The Record Blogs: Off the Record: A Wild(cat) afternoon at Maple Hill's Fall Sports Day

CASTLETON — They hit the crossbar and hit the post. They failed to capitalize on breakaway opportunities and wide-open chances in front of the net.

Given a second life in overtime, Maple Hill High School junior forward Jakob Yager provided the golden goal in a 1-0 boys soccer victory for the Wildcats over Cobleskill-Richmondville.

Maple Hill junior forward Jakob Yager (above) scored the game-winning goal in overtime in Saturday's first round victory over Cobleskill-Richmondville.

“That’s what some of our games have been like,” Yager said. “1-0 games where we control the game. That’s what this was.”

Maple Hill and Cobleskill-Richmondville captains shake hands after the coin toss prior to the golden goal overtime session Saturday afternoon. Maple Hill, which had plenty of chances in regulation, did not waste any time in the extra period.

Maple Hill’s defense allowed just two shots on goalkeeper Derek VanAlstyne. The Wildcats had 11 corner kicks in the game and forced Cobleskill’s C.J. Blohm to make 12 tough saves.

For video highlights from Saturday's events, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Johnstown used a pair of second half goals in defeating Tamarac 2-0 in the other first round game.

Maple Hill (8-0-0, 9-0-0) will play host to Johnstown (4-4-0, 5-4-0) in the championship game at 3 p.m. Monday behind Maple Hill Middle School. Tamarac (2-3-3, 2-4-3) and Cobleskill-Richmondville (2-7-0, 2-8-0) will play in a consolation game at the same time.

MAPLE HILL 1, COBLESKILL-RICHMONDVILLE 0 (OT)

C-R (2-7-0, 2-8-0) 0 0 0 - 0
Maple Hill (8-0-0, 9-0-0) 0 0 1 - 1
Scoring: MH: Yager 1-0, Morgan 0-1.
Goalie saves: MH: VanAlstyne, 2. CR: Blohm, 12.
Corner kicks: MH: 11. CR: 0.

JOHNSTOWN 2, TAMARAC 0

Johnstown (4-4-0, 5-4-0) 0 2 - 2
Tamarac (2-3-3, 2-4-3) 0 0 - 0

Girls Soccer

The Maple Hill girls soccer team saved its offense for its homecoming celebration, as Meeghan Arno, the school's all-time leading scorer, tallied three goals and Alysha Cross added one goal and two assists in a 6-1 victory over Albany High.

Sierra Legge (left) and Meeghan Arno (right) are the only seniors on this year's Maple Hill girls soccer team, which is still undefeated.

Maple Hill (10-0-0, 11-0-0) will host Cambridge (7-2-1, 8-2-1) in the tournament championship game Monday at 1 p.m. at Maple Hill Middle School. Cambridge defeated Catholic Central 2-0 on a pair of goals from Bridget Cuddihy in the other first round game.

The Cambridge girls soccer team works on calisthenics prior to Saturday's opening round game against Catholic Central.

Big 10 Conference rivals Albany High (0-4-0, 1-7-0) and Catholic Central (2-1-1, 6-3-1) will square off in a consolation game at the same time.

“This is natural for us to have this weekend,” Arno said. “We’re finally back in our own tournament and not just playing league games. We’re playing AA schools and showing our stuff. But all of our friends from other school think it’s weird we don’t have football.”

Monday's game between Cambridge and Maple Hill won't only be an interesting non-conference small-school game at the midway point of the 2010 season, it will be a rematch of a great 2009 Section II playoff game.

A season ago, Cambridge defeated Maple Hill, 4-3, in the Section II Class CC semifinals. Click here to read that story.

"We're looking forward to it," Arno said. "We played them last year and we didn't quite come out on top. We're looking to come out on top this time."

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It was a bit of a strange day for the girls soccer teams. Albany High and Maple Hill played 10-on-10 in the first half since a number of Albany High players were late to the game because they took SAT exams in the morning. The same thing affected the Catholic Central team, which had to use a player in goal who had never played there before.

MAPLE HILL 6, ALBANY 1

Albany (0-4-0, 1-7-0) 0 1 - 1
Maple Hill (10-0-0, 11-0-0) 2 4 - 6
Scoring: A: Mattei 1-0. MH: Arno 3-1, Cross 1-2, Legge 1-1, Czajkowski 1-0.
Goalie saves: A: Waterson, 8; Honeyghan, 3. MH: Briggs, 2.

CAMBRIDGE 2, CATHOLIC CENTRAL 0

Cambridge (7-2-1, 8-2-1) 2 0 - 2

CCHS (2-1-1, 6-3-1) 0 0 - 0

Scoring: Cambridge: Cuddihy 2-0, Roverby 0-1.

Goalie saves: Cambridge, Andrew, 7. CCHS: O'Brien, 3; Regan, 4.

Girls Volleyball

A pair of teams with undefeated records in their respective leagues squared off in the championship match of the girls volleyball tournament and the Wasaren League leaders from Tamarac bumped off the homestanding Patroon leaders in Maple Hill.

Tamarac put together an inspirational rally in the second and final game of the championship match to win the tournament title by scores of 25-21 and 25-23.

“I think it was really great that we came together and we really built our energy as we were going,” said Tamarac senior setter Sarah Malsch, pictured, above, who was named tournament MVP. “We started off down and we were down by a lot. Once we started getting point after pint, we started building our energy and confidence.”

The Bengals (7-0, 9-2) won their first-ever regular season league title in 2009 and are hoping to build on that in 2010.

“The program is really starting to grow and get a lot better,” Malsch said. “Last year was our first league championship and we’re headed in that direction this year, so I think it’s getting better and better.”

Maple Hill (10-0, 10-1) is also on the way up under fourth-year varsity head coach Len Bacon.

"It makes us better when we play against a high-level team like that," Bacon said. "Obviously, we would have liked to won, but we played a pretty nice game."

Kiwanis Glover Cross Country Invitational

Ravena senior Mike Morrow covered the course in 16:42 to claim the individual title in the boys race. Berlin, which placed five runners in the top 19, took home the team title in the varsity cross country race. Senior captain Llew Palmer, who placed seventh in 18:03, paced the Mountaineers.

Lansingburgh senior C.J. Sousis placed third overall in a time of 17:07.

Columbia's Anna Boughtwood crosses the finish line one second in front of teammate Kaylee Scott at Saturday's Kiwanis Glover Cross Country Invitational at Maple Hill High School. (Mike McMahon photo - The Record).

In the girls race, the Columbia High girls team passed up the Manhattan Invitational to stay close to home for homecoming weekend and cleaned up at Maple Hill. Senior Anna Boughtwood (19:30), eighth-grader Kaylee Scott (19:31) and freshman Cali Palumbo (20:17) finished 1-2-3 to lead the Blue Devils to the team title.

"I was just trying to stay with her and she just started kicking, so I was like, 'I have to go with her," Boughtwood said of chasing Scott. "We were pushing each other."

"I know what we have as a team. We're up there," said Columbia head coach Doug Hadley. "I'm glad for her, being her senior year. I know Kaylee has a couple of more years. I'm happy with the way they ran today."

Scott, an eighth-grader, finished 10th overall in a time of 19:22.00 in the Great American Cross Country race in Cary, N.C. over the 3.1-mile course. She was the third eighth-grader overall and led Columbia to a sixth place finish in the seeded race.

Anna Boughtwood (25th), Cali Palumbo (32nd), Kailyn Balzano (52nd) and Amanda Jones (53rd) also placed for the Blue Devils. Jones, a seventh-grader, was the top runner at the meet in her grade level.

Scott said that the warm welcome from veterans like Boughtwood has made the transition to the varsity level easy for the youth movement on the Columbia girls team.

"It's nervewracking, because the first day I was scared that no one would like me, but Anna was so sweet," said Scott. "The state meet is so nervewracking because everyone is taller than you and it's so scary because you're the youngest one there. Oh yeah, it's scary. But it's a fun sport, so I guess you just have to deal with that."

Columbia High School senior Anna Boughtwood (left) passes teammate Kaylee Scott at the finish line during Saturday's Kiwanis Glover Cross Country Invitational at Maple Hill High School. (Mike McMahon photo - The Record).

Hoosic Valley’s Maggie Sanderson was fifth overall in 20:36 and Maple Hill’s Kelsey Oglesby (21:01) and Hannah Riordan (21:07) placed eighth and ninth, respectively, leading the Wildcats to a third place team finish.

For full results, click on the Scribd window below:

Glover2010

The Columbia High School girls pose with the team championship trophy at the 2010 Kiwanis Glover Cross Country Invitational at Maple Hill High School. (Video capture - Will Montgomery - The Record).

Girls Tennis

Ichabod Crane, paced by Emily Qua, won the team title, winning all nine of its matches. Maple Hill finished second and was followed, in order, by Cobleskill and Greenwich.

Round One
Cobleskill 3, Greenwich 0
Feldman (C) def. Collet (G), 10-7
Brust/Shaw (C) def Boyce/Pellington, 10-8
Krisowaty/Moore (C) def Smith/Curley, 10-5

Ichabod Crane 3, Maple Hill 0
Qua (IC) def Duffy, 10-4
Patzwahl/Geiger (IC) def Bhaskar/Wood, 10-0
Downing/Curry (IC) def Dugan/Quint, 10-3

Round Two
Maple Hill 3, Cobleskill 0
Duffy (MH) def Feldman, 10-6
Bhaskar/Wood (MH) def Brust/Mrisowaty, 10-3
Kirsch/Osmanzai (MH) def Kohler/Moore, 10-0

Ichabod Crane 3, Greenwich 0
Qua (IC) def Collet, 10-0
Geiger/Patwahl (IC) def Pellington/Smith, 10-0
Downing/Geiger (IC) def Boyce/Curley, 10-5

Round Three
Ichabod Crane 3, Cobleskill 0
Qua (IC) def Feldman, 10-1
Patzwahl/Geiger (IC) def Brust/Shaw, 10-1
Geiger/Curry (IC) def Krisowaty/Moore, 10-0

Maple Hill 3, Greenwich 0
Duffy (MH) dfe Collet, 10-5
Bhaskar/Quint (MH) def Boyce/Smith, 10-4
Wood/Dugan (MH) def Pellington/Curley, 10-2