It should be a very busy weekend for high school fans in the borough this weekend as two championships will be decided on Sunday, while two other teams will compete for the two berths at next weekend’s PSAL Championship game.

FOOTBALL CUP CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

In the Football Cup Championship, Automotive High School of Greenpoint will face South Bronx at the Midwood Athletic Complex at 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning.  Both teams are 11-0 heading into the title tilt, however, the Pistons earned the number 1 seed by virtue of a stronger strength of schedule.

The Pistons are led by senior quarterback Maurice Edwards, who completed 63 percent of his passes this season for 1,328 yards and 15 touchdown passes against only three interceptions.  In the Pistons’ semi-final 20-0 win over Information Technology High School of Long Island City, Queens, Edwards threw for two touchdowns, while Dwon Williams returned a punt for a touchdown.

The Piston defense sacked IT’s quarterback 10 times, intercepted him once, and recovered a lost fumble.  IT’s offense was held to 195 yards of total offense, numbers which were aided by 10 tackles for loss by the Piston defense.  The Pistons, who are seeking their first championship in their four year history, earned their first winning season last year, however they missed the playoffs.

South Bronx defeated Petrides of Staten Island 44-12 last week to reach the Football Cup championship…

FOOTBALL BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

In the Football Bowl Championship, Thomas Jefferson of East New York (9-1) takes on August Martin (7-3) of Queens on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at Midwood Athletic Complex.    The title tilt is a re-match of a September 18 regular season game in which the Jefferson Orange Wave defeated Martin 18-12.

Ricky Joseph led the Orange Wave with 179 yards passing, a touchdown pass, and a touchdown run, however, he did give up two interceptions.  Kadeem Bailey ran for 166 yards and scored one touchdown of his own.  The Orange Wave defense sacked Martin quarterbacks four times, forced three interceptions, and picked up 10 tackles for loss…

IF YOU GO: Midwood Athletic Complex, located on East 17th Street between Avenue K and Avenue L, Midwood, is two blocks east of the Brighton Line.  Take the (Q) train to either the Avenue J or Avenue M stations and walk two blocks west.  TA bus routes that run near Midwood Athletic Complex include the B-6 along Avenue J, the B-9 along Avenue M and at Ocean Avenue and Avenue L (three blocks east), the B-49 along Ocean Avenue, and the B-68 along Coney Island Avenue (six blocks west)…

CITY CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINALS PREVIEW

Both semi-finals of the PSAL City Championship will take place in Brooklyn tomorrow; both games are rematches from earlier reguar season contests against teams from Staten Island.

In one semi-final, Fort Hamilton will host Curtis of Staten Island.  Fort Hamilton defeated Curtis 38-24 on September 12 on Staten Island; the Tigers jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead and never looked back.  Senior running back Alton Richardson led the Tigers with 97 yards rushing and three touchdowns, senior quarterback Frank Laino threw for 158 yards and a touchdown, while Brandon Reddish caught four of Laino’s passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.

In the other semi-final, 2nd seeded Erasmus Hall (10-1) hosts 3rd seed Tottenville of Staten Island (9-2) in East Flatbush.  The Dutchmen are seeking to avenge a 21-8 loss to the visiting Pirates on October 30.

The Dutchmen will have to contain Tottenville’s senior running back Marvin Staten, who ran for 236 yards and accounted for the Pirates’ three touchdowns in the regular season match-up three weeks ago.  The Dutchmen as a team were able to rack up 200 yards as a team, however, they proved to be no match for Staten’s individual performance.

Kickoff for both games will be 12:oo p.m.  The winners will face off in the City Championship game next Saturday at a site to be determined.

IF YOU GO: The Fort Hamilton-Curtis game will be played at Fort Hamilton High School’s stadium, located on 85th Street between Narrows Avenue and Colonial Road.  The B-16 bus stops along 86th Street and is accessible from the (R) shuttle bus operating this weekend at 86th Street and 4th Avenue.  The B-37 bus along 3rd Avenue is three blocks east of the stadium.

The Erasmus Hall-Tottenville game will be played at Erasmus Field at Avenue M and McDonald Avenue, Midwood.  The stadium is accessible via the (F) train, between Bay Parkway and Avenue N stations.  The B-6 bus stops at Bay Parkway and McDonald Avenue; the B-9 bus stops at Avenue N and McDonald.

FLUSHING, Queens - The Brooklyn Tech girls swimming team will be sending a contingent of swimmer to Rochester this weekend for the State Federation championship meet.  Several of the Lady Engineers qualified for the state meet at the PSAL Championship meet at the Flushing Heights/Corona Park Aquatic Center last weekend.

The 200 yard Medley Relay team of Caroline Laskowski, Annie Zhu, Aileen Pablo and Sarah Bouzarouata qualified for the state meet with a PSAL record time of 1:53.41 in their November 5th quarterfinal meet against Fort Hamilton, a meet the Lady Engineers won 60-37.  The Lady Engineers finished second in the PSAL meet behind Stuyvesant of Manhattan.

Bouzarouata also qualified for the state meet in the 50 yard freestyle (25.35, set on Sunday in the finals of the PSAL meet when she placed second in the 50 yard finals behind Rachel Cho of Benjamin Cardozo of Queens) and 100 yard freestyle (55.03, set on Sunday during the preliminary meet of the PSAL meet).

Zhu, who is a member of the USA Junior National Team, qualified for the state meet in the 500 yard Freestyle during the regular season, with a time of 5:01.10, and the 100 yard Breaststroke with a time of 1:04.99.  Both times were set during a October 15 meet against Curtis of Staten Island.

Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech will face each other in the PSAL team championship meet on Tuesday 4:00 p.m. at CUNY/Lehman College in Bedford Park, The Bronx.

(IF YOU GO to the PSAL Meet at Lehman College: CUNY/Lehman College is located within walking distance of the Bedford Park Blvd./Bedford Park station on the #4 train and within walking distance of the Bedford Park station on the (B) and (D) train.)

MANHATTAN – The PSAL Girls Volleyball tournament is down to it’s final four in Class B, while the quarterfinals in Class A take place tonight at Hunter College.

In the Class B quarterfinals, top seeded Leon Goldstein High School for Science of Manhattan Beach ended 24th-seeded Bushwick’s dramatic run in the tourney in a two game sweep, 25-12, 25-16.  Goldstein (14-0) had defeated 17th seeded Springfield Gardens in the second round after having a first round bye; Bushwick (11-4) had defeated 9th-seeded School of the Future and 8th-seeded Riverdale/Kings to reach the quarterfinals.

Goldstein will face B-6 Divison rival and 13th seeded Franklin D. Roosevelt of Mapleton.  FDR defeated the 5th seeded East Harlem Pride of Manhattan in a two game sweep.  Goldstein defeated FDR (12-3) in their regular season matchups on September 22, October 7, and October 21; the three games were the only losses of the season for FDR.

The winner of the all-Brooklyn matchup will face the winner of an all-Queens matchup between 3rd seeded John Adams and 15th seeded Scholar’s Academy…

Tonight’s action shifts to Class A, as 5th seeded Midwood takes on 4th seeded Stuyvesant of Manhattan, while 6th seeded Brooklyn Tech faces 3rd seeded Benjamin Cardozo of Queens.

Stuyvesant is ranked 9th in the Post poll:

Cardozo is ranked 4th in the New York Post/PSAL Girls Volleyball poll:

The two matches featuring Brooklyn teams will take place at the Hunter Sportplex at 6:00 p.m.  The other two quarterfinal match-ups have 2nd seeded Susan Wagner of Queens facing 7th seeded JFK of the Bronx, while top seeded Francis Lewis of Queens faces 8th seeded McKee/Staten Island Tech.

Semi-finals in both Class A and Class B will take place at Hunter College on Friday, with the championships scheduled for Tuesday.

IF YOU GO: The CUNY/Hunter College Sportsplex is located at East 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan.  The (6) Lexington Avenue Local stops at 68th Street/Hunter College station.

BRONX - The Brooklyn Tech boys cross country team edged out Curtis High of Staten Island to capture their first PSAL Cross Country championship since 2001 at Van Courtlandt Park this past weekend.

Brooklyn Tech edged Curtis by one point to capture the team title for the first time since 2001, 80 to 81.  Curtis was led by Jason Stapleton, who captured the Boys’ Individual Championship with a time of 16:43.47.  However, The Engineers captured the team title with strong performances by Michael Coogan, who finished in 3rd with a time 17:00.61, and Zakaraiah Malik, who finished in 8th with a time of 17:23.64.

The Engineers were also helped by strong performances by Chonn Cadiz (21st), Omar Griffin (22nd), and Brandon Seabrook (26th).  Their respective finishes were enough to hold off the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th best times from Curtis.

The team championship is determined by taking the top five finishers from each team and adding the sum of the finishes (ie. 1st place = 1 point, 2nd place = 2 points, 3rd place = 3 points, etc.).  Curtis’ runners placed in 1st, 13th, 15th, 25th, and 27th place; Tech’s runners placed in 3rd, 8th, 21st, 22nd, and 26th.

Seabrook finished exactly one second ahead of Curtis’ 5th fastest runner, Miguel Orea, thus allowing the Engineers to clinch the title.  Had Orea finished ahead of Seabrook, Curtis would’ve captured it’s four team title in the past eight years (Curtis won the team title in 2002, 2003, and 2006).  Finishing in third place was the team from McKee High/Staten Island Tech, last year’s champions, while Bronx Science captured the final state qualifier slot.

The top four teams, along with the top 12 racers who are not members of the state qualifier teams, will compete on Saturday at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County.

TOP 30 FINISHERS – PSAL BOY’S CROSS COUNTRY MEET, VAN COURTLANDT PARK, THE BRONX

1. Jason Stapleton, Curtis/Staten Island – 16:43.47
2. Daniel Hyman Cohen, Stuyvesant/Manhattan – 16:58.70
3. Michael Coogan, Brooklyn Tech – 17:00.61
4. Raul Avalos, Susan Wagner/Staten Island – 17:02.61
5. Mark Dressman, William E. Grady – 17:13.80
6. Sammy Lazhir, Paul Robeson – 17:17.81
7. Joseph Carlin, McKee/SI Tech – 17:21.48
8. Zakariah Malik, Brooklyn Tech – 17:23.61
9. Hao Zhou, Bronx Science – 17:24.04
10. Younes Benzaid, William C. Bryant – 17:24.96
11. Scott Rizzo, McKee/SI Tech – 17:26.43
12. Matthew Heath, Clara Barton – 17:28.08
13. James Bowen, Curtis – 17:35.34
14. Konrad Surkont, Stuyvesant – 17:37.93
15. Michael Gale, Curtis – 17:43.02
16. Hugh Prince, Thomas Jefferson – 17:44.57
17. Shevaun Marsh, William E. Grady – 17:48.74
18. Stephen McNamara, Bronx Science – 17:51.89
19. Gavin Henry, Midwood – 17:52.49
20. Aaron Somoroff, Bronx Science – 17:54.10
21. Chonn Cadiz, Brooklyn Tech – 17:55.33
22. Omar Griffin, Brooklyn Tech – 17:56.50
23. Jonathan Dixon, Midwood – 17:56.81
24. Steven Popper, Tottenville/Staten Island – 17:58.14
25. Kyle Hannafin, Curtis – 17:59.98
26. Brandon Seabrook, Brooklyn Tech – 18:01.94
27. Miguel Orea, Curtis – 18:02.94
28. Tyler Eckel, McKee/SI Tech – 18:04.36
29. Christopher McSorley, McKee/SI Tech – 18:04.94
30. Tozar Roberts, Curtis – 18:05.55

• Qualified for states as part of top four team finish
• Qualified for states as runner not part of one of the top four teams

Wayne LaRoche of Martin Van Buren High School in Queens is the 12th state qualifier after capturing the Individual Varsity championship with a time of 17:18.51.

TOP 10 TEAMS - PSAL BOY’S CROSS COUNTRY MEET, VAN COURTLANDT PARK, THE BRONX

1. Brooklyn Tech, 80
2. Curtis, 81
3. McKee/SI Tech, 124
4. Bronx Science, 134
5. Stuyvesant, 151
6. Tottenville, 223
7. Midwood, 242
8. Thomas Jefferson, 304
9. William E. Grady, 333
10. Paul Robeson, 376

IF YOU GO: Bowdoin Park, site of the 2009 State Federation Cross Country Championships, is located on Sheafe Road in New Hamburg, Town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County.

Driving from Brooklyn, go eastbound on the BQE to the Triborough (RFK) Bridge, then take I-95 North to the Hutchinson River Parkway.  Follow the Hutchinson River Parkway to I-684 North just east of White Plains, then take I-84 westbound towards Newburgh.  Take Exit 13-N (U.S. 9) from I-84. From light at exit, proceed approximately 9 miles north on U.S. 9 to traffic light just beyond the Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall (get in FAR LEFT lane.) At light (U.S. 9 & Spring Rd.) you will make a left onto Post Road (Hudson Motors is on left) and go to bottom of hill to stop sign. At stop sign make a left onto Sheafe Road. Follow Sheafe Road for about 2 ½ miles to Bowdoin Park’s entrance on right just after Chapel (directions from Dutchess County web site).

Bowdoin Park is located 1.3 miles to the northeast of the New Hamburg Rail Station on the Metro-North Hudson Line (PDF file, Adobe Acrobat required).  The weekend round trip fare from Grand Central Terminal to New Hamburg is $26.00.

From the Metro-North Station, walk to Main Street, then turn left on Main Street away from the center of New Hamburg.  Walk 0.6 miles (Main Street becomes Channingville Road) to Sheafe Road; the Channingville Deli will be at the corner on your left.  Walk 0.6 miles north on Sheafe Road to the entrance of Bowdoin Park.