>> Christ the King on the Road
The Christ the King H.S., Middle Village, boys’ varsity basketball team finished in third place in the 38th annual Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo., held from Jan. 12-14. The Royals faced some tough competition among top high school teams in the country. Senior Brandon Gardner, who is committed to play at St. John’s University, Jamaica, made the All-Tournament Team. Senior Jaylin Lewis won the dunk contest.
>> Mud Hens Manager
Anthony Iapoce, a 1991 graduate and former baseball star at Msgr. McClancy H.S., East Elmhurst, is now the manager of the Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
A native of St. Joseph’s parish, Astoria, Iapoce spent 2022 as the senior hitting coordinator for the Boston Red Sox. This will be his first role as a professional baseball manager.
>> Blast from the Past
Seen as a member of the 1904-1905 St. Francis Academy (now St. Francis Prep) baseball (above) and basketball teams is Bishop Francis X. Ford, M.M.
Born in Brooklyn, Bishop Ford entered the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America. He served as a missionary in Communist China, where he died in prison in 1952. The now-closed Bishop Ford H.S., Park Slope, was named in his honor.
(Photos: Courtesy of St. Francis Prep)