The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow Thursday afternoon for the Troy High School boys soccer team? Yet another shutout. The Flying Horses defeated Catholic Central, 4-0, their ninth straight shutout to open the 2010 season. (Photo by Will Montgomery - The Record).

TROY — The Catholic Central High School boys soccer team painted their counterparts from Troy High into a corner Thursday afternoon, which was just fine with the Flying Horses.

Troy, with the wind at its back on a rain-soaked and soggy field in the first half thanks to a pregame coin toss, scored its first two goals on corner kicks and tallied its third – a beautiful bicycle kick by Badro Tabli on a pass from Wayne Russell – on a throw-in from near the corner. The Flying Horses 8-0 in the Big 10 Conference and 9-0 overall, posted a 4-0 victory at Troy High School. It was the ninth shutout in nine games for the team this season.

“Every game I’m always thinking, what if this team scores and all that,” said Russell, pictured below, a senior outside midfielder. “What happens if we lose? But it’s always good.”

“We don’t talk about it,” head coach Mike Murnane said of Troy’s shutout streak. “It’s just go out and play. It’s a nice thing to have and it’s a great accomplishment so far, but it’s not really on our mind as far as the goals.”

Troy has outscored its opponents 29-0 through nine games.

Junior goalkeeper Bobby Strang made three saves in net for Troy (8-0-0, 9-0-0), while Catholic Central’s Charlie Farrell made 12 stops for the Crusaders (4-2-0, 4-4-0).

The Flying Horses used the wind to take advantage of five corner kicks in the first half. Brandon Wilson headed in Troy’s first goal after Catholic Central defender Mike Doyle, hoping to clear the corner kick, booted it straight up in the sky. Wilson tracked its trajectory and punched it into the net with his forehead.

“The corner kicks, we try to do as much as we can,” Russell said. “We work on it a lot, getting the people who have the dominant foot on that side hit it from the outside-in. We also have Brandon in the box and he’s like 6-2, so that helps a lot.”

"He’s got amazing vision for the game," Murnane said of Brandon Wilson. "I’ve seen him kicking it around since he was in sixth grade, kicking it around at RPI. I’d be there doing pick up soccer and he would be there. Even as a sixth grader, he had that vision and he honed it and developed it along with the rest of his skills. Even physically, the kid is 6-4, 190 pounds. He’s effective."  

Troy High senior captain Brandon Wilson, left, a striker, battles for control of the ball with Catholic Central's Mike Doyle during Thursday's Big 10 Conference game at Troy High School. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Will Valle scored Troy’s second goal after the ball caromed his way after a corner kick. He braced himself for the shot and blasted it to the open left corner of the net.

“You try to get the moons and the stars aligned for the kids,” Murnane said of his set piece strategy. “You have to get everything so it’s balanced. Some kids are better at certain sides – some kids are left-footed – so you want to get them in the right position so they get a better foot on the ball.”

With just minutes remaining before the half, Brandon Wilson threw the ball in from a spot near the corner, finding Russell, who set up Talbi for a gravity-defying bicycle kick goal in front of the net.

“A lot of our goals are off set pieces,” Murnane said. “You spend a lot of time on it in practice and you hope it pays off. This year it definitely has paid off.”

In the second half, a Catholic Central player accidentally kicked the ball into his own net, accounting for Troy’s final tally.

Troy has six regular season games remaining – including a pair against Albany High (8-0-0, 10-0-0) which has won seven games via the shutout – and the Flying Horses are hoping they are building toward something special once the postseason rolls around.

“We were in the middle of preseason not knowing who we had, really, who was going to play on the team and who wasn’t going to play on the team,” said Russell. “But through the season, it’s been getting really good. We’re working on our passing and our defense and we’ve been making the plays and getting those goals into the back of the net.”

For video highlights from Thursday's game, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

The crowd wasn't particularly raucous at Thursday's game, but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter to the players. Troy has owned the Collar City soccer scene this year, having defeated CCHS twice, La Salle once and even topped Waterford-Halfmoon in a non-conference game, 1-0, for good measure.

"For some reason, ever since we started playing last year, it’s always been a big thing since it’s a local thing, right in Troy," Russell said. "People from our school and their school like to come to the game and it’s always a fun game to play."

As Wilson told The Record on Monday, the people that are most happy with the team's defensive skills are the offensive players, who find their skills improving every day in practice.

"The offense does really build off of that," said Russell. "With Graeme (Corrigan) and Sean Sleicher and Erik (Vink-Lainas) and all those guys in the back. They play really good defense and when I can’t get back sometimes, they have my back and they’re stopping the goals. I’m really glad that we have this team right now and I’m glad to be on it."

Catholic Central's Giacomo Giglio (center) tries to thread the needle between Troy's Brandon Dory (left) and Jordan Schroeder (right) during Thursday's Big 10 game. (Carras photo).

With the regular season winding down, the Flying Horses are really starting to build toward the season's main goal - a chance at a Section II title. First, however, they need to win a sectional game, something that hasn't happened at the school in quite some time.

"Obviously, keeping a clean sheet every day is what you look for, so it’s kind of a short term goal," Murnane said. "We’re looking long-term, win each game, contend for the Big 10 right down until the end – it looks like we’re going to be playing Albany probably the last two games at this point – and we have a lot of schedule left. We’re just crossing the halfway point. We're taking it one game at a time, preparing ourselves and trying to put ourselves in the best spot at the end of the season. It would be nice to pull off a sectional win."

TROY 4, CATHOLIC CENTRAL 0

Catholic Central (4-2-0, 4-4-0) 0 0 — 0
Troy (8-0-0, 9-0-0) 3 1 — 4
Scoring: T: Brandon Wilson 1-0, Will Valle 1-0, Badro Talbi 1-0, Rafik Mekhaldi 0-1, Wayne Russell 0-1. CCHS: Kyle Shoemaker 1-0.
Goalie saves: T: Bobby Strang, 3. CCHS: Charlie Farrell, 12.
Corner kicks: T: 6. CCHS: 3.

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Troy High School's girls volleyball team lost Tuesday evening at Catholic Central, 3-2. Troy had put together two straight undefeated regular seasons in the Big 10 Conference and had not lost a league game since 2007. Some might call it The Record jinx, but what can you do?

Troy (6-1, 11-1) is now tied with CCHS (6-1, 8-2) atop the Big 10 standings. Our Andrew Santillo was there and he'll have the story in The Record tomorrow.

--
On a football note, Cohoes' upcoming football game against Hudson has been moved to Fri., Oct. 15, under the portable lights. The Tigers have played night games each of the past two seasons. Kickoff that Friday night is set for 7 p.m.


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 Troy native Joe Mahoney, right, accepts the Brooks Robinson award on Fri., Sept. 17 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Mahoney was named the Orioes' top minor league position player in 2010. (Photos provided by Todd Olszewski, Team Photographer, Baltimore Orioles).

TROY -- Joe Mahoney was in the Collar City Wednesday, making a brief pit stop at Geer Field to visit some of his former South Troy Dodgers coaches and teammates. He was on his way back from Baltimore, where he accepted the Brooks Robinson Award as the best position player in the Orioles' minor league system in 2010.

The Record will publish a story on Mahoney's journey through the minor leagues on Sunday, Sept. 26, so keep your eyes open for that.
 

Mahoney, who grew up playing for Catholic Central High School and the Lansingburgh Royals, played dozens of games at beautiful Knickerbacker Park in the 'Burgh. I was curious if Mahoney had used the Major League Baseball monument in the park, located just beyond the right field foul pole, as motivation during his career. It lists all of the Collar City natives who have gone on to play in the Major Leagues.

Mahoney said he never knew it was there.

The Major League Baseball Monument in Lansingburgh's Knickerbacker Park. (Record file photo).

The monument sits on a historic slice of real estate for Troy's baseball history. The city played host to a professional team in the 1860s and '70s known as the Troy Haymakers, who gave way to the Troy Trojans, a National League team that called the Collar City home from 1879 to 1882. The Trojans are widely considered the origin of today's San Francisco Giants. As professional baseball expanded into larger markets, the Trojans were disbanded following the 1882 season. About half of the members of the New York Gothams, later the New York Giants, were former Trojans players.

Anyway...

Mahoney is hoping to catch on either with Baltimore's AAA affiliate in Norfolk or the big club coming out of spring training in 2011. Of course, the Knickerbacker Park monument would have to be updated should Mahoney ever appear in a big league uniform.

Again, for more on that story, be sure to check out Sunday's edition of The Record.

Joe Mahoney’s baseball card

South Troy Dodgers (2003-05)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.411, 113, 380, 87, 156, 43, 4, 17, 138
University of Richmond (2005-07)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.310, 171, 672, 121, 208, 35, 2, 31, 152
Minor leagues
2007 – Aberdeen (short season Class A, New York-Penn League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.269, 65, 242, 31, 65, 10, 2, 9, 44
2008 – Delmarva (long season Class A, South Atlantic League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.222, 95, 352, 37, 78, 22, 1, 7, 61
2009 – Delmarva (108 games) & Frederick (seven games, High Class A, Carolina League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.278, 115, 425, 63, 118, 20, 7, 8, 58
2010 – Frederick (72 games) & Bowie (52 games, Class AA Eastern League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.307, 124, 462, 67, 142, 30, 2, 18, 78

For video clips from the Mahoney interview, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Mahoney, left, poses with Zach Britton, who earned the minor league Pitcher of the Year Award, which is named after Jim Palmer.

Local baseball players in the pros – 2010 report card

Pitchers

Eric Beaulac, SP (Troy High School)
2010 – St. Lucie (21 games, Class A, Florida State League) and Binghamton (two games, Class AA Eastern League)
Games, Starts, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
23, 21, 5-7, 3.98, 108.2, 79, 62

Greg Holle, RP (Christian Brothers Academy/South Troy Dodgers)
2010 – Arizona Brewers (Rookie Arizona Leauge)
Games, Starts, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
8, 1, 3-1, 0.79, 22.2, 16, 9

Tommy Kahnle, RP (Shaker High School/South Troy Dodgers)
2010 – Staten Island Yankees (short season Class A, New York-Penn League)
Games, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
11, 0-0, 0.56, 16.0, 25, 5

John Lannan, SP (Siena College)
2010 – Washington Nationals
Games, Starts, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
24, 24, 8-7, 4.58, 137.2, 68, 48

Mike Ness, CL (South Troy Dodgers)
2010 – Tri-City ValleyCats (short season Class A, New York-Penn League)
Games, Saves, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
24, 7, 2-2, 3.23, 30.2, 28, 9

Tim Stauffer, RP/SP (Saratoga Central Catholic High School/South Troy Dodgers)
2010 – San Diego Padres
Games, Starts, W-L, ERA, IP, K, BB
30, 5, 5-4, 1.95, 69.1, 52, 20

Position players

Anthony Giansanti, OF (Siena College)
2010 – Arizona Cubs (27 games, rookie Arizona League) & Peoria Cubs (30 games, Class A Midwest League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.317, 57, 199, 26, 63, 12, 3, 2, 32

Brendan Harris, INF (Queensbury High School)
2010 – Minnesota Twins (43 games) & Rochester Red Wings (62 games, Class AAA International League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.209, 105, 340, 42, 71, 17, 1, 5, 33

Casper Wells, OF (Schenectady High School/South Troy Dodgers)
2010 – Detroit Tigers (28 games) & Toledo Mud Hens (103 games, Class AAA, International League)
Avg., G, AB, R, H, 2b, 3b, HR, RBI
.250, 131, 456, 65, 114, 27, 6, 24, 60

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Catholic Central's Brett Fenton leaps over La Salle goalkeeper Alex Pakatar during Tuesday's Big 10 Conference soccer game at Sutton Field. (Photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

TROY — Catholic Central High School goalkeeper Charlie Farrell and his counterpart from La Salle Institute, Alex Pakatar, tried their best to make Tuesday’s Big 10 Conference boys soccer game a scoreless draw. But with 3:20 to play in the second half, Justin O’Brien figured that a little bit of offense couldn’t hurt.

O’Brien, a freshman on the Catholic Central team, rushed the net with teammate Zac Ethier and O’Brien headed the ball between Pakatar and the post for the game’s first goal with 200 seconds to spare. Farrell made 14 saves – including a penalty kick shot by La Salle’s Andrew Worgan with 30:25 remaining in the second half – to preserve the 1-0 victory on Sutton Field.

“It was all luck,” O’Brien shrugged after the game. “I just turned it up there and hit it and it went in.”

“Giacomo Giglio set a great ball up at the top and I think I missed it, but thank God he (O’Brien) was there,” Ethier said. “He put it right in.”

Catholic Central junior midfielder Zac Ethier looks to move the ball upfield during Tuesday's game at La Salle.

Catholic Central (2-1-0, 2-3-0) certainly leaned on Farrell in the first half, as the Crusaders’ offense did not really warm up until the final few minutes before halftime.

The Cadets put a flurry of shots on net in the game’s 13th minute, but Farrell stood his ground. Later in the half, La Salle’s Matt Baker swooped in, made a steal when a Crusader defender whiffed on a clearing pass, but Baker’s shot sailed high of the net.

La Salle senior captain and forward Andrew Worgan chases the ball during Tuesday's game against Catholic High.

La Salle (1-3-0, 2-4-0) received 13 saves from their junior keeper, Pakatar.

Aside from O’Brien’s late heroics, Farrell was the biggest star of the night for Catholic High, standing on his head to keep the Crusaders in the game. Even with a lead in the waning seconds, Farrell wasn’t ready to chalk it up as a win just yet.

Catholic Central's Dom Iachetta (11) and La Salle's Matt Baker leap to head a loose ball during Tuesday's Big 10 soccer game.

“The biggest thing is, you don’t want to be like 20 seconds left on the clock and see one go in,” said Farrell, a junior. “That’s the worst. You just have to keep helping your team and keep playing as hard as you can.”

Catholic Central had a number of solid scoring chances in the second half, but few were on net. The Crusaders sent a pair of shots toward Pakatar in the first few minutes of the half, but both shots sailed high and wide of the right of the net. Giglio narrowly missed punching a goal in the top right corner of the net on a free kick from 40 yards out with 16 minutes remaining.

La Salle's Matt Connolly looks to move around Catholic Central defender Tyler Hickey during Tuesday's game on Sutton Field.

“La Salle is the biggest game of the year and it’s their homecoming. We just try to come in and play hard,” Farrell said.

Troy High is currently tied atop the Big 10 standings with Albany High, but this game meant a great deal to the Collar City’s private schools in the conference, both of which were looking to state their case for postseason legitimacy.

For video highlights from Tuesday's game, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

“We’ll definitely be playing harder the rest of the season,” Ethier said after the emotional victory.

“The season starts now,” added Farrell.

La Salle was also looking to make a statement Tuesday evening, but head coach Art Pakatar is hopeful his young team, which starts three freshmen and features just four seniors, can recharge emotionally for the rest of the regular season.

La Salle's Ryan Tremblay heads the ball as a pair of players look on during Tuesday's Big 10 soccer game at La Salle.

“We just tell them it’s part of the process,” he said. “That’s a game that could have gone either way. It’s one more step toward where we need to be. We’re a very young team.

“This was important for us for momentum to start building our case,” Pakatar continued. “And it was very important for Catholic High to push them up in the pack.”

CATHOLIC CENTRAL 1, LA SALLE 0

CCHS (2-1-0, 2-3-0) 0 1 — 1
La Salle (1-3-0, 2-4-0) 0 0 — 0
Scoring: CCHS: O’Brien 1-0.
Goalkeepers: CCHS: Farrell, 14. LSI: Pakatar, 13.
Corner kicks: CCHS, 3. LSI, 2.

Catholic Central senior Sydne Rebne stops to change directions as La Salle's Kyle Reilly defends.

Tuesday's local roundup:

ALBANY — C.J. Sousis turned in a record-setting performance on Tuesday afternoon.
The Lansingburgh High senior finished the 2.66-mile course in 16:15 to set the new mark on the Albany Academy cross country course at Holy Names.
The Knights defeated Schalmont, 21-34, but came up short against the host Cadets, 23-36.
Albany Academy placed five runners in the Top 10 to earn both victories in the Colonial Council tri-meet.
Lansingburgh’s Albert Scardera placed fourth in 17:12.
Cobleskill 25, Cohoes 33: Johnny SotoMaya won the race for the Tigers in 14:16 and Mike Muzio was third in 14:47 for Cohoes (0-1). Cobleskill’s Johnny Decesare came in second in a time of 14:47.
Ravena 15, Watervliet inc.: Mike Morrow took home the title in 14:33 at the 2.55-mile course at Ravena.
Ichabod Crane 19, Voorheesville 43: The Riders bested the Blackbirds in a Colonial Council meeting.
La Salle sweeps in Big 10: Eamonn Coughlin finished first in 16:42, Evan Little came in second in 16:14 and Alex Isabelle was third in 18:08 to lead the Cadets to Big 10 victories over CBA and host Troy High over a three-mile course.
La Salle defeated CBA, 18-40 and both the Cadets and CBA bested an incomplete Troy squad.
Shenendehowa sweeps in Suburban: Ian Dorsett captured first place in 14:56.80 to pace the Plainsmen to Suburban Council victories over Niskayuna and host Averill Park over a 2.75-mile course.
Shen defeated Niskayuna, 21-40, and Averill Park, 15-39. Marshall Pagano (15:00.93) finished second overall as Nisky downed Averill Park, 17-42.
Amsterdam wins Big 10 meet: Jon Nelson finished first in 14:38 to pace the host Rams to Big 10 triumphs over Catholic Central and Schenectady over a 2.6-mile course.
Chris Herbs (14:41) took second place to lead the Crusaders past Schenectady, 26-30. Amsterdam topped Catholic Central, 20-37 and Schenectady, 17-38.
Bishop Gibbons wins pair: Matt Lange (15:40), Jason Lange (15:40) and Jordan Pantalone (15:41) finished 1-2-3 as the Knights recorded Big 10 wins over Albany High and Bishop Maginn over Washington Park’s 2.84-mile course.
Gibbons defeated Albany, 21-38, and Bishop Maginn, 17-44; while Albany topped Maginn, 20-41.
Berlin 26, Schuylerville 29; Berlin 16, Stillwater 46; Schuylerville 15, Hoosic Valley 50; Stillwater 14, Hoosic Valley 50: Tucker Hampson from Schuylerville finished the 2.8-mile course in 16:08 to take home top honors, while the Berlin boys’ team took home two wins.
Girls Cross Country
Shenendehowa sweeps Suburban meet: Lizzie Predmore won comfortably in 16:48 as the Plainsmen took the top four spots en route to recording Suburban Council victories over Niskayuna and host Averill Park over a 2.75-mile layout.
Shen out distanced Averill Park, 17-40 and Niskayuna, 15-44. Emily Tucci (17:48) finished in fifth for Averill Park, which downed Nisky, 22-35.
Amsterdam takes two: Rebekah Johnson took first place in 16:52 to pace the host Rams to Big 10 victories over Catholic Central and Schenectady over a 2.6-mile course.
Caroline Couser (17:54) and Megan Jenney (18:38) finished second and fourth respectively to lead the Crusaders to a 19-36 decision over Schenectady.
Amsterdam bested Catholic Central, 26-31 and Schenectady, 20-39.
Bishop Gibbons sweeps: Talya Williams (19:25.9) and Angelique Cain (19:53.7) finished 1-2 to pace the Knights to Big 10 victories Albany High and Bishop Maginn in a 2.84-mile layout in Washington Park.
Gibbons defeated Albany, 20-35 and an incomplete Bishop Maginn team.
Alexa Pettit finished third overall for the Falcons, who defeated Maginn.
Cobleskill 19, Cohoes 39: Cobleskill (1-0) captured the top three spots led by Larissa Melendez won the 2.55 mile race at Cohoes (0-1) in a time of 16:32. Marissa Hitchcock was second in 16:53 and Michelle Eckler was third in 17:09. Jessica Ayotte, 17:15 and Lydia Dawes, 17:43 rounded out the top five for Cohoes.
Ravena 15, Watervliet inc.: Alaina Krueger finished the 2.55-mile course in 18:36 to pace the Indians in a Colonial dual meet.
Voorheesville 16, Ichabod Crane 45: The Blackbirds swept the top four spots led by Michelyn Little (20:17), Sawyer Cresap (20:49), Jolie Siegel (20:53) and Casey Morrison (21:53).
Berlin 15, Schuylerville 50; Hoosic Valley 15, Schuylerville 50; Stillwater 22, Berlin 33; Stillwater 24, Hoosic Valley 32: Samantha Watson of Schuylerville took home the victory in 16:43 on the 2.8 mile course at Stillwater. The Stillwater girls’ team was tops on this day.
Girls Soccer
Hoosic Valley 3, Stillwater 2: Molly Gilchrist tallied a hat trick to lead the Indians (3-1, 5-0). Brooke Ferrell and Rebecca Wichelns paced Stillwater (1-2-1, 1-2-2) with one goal apiece.
Troy 6, Amsterdam 0: Morgan Avery scored twice and Lissi Vink-Lainis, Helen Dufel, Bianca Jordan and Ashley Bellerose added single goals to lead the Flying Horses (1-2, 4-3) to a Big 10 win.
Saratoga 2, Bethlehem 0: Julia Sirianni and Cassidy Driscoll each scored a second half goal to give the Blue Streaks the Suburban Council victory and handed the Lady Eagles their first home loss since September of 2005. Liz Rogan made eight saves to preserve the shutout.
Shenendehowa 3, Averill Park 0: Kristen Connors netted two goals and Ali Lewis had the other to lead the Plainsmen to a victory at Averill Park. Heather Vale had 19 saves in net for the Warriors.
Maple Hill 7, Greenville 3: Meeghan Arno tallied five goals and Taylor Czajkowski added two to lead the Wildcats (4-0-0, 4-0-0) to a Patroon Conference win.
Emma Willard 4, Germantown 0: Hannah Wilcox tallied two scores and Olivia Gundrum and Claire Karle added a goal each to pace Emma Willard (3-0, 3-1) to victory.
Chatham 3, Taconic Hills 0: Caitlin Nieto registered two goals for Chatham in a Patroon victory.
Boys Soccer
Mechanicville 5, Lansingburgh 0: Sam DeCelle scored three goals and Mark Gaetano and Chris McNall added a goal each for the Red Raiders in a Colonial Council win over the Knights (2-3, 2-4).
Ichabod Crane 3, Cohoes 1: The Riders got two goals from Mitchell Niemeyer and one from Bernie Watt in a Colonial Council victory. Brandon Laforest had the Tigers lone goal.
Waterford 5, Loudonville Christian 0: The Fordians (4-0-0, 5-1-0) were led by Connor Noel’s goal and two assists. David Fletcher, Dylan Gardner and DJ Lee, Zac Lennon added goals for Waterford in a Colonial win.
Burnt Hills 4, Columbia 1: Tim Hughes scored three goals and dished out an assist to lead the Spartans to victory in the Colonial Council.
Matt Koneczny scored on an assist from Tanner Leonard for the lone Blue Devils goal.
Niskayuna 1, Colonie 0 (2 OT): Andrew Downey scored four minutes into the second overtime on a goal assisted by Tanner MacIvor to give the Silver Warriors a Suburban Council win. Yaw Agyie, Mossimo Smiroldo and Tommy Ossipitan spearheaded the Garnet Raiders defense.
Glens Falls 3, Queensbury 0: Aaron Kanofsky put the Indians (1-2-1, 3-2-0) on the board early en route to a league victory.
Golf
Bishop Gibbons 168, Troy 169: Alex DeMarco shot a 39 to pace Gibbons (4-5) in a Big 10 win at Stadium Golf Course in Schenectady. Blaise Kearns and Adam Murray both shot a 41 for Troy (3-6).
Hoosic Valley 3.5, Cambridge 2.5: The Indians improved to 9-3 behind Kevin White, who shot a 38 in a Wasaren match at Windy Hills Country Club. Chris Crucette paced Cambridge (2-10) with a 39.
Shenendehowa 234, Averill Park 271: Ryan Simpson fired a 31 and Louis Walsh shot a 35 to pace the Plainsmen to a Suburban victory. Jimmy Sullivan medaled with a 35 for the Warriors.
Girls Tennis
Maple Hill 6, Chatham 0: Erin Duffy defeated Haley Knight in three sets at first singles (2-6, 6-4, 6-2) to lead the Wildcats (6-0, 7-1) to a Patroon Conference win.
Ichabod Crane 7, Schalmont 0: Emily Qua won 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1 singles for the Riders and Sarah Murphy won a second set tiebreaker and then the third set at No. 3 singles in the sweep of the Colonial Council match.
Averill Park 7, Amsterdam 2: The Warriors (2-4) lost only one singles match and one doubles match in the victory. Morgan McEvilly survived at first singles in three sets (6-7, 6-1, 6-3) in a non-league meeting.
Hudson Falls 4, Greenwich 3: The Witches won singles 3-2 with match wins by Valentine Collet, Tina Boyce and Michelle Pellington. The Tigers swept doubles 2-0 for the game win.
Shaker 7, Guilderland 2: Cat Crummey out lasted Gabby Peda at first singles (6-4, 6-4) to pace the Blue Bison to victory in a Suburban Council match on Tuesday.
Girls Volleyball
Maple Hill 3, Cairo Durham 0: The Wildcats won the Patroon Conference match with scores of 25-12, 25-18 and 25-11.
Chatham 3, Rensselaer 0: Chatham won a Patroon Conference match with scores of 25-14, 25-22 and 25-22.
Holy Names 3, Ichabod Crane 1: Alex Walton led Holy Names (3-1) to a Colonial Council win with eight service points, four aces and two kills. Cristin Neff added 15 service points, 10 aces and three blocks. Monica Hall chipped in with seven service points and 17 kills for the Riders (3-2).
Fonda 3, Schalmont 0: Bri Derby totaled six aces, 16 service points and 11 assists to spark the Braves to victory in the Colonial Council, 25-21, 25-21 and 25-14. Emily Matuszak registered five aces and 15 service points for the Sabres.
Loudonville Christian 3, Lake George 1: Hattie Burgher contributed 17 kills and 36 digs and Chelsea Brown totaled eight kills and 25 digs as the Eagles won a non-league match, 25-14, 23-25, 25-12 and 25-15.
Boys Volleyball
Burnt Hills 3, Colonie 0: Jordan Armstrong totaled 20 assists and five blocks to spark the Spartans to a Suburban Council victory, 25-19, 25-21 and 25-17. Kyle Mcpadden paced the Garnet Raiders with 13 assists.
From Monday
Girls Soccer
Emma Willard 7, Rensselaer 1: Lindsay Pattison scored three goals and Sarah Bower added two for Emma Willard. Emily Kopaskie netted the Rams lone goal and Marissa Mendetta registered 17 saves in net.

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Former Catholic Central High School, Lansingburgh Royals and South Troy Dodgers player Joe Mahoney has won the Brooks Robinson Award, which goes to the best minor league position player in the Baltimore Orioles’ system. Mahoney, a 23-year-old first baseman, hit a .307 with 18 home runs, 78 RBI in 124 combined games with Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie.

Mahoney played his college ball at the University of Richmond. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the 198th pick in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, making him the highest-drafted player out of Richmond since Tim Stauffer, a Saratoga Springs native and a former South Troy Dodger himself, went fourth overall to the San Diego Padres in 2003.

(Photos courtsey www.minorleaguebaseball.com)

Click here to see a digital version of Mahoney's minor league baseball card. 

Mahoney is getting married this fall before heading off to the Venezuelan league in the winter. Time will tell how he figures into Baltimore's plans for 2011.

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High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

Panthers spoil the party
Hoosick Falls shuts out Mechanicville in Red Raiders’ first night game in nine years

MECHANICVILLE -- An hour before Friday’s game, David Couch prowled around the football field at Mechanicville High School, eyes squinted and fists clenched, ready for action.

During the playing of the national anthem, Couch, a junior offensive guard and inside linebacker, had to excuse himself from the Hoosick Falls sidelines. He was dry-heaving and crouched down behind the Panthers bench to get his breath.

Yet on the first play of the game, Couch buried Mechanicville running back David Funaro with a thunderous hit at the line of scrimmage that set the tone for the rest of the game. The Hoosick Falls defense held the Red Raiders to 32 total yards and senior quarterback Mike Brewster passed for 146 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-0 Class C North Division victory on Coach Ted Weigle Memorial Field.

"I get kind of nervous before every game," Couch grinned. "I get too excited, I get too wound up and I get myself all choked up. Just about every game I do that. But after I get that first hit out of the way, it’s all downhill from there."

Hoosick Falls junior David Couch (51_ looks to make a tackle as a Mechanicville lineman bears down for a block during Friday's game at Mechanicville. (Photo by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Hoosick Falls (2-0, 2-0) forced Mechanicville to punt after three plays on its first drive and Brewster connected with Randy Tutunjian on a 22-yard scoring strike on the fourth play of the Panthers’ ensuing drive.

After forcing another three-and-out, Hoosick Falls scored on the first play of its second offensive drive, as Brad Burns scampered 57 yards to the end zone.

Brad Burns (35) looks for running room as Garrett Foster (53) blocks a would-be Mechanicville tackler during Friday's game. (McMahon photo - The Record).

"I try to make the first hit on the first play of the game so I’m ready to go for the whole game," Couch said. "I don’t want to be gagging up on the field at all."

On the Panthers’ third drive of the first quarter, Tanner Williams ran 11 yards for a touchdown on the fourth play after Hoosick Falls had forced another Mechanicville three-and-out.

Hoosick Falls senior quarterback Mike Brewster eludes a would-be Mechanicville tackler during Friday's game. (McMahon photo - The Record).

"We’ve had a lot of big plays and when we start playing some really good teams, we’re going to have to develop longer drives," Brewster said. "It’s something we’re going to have to keep working on in practice and keep up the pace."

Erick Mulready provided two sacks for the Panthers and Steve Colvin added one sack.

Erick Mulready climbs on board Mechanicville quarterback Sal Cimino for a sack during Friday's game. (McMahon photo - The Record).

Mechanicville (0-1, 0-2), which was hosting its first Friday night game in nine years – the Red Raiders have played home games on Saturday afternoons in recent times – made just three first downs in Friday’s game. One came via a Hoosick Falls penalty. The Red Raiders, who fell 21-0 to Voorheesville in Week One, have yet to score a point in the 2010 season.

John Abele paced Mechanicville with a team-high 37 rushing yards on nine attempts.

For video highlights from Friday's game, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

For Hoosick Falls, Brad Burns led the way on the ground with 95 rushing yards on 11 attempts. Junior Tanner Williams, primarily a receiving threat a season ago, added 121 all-purpose yards (96 receiving, 25 rushing) for the Panthers.

"It’s a lot more pounding you take, but our line is doing a good job this year and we’re getting yards, getting big plays and breaking them," Williams said.

Tanner Williams looks for running room during Friday night's game against Mechanicville. (McMahon photo - The Record).

Hoosick Falls began its Section II Class C Super Bowl title defense with a 48-20 victory over Corinth in Week One, but the Panthers took a major step forward Friday night, especially with their discipline on defense.

"We just asked them to play within themselves tonight," said head coach Ron Jones. "They did. Our defense was just amazing.

"Last week they were trying to make everything a big hit," Jones continued. "Tonight, let’s make everything a tackle. That’s what I asked them to do before the game and I think they did a great job of that."

HOOSICK FALLS 42, MECHANICVILLE 0

Hoosick Falls (2-0, 2-0) 21 7 7 7 - 42
Mechanicville (0-1, 0-2) 0 0 0 0 - 0
First Quarter
HF - Randy Tutunjian 22 pass from Mike Brewster (Quinn Rasmus kick) 8:20
HF - Brad Burns 57 run (Rasmus kick wide left) 5:45
HF - Tanner Williams 11 run (Williams run) 2:23
Second Quarter
HF - Williams 49 pass from Brewster (Rasmus kick) 11:01
Third Quarter
HF - Williams 32 pass from Brewster (Rasmus kick) 6:53
Fourth Quarter
HF - Mike Mattat 3 run (Rasmus kick) 5:10
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Hoosick Falls (33-216): Burns 11-95, Williams 4-25, Brewster 4-11, Brogue 7-44, Sargood 2-18, Mattat 5-23. Mechanicville (32-25) Funaro 11-12, Abele 9-37, Dunn 5-5, Cimino 5-(-23), Williams 2-(-6).
Passing: Hoosick Falls: Brewster 6-9-146-2-0. Mechanicville: Cimino 2-10-7-0-0.
Receiving: Hoosick Falls (6-146): Williams 4-96, Tutunjian 1-22, Burns 1-28. Mechanicville (2-7): Funaro 1-7, Grayson 1-0.

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In Lansingburgh, Brien Bouyea covered the Watervliet/Catholic Central game for us. Here is an excerpt from his story.

TROY -- Ryan Manning says the Watervliet High School foot¬ball team has a simple approach on the gridiron.

"We bleed garnet and we sweat gray," Manning, a senior captain, said in reference to his team’s colors. "When you play for Watervliet you are expected to leave everything you have on the field. That’s what we are all about. We don’t want to leave the field with the feeling that we didn’t play to our potential."

Watervliet senior running back Ryan Manning (32) looks for running room against the Catholic Central defense Friday night. (McMahon photo - The Record).

It took the Cannoneers some time to rise to their talent level on Friday night, but once they did Catholic Central had no answers. Manning scored three touchdowns, junior quarterback Brandon Legault passed for a pair of TDs and Watervliet’s defense registered four interceptions en route to a 40-7 Class C South Division drubbing of the Crusaders at Carley Field.

Watervliet's Eric Clemons gets his hands on Catholic Central quarterback Mike Sunkes during Friday's game. (McMahon photo - The Record).

Manning scored on a 19-yard pass from Legault in the first quarter and then found the end zone on runs of 6 yards and 1 yard in the second quarter to stake the Cannoneers (2-0, 2-0) to a 21-7 lead at the half.

Watervliet's Pat Ebenhoch (7) makes a tackle on CCHS quarterback Mike Sunkes during Friday's game. (McMahon photo - The Record).

"It took us some time to get rolling, but we made some big plays and did what we needed to do," said Manning, who rushed for 68 yards on 11 carries and hauled in four passes for 82 yards. "It all started up front with our line. Those guys really wore them down and did all the dirty work for us. They deserve a lot of credit."

Watervliet players (left) and Catholic Central players (right) meet in a scrum on the field Friday night. (McMahon photo - The Record).

WATERVLIET 40, CATHOLIC CENTRAL 7

Watervliet (2-0, 2-0)......................................7 14 7 13 - 40
Catholic Central (0-2, 0-2)............................7 0 0 0 - 7
First Quarter
W - Ryan Manning 19 pass from Brandon Legault (Shevon Sneith kick), 7:08.
C - Tyler McLeod 33 pass from Mike Sunkes (Sunkes kick), 0:16.
Second Quarter
W - Manning 6 run (Sneith kick), 6:46.
W - Manning 1 run (Sneith kick), 1:01.
Third Quarter
W - Andre Williams 7 run (Sneith kick), 3:54.
Fourth Quarter
W - Pat Ebenhoch 3 pass from Legault (kick failed), 9:47.
W - Sean Daley 48 interception return (run failed), 2:25.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: W - Ryan Manning 11-68, Andre Williams 11-55, Brandon Legault 1-(-11), Nick Brown 5-51; C - Ryan Gratton 4-(-13), Anthony Marchese 2-7, Tyler Gaston 6-30, Mike Sunkes 7-(-5), Tyler Gagnon 1-0, Tyler McLeod 1-(-4).
PASSING: W - Brandon Legault 12-20-0-199; C - Mike Sunkes 6-15-3-85, Tyler Gaston 2-5-1-14.
RECEIVING: W - Antonio Lind 2-39, Ryan Manning 4-82, Pat Ebenhoch 3-17, Tom Sczepanski 2-33, Andre Williams 1-28; C - Ryan Gratton 4-46, Tyler McLeod 4-53.

Saratoga Springs' Landon Moore attempts to tackle a Ballston Spa ballcarrier, but the Scotties won the game, 21-20. (Photo courtesy The Saratogian).

Section II scoreboard

WEEK TWO
TONIGHT
Class AA
Liberty Division
Niskayuna 34, Columbia 28 (OT)
Empire Division
Ballston Spa 21, Saratoga Springs 20
Shaker 28, Schenectady 21
Non-division
Guilderland 28, La Salle 13
Class A
Non-division
Glens Falls 46, Bishop Maginn 31
Amsterdam 48, Broadalbin-Perth 0
S.Glens Falls 27, Scotia-Glenville 0
Burnt Hills 42, Averill Park 0
Lansingburgh 35, Gloversville 28
Class B
Non-division
Cobleskill 40, Cairo-Durham 0
Schuylerville 41, Cohoes 7
Stillwater 27, Ichabod Crane 18
Ravena 44, Johnstown 12
Schalmont 34, Hudson 7

Cohoes's Eric Maxwell attempts to bring down a Schuylerville ballcarrier during Friday's game. Schuylerville won, 41-7. (Photo courtesy The Saratogian).

Class C
North Division
Hoos. Falls 42, Mechanicville 0
South Division
Watervliet 40, CCHS 7
Coxsackie at Taconic Hills 7 p.m.
Chatham 28, Canajoharie 0
Class D
Rensselaer 34, Fort Edward 22

TOMORROW
Sat., Sept. 11
Class AA
Empire Division
CBA at Bethlehem 1:30 p.m.
Liberty Division
Shen at Albany 1:30 p.m.
Colonie at Troy 1:30 p.m.
Class A
Non-division
Mohon at Queensbury 1:30 p.m.
Class B
Non-division
Hudson Falls at 1:30 p.m.
Class C
South Division
Voorheesville at Fonda 1 p.m.
North Division
Greenwich at Granville 1 p.m.
Tamarac at Hoosic Valley 1 p.m.
Class D
Cambridge at Whitehall 1 p.m.
Warrensburg at Salem 1 p.m.

Check back Saturday for more updates, pictures and videos. Also be sure to check out our next live chat Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.

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Catholic Central junior lineman Tim Quillinan is taking Friday's game against Watervliet very seriously. The Arsenal City resident has a streak dinner wager on the line with 'Vliet's Ryan Manning. (Video capture by Will Montgomery - The Record).

TROY -- It has not been one of Section II’s most competitive rivalries in recent years - Watervliet High School’s football team has won the last four games it played against Catholic Central by a combined score of 120-15 - but whenever the Cannoneers and the Crusaders meet on the gridiron, it’s a big deal.

Just ask Catholic Central’s junior two-way lineman Tim Quillinan, a Watervliet resident, about his appetite.

"I have a bet with Ryan Manning, the running back from Watervliet, that if we beat them tomorrow, I get a steak dinner," Quillinan said before Thursday’s practice.

Watervliet (1-0, 1-0) travels to Lansingburgh to take on Catholic Central (0-1, 0-1) tonight at 7 p.m. in a Class C South Division showdown.

Catholic Central’s first-year head coach Ray Gaston played his high school football at Watervliet and still heads to work at the Arsenal every day before football practice. Although the football rivalry between the teams is fairly recent - the teams did not play on a regular basis since Section II switched to a classification-based scheduling system in 2004 - the ties between the two communities run deep.

"You hate to play your old school colors, especially when you’re going to be cheering against them," Gaston laughed. "But the fact is I’m here at Catholic High, so I’m going to be cheering for Catholic High."

The Cannoneers romped over Taconic Hills, 45-6, in Week One thanks to three touchdowns from Manning and four forced fumbles by the defense.

For video highlights from Thursday's practice, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Catholic Central, on the other hand, dropped a 42-20 decision to Chatham. Still, the Crusaders were pleased with the effort they put forth against the defending Section II Class C finalist Panthers.

"They had a lot of heart. This team had a lot of heart last week," said Gaston. "The score didn’t reflect it, but there was a lot of heart.

"Only having 18 kids on the field with a couple of injuries right now, they’re playing both ways and spe¬cial teams and when the fourth quarter comes, they’re sucking air," Gaston continued. "And rightfully so. But their hearts are still pumping hard."

This week in practice, Gaston and his assistants have put an additional focus on conditioning knowing that it’s nearly impossible to give any players an extended break during the action following the opening kickoff.
Playing gutsy football in the fourth quarter is something the Crusaders will have to do if they are to clinch their first Section II playoff berth since 1989.

"I know Watervliet is good," Gaston said. "They’re a good team. They have a lot of good players on that team, but we have good players also. It’s a matter of, I think, controlling your controllables, like any coach will tell you, and having the adrenaline to go beyond what your expectations are."

Chatham’s senior standout running back, Josh Keyes, slashed through the CCHS defense for five touchdowns last week, but the Crusaders still took some positive signs from the loss.

"We played pretty good," Quillinan said. "Toward the end we played our hearts out trying to beat those guys."

The task will be doubly tough for the Crusaders this week as they’ll need to stop a rushing attack spearheaded by Manning and a passing game that is led by Watervliet quarterback Brandon Legault, who threw for 115 yards and one touchdown against Taconic Hills.

"We play our game," Gaston said. "We have to make tackles when the opportunity occurs. If we make those tackles, it doesn’t matter who the running back is. If something does happen to come up negative, we have to forget about it. The past hurts. Go on forward. That’s the whole philosophy this year."

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TROY --Ray Gaston never quite dreamed of becoming a head varsity football coach at the high school level, yet that is exactly his new title at Catholic Central.

Earlier this week, Gaston (pictured, right), who was serving as an assistant coach at the school, was named head coach at CCHS following the resignation of Carm Audino.

Messages left for Audino were not returned. Gaston declined to discuss the reasons behind Audino’s departure prior to what was to be his second season with the Crusaders.

“Personally, I didn’t think we had a problem,” said senior captain Alex Bruno. “It’s just getting used to new coaches. That’s it. I think we overcame it pretty well and I think we have a chance this year.”

“I’ll be honest, I was a little confused,” Rob Connors, a senior captain, said. “I didn’t know exactly what was going on. But we have a good coaching staff, we have a good team and we have people that know what they’re doing.”

Gaston, a Watervliet native, had spent 13 years as a head coach in the Plainsmen Junior Football League in Clifton Park and was looking, finally, to take a break. Four years ago, in what he figured would be his last season coaching for some time, Gaston took some of his players to a camp at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

There, Sam Marro, who was coaching the CCHS varsity at the time, told Gaston he had one open assistant coaching position.

“Sammy got me here before I got a year to get off and I was on his staff for a couple of years,” Gaston said prior to Thursday’s practice in Lansingburgh. “When Sam left, Carm came in and kept me on the staff.”

Now, the Crusaders have more coaches than they know what to do with. Nick Foglia, Mike Galeo and Bill Mitchell have been assisting Gaston this week. Dan Cole, the former quarterback for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Class of 2004) and the af2’s Albany Conquest, is set to join CCHS as an assistant this weekend.

“It came out of nowhere,” Gaston said. “Carm had a personal situation where he resigned. It’s a great loss. He’s a great coach, a great person and a great friend. We’re all missing him and we’re going to miss him.

“But we have a program and we have kids that want to play football,” continued Gaston. “These coaches and myself, we’re right back on track right now. We might have lost a couple of days, but we’re back.”

Catholic Central, which finished with a 2-6 record a season ago, has played to a 16-55 record since 2001. The school did not field a varsity team in 2002 after finishing 0-9 the year before.

Carm Audino, seen here leading a practice at Catholic Central High School last week, recently decided to step down from the position. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

The Crusaders’ last winning season came in 2000, when Pete Porcelli guided CCHS to a 6-3 record before taking the head position at Lansingburgh. The team has not appeared in a Section II postseason game since 1989.

"We’ve had to deal with a lot," said senior captain Anthony Marchese. "We're fine now and we’re all good. We’re looking forward to it. I think we’re better off for it, actually. I like where we are now and I like who we have here. Everybody is just as excited, if not more motivated."

To view video highlights from Thursday's practice, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Audino ran a primarily flexbone-based offense, which may be opened up a little bit with Gaston's wide background of experiences. The tight-lipped CCHS players and coaches wouldn't give away too many secrets, however.

"I have some of that stuff and a mixed bag of everything from the Sam Marro days to the Carm Audino days to the Ray Gaston days," laughed Gaston. "We’ll be all right."

At a football camp this summer, for the first time since his playing days at Watervliet High School, Gaston recently ran into his former coach, Joe King, the current head coach at RPI.

Standing on the Engineers’ massive, one-year-old East Campus Village Stadium field, King asked, “Just like Watervliet, huh, Ray?”

“We didn’t have a set of weights when I was over at Watervliet his first year there,” Gaston laughed. “He was rubbing it in my face.”

Consider Gaston the latest in a long line of former Watervliet student-athletes that themselves became varsity head coaches.

“A great deal of me being in football and doing all this stuff was basically because I admired Joe King so much from when he was my coach,” said Gaston. “He taught respect and he taught football. Those are two of the biggest keys, I think, in football. Discipline and respect.”

--
For my original CCHS training camp report, which appeared last week, click here.

--
Keep checking back on the blog for a training camp report posted every day between now and opening day of the high school football season on Thursday, Sept. 2. The schools will be posted in no particular order, so please be patient if you don't see your school right away.

Also keep your eyes open for our 48-page preview section - Kickoff 2010 - which hits the newsstands inside The Record on Thursday, Sept. 2.

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TROY -- The Catholic Central High School varsity football team hopes that speed kills, or at least wins football games.

Numbers are always an issue for a small school like CCHS, so the Crusaders are most likely trying to make the most of a lineup without much depth year-in and year-out. This season, the Crusaders have a surplus of quickness and they're hoping that translates to head coach Carm Audino's flexbone offense.

"We’re very good in the skill positions and we’re bigger at the line of scrimmage," Audino said prior to the team's first practice Monday afternoon. "Even though we’re younger, we have more size at the line of scrimmage. We’re going to miss Pat Janssen, Sam Clement and Brice McMahon, but the younger kids can really step up. They have the athletic ability. Whether they have the experience…that’s another thing."

Ryan Gratton keeps his eyes on the football during Catholic Central's Tuesday practice in Lansingburgh. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

The Crusaders did not qualify for the postseason in 2009 - in fact, the team has not played a playoff game since 1989 -but the players and coaches were pleased with what the team did, considering the circumstances.

For video highlights from CCHS training camp, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

CCHS picked up a pair of wins against Ichabod Crane and Cairo-Durham and played close in losses to Watervliet and Taconic Hills. The players feel that they have enough talent, experience and desire to turn a few of those close losses into wins in 2010.

"With the lack of experience, we really need to rely on our coaches and have a really good team bond," said senior two-way starter Anthony Marchese. "We need it. We’ll see what happens."

Junior quarterback Mike Sunkes drops back for a pass during Tuesday's practice at Catholic Central High School. A big-time baseball player for CCHS and the Lansingburgh Royals, Sunkes fully commits himself to football in the fall.

Mike Sunkes will be assuming the quarterback's role in 2010. He played a little bit as the backup a season ago and has earned a bit of experience at team camps this summer.

"We went to Union Camp a couple of weeks ago," Sunkes said. "It helped me out, the feel for the offense. I was the backup last year, so I got some reps last year, but now that you’re a starter, you have to feel more comfortable. It’s a big step up, but hopefully we’ll get the job done."

With a few open spots to fill, training camp will be an exciting three weeks for the Catholic Central team as it attempts to put its speedy plan into action.

“It’s always an open competition, but we know pretty much in our mind where we’re at with the kids,” Audino said. “The underclassmen have worked very, very hard in the offseason. They’re really prepared for varsity.”

Mike Sunkes (left) and Anthony Marchese (right) are going to be two of the key leaders on the 2010 Catholic Central High School team. Marchese is one of three seniors on the team. (Vidcap by Will Montgomery - The Record).

Catholic Central, 2009 game-by-game results
Watervliet, L 13-0
Voorheesville, L 34-18
TACONIC HILLS, L 26-15
Fonda-Fultonville, L 35-12
Ichabod Crane, W 33-0
CAIRO-DURHAM, W 34-8
CANAJOHARIE, L 43-14
TAMARAC, L 49-14*
*Crossover game
Home games in CAPS

Catholic Central, 2009 stats review
Rushing, Att, Yds., Avg., TDs
Pat Janssen, 92, 601, 6.5, 6
Passing, Comp., Att., Yds., Avg., TDs
Pat Janssen, 41, 105, 544, 13.3, 9
Receiving, No., Yds., Avg., TDs
Sam Clement, 16, 276, 17.3, 5
Scoring, TD, 2-pt, PAT, FG, Tot.
Brice McMahon, 7, 4, 0, 0, 50

Catholic Central High School, 2010 schedule
Friday Sept. 3, vs. Chatham, 7 p.m.
Friday Sept. 10, vs. Watervliet, 7 p.m.
Saturday Sept. 18, at Hoosic Valley, 1 p.m.
Friday Sept. 24, at Taconic Hills, 7 p.m.
Friday Oct. 1, vs. Fonda-Fultonvill, 7 p.m.
Friday Oct. 8 at Canajoharie, 7 p.m.
Friday Oct. 15, vs. Ichabod Crane, 7 p.m.

Catholic Central’s three keys to the season
1, Use speed and athleticism.
2, Play better defense.
3, More aggressive offensive line play.

Jacob Bishop snares a pass with his fingertips during Catholic Central's Tuesday' practice in Lansingburgh.

--
Keep checking back on the blog for a training camp report posted every day between now and opening day of the high school football season on Thursday, Sept. 2. The schools will be posted in no particular order, so please be patient if you don't see your school right away.

Also keep your eyes open for our 48-page preview section - Kickoff 2010 - which hits the newsstands inside The Record on Thursday, Sept. 2.

Follow OTR: Twitter
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TROY -- Like many high school football players in New York State, Jake Luce (pictured above) didn’t get much sleep after he tucked himself in Sunday night, since Monday marked the first day of practice for football teams.

Rested or not, Luce and the rest of his Lansingburgh teammates had an exceptionally sharp session.

"Last night I couldn’t even sleep. I fell asleep at four in the morning," said Luce, a senior offensive lineman and linebacker. "I was so excited to come. My adrenaline was going crazy. Football season is back. That’s what I like."

Mark Tracey is ready to get back to action on the football field for Lansingburgh High School after having missed the final three weeks of the 2009 season with a torn ACL. (All photos by Will Montgomery - The Record).

Lansingburgh head coach Al McNall called Monday’s practice "probably one of the best first days we’ve had here in a long time."

The weather certainly aided that, as cloudy skies kept players out of the sun. Lansingburgh, which practices from 9 a.m. to 11, takes a 30-minute break and resumes for a 90-minute session, offers its players water breaks two or three times in each practice portion.

"Today was a great day, but by Wednesday, it’s going to be 85 and extremely humid," said McNall. "Section II has stressed about the hydration and the water breaks."

For video highlights from Monday's practices, check out www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

The Knights, who have moved up to Class A this season after spending 2009 in Class B, open the season at home Friday, September 3 against two-time defending Section II champion Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.

Burnt Hills last lost to a Section II team when Lansingburgh defeated the Spartans in the 2007 Section II Class A Super Bowl, 28-25.

"This is the first step to the first week, so if you’re not taking a step here, you’re that much further back when you put pads on," said Lansingburgh senior two-way lineman Mark Tracey. "The first game is going to be that much harder if you’re not taking a step here."

A few blocks north on Seventh Avenue, the Catholic Central High School team was optimistic even though the program will likely have fewer than 40 players combined on its teams.

"We have small numbers and lot of inexperience, but we have some really, really athletic kids," said senior linebacker Anthony Marchese. "We’re fast and we can move."

Mike Sunkes, left, and Anthony Marchese, right, were optimistic prior to the start of Catholic Central High School's first practice Monday in Lansingburgh.

Catholic Central opens the season on September 3, when it hosts defending Section II Class C finalist Chatham at 7 p.m.

Collar City Cup resumes after two-year hiatus

On the south side of town, excitement is already brewing for a Week One showdown between Troy High and La Salle Institute.

Troy, which competes in Class AA this year after spending two years in Class A, will play La Salle for the first time since 2007 in a battle for The Record’s Collar City Cup. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 3 at Sutton Field on the La Salle campus.

Despite all of the recent success for Troy and La Salle, the two programs were facing a number of challenges on the first day of practice.

Garrett Delory, pictured above, started two games at quarterback in 2009 when senior Mike Murray went down with an injury. He has the inside track on the job in his junior year.

La Salle lost 21 of its 22 starters to graduation. Frank Seitz, who started on the right side of the offensive line last year, figures to be a two-way starter for the Cadets in 2010. Quarterback Garrett Delory, who played in a handful of games in the middle of the 2009 season when senior Mike Murray went down with a knee injury, has the inside track on the signal caller’s job.

Troy High's Brian Marsh served as a team captain and quarterback as a junior. He could be a secret weapon with his arm and his legs if opposing defenses focus their energies on Jordan Canzeri and Shatiek Lewis.

Al Rapp, La Salle’s head coach, insists that every position is open for competition, which should make for an intense three weeks of preparation leading up to the game against Troy.

Troy brings back senior running backs Jordan Canzeri and Shatiek Lewis, who rushed for over 1,000 yards apiece in 2009. The Flying Horses, however, have some work to do on the lines, as only one offensive lineman – Jay Yaskanich – returns.

"Troy and La Salle is always a big game. Always," said Seitz.

Frank Seitz, who played on the right side of the offensive line last year, is the only returning starter on either side of the ball for La Salle Institute in 2010.

The Record’s Collar City Cup series history

2007, La Salle 19, Troy 14
2006, Troy 29, La Salle 21
2005, La Salle 26, Troy 12
2004, La Salle 12, Troy 7
2003, Troy 27, La Salle 25
2002, Troy 14, La Salle 7
2001, La Salle 14, Troy 0

Note: In 2008, Troy defeated Lansingburgh in the inaugural Uncle Sam Cup game, 28-3. There were no intra-city matchups in 2009.

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Each day from now until opening day, I will post a team preview with a short story, notes, pictures, video and information boxes. As team rosters start pouring in, I will post them as well. The teams will be posted in no particular order, so please be patient if you don't see your team right away.

Also, keep your eyes open for our 48-page preview section - Kickoff 2010 - which will hit the newsstands inside The Record on Thursday, September 2.

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