Sunday, June 26, 2011

Mark Tomei - Middlesex County Player Of The Year





Mark Tomei of South Plainfield is The Star-Ledger's Middlesex County baseball Player of the Year for 2011. 
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Player of the year: By his own standards, this was a disappointing season for Mark Tomei.

“My biggest goal this year was to try to win a state title,” the South Plainfield junior outfielder said. “I just went out there and tried to do my best every game.”

Turns out Tomei’s best was pretty darn good, because his offensive statistics were the equal of any player’s in the state: 58 hits, including 34 for extra bases, with 20 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 47 runs and 26 RBI as a lead-off hitter. He had a .496 batting average, a .983 slugging percentage and a 1.522 OPS.

“He took the aggressive approach. When you get a fastball, you want to attack it and that is what he did,” South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida said. “And this year he got a lot of fastballs.”

Tomei batted ninth as a sophomore, but Guida looked to him to fill a void at the leadoff slot this fall.

“He wasn’t happy batting ninth,” Guida said. “This year I was able to put him at leadoff and he flourished there.”

Tomei credited Guida’s emphasis on fundamentals with helping him and praised the influence of senior teammate Brandon Downes.

“He’s probably one of my idols,” Tomei said. “I kind of look up to him as a big brother. He’s great on the field and off the field he’s just a well-rounded kid."

So what are Tomei’s goals for his senior campaign? Sixty hits? Thirty doubles?

“I want to win the GMC and state tournaments,” Tomei said. “It’s more about the team than myself.”

ALL-MIDDLESEX COUNTY

FIRST TEAM


Brandon Downes, South Plainfield, 6-3, 180, Senior
Virginia-bound outfielder drafted by Boston Red Sox batted .389 with 37 hits, nine doubles, three triples, five home runs, and 23 RBI as leadoff hitter with 23 walks, 11 intentional.

Mark Tomei, South Plainfield, 5-9, 185, Junior
County player of the year and outfielder had unreal offensive season with 58 hits including 20 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 47 runs and 26 RBI as lead-off hitter, batting .496. 

SECOND TEAM
Dan Hansen, South Plainfield
Stephen Petriello, South Plainfield. 

Other Tigers that garnered attention around the conference:
Fourh team: Charlie Huber, South Plainfield 
Fifth team: Nick DeMarco, South Plainfield 
All-junior: Stephen Petriello, South Plainfield; Mark Tomei, South Plainfield 
Juniors to watch: Nick DeMarco, South Plainfield
All-sophomore: Quinn Cochrane, South Plainfield
Sophomores to watch: A.J. Celentano, South Plainfield
All-freshman: Robert Eggert, South Plainfield


ALL-STATE BASEBALL 2011
FIRST TEAM 
Mark Tomei, South Plainfield, 5-9, 185, Junior
The left-handed hitting outfielder batted .496 with a whopping 58 hits, 34 for extra bases, including 20 doubles, five triples and nine home runs. Drove in 26 runs as lead-off batter with a .983 slugging percentage and 1.522 OPS, ended his season with a 16-game winning streak.

THE STAR-LEDGER FINAL RANKINGS
MIDDLESEX COUNTY
1-Perth Amboy (22-5)
2-Old Bridge (18-10)
3-South Plainfield (21-9)
4-Monroe (20-6)
5-Woodbridge (21-7)
6-St. Joseph (Met.) (17-10)
7-South Brunswick (15-8)
8-Middlesex (23-8)
9-Metuchen (15-9-1)
10-South River (14-9)

http://www.nj.com/hssports/blog/baseball/index.ssf/2011/06/baseball_2011_season_in_review.html


AREA TOP 10
1. Governor Livingston (26-6)
2. Westfield (25-5)
3. Watchung Hills (18-8)
4. Voorhees (18-4)
5. Hillsborough (l8-9)
6. South Plainfield (21-8)
7. Hunterdon Central (20-9)
8. Ridge (15-13)
9. Middlesex (23-8)
10. Immaculata (12-10)

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20110625/NJSPORTS0130/306250040/Memorable-year-high-school-baseball

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Rosters set for NJBCA All-Star Games on Wednesday




, June 14, 2011 8:11 p.m.
 
 
WHAT: N.J. Baseball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Games. Two 10-inning games played simultaneously.

WHEN: Today, 7 p.m.

WHERE: Diamond Nation, Flemington.

WHO: Four teams of all-stars from around the state compete. Northwest plays South, Central plays Northeast.

ROSTERS

NORTHWEST
P-Anthony Elia, Mount Olive; Nick Donatiello, Delbarton; Matt Reynolds, Hackettstown; Kevin Ladner, Roxbury; Mike Cranston, Gov. Livingston; David Jesch, West Essex; Nick Macaione, North Warren; Mark Wilson, Johnson; Clayton Cerrato, Parsippany.
C-A.J. Murray, Westfield; Stephan Halibej, Seton Hall Prep; Tyler Boyd, Roxbury.
1B-Dan Kerr, Westfield; Rob Fonseca, Seton Hall Prep.
2B-Ryan Karl, Montville; Mike Rampone, Randolph.
SS-John Jennings, Gov. Livingston.
3B-Jackson Baird, Morris Knolls.
OF-Frank Tassielli, Hanover Park; Tim Swanson, Millburn; Cavan Penberthy, Bloomfield; Rob Drexel, Morris Catholic; Mark Osofsky, Cranford.

SOUTH

P-Cody Brown, Gloucester Catholic; Kevin Comer, Seneca; Jeff McGarry, Lenape; Matt Rakus, St. Augustine; Anthony Urban, West Deptford; Dan Falvo, Jackson.
C-Craig Joseph, Cherokee; Mark Zagunis, Holy Cross.
1B-C.J. Wallowitch, Holy Spirit; Pat Sheldrick, Central Reg.
IF-Jacob DeWitt, Florence; Robert Homes, Winslow; Andy Lopez, Jackson; Mickey Donnelly, Central Reg.; Matt Meleo, Jackson; Bob Harris, Lakewood; Ryan Williams, Seneca.
OF-Tyler Faiola, Camden Catholic; Chet Godfrey, Millville; Ed Charlton, St. Augustine; Devon Hedgepeth, Rancocas Valley; Brett Phillips, Audubon; Pat Jensen, Lacey; Jon Roszel, Manchester Twp.

NORTHEAST

P-Jordan Gross, Don Bosco Prep; T.J. Hunt, Ramapo; Dave Palladino, Emerson; Matt Lawsky, Glen Rock; Andrew Furber, Wayne Valley; Brendan Mayers, Pope John; Chris Carroll, Westwood; Charles Fletcher, Passaic Valley; Toby Schwartz, Bergen Catholic.
C-Alex DeBellis, Pope John; Eric Greenwald, Waldwick; D.J. Ross, Hopatcong.
1B-Nick Cordatto, Bayonne; Nick Henriques, Paramus.
IF-Jason Vosler, Don Bosco Prep; Kyle Grimm, Bergenfield; K.C. Abel, Wayne Valley; Tom Gaccione, Passaic Valley; Kevin Alonzo, North Bergen; John Brucker, Sparta.
OF-Mark Naseef, Lyndhurst; Mike Tolercio, Wayne Valley; Nick Bruno, Don Bosco Prep; Matt Ackerman, Pope John; Yeudy Ventura, Union City; Donnie Cimino, Westwood.

CENTRAL

P-J.B. Kole, Ridge; Emilio Calderon, Perth Amboy, Steven Bloodworth, North Hunterdon; Brandon Dolan, St. Joseph (Met.); Mike Daley, Immaculata; Jose Lopez, Hightstown; Jon Young, Old Bridge; Kyle Rubbinaccio, Manalapan.
C-Vin Tranchina, Red Bank Catholic; Anderson Rosa, Perth Amboy.
1B-David Rondesko, South River; Sean Keselica, Voorhees.
IF-Brandon Young, Hillsborough; Josh Ake, Hunterdon Central; Chris Suseck, Hunterdon Central; D.J. Ruhlman, Montgomery; Blaise Lezynski, Notre Dame; Rich Ricciardi, Manalapan.
OF-Carl Thomore, East Brunswick; Brandon Downes, South Plainfield; Ryan Casey, Robbinsville; Steve Spadafino, Steinert; Dan Hansen, South Plainfield; Mike Clarke, Woodbridge; Nick Dini, Monroe.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/4334149245911222862/rosters-set-for-njbca-all-star-games-on-wednesday/

Sunday, June 12, 2011

MIDDLESEX: Rosters for Tuesday's GMC All-Star Game



By Josh Rosenfeld/For The Star-Ledger
Published: Sunday, June 12, 2011, 5:48 PM
Updated: Sunday, June 12, 2011, 6:44 PM

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The 2011 Frank Gavigan Greater Middlesex Conference Senior All-Star game will be played Tuesday, June 14 at East Brunswick at 7 p.m. The game is run by the GMC Baseball Coaches Association and will pit a team of All-Stars from the GMC Red and Blue Divisions against All-Stars from the White and Gold Divisions.

Here are the rosters:

Red-Blue

Name                      School                Position            #

Brandon Dolan        St. Joseph               P                 35

Rob Johnson           Middlesex                P                   6

Jon Young               Old Bridge               P                   1

Nick Boyler              South River             P                 16

Mitch D’Amato         Edison                    P                   7

Charles Thielmann   Piscataway           P                  24

Dustin Devoe          South Amboy         P                   4

Shawn Weeks         Spotswood           C                 34

Ariel Torres              South Brunswick   C                   7

Eric Goitia                Sayreville              C                 15

Dominick Mangarella  Bishop Ahr          C                 11

David Rondesko      South River           1B               10

Peter Protnicki         J.P. Stevens          1B               25

Robert Pepe            Bishop Ahr            INF                3

Kevin Marte             New Brunswick     INF              13

Blake Cuomo           Sayreville              INF               4

Matt Hratko             St Joseph              INF               7

Taylor Amato           Old Bridge             INF               9

Carl Thomore          East Brunswick     OF              18

Craig Cleffi              South Brunswick   OF              12

Matt Walters           Metuchen             OF              17

Jon Yurecko            South Brunswick   OF              20

Mike Passanante    Middlesex             OF              19

JJ Glinka                  East Brunswick    OF                8

James Vacchio        South River          OF              14

Dominick Forcella    St Joseph            DH                2



White-Gold

Name                   School                 Position        #

Frank Zurla           Dunellen                 P                   11

Emilo Calderon     Perth Amboy           P                   18

Dan Hansen         South Plainfield       P                   19

Nick Stallone        Woodbridge            P                   21

AJ Pichalski           John F. Kennedy     P                   13

Rob Terracciano    Timothy Christian   C                   12

Anderson Rosa     Perth Amboy          C                    2

Nick Dini                Monroe                  C                  22

James Lyczkowski  Woodbridge         C                    9

Mike Scarrone       Monroe                  1B                23

Justin Soto            E.B. Vo-Tech          1B                20

Frank Iglesias       Wardlaw-Hartridge  1B              45

Steven Hock          North Brunswick    1B                13

Jimmy Small           Monroe                  INF              10

Anthony Pena        Perth Amboy Tech INF                 7

John Marietta        Cardinal McCarrick INF               19

Sean Youngman    North Brunswick    INF                 8

Kevin Savoia         Cardinal McCarrick INF               22

Brandon Downes  South Plainfield     OF                31

Juan Contreras     E.B. Vo-Tech          OF                  6

AJ Marchitelli         Carteret                OF                  2

Matt Wagner        Colonia                 OF                 33


Mike Clarke          Woodbridge          OF                  8

Ryan Smith          Cardinal McCarrick OF                  4

Orlando Ramos    E.B. Vo-Tech          DH                25


 
http://www.nj.com/hssports/blog/baseball/index.ssf/2011/06/middlesex_rosters_for_tuesdays_gmc_all-star_game.html

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

MIDDLESEX: Draftees Thomore, Downes Selected for NJ All-Star Game



Published: Wednesday, June 08, 2011, 8:42 PM
Updated: Wednesday, June 08, 2011, 9:26 PM


By Josh Rosenfeld/For The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger

East Brunswick's Carl Thomore and South Plainfield's Brandon Downes, both selected in this week's Major League Baseball Draft, are among 10 Greater Middlesex Conference seniors to have been named to the Central team in next week's New Jersey State All-Star Game.

The event consists of two games played simultaneously at Diamond Nation in Flemington at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15.

The Colorado Rockies selected Thomore with the 77th overall pick in the third round on Tuesday while the Boston Red Sox selected Downes in the 43rd round on Wednesday.

Here are the 10 Greater Middlesex Conference players selected to participate:

PITCHERS                                             
Emilio Calderon, Perth Amboy
Brandon Dolan, St. Joseph
Jon Young, Old Bridge


CATCHER

Anderson Rosa, Perth Amboy

FIRST BASE
David Rondesko, South River

OUTFIELDERS
Mike Clarke, Woodbridge
Brandon Downes, South Plainfield
Dan Hansen, South
Plainfield
Carl Thomore, East Brunswick

DESIGNATED HITTER
Nick Dini, Monroe

    

Brandon Downes (2).JPG
South Plainfield's Brandon Downes, drafted by the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, has been selected to participate in next week's State All-Star Game. (William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)

                
Brandon Downes Drafted by Red Sox

Three area players bound for Atlantic Coast Conference schools were chosen in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft. But it will take some very special offers for Hunterdon Central shortstop Josh Ake (University of North Carolina), South Plainfield center fielder Brandon Downes (University of Virginia) and Westfield catcher A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) to turn down college.
Ake was taken by the Mets in the 29th round, while Downes was picked by the Red Sox in the 43rd round and Murray in the 48th by the Astros.
“Chances are I'll be going to UVA,’’ said Downes, whose older sister Kelly informed him of his being drafted.
Downes will get a chance to play at Fenway Park. The Red Sox will have their draft picks take part in a game prior to their June 22 contest.
Ake, a four-year varsity starter for Hunterdon Central, who helped the Red Devils win state Group IV titles as a freshman and sophomore, will soon leave for Chapel Hill to
take some summer courses.
“We'll see how it plays out over the summer,'' he said of possibly signing a pro contract. “I'm definitely considering it, and if the offer is good enough, but it'll
take a lot of money.’’
Murray is the third player in his family to be drafted.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20110608/NJSPORTS/306080053/Three-area-players-taken-MLB-Draft?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Game 30: Old Bridge 3, South Plainfield 2 (Final GMC Tournament)


South Plainfield (2) at Old Bridge (3), Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, Final Round - Baseball

, June 01, 2011 10:33 p.m.
By Josh Rosenfeld

Mike Anastasio had just coached his alma mater, Old Bridge, to its first Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament championship. How did he plan to celebrate?
"I'm going to Disney World!" Anastasio shouted for all to hear.
He was serious. Anastasio had signed up to chaperone the Old Bridge senior class trip to Disney, which left at 2 a.m. this morning.
Anastasio and his senior-laden club were already walking on air after second-seeded Old Bridge earned a 3-2 victory over South Plainfield, No. 20 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, to claim the first GMC title since the school opened in 1994.
Jon Young (9-2) went the distance and tamed the mighty South Plainfield lineup by allowing eight hits and two walks while striking out five. South Plainfield touched Young for two runs in the top of the sixth and had runners on second and third when the inning ended, then squandered a lead-off hit in a scoreless seventh inning.
The game was scoreless for the first five and a half innings, much to Anastasio's liking.
"I'm thinking it's in my favor," Anastasio said. "I knew that Johnny was going to get his second wind. He'll probably hit a little bump in the road and you know they're going to hit the ball. I just hoped they hit it at somebody."
Young didn't mind the scoreless duel, either.
"I was very confident. I was thinking the whole time that I had to keep throwing up zeroes," Young said. "Whoever scores the first run is going to win the game. I knew our bats were there."
Anastasio preaches small ball, somewhat out of necessity, and that is what got Old Bridge (18-10) going.
Anthony Jichetti led off the bottom of the fifth with a double to left and was promptly bunted over to third by Brian Knoth. Payam Agha Ghassem then laid down a perfect safety squeeze bunt up the first-base line for a hit when South Plainfield pitcher Charlie Huber could not field cleanly.
"You live by the sword, you die by the sword," Anastasio said. "Not that we thought that they would make errors, but I just wanted to put the pressure on and move guys over. Play baseball. All of those crazy, stupid drills that we did that they hated? I'm glad we did them."
Tom Garvey battled through a nine-pitch at-bat for another double to left scoring Agha Ghassem. Young then singled in Garvey for a 3-0 lead.
South Plainfield (21-9), seeded fourth, came roaring back with the top of its lineup batting in the top of the sixth. Mark Tomei walked and took second on Ryan Hutchinson's single through second. Brandon Downes then singled in Tomei, but Hutchinson was nailed rounding second by third baseman Vin Dacunto on a perfectly executed cut-off.
Downes advanced two bases to third on an errant pick-off attempt and scored on Stephen Petriello's single up the middle to make it a 3-2 Old Bridge lead. Dan Hansen singled Petriello to third and Eric Niemayer, running for Hansen, stole second while attempting to get hung up in a round down to allow Petriello to score. He didn't, and Young escaped with a strikeout and a ground ball to Dacunto.
"That's what we always do. We have a knack to come back, sometimes a little too late," South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida said. "I always feel confident. We had the top of the lineup coming up. It was a very good game, down to the last pitch, the last play and that's the way championship games should be played."
Nick Ross led off the South Plainfield seventh with a pinch-hit single between first and second but was forced at second on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Young then caught the .500-hitting Tomei looking and got Hutchison to hit a game-ending ground ball to third.
"You can't be worried about what you hear about a team," Young said. "You just have to go out there and throw your game. Don't throw to the batter, be a pitcher."
Young did just that and he and his classmates were off to Disney World. As champions of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-2054271813685093396/south-plainfield-2-at-old-bridge-3-greater-middlesex-conference-tournament-final-round-baseball/



Old Bridge wins GMCT final

Written byGREG TUFARO

EAST BRUNSWICK — After escaping a first-and-third jam to preserve a one-run lead in the previous inning, Jon Young wasn't about to let the South Plainfield baseball team push across the tying run in the top of the seventh.
The senior right-hander struck out the league's most dangerous hitter before inducing his 13th groundball out to strand a runner at second in Old Bridge's 3-2 victory over the Tigers in Wednesday night's Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final at East Brunswick High School.

The league championship was the school's first since Madison Central and Cedar Ridge merged to form Old Bridge in 1994. Madison Central won a GMCT title in 1989 and a Middlesex County crown in 1977.

"I knew I couldn't let up one more run,'' said Young, who improved to 9-2 and will attend Rutgers University on a partial baseball scholarship in the fall. "I had to do whatever I could. The strikeout came in handy.''

Pinch-hitter Nick Ross led off the seventh for South Plainfield with a single to right. Ross was erased at second when pinch-hitter Rob Eggert bunted back to Young, who alertly gunned down the lead runner on the sacrifice attempt. That brought Mark Tomei, who entered the game with a conference-best 56 hits and a .506 batting average, to the plate.

After fouling off three consecutive 1-2 pitches, Tomei was caught looking as Young's fifth strikeout victim. Ryan Hutchinson grounded out to shortstop Taylor Amato, who recorded his eighth assist, to end the game.

"It was a tough two days,'' said South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida, referring to his Tigers having a 12-game winning streak snapped with Tuesday's 10-6 loss to Mendham in the North 2 Group III final and falling to the Knights 24 hours later.

"It's tough to lose consecutive days in a semifinal and a final. We asked them to leave it all on the field, and I think they did. It gave us an opportunity to win a game. We had an opportunity with the tying run on base and the guys that we wanted up.''
(Page 2 of 2)


South Plainfield starting pitcher Charlie Huber (6-2), who traded zeroes with Young, coasted into the fifth with a one-hit shutout. Huber threw just 35 pitches through the first four innings. He threw 34 pitches in the fifth alone and was succeeded by closer Nick DeMarco.

Anthony Jichetti led off the fifth for Old Bridge with a double down the left-field line. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Payam Agha Ghassem, who had the Knights' only other hit - a third-inning single - laid down a perfect safety squeeze to plate Jichetti. The bunt to the first-base side of the mound was a tough fielding chance for the left-handed Huber.

"He gave me the sign and I wasn't expecting it,'' Ghassem said of Old Bridge coach Mike Anastasio. "We work on it in practice every day. I knew it was going to come in handy. I had to get it down. It was the perfect pitch. I tried to get it to the right side. The pitcher luckily bobbled it.''

No.‚9 batter Tom Garvey followed with the best at-bat of the night. He fouled off three straight full-count offerings before lacing an RBI double to left field for a 2-0 lead. Young capped the rally with an RBI single to right on another full-count offering.

"Thank God it was three runs and not two,'' said Young, who drove a fastball that was up and away to the opposite field. "I shouldn't have been swinging at that pitch, but somehow I got the bat on it and I had a nice rip, so I'll take it.''

South Plainfield rallied for two runs in the top of the sixth. Tomei drew a leadoff walk on a full count. Hutchison singled to right. Brandon Downes followed with an RBI single to left. Hutchison was erased after making a wide turn at second on a 7-5-4 relay. Downes took third on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on Stephen Petriello's single to center. After Dan Hansen singled to put runners on the corners, Young worked out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout.

Anastasio never considered removing Young, whose nasty two-seam fastball, which he kept down in the strike zone, never lost its bite.

"Jon is our guy, plain and simple,'' said Anastasio, a 1983 Madison Central graduate. "I've seen him all year. In the middle of games like this it looks like he's flattening out a bit. But he's got another gear, and he showed it tonight. That's why he's going Division I. When you push him, that's when he's at his best.''
South Plainfield starting pitcher Charlie Huber (6-2), who traded zeroes with Young, coasted into the fifth with a one-hit shutout. Huber threw just 35 pitches through the first four innings. He threw 34 pitches in the fifth alone and was succeeded by closer Nick DeMarco.

Anthony Jichetti led off the fifth for Old Bridge with a double down the left-field line. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Payam Agha Ghassem, who had the Knights' only other hit - a third-inning single - laid down a perfect safety squeeze to plate Jichetti. The bunt to the first-base side of the mound was a tough fielding chance for the left-handed Huber.

"He gave me the sign and I wasn't expecting it,'' Ghassem said of Old Bridge coach Mike Anastasio. "We work on it in practice every day. I knew it was going to come in handy. I had to get it down. It was the perfect pitch. I tried to get it to the right side. The pitcher luckily bobbled it.''

No.‚9 batter Tom Garvey followed with the best at-bat of the night. He fouled off three straight full-count offerings before lacing an RBI double to left field for a 2-0 lead. Young capped the rally with an RBI single to right on another full-count offering.

"Thank God it was three runs and not two,'' said Young, who drove a fastball that was up and away to the opposite field. "I shouldn't have been swinging at that pitch, but somehow I got the bat on it and I had a nice rip, so I'll take it.''

South Plainfield rallied for two runs in the top of the sixth. Tomei drew a leadoff walk on a full count. Hutchison singled to right. Brandon Downes followed with an RBI single to left. Hutchison was erased after making a wide turn at second on a 7-5-4 relay. Downes took third on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on Stephen Petriello's single to center. After Dan Hansen singled to put runners on the corners, Young worked out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout.

Anastasio never considered removing Young, whose nasty two-seam fastball, which he kept down in the strike zone, never lost its bite.

"Jon is our guy, plain and simple,'' said Anastasio, a 1983 Madison Central graduate. "I've seen him all year. In the middle of games like this it looks like he's flattening out a bit. But he's got another gear, and he showed it tonight. That's why he's going Division I. When you push him, that's when he's at his best.''

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20110601/NJSPORTS0130/110601013/Pitcher-Jon-Young-leads-Old-Bridge-win-GMCT-final?odyssey=nav|head