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N-O clears final hurdle for basketball and wrestling seasons to begin
Practice can start on schedule next Monday for Niagara-Orleans League basketball land wrestling teams following approval from both the Orleans and Niagara County Health Departments.
“Everything is a go for next week. The Orleans and Niagara Health Departments have said that we can start,” said Albion Athletic Director Adam Krenning following a meeting of the N-O League ADs this morning.
Krenning added that following Section VI guidelines there will be no spectators at the games.
The Erie County Health Department had already given its approval earlier in the week which clears the way for N-O member Akron to begin practice on schedule.
The approval also clears the way for the three Orleans County Genesee Region League members – Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville – to also begin practice as planned next Monday.
Section VI adjusts Winter, Fall 2 and Spring seasons dates; Sec. V adjusts Winter dates
Faced with a narrow window to get the winter sports season in, the Section VI Executive Council today voted to adjust the dates for the Winter, Fall 2 and Spring seasons.
The winter season for the High Risk sports of basketball and wrestling is scheduled to begin on February 1 and the Fall 2 season for the High Risk sports of football, volleyball and competitive cheerleading had been slated to get underway just four weeks later on March 1.
The Executive Council therefore approved a new calendar for the three seasons which reflects a minimal amount of overlap.
The Winter season will still begin on February 1 and will run until March 27, the Fall 2 season will run from March 22 to May 15 and the Spring season from May 10 to June 30.
The start of the High Risk Winter season sports is pending the approval of the local county health departments.
Section V also makes Winter season date changes
The Section V Athletic Council today likewise made adjustments to the dates for the Winter sports season.
The Winter season for the High Risk sports of basketball and wrestling will start as scheduled on February 1 and the regular season will conclude on March 6. The sectionals will then conclude by March 14. It will be a closed sectional with a format to be determined.
Section V officials also announced that the start and finish dates for the Fall 2 season will be announced in a few weeks.
N-O set to begin a “virtual” swim season
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Mandy Hill was a four time winner for defending champion Roy-Hart at last year’s All-League meet.
The Niagara-Orleans League’s most unusual swim season to date will get underway with a series of “virtual” meets on Thursday which will have defending champion Roy-Hart vs. Newfane, Barker vs. Albion and Medina vs. Akron.
The “virtual” meets with no spectators will have each team swimming in its home pool with the times being compared by a computer program to determine the winners of the individual event and the overall meet.
How long into the season the league will utilize the “virtual” meets is dependent when the winter sports seasons “High Risk” sports of basketball and wrestling get underway. Currently those two sports are scheduled to begin practice next Monday pending approval by the local county health departments.
Roy-Hart is the defending boys and girls champion as both Channel Cats teams went 10-0 last season.
“It’s kind of crazy,” said Roy-Hart Coach Dottie Barr of the “virtual” meets. “At least the kids are getting a chance to swim and that’s the main thing.”
“It’s one of a kind” said Albion Coach Jay Kovaleski of the unusual season. “The kids will have to find something inside to push themselves. We’re just glad the kids have a chance to do something with the team. We’ll see how it goes.”
“The kids are going to need a different mindset,” agreed Medina girls Coach Taylor Schaal.
Contributed Photo – Carter Green was a four time winner at the All-League set for defending champion Roy-Hart.
Despite some major graduation losses the defending champion Channel Cats squads both return a good nucleus.
“We’ve got a real small team but we’ve got some good swimmers back,” said Barr.
Senior Carter Green, who won both the 200 and 500 Freestyle events and was on the winning 200 Free and 400 Free Relays at the All-League meet, heads the Roy-Hart boys returning contingent.
That veteran group also includes senior Noah Stern who was on both winning relays and placed second in the 100 Free and third in the 50 Free along with juniors Chris Ulrich (2nd in 500 Free), Charles Rickard (4th in the 100 Breaststroke), Jacob Hagen (5th in the 200 Free) and Zachary Livergood (6th in 100 Backstroke).
The Channel Cats graduation losses included Will Rickard who won both the 50 Free and 100 Free and was on both winning relays and Ozzy Moore who was also on both winning relays and placed fourth in both the 100 Free and 200 Free.
Junior Mandy Hill, who won both the 200 Individual Medley and 100 Butterfly and was on the winning 200 Free and 400 Free relays, heads the Roy-Hart girls veteran group.
That contingent also includes juniors Molly Russell (2nd in 100 Breaststroke and 4th in IM) and Brooke Livergood (3rd in 100 Breaststroke) along with sophomores Alexis Seib (3rd in IM) and Nadia White (10 Fly).
The Albion boys, which finished second in the final standings at 7-2-1, lost a key quartet of swimmers to graduation including Sam Sanchez (1st in 100 Butterfly), Thomas Furmanski (2nd in 100 Backstroke and 5th in 50 Free), Ryan Krenning (2nd in 50 Free and 5th in 100 Free) and Chase Froman (3rd in 200 Free and 4th in 500 Free).
The Purple Eagles returning contingent is led by seniors Josh DePoty (500 Free) and Jacob Coolbaugh (100 Breaststroke), junior Dallas Ecker (IM and Fly) and sophomore Bryce Wilson (100 Free).
The Albion girls, which are looking to improve upon last year’s 2-8 record, are led by the senior trio of Sierra Kast, Rylee Pearles and Avery Gaines.
Junior Isaac Pace, who placed second in the 100 Breaststroke, third in the IM and was on the winning 200 Medley Relay, heads the returning contingent for the Medina boys squad which went 6-3-1 last year.
The Seahorses veteran group also includes senior Andrew Wolter, juniors Jaxon Phillips, Mchael Marker, Cole Seefeldt, Xander Payne and sophomore Dustin Tompkins.
Medina’s graduation losses included Hunter Heil who won the 100 Backstroke, placed second in the Fly and was on the winning Medley Relay team and Chris Goyette who was also on the winning relay team. In addition, the Seahorses will be without senior August Pietrafesa (2nd in the 200 Free and on the winning relay) who is graduating early.
Seniors Brooklynn Brown (3rd in Fly and 6th in IM) and Amanda Woodruff (4th Fly and 5th 50 Free) head the veteran group for the Medina girls squad which went 4-6 last year.
The Seahorses main graduation loss was Hannah Heil who won the 50 Free and placed fourth in the 200 Free.
Junior Ryan Santarsiero who won the 100 Breaststroke and placed second in the IM and senior Ryan Stevener who placed sixth in the 200 Free leads the veteran group for the Barker boys which went 2-8 last year.
Other top three All-League meet place finishers returning include Newfane junior Ethan Niver (3rd in Fly) and sophomore Eli Thomson (3rd in Backstroke) along with Akron’s sophomore Zander Borton (3rd 500 Free).
The Akron girls, which went 8-2 last year, have a large returning contingent including seniors Rachel PeQueen (2nd 50 Free), Marisa Maggiore (2nd 500 Free, 3rd 200 Free) and Logan Polkowski (4th Backstroke) along with sophomores Kaila Szczygielski (5th 100 Fee) and Mayah Harris (5th Breaststroke) and eighth grader CC Morey (2nd in IM and Backstroke). Morey, PeQueen and junior Alex Poland were all on the winning 200 Medley Relay.
Newfane, which went 6-4, is led by juniors Bridget Martin (4th 500 Free), Shelby Nerber (5th 500 Free) and eighth grader Lauren Enderton (3rd Back, 5th IM).
NYSPHSAA updates its Return to Interscholastic Athletics Resource Document
With practice for the High Risk winter sports of basketball and wrestling scheduled to begin next Monday and with the Fall 2 season for the High Risk sports of football , volleyball and competitive cheerleading slated to begin on March 1 the New York State Public High School Athletic Association today released an updated version of its 70 plus page Return to Interscholastic Athletics Resource Document.
The document outlines procedures and protocols for each of the winter and fall season sports including for virtual swim meets which the Niagara-Orleans League is planning to use when the league season begins this Thursday..
It also lists the start and finish dates for the seasons and indicates that individual sections have the right to adjust those dates.
It emphasizes that the High Risk sports can only proceed when approval is given by local county health departments and that “Participation in interscholastic athletics is certainly voluntary for both the individuals and the schools. NYSPHSAA recognizes school district superintendents and boards of education have the authority and autonomy to administer their district’s athletic programs as they deem appropriate.”
The entire document can be read by clicking here
Dillenbeck earns Section V scholarship
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Nathan Dillenbeck (7) has earned the Section V scholarship for boys soccer.
Lyndonville High senior Nathan Dillenbeck has received the Section V scholarship for boys soccer for this past fall season the section announced this morning.
Dillenbeck, a three year starter for the Medina/Lyndonville varsity soccer team, receives a $250 scholarship to be used for further academic endeavors. He is planning to play soccer in college and major in mechanical engineering.
He finished his varsity career with 56 goals, which is a record for both Lyndonville and Medina. He netted 23 goals this past season including both tallies in the Section VI Class B1 title game against Tonawanda which finished in a 2-2 overtime tie earning the Mustangs a co-championship.
Dillenbeck has also been a multi year starter on Lyndonville’s varsity basketball and baseball teams.
’79 was a big season for Barker swimmers
Contributed Photo – Members of the 1979 Barker High swim team included, in front Chuck Wilson, Jim Bender, Ben Frombegen, Brian Earp, Chris Wright, Teresa Stoddard, Dan Harrison, Beth Sherman, Darrin Haight and Coach Frank Lock. In the second row, Tom Simms, Jim Flint, Michelle Hoffman, Larry Henry, Todd Wilson, Paula Stoddard, Frank Perkaski, Jeff Wilson and Brian Dill. In the third row, David Henry, Amir Mehrdad, Jody Wright, Jay Hayden, Greg Schweitzer, Terry Loesch, Eric Sutch and Jay Fritzke. Missing from the photo is Tom Pavlovk.
Then a member of the Genesee Region League the Barker High swim team nonetheless made quiet an impact on their future Niagara-Orleans League foes during the 1979 season.
The Raiders first snapped Akron’s 53 meet winning streak and later handed N-O champion Roy-Hart its first loss of the season both by the very narrow margin of 87-85.
In the victory over Akron Jim Bender was a double winner in the 200 and 500 Freestyle events, Chuck Wilson took both the 200 Individual Medley and 100 Butterfly and Jay Fritzke won the 100 Free.
Barker then bested Roy-Hart for the first time in five years, a win capped off by a victory clinching effort in the 400 Free Relay by the quartet Bender, Wilson, Fritzke and Tom Simms.
Fritzke was also an individual event double winner in the 50 Free and 100 Free while Wilson took the 200 IM and Bender the 500 Free.
The Raiders set school records in 8 of 11 events that season.
Shortly thereafter Barker joined the N-O League for the 1980-81 season and the Raiders finished in a tie for second place with Albion at 7-3 behind undefeated (10-0) champion Akron.
The N-O went from a co-ed league to separate boys and girls teams starting with the 1986-87 season and the Barker girls claimed the title the first year going 10-0. The Barker boys gained share of their first title during the 1987-88 season as they shared the crown with Akron at 9-1.
Section V looks to move forward with start of High Risk sports for the winter season
Following Friday’s announcement by the New York State Department of Health that High Risk winter sports (basketball, wrestling and ice hockey) will be allowed to begin practice on February 1 pending approval by the local county health department Section V Athletics on Saturday released the following statement concerning the decision.
“The Section V COVID-19 task force and Winter/Fall II sport coordinators have already been communicating to finalize plans with membership. Section V Athletics has twelve different health departments to coordinate with and will communicate with them throughout this process.
“It is important to note that all high school interscholastic athletic teams are coached by New York State certified and professionally trained school board approved coaches. In addition, our state’s governing body for interscholastic athletics, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), has released a comprehensive resource document detailing all NYSDOH COVID-19 guidance (i.e., face coverings, spectator attendance, screening protocols, etc.).
“The Spring season start date is still set for Monday, April 19, 2021. We will continue to be sensitive to Spring sports that have already missed a complete season and sectional/state championship last year due to the pandemic.
“As always, we will provide more information as soon as details are finalized and following all guidance provided by NYSDOH, NYSPHSAA, and our local health departments.”
Hank Aaron, just before breaking home run record, visited Albion in 1974
Baseball legend passed away on Friday at age 86
Photos courtesy of Monacelli family
ALBION – Hank Aaron, who passed away at age 86 on Friday, was a guest in 1974 at the annual Albion Sports Night at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Richard Monacelli, left, served as chairman of the event. He and his sons, Dan (second from right) and Rich, are pictured with the baseball legend for the Atlanta Braves.
Aaron was in Albion during the offseason when he was at 713 career home runs, one away from tying Babe Ruth’s record.
On April 8, 1974, he broke the record when he hit his 715th home run. Aaron would add 40 more to his career total before retiring in 1976. His 755 career home runs stood as the record for 31 years until Barry Bonds passed it in 2007 and ended his career with 762. (Aaron also hit 5 home runs in the Negro Leagues. Major League Baseball recently announced it will be adding Negro League achievements to MLB statistics. That would give Aaron 760 career homers.)
Aaron still holds baseball’s record for most career RBIs with 2,297, most total bases with 6,856 and most extra bases hits with 1,477. Each season Major League Baseball presents the Hank Aaron Award to the best hitter in both the American and National leagues.
Albion hosted many top professional for the Sports Night in the 1960s, ’70s and late ’80s. Franco Harris, the Pittsburgh Steelers star running back, is in back row at left in this photo from 1974. “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron is in back, second from right.
During its quarter century, Albion Sports Night welcomed other baseball Hall of Famers including Bob Feller in 1963, Brooks Robinson in 1966, Whitey Ford in 1968, Mickey Mantle in 1972, Willie Stargell in 1980, Cal Ripken Jr. in 1983 and Dave Winfield in 1986.
Yankee greats also appeared including Elston Howard and Jim Boutin in 1964, Catfish Hunter in 1976, Billy Martin in 1977, Lou Piniella in 1979 and Tommy John in 1982.
Some of the Buffalo Bills greats to attend the event included Cookie Gilchrist in 1963, Daryl Lamonica in 1965, Jack Kemp in 1966, Ron McDole in 1970 and Joe DeLamielleure in 1977.
Besides Franco Harris in 1974, other famed football players at Albion Sports Night included Lou Groza in 1964, Ron Jaworski in 1977 and Jim Crowley of the legendary Notre Dame Four Horseman backfield in 1974.
Many of the visiting star athletes stayed with the Monacelli family while they were in town for the event.
“I’m not old enough to have watched Hank Aaron play, but I do remember Poppy’s stories of him from the time he came to Albion for Sports Nights,” Jake Monacelli, Richard’s grandson, posted on Facebook on Friday. “Poppy brought a lot of joy to the Town by bringing some of Sport’s Greats and Hank was one of the Greatest. I don’t have the personal memories of Hank, but I do have the memories of the family’s stories and these pictures always helped bring them to life.”
Coaches welcome State Health Dept. decision to allow basketball, wrestling seasons to begin
It’s the news they had been hoping to hear for the past two months and Friday afternoon area basketball and wrestling coaches were thrilled to hear that the state Health Department had approved the start of the season for High Risk winter sports of basketball and wrestling on February 1 pending final approval by local county health departments.
“Right now I am the happiest guy on earth” said Lyndonville Athletic Director and co-wrestling coach Jim Zeliff. “All we have been waiting for is the opportunity and now it looks like we have that opportunity and we’ll make it work. We’re looking at a condensed season but it’s important for the kids to get something in. “I’m really excited. I’m ready to go.”
“This is awesome for the kids,” said Albion Athletic Director Adam Krenning. “I think it is the right decision for our student-athletes. It will be tight getting the winter season in and then the Fall 2 and spring seasons but it is doable. This is all for our student-athletes.”
“I’m surprised and was not expecting it,” said Medina boys varsity basketball Coach Tom Forestel of Friday’s announcement. “I love the game and I want the kids to be able to play. I do have some reservations but I trust the health department and if we can do it safely then sign me up.”
“I’m definitely excited,” said Roy-Hart boys varsity basketball Coach Joe Pawlak. “I know there will be some guidelines but it will be great to get the kids together and in the gym. Hopefully we can move forward and get at least the league season in. It’s great news for the kids. Everybody is excited and ready to go.”
Right now practice for basketball and wrestling is slated to begin on February 1 pending that final OK from the county Health Department and practice for the postponed Fall 2 high risk sports of football, volleyball land competitive cheerleading is then slated to get underway on March 1.
Friday evening the New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced that this coming Monday it “will release an updated Return to Interscholastic Athletics resource document for winter sports and Fall Season II.”
In the release NYSPHSAAA Executive Director Robert Zayas stated “We are extremely thankful to Governor Cuomo and the New York State Department of Health for providing authorization for all sports to begin. I am thrilled our association’s member schools will be able to provide over two hundred thousand students with valuable and beneficial participation experiences. Today is certainly a great day for the students of New York State.”
Also Friday the Orleans and Genesee County Health Department announced that the Finger Lakes Region will likewise be drafting additional guidance next week in conjunction with area school districts ” to insure a consistent, regional approach.”
County Health Depts. to provide additional guidance for start up of high risk sports
The state Health Department’s decision today to issue new guidelines allowing High Risk sports (basketball and wrestling) to begin their winter sports seasons as of February 1 has received a positive response from area county health departments.
A release by the Orleans and Genesee County Health Department stated that “as a region, the local health departments of the Finger Lakes (including Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Livingston, Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming, Seneca and Yates counties) are in support of re-opening high-risk sports but want to make sure it’s done safely and uniformly.”
The release added “As a region, we will be discussing and drafting additional guidance with our school partners to insure a consistent, regional approach. We are planning to provide that guidance early next week.”
