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Albion to host Olean looking to clinch title
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Albion running back Deyonci Farley (6) and quarterback Thomas Furmanski (4) and their Purple Eagle teammates will host Olean at 7 p.m. Friday in a key B3 Division Homecoming contest.
Looking to put a lock on the division title, Albion will host Olean at 7 p.m. Friday in a key B3 Division Homecoming football game.
Albion, which has won or shared the B2 title the last two years, brings a 3-0, 4-0 overall record into the B3 finale while Olean is 1-0, 2-2.
The Purple Eagles are coming off a big 21-0 win over previously unbeaten Lackawanna, a victory which earned Purple Eagles mentor Adam Krenning Coach of the Week honors as selected by the Buffalo Bills and ADPRO Sports.
Quarterback Thomas Furmanski, who has rushed for three touchdowns and passed for four (3 to Kevin Hillman and 1 to Anthony Freeman) leads the Albion attack. which has also had rushing touchdowns from Tyray White (4), Bril Johnson (2) and Deyonci Farley (91)
The Purple Eagles defense has also contributed three touchdowns on a pair of pass interceptions returns by Chris Shabazz and a fumble recovery return by Hillman.
Olean defeated Depew 20-3 last week.
Running back Nick Fratercngelo rushed for one touchdown and caught a pass from quarterback Railey Silvis for another in the Huskies win over the Wildcats. Nick Pantuso, who leads the Huskies in rising with 416 yards, also had an 80 yard TD run.
Albion won last year’s meeting 37-6 to tie the all-time series with Olean at 4-4.
Halftime ceremonies will feature the honoring of players and coaches from Albion’s undefeated 1979 Section VI championship team.
Medina/Lyndonville/Barker (1-1, 1-3) will host B2 Division leader Maritime/Health Sciences (2-0, 3-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday..
Maritime, which is in just its second year of varsity competition, defeated the Mustangs 42-22 last year.
The other B2 game will have Maryvale at Dunkirk while the other B3 contest will have Springville at Depew
In the C North Division, Roy-Hart will visit Silver Creek at 7 p.m. Friday.
In the 8 Man Division, Holley (1-0) will visit CG Finney (1-0) at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The big 8 Man contest will have Oakfeld-Alabama/Elba at Pembroke in a matchup of 2-0 teams at 7 p.m. Friday.
Standings
B2 Division: Maritime 2-0, 3-1; Iroquois 2-1, 3-1; Dunkirk 1-1, 3-1; Medina/Lyndonville/Barker 1-2, 1-3; Maryvale 0-2, 2-2
B3 Division: Albion 3-0, 4-0; Olean 1-0, 2-2; Lackawanna 1-1, 3-1; Depew 0-2, 2-2; Springville 0-2, 0-4
C North Division: Wilson 3-0, 4-0; Akron 2-1, 3-1; JFK 1-1, 2-2; Cleve Hill 1-2, 1-3; Silver Creek 1-2, 1-3; Roy-Hart 0-2, 0-4
8 Man Division: Oakfield-Alabama/Elba 2-0, Pembroke 2-0, Holley 1-0, Finney 1-0, Dundee 0-2, Frewsburg 0-2, Maple Grove 0-2
Holley booters top Attica; W-C nips Kendall
Holley scored a goal in each half to earn a 2-1 win over visiting Attica this evening in a Genesee Region League boys soccer game.
Breaking away from a 1-1 deadlock, Carson Major scored the game winner for Holley in the second half off an assist from Jared Strathearn.
Kohl Morgan netted the Hawks first goal in the opening half.
Holley improves to 5-2-1 in the league and 7-3-1 overall.
W-C 3, Kendall 2
Kendall jumped out to a 2-0 first half lead on goals by Derek Edick and Michael McCue but host Wheatland-Chili answered with three second half tallies, two on penalty kicks, to claim the 3-2 G-R win.
Kendall is now 4-3-2 in the league and 5-4-2 overall.
Purple Eagles, Panthers battle to tie in OT
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Angel Rosario goes high to get a header between the Newfane duo of Jeremy Foltz and Connor MacEvoy during the 3-3 tie between the Purple Eagles and Panthers this evening at Albion.
In a sea-saw battle Albion and visiting Newfane battled to a 3-3 double overtime tie this evening in a Niagara-Orleans League boys soccer game.
Newfane jumped out to leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first half on goals by Jeremy Foltz and Trevor Heschke on a penalty kick.
Albion though answered back both times with the equalizer, first on a goal by Angel Rosario with 6:47 to go in the first half and then by Ronaldo Salucio-Cota off an assist from Alex Gibson, with just 1:09 to go in the half.
(Click here to see Albion’s Ronaldo Salucio-Cota float a shot for a goal over the hands of Newfane goalie Brady Harrington, a goal that tied the game at 2.)
Albion then grabbed its only lead of the evening at 3-2 on a goal by Salucio-Cota 20 minutes into the second half.
The Purple Eagles then had two huge chances to pad the lead with open net opportunities but could not capitalize.
Newfane weathered that storm and answered back to retie the contest at 3-3 when Heschke scored with 14 minutes to go in regulation time.
Neither team could find the back of the net again over the final 14 minutes of regulation time or in two 10 minute overtime periods.
Albion is now 3-3-1 in N-O competition while Newfane slips to 5-2-1.
In another N-O contest, Wilson (2-6) nipped Akron (0-8) 2-1.
The key Medina/Lyndonville (6-1) at Roy-Hart (5-1) game was postponed as the Rams field at Gasport was deemed unplayable.
Albion’s Ronaldo Salucio-Cots gets by Newfane defender Duce Capen and heads to score his second goal of the evening. Alex Gibson moves in to suuport for the Purple Eagles..
N-O Volleyball
Defending champion Akron defeated Albion 25-15, 25-15, 22-25, 25-13 to remain tied for the N-O volleyball lead at 7-1 with Wilson which downed Roy-Hart 25-13, 25-16, 25-10.
Elsie Logan had 16 assists and 3 aces and Madiosn Kaczmerak 7 kills and 3 blocks for Akron.
Roy-Hart is now 3-3 and Albion 1-5.
In the other match, Newfane (2-5) bested visiting Medina (1-6) 25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 25-15.
Abby Boyer had 18 aces and Gena Shorter 7 kills and 3 blocks for Newfane.
Devin Griffin had 4 kills and Ayzha Pitts 2 for Medina.
Albion to honor ’79 title team Friday
Contributed Photos – Dan Monacelli (46) picks up yardage during Albion’s narrow 13-12 win over Springville in the 1979 sectional championship game at Rich Stadium (now New Era Field).
Albion’s Homecoming festivities Friday will feature a special celebration marking the 40th anniversary of the Purple Eagles 1979 undefeated sectional champion football team.
It was one of the most memorable moments in Albion High’s long football history as the Purple Eagles capped off a perfect 9-0 season by scoring a thrilling 13-12 victory over Springville in the inaugural Section VI championships at Rich Stadium (now New Era Field).
That special achievement will be in the spotlight when the players and coaches from the team will be honored at the 7 p.m. game against Olean.
“It was just an unbelievable experience,” said Dan Monacelli who accounted for all 13 of Albion’s points and also made a clutch interception deep in Purple Eagles territory in the final minute to clinch the championship victory.
“Everybody on the team was so close,” added Monacelli. “Nobody really gave us a chance as our starting quarterback was out but we had some guys really step up. We just put it all together.”
“It was just a great group of kids, a hard working real old school team,” said Coach Dick Diminuco who was in his first season at the Purple Eagles varsity helm that fall. “We knew we had our hands full playing Springville as they had a very food team. That game was a thrill for me, for our school district and our community.”
Albion earned a berth in the sectional title contest by nipping host Newfane 14-8 in the second from last regular season game to lock up the Division VI title.
Quarterback Jim Benedetti accounted for both Albion touchdowns which came just before halftime. He hooked up with Monacelli on a 69 yard pass play for the first TD and then broke loose on a 48 yard run for what proved to be the game winning score.
It proved to be a costly win for the Purple Eagles though as Benedetti, who was also a starting linebacker on defense, suffered a knee injury and was out for the rest of the season.
However, as Monacelli notes, the Purple Eagles “had guys step up” with the main one being Jeff Klips who took over the key quarterback position. He led the Purple Eagles to a 27-12 win over Trott in the regular season finale and then to the title game victory at Rich Stadium.
The Purple Eagles had to rally from deficits of 6-0 and 12-6 to claim the sectional title.
Albion Coach Dick Diminuco talks with Monacelli.
Albion pulled even at 6-6 with 4:32 to go in the first half on a 3 yard touchdown run by Monacelli capping a 67 yard drive which was highlighted by runs of 20 and 12 yards by Dennis Massey.
Springville though answered right back with a 29 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mike Nugent to Tony Baker regaining a 12-6 lead for the Griffins at half-time.
That set the stage for Albion’s dramatic game winning touchdown play in the third quarter which Diminuco and Monacelli both vividly recall.
On the play Monacelli, running a fly pattern up the sideline, hauled in a perfect pass from Klips at midfield without breaking stride and outraced the surprised Springville secondary all the way to the end zone to complete the huge 78 yard touchdown play.
“During a timeout Danny came up to me and said coach I can beat him deep,” said Diminuco of the decisive play call.
“Coach said OK you did the talking part now get the walking part done,” said Monacelli.
“And sure enough he did it,” said Diminuco of the decisive TD pass play. “That’s one of the things I remember most about the game.”
Monacelli then kicked what proved to be the deceive extra point for a 13-12 Albion lead.
Springville did mount one last ditch scoring threat but Monacelli came up with a huge interception at the Albion 11 yard line with just 46 seconds remaining in the game to lock up the victory.
A caravan of 25 bus loads of Purple Eagles fans savored the victory at the stadium and upon the team’s return to Albion they were met by a parade led by firetrucks and then a huge welcoming crowd when they reached the school.
“When we got to the parking lot at the school there was just a huge crowd,” recalls Monacelli. “We literally had to go through a tunnel of people to get back to the locker room. The whole day was just an unbelievable experience. It was the best year of my life.”
“It’s going to be fun Friday getting everybody back together,” said Diminuco. “I’m glad they’re doing it.”
“It’s good to see the guys coming back,” added Monacelli. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
Members of the ’79 team will meet with this year’s squad in the locker room before the game and then be introduced during half-time ceremonies.
Larry Warren picks up good yardage for the Purple Eagles.
Holley girls tie in soccer but beat the storm
Holley played to a 0-0 tie with visiting Byron-Bergen this afternoon in a Genesee Region League girls soccer game that was halted with 20 minutes remaining in the second half due to the stormy weather.
The contest got in as the starting time was moved up from 6:30 to 4:30 .
Holley is now 4-2-1 in the league and 6-3-1 overall.
N-O Games postponed
The stormy weather caused the Albion at Newfane and Barker at Roy-Hart Niagara-Orleans League girls soccer games to be postponed.
In the one game that waited out the stormy weather, front-running Akron (7-1) edged past host Wilson (5-3) 1-0 on a second half goal by Kara Sequin under the lights on Wilson’s new turf field.
In addition, the Roy-Hart at Medina, Newfane at Akron and Kenmore at Wilson field hockey games were also postponed.
G-R Volleyball
Notre Dame defeated Kendall 25-15, 25-16, 25-14 in a G-R volleyball match.
For Kendall, Brittney Marks had 14 digs, 2 kills and 2 assists; Madison Shonitsky 7 digs and 4 assists, and Autumn Woodward had 7 digs and 4 kills.
Stormy weather wipes out X-C meets
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – A thunder and lightning storm wiped out this afternoon’s slate of Niagara-Orleans League cross-country meets. The Akron at Medina meet, which was the Mustangs first run at the new Boxwood Cemetery course, was halted midway through the girls race. The boys race never got started. Here Medina’s Hannah Heil is shown in action just below the hilly portion of the course just before the storm brought a halt to the event. The Newfane at Barker and Albion and Roy-Hart at Wilson meets were also both washed out. Both have been rescheduled for Thursday.
The Medina girls team runs along Glenwood Lake at the start of the race.
Lady Rams nip Lady Tigers in overtime
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart’s Ceci Santo tries to keep the ball away from Lyndonville/Medina defender Miranda Zelazny during the Lady Rams overtime win over the Lady Tigers this evening at Vets Park..
A goal in the final seconds of the second 10 minute overtime period earned Roy-Hart a narrow 2-1 win over Lyndonville/Medina in a non league girls soccer game at Vets Park this evening.
Ceci Santo scored with only 50 seconds remaining to earn Roy-Hart the win.
Santo also pulled the Lady Rams even at 1-1 when she scored with 12 minutes to go in regulation time.
Lyndonville/Medina had grabbed a short lived 1-0 lead just three minutes earlier on a goal by Ella Lewis.
Kendall 9, Notre Dame 0
Kendall erupted for three quick goals in the first 12 minutes to key a 9-0 victory over visiting Notre Dame this evening in a Genesee Region League game.
Alezya Brown scored two goals and Lizzy Woodams one in the first 12 minutes to get Kendall off and rolling.
The Lady Eagles also got two goals from both Katie Pearson and Brianna Wakefield on the evening as well as one each from Woodams, Grace Levett and Julia Coble.
Woodams also had two assists as Hailee Mitchell, Levett, Wakefield and Madison Jacob one each.
Kendall improves to 6-1 in the league and 9-1 overall.
Morgan Allis of Lyndonville/Medina works the ball around Roy-Hart’s Reanna Perkins.
Field Hockey
Roy-Hart (5-2) nipped Kenmore (1-6) 1-0 in overtime in a Niagara-Orleans League game on a goal by Abby Ander assisted by Cheyenne Stilwell and Sam Choate.
Volleyball
Wilson bested defending champion Akron 25-7, 25-20, 26-24 leaving the two teams ted for the N-O League lead at 6-1.
In a non league match, Notre Dame downed Albion 25-10, 25-16, 25-11
Roy-Hart booters trim Kendall
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart’s Trent Choate puts out a foot to block Kendall’s Michael McCue from gaining control of the ball as Nik Gutierez moves in to support.
A lone early goal proved to be just enough to earn Roy-Hart a 1-0 victory over visiting Kendall in a non league boys soccer game this evening.
Trent Choate scored the contest’s lone goal 15 minutes into the first half on a breakaway off an assist from Aidan Bligh.
Colby Hancock earned the shutout in goal for the Rams making 4 saves.
Kendall goalie Mason Kuhn made a couple of big stops in the second half to keep the Eagles close. (Click here to see Kuhn makes a diving save off a corner kick.)
Roy-Hart, which next hosts Medina/Lyndonville at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in a key contest for the Niagara-Orleans League lead, improves to 7-3 while Kendall slips to 5-3-2.
Kendall’s Derek Edick and Roy-Hart’s Clayton Keyes battle for the ball.
Medina golfers cap 12-0 regular season
Medina downed Roy-Hart 255-282 at Shelridge this afternoon to complete a 12-0 Niagara-Orleans League golf regular season.
Ian Wagner took medalist honors for the Mustangs with a 37 as Aidan Paul added a 38 and Trevor Luthart a 43.
The season ending N-O All League Tournament will be held on Thursday at Willowbrook.
Rams Wall of Fame inducts 5 new members
Contributed Photo – Festivities at Roy-Hart’s Homecoming this past Friday included the induction of five new members into the Proud To Be A Ram Wall of Fame including Betty Bridge, Ted Coates, Curt Snowden, Paul Merritt and Bruce Ryder. Roy-Hart Athletic Director John Grzymala, left, is shown here with the induction honorees including family members representing Betty Bridge and Ted Coates, Curt Snowden, Paul Merritt and family and Bruce Ryder and family.
