Contributed Photo – Members of Holley’s 1990 Genesee Region League Division II championship baseball team included, in front, Shawn O’Mara, Rune Hartman, Dave Gurzynski, Eric Sheffer, Brian Robinson, Dave Brooker and Scott Combs. In back are Coach John McGraw, Lee Dillenbeck, Chris Stiles, John Boyer, Jason Cook, Frank Mitchell, Keith Jarosinski and Mike Colucci.

Holley opened the decade of the 1990’s on the diamond in strong fashion capturing back-to-back Genesee Region League Division II baseball championships in 1990 and 1991.

Holley clinched the 1990 division title by handing Oakfield-Alabama its first league loss by a 10-3 margin.

Brian Robinson picked up the win on the mound scattering 6 hits with 7 strikeouts to  go to 9-0.

At the plate, Shawn O’Mara had three hits and Robinson and David Gurzynski two each.

Brian Robinson delivers a pitch for the Hawks.

Holley took the lead for good as a two-run third inning home run by Frank Mitchell snapped a 3-3 tie.

The Hawks added two runs in the fourth on a single by O’Mara and an error and then put a lock on the win and the title with three tallies in the sixth on an RBI double by David Brooker and RBI singles by Robinson and John Boyer.

Holley capped off a 10-1 division title season with a 7-2 win over Notre Dame, the Hawks 15th overall victory of the season.

Breaking away from a 3-3 deadlock, the Hawks took the lead for good by scoring four times in the sixth inning on a two run error, an RBI bunt single by Eric Sheffer and a fielders choice play.

Robinson went to 10-0 on the mound by hurling a 3 hitter with 7 strikeouts.

Holley finished the season with a 17-3 overall record as the Hawks dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to Canisteo in the semifinals of the Section V Class B playoffs.

The Hawks though kept the G-R title momentum going in 1991 by repeating as Division II champions going 9-5-1 in the league and 12-6-1 overall.

Holley locked up the title by romping past Pavilion 14-3 in the regular season finale.

The Hawks pounded out a total of 14 hits including four by Chris Mitchell, three by Keith Jarosinski and two each by winning pitcher John Boyer and Frank DiStasio.

On the mound, Boyer scattered 5 hits and struck out 4.

Holley took the lead for good by scoring three quick runs in the first inning on an error, a sacrifice by Boyer and a single by Chris Mitchell.

The Hawks later locked up the win and the title by scoring four times in both the fourth and fifth innings.

Frank Mitchell had a two-run double and Boyer and DiStasio RBI singles in the fourth while singles by Jarosinski and Lee Dillenbeck ignited the fifth inning uprising.

Overall that two year stretch proved to be an outstanding one for Holley as the Hawks boys soccer team captured the state Class D championship in both 1990 and 1991.

Contributed Photo – Medina players hoist winning pitcher Howie Bathrick onto their shoulders following the 1951 Genesee Orleans League title win over rival Albion at Batavia’s MacArthur Park (now Dywer Stadium). The win propelled Medina into the Section V Class A playoffs which ended in a controversial co-championship with Geneseo.

In a dramatic and controversial extra inning contest, Medina captured its first ever sectional baseball title in 1951 sharing the  Section V Class A championship with Geneseo.

A controversial sixth inning umpire’s call proved decisive in creating the co-championship.

Trailing 2-1 in the title contest played at Batavia’s MacArthur Park, Medina tied the game in the controversial sixth inning by scoring a run on an error.

The series of plays which resulted in a protest went as follows. Louie Foreman reached on a walk. Ed Jablonski then put down a bunt and the throw by the Geneseo infielder sailed over the head of the first baseman as Foreman rounded second base. Foreman kept running all the way around to score the tying run.

However, Geneseo protested that Foreman should have been limited to just one base and not two after the overthrow.  Because of the Geneseo protest Medina Coach Bob Schaefer offered to send Foreman back to third base but the umpire stayed with his decision,  over ruled the protest and allowed play to continue with the contest now deadlocked..

Medina later scored what the local believed was the winning run in the 10th inning  on a single  by Bob Winans followed by a wild pitch and an error for an apparent 3-2 victory.

Geneseo though followed through with the protest and the next day  the Section V baseball chairman upheld the protest.

It turned out that the umpire in making his ruling had been going by a National Baseball Association rule book which did allow two bases on an overthrow. However, that season a revised National Federation of High School Rules was in being utilized in the sectionals which allowed only one base on an overthrow.

Because there was no way for the schools to replay the game from the point of the sixth inning protest the teams were declared Class A co-champions.

Medina had advanced to the title contest by defeating Newark 7-2 in the semifinals at Rochester’s Red Wing Stadium.

Trailing 2-0, Medina exploded for all seven of its runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. John Hydock ignited the uprising with a leadoff double and later also contributed a single. Winning pitcher Joey Maryjanowski and Rich Turoski also banged out singles in the decisive inning which was also aided by three walks and two Newark errors.

On the mound Maryjanowski  hurled a six hitter.

Medina qualified for the sectionals by downing rival Albion 5-2 in a special playoff game for the Genesee Orleans League title at MacArthur Park.

Medina moved on top to stay by scoring three times in the second inning as Jablonski, Winans and winning pitcher Howie Bathrick all crossed home plate.

Medina later added two big insurance runs in the sixth inning as Albion scored its two runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Bathrick scattered 8 hits and struck out 6.

The two teams had split an interesting same day home-and-home doubleheader during the regular season with Albion winning the first 5-3 and Medina the second 2-1.

It would be 38 years before Medina would claim its first outright sectional diamond title when the Mustangs downed Grover Cleveland 7-3 to win the 1989 Section VI Class B2 championship.

The Medina Women’s Softball League has elected a slate of officers for the upcoming season the start of which is now on hold because of restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Kathy Allen was elected president and Jenn Thom was re-elected secretary-treasurer.

Jessica Rosenbeck was elected ‘A’ League vice-president and Jen Hughes “B” League vice-president.

And as for getting the season in, league officers and team captains are taking a wait and see attitude to see when the current restrictions on group gatherings are eased.

“We’re not canceling anything. We haven’t decided anything yet,” said Sue Seefeldt who captains the Bane’s Plumbing/Bane’s Machine Shop team. “We’re waiting it out. We’re not putting a deadline on getting the season started. We are going to play it by ear and see what happens. If the restrictions on gatherings are lifted so we can play games we are hoping to get at least some of the season in.”

The league’s regular season normally runs from mid May till the end of July with the playoffs in early August.

Last year the league had seven teams in the ‘A’ Division and seven in the ‘B’ Division.

Contributed Photos – Albion’s 1995 softball team captured the Purple Eagles first ever Niagara-Orleans League title. In front are Missy Pilon, Kim Mullins, Carly Bonacci and Lisa Babbitt. In the middle row are Kelly Lewis, Jen Viza, Megan McKenna, Nicole Evarts and Conni Bencal. In the back row are Coach Ann Capacci, Brandi Beach, Bianca Jurs, Charlynda Winkley, Denise Lake, Jennifer Hinkley and Assistant Coach Alec Sherman.

It was just 25 years ago this spring that the 1995 Albion High team captured the school’s first Niagara-Orleans League softball championship.

It was a tight title battle that wasn’t decided until the final day of the league season when Coach Ann Capacci’s Purple Eagles used the combination of an 11-0 victory over Akron with Newfane’s narrow 1-0 win over rival Wilson to claim Albion’s first N-O crown.

Albion finished with a 12-2 record followed closely by Wilson at 11-3 and Newfane at 10-4.

In the title clinching finale Bianca Jurs hurled the shutout limiting Akron to only 4 hits with 9 strikeouts and just 1 walk.  At the plate, Jurs, Conni Bencal, Kim Mullins and Nicole Evarts each had two hits.

In the game before, Jurs also pitched a 3 hit shutout with 8 strikeouts as Albion posted a key 16-0 win over Wilson. The victory not only avenged an earlier season 11-4 loss but more importantly pulled Albion into a tie for the N-O lead with Wilson at 11-2.

Bencal banged out three hits to lead the Purple Eagles balanced attack which also included two each by Jurs, Evarts, Kelly Lewis and Megan McKenna.

The Purple Eagles, whose only other N-O loss was a narrow 14-13 setback against Barker, also had a couple of other close calls during the season nipping Newfane 6-5 and Starpoint 4-2 in 8 innings.

Against Newfane, Albion rallied for two runs in the bottom go the seventh inning on an RBI single by Bencal and a run producing triple by Mullins. RBI singles in the eighth inning by Bencal and Jurs provided the margin of victory against Starpoint.

Jurs, Bencal, Mullins and Lewis all earned first team N-O All-League honors.

The breakthrough season triggered a good title run which saw the Purple Eagles claim two more N-O titles over the next five years winning in 1998 and 2000 both times with 12-2 records.

Bianca Jurs delivers a pitch for the Purple Eagles while at right Conni Bencal makes a throw from her shortstop position during the 1995 N-O title season.

For the first time in over a decade New York State high school football teams will be able to play an eighth regular season game this fall.

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Executive Committee this morning approved giving schools the option of playing an eighth game. The game would be played as a season opener on the weekend which has been used for scrimmages.

The regular season had been reduced from 8 to 7 games when a quarterfinal round was added to the sectional playoffs.

Individual schools will now have the option to decide if they want to scrimmage or play a game that weekend.

“That’s great news” said Albion Athletic Director and Varsity Football Coach Adam Krenning. “I think we’re moving in the right direction. I think it ‘s a good move and a great thing for our kids.”

“We’re definitely intrigued by the idea of playing an eighth game,” said Medina Athletic Director and Varsity Football Coach Eric Valley who did voice some concern over changes in the ability to do off season workouts caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic restrictions.

“Things have changed dramatically since the proposal was first made,” added Valley. “We usually do so much over the summer and right now we are not able to do that. If we can’t do anything over the summer until practice begins on August 24 will two weeks of practice give us enough time to play a game? It will be interesting.”

The Executive Committee also discussed, but did not vote on, a proposal to reduce the number of wrestling weight classes from 15 to 13.

It has been proposed to eliminate one of the light weight classes and one of the heavier weight classes. In the lighter weights the four classes of 99, 106, 113 and 120 would be cut to three 102, 110 and 118. Likewise at the upper weights the current four class of 180, 182, 195 and 220 would be cut to three 172, 189 and 225.

Senior athletes from Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville will join with their Genesee Region League counterparts in a Senior Athlete Recognition parade on June 2.

The parade route will be entirely in Genesee County.

It is scheduled to leave the Batavia K-Mart parking lot at 5:30 p.m. and proceed on Route 63 to Oakfield then go right on Route 262 through Elba to Byron then right on Route 237 to Stafford and then right on Route 5 back to Batavia ending at Batavia High School.

Following the cancellation the spring high school sports season the focus of national, state, sectional, local league and school district officials now turns to the potential impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the fall season which is scheduled to begin on August 24 with practice for football, soccer, cross-country, field hockey, volleyball and golf.

Faced with plenty of uncertainly about the potential impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic over the next few months both the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) are now taking steps to prepare for that very uncertain fall season.

The NYSPHSAA earlier this month formed a Covid-19 Task Force comprised of members from all the the state’s sections. Section VI is represented by section President Adam Stoltman the superintendent at Alden Central.

The Task Force, whose assignment is to examine the potential impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the fall season and on the 2020-21 academic year, will hold its first meeting on June 10

“At this time we are planning to start fall sports on August 24^th,” Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director said.  “With the uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis, I want to make sure we are prepared to focus attention on keeping student-athletes engaged in their school communities and active, while also abiding by Department of Health and Governor Cuomo’s guidelines.  We must have innovative and creative thought to provide beneficial participation playing experiences for students.”

“The goal of this task force is to bring together a group of experienced administrators and professionals to examine potential impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the upcoming school year and to provide guidance and recommendations to the 11 Sections of NYSPHSAA,” said Paul Harrica, NYSPHSAA President.

The uncertainly of the future of the Covid-19 Pandemic and it’s impact from region to region and from state to state is well reflected in a document released by the NFHS aimed at serving as guidance for state athletic associations in planning for the re-opening of high school athletics and activities.

“We are greatly indebted to the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) for its working formulating this guidance for re-opening high school athletics and activities,” said NFHS Executive Director Dr. Karissa Niehoff. “It is important to be clear that this is guidance for individual states to consider as they return to activities this fall. States will utilize the guidance in this document as it best fits their state after consulting with local and state health departments.”

The document states that “the NFHS SMAC believes it is essential to the physical and mental well-being of high school students across the nation to return to physical activity and athletic competition. The NFHS SMAC recognizes that it is likely that ALL students will not be able to return to – and sustain – athletic activity at the same time in all schools, regions and states. There will also likely be variation in what sports and activities are allowed to be played and held. While we would typically have reservations regarding such inequities, the NFHS SMAC endorses the idea of returning students to school-based athletics and activities in any and all situations where it can be done safely.”

NFHS officials add that “similar to the manner in which different parts of the country have re-opened ahead of others due to containment levels of the virus, the guidance document was developed with the realization that there likely will be variation in what sports and activities are allowed to be played and held from one part of the country to another.

They added, “along the same lines, the NFHS guidance document describes a staged approach to re-opening high school sports and other activities, similar to the phases of “opening up” outlines by the White House last month. The committee suggests that state high school associations consult with their state and local health departments for determining the appropriate dates for implementing a phased-in approach within their respective states.”

Contributed Photo – Dwayne Montague

One of the brightest highlights in the history of the Lyndonville High track program was the record setting performance of sprinter Dwayne Montague, an AFS exchange student from Jamaica, in the spring of 1988.

During that special season Montague set Genesee Region League and Section V records and titles in both the 100 and 200 meter sprint events earning a spot in the state championships.

Montague started his memorable postseason run by winning three events with league record efforts at the G-R All-League meet winning the 100 in :10.7, the 200 in :22.2 and the Long Jump 22-3/4.

He followed that up by again winning all three events in record setting fashion at the Section V Class D championships. He took the 100 in 11.0, the 200 in :22.1 and the Long Jump 22-2.  His Long Jump distance was the best to date that season in Section V.

Montague then earned a berth in the state championships by winning both the 100 (:11.03) and the 200 (:21.9) at the Section V championship meet. He also placed third in the Long Jump (21-9 1.2).

He then capped off his outstanding season by placing second in the 200 (:22.23) and fourth in the 100 (:10.91) at the state championship meet.

Montague also played on the Tigers varsity soccer team.