The Island Trees' Wrestling team opened the season with a 7th place finish at the Uniondale Tournament. The team was led by place winners James Lyons (2nd), Matt Anderson (3rd) and Anthony Casale (2nd). In the second tournament, the Bulldogs finished in a tie for 7th at the Hank Paris Invitational at Bethpage. The top finishers were James Lyons, who was 2nd at 145 pounds, Chris Lorenzini, 3rd at 171 pounds and James Scrimo who was 3rd at 125 pounds. The Bulldogs opened their season with two impressive dual meet victories. The first was a 60-6 decision over Westbury and the second was a 61-6 victory over Great Neck South. The Alumni Match is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. All Alumni please contact Carol Carrozza Kenngott, director of alumni relations, at 520-2135 if you are interested in attending. The Girls' Varsity Basketball team is once again striving for a goal, a state championship. Last year's game in the county finals has only given the girls more drive to finish what they didn't last year. With many big games in pre-season and many hours of practicing, the girls are ready for anything. Coach Zamroz is very optimistic about the season and is ready for a new start. The girls feel the same way and are playing hard every day in practice. The line-up this year consists of seniors Cathy Sbarra, Tara Berman, Meghan Voss; juniors Lisa Macchia, Lisa Smith, Ashley Tonno, Danielle Cama, Elena O'Brien; sophomores Jen D'Albenzio, Erin Carroll and eighth grader Brittany Faherty. Special recognition goes to Kate Sciacca, whose knee injury over the summer has kept her from playing. Get well soon Kate! In their first games and scrimmages, the Lady Dawgs defeated many challenging teams, such as Freeport, Hempstead, Wantagh, MacArthur and Seaford. Their first non-league game vs. Sewanhaka showed the cohesion between the girls, by winning 52-39. Lisa Macchia, one of the team's starting forwards, scored her 1,000th career point during the 3rd quarter, making her one out of only a few countywide to ever accomplish this. The team is playing very well together and hopes to go undefeated this season. With all of their hard work and dedication, and support from their families and the school, this year's goals are definitely within reach. Good luck girls!

The Island Trees Boys 8th grade Basketball team improved their record to 2-0 with a thrilling 40-39 come-from-behind- victory over an extremely talented team from neighboring Salk. Entering the decisive 5th period, the Bulldogs trailed by 9. Christian Salvage had 3 steals in the period and Russell Davis came alive scoring 7 of his 8 points in the final stanza. Vincent Ciaravino's two reverse lay-ups proved to be the winning points as the Dawgs went up by three with 20 ticks on the clock. Salk would not quit though, as they called a time out and raced the length of the court to score and make it a one-point game. That was as close as it would get though, as the Bulldogs escaped with the narrowest of margins. Christian Salvage finished with five points, Brian Spiess with 2, Michael Topel had 1, Sean Walsh and John Covais each added a pair while Vincent Ciaravino would end his day with 9 points and 5 blocked shots. Game high honors go to Ryan Hollett as he finished his afternoon with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The rematch at the end of the season should shape up to be a dandy.

The 7th grade Boys' Basketball team showed great improvement in a difficult loss to Plainview. The team was once again led in scoring and assists by Tim Dwyer. Dwyer dropped in ten points for the Bulldogs. Also scoring for the team were Pat Sarris with 9 points, Matt Valinoti with 8, and Joe Ambrosio, Joe Ciaravino, Rob Hutnik, Joe Dias and Kevin Kilfoil each with a basket. John Pierro, Brian Balvin, Pat Sarris and Matt Valinoti all did a great job on the boards, snatching down rebounds all afternoon. Cole D'Ambrosio and Bill Lewis played solid defense in the back court. The team faces Salk in their home opener.

The 8th grade volleyball team played a nail-biting game against Salk. The Lady Bulldogs were able to come from behind and win the final three games of the best of five matches. The girls played outstanding team ball and all contributed to the exciting victory. Jamie Lent has a spectacular all-around game. Her intimidating serving secured 6 points for the Bulldogs. Lent's hustle led to many points for the team. She had several saves and a dozen smart plays; Lent's skills definitely stood out in the game. Donna Braun also gave 110 percent with 10 points from her deadly serve and two nice spikes. Kate Beale scored 9 points for the team and was able to save the ball a number of times. Nicole Carrazzana was able to stop Salk in its tracks with her amazing serves. Nicole gave the Lady Bulldogs 9 points. Megan Carlson's serves also helped win the games. She had 7 points and played heads up ball on the court. Gina Brewer, Melissa Medina, Jessica Ostrowski, Tina Rivera, Lori Brennan and Michelle McGurk gave their all to win the final three games of the match. The girls should be extremely proud of their amazing win and their incredible attitude and hustle. Good luck ladies!

Congratulations to the Girls 7th grade volleyball team on their display of sportsmanship and teamwork in their match against Packard. The girls pulled through to win the last game with help from Stephanie Irving's powerful serves, Michelle Topel's setting and overall communication. Good job girls!