Contributed Photo

Two Medina/Lyndonville football players were honored recently at the WGRZ High School Football Banquet. Shown here receiving their awards from banquet organizer Dick Gallagher are Jake Cotter, left, who was named B East Division Offensive Player of the Year and Charles Beach, right, who was named B East Division Defensive Player of the Year.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Jacob Ramsdell puts up a shot for Kendall over Elba defenders Jordan Miller (23) and John Hochmuth (55) during the Eagles loss to the host Lancers this evening.

Taking charge with a big 24-5 second quarter scoring surge, undefeated (9-0) Elba went on to defeat visiting Kendall (1-8) 69-28 this evening in a Genesee Region League boys basketball game.

Leading by a narrow 7-4 margin, Elba began to pull away by opening the decisive second quarter with a 14-1 run.

Back-to-back threes by Dakota Dillon ignited that uprising which also included a pair of baskets by Henry Pflaumer as the Lancers opened up a 21-5 advantage.

Pflaumer had a total of three baskets in the period, two coming on layups off steals, while John Hochmuth and Richard Flores both chipped in with a pair of buckets as Elba’s lead jumped to 22, 31-9, at the half.

Kendall’s Nick Manners attempts a shot as Dakota Dillon tries for the block for Elba.

Keeping the momentum, the Lancers’ advantage soared to 30, 52-22, at the three-quarter mark as Hochmuth tallied 10 points and Pflaumer 6 in the third period.

Hochmuth finished with a game high 19 while Pflaumer netted 12, Dillon 11, Michael Bowen 10, Jordan Miller and Flores 6 each and Joe Lane 3.

Nathan Warters led Kendall with 11 as Jacob Ramsdell added 8, Nick Manners 4, Colton Breslawski 3 and Benjamin Frasch 2.

Back-to-back baskets by Manners kept Kendall within one, 5-4, late in the frigid shooting opening period but the turnover plagued Eagles would get no closer.

Miller closed the quarter with a layup giving Elba a 7-4 lead and the Lancers were off and running in the decisive second period.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Allison Bensley and Albion’s Chase Hall and their teammates will collide in rivalry contests this week as the Mustangs and Purple Eagles will meet in both boys and girls basketball as well as swimming.

Albion and Medina will renew their rivalry in both boys and girls basketball and swimming to highlight this coming week’s area high school sports activity.

The Seahorses and Purple Eagles will meet in swimming on Tuesday at Albion. The meet is a key one for the boys squads as Albion and Medina are currently deadlocked for second place in the N-O standings at 2-1 behind undefeated (3-0) defending champion Roy-Hart.

Medina will host Albion in girls basketball on Thursday. The Mustangs are 2-1 and the Purple Eagles 1-2 in N-O action to date.

Then on Friday, Albion will host Medina in a key N-O boys basketball contest. The Mustangs are currently in first place at 3-0 while the Purple Eagles are close behind at 2-1. The Mustangs also face another key home game on Tuesday against 2-1 Wilson.

This week’s schedule

Monday
Boys Basketball – Kendall at Elba, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Kendall at Alexander, 7 p.m.

Tuesday
Boys Basketball – Akron at Roy-Hart, 6 p.m.; Wilson at Medina, CSAT at Newfane, 6:30 p.m.; Barker at Albion, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball – Albion at Barker, Medina at Wilson, Newfane at CSAT, Roy-Hart at Akron, 6:30 p.m.; Holley at Wheatland-Chili, Lyndonville at Attica, 7 p.m.
Swimming – Medina at Albion, Barker at Roy-Hart, Akron at Newfane, 4:30 p.m.
Wrestling – Lyndonville at Kendall, Holley at Attica, 6 p.m.

Wednesday
Boys Basketball – Attica at Lyndonville, Wheatland-Chili at Holley, Alexander at Kendall, 7 p.m.
Wrestling – Newfane at Medina, Albion at Barker/Roy-Hart, Wilson at Akron, 6 p.m.

Thursday
Girls Basketball – Albion at Medina, Wilson at Barker, Newfane at Roy-Hart, CSAT at Akron, 6:30 p.m.; Pembroke at Lyndonville, Holley at Elba, Kendall at Oakfield-Alabama, 7 p.m.
Swimming – Albion at Newfane, Medina at Barker, Roy-Hart at Akron, 4:30 p.m.

Friday
Boys Basketball – Barker at Wilson, Akron at CSAT 6 p.m.; Roy-Hart at Newfane, 6:30 p.m.; Medina at Albion, Elba at Holley, Lyndonville at Pembroke, 7 p.m.

Saturday
Girls Basketball – Kendall at Elba, 1:30 p.m.
Swimming – Albion at HAC, 11 a.m.
Wrestling – Medina at NCCC Tournament, Albion at Victor Tournament, Lyndonville at Alexander Tournament, Holley at Cal-Mum Duals.

N-O Standings

Boys Basketball – Medina 3-0, Albion 2-1, Roy-Hart 2-1, Wilson 2-1, Barker 1-2, CSAT 1-2, Newfane 1-2, Akron 0-3.
Girls Basketball – Newfane 3-0, Wilson 3-0, Barker 2-1, Medina 2-1, Albion 1-2, CSAT 1-2, Akron 0-3, Roy-Hart 0-3.
Boys Swimming – Roy-Hart 3-0, Albion 2-1, Medina 2-1, Barker 1-2, Newfane 1-2, Akron 0-3.
Girls Swimming – Akron 3-0, Newfane 3-0, Roy-Hart 2-1, Barker 1-2, Albion 0-3, Medina 0-3.
Wrestling – Barker/Roy-Hart 2-0, Newfane 2-0, Akron 1-1, Albion 1-1, Medina 0-2, Wilson 0-2.

The Medina youth basketball team, which includes 5th and 6th graders, began their season today with a 40-31 victory over St. Joseph’s of Batavia.

Emmanual Taylor led the way with 17 points for Medina, which held a narrow 18-14 lead at halftime and 24-20 lead after three quarters. Jarin Rhim chipped in with 12 points and Lavonn Guy 7.

Medina also defeated Roy-Hart in a later game to move to 2-0.

Rhim topped the scoring with 14, while Taylor added 8, Chris Johnson 8, and Guy 6.

Contributed Photos – Akron’s trio of All-Western New York honorees includes Sarah Schultz, Cierra Janis and Abigal Stone.

Nine Niagara-Orleans League players have earned spots on the All-Western New York field hockey squad.

N-O League and Section VI Class C champion Akron heads the local contingent with two first team honorees, senior forward Sarah Schultz and sophomore defender Abigail Stone.

Schultz led the N-O in goals with 17 and also had 8 assists while Stone led the league in assists with 11 and also netted 7 goals.

The Lady Tigers also had junior sweeper Cierra Janis receive Honorable Mention.

Barker’s All-WNY selections are Erika Moeller, left, and Caitlyn Mason.

Barker is represented on the second team by the senior duo of goalie Caitlyn Mason and defender Erika Moeller.

Wilson placed junior defender Erin Boyle on the second team while senior forward Rachael Cobo earned Honorable Mention. Cobo netted 8 goals and had 5 assists.

Roy-Hart junior sweeper/defender Reilly Albee and Newfane junior goalie Mia Ludwig also both received Honorable Mention. Albee had 4 goals and 5 assists this past season.

Wilson is represented on the All-WNY squad by Rachael Cobo, and Erin Boyle.

Roy-Hart’s Reilly Albee, left, and Newfane’s Mia Ludwig have also earned All-WNY honors.

Contributed Photo

Barker/Roy-Hart had a quintet of grapplers place in the top three at Wednesday’s Akron Wrestling Tournament including from left, Sam Dauphin (3rd place), Kirk Fay (2nd), Cameron Swick (1st), Tyler Choate (2nd) and Brent Bachman (2nd). Swick also won the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award and Fay the Fastest Pin award. Barker/Roy-Hart also had Ryan Ulrich place 4th.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Clayton Stanton, left, and Alex Bison celebrate Albion’s Section VI Class B1 championship victory which ended the Purple Eagles 43 year sectional title drought.

For area sports teams the year 2015 was highlighted by the end of several long championship droughts. The year also featured the continuing of several long championship winning streaks and the ending of others. Here’s a look back at this scribe’s list of the Top 10 area sports stories for 2015 along with several Honorable Mention stories that could not be left out.

1. Albion cagers end 43 year sectional title drought

Coming on strong after a so-so (8-6) Niagara-Orleans League campaign, Albion ended a 43 year long sectional basketball title drought by defeating Maryvale 65-57 for the Section VI Class B1 championship at Buffalo State College.

Des Blackmon poured in 20 points and Clayton Stanton 16 to spearhead the attack for Albion which had not claimed a basketball sectional title since 1972.

Tommy Mattison added 9, Austin Loyd and Manny Thompson 8 each and Alex Bison 4 for the Purple Eagles which jumped out to a 21-13 advantage and went on to hold leads of 36-25 at the half and 45-34 after three quarters.

Coach Brennan Meakin’s No. 4 seeded Purple Eagles had advanced to the B1 finals by upending top seeded Burgard 62-54 in the semifinals at Buffalo State.

Stanton and Blackmon each scored 16 points to set the pace for Albion which not only avenged a season opening 54-42 non league loss to Burgard but also earned a spot in the sectional title game for the first time since 1982.

Loyd chipped in with 9, Mattison 8, Thompson 7 and Bison 6 for the Purple Eagles.

Trailing 43-37 late in the third period, Albion rallied back into the lead for good at 48-42 as Bison hit a three to close the third stanza and Stanton scored on a rebound bucket, Blackmon on a three and Thompson on a layup to key an 8-0 run to open the final period.

Albion’s postseason run, however, came to an end in the Section VI Class B state qualifier contest as the Purple Eagles dropped a 72-54 decision to East High of Buffalo at Buffalo State.

Maya Rutland and Taylor Rutland battle for control of the ball for Kendall which repeated as both league and sectional soccer champions.

2. Kendall girls repeat as league, sectional soccer champions

Giving up just two goals along the way, the Kendall girls soccer team posted a perfect 13-0 record to capture a third straight Genesee Region League Division 1 soccer championship.

Keeping the momentum, Kendall, which went 16-0 overall during the regular season, then rattled off three straight postseason victories to repeat at Section V Class C2 champions.

Kendall scored repeat wins over 2014 foes in both of the first two rounds blanking Campbell-Savonna 6-0 in the quarterfinals and Warsaw 1-0 in the semifinals on a goal by Maya Rutland. The Lady Eagles then defeated South Seneca 4-1 in the championship game as Maya Rutland, Taylor Rutland, Tayolr ReQua and Hailee Mitchell all took turns scoring goals.

However, Kendall bid for a spot in the state playoffs was dashed by another familiar foe as Cal-Mum nipped the Lady Eagles 1-0 in the Section V Class C state qualifier contest. The two teams had met for the Class CC title the previous two years with Cal-Mum winning 1-0 in 2013 and Kendall 2-1 in double overtime in 2014.

Nick Passarell slides into home for Holley which captured league and sectional diamond titles.

3. Hawks earn league, sectional diamond honors

Compiling an 18-5 record, Holley earned both the Genesee Region League Division 1 and the Section V Class CC championships.

No. 2 seed Holley captured the CC title by defeating top seeded East Rochester 6-2 at Dwyer Stadium in Batavia. The sectional championship was the first for the Hawks since 2009.

Senior Joey DeFelice had a huge game both at the plate and on the mound for the Hawks. At the plate he had a pair of run producing triples and on the mound he struck out all 10 of the batters he faced after coming on in relief in the fifth inning.

Breaking way from a 2-2 deadlock, Holley took the lead for good by scoring twice in the top of the sixth inning on RBI singles by Lucas Silvis and Nick Passarell. A leadoff single by DeFelice ignited the rally.

The Hawks then tacked on two big insurance runs in the seventh inning on an RBI triple by DeFelice and a run producing single by Silvis.

Holley had advanced to the title contest by nipping G-R League foe Alexander 3-2 in the semifinals on a two out, two-run ingle by Silvis in the bottom of the seventh inning. A single by Josh Porter and a double by DeFelice set up the rally.

Holley’s bid to gain a spot in the state playoffs was ended though as Geneseo bested the Hawks 6-3 in the Section V Class C state qualifier game at Genesee Community College.

Ten stranded base runners and five errors proved costly to Holley which lead only once, at 3-2 in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Jon Bower.

Caitlyn Mason and Casey Webb helped lead the Barker girls and boys track teams to league titles.

4. Barker sweeps N-O track titles

Making school history Barker captured both the N-O League boys and girls track titles by posting 6-0 records.

The championship was the fifth in a row for the Barker boys and the first ever for the Lady Raiders.

Narrow wins over Medina (74-67) and Wilson (72-65) highlighted the Barker boys title quest.

The Lady Raiders season was keyed by a season opening 75-65 win over runner-up Akron (5-1) and a season ending 75-66 victory over third place Albion (4-2).

Catcher Justin Morgan tries to make a tag at home for Medina which captured its first N-O diamond title in 20 years.

5. Mustangs claim N-O diamond title

Endng a 20 year drought, Medina captured the N-O League baseball championship for the first time since 1995 by compiling a 12-2 record.

A season opening 9-2 victory over rival Albion, the Mustangs first win over the Purple Eagles in 14 years, ignited the successful title run.

The Mustangs, in fact, opened the season with six straight wins, then lost two of three but closed string with a five game win streak.

Leading the Mustangs were a quartet of first team N-O All-League selections including pitcher Jason Hellwig, first baseman Matt Riemer, outfielder Brennan Zinkievich and designated hitter Kyle Herman, along with catcher Justin Morgan, a second team honoree.

Tanner Rees in action for Roy-Hart which made it nine straight undefeated league championship seasons.

6. Channel Cats extend N-O reign

The Roy-Hart boys swim team captured a league record ninth straight N-O championship by going 10-0.

The Channel Cats have compiled a 90-0 league record during that stretch.

Roy-Hart’s closest meets were 94-76 and 92-78 wins over Barker which finished in a tie for second place with Medina at 7-3.

The Newfane girls likewise went 10-0 to earn a sixth straight N-O championship. The Lady Panthers have compiled a 60-0 record during that run.

Aleah Foos spikes a return for Albion which claimed a third straight league championship.

7. Albion spikers score N-O title three-peat

Losing just one set along the way, Albion compiled a 12-0 record to claim a third straight N-O League volleyball championship.

First team N-O All-League selections Kelsee Soule, Chanyce Powell and Meghan Hurley led the way for Albion which has gone 36-0 over the past three N-O championship seasons.

Taylor Fry delivers a pitch for Roy-Hart which earned its first outright league softball title.

8. Lady Rams rule in N-O softball

After sharing the title in 2014, Roy-Hart captured the N-O softball championship outright for the first time as the Lady Rams compiled a 14-0 record.

Before this year Roy-Hart’s only N-O titles were co-championships with Albion in 2009 and with Akron in 2014.

The Lady Rams were led by first team All-League selections pitcher Taylor Fry, infielder Ashley Bower and outfielder Kayla Brown along with second team honorees infielders Maddy Glena and Lindsay Yates.

Earning the top seed for the Section VI Class B2 playoffs, Roy-Hart shutout Lackawanna (4-0) and Falconer (7-0) before bowing to Fredonia 8-3 in the championship game.

Monica Benjovsky makes a return for Albion which won a tight five way race to claim the league title.

9. Purple Eagle netters win N-O title

Emerging victorious in a tight five team race, Albion captured its first N-O League tennis championship since 2004 by compiling a 9-3 record.

The Purple Eagles edged out Akron and Medina, which both finished at 8-4, along with Wilson and Barker which both wound up at 7-5.

Albion used a late season 3-2.5 win over Medina to take the lead for good as both teams entered the match with 8-2 records. The Purple Eagles then claimed the title outright when Akron nipped Medna 3-2.5.

First team N-O selections Dyer Benjovsky and Josh Metzler along with second team honorees Monica Benjovsky and Kyler McQuillian led the way for the Purple Eagles.

Tom Follman and his Lyndonville teammates captured the Section V Class B championship.

10. Tiger grapplers claim sectional title

Led by a quintet of individual weight class champions, Lyndonville captured the Section V Class B wrestling title.

Individual champions Tony Recco, Devon Joy, Tom Follman, Jeff Gress Jr. and Chris McDonald led the way for the Tigers which also had Garren Bayne and Dustin Joy place second, Reese Ledford, Cullen Heveron and Dustin Hinkley third and Dawson Joy and Frankie Carrasquillo place fourth.

Recco went on to place first and Gress second at the Section V championships earning both wrestlers a trip to the state meet.

Honorable Mention

– Albion ended Medina’s three year reign in the century plus old football rivalry as the Purple Eagles downed the rival Mustangs 27-14.

– Kendall High senior Evan Gaesser had a big year on the links. In the spring he won a second straight Genesee Region League title, placed third at the state Public High School championships and fourth at the state Federation championships. This fall he accepted a Division 1 scholarship to attend and play golf at LaSalle University.

– The Lyndonville/Medina boys varsity volleyball team made its debut season highlighted by a victory in the opening round of the sectional playoffs.

– The Akron girls field hockey team ended Barker’s long run of nine straight N-O League championships and seven straight Section VI Class C titles.

– The Wilson girls soccer teams captured the N-O League, Section VI Class B and Far West Regional titles before bowing in the state Class B championship game to Schalmont 2-0. The Wilson girls basketball team also had a big year capturing a sixth straight N-O championship by going 14-0. The Wilson boys also claimed the N-O basketball and golf titles.

– The Barker boys cross-country team posted a 14-0 record to capture the N-O championship for the third straight year and the seventh time i nthe last eight years.

– In youth baseball, Barre defeated Sandstone in the Albion Midget League playoff championship game and Roy-Hart defeated Albion in two straight to win the Lockport Midget A League playoff title.

– In youth softball, the Medina 12U Fillies won the Metro Girls Softball League Silver Division playoffs with a 9-4 win over the Hamburg Extreme. The Medina U10 Fillies also captured the Metro League’s C Division championship with a 7-6 win over Hamburg.

– In youth soccer, both the Albion girls U17 and Holley boys U17 teams won Rochester District Youth Soccer Association division championships.

Snapping a season long seven game losing streak, Kendall defeated Marion 71-51 this evening in the consolation game of the Gananda Tournament.

Nick Manners scored 25, Jacob Ramsdell 22, Nathan Warters 14 and Colton Breslawski 6 to lead the attack for Kendall.

Manners also grabbed off 16 rebounds, Ramsdell 12 and Breslawski 7 along with 10 assists.

Leading by a narrow 17-13 margin at the half, Kendall used a big 22-4 third period scoring surge to open up a commanding 39-17 advantage and key the win.

Batavia Tournament

Notre Dame 57, Albion 41

Notre Dame built up a 29-14 half-time advantage and went on to defeat Albion 57-41 in the consolation game of the Batavia Lions Club Holiday Shoot-Out Tournament at Genesee Community Collenge.

Luca Zambito led the way for Notre Dame with 20 points.

Tommy Mattison scored 8 and Evan Pappalardo 7 for Albion.

Tapestry 56, Roy-Hart 53

Tapestry edged past visiting Roy-Hart 56-53 in a non league game.

Andy Xapsos scored a game high 32 points for Roy-Hart as Chris Anderson chipped in with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Trailing 30-23 at the half, Roy-Hart put together runs of 11-2 and 7-0 in the second half but could only get as close as one down the stretch.

Pembroke 53, Barker 42

Pembroke moved out to a 25-16 half-time advantage and went on to defeat Barker 53-42 in a non league game.

Nate Luckman scored 12, Mike Snell 11, Kyle Secore 10 and Eddie Wasnock 7 for Barker.