Chaminade High School 340 Jackson Avenue, Mineola, New York 11501-2441 (516) 742-5555 www.chstarmac.com Vol. LXXXIV, No. 2 Christmas 2017 Trifecta! Chaminade Soccer Nets a Historic Third Consecutive State Title by Chris Mercadante ’18 1995, suffering only two non-league losses. In the 2014 playoffs, the Flyers defeated Kellenberg Memorial to set up yet another Senior Tarmac editor Chris Mercadante ’18 was a defender for NSCHSAA showdown against St. Anthony’s. the 2016 and 2017 varsity soccer teams, starting at left-back this As the rain thundered down on a dreary November night at past season. Adelphi’s Motamed Field, the Flyers played through 120 min- he wind was biting on November 18, 2012 as I sat in the utes without a goal scored or conceded, resulting in yet another stands of Belson Stadium at St. John’s University in Queens. penalty shootout. Yanni Rigos ’17 was tremendous in net for the I can still see the play unfold. After beating archrival St. Flyers, but after 20 penalty kicks, the Friars triumphed by a score TAnthony’s in penalty kicks just one week prior, the Flyers of of 10-9, handing Chaminade its second consecutive NSCHSAA Chaminade, led by loss. captain Kevin Mer- The 2015 team would cadante ’13, my broth- prove to be the perfect er, sought to win the combination of deter- fifth state champion- mined youth and vet- ship in school his- eran leadership. Led tory and first since by Vowinkel, now a ju- 2010. However, the nior captain, and senior Canisius Crusad- captains Kevin Lee ’16 ers of the Diocese of and Nick Lavinio ’16, Buffalo ended their the 2015 squad sought march towards his- to finally exorcise the tory. I watched as the playoff demons plagu- Crusaders scored the ing the program and game-winning goal capture the school’s with 10 minutes left in fifth state title. The Fly- the second overtime, ers dominated league crushing the Flyers’ play with a NSCHSAA state championship record of 11 wins, one hopes. tie, and zero losses. Fast-forward five Once again, the Fly- years to 2017. On a ers reached the league similar November championship match. day, I once again The varsity soccer team poses with its third consecutive CHSAA This time, however, found myself at Bel- New York State championship plaque. Chaminade was able to son Stadium. Howev- break through the Friar er, this time, I stood on the turf, celebrating Chaminade’s seventh defense, as Vowinkel rocketed a volley from 25 yards out that clipped CHSAA New York State title, its third such championship in as the underside of the crossbar and ricocheted back down and across many years. The arduous road to this historic moment was paved the goal line to propel the Flyers to a 1-0 victory. After three long by the players and coaches whose commitment and dedication years of waiting, the Flyers were once again league champs. helped assert Chaminade as one of the elite high school soccer “Losing in 2014 was heartbreaking,” admitted Vowinkel. “Scor- programs in the United States. ing that goal and bringing us back to the state tournament in 2015 After the devastating loss in 2012, the Flyers returned to the was everything. It felt great to get Chaminade what it finally de- 2013 NSCHSAA Finals, where they faced archrival St. Anthony’s. served, plus a little redemption.” After playing to a scoreless draw through regulation and two The junior continued his excellent form in the CHSAA state overtimes, the Flyers fell 4-1 in the penalty shootout that followed, semifinal, scoring two goals in a 3-0 win over Archbishop Molloy. handing the Friars the league championship. In a rematch of the 2012 title match, Chaminade faced Canisius in In 2014, Chaminade was determined to avenge the previous the CHSAA state final. With the memory of 2012 still clear in the year’s loss. Seeking to bolster their offense, the coaches called up minds of the coaching staff, the Flyers rolled past the Crusaders then-sophomore Matthew Vowinkel ’17, who had recently set a in dominating fashion, winning 5-0, an appropriate final score for scoring record at the freshman level. The Flyers went on to finish their fifth state title. the regular season undefeated and untied for the first time since Continued on Page 12 Journalism in the Digital Era An Eagle Among Flyers Page 5 Page 6 Remembering Fr. Paul Landolphi, S.M. Tarmac’s Guide to Christmas Classics Pages 8 and 9 Page 14 Follow us @Chaminade_HS Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/ChaminadeHighSchool FROM THE Pilot’s Seat ’T IS T HE S EASON A Reminder to Leave No Gifts Unwrapped This Christmas very Advent, my church is beautifully adorned with thing I loved to do, but I eventually let all the other noise in my decorations to welcome the coming of Christ. From life drown out my music. big wreaths and ribbons to holly and ivy, there’s a lot I failed to fully recognize a gift that God had given me. Emore going on in there than usual. Most prominently, though, In the middle of my junior year, there was an ad in my church stands a tall tree on the side of the altar. However, this isn’t an bulletin looking for music directors to start a new youth choir. My ordinary Christmas tree; it doesn’t have lights, ornaments, or friend Dan, knowing that I had some musical experience, asked me a glowing star on top, and there are no presents underneath if I would be interested in taking on this responsibility with him. it. Instead, the “giving tree,” as it’s called, is simply covered After considering the idea for a bit, I decided I’d join him, but on with white cutouts that parishioners are welcome to fill with one condition – I wanted to play guitar as little as possible, if at all. their prayer intentions. Once we got our feet off the ground, however, it became clear One of the goals of this practice is to remind us that, in the that the songs we were performing at Mass needed more sound. by Nicholas Plante ’18 midst of all those wish lists to fulfill and sales to take advan- It was up to me to fill the spaces as Dan kept the rhythm with his tage of this season, we need to go beyond the material aspect chords. As I began to play new parts on my guitar, I found myself of life and refocus ourselves on something deeper. I’m sure able to handle more difficult songs than ever before – in front of my “We need we’ve all heard it before, but this really is the perfect time of first public audiences, no less. I quickly picked up new techniques year to reflect on all the spiritual gifts in our lives, in addition and finally learned how to read sheet music. A year later, I’m now to stop and to the physical ones. at the point where I can handle all of the guitar parts to our music, In my household, we can’t wait to run downstairs on Christ- even in Dan’s absence. reflect to mas morning and tear open every last present under the tree. Don’t get me wrong; I still have a long way to go in my experi- I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this tradition; the ence as a guitarist. By no means do I consider myself to be great at ensure no problem arises when we make these material goods the sole the instrument. However, I can’t deny that I’ve been given a gift focus of the day. We need to extend that eagerness to both give from God – that He has blessed me with the ability to lead others in gift goes to and receive God. song through my playing. And if I had not stepped up when Dan The first step in doing this is simply to recognize that we have and the choir needed me, who knows if I ever would’ve realized unused been given so much more than we might think. this present was still under the tree, waiting to be unwrapped? Beyond what we find inside the wrapping paper, God grace- Enjoy the things you receive this Christmas season, but don’t and no fully offers us countless gifts throughout our lives. Whether it be forget that you’ve been given far more than what meets the eye. our talents, new opportunities, or even other people, all that we giver goes have is ultimately from Him. Admittedly, it’s not always easy to remember this. When there’s no tangible manifestation of a ARMAC unthanked.” gift, it can be especially hard for us not to take it for granted. T In many cases, we fail to understand the fullness of what we Established 1934 have been given. Published by the students of Chaminade High School Consider how it would feel if you somehow missed one of the presents under the Christmas tree. Silver and gold wrapping Editors-in-Chief paper, with a big red bow on top, all shining right there on the Colin Capece, Nicholas Plante, Aidan Fitzgerald floor. It sure looks great, but it’s never been opened. Therefore, Senior Editors it’s essentially useless to you or anyone else. But worst of all, 3 Up, 3 Down Editor Tom Daly Copy Editors Chris Mercadante since no one ever opened the gift, the one who gave it remains Layout Editor Jaden Ombres Michael Tsui unappreciated, as well.