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NYSPHSAA announces a new start date for “High Risk” winter sports
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) this morning announced that the start for “High Risk” winter sports including basketball, wrestling, competitive cheerleading and ice hockey has been moved back to January 4, 2021.
The NYSPHSAA release added that until authorization is granted by state officials, NYSPHSAA member schools are not permitted to participate in sports determined to be high risk by the New York State Department of Health. (NYSDOH).
Low and moderate risk winter sports which includes swimming, will be permitted to begin on November 30th as previously determined by NYSPHSAA.
“The NYSPHSAA membership has expressed concerns pertaining to the increase in infection rates,” said NYSPHSAA Executive Director Robert Zayas. “Minimizing risk and exposure to COVID-19 is a top priority of the Association. We continue to make these types of decisions based upon readily available information and communication with state officials.”
The release adds that low and moderate risk winter sports practices are still on schedule to begin on November 30th for those schools and sections who have determined it feasible to host interscholastic athletics at that time. Regular season games/contests can begin for low and moderate sports once student-athletes have participated in the required number of practices.
“NYSPHSAA’s leadership recognizes the numerous challenges interscholastic programs are experiencing and the obstacles associated with resuming high risk sports,” said NYSPHSAA President Julie Bergman. “While it is certainly the goal of the Association to provide all students with the ability to participate in interscholastic athletics we must remain steadfast in our decisions to ensure the safety of our athletes is our focus.”
The release concludes by stating that “at this time all winter NYSPHSAA State Championship events remain as scheduled.”
Avon girls down Holley in Class C1 semi
Jumping out to a 2-0 halftime advantage, top seeded Avon went on to defeat visiting No. 4 Holley 4-0 this evening in the semifinal round of the Section V Class C1 girls soccer playoffs.
Avon, which improves to 14-0, will face the winner of the No. 3 Warsaw vs. No. 2 Gananda semi in the championship game on Wednesday.
Holley finishes the season with a 12-2-2 record.
Fry signs to play baseball at Toledo U.
Contributed Photo – Medina High senior Brian Fry signs a letter of intent to continue his education and his baseball career at Division 1 Toledo University. He is planning on majoring in Physical Education. Shown with him are his parents Brian Sr. and Michelle and his brother Brodie. He has been a starter on the Mustangs varsity baseball team since eighth grade and is a three time Niagara-Orleans All-League honoree. He has also been a multi year starter on the Mustangs varsity football and basketball teams.
Barker boys win Class D sectional X-C title
Photos courtesy of Barker Coach Paul DeSarkissian: The Barker boys won the Class D sectionals today in Benus Point. The team includes Robert Mason, Dawson Donovan, Logan Harris, Mason Allee-Castro, Evan Taylor, Aidan Voss and Bradford Cantrell.
Carla Stoloski finished 11th overall in 23:02. She was the fifth girl to finish individually, not counting the Maple Grove runners, who won sectionals and had six of the top 10 runners. Stoloski would have qualified for the state meet if it wasn’t cancelled.
Barker claimed top honors at the Section VI Class D boys cross-country championship race this afternoon at Bemis Point.
Barker took first place with 69 points as Clymer/Sherman/Panama was second with 75 and Maple Grove third with 85.
The Raiders had their top five runners all finish in the top 21 as Robert Mason was 8th, Dawson Donovan 10th, Logan Harris 13th, Mason Allee-Castro 17th and Evan Taylor 21st.
“They really pulled it together,” said Coach Paul DeSarkissian whose Raiders captured the sectional title for the 10th time in the last 20 years.
The Barker girls finished third behind first place Maple Grove and second place Clymer/Sherman/Panama. Carla Stoloski placed 11th to lead the Lady Raiders.
In the boys Class C race Wilson finished sixth and Roy-Hart 8th. Roy-Hart was led by Jay Heideman in 18th, while Wilson’s top finisher was Justin Messing in 19th.
Soccer semis next for Holley, Kendall teams
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Holley’s Charlie Turpyn and Halee Passarell and Kendall’s Zach Barrett and their Hawks and Eagles teammates will compete in the sectional semifinals early this week.
Section V semifinal round soccer playoff competition is up next for both the Holley boys and girls teams and the Kendall boys squad.
The No. 4 seeded Holley girls will visit No. 1 Avon at 6 p.m. Monday in the Class C 1 semis.
Avon brings a 13-0 record into the contest while Holley is 12-1-2.
Avon advanced by defeating No. 8 Marcus Whitman 4-0 in the quarterfinals while Holley bested No. 5 Bishop Kearney 3-2.
Monday’s other semi will match No. 3 Warsaw vs. No. 2 Gananda.
The championship game is scheduled for Wednesday.
The No. 3 seeded Holley boys squad will host No. 7 Pavilion/York in a Class C1 semifinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Holley is 10-3-1 on the season and Pavilion/York 8-5-1.
The Hawks blanked No. 6 Addison 2-0 in the quarterfinals while Pavilion/York upended No. 2 Avon 1-0.
The other semi will have No. 5 Sodus vs. No. 1 East Rochester.
The title contest is slated for Thursday.
The No. 4 seeded Kendall boys will visit top seeded Naples in a Class C2 semi at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Naples is 10-0 on the season and Kendall is 6-8.
Naples defeated Bradford/Dundee 3-1 and Kendall downed Pembroke 7-2 in the quarterfinals.
The other semi will match No. 7 Geneseo against No. 3 Bolivar-Richburg.
The championship game is scheduled for Thursday.
Kendall debuts new soccer field lights
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – In addition to the Eagles sectional quarterfinal round victory over Pembroke Saturday’s nights contest also marked the debut of Kendall’s new soccer field lights. The addition of the new LED lighting system completes the field improvements which has also included the installing of a new grandstand and press box.
Medina boys 2nd at sectionals in cross country
Newfane girls repeat, led by Kylie Bowman in 1st
Photos by Tom Rivers: Cameron Castanon races up a hill and finishes second in today’s Class C-1 cross country sectionals in Bemus Point, capping a stellar season for the Medina senior.
The Medina boys cross country closed out the season with a second place finish at sectionals, behind only Alden and also just ahead of last year’s champs, Newfane.
Arian Cayea just edged Nick Baes of Newfane at the finish line with Cayea at 17:32.96 for fourth place and Baes at 17:33.00 in fifth.
It is a dramatic turnaround for Medina, which was 11th out of 16 teams a year ago among Class C. This year the Class C was split into two eight-team divisions. C2 is scheduled to race on Sunday at Bemus Point Golf Club.
Medina has been on the rise this year, led by Cameron Castanon, who won the Niagara-Orleans League title and finished second today at 17:29, behind Kyle Urban of Alden in 16:30.
Medina’s top five finishers are the point scorers for the team. Besides Castanon, Medina had Arian Cayea in 4th at 17:32, Alwyn Cayea in 7th at 17:58, Gabriel Mark in 19th at 18:46 and Isaac Pace in 21st at 19:09.
Alden in 1st with 36 points, Medina in 2nd with 53, Newfane 3rd with 58, Albion 4th with 122, Akron 5th with 124, Springville in 6th with 151, Fredonia in 7th with 159, and Dunkirk in 8th with 237.
Niagara-Orleans runners in the top 20 in the C1 race include: Cameron Castanon of Medina, 2nd at 17:29; Arian Cayea of Medina, 4th at 17:32; Nick Baes of Newfane, 5th at 17:33; Reuben Rivers of Albion, 6th at 17:44; Alwyn Cayea of Medina, 7th at 17:58; John Chubb of Akron, 8th at 17:59; Gannon Gibson of Newfane, 11th at 18:11.72; Austin Burkard of Newfane, 12th at 18:11.97; Andrew Cuzzacrea of Newfane, 14th at 18:19; Landin Chaffee of Albion, 15th at 18:22.31; Jayden Reynolds of Newfane, 16th at 18:26; Connor Cuzzacrea of Newfane, 17th at 18:29; and Gabriel Mark of Medina, 19th at 18:46.
Kylie Bowman of Newfane won today’s girls race in 19:45.
In the girls C-1 race, Newfane defended their section title, with Kylie Bowman, a Newfane freshman, winning the race in 19:45. Bowman also won the Niagara-Orleans title two weeks ago. Newfane girls have now won sectionals five straight years.
Newfane cruised to the sectional team championship with 31 points, followed by Akron in 2nd with 56, Alden in 3rd with 77, Albion in 4th with and Fredonia in 5th with 99. Springville and Dunkirk also had runners compete but they didn’t have full teams with at least five runners.
This year this isn’t a state meet. The races this weekend didn’t include spectators due to rising Covid-19 cases in the region.
Niagara-Orleans runners among the top 20 include: Kylie Bowman of Newfane, 1st in 19:45; Leah Siegmann of Newfane, 3rd in 20:31; Alanna Holman of Albion, 4th in 20:39; Lauren Wagner of Akron, 5th in 20:49; Catalena Ersing of Newfane, 6th in 20:55; Kayla Murray of Akron, 7th in 21:39; Kaila Szczygielski of Akron, 8th in 21:55; Melissa Robinson of Albion, 9th in 22:21; Sara Siegmann of Newfane, 12th in 22:50; Shelby Nerber of Newfane, 13th in 23:00; S’koi Sanders-Smith of Albion, 20th in 24:26.
Alanna Holman, an Albion senior, finished fourth in 20:39 while Leah Siegmann, a Newfane junior, was third in 20:31.
Holley and Kendall win to advance to semis
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Holley’s Cameron Bates connects for Holley’s second goal as the Hawks Zach Dann and Addison’s Luke Pepper and Braden Thompson trail the play. The action took place during the host Hawks sectional win this evening.
Holley and Kendall both scored home field victories this evening in the quarterfinal round of the Section V boys soccer playoffs.
No. 3 seeded Holley blanked No. 6 Addison 2-0 in a Class C1 contest.
KJ Biedlinger scored what proved to be the game winning goal for Holley on a penalty kick with four minutes to go in the first half.
Cameron Bates later added a big insurance goal for the Hawks with 20 minutes to go in the second half.
Broek Ostrom made four saves to earn the shutout in goal.
Holley, which improves to 10-3-1, will next face No. 7 Pavilion/York in the semifinals on Tuesday. Pavilion/York upset No. 2 Avon 1-0.
No. 4 seed Kendall defeated Genesee Region League foe No. 5 Pembroke 7-2 in a Class C2 game.
Kendall held a narrow 1-0 lead at the half on a goal by Michael McCue just 10 minutes into the game.
The Eagles then broke the contest wide open with a huge six goal second half scoring barrage.
McCue, Jake Esposito and Zach Barrett each finished with two goals and Derek Edick one.
McCue and Esposito also both had two assists and Barrett one.
Kendall, which is now 6-8, will next face top seeded Naples in the semis on Tuesday. Naples defeated Bradford/Dundee 3-1 in another quarterfinal contest.
Kendall’s Jake Esposito goes in the air to kick the ball forward as Wyatt Librock and Alex Lamb defend for Pembroke during this evening’s sectional game won by the host Eagles.
Mustangs share Class B1 championship after double overtime tie with Warriors
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina/Lyndonville’s Nate Dillenbeck battles with Tonawanda’s Ram Biswa (8) and Tyler Barker (6) for the ball during this afternoon’s Section VI Class B1 championship game at Tonawanda which ended in a 2-2 double overtime tie resulting in co-champions.
One hundred and ten minutes of soccer failed to produce a winner as No. 5 seed Medina/Lyndonville and host No. 2 Tonawanda battled to a 2-2 double overtime tie this afternoon resulting in the Mustangs and Warriors sharing the Section VI Class B1 boys soccer championship.
No shootout was held to break the tie as the cancellation of the state tournament made it unnecessary for the B1 and B2 winners to meet to determine the Section VI representative to the states.
Tonawanda did grab a lightning quick lead as Hunter Hollock scored on a breakaway just 2:56 in.
Medina/Lyndonville though battled back to knot the contest when Nate Dillenbeck broke in clean to score a goal with 6:40 remaining in the first half.
Jack Whipple of Medina/Lyndonville goes for a header against Tonawnada’s JP Young.
Keeping the momentum, the Mustangs then took their only lead when Dillenbeck scored just 1:42 into the second half off an assist from AJ Seefeldt as he beat the goalie to the ball.
The Warriors though answered back with a penalty kick goal by Hollock with 1:59 to go in the second half retying the contest at 2-2.
Neither team could then find the range over the remaining 11:59 of regulation time or in two 15 minute overtime periods resulting in a tie and sectional co-champions.
“Hat’s off to the kids it was a total team effort,” said Mustangs Coach Steve Luksch. “We had some injuries and some kids get banged up so it was next man and everyone gave it their best effort. Winning the sectionals has been our goal since last last year so we’ve been on a mission to do it from day one.”
The co-championship gives the Mustangs their third sectional title in the last nine years. The previous two titles came in 2011 with a 1-0 win over Tonawanda and in 2013 with a 2-1 overtime victory over Newfane,
Brian Fry of Medina/Lyndonville sends the ball up the sideline as Colin Kisloski defends for Tonawanda.
East Aurora tops Albion for Class B1 title
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Claire Squicciarini works the ball up field surrounded by East Aurora defenders Lila Sorgi (9), Gabbi Barusic (13) and Julia Patterson (7) during the Purple Eagles Class B1 championship game loss to the host Blue Devils this morning.
A quick goal in the first three minutes ignited top seeded East Aurora to a 4-0 victory over visiting No. 6 Albion this morning in the Section VI Class B1 girls soccer championship game.
Cora Rabey lined a shot into the corner of the goal just 2:18 into the game for what proved to be the game winner for the Blue Devils.
East Aurora doubled its advantage when Anna Bean scored on a looping shot with 11:38 to go in the half.
East Aurora likewise opened the second half strong as Bean scored again just 1:51 in to give the Blue Devils a commanding 3-0 lead.
Katie Kivari rounded out the Blue Devils scorig when she found the net on a breakaway at he 24:04 mark.
East Aurora had a 25-4 advantage in shots on the day as Albion goalie Sydney Mulka made some 20 saves.
“They just had speed all over and they were very skilled,” said Albion Coach Maggie Orbaker. “Our kids gave it 100 percent though. They didn’t leave anything on the field. I’m just very proud of them. It was a very positive season.”
Albion finishes the season with a 9-4 record.
The Purple Eagles advanced to the title contest for the third time in the last four years by scoring a pair of overtime victories 2-1 over No. 3 Springville in the quarterfinals and 4-1 over N. 7 Depew in the semis.
In the Class B2 championship game top seeded Southwestern defeated visiting No. 2 Wilson 2-0.
Albion’s Kenzi Hapeman works to keep the ball away from East Aurora’s Cora Rabey.
Purple Eagles, Mustangs seek titles Saturday
Looking to keep the momentum from back-to-back overtime playoff victories, Albion will be seeking its first title when the No. 6 seed Purple Eagles visit top seeded East Aurora at 11 a.m. Saturday in the championship game of the Section VI Class B1 girls soccer playoffs.
Albion, which has now reached the final three times in the last four years, advanced to the finals by edging No. 3 Springville 2-1 in overtime in the quarterfinals and No. 7 Depew 4-1 in overtime in the semifinals.
In their previous two trips to the finals the Purple Eagles lost 1-0 to Newfane in 2017 and 3-0 to Olean in 2018.
Medina/Lyndonville will be looking to make it three road wins in a row over higher seeded teams as the No. 5 seed Mustangs visit No. 2 Tonawanda in the Section VI Class B1 boys soccer championship game ay 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Medina/Lyndonville has advanced to the finals by upending No. 4 Lackawanna 4-0 in the quarterfinals and top seeded East Aurora 1-0 in the semifinals.
Tonawnada defeated no. 3 Maryvale 2-1 in the other semifinal.
The Mustangs are seeking their third B1 title in the last nine years. Their previous two title wins were 1-0 over Tonawanda in 2011 and 2-1 in overtime over Newfane in 2013.
In the Section VI girls Class B2 tItle contest No. 2 Wilson will visit top seeded Southwestern at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Late goal propels Lady Hawks into semis
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Holley’s Samantha Bates gets set to line a shot for the game winning goal in the final two minutes of tonight’s sectional game as Taylor Norris tries to defend for visiting Bishop Kearney.
A fast start and a strong finish earned No. 4 seed Holley a narrow 3-2 victory over visiting No. 5 Bishop Kearney this evening in the quarterfinals of the Section V Class C1 girls soccer playoffs.
Holley jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as Halee Passarell scored on a penalty kick with 20:03 to go in the first half and Samantha Bates tallied off an assist from Hayley Skidmore with 5:20 remaining in the half.
However, Bishop Kearney came battling back to knot the contest as Emily Tytler scored with 2:33 remaining in the first half and again at the 29:58 mark of the second half.
That set the stage for an exciting fashion as Bates scored the game winner for the Lady Hawks with just 1:15 remaining in regulation time.
Improving to 12-1-2, Holley will next visit top seeded Avon in the semifinals on Monday. Avon, which is 13-0, shutout No. 8 Marcus Whitman this evening in the quarterfinals.
Byron-Bergen 1, Kendall 0
No. 7 Kendall dropped a narrow 1-0 decision to Genesee Region League foe host No. 2 Byron-Bergen in the quarterfinal round of the Class C2 playoffs.
The Lady Eagles and Lady Bees also split a pair of 1-0 decisions during the G-R campaign.
Holley’s Halee Passarell heads up field ahead of Kearney defender Kaia Goode.
Mustangs upend Blue Devils in B1 semi
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Nate Dillenbeck scored the game winner for Medina/Lyndonville in today’s sectional semifinal.
Fifth seeded Medina/Lyndonville upset top seeded East Aurora 1-0 this evening at East Aurora in the semifinals of the Section VI Class B1 boys soccer playoffs.
A penalty kick goal by Nate Dillenbeck with 18 minutes to go in the second half proved to be all the scoring the Mustangs needed. The goal was his team leading 21st of the season.
Goalie Zack Fike and his defensive mates including Cole Seefeldt, Jack Whipple, Russ Stephens, Alex Barry, Anthony Moule and AJ Seefeldt did the rest in notching the huge shutout victory.
“The defense played just really well,” said Coach Steve Luksch. “That was a huge win. It was just an outstanding team effort by everyone. I’m just really proud of them. To beat a team like that is just a great accomplishment.”
The victory propels the Mustangs into the B1 championship game for the first time since 2013. They will face host No. 2 Tonawanda at 1:30 p.m. Tonawanda defeated No. 3 Maryvale 2-1.
In their last title game appearance in 2013 the Mustangs nipped Niagara-Orleans League foe Newfane 2-1 in overtime for the B1 crown.
Class B2 semi
Allegany-Lmestone 2, Roy-Hart 1 OT
Top seeded Allegany-Limestone nipped visiting No. 6 Roy-Hart 2-1 in overtime in a Class B2 semifinal.
Roy-Hart took a quick 1-0 lead when Peter Martillotta scored just six minutes into the game off a free kick but the Rams could not find the net again.
A-L tied the game with two minutes to go in the first half but needed an overtime goal off a corner kick to claim the win.
“They just played their hearts out,” said Roy-Hart Coach Greg Martillotta. “I’m just so proud of their effort. They couldn’t have given anymore.”
Albion girls win Class B1 semi in overtime
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion goalie Sydney Mulka leaps to make a big save during the Purple Eagles sectional semifinal win over visiting Depew this afternoon.
Making it two overtime playoff wins in a row No. 6 seed Albion outlasted visiting No. 7 Depew 4-1 in the semifinals of the Section VI Class B1 girls soccer playoffs this afternoon.
Breaking away from a 1-1 deadlock, Albion scored what proved to be the game winning goal on a breakaway by Abby Scanlan just 45 seconds into the first of two 10 minute overtime periods off an assist from Leah Pritchard.
Albion’s Ryan Olles drives around Depew’s Zoe Harris.
The Purple Eagles then got a little breathing room when Scanlan scored on another breakaway goal with 2:30 to go in the period as Pritchard again earned the assist.
Albion made the final 4-1 when Kailey Merrill scored with just 19 seconds to go in the second 10 minute overtime period off an assist from Scanlan.
“I’m just so proud of them. This team has just worked so hard,” said Coach Maggie Orbaker whose Purple Eagles edged Springbville 2-1 in overtime in the quarterfinals on Monday. “It took us a while to get going but when we did we did OK. We’ve had so many close games this season I think that helped us.”
Depew jumped out to a 1-0 lead midway through the first half on a goal by Maddi Rogowski.
Albion though answered back with the tying goal by Scanlan with 8:53 to go in the half off an assist from Nikki Creasey.
Neither team could then find the range in the 40 minute second half.
Improving to 9-3, Albion will next visit top seeded undefeated (13-0) East Aurora for the Class B1 championship at 11 a.m. Saturday. East Aurora downed Tonawanda 5-1 in the other semi.
It marks the third time in the last four years that Albion has advanced to the sectional finals.
In a Class B2 semifinal Wilson defeated Eden 3-1.
Albion’s Abby Scanlan scores the first of her three goals as Kaitlyn Banasik defends for Depew.
When the Albion and Medina rivalry football game was played on Veterans Day
Contributed Photos – In action from the 1953 Albion vs. Medina Armistice Day game at Vets Park. At the left Albion’s Karl Klingenberger reaches for a pass while teammate Jack Gaze (40) tries to shield him from Medina defender Jim Raymondjack (74). At the right Medina defenders Jim Raymondjack, Cliff Fearby and Frank Ranallo try to stop Albion running back John Penasack.
On this Veterans Day it is interesting to note that for over 20 years the annual Albion vs. Medina high school football rivalry was renewed on this day.
Form 1937 to 1957 Albion and Medina clashed on the gridiron on what prior to 1955 was known as Armistice Day.
Albion held a 12-9 edge in the series during that 21 year stretch.
Medina though won the first Armistice Day contest in 1937 by a narrow 13-12 margin as Dean Sanderson ran for one touchdown and scored an extra point and Bob Vosler passed to James White for the other TD.
However, Albion evened the score by taking the 1938 contest 20-6 as James Aina scored three touchdowns.
That win started a string of five straight Albion victories as the Purple and White won 16-0 in 1939, 26-0 in 1940, 13-12 in 1941 and 21-7 in 1942.
Aina scored all of Albion’s points in 1939 as did Johnny Linko in 1941. Linko also had a pair of touchdowns in the 1942 win.
Medina did answer back with a three game winning streak as the Red and Blue won 26-0 in both 1943 ad 1944 an 12-6 in 1945.
Scott Whipple scored two touchdowns in the 1943 contest and Bob Brietsman and Ray Kujawa both tallied twice in the 1944 game.
Albion interrupted with s 28-7 victory in 1946 as Dale Burdett and Max Lubawy both scored a pair of touchdowns.
The teams then traded their longest winning streaks of the Armistice Day series.
Medina scored four straight wins (6-0 in 1947, 13-2 in ’47, 32-6 in ’48 and 26-6 in ’50).
A pass interception return for a touchdown by Merle Fredericks provided the only score of the 1947 contest and William Guzik passed for one TD and ran for another in the ’48 game.
John Eppolito then had a touchdown pass, a TD run and an interception return for a TD in the 1949 game and Bob Adams threw three TD passes in the 150 contest.
However Albion answered back with a lengthy six game victory streak (12-6 in 1951, 21-6 in ’52, 13-7 in ’53, 13-0 in ’54, 13-7 in ’55 and 19-0 in .56).
First quarter touchdowns by John Paganelli and Norm Penasack got Albion back on the winning track in 1951.
Don Brace scored two touchdowns and Norm Pieniaszek one in the Purple and White’s 1952 win while John Penasack threw a pair of TD passes to Charlie Derwick in the 1953 game. The 1956 contest saw Gene Ulianelli score both Albion touchdowns.
Medina did rebound to win the last now Veterans Day contest edging Albion 14-7 in 1957 as Dick Zielinski and LJ Harvey both had a touchdown and an extra point.
The Albion vs. Medina rivalry contest became part of the regular season schedule in 1958.
Prior to the Armistice Day series the Albion vs. Medina rivalry was played n Thanksgiving Day for over a dozen years from 1924 to 1936 but more on that series on Turkey Day.
In action from the 1955 Albion vs. Medina game at Vets Park Medina’s John Hammond breaks loose for a long run. Pursuing, from left, are Albion defenders Chuck Derwick, Larry Atwell and Carl Petronio along with Medina’s Paul Pettit.
