Improving to 7-1, Alexander defeated Kendall 25-19, 25-23, 25-16 in a Genesee Region League volleyball match this evening.

Kendall, which is now 3-3, had Lauren Pilon with 12 digs, 4 aces and 2 kills and Taigan Guerrero with 8 digs.

In a key G-R contest Byron-Bergen outlasted Notre Dame in five sets 24-26, 25-7, 24-26, 27-25, 25-15 to improve to 6-1.

Byron-Bergen was led by Julia Pangrazio with 13 kills and 21 digs, Lexi Vurraro 41 assists, Jorie Strzelecki 9 kills and 15 digs, Madelynn Pimm  34 service points, including 7 aces to go along with her 6 kills and  Grace Huhn  20 service points, including 4 aces and 6 kills getting the team back in the 4th set.

In another G-R match, Pembroke outlasted Elba 25-12, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18.

Lucy Coniber had 15 aces, Kasey Perry 5 kills and 3 blocks and Jackie Neureuter 18 assists for Pembroke.

Elba was led by Carolyn Sybertz with 8 aces and Leah Bezon with 7 aces.

Contributed Photos – Chanyce Powell and Maddy Fry

Two local athletes, Albion High graduate Chanyce Powell and Roy-Hart grad Maddy Fry are both off to strong starts to the collegiate spring sports season.

Powell, who is a senior at SUNY Brockport, opened State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) track and field competition by winning the triple jump (11.05 meters) and placing second in the Long Jump (5.12 meters) at a meet at SUNY Geneseo over the weekend.

She is majoring in Exercise Physiology.

Fry, who is a sophomore catcher/outfielder on the Mercyhurst College softball team, is off to a hot start at the plate hitting .471 on 32 hits including 3 doubles and 3 RBIs.

During a pandemic shortened season last spring she led the team with a .488 average and 20 hits.

She is majoring in Early Childhood/Special Education.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Barker’s Sydnie Luckman, left, and Roy-Hart’s Shelby Wolf have earned first team Niagara-Orleans All-League honors.

Five schools are represented on the first team of the annual Niagara-Orleans All-League girls basketball squad.

That all senior quintet includes Akron’s Jessee Jonathan, Barker’s Sydnie Luckman, Roy-Hart’s Shelby Wolf, Wilson’s Megan Musall and Newfane’s Rachel Chunco.

Jonathan, who has been named N-O Player of the Year, and Luckman are both repeat first team honorees.

Jonathan scored 209 points for a 13.0 average and also had 82 steals, 67 rebounds and 42 assists.

Luckman scored 190 points (15.8 ave.) and had 90 rebounds, 22 assists and 18 steals.

Wolf led Roy-Hart in both scoring with 182 points (13.0 ave.) and rebounding with 169. She also hd 28 steals and 23 assists.

Musall had 85 rebounds, 62 points, 57 assists and 29 steals and Chunco 88 points.

Undefeated (11-0) champion Wilson has a trio of second team honorees including seniors Maddy Seeley and Julia Faery and junior Isabella Lemke. Seeley had 96 points and 108 rebounds, Faery 120 points and 70 rebounds and Lemke 135 points, 49 rebounds and 45 steals.

Rounding out the second team are Albion senior Honesty Little and Akron junior Ella Hill. Little led Albion in both scoring with 107 points and rebounding with 135. Hill had 115 points and 105 rebounds.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s first team Niagara-Orleans All-League honorees Tyler Chinn, left, and Brian Fry.

Champion Medina and runner-up Newfane have both placed two players on the first team of the annual Niagara-Orleans All-League boys basketball squad.

Medina, which captured the N-O title with an 11-1 record, is represented by the senior duo of Tyler Chinn and Brian Fry.

Newfane, which finished a game off the pace at 10-2, has placed seniors Jeremy Foltz and Sam Capen.

Akron senior Adam Mietz, who is the lone repeat selection, rounds out the first team.

Chinn, who has been named N-O Player of the Year, scored 267 points on the season for a 17.8 average. He also had 81 assists, 75 rebounds and 71 steals.

Fry, who led Medina in rebounds with 125, scored 205 points for a 13.6 average. He also had 63 assists and 44 steals.

Akron’s Adam Mietz

Foltz scored 197 points (13.1 ave.) and had 68 assists, 66 rebounds and 40 steals while Capen had 146 points (11.2 ave.), 94 rebounds and 52 assists.

Mietz scored 187 points (11.6 ave.) and also had 82 rebounds, 60 assists and 42 steals.

The second team includes Albion senior Bailey Blanchard, Roy-Hart senior Rhett Goodwin and junior Aiden Petrie, Akron senior Jake Mazza and Wilson senior Mike Miller.

Blanchard led Albion in both scoring with 212 points (16.3 ave.) and rebounding with 109.

Petrie had 232 points (15.4 ave.) and 130 rebounds, Goodwin 201 points (13.4 ave.) and 65 rebounds, Mazza 155 points (9.6 ave.) and 151 rebounds and Miller 176 points (13.5 ave.)

Medina also had juniors Joe Cecchini and Jarin Rhim earn Honorable Mention.

Albion had a quartet of Honorable Mention selections including seniors Damion Lattimer, Chris Shabazz, Christian Doty and junior Jahmeek Riley.

Roy-Hart is represented on the Honorable Mention list by seniors Jon Gillings and Tom Ragonese and junior Gavyn Boyle.

Rounding out the Honorable Mention selections are Akron seniors Mitchell Holtz and David Kalinowski, Barker seniors Joey Brandt and Shane Gerhardt and sophomore Brad Cantrell, Newfane seniors Zach Snow, Michael Carmer and Tyler Oudetter and Wilson seniors Ben Lyman and Jared Jaques.

Newfane’s first team honorees Jeremy Foltz, left, and Sam Capen.

Contributed Photo – Erik Balys

Holley High graduate and Alfred State sophomore Erik Balys has been named to the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference All Academic team for the second year in a row.

A wrestler must have a grade point average of at least 3.30 to qualify for the All Conference Academic honor.

Balys is majoring in Heavy Equipment Operations.

During his scholastic days at Holley, Balys was a sectional place finisher in wrestling and a Genesee Region League All-Star in soccer.

Medina’s next football opponent, Akron, posted a 21-7 victory over visiting Franklinville/Ellicottville this afternoon in an inter divisional game.

Quarterback Adam Mietz hooked up with Mitchell Holtz for a pair of first quarter touchdown passes to put the Tigers on top to stay. Aiden Smith later added an insurance tally with a fourth quarter TD run.

Akron will host Medina at 7 p.m. Friday in a C North Division contest. The Mustangs bested visiting Newfane 50-0 in their opener Thursday.

Also on Friday, Albion will travel to Depew for a B2 Division game. Depew blanked Lake Shore 28-0 and Pioneeer downed Albion 21-6 in this weekend’s season openers.

8 Man Football

Undefeated Red Jacket (3-0) romped past Pembroke 68-18 today in an 8 man division game.

Pembroke, which is now 2-1, will next host Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville at 7 p.m. Thursday. That same evening Holley (1-1) will visit Perry (2-1).

Contributed Photos – Jacob Bruning, left, and Liam Ward

This spring’s Niagara University baseball squad includes two former Niagara-Orleans League players, Roy-Hart’s Jacob Bruning, and Albion’s Liam Ward.

Bruning a junior Marketing major and a three-year member of the Purple Eagles diamond squad, has compiled a 1-1 record on the mound to date this season. He earned the victory in Friday’s 8-7 win over Quinnipac striking out 8 in five and two-thirds innings of work on the mound. In three starts he has struck out 15 and has posted a 2.45 earned run average.

Ward, a freshman Academic Exploration major, has seen action at shortstop.

The Niagara roster also includes Notre Dame of Batavia and Genesee Community College grad Tyler Prospero, a junior, and Starpoint grad Joe Dell’oso, a freshman, both are pitchers.

Two touchdowns in the final seven minutes locked up a 21-6 victory for Pioneer over visiting Albion this evening in a season opening Class B football game.

Leading by a narrow 7-6 margin, Pioneer closed out the win on short touchdown runs of five yards by Jack Buncy with 7:22 remaining and of thee yards by Jordan King with only 57 seconds to go.

The Panthers also scored first on a 1 yard run by quarterback Brody Hopkins late in the first quarter.

However, Albion rallied back to within 7-6 as Bailey Blanchard made a leaping catch in the end zone to complete a 21 yard touchdown pass play from quarterback Amari Jones on the final play of the first half. The Purple Eagles though failed on the extra point attempt.

The Albion defense set up the score as Javon Jones recovered a Pioneer fumble deep in Albion territory and returned it all the way to the Panthers 21 yard line.

The Purple Eagles defense also stopped another Pioneer drive deep in Albion territory in the third period as Jacob Hughson came up with a key pass interception.

Albion next visits Depew at 7 p.m. next Friday evening.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Brandin Allen returns a kickoff for Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville during this evening’s game against Perry at Roy-Hart as Kellen Bell moves in to make the tackle for the Yellowjackets..

Converting two early turnovers into touchdowns in the opening quarter Perry went on to blank Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville 48-0 this evening in an 8 man Division football game at Roy-Hart.

The Yellowjackets jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead by converting an interception and a fumble recovery into touchdown runs of 11 and 30 yards by Kellen Bell.

Perry went on to hold leads of 30-0 at the half and 48-0 after three quarters.

Quarterback Justin Fanaro ran 5 yards for one touchdown and passed 25 yards to Riley Kowasz for another in the second quarter for the Yellowjackets. He also had another 35 yard TD pass in the third quarter which also featured a 55 yard interception return for a TD by Kowasz.

The Yellowjackets improve to 2-1 while the Silverbacks are 0-2.

Perry next hosts Holley and Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville visits Pembroke on Thursday.

Silverbacks quarterback Aidan Mescall looks for running room.