The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • 59

THE SUNDAY RECORD. JUNE 12, 1977 7 '3 '-lis delivers Gandoifo Ridgefield Park takes title yrs I I I I s-x I I I vy CiVi! -t4) 11 1 1 11 MX-, 1 ROGER JONES Ramsey P.J. MASTRO Paramus Catholic JOHN BRENNAN Ramsey ii. i'X A tense Gandoifo needed. John Perlongo, who singled in the fourth for the Scarlets' other hit, walked to start the second and stole second base.

He moved to third on a grounder and then walked home as Criscuolo, hitting with two out, smacked the first pitch, a fast ball. "Steve (Criscuolo) didn't hit much last season because we used a designated hitter for him and he didn't hit for power during the regular season," said Gsell. "However, he homered against Parsippany in the State semifinal and he did it again today." Back-to-back State crowns are almost impossible, even for tournament-wise Ridgefield Park, but the Scarlets have Gandoifo back for next season, to go with Perlongo and catcher Bob Kosa. "We were 4-5 at one time and switched Kevin Korz from catcher to third base and made Kosa, who was the DH, our catcher," said Gsell. "We decided to sink or swim with them.

And we swam." STATE NOTES-Ridgefield Park has reached the State final in four of the last five years. The Scarlets lost in 1973 and 1975 and beat Franklin Township in 1974. The baseball crown goes along with sectional football and basketball titles the school won this year. Giuseppe Harris, brother of Pittsburgh Steeler Franco Harris, came into the game as Rancocas Valley's top hitter, but he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. The Bergen County umpiring crew of Ed Strohmeyer, Lou Ponsi and Hank Walsh worked the Group 4 final, in which Scotch Plains beat Piscataway, 1-0.

KEVIN BYRNE Paramus Catholic By John Rowe Staff Writer WEST WINDSOR There was a time this season when Ridgefield Park pitcher John Gandoifo failed to get out of the first inning. That now seems light years ago to the Scarlets. Gandoifo didn't retire the three En-glewood batters he faced in early April to suffer his only loss. Since then he has won 10 straight games, including the 2-1 victory over Rancocas Valley yesterday which gave Ridgefield Park the Group 3 championship in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association baseball tournament. The junior righttander pitched a three-hitter to dispatch heavy-hitting Rancocas Valley in quick fashion.

Ridgefield Park had only two hits off losing pitcher Bob Roundtree, but one was a two-run homer by Steve Criscuolo in the second inning. "John worked rather quickly and calmly today," said Ridgefield Park coach Don Gsell. "It looked like nobody was hitting him." Hardly anybody hit Gandoifo. He gave up the three hits in the first two innings, a double by Roundtree, a liner which was misjudged by leftfielder Dan DiArchangel, and a single by John Lis-ella that gave Rancocas Valley its run. Gandoifo, who walked only one, retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced.

He used only six pitches in the sixth inning when he pitched like he had a cab with its meter running in the parking lot. Gandoifo was 3-0 as a sophomore after being 3-2 for the junior varsity, losing a pair of 1-0 games to New Milford. Gsell had a feeling he was going to be his No. 1 pitcher this season. "Kevin Kosman and George Cutrone did very well as juniors last year and I was very happy," said the RP coach.

"But I didn't think it could happen again as seniors." Once Gandoifo established himself by pitching four straight shutouts, Gsell knew he was his best. "With the exception of rain, we spotted him for the teams who couldn't hit the curve," said Gsell. REMO BIAGIONI Bergen Catholic KEN THORPE Indian Hills CLAYTON LLOYD SCOTT JIM HENNESSEY Paramus fry ti JEFF MATTNER Pascack SCOnSARNOSKI Tech afc-Sv BENE CARLTON LEE Hackensack MATT GILBERT Englewood DEAN Indian -sr "nnnm. Bergen Lacey fans 19 in 1-0 victory Park Ridge wins in 13th JOEPACILLO Rutherford RICH HOFFMAN LARRY JANSSON Demarest LODMELL Hills MATT FUCHS Saddle Brook Rancocas Valley had little success hitting the curve. Gandoifo struck out only four, but he got the losers to hit eight grounders, four back to the mound.

Criscuolo's 350-foot homer over the left-center field fence was the only of- Staff photo by Ed Hill Ridgejield Park pitcher John Gandoljo gets a lift from teammate John Perlongo after the Scarlets won the Group 3 title. Lacey fanned 19 and gave up just a one-out first-inning single to John Za-charnow. The righthanded star was pitching on just three days rest, but Kolb said, "I wasn't going to take him out until he told me he was tired. I didn't talk to him the whole game." "I was tired from the 11th inning on," said Lacey, "but I just didn't want to come out of the game." Lacey walked four and hit a batter, but never allowed a Florence runner past second. Park Ridge had three opportunities to win before cashing in in the 13th inning.

In the seventh, Geer walked with one out and went to third on an errant pick-off throw by Brickner. Tony DeLorenzo was hit by a pitch and Lacey grounded out, with pinch runner Brad Montgomery advancing to second. Don Gattoni was walked, but Ken Sansone fanned. Staff pWo by ES mi Park Ridge Us 1-0 victory. ff i Ifp Valley Ridgotield Park (2) Rancocas Valley (1) ab ah RohNs.rt 3 Erdman.cf 3 DiArchangeUf 3 Perlongo.tb 2 Kosa.c 3 Kor2.3b 3 Cnscuolcss 1 Brogan.flh 2 Oandolfo.p 0 Teel.2b 2 wiison.zo GoodncMs Harris.cl Smith.lf Roundtree.p Poweil.dh Engles.c Gask.ll.1b Lisella.rt Kraft.

3b Total! 22 Totals 25 1 HE 0O0 0-2 2 1 010 000 01 3 0 Park (18-10). Rancocas Valley RBI: RP Criscuolo RV Lisella. ERROR: RP Knrt. 2B: RV Roundtree. HR: RP Criscuolo.

SB: RP Perlongo. PITCHING io bb to 7 3 1114 7 2 2 2 1 Gandoifo (W, 11-1) Roundtree (U, 8-4) Ron Uricks doubled off the leftfield fence for Park Ridge's first hit in the eighth and moved to third on Belits' bunt. Rick Riecker walked, but Ed Gunther took a called third strike and Geer popped out. In the 11th, Park Ridge again got a runner to third with one out when Riecker singled, went to second on a bad throw and stole third. But Kolb passed up the bunt again, saying, "We haven't squeezed in a runner all year and I thought we had good hitters coming up." But Geer fanned and DeLorenzo grounded out to end that threat.

Finally, in the 13th, Park Ridge broke through to win the title. Belits was hit by a pitch, and Riecker laid down a perfect bunt. Brickner picked up the ball and fired wide of first and runners ended up at second and third with none out. Gunther topped a roller toward third and beat it out, setting up Geer's game-winning hit. The win climaxed a remarkable four-year stretch for Park Ridge and coach Kolb.

The Owls are 87-18 over the period, with three Bergen County Scholastic League Olympic titles, two County championships and now the State crown. "The first time you win anything is the best," said Kolb, "and this was fabulous." Park Ridge has four starters returning next season. They are infielders Uricks, Riecker and Belits and pitcher-outfielder Gattoni. Florence (0) ab Park Ridge (1) ab Riecicer.ss 4 Gunther.cf 0 Geer.c 5 DeLorenro.lb 4 Montgomery.pr 0 Lacev.o Gattoni. If 4 Sanzone.rf 4 Uncks.Jb 5 Belits.2b 2 Pincter.3b 5 Zacharkov.ss Brickner.p Fletcher.c Meszaro.lf Cipriano.1b Esata.cf Fooitcs.rf Camoano.Tb Pufcanasb Totals Totals RUE pnn one ono oro 00 1 3 0O0 OOO 000 000 11 4 0 (14-101-Florence (24-3) -Park RiOoe RBI: Geer.

ERRORS: Brickner 2. Pinder. 2B: Ur tcks. SB: Campano. Riecker, Sanione.

aAeuaro. I 12 4 11 1 tr bb so 1 1 5 24 0 0 4 19 Bnckner (L. -5) Lacey (W. 124)) iUl-County banquet is tomorrow night Members of the aH-Bergen County first teams in baseball, Softball, golf, tennis and boys and girls track and the coach of the year in each sport will be guests of The Record at the Spring All-County Awards Banquet tomorrow night at the Cottage Inn in Lodi, beginning at 6:30. stars head team By Paul Schwartz Correspondent WEST WINDSOR Bob Kolb didn't talk to Jerry Lacey, but he had something to say to Ted Geer in the 13th inning yesterday.

As a result, Park Ridge is the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 1 champion with a 1-0 win over Florence Township. "I told Teddy we needed a line drive from him and he should just swing easy," said the Park Ridge coach. Geer responded with a bases-loaded none-out liner to left, scoring Jim Belits and ending the 3'2-hour marathon. But before Geer's key hit, all attention was focused on Lacey and Florence lefthander Bob Brickner in one of the finest NJSIAA tournament games ever. Brickner fanned 24 Park Ridge hitters and allowed just four hits, none until the eighth inning, but was the hard-luck loser as Lacey won his 12th straight game.

Jim Belits scores the run that gave L-- S- r-5t W- iv- if 4rJVH LJT. --TXt. asSSd Ramsey By Ron Drogo Staff Wnter When Ramsey track coach Lou Moli-no assessed his team prior to the start of the season, he listed John Brennan as competing in the 100, 220, 440, 880, mile, and two-mile. Noting that Brennan also was a cross-country runner (three miles), Molino assumed the senior would fill in at whatever distance was necessary on a given day. But except for an occasional 880 leg on a relay, Brennan ran nothing longer than a quarter-mile all spring.

He ran his 440s better than anyone else in Bergen County and earned himself a spot on the all-Bergen County track team selected by The Record and a panel of coaches. Brennan's more publicized teammate, Roger Jones, landed two or actually one-and-a-half all-County berths. Jones, the County record-holder at both the 880 and the mile, has been named in both those events, snaring the mile honor with Paramus Catholic's Kevin Byrne. Byrne's selection establishes a record in that he has been chosen all-County in all nine seasons of his varsity career three cross-country, three indoor track and three outdoor track and having been chosen in more than one event in some seasons he has a career total of 11 all-County honors. The only other double honoree is Bergen Catholic sprinter Remo Biagioni, chosen in both the 100 and 220.

Three juniors, Paramus high jumper Jim Hennessey, Indian Hills hurdler Ken Thorpe and Bergen Tech two-miler Scott Samoski, also were named. Completing the team are Paramus Catholic's P.J. Mastro in the intermediate hurdles, Rutherford shot putter Joe Pacillo, Demarest's Larry Jansson in the discus, Pascack Valley long jumper Jeff Mattner, Englewood triple jumper Matt Gilbert, Indian Hills pole vaulter Dean Lodmell, Saddle Brook javelin thrower Matt Fuchs and Hack-ensack's mile-relay team. The all-County athletes and coach of the year Gene Prebola of Indian Hills will be honored at The Record's Spring Sports Award Banquet tomorrow at the Cottage Inn in Lodi. BIAGIONI Only five runners in Bergen County history have run the 100 faster than the Bergen Catholic senior's 9.8 clocking in winning the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference championship.

He also was the County Group 4 champ with a 10.1 clocking and won the County Meet of Champions in 10-flat. He established a season-best of 22.1 in the 220 to finish second at the NJCTC meet and clocked 22.2 to win the County Meet of Champs and 22.8 in winning the County Group 4 title. THORPE The Indian Hills junior could be one of the best hurdlers in County history before he's done. He twice clocked 14.7 this spring, winning the County Meet of Champions and the Englewood Memorial meet He also won the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League championship, was third in the State Group 4 sectionals and second in the County Group 4 meet. MASTRO Only his older brother Lou has run the 330 intermediates faster than the 38.3 P.J.

turned in this spring. That effort won him the Tri-County Conference championship to add to titles he won at the New York Relays (39.1) and the County Group 3 meet (39.2); He had a 38.4 in the Meet of Champions heats before passing up the final, and clocked 38.6 in the NJCTC Relays. BRENNAN The versatile senior moved into eighth place on the all-time Bergen County list with a 48.8 clocking in winning the Group 3 sectional title. He also had a 49.8 to win the County Group 3 title and a 50.1 in winning the County Meet of Champions. He had a best of 48.6 on a relay split, anchoring Ramsey to victory in the Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League meet after doubling in the 100 and 220 that day.

JONES Roger became the County's first miler outdoors when he won the Penn Relays title in 4:09.6. He didn't run another open mile until the State sectionals, which he won in a leisurely 4:22.3. He set another County record in winning the County Meet of Champions 880 with a 1:52.2 clocking. He also doubled in the 440 and 880 in the B-PSL meet and won the County Group 3 two-mile title with a 9:13.6 clocking, the best by a Bergen runner this spring and the third fastest of all-time. Additionally, he clocked 1:55.6 for the 880 at the New York Relays and had a 1:52.8 relay split in the County relays.

He competed in the mile in last night's Golden West Invitational in Sacramento, Calif. BYRNE Considered the best distance runner in Bergen County history, he ran only one open mile this spring prior to last night's Golden West meet. That was a "sub-par" 4:15 clocking in the NCJTC meet after he passed the half-mile mark in 2:03 on a very hot day. Earner, he had stunned the Perm See BYRNE, Page C-ll -i 1.