35 seconds. Her time of 18:42 for the 5k distance is the fastest any female athlete has run on that course this year. Other outstanding performances were by freshmen Marisa Dussel and Ilana Rotberg, who keep improving steadily week after week. They are making a real contribution to the team's success. Juniors Morgan Smith and Kirsten Oertle, who have been steady all season, continued their consistency by also running quite well. The county championship will be next Saturday at 2:30 PM at Bethpage State Park.

By Dan Agovino

The North Shore Vikings sealed up a spot in the Nassau County football playoffs with an impressive 36-0 victory over Friends Academy. North Shore jumped on the Quakers early in the contest and never looked back. Ronnie Irving completed six of eight passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns, all in a 30-0 first half for North Shore. Vinnie Tesoriero added 89 total yards and two scores. His 36-yard touchdown run, followed by his own successful two-point conversion pass from Irving, made it 8-0 on North Shore's second possession. His second score, a 36-yard touchdown catch, helped close out a 14-0 second quarter. Zach Tayne added 64 yards on six carries, including a 25-yard run in the second quarter. He caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Irving to close out the first quarter. Brian Doherty's interception with 4:08 left helped preserve the shutout. Brian Stern plunged into the end zone to finish the scoring. The Vikings will take on Cold Spring Harbor in the first round of the playoffs.

On Oct. 26, as I ventured forth to the seeding meeting, I was simply hoping to make the playoffs. NS girls are truly Vikings. The team had to win four games in five days to have a decent record. We did it with three wins and one draw. Our record was 7-6-1, and we got in as the 15th seed. We would be playing the number two-seed Garden City. Saturday came; it was cold--some of the girls wore gloves to keep warm. I gave my little speech: "We are the 15th seed--we have nothing to lose--go out and play NS soccer!" Many players were missing, but I set the defense with Devon Comito, Lauren Silka, Madison Martinez (ninth grader), Angela Shih, Lauren Beyer, Maggie Drowica, and Justine Passarelli. They played unafraid, and moved like a well-oiled machine-- playing our offside-trap, and catching Garden City about eight times. Allyson Gordon, ninth grader Laura Cvikevich, Alexandria Welch, Kaitlyn Silka, Danielle Wong, Lauren Berglin and Danielle Dilena played like true champions--not afraid of the Powerhouse Garden City. Allyson scored late in the first half, and the team went wild. At halftime, the Captain Allyson and I continued to let the girls know that we had to score again, to show who wanted the victory more. We continued to press forward undaunted, because Meghan Schenkel, our goalkeeper came back to stop any notion of us losing the game. She was great in goal, taking the high crosses out of the air, diving at Garden City players' feet, and smothering their efforts to score. The game ended-- The 15th- seed, North Shore 2-Garden City, the 2nd seed, 1. I personally feel it was the biggest upset in North Shore Soccer, because "No one thought we had a chance." We showed them! Well done, girls--on to the quarter-finals Wednesday, November 2. Marvelous game-you were fabulous. I am truly proud of my team.

By Audra Marcantonio

The NS Cheer Team walked proudly once again at the North Shore Juvenile Diabetes Walk held right on the NS track. The cheerleaders support much more than just the NS athletics; team members can be seen performing community service, as peer educators, in the National Honors Society- the list goes on and on!

Friday, Oct. 21, the team routed on the awesome NS Football players to an incredible victory! The cheer team performed beautifully while wearing glow stick necklaces! The spirit was simply contagious! Once again, this past Saturday the NS football team dominated the Quakers. What an exciting victory--a total blow out! Cheerleaders routed on all senior athletes and their families on the field with a lovely rose. The day's events were wonderful!

Please join us this Saturday at as we cheer on the NS Football team in a playoff game! The game will be in Cold Spring Harbor at 5 p.m. Let's go Vikings.

Team bios:

Jessica P (freshman) is looking forward to progressing as she enters her first official season with the North Shore Cheerleaders. She has been working hard right from the get-go and showing everyone her Viking spirit. Jess is out to broaden her knowledge of basing stunts. Just recently, she accomplished the elite stunt called a single base with a transition to liberty. Wow! This young freshman is well on her way-- keep up the great work!

Jill S (sophomore) is kicking off her second year of cheerleading with a bang! Jill won the Most Improved Award at the 2005 UCA Summer Camp, and really stepped up to the plate when we needed her to focus on new stunts. This year Jill is looking forward to hitting that beautiful twist-down with even more grace and solidifying her full liberty. She is hitting back pops and single bases with ease! Way to go Jill!

Amanda M (junior) is the "Jumping Bean" of the North Shore Cheerleaders, mastering various jumps with perfect form. She received the Jumping Bean award at the 2005 UCA Summer Camp. In addition to her jumping skills, Amanda has shown her value to the North Shore Cheerleaders through her versatile stunting, as she is both a flyer and a base! She is an invaluable asset to the team. This year Amanda is looking to excel in even more elite stunts at the high school level; she is already twisting down from liberties and nailing the challenging heel stretch! Go Amanda!

The North Shore Boys Cross-Country team had a great day at the Conference Championship Meet at Bethpage State Park on Saturday Oct. 29. The team placed 5th in their State Classification and qualified to compete at the County Championship meet.

David Freiman led the team running his best time ever with 18:36. David is in the running for qualifying for the Section 8 team that will run at the State Championship meet. Close behind David were Jake Tobol and Glen Gerbush at 19:21 and 19:29. Sophomore Nick Breen had a breakout race and just missed going sub 20 minutes for his 5K. Alex Talamo pulled ahead of his teammates and finished first for the freshmen, followed closely by C.J. Osman and Billy Murphy. Alex Wilson and D.J. Weidmer complete the Freshmen Five and will form the basis of the future varsity squad.

Seniors Chris Krieb and Mike Capobianco will also represent North Shore at the County Championship Meet on Nov. 5.

By David Phaff

The North Shore Men's Varsity Soccer Team is a team that portrays pride and character. After a tough start to this season, the boys never quit and finished strong--winning the last two of three games. The loss (2-1) was to West Hempstead, the conference champions who went 12-0 for the season. Many teams lose their hunger and heart when starting off a season 0-5-1, but these boys showed that no matter what the record, they were ready to play as if they were undefeated. I am proud to be coach of a team that shows pride like these boys do.

This was a building year for the soccer team, which lost 12 seniors last year. With the young talent on this team, and other talented players throughout the soccer program, there is a bright future for soccer here at North Shore. The team seniors and captains will be missed greatly by the younger players and myself. My captain, assistant coaches, and other leaders were all role models to the boys on the team. I am confident that the younger boys will follow in their footsteps in the role they took this year. Our captains this past season were: Captain Peter Treiber, Joe Valasiadis, Nick Pappas, Steve Gelberg, and Rob Grella. Our seniors and leaders who will be missed are Eric Gomes and Luis Amaya.

I would just like to thank all the parents and players for all your dedication and support this year, as we look forward to next season.