Page 14 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • November 14, 2012 Five Midland Park High School athletic teams qualified this year to participate in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s playoffs. The coop Waldwick/Midland Park football team, the boys varsity and the girls varsity soccer teams, the volleyball team and cross country runners all entered the first round last week in games that had been postponed due to Hurricane Sandy. The first round games originally had to be played by Oct. 30, but even as that date was moved up to Nov. 10, athletic directors scrambled to find playable fields and mutually-agreeable dates and times for the contests. The onset of Eastern Standard Time forced games to begin during school hours, cutting into academic time already shortened by the power failures. “It was all very challenging,” said MPHS Athletic Director Peter Galasso. The school closings also cut into players’ practice time, putting them at a disadvantage against other teams whose schools had not lost power. “Some teams are ready; some teams are not, yet we all had High school teams qualify for state tournament Midland Park High School Boys Varsity Soccer Team to comply with the state deadline,” Galasso said. He called practices beginning Nov. 5, once the school had power and was deemed safe. Players had to be driven to school. “It was better and safer to have official practices with coaches and trainers present than have players practice on their own and suffer injuries that might have gone unreported,” Galasso explained. For the football athletes, who are part of the Waldwick team, this is the first time their team has qualified for the playoffs. They finished their season 4-4. Waldwick last qualified for the state tournament in 1990. The other teams have regularly been invited to the tournament. Boys soccer finished its season with 4-10-2 record but lost 3-1 in the playoff game against Cresskill. The girls had a 5-8-1 record and lost to Park Ridge 4-3 in the playoff. The volleyball team’s season record was 15-6. Other games had not been played by press time. “This is a very tight-knit community with very good athletes for a small town. I’m very happy that our teams are able to compete at a high level,” Galasso said. Midland Park High School Volleyball Team