High School Football

Darren Sands was born in Manhasset, but moved to Boston at age 10. And yes, he is a Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics fan. Sands, 23, has been with Newsday since March 2007. He attended Hofstra where he worked for the student newspaper, the Hofstra Chronicle. Sands moved back to Boston where he wrote for the Boston Globe's City Weekly section, and served a brief stint as a weekend news assistant on the city desk. When Sands isn't writing, reading, or hopelessly trying to lower his handicap, he catches up with friends and family, and plays tennis with the good folks at the tennis courts on 151st and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. He resides in Harlem and, thanks to his girlfriend, is an adopted member of the Hokie Nation.

Marcus Henry began working for Newsday’s city edition in April 2003. He’s been a part of the Newsday high school/local college sports desk since then, covering both Long Island and New York City high schools. He has also covered the WNBA’s New York Liberty the past two seasons. Prior to coming to Newsday he spent four years working for PA SportsTicker, a real time sports newswire service. Marcus has also freelanced for the New York Amsterdam News, College and Pro Football Weekly, and the National Sports Weekly.

Joseph Staszewski is a 23-year-old graduate of St. Francis Prep High School. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from St. John's University. While at St. John's, Staszewski held the position of sports editor and managing editor during his four years working at The Torch, the school's award-winning student newspaper. The Middle Village resident has also freelanced for the Queens Ledger, TimesLedger and Long Island Herald newspapers. Starting his second year at Newsday, Staszewski is a die-hard Mets and Jets fan, and a former high school basketball player and assistant coach.

Marc Jimenez was born and raised in the Bronx, graduated from SUNY Purchase in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature and decided to try his hand at sportswriting in the fall of 2005. He covered high school and college sports for the Riverdale Press for six months and was a contributor to MLB.com for 18 months before joining Newsday in September 2007. Marc’s favorite sports moment was when the Yankees clinched the 1996 World Series.

Adam Ronis covers mostly high school and college sports, and some professional sports. He has worked at Newsday for six years covering Long Island and city high schools. He also worked at the Boca Raton News. Ronis, 29, is a fantasy sports guru and holds numerous championships in baseball, football, and basketball. He is a fan of the Mets, Dallas Cowboys, and Rangers. Ronis is a softball nut, playing on several teams. He is from Flushing and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and a minor in Journalism from Queens College.

Chris Mascaro, 24, joined Newsday as a sportswriter in November 2007. He graduated from Cornell University in 2006, where he worked for The Cornell Daily Sun. He served as sports editor of The Sun as a junior. He also covered Cornell's football team, as well as its nationally-ranked men's hockey and men's lacrosse teams. He wrote a bi-weekly column titled "He May Be Tall," which hit on national topics in addition to Cornell-related material. After graduation, he worked as a sportswriter for The Southampton Press, covering numerous varsity teams on the East End, the Moriches, and William Floyd.

Alex Labidou joined Newsday as a sportswriter in October 2007. Labidou, 24, is a graduate of Pace University with a B.A. in English. After graduating, he joined the National Basketball Association where he was an editorial assistant handling web editing and covering various NBA events. He is a New York City native. Labidou has also been a production intern at ABC News Magazines (Primetime and 20&20) and a contributor to VIBE, HoopsHype and the upcoming SET magazine. He is an avid Knicks, Yankees and Jets fan.

Roderick Boone is a native Long Islander. He graduated from Uniondale High School in 1993 and received his degree in mass communications from Auburn University Montgomery. He began his career as a correspondent at the Montgomery Advertiser before spending time at the Elmira Star-Gazette, Poughkeepsie Journal, and The Journal News. He's covered a wide variety of sports in his career, ranging from high schools to the pros. But his true love lies with basketball.

Gregg Sarra, 46, has worked at Newsday for the past 21 years. He has won numerous sportswriting awards and been cited by various officials and coaches associations for his reporting. He was voted the New York High School Sportswriter of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2005. He is a member of the Dowling College athletic Hall of Fame, the Men's Senior Baseball Hall of Fame and the Long Island Flag Football Hall of Fame for his many successes on a national level on the diamond and the gridiron.

Bob Herzog has worked in the sports department at Newsday since 1976. He has covered baseball, football and college basketball. He has edited and written for several award-winning Newsday special sections on baseball, football and Long Island sports history. Herzog grew up on Long Island, graduated from Commack High School where he was co-captain of the baseball team, and received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University.

E-mail him at bob.herzog@newsday.com