Restrictions imposed by and concerns over the Covid-19 Pandemic has caused both the Buffalo and Western New York Junior Soccer League, which includes teams from Medina and Roy-Hart, and the Rochester District Youth Soccer League, which includes teams from Albion, Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville, to cancel their seasons.

The leagues had been looking to possibly play a reduced six game season but continuing restrictions made that impossible

“They kept shrinking the season hoping they could play but it just wasn’t possible. There is just such a short window to play” said Steve Luksch who coordinates the Medina/Lyndonville summer teams in the Buffalo and WNY League. “It’s disappointing for the kids. I really feel bad for the kids. You are only a kid once.”

Buffalo and WNY League officials stated that “After reviewing all of the available information regarding the ability to operate a 2020 seasonal schedule, even on a reduced basis, the Board of Directors has come to the conclusion that it will not be possible to do so and thus is canceling the 2020 season effective immediately.”

The officials continued, “Please be assured that we have looked at a number of alternatives and have held many hours of conversations in both small and large groups to address the 2020 season. And we wish to thank all those club officials that kept us informed of their situation “on the ground” within their communities.  The information that was shared by you was needed and helpful to the Board’s deliberations.”

Contributed Photo – Members of Roy-Hart’s 1988 Niagara-Orleans League championship tennis team include, in front, Jeff Heideman, Jeff Dickinson, Jenny McDonald, Aaron Hilger and Dan Oswari. In back are Dana Sheehan, Tom Gardner, Jeff Pellegrino, Coach Chris Horgan, Ray Neuman, Todd Albee, Chris Hemingway and Andy Oswari.

For two decades during the 1980’s and 1990’s Medina ruled the Niagara-Orleans League tennis courts – except for one brief stretch.

The only team to interrupt that run was Coach Chris Horgan’s Roy-Hart squad which earned at least a share of the N-O title for five straight years from 1988-1992.

That memorable run began when Roy-Hart ended an eight year title run by Medina by capturing the 1988 championship with a perfect 14-0 record.

That title season was highlighted by back-to-back regular season ending 3-2 wins over Medina which locked up the crown outright. The first of those wins ended Medina’s incredible 108 N-O match win streak.

Leading the Rams that season were All-League honorees Ray Neuman, Todd Albee, Tom Gardner and Andy Oswari.

Keeping the momentum, Roy-Hart repeated as undefeated N-O champions in 1989 by going 12-0. Neuman, Albee and Gardner again earned All-League honors to lead the Rams that season.

Each of the next three seasons (1990, 1991 and 1992) saw Roy-Hart and Medina emerge as N-O co-champions with 11-1 records as the Rams and Mustangs split their matches each time.

Leading the Rams in 1990 were All-League honorees Aaron Hilger, Jeff Heideman, Albee and Rob Reed. Hilger, Heideman and Reed again earned All-League honors in 1991.

The Rams 1992 All-League honorees included Hilger, Heideman, Jake Feltz and Shelly Bath.

Ironically, Horgan went on to become Medina’s coach in 2001 and is still guiding the Mustangs net fortunes. His Mustangs have captured the N-O title seven times.

With the start of practice still over two months away and games still three months off officials of the Niagara Orleans Football Association (NOFA) are taking a wait and see approach on making any decisions about the upcoming season because of restrictions currently imposed by the Covid-19 Pandemic..

“We have time,” said NOFA Executive Baord member Geno Allport. “We are hoping for the best but right now it is too early to make any decisionns”

“We’re keeping things flexible because we just don’t know how soon things will re-open and with what conditions,” Allport added. “In the best case we could start the season on time, The next best case would be we could start later and play a shorter schedule. The worst case would be that we would have to cancel the season. But right now we don’t know. We just have to see how the phases for reopening come along. We just have to wait and see.”

In a release sent to leaders of each of NOFA’s member organizations this week, NOFA’s Executive Board stated that “Without a significant amount of directive regarding youth sports specifically, we anticipate that youth sports will be considered “recreation” and therefore part of the last phase of re-opening. We can’t put a date on when that will happen, but we can be certain that the re-opening process will be slow, with rules and timing that may affect some organizations differently than others. We are unfortunately still at the wait-and-see stage; however, we hope everyone in our NOFA community is in agreement that our number one priority right now is the safety of our players, coaches, referees, volunteers and families!”

The release added, “We will share any and all directives relevant to the upcoming season as soon as possible. Once we receive the all clear to meet, we will get a meeting scheduled right away.”

The organizations which in recent years have had football teams and cheerleading squads competing in NOFA have included Albion, Holley, Medina, Roy-Hart, Akron, Newfane, Batavia, Oakfield/Elba, Pembroke, Attica and TriTown (Alexander).

Contributed Photo – Members of the 1975 Niagara-Orleans League champion Medina softball team included, in front, Donna Fox, Lou Ann Watkins, Cherrie Schnackel, Mary Ann O’Kussick, Beth Gardner, Lisa Rosentreter and Janet Simpson. In back are Connie Eick, Chris Prawel, Pat Curtin, Sue Wolter, Teal Meacham, Anita Chinn, Cheryl Brady, Helen Maryjanowski and Coach Sue O’Dea.

When the Niagara-Orleans League began softball competition in the mid 1970’s Medina was the first team to claim the title.

In fact, the Mustangs captured the championship in each of the league’s first two years going 6-0 in 1975 and 10-2 in 1976.

A narrow 12-11 win over Newfane was Medina’s only close call during the inaugural 1975 season.

A big seven run fourth inning keyed that win  as Helen Maryjanowski, Sue Wolter, Anita Chinn, Pam Vanderlaan, Teal Meacham and Lou Ann Watkins all had singles and winning pitcher Mary Ann O’Kussick a triple. Watkins then threw two Newfane runners out attempting to steal third base in the seven inning to preserve the win.

A pair of narrow one run late season wins over Wilson (9-8) and Starpoint (18-17 in eight innings) helped Medina claim the title in 1976. The Mustangs title quest was greatly aided by Starpoint’s two victories over Newfane. Medina had split its two meetings with Newfane winning 15-7 and losing 11-6.

The 9-8 win over Wilson saw Medina rally for four runs with two out in the final inning on a double by Mary Bukiewicz, a two-run error and a single by Denise Benben.

The title clinching win over Starpoint went eight innings. Medina scored four times in the top of the eighth on a single by Connie Eick, two errors and s double by Sue Wolter for an 18-14 lead. Starpoint though rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth and still had a runner at third with two outs when Chinn made a huge catch in centerfield to lock up the win and earn the Mustangs the title. The Medina offense also included a two-run homer by winning pitcher Cherrie Schnackel and a pair of doubles by Wolter.

The Mustangs had clinched at least a tie for the title by blanking Roy-Hart 16-0 to go to 9-2 on the season as Bukiewicz had three hits, Meacham, Watkins, Schnackel and Wolter two each. Schnackel’s hits included a home run.

That first 10 year stretch of N-O softball competition also saw Medina claim the crown in both 1981 and 1983.

That early stretch also saw Starpoint win the title three times (1979, 1980 and 1984 co-champion) while Akron won twice (1977 and 1978) as did Newfane (1982 and 1984 co-champion).

Contributed Photos – The Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville varsity staff will include, from left, Head Coach Joe Suhr and Assistant Coaches Rick Boyle and Trevor Powers.

In preparation for its debut season this fall the coaching staff for the newly merged Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville eight man football program has been set.

Joe Suhr is serving as the head varsity coach with Rick Boyle and Trevor Powers as his varsity assistants.

CJ Knight will be the Modified team head coach assisted by Brett Pecoraro.

The Modified team coaches will be Head Coach CJ Knight, at left, and Assistant Coach Brett Pecoraro.

“What we are trying to build is something new, something that incorporates the passion, tradition, and love of football from all 3 districts to create a unified identity, RBL,” said Suhr who is a teacher at Lyndonville and has 25 years of playing and coaching experience ranging from the youth, high school, college and semi pro levels.

“Roy-Hart, Barker, and Lyndonville need each other but what we are going to try to create is a culture where all 3 schools, their communities, and the respective players from those schools want to remain part of this new thing for years to come,” he added. “It’s important to this program that all 3 schools have a stake and are represented in everything we do. And in that we can form a really strong and successful program that’s in it for the long haul.”

Suhr’s playing experience includes with Bar-Lyn Youth, Pembroke High School, St. John Fisher College and the Lyndonville Tigers semi-pro team. He served at the defensive coordinator for the Tigers for 10 years. He also coached football for six years at Medina (two as a JV assistant and four as varsity defensive coordinator). In addition he was the varsity wrestling coach at Akron for four years and has been the co-head varsity wrestling coach at Lyndonville the last two years.

Boyle, a Roy-Hart graduate and a six year member of the Rams football program, has 38 years of coaching experience in football, baseball and softball including the last eight as the varsity softball assistant coach at Lyndonville.

“As a Roy-Hart Alumni I would like nothing more than to see the program turned around and to be successful,” said Boyle. “The kids deserve a chance at winning championships and they need to be proud of what they can contribute to the awesome game of football.”

Powers, who was a three sport athlete at Batavia High School (football, hockey and lacrosse), played collegiate club hockey at RIT,  has four years of coaching experience as a varsity assistant with the Genesee Ice Devils.

“I have had the opportunity to Coach the Genesee Ice Devils for the past 3 years as we went through a merger combining 6 schools to form 1 team. This opportunity for athletes from multiple communities to come together to form a single team and represent all of the communities is a fantastic experience. The team and players are able to build their own identity from the ground up and form connections outside of their school district that will last a lifetime,” said Powers.

Knight who played four years of high school football at Newfane and four years of college football at SUNY Brockport, has coached JV football and Modified basketball for three years at Roy-Hart.

“I find that this 3 way merger is a huge opportunity for each school district,” said Knight.  “With the numbers of each school decreasing, combining together will allow us to be competitive and form a strong team. Having worked with the Roy-Hart kids in the past, I think it will be a great experience for myself and them, to build relationships with the other student athletes from Barker and Lyndonville. I am looking forward to a great season to turn this program around!”

Pecoraro, a four year US Marines veteran, played four years of high school football at Medina and has coaching experience with both the Medina Loyal and Medina High football programs.

“When I played for Medina it worked out really well. Without the merger Lyndonville kids would not have had the opportunity to play football. Without that they would’ve missed out on the camaraderie and character building the sport brings,” said Pecoraro.

The Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville eight man varsity team is scheduled to debut on September 11 at Oakfield-Alabama/Elba.

Latham, NY – The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) has selected members to serve on a COVID-19 Task Force to examine potential impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the fall 2020 season and the 2020-2021 school year.

Task Force members were selected by Paul Harrica, NYSPHSAA President, with input and consultation from NYSPHSAA Executive Director Dr. Robert Zayas. The Task Force is comprised of NYSPHSAA member superintendents, principals, athletic directors and executive directors in addition to representatives from New York State Athletic Administrators Association and State Education Department. It is anticipated the committee will meet for the first time in late May or early June.

“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.

“At this time we are planning to start fall sports on August 24th,” 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 NYSPHSAA COVID-19 Task Force members are as follows:

President – Paul Harrica (Section X) *Task Force chair

Vice President – Julie Bergman (Section IV)

2nd Vice President – Russell Bartlett (Section X)

Immediate Past President – Jim Osborne (Section IX)

Incoming 2nd Vice President – Tim Mullins (Section XI)

Past President – Steve Broadwell (Section VII)

NYSPHSAA – Dr. Robert Zayas (Executive Director)

District Superintendent – Jim Dexter (Section 2)

Superintendent East – Dr. Ivan Katz (Section IX)

Superintendent West – Adam Stoltman (Section VI)

Section Executive Director East – Tom Combs (Section XI), Matt Walentuk (Section VII) Section Executive Director West – Carl Normandin (Section X), Kathy Hoyt (Section V)

Principal East –  Jim Mackin (Section I)

Principal West –  Paul Gasparini (Section III)

Athletic Director East – Chris Ceruti (Section VIII) Athletic Director West – Scott Barker (Section V)

NYSAAA – Dr. Jim Wright (Section XI)

Athletic Trainers – Rick Knizek (Section 2)

District Transportation Director – Chris Durdon (Section IV) Officials – Dennis Burkett

NYS Education Department – Karen Hollowood & Ann Lanoue NYS Department of Health – TBD

Contributed Photo – Coach Ken Snyder

Albion has compiled a very rich and successful history on the baseball diamond since moving from Section V to Section VI and the Niagara-Orleans League during the 1961-62 school year.

Over the past nearly 60 year long period the Purple Eagles have captured no less than 10 Section VI and 21 N-O diamond titles.

Albion’s first Section VI championship came in 1977 as Coach Ken Snyder’s Purple Eagles blanked Fredonia 4-0 in the Class B title contest played at Hyde Park Stadium in Niagara Falls.

The battery of pitcher Paul Chappius and catcher Mark Keeler sparked Albion to the milestone win.

On the mound Chappius hurled a four hitter with four strikeouts.

At the plate, Keeler banged out a key bases loaded, three-run double in the third inning. A double by Reed Patterson followed by a walk and a fielders choice play loaded the bases to set up the opportunity.

Wayne Johnson doubled home an insurance run for the Purple Eagles in the seventh driving in Wade Patterson who led off the frame with a double.

Albion had advanced to the B final by downing Gowanda 4-2 in the quarterfinals and Salamanca 9-2 in the semis.

Three runs in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run error and a fielders choice play provided the margin of victory over Gowanda. A four run second inning, highlighted by a three-run double by Reed Patterson, gave Albion the lead for good over Salamanca.

However, Albion’s postseason run was ended in the Section VI Class BB-B Supersectional game where Dunkirk blanked the Purple Eagles 2-0. The Supersectionals were held for several years prior to the state of the state playoffs in the early 1980’s.

The Purple Eagles have also claimed a Section VI title in 1980, 1983, 1991, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

Just a decade before in 1967 Albion captured its first N-O diamond title going 12-2 to claim the crown by two games over runner-up Akron.

The Purple Eagles locked up the title with the combination of a 6-5 victory over Roy-Hart and rival Medina’s 4-0 win over runner-up Akron in the second from the last game of the N-O campaign.

Albion then capped off the title campaign with wild 11-8 win over Medina. The Purple Eagles jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, fell behind 8-7 and then used a four run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning to claim the win.

Interestingly over half of Albion’s N-O titles have come in three year bursts including 1998-99-2000, 2002-03-04, 2008-09-10 and 2012-13-14.

High school wrestling teams in New York State face a challenge in every match – filling 15 different weight classes.

And for many programs which struggle with low numbers of wrestlers it is impossible to fill all of those weight classes resulting in matches filled with numerous forfeits.

Now the majority of sections across the state, including Sections VI and V locally, have approved a proposal which would reduce the number of weight classes from 15 to 13.

That proposal will now be a discussion item at May 27 meeting of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Executive Council. A vote on the proposal is then likely at the Council’s June or July meeting.

Currently the 15 weight classes are 99, 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220 ad 285.

The proposal to go to 13 would eliminate one weight class at the lower weights and one at the higher wright.  The four weight classes from 99-120 would be reduced to three (102, 110 and 118).  The four weight classes from 170 to 220 would likewise be reduced to three (172, 189 and 215).

“I think the proposal can be better for wrestling,” said Medina Coach Eric Gross. “Right now there are a lot of forfeits. Overall I think it will help programs all over that are struggling for numbers. I think it’s in the right direction. Hopefully it will make for more competitive dual matches.”

“If it helps programs be better and be more competitive I’m 100 percent behind it,” said Albion Coach Pat Uveino. “We’ve been very fortunate at Albion to have good numbers but there are a lot of programs where numbers are a problem. So if we can help make programs stronger and have less forfeits that will be a great thing.”

Key dates are rapidly approaching to determine if the regions’ two big youth soccer leagues, the Buffalo and Western New York Youth Soccer League which includes teams from Medina and Roy-Hart, and the Rochester District Youth Soccer League which includes teams from Albion, Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville will be able to have a season.

The most important of those dates will be this coming Friday May 15th. By that day Governor Andrew Cuomo will announce  whether or not to extend the “Pause” order, which currently runs until the 15th and was imposed because of the Covid-19 Pandemic. That will be the key factor as if the “Pause” order is extended until the end of the month or longer it would be virtually impossible for the leagues to play this season.

In a release to their member teams, Buffalo and WNY League officials have stated that “based on what announcements are made May 15th the league will assess the information provided and report to the membership.”

The other key date is June 1.

Buffalo and WNY officials add that To have even a short six game season  “restrictions on public events such as youth sports must be lifted by June 1.”

In a release to their member teams Rochester District League officials stated that “the Excecutive Board will make a decision on June 1 if the season will proceed.”

The release added that the decision to cancel will be made based on several factors including: state and local guidelines, a sufficient number of teams, if social distancing is still in effect and if facial masks are required.

The Rochester League is likewise looking to a short six game season if is possible to play.