By Shaun Manning

The Vikings entered the last week of the regular season a half game up on Seaford to clinch the conference title. The Vikings would have to take two out of three from the Mineola Mustangs. Also in reach was the possibility of capturing the number two seed in the county if they were able to sweep the series.

On Monday the Vikings played host as Big Billy trotted out to the mound for his last regular season start of a stellar varsity career. The Vikings jumped out behind the bats of Melillo and Como with each of them hitting home runs in the first three innings to take the Vikings to an early lead. The Mustangs would not fold as they battled back to tie the game at four going into the sixth inning. That is when PJ Como stepped to the plate with two on and two outs in the bottom of the sixth. He lined a 1-1 fastball over the center fielder's head for a game winning two-run triple. Melillo came out and retired the side in order for the 6-4 hard-fought victory. Even though the Vikings won the game, they suffered a great loss. Second baseman Calvin Kyrkostas popped his knee legging out a third inning double. Calvin, who at the time had been the team's hottest hitter and one of the emotional leaders, is feared to be done for the rest of the season.

The Vikings might have faced their toughest test of the season the next day as they went on the road to Mineola. North Shore, down two starters with catcher John Mulder and the before mentioned Kyrkostas, had to play a tough, scrappy team on the road. They turned to the ever- trustworthy Will Kunkel. As has been the case over the last two seasons, he was up to the challenge. The Vikings jumped out early as Kunkel and Benyo had first inning hits to drive in runs. The game cruised along 2-0 until the fourth, when the Mustangs pounced on Kunkel for three runs without recording an out. That is when Kunkel dug down for that little extra that few athletes have-that determination to refuse to give in. Kunkel put the team on his shoulders and with the help of an outstanding defensive effort from shortstop Tommy Luchese, pitched the Vikings to victory, not allowing another Mineola run. Not only did Will do it with the arm, he capped a sixth inning rally with a two out single to score Como with the eventual deciding run. With this victory, the Vikings clinched their second conference title in as many years. It is the third in four years for Coach Gatti.

On Wednesday the Vikings had a chance for their third consecutive sweep, and early on it looked good for the Vikings. The offense came on fire, and for the second time in three games Melillo and Como both went deep early and the Vikings jumped out to an early 7-2 lead. However, the Mustangs would not fold as they continued to chip away at the lead, closing the gap to 7-5 going into the seventh. The Vikings, who were uncharacteristically sloppy on the bases, had run themselves out of several scoring chances, allowing the Mustangs to hang around. Mineola took full advantage of the miscues and made the Vikings pay in the seventh, by scoring 3 runs to take the lead, the last of which scored on a two-out throwing error. The Vikings had the winning run on base in the bottom of the seventh, but failed to capitalize, and lost the game 8-7. "We fell apart mentally and our fundamentals were terrible," stated a clearly discouraged Coach Manning.

So now the Vikings head into the playoffs as a five seed and face neighborhood rival Glen Cove in a first round playoff showdown.

Coach: Bob McKee

On Tuesday May 10, seven teams, including the Vikings, competed for the division title at North Shore's home track. While making a strong effort, the squad came up short of the goal of having a championship season. However, in spite of the loss, there were many memorable displays of athleticism by several members of the team. Of particular note was the gold medal won by Chris Bauer in the 400M intermediate hurdles. This victory won Chris the title of All Division Athlete. Chris was followed by his teammates freshman Willie Schefer in the 3200 M run, junior Eddie Seelig in the shot put, and senior Johnny Chang for both the triple jump and the long jump in winning the All Division title.

On Friday May 13, the freshmen and sophomores competed at Mitchell Park in the annual Section VIII Fros/Soph meet. Returning to this track for the first time since winning the freshman Class B championship last season, sophomore Darell Handler fought off a serious foot injury that kept him out of action until just last week. Darell won the silver medal this year, missing first place by one tenth of a second. While coach was pleased with this strong performance, Darell has sworn to compete again next season and win the gold for the Vikings and he has the speed and determination to do it. In freshmen competition, the gold was won by freshman phenom Willie Schefer in the 3200 M run. Willie's outstanding performance means that he is the fastest runner in the 3200 M of all the Class B schools. Class B is half of all the county high schools. Willie's time was so fast that he beat all the runners from Class A, the large high schools. Willie is the undisputed freshman champion runner in the 3200 M run for all of Nassau County. Coach had anticipated Willie's victory, but a joy was found in the silver medal won by Nick Breen who also ran the 3200 M. Nick's grit, determination and athleticism brought him to this truly great achievement.

On Saturday May 14, the men's and women's teams sponsored the Second Annual North Shore Invitational. The meet attracted thirty teams, some of which were the strongest in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Junior Mike Ferrara won the gold medal in the shot put, and was followed by his classmate Eddie Seelig, who won the silver. These two athletes are examples of what can be achieved through hard work, persistence, while experiencing disappointment, and a belief in one's ability to succeed. Another great North Shore athlete, Chris Bauer, won the bronze in the 400 M intermediate hurdles. While competing against much larger Class A schools, Chris looked primed to win it all in next Tuesday's Class B County Championship. Congratulations to all the athletes.

Coach: Neal Levy

At the 2nd Annual North Shore High School Track and Field Invitational, more than 25 schools from Nassau and Suffolk Counties competed in this track and field competition. Fortunately initial weather forecasts of rain and cold were erroneous and blue skies and 70-degree temperatures were the constant during this fantastic afternoon. Besides the weather, the story of the day was the outstanding help provided from many different groups: the custodial staff and grounds crew, the parents of the North Shore boys and girls track teams, the girls' lacrosse team led by Kellie Moritz, who volunteered their time in the setup of the meet, and of course, the members of the track team who arrived early, set everything up, competed, and cleaned up. A great job by everyone. Co-meet director Ed Corona and Coach Neal Levy sincerely appreciate all the help that was provided to make this event a fun, safe, and successful one.

The team's next competition will be the County Championship this week at Mitchell Field Athletic Complex.

Coach: Kellie Moritz

The North Shore women's lacrosse team finished its regular season with an overall record of 11-1-1, coming in second in Conference 1. The regular season ended with 2 solid wins against Friends Academy (14-11) and Syosset (18-13). While the Vikings attack is able to put the ball in the cage, the defense is something to talk about. Sophomore Catie DeStio has totaled 53 turnovers, an average of 4 per game, while juniors Blair Clancy and Tyler Murphy had an average of 5.5 per game combined. Junior goalkeeper Sara Longobucco has been a tremendous asset for the Vikings with her average of 10 saves per game and her 57 pecent save percentage. The Vikings will jump right into the Class C Semi-Finals on Thursday, May 19 at 5:30 at Farmingdale High School, where they will meet Friends Academy.

Coach: Andrew Richter

The golf team ended this week with a winning record for the week and the season. With one win against Glen Cove, the Vikings have guaranteed themselves of a winning, or .500 record, this season-- this coming from a team that won only one match last season. The team will conclude their season this week with a match against Plainview.

Coach: Brian Kline

The Vikings had a very successful week on the tennis courts. On Monday, North Shore traveled to Sewanhaka and posted a 5-2 victory. Bobby Reynolds teamed up with Kenny Mandel at third doubles and collected his first varsity victory ever. After a nervous first set, Reynolds and Mandel settled in and won 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

On Wednesday, Clarke visited North Shore for the Vikings last home match of the season. Seniors John Bert and Steve Waldman, playing their last home match, helped the Vikings secure another 5-2 victory. Bert won his second singles match with blistering forehands that were too much for his opponent to handle 7-6 (7-5), 6-3. Waldman, playing with two ear infections, overcame his illness and defeated his opponent 6-4, 6-0.

To close out the season, the tennis team visited Oyster Bay. As a team, they fought, hustled and gave a tremendous effort. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the team fell to the Baymen 2-5. Eli Berger lost an incredible match 0-6, 6-3, 4-6 at third singles. The team of Steven Gelberg and Zack Ziskin continued their winning ways and won 6-1, 6-2. Gelberg and Ziskin finished the year on a ten match win streak, earning them all division honors.

The North Shore Vikings tennis team finished with a 7-7 record. After starting the year 2-5, the team turned it around and had a very strong second half of the season. John Bert, Eli Berger and Michael Diamond will represent North Shore in the County Tournament in two weeks.