Tuesday, October 31, 2023

News & notes

 One would think that with Green Tech hosting a fundraising bowling event for their basketball program at Uncle Sam Lanes on Sunday, the media would've taken notice.

Nope.

Two days later, not a peep in the newspapers. Didn't watch the news on Sunday, so I don't know if cameras were there.
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518 Alumni Watch: 

With the NBA season nearly a week old, it's time to check on a pair of prominent stars from the 518.

Kevin Huerter (Shenendehowa/Maryland) logged in 36 minutes, and scored 12 points Sunday in a win for Sacramento over the LA Lakers. The Kings are 2-1 on the young season, but, unfortunately, have gotten the kiss of death, that being, an endorsement from ESPN bloviator Stephen A. Smith, who has declared the Kings the best of the four California teams in the league. Way too early for such pronouncements, but, then again, Smith doesn't know what he's talking about most of the time.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Andre Jackson, Jr. (Albany Academy/Connecticut) has only appeared in one game so far for Milwaukee, a loss to Atlanta. Jackson only played 7 minutes off the bench and didn't score. It's early.
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In what has to be considered an upset, Guilderland captured the Class AA men's soccer title Monday, shutting out Niskayuna, 5-0, at Queensbury.

In the nightcap, Shaker won the initial Class AAA title, beating Saratoga, 2-1.


On the women's side, Columbia won the Class AA title, shutting out Niskayuna, 1-0.
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We can clarify the state regional schedule for men's soccer, at least through tomorrow:

Class A:

Ichabod Crane vs. Westhill at Liverpool High, 6 pm.

Class B:

Mechanicville vs. Northeastern Clinton at Plattsburgh, 6 pm.

Class C:

Waterford vs. Northern Adirondack at Beekmantown, 7 pm.

Class D:

Loudonville Christian vs. Chapel Field at Goshen, 6:30 pm.

Shaker & Guilderland's opponents will be revealed, probably as early as today.

Monday, October 30, 2023

News & notes

 Three more field hockey champions were crowned Sunday at suddenly busy Queensbury High, which will host two remaining men's soccer finals tonight.

In Class A, Guilderland defeated Saratoga, 2-1, and over in Class B, Burnt Hills downed South Glens Falls, 4-3. Rounding out the triple-header, Hoosick Falls claimed the Class C title, beating Johnstown, 3-0.


State regional pairings will be announced today. We think.
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The men's volleyball sectionals begin today with quarter-final action in Division 1:

#8 Shaker @ #1 Bethlehem.
#5 Saratoga @ #4 Colonie.
#6 Niskayuna @ #3 Columbia.
#7 Guilderland @ #2 Shenendehowa.

All matches begin at 5 pm. Semi-finals will be on Wednesday at Rensselaer.  The Division 2 final is already set, as Burnt Hills will play CBA, also at Rensselaer, on Friday.
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Shenendehowa now knows where they'll play in state regional women's soccer, but not who.

The Plainswomen will travel to Nottingham on Saturday to face an opponent to be named at 4 pm.

Meanwhile, Schalmont will play Franklin Academy at Potsdam High on Wednesday at 5 pm. The nightcap on Wednesday sees Voorheesville vs. Salmon River. Fort Ann travels to Mechanicville to play Livingston Manor on Wednesday.

In field hockey, Guilderland will host Mamaroneck on Wednesday afternoon as part of a triple-header. Also on Wednesday, Hoosick Falls has the opening act slot vs. North Salem, while Burnt Hills headlines vs. Lakeland.
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In football, the Class AA playoffs are now set for Friday:

#4 Ballston Spa @ #1 Shenendehowa.
#3 Shaker @ #2 CBA.

In Class B:

Mechanicville-Hoosic Valley @ Ravena.
Schalmont @ Glens Falls.

In Class C:

Johnstown @ Schuylerville.
Hoosick Falls-Tamarac @ Fonda-Fultonville.

In Class D:

Canajoharie-Fort Plain @ Stillwater.
Cambridge-Salem @ Warrensburg-Lake George-Bolton.
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 Men's soccer states all but set, pending tonight's doubleheader at Queensbury:

Mechanicville will travel to Plattsburgh to play Northeast Clinton on Wednesday. Also Wednesday, Ichabod Crane will play Westhill at a site still unknown, and Waterford will play Northern Adirondack at Beekmantown.

Sunday, October 29, 2023

News & notes

 Reading the letters column in today's Albany Times-Union, and finding that, a week later, there is some blowback from not only the media, but readers, too, regarding Section II's decision to effectively disqualify LaSalle from the Class A playoffs due to violating a relatively obscure rule. Bruce Breton, in his letter, argued that the players were being punished for a simple mistake made by one of the coaches.

The narrative is that Section II is targeting private schools such as LaSalle and CBA, but who's to say this doesn't go on all across Section II? I get that they wanted to make an example of LaSalle, running the risk of soiling the reputation of coach John Audino in the process. However, is there a secret agenda at work? I guess we'll never know.
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Saturday's high school & college scoreboard:

Football:

Class B:

Mechanicville 51, Lansingburgh 28.


Crossover:

Cambridge-Salem 42, Green Tech 0.

Women's soccer:

Class AAA:

Shenendehowa 2, Shaker 0.

Class A:

Schalmont 3, Broadalbin-Perth 1.

Class C:

Stillwater 3, Maple Hill 0.

Class D:

Voorheesville 2, Mechanicville 0.

Men's soccer:

Class A:

Ichabod Crane 2, Glens Falls 1 (OT).

Class B:

Mechanicville 3, Greenville 1.

Class C:

Waterford 2, Maple Hill 1.

Class D:

Loudonville Christian 8, Hartford 1.

Colleges:

Football:

RPI 48, Rochester 10.
UAlbany 37, Maine 23.

Women's hockey:

Cornell 2, RPI 1.
Colgate 4, Union 0.

Men's soccer:

Siena 3, Manhattan 2.
Ithaca 2, RPI 1.
Skidmore 3, Bard 2.
Union & Clarkson played to a 1-1 draw.

Women's soccer:

Skidmore 5, Bard 0.
RPI & Ithaca played to a 2-2 draw.
Clarkson 2, Union 1.

Women's volleyball:

Canisius 3, Siena 0.
Morrisville 3, Cobleskill 1.
Skidmore 3, RPI 1.
RPI 3, Union 1.
Cobleskill 3, Canton 2.
Skidmore 3, RIT 1.

Men's swimming & diving:

Union 121, New Paltz 96.
Skidmore 172, Clarkson 125.
RPI 175 1/2, Ithaca 112 1/2.

Women's swimming & diving:

Union 144, New Paltz 82.
Skidmore 183, Clarkson 125.
RPI 196, Ithaca 106.

Friday, October 27, 2023

High School Fridays: Spartan destruction (Columbia @ Burnt Hills, 10/27/23)

 A couple of years ago, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, dealing with adverse conditions on the road against Buffalo, opted to use more of a run-centric offense, minimalizing the passing game. New England won the game.

Tonight, 1st year Burnt Hills football coach Kevin DeBonis decided to employ the same strategy in a Class A quarter-final vs. Columbia. The difference was in the weather and the scoring. On a mild late October night, the Spartans sought to take the first step toward a Super Bowl berth in 2 weeks.

Burnt Hills won the toss, and deferred to the 2nd half. This strategy nearly backfired, as Columbia, led by QB Dylan Maychack, similarly put greater emphasis on the run. However, after getting into Spartan territory, the Blue Devils turned the ball over on downs. The Spartans, then, took advantage, and marched down the field, their first drive ending with DJ Mosher running it in from 15 yards out. Lineman Logan Tomlinson added the extra point, and Burnt Hills led, 7-0, after the 1st quarter.

The 2nd quarter was more of a war of attrition, up until Burnt Hills' John Gload plunged in from a yard out. One Tomlinson PAT later, and it was 14-0 Spartans at the break.

Burnt Hills, noticing that Columbia's defensive line was already worn down, poured it on in the 3rd quarter. QB Myles Yannuzzi feigned a pass, then followed lead blocker Santino Mareno 31 yards to paydirt. A 2 point conversion extended the lead to 22-0. After a Columbia punt, Sam Karlitz shredded the defense for a 29 yard run. Maddie Tse took over the place kicking duties (Tomlinson is the punter), but her first try sailed wide. After another Columbia drive stalled, Yannuzzi scored again, this time from 19 yards out. Tse hit the PAT this time, and it was 35-0 going into the final quarter.

Burnt Hills' last touchdown came from Joe Frederick after DeBonis lifted his starters on offense. Frederick punched it in from 7 yards out, but Tse missed her 2nd extra point. Columbia broke the shutout as Maychack found Gavin Bielawa for a 10 yard score. Elle Hutton, profiled earlier today in the Albany Times-Union, converted the extra point, and that ended the scoring. Burnt Hills moves on, 41-7. Up next for the Spartans will be Averill Park, which beat South Glens Falls earlier.

Other scores:

Hoosick Falls 42, Coxsackie-Athens 0.
Niskayuna 62, Troy 0. Troy finishes 0-8, and even though they were given this game just five days ago, the team, while they might've been there physically, were overmatched again.

Bethlehem 47, Queensbury 13. Bethlehem will travel to Queensbury next week.
Schalmont 29, Broadalbin-Perth 12.
Ravena 55, Gloversville 0.
Glens Falls 48, Ichabod Crane 14.


Thursday's high school scoreboard, 10/26

 Field hockey:

Class B;

South Glens Falls 9, Queensbury 0.

Burnt Hills 10, Glens Falls 0.

Men's soccer:

Class A:

Glens Falls 2, Mohonasen 0.

Ichabod Crane 3, Burnt Hills 0.

Ichabod Crane vs. Glens Falls, Saturday at 11 am at Queensbury.

Class C:

Maple Hill 2, Galway 1.

Waterford 2, Voorheesville 1.

Maple Hill vs. Waterford, Saturday at 3:45 pm at Queensbury.


Cross country:

Lake George swept the championships for men & women in the Adirondack League.

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Wednesday's sectional scoreboard, 10/25

 Field hockey:

Class A:

Guilderland 2, Bethlehem 1.

Men's soccer:

Class B:

Greenville 4, Catskill 0.

Mechanicville 6, Hudson 0.

Greenville vs. Mechanicville @ Queensbury, Saturday at 1:30 pm.

Class D:

Hartford 3, Fort Ann 0.

Loudonville Christian 12, Argyle 1.

Hartford vs. Loudonville Christian @ Queensbury, Saturday at 6 pm.


Women's soccer:

Class AA:

Niskayuna 2, Bethlehem 0.

Columbia 3, Mohonasen 0.

Niskayuna vs. Columbia @ Shaker, Monday at 6 pm.

Women's volleyball:

Class A:

Averill Park 3, Emma Willard 0.

Class B:

Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 3, Hudson 0.

Mechanicville 3, Catskill 0.

Schalmont 3, Cobleskill-Richmondville 0.

Class C:

Tamarac 3, Chatham 0.

Hoosic Valley 3, Schoharie 1.

Voorheesville 3, Coxsackie-Athens 0.

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

News & notes

 Just a couple of months ago, Malik Henry led the Carolina Cobras to the National Arena League title game, only to lose to Jacksonville.

This week, he's an Albany Firebird.

Henry was signed by coach-GM Damon Ware earlier this week to direct the Firebirds' offense when they take the field next spring in the revamped Arena Football League, one of 30 players already under contract with the 'Birds, including former Albany Empire players Darius Prince & Trevon Shorts, who return to Albany after the debacle that was the 2023 season for the now-defunct Empire.
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Reading James Allen's column in today's Albany Times-Union, one gets the feeling that Section II has been singling out private schools such as CBA & LaSalle for violations. We've said for years that high schools have been reluctant to publicize coaching changes or other moves in the press, keeping things in house, unlike in colleges, where everything is under greater scrutiny due to ridiculous television contracts with the "Power 5" conferences.

Then comes word that Saratoga is dealing with issues regarding bullying on some of their teams. Slowly, high schools are finding out that the veils of secrecy are being rent asunder.

One other case is at Troy High.

After being eliminated from the Class A state tournament in March, and given the keys to the city, Troy's men's basketball team quietly made a coaching change.

A friend had asked back in April about coach John Killian, as she'd heard a friend of her husband mention that Killian was being let go. On Tuesday, she sent me a copy of a social media post Killian made in April, acknowledging that, yes, he had parted with Troy after 2 productive seasons, including a sectional title. WNYT's Rodger Wyland had actually broken the story on X (then known as Twitter) on March 25, a couple of weeks after Troy lost in the state quarterfinals.

Wyland also reported that former LaSalle star and UAlbany assistant Josh Pelletier was leaving UMBC to take over for Killian. Pelletier will debut December 1 vs. Columbia.
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Tuesday's high school scoreboard:

Cross country:

Fonda-Fultonville swept the Western Athletic Conference championships for men & women.

Over in the Wasaren League, Berlin-New Lebanon won the men's title, while, Mechanicville won the women's title.

Field hockey:

Class C:

Hoosick Falls 7, Schuylerville 0.
Johnstown 5, Granville 1.

Men's soccer:

Class AAA:

Saratoga 3, CBA 1.
Shaker 1, Shenendehowa 0.

Class AA:

Niskayuna 2, Bethlehem 1.
Guilderland 2, Columbia 0.


Women's soccer:

Class A:

Broadalbin-Perth 3, Ravena 1.
Schalmont 2, Scotia-Glenville 0.

Class C:

Stillwater 3, Berlin-New Lebanon 0.
Maple Hill 1, Hoosick Falls 0 (OT).
Chatham 4, Greenwich 1.
Waterford 9, Mayfield 0.

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

2023 women's volleyball sectional pairings

 The regular season for women's volleyball ended Monday, and the sectional tournament begins tomorrow.

Regrettably, Troy High, which snapped a 8 match losing streak in beating Tamarac on Monday, is not in the hunt with just 4 wins on the season.

That said, here we go:


Class AAA:

November 1: # 3 Shaker vs. #2 Saratoga @ South Glens Falls. Winner plays #1 Shenendehowa @ Saratoga on November 4.

Class AA:

Thursday: #5 Amsterdam @ #4 Columbia. Winner plays Bethlehem November 1 @ Broadalbin-Perth.

November 1: #3 Guilderland vs. #2 Niskayuna @ Broadalbin-Perth.

November 4: Finals @ Saratoga:

Class A:

Wednesday: #9 Hudson Falls @ #8 Mohonasen. Winner plays #1 Burnt Hills Thursday.

#10 Emma Willard @ #7 Averill Park.

Thursday:

#6 Lansingburgh @ #3 Academy of Holy Names.

#5 Gloversville @ #4 Queensbury.

Semi-finals are at Stillwater November 1. Finals at Saratoga November 4.

Class B:

Wednesday: #9 Catskill @ #8 Mechanicville. Winner will play #1 Ichabod Crane Friday.

#12 Hudson Falls vs. #5 Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons. Winner plays #4 Catholic Central on Friday.

#11 Cobleskill-Richmondville @ #6 Schalmont. Winner to play #3 Fonda-Fultonville Friday.

#10 Watervliet-Heatly @ #7 Schuylerville. Winner plays #2 Broadalbin-Perth on Friday.

Semi-finals are at Averill Park November 1, finals at Saratgoa November 3.

Class C:

Chatham @ Tamarac. Chatham has a better record, but is a lower seed? May be a misprint. The winner of Wednesday's match will face Galway on Friday.

#10 Schoharie @ #7 Hoosic Valley. Winner faces Stillwater Friday.

Also Wednesday:

Coxsackie-Athens @ Voorheesville.

Berlin-New Lebanon @ Berne-Knox-Westerlo.

Duanesburg @ Maple Hill.

Semi-finals at Ballston Spa November 1. Finals at Saratoga November 3.

Class D:

Friday:

#5 Mekeel Christian @ #4 Argyle. Winner plays Lake George @ Hudson Falls November 1.

#6 OESJ @ #3 Fort Edward. Winner plays Hartford @ Hudson Falls November 1.

Finals at Saratoga November 3.

Good luck to all the teams.


Monday's high school scoreboard, 10/23

 Men's soccer:

Class A:

Mohonasen 2, Albany Academy 1.

Glens Falls 1, Scotia-Glenville 0.

Burnt Hills 6, Schalmont 2.

Ichabod Crane 6, Cohoes 0.

Thursday's semi-finals at Gloversville:

Mohonasen vs. Glens Falls, 5 pm.

Burnt Hills vs. Ichabod Crane, 7:30 pm.

Class C:

Maple Hill 1, Greenwich 0.

Galway 3, Middleburgh 1.

Waterford 2, Bolton-Warrensburg 0.

Voorheesville 8, Stillwater 0.

Thursday's semi-finals at LaSalle:

Maple Hill vs. Galway, 7:30 pm.

Voorheesville vs. Waterford, 5 pm.



Women's volleyball:

Wasaren League:

Mechanicville 3, Berlin-New Lebanon 0.

Non-league:

Troy 3, Tamarac 2. Troy snaps a 8 match losing streak.

Averill Park 3, Glens Falls 0.

Cross country:

Queensbury swept the Foothills Council championships for both men & women.

Monday, October 23, 2023

Turmoil in the Class A football playoffs: LaSalle out, Troy in

 On Friday, LaSalle defeated Bethlehem to clinch its 3rd straight playoff berth in Class A.

Less than 48 hours later, that berth was gone, due to a heretofore relatively obscure rule, and the Cadets now will prepare to play Albany this weekend.


The Section II Executive Committee, prior to officially releasing the playoff brackets on Sunday, announced that LaSalle was, in effect, disqualified due to a JV player being allowed to play a varsity game without a mandatory 2 day rest period. Coach John Audino and LaSalle school principal Steve Sgambelluri, the former basketball coach, admitted mistakes were made, and, when interviewed by WRGB Sunday night, Sgambelluri admitted his school misinterpreted the rule. As noted, LaSalle will play Albany this weekend, and their seniors, including star running back Matt Bott, are eligible for all-star games.

With LaSalle out of the playoffs, Bethlehem moves into 2nd place, followed by Columbia, and last place Troy, which leap-frogs into the postseason despite no wins. This is due to 5th place Amsterdam not having enough healthy players to safely play a post-season game after getting trounced by Columbia on Friday. The Rams' season is over, while Troy travels to Niskayuna on Friday.

Meanwhile, LaSalle's women's soccer team, in its 2nd varsity season, was left out of the Class C sectionals due to having ineligible players for the 2nd straight season. LaSalle defeated Stillwater in the 1st round of the 2022 tournament, but that was before Section II discovered there was an ineligible player on the roster. As bad as LaSalle has been in women's soccer, they still had ineligible players this season, and thus were not included in the playoff tournament when it started last week.

The revised Class A football schedule for Friday:

South Glens Falls @ Averill Park.

Troy @ Niskayuna.

Queensbury @ Bethlehem.

Columbia @ Burnt Hills.

LaSalle wanted to self-discipline, but Section II chose to send a clear message. To borrow from a song from way back in the day, little things do mean a lot.


Sunday, October 22, 2023

Saturday's high school & college scoreboard, 10/21

 Colleges:

Field hockey:

Russell Sage 12, Elmira 0.

Football:

UAlbany 35, Rhode Island 10.
Union 27, Hobart 10.
RPI 37, St. Lawrence 7.

Men's hockey:

ECAC:

Connecticut 5, Union 0.
Providence 6, RPI 2.

ACHA:

RPI 8, UMass-Lowell 3.

Women's hockey:

RPI 5, Harvard 4 (OT).
Union & Dartmouth played to a 1-1 draw.

Men's soccer:

RIT 2, Union 1.
RPI 2, Clarkson 1.
St. Lawrence 4, Skidmore 0.
Siena 2, Mt. St. Mary's 0.
Canton 1, Cobleskill 0.
College of St. Rose 1, Adelphi 0.
St. John Fisher 1, Russell Sage 0.

Women's soccer:

Mt. St. Mary's 2, Siena 0.
College of St. Rose 4, Bridgeport 0.
Nazareth & Russell Sage played to a scoreless draw.
Canton & Cobleskill played to a scoreless draw.
Clarkson 2, RPI 0.
St. Lawrence & Skidmore played to a scoreless draw.

Women's volleyball:

Morrisville 3, Cobleskill 0.
Manhattan 3, Siena 2.
St. Michael's 3, College of St. Rose 2.
Skidmore 3, St. Lawrence 0.
Brockport 3, Skidmore 1.

High schools:

Football:

Queensbury 26, Albany 20.
Chatham 30, Voorheesville 22.
Cambridge-Salem 34, Greenwich 14.

Men's soccer:

Class B:

Greenville 3, Schuylerville 0.
Mechanicville 1, Cobleskill-Richmondville 0.

Class D:

Loudonville Christian 5, Mekeel Christian 0.
Fort Ann 4, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 3.


Women's soccer:

Class AA:

Columbia 1, Averill Park 0.
Niskayuna 2, Burnt Hills 0.
Bethlehem 2, Queensbury 0.
Mohonasen 2, Ballston Spa 1.

Class A:

Schalmont 14, Lansingburgh 0.
Broadalbin-Perth 1, Ichabod Crane 0.
Ravena def. Glens Falls on penalty kicks after they played to a 1-1 tie through overtime.
Scotia-Glenville 1, Cohoes 0.

Saturday, October 21, 2023

News & notes

 Troy High's volleyball team was supposed to play Tamarac on Friday. That game was postponed when Albany decided they had to move their visit to Zotto Gym from today to last night. Abruptly, said match was cancelled, while coach Talia Valenti rescheduled the road trip to Tamarac to Monday for the season finale. Troy has dropped 7 matches in a row to fall to 3-10 on the season, winning just 2 sets over that stretch.

Meanwhile, the Troy-Averill Park-Tamarac unified women's swimming & diving team beat Burnt Hills on Wednesday to go to 4-2-1 on the season (yes, they do have ties in swimming), and will close with a 3-team meet vs. Albany (added after a cancellation on 10/13) and Ravena on Monday.
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Former Shenendehowa soccer star Miles Joseph is now a pro soccer coach.

After serving as an assistant under Giovanni Savarone for several seasons, Joseph was promoted to head coach of Major League Soccer's Portland Timbers in August after Savarone was fired. Portland closes its season tonight with a chance to make the playoffs after going 5-2-2 under Joseph in their last 7 games.

Joseph is no stranger to MLS. He spent 7 seasons in the league as a player with the NY-NJ Red Bulls, Columbus, & Dallas.
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We would be remiss if we didn't correct ourselves on one last Troy High item.

Turns out that long time men's soccer coach Mike Murnane was let go some time back, and Russell Miles is the current coach who got the Flying Horses into the Class AA quarterfinals before being eliminated by Bethlehem on Thursday, 6-0. See what I mean about coaching changes being kept away from the press at the high school level?
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Friday's high school & college scoreboard:

High schools:

Field hockey:

Class B:

Glens Falls 3, Scotia-Glenville 0.

Men's soccer:

Class B:

Hudson 2, Coxsackie-Athens 0.

Class D:

Hartford 4, Northville 3.
Argyle 5, Germantown 0.

Women's soccer:

Class B:

Greenville 4, Fonda-Fultonville 0.
Mechanicville 9, Cobleskill-Richmondville 0.
Voorheesville 8, Coxsackie-Athens 0.
Albany Academy 2, Schuylerville 1.

Class C:

Chatham 6, Galway 1.
Mayfield 4, Lake George 3.


Women's volleyball:

Western Athletic Conference:

Duanesburg 3, Loudonville Christian 1.

Non-league:

Broadalbin-Perth 3, Mayfield 0.
Averill Park 3, Mohonasen 0.
Gloversville 3, Schoharie 0.

Colleges:

Field hockey:

UAlbany 3, New Hampshire 1.
Vassar 1, Union 0.
Ithaca 4, RPI 0.
William Smith 3, Skidmore 1.

Women's hockey:

RPI 5, Dartmouth 4 (OT).
Union 3, Harvard 1.

Men's hockey:

Boston College 6, RPI 1.
Union 4, Connecticut 1.

Friday, October 20, 2023

High School Fridays: LaSalle @ Bethlehem, 10/20/23

 It was Senior Night tonight at Bethlehem, as the Eagles hosted LaSalle on Friday Night Matchup.

Bethlehem had been a 2nd division team in Class AA the last two years, but dropping down to Class A may have been the best thing that has happened to them. The Eagles had already punched their ticket to the postseason, as did LaSalle, so tonight was all about playoff positioning.

If there was a priority for John Audino's Cadets, it was to avoid a road trip to Burnt Hills in the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive season. The Spartans had ended LaSalle's season two years in a row, and a win would see LaSalle host the other Spartans, from Queensbury, next week.

Bethlehem won the coin toss, and deferred. LaSalle's offense stalled after a drive, and turned the ball over on downs. However, Bethlehem would end up punting. A more sustained drive late in the 1st quarter led to a field goal to give the hosts an early 3-0 lead.

In the 2nd quarter, however, LaSalle finally broke through the Eagles' defense, led by senior tailback Matt Bott, who capped a long drive with a 3 yard run to put LaSalle in the lead. Will Kelly added the extra point to send the Cadets into halftime with a 7-3 lead.


As the rain started coming down in the 2nd half, things got sloppy on both sides. Bethlehem's senior star, Jason Black, lost a fumble, but when LaSalle couldn't cash in on the turnover, Black was given another chance, and he made the most of it, sprinting 64 yards to the house, putting Bethlehem back in front. However, the point after failed, and the Eagles had just a 2 point lead at 9-7.

Back came the Cadets, who marched all the way down the field, with Bott scoring his 2nd touchdown of the game. However, the 2 point conversion failed, leaving LaSalle with a 4 point lead at 13-9 going into the 4th quarter.

But it wasn't long before LaSalle was back in business. Bott picked off Eagles QB Mike Windelmaier, setting up LaSalle deep in Bethlehem territory. Johnny Rivero then hit Bott with a 17 yard catch in the end zone less than a minute into the frame. Kelly converted his 2nd PAT of the night, and LaSalle extended its lead to 20-9.

Bethlehem wasn't done, though. Down two scores, Windelmaier led the Eagles down the field, then hit CJ Franchini with a 23 yard TD pass to cut the lead to 20-15. The 2 point conversion failed again. Try as they could, Bethlehem's defense could not stop LaSalle from running out the clock, and the Cadets clinched 2nd place in the Capital Division for the 3rd straight year, 20-15.

The Class A playoffs are now set:

South Glens Falls @ Averill Park.

Queensbury @ LaSalle.

Bethlehem @ Burnt Hills.

Columbia @ Niskayuna.

Other action:

Columbia 42, Amsterdam 6.
Shenendehowa 50, Colonie 6.
Averill Park 35, Troy 20.
Schalmont 45, Scotia-Glenville 7.
CBA 22, Saratoga 6.
Burnt Hills 45, Mohonasen 6.
Ravena 50, Ichabod Crane 7.
Glens Falls 33, Cohoes 14.
Fonda-Fultonville 61, Rensselaer/Loudonville Christian 12.
Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 40, Granville-Whitehall 0.
Mechanicville-Hoosic Valley 55, Gloversville 36.
Shaker 35, Guilderland 0.
Schuylerville 55, Coxsackie-Athens 0.
Broadalbin-Perth 42, Hudson Falls 6.

Thursday's sectional scoreboard, 10/19

 Men's soccer (most scores courtesy Capital Region Soccer):

Class AAA:

CBA 3, Albany 0.

Shaker 8, Schenectady 0.

Shenendehowa 6, Colonie 0.

Tuesday's semi-finals @ Guilderland:

CBA vs. Saratoga.

Shen vs. Shaker.

Class AA:

Bethlehem 6, Troy 0. 

Columbia 6, Ballston Spa 1.

Guilderland 4, Queensbury 0.

Niskayuna 4, Averill Park 0.

The Suburban Council is assured of winning both the AAA & AA titles.

Tuesday's semi-finals @ LaSalle:

Bethlehem vs. Niskayuna.

Guilderland vs. Columbia.

Class C:

Bolton-Warrensburg 4, Hoosic Valley 1.

Stillwater 3, Corinth 2.

Galway 3, Chatham 0.

Greenwich 3, Mayfield 0.

Maple Hill 7, OESJ 0.

Voorheesville 6, Cambridge 0.

Waterford 8, Schoharie 0.

Monday's quarter-finals:

Maple Hill vs. Greenwich.

Waterford vs. Bolton-Warrensburg.

Stillwater vs. Voorheesville.

Galway vs. Middleburgh or Lake George.


Women's soccer:

Mekeel Christian 2, Hadley-Luzerne 1.

Women's volleyball regular season:

Colonial Council:

Ichabod Crane 3, Mohonasen 1.

Schalmont 3, Voorheesville 0.

Cobleskill-Richmondville 3, Cohoes 1.

Suburban Council:

Colonie 3, Albany 0.

Burnt Hills 3, Guilderland 0.

Bethlehem 3, Shaker 1.

Shenendehowa 3, Niskayuna 0.

Western Athletic Conference:

Galway 3, Mayfield 0.

Canajoharie-Fort Plain 3, OESJ 1.

Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 3, Middleburgh 0.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Wednesday's high school & college scoreboard, 10/18

 Colleges:

Field hockey:

Skidmore 7, Russell Sage 0.

Men's soccer:

Siena 2, Fairfield 1.
Union & St. Lawrence played to a 1-1 draw.
Delhi 6, Cobleskill 1.

Women's soccer:

Delhi 3, Cobleskill 0.
Hamilton 2, Union 0.
College of St. Rose 6, American International 0.

High schools:

Field hockey:

Class C quarter-final:

Johnstown 11, Salem-Cambridge 0.

Men's soccer:

Class A:

Burnt Hills 8, Ravena 0.

Class B:

Hudson 4, Tamarac 1.

Class D:

Mekeel Christian 3, Hadley-Luzerne 0.

Women's soccer:

Class AA:

Burnt Hills 5, Troy 0.
Averill Park 3, South Glens Falls 0.

Class B:

Mechanicville 9, Hudson 0.
Cobleskill-Richmondville 4, Tamarac 2.
Greenville 7, Corinth 0.
Fonda-Fultonville 1, Catskill 0.

Class C:

Hoosick Falls 9, Granville 1.
Schoharie 6, Hoosic Valley 0.

Women's volleyball:

Suburban Council:

Bethlehem 3, Columbia 1.

Wasaren League:

Mechanicville 3, Saratoga Catholic 0.
Stillwater 3, Waterford 0.

Western Athletic Conference:

Fonda-Fultonville 3, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 0.
Duanesburg 3, OESJ 1.

Swimming & diving:

Troy-Averill Park-Tamarac 87, Burnt Hills 83.
Shenendehowa 98, "Guilderville" 78.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Tuesday's high school & college scoreboard, 10/17

 Colleges:

Field hockey:

Union 3, Utica 0.

Women's soccer:

Delhi 3, Cobleskill 0.
Cornell 4, UAlbany 0.

Men's soccer:

Russell Sage 2, Pratt 0.

High schools:

Men's cross country:

Adirondack League:

Lake George 15, North Warren-Johnsburg 50.

Patroon Conference:

Greenville def. Chatham. The Panthers did not provide a team score.

Suburban Council:

Guilderland won a 3 team meet over Columbia & Ballston Spa.

Western Athletic Conference:

Fonda-Fultonville def. Berne-Knox-Westerlo.


Women's soccer:

Class B:

Albany Academy 4, Academy of Holy Names 0.
Coxsackie-Athens 2, Cairo-Durham 1.
Schuylerville 4, Canajoharie-Fort Plain 1.

Class C:

Berne-Knox-Westerlo 1, Whitehall 0.
Galway 3, Catholic Central-Bishop Gibbons 0.

Men's soccer (scores courtesy Capital Region Soccer):

Class AA:

Troy 4, Amsterdam 2. Troy avenges an overtime loss on October 8, and advances to play Bethlehem tomorrow.

Class A:

Scotia-Glenville 2, Broadalbin-Perth 0.
Mohonasen 6, South Glens Falls 0.
Cohoes 3, LaSalle 2.

Class B:

Schuylerville 3, Canajoharie-Fort Plain 1.
Johnstown 3, Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 1.
Cobleskill-Richmondville 1, Cairo-Durham 0.

Women's volleyball:

Colonial Council:

Ichabod Crame 3, Schalmont 2.
Lansingburgh 3, Cohoes 0.

Suburban Council:

Burnt Hills 3, Albany 0.
Colonie 3, Schenectady 0.
Averill Park 3, Troy 0. Troy has now dropped seven straight matches.
Shenendehowa 3, Shaker 0.
Bethlehem 3, Niskayuna 2.

Western Athletic Conference:

Galway 3, Fonda-Fultonville 0.
=======================================
We would be remiss if we did not post the pairings for the field hockey tournament, so here we go:

Class A:

Thursday:

#5 Shaker @ #4 Bethlehem. Winner plays #1 Guilderland next Wednesday.
#6 Niskayuna @ #3 Saratoga. Winner plays #2 Shenendehowa next Wednesday.

The finals are at Queensbury October 29.

Class B:

Friday:

#5 Scotia-Glenville @ #4 Glens Falls. Winner plays #1 Burnt Hills October 26.

Also October 26:

#3 Queensbury @ #2 South Glens Falls.

Finals at Queensbury October 29.

Class C:

Today:

#5 Greenwich @ #4 Schuylerville. Winner plays #1 Hoosick Falls Tuesday.
#7 Salem-Cambridge @ #2 Johnstown.
#6 Corinth @ #3 Granville.

The winners of the last two games will meet Tuesday. The finals are at Queensbury October 29.
==============================================
Troy High has had to postpone Friday's non-league road volleyball match at Tamarac, as their home match vs. Albany, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been moved to Friday. League matches take priority over non-league, and with sectionals due to start next week, the Tamarac trip may not be made-up.

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

News & notes

 Monday's college scoreboard:

Women's soccer:

Russell Sage 4, MCLA 0.

Siena placed 4th in the Sacred Heart Fall Invitational on Monday. Meanwhile, on Sunday, UAlbany captured the Monmouth Fall Shootout.
=================================================
The pairings have been announced for the Section II women's soccer tournament. Early round action will begin later today.


Class AAA:

Thursday:

#5 Colonie @ #4 Guilderland. Winner plays #1 Shenendehowa next Monday.

Monday:

#3 Shaker vs. #2 Saratoga.

Finals at Stillwater, October 28.

Class AA:

Wednesday:

#10 Troy @ #7 Burnt Hills. Winner will play #2 Niskayuna Saturday.
#9 South Glens Falls @ #8 Averill Park. Winner will play #1 Columbia Saturday.

Saturday:

#5 Ballston Spa @ #4 Mohonasen.
#6 Queensbury @ #3 Amsterdam.

Semi-finals will be October 25, and the finals on October 30, both at Shaker.

Class A:

Saturday:

#8 Lansingburgh @ #1 Schalmont.
#7 Glens Falls @ #2 Ravena.
#6 Ichabod Crane @ #3 Broadalbin-Perth.
#5 Scotia-Glenville @ #4 Cohoes.

Mohonasen will host the semi-finals next Tuesday, with the finals at Stillwater October 28.

Class B:

Today:

#9 Cairo-Durham @ #8 Coxsackie-Athens. Winner plays #1 Voorheesville Friday.
#10 Catskill @ #7 Fonda-Fultonville.
#11 Tamarac @ #6 Cobleskill-Richmondville.
#12 Academy of Holy Names @ #5 Albany Academy. 
#13 Canajoharie-Ft. Plain @ #4 Schuylerville.
#14 Hudson @ #3 Mechanicville.
#15 Corinth @ #2 Greenville.

Quarterfinals will be on Friday. Semi-finals Monday, and the finals on October 27, both at Stillwater.

Class C:

Today:

#17 Berne-Knox-Westerlo @ #16 Whitehall. Winner to play #1 Waterford on Friday.
#20 Catholic Central/Bishop Gibbons @ #13 Galway. Winner to play #4 Chatham on Friday.
#19 Granville @ #14 Hoosick Falls. Winner to play #3 OESJ Friday.
#18 Hoosic Valley @ #15 Schoharie. Winner to play #2 Stillwater Friday.

Friday:

#9 Lake George @ #8 Mayfield.
#12 Duanesburg @ #5 Greenwich.
#11 Cambridge @ #6 Maple Hill.
#10 Berlin-New Lebanon @ #7 Bolton-Warrensburg.

Quarterfinals will be next Tuesday. Semi-finals are October 28, with the finals November 1, both at Mechanicville.

Class D:

Thursday:

#5 Salem @ #4 Germantown. Winner to play #1 Northville on Monday.
#6 Mekeel Christian @ #3 Hadley-Luzerne. Winner to play #2 Fort Ann on Monday.

Finals at Stillwater October 27.
=============================================
Troy High has placed players each in individual sectionals in golf & women's tennis. The golfers are Kolin & Kayne Behan and Joey Degnan. They will be playing state qualifiers. As for tennis, despite the fact that Troy hadn't won a meet all season, the Lady Horses will send doubles teams Ainsley Klingaman & Cami Lamora and Care Coonradt & Elizabeth McDonald, along with singles players Anya Roe and Irene Nguyen-McDowell, to Central Park in Schenectady. Play is ongoing as we write. Best of luck to all.
===============================================
Monday's high school scoreboard:

Women's soccer:

Non-league:

Gloversville 8, Saratoga Catholic 4.
Troy 4, Salem 1. Troy sweeps the season series, picking up their 4th win of the season.

Women's volleyball:

Tamarac 3, Mechanicville 2.
Cambridge 3, Waterford 1.
Shaker 3, Colonie 2.
Mohonasen 3, Ravena 0.
Berne-Knox-Westerlo 3, Duanesburg 1.

Men's volleyball:

Bethlehem 3, Colonie 0.

Volleyball results courtesy The Daily Gazette.


Monday, October 16, 2023

2023 Section II men's soccer sectional pairings

 Soccer is one of the sports that has adopted Class AAA (football has not) this year. Today, the sectional brackets were released, after regular season play had ended on Saturday.


Let's get to it.

Class AAA:

Thursday:

#5 Albany @ #4 CBA. Winner plays #1 Saratoga October 24 at Guilderland.

#6 Colonie @ #3 Shenendehowa.

#7 Schenectady @ #2 Shaker.

The winners of the two above games meet at Guilderland on October 24.

The finals are October 30 at Queensbury.

Class AA:

Tuesday play-in:

Troy @ Amsterdam. Winners will travel to #1 Bethlehem on Thursday.

Thursday:

#5 Averill Park @ #4 Niskayuna.

#6 Queensbury @ #3 Guilderland.

#7 Ballston Spa @ #2 Columbia.

Semi-finals will be October 24 at LaSalle, with the finals at Queensbury October 30.

Class A:

Tuesday:

#9 Cohoes @ #8 LaSalle. Winner plays #1 Ichabod Crane next Monday

#10 Scotia-Glenville @ #7 Broadalbin-Perth. Winner plays #2 Glens Falls next Monday.

#11 South Glens Falls @ #6 Mohonasen. Winner plays #3 Albany Academy next Monday.

Wednesday:

#12 Ravena @ #5 Burnt Hills. Winner plays #4 Schalmont next Monday.

Semi-finals are October 26 @ Gloversville. Finals October 28 @ Queensbury.

Class B:

Tuesday:

#9 Cobleskill-Richmondville @ #8 Cairo-Durham. Winner plays #1 Mechanicville Saturday.

#11 Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg @ #6 Johnstown. Winner plays #3 Catskill Saturday.

#10 Canajoharie-Fort Plain @ #7 Schuylerville. Winner plays #2 Greenville Saturday.

Wednesday:

#12 Tamarac @ #5 Hudson. Winner plays #4 Coxsackie-Athens Saturday.

Semi-finals are October 25 @ LaSalle. Finals at Queensbury October 28.

Class C:

Thursday:

#16 OESJ @ #1 Maple Hill.

#15 Cambridge-Salem @ #2 Voorheesville.

#14 Schoharie @ #3 Waterford.

#13 Lake George @ #4 Middleburgh.

#12 Chatham @ #5 Galway.

#11 Hoosic Valley @ #6 Bolton-Warrensburg.

#10 Stillwater @ #7 Corinth.

#9 Mayfield @ #8 Greenwich.

Quarterfinals will be played next Monday. Semi-finals are October 26 at Waterford. Finals are October 28 at Queensbury.

Class D:

Wednesday play-in:

#9 Mekeel Christian @ #8 Hadley-Luzerne. Winner plays #1 Loudonville Christian Saturday.

Saturday:

#5 Germantown @ #4 Argyle.

#6 Fort Ann @ #3 Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons.

#7 Northville @ #2 Hartford.

Semi-finals are October 25 at Waterford. Finals are October 28 at Queensbury.

Good luck to all the teams.


News & notes

 Four months ago, former LaSalle & Siena star Elijah Burns was taking on his first coaching job as a graduate assistant to men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades at Penn State.

Then, according to the Albany Times-Union, the College of St. Rose called.

More specifically, men's basketball coach Brian Beaury called, asking Burns to join his staff full-time. This would allow Burns to do some recruiting of his own on behalf of Beaury, something he couldn't do for Rhoades at Happy Valley.

The Golden Knights went 9-20 last year, a very uncharacteristic season at St. Rose, and Beaury is hoping Burns can help change the dynamic. Stay tuned.
===================================================
Sunday's college scoreboard:

Field hockey:

North Carolina 4, UAlbany 3.
RPI 1, St. Lawrence 0.
Union 2, William Smith 1.
Vassar 4, Skidmore 2.

Men's soccer:

Elms & Cobleskill played to a 1-1 draw.
Russell Sage & Alfred played to a 1-1 draw.

Women's volleyball:

Canisius 3, Siena 1.
=================================================
RPI's men's golf team placed 12th at the Golfweek October Classic in Destin, Florida over the weekend. Siena's women's team finished 4th at the Sacred Heart Fall Invitational in Milford, Connecticut. Apparently, both tournaments wrap up today.

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Saturday's high school & college scoreboard, 10/14

 Colleges:

Football:

New Hampshire 38, UAlbany 31.
Ithaca 17, Union 9.
RPI 51, Buffalo State 28. The Engineers rebound from losing to Ithaca last week.

Women's hockey:

RIT 2, Union 1.
Syracuse 3, RPI 2.

Men's soccer:

Siena 1, Quinnipiac 0.
Hobart 2, Union 0.
Ithaca 4, Skidmore 0.
SUNY Poly 5, Cobleskill 1.
Assumption & the College of St. Rose played to a 3-3 draw.
UAlbany 2, UMass-Lowell 0.
RPI 2, RIT 1.

Women's soccer:

SUNY Poly 1, Cobleskill 0.
Quinnipiac 3, Siena 2.
Southern New Hampshire & St. Rose played to a 2-2 draw.
St. John Fisher 1. Russell Sage 0.
RIT 2, RPI 0.
William Smith 2, Union 0.
Ithaca 1, Skidmore 0.

Women's volleyball:

Skidmore 3, Bard 1.
Ramapo 3, Skidmore 0.
Niagara 3, Siena 0.
Nazareth 3, Russell Sage 2.
Cobleskill 3, SUNY Poly 0.
Clarkson 3, Union 0.
Union 3, Potsdam 0.
Daemen 3, College of St. Rose 0.

High schools:

Field hockey:

Suburban Council:

Burnt Hills 9, Niskayuna 0.

Non-league:

Hoosick Falls 1, Glens Falls 0.

Football:

Niskayuna 40, Albany 7.
Ichabod Crane 28, Hudson Falls-Fort Edward 19.
Mechanicville-Hoosic Valley 34, Cohoes 22.
Lake George-Warrensburg-Bolton 50, Stillwater 7.


Men's soccer: 

Adirondack League:

Bolton-Warrensburg 1, Hartford 0.

Foothills Council:

Glens Falls 6, Johnstown 0.
Schuylerville 3, Amsterdam 1.
Gloversville 2, Hudson Falls 1.
Scotia-Glenville 3, South Glens Falls 2.
Queensbury 3, Broadalbin-Perth 0.

Patroon Conference:

Hudson 5, Taconic Hills 0.
Cairo-Durham 5, Germantown 0.
Watervliet-Heatly 3, Doane Stuart 1.

Suburban Council:

Guilderland 4, Burnt Hills 0.
Colonie 3, Albany 2.
Columbia 1, CBA 0.
Ballston Spa 9, Schenectady 1.
Bethlehem 2, Shaker 1.
Shenendehowa 3, Niskayuna 0.

Wasaren League:

Greenwich 5, Hoosic Valley 0.

Non-league:

Loudonville Christian 6, Mekeel Christian 1.
Chatham 4, Troy 3 (OT).
Mechanicville 3, Voorheesville 1.
Cohoes 3, Waterford 2.
Cobleskill-Richmondville 4, Schoharie 1.

Women's soccer:

Adirondack League:

Bolton-Warrensburg 1, Hadley-Luzerne 0.

Patroon Conference:

Hudson 1, Catskill 0.

Wasaren League:

Cambridge 4, Hoosic Valley 0.
Berlin-New Lebanon 3, Greenwich 2.

Western Athletic Conference:

Galway 3, Canajoharie-Fort Plain 2.
Northville 3, Mayfield 1.
Schoharie 2, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 1.

Non-league:

Mechanicville 7, Beekmantown 1.



Saturday, October 14, 2023

News & notes

 Maine completed a 2 game home sweep of RPI in hockey Friday night, 6-3. RPI has never beaten the Black Bears, home or away. The Engineers will remain on the road next weekend at Boston College & Providence, then get a bye week before a home & home vs. Union November 3-4. Their home opener is November 4 vs. Union.
========================================
Kennedy Swedick of Albany Academy obliterated the field in the Section II women's individual golf tournament, which wrapped Thursday at Edison Country Club in Rexford.

Swedick finished 20 under par over 36 holes. 8th grader Hayden Knapp of South Glens Falls finished 2nd.

The top 9 finishers will return to Edison next June.
========================================
Clarifying Troy High's soccer schedule for today.

The men close out the regular season at Schoharie, but they will not be facing Schoharie. Instead, Troy faces Chatham, while Schoharie meets Cobleskill-Richmondville. Both matches begin at 12 noon.

A women's road match at Scotia has been cancelled. No reason given. The Lady Horses close at home on Monday, looking to sweep a home & home series vs. Salem.
=======================================
Friday's high school & college scoreboard:

Colleges:

Field hockey:

UMass-Lowell 3, UAlbany 2.
Skidmore 4, RPI 1.
Rochester 2, Union 0.

Women's hockey:

RIT 4, Union 1.
RPI 6, Syracuse 2.

Men's soccer:

RPI 1, Hobart 0.
Skidmore 1, RIT 0.
Union 2, Ithaca 1.

Women's soccer:

William Smith 3, RPI 0.
Ithaca 1, Union 0.
Skidmore & RIT played to a 1-1 draw.

Women's volleyball:

St. John Fisher 3, Russell Sage 0.
Roberts-Wesleyan 3, College of St. Rose 1.

High schools:

Field hockey:

Hoosick Falls 4, Corinth 0.
Glens Falls 4, Gloversville 0.

Football:

Fonda-Fultonville 49, Coxsackie-Athens 0.
CBA 34, Guilderland 0.
Burnt Hills 34, Queensbury 20.
Canajoharie-Fort Plain 41, Chatham 16.
Cobleskill-Richmondville 28, Granville 6.


Men's soccer (most scores courtesy Capital Region Soccer):

Adirondack League:

Hadley-Luzerne 8, Granville 0.
Lake George 2, Fort Ann 1.
Corinth 2, Argyle 0.

Patroon Conference:

Greenville 1, Maple Hill 0.
Catskill 3, Coxsackie-Athens 0.

Wasaren League:

Tamarac 1, Cambridge-Salem 0.
Waterford 14, Saratoga Catholic 0.

Western Athletic Conference:

Mekeel Christian 4, OESJ 1.
Middleburgh 6, Northville 1.
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 3, Schoharie 2.
Canajoharie-Fort Plain 3, Mayfield 2.
Galway & Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg played to a 2-2 draw.

Non-league:

Lansingburgh & Berlin-New Lebanon played to a 4-4 draw.

Women's soccer:

Foothills Council:

Schuylerville & Queensbury played to a 1-1 draw.

Patroon Conference:

Maple Hill 3, Coxsackie-Athens 2.

Western Athletic Conference:

Northville 6, Middleburgh 0.
Canajoharie-Fort Plain 3, Mekeel Christian 1.

Men's volleyball:

Bethlehem 3, Guilderland 0.

Women's volleyball:

Galway 3, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 0.
Fonda-Fultonville 3, Albany 0.


News & notes

 We all know the 518 is largely Yankee country. Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro grew up a Yankee fan, and, today, leads the Royals ...