Waterford-Halfmoon's Connor Noel heads a ball in front of Heatly's Alex Heffern during Monday's CHVL boys soccer game at Green Island's Veterans Memorial Stadium. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

GREEN ISLAND -- Connor Noel raced back up the sideline after scoring his first goal of Monday’s game against the Heatly School’s boys soccer team, saw his mother and asked, "Did you see that?"

Unfortunately, she missed his first goal, but saw her son, a senior midfielder on the Waterford-Halfmoon team, add another a few minutes later in a 7-0 Central Hudson Valley League victory for the Fordians at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Waterford (5-0-0, 6-2-0), ranked No. 6 in last week’s New York State Sportswriters Association Class C poll, has scored 25 goals and allowed just one in league play through five games.

Noel, who had previously played on defense but has shifted to the midfield to spark the Waterford offense, doubled his season goal total Monday and now has collected four goals and five assists.

Fre Breen added one goal and two assists and Peter Guenette, Jeff Ippolito, Mark Cahrenger and Matt Berthiaume added single tallies for the Fordians. Waterford goalkeeper Joe Hilton stopped seven shots to record the shutout.

Waterford-Halfmoon junior striker Fre Breen (above) is one of the area's most exciting soccer players to watch.

"It’s just good teamwork," Breen said of the key to Waterford’s success. "We all live near each other and we’re always together. It’s a family."

Heatly (1-3-1, 1-3-1) received 14 saves in net, many of them spectacular, from keeper Zach Mason.
The Hornets had a pair of great scoring chances five minutes into the first half, but Hilton made the initial save and corralled the rebound to keep Heatly off the board.

A season ago, Waterford won the Section II Class C championship and defeated Voorheesville in the Class CC/C playoff, advancing to the New York State Class C semifinals, losing to Section I’s Marathon, 1-0.
Waterford has come back strong in 2010, but a few players, Noel included, have had to move positions to make up for some of the losses from the 2009 squad.

"We lost four players from last year and we’re still kind of moving people around," said Waterford head coach Fred Engelmann. "So we’re trying to cover positions and sometimes you think you know what you got and sometimes it doesn’t work. I went through three weeks with two guys in the center mid and it just wasn’t happening, so we put two new guys in there and moved them elsewhere and things have been much better."

Waterford's Garrett Archambeault (20) attempts to control the ball in front of Heatly's Cody Rogers (8) during Monday's game in Green Island.

Neither Heatly nor Waterford field a football team in the fall, so soccer is the biggest game in town. That is just fine with the players, who enjoy the challenge of living up to the program’s legacy.

"The time I moved here, that’s what my dad told me. Soccer is big here because they don’t have football," Breen said. "That’s how I like it. I like it very much here."

Waterford won New York State Class D titles in 1992 and 1996. The Fordians were Empire State runners-up in 1994.

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

"That’s how we grew up. We grew up with our travel coach, who was the star on the state championship team, so that’s something we always strive for," Noel said. "Hopefully we get that this year."

"It’s a good group of kids and they play well and they know how we want to play," Engelmann said. "I think we’ll do well. Hopefully we go as far as we went last year."

The Fordians finished with an 18-3 record in 2009 – the team has lost non-league games to Troy High and Cairo-Durham in 2010 – and the team is hoping its depth and experience can carry it through the rest of the regular season and beyond.

Waterford's Matt Berthiaume races Heatly's Adam Greenwood for the ball during Monday's CHVL soccer game. Berthiaume scored the final goal of the game late in the second half.

"It really gets easier because I’m playing with the same players every year," Breen said. "It’s much easier and fun. It’s all about fun. It’s not always about winning and losing."

"Sometimes it’s about winning," interjected Noel.

"Yeah, it’s about winning, but it’s about having fun at the same time," Breen laughed.

WATERFORD 7, HEATLY 0

Waterford (5-0-0, 6-2-0) 2 5 - 7
Heatly (1-3-1, 1-3-1) 0 0 - 0
Scoring: W-H: Connor Noel 2-1, Fre Breen 1-2, Peter Guenette 1-0, Jeff Ippolito 1-0, Mark Cahrenger 1-0, Matt Berthiaume 1-0, Alex Koscielniak 0-1.
Saves: W-H: Joe Hilton, 7. Heatly: Zach Mason, 14.
Corner kicks: W-H, 4. Heatly, 2.

--
Monday's local roundup:

TROY -- The Hoosic Valley High School girls volleyball team jumped out to a great start against the Emma Willard School in Monday’s non-league match, winning the first two games.
But the Jesters roared back, forcing a game five.
Hoosic Valley, behind 17 aces from Amber Palasz and 11 kills from Alex Gurney, rallied to win the final game and posted the 3-2 victory by scores of 25-18, 25-22, 21-25, 22-25 and 25-8.
Rayn Nigro added eight kills and six aces for Hoosic Valley (3-1, 5-4).
Fatima Johnson paced Emma Willard (1-2, 1-3) with six blocks, six digs, three kills and three aces. Mary Kemp provided five digs, four aces and three assists for the Jesters.
Troy 3, Loudonville Christian 2: The Flying Horses (5-0, 10-0) remained undefeated with a come-from-behind non-league victory at Loudonville Christian Monday afternoon.
The Eagles won the first game, 25-22, but Troy rallied 25-17 in game two. Loudonville won the third game, 25-22, before Troy won games four and five, 25-16 and 25-22, respectively.
Rachel Martin (13) and Bridget Haggerty (12) combined to make 25 kills for Troy. Vanessa Addo added seven blocks for the Horses.
Hattie Burgher (24 digs, 14 kills) and Chelsea Brown paced Loudonville (4-0, 5-1). Julia Brown added 37 assists.
Catholic Central 3, Tamarac 2: Hannah Kutny picked up 26 digs, 20 kills and 10 aces for the Lady Crusaders in a non-league victory over the Bengals (4-0, 6-2).
Hailey Frament added six digs, three kills and two aces for CCHS, while Gina Russo contributed 21 assists, 13 digs and seven kills.
For Tamarac, Nancy Vickerson chipped in with 18 digs and 12 kills, while Sarah Malsch (14 assists, nine service points) and Taylor Lewis (nine kills, seven blocks) added to the Bengals’ attack.
Cambridge 3, Berlin 1: Emily Sherman smashed 13 aces and Paige Fortier added 11 kills for the Indians (1-3, 4-5) in a non-league victory over the Mountaineers (0-3, 0-7).
Sarah Bentley scored 11 service points and chipped in with six kills for Berlin. Shaylah Morris added 12 assists and six aces.
Maple Hill 3, Taconic Hills 0: Katie Roth made 14 kills and Maggie Miller scored 15 service points for the Wildcats (6-0, 6-1) in a Patroon Conference victory by scores of 25-12, 25-13 and 25-17.
Rensselaer 3, Coxsackie-Athens 2: The Rams (3-2, 4-3) posted a Patroon Conference victory over the Indians by scores of 25-20, 21-25, 25-15, 18-25 and 25-22.

Saratoga Springs and Canajoharie played a non-league volleyball match on Monday. (Photo courtsey The Saratogian).

Boys Volleyball
Colonie 3, Saratoga Springs 1: Kyle McPadden dished out 35 assists and 12 digs for the Garnet Raiders (5-2) in a Suburban Council victory over the Blue Streaks.
Nate Krouse added 13 kills and Steve Sleaseman contributed with 10 kills.
Girls Soccer
Hoosic Valley 5, Schuylerville 4: Molly Gilchrist scored a pair of goals and assisted on another as the Indians (5-1, 7-1) earned a Wasaren League victory over the Black Horses.
Allie Robert, Janelle Standard and Cassidy Chapko all had a goal for Hoosic Valley. Nicole Senecal and Courtney Pierce both had two goals for Schuylerville (5-1).
Tamarac 1, Greenwich 0 (OT): Julie Sloboda scored the game-winner in overtime to lift the Bengals (3-2-0, 4-3-0) to a Wasaren League victory over the Witches.
Tamarac put 25 shots on the Greenwich net, while the Witches mustered just one shot against Tamarac keeper Nicole Matthews.
Chatham 7, Coxsackie-Athens 3: The Panthers captured a Patroon Conference victory over the Indians.
Boys Golf
Mechanicville 165, Waterford 197: John Young shot a low round of par 36 for the Red Raiders in a Colonial Council victory over the Fordians.
Jeff Roylance paced Waterford with a score of 46.
Averill Park 254, Saratoga Springs 257: Jimmy Sullivan shot a low round of 33 at Burden Lake Country Club, lifting Averill Park (5-6) to a Suburban Council victory over the Blue Streaks. Andrew Fasoldt fired a 41 for the Warriors.
Christian Flemming shot a 39 for Saratoga, while Matt Beckwith turned in a round of 40.
From Friday
Girls Tennis
Shenendehowa 9, Columbia 0: The Lady Plainsmen swept the Blue Devils in Suburban Council.

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Heatly senior guard Dominic Patalino floats through the lane as he attempts a shot over Loudonville Christian's Koury Deeb during Tuesday's CHVL game at Loudonville Christian School. Heatly scored the game's first eight points and won, 66-53. (All photos by Tom Killips - The Record).

The Hornets weren't able to play the type of game they like to play in Loudonville's cramped gym, as the small court dimensions prevented them from running and squeezed the Heatly perimeter game.

Alex Heffern, however, managed to hit four three-point buckets en route to 22 total points and J.R. Gleason, Heatly's 6-foot-3 senior center, added 14 points and seven rebounds in the paint for the Hornets.

Four teams entered play on Tuesday tied at 5-1 for first place in the Central Hudson Valley League standings: Heatly, Loudonville, New Lebanon and Germantown.

The stage is set for a classic pennant race as the second half of the season winds down and the Hornets took a big step forward Tuesday, especially considering the 20-point loss at home to Germantown that happened just last Thursday.

The Hornets were pumped-up from the get-go Tuesday night, but their head coach wanted to assure them that they need to play like this every night if they wish to repeat as CHVL regular season champions.

"It’s fun, it really is," said Heatly head coach Peter Heffern. "They know that they have to show up every night. It’s not just the top four teams. Hawthorne is playing well and you have to go and play against the other teams too. You have to show up. I think our league is a lot better than it was a few years ago. The coaches are doing well, the kids are responding and I think everybody is seeing the results of it: good basketball."

--
The crowd at Loudonville was big and they were loud, especially as the Eagles drew to within 10 points late in the fourth quarter. Cullen Overholt scored a game-high 23 points, but the Eagles threw up too many bricks throughout the game to make a legitimate run at a comeback.

Read more about the game and how Alex Heffern and J.R. Gleason work together on the court in Wednesday's edition of The Record.

--

Watervliet's Tierney McGlynn looks to pass as Holy Names' Leah Arduini defends during Tuesday's Colonial Council game at Holy Names. Holy Names won, 52-23, extending its winning streak in league play to 28 games.

Holy Names' Sarah Agan looks to take a shot over a pair of Watervliet defenders during Tuesday's game. Holy Names, 10-0 this season, was ranked No. 4 in the latest NYS Class A poll.

Watervliet freshman guard Ailayia Demand (1) elevates toward the hoop during Tuesday's game at Holy Names as Fallon Witte (22) defends and Leah Arduini looks on.

"Holy Names played terrific," Watervliet head coach Gordie Johnson told our Ryan Kircher. "They played great and they killed us on the offensive boards. They took us out of everything we do, we couldn't get open looks and when we did we didn't finish them."

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Record.

I'll be broadcasting live from the Glens Falls Civic Center this afternoon for four Section II championship games. Get your questions ready and feel free to pop in with any comments during the day in the window below.
I will aim on opening the window around 1:45 p.m., just before Heatly and Sharon Springs tip off.

Section II boys basketball championships, Glens Falls Civic Center, Saturday, March 7, 2009

Class D final
(1) Heatly vs (3) Sharon Springs, 2 p.m.
Class C final
(1) Canajoharie vs (7) Duanesburg, 3:45 p.m.
Class CC final
(1) Maple Hill vs (10) Stillwater, 5:30 p.m.
Class B final
(5) Broadalbin-Perth vs (11) Schuylerville, 7:15 p.m.

Heatly boys basketball players Alex Heffern (l), LaShon Pringle and Peter Heffern - all cousins - look to lead the No. 1 seeded Hornets to their first Section II title in school history. (Photo by Tom Killips - The Record)

William Montgomery
The Record

GREEN ISLAND - Tucked away in a corner of the Heatly School trophy case is the flaking and crusty crown jewel of the boys basketball program. Aged by years of oxidation and shrouded in dust, the cup touting the Hornets’ 1936-37 Eastern New York Public High School Athletic Association League’s Eastern Section title draws more attention than the long list of Central Hudson Valley League championships the Hornets have won in recent years.
In spite of their regular season success, that old trophy contains all of the postseason frustrations the Hornets have endured since.
But a trio of cousins - senior LaShon Pringle, junior Peter Heffern and sophomore Alex Heffern – led the Hornets to a 2008-09 regular season Central Hudson Valley League championship, their first in three seasons.
Alex Heffern was a first team CHVL All-Star, Pringle was a second team selection and Peter Heffern was an honorable mention pick. Senior Brandon Fish was also named to the first team. The cousins, however, are looking to lead Heatly to its first Section II boys basketball title in school history.
Today, No. 1 Heatly (16-4) faces No. 8 Northville (11-9) in a Section II Class D quarterfinal matchup at Saratoga Springs High School. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Admission is $6.
The Hornets, coming from a small school, are traditionally few in number, but they’ve had to deal with being small in stature, too. With only one player taller than six feet, Alex Heffern leads Heatly’s perimeter shooting attack with 14.9 points per game.
"We’re one of the smallest teams in the league but we have to go out and play our game," he said. "To start off the game, we usually look inside, but basically everyone on our team can shoot."
Peter and Alex have combined to make 56 three-point baskets, and Pringle is Heatly’s biggest scoring threat in the paint.
Under the guidance of first-year varsity head coach Peter Heffern – junior Peter’s father - who coached many of the players as junior varsity head coach from 2000-08, the group began to play as a cohesive unit. With their long history of familiarity, whether related or not, the Hornets have cut down on turnovers and always look to make the extra pass.
"I think these kids are closer than most and that leads to a family atmosphere which leads to a better team atmosphere," head coach Heffern said. "I think, in all fairness to other classes prior, I think this team had an advantage being family and knowing that they have to play together to win."
The family tradition extends to the girls team as well, as Melissa Heffern and Danielle Greene have led the Lady Hornets (11-9) to a No. 4 seed in the Class D tournament and a Saturday date with No. 5 Northville. Tip-off at Germantown High School is set for 6 p.m.
A 12-game winning streak through the end of the regular season and quality non-league victories over Mechanicville and Berne-Knox-Westerlo led the Section II seeding committee to award the Heatly boys the No. 1 seed. Five CHVL rivals are among the contenders in the Class D bracket and it could be a banner season for the league, which has not been home to a Section II champion this decade.
"It turned out in the seeding that we’re not really going to face any of those until the end and I really hope we meet one of those because I think it would be really great for the league," said coach Heffern. "Our league hasn’t fared well - we have got there - but haven’t won. It certainly would be nice for league if we can put someone in finals and win it."
The Hornets will have endured a 14-day layoff when Saturday’s quarterfinal game begins but they’re hoping their hours spent playing against former Heatly players in local parks in the summer has toughened them up for a run through the Class D bracket.
"It really does mean a lot," Alex Heffern said. "Talking to alumni, we’re the first No. 1 seed since 1999 and we’ve never won a sectional title."
The younger Peter Heffern was quick to finish his cousin’s thought.
"It’s a big deal," he said.


(Note: Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this is ever going to fit in the hard copy of The Record because of space limitations in recent days, so I'll post it here for posterity's sake)

A real wacky day in leagues across the area this afternoon, but nothing was more weird than what happened in Loudonville today. Loudonville Christian trumped Heatly 20-1 in a Central Hudson Valley game - which was not unexpected, because league-leading Loudonville Christian is 6-1 on the year.

But the line on Heatly's pitcher was mind-boggling.
Five innings pitched. Eight hits. Four strikeouts. 20 runs, 18 earned. 20 walks.
20 walks!

Since I wasn't at the game, I'm not sure what happened, but one of the Hornets' position players or someone on the bench should have come in to relieve the starter. No doubt.
Leaving a pitcher in a game like that is no way to improve an athlete's confidence. Surely another player would have relished a rare opportunity to take the ball, even in a lopsided game.
You can't blame Loudonville for running up the score, but you can excuse them for (brace yourself) walking it up.
If anyone out there can explain the situation, please send us an email or leave a comment. It's just an unbelievable line and it seems like something isn't translating through the box score.

LOUDONVILLE CHRISTIAN 20, HEATLY 1

Healty (1-4, 1-4) 000 10 – 1 3 4

L'ville Christian (6-1, 6-1) 348 5 x – 20 8 1

Brown and Greene. Pettograsso and Valley.

In other news...
Two different Wasaren League hurlers struck out 17. Hoosic Valley's Jen Mineau fired another no-hitter, as the Indians beat Stillwater 7-0.

HOOSIC VALLEY 7, STILLWATER 0

Hoosic Valley (5-0, 6-0) 101 013 1 – 7 12 1

Stillwater (1-4, 1-5) 000 000 0 – 0 0 2

Mineau and Bonnier. Crowley and Petta.

Tamarac's Meg Fitzgerald also mowed down 17, but she also tripled three times as the Bengals beat Cambridge for their first Wasaren League victory of the season.

TAMARAC 7, CAMBRIDGE 1

Tamarac (1-3, 4-6) 121 000 3 – 7 17 3

Cambridge (0-5, 0-5) 000 000 1 – 1 4 2

Fitzgerald and Dunn. Furauro and Grimes.

Lansingburgh held on to improve to 10-0 on the season, but it wasn't easy. The Lady Knights threw out the potential winning run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh and Meg Volz tripled in the top of the eighth to cap a Colonial Council victory, 6-4.

LANSINGBURGH 6, VOORHEESVILLE 4 (8)

Lansingburgh (8-0, 10-0) 103 000 02 — 8

Voorheesville (2-4, 2-6) 001 000 30 — 6

Glikes and Volz; Hatch and Chiseri

Cohoes bounced back after Wednesday loss at Lansingburgh, beating Ravena 6-3.

COHOES 6, RAVENA 3

Ravena (2-3, 4-5) 000 003 0 – 3 2 3

Cohoes (4-2, 4-3) 213 000 x – 6 6 1

Sanderson and Shepard. Galuski and Deerstyne.

In the Suburban Council, Columbia kept rolling, knocking over Guilderland 7-1. Dana Rizzo, who no-hit Shaker on Tuesday, hit a double and drove in a run on Thursday afternoon.

COLUMBIA 7, GUILDERLAND 1

Guilderland (2-2, 7-2) 000 100 0 — 1 8 3

Columbia (3-1, 7-1) 124 000 x — 7 6 1

McCutcheon, Marcucci (4) and Heller; Servidone, Rizzo (5) and Dougherty

Shaker got back on the right track, beating Niskayuna 7-2 thanks to a three-hitter from Colleen Whalen. Ana Purritano and Kayla Koumjian both went one-for-two and drove in two runs apiece for Shaker.

SHAKER 7, NISKAYUNA 2

Niskayuna (2-2, 7-2) 000 101 0 – 2 3 2

Shaker (2-2, 3-3) 002 050 x – 7 7 4

Whalen and Koumjian. Annello, Gigilo and Gray.

Eighth-grader Rachel Quackenbush tallied 15 strikeouts for Hoosick Falls (2-6), but Amsterdam’s Megan Power doubled in the bottom of the eighth inning for a non-league 1-0 victory for the Rugged Rams.

AMSTERDAM 1, HOOSICK FALLS 0

Hoosick Falls (2-6) 000 000 00 – 0 3 2

Amsterdam 000 000 01 – 1 4 3

Quackenbush and Ciuk. Miller.

-- Will Montgomery

--On the baseball side, what a game at Columbia High on Thursday. The Blue Devils and Dutchmen squared of in an early season match up of Suburban Council powers and the game lived up to the hype and then some. Patrick Puentes had a day to remember hitting a two out game winning walk off grand slam to give his team a 11-7 win. Puentes also hit a solo shot in the first and finished with six RBIs.
Tough break for the Dutchmen, as pitcher Andrew Simpson had to leave the game in the seventh after injuring his arm.
Guilderland is the No.10 ranked AA team in the state but after the loss could drop down in the next poll.
I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot more from these two teams later in the season.
The Suburban is loaded with quality teams this year and it should be a slug fest to the end.

In the Colonial Council, Ravena (6-1, 8-2) keeps their spot at the top of the standings with an impressive 9-4 win over a good Cohoes team. Joe Boomhower did it all for the Indians throwing a complete game on the mound and driving in three at the plate.
The race for the Colonial crown should stay tight throughout the year, with Watervliet, Lansingburgh and Cohoes gunning for Ravena.

Waterford upped their record to a perfect 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the CHVL after a 10-8 win over New Lebanon on Thursday. Kyle Brisson had a pair of doubles and Zach Gardner singled, doubled and drove in a run in the Fordians win.