News & notes

 The Troy Fighting Irish will have a bye week this weekend before hosting Syracuse at Watervliet High on July 8. The Irish are coming off a 49-8 demolition of the NY Falcons on June 24, also at Watervliet. Now, if only the local press could stop ignoring semi-pro football, more folks would realize there is an alternative to the now-defunct Albany Empire.

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To be fair, most of us slept on the NY Knockout, a women's football team that finished their season earlier this month. The Knockout reached the quarterfinals of the Women's Football Alliance playoffs before losing to Maine, 13-12, in double overtime on June 24 at Sutton Field at LaSalle Institute. The Knockout finish at 5-2 in the short season league.

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The Amsterdam Mohawks are now 19-1 in the Perfect Game Collegiate League after walking off the Albany Dutchmen, 3-2, in 10 innings Tuesday at Shuttleworth Park. The Mohawks had previously avenged their only loss of the season in beating Mohawk Valley on Saturday.

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The Tri-City Valleycats may be beginning to peak.

The 'Cats downed Schaumburg, 16-9, Tuesday at Bruno Stadium. Jakob Goldfarb homered, and Carson McCusker added two of his own. Series continues tonight, weather permitting, at 6:30.

In other 'Cats news, infielder Trey Hair has left the team to play in Mexico for the rest of the Mexican League season. If his Mexican team doesn't make the playoffs, Hair, who decided to play for extra money south of the border, will return to Troy next month.

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WNYT's Rodger Wyland, writing in today's Albany Times-Union, is reporting that Troy High may be ready to introduce a recent star as their next football coach, after baseball coach Chris Stack led the Flying Horses to a 4-5 ledger in 2022.

Jordan Canzeri has been learning the administrative side of things as a Principal's Assistant since returning to THS last year, and, now, per Wyland, all it will need is a majority vote of the Troy school board to give Canzeri the reins of the team. Canzeri would become the 2nd former player in the last 10 years to be named coach. Mike Hurteau went 4-5 in 2014, and was not brought back.

Job 1 is making the postseason. One step at a time is the best formula for now.