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Kendall girls join two Holley boys teams as Orleans County’s only state soccer champions
Contributed Photo – Helping to lead the Holley boys to the 1990 state championship was this quartet of, from left, Lee Dillenbeck, Keith Jarosinski, Frank Mitchell and Chip Sugar.
And now there are three!
Kendall made school and Orleans County history on Sunday when the Lady Eagles edged past Fort Ann 1-0 to capture the state Class D girls soccer championship.
The Lady Eagles, which claimed the crown on junior Hailee Mitchell’s 30th goal in the season midway through the second half, join the Holley boys, which captured back-to-back state Class D championships during the 1990 and 1991 seasons, as the county’s only state soccer champions.
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall’s Hailee Mitchell is congratulated by teammates after scoring the winning goal in Sunday’s state championship game against Fort Ann.
The 1990 Holley boys squad earned the county’s first state soccer crown by rallying to edge Southold High from Long Island 2-1 in overtime on two goals by Keith Jarosinski in the second 10 minute overtime period. Southold had taken a 1-0 lead in the first overtime period.
Coach Dan Orbaker’s Hawks advanced to the title contest by downing North Collins 2-1 in overtime in the Far West Regionals and by blanking Roxbury 4-0 in the state semifinals.
Jarosinski, who finished with 40 goals, headed a quint of Hawk players who earned Genesee Region League All-League honors which included Chip Sugar (22 goals), Lee Dillenbeck (15), Frank Mitchell (8) and Hai Nguyen (6). Dillenbeck is now Lyndonville’s athletic director and boys varsity basketball coach.
Holley then accomplished a rare feat by repeating as state champions in 1991 by downing Eastport from Long Island 3-1 on two goals by Andres Rick, a senior exchange student from Sweden, and one by Orlando Perez. Rick had a total of 35 goals on the season.
Orbaker’s Hawks blanked North Collins 3-0 in the Far West Regionals and downed Worchester 4-1 in the semifinals to gain a return trip to the state title contest.
Contributed Photo – Leading Holley to its second straight state championship in 1991 was this quartet of, from left, Andres Rick, Jeff Dinehart, Hai Nguyen and Ian Casperson.
Kendall grad earned Empire 8 soccer honors
Contributed Photo – Jake Adams
Kendall graduate and Nazareth College sophomore Jake Adams has been named to the first team of the All Empire 8 Conference soccer squad.
Adams, a midfielder, scored 8 goals, including 4 game winners, and added 7 assists this season in helping Nazareth compile a 12-7-1 record.
He is a Communication Sciences and Disorders major.
During his scholastic days at Kendall, Adams had a career total of 67 goals including 30 his senior year. He was a two-time All-State honoree.
Hearts regain Euchre League lead
Sacred Heart used a big 51-19 win over Vets Club to move back into the Medina Euchre League lead by 12 points over former front-runner Legion which played to a 35-35 tie with JR Wilson.
Sacred Heart is now 267-223 on the season followed by Legion 255-235, JR Wilson 240-250 and Vets Club 218-272.
League competition continues on November 19 with Sacred Heart at Vets Club and Legion at JR Wilson.
Vets Park renovation work resumes
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – With the high school fall sports season now complete renovation work at Veterans Memorial Park in Medina has resumed. The south side of the field now has a wide open look as work crews have removed the old bleachers and press box. That is in preparation for the construction of a new permanent grandstand and press box. The first phase of the project, which involved the installation of a new turf field and scoreboard, was completed last year.
Orleans has a trio of G-R volleyball All-Stars
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Local G-R volleyball All-Stars include Alecia Hinkson (Lyndonville), Brittney Marks (Kendall) and Nicole Mrzywka (Holley)
Three Orleans County players – Lyndonville senior Alecia Hinkson, Holley senior Nicole Mrzywka and Kendall junior Brittney Marks – have been named to the Genesee Region League All-Star volleyball team.
Three other Lyndonville seniors – Hannah Despard, Natalie Ostrowski and Cassidy Boyce – have received Honorable Mention as have Kendall seniors Jenna Regan and Jessica Coble.
The first team All-Stars also include Taylor Gadd, Mary Weber and Leah Veley from Attica; Madison Farnsworth and Annabella Vurraro from Byron-Bergen; Adryona Miller and Jewel Schenck from Notre Dame also with Brianna Smith from Oakfield-Alabama/Elba and Amanda Knauss from Pembroke.
The Honroable Mention selections also include Carson Marzolf, Alyssa Dudley, McKenna Moran and Rylie Merle from Alexander; Claudia Hardie and Randsley Berry from Attica; Alexandra Vurraro and Hannah Catalino from Byron-Bergen; Alexis Danosos, Clare Misiak and Stevie Wilcox from Notre Dame; Taylore Dorman, MacKenzie Jurek and DeKari Moss from Pembroke and Nissa Burch and Abigail Winslow from Wheatland-Chili.
Hinkson, Ostrowski, Despard, Mrzywka, Coble and Regan have also all been selected to play in the G-R vs. Livingston County League Exceptional Senior match which will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at Byron-Bergen.
The G-R lineup for the Senior game will also include Misiak, Gadd, Knauss, Marzolf, Dorman, Burch, Jurek, Winslow and Wilcox along with Gabby Crespo (Notre Dame), Kennedy O’Neill (Alexander),
NCCC cagers romp to Tip-Off Classic title
Staying perfect at 4-0 on the young season, the Niagara County Community College women’s basketball team scored a pair of lopsided wins over the weekend to win the host Thunderwolves Tip-Off Classic.
NCCC defeated Jackson (Mich.) College 91-63 in the opening round as Kenetria Redfern had 20 points, Aubrey Halloran 18 and 11 rebounds and Paige Emborsky (Newfane) 13 points.
In the championship game, NCCC romped past Pitt-Titusville 128-49 as Redfern had 27 points, Shilah Parker 24, Emborsky 18, Molly Mahony 18, Caitlynn Snook (Albion) 7 and Ellie Todd (Roy-Hart) 4. Emborsky also had 9 assists and 4 steals, Snook 6 rebounds and Todd 5 assists and 4 rebounds.
NCCC will next visit nationally ranked Onondaga Community College on Wednesday.
Tri County icers surge late to earn two wins
Big third period scoring bursts earned the Tri County Midget hockey team a pair of league opening victories over the weekend.
On Saturday, Tri Town erupted for five straight goals in the third period to earn an 8-4 win over previously unbeaten (3-1) Canandaigua.
Breaking away from a 3-3 deadlock after two periods, Tri County claimed the win on two goals by Chase Froman and one each by Grant Moy, Ian McGraw and Patrick Ricker.
Ricker had a total of four goals including two in the first period and one in the second to rally Tri County into the 3-3 tie.
Today, Tri County used a big four goal third period to key a 5-3 win over Rochester Youth.
Trailing 2-1 after two periods, Tri County got third period goals by Matt Nielson, Moy, Froman and Aaron Shefflin to claim the victory. Froman’s tally, which broke a 3-3 tie, proved to be the game winner as Shefflin followed up with an insurance tally.
The game was scoreless after one period and Rochester took the 2-1 lead in the second as John Pilon netted Tri County’s lone goal in the period.
Now at 3-0 overall, Tri County next faces Perinton on November 18.
Kendall captures state soccer championship
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall players and coaches proudly celebrate with their medals and championship plaque after nipping Fort Ann 1-0 for the state Class D soccer championship this morning at Tompkins Cortland Community College.
One lone goal proved to be just enough to earn Kendall its first state soccer championship as the Lady Eagles downed Fort Ann (Section II) 1-0 for the state Class D title this morning at Tompkins Cortland Community College.
Hailee Mitchell’s milestone 30th goal of the season with 17:59 remaining in the second half provided the margin of victory for Kendall which controlled play throughout the game.
“It’s awesome, just awesome,” exclaimed a jubilant Kendall Coach Pam Barchet. “We really jelled at the right time. These girls all have the same goal and they all work together to achieve it.”
Kendall captains Lizzie Sutphen, Hailee Mitchell and Brianna Wakefield and Coach Pam Barchet hold the state championship plaque high.
Kendall set it’s tone for controlling play from the outset getting 6 shots and 4 corners in the first 20 minutes.
The Lady Eagles in fact did everything but get the ball in the net in the opening half outshooting the Cardinals 12-5.
That trend continued in the second half as Kendall, utilizing a patient passing game, upped its shots advantage to 21-5 in the second half before Mitchell worked her away in front of the Cardinals net in traffic and connected on a shot from some 25 yards out for the only tally the Lady Eagles would need.
Kendall goalie Katherine Pearson and her defensive mates including Lizzie Sutphen, T’Mia Kitchings, Julie Coble and Olivia Reed did the rest in registering the shutout. Pearson’s biggest tests were in making a pair of saves early in the first half.
The shutout was the fifth in seven postseason games for the Lady Eagles defensive unit which allowed a total of only two goals during that pressure stretch.
Kendall, which finishes the season at 18-5, advanced to the title round by defeating Cincinnatus (Section III) 2-0 in the semifinals on Saturday while Fort Ann nipped Parishville-Hopkinton (Section X) 2-1 in overtime in the other semi.
Hailee Mitchell who scored the lone goal for the Lady Eagles, works to get control of the ball here against Fort Ann’s Kayla Bailey.
Kendall’s Grace Robinson tries to get the ball past Fort Ann goalie Faith Lehoisky.
Katherine Pearson goes high to make one of the few stops she had to make in goal for Kendall.
Barker bows in state field hockey semifinals
Jumping out to a quick lead, Carle Place (Section VIII) went on to defeat Barker 5-0 in the state Class C field hockey semifinals this afternoon at Williamsville North.
Carle Place scored just four minutes in on a goal by Julia Pascarella and then tallied again with just three minutes to go in the half on a goal by Emiline Biggin.
Another Carle Place goal just two minutes into the second half on a goal by Trinity Reed then broke the contest open.
Barker did not have a shot on goal or any penalty corner opportunities.
“They were good. We got beat by a better team,” said Barker Coach Jeff Costello whose Lady Raiders lineup is dominated by underclassmen. “That is huge for us. They got some great experience and now they know what you have to do to get like that.”
Barker’s Katrina Clare was named to the All-Tournament team and Ciara Gregoire earned the Sportsmanship Award.
Barker, which advanced to the state semis for the fourth time in the last nine years, advanced by nipping East Rochester 4-3 in overtime in the Far West Regional.
The Lady Raiders finish the season at 17-4.
Carle Place will now face Whitney Point in the title contest on Sunday at Williamsville North. It will be a rematch of last year’s final which was won by Whitney Point.
Whitney Point defeated Hoosick Falls 6-3 in the other semifinal.
N-O runners compete at state championship
Albion’s Holman is 23rd in Class C; Newfane girls are 4th and boys 5th in Class C
Photos by Tom Rivers: Albion’s Alanna Holman is shown at a race in Albion earlier this season.
Local cross country runners had a strong showing at today’s state cross country championships in Long Island at the Sunken Meadow State Park.
Albion sophomore Alanna Holman finished 23rd on the hilly course against 130 of the best runners in Class C in the state. Holman also qualified for states last year. She cut two minutes off her time, and moved up 40 spots in the rankings.
Holman seemed to get stronger as the race went on today, advancing when many of the runners faded from the hills at Sunken Meadow.
“She was outstanding,” said Coach Mark Hyrvniak. “She had a very strong finish.”
Holman has a “never-give-up attitude” and keeps running hard to the finish line, Hyrvniak said.
“It’s her mindset,” he said.
Holman said she benefitted from many training runs on the hills at Mount Albion Cemetery. She also said her teammates and friends sent her numerous text messages as a show of support. Before she boarded the bus on Thursday morning for Long Island, the Albion pep band gave her a sendoff from the school.
“I had so many supporting me,” she said. “My whole experience was like heaven. I met so many great people.”
She learned from last year, when she said she didn’t know what to expect at States. That race was on a muddy course at Wayne Central.
This time she was more focused, and determined, even though it meant pushing through pain to keep her pace throughout the race.
“Pain is temporary and pride is forever,” Holman said. “I know if I push a little harder, that it’s so worth it.”
Kimberly Goerrs, shown at Sectionals on Nov. 2, was the top finisher from Niagara-Orleans at today’s state meet. She was sixth in Class C.
The Newfane girls and boys teams both qualified for states after winning Sectionals on Nov. 2 at Bemus Point. They competed against 10 other teams that won Sectionals around the state.
The Newfane boys were fifth in Class C. Saranac Lake was first with 31, followed by Westhill at 83, and Irvington at 118. Newfane and Port Jefferson both had 119, but Port Jefferson got fourth in a tie-breaker because their sixth man was ahead of Newfane’s.
Newfane’s top five boys were freshman Austin Burkard, 21st at 17:32.2; senior Robert Stevenson, 36th at 17:53.7; sophomore Nick Baes, 49th at 18:07.5; junior Alan Lingle, 50th at 18:08.4; and freshman Conner Cuzzacrea, 89th at 19:18.5.
In the girls race, Newfane finished fourth as a team out of 11 with 140 points, behind the champion Greenwich (38), second place Bronxville (105) and third place Clinton (117).
Newfane’s top five were senior Kimberly Goerss at 6th in 19:51.2; eighth grader Catalena Ersing at 50th in 21:23.6; junior Vanessa Burkard in 66th at 21:48.9; junior Lydia Chunco at 68th in 21:51.9; and sophomore Marina Ersing at 85th in a time of 22:17.7.
Two other Niagara-Orleans runners were in the race. Peter DiLorenzo, a junior, competed in the Class D boys race and was 19th for Barker with a time of 17:52.0
William Schwarzmueller, a senior for Wilson, completed in the Class C boys race and was 48th with a time of 18:02.6.
