St. Anthony's golfer John Rogers survived the heat and the competition at the state Federation boys golf championships on Sunday. Dom Bozzelli of Rochester-McQuaid shot a two-under-par 70 to win the event at Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira. Rogers placed 17th with an 88, fifth among Long Island golfers and second to Holy Trinity junior Anthony Panzarella among Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA competitors. According to people at the event, it was a long course with a 130 slope rating. And the near-100 degree temperature made the 18 holes a test of endurance more than anything.

In the wake of a recent notebook item detailing the championship success of the St. Anthony's ice hockey team — and the subsequent rule change meant to drive the club program out of its existing public school league — at least one fear was laid to rest.

Club General Manager Marie Drisco believed league expulsion would mean St. Anthony's would also be denied ice time at its longtime home, The Rinx in Hauppauge. Tom Palamara, Executive Vice President of The Rinx, heard about Drisco's concerns and wrote Friars Sports to say they are unmerited.

Here's the email: "The Rinx is an independent corporation and not affiliated with any leagues. We rent ice to the SCHSHL, PAL and anyone else that wants to rent ice. That is our business. If St Anthony's wants to rent ice, we would be more than pleased to rent them ice. I will tell you that even with two sheets of ice, Sports Plus closed, there is not much ice available for rent. But if we have it, we rent it."

So while the Friars must adjust to a new league next fall, it appears they'll still have a familiar home ice to do battle on. Thanks Tom for the reply.

Once again, Sports Illustrated has ranked St. Anthony's the No. 1 high school athletic program in New York state. The latest issue, dated May 26 and featuring a comic book cover, ranks the nation's Top 10 programs and the best in each state. While the Friars didn't crack the Top 10, St. Anthony's managed to hold on to its status as the best in the state. Nice job, Don Buckley and his staff of coaches

St. Anthony's athletic director Don Buckley is hoping this summer's two-date arrangement with the Long Island Rough Riders can grow into something more lasting.

The Rough Riders are a member of the Premier Development League (PDL) in the United Soccer Leagues (USL). They play a double header Tuesday at St. Anthony's.

The Rough Riders women face Connecticut at 6 p.m. followed by the men versus Brooklyn at 8 p.m. Of course, the St. Anthony's boys lacrosse team plays St. John the Baptist in a Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA semifinal at 3:45 p.m.

So that's a full afternoon of excitement on the Friars' turf.

The Rough Riders return to South Huntington for another double header on July 12

The Friars ice hockey team recently capped a landmark season with its first state title in 24 years. The net result? After seven straight Suffolk league titles, St. Anthony's will be playing elsewhere next October.

Team general manager Marie Drisco, who has helped direct the club program for 14 years, said the Friars are being driven from the Suffolk league by a new rule limiting the number of players from more than one school district. It's a rule meant to penalize private school programs, Drisco notes.

So the Friars will be forced to play in a Catholic league with teams from as far afield as Staten Island and New Jersey. In addition, the team may get shut out of its longtime home ice at The Rinx in Hauppauge. One way or another, the new season will bring the program's greatest challenge yet.

Former St. Anthony's standout Matt Hahn is one step closer to realizing his football dream. An All-Long Island running back for the Friars in 2002, Hahn signed as an undrafted free agent with the Oakland Raiders on Monday. The 6-foot, 236-pound Hahn was a hard-hitting fullback at Penn State. He likely would have been drafted, but is still recovering from a right ACL tear he suffered in October. Hahn will participate in rookie mini camp beginning May 8. Friars Nation will be watching.

The Football Writers Association of America has released its 2008 Outland Trophy Watch List and Stanford senior Alex Fletcher (a St. Anthony's graduate and brother of senior Austen Fletcher) is included among the seventy standout linemen from around the country who have been nominated for preseason consideration for this prestigious award that honors the best interior lineman in college football.

The Outland Trophy has been awarded to the best interior lineman in college football since 1946. With input from the entire FWAA membership, the winner is selected by the FWAA's All-America Committee, which selects the association's 25-man All-America team and picks the three Outland Trophy finalists and the winner.

The 2008 Outland Trophy announcement will be on Dec. 11 in Orlando, Fla., on the ESPNU Home Depot College Football Awards Show. Three finalists will appear on the show. The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be on Jan. 15, 2008 in Omaha, Neb.

Fletcher, who will move from offensive guard to the center position for 2008 season, has started 31 games in his Stanford career, more than any returning starter. A native of Old Brookville, NY, Fletcher started the first 20 games of his Stanford career on the offensive line, including 12 starts at center and eight at right guard before missing the final three contests of the '06 season due to injury. He started all 12 games at right guard last season.

Rain, rain -- or at least the threat of it -- go away. And don't come back until the spring sports season is through. St. Anthony's administrators and coaches opted to postpone events in track, baseball and softball on Tuesday. See, Yankee fans? It's not just the guys in the Bronx who don't want to play in the threatening weather.

Update from state Federation wrestling Saturday in Rochester: Two St. Anthony's standouts fall in the first round. Sophomore Chris Brienza lost a 4-3 decision to Rocco Russo of Greece Olympia (Section V) at 96 pounds. Senior Joe Calderone was decisioned 3-1 by Zach Clemente of Lasalle-II at 140. Each can still move on through wrestlebacks.

The St. Anthony's girls basketball team didn't make it to the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA title game on Tuesday at Hofstra. But its presence was felt nonetheless.

That's because at the conclusion of the game, won by St. John the Baptist, an awards ceremony ensued. The center of attention? The league co-players of the year. St. John's junior Christine Huber, a 6-4 center, shared player of the year honors with St. Anthony's senior point guard Kristine Best.

It says a lot about Best, who averaged 18 points a game and led the Friars to the semis for the first time since 1988, that she split the award with arguably one of the great girls basketball players in Long Island history. Huber won a state CHSAA Class AA title a year ago, is closing in on a second and will be a major Division I recruit in 2009.

Best, headed to Division I Marist, made an impact with a smooth jumper and great ball-handling skills. B-B-B-Best was an announcer's dream. And she helped revive the girls basketball program at St. Anthony's. Her contributions won't be forgotten any time soon.

Time to give it up to five seniors who helped lay the foundation to a historic girls basketball season. Marist-bound Kristine Best, Catherine Soler, Meghan Monahan, Cara Feeney and Heather Curtin each got the Friars to the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA semifinals for the first time since 1988. That's a lifetime ago to you teens . . . Unfortunately, the run ended Sunday with a loss to Holy Trinity. Click here to read the story.

St. Anthony's coach Mike Ryan couldn't have been happy with Saturday's 63-60 loss to St. Dominic. But the silver lining is the Friars stayed with St. Dominic despite playing without guard Chris Jimenez. The senior returned in December after battling back from injuries sustained in an April 2007 hit-and-run accident. But then he went down again in the last month. Jimenez, a great ball-handler and deep threat, could return to the lineup on Thursday, in time for the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA quarterfinals. The playoff bracket won't be decided until Monday night, but right now it appears the Friars are the third seed and will host No. 6 St. John the Baptist at 7:30 p.m.