Archbishop Wood

The waiting has begun for Archbishop Wood. The Vikings' first-place finish in the Catholic League's Northern Division has earned them a rest until the division championship game on June 2. Wood (16-8, 14-2) ended its regular season with a 1-0, nine-inning loss to defending league champion La Salle on Tuesday. Third-place Father Judge and fourth-place Bishop Kenrick will play Tuesday with the winner meeting second-place La Salle on Wednesday. Three days later, Wood meets the survivor, with the league championship game on June 6. "It's tough to survive that (opening round)

Jay McGee has been named softball coach at Archbishop Wood, and he is virtually guaranteed to have an interesting time in the Catholic League this season. His daughters, Jade and Jenna, play for league rivals Conwell-Egan and Archbishop Ryan, respectively. Jade is a senior, and Jenna is a freshman. "There will be some days when there will be no talking in the McGee household," Jay McGee said with a laugh. "We're used to it, though. We're a softball family. Some days will be happy, some days will be sad, depending on who wins or loses.

Talk to members of the Archbishop Wood girls' soccer team, and you are bound to hear a lot about second chances. A second chance at a season, after losing in the Catholic League semifinals but still making it to the Class AA state tournament. A second chance against Villa Joseph Marie, to which they lost during a preseason scrimmage. A second chance for a senior class that previously had experienced only success. But the most important second chance for the Vikings in Thursday's first-round state playoff game against the Jems was a scoring opportunity.

The formula for the Archbishop Wood football team was pretty simple on Friday night. Give the ball to Andrew Guckin. Need a first down? Guckin will take it for touchdown. Want to dump the ball off on a screen? Guckin will take it 41 yards. How about from the 2-yard line - can the senior tailback get it in the end zone? Yep. Against Interboro, Guckin's 133 rushing yards and four touchdowns helped the Vikings sail to victory, 35-7, in a PIAA Class AAA state quarterfinal at Plymouth Whitemarsh.

A break in accounting class Tuesday at Archbishop Wood allowed Joe and John Santospago to continue their friendly sibling rivalry. This time, it played out in an impromptu arm-wrestling match. "I took him down," John said with a laugh. "He's way stronger than me, but I think my forearm strength was the difference. It's from all the years being a catcher. " Joe's take on losing the contest? "He got lucky," the outfielder said. "I'm confident I can win the next go-round. " The good-natured competition between the Santospago brothers has benefited Wood's baseball squad, with each trying to outdo the other at the plate.

Through December, Archbishop Wood showed its inexperience, losing seven of its first 11 games. With the new year has come a new attitude, and the Vikings have won three straight games, all in the Catholic League North Division. "After the first of the year, the kids realized it was a new season, and that what they did in December no longer mattered. " coach Joe Sette said. "It was an opportunity to start fresh and re-establish themselves. " On Friday, the Vikings (7-7, 3-0)

It's an early East vs. West showdown. In the type of matchup usually reserved for the third weekend in December, Archbishop Wood and Pittsburgh Central Catholic will battle Sunday for early state bragging rights. If the so-called experts are on the mark, Central Catholic is the real deal. In preseason polls, the Vikings were ranked No. 27 in the nation by ESPN Rise and 28th by Rivals.com. "We'd prefer being under the radar, but there's nothing we can do about it," said Terry Totten, Central Catholic's seventh-year coach.

Archbishop Wood has not played a Suburban High School Hockey League game for 25 days, but suddenly the Vikings are in the running for a playoff spot. Wood (6-6-1, 13 points) will battle Germantown Academy (6-5-1, 13) tomorrow at the Face-Off Circle in Warminster, and the winner will have the upper hand in gaining the final playoff berth. Wood has one other remaining SHSHL game, against Council Rock (10-1-1, 21), while Germantown Academy has two games left, both with Central Bucks (9-2-1, 19)

St. Joseph's University field hockey coach Barb Linebarger's coaching career lasted all of two games last season before the small matter of having a baby intruded. This year, Linebarger, the former coach at Archbishop Wood, is ready to put in a full season, returning to a Hawks team spiced with 11 letter winners and four of the top five scorers from last year. One player that Linebarger will depend on is senior captain Debbie Black, an all-American candidate who scored 6 goals last season.

Baseball CATHOLIC LEAGUE CONSOLATIONS Archbishop Ryan 9, Bonner-Prendergast 0 Archbishop Wood 6, Neumann-Goretti 1 DISTRICT 1 CLASS AAAA FIRST ROUND Garnet Valley 1, Council Rock South 0 Central Bucks South 7, West Chester Rustin 4 Downingtown West 2, Wissahickon 0 Radnor 8, Cheltenham 7 North Penn 9, Conestoga 3 Pennridge 7, Great Valley 3 Boyertown 2, West Chester East 0 INDEPENDENT SCHOOL TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND...

Brett McCrossen stroked a two-run double in the sixth inning to seal Archbishop Wood's 7-3 win over visiting Archbishop Ryan on Wednesday in the first round of the Catholic League playoffs. The senior outfielder finished 3 for 4 with a run scored and three RBIs. He had a one-run double in the third. Scott Boches, a senior righthander, posted the win as he struck out nine batters and walked two in seven innings. Also in the first round: Pat Vanderslice struck out 10 and scattered five hits to guide Bonner-Prendergast past visiting Cardinal O'Hara, 5-3. Public.

BASEBALL Team Rec. Records are through Tuesday. Last week's rankings in parentheses. 1. Strath Haven (1) 19-0 2. Bonner-Prender. (3) 15-3 3. C.B. East (4) 15-4 4. La Salle (5) 16-4 5. Malvern (7) 24-7 6. Neshaminy (2) 15-4 7. Unionville (9) 17-3 8. W.C. Henderson (NR) 15-5 9. C.B. South (8) 12-5 10. Coatesville (6) 15-5 Under consideration (listed alphabetically): Archbishop Wood (13-5), Boyertown (13-8), Methacton (16-5), Pennridge (14-5)

A break in accounting class Tuesday at Archbishop Wood allowed Joe and John Santospago to continue their friendly sibling rivalry. This time, it played out in an impromptu arm-wrestling match. "I took him down," John said with a laugh. "He's way stronger than me, but I think my forearm strength was the difference. It's from all the years being a catcher. " Joe's take on losing the contest? "He got lucky," the outfielder said. "I'm confident I can win the next go-round. " The good-natured competition between the Santospago brothers has benefited Wood's baseball squad, with each trying to outdo the other at the plate.

The Inquirer TOP 10     BASEBALL Team   Rec. Records are through Tuesday. Last week's rankings in parentheses. 1. Strath Haven (3)   16-0 2. Neshaminy (2)   14-3 3. Bonner-Prend. (1)   15-3 4. C.B. East (4)   13-3 5. La Salle (5)   15-4 6. Coatesville (9)   14-3 7. Malvern Prep (7)   21-7 8. C.B. South (NR)   12-4 9. Unionville (NR)   14-3 10. Archbishop Wood (10)

"That stinkin' curveball. " The comment came from a frustrated Archbishop Carroll supporter after Archbishop Wood's Scott Boches had recorded one of his seven strikeouts late in Tuesday's Catholic League Blue Division baseball game. The senior righthander mostly kept the host Patriots guessing with his tricky curveball, and with the aid of three home runs in a small ballpark, the Vikings triumphed, 7-3, in Radnor. "It's really been my 'out' pitch this season," Boches said.

PAT VANDERSLICE took a few seconds to detail the reasons he loves to pitch and finished with these six words: "Because the ball's in your court. " Intentional? Unintentional? Definitely a fitting last word. You see, Vanderslice's other main sport at Bonner-Prendergast High has been basketball, and that one was favored through the years by pretty much every member of his family, even going back a generation. But when "Slice," a 6-6, 225-pound senior righthander, starts classes next fall at Temple, his hoops activity will be limited to intramurals (if that)