CASTLETON — The list of things the Maple Hill High School boys soccer program has accomplished over the years is lengthy.

The Wildcats have won 21 regular season league championships, 17 Section II titles and three times have finished the season as the best Class C team in New York State.

Maple Hill (19-1-0, No. 10 Class B, New York State) looks to cross another achievement off the list today when it plays in the first Class B regional game in school history against Section VII champion Northeastern Clinton (12-6-0) at 7 p.m. at Plattsburgh High School.

“Maple Hill’s tradition in soccer is really high and our expectations are really high,” said junior midfielder Paul Ancin after Saturday’s 1-0 Section II championship victory over Johnstown. “Our goal was to get to sectionals and win it and even though we stepped up to Class B, we did it.”

Maple Hill head coach Dan Gillespie pats Paul Ancin on the back after he scored the game-winning goal against Johnstown in the Wildcats' Columbus Day Tournament in October. (Will Montgomery photo - The Record).

Northeastern Clinton, the No. 3 seed in the Section VII tournament, upset No. 2 Beekmantown in the semifinals, 2-0 and then knocked off No. 1 seeded Plattsburgh High, the No. 4 ranked team in the state at the time, 2-0, in the championship match.

It was the sixth consecutive year Plattsburgh and Northeastern Clinton had met in the Section VII championship game. Plattsburgh had won four straight title matches over Northeastern Clinton prior to the Cougars’ 2010 triumph.

Northeastern Clinton is paced offensively by Jamie Davison (14-6), Dylan Carter (6-3) and Sean Harrigan (5-1). Goalkeeper Josh Rabideau has made 97 saves and allowed 20 goals while posting nine shutouts.

Maple Hill’s leaders are Steve Sepowski (10-8) and Jake Yager (10-4). Paul Ancin and Ron Radley have added four goals apiece. Netminder Derek VanAlystne has allowed nine goals and posted 13 shutouts.

Although the Wildcats found themselves four students over the threshold for admittance to Class B (Maple Hill had 309 students in grades nine through 11, according to a Bureau of Education Data Services figure) they do not feel like they are in over their heads playing against larger schools.

“We want to go as far as we can,” Ancin said. “I think we have the potential to go all the way and our group is really motivated to win states.”

The winner of Wednesday’s match faces the Section X champion Potsdam (10-5-3) in a regional final this weekend. Should Maple Hill win, the regional final game would be played at Guilderland High School, with the date and time to be determined.

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Maple Hill High School girls soccer players react after being upset by Chatham in the Section II Class B championship game Saturday afternoon at Stillwater. (Maple Hill photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

STILLWATER -- Meeghan Arno scored so many goals in her storied career, but the Maple Hill senior will likely remember the ones she couldn’t get to the back of the net on Saturday.

Arno had a number of chances, but couldn’t convert and the Wildcats fell for the first and last time of the 2010 season.

Chatham scored twice in a three-minute span to shock top-seeded Maple Hill 2-1 in the Section II Class B final at Stillwater High School.

Maple Hill senior striker Meeghan Arno (20) and Chatham's Regina Behn (25) battle for a loose ball during Saturday's Section II Class B championship game at Warrior Park at Stillwater High School.

The Panthers (16-2-0) only two losses of the season came at the hands of the Wildcats (19-1-0), New York State’s No. 12 ranked team.

On this day, the No. 7 seed in the bracket, extracted a little bit of revenge.

"We’ve been improving all along," said Chatham coach David Chrapowitzky. "Going into (this game), the girls felt confident."

The Panthers swarmed the section’s top goal scorer, marking her with soph¬omore Cheyenne Shufelt, who shadowed Arno’s every move.

--
Note: Our Andrew Santillo covered this game for us today. To read his full story, check out Sunday's edition of The Record.

From left, Chelsea Mannion (12), Alyxe Perry (10) and Meeghan Arno (20) react after Saturday's upset loss in the Section II Class B championship game at Stillwater.

The rest of Saturday's local roundup:

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The Loudonville Christian girls’ volleyball team continues to impress.
The top-seeded Eagles defeated Fonda-Fultonville 3-0 to advance to the Section II Class CC final.
Loudonville Christian (17-2) won by scores of 25-10, 25-16 and 25-19.
Hattie Burgher led the way with 15 service points, 14 kills and 10 digs, while Sam Parry finished with 10 kills and eight digs.
Also chipping in for the Eagles were Chelsea Brown, who finished with 16 service points and five kills and Julia Brown with 25 assists.
Loudonville Christian will play Tamarac in the championship game on Tuesday at Hudson Falls High at 5 p.m.  
Tamarac 3, Schenectady Christian 0: The Bengals (14-4) advanced to Tuesday’s championship behind solid matches from Nancy Vickerson, who finished with 10 kills and 10 service points and Sarah Malsch, who added 10 assists, nine service points and four kills.
Tamarac won by scores of 25-22, 25-17 and 25-14.
Lindsay Doyle added eight service points and five kills for the Bengals, while Taylor Lewis added four kills and four service points.
Kate Nelson had six kills for the Falcons and Rebekah Kimble finished with six service points.   
Class C
Voorheesville 3, Maple Hill 1: The No. 1 seeded Blackbirds posted a semifinal victory over No. 4 Maple Hill by scores of 22-25, 25- 22, 25-13 and 25-11.
Galway 3, Lake George 0: Galway completed a three game sweep by scores of 25-23, 25-15 and 25-22.
They will play Voorheesville in the Class C championship match Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Hudson Falls High School.

Football
Class B
Schalmont 48, Ravena 13: The Sabres, the No. 1 seed from the West Division, won their second consecutive Section II title with a Super Bowl victory over Ravena, the Reinfurt Division’s No. 1 seed, on Larry Mulvaney Field at Schenectady High School.

Boys Soccer
Class A
Scotia-Glenville 4, Ichabod Crane 3 (2 OT): The Tartans, the No. 1 seed in the North Division, scored in the second overtime period to defeat Ichabod Crane, the South Division’s No. 1 in the Section II Class A championship match at Colonie High School.
Class C
Schoharie 2, Greenwich 1: No. 3 Schoharie topped No. 4 Greenwich in the Section II Class C championship match at Colonie High School.
Class D
Fort Ann 1, New Lebanon 0: The top-seeded Cardinals took home the hardware as Class D champions with a one-goal victory. 

Shenendehowa and Saratoga Springs clashed in the Section II Class AA semifinals at Schuylerville High School Saturday evening. (Photos courtsey The Saratogian).

Girls Soccer
Class AA
Shenendehowa 2, Saratoga 1 (OT): Elise Moinzadeh scored the game-winning for the Plainsmen.
Bethlehem 1, Niskayuna 1: The Eagles defeated the Silver Warriors 5-4 on penalty kicks to advance to Wednesday’s championship game.
Class A
Burnt Hills 3, Schalmont 0: Emily Pearce, Maria Malone and Nichole DeCresente all scored for the Spartans in claiming the sectional championship.

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Maple Hill's Ron Radley (6) celebrates with his teammates after receiving sectional patches following Saturday's 1-0 Section II Class B title game victory over Johnstown. (Photos by Will Montgomery - The Record).

COLONIE — The biggest save in Saturday’s Section II Class B boys soccer championship game wasn’t made by Maple Hill goalkeeper Derek VanAlstyne.

It was defenseman Matt Palmer who saved the day for the Wildcats.

Matt Palmer makes a crucial sliding kick save during Saturday's Section II Class B title game victory over Johnstown. (Photo by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Johnstown’s Kurtis Sprung passed to Kieran McCoy in front of the net and VanAlstyne came charging out to make the save. The ball, however, trickled away and rolled slowly toward the goal but Palmer, with a diving, sprawling kick save, punched the ball away from the goal mouth.

Paul Ancin scored a goal on a rebound off a direct kick by Jake Yeager and that was all Maple Hill would need to post a 1-0 victory at South Colonie High School.

“They got on a breakaway and it was about to go in the net. I just kept running like we’ve always been told,” said Palmer, a senior captain. “Don’t stop until you hear the whistle. I went back and kept it out of the net and the rest of the team kept it out of the net for the rest of the game.”

It wasn't the first time Palmer had made a play like that this season.

"We played Hudson a few weeks ago and it was the same thing, rolling in front of the net and I kicked it out," he said. "I’ve seen it before, but that was (Saturday's save) a little bit closer."

No. 1 seed Maple Hill (19-1-0), which has won 11 Section II Class C titles and four more at the Class CC level since 1988, captured its first Class B championship in school history.

It was the 17th Section II championship victory for Maple Hill head coach Dan Gillespie, who has been at the reins since 1976 (he also coached the team in 1974), which puts him alone in first place in Section II history in terms of sectional titles. His 21 league championship seasons and 538 career victories are also Section II records.

Saturday's Section II victory was a milestone win for Maple Hill head coach Dan Gillespie. (McMahon photo).

"This is our first time in Class B, so this is kind of a big deal for us to be up here," said Palmer. "To win sectionals the first time, it means a lot to us as a team to really pull it together at the end."

"Maple Hill’s tradition in soccer is really high and our expectations are really high," Ancin said. "Our goal was to get to sectionals and win it and even though we stepped up to Class B, we did it."

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

Maple Hill, ranked No. 10 in the latest New York State Class B poll, has advanced to the a regional semifinal game against Section VII champion Northeastern Clinton Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Plattsburgh High School. The winner of that game faces the Section X champion Potsdam (10-5-3) in a regional final.

“That (Palmer’s save) was crucial to save that goal so we could still be tied going into the second half,” said Ancin, a junior midfielder. “That really motivated us in the second half to get a goal and win this game.”

Maple Hill's Paul Ancin, right, celebrates his goal with teammate Drew Bourdeau in Saturday's Section II Class B championship game against Johnstown. (McMahon photo).

With less than six minutes expired in the second half, Maple Hill’s Jake Yaeger took a direct kick from the left side of the Johnstown net. The ball sailed over a sea of players and found Johnstown goalie Alex Simon near the far post. Simon, however, could not corral the ball and Ancin, in the right place at the right time, pounced on the loose ball for the Wildcats’ only goal.


“Jake had a good ball over the top and it was on the corner of the box,” Ancin, at left, said. “The goalie came out and I just kind of kicked it through. I looked up and the next thing you know, it was in the back of the net.”

The Wildcats had previously defeated No. 10 seed Johnstown, 1-0, in championship game of Maple Hill’s Fall Sports Tournament on Columbus Day.

Johnstown (10-9-1), which finished in sixth place in the Foothills Council regular season standings, upset No. 7 Coxsackie-Athens in the preliminary round and topped another Cinderella, No. 15 Stillwater, in the quarterfinals. Then, in the semifinals, the Sir Bills scored in the waning seconds of regulation and in overtime to defeat No. 11 Hoosick Falls, 2-1.

“Honestly, I’ve got a couple other sectional patches, but I got them from being pulled up to play on varsity after playing JV,” Palmer said. “This is the first one that I feel I really earned.”

Maple Hill has won three state titles in school history. Of course, none have come at the Class B level, at lest not yet.

“We want to go as far as we can,” said Ancin. “I think we have the potential to go all the way and our group is really motivated to win states.”

MAPLE HILL 1, JOHNSTOWN 0

Johnstown (10-9-1) 0 0 — 0
Maple Hill (19-1-0) 0 1 — 1
Scoring: MH: Ancin 1-0, Yeager 0-1.
Goalie saves: J: Simon, 10. MH: VanAlstyne, 5.
Corner kicks: J: 2. MH: 1.

• Notes: Maple Hill recorded three quick shots following Palmer's save, but none obviously went in.
• Johnstown rolled the ball across the top of the crossbar off a corner kick with 11 minutes to go in the first half. 
• A good number of Maple Hill shots were wide and right of the net, a problem that has plagued the team all season long. "We’re starting to understand how to play offense," Gillespie said. "We’ve missed a ton of shots all year. We outshoot somebody, 26-2 and miss them like mad. We’re trying to work it up a little bit more. Sometimes we’re a little too fancy, flicking it up there and nobody’s there."
• Johnstown's Kieran McCoy and Maple Hill's Matt Palmer received yellow cards in the second half as the game grew increasingly physical.
• Quotes from the notebook: "I told the kids this might be the only, ever time we get a B championship in the whole history of our school because we’re going back down to C next year and everybody’s population is dropping," Gillespie said.
• The Maple Hill girls lost to Chatham in the Section II Class B girls final, 2-1. Andy Santillo was at that game, so check out his report in The Record on Sunday.

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Maple Hill senior striker Meeghan Arno (20) threads the needle between Hoosick Falls' Alexis Hagadorn (20) and Liz Babson (12) during Wednesday's Section II Class B semifinal game at Stillwater High School. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

STILLWATER — For the first 20 minutes of Wednesday’s Section II Class B semifinal, the Hoosick Falls High School girls soccer team brought the pressure against No. 1 seeded Maple Hill.

The Panthers squeezed off a handful of shots on Wildcats keeper Elizabeth Briggs and Hoosick Falls senior Kristin Bird even hit the post on a shot attempt less than five minutes into the game.

Maple Hill’s Meeghan Arno, however, proved to be the finisher in a game of missed opportunities.

Arno, a senior striker, scored with 4:18 remaining in the first half on a high shot just out of the reach of Hoosick Falls keeper Katelyn Stowell. Arno scored again with 25:08 to play in the second half, which was all the Wildcats would need in a 2-0 victory over the No. 4 seeded Panthers at Warrior Park at Stillwater High School.

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

Maple Hill (19-0-0), ranked No. 12 in the latest New York State Class B poll, advanced to face No. 7 Chatham (15-2-0) in Saturday’s Section II championship game, which will be played at Stillwater at 3 p.m.

“I knew coming into the game I had to shoot a lot,” Arno said. “We had to put a lot of shots on the keeper.”

Arno’s first goal, which came just before the halftime break, certainly swung the momentum toward Maple Hill, seeing as Hoosick Falls had forced Briggs to make six of her eight saves in the first 40 minutes alone.

“We were crushing them in the first 20 minutes and if we score two, all of a sudden, the momentum, we’re going crazy,” said Hoosick Falls head coach Tom Husser on his team’s early chances. “It’s a whole different game. Girls soccer is a funny thing. Some days it’s not meant to be.”

In the second half, Arno took advantage of a Hoosick Falls misplay in the backfield and raced in on Stowell one-on-one. Arno patiently waited for Stowell to make her move before firing the ball at the net, which gave the Wildcats an insurmountable two-goal lead.

Hoosick Falls sophomore goalkeeper Katelyn Stowell leaps to make a save during Wednesday's Section II Class B semifinal game against Maple Hill.

“The momentum changed a lot, really,” Arno said. “We knew if they got one quick one in the first half, they would have had the momentum. Their forwards had us on our heels. We knew we had to come out strong and just make sure we could stay back, focus on defense and on marking those very good Hoosick Falls girls.”

One year ago, Maple Hill fell in heartbreaking fashion in double overtime to another Wasaren League team, Cambridge, in the Section II Class CC semifinals on the artificial turf surface at Stillwater.

“We didn’t want to make the same mistakes we did last year,” said Arno. “We worked hard in practice the two days we had off between games and just fixed the mistakes from last year and came out strong.”

Hoosick Falls (13-4-2), ranked No. 17 in the latest Class B poll, will graduate six seniors, but with a number of underclassmen with experience, Husser is already looking forward to 2011.

“We’re very young,” he said. “We lost five good starters, three of them were All-State, from last year’s team and they still expected to be bringing it every time. We’re young and the good thing is we’ll have a lot of those girls back next year.”

Maple Hill's Chelsea Mannion evades a Hoosick Falls defender during Wednesday's semifinal game at Stillwater High School.

Chatham defeated No. 6 Schuylerville in double overtime Wednesday evening. Jenelle Wallace scored with 3:05 remaining in the second overtime period for the upset victory.

In the quarterfinals, Chatham had knocked out No. 2 Mechanicville and Schuylerville topped No. 3 Hoosic Valley.

Maple Hill defeated Chatham twice in the Patroon Conference regular season by scores of 3-1 and 4-1.

“We know what they are, they know what we do and it’s going to be a very good game,” Arno said. “It’s good for them to make it this far. They had a strong team this year.”

Hoosick Falls' Deanna Dubois leaps as Maple Hill's Meeghan Arno leans into a header during Wednesday's Section II Class B semifinal playoff game at Stillwater.

MAPLE HILL 2, HOOSICK FALLS 0

Hoosick Falls (13-4-2) 0 0 –0
Maple Hill (19-0-0) 1 1 — 2
Scoring: MH: Arno 2-0, Legge 0-1.
Goalie saves: HF: Stowell, 8. MH: Briggs, 8.
Corner kicks: HF: 0. MH: 2.

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CASTLETON — Two of Section II’s premier girls soccer teams met in Monday’s championship game of the Maple Hill Fall Sports Tournament, and Maple Hill’s Meeghan Arno said it all as she walked off the field with head coach Shelia Golden.

“Sweet revenge.”

The Wildcats scored twice in the game’s first 11 minutes en route to a 3-0 victory over Cambridge at Maple Hill Middle School. It was the first time the teams had played each other since they met in the 2009 Section II Class CC semifinals, a game which Cambridge won, 4-3, in the second overtime.

Maple Hill players congratulate Sierra Legge (8) after she scored the first goal in Monday's championship game against Cambridge. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

“It’s great to play higher-level teams at this point in our season so we can prepare for sectionals,” said Arno, a senior striker who scored a pair of goals in the game. “And we know that we actually can step up and play at a higher level and beat the higher-level teams.”

Arno, who also tallied three goals in a first round victory over Albany High, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player.

Maple Hill's Meeghan Arno (20) battles for the ball with Cambridge's Sandra Andrews (8) during Monday's championship game. Arno, Maple Hill's all-time leading scorer, scored a pair of goals. (Carras photo - The Record).

Maple Hill (10-0-0, 12-0-0), ranked No. 13 in the latest New York State Class B poll, received its first goal off a direct kick by senior captain Sierra Legge in the eighth minute.

“Normally I cross it for somebody else to finish, but my coach told me yesterday that I should start shooting myself,” Legge said. “With her advice, I went for it.”

Cambridge's Alexi Howland leaps to head the ball between Maple Hill's Sierra Legge (8) and Alysha Cross (15). (Carras photo - The Record).

Arno scored three minutes after that on an assist from Taylor Czajkowski and added her third tally on an assist from Legge six minutes into the second half.

Sierra Legge was all smiles after Monday's game, in which she scored the first goal off a direct kick. (Will Montgomery photo - The Record).

Czajkowski injured her left knee in the second half and did not return, but the Wildcats are hopeful she will return to action soon. In fact, Maple Hill is already dealing with a great deal of injuries and sickness, which forced some team members to shift positions drastically in Monday’s game.

For video highlights from both the boys and girls games, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Maple Hill senior striker Meeghan Arno is the leading goal-scorer in Section II this season. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

Somer Connolly, typically a midfielder, was pulled back to defend Cambridge’s leading scorer Bridget Cuddihy.

“She did a marvelous job on her,” Golden said. “She (Cuddihy) is a left-footer, and Somer forced her to use her right foot, left her when she should have, stepped to her when she should have and made good decisions.”

"Every girl on the team can play anywhere on the field," Legge said. "We have a lot of flexibility with this team. We’re all just really close and come to work together hard."

"Our defense and midfielders have been outstanding so far this year," Arno said. "Erin Mosher back there in midfield, as sweeper, she really stepped up. That’s not her position at all, whatsoever, but she’s been playing really well this year."

Cambridge’s Iris Collins was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Cambridge (7-2-1, 8-3-1) was No. 15 in the latest Class C poll.

Maple Hill has had to host Patroon Conference teams in the tournament in the past because the New York State Public High School Athletic Association cut regular season schedules back to just 16 games. Now that Ichabod Crane defected to the Colonial Council, a pair of non-league dates were opened up for the Wildcats, who played a Class AA Albany High team and a tough Cambridge team that is sure to be a factor in the Section II Class C playoffs this season. Maple Hill, however, won't be running into the Indians again this postseason, as they have been classified in the Bs in 2010.

"This is great, because last year we didn’t get to play outside of our league at all," Golden said. "I think mentally that takes your team down. Nothing against the rest of our league, but there is something about playing the unknown, playing something different. These girls (Cambridge) play in a league where they’re banging at each other every day. They play Hoosick Falls, Stillwater. They play Schuylerville. They’re used to working hard all the time for every single win. It was good for us to play Albany and have these guys here where they take it to us a little more physical and stepped hard to the ball."

Maple Hill's Sierra Legge gets ready to blast her goal-scoring kick in the first half of Monday's game. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

In the consolation game, Catholic Central (2-1-1, 7-3-1) defeated Albany High (0-4-0, 1-8-0) nine minutes into the first overtime, 1-0, on a goal from Aja Evans. The two teams meet again today in Big 10 Conference action.

Girls championship game

MAPLE HILL 3, CAMBRIDGE 0

Cambridge (7-2-1, 8-3-1) 0 0 — 0
Maple Hill (10-0-0, 12-0-0) 2 1 — 3
Scoring: MH: Arno 2-1, Legge 1-1, Czajkowski 0-1.
Goalie saves: C: Hall, 5. MH: Briggs, 6.
Corner kicks: C: 2. MH: 1.

Maple Hill boys also victorious

Maple Hill boys soccer head coach Dan Gillespie had summoned Ryan Smith off the bench to spell Paul Ancin with under 20 minutes to play in Monday’s championship game against Johnstown, but was certainly glad he didn’t pull Ancin too early.

Ancin, a junior forward, headed in the game-winning goal off a free kick by teammate Steve Sepowski with 16:38 remaining in regulation, lifting the Wildcats to a 1-0 victory.

Maple Hill High School head coach Dan Gillespie (left) congratulates Paul Ancin just seconds after he had scored the go-ahead and ultimate game-winning goal in Monday's game against Johnstown. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

“We had a lot of opportunities to score,” Ancin said. “The last game against Cobleskill, we had so many shots and only had one goal. This game, we had a lot of shots and we only had one goal. My teammate Steve, he set me up perfectly and I headed it in.”

Maple Hill outshot its opponents 43-8 in the tournament’s two games, but only outscored them 2-0.

“As soon as he finished the celebration, somebody on the field said, ‘Paul, you’re off. We got a sub for you,” joked senior Pat Curtain. “So he was gone.”

Maple Hill senior Pat Curtain was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the tournament, leading the Wildcats to a pair of 1-0 shutout victories. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

Maple Hill (8-0-0, 10-0-0) was ranked No. 6 in the latest New York State Class B poll. Johnstown’s (4-4-0, 5-5-0) Matt Sagan was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player.

"People have the impression of us that it’s just Steve Sepowksi," said Curtain. "As impressive as he is, and his stats show it, everybody else on the team is working really hard to back him up and show that we’re more than a one-dimensional team."

Tamarac (2-3-3, 3-4-3) posted a 2-1 victory over Cobleskill-Richmondville (2-7-0, 2-9-0) in the consolation game.

Maple Hill junior forward Paul Ancin scored the game-winning goal although his head coach was looking to substitute for him just minutes before he scored the goal. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

Curtain, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player, leads the Maple Hill defense alongside fellow captain Matt Palmer. As the Wildcats’ offense continues to struggle to put goals in the net, the team is still proud the defense is doing more than its share.

"To beat a team with a tradition like this and comes from a school where soccer is this important, it’s huge," said Curtain. "You can’t beat this environment with all these people out here. That boosts you up a lot. And coming out of here with a win, that’s just icing on top." 


“If people don’t score on you, you can’t lose games,” Ancin said. “It’s a really nice feeling when you can say that about yourself that you shut out a really good team like Johnstown.”

Maple Hill players - and their ballboy - look on from midfield during Monday's championship game against Johnstown. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

It was a great weekend for high school sports at Maple Hill. For a recap of Saturday's events, click here.

For a small school such as Maple Hill, which doesn't field a football team, soccer is king. And the big crowd that came out to watch the games on Columbus Day certainly proved that Castleton and Schodack are great sports towns that support their teams.

"I have my friends who play soccer and they don’t have half of the fan base that we have," Curtain said. "To see this come out for soccer, which isn’t necessarily a mainstream sport yet, it’s incredible to come from a school like this. I couldn’t ask for anything better, especially on a weekend like this.

"It’s a sport-oriented town," continued Curtain. "When you can play on a team this good and play in a town that cares about it this much. You can’t ask for anthing more. It’s incredible."

"This is pretty much our main sport because boys soccer at Maple Hill has always been really good and we have to keep it up," said Ancin.

Boys championship game

MAPLE HILL 1, JOHNSTOWN 0

Johnstown (4-4-0, 5-5-0) 0 0 — 0
Maple Hill (8-0-0, 10-0-0) 0 1 — 1
Scoring: MH: Ancin 1-0, Sepowski 0-1.
Goalie saves: J: Simon, 5. MH: VanAlstyne, 0.
Corner kicks: J: 1. MH: 1.

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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

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CASTLETON -- One of the great high school sports traditions in the Capital Region is Maple Hill's annual fall sports weekend every Columbus Day. This year's events will take place on Sat., Oct. 9 and Mon. Oct. 11. A full schedule of events is listed below.


Boys Soccer Tournament
First Round Games – Saturday, October 9th:

JV – 11:00
Cobleskill (visitor) vs. Maple Hill (home) – Field “A”
Johnstown (visitor) vs. Ichabod Crane (home) – Field “B”

Varsity – 3:00
Cobleskill (visitor) vs. Maple Hill (home) – Field “A”
Johnstown (visitor) vs. Tamarac (home) – Field “B”

Final Round Games – Monday, October 11th:

JV – 11:00
Field “B” winner (visitor) vs. Field “A” winner (home) – Field “A”
Field “B” loser (visitor) vs. Field “A” loser (home) – Field “B”

Varsity – 3:00
Field “B” winner (visitor) vs. Field “A” winner (home) – Field “A”
Field “B” loser (visitor) vs. Field “A” loser (home) – Field “B”

Girls Soccer Tournament
First Round Games – Saturday, October 9th:

JV – 9:00
Albany (visitor) vs. Maple Hill (home) – Field “A”
CCHS (visitor) vs. Cambridge (home) – Field “B”

Varsity – 1:00
Albany (visitor) vs. Maple Hill (home) – Field “A”
CCHS (visitor) vs. Cambridge (home) – Field “B”


Final Round Games – Monday, October 11th:
JV – 9:00
Field “B” winner (visitor) vs. Field “A” winner (home) – Field “A”
Field “B” loser (visitor) vs. Field “A” loser (home) – Field “B”

Varsity – 1:00
Field “B” winner (visitor) vs. Field “A” winner (home) – Field “A”
Field “B” loser (visitor) vs. Field “A” loser (home) – Field “B”

Girls Volleyball Tournament – Saturday, October 9th
First Round Games:
Waterford vs. Tamarac – 12:00pm
Watervliet vs. Maple Hill – 25 minutes after the completion of the first game

Final Round Games:
Consolation Game – 15 minutes after the completion of the first round
Championship Game – 15 minutes after the completion of the consolation game

Girls Tennis Tournament – Saturday, October 9th
First Round:
Cobleskill vs. Maple Hill
Greenwich vs. Ichabod Crane

Second Round:
Greenwich vs. Maple Hill
Ichabod Crane vs. Cobleskill

Third Round:
Maple Hill vs. Ichabod Crane
Greenwich vs. Cobleskill

The first round will start at 9:30am and there will be a 20 minute break at the conclusion of each round.

Kiwanis Glover Cross Country Invitational – Saturday, October 9th
Race Schedule:
9:00 – Girls Modified (unlimited entry)
9:25 – Boys Modified (unlimited entry)
9:50 – Girls JV (unlimited entry)
10:20 – Boys JV (unlimited entry)
10:50 – Girls Varsity (7 member team limit)
11:20 – Boys Varsity (7 member team limit)

Teams attending as of September 29th include Berlin, Catskill, Chatham, Greenville, Hawthorne Valley, Hoosic Valley, Lansingburgh, Maple Hill, Ravena, Voorheesville.

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SCHODACK LANDING -- Like most teenagers, Nick Timmons is giddy with anticipation at the first signs of spring.

He’s not looking for the baseball diamond to dry out or a chance to get out on the track with his classmates at Maple Hill High School. Timmons, 15, a member of the Albany Rowing Center, is one of a small group of local athletes that spend their time competing directly on the Hudson River.

“We start the season as soon as the ice melts and we keep going until there is ice on the water,” Timmons said.

Nick Timmons rows to a first place finish in the single scull event at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta earlier this month. (Video and photos provided by Kevin Timmons).

A rising sophomore at Maple Hill, Timmons’ successes on the water aren’t limited to the Hudson or the United States. He recently competed in the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. Rowing in a single scull on the mile-long course, Timmons won his first heat, won again in the semifinals and finished first in the finals in a time of 7:43.70, winning the Mike Wilson Family Trophy.

Nick also rowed together with his older brother, Alex, in a two-man scull, but they did not qualify for the finals.

Nick Timmons pumps his fist in celebration after winning the 1x 17-and-under event at the Henley Regatta in Canada earlier this month.

The regatta celebrated its 128th running this summer and rowers from all over the globe – approximately 3,000 in number – participated in the event.

Even with all of the natural opportunities afforded to rowers locally on the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, as well as Saratoga Lake, few high schools offer the sport, even on a club level. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association, which oversees most interscholastic offerings such as football, basketball and soccer, does not sanction high school rowing. That distinction is left to the New York State Scholastic Rowing Association.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Niskayuna, Shaker, Shenendehowa, Saratoga Springs and Emma Willard are among the few local schools with rowing teams.

Kevin Timmons, Nick and Alex’s father, was first introduced to the sport about four years ago. Some of his sons were playing soccer and heard about rowing through one of the sons of their soccer coach. Timmons took the boys to a summer rowing camp and the rest was history.

“They loved it, they stuck with it and it’s been terrific,” he said.

Alex Timmons, a recent graduate of Maple Hill, will be attending Cornell University this fall and will row for the Big Red. As like all the Ivy League schools, Cornell does not offer athletic scholarships.

For the girls, however, rowing is a treasure trove for scholarships. After the enactment of the Educational Amendments of 1972, NCAA schools were required to offer proportional support to male and female athletic programs based on the school’s overall population.

In most cases, that meant a 50/50 split for scholarships between male and female sports. With sports such as football and wrestling have no female counterpart, women’s rowing programs have typically become the recipients of more scholarships than the men’s teams at the same school.

Scholarships aren’t the only reason the sport is growing in the Capital Region. The City of Watervliet recently began construction of a solar-powered boat house in Hudson Shores Park and hopes to become a base for high school, college and recreational rowing teams in the future.

Nick Timmons raises the Mike Wilson Family Trophy after winning his event at the Henley Regatta earlier this month.

According to Mark Gleason, Watervliet’s Parks and Recreation General Manager, the park includes a dock and launching space for non-motorized watercraft, meaning crew teams will not have to deal with the hassle of motorboats, jet skis and fishing vessels clamoring over the same space. It has already become popular with local kayakers.

Will rowing become the next big thing in the Capital Region? The answer isn’t yet clear, but Nick Timmons will likely have something to do with that one way or another.

“Most people don’t know what it is,” he said. “But I’ve tried to get my friends to do it.”

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In boys' tennis news, former Albany Academy student Matt Kandath, a Gansevoort native, has advanced to the finals of the USTA's 18-and-under men's tennis doubles tournament along with his doubles partner, Jack Sock.

They defeated the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinal round and will face the No. 2 seeded duo of Nathan Pasha and Sekou Coker Bangoura in the finals. Kandath, a rising sophomore at Stanford University, and Sock, were seeded No. 6 for this tournament.

Sock, a Lincoln, Neb. native, is ranked No. 686 in the world. A rising high school senior, Sock has one more year left at Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kan.

The No. 3 singles seed in the USTA tournament, Sock is still alive in the semifinal round as well.

The winners of the tournaments, singles and doubles, earns a wild card berth to the US Open tournament this September.

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The parking lot behind Siena College's Alumni Recreation Center told the story of the sixth annual GymRat Challenge girls AAU basketball tournament Saturday afternoon. Cars with license plates from around the country packed the spaces, as some of the best players in the country hoped to catch the eye of the many coaches on hand.

Women's college basketball coaches were out in force at the first day of competition in the sixth annual GymRat Challenge held at Siena College and the University at Albany Saturday afternoon. Action continues Sunday at both locations. (First three photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

It was a beautiful day to be outside Saturday, but 1,750 girls decided to spend the day indoors, competing against each other in the sixth annual GymRat Challenge at Siena College and the University at Albany.

Pool play wraps up Sunday morning and championship round action begins early Sunday afternoon. Tickets are still available. Admission is $10 at the door.

Greenwich native Dani DeGregory, of the Albany City Rocks, looks to make a pass during Saturday's game against the Central Jersey Cardinals. Albany won, 60-41.

A number of local teams were in action Saturday, including the Albany Capitals and the Saratoga Sparks. I decided, however, to catch up with two local small-school stars, Dani DeGregory and Katie Roth, who play for the Albany City Rocks.

Playing in the Wasaren League and Patroon Conference, respectively, they don't get the caliber of competition day-in and day-out during their high school regular seasons that they need to prove their worth to Division I college coaches.

AAU tournaments provide them that opportunity.

"It’s good to play here (with the City Rocks) because it’s really where you’re going to get better over the summer and take things back to high school," Roth said. "I wouldn’t say one is more important than the other, though. Here, you’re getting looked at by college coaches. But high school is representing where you go to school and where you come from. I enjoy playing with both and I like everyone on both teams."

Spectators were scattered among the seven courts seeing action Saturday at Siena College, but unlike most high school basketball games, the atmosphere was subdued.

"The Wasaren League is really competitive and the game Katie and I played against each other in was really intense," DeGregory said. "Everything we play here is equally intense. I like playing with both teams. Both teams are awesome to play with. Getting looks from college is great, but high school is really important, too."

The Saratoga Sparks' 16-and-under team, featuring Cohoes High School star Bailei Tetrault (right, with ball) was among the 156 squads in action Saturday. 1,750 players are involved in the event.

Although DeGregory and Roth both list basketball as their favorite sport, they're both three-sport athletes in high school.

Roth plays volleyball and throws the shot put and discus for the Maple Hill track and field team.

DeGregory plays field hockey and softball for the Witches.

We'll have more on the supposed decline of the three-sport athlete ( I think these two athletes are a great example of how that trend is not going out of style, even with their basketball specialization) when our Ben Franklin Project is published on July 4th.

Greenwich High School sophomore Dani DeGregory is hoping that a stint with the Albany City Rocks this summer will increase her exposure among college coaches.

DeGergory and Roth squared off when their teams met on March 8 in the Section II Class CC/C playoff. (Click here to read about that game in the archive).

The gym at Adirondack Community College was packed that day with fans and fellow students, who carried signs and banners and screamed at the top of their lungs. The action at Siena on Saturday was much more subdued...a bit of polite applause here and there...but the intensity on the court was just the same for the players.

"I guess the intensity is always pretty high," DeGregory said. "Out here, you’re looking for college coaches, but in high school, it’s the same thing. Here, you get more exposed so you definitely want to play as hard as you can every day."

And for small-school players like Roth and DeGregory, AAU basketball offers them an opportunity they just could not get playing for their high school teams.

Maple Hill High School junior Katie Roth recently made a verbal commitment to the University of Hartford, an opportunity she attributed to her time with the City Rocks the past two years.

For some video highlights and more quotes, click on the video below.

The Albany Capitals' 16-and-under team, featuring Holy Names' Sarah Agan (right, with ball), won the 15-and-under title a season ago. Over 100 local players will be competing in the two-day event.

For the full story, be sure to check out Sunday's edition of The Record.

We'll also have a big story on former Catholic Central High School boys basketball coach Don Bassett and more on this year's class in the Capital District Basketball Hall of Fame.

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