sports
Eagles celebrate a sectional title victory
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall players and coaches celebrate with the championship trophy after capturing the Section V Class C2 title with a 3-1 victory over Genesee Valley-Belfast on Saturday. The sectional title is the first since 1998 for the Eagles which will next face C1 champ East Rochester at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Geneseo for the Section V Class C berth in the state tournament.
Kendall’s Colby Hughes heads the ball forward against Genesee Valley-Belfast defender Ian Mackenzie.
Kendall goalie Jonny Conte goes low to make a save.
Pablo Rosario-Reyes, who scored two goals for Kendall, works to drive the ball up field against Genesee Valley-Belfast defenders Callahan Tallman (23) and Logan Rice (14).
Kendall’s William Kludt goes up for a header against Genesee Valley-Belfast’s Evan Turbury.
Kendall’s Aidan Kwiatkowski works the ball up field pursued by Genesee Valley-Belfast’s Ryan Snyder.
Holley cheerleaders win Sectional title
Photos from Holley Central School
HOLLEY – The Holley cheerleaders celebrate on Saturday after winning the C2 Sectional title against 14 other teams. This is Holley’s first fall Sectional title. They won winter Sectional title in 2005, 2007 and 2009, said their coach Heather Kelley.
Holley competed at the Game Day Cheerleading held at Gates-Chili High School. Kelley said this is the second year Section V has held the event.
Members of the team include Bella Emery, Casie Emery, Skylar Gallagher, Natalie Foose, Lexi Guerrero, Michelle Lonnen, Lorainna Jones, Maggie Skehan, Isla Schultz, Madison Lowell, Serenity Rath, Mallory Davis, Hailey Gonzalez and Jose Valentin.
Bella Emery also was awarded the Nancy Saxton leadership award.
The team is coached by Kelley and Katie Chilson-Foose.
Holley competed in three other regular season events in order to be eligible to compete at Sectionals and placed 2nd at all three of those competitions.
“Our athletes worked hard all season to capture the title,” Kelley said. “It wasn’t easy and because Game Day is new we are all still learning. Our goal for yesterday was to compete full out to the best of our ability and entertain the crowd. They gave their best performance of the season yesterday and came home with the title.”
The Holley cheerleaders also cheer at home soccer and football games during the fall season.
The team received an escort into town last night from the Murray Joint Fire District.
Medina grad earns All Conference honors
Contributed Photo – Rylee VanNostrand
Medina High graduate and SUNY Niagara sophomore Rylee VanNostrand has been named to te first team of the Western New York Athletic Conference (WNYAC) All Conference soccer squad.
VanNostrand led the Thunderwolves in scoring this season with 6 goals and 1 assist for a total of 13 points.
She has also played basketball and softball for the Thunderwolves which this fall made the postseason soccer playoffs for the first time since 2021.
This season’s Thunderwolves team also included two other local players, Alison Gibson from Albion and Michayla Greene from Barker, both freshmen.
Kendall boys capture C2 soccer championship ending long sectional title drought
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall tri-captains Pablo Rosario-Reyes, William Kludt and Colby Hughes hold the championship trophy high after the Eagles downed Genesee Valley-Belfast this afternoon to capture the Section V Class C2 title.
Ending a 25 year plus long sectional title drought, Kendall captured the Section V Class C2 boys soccer championship with a 3-1 victory over Genesee Valley-Belfast this afternoon at Honeoye Falls-Lima.
“The kids have really worked so hard for this,” said Coach Rich Esposito of Kendall’s first boys soccer sectional title since 1998.
All of the scoring came in the first half and No. 1 seed Kendall wasted little time in taking the lead for good as Pablo Rosario-Reyes scored just 2:53 into the game.
Keeping the momentum, the Eagles upped the advantage to 2-0 just five minutes later on a goal by Colby Hughes.
No. 3 seed Genesee Valley-Belfast did cut the deficit to 2-1 on a goal by Evan Turybury with 10 minutes to go in the half but would get no closer.
Kendall got that goal right back five minutes later as Rosario-Reyes scored off a nice centering pass by Jonathan Esposito putting the Eagles up 3-1 at the half.
“We came out strong,” said Coach Esposito. “We always stress the importance of the first five minutes and the last five minutes of a half and we were strong then and scored goals.”
Jonny Conte came up with several key saves in goal for the Eagles.
Kendall will now face C1 champion East Rochester for the Section V Class C berth in the state playoffs at Geneseo High School at 6 p.m. Tuesday. East Rochester downed Byron-Bergen 3-2 in the C1 title contest.
To view Kendall receiving their medals and trophy click here.
Kendall’s Jonathan Esposito keeps the ball away from Genesee Valley-Belfast’s Brayden Cooper.
Pablo Rosario-Reyes drives the ball up field as Ethan Davenport defends for Genesee Valley-Belfast.
Kendall’s Pantaleon Reyes Garcia and Genesee Valley-Belfast’s Ryan Snyder fight for control of the ball.
Fast start powers Pembroke past Holley
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Holley’s Vinny Golisano reaches out to haul in a touchdown pass from quarterback Destin Kuyal during the host Hawks loss to Pembroke this afternoon.
Roaring out to a 24-0 lead in the first six minutes, Pembroke went on to down host Holley 66-26 this afternoon to close out the regular season in the 8 Man Football Division.
Caleb Felski scored three touchdowns on runs of 20, 22 and 28 yards and also ran for three two-point conversions to put Pembroke in command 24-0.
Vinny Golisano and Avante Walker each scored 2 touchdowns for Holley and Mason Moyer added a two-point conversion. Golisano scored the Hawks first TD on a 45 yard pass reception from quarterback Destin Kuyal.
Pembroke finishes the regular season at 8-0 and Holley at 5-3.
Medina will visit Salamanca in semifinals
It will be a rematch of last year’s title contest as Medina visits Salamanca in the semifinals of the Section VI Class C football playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday.
Last fall Salamanca bested Medina 36-23 in the Class C championship game at Highmark Stadium.
C South Division champion Salamanca brings a 9-0 record into the semifinals while C North tri-champ Medina is 8-1.
Salamanca advanced by defeating Cleveland Hill 49-12 in the quarterfinals Friday. The Warriors roared out to a 42-0 halftime advantage.
Medina, which was the only C North Division team to advance, downed Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove 28-12 on Thursday. That contest was also a rematch from last fall’s quarterfinal which saw the Mustangs blank the Herd 24-0.
The other semifinal will be an all C South Division affair as Portville will visit Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton at 7 p.m. Friday.
In Friday’s quarterfinals, Portville upended Newfane 34-21 and Chautauqua Lake/W/B downed Alden 41-28.
Leading by a narrow 22-21 margin at the half, Portville outscored Newfane 12-0 in the second half to lock up the win. Chautauqua Lake erupted for 19 points in the second quarter and 16 in the third to key the win.
Byron-Bergen nips Kendall for Class C2 title
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall’s Stella Kwiatek works to get control of the ball against Byron-Bergen’s Mia Gray during this evening’s Section V Class C2 championship game at Gates-Chili.
In a matchup of Genesee Region League rivals, No. 2 seed Byron-Bergen scored a goal with seven minutes remaining to nip top seeded Kendall 1-0 in the Section V Class C2 girl soccer championship game this evening at Gates-Chili.
Byron-Bergen, which also edged Kendall 2-1 during the G-R season, earned the narrow win on a goal by Mia Gray.
Brooke Rodas made several big saves in goal for Kendall which finishes the season at 18-2.
“Even though we didn’t come out on top. I am beyond proud of this team,” said Kendall Coach Angel Rosario. “We did something not many teams can do. I was blessed with a phenomenal season and team. Everyone played their best tonight to the very last minute. We are a young team and we’re not done. Thank you to everyone for the support.”
Byron-Bergen will now face C1 champion Williamson on Tuesday for the Section V Class C berth in the state playoffs. Williamson outlasted No. 2 Geneseo 1-0 in a shootout in the C1 final.
Kendall’s Ava Quintern battles for control of the ball with Byron-Bergen’s Meghan Muscarella.
Trojans down Mustangs in B2 title contest
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Aidan Papaj goes up to put a header on goal during the Mustangs Class B2 title game loss to Southwestern at West Seneca East this evening.
Scoring early and often top seeded defending champion Southwestern defeated No. 2 Medina 7-1 this evening in the Section VI Class B2 boys soccer championship game at West Seneca East.
Southwestern wasted little time in moving on top to stay as Seth Vaughn scored the first of his three goals just six minutes into the first half.
The Trojans upped the lead to 3-0 at the half as Ryan Ohl scored off a corner kick and Connor Young tacked on the first of his two goals.
Improving to 17-2, Southwestern scored the first four goals of the second half to up the advantage to 7-0.
Medina’s lone goal was scored by Cole Callard, his school record 44th of the season, with 17 minutes remaining.
The Mustangs finish the season at 15-3-1.
Southwestern will now face B1 champion East Aurora for the overall Section VI Class B title and a berth in the state playoffs on Tuesday. East Aurora nipped Lafayette 1-0 in the B1 final.
Medina defender Cam Kenward battles for control of the ball with Southwestern’s Chase Hartmett.
Akron tops Medina in field hockey semifinal
Top seeded defending champion Akron downed No. 4 Medina 4-0 in the semifinals of the Section VI field hockey playoffs this evening at Alden.
Mackenzie Tomporowski and Morgan Tomporowski scored first quarter goals to get Akron rolling.
The Lady Tigers locked up the win on second half goals by Averi Monkelbaan and Julia Klodzinski.
In the other semifinal, No. 7 Eden upended No. 3 Roy-Hart 6-5.
Adella Dues scored 3 goals for Roy-Hart as Brooke Zglinicki and Violette Streckewald each added 1.
Akron will now face Eden in the Class C championship game at 6 p.m. Monday at Alden.
N-O runners compete at cross country sectionals
Photos by Tom Rivers: (Left) Isabella Pasquale of Newfane leads a group of runners in today’s Class C Sectionals race at Knox Farms State Park in East Aurora. The Newfane girls finished third overall in Class C, and first in the C-2. Pasquale was 20th overall in a time of 21:23. (Right) Talia Rupp was Medina’s top finisher at 37th overall in Class C with a time of 22:13.
Newfane girls take 1st in Class C-2
EAST AURORA – Niagara-Orleans cross country runners competed in Sectionals today at the Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora.
The Newfane girls were in the top team in C-2, and finished third overall in the section. Newfane had 101 points, behind only Springville-Griffith Institute at 94, and champion East Aurora at 34.
Newfane’s team was led by their top five runners of Eden Hillman, 11th at 20:15; Isabella Pasquale, 20th at 21:23; Kayla Hallman, 24th at 21:36; Jenna Achtyl, 27th at 21:53.28; and Jordyn Centner, 28th at 21:53.54.
Barker’s top two finishers included Mikala Woock, left, and Shelby Dauphinee. The Barker boys were led by Peyton Wagner, who was ninth overall in 17.39.
Barker competes in Class D. They were led by Mikala Woock, 13th overall at 21:57 and Shelby Dauphinee, 14th at 21:57.
The Barker boys were fourth overall in Class D. Maple Grove was first with 39 points, followed by Gowanda in second at 82, Clymer-Sherman-Panama at 83, and Barker at 87.
Taylor Alvord, left, led the Roy-Hart runners and Hayden Barlow of Wilson had the top finish in the N-O, coming in 8th in Class D.
Some other top female finishers from the Niagara-Orleans runners in Class C include:
• Akron – Kylee Rebmann, 22nd at 21:34; and Abigail Bower, 23rd at 21:35.
• Albion – Cordelia Rivers, 48th at 23:04; Lorelei Gailie, 65th at 24:36.
• Medina – Talia Rupp, 37th at 22:13.
• Roy-Hart – Taylor Alvord, 16th at 21:09; Julia Rohde, 18th 21:14; Marissa Bryant, 35th at 22:09; Samantha Silsby, 61st at 24:07; Meghan Lennon, 66th at 24:37.
• Wilson competes in Class D. Their top runners included Hayden Barlow, 8th at 21:35; Ella Ingwersen, 17th at 22:16; Mikaila Akers, 25th at 22:58; Madelyn Freatman, 44th at 25:27.
Josiah Rodriguez led the Roy-Hart runners with a 26th place finish in a time of 18:49.
Here are the results among the boys teams with at least five runners:
East Aurora top team in C1 with 30 points, followed by Alden in second, 51; Fredonia in third, 80; Depew in fourth, 114; Springville-Griffith Institute, fifth at 141; Medina, sixth at 152; Olean, seventh, at 178; Tonawanda, eight at 211; and Maryvale, ninth at 241.
Class C2 results: Falconer, 1st at 54; Southwestern, second at 68; Eden, third at 68; Newfane, fourth at 100; Silver Creek, fifth at 113; Royalton-Hartland, sixth at 142; Salamanca, 7th at 155; and Cleveland Hill, eighth at 176.
Tristian Tilbe was the top runner for Albion, finishing 28th overall with a time of 18:55. Albion didn’t have a full team for today’s race.
Other top finishers for the N-O boys teams include:
• Akron: Quinn O’Malley, 18th at 18:04; Logan Meyers, 27th at 18:52; Aron Gehl, 33rd at 19:05.
• Medina – Ryder Jones, 36th at 19:09; Cole Hughes, 57th at 19:57; Riley Tompkins, 64th at 20:16; Jonathan Dix, 70th at 20:26; and Hunter Walczak, 75th at 20:34.
• Newfane – Liam Betteridge, 12th at 17:30; Sean Milczarski, 37th at 19:11; Jaxon Dembrowski, 63rd at 20:15.
• Roy-Hart – Josiah Rodriguez, 26th at 18:49; Matt VanKeuren, 38th at 19:11.
Barker and Wilson both compete in Class D
• Barker – Peyton Wagner, 9th at 17:39; Luke Fay, 20th at 18:39; Owen Harris, 23rd at 18:55; Logan Wagner, 25th at 19:02; Gabe Nestoros, 31st at 19:17; and Isaac Monaco, 38th at 19:59.
• Wilson – Tyler Brown, 37th at 19:58; and James Madan, 46th at 20:27.
Top finishers for their teams included Quinn O’Malley for Akron, Liam Betteridge for Newfane, and Ryder Jones for Medina.
Mustangs rally to win Class C sectional opener
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Jerrell Nealy gains yardage after a pass reception during the Mustangs sectional win over Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove this evening at Vets Park.
Coming from behind twice in the first half, Medina went on to defeat Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove 28-12 in the quarterfinals of the Section VI Class C football playoffs this evening at Vets Park.
Rebounding from deficits of 6-0 and 12-7, Medina rallied into a slender 14-12 half-time advantage as Christian Moss ran 9 yards for one touchdown and quarterback Preston Woodworth passed 13 yards to Kolton Fletcher for the other. Cole Callard tacked on both extra point kicks.
The Mustangs then put a lock on the victory as Moss added a pair of short TD runs in the second half covering 7 and 8 yards and Callard again added both PAT kicks.
Falconer/CV/MG grabbed an early 6-0 lead by putting together a 15 play, 8 minute drive to open the game capped off by a 1 yard touchdown run by Jacob Roth.
Medina though answered right back with a 10 play scoring drive highlighted by a 16 yard run by Moss and capped off by a 9 yard TD carry by Moss with 10:10 to go in the second quarter. Callard’s PAT kick put the Mustangs up 7-6.
Falconer/CV/MG did regain the lead for what proved to be the last time at 12-7 on a 6 yard TD run by Roger Markham with 3:58 to go in the second quarter. A big 36 yard pass completion from Roth to Markham keyed the drive.
However, Medina again answered right back this time with a 13 yard Woodworth to Fletcher TD pass and PAT kick by Callard with 1:10 to go in the half to regain the lead for good at 14-12. Runs of 21 yards by Jayzon Wills and 15 yards by Moss keyed the drive.
The visiting Herd almost regained the lead just before the half but had an apparent touchdown wiped out by a holding penalty.
The Mustangs opened up a little breathing room by putting together a 10 play, 6 minute drive to open the second half capped off by a 7 yard TD run by Moss and a PAT kick by Callard for a 21-12 lead. Woodworth had a 13 yard run and an 11 yard pass completion to Jerrell Nealy to highlight the drive.
Medina then locked up the win on an 8 yard TD run by Moss with four minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Moss handled the ball on all nine plays of the drive including a 13 yard pass reception from Woodworth and an 11 yard run.
The Mustangs defensive unit set up that scoring opportunity as Fletcher and Avion Johnson combined for a key fourth down tackle giving Medina possession near mid field. The defense also stopped a Herd possession in the third quarter on a fumble recovery by Moss near midfield.
The victory advances Medina’s to next week’s semifinal round against the winner of Friday’s Cleveland Hill (4-4) at Salamanca (8-0) quarterfinal.
Medina improves to 8-1 and Falconer/CV/MG finishes the season at 6-3.
The matchup was a repeat of last year’s quarterfinal which saw the Mustangs down the Herd 24-0.
Kolton Fletcher hauls in a touchdown pass to put Medina on top to stay at 14-12 late in the second quarter.
Christian Moss follows blocks by Kolton Fletcher (4) and Frankie Stephens to score the Mustangs final touchdown, his third TD of the evening.
Medina to face Akron in field hockey semi
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Akron’s Ava Fox, Roy-Hart’s Adella Dukes and Medina’s Penelope Schalck and their teammates will be competing in the Section VI Class C field hockey semifinals on Friday.
No. 4 seed Medina will face No. 1 seed defending champion Akron in the semifinals of the Section VI Class C field hockey playoffs at 5 p.m. Friday at Alden.
Friday’s other semifinal will have No. 3 Roy-Hart taking on No. 7 Eden at 6 p.m. at Medina’s Vets Park.
The Class C title contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at Alden.
Medina, which was bested twice by champion Akron during the Niagara-Orleans League season by scores of 3-0 and 4-0, downed No. 5 Wilson 3-1 in the quarterfinals.
The other quarterfinals saw Roy-Hart down No. 6 Newfane 4-0 and Eden upset No. 2 Barker 2-1.
Akron has been led offensively by Mackenzie Tomporowski and Morgan Tomporowski both with 14 goals and Julia Klodzinski with 12.
Penelope Schalck leads Medina with 20 goals as Emi Batista has 7 and Ava Blount 6.
Roy-Hart is paced by Brooke Zglinicki with 14 goals, Adella Dukes 12 and Savannah Newton 6.
Sectional soccer title contests on tap this weekend for Medina and Kendall teams
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Aleks Seefeldt, Kendall’s Brynn Hardenbrook and Kendall’s Brenden Eichas and their teammates will be competing in sectional soccer championship games this weekend.
Sectional soccer title games will be on the line this weekend for the Medina boys squad and both the Kendall boys and girls teams.
No. 2 seed Medina will face top seeded Southwestern in the Section VI Class B2 championship game at 5 p.m. Friday at West Seneca East High School.
The Mustangs bring a 15-2-1 record into the finals while the Trojans are 16-2.
Offensively Medina has been led by Cole Callard (43 goals, 20 assists), Tyler Kroening (17 goals, 9 assists), Aleks Seefeldt (13 goals, 12 assists) and Vinny Gray (12 goals, 12 assists). Callard, whose 43 goals is a school record, also holds the Mustangs career record with 96 goals.
Defensively, the Mustangs have registered 12 shutouts and goalie Brady Christiaansen has a school record 28 career shutouts.
Southwestern has been sparked offensively by the duo of Connor Young (39 goals, 17 assists) and Seth Vaughn (23 goals, 10 assists).
The winner will advance to next Tuesday’s Section VI Class B state qualifier game against the winner of Friday’s B1 final between No. 1 Lafayette and No. 2 East Aurora.
Kendall girls face familiar foe
Top seeded Kendall will face a very familiar foe in Friday’s Section V Class C2 championship game as the Lady Eagles will meet Genesee Region League rival No. 2 seed Byron-Bergen. The title contest is set for 7:45 p.m. at Gates Chili.
Kendall brings an 18-1 record into the finals while Byron-Bergen is 17-1-1. The Lady Eagles lone loss was to B-B by a 2-1 score.
The Kendall offense has been led by Ava Quintern (20 goals, 9 assists), Sophia Picardo (17 goals, 27 assists) and Ryleigh Denning (16 goals, 9 assists).
Byron-Bergen is led offensively by the quartet of Mia Gray (34 goals, 24 assists), Janessa Amesbury (18 goals, 7 assists), Grace DiQuattro (16 goals, 23 assists) and Elizabeth Starowitz (15 goals, 10 assists).
The victor will advance to next week’s Section V Class C state qualifier game against the winner of Friday’s C1 contest betwen No. 1 Williamson (16-3) and No. 2 Geneseo (15-4).
Saturday title test for Kendall boys
Top seeded Kendall will take on No. 3 Genesee Valley-Belfast in the Section V Class C2 title contest at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Honeoye Falls-Lima.
Kendall brings a 16-1-1 record into the finals while Genesee Valley-Belfast is 15-2-1.
The Eagles have been led offensively by Pablo Rosario-Reyes (24 goals, 23 assists), Brandon Barrett (13 goals, 10 assists) and Jonathan Esposito (10 goals, 6 assists). On defense, goalie Jonny Conte has a 0.33 goals against average.
The winner will advance to next week’s Section V Class C state qualifier contest against the winner of the Class C1 final between No. 1 East Rochester and No. 2 Byron-Bergen.
Kendall wins C2 soccer semi in OT thriller
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall’s Pablo Rosario-Reyes, who scored both Eagles goals, puts a shot on goal as Chase Nichols (7) and Jacob Whitmore (5) move in to defend for Campbell-Savona. The action took place during the Eagles overtime sectional win at Avon this evening.
Surviving a scare, top seeded Kendall put together a dramatic late rally to nip No. 5 Campbell-Savona 2-1 in the semifinals of the Section V Class C2 boys soccer tournament this evening at Avon.
Campbell-Savona grabbed a 1-0 lead with just 8:25 remaining in the second half on a goal by Jack Vanskiver but Kendall came battling back.
Kendall rallied back into a tie with just 1:24 remaining in regulation time on a goal by Pablo Rosario-Reyes which sent the contest into overtime.
Keeping the momentum, the Eagles then pulled out the dramatic win when Rosario-Reyes scored again at the 8:17 mark of the first 15 minute overtime period.
“With 8 minutes to go they had their backs to the wall but they regrouped and they knew it wasn’t over,” said Eagles Coach Rich Esposito. “When you give Pablo an inch he is going to make you pay. That goal was magic. The boys never quit. They just kept battling.”
Both goalkeepers, Kendall’s Jonny Conte and Campbell-Savona’s Chance Miller, made several key saves on the evening.
Improving to 16-1-1, Kendall will now face No. 3 Genesee Valley-Belfast in the Section V Class C2 championship game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Honeoye Falls-Lima. Genesee Valley-Belfast edged No. 2 Bradford-Dundee 2-1 in the other semifinal.
Kendall’s Brandon Barrett drives toward the goal against Campbell-Savona defender Ethan Cardinale.
Kendall’s William Kludt sends the ball up field.
Falconer tops Roy-Hart twice in sectionals
Falconer bested Roy-Hart in both Section VI girls soccer and volleyball playoff competition today.
In girls soccer, No. 2 seed Falconer nipped visiting No. 3 Roy-Hart 1-0 in a Class B semifinal.
In volleyball, No. 6 seed Falconer scored a straight set 25-20, 25-19, 25-14 win over host No. 3 Roy-Hart in a Class C quarterfinal.
Raegan Kern had 5 kills for Roy-Hart as Grace Pearl and Kylie McOmber both had 4 kills and Ella Martillotta 15 assists.
Football
Southwestern blanked visiting Roy-Hart/Barker 38-0 this evening in the semifinals of the Section VI Class C Chuck Funke Memorial consolation playoffs.
