Waterford-Halfmoon's Fre Breen (17) and New Lebanon's Kyle Trombly chase the ball during Wednesday's Central Hudson Valley League championship game at Waterford. Breen scored the game's only goal with about 15 minutes to spare in regulation as the Fordians captured their second straight CHVL regular season title. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record). 

WATERFORD — The Waterford-Halfmoon High School boys soccer team had plenty of chances Wednesday afternoon – it outshoot New Lebanon, 13-4 - but the Fordians needed only one goal to wrap up their second straight Central Hudson Valley League regular season title.

Fre Breen corralled the ball off a header by Zac Lennon and beat New Lebanon goalkeeper Ben Cassavaugh to the far post. The ball bounced off it and into the net for the first goal of the game with 15 minutes remaining in regulation, standing as the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory at Waterford High School.

Fre Breen, far right, lays sprawled on the turf as his kick enters the net for the game-winning goal in Wednesday's CHVL showdown against New Lebanon. (Montgomery vidcap).

“To be honest, I didn’t see the goal, I saw the shot,” said Breen, pictured below, a junior striker. “I saw the goalie coming out toward me and I saw the far post open so I just shot it while I was rolling down. It was a good goal.”

Waterford (12-0-0, 13-2-0), the No. 13 ranked Class C team in New York State, finished two games ahead of New Lebanon (10-2-0, 12-3-0), the No. 12 Class D team in New York, in the CHVL standings. The Fordians had posted a 3-2 victory at New Lebanon earlier this season.

It was the second consecutive regular season title for the Fordians and the second since the school rejoined the CHVL about a decade ago.

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

About 10 minutes into Wednesday’s game, Waterford’s David Lee hit the left post with a shot. Just minutes after that, Waterford’s Zac Lennon hit the crossbar. Later, Joe Chiera missed the net wide right on a direct kick, capping a scoreless half that didn’t fail for scoring opportunities.

“We played really well in the first half and we dominated possession of the game and we knew if we kept playing like that, we’d put one in the back of the net,” said Lennon, pictured below, a senior forward. “Things worked out.”

In the second half, Cory Charbonneau barely cleared the crossbar with a high blast five minutes in. Lee also missed just high on a direct kick and New Lebanon’s Bryan Potter nearly headed the ball into his own net, leading to a Waterford corner kick that did not create a scoring chance.

“They’re a great bunch of kids,” said Waterford head coach Fred Engelmann. “They’re really pretty loosey-goosey as far as playing and not getting too crazy on things. So it’s a good attitude that this team has.”

Goalkeeper Joe Hilton made four saves in net to record his ninth shutout of the season.

Waterford plays a final non-league game against Hoosick Falls on Saturday before they learn their fate in the Section II Class C tournament when brackets are released Tuesday.

Waterford's Joe DelGuidice slices through the New Lebanon defense Wednesday afternoon at Waterford High School. (Carras photo)

Defending Section II Class C and CC/C playoff champions, Waterford advanced to the New York State Final Four a season ago. With seven starters returning from that squad – and 15 seniors currently on the roster - the Fordians are hoping the 2010 postseason will be just as enjoyable, if not one last hurrah for this group of players, many of whom have been playing together since their elementary school days.

“It feels good. We take it one step at a time,” said Lennon. “First it’s the league, then we go to sectionals and hopefully we can do that again and make it back to states again. We’ll see how it works out.”

“It just gets you fired up for sectionals,” said Breen. “We’re just getting ready right now. We’re 12-0 and we’re ready to go for sectionals. I’m fired up. I’m ready.”

WATERFORD 1, NEW LEBANON 0

New Lebanon (10-2-0, 12-3-0) 0 0 — 0
Waterford (12-0-0, 13-2-0) 0 1 — 1
Scoring: W: Breen 1-0.
Goalie saves: NL: Cassavaugh, 10. W: Hilton, 4.
Corner kicks: NL: 0. W: 3.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WATERFORD 7, HEATLY 0

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

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Monday's local roundup:

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

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

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

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Call the Catholic Central and Waterford-Halfmoon baseball teams the 'Dirty Dozen,' because these are teams on a mission. And, of course, they've both got just 12 players on the rosters.

Catholic Central High School sophomore Mike Sunkes throws a pitch during Saturday's game against Waterford-Halfmoon. Rain washed out the game with the Crusaders leading 6-0 in the third inning. Sunkes, a Waterford native, was pitching against his former Little League teammates. (Photos by Tom Killips - The Record).

Catholic Central High School head coach Don Glennan joked that he calls his team the Dirty Dozen after Saturday's game was rained out because the 12 players on his lineup card everyday aren't afraid to do whatever it takes to win baseball games.

Waterford-Halfmoon head coach Mike Robbins, who took over for longtime Fordians leader Bob Jesmain this spring, also has just 12 players on his roster.

"We have guys that play everywhere and guys that play multiple positions," said Robbins, who played his high school ball at Catholic Central. "We have five or six pitchers that are gutting it out on the mound who aren’t typically pitchers."

On one hand, coaches do not want to leave their pitchers in too far beyond the mythic 100-pitch mark for health and safety reasons. On the other hand, schedules call for teams to play four or five games per week, which lengthens the leash for pitchers, no matter the score.

"Yeah, it’s a challenge sometimes when your starter doesn’t go all the way," said Catholic Central sophomore Mike Sunkes, a Waterford native who pitched against his former Little League teammates prior to the rain washed out the title game of the sixth annual Waterford Invitational Tournament Saturday afternoon.

"You have some problems trying to fill in because you have guys pitching the next day and you’re trying to save their arms," Sunkes continued. "You have to get people that don’t normally pitch all the time to come in and pitch. We’ve done it and it’s worked out so far."

"It’s tough because people have to step up in big spots and everyone has to pitch in when they can and people have to come up with the big hits," Lennon said. "It’s tough for us."

Waterford-Halfmoon shortstop Zac Lennon catches a ball from catcher David Fletcher as Catholic Central's Bryce McMahon steals second base during the second inning of Saturday's game at Waterford High School. CCHS led 6-0 in the third inning, but the game was called due to the heavy rain that hit the area in spurts all day Saturday.

Try as they might, the Waterford ground crew just wasn't going to make the field playable after a rain delay in the third inning of Saturday's championship game.

Catholic Central's Matt Miller ripped a long fly ball to dead center in the second inning, as did Rory Sweeney, but Waterford's Dylan Gardner made warning track catches to rob both of them of home runs.

Mike Sunkes, Bryce McMahon and Brett Fenton hit RBI singles in the second inning, which was capped by a Nolan Driscoll RBI triple down the right field line.

Northville High and Heatly were also supposed to participate in the tournament, but did not appear Saturday. Northville's program dissolved Thursday as another small school team just didn't have the players necessary to finish out the season. Heatly declined an invitation to play Waterford at 1 p.m.

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It's going to be a big week for Troy-area high school baseball.

Catholic Central needs two more wins to qualify for the postseason and five Big 10 games left to play. The Crusaders play three games in three days starting Wednesday. CCHS' game against Troy High, originally scheduled for Monday, has been moved to Thursday to accommodate CCHS' awards dinner on Monday.

Staying in the Big 10, La Salle and CBA will square off Thursday night under the lights at Joe Bruno Stadium. The winner likely takes home the Big 10 Conference title.

Wednesday, Lansingburgh travels to Schalmont for an important Colonial Council game. Right now, the Knights trail the Sabres by one game in the standings.

Out in the country, Columbia travels to Averill Park on Tuesday as the Blue Devils continue their quest for a playoff berth.

Greenwich travels to Hoosick Falls for an important Wasaren League game Thursday afternoon.

--
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Lansingburgh High's bats came alive early as the Knights used six extra base hits to defeat Albany Academy 12-1 in Colonial Council action Friday afternoon in Albany.

Lansingburgh left fielder Ryan McGrath claps upon reaching third base after launching a first inning triple to center field in Friday's 12-1 victory at Albany Academy. McGrath finished the game with four runs scored. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

It was a bat parade for the Knights Friday afternoon at Albany Academy.
Here's the blow-by-blow down the scorecard.

Frank Castiglone: single, triple, two runs, one RBI
Jarrod Nash: double, triple, two runs, two RBI
Ryan McGarth: triple, walk, two singles, four runs, two RBI
Jake Shaw: 4-for-4, two doubles, three RBI
Mark Tracey: RBI single in the fifth inning
Jake Luce: hit by a pitch
Bob Gould: RBI single in the third inning, closed out a perfect seventh inning on seven pitches.
Dom Cioffi: two runs, single, walk
Kynan Vandenburgh: single and run scored

Oh, and let's not forget T.J. McLaughlin on the mound, who used 77 pitches to hold the Cadets to one run on six hits and one walk through six innings.

The Knights are on fire and it couldn't have happened at a better time for the team, which holds a 10-1, 10-4 record. They host Ravena Monday before traveling to Rotterdam on Wednesday to take on Colonial Council leading Schalmont (10-0, 12-2).

"I think a lot of the kids are feeding off one another right now," said Lansingburgh head coach Joe Henkel. "I think they’re figuring out how to win ballgames. We’re getting some leadership with those guys. Plus, they’re hungry. I think they realize now they can win the league. A few weeks ago after the Schalmont loss, I think there was a lot of doubt over whether we could play with them."

FYI, should Lansingburgh and Schalmont finish the regular season with identical records, they would share the 2010 Colonial Council regular season title. A playoff game would not be played.

For the full story on how a new stretching routine has helped the Knights find their groove, be sure to check out Saturday's edition of The Record.

Lansingburgh senior pitcher T.J. McLaughlin throws a pitch during Friday's game. Always economical, McLaughlin breezed through six innings on 77 pitches, allowing one run on six hits and one walk.

The thing that most strikes me about this Lansingburgh team is how much fun they're having playing the game. Joe Henkle was clowning around down the third base line showing the signs, mocking how one of his assistants flashes the signs too quickly in practice.

Anytime I try to interview some of the players after the games, a few always congregate behind me, trying to get the player on the hot seat to lose it laughing.

I think part of this stems from Lansingburgh's shocking postseason exit against No. 8 seeded Mohonasen a season ago. The Knights have used that game as a lesson to take the season one game at a time.

"Mostly before every one of my starts he’ll (Henkel) bring up the Mohon game and talk about it and make sure I stay ahead in the count and I’m on my game," McLaughlin said.

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It's also been a great season for high school baseball in Troy.

La Salle is tied for the lead in the Big 10 and Troy (7-3, 7-4) is also playing well. Catholic Central (6-5, 8-5) has been a very pleasant surprise and may even qualify for the postseason for the first time in a long time.

Lansingburgh (10-1, 10-4) just might be the hottest right now, although La Salle is also charging hard down the stretch.

No, that's not artificial turf. Lansingburgh's Frank Castiglione fields a ground ball on Albany Academy's all-grass infield Friday afternoon in a 12-1 victory. Castiglione added a triple and two runs scored at the plate.

It's also been a pretty good year for the baseball program at Lansingburgh, as the varsity team is the only one with a loss so far.

The JV Knights are 11-0 and the modified team, led by head coach Eric Kennedy, is 7-0.

Here is a short video from the game. I had some technical difficulties shooting interviews, so I apologize for the brief nature of the clip.

Click the image to see a full-size box score.

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In other baseball news, Waterford-Halfmoon is hosting its annual Waterford Invitational Tournament on Saturday, although due to budget cuts, the traditional wood bat format has been scrapped. In case of rain Saturday (that's the forecast) the games will be played Sunday. Here is the schedule:

2010 Waterford Invitational Baseball Tournament

Game at Waterford Town Field
Heatly vs. Catholic Central, 10 a.m.
Games at Waterford High School
Waterford vs. Northville, 10 a.m.
Consolation game, 1 p.m.
Championship game, 4 p.m.

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Waterford-Halfmoon senior guard Jackie Sorensen spins around an Emma Willard defender during Monday's game. She is the all-time leading scorer, boys or girls, in Waterford history. (Photos by Tom Killips - The Record).

Jackie Sorensen has been giving opposing coaches headaches for the last five years and she's making her farewell tour around the Central Hudson Valley League this season. Many of them, including Emma Willard's Tony Holston, are going out of their way to wish her well in the second half of the regular season.

You can read Monday's story on Sorensen by clicking here.

Heatly Schools sophomore Melissa Heffern takes a break at midcourt during Tuesday's practice. A guard, she is averaging about 18 points per game and is getting to the foul line better than every player but one in Section II.

As Sorensen is making one last swing around the CHVL, Heatly's Melissa Heffern is just saying hello. Also a varsity player since the eighth grade, Heffern is emerging as a sophomore. She leads the team in scoring and is a high-flying ballhandler, unafraid to drive to the rim or take her lumps and make the other team pay at the foul line.

Heffern certainly comes from a basketball family. Her father, Peter, is the boys varsity basketball coach at Heatly, and her brother Peter, a senior, is one of the team's shooting stars.

Her aunt, Michelle Heffern, is one of the all-time leading scorers in Heatly history and she went on to play at Florida International University and Siena College.

Most game are family affairs for Melissa. Her grandmother will videotape the games so that Melissa can review the film with her father, who is usually busy coaching the boys when she's playing. Aunt Michelle is often on hand to offer advice and Melissa also has a friendly soccer-goal and basketball-points scoring challenge with her brother.

Heatly might not have enough in the tank to catch Germantown or Waterford in the CHVL standings this season - the Hornets currently sit in third place - but with Heffern improving by the day, she may be the one to fill Sorensen's shoes in the league.

Read the full story about Heffern and how she learned to develop a mean streak on the court in Wednesday's edition of The Record.

The Section II girls volleyball championships were played today at Queensbury High School (and one at Lake George High School). Here were the scores from Wednesday's action:

Class AA
Bethlehem 3, Shenendehowa 1

Class A
Burnt Hills 3, Queensbury 0

Class B
Ravena 3, Schalmont 0

Class C
Loudonville Christian 3, Voorheesville 0

Class D
Mayfield 3, Lake George 2

Click here to see the final Section II girls volleyball brackets.

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In boys soccer action, Waterford-Halfmoon defeated Norwood-Norfolk today at Colonie High School in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C regional semifinal, 2-0. They play again Saturday at Queensbury High School against Section VII champion Northern Adirondack.

Read that story tomorrow morning in The Record.

Click here to view the final Section II boys soccer brackets.

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In girls soccer action Wednesday, Cambridge topped Fort Plain in the Class CC/C playoff game at Stillwater, 5-0.

Sophomore Molly Lauver scored a pair of first half goals and senior goalkeeper Amelia Bromirski posted her third shutout of the postseason for the Indians, who won their first-ever Section II title just four days ago. They'll face Seton Catholic in the NYSPHSAA regional finals Saturday at Plattsburgh High School.

You can also read that story in Thursday's edition of The Record.

Click here to see the finals Section II girls soccer brackets.

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In football news, we'll have stories on Rensselaer's rematch with Moriah in Friday's edition of the paper and we'll follow that up on Saturday with the Rensselaer-Moriah game story and previews on Saturday's Class C regional game between Hoosick Falls and Ogdensburg Free Academy at Stillwater.

We'll also have a preview on the six Rensselaer County cross country runners to qualify for the NYSPHSAA meet at Plattsburgh in Saturday's paper.

Don't forget the weekly high school football chat on this site around 7 p.m. Thursday (11/12). Fire away with your questions about Rensselaer and Hoosick Falls football, as well as any regional soccer or volleyball matches that are on your mind.

Waterford-Halfmoon's Zac Lennon reacts after scoring a goal 48 seconds into Monday's Section II Class CC/C playoff against Voorheesville. Waterford won, 2-0, advacning to the New York State regional semifinals. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Waterford (17-2-0), the No. 1 seed and cham¬pion of the Class C tournament, faces Norwood-Norfolk (9-6-3) of Section X in a New York State regional semifinal at South Colonie High School Wednesday at Noon. Admission is $8.

The Fordians assemble after Chris Hunt's goal later on in the first half. Waterford played defensively the rest of the way, which was not pretty to watch, but enough to hold off the Blackbirds.

"We were playing defensively and playing back and just kicking the ball away," Waterford head coach Fred Engelmann said. "It was clear the ball, clear the ball and that gives them possession. It looks like they’re really outworking us, but that’s what we did. It wasn’t a game plan, but that’s what happened. I’ll take it, I guess."

"At the beginning of the year, we had lost 13 seniors from last year and we didn’t know how far we were going to go," senior goalkeeper Ryan Hardy said. "But I think we just proved to everybody how strong we are and how good of a program Waterford is. Hopefully we can keep it going."

Check out the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Record.

Waterford-Halfmoon soccer players react after Zac Lennon's goal early in Saturday's Section II Class C championship victory over Berlin. The Fordians (16-2-0) won, 3-1. (Photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Waterford advances to face Voorheesville (15-2-2) in the Class CC-C playoff game Monday at 5 p.m. at Colonie High School.

Berlin (12-7-0) faced Waterford three times this season, but the Mountaineers' offense was never able to click against the Fordians. Berlin scored just one goal in those three contests. This was Berlin's first sectional final appearance since 1996.

“This is pretty big. We still had four or five starters coming back, but we didn’t quite know how the junior class was going to play and it turned out really well,” Waterford coach Fred Engelmann said. “It was one of the good surprises for us that we played as well as we did.”

Waterford players celebrate after defeating Berlin in the Section II Class C final Saturday morning at Colonie High School. It was Waterford's first Section II title since 2005.

Waterford sophomore Fre Breen chases the ball with a Berlin player in full pursuit.

WATERFORD 3, BERLIN 1

Berlin (12-7-0) 0 1 - 1
Waterford (16-2-0) 2 1 - 3
Scoring: B - Drew Webster 1-0. W - Chris Hunt 1-0, Zac Lennon 1-1, Dylan Carlton 1-0, Fre Breen 0-1. Goalie saves: B - Shawn Willis 5. W - Ryan Hardy 3.

There are two more boys soccer games remaining this week.

Johnstown faces Broadalbin-Perth in the Class B final Monday at Colonie at 7 p.m.

Shen and Saratoga will play for the Class AA final Tuesday at Colonie at 5 p.m.

Click here to review all of the Section II boys soccer brackets.

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In girls soccer action, two games remain.

Class AA - Bethlehem vs. Shen, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. at Stillwater High School

Class CC/C playoff - Fort Plain vs. Cambridge, Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. at Stillwater High School

Click here to see the latest Section II girls soccer brackets.

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The Section II girls volleyball tournament wraps up Wednesday with four finals to be held at Queensbury High School and one - the Class A - to be played at Lake George.

Class D - Mayfield vs. Lake George, 11 a.m.
Class C - Loudonville Christian vs. Voorheesville, 1 p.m.
Class B - Schalmont vs. Ravena, 3 p.m.
Class A - Burnt Hills vs. Queensbury (at Lake George), 5 p.m.
Class AA - Bethlehem vs. Shenendehowa, 7 p.m.

Click here to see the brackets for the volleyball tournament.
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Here are your final 2009 Section II football brackets.


I'm planning on hosting our weekly high school football chat this Thursday evening, Nov. 12 starting around 6:30 p.m.
We can discuss the upcoming matchups for Rensselaer and Hoosick Falls and also look back on the seasons of Troy High, Lansingburgh, La Salle and any other local team you'd like to discuss.

Maple Hill's Jaime Schultz grins after hitting a first inning home run over the left field fence at Joe Bruno Stadium in Troy against No. 2 Cambridge in the Section II Class CC title game. The Wildcats won, 14-0, behind 11 strikeouts and a one-hitter from Schultz, who was relieved by Matt Busdiecker and Joe Dugan after 5.1 innings. (all photos by J.S. Carras - The Record)

Not a bad senior year at all for the Maple Hill senior, who won Section II titles in soccer, basketball and baseball.

He's been nearly unhittable of late. He pitched four hitless innings against Rensselaer in the Patroon Conference finale, no-hit Voorheesville in the Class CC quarterfinals and was flawless in relief against No. 1 Lake George in the semifinals.

He allowed a 45-foot swinging bunt single to Cambridge's Kyle Parmenter in the first inning, snapping the hitless innings streak, but was spectacular the rest of the way, finishing with 11 ks.

"It’s unbelievable," Schultz said. "I’ve been throwing the ball really well and when the guys do hit it, the fielders make the plays. We’ve been rock solid out in the field and it’s just good to get first pitch strikes over."

Schultz gets ready to let one rip at the Joe on Thursday afternoon. He threw 72 pitches and is likely available out of the bullpen in Saturday's Section II Class CC/C playoff game Saturday at Geyser Road Field in Saratoga Springs at 1 p.m.

"He is the best player I’ve had by far and he’s one of the top players I’ve seen in this area," said Maple Hill head coach Rico Frese. "(Schultz’s home run) was a big energy boost. He is a great offensive player, too. People latch on to his pitching, but he’s a tremendous, tremendous offensive player as well."

Schultz homered and tripled (the only extra base hits of the game) and scored four runs for the Wildcats in the rout.

The Wildcats are a good, solid team from top to bottom, but Schultz nearly shouldered the whole load by himself on Thursday afternoon with his bat and his arm.

Maple Hill's Matt Busdiecker (2) is congratulated by Jaime Schultz after scoring a run in the second inning of Thursday's game against Cambridge. Indians catcher Jordan Hastings is in the foreground.

Maple Hill (15-8) advances to face Section II Class C champion Fort Plain (24-3) in Saturday’s Class CC-C playoff game at Geyser Road Field in Saratoga Springs at 1 p.m.
The Hilltoppers have won four consecutive Section II Class C titles and won the New York State Class C championship in 2007.

"They are very well coached, very well disciplined and a great defensive team," Frese said. "They put the ball in play very well and they’re going to be tough. I have a lot of respect for that program."
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Waterford's Larry Rondeau (kneeling, left) reacts after Fort Plain recorded the final out in a 6-1 victory over the Fordians Thursday afternoon at Joe Bruno Stadium. The Hilltoppers won their fourth consecutive Section II Class C championship, their fifth such title in the past six years.

Waterford pitchers allowed 12 hits - 11 singles - as Fort Plain knickled and dimed its way to six runs through the first four innings. Zach Gardner hit a home run over the right field fence for Waterford, but that was all the offense the Fordians could muster against Fort Plain's Dan Wiecek, who struck out 10 in a complete game four-hitter.

"They just came out and took it to us and we had no answer for it," said Waterford head coach Bob Jesmain. "The Wiecek kid was just lights out and with that curveball, he had us off balance. We scored one run and that was the least amount of runs we scored all season."

Waterford players scratch their heads during Thursday's game. Fort Plain used solid contact hitting and defense to capture its fourth straight Section II title.

The play of the game belonged to Waterford’s Wade Daus, who ranged down the third base line in the fifth inning to make an over-the-shoulder basket catch in foul territory for the second out. He trotted back to the bag but never threw the ball back to pitcher Zac Lennon, tagging Fort Plain’s Tyler Barhydt for the final out of the inning as soon as Barhydt took his lead.

"Wade is just one of those tricky kids," Jesmain laughed. "That’s Wade. He’s been doing that his whole life."


Updated Section II 2009 sectionals high school baseball brackets

Updated Section II 2009 sectionals high school softball brackets

Plenty to look out for tomorrow as Section II hosts four championship softball games and the Class CC/C playoff at Clifton Common at 5 p.m. A pregame awards ceremony for the top players in the area will take place prior to the games.

Three more baseball games will be played at Joe Bruno Stadium, beginning with the Class B game between Spa Catholic and Fonda-Fultonville at 2 p.m.
A Schenectady County showdown between Mohonasen and Schalmont will follow at around 4:30 p.m. and the Class A game and Columbia and CBA tee off for the Class AA title around 7 p.m.

Shaker-Colonie forward Corey Brustle (8) scored the game-winning goal in the Jets' 5-2 CDHSHL victory over La Salle on Tuesday night. He finished with a goal and two assists. With the win, Shaker-Colonie is almost assured of winning the Division I crown. Saratoga Springs can still earn five poitns if they win out and are 4.5 points behind. Shaker-Colonie has one league game remaining. (All photos by Tom Killips - The Record)

Alex Verchereau(19) assisted on Mitch Allen's first period goal and the Cadets stuck again with a goal 18 seconds later to take a quick 2-0 lead. Shaker-Colonie, however, rallied with a pair of goals ten seconds apart in the final minute of the first period to steal the momentum.

La Salle's Cameron Colloton celebrates one of La Salle's first period goals. Both La Salle and Shaker had defeated Saratoga Springs last week and the Jets vaulted into first with that victory over the Blue Streaks. The Cadets return to action on Friday in a two-point CDHSHL game against Niskayuna-Schenectady at the rink on Route 50 in Glenville.

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Sorensen update: Waterford-Halfmoon junior guard Jackie Sorensen scored nine points in Tuesday's game against Albany Academy for Girls, leaving her four points shy of 1,000 for her career. The Lady Fordians travel to Troy to take on Emma Willard on Thursday in a crucial CHVL game to boot.

Waterford-Halfmoon junior guard Jackie Sorensen is 13 points away from breaking the 1,000 point mark for her career. The Lady Fordians host former Central Hudson Valley League rival Albany Academy for Girls in a non-league contest Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.

A member of The Record's 2008-09 Preseason All-Area Dream Team, Sorensen was also a member of The Record's 2007-08 All-City second team after averaging 15.7 points per game as a sophomore.

This year, she's averaging 17.1 points per game and has the Lady Fordians in the hunt in the middle of the CHVL.

CHVL girls standings (1/26/09)

Germantown (D, 2) (11-0, 15-0)
Berlin (8-0, 9-1)
Emma Willard (5-1, 5-3)
Heatly (6-5, 7-8)
Waterford-Halfmoon (6-5, 6-7)
New Lebanon (4-6, 6-9)
Loudonville Christian (1-7, 2-10)
Doane Stuart (1-9, 1-9)
Hawthorne Valley (0-9, 0-9)

"She's a very good ballplayer that plays both ends of the court and can really shoot," Waterford-Halfmoon head coach Jack DuBois said in a preseason interview.
In fact, Sorensen's scoring average was 10th best among all players in Section II last season.
"She's been playing on the varsity since eighth grade and as a junior this year, she's been named a captain," said DuBois.
Sorensen has her sights set on playing collegiately, but she still has two more seasons at Waterford to prove herself to college coaches before she has to make a decision.

Many softball teams in and around the Collar City had outstanding years in 2008. Cohoes went to the New York State final four for the second straight season. Troy won its third straight Big 10 title. Lansingburgh held off Mechanicville to win its first Colonial Council championship since 2002, when they split it with Mechanicville. Waterford-Halfmoon won a co-championship in the CHVL - their third straight season winning at least a share of the CHVL.

A number of individual players also had great success in 2008, including three league MVPs from the Collar City. And all three are juniors - so expect even more from this trio in 2009.

Shannon Jones of Troy was the Big 10 MVP and was the best pure hitter in the section - when opposing pitchers actually gave her anything to hit. Jones drew 29 walks and had a .690 on-base percentage.

Colonial Council MVP Erin Glikes.

Erin Glikes of Lansingburgh picked up the Colonial Council MVP, leading the Lady Knights to 18 victories and a 15-1 run through the Colonial - including foes like Class C state champion Mechanicville and Cohoes, one of the top four Class B teams in New York.

Jamie VanBramer of Waterford-Halfmoon was a tremendous power hitter, slugging nine home runs and ten doubles for 41 RBI. She led the Lady Fordians to their third straight season atop the CHVL.

Cohoes catcher Jess Dearstyne tags out Canton pitcher Kacie Wentworth trying to steal home in the state regionals at Queensbury.

Three Cohoes seniors are bound for collegiate softball. Jessica Dearstyne will play at Saint Peter's College, pitcher Courtney Galuski will play at the College of Saint Rose in Albany and second baseman-shortstop Steph LaDue will play at SUNY-Cortland.

Lansingburgh's Molly McDonough owns the school record in career hits and freshman catcher Meg Volz had a monster year (.441, 25 RBI) after transferring from Catholic High.

Catholic High starter Nikki Hedrick will play at Alfred University next year.

The All-Area softball team will run in Saturday's Record and look for Lacrosse teams on Friday and the Baseball team on Sunday.

The 2008 All-City Softball Team

Pos.	Name/School	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA
C	Jess Dearstyne, Sr. Cohoes	69	20	27	3	0	2	24	.391
1B	Carissa Maloney, Sr. Lansingburgh	59	8	15	1	2	0	3	.254
2B	Molly McDonough, Sr. Lansingburgh	78	33	35	2	3	3	19	.449
3B	Jamie VanBramer, Jr. Waterford	70	34	33	10	0	9	41	.471
SS	Jenn Ahearn, Sr. Cohoes	96	17	28	7	2	2	22	.292
OF	Amanda Lupi, Sr. Lansingburgh	78	14	25	1	0	0	12	.321
OF	Mary Kellogg, Jr. Cohoes	83	18	22	2	0	0	10	.265
OF	Shannon Jones, Jr. Troy	55	32	29	4	0	6	21	.527
DH	Meg Volz, Fr. Lansingburgh	68	20	30	5	4	3	25	.441
U	Steph LaDue, Sr. Cohoes	94	18	26	8	2	0	11	.265
		W	L	ERA	IP	BB	SO	CG	SHO
P	Erin Glikes, Jr. Lansingburgh	18	3	1.05	141	48	211	18	9
P	Courtney Galuski, Sr. Cohoes	15	8	1.82	169	NA	146	21	NA
P	Katie Cahrenger, Jr. Waterford	15	4	2.35	113	28	132	12	2
P	Nikki Hedrick, Sr. Catholic Central	12	7	2.30	NA	32	160	19	NA

Honorable mention: Liz Belleville P-1b (Fr., Troy); Sam Rivet P-1b (Sr., Troy); Meg Beditz SS (Sr., Troy); Emily Jones C (Jr., Troy); Sarah Cipperly SS (So., Lansingburgh); Kayla Cole (So., Lansingburgh); Meg Fitzgerald P (Sr., Tamarac); Katie McGreevy OF-P (Fr., Waterford); Aimee Lefebvre OF (So., Waterford); Amanda Case SS (So., Catholic Central).

Teams considered include: Troy, Lansingburgh, Catholic Central, Emma Willard, Waterford, Cohoes, Watervliet and Tamarac.

--- Will Montgomery