Category Archives: boys sports

High School Athletics Remain on Hold

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This past Friday, around 4:30 in the afternoon, I got the feeling I should be packing up the laptop and headset for a trip to Mechanicville and the call of a Red Raider football game.  Obviously there was no said game to cover as things are shut down on the high school sports landscape and will remain that way throughout the fall.

I have to say I was a but surprised this past week when the Wasaren league decided to push the boys and girls soccer season to the spring.  It seemed like there was a chance that soccer would be played this fall but the powers that be, decided not.  The league officials made that decision, taking into account many factors with the most important being the safety of everyone involved. I’m sure it was a difficult decision to make and equally difficult for the coaches, players and their families to accept.

Sports are such a bit part of our society, and one could argue the biggest impact comes at the high school level. That impact reaches well beyond just players and coaches, extending to the people filling the stands.  Family and extended family of most players are game-day fixtures throughout the fall, winter and spring seasons. Day game, night game, home or away, inclement weather or a hot, humid June afternoon those proudest fans wouldn’t miss.

They’ve checked the schedule on the refrigerator door, and have planned accordingly regarding departure time, directions if needed, food, and weather along with wearing/packing appropriate apparel.  Really a way or big part of life for many.  Our home at one time housed three high school athletes and a coach.  It was at times crazy, chaotic, you pick the adjective, but it was a big part of our family as I know it is, or has been for many families throughout the Wasaren.

But this past winter everything changed with the onset of the pandemic.  Honestly few of us truly knew what the word meant, but we do now and make no mistake, gaining control of Covid-19 is real life, while sports is simply the candy store well down the list in terms of importance.  Hopefully our medical experts can produce a vaccine that sometime soon will allow us to unlock that door to the candy store so players can compete, coaches can coach, and fans can show out in support.  Here’s hoping.

 

 

Waiting on High School Sports

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Today I was looking back at the last post on our website and it had to with basketball all-stars.  It was a March post, the month when everything changed.  Fast forward to the end of July and Covid-19’s impact remains ever present.

Over the past four and a half months the high school sports scene has gone dark and with Section II’s announcement that the start to the fall season would be delayed into September, with the possibility that fall sports could actually play out in the spring, the only thing certain about high school sports is the uncertainty.

When play came to a halt this past March, the Cambridge and Mechanicville girls basketball squads were in pursuit of a state title having advanced into regional play after earning Section II championships.  I wouldn’t have bet against either group being the last team standing in their respective classifications, something obviously we’ll never know.

All athletes this spring were also forced to take a knee, and with the fall schedule on hold all three high school seasons have been compromised by the uncompromising virus.

Over these past few months we’ve missed the many special and unique things that sports has to offer.

How about the roar of a crowd when a player rises and buries a go-ahead jumper with seconds remaining, watching a centerfielder run down a ball in the gap on a warm May afternoon, or the sound of a fast ball from a hard throwing lefty popping the catchers mitt.

We’ve missed momentum swings and come-from-behind W’s, squads that understand the meaning of teamwork, a packed house for a rivalry game, and players with a high level of “want to”.

Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for a header, off a perfect corner, that finds the back of the net, or a tight spiral finding a receiver in stride on a go route for six.

And while those are some things we’ve gone without and look forward to seeing again real soon,  we realize that sports is just the candy store relative to the bigger picture, where individuals in our country and around the world continue to fight the virus.

Here’s hoping that through our science and medical communities efforts, we soon will have an answer for Covid-19 and safely restart activities on and off the athletic fields.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raiders, Fordians Fall in Finals

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Schalmont 53   Mechanicville 46

Leading Scorers:  Schalmont – Shane O’Neil 22       Jake Sanford 13         Red Raiders – Josh Germain 16        Devin Garland 13

Mechanicville trailed 26-10 at the break, cut the deficit to 34-26 after the third but fell short in their comeback attempt in the Section II Class B championship game.

The Raider finish the season with an outstanding 22-2 mark and Wasaren Champions.

 

Lake George 52  Waterford 48

Leading Scorers:  Warriors – Luke Pelcher 19       Juan Garcia 10           Fordians – TJ Kelley 23       Michael Talavera 11

Waterford held a 31-26 lead at halftime time and continued to play on front for most of the second half.  But Lake George drew even with 3:08 left on a pair of Pelcher free throws, and later, two more from the stripe by Pelcher gave the Warriors a 50-48 advantage with 19.4 seconds remaining.

After a timeout, Waterford turned the ball over and Lake George closed things out to earn the Section II Class C championship.

Waterford completes a fine season with a mark of 17-7.

Wasaren Teams March To The Finals

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We made the case on Sunday with six Wasaren teams playing in Section II semifinals that with the exception of the Hoosick Falls Mechanicville boys matchup where someone had to fall, that all others could win and advance to championship games.

On Tuesday night, while Maple Hill eliminated the Hoosic Valley girls, needing overtime to do it, Cambridge and Mechanicville girls teams and the Waterford boys all earned “W’s” and will play in title games this weekend.

Cambridge 84   Berne-Knox 36

Leading Scorers:  Indians – Sophie Phillips 25 (7 3’s)        Lilly Phillips 19       Stasia Epler 16         Fiona Mooney 15              BK – Alexis Wright 13          Taylor Meacham 11

Cambridge put 28 points on the board in the opening period and hung 31 more in period number three, routing Berne-Knox in their Class C semifinal Tuesday night at Colonie.  The top-seeded Indians bottomed 16 triples and put four players in doubles, as they ready for the title game against #2 Maple Hill on Saturday at 11 a.m. at HVCC.

 

Mechanicville 53   Schalmont 48

Leading Scorers:  Red Raiders – Charli Goverski 20        AJ Joseph 12          Chloe Goverski 9 Schalmont – Payton Graber 17        Karissa Antoine 14        Haley Burchhardt 11

The Raiders built a 35-17 halftime advantage, weathered a Schalmont comeback effort in the third, and closed things out over the final frame to post the victory in their Class B semifinal at Averill Park on Tuesday.

The #4 Raiders and defending Class B champs will face Mekeel Christian Academy on Saturday at HVCC.

 

Waterford 54  Fort Plain 52

Leading Scorers:  Fordians – TJ Kelley 27        Jake Houle 9        Fort Plain – Troy Butler 20     Robert Jordan 11       L. Thomas 11

Waterford trailed 32-21 at the break, but used a 22-8 third period to take the lead and held off Fort Plain for the Class C semifinal win.

The #11 Fordians will face Lake George in the championship game Friday night at the Cool Insuring Arena at 5 p.m.

 

Maple Hill 49   Hoosic Valley 45      No other info at this time.

 

Red Raiders Advance to Championship Game

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Mechanicville 66   Hoosick Falls 58

Leading Scorers:  Red Raiders – Josh Germain 21       Tyler Eiseman 12      Tyler Dion 12       Luciano D’Ambro 10        Anthony Attala 8                 Panthers – Tristan Williams 21         Jon Kempf 19           Isiah Burnett 8

In a close game throughout at the Cool Insuring Arena Monday night, Mechanicville held a 47-44 advantage entering the final frame and used a 19-14 fourth period to close things out, posting the Class B semifinal “W” and advancing to Friday nights championship game with Schalmont.

Very little separated the two Wasaren squads in the contest that saw the Panthers hold a 4-3 advantage in made 3-pointers, while both teams shot it well from the free throw line, the Falls connecting on 19 of 24 and the Raiders converting 16 of 22.

The Raiders balanced attack, where on any given night a variety of Raiders can lead in scoring and typically three or more will post double digits, once again proved pivotal.

Germain’s 21 points led four Mechanicville players in doubles as the Raiders, who with the win move to 21-1 on the year, advance to face Schalmont who turned back Glens Falls 52-43 in their Monday night semifinal.

The Class B champion will be decided Friday night at the Cool Insuring Arena with a scheduled a 6:45 tip.

 

 

Six Wasaren Squads Eye Semifinal Runs

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With the Section II basketball tournament down to the semifinal round in all the classifications the Wasaren league will be well represented where they live, in classes B and C.

Three boys teams remain with Mechanicville and Hoosick Falls in the class B final four and Waterford in the C’s.

On the girls side Cambridge and Hoosic Valley have semifinal berths in the C classification while Mechanicville plays in a class B semifinal run.

The 11th seeded Fordians of Waterford have dropped #6 Schoharie 57 – 33 and #3 Granville on Saturday, 64 -50.  TJ Kelley and Michael Talavera have led the way over the first two rounds averaging 40 points combined .

Waterford will face #7 Fort Plain on Tuesday at the Cool Insuring Arena.  Fort Plain owns wins over Stillwater and Berne-Knox coming into the semi’s on Tuesday.

In the B’s #9 Hoosick Falls will face #4 Mechanicville in the semifinal round on Monday night at the Cool Insuring Arena.  The Panthers blew out Fonda 74-43 in round one and eliminated the number one seeded Catskill squad in the quarters, 60-58 with Isiah Burnett and Jon Kempf scoring 19 points

#4 Mechanicville has given the Raider faithful their monies worth with a pair of overtime victories over Greenville 66-63 and Broadalbin-Perth 46-45.  In the Greenville “W” Devin Garland with 18 points and Anthony Attala with 14 led the way, while in the defensive themed Broadalbin game Tyler Dion led the Raiders with 12 points.

On the girls side, #1 Cambridge put 38 points on the board in the first period, cruising to a 63-30 win over Salem in their only sectional outing.  Three players scored doubles and the Indians connected on nine triples with Ruth Nolan bottoming five.

Cambridge faces #5 Berne-Knox on Tuesday in their C semifinal, Knox coming in off a 67-59 win over Warrensburg.

Also in the C’s #6 Hoosic Valley will play in a semifinal run at Colonie taking on #2 Maple Hill.

The Valley has posted wins over Chatham and Duanesburg with Sami Dickinson scoring 20 and 30 points respectively in the two outings, and Emaleigh Peckham knocking back three triples in both games.

Maple Hill has blown out Voorheesville and Mayfield to get here and owns a 58-37 win over Hoosic Valley back in December.

In the B’s #4 Mechanicville comes into their Tuesday night semifinal with #1 Schalmont off a 62-28 victory over Broadalbin Perth and a 62-48 win over Ichabod Crane.  The Raiders put four players in doubles in the Broadalbin “W” while Charli Goverski with 24 points and AJ Joseph with 16 led the way in the Crane win.

Schalmont got here with a 57-46 win over Cobleskill, with Payton Graber scoring 25 points including five makes from beyond the arc.

Who moves on to the championship game?

For the girls Cambridge absolutely will advance while Hoosic Valley and Mechanicville will have their work cut out for them.

The Valley lost to Maple Hill back in December, look for the Indians to gain revenge and post the “W”.

Mechanicville faces the #1 seed in Schalmont, but the Raiders have been here before and are the defending Class B champions.  I like the Raiders in the upset.

For the boys I think Waterford continues it’s march from their 11th seed, handling their business with Fort Plain.

As for the Hoosick Falls / Mechanicville matchup the saying goes it’s hard to beat the same team three times in a season.  Not sure I agree with that thought but that is just what Mechanicville would have to do having defeated the Falls twice this season.

Obviously no secrets between the two squads and both are excellent basketball teams.  Depth goes to Mechanicville and that could be the difference here.

So I guess I picked every Wasaren team to advance with the exception in the all Wasaren affair between Mechanicville and Hoosick Falls where I think the Raiders win close.    Sure I’m biased, but all five teams have a realistic shot at playing for sectional titles come next weekend.

 

 

Sectional Hoops

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Mechanicville 66   Greenville 63 OT

Leading Scorers:  Raiders – Devin Garland 18        Anthony Attala 14          Greenville – Damien Fiducia 26 (5 3’s)

In a close game throughout the Raiders trailed by two at 40-38, entering the final frame. but forced overtime where they secured the Class B opening round “W”.  Next up for Mechanicville is a quarterfinal run with Broadalbin – Perth and Shen on Friday night.

 

Hoosick Falls 74   Fonda 43

Leading Scorers:  Falls – Jon Kempf 37 ( 16 of 16 from line)        Tristan Williams 23        Fonda – Jackson Atty 17

The Panthers ran away over the middle two periods outscoring Fonda 39-16 in their Class B opening round victory.  The Falls advance to face Catskill at HVCC on Friday.

 

Waterford 57   Schoharie 32

Leading Scorers:  Fordians – TJ Kelley 20 (5 3’s)       Michael Talavera 15         Schoharie – Shane Helmstadt 11

After a close first period the Fordians held Schoharie to single numbers in each of the final three quarters, pulling away for the Class B opening round win.  Waterford moves on and will meet Granville at HVCC on Saturday morning.

 

Granville 65   Cambridge 61

Leading Scorers:  Horde – Jarett Williams 25 ( 5 3’s)       Josh Oakman 18        Indians – Brian Hall 16      Jeff Burke 10

Cambridge led 31-28 at the break, but Granville used the long ball, drilling 11 triples on the night to notch the Class B “W”.

 

Voorheesville 62   Hoosic Valley 45

Leading Scorers:  Blackbirds – Zaveon Little 23       Anthony Puma 19       Matt Paccini 12 Indians  – Tyler Eddy 14        CJ Bassett 11       Logan Reilly 10

The Indians trailed 27-14 at the half, trimmed the deficit to 41-33 after the third but fell short in their comeback attempt in a Class C opening round run.

 

Fort Plain 65    Stillwater 59

Leading Scorers:  Forts Plain – Troy Butler 21     L. Thomas 16        Robert Jordan 12          Warriors – Brian McNeil 28

Fort Plain led 35-25 at the break after which the Warriors outscored the Forts 35-30 but came up short in Class C play.

 

Girls

Ft. Edward 53   Spa Catholic 20

Leading Scorers:  Forts – Gabby Thomas 18        Haleigh Condon 10

The Forts held the Saints to single numbers in every quarter on their way to the Class D quarterfinal win.

Wasaren Bowlers Headed to States

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Three Wasaren bowlers will represent Section II in the New York State Public High School Bowling Championships next month at Strike N Spare Lanes in Syracuse.

Hoosic Valley’s Emily Cumo and Leigha Henkel earned spots on the Section II six member composite team.  Cumo rolled a six game total of 1242 while Henkel totaled 1227 in the six game set.  It will be Leigha’s second time at the state competition while Emily will be making her first apperance.

On the boys side of things Mechanicville’s Jacob LaFountain rolled a six game block of 1356 earning his spot of the six member boys team.  It will be Jacob’s first time going to the states, after last year missing but just two pins.

Congratulations to Emily, Leigha and Jacob.

Sectional Results; Four Wasaren Teams Advance

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Six Wasaren squads took the floor on Friday in hopes of making a long sectional run, and at night’s end four teams earned victories to advance.

Girls

Spa Catholic 48   Heatly 28

Leading Scorers:  Saints – Molly O’Reilly 13         Kate Cronin 10            Heatly – J. Reis 12      O. Diaz 11

The Saints won each of the first three quarters, building a 40-17 advantage, and posted the win in the opening round of Class D play.

Next up for Spa Catholic is a Tuesday night quarterfinal run with #1 Fort Edward.

 

Boys

Hoosic Valley 54   Mayfield 46

Leading Scorers:  Valley – Tyler Eddy 24        Logan Reilly 11           Mayfield – Kyle Capparello 18

Freshman Tyler Eddy poured in 18 second half points including 12 in the third frame where he was the only Indian to score as the Valley advances in Class C action.  The Indians used a stellar performance from the line to secure the “W”, connecting on 14 of 15 from the stripe in the second half.

Hoosic Valley will face #1 Voorheesville on Tuesday night in Class C’s opening round.

 

Cambridge 49   Salem 38

Leading Scorers:  Indians – Soyer Matteson 15       Brian Hall 12           Generals – Brady Nichols 9

Cambridge built a 39-25 led heading to the final period and closed out the win in their Class C play-in game.

Next up for the Indians is a Tuesday night run against the third seeded Golden Horde of Granville.

 

Spa Catholic 65   Duanesburg 51

Leading Scorers:   Saints – Robbie Bolen 24        Ryan McCarroll 16           Duanesburg – Gamache 19         Coons 17

The Saints jumped out to a 14-5 advantage after one, padded their cushion to a 37-22 spread by halftime and handled their business after the break to notch the Class C play-in victory.

The Saints advance to face #2 Berne-Knox on Tuesday night.

 

Schuylerville 76   Greenwich 42

Leading Scorers: Black Horses – Rutland 34       Sherman 19        Witches – Jesse Kuzmich 19

Schuylerville used a 25-9 first period to gain control, on their way to the Class C play-in win over the Witches.

The Black Horses will face top-seeded Catskill on Tuesday.

 

Coxsackie-Athens 56   Tamarac 49    –  No other info at this time

 

 

 

 

 

Sectional Seeds and More

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Girls

Class B   Opening Round   Saturday

#9 Greenwich @ #8 Cobleskill 6 p.m.

Cohoes/Broadalbin winner @ #4 Mechanicville 6 p.m.

#10 Tamarac @ #7 Johnstown 6 p.m.

#14 Hoosick Falls @ #3 Mekeel Christian Academy 6 p.m.

 

 

Class C   Opening Round   Saturday

#10 Stillwater @ #7 Mayfield 6 p.m.

#11 Chatham @ #6 Hoosic Valley 6 p.m.

Quarterfinals   Wednesday at Cambridge

Schoharie/Salem winner @ #1 Cambridge 7:30 p.m.

 

Class D   Opening Round   Friday

#9 Saratoga Catholic @ #8 Heatly 6 p.m.

 

Boys   Class B  Play-in  Friday

#17 Schuylerville @ #16 Greenwich 7 p.m.

#18 Tamarac @ #15 Coxsackie-Athens 7 p.m.

 

Opening Round  Feb. 25th

Schuylerville/Greenwich winner @ #1 Catskill 7 p.m.

#13 Greenville @ #4 Mechanicville 7 p.m.

Tamarac/Coxsackie-Athens winner @ #2 Schalmont 7 p.m.

 

Class C   Play-ins   Friday

#17 Mayfield @ #16 Hoosic Valley 7 p.m.

#18 Duanesburg @ #15 Saratoga Catholic 7 p.m.

#19 Salem @ #14 Cambridge 7 p.m.

 

Opening Round   Feb. 25th

Mayfield/Hoosic Valley winner @ #1 Voorheesville 7 p.m.

Duanesburg/Spa Catholic winner @ #2 Berne Knox 7 p.m.

#10 Stillwater @ #7 Ft. Plain 7 p.m.

Salem/Cambridge winner @ #3 Granville 7 p.m.

#11 Waterford @ #6 Schoharie 7 p.m.

 

The Section II basketball tournament opened last night with the Hoosick Falls girls winning a play-in game over Schuylerville in the B classification.  In all, nine Wasaren boys teams and eight girls squads will compete in the tournament.

It’s no surprise that the Cambridge girls are the number one seed in Class C and will wait until Wednesday before facing their quarterfinal opponent.  At 19-1 the Indians are heavy favorites to defend their sectional title from a year ago.

The Hoosic Valley girls with the sixth seed in the C’s are a dangerous squad who’s at times been up and down this year.  The Valley has the potential to play their way into the semi’s.

In Class B, Greenwich draws a tough seed at number nine and while I think they’ll get past #8 Cobleskill, next up would be #1 Schalmont.

The Bengals of Tamarac at #7, I like in an upset over #10 Johnstown in the B’s, while Hoosick Falls will have their hands full at #3 Mekeel Christian.

The Red Raiders of Mechanicville will defend their Class B title from a year ago out of the #4 seed.  The Raiders have the talent and experience to make another deep run in this year’s tournament.

In the Class B boys four Wasaren teams will compete with both Greenwich and Tamarac stepping on the floor for play-in games tonight where I look for both league teams to advance.

I have to wonder how Hoosick Falls at 17-3 draws the #9 seed, but that’s where the Panthers will play from.  They’ll drop Fonda in round one and don’t surprised if they do the same to top-seeded Catskill in the quarters.

Mechanicville with the four seed is poised for a deep run in the B’s.  With just one defeat on the year the Raiders can play with anyone, and will have a legitimate shot at winning it all in the loaded Class B field.

Five boys squads will play in the C’s with Cambridge, Hoosic Valley and Spa Catholic all needing to play their way into the opening round.  All three will host play-in runs tonight and I look for all three to advance.

Stillwater really played well over the second half of the year and that’s why I like the Warriors at #10 to get past #7 Ft. Plain.

Waterford at #11 sports a 14-6 record and they look like a dark horse in the C’s.  With a pair of explosive scorers in their lineup, the Fordians will be a tough out with the potential to show up in the final four.