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Akron and Newfane score N-O golf wins
Akron edged Barker 238-244 and Newfane downed Roy-Hart 221-272 in Niagara-Orleans League golf matches Wednesday.
Trace Hill shot 42, Brodie Hill 43 and Aiden Romesser 44 to lead Akron.
Newfane was paced by Colin Irwin with a 43 and Kaiden Rose and Miles Czekaj with 45s.
Lyndonville/Barker has soccer opener Sat.
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – The veteran group for Lyndonville/Barker includes, in front, Addie Dillenbeck, Alexis Dauphinee and Lilly Raduns. In back are Bella Groves, Elizabeth Whipple, Michayla Greene, Brooke Robinson and Kayli Miller. Missing is Alexa Robinson.
Anchored by a good nucleus of returnees, the Lyndonville/Barker girls varsity soccer season will begin its second season with a non league game at CSAT on Saturday.
That returning contingent includes seniors Lilly Raduns, Kayli Miller and Michayla Greene; juniors Elizabeth Whipple, Alexis Dauphinee, Addie Dillenbeck; sophomores Bella Groves and Brooke Robinson and eighth grader Alexa Robinson.
Greene, Miller and Whipple all received Genesee Region League All-Star Honorable Mention last season.
Lyndonville/Barker will open G-R competition at home next Tuesday against Byron-Bergen at 5 p.m.
4 games will kickoff the H.S. football season
Two games on Friday night and two more on Saturday afternoon will kickoff the local high school football season.
On Friday night, Albion will visit defending Section VI Class B champion Iroquois in a Class B2 game at 7 p.m.
Roy-Hart/Bsrker will also debut at 7 p.m. Friday as the Bulls host Burgard in an interdivisional contest. The opener will also feature a tailgate event from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. which will include food trucks and games.
On Saturday, Medina will face a new foe as the Mustangs visit St. Mary’s of Lancaster at 2 p.m. in a non league game.
The newly merged Holley/Lyndonville team will open its 8 man season by hosting Allegany-Limestone at 1 p.m. at Holley.
Host Purple Eagles win soccer tourney opener
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Cami London, who scored all three goals, works to gain control of the ball during the host Purple Eagles tournament win over Pembroke this afternoon.
Early goals in both halves sparked Albion to a 3-0 victory over visiting Pembroke in the opening round of the Purple Eagles girls soccer tournament this afternoon.
Cami London scored all three goals for the Purple Eagles. The first came five minutes into the opening half off an assist from Autumn Flugel. The last two came wihthin a minute of each other early in the second half as Julia Button earned the assist on both tallies.
Albion will now face Alexander in the championship game at 4:30 p.m. Friday. Alexander downed Medina 7-0 in the other semifinals. Medina will face Pembroke in the consolation contest also at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Holley Tournament
Aquinas 3, Roy-Hart 0
Scoring twice in the first half, Aquinas went on to down Roy-Hart 3-0 this evening in the opener of Holley’s three team round robin tournament.
Sophia Santella made 30 saves in goal for Roy-Hart including stopping a penalty kick.
“They are a real good team,” said Roy-Hart Coach Rich Jennings. “It’s great experience for us to play good teams like that especially for our young players.”
Roy-Hart will next face Holley at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Holley will play Aquinas at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Kayla Burgio advances the ball up field for the Purple Eagles.
Medina’s Savannah Watts drives the ball up field during this afternoon’s Albion Tournament game against Alexander.
Barker and Akron to renew field hockey rivalry in N-O season opener
Over the past two decades more times than not it has been Barker and Akron battling for the Niagara-Orleans League field hockey championship.
That long standing rivalry will be renewed on Thursday as Barker will host Akron at 4:30 p.m. in a most interesting N-O season opener.
Akron has bested Barker for the title the last rwo years after the two teams shared the crown in 2020. Last year Akron finished at 12-0 and Barker 10-2.
In all, the two teams have finished 1-2 in the final standings 13 out of 18 years since 2005.
Since 2000 Barker has claimed the title outright 14 times and Akron 7. The two teams also shared the titie in 2006.
Thursday’s other openers will have Roy-Hart at Wilson and Newfane at Kenmore as Medina draws the bye. The Mustangs will visit Sweet Home in a non league contest.
Medina spikers to host Holley in opener
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Medina will tuneup for the upcoming Niagara-Orleans League volleyball season by hosting Holley in a non league match at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The Mustangs will open the N-O season at Newfane on September 6. Leading the Mustangs will be this group of veterans. In front are seniors Lexoni Russo and Kelsey Lemoi and junior Addy Paul. In back are seniors Ki’Mani Poole, Kylie Poynter, Maddie Rutledge and Lorelei Sanders.
Avon tops Kendall in non league soccer opener
Two first half goals earned Avon a 2-0 win over visiting Kendall in the non league season opening boys soccer game for both teams this evening.
Jimmie Swift made 13 saves in goal for Kendall.
The Eagles next host Albion in another non league contest on September 9.
Albion opens the season on Thursday at the Wheatland-Chili Tournament.
Mustangs have youthful soccer squad
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s veteran group includes, in front, Trenton Morley, Tyler Kroening, Alex Benz and Luke Duffina. In back are Cam Kenward, Jason Beyer, Brady Christiaansen and Cole Callard.
The accent is on youth for the Medina boys varsity soccer team which has only four seniors on its 20 member roster.
Anchoring the squad is the veteran group of seniors Alex Benz (Midfielder), Jason Beyer (Defender), Henry Winters (Defender); juniors Cole Callard (Midfielder), Brady Christiaansen (Goalie), Cam Kenward (Defender), Tyler Kroening (Forward), Trenton Morley (Defender) and sophomore Luke Duffina (Midfielder).
Callard, who scored 18 goals, earned first team Niagara-Orleans League honors last season while Benz was a second team selection as Christiaansen and Kenward both received Honorable Mention.
“We’re young,” said Coach Steve Luksch. “The key will be how quick our young guys catch up to the speed of the varsity game. Our goal is to play our best at the end of the season.”
The Mustangs lineup also includes senior Richard Keppler; juniors Mason Eick, Austin Seefeldt and Collin White; sophomores Jimmy Dieter, Vinny Gray, Caden Kingsbury, and Ryan Pegelow; freshmen Gavin Dahlhaus, Aidan Papaj and Aleks Seefeldt.
Medina’s graduation losses included N-O All-League first team honoree Josh Hilobuk, second team honorees Bryson Costich and Jackson Moreland and Honorable Mention selection Mason Moreland.
The Mustangs will open the season by hosting Pembroke in a non league contest at 7 p.m. Friday. The N-O opener will be September 7 at Newfane.
Laina Stewart – ‘The Lyndonville Rocket’ – excels at go-kart racing
9-year-old leads in points at Ransomville Speedway
Photo courtesy of Tom Stevens: Laina Stewart, 9, is ready to race around the dirt oval at the Ransomville Speedway. She has been competing in go-kart races for four years.
LYNDONVILLE – “The Lyndonville Rocket” is often leading the pack of the go-kart racers at the Ransomville Speedway.
The “rocket” has a ponytail that hangs down from her racing helmet.
Laina Stewart, 9, has been a top driver the past four seasons at Ransomville. She first excelled in the novice division. She won eight of the races two years ago.
She moved up to the Junior 1 Division the past two seasons for 8- to 10-year-olds. This year she is the points leader with three races to go. The season starts in May and ends in early September. Most of the races are on Thursday evenings at the ½-mile dirt oval track in Niagara County.
Laina has her car painted in the Lyndonville school colors of orange and black. She has eight sponsor stickers on the vehicle which tops out at 38 to 40 miles per hour. Laina likes to go fast on the straight-a-ways and lets off the gas, a little, when she rounds the corners.
“I like the competition and the racing,” she said on Monday evening in the family’s racing garage behind their home on Ridge Road. “It’s fun.”
Photos by Tom Rivers: Laina Stewart, 9, is shown with her go-cart that she has driven to lead as the season’s points leader among 17 racers in the Junior 1 Division at Ransomville Speedway.
Laina is a regular at Ransomville, but has competed at several other dirt tracks, including many trips to Weedsport.
She started her racing career at age 5 with battery-powered cars during intermission at Ransomville.
Her stepfather, Ricky Washburn, raced go-karts at Ransomville and later stock cars as an adult. Washburn said racing is great family bonding. Laina’s grandfather, Keith Davis, also helps in the pits, keeping the go-kart in peak shape.
On a typical race day, Laina first drives an 8-lap heat to determine the order of the drivers in the main feature, which is 15 laps around the track. She is one of two girls racing in her division.
Washburn said Laina keeps her focus when she is driving. She has won four races this year, and is consistently among the top 5.
Desirae Davis, Laina’s mother, said she is impressed by all the go-kart racers at Ransomville.
“They are all so talented,” she said. “They put everything they have into it.”
Photo courtesy of Tom Stevens: Laina Stewart leads this group of go-kart racers at the Ransomville Speedway.
One of the rules for the Junior 1 Division is the driver and go-kart can’t weigh more than a combined 250 pounds.
Laina has had a few bumps and bruises from racing, but no serious injuries. She was bumped in one race, and lost her position from near the front. But she battled back in the following laps, and was among the leaders at the end. After that race, a business owner approached the Laina and her family and wanted to sponsor The Lyndonville Rocket.
“She has dedication, heart and determination,” her mother said.
Laina said she wants to keep racing as she gets older. She also plays soccer and wants to give softball a try.
Washburn said Laina likes to have fun and be with her friends. But when it’s time to race, she shifts her energy to driving the kart, often in front of all the others.
“We tell her you can be a kid when you’re off the track, but when you put the helmet on it’s 100 percent focus on racing,” Washburn said.
To see the go-kart schedule at Ransomville, including information on the cost of admission, click here.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Laina Stewart and her family have made the racing a family adventure. Laina holds her sister, Parker, age 2. In back are her mother Desirae Davis and stepfather Ricky Washburn. Mr. Washburn also raced go-karts as a kid and stock cars as a younger adult.
Albion, Holley to host girls soccer tourneys
Albion and Holley will open the local girls soccer season by hosting tournaments beginning on Wednesday.
The opening round matchups at Albion will have Medina vs. Alexander and Albion vs. Pembroke, both at 4:30 p.m. The consolation and championship games are slated for Friday at 4:30 p.m.
The Holley tournament will be a three team, round-robin event. Roy-Hart will face Aquinas at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Holley will take on Aquinas at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and then Holley will face Roy-Hart at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
