News & notes

Three days after the game was supposed to be played, Cole Hedden checked Shenendehowa on just one hit, and Niskayuna defeated the Plainsmen, 3-0. The game was played as a home game for Nisky, after it was moved from Bruno Stadium.

Meanwhile, in Troy, Rensselaer blasted Doane Stuart, 13-0, and that game was played at Bruno Stadium, which is why Shen-Nisky was moved.
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Troy, meanwhile, was supposed to host Queensbury in a non-league baseball game, but it was either cancelled due to poor field conditions after morning rains, or it was played and not reported. A quick check of Queensbury's Twitter feed suggests the former.

However, Troy softball dropped an 8-6 decision to Ballston Spa, dropping the Flying Horses to 5-6 on the season. Troy is on the road today at Columbia, while the lacrosse team hosts the Blue Devils tonight.

News & notes

To borrow from U2, it was "a sort of homecoming" for Troy High grads Joe Casale & Dev Holmes Saturday, as UAlbany held their annual spring game at Picken Field, due to Bob Ford Field at Casey Stadium on UAlbany's campus being occupied with lacrosse. Casale is moving from safety to linebacker for his sophomore season. Holmes had a breakout season at wide receiver as a freshman. However, the defense downed the offense, 26-19. Casale has never tasted defeat at Picken Field. I've a feeling that they'll do this again next year if they have the same scheduling issues.
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The Albany Empire opened their season at Times Union Center in front of over 11,000 fans, and dispatched the Columbus Destroyers, 35-19. Tommy Grady threw four touchdown passes in the game, including one to last year's offensive player of the year, Malachi Jones.

Former Troy High star Jordan Canzeri did not re-sign with the Empire this year, which might've put a few extra fans in seats had he signed.
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As of this writing, it appears that the Coaches vs. Cancer doubleheader at Bruno Stadium was postponed again, this time because of cold weather. However, neither the Valleycats' website, nor the four schools involved (Tamarac, Green Tech, Shenendehowa, Niskayuna), updated any information, so no makeup date has been set yet.

Update, 12:08 pm: Shen vs. Niskayuna has been reset for tomorrow at 4:15 at Niskayuna. Tamarac vs. Green Tech has not yet been rescheduled.

Update, 6:51 pm: Per Tamarac's page on the Wasaren League website, their game with Green Tech likely won't be made up at all.
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Congratulations to former Bishop Maginn standout Derrek Thomas, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks. Thomas will report to the Seahawks' camp for initial workouts in about three weeks. Thomas played his college ball at Baylor. We'll see if he winds up on any trading cards when they come out in the next few weeks.

News & notes

With rain in the forecast all day today, the opening doubleheader in the Friday Night Lights Coaches vs. Cancer series has been postponed to tomorrow. However, rain is in the forecast all weekend, so it's a question of whether or not they'll try to play between the raindrops tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned.
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Before Troy High entered the Suburban Council in 2015, they'd developed a pretty good rivalry in football with Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. However, it seems the only sport the Spartans can't beat the Flying Horses in is basketball.

After the Spartans pummeled Troy, 22-2, in lacrosse on Tuesday, the two schools met in softball & baseball on Thursday afternoon, and swept the varsity & junior varsity games. In softball, Troy saw its two game winning streak end in a 2-1 loss after beating Lansingburgh, 5-3, in a non-league game on Wednesday. The Troy baseball club put up a fight before falling, 5-4.

By the way, the box score for the softball game tells us that Troy is now 3-4 in the Suburban Council, 5-4 overall, so it looks like they will advance to sectional play if they can win at least one more game.
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While Joe Bruno Stadium won't be hosting state baseball tournament play in June, teams from each of the classifications (AA-D) will take part in all-star games being sponsored by Built2Win & the Tri-City Valleycats on June 8. Exactly what times the games will be played will be announced at a later date. Bruno Stadium will also host sectional championship games in late May, as per usual.
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With Friday Night Lights pushed back a day, check with your schools to see if your teams will try to play today.

This much we know: Schuylerville @ Lansingburgh and Mohonasen @ Troy have both been rained out, per the Colonial Council web pages for their member schools. However, Schedule Galaxy has yet to acknowledge the postponement on Troy's page.

News & notes

With their backs against the wall, the Albany Patroons defeated Raleigh, 131-112, Tuesday to force a deciding game in their playoff series. Defending champion Yakima awaits the winner. If Albany wins tonight, the championship series could start as early as Friday at the Washington Avenue Armory, ahead of the circus. The only other option is to have all three games (if needed) at Yakima, if venue availability is an issue.

For what it's worth (not much), the announced attendance at the Armory Tuesday was just over 600 fans.
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Troy High's softball team won their 2nd game of the season Tuesday, shutting out Albany, 12-0, in a game called after 5 innings due to the mercy rule. Troy scored 8 in the 4th, and 4 more in the 5th. However, results of the tennis match and baseball game between the two schools were not reported as of press time.

The lacrosse team, meanwhile, dropped a 22-2 decision to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.
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I'm told it's up to the home teams to provide game results to the press. Some schools just aren't willing to cooperate, which explains why league standings are daily game results are so spotty. A better idea would be to have volunteers from both sides working together to gather information.

Then again, common sense is in short supply this time of year.

News & notes

The Albany Empire had most of their games on cable television last season, particularly the CBS Sports Network. This year, all of the Empire's home games will air on local television.

Starting with Saturday's home opener vs. Columbus, WNYA, which also airs a select number of Siena men's basketball games, will carry Empire football, per the Albany Times-Union. However, there has been no announcement of the broadcast team for the games. All we can say for now is, stay tuned.
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Last month, after Carmen Maciariello was promoted to head basketball coach at Siena, MAAC Rookie of The Year Jalen Pickett stated he was committed to staying at Siena.

Last week, Pickett decided to declare for the NBA Draft, coming in June, mostly for research purposes. Funny thing was, Kevin Huerter said the same thing last year after his sophomore season at Maryland, and then was drafted by Atlanta.

Pickett is exploring his options, and new NCAA rules allow players to hire an agent, but if they don't formally enter the draft, they then must sever ties with the agent before the next season to retain college eligibility. I guess it's a way to try to stem the tide of one-&-done's, most of whom usually wash out when the reality doesn't match the hype. For the sake of Siena and its fan base, Pickett should stay and play the full four years.
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The Albany Patroons, down 1-0 to Raleigh in the Basketball League playoff semi-finals, need to win tonight to save their season. As bad as attendance has been, per reports, having the game on a school night isn't the smartest of moves, but the Patroons have no choice. The Washington Avenue Armory has a circus coming in this weekend, forcing the Pats to play a mid-week playoff game tonight and likely also tomorrow if they win.

Like, what? The Capital Center wasn't an option? Then again, the Pats don't have the money to afford renting space in the city's newest venue........

News & notes

Sad news to report on Easter Sunday.

Former Troy High swimming coach & physical education teacher Richard Bartis passed away earlier this week at 89. Bartis was the men's swimming coach at Troy during the time I was there, and back then, Troy fielded competitive teams in every sport. The futility of some of today's teams would have frustrated Bartis to no end.
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Meanwhile, Troy couldn't stand the prosperity after their first win of the season in lacrosse, as the Flying Horses returned home Saturday, and were blown off the field by Shenendehowa, 16-4, amidst a mid-day rain storm. The game had been delayed a week due to weather, and the teams decided to take a chance. Got the result from Shen's Twitter feed. Troy? Fuhgeddaboutit!
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Thanks to the Troy Record's "Average" Joe Boyle, we find out, well after the season has started, that LaSalle changed coaches in lacrosse in another stealth change, just like they did in basketball.

CJ Squires is the new varsity lacrosse coach, replacing Shane Hendry, who didn't return for a 2nd season despite a winning record last year, and some of the same players returning from last year's team. Boyle filed his report three days after the Cadets defeated Central Valley, 17-11, in a non-league match on Thursday. Don't know the reason for the change in coaches.
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If you're like me, and you check the Albany Times-Union's website for lacrosse standings, it has to be embarrassing to see the charts this year. There is no page for Colonial Council standings, and the aforementioned LaSalle is listed as an independent. Like, seriously?

Then again, there are no standings charts for baseball & softball. Pathetic!

Shine a light on cancer

The Tri-City Valleycats held what has become an annual event, a press conference to announce the annual Friday Night Lights Coaches vs. Cancer series, which kicks off April 26 at Bruno Stadium. Weather permitting, of course.

The lineup:

April 26:

4 pm: Tamarac, representing the Wasaren (Washington-Saratoga-Rensselaer counties) League, vs. Green Tech (independent). The Eagles were pummeled by Troy on Thursday, and make their second visit to Troy in as many weeks.

7 pm: A Suburban Council matchup is the nightcap, as Shenendehowa plays Niskayuna.

May 3:

4 pm: Another Suburban Council game, as Christian Brothers Academy faces Guilderland.

7 pm: The Colonial Council takes over the spotlight, as Watervliet meets Mohonasen.

May 10:

4 pm: Homestanding LaSalle faces Cohoes in another Colonial Council match.

7 pm: The Suburban Council drops the curtain on the series, as Shaker plays Ballston Spa.

Tickets are $5 per night, and can be had at the Bruno Stadium box office or on the 'Cats website.

News & notes

It was a bittersweet homecoming for Yale's TD Ierlan Friday night.

Ierlan, a junior, made his first appearance---and likely, his only one----as a visiting player, leading Yale past UAlbany, 10-5, in a lacrosse match that didn't get quite the national media attention it deserved, weather aside. The game wasn't scheduled to air on ESPN or any of its sister channels, or any other sports network available on basic cable. Ierlan won 16 of 17 face-offs in the game, and Yale (9-2) pulled away early, even as UAlbany (5-7) made a comeback late.

For the Great Danes, time is running out on the season, with a week to go in the regular season.
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There will be March Madness of a different kind at Times-Union Center next year, as the NCAA hockey tournament has chosen Albany for one of its regional sites, the first time the TUC has hosted the NCAA's since 2016. That will put more pressure on RPI & Union to make a big time run just to get to the tournament. Given RPI's struggles the last few years, they're at best a longshot,  but everything does run in cycles.
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It is a tradition in Section II that, during spring vacation week, which began yesterday, baseball, lacrosse, & softball games will, for the most part, start much earlier than normal. Games scheduled for April 22-26 are mostly ticketed for noon, though there are some exceptions. Check with your schools.
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Congratulations to Siena baseball coach Tony Rossi on winning his 900th game earlier this week. I don't know where that places him among college coaches across the country, but it is quite the accomplishment. It's just too bad Siena can't hang on to a basketball coach long enough to get to the same plateau.

Speaking of Siena, a recent road softball game had a pair of VIP visitors.

With the Lady Saints on the road at Quinnipiac last weekend, sophomore Lyssa Ouellette had a famous uncle in the house in the form of WWE superstar Triple H (Paul Levesque), accompanied by his wife, Stephanie McMahon. A still photo used on WRGB showed Stephanie, a brunette, rocking the Cindy Brady (Brady Bunch) pig-tails.

The WWE's First Couple proved to be a good luck charm, as the Lady Saints won, 4-2.

News & notes

UAlbany wraps its non-conference men's lacrosse schedule tonight at home vs. Yale. No big deal, right? Wrong.

The game marks the return of former Great Dane TD Ierlan, playing as a visitor for the first time. Ierlan transferred to Yale after last season, and had to have this game circled in red on his calendar.

This tale of the prodigal son returning home, fittingly, on Good Friday, got major play in local media outlets except for one. El Cheapo Media whiffed on the Ierlan angle, treating UAlbany-Yale as just another game when, in the eyes of most discerning local fans, it's more than that.

El Cheapo has whiffed on a number of stories in recent years, pointing to their shortfalls in manpower as a big reason why. And now you know why they're the #3 paper in the market.
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Troy High's baseball team snapped a losing streak dating back a year in thumping Green Tech in a non-league tilt on a windy, blustery Thursday afternoon. Unfortunately, the armadillos in charge of submitting the result to the media didn't do so in time for publication this morning, and schools are closed, though there will be games played, over the next few days, as spring vacation starts today.

The last score I had, being there early on, was Troy leading, 11-1, in the 2nd inning.

Meanwhile, across the river in Albany, Troy's lacrosse team snapped its losing streak as well, picking up a 13-8 decision on Thursday night. Regrettably, no individual stats were made available to the press. Just as unfortunate is Troy's next game, a Saturday brunch special at home vs. Shenendehowa. We're waiting on the result of Tuesday's match at Colonie.

Troy High update

To illustrate the cruelty of spring weather patterns, Troy High's baseball & softball teams were right back at it on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the losing continued at Colonie.

Troy softball's offense perked up after getting plastered, 16-0, by Shenendehowa on Tuesday, but coach Sean Geisel's club dropped their third straight, 7-5 to the Garnet Raiders. On the men's side, Troy's anemic offense was held to just three hits in a 11-1 loss.

The boys are back at it today---weather permitting, of course----at home vs. Green Tech in a non-league game, scheduled for 4:15, while the lacrosse team, also looking for a win, is on the road at Albany before coming home to play Shen on Saturday morning.

In order to qualify for sectionals, baseball teams need six wins. Think the same is true for softball. At this rate, Troy's baseball team might miss their 2nd straight post-season. Stay tuned.

News & notes

Hockey season is almost over in the 518.

The Adirondack Thunder, playing in the East Coast Hockey League's Kelly Cup tournament, are down 2-0 in games to the Manchester Monarchs, and travel to New Hampshire tonight for game 3. The Thunder have had trouble with Manchester all season, so the fact that Manchester swept the first two games at Cool Insuring Arena shouldn't surprise anyone.

The Thunder do have a radio deal, but it's for listeners in the North Country, and I'm not sure if their signals reach all the way into Albany-Troy-Schenectady.
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The Albany Patroons will begin post-season play in The Basketball League on the road at Raleigh, North Carolina, but the remaining two games in the opening series are set for April 23-24 at the Washington Avenue Armory due to a circus hitting town next weekend. The Pats are struggling at the gate, due largely to Albany no longer willing to fully support minor league sports. As we've noted, Albany is more of a college-high school town for hoops.
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Shenendehowa threw a couple of goose eggs in Troy's direction on Tuesday.

The Plainsmen swept the baseball & softball games at Troy by a combined count of 24-0. Ouch! The Troy women have now lost two straight after getting thumped, 11-2, by Bethlehem on Saturday. The baseball team remains winless as of now. The tennis match between Troy & Shen was postponed as a previously postponed match between Troy & Bethlehem was played yesterday instead. The Eagles also posted a shutout, 9-0, leaving the boys' tennis squad without a win as well.

To break it down on the diamonds, the Shen softball team blew out Troy, 16-0, in a game halted after 5 innings due to the mercy rule. Meanwhile, three sport star Brandon Disonell allowed just two hits in five innings as Shen won the baseball game, 8-0.

Maybe it's karma affecting Troy, since they've stopped participating in the fundraising efforts for Coaches Against Cancer, and haven't played at Bruno Stadium in a couple of years. As of this writing, the Shen-Troy baseball score hadn't been reported to the newspapers, but was posted on Shen's Twitter account. Troy won't do that even if they win. The Twitter account is reserved, sports wise, for basketball & football only.
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Speaking of which, Troy hoops coach Greg Davis joins Nazaire Merritt on WNYT's All-Star team as one of the coaches. The banquet was held last night. Congratulations to Coach Davis on a job well done.

News & notes

Most, if not all, of today's schedule has been wiped out by rain and unplayable field conditions, which would explain why lacrosse matches, which could be played in the rain, were postponed. At last check, Lansingburgh was still planning on having a varsity baseball game vs. Schalmont, but I don't think that'll happen.

To illustrate the point, Troy High & Shenendehowa agreed to push back their games until tomorrow. Tennis, varsity softball & baseball, and JV baseball in Troy, JV softball in Clifton Park, all washed out for at least 24 hours.

This is the problem Section II deals with every year during spring sports season. Whether it's rain or snow, given the 6-7 week schedule, there's always going to be scrambling to reschedule, especially in the wake of a heavy rainstorm that hit the 518 overnight. State regulations making those schedules as rigid as they are don't help.
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Speaking of Troy, their baseball team is yearning for a win, since we don't know if they beat Cohoes two weeks ago.

Chris Strack's club dropped a 13-11 decision on Friday to Niskayuna, which, without verification of the Cohoes score, leaves the Horses winless, extending a futility streak dating back to last year. Troy has a non-league home game scheduled vs. Green Tech on Thursday, but I've a feeling they'll miss the sectionals again.
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Next week starts the annual Friday Night Lights Coaches vs. Cancer series at Bruno Stadium. By this time next week, we'll know who will be filling out the three double-headers, since they tend to wait until the week of the first one to make it public.

Then again, El Cheapo Media hasn't exactly been supporting this venture at all, despite the sponsorship of the Tri-City Valleycats. All we know is that Shen will play the nightcap on April 26, and LaSalle will host Cohoes on May 10. Stay tuned.

Troy High update

We've noted how Troy High spring sports results have been all but missing from local media. It's just frustrating, and it is not because most of the teams are losing.

In fact, the softball team recorded a win Wednesday, beating Saratoga, 11-5. To this point, that's the only softball result reported. You'd think coach Sean Geisel and staff would be a little more diligent, like, maybe, updating the team's website?

Troy's winless lacrosse team took another big hit on Thursday, getting crushed again on the road, 24-1, at Niskayuna. Tuesday's game vs. Saratoga was not reported, but figure Troy lost that one, too, hence dropping to 0-5 with the drubbing last night.

The baseball team's game vs. Saratoga on Wednesday wasn't reported, either, but with news that the Blue Streaks dropped a 3-1 decision to Shenendehowa for their first loss of the season on Thursday, well, chalk up another loss for Troy on Wednesday. Second year coach Chris Strack may be feeling pressure from not just parents, but administration as well, if he can't win any games. The April 1 game vs. Cohoes wasn't reported, and it's unclear if it was played at all.

Trying to gain information from athletic director Paul Reinisch, something new I'm trying, isn't working. Apparently, the frustration from all the losing has gotten to him, too. He would only confirm that the games have been played, in reference to the lacrosse & baseball tilts vs. Saratoga. The Flying Horses are in Niskayuna for baseball & softball today, while the winless tennis team hosts a meet this afternoon.

News & notes

Albany Academy is feeling the effects of last year's senior class graduation.

The Cadets dropped a 4-2 decision to Lansingburgh on Monday, as the Knights avenged a beatdown on their field last year. Because the reporting of scores to the local papers has been sparse, due largely to space limitations.

That being said, Monday's Troy-Bethlehem scores, both in softball & baseball, were not reported to the press. Per the Eagles' Twitter page, however, we learned that Bethlehem beat Troy in baseball, 9-2. The tennis match between the schools was postponed due to weather, and will be made up later this week. Troy has a make-up date today with Christian Brothers Academy on the court, provided, of course, that the rain doesn't hit before 4:15.

Troy's Twitter page, meanwhile, is ignoring spring sports. What a shock.
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Arena Football's Albany Empire will begin their 2nd season April 27 at the Times-Union Center vs. Columbus, one of two new teams added to the struggling league this season. Chances are the game could also be on CBS Sports Network, which carried most of the Empire's games last season.
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Back to Academy for a moment. Three sport star Brett Young isn't seeing a lot of playing time for Virginia Commonwealth's baseball team. Word I'm hearing is that Brett may be redshirted this season, which would give him an extra year of eligibility.

Local fans looking for VCU games may have to pony up some extra coin, since it appears their games air on one of the Fox Sports regional channels, which are premium channels on Spectrum Cable. ESPN is committed more to the Power 5 conferences, including the ACC & SEC, and will only showcase VCU if they get into the College World Series tournament in June.

News & notes

While the Albany Patroons qualified for The Basketball League's playoffs, it seems that, again, the league, formerly the North American Premier Basketball League, is on life support.

Pats coach Derrick Rowland told Tim Wilkin of the Albany Times-Union on Sunday, after Albany beat Jamestown, that one of the teams ahead of them, Kansas City, had ceased operations. The last place New York Court Kings had disbanded. Attendance is well below expectations.

But, as has been documented in the past, Albany is not a minor league sports town anymore. Fans here either follow the big leagues, or high school & college action. When the NCAA women's tournament was in town last weekend, they drew far, far more than the Patroons have in the ancient Washington Avenue Armory for the entire season.

So, here we go again. The death watch is on.
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As promised, to borrow a line from the late Paul Harvey, is the rest of the story regarding Section II's 2019 football schedule.

There is more shuffling than just Albany leaving Class AA for Class A, sacrificing post-season eligibility.

As Jim Schiltz of the Daily Gazette reports, Corinth & Fort Edward will join forces, and although they will have a Class C-level team, they'll play in Class D, and will not be eligible for post-season play. Holy Trinity, which is a combination of Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons (Schenectady) & Catholic Central (Troy), now adds Albany's Bishop Maginn, which was inevitable, I'd suppose, and will move from Class C to Class B. Cairo-Durham & Catskill will merge as well, as the two Greene County schools will play in Class C, and thus will be ineligible for the post-season due to their combined team being more of a Class B-level squad.

So, this is how each class shakes out:

AA:

Bethlehem, CBA, Colonie, Guilderland, Niskayuna, Saratoga, Schenectady, Shaker, & Shenendehowa.

A:

Capital Division:

Albany, Amsterdam, Averill Park, Columbia, Green Tech, LaSalle, & Troy.

Grasso Division:

Ballston Spa, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Gloversville, Mohonasen, Queensbury, Scotia-Glenville, South Glens Falls.

B:

North Division:

Broadalbin-Perth, Glens Falls, Hudson Falls, Johnstown, Lansingburgh, Schuylerville.

Reinfurt Division:

Cobleskill-Richmondville, Holy Trinity, Hudson, Ichabod Crane, Schalmont, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk.

C:

North Division:

Cambridge-Salem, Granville, Greenwich, Hoosick Falls, Hoosic Valley, Lake George/Hadley-Luzerne.

Central Division:

Canajoharie/Fort Plain, Fonda-Fultonville, Mechanicville, Stillwater, Tamarac.

South Division:

Cairo-Durham/Catskill, Coxsackie-Athens, Taconic Hills, Watervliet, Voorheesville, Rensselaer.

D:

Chatham, Cohoes, Corinth-Fort Edward, Helderberg Valley, Warrensburg, Whitehall.

Schedules, by week, courtesy of the Gazette:

Week 1

Shaker at Guilderland; Saratoga at Niskayuna; Colonie at Amsterdam; Shenendehowa at Bethlehem; Schenectady at CBA; Albany at Green Tech; Colonie at Amsterdam; Columbia at Averill Park; Troy at La Salle; Queensbury at Ballston Spa; Gloversville at Burnt Hills; South Glens Falls at Mohonasen; Hudson Falls at Scotia; Schalmont at Cobleskill; Hudson at Holy Trinity; Schuylerville at Johnstown; Lansingburgh at Glens Falls; Ravena at Broadalbin; Ichabod Crane at Cairo/Catskill; Cambridge/Salem at Greenwich; LG/H-L at Granville; Hoosic Valley at Whitehall; Canajoharie/Fort Plain at Mechanicville; Tamarac at Fonda; Stillwater at Voorheesville; Watervliet at Rensselaer; Coxsackie at Taconic Hills; Corinth/Fort Edward at Hoosick Falls; Helderberg Valley at Warrensburg; Cohoes at Chatham.

Week 2

Guilderland at Niskayuna; Colonie at CBA; Bethlehem at Saratoga; Shaker at Shenendehowa; Green Tech at Schenectady; Albany at Averill Park; Amsterdam at Troy; La Salle at Columbia; Ballston Spa at Gloversville; Scotia at Burnt Hills; Mohonasen at Queensbury; Broadalbin at South Glens Falls; Cobleskill at Holy Trinity; Schalmont at Hudson; Johnstown at Lansingburgh; Glens Falls at Schuylerville; Ravena at Hudson Falls; Voorheesville at Ichabod Crane; LG/H-L at Cambridge/Salem; Granville at Greenwich; Hoosick Falls at Cairo/Cat; Hoosic Valley at Mechanicville; Tamarac at Stillwater; Canajoharie/Fort Plain at Fonda; Watervliet at Coxsackie; Rensselaer at Taconic Hills; Warrensburg at Cohoes; Chatham at Helderberg Valley; Whitehall at Corinth/Fort Edward.

Week 3

Saratoga at Shaker; CBA at Troy; Niskayuna at Shenendehowa; Bethlehem at Guilderland; Schenectady at Colonie; La Salle at Albany; Columbia at Amsterdam; Averill Park at Green Tech; Ballston Spa at Mohonasen; Burnt Hills at South Glens Falls; Glens Falls at Gloversville; Queensbury at Scotia; Ichabod Crane at Cobleskill; Holy Trinity at Ravena; Schuylerville at Broadalbin; Johnstown at Hudson Falls; Watervliet at Hudson; Lansingburgh at Schalmont; Cambridge/Salem at Hoosic Valley; Granville at Cohoes; Greenwich at Hoosick Falls; Chatham at LG/H-L; Mechanicville at Fonda; Canajoharie/Fort Plain at Stillwater; Tamarac at Rensselaer; Cairo/Catskill at Coxsackie; Taconic Hills at Voorheesville; Warrensburg at Corinth/Fort Edward; Whitehall at Helderberg Valley.

Week 4

CBA at Bethlehem; Shenendehowa at Colonie; Queensbury at Saratoga; Niskayuna at Shaker; Guilderland at Schenectady; Amsterdam at Albany; Averill Park at La Salle; Schalmont at Columbia; Green Tech at Troy; Burnt Hills at Ballston Spa; South Glens Falls at Gloverville; Mohonasen at Scotia; Ravena at Cobleskill; Holy Trinity at Ichabod Crane; Broadalbin at Johnstown; Hudson Falls at Schuylerville; Lansingburgh at Mechanicville; Hudson at Glens Falls; Hoosick Falls at Cambridge/Salem; Rensselaer at Granville; Greenwich at Hoosic Valley; Stillwater at LG/H-L; Fonda at Watervliet; Cohoes at Tamarac; Chatham at Canajoharie/Fort Plain; Taconic Hills at Cairo/Catskill; Coxsackie at Voorheesville; Warrensburg at Whitehall; Helderberg Valley at Corinth/Fort Edward.

Week 5

Saratoga at CBA; Schenectady at Niskayuna; Shaker at Ballston Spa; Shenendehowa at Guilderland; Colonie at Bethlehem; Columbia at Albany; Amsterdam at Green Tech; Troy at Averill Park; Cobleskill at La Salle; Mohonasen at Burnt Hills; Gloversville at Queensbury; South Glens Falls at Scotia; Hudson at Ravena; Ichabod Crane at Schalmont; Glens Falls at Johnstown; Hudson Falls at Broadalbin; Schuylerville at Lansingburgh; Holy Trinity at Cambridge/Salem; Granville at Hoosic Valley; Mechanicville at Greenwich; LG/H-L at Hoosick Falls; Stillwater at Warrensburg; Helderberg Valley at Fonda; Coxsackie at Tamarac; Canajoharie/Fort Plain at Taconic Hills; Cairo/Cat at Rensselaer; Watervliet at Voorheesville; Cohoes at Corinth/Fort Edward; Whitehall at Chatham.

Week 6

Niskayuna at Colonie; Guilderland at Saratoga; Schenectady at Shaker; CBA at Shenendehowa; Burnt Hills at Bethlehem; Albany at Holy Trinity; Averill Park at Amsterdam; Troy at Columbia; La Salle at Green Tech; Scotia at Ballston Spa; Gloversville at Mohonasen; Queensbury at South Glens Falls; Ichabod Crane at Hudson; Schalmont at Ravena; Broadalbin at Glens Falls; Lansingburgh at Hudson Falls; Schuylerville at Cobleskill; Fonda at Johnstown; Cambridge/Salem at Whitehall; Hoosick Falls at Granville; Corinth/Fort Edward at Greenwich; Hoosic Valley at LG/H-L; Mechanicville at Stillwater; Tamarac at Canajoharie/Fort Plain; Voorheesville at Cairo/Catskill; Taconic Hills at Watervliet; Rensselaer at Coxsackie; Helderberg Valley at Cohoes; Chatham at Warrensburg.

Week 7

Bethlehem at Niskayuna; Shenendehowa at Averill Park; CBA at Shaker; Saratoga at Schenectady; Colonie at Guilderland; Albany at Troy; Amsterdam at La Salle; Green Tech at Columbia; Ballston Spa at South Glens Falls; Burnt Hills at Queensbury; Scotia at Gloversville; Mohonasen at Schuylerville; Cobleskill at Hudson; Holy Trinity at Schalmont; Ravena at Ichabod Crane; Glens Falls at Hudson Falls; Broadalbin at Lansingburgh; Cambridge/Salem at Granville; Greenwich at LG/H-L; Hoosic Valley at Hoosick Falls; Mechanicville at Tamarac; Fonda at Stillwater; Johnstown at Canajoharie/Fort Plain; Cairo/Catskill at Watervliet; Warrensburg at Coxsackie; Voorheesville at Rensselaer; Cohoes at Whitehall; Corinth/Fort Edward at Chatham; Taconic Hills at Helderberg Valley.

Week 8

Guilderland at CBA; Shaker at Colonie; Niskayuna at Albany; Shenendehowa at Saratoga; Bethlehem at Schenectady.

Early predictions from this desk: I think the Capital Division (Class A) could be a four team race this year (Troy, LaSalle, Columbia, Averill Park), as all four have key players returning. Schalmont won't have it so easy in the Reinfurt Division (B) if Holy Trinity continues its recent run of success.

As noted before, LaSalle & Troy will settle the Collar City Cup right away, but after that, John Audino's Cadets will have a brutal schedule. However, their only non-league game isn't CBA and the Battle For The Sabre. Instead, they get Cobleskill-Richmondville. Go figure.

But, this is why they play the games......

Troy High 2019 football schedule released

Section II has released its 2019 football schedule. The season begins after Labor Day for a change, as the season openers are on September 6.

Tonight, we're focusing on Troy High, which is looking to get back to the Super Bowl, after being eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual sectional champion Burnt Hills in October.

Worth noting is the fact that Albany has volunteered to drop to Class A this season after several poor seasons in Class AA. However, the Falcons are ineligible for post-season play. Don't ask, 'cause I don't know why.

Troy's schedule (all games start at 7 pm):

September 6: @ LaSalle. John Audino will be looking to end the Cadets' three game losing streak vs. Troy and take back the Collar City Cup. Last year was a close one, so maybe.......
September 13: Home opener vs. Amsterdam.
September 20: CBA.
September 27: Homecoming vs. Green Tech.
October 4: @ Averill Park.
October 11: @ Columbia. Former assistant Bob Treacy has yet to beat Troy in two tries. This time, he's got the home field.
October 18: Senior Night vs. Albany.
October 25: Playoffs begin.

We'll have more football details tomorrow.

Like drawing blood from a stone

I don't know what it is with Section II schools and social media during the spring.

After two weeks of play (tennis season began the week of March 25), Troy is 0-2 on the tennis courts after dropping a 7-2 decision to Ballston Spa the other day. It won't surprise anyone to find their track team hasn't made any headway, either.

However, we're looking for results from the following:

Varsity baseball vs. Cohoes (April 1).
Varsity softball vs. Amsterdam (April 3).

Varsity softball vs. Cohoes (April 6).

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Troy's baseball team dropped a 4-0 decision to Christian Brothers Academy on the road today. Michael Hicks held Troy to four hits over six innings. The lacrosse team is 0-3 after getting blown off the field again today, 17-4, at home to Queensbury, this after a 23-5 shellacking at Bethlehem on Thursday. Troy has been outscored, 60-17 in the three losses. Ouch!

Social media feeds from most schools are largely inactive as of now, promoting academic events more than athletic, which again speaks to the low priority spring sports has. I've tried other school sites this week. Nothing. Cohoes' Twitter page has photos from Monday's opener at Troy, but no score. Nothing was reported to the media, and at this time of year, that's getting to be a joke.

It's not just up to the coaches & athletic directors. Parents can help by contacting the local papers (i.e .Albany Times-Union). Let's get with the program!

News & notes

Even though Mohonasen moved out of the Suburban Council and into the Colonial Council after last season, they are fielding a combined team with Schenectady in lacrosse this season. Unfortunately, they ended up on the losing end of a 17-0 beatdown at the hands of South Glens Falls in a non-league game on Tuesday night.

What this says, in relation to the uniting of Schenectady & Mohonasen, is that the Mighty Warriors didn't have enough players for lacrosse this season, as this is the first year they've been fused together with the Patriots. Stay tuned.
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Meanwhile, on a cold, windy Tuesday night, Troy High was blown right off Picken Field by Christian Brothers Academy, 20-8. The Brothers led, 16-1 (Ouch!) at halftime, but were outscored by the Flying Horses, 7-4, in the second half. Tyrone Jones led Troy with four goals.

Troy's softball team is scheduled to open their season today. We'll see about that.
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I've made note of this often in the past over at The Land of Whatever, as well as here, but it bears repeating as the spring sports season gets underway.

For whatever reason, schools will not provide programs for softball, baseball, and lacrosse. Some schools do have scoreboards for baseball & softball (i.e. Lansingburgh, Shenendehowa), and lacrosse is usually played on the football fields (i.e. Troy, Shen, 'Burgh, LaSalle), which already have scoreboards in place.

However, other schools, such as Troy, don't have the amenities needed for spring sports, such as scoreboards, and with Troy's ancient public address system over at Picken Field, the school board doesn't see the need to upgrade the spring side of the sports complex, which spreads out across the campuses of the middle & high schools.

Speaking of public address systems, they'll only be used for senior day activities for lacrosse, and I'd imagine a hand held mic would be used for senior day for baseball & softball.

I know I've ragged on El Cheapo Media because of their lack of available resources, which has led to missing a lot of stories in recent years, as well as some hot water, but the politics involved in school boards also leads to going el scrimpo on the spring amenities.

LaSalle plays their home baseball games at Geer Field, home to the South Troy Dodgers, with the exception of one game a year played at Bruno Stadium during the Friday Night Lights series benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. I honestly don't know why LaSalle admnistration can't get together with their counterparts at Hudson Valley Community College to allow the Cadets to play all of their home games at The Joe. HVCC, like other northeast colleges, plays a large chunk of their baseball schedule out of state in the early part of the season. That can't be helped, but it wouldn't hurt to extend the business arrangement the neighboring schools have to let LaSalle play more home games at The Joe.
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As long as we're talking LaSalle, the Cadets opened baseball season Monday with a 14-8 decision over Lansingburgh. Seems Troy & Cohoes did play, but the score has not been reported to local press as of this writing.

News & notes

Troy High was supposed to open its 2019 baseball season Monday with a non-league tilt vs. Cohoes (Colonial Council), but the game wasn't played due to cold, windy conditions. No makeup date set as yet.

However, as El Cheapo Media reports today, the Troy boys' tennis team is 0-2 after losing matches to Guilderland & Ballston Spa last week as Suburban Council play began for tennis.  Troy's lacrosse team is scheduled to have their home opener tonight vs. CBA, but we'll see if that happens. Game time is 6:30 at Picken Field.
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Because wire service charts for post-season basketball tournaments (NCAA, NIT, et al) will appear in the papers until the tournaments end next week, the Albany Times-Union doesn't have enough space in the sports section for today's schedule of games. If you're not sure if your school has games today, check with the schools themselves, as information isn't always updated in a timely fashion on Schedule Galaxy or league websites such as the Colonial Council's.
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I don't know who's in charge of Troy High's website, but their softball page hasn't been updated in five years, and, unfortunately, they don't have the incentive to build pages for the other sports at the school. The only team pages on the website are for softball and women's soccer, the latter of which, at least, is updated on a regular basis.

Methinks the school budget needs help.......