Shen holds off 'Toga in girls Section II Class A track and field meet
Shaker High School freshman Madison Rowland attempts to clear the high jump bar at the 2010 Section II Class A girls track and field meet held at South Colonie High School Friday. Rowland placed first with a leap of five feet, four inches. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).
COLONIE - The Shenendehowa High School girls track team had a plan and it was executed to perfection.
The Lady Plainsmen employed a well balanced attack to earn a second straight Section II Class A outdoor track and field team title, defeating rival Saratoga Springs 124-113½ at Colonie High School.
"This is what our whole season is about," Shenendehowa head coach Rob Cloutier said. "As a team, this is what we do."
Shenendehowa athletes won five individual events and strategically finished in bunches to gain the most team points.
Our Ryan Kircher covered the event and has done a fantastic job chronicling track and field in Section II this season. To read the full story, check out Saturday's edition of The Record.
Saratoga Springs senior Madalayne Smith clears a hurdle at Friday's Section II Class A championship meet. She finished first in the 100 meter dash and 100 meter hurdles, leading the Blue Streaks to a second place team finish.
Individually, Colonie's Kyle Plante won three sectional titles in the 400 hurdles (1:03.3), long jump (17-03.75) and as the anchor leg of the Raiders 4x400 meter relay team.
Saratoga’s Madalayne Smith ran back-to-back first-place finishes in the 100 meter hurdles and the 100 meter dash.
Shaker High School freshman Madison Rowland made an impressive sectional appearance by winning the high jump with a leap of 5-4.
Colonie sophomore Kyle Plante leads the pack in the 400 meter hurdles, which she won in a time of 1:03.3. She also finished first in the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, three and three quarters of one inch.
The Troy High School girls didn't take home any sectional titles but they did continue to rewrite the school record book. Troy set a new school mark in the 4x400 meter relay for the third time this season with a 4:00.7. Jenette Williams, Alexis Jordan, Courtney Avery and Bianca Jordan took second behind Colonie.
Flying Horses junior Lativia Perkins ran a personal best and new school record 15.1 for a third place finish in the 100 meter hurdles. She'll get another shot to break her own record at state qualifiers next week in Johnstown.
"I'm happy with a personal record," Perkins said. "I'm excited for next week and to have another chance."
Caysie Capano is also headed to state qualifiers for the shot and the discuss. The Flying Horses sophomore took fifth in the shot put with a throw of 33-7.75.
GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD Section II Class A Championships at South Colonie High School
Saratoga Springs used three inning-ending double plays to shut down the Troy High offense en route to a 7-1 victory in the opening round of the Section II Class AA playoffs Tuesday afternoon at Troy High.
Saratoga senior pitcher Matt Coleman throws a pitch during Tuesday's game at Troy High. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).
Saratoga Springs senior pitcher Matt Coleman worked into trouble in each of the first four innings against Troy High in Tuesday's Section II Class AA opening round playoff game, but he escaped having allowed just one run on one hit.
In the fifth, Coleman issued a single, a sacrifice bunt, a walk and a hit batsman to load the bases for Troy's senior designated hitter, Steve Ziter, with one out.
Ziter ripped a hard line drive down the third base line, but Saratoga's Chris Davis snared the ball and stepped on third for an inning-ending double play.
Coleman used three such double plays in a 7-1 victory for the Blue Streaks at Troy High School.
For the full story, check out Wednesday's edition of The Record and The Saratogian.
Saratoga's Nate Foster slides into second base in front of Troy High second baseman Zeb Gaston.
Suburban Council No. 5 seed Saratoga (12-8) will face Suburban No. 1 Shenendehowa (17-3) Thursday in a Section II Class AA quarterfinal game in Clifton Park.
"That will be a game to watch," Coleman laughed of the Blue Streaks' rivalry with the Plainsmen.
Troy High senior pitcher Iziah McCowan delivers during Tuesday's game against Saratoga Springs.
Senior righty Iziah McCowan had developed into Troy's ace this season, carrying a 5-1 record into Tuesday's game. He set down the Saratoga hitters the first time through the order without harm, but the Streaks gradually came around on his slow, sweeping breaking ball.
The Blue Streaks scored two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and two more in both the sixth and seventh innings. Coleman continued to set down the Flying Horses and Saratoga pulled away for the victory.
Saratoga Springs first baseman Brandon Krawczuk secures a catch during Tuesday's Class AA playoff game against Troy.
"He is a bull," Troy head coach Curtis Nobles said of Coleman. "The kid came out here and he gave us his best. Even when he got in trouble, he settled in and he made pitcher’s pitches in timely situations.
"When he did that, his defense stepped up to the plate and they made some routine plays. And their offense just turned it up a notch later in the game."
Saratoga Springs shortstop Alex Lushkevich fields a ground ball in Tuesday's game against Troy.
"I’ve been on this team for a few years and I’ve been in a lot of jams and it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to," Coleman said. "I’m getting used to it. I just knew I had to make pitches and keep the ball down, get a ground ball and my team would help me."
Troy's Chad Sandercox slides into second base in front of Saratoga's second baseman Andrew Brink.
Troy (12-9), the Big 10 Conference's No. 4 seed, has made progress each of the four years Nobles has been on the bench.
He spent time speaking with his seniors and underclassmen separately, leaving each group a message.
For his underclassmen, he wanted them to know how hard his senior class had worked, both on and off the field.
"They set the bar very high," Nobles said. "From the people on the outside looking in, they don’t understand that our kids did a lot of community service. They were leaders in the schools. Out of the eight seniors, we have six that were Honor Society kids. Six of them are going to college and two are going into the military.
"I was telling them, for me as a coach, that is a success. That’s what we’re trying to breed here at Troy High. Not just athletes, but student-athletes."
Saratoga Springs left fielder Nate Foster slides into second base in front of Troy High second baseman Zeb Gaston during Tuesday's Class AA playoff game.
For his seniors, Nobles wanted to remind them that baseball is just a game. It's also a pretty potent metaphor for life, too, if you stop and think about it.
"Baseball is a game of inches," said Nobles. "That’s pretty much what we talked about at the end of the game with our seniors. I told them baseball is like the game of life.
"When a door shuts hard on you, there is always another one that is going to open up," he continued. "We took it with a grain of salt. We knew that if that ball was four inches to the left or four inches to the right or up, it could have been a different ballgame. The game is weird, but I love it."
Click on the box score for a full-size image.
-- Alex Ventre was kind enough to cover the Class B Schuylerville vs. Watervliet game for us Tuesday. Here is the story:
Alex Ventre For The Saratogian
SCHUYLERVILLE — Sectional baseball games are almost always exciting.
Tuesday’s first-round contest between Schuylerville and Watervliet was nothing short of that.
In a constant back-and-forth battle, Schuylerville rallied with two runs in the seventh inning for a come-from-behind, 6-5 victory over Watervliet in the opening round of the Class B sectional contest.
Neither team recorded a hit in the first inning, as Dan Nittinger struck out the side to set the tone for Watervliet.
In the top of the second inning, the Cannoneers offense came alive. They drew two walks off of Schuylerville’s starter, Mike Vargues, and added a double by Pat Reinfurt to load the bases. Sean Daley put Watervliet (7-14) on the board with a RBI groundout to third base.
Watervliet increased its lead in the top of the third when Ryan Manning led the inning off with a single. Manning then stole second base and scored the second run of the contest off a throwing error when he attempted to steal third. The error was the first of three Schuylerville errors on the day.
"Our strength is usually our pitching and defense and today it was sloppy," Schuylerville coach Bruce Brown said. "Watervliet was an aggressive team, they were running a lot and we were throwing the ball all over the place. They put the pressure on us and we didn’t hold up."
Schuylerville (11-3 Wasaren, 15-6 overall) cut its deficit in half in the bottom of the third when senior Dustin Lasky belted a RBI double to centerfield to drive Chris Greive home.
Watervliet’s advantage grew to 4-1 in the top of the fifth when Kevin Pontore capitalized off another Black Horse’s error.
Schuylerville was resilient and tallied two runs in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by an Austin Bateman RBI single to center field.
In the sixth inning, the Cannoneers put another run on the board to take the 5-3 edge. With Logan Miller on second base, Josh Veshia belted a single to center. There was a play at the plate, but Miller narrowly eluded the tag by sliding under catcher Zach Reddix.
The Black Horses bounced back once again in the bottom of the inning. Chris Braim began the frame with a double to left field. Reddix followed by beating out the throw for an infield single.
Braim managed to pull Schuylerville within one run off a throwing error when Reddix tried to steal second base.
Vargues managed to silence Watervliet’s offense in the top of the seventh and Schuylerville trailed 5-4 heading into the final frame.
Lasky put the tying run on base with a walk to begin the inning. He was then bunted over to second base by Bateman. Steve Backus drove Lasky in with a RBI single to centerfield to knot the game, 5-5.
A Vargues walk put runners on first and second when Justin Edmonds came to bat. Edmonds grounded out, but a catching error at second base loaded the bases. Reddix was next to bat and hit a blooper over the second baseman’s head to clinch the victory for Schuylerville.
Heading into the bottom of the seventh, Reddix wasn’t prepared for the season to be over yet.
"I was like, I can’t believe it came to this. We had such a great season and we can’t throw it away here, not now, not yet," Reddix said. "We got some guys on base and I thought, here’s our chance and it came to me. I said the first pitch that came down the middle, I’m hacking. I got a little lucky. It wasn’t a solid hit, it just kind of blooped in there, but it works."
Vargues earned the complete game victory for the Black Horses, while Reddix finished 2-for-3 with a RBI, a run and a stolen base.
Watervliet coach Peter Strand credited Schuylerville in its victory.
"They’re gritty kids," Strand said. "It seemed like they were confident even when they were down in the seventh. They felt like, you know what, this is still our game and that’s what league champions do. They’re not going to give in."
Brown is thrilled his team escaped with the win, but knows they need a better performance to continue to advance.
"We’ll have to be consistent and throw a lot of strikes," Brown said. "We’re also going to have to be a little more consistent and patient with our at bats and we have to be better defensively."
Steve Backus will receive the start in the quarterfinals for fourth-seeded Black Horses when they face off against No. 5 Mechanicville (15-6) Thursday at 4 p.m.
Saratoga girls top Colonie at Suburban champs; local roundup
Kyle Plant lifts off during competition in the long jump at the 2010 Suburban Council girls track and field championships at South Colonie High School Wednesday.(Photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).
COLONIE -- Sophomore Kyle Plante won three events (100-meter dash, 400 hurdles, long jump) to spark host Colonie High to a second-place finish. Saratoga Springs finished first in the team competition for the seventh straight season.
Also for the Garnet Raiders, junior Tehresa Coles won two individual events (discus, shot put) and sophomore Cassidy Keane won three events to win the pentathlon competition.
For all the results, please click here to read them on the fantastic: www.section2harrier.com
Saratoga Springs senior Madalayne Smith runs the 100 meter dash during Wednesday's Suburban Council championships. She led the Blue Streaks to the team title.
Softball Mechanicville 8, Ravena 2: The Mechanicville softball team just continues to win.The Red Raiders remained unbeaten in the Colonial Council with an 8-2 victory over Ravena on Wednesday. Mechanicville (13-0, 17-2), the champion of the Patriot Division, travels to Cohoes (12-1, 13-3), the Liberty Division champs, for the Colonial title game on Friday at 4 p.m. Anna Arceneaux hit a home run and two singles for the Red Raiders, while Alysa Russell had three singles and a triple. Catie Vishneowski hit a two-run double for the Indians (6-7, 9-9) in the seventh inning. Voorheesville 5, Lansingburgh 3: Amanda Gatt and Kelsey DeZalia each had two singles and scored twice for the Blackbirds (6-7 league). Meg Volz knocked a double for the Knights (8-5, 11-8). Maple Hill 8, Greenville 2: Maggie Miller tossed a complete game for the Wildcats (7-7, 9-8) and went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored at the plate. Lauren Aitken and Bri Roe each added two hits and Aitken drove in three runs for Maple Hill. Loudonville Christian 13, Waterford 2: Alex Rollis struck out 10 in the circle as the Eagles (13-2) posted an impressive CHVL victory. Katherine English drove in three runs for Loudonville Christian and Stephanie Zaloom added three singles and two RBI. Katie McGreevy drove in one run for the Fordians (12-3, 12-4). Bethlehem 4, Guilderland 3: Sammy Smaldone drove in Mikayla Shade with the game-winning run in the seventh inning to give the Eagles (13-3, 17-3) the Suburban Council South Division title. Smaldone finished 2-for-3 with two RBI. Schenectady 12, Bishop Gibbons 2: Sophomore Samantha Mahoski hit a home run in her first career varsity game for the Patriots, who also got two singles and a triple from catcher Alexa Lawyer. Amanda Methe hit a triple and a double for the Knights. Baseball Watervliet 8, Lansingburgh 3: Dan Nittinger tossed a complete game and struck out eight for the Cannoneers (7-9, 7-12). Brandon Legault had two hits and three RBI for Watervliet, while Ryan Manning hit three singles. The Knights (12-3, 12-7) have lost back-to-back Colonial games. Mechanicville 7, Ravena 3: Josh Coreno hit a solo home run and Andrew Morizio drove in two runs with a single for the Red Raiders (11-4, 13-5). Sam DeCelle also had two hits for Mechanicville. Andrew Brozowski drove in two runs for the Indians (2-13, 2-17). Albany Academy 3, Cohoes 1 (8): Albee Daley went 2-for-3, including the game-winning double in the top of the eighth for the Cadets (9-6, 11-6). Ted Smallwood struck out 10 on the mound for Academy.Tyler Giller, Paul Billings and Kyle Derepentigny all had two hits for the Tigers (3-12, 4-13). Voorheesville 9, Cobleskill 3 (5): Ryan Duncan pitched the Blackbirds (8-7, 11-8) to the rain-shortened victory and also drove in three runs, while Mike Young had three hits, scored three runs and drove in a run. Shaker 7, Burnt Hills 6: Rich Hendrickson tripled in two runs in the top of the seventh inning to lead the Blue Bison to a come-from-behind Suburban Council victory over the Spartans (8-8, 12-8).Andrew Lasky added a triple for Shaker (13-3, 15-4). Niskayuna 8, Ballston Spa 5: Alex Melius hit a home run and both Brandon Lamar and Pat Zilberman each had two hits in the victory for the Silver Warriors (9-6, 11-6). Bethlehem 3, Guilderland 1: John Morrill pitched a complete game and struck out nine as the Eagles (4-12, 5-13). Saratoga 9, Shenendehowa 5 (8): Luke Fauler and Kyle Wilmont each had two hits as the Blue Streaks (10-6, 11-8) posted the victory. Colin Grande and Brandon Galluppi each drove in two runs for the Plainsmen (14-2, 15-3), who clinched Suburban North Division. Albany 4, Bishop Maginn 1: Steve Richards pitched a two-hitter, striking out 14 Golden Griffins in a Big 10 Conference victory for the Falcons.
Girls Lacrosse Niskayuna 23, South Glens Falls 3: The Silver Warriors cruised back into the Class B championship game with a big victory. Richie Assini and Emily Ryan each scored four goals and Kayla Treanor finished with three goals and six assists for Niskayuna.
Boys Lacrosse Cambridge 9, Schuylerville 5: Kyle Thomas, Thomas Hemmerling, Schuyler Saunders and Brady LaBarron scored two goals apiece for the Indians (1-5, 3-12) in to post their first Wasaren League victory.
From Tuesday Boys Lacrosse CBA 7, La Salle 5: Andrew Jensen tallied two goals and an assist and Cameron Fisher scored twice as the Brothers finished undefeated in the Big 10. Goalie Shane Hans made 11 saves for CBA (8-0, 12-4). Shawn Quinn finished with 10 stops for the Cadets (5-3, 8-7). Shenendehowa 14, Saratoga 3: Tim Coll scored four goals and added an assist and goalie Bobby Wardwell made 19 saves as the Plainsmen won to wrap up their Suburban Council campaign. Connor Arnold chipped in with three goals and an assist and Mike Jenkins contributed a goal and three assists as Shen (12-1, 15-1) secured at least a share of the North Division title.
Track and Field Colonial Council Championships: The Albany Academies swept the boys and girls Colonial Council championships held at Lansingburgh. The Lansingburgh boys finished in second place, 13 points behind the Cadets. Watervliet’s Melique Garcia won the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.66 and he also won the 200 meter dash in 22.94. In girls action, Lansingburgh’s Aziza Gamble won the 200 meter dash (26.95). Cohoes’ Meisha Lewis won the 400 meter hurdles (1:08.68) and the 100 meter hurdles (16.54).
Shenendehowa's Sarah Osaheni competes in the triple jump Wednesday afternoon at South Colonie High School. The Lady Plainsmen placed third as a team.
Troy High shakes off the rust - and rest - in the second half; Thursday's news and notes
Troy High junior point guard Elijah Jenkins shakes off South Colonie defender Frankie Lombardi during Thursday's Section II Class AA opening round game at Colonie. (All Troy photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).
Troy High had eight days to rest since its last game (an overtime loss at Amsterdam) and spent the last two without practicing together because of snow days. The rust showed in the first half, as they headed to halftime with just 21 points, trailing Colonie by three.
John Pompey sparked the Flying Horses with a pair of three-point buckets off the bench in the second half and Josh Blaauboer filled in admirably for an ailing Kareem Brown, who did not score any points Thursday, as Troy won, 44-40. The Horses advance to the Section II Class AA quarterfinals for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Colonie controlled the tempo, making it a halfcourt, Suburban Council style of game.
"It was played kind of the way they wanted it played and we tried to get out quick, but the problem is, when we’re not scoring a lot, we can’t get into our pressure," said Troy High head coach Jeff Sitterly. "It played into their hands that we weren’t scoring a lot of points. And give them credit. They did a great job. They took away Javion (Ogunyemmi) inside and they were tough defensively. To come out of there with a win, I’m very happy with that."
Troy High freshman center Javion Ogunyemmi looks to grab a rebound as Colonie's Mike Branche battles him for the ball during Thursday's game. Colonie's Onome Okpodu (23) and Jordan Meeks (4) look on.
Ogunyemmi put up some nice numbers Thursday, scoring a team-high 13 points and snaring seven rebounds. Only two of his points, however, came after halftime, as Colonie did a great job all night of crashing down on Troy's big men in the paint.
That, of course, opened the door for Troy's perimeter shooters. While they didn't exactly tee off from behind the arc, they provided enough of a spark to edge the Garnet Raiders.
Pompey drained a trio of treys, Elijah Jenkins added a pair and Raheem Felder and Greg Williams each knocked down one three-pointer for Troy.
"I try to tell the guys, ‘From night to night, you never know when it will be your time to step up," said Troy High head coach Jeff Sitterly. "When Kareem is not giving it, Josh has to come in and do big things. Defensively, he does some good things. Some other guys had to step up tonight and I think Johnny and Josh did."
Troy High sophomore forward Greg Williams looks for a route around Colonie's Frankie Lombardi during Thursday's Class AA playoff game at Colonie.
Next up for Troy? Only the state's No. 3 ranked team, Christian Brothers Academy. In two regular season games against the Brothers this season, CBA walked away with a pair of victories, which came by an average margin of 27 points.
Troy last made the quarterfinal round in 2008 after upsetting Suburban No. 3 Shen in the first round. They played CBA in the quarters, losing 79-53.
If any team knows what they're up against in CBA, it's Troy High.
"We expect them to have shooters and play aggressive defense," Pompey said. "We just need to play with better intensity and play as a team and we can win."
"You never want to play CBA," Sitterly laughed. "CBA is obviously the best team in the area. But at this point, we’re happy to be playing. We played them twice, they know us, we know them pretty well and we know how tough it is going to be."
Saratoga Springs players react on the bench in the waning seconds of Thursday surprising loss to Big 10 Conference No. 7 seed Queensbury, a team from the Foothills Council. (Photo courtesy The Saratogian).
Troy High wasn't the only game in town Thursday night.
One of the most shocking upsets was Queensbury's 84-67 Class AA boys basketball victory over the homestanding Blue Steaks, the No. 2 seed from the Suburban Council. The Spartans will play Albany High in Saturday's quarterfinal round.
On the other side of the Class AA bracket, things went as planned. Bishop Maginn and Albany Academy will square off in the quarters a year after meeting in the semis. Suburban No. 1 Shen will face a Millinghaus-less Schenectady squad.
In Class C action, Hoosick Falls' Kevin McMahon scored his 1,00th point in a 55-28 victory over Waterford. The Panthers, the No. 2 seed, will face No. 10 Mayfield in Saturday's quarters after Mayfield upset No. 7 Rensselaer 50-49.
The Heatly boys marched on in Class D action, topping Fort Ann, 68-43. For more on this game, check out Friday's edition of The Record to read Ryan Kircher's story on the Hornets' victory.
-- In girls basketball action, Shenendehowa High head coach Ken Strube, a recent inductee into the Capital Region Basketball Hall of Fame, won his 547th game Thursday night when the Lady Plainsmen topped Troy High, 58-22 in a Class AA opening round clash.
He moves into first place in the Section II victory column for basketball coaches - boys or girls - surpassing legendary Watervliet High head coach George Mardigan, who won 546 games during a 30-year tenure with the Cannoneers.
In other girls games Thursday, Shaker romped to a 75-31 victory over Queensbury. The Blue Bison will face Big 10 No. 2 Albany in the quarterfinals. Saratoga Springs edged Bishop Maginn to advance to a quarterfinal game against Suburban No. 1 Colonie.
On the other side of the bracket, Bethlehem toppled Schenectady and the Eagles will head to Catholic Central for a quarterfinal showdown with the Lady Crusaders Saturday evening.
In Class A, Lansingburgh topped Bishop Gibbons, 57-29, advancing to face undefeated Colonial Council rival No. 2 Holy Names, which is without team leader Kierra Moore for the remainder of the postseason.
The Mechanicville girls, in one a two Class B games played Thursday, beat Tamarac, 50-37. The Red Raiders, the No. 3 seed, face the winner of tomorrow's game between Johnstown and Taconic Hills. That game will be played at Fonda should the No. 2 seeded Braves beat No. 15 Granville on Friday.
In Class CC, Cambridge beat Spa Catholic, setting up a meeting with No. 1 Maple Hill in the quarters. No. 2 Hoosic Valley will also host a pod Friday night, including a game against No. 10 Corinth.
The Loudonville Christian girls were bounced in the Class D playoffs, losing to Fort Edward, 38-26.
--
Saratoga Springs' Dan Going is sandwiched between a pair of Shaker-Colonie defenders during Thursday's Section II Division I championship game at Union College. Saratoga won, 3-1, capturing its first Section II title in a decade. (Hockey photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).
Saratoga Springs' Tristan Sperry is covered along the boards by Shaker-Colonie's Nick Kryatzis during Thursday's Section II Division I championship game at Union College.
Saratoga Springs, the No. 1 seed in the Division I tournament, had been the class of the CDHSHL all season and capped it off with a title that had been a long time coming. Young head coach Mike Ricupero has done a wonderful job with the Blue Steaks over the past few seasons.
For more on the hockey game, check out Friday's edition of The Record, which will include a story by our pal Stan Hudy from The Saratogian.
-- We will see what happens with the schedule in the next few days, but my plan on Saturday is to camp out all day at Hudson Valley Community College to cover the six boys basketball quarterfinal games (two Class As and four Class AAs) that will be played there, starting at Noon.
As long as I can get a wireless connection, I plan on hosting a live chat all day long while I watch the games and try to write my stories.
So if you're looking for updates from HVCC Saturday, Off The Record will be the place to be. I'll also be there Sunday for the four Class B quarterfinals to be played at HVCC.
We'll also have full coverage of the New York State wrestling championships to be held in Albany on Friday and Saturday, so check back soon for updates.
Blue Streaks topple Cadets en route to Division I final berth
La Salle Institute sophomore Kyle Sacks, who scored the Cadets' only goal Saturday, winds up for a shot as Saratoga Springs goaltender Graeme Bulmer braces for a shot during a CDHSHL Division I semifinal at Weibel Rink. (Photo by Ed Burke - The Saratogian).
No. 1 seed Saratoga Springs (16-4-1) received goals from Garrison Grant and Jamie Bartoszek and held off No. 4 La Salle, 2-1, in a CDHSHL Division I semifinal at Weibel Rink in Saratoga Saturday evening.
Saratoga will face No. 3 Shaker/Colonie, the defending Section II Division I champion at Union College Thursday night. The pucks drops at 6:30 p.m.
Kyle Sacks scored La Salle's (11-12-0) only goal and Brett Bernardo made 26 saves in net for La Salle.
"I think we surprised a lot of people tonight," La Salle head coach Tim Flanigan said. "We only have two seniors and after a 2-8 start, we went 9-3 in our last 12 games. Tonight I think we just ran out of guys in the third period."
-- A big thanks goes out to Stan Hudy of The Saratogian, who covered this game for us. For the full story, pick up Sunday's edition of The Record or The Saratogian.
'Toga cashes in on LSI mistakes; Wildcats defense romps
La Salle's Nolan Crowley was called for a hold here on Saratoga Springs' Tristan Sperry. The Blue Streaks scored the second power play goal of the game on the ensuing man advantage. (Hockey photos by Jeff Couch - The Record).
Saratoga Springs converted on four of its first six power play opportunities, romping to a 5-2 victory over the Cadets at Conway Ice Arena at Hudson Valley Community College.
La Salle pulled starting goalie Cody Johnson just 6:25 into the game after he had allowed two quick power play goals to the Blue Streaks. He had played great the night before in a 5-3 victory over South Glens Falls, La Salle's first win of the season.
La Salle's Joe Heffernan pins Saratoga Springs' Dan Going to the boards during Saturday's game. The Cadets committed 13 penalties in the 5-2 defeat.
La Salle played pretty well in five-on-five situations, but the penalties led to power plays and the Saratoga goal scorers quickly pounced on those opportunities. La Salle's second goalie, Brett Bernardo, played well, making 24 saves in the second period alone. He did his best to keep La Salle in the game, but too many trips to the sin bin sunk the Cadets Saturday night.
La Salle travels to the Albany County facility behind the airport on Saturday, Dec. 26 to take on CBA.
Check out Sunday's version of The Record or The Saratogian for more on this game.
Maple Hill senior center Sean Danaher is surrounded by a swarm of Cairo-Durham defenders. The Wildcats defended even better, posting a 50-34 victory over the Mustangs. (Basketball photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).
Danaher anchored the Wildcats' 2-3 zone and finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He was the only Maple Hill player to finish in double-digit points.
Maple Hill senior point guard Dominic Prinzo looks to passing room during Saturday's game. Prinzo sparked a 15-0 Maple Hill run to close out the first quarter.
Prinzo has emerged as a starter in the backcourt this season with the graduation of Jaime Schultz and Trent Tibbitts, who led the Wildcats to the New York State Class C championship game a season ago. Prinzo admitted his AAU experience and growing a few inches have helped him feel much more confident this year.
David Briggs, above, and Chris Despart, below, scored eight points apiece for Maple Hill. Big-impact players on the wing a season ago, Briggs and Despart are up to their old tricks again, filling the stat sheets with rebounds, assists and steals while creating opportunities for others.
This Maple Hill team is going to be very fun to watch in 2009-10, just like they were in 2008-09. I don't think they'll wind up scoring as many points - they miss Schultz and Tibbitts in this regard - but they're relying more on defense and sound fundamentals. They allowed just one field goal to Cairo in the third quarter and their aggressive zone defense clinically took apart anything the Mustangs tried to do. In essence, the Wildcats dominated all aspects of the game in what had to be a very satisfying victory for them.
They play two more games before Christmas - making that four games in six days. A big Patroon Conference clash with Rensselaer awaits in early January.
Check out the full story in Sunday's edition of The Record.
Coming next week, plenty of coverage of Tuesday's Big 10 Conference clash for first place between Schenectady and Christian Brothers Academy. We'll also be covering a big Colonial Council girls basketball game on Tuesday night when Watervliet invades Cohoes as both teams look to keep pace with Holy Names, Voorheesville and the Albany Academy for Girls.
Iron lungs: LSI's Hurley conquers asthma, headed to states
La Salle Institute senior Denis Hurley crosses the finish line at the Section II championships Friday at Saratoga Spa State Park. He finished sixth in the Class AA race, capturing the final berth in the state meet a week from Saturday at SUNY-Plattsburgh. (Photos by Tom Killips - The Record).
A year to the day before Friday's race, Denis Hurley was diagnosed with asthma and has battled mixing medications and his running routine ever since.
The senior, who is No. 1 in his class academically at La Salle, held out just long enough to capture what had been an elusive bid for him.
"Freshman year, I was thinking what I want to do is I want to make it to the state meet when I’m a senior," Hurley, a Delmar native, said. "Asthma kind of hobbled that and coming into the year, I thought I didn’t really have a chance. I worked hard over the summer and it was just kind of a miracle. I never expected this. I never thought I would actually meet that goal."
"We never know with a 1,000 yards to go whether he’ll be able to finish strong or not," said La Salle coach John Leonard. "At Burnt Hills, he collapsed and almost passed out at the finish because he couldn’t breathe. he ran great. Still, I’m surprised he was sixth. I did not think 15:33 would be as far back as sixth. I thought that might be third or fourth. everyone ran great, there were fantastic times out there today."
Ballston Spa's Max Groves (who finished fifth, left) and Hurley's mother come to his aid immediately following Friday's race.
Saratoga Spings freshman Keelin Hollowood crosses the finish line first in the girls' Class AA race in a time of 17:13. The Blue Streaks have won the Section II title 13 of the past 14 seasons.
Shenendehowa's Lizzie Predmore finished second in the AA race in a time of 17:25. She heads to the state meet and is also the youngest of the Predmore clan of Ballston Lake famous for their decades-long dominance in the Troy Thanksgiving Turkey Trot.
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake's Scott Maughan (left) and Otis Ubriaco (right) finished 1-2 in the boys' Class A race. In fact, the defending New York State champions took the first four spots in order.
Lansingburgh senior Alney Tobias leads the pack of Class B runners past the reflecting pool in Spa State Park Friday. He finished third and for the second consecutive season, he and teammate C.J. Sousis will head to the state meet. Tobias, in fact, represented the Knights in the indoor and outdoor track and field state meets as well.
The Saratoga Springs girls bolt off the starting line Friday afternoon. The Blue Streaks are ranked No. 2 in New York State and No. 3 in the nation.
For more coverage, including the list of all Rensselaer and Saratoga County athletes to advance to the state meet, check out Saturday's editions of The Record and The Saratogian.
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In other boys action, Shenendehowa won the Class AA title for the fourth consecutive season and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, the defending New York State Class A champions, won another Section II title.
Broadalbin-Perth captured the Class B race, Fonda-Fultonville edged Voorheesville by a single point to claim the Class C title and Berne-Knox-Westerlo topped Berlin by 14 points in the Class D championship.
The Saratoga Springs girls won their 13th Class AA title in the past 14 years, edging second-place Shenendehowa by four points. Columbia’s Kaylee Scott, who placed tenth overall in a time of 18:12, qualified for the state meet.
Queensbury swept the top three spots in the Class A race, slipping past defending New York State champions Burnt Hills by six points. Catherine Maloy of the Academy of the Holy Names placed fifth (17:58), qualifying for the state meet.
Scotia-Glenville won the Class B title and Voorheesville topped Schuylerville in Class C. Hoosic Valley’s Maggie Sanderson, seventh in the Class C race in 20:30, is bound for the state meet.
The Greenwich girls took seven of the top eight spots in the Class D race, cruising to the team title. Berlin’s Kayleigh Corrado, 12th overall, is headed to Plattsburgh. In all, six Rensselaer County runners qualified.
Plainsmen takes it to the Banks; La Salle holds off 'Toga; Brewster leads Hoosick Falls
Shenendehowa senior running back Suhayb Banks ran for a 50-yard touchdown on the Plainsmen's first play from scrimmage in 2009. He added a 58-yard scamper on his first touch of the third quarter, leading the Plainsmen to a 27-14 victory over Shaker on Friday. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).
"The line opened it up, I read the blocks and I got through it clean," Banks said. "It was off to the races."
"(Banks) is a very talented young man," said Shenendehowa head coach Brent Steuerwald. "I certainly appreciate how he contributes to the team on both sides of the ball."
Banks finished with 166 yards on the ground (15 carries) and added an interception.
Shaker running back Anthony Pascarella gained a gritty 84 yards on 23 carries.
The Bison used two quarterbacks - Michael Parzych and Ben Capeless interchangeably - which looks to be the Shaker strategy this season. The two combined to go 16-of-30 for 139 yards, with one touchdown pass and two interceptions.
Capeless led a scoring drive late in the fourth quarter that greatly impressed Shaker head coach Dennis Bender, who was proud of his team's attitude, even with the end result.
In Saratoga Springs, the La Salle Cadets held off the Blue Streaks, winning 21-16. Nate Rider of The Saratogian covered the game for us.
La Salle senior wide receiver had another great day on opening day. A year ago, he caught five balls for 202 yards, and followed that up with a five-catch, 151-yard performance on Friday.
"In the first half I missed a couple of assignments and we were playing sloppy," said La Salle senior quarterback Mike Murray. "We had a couple big plays in the second half. Football is a game of 200 plays and we just got a couple big ones in the second half."
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In Schuylerville, Mike Brewster led the Hoosick Falls Panthers to an upset of sorts over a team that went 9-0 to start the 2008 season and returned many of its key players.
Brewster finished 14-for-17 for 255 yards and three touchdowns, as the Panthers scored a 39-19 road victory over the Black Horses in a crucial early season Class C North Division game.
"We were still kind of feeling out our game speed," Hoosick Falls head coach Ron Jones told The Saratogian's Nicole Russo. "This is going to be one of the faster teams we play. In the second half, our guys started trusting the decisions they made."
-- Read the full stories and check out the full roundup in Saturday's editions of The Record and The Saratogian, which also include a story on Ballston Spa's 42-0 victory over Columbia.
CCHS seniors: beaten, bloodied and victorious; Eagles fly over Tigers
Catholic Central's Colleen Dignum (4) looks to move the ball past Saratoga Springs' Kayla Crawford in Wednesday's Section II Class AA opening round game at Monsignor Burns Gymnasium in Troy. Dignum scored the Crusaders' only points of the third quarter and bloodied her nose on the play, but the drive inspired a fourth quarter rally by the rest of her senior teammates. Catholic Central held on for a 42-39 victory. (All photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).
Carly LaBombard (10) aims a shot as Saratoga's Kathleen Hannan defends in Wednesday's game. LaBombard scored eight of her 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Lady Crusaders rallied from three down to claim a vicory in what was the final game on the home floor for the CCHS seniors. Dignum also finished with 11 points.
Catholic Central's Olivia DeMarco (center) fights for the ball between Saratoga's Marie Davison (l) and Staci McElroy (r). DeMarco did not play in the first meeting between these teams, a 42-40 victory for the Blue Streaks on Nov. 29. The New Haven University-bound senior center grabbed 10 rebounds, scored eight points and made three blocks.
Technical difficulties prevented the CCHS staff from playing a recorded version of the national anthem, so Davison stepped up to the microphone to give her rendition. It was a great display of sportsmanship and the CCHS fans gave her a great round of applause.
Saratoga's Staci McElroy (10) goes to the hole as Catholic Central's Taliah Pounds gets a hand on the ball. Pounds, a sophomore, grabbed five rebounds and scored three points in limited minutes, but provided valuable backup in the post for DeMarco.
After losing their first three games this season, the Lady Crusaders have won 14 of their past 17 and ride a six-game winning streak into the Section II Class AA quarterfinals. Big 10 No. 3 Catholic Central advances to face Bethlehem (15-6), the Suburban Council No. 2 seed. The teams will play at Schenectady High School on Saturday at 6 p.m. Admission is $3.
Look for the full game recap in Thursday's edition of The Record, as well as the juicy details about the Bethlehem-CCHS rivalry.
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Loudonville's Christian's Cullen Overholt (11) smooshes the ball into the floor at Shaker High School during a Section II Class D opening round game on Wednesday night. The No., 6 seeded Eagles used 17 points from Overholt, the 2008-09 Central Hudson Valley League Co-MVP, to defeat a CHVL foe, No. 11 seed New Lebanon, 46-41.
Loudonville Christian's Jared Rebeor (33), a second team All-CHVL selection, scored eight points in the victory. The Eagles advace to take on No. 3 Sharon Springs in a Class D quarterfinal game Saturday at Saratoga Springs High School. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. and admission is $6.
Bernardo comes through in a pinch for LSI; CCHS 'D' not clowning around
La Salle's Alex Verchereau (19) scored a shorthanded goal and assisted on Vinny Planz's goal in the first but sophomore goaltender Brett Bernardo shone the brightest for La Salle on Thursday night. Bernardo began the season as the Cadets main goaltender but was relegated to the bench in recent weeks as Caleb Crowley began to heat up. La Salle head coach Tim Flanigan decided to start Bernardo against Saratoga Springs, the No. 8 team in New York, and, boy, did it pay off. Bernardo stopped all 39 shots he faced en route to a 2-0 shutout victory for the Cadets at Conway Ice Arena. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).
Verchereau takes a spill in front of Saratoga's Luke Fauler (right). The Cadets killed all seven Saratoga Springs power plays, including a 6-on-4 advantage for the last 2:05 of the game.
La Salle senior captain Will Kiley (12) fights for the puck with a Saratoga defender in Thursday's victory. The Cadets host CDHSHL Division II leader Glens Falls this Saturday at Conway Ice Rink. The puck drops at 7:20 p.m.
Mitch Wacholder (left) fights Saratoga's Justin Wormley (right) down the ice in Thursday's contest. The Cadets now have 10.5 points in CDHSHL play, one and a half points behind Shaker-Colonie and two behind Saratoga.
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Catholic Central's Colleen Dignum (above) and Maria Foglia play the role of the lockdown defenders for the Lady Crusaders. Coming off a weekend in which they knocked off NYS No. 6 Lourdes, CCHS hosts Schenectady tonight in a crucial Big 10 matchup. The Lady Crusaders are mired in a four-way tie for second place while the Lady Patriots (14-1) are ranked No. 12 in the state. Schenectady has defeated CCHS twice already this season, once in a non-league game and 10 days ago in a 53-50 Big 10 game in the Electric City.
Maria Foglia (above) said that she and Dignum sometimes feel like the class clowns on the team because they tend to dish out the jokes in practice. That's just fine with them because they aren't kidding around on the defensive end. They'll have their hands full Friday night trying to defend Schenectady's Shelia Dixon and Antonia Williams.
Check out the full scoop on the CCHS girls basketball team and the game story from the La Salle-Saratoga Springs hockey game in Friday's edition of The Record, along with basketball standings through Wednesday night's games.
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Shaker High School freshman Madison Rowland attempts to clear the high jump bar at the 2010 Section II Class A girls track and field meet held at South Colonie High School Friday. Rowland placed first with a leap of five feet, four inches. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).
Saratoga Springs senior Madalayne Smith clears a hurdle at Friday's Section II Class A championship meet. She finished first in the 100 meter dash and 100 meter hurdles, leading the Blue Streaks to a second place team finish.
Colonie sophomore Kyle Plante leads the pack in the 400 meter hurdles, which she won in a time of 1:03.3. She also finished first in the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, three and three quarters of one inch.
