Contributed Photo – Scott Bradley, right, is shown on the podium after finishing 7th at the Ironman – Mont Tremblant. The other finishers, from left, are Monchy (Belgium) 6th; Jolicoeur Desroches (Canada) 4th; Sanders (Canada) 2nd; Beals (Canada) 1st;  Russell (USA) 3rd and Long (USA) 5th. Missing from the photo is Carrillo (Mexico) 8th.

For his second consecutive Ironman race, Lyndonville native Scott Bradley earned a spot on the Male Pro Awards Podium at the recent Ironman-Mont Tremblant.

This event included  a full distance (140.6 mile) race. A full distance triathlon includes a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile (full marathon) run.

Bradley’s 7th place finish among the 20 Male Pro starters (the race paid the top 8 finishers) and 8th place overall finish out of 2464 starters were both personal bests in a full distance race.  His previous bests were 11th and 15th respectively.

Bradley signed with a new coach, who is located in Calgary, Alberta, on August 1st of last year.  With the new training program/philosophy that this coach has put together for the 2018 season his results have shown significant growth/improvement.

Bradley was 17th out of the 20 Male Pros coming out of the water in a time of 1:00:38.

Then, riding the 7th fastest bike time of the day, he climbed to 6th among the Male Pros as he dismounted his bike, riding a 4:36:30 at an average speed of 24.30 mph over the 112 miles.  This was a Personal Record (PR) for him.

His run of 3:14:06 was also a PR., as was his total time for the day of 8:56:20.

Ironman Mont-Tremblant was the final race of the year for professional triathletes to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, which will be held on October 13.  This is the most prestigious triathlon race of the year.  Points are earned by competing in Ironman 70.3 and 140.6 races around the world for a period of one year.

The final 2018 Male Pro Rankings showed that 647 male professionals had raced in at least one race during the past year.  Bradley’s final ranking was 185th, placing him in the top 29% of all male professionals from around the world.  Fifty-eight (58) Male Pros have earned the right to race at Kona this year.

Bradley is the Assistant Principal at Byron-Bergen Junior-Senior High School.

Contributed Photo – Shown at one of the new Roy-Hart soccer dugouts are, seated, Reanna Perkins, Kara Choate and Hanna Willard. In the second row are Christina DiBenedetto, Mya Quinn, Emily Metz, Meghan Washington, Maddie Fry, Maddie Colley and CC Santos. In the back row are girls Asst. Coach Michelle Jennings, Mackenzie White, Rylee Young, Taylor Rhinhart,  Clara Jones and girls Head Coach Rich Jennings.

Anyone driving by the soccer fields at Royalton-Hartland Elementary have probably noticed two new dugouts.  School Business Administrator, Andy Lang, says the new structures are part of the District’s ongoing long-range facilities plan. “The District will be allocating a portion of the Operations and Maintenance budget to fund facilities improvements throughout the District. This will be an ongoing continuous initiative.”

The District’s Director of Facilities, Tim Pietrowski, says the new dugouts were long overdue.  “The structures that were out there had been there for years and were old and dilapidated.  It was a big concern on everyone’s part to replace them with something safe that would last a long time.    Thanks to the generosity of several local companies: All Metal Works, Oak Orchard Concrete and Standish-Jones Building Supply, who helped provide us with materials at a substantial discount, the Building and Grounds Department was able to build the new all steel dugouts and place them on concrete slabs making a much safer space for our students to utilize.  It’s great to get the support from the community on a project like this.  At Roy-Hart Central School District we are a team!”

“I want to thank the Buildings and Grounds crew and Tim for helping to put the new dugouts in at the soccer fields,” says Athletic Director, John Grzymala.  “It’s exciting that a lot of our athletic fields are getting updated and made to look more professional.  We hope that it makes it more welcoming not only for our own students, but for our opponents.  It makes it a good and safe environment for everyone.  It is a great reflection of what we want our athletic department to be.”

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Je’ne Brown spikes over Roy-Hart’s Maddie Ciemny during the Mustangs wild win over the host Lady Rams this evening.

Putting together an amazing last ditch rally, Medina battled back from a 7 point deficit late in the final set to outlast host Roy-Hart 27-25, 23-25, 25-17, 19-25, 27-25 in a wild early season Niagara-Orleans League volleyball match this evening.

Facing set and match point, Medina rallied from a 24-17 deficit to claim the decisive final set in dramatic overtime fashion.

Elle Gross served up eight straight pressure points (18-25) to rally Medina into a 25-24 lead.  Je’ne Brown, who had a total of 25 spiking kills on the night, had kills for points 19, 20, 21 and 25, and Di’vere Brown chipped in with a kill for point 24 during that clutch run.

Roy-Hart pulled even at 25-25 on a side out but the Mustangs kept the momentum earning point 26 on another kill by Je’ne Brown and the set and match winning 27th point on an ace by Kharise Johnson.

“It was incredible,” said Medina Coach Tim Lincoln of the dramatic late rally.

Roy-Hart’s Kristina Burdick bump sets at the net.

Gross, Di’vere Johnson and Maddie Williams each had 5 kills and Johnson 3 on the night for the Mustangs.

Aspen Moore had a total of 22 kills for Roy-Hart including 4 in the final set to help the Lady Rams build up as much as a 24-16 lead..

Medina also took the opening set in overtime 27-25 as Je’ne Brown had a tip for point 25, a kill for point 26 and a return for point 27. Je’ne Brown and Moore each had 6 kills in the set.

Roy-Hart bounced back to take the second set 25-23 as Moore had a kill for point 24 and Kristina Burdick served up the set winner.

Medina had rallied into ties at 22-22 and 23-23 as Griffin had a kill for point 20 and a tip for point 21 and Je’ne Brown a kill for point 22.

The sea-saw battle would continue as Medina took the third set 25-17 as Gross served up points 21-25, a run capped off by a set winning kill by Je’ne Brown.

Once again though Roy-Hart rallied to knot the match by taking the fourth set 25-19 as Moore had kills for points 21 and 22 and a block for point 24 and Ella Brown a block for point 23.

That set the stage for the dramatic fifth set which saw Roy-Hart reach match point with a 24-17 lead only to see Medina come storming back to take 10 of the next 11 points to win the set and the match in dramatic overtime fashion.

Medina is now 2-0 and Roy-Hart 2-1 in N-O action.

Medina’s Devin Griffin and Roy-Hart’s Paige Dent meet at the top of the net.

Medina players celebrate the win.

Kendall blanked visiting Pembroke 6-0 this evening to improve to 3-1 in Genesee Region League girls soccer action.

Hailee Mitchell scored 3 goals, Brianna Wakefield 2 and Alezya Brown 1 to lead the Kendall attack while Katherine Pearson made 2 saves to earn the shutout.

In other G-R action, Wheatland-Chili jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first half and went on to defeat host Lyndonville/Medina 4-0.

Albion 3, Newfane 2 OT
Albion stayed undefeated at 4-0 in Niagara-Orleans League competition with a narrow 3-2 double overtime win at Newfane which slips to 2-2.

Lexi Wolck scored the game winner for Albion in the first 10 minute overtime period.

The Purple Eagles also got second half goals by Brylie Hapeman, off an assist from Mariah Plain, and by Abby Scanlan, off an assist from Hapeman, to rebound from a 1-0 half-time deficit.

In the other N-O game, Wilson (2-1) nipped Roy-Hart (1-3) 1-0 on a first half goal by Leia Cloy off an assist from Lilly O’Lay.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart’s Sam Choate tries to keep the ball away from Akron defender Alexis Bell during the host Lady Rams key win over the Lady Tigers this afternoon.

Taking over sole possession of first place, Roy-Hart shutout defending co-champion Akron 2-0 in a key early season Niagara-Orleans League field hockey game this afternoon at Middleport.

Lexi Lovewell scored what proved to be the game winning goal with 8 minutes to go in the first half off an assist from Ashley Hill.

Danielle Kozma later added a big insurance goal midway through the second half as Sam Choate earned the assist.

Jamie Bower made 3 key saves in goal for Roy-Hart in the first half.

“It’s a huge win for us,” said Roy-Hart Coach Colleen Albee.

The victory keeps Roy-Hart perfect at 4-0 while Akron slips to 4-1.

In the other N-O games, Barker improved to 3-1 with a 6-0 win over Kenmore (1-5) and Wilson evened its record at 2-2 with a 2-0 win over Newfane (0-5).

Lena Fazzolari, Rachel Hurtgam, Emily Wagner and Katrina Clare all scored goals in the first half for Barker which also got second half tallies from Ciara Gregoire and Natalie Bruning.

Emily Mucio and Hannah Day each scored a goal for Wilson.

Roy-Hart’s Danielle Kozma and Akron’s Alexandra Roland battle for control of the ball in a crowd in front of the Akron goal.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Holley’s Dalton Moyer and his Hawk teammates will make their 8 man football debut this Saturday by hosting Marcus Whitman at 1:30 p.m.

Holley’s new 8 man football era will begin Saturday as the Hawks host Marcus Whitman at 1:30 p.m.

“It’s exciting,” said Coach Wil Prince. “The kids have worked really hard and are excited about playing football and being part of a program. I think this is the future of small schools football.”

Cody Tanis and Tony Farruggia will share the quarterbacking duties for the Hawks with Jacob Affronti at tailback, Dalton Moyer at fullback, Jamel Hildreth at wide receiver, Tristan McFadden at tight end, Eli Stanton at center and Matt Hahn and Hunter McClean at the guards.

“We’ve really been surprised with our offensive line play which has really been strong so far,” said Prince. “We really don’t know what to expect from Marcus Whitman but we know they have some skilled players.”

The Hawks schedule will include home and home games with the other three Section V schools which are playing 8 man football including Marcus Whitman, CG Finney and Oakfield-Alabama/Elba.

Mustangs, Purple Eagles host interdivisional games
Albion and Medina/Lyndonville/Barker will also play rare Saturday evening games hosting interdivisional contests.

The Purple Eagles will host Burgard at 7 p.m. while the Mustangs will entertain Lew-Port at 7:30 p.m.

Albion and Medina/Lyndonville/Barker are both 2-0 while Burgard is 1-1 and Lew-Port 1-1.

The Bulldogs hold a 2-0 lead in the brief series against the Purple Eagles while the Mustangs and Lancers all time series is knotted at 11-11.

The lone Friday night contest will have Roy-Hart hosting Silver Creek/Forestville in a C North Division game.

Photo by Mike Wertman – New Medina cross-country teams Coach Christian Held meets here with several veteran members of the Mustangs squads. In front are Arian Cayea, Isaac Pace and August Pietrafesa. In back are Cora Payne, Rebecca Lunden, Hannah Heil and Corinne Hill. Missing from the photo are Trenton Cruz and Sabrina Quiros.

Bolstered by a larger turnout of some 20 runners, and with new Coach Christian Held at the helm, the Medina High boys and girls cross-country teams are prepping for the September 25 Niagara-Orleans League opener at Wilson.

“We’re young but we’ve got a good turnout of 20 which is fantastic and they love to run,” said Held. “They have great potential.”

The Mustangs boys squad is anchored by the veteran quartet of junior Trenton Cruz, sophomores August Pietrafesa and freshman Isaac Pace and Arian Cayea. Also promising are sophomores Alwyn Cayea, Aedan Bunch and Cameron Castanon.

The girls team is led by the veteran quintet of seniors Rebecca Lunden and Cora Payne, juniors Hannah Heil and Sabrina Quiros and sophomore Corinne Hill.

Last year the boys squad went 3-3 and the girls 0-6.

Contributed Photo – Roy-Hart volleyball Coach Bill Holahan, center. receives the Section VI Sportsmanship Award from Doug Ames (Section VI Sportsmanship Coordinator), Adam Stoltman  (Superintendent of Alden Schools/Member of Section VI Board), Coach Bill Holahan, John Grzymala (Roy-Hart Athletic Director) and Jim Graczyk (Section VI Sportsmanship Coordinator).

Longtime Roy-Hart Coach, Bill Holahan, was recently honored at the Section VI Coaches Sportsmanship Awards Dinner.

The 19th Sportsmanship Recognition Dinner, held at the Columns Banquet facility, honored several coaches from various sports of the 95 schools that are members of the organization.  They were recognized for their coaching abilities and, more importantly, their ability to teach their student-athletes the value of good sportsmanship on and off the field.

Following the dinner, Coach Holahan, who is entering his 43rd year for coaching, was presented with his award.

He is the current Head Coach for the Girls Varsity Volleyball team and a past Varsity Girls Softball team coach.

Roy-Hart Athletic Director John Grzymala spoke on behalf of the school district and the Niagara-Orleans League.  “I have been in the Roy-Hart School District for ten years and Bill has been a great role model for not only me, but for thousands of Roy-Hart student-athletes,” he said.

Coach Holahan addressed the crowd that included his wife and daughter, “It has been an honor to coach at Roy-Hart, especially with all the support that I have had over the years and to have guided and watched the growth and development of the Roy-Hart program since its humble beginnings in the mid 1970’s. I still am in contact with a number of my former players who still play with us over the summer.”

Coach Holahan has coached his Lady Rams team to eight Niagara-Orleans Titles in 1983, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2008 and 2009.  Under his leadership the team also has three Sectional titles in 1983, 1987 and 1996.

Lyndonville defeated Alexander 25-19, 25-22, 25-21 and Kendall rallied to best Wheatland-Chili 23-25, 25-13, 25-7, 25-15 in Genesee Region League girls volleyball action this evening.

Pembroke also outlasted Holley 25-19, 25-14, 23-25, 17-25, 25-17 in another G-R match.

Alicia Hinkson had 9 kills, 13 digs and went 14 of 14 from the service line; Natalie Ostrowski added 19 assists and 4 digs and Hannah Despard had 23 digs and went 11 of 11 from the service line to set the pace for Lyndonville.

Brittney Marks had a monster game for Kendall with 11 assists, 11 digs, 8 kills and 7 aces. Jessica Coble added 7 assists, 7 aces, and 5 digs; Autumn Woodward 6 digs and 3 kills, and Kelly Mayes and Jenna Regan both had 6 kills.

Amanda Knauss likewise had a huge night for Pembroke with 11 kills, 6 aces and 10 digs Dekari Moss added 12 digs and 5 kills, Olivia Metz 6 assists and 4 aces and Katelyn Curtis 9 digs, 5 assists and 4 aces.

For Holley, Nicole Mrzywka had 6 kills, 2 blocks and 5 digs; Rachael Howard 5 aces, 2 kills and 10 digs; Ava Parr 6 aces, 2 kills and 6 digs and AJ Botello 3 aces, 4 assists and 3 digs.

Field Hockey
Medina 3, Sacred Heart 1
Mary Flores, Abby Blount and Guin Schalck took turns scoring the goals for Medina in the 3-1 non league victory over Sacred Heart.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Nate Scanlan works the ball up field against Wilson defender Trent Kenny during the host Purple Eagles overtime time with the Lakemen this afternoon.

Albion and visiting Wilson battled to a 3-3 tie and Medina and visiting Akron played to a 2-2 deadlock, both in double overtime, in Niagara-Orleans League boys soccer games this afternoon.

Newfane nipped Roy-Hart 1-0 in the other N-O contest.

Albion ended up sending the game into overtime when Nate Scanlan scored on a long shot with 8:20 remaining in the second half to pull the Purple Eagles even at 3-3.

Albion also got off to a quick 1-0 lead at the outset as Sam Sanchez scored on a rebound as Scanlan earned the assist.

Wilson though quickly knotted the score when Taylor Carmer tallied just two minutes later.

The Purple Eagles did regain a 2-1 lead at the half as Leonael Rosario scored with 14:15 to go off an assist from Tre Yaskulski.

However, Wilson came battling back to take a 3-2 lead in the second half as Carmer scored again at the 28:05 mark and then Kierson Skobjak tallied with 12:34 remaining.

This time it was Albion’s turn to answer back and the Purple Eagles took less than four minutes to net the equalizer on a shot by Scanlan.

Neither team could then find the net through the two 10 minute overtime periods.

Albion is now 1-1-1 and Wilson 3-0-1 in N-O action.

Medina/Lyndonville 2, Akron 2
A pair of first half goals proved to be enough to earn Medina/Lyndonville the overtime tie with Akron.

Casey Winiecki scored off an assist from Nate Dillenbeck and Nate Sherman tallied from Winiecki to give the Mustangs a 2-1 lead at the half.

Akron though pulled even in the second half on a penalty kick goal by Micah Suckow who also netted the Tigers first goal.

Medina/Lyndonville is nw 1-2-1 and Akron 0-3-1 in the league.

Newfane 1, Roy-Hart 0
A first half goal by Trevor Heschke earned Newfane the narrow 1-0 win over Roy-Hart.

Newfane is now 2-1 and Roy-hart 2-2 in the league.

Albion’s Harrison Brown tries to keep the ball away from Wilson’s Drew Kepner.