News & notes

 We talked about this earlier over at The Land of Whatever, but there's more to discuss regarding the mistakes made by Section II in seeding the Class AA volleyball sectionals for women.

Colonial Council champion Troy is seeded 8th, and will travel to Burnt Hills tomorrow. That's wrong.

Foothills Council champion Queensbury is seeded 5th, and will play at Ballston Spa. That is also wrong.

The Section II committee can argue strength of schedule until they're blue in their collective faces, but it doesn't justify the disrespect.

By sending Troy on the road for the 2nd straight year, Section II is throwing away a champion vs. champion match that should be saved for a later round. Queensbury, should they get past the Lady Scotties, would be next, and that would be another champion vs. champion match.

The correct bracket should have Queensbury & Troy at #'s 2 & 3, playing at home. Section II has made it clear that the Suburban Council has favored nation status, and they've rigged the draw to ensure a Suburban team wins the title. A 9-8 Ballston Spa team is ranked ahead of Queensbury, one of three teams with a 13-3 record? Seriously?

Section II will never learn.

Former LaSalle star Davon Maloney, currently at the Newman School, has committed to Vermont of the America East conference. That means he'll return home once a year when the Catamounts play UAlbany, unless they are also scheduled to play Siena. Figure some old friends will stop by and cheer him on.........

Tuesday's sectional scoreboard:

Women's soccer:

Class C semi-finals:

Lake George 2, Schoharie 1.

Stillwater 7, Mayfield 0.

Stillwater & Lake George meet Saturday morning at Lansingburgh.

Class D (Monday):

Fort Ann 3, Saratoga Catholic 2.

Men's soccer:

Class B semifinals:

Broadalbin-Perth 4, Catskill 0.

Schuylerville 3, Ichabod Crane 2.

The Patriots & Black Horses meet Monday at Bethlehem.

Class A semifinals:

Schalmont 2, LaSalle 0.

Averill Park 3, Cohoes 1.

The Sabres & Golden Knights also meet Monday at Bethlehem.

2026 women's volleyball sectional pairings released

 We should have the men's volleyball pairings before the week is out, but the ladies' pairings are out. Here we go:

Class AAA:

Thursday:

Schenectady @ Colonie. The winner will play Shenendehowa.

Saratoga will host Shaker in the other semi-final, November 4 @ Averill Park. The finals are at Saratoga November 6.

Class AA:

Thursday:

Troy @ Burnt Hills. The reigning Colonial Council champs get screwed again by Section II. Whomever is in charge of these brackets needs to throw away the strength of schedule argument.

Queensbury @ Ballston Spa.

Niskayuna @ Bethlehem.

Guilderland @ Columbia.

The semifinals are at Scotia on November 4, with the finals in Saratoga on November 6.

Class A:

Thursday:

Cohoes @ South Glens Falls.

Holy Names @ Hudson Falls.

Mohonasen @ Glens Falls.

Lansingburgh @ Scotia.

The semifinals are at Stillwater on November 4. Saratoga will host the finals on November 7.

Class B:

Tomorrow:

Schuylerville @ Coxsackie-Athens. Winner to play Ichabod Crane Friday.

Tamarac @ Ravena.

Schalmont @ Cobleskill-Richmondville. Winner to play Voorheesville on Friday.

Watervliet-Heatly @ Broadalbin-Perth. Winner to play LaSalle on Friday.

Ballston Spa hosts the semifinals on November 4. The finals are at Saratoga on November 7.

Class C:

Tomorrow:

Cairo-Durham @ Greenville. Winner to play Galway on Friday.

Berlin-New Lebanon @ Saratoga Catholic. Winner to play Schoharie on Friday.

Hoosic Valley @ Mekeel Christian. Winner plays Maple Hill on Friday.

Mayfield @ Stillwater. Winner to play Fonda-Fultonville on Friday.

Broadalbin-Perth will host the semifinals on November 4. Finals at Saratoga on November 7.

Class D:

Friday:

Hadley-Luzerne @ Lake George.

Fort Edward @ Argyle.

Loudonville Christian @ Hartford.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo @ Duanesburg.

Semifinals @ Hudson Falls November 4. Finals @ Saratoga November 7.

Good luck to all the teams.

Monday's sectional scoreboard, 10/26

 Women's soccer:

Class AA quarterfinals:

Ballston Spa 1, Burnt Hills 0.

Columbia 13, Troy 0. Ouch! Troy finishes 10-8 on the season, but where was the defense on Monday?

Mohonasen 2, Niskayuna 1.

Bethlehem 5, Queensbury 0.

Thursday @ Stillwater:

Ballston Spa vs. Columbia

Mohon vs. Bethlehem.

Men's soccer:

Class AAA semifinals:

Shaker 2, Saratoga 0.

Guilderland 2, Shenendehowa 1.

The Bison & Dutchmen return to LaSalle on Saturday.

Class AA semifinals:

Bethlehem def. Niskayuna via penalty kicks after a scoreless draw.

Burnt Hills 4, Columbia 1.

The Eagles & Spartans will kick things off at LaSalle on Saturday.

News & notes

 Congratulations to Stillwater women's soccer coach Christine Ihnatolya, who won her 200th career game on Saturday. We'll have Saturday's results coming up shortly.

Former Siena men's basketball coach Carmen Macaiarello is back on the sidelines, this time as an assistant at Army. We'll see how soon the Black Knights schedule another game vs. either Siena or UAlbany down the road.

Saturday's sectional scoreboard:

Women's soccer:

Class AAA semifinals:

Shenendehowa 5, Colonie 0.

Guilderland 2, Saratoga 1.

It'll be the Lady Dutch vs. the Mustangs Friday night at Niskayuna.

Class B quarterfinals:

Mechanicville 8, Ichabod Crane 0.

Voorheesville 4, Coxsackie-Athens 1.

Broadalbin-Perth 1, LaSalle 0.

Schuylerville 4, Cairo-Durham 0.

Wednesday @ Lansingburgh:

Schuylerville vs. Broadalbin-Perth.

Voorheesville vs. Mechanicville.

Class C quarterfinals:

Stillwater 1, Waterford 0.

Mayfield 2, Maple Hill 1 (OT).

Schoharie 7, Galway 0.

Lake George 3, OESJ 0.

Tuesday @ Amsterdam:

Lake George vs. Schoharie.

Mayfield vs. Stillwater.

Men's soccer:

Class A quarterfinals:

LaSalle 5, Glens Falls 2.

Schalmont 8, Scotia 0.

Tuesday @ South Glens Falls:

LaSalle vs. Schalmont.

Cohoes vs. Averill Park.

Class B quarterfinals:

Catskill 2, Cobleskill-Richmondville 1.

Broadalbin-Perth 1, Mechanicville 0.

Ichabod Crane 3, Voorheesville 2.

Schuylerville 3, Watervliet-Heatly 0.

Tuesday @ Waterford:

Schuylerville vs. Ichabod Crane.

Broadalbin-Perth vs. Catskill.

Class C quarterfinals:

Maple Hill 4, Chatham 1.

Cambridge-Salem 1, Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 0.

Loudonville Christian 1, Greenwich 0.

Greenville 3, Lake George 1.

Wednesday @ Columbia:

Greenville vs. Loudonville Christian.

Cambridge-Salem vs. Maple Hill.

The parings for the Class B & C playoffs in football have been announced as follows:

Class B:

Friday:

Scotia @ Averill Park.

LaSalle @ Schalmont.

Lansingburgh @ Glens Falls.

Gloversville @ Ravena.

Class C:

Friday:

Mechanicville @ Fonda-Fultonville.

Hudson @ Hoosick Falls-Tamarac.

Johnstown @ Schuylerville.

Voorheesville @ Cobleskill-Richmondville.

Shenendehowa will host both the Class B & C Super Bowls November 14.

High School Fridays: Once Upon a Homecoming Dreary (Saratoga @ Shenendehowa, 10/23/26)

 It was not only Homecoming at Shenendehowa this week, but also Rivalry Week, with Saratoga coming down the Northway. To stress how important this game is to both schools, former coaches Blase Iluiano (Saratoga) & Brent Steuerwald (Shen) gave their teams pep talks in the run up to the game.

The first quarter saw the teams exchange punts and turnovers on downs, leading to a scoreless frame. Late in the quarter, Saratoga was backed up all the way to their one yard line, leading to a punt that gave the Mustangs terrific field position at the 'Toga 35. 3 1/2 minutes into the 2nd quarter, Shen's Joey Marello punched it in from 2 yards out. Michael Manoli added the extra point, and Shen drew first blood at 7-0. Unfortunately, that would be their only lead of the game.

On the ensuing Blue Streak possession, Saratoga marched down the field, with Jalen Lockrow outrunning the defense for 29 yards to paydirt. However, the PAT clanked off the upright, leaving Shen with a 1 point lead at 7-6.

But not for long.

After a Shen possession failed to produce anything, Saratoga got the ball back right before halftime. This time, QB Bobby Morris ran it in himself from 16 yards. Morris then hit Gavin "Vive" LaFrance with a 2 point conversion, and the Streaks went into the break with a 14-7 lead.

The only scoring in the 2nd half was a Manoli field goal from 29 yards out, cutting the lead to 14-10, which was also the final score.

Luckily for Shen, they'll hang on to the #4 seed in the Class AA playoffs after Niskayuna defeated luckless Albany. The downside, of course, is a rematch with CBA in 2 weeks.

Other scores:

Niskayuna 32, Albany 14.

Troy 30, Ballston Spa 19.

Schuylerville 64, Watervliet-Heatly 7.

Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 40, Voorheesville 7.

Glens Falls 43, Schalmont 14.

Mechanicville 18, Granville 13.

Saratoga Catholic 60, Lake George 0.

Fonda-Fultonville 28, Hudson 7.

Colonie 40, Amsterdam 19.

Averill Park 28, LaSalle 14.

Burnt Hills 42, Queensbury 7.

Cobleskill-Richmondville 33, Greenwich 0.

CBA 69, Guilderland 0.

Ravena 35, Lansingburgh 28.

Bethlehem 28, South Glens Falls 25.

Volleyball:

Troy 3, Voorheesville 0. The Lady Horses clinch their 2nd straight Colonial Council title.

Women's soccer:

Class A:

Schalmont 8, Emma Willard 0.

Scotia 3, Cohoes 2.

Ravena 6, Glens Falls 1.

Averill Park 3, Lansingburgh 0.

Wednesday @ Amsterdam:

Ravena vs. Averill Park.

Scotia vs. Schalmont.

Men's soccer:

Class A:

Averill Park 9, Hudson Falls 1.

Cohoes 5, Ravena 2.

Class D:

Northville 4, Germantown 0.

North Warren 4, Argyle 2.

Hartford 2, Bolton-Warrensburg 0.

Fort Ann 5, Mekeel Christian 1.

Wednesday @ OESJ:

Hartford vs. Fort Ann.

Northville vs. North Warren.

News & notes

 Good news for high school hoops fans.

In 2028, the men's state tournament moves back to Harding Mazzotti Arena in Glens Falls for at least 3 years (2028-30). Why not MVP Arena in Albany, I don't know.

Manory's restaurant in downtown Troy has long been a supporter of RPI hockey, even giving out pocket schedules over the years.

This year, owners Lou & Jennifer Marchese are taking it a step further, by posting the schedule on one of their windows for everyone to see. This will, by design, try to get more people interested in supporting the team, which has been on hard times. Let's see how this plays out.

Thursday's soccer sectional results:

Women:

Class B:

Ichabod Crane 3, Tamarac 1.

Coxsackie-Athens 4, Cobleskill-Richmondville 2.

Voorheesville 6, Hoosick Falls 0.

Broadalbin-Perth 5, Holy Names 0.

LaSalle 6, Catskill 0.

Cairo-Durham 3, Corinth 0.

Schuylerville 7, Fonda-Fultonville 0.

Saturday:

Ichabod Crane @ Mechanicville.

Coxsackie-Athens @ Voorheesville.

LaSalle @ Broadalbin-Perth.

Cairo-Durham @ Schuylerville.

Class C:

Stillwater 7, Whitehall 0.

Waterford 1, Chatham 0.

Maple Hill 3, Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 0.

Mayfield 4, Greenwich 0.

Schoharie 9, Bolton-Warrensburg 0.

Galway 2, Greenville 1.

OESJ 1, Hoosic Valley 0.

Lake George 7, Cambridge-Salem 0.

Saturday:

OESJ @ Lake George.

Galway @ Schoharie.

Maple Hill @ Mayfield.

Waterford @ Stillwater.

Men:

Class AAA:

Shenendehowa 3, Schenectady 0.

Saratoga 2, Albany 1. 

Guilderland def. Colonie via penalty kicks after a scoreless draw.

Monday @ LaSalle:

Saratoga vs. Shaker.

Shen vs. Guilderland.

Class AA:

Bethlehem 8, Amsterdam 0.

Burnt Hills 2, CBA 1.

Columbia 3, Ballston Spa 0.

Niskayuna 3, Queensbury 1.

Monday @ Colonie:

Nisky vs. Bethlehem.

Columbia vs. Burnt Hills.

Class B:

Broadalbin-Perth 9, Canajoharie-Fort Plain 0. The Patriots advance to play Mechanicville on Saturday.

Class C:

Loudonville Christian 4, Galway 0.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 4, Stillwater 0.

Saturday:

Cambridge-Salem vs. BKWD.

Greenwich @ Loudonville Christian.

Wednesday's sectional scoreboard, 10/21

 Field hockey:

Class A:

Guilderland 5, Colonie 0.

Shenendehowa 4, Niskayuna 3.

Bethlehem 12, Columbia 0.

Saratoga 2, Shaker 0.

Next Wednesday:

Shen @ Guilderland.

Saratoga @ Bethlehem.

Women's soccer:

Class AA:

Troy 1, Amsterdam 0.

Queensbury def. South Glens Falls via penalty kicks after a scoreless draw.

Monday:

Troy @ Columbia.

Ballston Spa @ Burnt Hills.

Niskayuna @ Mohonasen.

Queensbury @ Bethlehem.

Class A:

Emma Willard 5, Hudson Falls 1. The Jesters will play Schalnont on Friday.

Men's soccer:

Class B:

Catskill 2, Coxsackie-Athens 1.

Mechanicville 5, Hoosick Falls 1.

Voorheesville 3, Fonda-Fultonville 0.

Ichabod Crane 5, Taconic Hills 1.

Watervliet-Heatly 3, Tamarac 0.

Saturday:

Catskill @ Cobleskill-Richmondville.

Ichabod Crane @ Voorheesville.

Watervliet-Heatly @ Schuylerville.

Class C:

Maple Hill 4, Berlin-New Lebanon 0.

Chatham 2, Waterford 0.

Cambridge-Salem 5, Hoosic Valley 1.

Greenwich 3, OESJ 1.

Lake George 2, Schoharie 1.

Greenville 7, Mayfield 0.

Saturday:

Chatham @ Maple Hill.

Lake George @ Greenville.