Holy Cross Athletics Newsstand: August 2011

Welcome to the Holy Cross Newsstand, a daily listing with links to stories from around the country on the Crusaders. Here are the stories from August of 2011.

Please note that these links take you to pages which are not a part of GoHolyCross.com, and we apologize if the links no longer direct you to the proper page.

Crusaders primed to make history
August 31, 2011 * By Jennifer Toland * Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Tomorrow night’s game against UMass isn’t merely circled on Holy Cross senior cornerback Chandler Fenner’s calendar. “It is my calendar,” Fenner exclaimed. “It’s what we’ve all been working toward. It’s a huge, huge thing.” The Crusaders’ 2011 opener against the No. 25 Minutemen — the first night game in Fitton Field history — certainly has generated a buzz on the team, around campus and in alumni circles, and HC is hoping to draw its largest home crowd in years. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. . .

Five questions facing Holy Cross
August 31, 2011 * By John Connolly * Boston Herald
The prognosis for the 2011 Holy Cross football team is akin to assembling a puzzle. All the pieces are there; it just might take a while to make them fit. Unfortunately, the Crusaders won’t have the luxury of spending an inordinate amount of time to finish the picture, as a brutal schedule awaits them. In the first six weeks, HC plays four times at home. But collectively, the opposition represents the most challenging in decades. . .

Healthy outlook for Taggart, Holy Cross
August 31, 2011 * By Nicole Auerbach * Boston Globe
Ryan Taggart knows patience. A lot of other college football players don’t; they transfer or complain when they aren’t getting enough playing time. But not Taggart. At Trinity High School in Euless, Texas, Taggart learned how to be a backup quarterback and wait for his turn. . .

DI's unluckiest team could see better days in 2011-12 season
August 30, 2011 * By Andy Glockner * SportsIllustrated.com
As you approach the Hart Center high atop Holy Cross' hilly campus, the images are unmistakable. The support structures on either end of the basketball arena side of the complex are taller in the back than the front, so their tops slope forward in the distinct shape of horseshoes. While the Crusaders have enjoyed their share of good fortune in their almost four decades in the building, their recent lack of luck makes you wonder if a renovation is needed. . .

Former NFL football player Adams steps in as interim Georgetown AD
August 30, 2011 * By Joshua Boyd * Georgetown Record
Retirement didn’t last long for Bill Adams Sr. After retiring from teaching and the Athletic Director position at Lynnfield High School last spring, Adams spent about a month “out of work” before he was contacted by Georgetown High School Principal Peter Lucia this summer. “[Lucia] called me and told me they were restructuring in the Athletic Department and if I’d be interested in coming in,” said Adams.

Harney was a true gem
August 29, 2011 * By Bill Higgins * Cape Cod Times
The golf community – on Cape Cod and beyond – lost a terrific ambassador for the game (and for life) last week with the passing of Paul Harney. He was a giant in New England golf circles and a worthy champion on the national stage. Harney won five consecutive Massachusetts Opens (two of them at New Seabury) and was a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour. He finished a stroke out of a playoff for the 1963 U.S. Open at The Country Club and was in the top 10 four times at the Masters. . .

Crusaders measure success in championships
August 28, 2011 * By Jennifer Toland * Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Holy Cross posted its sixth straight winning season under coach Tom Gilmore in 2010, and by finishing 6-5, the Crusaders tied Colgate for the most wins by a Patriot League team over the last five years. But if you think HC considered last year a success, you thought wrong. . .

Friends remember a true champion
August 25, 2011 * By Bill Doyle * Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Can you imagine hitting golf balls into nets in your garage and in the back of your office for a couple of months, then taking on the best golfers on the PGA Tour and beating them? Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Not to Paul Harney, it didn’t. He actually did it. . .

Pro hockey in Hyannis
August 19, 2011 * By Kathleen Szmit * Barnstable Patriot
What do you do when the hazy summer days of Cape Cod Baseball have passed? Put on your parka and get yourself to a Cape Cod Bluefins hockey game. The Bluefins officially hit the ice Oct. 28 in their first game of the 2011-2012 season, but president/CEO Brian Kolb wants to get fans excited for game play now. . .

Holy Cross must make snap decision at QB
August 18, 2011 * By Jennifer Toland * Worcester Telegram & Gazette
A year ago at this time, Ryan Taggart was in the midst of an intense three-man battle to become Holy Cross' starting quarterback. He didn't know if he'd play or how much. Two weeks before HC's 2011 opener, Taggart, Mark Tolzien and Kevin Watson — all seniors — are again engaged in a pretty spirited competition. But Taggart, who started all 11 games last season, has a better picture of where he stands. He has maintained his spot atop the depth chart. . .

Thomas ready to play in Russia
August 17, 2011 * By Dave Ruden * Connecticut Post
Torey Thomas has yet to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA, but he may be setting a record for frequent-flyer miles in the process. Last week the former Trinity Catholic basketball star signed to play with Spartak Primorie in the PBL, Russia's premier basketball league. Thomas is scheduled to leave next week. . .

Holy Cross assistant basketball coach a secret weapon
August 10, 2011 * By Jennifer Toland * Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Chante Bonds, a veteran of many two-hand touch games in her neighborhood as a kid, was just tossing a football around with her friends on the beach at Fire Island, N.Y., a few years ago when she caught the eye of a fellow surf and sand lover who played for the New York Sharks of the Women’s Football Alliance, a 64-team professional league. . .