In The Dirt 0417

CYANMAGENTAYELLOWBLACK

www.thedailyjournal.com/sports

The Daily Journal

★ ★ ★ STANDINGS* CAPE-ATLANTIC LEAGUE American Conference I Div. Conf Overall Millville 2-0 3-0 5-0 EHT 1-1 1-1 2-1 Absegami 1-1 1-3 1-3 Vineland 1-1 1-2 1-2 Atlantic City 0-2 0-2 0-2 American Conference II Div. Conf. Overall Hammonton 2-0 3-0 3-0 Oakcrest 1-0 1-0 1-0 St. Augustine 0-1 1-1 2-1 Mainland 0-1 1-1 1-1 Ocean City 0-1 0-2 0-2 National Conference I Div. Conf. Overall Holy Spirit 2-0 5-0 5-0 Buena 1-0 4-0 6-1 Middle Twp 1-0 1-1 1-1 L. Cape May 0-1 0-2 0-2 Bridgeton 0-3 0-3 1-3 National Conference II Div. Conf. Overall Sacred Heart 1-0 2-1 3-1 St. Joseph 0-0 1-1 2-2 Wild. Catholic 0-0 0-2 0-2 Cape May T. 0-1 0-3 0-4 TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE Classic Division Div. Overall Pitman 6-0 6-0 Glou. City 2-1 2-2 Clayton 3-2 3-3 Schalick 2-3 2-3 Salem 1-2 2-3 Wildwood 0-6 2-6 Diamond Division Div. Overall Glou. Catholic 4-0 5-1 Penns Grove 2-1 3-1 GCIT 1-2 1-3 Glassboro 1-3 2-3 Pennsville 1-1 1-2 Woodstown 0-2 2-2 Royal Division Div. Overall Cumberland 2-0 3-0 Highland 2-0 2-0 Deptford 1-1 3-1 Williamstown 1-1 1-1 Kingsway 1-3 1-3 Clearview 0-0 1-0 Delsea 0-2 0-3 OLYMPIC CONFERENCE American Division Div. Overall Wash. Twp 1-0 3-2 Lenape 1-1 1-1 Cherry Hill E. 0-0 3-0 Cherokee 0-0 2-0 Eastern 0-1 2-2 Patriot Division Div. Overall Shawnee 3-0 3-1 Winslow Twp 1-0 4-1 Cherry Hill W. 0-1 1-3 Triton 0-1 0-2 Pennsauken 0-2 1-3 National Division Div. Overall Seneca 1-0 1-1 Timber Creek 1-0 2-3 Bishop Eustace 0-0 3-0 Paul VI 0-1 0-1 Camden Cath. 0-1 0-2 COLONIAL CONFERENCE Conf. Overall Sterling 4-0 4-0 Haddonfield 3-0 3-0 Haddon Twp 1-0 3-1 Audubon 2-1 2-1 Haddon Heights 2-1 3-1 Gateway 1-1 1-1 Overbrook 1-1 1-4 Lindenwold 1-3 2-3 West Deptford 0-2 1-2 Collingswood 0-2 0-3 Paulsboro 0-2 0-3 Woodbury 0-2 0-3 BURLINGTON COUNTY CONFERENCE Liberty Division Div. Overall Rancocas Valley 2-0 4-1 Moorestown 0-0 2-0 Westhampton Tech 0-0 2-1 Northern Burlington 0-0 1-2 Willingboro 0-1 1-2 Pemberton 0-1 1-3 Patriot Division Div. Overall Cinnaminson 2-0 3-3 Burlington Twp 1-0 2-2 Delran 1-1 3-1 Bordentown 1-1 2-1 Holy Cross 1-2 2-2 Medford Tech 0-2 0-4 Freedom Division Overall Div. Maple Shade 3-0 3-2 Florence 2-1 2-1 New Egypt 1-1 1-2 Riverside 1-2 2-3 Burlington City 0-0 0-0 Palmyra 0-1 0-1 Trenton Catholic 0-2 0-3 *Records through Wednesday

The Daily Journal’s

SJ Mean 15 1. Bishop Eustace 2. Millville 3. Cherokee 4. Gloucester Catholic 5. Buena 6. Shawnee 7. Cherry Hill East 8. Washington Twp 9. Cumberland 10. Holy Spirit 11. Pitman 12. Williamstown 13. Deptford 14. Haddon Twp 15. Haddonfield

(3-0) (5-0) (2-0) (5-1) (6-1) (3-1) (3-0) (3-2) (3-0) (5-0) (6-0) (1-1) (3-1) (3-1) (3-0)

Under consideration: Penns Grove (31); Lenape (3-2); Sacred Heart (5-1). *Rankings are set by Ben Watanabe and based on records reported to area newspapers through Wednesday.

Friday, April 17, 2009 – C5

SPORTS

Bringing readers the best of the action on the diamond every week

Undisputed leader

Daily Journal photo/Charles J. Olson

Sacred Heart's Juan Velazquez (right) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a home run against Vineland last season. Velazquez has emerged as the Lions’ leader this year.

Always a presence in Sacred Heart’s lineup, senior JuanVelazquez now is the man underclassmen look up to e used to be the baby I don’t like to talk of the team, the man-child, an about it.” underclassman with the build and production of a seasoned veteran. Hard as it is to believe, Juan Velazquez now truly is a vet, leading Sacred Heart from behind the plate, where he has been the last four years. Velazquez’s rise has correlated with the resurgence of the Sacred Heart program. Since Velazquez donned the catcher’s gear made three Diamond appearances, at Third and Chestnut Classic Field, the Lions have reached the Non-Public B South championship game twice, and compiled a record of 78-16. On all those teams, Velazquez was a leader, but not the leader. This year, it’s different. “I guess I just evolved into the position,” Velazquez said. “We had so many great leaders on those teams. I knew it was my time, and me and Carlos (Sepulveda) took it upon ourselves to be captains of the team.” Velazquez rattled off a Daily Journal file photo/Cody Glenn long list of players who Lions senior Juan Velazquez showed him how to lead — always has been an emotional Steve Tucker, Jon player, and now uses his inten- Schmidt and the late Josh sity to influence rising stars at Moren — but no allSacred Heart. encompassing lesson he

H

‘‘

Ben Watanabe

about it. I like to be Juan Velazquez Sacred Heart catcher (on putting up numbers) learned from them. What Velazquez saw was more about how to play the game, how to be ready at all times, and how to keep the younger players in line. “The little things stand out more than the big things,” he said. With greater responsibilities come greater expectations. Velazquez deflects questions about statistical milestones. When asked if he’ll hit 15 home runs this season, Velazquez jokes he’s aiming to have 15 sacrifice bunts. By the end of the spring, he figures, the numbers will speak for themselves. “I don’t like to talk about it,” Velazquez said. “I like to be about it.” Ben Watanabe covers high school baseball for The Daily Journal. Contact him at (856) 563-5259 or [email protected].

★ ★ ★

Joe Cifaloglio Buena C Question: What’s your take on the rain a that’s washed out half the season so n far? d Answer: It’s horrible, horrible getting up excited to play a baseball game and then you look outside and the sky is just black. Q: Would you rather play on a 50degree day in April or a 90-degree day in June? A: I like hot days. I’m used to working out on the farm in the summer. It’s tough to grip the ball when it’s cold, and it’s better to hit when it’s hot. Cifaloglio Q: Was it difficult coming back in May after a knee injury last season, when everyone else was in midseason form? A: I think it was an advantage, because I was so excited to play. Every moment on the field, I was so excited to be there. I was so focused, and it helped me have a pretty good year. Q: Is there pressure that comes with having the ‘Cifaloglio’ name at Buena, where so many of your brothers and cousins have had success? A: I never really worry about that. I have out with them every day. It’s not like they put pressure on me, so why should I feel pressure? I just try to do my best. Q: What’s your most prized baseball-related possession? A: Last year, maybe a week after I came back, our team hit a rough spot. We weren’t playing together like we should have. We weren’t playing to our full potential. Coach (George West) sat us down and passed around flash cards, and he told us to write down something about every member of the team that could make the team better. From that point on, we realized we were all together in the same boat, and from there we went on a run and won the Group II championship. I still have that card somewhere up in my room. Q: If it were up to you, which uniforms would the Phillies wear: Red, white and blue or maroon and white? A: I gotta go with the old school ones, maybe because I love the logo. That old school “P” was sweet. — Ben Watanabe

Q A

Hot start

Photo/J.D. Griffin

Cumberland pitcher Darren Fischer delivers to the plate against Williamstown during a recent game. Fischer and the Colts have jumped out to a perfect 4-0 record after taking down Delsea Regional on Thursday afternoon.

THIS WEEK’S PLAYER POLL:

Who will win the National League East? Braves 3 votes

Mets 10 votes

Marlins

Phillies

1 vote

31 votes Three things that need to change: 1) Flat brims on baseball caps. I get MTV, so I know where this comes from. I also know it looks ridiculous. Honestly, would you rather look like a professional (Orioles closer George Sherrill not included) or like something that escaped from a Young Jeezy video? 2) Catchers flipping up their masks, then covering their mouths with their gloves, when they visit the mound. From more than a few feet away, a catcher’s mask hides moving lips just as well as a catcher’s mitt. 3) Batter intro music. There’s nothing wrong with the concept, but it elicited eye-rolls at a recent game when batters seemed overly concerned with what song was playing as they came to the plate. Apparently, the one-run ball game they were playing in wasn’t enough to hold their attention. … In the battle for most rainouts, Buena is slightly ahead of the pack. The Chiefs lead the area in games rescheduled for weather-related reasons, with six. They even had to reschedule a game with Holy Spirit due to another game (against Millville in the Grand Slam Classic) being rained out and creating a schedule conflict on that day. Buena subse-

quently had to reschedule with Holy Spirit twice due to inclement weather. … One of the biggest surprises so far has to be Cherry Hill West’s 1-3 start. The Lions’ schedule certainly hasn’t been easy, but you’d at least like to see them be competitive. An 18-4 whupping by Millville and a 14-2 loss to Washington Township do not bode well. … What a shame Cumberland and Gloucester Catholic aren’t scheduled to play each other this season in an inter-division game. They could be the two best teams in the Tri-County Conference. … The next wave in diamond fashion? Orioles pitcher Koji Uehara has a silhouette logo of himself on the webbing of his glove. To see a photo of Uehara’s glove, go to the “In the Dirt” Web site (blogs.thedailyjournal.com/inthedirt) and click on the link. … Wow, two unrelated Orioles references in one day might be a new record outside the 410 area code. … The forecast calls for sunshine today and Saturday, followed by the threat of rain all of next week. Will it ever end? — Ben Watanabe

BLOGS.THEDAILYJOURNAL.COM/INTHEDIRT

Based on responses from 45 local baseball players; The Nationals received 0 votes

Staff graphic/Joe Moore

PLAYER TO WATCH

Bill Guerro ’Gami Guerro brings a strong stroke from the left side of the plate. His home run to straightaway center field against Vineland was a nodoubter as soon as it left his bat. Upcoming games: Today at Millville, 4p.m. ➤ Monday vs. Atlantic City, 4 p.m. ➤ April 24 vs. Oakcrest, 4 p.m.

Absegami Junior

LF