Anderson Lifts Army

Cardinal Hayes High School graduate Christian Anderson ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns in helping Army defeat La.-Monroe, 37-7, at West Point on Saturday.

“It was a good job by all the guys on the offense. The linemen created really big holes, the slots and receivers were doing a great job on the outside with their matchups and I was able to find holes in the defense and was able to exploit them,” Anderson said in the post-game press conference.

For the season, the quarterback has a team-high 149 to go with three touchdowns on 31 carries, averaging close to five yards per carry.

Army was scheduled to host BYU this weekend in a nationally televised game on CBS, but the game has been postponed due to a small number of positive COVID-19 tests at BYU. The two schools are attempting to reschedule the game.

Army will play at Cincinnati Sept. 26 in a game scheduled to be televised by ABC or ESPN.

FILE PHOTO BY DANNY WILD/ARMY ATHLETICS

Baez Leads Worcester to Final

Mount St. Michael Academy graduate Angelo Baez helped the Worcester Bravehearts reach the third and final game of the championship series in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England.

The Bravehearts lost to Nashua, 5-3, in the third game of the best-of-three championship series.

Baez finished with a league-low 1.29 earned run average, allowing five earned runs and striking out 46 in 35 innings. In 2019, he was named the league’s pitcher of the year.

Baez, a graduate student, will pitch his senior season at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Rockland County in the 2020-2021 school year.

Baez was one of the players featured in a Catholic New York story on players competing in summer leagues. Click here to read the story.

PHOTO BY CAROL MOROCCO/WORCESTER BRAVEHEARTS

 

Lowe Joins Texas Rio Grande Valley Men’s Basketball Staff

Archbishop Stepinac High School assistant basketball coach Chris Lowe has been named special assistant to the men’s basketball head coach of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Lowe, who played at the University of Massachusetts before competing professionally in the NBA G-League and in Europe, was a graduate student manager the last two seasons at St. Louis, which competed in the 2019 NCAA Division I tournament.

Texas Rio Grande Valley competes in the Western Athletic Conference and finished with a 14-16 overall and 9-7 in the WAC during the 2019-2020 season.

“Chris is a strong addition to our staff. He’s someone that’s going to be a great coach in the future,” UTRGV men’s basketball head coach Lew Hill said in a press release from the school. “He played overseas for eight years and played at a high level at UMass. Chris is going to bring a new energy to our staff. That, combined with his youthfulness, is going to be really good for our players.”

Lowe added, “”I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to join Coach Hill’s staff. I look forward to helping the University and our student-athletes reach their full potential.”

Summer Baseball Offers Athletes Chance to be Back on Diamond

Summer baseball leagues are giving athletes the opportunity to compete again after all Catholic high school players and college players from the archdiocese had their seasons cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mount St. Michael Academy graduate and St. Thomas Aquinas player Angelo Baez is playing for the Worcester Bravehearts in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England.

Click here to read his story and other stories from baseball players competing in summer leagues.

PHOTO BY CAROL MOROCCO/WORCESTER BRAVEHEARTS

 

Army-Oklahoma Game Cancelled

The Army football game against Oklahoma was cancelled for the 2020 season after the Big 12 announced its teams will not be playing non-conference road games this season.

The two teams were scheduled to play at Michie Stadium in West Point on Sept. 26. The West Point athletic department is putting together an updated schedule for the 2020 season.

Cardinal Hayes High School graduate Christian Anderson is competing for the starting job at quarterback for Army after becoming the first Army quarterback in 40 years to make his first collegiate start in the Army-Navy game. He ran for 56 yards and one touchdown in the game last December.

Anderson appeared in six games last season, including the one start, and ran for 429 yards and four touchdowns on 67 carries, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.  He also threw for 135 yards and a touchdown.

PHOTO BY DANNY WILD/ARMY ATHLETICS

 

MAAC Cancels 2020 Fall Season

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced on Monday its cancelling its 2020 fall sports season due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Manhattan College and Iona College are schools in the archdiocese that compete in the MAAC.

“The decision to cancel fall sports was made with student-athletes being top of mind,” said MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor in a press release.  “It is difficult to put into words how I feel for all of the student athletes, coaches, and administrators who put in so much work on a daily basis. Health and safety protocols have been of the utmost priority the last several months, but unfortunately, there are too many factors that prohibit the MAAC and its institutions from safely delivering a competitive atmosphere that these individuals deserve.”

Fall student-athletes will be permitted to train once they return to campus for the 2020-2021 academic school year.

The conference will announce at a later date whether the fall 2020 sports season will be held in the spring semester.

Anderson Back at West Point

Christian Anderson is returning for his senior season at the U.S. Military Academy after a historic junior campaign with the football program in 2019.

The graduate of Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx became the first Army quarterback in 40 years to make his first collegiate start in the Army-Navy game. He ran for 56 yards and one touchdown in the game last December.

Anderson appeared in six games, including the one start, and ran for 429 yards and four touchdowns on 67 carries, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.  He also threw for 135 yards and a touchdown.

Anderson threw an 80-yard touchdown pass in his first game against Morgan State and rushed for a career-high 114 yards versus Hawaii.

Army is scheduled to open the season on Friday, Sept. 4 against Bucknell. The Black Knights host Oklahoma on Sept. 26 and play Navy to close the season in Philadelphia on Dec. 12.

PHOTO FROM DANNY WILD/ARMY ATHLETICS

 

 

 

Manhattan XC Invitational Cancelled

The 2020 Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a release from the Manhattan College athletic department.

The meet, founded in 1972, is the largest one-day high school cross country meet in the country with some 10,000 runners representing about 300 teams. Manhattan hosts the event in October at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

“Our greatest concern is always the health and safety of all the competitors and families who attend this event each year,” said Matt Centrowitz, director of Manhattan’s cross country and track and field programs, in the press release from the college. “Despite how much we all want to host this year’s race, there are too many unknowns right now. While this decision is difficult, it is without a doubt in the best interest of all involved.”

The 2021 meet is being planned for October 9.

 

Kortright Signs with Quinnipiac

Luis Kortright of St. Raymond became the fourth member of Quinnipiac University’s 2020 signing class by recently signing a National Letter of Intent to play for the men’s basketball team, Quinnipiac head coach Baker Dunleavy announced this week.

Kortright earned first-team all-league and all-state honors after averaging 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 2019-2020.

“Quinnipiac Basketball is very excited to have Luis Kortright and his family join our program,” Dunleavy said in a press release from the university. “Luis is an athletic guard that can rebound, push the tempo and score at a high level. He has been well-coached throughout his time at St. Raymond High School. Luis was one of the best players this season in the CHSAA, one of the best high school leagues in the country. His game will fit in well with our style of play, and our program can’t wait to welcome him to campus ahead of the 2020-21 season.”

Quinnipiac competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with programs including Iona and Manhattan colleges.

Montuori Signs with Sacred Heart

Msgr. Farrell High School senior Mario Montuori signed a National Letter of Intent to run at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.

Montuori is a middle distance and distance runner.

Sacred Heart track and field is a NCAA Division 1 program that competes in the Northeast Conference.