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Sports Updates

March 8th, 2010
Good morning
     Here is the latest sports update headline. “NFA Indoor Track Athletes win New York State Championships!”

• At the New York State Indoor Track Championships this past Saturday at Cornell University, the NFA Indoor Track team had 1 individual state champion and 1 relay crowned state champions. For the girl’s team, Jennifer Mitchell took 1st place in the triple jump with an awesome leap of 38’ 5.5”. And on the boy’s side, the 1,600 meter relay team of Stephen Reid, Robert Robinson, Fred Locklary, and Randy Patterson took home the gold medal with a time of 3:24.99. It should be noted that the NFA boys have won this event 2 years in a row and 5 times in the last 7 years! The girl’s 1600 meter relay took second place with a time of 4:02.70. The relay members were Dotrine Jacobs, Doris Little, Jennifer Mitchell, and Tiyi Boone. Congratulations athletes and coaches!

     The NFA Boys Varsity Basketball Team plays tonight in the Section IX Class AA Finals. NFA plays Middletown High School at 7:45 pm at SUNY New Paltz. The Section IX Girls Class AA Championship is being played prior to the NFA game at 6:00 pm. If you plan on attending, I suggest you arrive early during the girl’s game in the event the game is sold out. If NFA wins tonight, they will be playing in the Regional Final to be held this coming Saturday, March 13th at 3:00 pm at West Point. Good luck team and GO GOLDBACKS!

     Also, as a reminder, varsity and jv spring sports start tryouts and practice today

February 16th, 2010
Good afternoon-
     Spring sports begin in 3 weeks but it still keeps snowing as we move toward the end of our winter sports season. Many of our teams are already getting ready for the New York State Championships and some still have their Sectional and State Qualifying contests in the very near future. The following is a report of some Section IX/State Qualifying events that occurred this past weekend as well as some other significant athletic events involving our NFA Goldbacks.

• 3 NFA wrestlers qualified for the New York State Championships to be held February 26 - 27, 2010 at the Times-Union Center in Albany, NY. Taylor Laraia at 130 lbs, Marcus Spearman at 185 lbs., and John Carey at 285 lbs. all became 2010 Section IX Wrestling Champions at the Section IX State Qualifying Championships held this past weekend at Monroe Woodbury High School. Congratulations are in order for these 3 young men and Head Coach Jeff Cuilty, and assistants, Chris Leggett and Matt Dunne.
• 2 NFA Divers qualified for the New York State Swimming and Diving Championships to be held at ECC in Buffalo, NY from February 25 -26, 2010. Senior, Nikolas Esposito and Junior, Devin Townsend both will represet NFA at the State Meet. As a team, NFA finished 4th overall at the Section IX Championships held this past weekend at Valley Central High School. The team had a very good season and Head Coach Pat Kavanagh and his assistants, Jillian Martarano (diving) and Sherin McGovern (swimming) did a tremendous job!
• The NFA Girls and Boys Indoor Track Team competed at the Section IX Championships at the Gillis Field house on the campus of USMA on Valentine's Day, February 16th. Both teams had numerous first place finishes and are gearing up for the State Qualifying Meet that is being held next weekend at USMA. Good job and good luck!
• The NFA Varsity Cheerleading Team placed first in a field of 10 other teams (all from New Jersey) at a high school invitational in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey. They are preparing for their next big competition which is the Section IX Championships to be held this Saturday, February 20th at Kingston High School's Kate Walton Field house. The competition begins at 2:00 pm. Good luck!
• The NFA Girls and Boys Ski Team completed their season this past Friday at Hunter Mt. The team developed well this season and improved dramatically over the course of the season. Good job skiers and Coach Kennedy and Schafer.
• The NFA Girls and Boys Basketball Teams each have 2 regular season games left prior to the start of the Section IX Tournament. The boys game with nationally ranked St. Benedict's Prep of Newark, NJ has been rescheduled for Monday, February 22nd at 6:00 PM in New Jersey. They play league foe, Middletown High school at home this Friday. The Lady Goldbacks play Monroe Woodbury on Wednesday, February 17th at home and then finish their regular season at home with Goshen on Monday, February 22nd. It will be "Senior Night" for the Lady Goldbacks as well.

     One last note. The NFA Boys Varsity Soccer Team will be recognized this Friday, February 19th at halftime of the boys varsity basketball game. The 2010 New York State Champions will be presented their championship rings by the NFA Soccer Booster Club along with Coach Matt Iorlano and Assistant, Paul Mathews. Please come out and share the moment with the team.

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

February 8th, 2010
Good morning
     It was a very busy and successful weekend for many of our NFA Athletic Teams and athletes. The highlights for this past weekend are as follows:

• Four members of the NFA Boys Indoor Track Team competed at the New Balance Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the NY Armory. The quartet of Robert Robinson, Darious Reynolds, Fred Locklary, and Randy Patterson blazed to a first place in the 4x400 m relay with a time of 3:20.13 that ranks them currently as the #1 high school time in the nation. They teamed up in the 4x200 m relay to place second with a time that places them as the #2 ranked team in the nation. Randy Patterson competed in the 600 m run and placed second in a new Section IX and NFA school record time of 1:19.92 with a #2 ranking nationally as well. Congratulations to the relay team and to NFA Sprint Coach, Malcolm Burks!
• The NFA Girls Indoor Track team placed 3rd at the OCIAA Championships on Saturday at the West Point Field House. NFA got wins from Dotrine Jacobs(55m hurdles), Courtney Garrison(race walk), Doris Little(long jump), Jennifer Mitchell(triple jump), and the 800m relay team of Doris Little, Kristina Smith, Aliyah Matta, and D'Yana McCaskill. Way to go girls!
• Newburgh Free Academy vs. Poughkeepsie in boys basketball is high school basketball at it's best. NFA hosted Poughkeepsie on Saturday at Mount Saint Mary College to a sold out crowd of 1,800 fans and the two state ranked teams did not disappoint the crowd. Both the Newburgh and Poughkeepsie community came out to support their hometown teams and the rivalry that goes back close to 100 years was conducted in the spirit of sportsmanship and mutual respect. Newburgh won the game by a score of 81-69 and they played like the defending New York State Champions they are. They beat Kingston this past Friday night at the NFA gym and they now play at Middletown High School on Tuesday, February 9th. Middletown is undefeated and is also a state ranked team. Congratulations and good luck!
• The NFA Girls Varsity Basketball Team hosted Peekskill this past Saturday at the NFA gym. Though they lost, they remain at .500 for the season and are striving to qualify for the Section IX Tournament. Good luck "Lady Goldbacks!"
• The NFA Boys Swim Team placed 4th at the OCIAA Swimming and Diving Championships this past Friday and Saturday at Washingtonville High School. NFA's number 1 diver, Nikolas Esposito won the diving portion of the meet breaking his own school record for 11 dives. Great job!

The schedule for the week of February 8th is posted below.

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

February 1st, 2010
Good morning Sports Fans,
      Due to mid term exams last week there were no NFA contests scheduled last Tuesday through Thursday. However, the Modified (Jr. High) teams were all very busy last week at HJH, SJH, NJH, Meadow Hill, and Temple Hill. In case you did not know, our Modified teams at Meadow Hill School and Temple Hill School combine and play as one team as "MTH." Many of our teams competed this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and one of our teams deserve special notice. The NFA Girls Indoor Track Relay Team consisting of Doris Little, Dotrine Jacobs, D'yanna McCaskill, and Tiyi Boone won the 1,600 meter relay in the "Suburban Division" at the prestigious 103rd Milrose Games at Madison Square Garden this past Friday night. The squad edged out both Willingboro, NJ and Columbia, NJ for a very exciting gold medal performance. Congratulations Coach Bruce Greene and the NFA girls!

      Looking ahead to this week, the NFA Ski Team will be competing in the OCIAA Championships tomorrow at Belleayre on the "big hill" and the NFA Boys Swim Team competes in the OCIAA Swimming and Diving Championships this Friday and Saturday at Washingtonville High School. The NFA Boys Basketball Team is playing 4 games this week starting with Minisink Valley tonight as we unveil the championship banner and finishing the week this Saturday at Mount Saint Mary College as we host Hudson Valley rival Poughkeepsie. The Poughkeepsie game should be a "sell out" so get to the game early for a seat. The JV game begins at 2 pm and the varsity at 4 pm. The doors will open at Mount Saint Mary College at 1:30 pm. Good luck to all our teams and athletes this week!

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

January 25, 2010
Good morning all,
     A "Sports Update" and Schedules for the Week of January 25, 2010 are posted below.

• The NFA Wrestling Team won the 2 day Lansingburgh Tournament this past weekend in Troy, NY. NFA finished 9-0 for the weekend and defeated Saratoga Springs and Niskayuna and 7 other teams. NFA wrestler, Taylor Laraia is now tied with former NFA standout, Nick Rausenberger with the most NFA career wins at 170! Also, Coach Jeff Cuilty picked up his 300th career victory as a coach on day one and now has 305 career victories. Congratulations!
• The NFA Cheerleading Team hosted the 8th Annual NFA Cheerleading Competition this past Saturday at NFA. There were over 24 squads that competed during the course of the day and the energy and athleticism was outstanding all day long. The team also competed on Sunday at the Pine Bush High School competition and then went directly to the Football Banquet at Anthony's Pier 9. What a busy weekend!
• The NFA Track Teams competed again this weekend at the NY Armory at the New Balance Games and the Girls Team placed 2nd out of 127 other teams. Many of the girls did extremely well as did our boys squad. The boys team will be travelling to Virginia Tech this weekend with their No. 1 national relay squad to compete against other top teams from the east coast. Good luck!
• The NFA Boys Swim Team had a great week by winning all 3 of their dual meets. Their record now stands at 7-3. Nick Esposito broke the school record for 11 dives at the Niskayuna Invitational last weekend.
• The NFA Boys Basketball Team avenged an earlier loss to Iona Prep by defeating Iona Prep 71-63 this past Sunday at White Plains High School. Our team is currently ranked #2 in NYS among AA schools. The 2008-2009 State Championship Banner will be unveiled this coming Monday, February 1st prior to the start of our game against Minisink Valley. The ceremony will begin around 7:00 pm and everyone is invited to attend.
• The NFA Football Annual Banquet was held this past Sunday at Anthony's Pier 9 and it was attended by 230 parents, friends, players, and coaches. All 3 football teams, Modified, JV, and Varsity, were recognized. Mikal Myers and Shawn Stevenson were named team captains for next year by head coach Bill Bianco.

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

January 11, 2010 - Good morning,
     The highlight this past weekend was the NFA Boys Soccer Banquet held on Sunday, January 10th at Anthony's Pier Nine. The banquet was sponsored and funded by the NFA Boys Soccer Booster Club comprised of parents of the soccer team players. There were numerous sponsors and donors who contributed to the booster club to help make the banquet a very special occasion for the New York State Championship Team. Coach Matt Iorlano and Assistant, Paul Matthews presented Varsity Letters and other keepsakes to the players and a special DVD prepared by the parents was played and a copy given to all the players as well. Dr. Saturnelli, Superintendent of Schools, Mr.. Peter Copeletti, NFA Principal, and Ms. Dawn Fucheck, President of the Board of Education, all made opening remarks and praised the team for their accomplishments this past season. Matt Lawrence, the "Voice of NFA" was the "Master of Ceremonies." I would like to thank the parents for organizing and funding a most fitting tribute to the NFA Boys Soccer Team, the 2009 Class AA STATE CHAMPIONS!

      The NFA Wrestling Team competed in the "Eastern States Wrestling Tournament" at Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, NY. The tournament has grown to 75 teams and is one of the most competitive tournaments in the Northeast. Two NFA wrestlers placed 2nd in the tournament and they were Taylor Laraia at 130 lbs. and Marcus Spearman at 189 lbs. NFA Head Coach, Jeff Cuilty served as the tournament director. Congratulations to the NFA Wrestling Team!

Greetings Sports Enthusiasts,
     The NFA Sports News Update is as follows.

• NFA Junior, Ksenia Makarova may be representing Russia in the figure skating competition in the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada! Ksenia won the national figure skating title over the Christmas Break in Russia to earn her spot on the Russian Olympic Team. Ksenia came to Newburgh, USA with her parents and younger brother when she was 8 years old. Her parents, Oleg and Larisa won a bronze medal for Russia in the pairs skating competition at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Congratulations and good luck! There is a Times Herald Record Article as well.
• The Boys and Girls Track Teams competed 2 times over the break and did very well. The highlight is that the Boys Relay Foursome of Fred Locklary, Randy Patterson, Robert Robinson, and Darious Reynolds posted times that currently rank the team as the fastest in the nation in the 800 and 1,600 meter relay events. Way to go guys!
• The NFA Boys Varsity Basketball Team beat Xaverian (Brooklyn) High School in the opening round of the "Slam Dunk Tournament" at the Westchester County Civic Center. They then lost a thrilling overtime game against Iona Prep in the finals. The team will be playing Iona Prep again on Sunday, January 24th at White Plains High School and that should be quite a game.
• The NFA Wrestling Team competed in 2 tournaments over the break and many wrestlers placed in the top 3 in both tournaments as well as a couple champions.
• The NFA Boys Swim Team competed against Section 1 power, Tappan Zee and put up a valiant effort but were defeated. The team practiced twice a day over the break to prepare for the second half of the season.
• The NFA Hockey Team went 1-1 in a tournament and continue to improve every time they step on the ice.
• Lastly, the NFA Varsity Cheerleading Team will travel to Warwick High School this Sunday, January 10th to compete in their first competition of the season. Go Goldbacks!

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

     December 14, 2009
Holiday Greetings from the Athletic Office -
      "Scholar Athlete Team Awards" and "High School All America Awards" are announced for the 2009 fall season and Newburgh Free Academy is among the elite to garner these prestigious honors.

Scholar Athlete Team Awards -
      The New York State Public High School Athletic Association honors member schools for achieving academic excellence while actively participating in varsity level competition during this past Fall 2009 season. Depending on the size of the squad varying criteria is formulated for each sport's possible recognition. The Newburgh Free Academy Teams so honored are the following.

• The NFA Girls Tennis Team coached by JC Gaspard compiled a 97.50 GPA by the top 9 averages on the squad. The team also had 4 additional athletes with a 90% or higher average for a total of 13 athletes with an average of 90% or higher.
• The NFA Girls Swimming and Diving Team coached by Patrick Kavanagh compiled a 95.095 GPA by the top 11 averages on the squad. The team also had 10 additional athletes with a 90% or higher average for a total of 21 athletes with an average of 90% or higher.
• The NFA Boys Cross Country Team coached by Jack Mager compiled a GPA of 93.601 by the top 7 averages on the team. High School All America Awards -

      Three NFA athletes have been honored by their respective national coaching associations as "High School All Americans" for their performances this past 2009 Fall season. NFA Boys Soccer Team members, Alex Bramall and Wes Finch, both seniors, were named "All-Americans" by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Alex and Wes were also named to the Northeast All Region Team and the NYS All State Team as well. Both players were members of the NFA Team that won the New York State Class AA State Championship. The NFA Boys Soccer Team finished with a 19-1-2 record and ranked 12th in one national poll and 7th in ESPN's Fab 50 national rankings. Congratulations Alex and Wes!

     Freshman, Brittany Friese has been named an "All-American" by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association for her performances this past Fall 2009 season. Brittany was the New York State Public High School Champion in the 200 yard and 500 yard freestyle events at the Girls State Championships. The times that she achieved in both event qualified her for automatic "All-American" honors. Only a freshman, Brittany is ranked as one of the top 20 high school swimmers in the nation in both freestyle events. Congratulations Brittany.

     The Interscholastic Schedule for the week of December 14th and through the Winter Recess is posted below.

     December 7, 2009
Greetings from the Athletic Office-

• The big news over the weekend continues to be the NFA Boys Soccer Team. The "Times Herald Record" Annual Boys Soccer All Star Team was announced in the paper on Sunday. Senior Alex Bramall was named "Player of the Year" and Head Coach, Matt Iorlano was named "Coach of the Year." Alex was joined by a number of his team mates on the "First Team All Stars" that also includes Senior, Wes Finch, Senior Evan Southworth, Junior Marco Lopez, Junior Nick Bramall, and Junior goalkeeper, Dave Giddings. Named to the Second Team was Junior Mark Stellwag and making the Third Team was Senior Chris Catania and Sophomore Kenny Caraballo. Congratulations!
• The soccer parents have announced the date for the NFA Boys Soccer Banquet. It will be held on Sunday, January 10, 2010 from 2:00 - 6:00 pm at Anthony's Pier 9. Obviously, because of the team's State Championship, there will be some extra special presentations and when final plans are complete, they will be posted. Save the date if you would like to attend and join in the special celebration and recognition.
• The NFA Girls Varsity Basketball squad placed third in the Feller Tournament this past weekend at Valley Central High School. They lost in the first round in a close game to eventual tournament champions Wallkill High School, but rebounded by defeating Valley Central 58-52 on Saturday to take third place. Great job as the team moves to 2-1 and opens at home this Wednesday against Valley Central in a regular league game.
• The defending New York State Champions, NFA Boys Basketball Team, opens their regular season at home this Thursday against league foe Pine Bush High School. Get here early for a seat, because when the gym is filled to it's maximum capacity, the doors are closed and there will be no further spectators permitted. The JV games begins at 5:30 pm and the Varsity game follows at approximately 7:15 pm. Remember, Jr. High students must be accompanied by their parent or guardian. ALL STUDENTS MUST SHOW THEIR STUDENT ID AT THE DOOR.

GO GOLDBACKS!

     December 2, 2009.
Greetings from the Athletic Office • The big news over the weekend continues to be the NFA Boys Soccer Team. The "Times Herald Record" Annual Boys Soccer All Star Team was announced in the paper on Sunday. Senior Alex Bramall was named "Player of the Year" and Head Coach, Matt Iorlano was named "Coach of the Year." Alex was joined by a number of his team mates on the "First Team All Stars" that also includes Senior, Wes Finch, Senior Evan Southworth, Junior Marco Lopez, Junior Nick Bramall, and Junior goalkeeper, Dave Giddings. Named to the Second Team was Junior Mark Stellwag and making the Third Team was Senior Chris Catania and Sophomore Kenny Caraballo. Congratulations! • The soccer parents have announced the date for the NFA Boys Soccer Banquet. It will be held on Sunday, January 10, 2010 from 2:00 - 6:00 pm at Anthony's Pier 9. Obviously, because of the team's State Championship, there will be some extra special presentations and when final plans are complete, they will be posted. Save the date if you would like to attend and join in the special celebration and recognition. • The NFA Girls Varsity Basketball squad placed third in the Feller Tournament this past weekend at Valley Central High School. They lost in the first round in a close game to eventual tournament champions Wallkill High School, but rebounded by defeating Valley Central 58-52 on Saturday to take third place. Great job as the team moves to 2-1 and opens at home this Wednesday against Valley Central in a regular league game. • The defending New York State Champions, NFA Boys Basketball Team, opens their regular season at home this Thursday against league foe Pine Bush High School. Get here early for a seat, because when the gym is filled to it's maximum capacity, the doors are closed and there will be no further spectators permitted. The JV games begins at 5:30 pm and the Varsity game follows at approximately 7:15 pm. Remember, Jr. High students must be accompanied by their parent or guardian. ALL STUDENTS MUST SHOW THEIR STUDENT ID AT THE DOOR. The schedule for the week of December 7th is posted below. GO GOLDBACKS!

     November 23, 2009.
Good morning -
     STATE CHAMPIONS! It sure sounds good and in case you didn't know, the NFA Boys Soccer Team won the New York State Public High School Athletic Association's Class AA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP yesterday at the National Soccer Hall of Fame Field in Oneonta, NY. The road to the "Final 4" and the two games in Oneonta were just phenomenal to say the least. On Saturday, the team beat a a very good Shenendehowa team (Section 2) that has won numerous state championships in the past. Yesterday, in the state championship game, NFA faced the defending NYS Champs, Brentwood (Section 11). Brentwood scored first but NFA never quit and never gave up. Trailing 1-0 in the second half, NFA began to show that conditioning and determination can turn things around. NFA scored on a corner kick with 16:16 to go in the game when Chris Catania headed a perfectly placed kick by Alex Bramall into the net. With about 4:00 remaining in the game Alex Bramall scored on a great pass from Wes Finch to go ahead 2-1 and the team held on and the rest is as they say "history." Congratulations to the entire team and Head Coach Matt Iorlano and his assistant, Paul Matthews.

     STATE CHAMPION is also a title bestowed on NFA swimmer, Brittany Friese (9th grade) who won both the 200 yard freestyle and 500 yard freestyle in the NYSPHSAA Division this past Saturday in Rochester, NY. Her time of 1:49.45 in the 200 yard freestyle broke the Section IX and NFA school records and earned her " High School All America" status as well. Her time of 4:52.41 in the 500 yard freestyle also is a "High School All America" standard. Brittany teamed up with Darri Resch, Bana Hadid, and Amanda York to place 7th in the 200 yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:40.74. The relay team of Brittany Friese, Emily Hovey, Bana Hadid, and Amanda York placed 3rd in the 400 yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:36.78. Coach Patrick Kavanagh and assistants Sherin McGovern and Jillian Martarano and the NFA Girls Swim Team showed why they are the best in Section IX!

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

---

     November 18, 2009.
Good afternoon,
     The Interscholastic Athletic Schedule for the week of November 16th is posted below.

     The big athletic news over the weekend is that the NFA Boys Varsity Soccer Team beat nationally ranked Arlington in a Regional Final and now are headed for the "FINAL 4" in Oneonta, NY. This is the first time a NFA Soccer Team has qualified for the "Final 4" and a possible New York State Championship. Noting that the victory was a "team effort" is an under statement to be sure. The team, coaches, support staff, and our loyal parents and soccer fans are to be commended and congratulated for this accomplishment. The entire Newburgh School Community wish the team all the best as they try to bring home a New York State Soccer Championship to the hallowed halls of Newburgh Free Academy.

     Gianna Frontera placed 50th our of 107 runners at the New York state Cross Country Championships this past Saturday at SUNY Plattsburgh, NY. Her finish qualified her for the NYS Federation Championship this coming weekend right here in the Hudson Valley at Bowden Park in Wappingers Falls, NY. Congratulations and good luck to Gianna and Coach Blair Balogh.

     As you can see from the schedule of events, our winter sport teams are beginning to compete. As always, please feel free to attend our events and cheer our athletes on to success.

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

     November 9, 2009.
Good morning!
The Interscholastic Athletic Schedule for the week of November 9th is posted below.

It has been a very successful and exciting past number of days for some of our NFA Athletic Teams. Here is a recap of our Section IX / State Qualifying performances.

• The NFA Boys Varsity Soccer Team won the Section IX AA Championship this past Thursday by defeating Warwick 2-0. The championship puts NFA in the New York State Championship Tournament that begins in the form of Regional games. NFA travels to Oneonta this Wednesday, November 11th, to play the Section IV winner, Ithaca High School, at the National Soccer Hall of Fame Complex at 12:30 pm. School is not in session on Wednesday in observance of Veteran's Day, so I invite everyone to take a trip up to Oneonta and cheer the team on! This is NFA's 2nd Section IX AA Championship in a row. Congratulations to the team and to Coach Matt Iorlano and his assistant, Paul Mathews.
• On Friday afternoon, Gianna Frontera of the NFA Girls Varsity Cross Country Team, placed 6th overall in the Class AA Section IX /State Qualifying race. Her finish qualifies her for the New York State Championship race which is this coming Saturday, November 14th, at SUNY Plattsburgh. Gianna Frontera becomes the first 8th grade girl to qualify for the State Championships from NFA! Great job Gianna and congratulations to Coach Blair Balogh and the entire NFA Girls Cross Country Team.
• On Saturday, the NFA Girls Varsity Swim Team won their 2nd consecutive Section IX Championship by a convincing margin of 51 points over rival Washingtonville and a field of 11 other teams. The meet is also the State Qualifier and 5 NFA girls are now going to the New York State Championships. Brittany Friese(Fr), Amanda York(Jr), and Emily Hovey(Fr) all qualified in 2 individual events for states. They will be joined by Dari Resch(Jr) and Bana Hadid(8) as members of their championship 200 yd. freestyle relay and 400 yd. freestyle relay. Brittany Friese was voted the meet's "Most Outstanding Swimmer" by the Section IX Coaches as she broke 2 meet records and achieved an automatic "All American" time in the 200 yd. freestyle. KUDOS to Coach Patrick Kavanagh and his assistants, Sherin McGovern and Jillian Martarano.

I am sure you join me in wishing all our post season teams and individuals the best of luck in their respective New York State Championships! As always, GO GOLDBACKS!!!!!

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

     November 3, 2009.
Good morning!
The Interscholastic Athletic Schedule for the week of November 2nd is posted below.

The following is a brief rap up of some results of some of our Newburgh School Teams.

• The Varsity Football Team had a tough loss in the semi finals of the Section IX AA playoffs this past Saturday night at Faller Field in Middletown. We lost 20-6 to a very good Warwick team in a game that was 6-6 going into the final quarter. The team finished with a record of 7-2 and gave all of us a lot to cheer about all season long.
• Our NFA Varsity Boys Soccer Team continued their winning ways with a 4-0 victory over Pine Bush in a Section IX semi final yesterday afternoon on the "Turf" at Academy Field. They now play for the Section IX AA Championship this Thursday at 4 PM at Middletown's Faller Field. We would love to have a big crowd from Newburgh at the game so come on out and cheer on the Goldbacks!
• The Girls Swim Team and the Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams will be competing in their respective Section IX/State Qualifying Meets this weekend. At these meets, our athletes compete not only to score for their teams but also to qualify for the New York State Championships. Good luck to our swimmers, divers, and long distance runners!
• Emily Boro and Hannah Fleckenstein and Coach JC Gaspard leave Friday for the New York state Tennis Championships in Manlius (Syracuse) New York. They will competing in the "doubles" tournament and we wish them all the best.
• The district's Modified Fall Sports Teams are winding down this week. MTH, SJH, and HJH all have a volleyball game this Wednesday, November 4th and that will complete the fall season for Modified sports.

I would like to remind everyone that winter sports begin this Monday, November 9th for our Varsity, JV, and Freshman Teams and our Modified Teams begin the following Monday, November 16th. All prospective athletes must have a completed "sports physical" and a "yellow clearance slip" issued by their Health Office in order to tryout.

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

     October 26, 2009.
Good morning!
The Interscholastic Athletic Schedule for the week of October 26th is posted below.
NFA Athletic Teams had a good week and some of the highlights and notable accomplishments are included in the announcement in case you missed any of the results from last week.

• The NFA Girls Swimming and Diving Team narrowly upset Washingtonville this past Saturday at the 12 team OCIAA Swimming and Diving Championship Meet held at W-ville High School. NFA, 335 pts., finished second to W-ville, 337 pts., in a very exciting day. NFA's freshman, Brittany Friese, won 2 events and broke the meet record in the 500 yard freestyle with a time of 5:01.40. The team is looking forward to the upcoming Section IX/State Qualifying Meet in 2 weeks as they defend their Section IX title that they won last year.
• Emily Boro and Hannah Fleckenstein, NFA's top doubles, placed second at last week's Section IX/State Qualifying Championships. They will now move on and represent NFA at the New York State Tennis championships that will be held at the East Side Racquet Club in Manlius, NY on November 7,8, and 9. Congratulations and good luck!
• The girls and boys varsity soccer teams have both qualified for the Section IX Tournament. The NFA Girls Soccer Team is seeded 6th in the tournament and will be playing the #3 seed, FDR, at FDR on Friday, October 30th at 2:00 PM. The NFA Boys Soccer Team is seeded #1 and they receive a bye in the first round. They will play the winner of #4 seed Pine Bush vs. #5 seed FDR game on Monday, November 2nd at 2:00 PM on NFA's "Academy Field." It should be noted that the boys team finished the regular season with a record of 13-1-2 and are ranked # 6 in the state by the NYS Sportswriters Association's most recent poll. The NFA Girls Soccer Team finished their season with their best record in quite a while.
• The NFA Varsity Football Team defeated arch rival Kingston by a score of 36-13 this past Friday night in a steady, and at times, heavy rain conditions. It was the 108th meeting of these 2 teams and it is the 3rd oldest football rivalry in New York State. NFA finished the regular season with a record of 7-1 and qualified for the Section IX playoffs by virtue of their victory over Kingston. The team will now play Warwick Valley High School this Saturday night, October 31st, at 7 PM at Faller Field in Middletown (high school) in the first round of the play-offs. GO GOLDBACKS!
• Winter sports start on November 9th for Varsity and JV teams and on November 16th for Modified teams. Announcements are being made and posted in the schools regarding winter sports.
Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

     October 13, 2009.
Good morning!
     The Interscholastic Athletic Schedule for the week of October 12th is posted below.
     Here are some highlights from last week and a few announcements about upcoming events.

• The NFA Girls Tennis Doubles Team of Hannah Fleckstein and Emily Boro placed 2nd at last weeks OCIAA Tournament. They will hopefully be seeded second in next week's Section IX Tournament which is also the NYS Qualifier. The top 3 teams go to the state championships. Good luck NFA Girls Tennis Team.
• The NFA Boys Soccer Team had 3 wins last week including a 1-0 victory over Westchester rival, White Plains High School. NFA scored with less than 1 minute left in the game in a truly exciting game.
• The NFA Football Team beat Washingtonville High School 34-0 this past Saturday afternoon under sunny skies at Washingtonville. The team is 5-1 on the season so far and is looking forward to this Friday night's homecoming game against Pine Bush.

     This is "Pride Week" and there are a number of activities planned by the students and Assistant NFA Principal, Vinny Lopez who coordinates "student activities."

• Wednesday, October 14th, the 2nd Annual "Powder Puff" game will be held on Academy Field at 6:30 PM. Girls have formed teams and have been practicing for this big flag football game.
• Thursday night is the annual "Pep Rally" in the NFA Boys Gym at 6:30 PM and you must be an NFA student to attend.
• Friday is "Blue and Gold Day" and the Homecoming Football Game vs.. Pine Bush kicks off at 7:00 PM at Academy Field under the lights. Come on out and cheer on the Goldbacks!
• A group of NFA Football Alumni have planned an Alumni Football Reunion this weekend in conjunction with the Homecoming Game. They will attending the game and will be recognized during the contest. At last report, there are 60 former football players registered for the event. If there are any former players interested in attending, log on to www.goldbackfootball.com and click on Reunion for more information. Or you can e-mail Tony Galietta (event organizer) at tgalietta@ordner.com.

     Here are some reminders regarding attending athletic events at NFA.......

• NFA students must show their school ID in order to be admitted to the contest.
• Jr. High, Middle School, and Elementary school students must be accompanied by their parent or guardian in order to be admitted to the contest. Jr. High students at SJH, NJH, and HJH must show their student ID as well.

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

     October 5, 2009.
Good morning!
     The Interscholastic Athletic Schedule for the week of October 5th is posted below.
The following are some highlights and news in the athletic department.

• The soccer teams, both girls and boys, and volleyball teams are all competing at our 3 modified schools which are HJH, SJH, and the combined teams representing MTH (Meadow Hill & Temple Hill Schools combined).
• Our district wide Modified Cross Country Teams (girls and boys) have already competed and are doing very well. The team practices everyday at Temple Hill School after school.
• Our district wide Modified Football Team played their first game last week on Academy Field and they played a great game as they tied Monroe-Woodbury 12-12. The Modified Football Team practices at NJH.
• The Varsity Football Team defeated Middletown High School this past Friday night at Middletown by a score of 37-7. The team's record now stands at 4-1! The team plays at Washingtonville High School this Saturday afternoon at 2 PM in our only Saturday afternoon game of the season.
• "Friday Night Lights - Soccer Style" will kick off this Friday night at 7:00 PM at Academy Field when the NFA Boys Varsity Soccer Team hosts White Plains High School. The team continues to improve and is state ranked as a result of their outstanding play. The team also plays powerhouse John Jay High School ( East Fishkill) this afternoon at Academy Field at 4 PM.
• The NFA Girls Varsity Soccer Team hosts Warwick High School on Tuesday, October 6th, at 7 PM under the lights on Academy Field.
• The new gym floors in the girls and boys gyms at South Jr. High have been installed and are complete. They are absolutely beautiful and they are a welcome addition for our Physical Education classes and our athletic teams.

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

(September 29th, 2009)
Good Morning!      The Interscholastic Athletic Schedule for the week of September 28th is posted below. The following are some highlights from last weeks games and contests and some updates regarding this weeks schedule.

• The NFA Boys Varsity Soccer Team played Martin Luther King High School, a top 10 nationally ranked high school team in numerous scholastic polls, to a 1-1 tie! The rules required 2, 10 minute overtime periods and NFA almost scored again. Congratulations to the entire team. The boys play tonight under the lights on Academy Field in an OCIAA showdown with perennial arch rival, Monroe-Woodbury High School.
• The NFA Girls Varsity Soccer Team will play Pine Bush at 7:00 PM on Academy Field tomorrow night, September 30th. The girls team is improving every game and they are excited about their game tomorrow night under the lights.
• "Youth Football Night" was a huge success this past Friday and NFA won the game against Cornwall 46-34! There was a crowd in excess of 3,000 fans and the youth football players and cheerleaders from the City of Newburgh, the Town of Newburgh, and the Town of New Windsor had a great time.
• The NFA Cheerleaders continue to add to the spirit of our school and that is most evident at our football games. During "Youth Football Night," the cheerleaders organized all the youth cheerleaders and shared cheers together.
• The JV Football Team is off to a 3-1 start and our Modified Football Team (grades 7 & 8) play their first game of the season today, September 29th, at 5 PM on Academy Field.
• The NFA Girls Volleyball Team is having a "breakout" season so far. They are surprising a lot of teams and are determined to reach their goal of qualifying for the Section IX Tournament at the end of the season.
• Girls Tennis, Girls Swimming, Girls and Boys Cross Country are almost at mid season and are all having good seasons. If anyone is interested in additional information regarding swimming and diving, log onto www.section9swim.com. You will see many NFA swimmers who are ranked very well in the section as well as in New York State. Check it out.

Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education

(September 24th, 2009)Good morning!
     The Interscholastic Athletic Schedule for the week of September 21st is posted below. The following are some highlights and miscellaneous information regarding our teams.

• The NFA Varsity Boys Soccer Team defeated Middletown last night at home under the lights at Academy Field by a score of 8-1. It was a great team effort!
• The NFA Varsity Football Team will be hosting Cornwall High School this Friday night at 7:00 PM at Academy Field. It is "Youth Football Night" and all the youth football teams from the City of Newburgh, Town of Newburgh, and the Town of New Windsor will be introduced at halftime. The game is also being taped and then televised by Cable 6 of Time Warner Television.
• The NFA Cheerleading Teams are sponsoring a "Food Drive" this Friday night at the football game as well. All attendees are urged to donate a non-perishable food at the admission gates. All collected food items will be donated to a local food pantry. This is a great community service project by our Cheerleading Teams so please support their cause!
• The NFA Girls Swim Team has a new member of it's squad this season. Yui Moriya, a Foreign Exchange Student from Japan, swam in her first meet yesterday and the team defeated Middletown in the NFA Natatorium.

     One final historical note regarding NFA Football. According to Richard Durbin's book, The Encyclopedia of Newburgh Free Academy Football, the game this Friday night against Cornwall will be the first time these two teams have played each other since 1920 which by the way NFA won 35-12. In Richard Durbin's book, the first game between NFA and the Cornwall-on-Hudson Union School was played on November 27, 1896 (yes, 1896). The game was played on E.A. Matthiessen's property and according to the "Newburgh Daily Journal" it "was a well contested game and a scientific one." Durbin's book also carries the following account of that game.
     The game, scheduled for two twenty minute halves, ended in a 4-0 win for Cornwall after NFA refused to continue following a disputed punting play. The reporter noted that approximately 200 ladies were present to see the game which was officiated by Professor G.H. Baskerille as referee; Mr. Bevy of Newburgh as umpire; Ira M. Hedges as linesman; and Theodore Hahn as timekeeper.

GO GOLDBACKS!
Yours,
Chris Townsend
Director of Athletics and Physical Education