It's that time of year for another exciting season of fall sports. The Mineola High School athletic teams are ready to go. Here is a profile of some of Mineola's teams:

Football

Head Coach - Dan Guido - a graduate of Mineola High School

Asst. Coaches - Helms Bohringer and Mark Miller

JV Coaches - Chris Friedel and Bob Young

Middle School Coaches - Glenn Cocoman and Steve Mitchell

Returning Players

Dan Terezo - QB/DB (good athletic sense)

Raul Gonzalez - FB/LB (Captain, returning starter, tough and aggressive)

Chris Jones - RB/LB (returning starter, powerful runner)

Chris Stvcic - OT/DT (good size and strength)

Steve Bruno - REC/DB (Captain, smart, aggressive player)

Rick Dicandia - DE/OL (excellent player, good size, speed and aggressiveness)

Hot Newcomers

Adam Tuthill (REC/DB), John Canavan (REC/DB), Adam Zoffreneiri (LINE), Andrew Lyons, Pio Park, Aril Pamnari (REC)

Players to Watch

Raul Gonzalez, Chris Jones, Steve Bruno, John Canavan, Adam Tuthill, Trumainn Thurmond (RB/DB), Mike Gregorious (OL/DE), Roberto Granados (RB/LB/DE), Edgar Dominguez (RB/LB), Peter Wain (RB/LB)

Expectations

Since Mineola graduated 17 seniors from last year's team that went to the county championship, the Mustangs lack a lot of experience and they lack depth. However, the team feels that if they can stay healthy, the Mustangs can compete with every team on their schedule.

Boy's Soccer

Head Coach - Paul Pereira (4th season) - a graduate of Mineola High School

JV Coach - Al Cavalluzzo

Returning Players

Jonathan Debrich - Captain, 1999 All-Conference, four-year varsity starter, solid defensive player at sweeper

Jason Carlos - Captain, 1999 All-Conference, three year varsity player, great ball control, very skilled with a great left foot, especially on free kicks

Justin Clingo - 1999 All-Conference, three year varsity player, outstanding talent, great ball control and dribbling ability

Drew Wachter - midfielder with strong left foot, will work well with Clingo and Carlos

Tom McPartland - goalkeeper, aggressive, leader on and off the field

Andre Mendes - a feisty defender, gives 100 percent all the time against bigger opponents, never loses a head ball

Paul Bispo - great speed and a knack for the back of the net

John Sullivan - forward, looking to improve on offensive output

James Escaleira - talented junior but will miss the season with a knee injury

Hot Newcomers

Jose Lopez (junior forward) - a natural goal scorer, lighting speed, Scored 7 goals in first 4 games of the season

Players to Watch

Jose Lopez, Justin Clingo, Jason Carlos, Andre Mendes, Jonathan Debrich, Paul Bispo

Expectations

The Mustangs moved up a division for the third straight year. This season, they will play in the very competitive B-III conference. The competition will be tough, but more teams (now 4 out of 7) are eligible for the playoffs. North Shore and Oyster Bay are two very talented teams who will compete for the championship. However, all B-III teams will be competitive. Mineola's goal is to make the playoffs for the second straight season.

Boys JV Soccer

Head Coach - Al Cavalluzzo - graduate of Sewanhaka High School

Returning Players

Greg Weiss (goalkeeper)

J.P. Cifuentes (forward)

Danny Rosa (forward)

Leandro Fenster (midfeld)

Hot Newcomers

Peter Marson (center/midfield), Matt Shanahan (sweeper)

Players to Watch

Greg Weiss, Vito Errico (stopper), Alex Tinoco (right halfback)

Expectations

This team has 16 new freshmen but expects to be competitive and successful. They have a lot of talent and a desire to learn. The future of the soccer program in Mineola looks promising.

Girls Varsity Soccer

Head Coach - Christine Wiedman - a graduate of Mineola High School

JV Coach - Frank Massaro

Middle School Coach - Jerrill Critchley

Returning Players

Captain Joanna Errico, Captain Trisha Gettler, Captain Katherine Hock, Captain Kerrin Hughes, Danielle Adams, Lauren Anderson, Jamie Carter, Tara Georges, Nicole McAllister, Vikki Montalbano, Deena Vezo

Hot Newcomers

Maureen Cloghessy, Danielle Fidnarick, Melissa Hock, Filomena Palumbo, Janine Posillico

Expectations

The Lady Mustangs expect to do very well this season. They have 11 returning players and five newcomers who fit into a unit very well. They are extremely talented and have a great game sense. The girls have worked hard in the pre-season and deserve to win. Their short-term goal is to take each game one at a time. Their long-term goal is to make the playoffs. Manhasset, Levittown Division, Seaford and North Shore were all ranked ahead of Mineola in the preseason.

Girls Varsity Volleyball

Head Coach - Lynn Klein - a graduate of Mineola High School

JV Coach - Noreen Fitzpatrick

Returning Players

Vanessa Papadimitrios (senior captain, outside hitter), Lauren Callahan (senior captain, middle), Ashley O'Neill (senior captain), Kristen Buglione (senior), Nicole Yackubowski (senior), Christine McPartlan (sophomore setter), Lauren Saulnier (senior outside hitter)

Hot Newcomers

Senior Allison Conti, Juniors Alison Auriemmo, Liz Diaz, Kristina Zunno, Sophomores Rachelle Callahan, and Kristin McNally

Players to Watch

Vanessa Papadimitrios, Christine McPartlan, Lauren Callahan, Ashley O'Neill

Mineola High School Sports Results

The Mineola High School boys varsity soccer team opened its season by winning the 2nd Annual Mustang Cup Tournament. Mineola defeated Valley Stream North in the semi-finals 8-0. The Mustangs then beat Holy Trinity in the finals 5-0. Junior Jose Lopez scored six goals and assisted on three others during the two-day tournament. Senior Justin Clingo scored three goals and was voted the tournament Most Valuable Player. Senior captains Jonathan Debrich and Jason Carlos along with seniors Drew Wachter, Andre Mendes and Thomas McPartland all had a strong tournament.

Meanwhile the junior varsity soccer team opened its season by defeating league opponent North Shore 2-1. Danny Rosa and Heldar Mendes both scored while Peter Marson assisted on both tallies. Matt Shanahan, Vito Errico, Ben Molina, Oscar Orozco and Ramon Valente all played strong defense to help preserve the lead. Goalie Greg Weiss was strong in net, stopping many North Shore scoring chances.

The girls varsity soccer team opened its season with a 3-1 loss to Levittown Division. The Lady Mustangs did score the game's first goal on an outstanding shot from Maureen Cloghessy. She was assisted by Danielle Fidnarick. But, Mineola could not hold off Division, which scored three unanswered goals. Goalkeeper Melissa Hock, defenders Tara Georges, Joanna Errico and Lauren Anderson had an outstanding game as did midfielders Danielle Adams and Katherine Hock.

The Mineola varsity volleyball team tipped-off its season by defeating Levittown Division in three straight games. The scores were 15-3, 15-1, 15-7. Vanessa Papadimitrios had 7 kills in the win while Ashley O'Neill scored 5 aces. The Lady Mustangs then won their next game in three straight over Carey. The scores were 15-10, 15-7, 15-4. Papadimitrios had 7 kills and 3 aces in the match while Lauren Callahan had 6 kills and 9 digs. Sophomore Christine McPartlan scored 3 aces and had 8 assists. Before these regular season games, Mineola played in the Wantagh Tournament and finished third. Papadimitrios was named to the all-tournament team for the second straight year in a row. She had 16 aces in the tournament. McPartlan had 16 assists.

Meanwhile, the junior varsity volleyball team won its first match, defeating Division 3-1. Allyson Strein, Liz Terezo and Barbara Raveli were outstanding at service. Defensively, Stephanie Whitten, Suzie Auriemmo, Rosa Averaimo, Melissa Macaraeg and Amira Gerges also contributed to the win.

The Mineola varsity golf team opened its season with a win over county qualifier Herricks. Aaron Kelley, Rick Calonita and Joe Hazel all won their matches. Joe Selby halved his match. Chris Festa helped secure the win by shooting a season best 58. The Mustangs won their second match over West Hempstead before losing to Garden City and Lawrence. Despite the loss to Lawrence, a county qualifier, the undefeated Joe Selby shot a 43 whle Aaron Kelley secured a point, winning by two strokes.