The Mineola High School football team started the 2001 season slowly, but finished with a bang. The Mustangs opened by losing their first five games, but closed with three consecutive victories.

"We had a good year since we improved quite a bit," said coach Dan Guido. "Our record is deceiving in that we could have won five or six games, but we had three close losses."

The coach cited a 20-6 loss to Great Neck North, 21-13 loss to Lynbrook and an 8-6 loss to Sewanhaka as games Mineola could have won. "We are a very young team and low in numbers. We have only five seniors, but 16 juniors and two sophomores. The boys did a great job of staying together and working hard even though things were not going their way. I think we all had fun. With some off-season weight training, this could be a very good team next year and I'm looking forward to it," Guido said.

The Mustangs football team also is the first football team in school history and the second boys team overall in Mineola to achieve the honor of receiving the New York State Team Scholar Athlete Award. The coaches association also awarded Peter Wain and Adam Zoffranieri All Conference honors while John Canavan was named the winner of the National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete Award.

Meanwhile, the Mineola junior varsity football team had a rugged season. The junior Mustangs went 0-8, but coach Mark Miller did see improvement. "We had a hard time scoring points because of a lack of blocking. Defensively, we did okay, but with the propensity to give up the big play, we hurt ourselves. Our special teams scored a number of touchdowns this season, which is a positive," he said.

Miller mentioned that the Mustangs have a young team with a majority of freshmen who grew into a team.

The Mustangs had a tough autumn season overall. No team exemplified this more than the boy's varsity soccer club. Having lost all but one of his team's 45 goals from the year before, fifth year coach Paul Pereira guided his team through a record of 1-9-2 in the extremely competitive Conference BIII. Coach Pereira, though, still pointed to several bright spots. The Mustangs played outstanding defense, led by All Conference junior goalkeeper Greg Weiss. Mineola had an impressive 1.75 goals against average, but lost many games on a single goal. The lone win came against eventual county semi-finalist Great Neck North.

Mineola prevailed 1-0 in the last game of the season. Junior forward Gabe Moreira scored the winner on an assist from All-Conference senior midfielder Jeff Carlos. Coach Pereira is already looking forward to next season, when he'll welcome back eight starters, four of whom are sophomores.

The boys junior varsity soccer team experienced a roller coaster season. With eight players returning from the 2000 season, Coach Al Cavalluzzo welcomed 10 new freshmen and sophomores. Although the season opened with high expectations, it opened with three consecutive losses. But, in a 9-2 win over North Shore, the junior Mustangs showed the kind of potential the team had. That was followed by a pair of one-goal losses to Wantagh and Carle Place. Mineola then responded by notching a pair of shutout victories. They beat Bethpage 6-0 and Great Neck North 2-0. The roller coaster ride continued with a 3-1 loss to Glen Cove in the next game. But, the Mustangs refused to lose another game. They pinned a 7-0 whitewashing on Bethpage and then tied the last three games with Oyster Bay, Wantagh and Great Neck North. The final record read 4-6-3. Captain Helder Mendes and Peter Marson led the team with nine goals each. Freshman Mark Lupo added seven and sophomore Roberto Ramalhaete had six. Jose Rivera, Chris Sallie, Ben Molina, Mike Kondraciuk and Mike Skaliotis contributed ten goals between them.

"On defense , sweeper and captain Ramon Valente, along with Julio Gatto, Joao Sousa and Jimmy Francis did an excellent job in supporting freshman goalie Kevin Franciotti, who earned three shutouts," said Cavalluzzo.

The coach also pointed out that Chris Goncalves, Jose David, Victor Prado and Anthony Nicaj all did an excellent job in supporting the team in any way possible.

The Lady Mustang varsity soccer team had its share of wins, but not enough to make the playoff. Coach Christine Wiedman said, "Although our final record reads 6 wins and 8 losses, this is not reflective of how the girls played on the field. We were one of the few teams in Conference VI that did not play the kick and chase style of soccer. The girls played smart, technical, strategic soccer. They coordinated plays through many passing sequences and individual offensive moves, which, in turn, created a lot of scoring opportunities." In talking about her players, Wiedman went onto point out that the team had outstanding players. Three seniors were recognized by the Nassau County Girls Soccer Coaches Association. Maureen Cloghessy was voted All-Class-B. Lauren Anderson was picked All-Conference while Filomena Palumbo was named Scholar Athlete. Coach Wiedman also chose seniors Nicole Mcallister and Vikki Montalbano along with junior Denise Fitzpatrick as recipients of the team's "strive for excellence" award.

Coach Frank Massaro's girls junior varisty soccer team had an awesome season. The junior Lady Mustangs ran-up an impressive 14-1 record. The team went undefeated in taking the conference title and posted eleven shutouts. Massaro pointed out that "a strong defense was led by Margaret Phelan. The offense was powered by leading scorers Caitlin Orlando, Caitlin Herrera and Katie Steen."

Massaro concluded by saying "this young and talented group should pave the way for future success in the Lady Mustangs soccer program."

Last year's amazing success proved to be a huge detriment for the varsity volleyball program. Mineola was a league champion in 2000. So, the Mustangs were moved up a conference in 2001. The problem is the league-championship team also graduated six seniors and this year had only four returning players. First year coach Janna Balsamo, nevertheless, took her team through a rugged conference, improving tremendously from the beginning to the end of the season. But, still, the record read 0-12. Coach Balsamo said, "although losing was difficult, the girls remained positive and involved. I have requested to be moved down a division for next year. So, I believe we will perform better next year in a lower conference."

The rough season did pay off, though, in postseason honors for four members of the team. Junior Christine McPartlan was voted All-County. Senior Kristina Zunno was selected honorable mention All-County, while junior Kristin McNally and sophomore Allison Strein were chosen as All-Conference performers.

If the varsity volleyballers were young and inexperienced, then obviously, the junior varsity was even younger. Ms. Kennedy's squad was made-up of seven freshman and three sophomores, including Suzanne Auriemmo and co-captains Melissa Macaraeg and Barbara Ravelli. Coach Kennedy was injured in a horseback riding accident as the season was beginning and had to coach verbally and could not practice with the girls until mid-season. This impaired the ability of the team to reach its full potential by the end of the season. Like the varsity, the JV team suffered through a 0-12 campaign. Coach Kennedy said, "although our record is nothing to be proud of, I am proud of the team. Within a short period of time, this young, rebuilding team became a new group of athletes. They feel it and I know it. Team building is a difficult task, and if the season was a few weeks longer, I know the record would have been different."

The coach gave credit to many of her players, including setters Erin O'Neil and Joanna Cohen. "They guided the team to play their positions and as strong servers, these two athletes were the backbone of the team." Barbara Ravelli started the season as a setter. But, by the end of the season, she found her niche in the middle position and showed a great ability to dig and fire powerful serves. Melissa Macaraeg also developed through the season, starting as a setter until her ability as an outside hitter and passer was uncovered. Nearly every player on the team developed in like fashion. Coach Kennedy said "in short, the team learned a lot, the first-time coach learned a lot and we all had fun in the process."

The Mineola varsity golf team entered its sixth season with high expectations with four returning starters. Aaron Kelley was the first golfer in Mineola history to qualify for the second day of the county tournament last May. Seniors Joe Selby and Rick Calonita both qualified for the county tournament as well. Coach Bruce Vatske said, "while those three players lived-up to pre-season hype, the remainder of the squad was slow to keep pace."

Mineola completed the season with 4 wins and 12 losses. Kelley moved from number two to the number one position on the team and lowered his stroke average to 40.18. Calonita moved into the second spot by improving his stroke average by a little over four strokes per round. Selby continued to play well, keeping his four-year average below 44.10 and improving his match record as well. All three will represent Mineola in the county tournament in the spring. Coach Vatske also took time to pay tribute to his new assistant coach, Elizabeth Jordan, who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attack on New York. Vatske said, "our thoughts and prayers go out to her on a daily basis. Moments of silence were observed before many of our matches. With every stroke, every putt and every match, the golfers simply realized that we are just playing a game."

The Mineola Middle School football team completed a 2-3 season with a disappointing 26-0 loss to Carle Place. Coach Glenn Cocoman pointed out the first game of the season was changed to a scrimmage due to the September 11 tragedy. Otherwise, the team would have been 3-3.

In that season-ending loss to Carle Place, the coach said, "quarterback Anthony Orsano shook off a wrist injury and played a strong offensive and defensive game. Anthony is a tough competitor, a strong-armed quarterback and an excellent defensive player. By far, he would be considered the MVP of the team."

B-team quarterback Jon Hock gave the fans a sneak preview of what to expect next year. Coach Cocoman said, "Jon, like Anthony, played a strong game on both sides of the ball, but really impressed us with his strong running ability."

The team's two wins came over Jericho and Roslyn. But, the Mustangs were by beaten by Locust Valley, North Shore and Carle Place by decided margins. The coach talked about some of the featured performers this year. He highlighted Anthony Orsano, Jon Hock, Ian Stanisic, Tiago Rodrigues, Bayron Yanez, Michael Black, Chris Orlando and Anthony Tretolo. "The team worked hard from the first week of September until the second week of November and gave a solid effort week in and week out," Coach Cocomon said.

The Mineola boys 8th grade soccer team opened its season with a 4-1 victory over Carle Place. But, the young Mustangs then lost to Jericho and suffered consecutive one-goal losses to Clarke and Garden City. The boys rebounded with a thrilling 2-1 win over an undefeated Great Neck South team. The other school from that town, Great Neck North, was 6-1 coming into its game with Mineola and edged out the middle schoolers 1-0. Then, a powerful Weber club thumped Mineola 5-0. But, the 8th graders closed the season with a 3-2 victory over North Shore. Coach Barry Silverstein said, "despite our record (3-5), the boys were in every game, including an overtime loss to Clarke and a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of powerful Garden City."

The coach also gave credit to his squad, naming top performers such as goaltender Claudio Saavedra, forwards Max Bankin, Steve Dekanchuk and Tiago Barbosa, plus midfielders Michael Marques and Craig Strein, along with fullbacks and defenders Nick Tonini and Charlie Molina. The coach also mentioned that George Costa was a welcome addition to the soccer team after trying his hand at football in the 7th grade.

The middle school girls soccer teams also had a rough fall season. The 8th grade team finished 0 and 9. But, Coach Jerrill Critchley still termed the season successful. The coach fielded a roster of 26 players and she said the Lady Mustangs developed their basic soccer skills. "More importantly, the girls learned teamwork, cooperation, perserverance and dedication. In the process of learning these character building qualities, new friendships were formed, personal goals were reached and the girls had fun." Three "Strive for Excellence" awards were presented. The recipients were Marisa Jetter, Nicole Destefano and Cynthia Gamarra. Coach Critchley concluded by pointing out "on many occasions, opposing coaches complimented the Mineola girls on their conduct on and off the field. I was honored to have such a wonderful group of girls to coach this season."

The 7th grade girls soccer team finished its season with a record of 0-6-2. Katie Carter was the leading goal scorer. She also served as co-captain along with Lauren Flynn, Tesia Kwarteng and Jen Port. Coach Kristin Degnan fielded a squad of 24 players. She said some of those girls had never played the game before. "But, the veteran players lead the way to help the newcomers learn the game. Through hard practice and dedication, the team improved 100 percent. By the end of the season, opposing coaches were asking what changes had been made. It looked like a different team by the end of the season."

The 7th grade team was comprised of Liz Bartscherer, Melissa Beck, Justine Boeshore, Melissa Bubelis, Jill Caputo, Katie Carter, Emily Citro, Liliana DeOliveira, Alia Fater, Tanya Fernandes, Lauren Flynn, Melissa Fusco, Maggie Garcia, Magda Jackowicz, Tesia Kwarteng, Kelly Larose, Julianne Lasorsa, Catherine Lusardi, Jessamine McKeever, Lauren Mobyed, Jen Port, Theresa Rauert, Christa Steen and Anne Wellbrock.