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Green earns All Conference golf honors
Contributed Photo – Melanie Green
Medina High graduate and University of South Florida freshman Melanie Green has been named to the American Athletic Conference All-Conference golf team.
Green had her debut collegiate campaign highlighted by a season opening second place finish at the Florida Atlantic University Paradise Invitational where she had two rounds of 69 and in route to posting a season best 211 and a season closing fourth place finish at the American Athletic Conference Women’s Golf Championship with a 4 over par total of 220.
Green, who had five rounds of par or better during the season, led USF in scoring average at 74.80 and had a scoring average versus par of +2.80 which is 10th all-time in program history,
“We are thrilled for Melanie to earn All Conference honors as a freshman,” said Head Coach Erika Brennan in a USF press release. “Her work ethic is strong and she gets so much out of her game when the lights come on. The sky is the limit for her and we are thrilled she’s back to build on such a strong freshman campaign.”
During her scholastic career at Medina, Green won three Section VI titles and two state championships.
Mustang spikers rally past Purple Eagles
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Meeting at the net, Medina’s Evie Schultz (7) and Albion’s Alexa Grandy (9) both try to get the ball to the other side during the Mustangs win over the visiting Purple Eagles this afternoon.
Rebounding from an opening set loss, Medina rallied to defeat visiting rival Albion 24-26, 25-15, 25-23, 25-21 this afternoon in a Niagara-Orleans League make-up volleyball match.
Albion took the opening set in overtime as the Purple Eagles rallied from a 22-20 deficit to win six of the final eight points. Mya Knaak had a spiking kill to pull Albion even at 22-22 and Emily Graham followed up with a service ace for a 23-22 lead. The set was then tied at 23-23 and 24-24 before Albion got point 25 on a side out and the game winner off a serve by Knaak.
Albion’s Rylee Pearles looks to send the ball over the net.
Medina though knotted the match by capturing the second set 25-15 as Sydney Watts served up points 6-8 with two aces, Anya Bloom 12-17 with two aces and Evie Schultz 24 and 25.
Keeping the momentum, Medina scored a narrow 25-23 win in the third set as Ianah Drisdom served up points 2-5 and Watts 18-21. A three point run of service points by Rylee Pearles (21-23 with two aces) did pull Albion within one at 24-23 but the Purple Eagles could not pull even.
Albion did hold a 14-13 lead midway through the fourth set. Alexa Grandy had two kills and Graham one while Knaak had two aces and Pearles and Grandy one to help the Purple Eagles take that narrow lead.
Breaking away from a 14-14 deadlock, Medina regained the lead for good on a run of three points by Bloom (15-17) which included the ace. The teams then traded single points the rest of the way as the Mustangs closed out the set 25-21 and the match.
Griffin finished with 5 kills and Bloom and Watts 2 each for Medina. Bloom and Watts also both had 3 aces and Drisdom 2.
Knaak had 4 kills and 4 aces, Pearles 5 aces and Grandy 2 kills for Albion.
Earlier in the day, Wilson defeated host Medina 25-17, 25-15, 21-25, 25-20 in another make-up match.
Wilson is now 5-3, Medina 3-4 and Albion 0-8.
Medina next hosts Roy-Hart in another make-up match on Monday.
Medina’s Devin Grffin registers a spike kills against Albion defender Alexa Grandy.
Albion blanks Lake Shore in season finale
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – The Albion defense converges on Lake Shore’s Mike Neary during this evening’s game at Spierdowis Field as Adonis Guzman (70) and Bryce Froman (40) lead the way.
Closing out the season on a high note, Albion blanked visiting Lake Shore 15-0 this evening in the B2 Division finale at wind swept Spierdowis Field.
Defense was the name of the game for Albion as the Purple Eagles stopped Lake Shore drives at the Albion 2, 26, 25 and 7 yard lines in the first half and at the 10 in the second half.
“The kids just did a great job with the defensive adjustments,” said Coach Adam Krenning.
Ignited by that big stop at the 2 yard line, the Albion offense took just four plays to drive 98 yards for what proved to be the winning touchdown.
Albion’s Tony Freeman goes to the outside for big yardage pursued by Lake Shore defender Aiden Kaczmarek.
Runs of 37 yards by Tony Freeman and 21 by quarterback Amari Jones set the stage for a 37 yard touchdown scamper by Sh’kwe Riley with 5:28 to go in the opening quarter. Jones added the two-point conversion run to make it 8-0.
A big special teams play of a blocked punt deep in Lake Shore territory later set up Albion’s second touchdown.
Junior Morales blocked the punt inside the Lake Shore 5 yard line and Chris Shabazz made the recovery at the one.
It took just one play for the Purple Eagles offense to capitalize as Jones powered his way into the end zone from the 1 and DeClan McCue tacked on the extra point kick for a 15-0 lead with 10:11 to go in the third quarter.
“It takes all three facets of the game to win and we got a great effort by everybody,” said Krenning.
A pass interception by Javon Jones in the fourth quarter helped to cap off the Purple Eagles defensive unit’s shutout effort.
Bryce Froman led Albion in tackles with 11 as Morales was in on 8 stops, Freeman 7, Shabazz 6 and Jacob Hughson, Brendan LeBaron and Javon Jones 5 each.
Albion finishes the season at 2-2 in the division and 2-3 overall while Lake Shore winds up at 1-3, 2-3.
Albion defenders Kyle Woolston (23), Junior Morales (12) and Jacob Hughson (44) stop Lake Shore’s Mike Neary short of a first down.
Medina has two Scholar-Athlete teams
Two Medina High Fall 2 season varsity teams – girls volleyball and cheerleading – have earned New York State Public High School Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete Team awards by compiling a composite average of at least 90.
The cheerleading squad had a composite average of 96.05 and the volleyball team an average of 93.55.
The student/athletes whose averages helped to earn these awards are as follows:
Cheerleading – Abby Blount, Sophia Cardone, Paige Dix, Lydia Fox, Devin Griffin, Alexis Hare, Katelyn Hilobuk, Brooke Moden, Elizabeth Parker and Alexandria Strong.
Volleyball – Saige Cau, Amaya Cleveland, Ianah Drisdom, Devin Griffin, Faith Oberther, Evie Schultz, Alexandria Strong, Sydney Watts and Hailey Wilkins.
Week 3 Axe Throwing League results
The week 3 Meadworks Axe Throwing League results with scores which accumulate throughout the season, are as follows.
Total Team (both partners, individual scores added together): 1. Mother Chuckers 555, 2. Falco’s Mercenaries 476, 3. Celtic Bastards 475, We Like Big Axes 460, 5. Great Axpectations 452, 6. Pain in the Axe 446, 7. Alex and Ohs 442, 8. Davis & Lisa Gnome 441, 9. Bustin Axes 426, 10. Hack Job Moo Cows Axe Throwing 404, 11. Wenches 352, 12. Axelorians 337, 13. Bad Axes 326, 14. Miskatonic ReCreators 273, 15. Swoosh 266, 16. Lizzie Bordens 216.
Duals (teammates throwing on the same target, same time): 1. Mother Chuckers 247, 2. Celtic Bastards 210, 3. Falco’s Mercenaries 207, 4. Pain in the Axe 200, 5. Davis & Lisa Gnome 196, We Like Big Axes 194, 7. Hack Job Moo Cows 187, 8. Great Axpectations 169, 9. Axes and Ohs 162, 10. Axelorans 150, 11. Bustin Axes 148, 12. Wenches 145, 13. Miskatonic ReCreators 114, 14. Bad Axes 112, 15. Swoosh 73, Lizzie Bordens 73.
R-H, Akron and Wilson spikers score wins
Roy-Hart (4-3) defeated Medina (2-3) 25-13, 25-13, 25-22; Akron (8-0) bested Albion (0-7) 25-12, 25-6, 25-9 and Wilson (5-2) outlasted rival Newfane (2-6) 25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 23-25, 25-13 in Niagara-Orleans League volleyball matches this evening.
Sydney Watts had 2 kills and 2 aces, Evie Schultz 3 aces, Devin Griffin 4 aces and 3 kills, Anya Bloom 3 kills and Lorelei Sanders 1 ace and 2 kills for Medina.
Jessee Jonathan had 8 aces, 3 kills and 16 assists for Akron as Ella Hill and Jayni Sundown both added 6 kills, 2 aces and 9 digs.
Mustangs lock up C North Division title
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Brian Fry breaks loose for a 94 yard touchdown run during the Mustangs title clinching win over host Tonawanda this evening. Zach Wood pursues for the Warriors.
Completing an undefeated (4-0) C North Division championship campaign, Medina posted a 32-6 victory over host Tonwanda this evening in the regular season finale.
Brian Fry ran for four touchdowns and quarterback Xander Payne hooked up with Jarin Rhim for another TD to lead the Medina offense.
The Mustangs defensive unit registered their third shutout in four games as Tonawnada’s only score came on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter after Medina had built up a 26-0 lead.
“After being off for 10 days and with only three practices to get ready we came out a little slow but then we got going and played football like we can,” said Medina Coach Eric Valley. “Anytime you can win a championship it’s a great accomplishment and I’m really proud of them.”
Unable to capitalize on two first quarter drives into Tonawanda territory, Medina moved on top to stay with a quick two touchdown scoring burst in the second quarter.
Medina’s Joe Cecchini picks up yardage after a catch as Josh Fischer moves in to make the tackle for the Warriors.
Payne broke the scoreless deadlock when he completed a 25 yard touchdown pass to Rhim with 10:51 to go in the quarter.
The Mustangs defensive unit set up that score as Hayden Woodroe intercepted a Tonawanda pass at the Warriors 25.
Medina then got the ball back in great field possession at the Tonawanda 32 after the Warriors fumbled on a punt attempt.
The Mustangs offensive unit again was quick to capitalize on the opportunity as Fry swept around left end for 32 yards and the touchdown. Tyler Chinn added the two point conversion run to make it 14-0 with 7:37 to go in the period.
The Medina defense then stopped a Tonawanda drive at the Mustangs 35 on a fumble recovery by Chris Johnson.
Likewise at the outset of the third quarter the Mustang defense stopped Tonawanda on downs at the Medina 43 as Dominic Larabee came up with a big fourth quarter tackle.
Once again the Medina offense capitalized as a 16 yard run by Fry and a 37 yard Payne to Chinn pass completion set up a three yard touchdown run by Fry upping the Mustangs lead to 20-0 with 7:42 to go in the period.
The Warriors then drove inside the Medina 10 yard line but again the Mustangs defense came up big to stop the advance on downs at the 6, a series highlighted by a key sack by Joe Cecchini.
This time it took the Mustangs offense just one play to capitalize as Fry broke clean up the middle for a 94 yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 26-0 lead.
Dylan Carey then accounted for Tonawanda’s only score when he returned the ensuing kickoff some 70 yards for a touchdown.
Medina though got that one back when Fry broke loose for a 39 yard touchdown run with 2:26 remaining and a 32-6 lead. The drive was highlighted by a 37 yard run by Corey Saj.
The Mustangs defensive unit came up big one more time to get the ball back via a fumble recovery by Zach Oliver to set up that scoring opportunity .
Tonawanda finishes the season at 1-2 in the division and 2-2 overall.
Medina now must await the outcome of three key games which will determine the Mustangs seed and semifinal round opponent for the Section VI Class C playoffs. Those games include Southwestern at Cassadaga Valley/Falconer and JFK at Eden on Friday and Fredonia at Clymer/Sherman/Panama (CSP) on Saturday.
Medina is battling with CSP in the race to claim the No. 1 seed. The Mustangs finish the regular season with 80 power points which CSP could match with a 20 point win on Saturday. Southwestern is now at 59 points and Eden/North Collins 55 with both teams having the chance to up those totals by 20 with big wins Friday. CSP and Southwestern share the C South lead at 3-0 while Eden/North Collins leads the C Central at 4-0.
Medina’s Tyler Chinn gains big yardage after a catch as Tonawanda’s Shane Conley and Joey McDonald chase him down.
Purple Eagles will face new foe in finale
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Brendan Lebaron and his Purple Eagle teammates will host new foe Lake Shore in the B2 Division finale at 7 p.m. Friday.
A new opponent all provide the opposition as Albion hosts Lake Shore at 7 p.m. Friday to close out the B2 Division football season.
Heading into this first ever meeting Albion is 1-2 in the division and 1-3 overall while Lake Shore is 1-2 and 2-2 overall.
Lake Shore has defeated East Aurora (20-8) and Maryvale (18-13) and lost to Depew (28-0) and Maritime (20-0).
Albion is led offensively by junior quarterback Amari Jones who has passed for four touchdowns and run for two more. He has completed two TD aerials to Bailey Blanchard and one each to Tyler Gibson and Javon Jones.
For Lake Shore, Grayson Krzyzanowicz has rushed for 210 yards and 4 touchdowns and quarterback Mike Neary has passed for one TD and rushed for another.
The weekend’s other B2 finales will have Maryvale at Olean on Friday and front-running Maritime at Dunkirk on Saturday.
B2 Standings: Maritime 3-0, 3-0; Olean 3-1, 3-1; Depew 3-1, 3-1; Lake Shore 1-2, 2-2; Albion 1-2, 1-3, Maryvale 1-3, 1-3; Dunkirk 0-3, 0-4.
Overtime set win sparks Medina past Albion
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Devin Griffin spikes over the hands of Albion defender Alexa Grandy during the Mustangs win over the host Purple Eagles this evening.
An overtime win in the third set keyed Medina to a 25-20, 22-25, 27-25, 25-14 victory over host rival Albion this evening in a Niagara-Orleans League volleyball match.
Lorelei Sanders served up the final two points of the decisive set to give Medina the 27-25 OT win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Earlier in the set Evie Schultz served up eight points in a row to give Medina a 13-8 lead.
Albion though rebounded to grab a 21-15 advantage as Mya Knaak served up points 10-14 and Rylee Pearles 18-21, a runs which included two kills by Honesty Little and one by Emily Graham.
A three point run by Devin Griffin (20-22) pulled Medina back to within one at 23-22 and a spiking kill by Anya Bloom rallied the Mustangs into a 24-24 tie. The Mustangs then took three of the next four points to claim the key overtime win.
Keeping the momentum, Medina then closed out the match by taking the fourth set 25-14 as Ki’Mani Poole served up points 5-8, Bloom 15-18 with three aces and Schultz 24 and 25 both of which were aces. Schultz had a total of 24 service points on the evening.
Medina’s Ianah Drisdom dives for a return.
Medina also got off to a strong start taking the opening set 25-20 as Schultz served up points 8-14, including four aces, and points 22 and 23 both of which were aces. A kill by Bloom polished off the set winning 25th point.
Albion did close to within a point late in the match at 19-18 as Graham served up points 14-18 including three aces but the Purple Eagles could not pull even.
However, Albion did even the match by taking the second set as Alexa Grandy served up the final three points, including an ace, to snap a 22-22 deadlock.
Medina had grabbed a narrow 17-16 lead off a four point run of service points by Sanders (12-16) and three kills for points by Griffin.
The Purple Eagles though answered with a three point run by Madison Hughson including an ace to regain a 20-17 lead.
Medina’s last lead came at 22-21 off a pair of service points by Sanders. The final four points and the match tying set though belonged to the Purple Eagles.
The next two sets and the match though belonged to the Mustangs as Bloom and Griffin both finished with 11 kills and Schultz and Drisdom both had 7. Schultz also had 8 aces and Bloom 4.
The teams will meet again at Medina on Saturday at noon. The Mustangs will also host Wilson at 10 a.m.
Medina is now 2-2 and Albion 0-6.
Roy-Hart tops Newfane to even record
In another make-up match, Roy-Hart downed visiting Newfane 25-12, 25-12, 23-25, 25-15 as the Lady Rams evened their N-O record at 3-3.
Section V playoffs
In opening round Section V playoff action this evening Bolivar-Richburg defeated Kendall 25-14, 25-22, 25-10; York outlasted Byron-Bergen 25-19, 15-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-20 and Notre Dame downed Arkport/Canaseraga 25-13, 25-21, 25-19.
Albion’s Mya Knaak spikes as Anya Bloom (3) and Lorelei Sanders (14) defend for Medina.
Mustangs to visit Warriors in C North finale
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Corey Saj and his Mustang teammates willl visit Tonawanda Thursday in the C North Division finale.
Looking to both close out an undefeated C North Division title campaign and lock up a high Section VI playoff berth Medina will visit Tonawanda at 7 p.m. Thursday in the regular season finale.
Medina brings a 3-0 division and overall record into the finale while Tonawanda is 1-1 in the division and 2-1 overall.
Tonawanda’s three previous outings have all been close, low scoring affairs as the Warriors have defeated Wilson 9-6 and Starpoint 7-0 and lost to Cleveland Hill 12-6.
“They have a very scrappy defense,” said Medina Coach Eric Valley.
The Warriors hold a 9-7 lead in the all-time series with Medina but the Mustangs won the last meeting by a 26-15 margin in 2017.
Medina’s air oriented offense has been led by junior quarterback Xander Payne who has thrown for 12 touchdowns including five to Tyler Chinn, three to Brian Fry, two to Joe Cecchini and one each to Iverson Poole and Corey Saj,
Defensively the Mustangs have given up only seven points in three games.
In the all important statistic which will determine the seeding order for the sectionals, Medina enters the game deadlocked with C South Division co-leader Clymer/Sherman/Panama (CSP) with 60 power points. Southwestern, which is tied with CSP for the South Division lead at 3-0, is close behind at 59 points while C Central leader Eden/North Collins has 55.
Interestingly, Medina and CSP are also tied for the fewest points allowed (7) which is the first tie breaker in case the two teams finish with the same number of power points.
CSP will close out the season against 3-1 Fredonia on Saturday while Southwestern faces Cassadaga Valley/Falconer (0-3, 1-3) and Eden/North Collins (4-0) hosts JFK (1-1, 1-2) on Friday.
The remaining C North Division games will have Newfane (0-2) at Cleve Hill (1-1) and Akron (0-1, 3-1) at Wilson (1-1, 2-2) on Saturday.
C North Standings: Medina 3-0, 3-0; Akron 1-1, 3-1; Tonawanda 1-1, 2-1; Wilson 1-1, 2-2; Cleveland Hill 1-1, 1-1; Newfane 0-2, 0-2
