Section II men's volleyball sectionals released

 Just as Section II split the flag football sectionals into two divisions at the end of last season, the men's volleyball sectionals are the same way.

You might just as well call this the Suburban Council Invitational. 10 teams across two divisions, all Suburban schools.

Division 1:

Monday:

Columbia @ Shenendehowa.

Saratoga @ Colonie.

Niskayuna @ Bethlehem.

Guilderland @ Shaker.

The semi-finals are Wednesday, with the finals November 8, both at Rensselaer.

Division 2:

November 8:

CBA vs. Burnt Hills at Rensselaer.

Teams in other leagues that still have games to play will play in the first half of 2025. If this doesn't make sense to you, I feel your pain.

Wednesday's sectional scoreboard, 10/30

 Cross Country:

Granville-Hartford-Whitehall won the Adirondack men's title, while the women's title went to Lake George.

Field Hockey:

Class C:

 

Hoosick Falls 3, Greenwich 0.

Johnstown 2, Schuylerville 1 (OT).

Women's volleyball:

Class A:

Glens Falls 3, Emma Willard 2.

Class C:

Hoosic Valley 3, Greenville 0.

Voorheesville 3, OESJ 0.

Maple Hill 3, LaSalle 0.

Canajoharie-Fort Plain 3, Coxsackie-Athens 0.

Stillwater 3, Chatham 0.

Women's soccer:

Class AA:

Columbia 1, Ballston Spa 0.

Niskayuna 4, Burnt Hills 2.

Class C:

Stillwater 6, Maple Hill 1.

Schoharie 3, OESJ 0.

Lake George 5, Waterford 1.

Greenwich 7, Bolton-Warrensburg 1.

Men's soccer:

Class AA:

Bethlehem 6, Mohonasen 0.

Columbia 4, Niskayuna 0.

Class A:

Schalmont 6, Glens Falls 1.

Ichabod Crane 4, Averill Park 2.

Class B:

Mechanicville 1, Cobleskill-Richmondville 0.

Greenville 2, Voorheesville 1.

Tuesday's sectional scoreboard, 10/29

 Cross country:

Men:

Fonda-Fultonville captured the Western Athletic Conference team title. Over in the Wasaren League, it was Mechanicville.

Women:

Emma Willard brought home the Wasaren title. Berne-Knox-Westerlo claimed the Western Athletic Conference crown.

Field Hockey:

Class B:

Burnt Hills 7, Glens Falls 0.

South Glens Falls 2, Queensbury 0.

Women's soccer:

Class A:

Schalmont 9, Cohoes 0.

Broadalbin-Perth 2, Ravena 0.

Class B:

Mechanicville 3, Greenville 0.

Chatham 2, Voorheesville 1.

Men's soccer:

Guilderland 2, Albany 1.

Shaker 3, Saratoga 2.

Class D:

Fort Ann 3, Argyle-Fort Edward 0.

Northville 3, Hartford 0.

2024 Section II women's volleyball sectional seedings revealed

 The men's seedings will be announced later, and we'll have those tomorrow.

Here we go:

Class AAA:

Thursday:

Colonie @ Albany. Winner plays Shenendehowa November 6 at South Glens Falls.

Also November 6:

Saratoga vs. Shaker.

The finals are November 9 at Saratoga.

Class AA:

Thursday:

Troy @ Niskayuna. Winner plays Columbia November 6 at Broadalbin-Perth.

Also November 6:

Bethlehem vs. Guilderland.

Finals are again on November 9 at Saratoga.

Class A:

Wednesday:

Glens Falls @ Emma Willard. Winner plays @ Burnt Hills on Thursday.

Also Thursday:

Hudson Falls @ Queensbury.

Averill Park @ Academy of Holy Names.

Mohonasen @ South Glens Falls.

Semi-finals are at Stillwater on November 6. Finals are at Saratoga November 9.

Class B:

Friday:

Watervliet-Heatly @ Ichabod Crane.

Cobleskill-Richmondville @ Holy Trinity (Catholic Centra/Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons).

Johnstown @ Fonda-Fultonville.

Schalmont @ Broadalbin-Perth.

Semi-finals will be at Averill Park November 6, with the finals at Saratoga on November 8.

Class C:

Wednesday:

Hoosic Valley @ Greenville. Winner will play Galway on Friday.

OESJ @ Voorheesville.

LaSalle @ Maple Hill.

Coxsackie-Athens @ Canajoharie-Fort Plain.

Chatham @ Stillwater.

Schoharie @ Tamarac. Winner will play Lake George.

Quarterfinals are on Friday. Semi-finals are at Ballston Spa on November 6. Finals at Saratoga November 9.

Class D:

Friday:

Argyle @ Duanesburg.

Germantown @ Fort Edward.

Saratoga Catholic @ Hartford.

Loudonville Christian @ Mekeel Christian.

Semi-finals are at Hudson Falls on November 6, with the finals at Saratoga November 8.

Good luck to all the teams.

News & notes

 Bethlehem High students can rest easy. 

It was announced that an arrest had been made in relation to the swatting calls made to local police last month, which forced the cancellation of a football game vs. unbeaten CBA. The suspect is a 14 year old from Canada. The arrest was made by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, working in cooperation with the FBI and Bethlehem police.

"We acted on a tip!"

We still don't know what motivated this youth, whose name remains withheld due to being a minor, to target Bethlehem at random. If this kid thought it was just for laughs, it isn't.

And, oh, yeah, part of the sentence should be to binge watch the above Mountie, Dudley Do-Right. That should scare this perp straight. We think.

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Monday's sectional scoreboard:

Women's soccer:

Class AAA:

Shaker 3, Guilderland 0.

Saratoga 1, Shenendehowa 0 (OT).

Shaker & Saratoga will meet at Niskayuna next Monday.

Class D:

Northville 8, Salem 0.

Fort Ann 3, Mekeel Christian 0.

Cross Country:

Queensbury won the Foothills Council men's title, while Scotia-Glenville captured the women's title.

Men's soccer:

Class C:

Loudonville Christian 7, Greenwich 0.

Maple Hill 2, Chatham 0.

Waterford 4, Saratoga Catholic 1.

Bolton-Warrensburg & Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg played to a 1-1 tie through double overtime. Berne-Knox advances to the semi-finals via penalty kicks.

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UAlbany has announced that tonight's pre-season game vs. Potsdam will have free admission. Tip time is scheduled for 6:30 pm at Broadview Center.

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The Tri-City Valleycats have released their 2025 schedule, including the earliest season opener ever, on May 9, vs. the New England Knockouts. Two new teams are joining the Frontier League in 2025, as the league has gone to a 4 division format. The expansion clubs are in Mississippi and in Iowa. Stay tuned.

Saturday's sectional scoreboard, 10/26

 Men's soccer:

Class AA:

Mohonasen 3, Queensbury 1.

Niskayuna 5, Ballston Spa 0.

Class A:

Glens Falls 2, Cohoes 1.

Class B:

Greenville 2, Johnstown 0.

Mechanicville 4, Cairo-Durham 0.

Cobleskill-Richmondville 3, Schuylerville 0.

Voorheesville 5, Corinth 1.

Women's soccer:

Class AA:

Columbia 1, Averill Park 0.

Ballston Spa 3, Mohonasen 2. A major upset sees B-Spa advance to the semi-finals to play Columbia on Wednesday.

Burnt Hills 1, Bethlehem 0 (OT).

Niskayuna 3, Queensbury 0.

Class A:

Cohoes 3, Scotia-Glanville 0.

Ravena 7, Glens Falls 0.

Broadalbin-Perth 5, Ichabod Crane 0.

Class B:

Mechanicville 6, Coxsackie-Athens 0.

Greenville 3, Cobleskill-Richmondville 0.

Chatham 3, Schuylerville 0.

Voorheesville 8, Cairo-Durham 0.

Friday:

Class C:

Greenwich 3, Catholic Central 1.

Bolton-Warrensburg 2, Galway 1.

Waterford 4, Berlin-New Lebanon 0.

Lake George 3, Hoosic Valley 0.

Schoharie 3, Cambridge 0.

OESJ 7, Whitehall 0.

Maple Hill 2, Mayfield 1.

Class D:

Salem 1, Germantown 0.

Mekeel Christian 1, Saratoga Catholic 0.

Football:

The pairings are now set in Class A. We'll have predictions later this week:

Mohonasen @ Averill Park.

Ballston Spa @ Bethlehem.

Queensbury @ Columbia.

Amsterdam @ Burnt Hills.

Also:

Troy & LaSalle will have crossover games this week. Troy is at Scotia-Glenville, while LaSalle will visit Colonie.

Class B:

Gloversville @ Ravena.

Lansingburgh @ Mechanicville-Hoosic Valley.

Hoosick Falls-Tamarac @ Schalmont.

Green Tech @ Glens Falls.

Class C:

Voorheesville @ Cobleskill-Richmondville.

Canajoharie-Fort Plain-OESJ @ Granville-Whitehall.

Watervliet-Heatly @ Fonda-Fultonville.

Johnstown @ Schuylerville.

Classes AA & D will begin playoff action November 8.

Troy High sports review, through October 25

 Soccer season is over. Football will soon follow, but not in the way Troy High Nation had hoped. Volleyball will wrap in the next week or two, and then, attention will turn to basketball and bowling.

Women's soccer:

Final record: 7-9-1.

A victim of Section II politics, Troy was given the #9 seed in Class AA, and fell to Averill Park on the road in a thriller that was scoreless through double overtime. AP won via penalty kicks.

What this taught us is that in the minds of Section II officials, wins & losses don't really matter if you don't play in the Suburban Council as a Class AA, A, or AAA school. Rightfully, Troy, with 7 wins, could've hosted a then-4 win AP team, not the other way around, resulting in a doubleheader at Picken Field on Wednesday. The Suburban, which Troy left for the Colonial Council over the winter, is and always has been the toughest league in Section II, and carries a great deal of political favor.

And you thought people just had issues with the likes of Shenendehowa & CBA......!

Men's soccer:

Final record: 4-12-2.

Russell Hines' first priority prior to the 2025 season is to change his defensive schematic. In the end, Troy only beat two teams, taking down Lansingburgh & South Glens Falls twice each, the latter in a shootout via penalty kicks on Wednesday. The season ended with a blowout loss to Columbia, 9-0, on Friday.

Hines has used the same defense the last several years, with little success. You'd think he pay attention to the improvements on the women's side.

Volleyball:

Final regular season record: 9-8.

It would appear, unless we hear differently, that the October 18 match vs. Tamarac was never played, so Troy finishes at .500, pending their sectional assignment, coming Tuesday, after losing the season finale to Mohonasen on Thursday, 3-2.

Update, 10/29: Troy did indeed beat Tamarac, it just wasn't reported.

We'll have the sectional pairings Tuesday afternoon.

Football:

Current record: 4-4 (1-4 Capital Division).

Section II's use of a quarter point system to determine tie breakers screwed over Troy for the 2nd time in 3 years. Troy was also 4-4 at the end of the regular season in 2022. Amsterdam, with a greater amount of quarter points, earned the right to get spanked by Burnt Hills (6-2) on November 1, despite the fact that Troy beat the Rams a week ago. The current system needs to change. Yesterday.

Next? A crossover game is likely for 11/1, to end the season.

High School Fridays: Queensbury @ Ballston Spa, 10/25/24

 For Class A, the regular season ends tonight, and Friday Night Matchup serves up a Grasso division match with playoff implications between homestanding Ballston Spa and visiting Queensbury, both having won two straight.

The Scotties won the toss, and deferred. The Spartans promptly went the distance, culminating in Zavry Ward hitting Isaiah Engel for a 37 yard touchdown. However, Finn Jordi-Donnelly's extra point doinked off the upright, and it was 6-0 after the first quarter.

In the 2nd quarter, Ballston Spa had an answer, as Kala'i Makanani ran 36 yards to paydirt. DJ Wallace added the extra point, and the Scotties had their first lead. However, on the last play of the first half, Jordi-Donnelly atoned for his earlier miscue with a 42 yard field goal, a season high, and the Spartans took a 9-7 lead into halftime.

Just three minutes into the 3rd quarter, Queensbury extended its lead, as Ward hit Kasigh Gooden with a 75 yard touchdown pass. Jordi-Donnelly's extra point made it 16-7, but not for long. A minute later, Luigi Fiorini found Bill O'Connor for a 61 yard catch & run to cut the lead to 16-14. After a Queensbury punt, Makanani struck again, this time from 50 yards, and the Scotties took the lead, 20-16, going into the 4th quarter.

A Spartan turnover set up Makanani to take it in again on the first play of the 4th quarter, this time from 5 yards. Fiorini then found Grayson Cranick for the 2 point conversion, boosting the lead to 28-16. Ward then found Gooden again, this time for 36 yards. With the extra point, the margin was at 5, at 28-23.

Out of time outs with a minute and change left, Ward's desperation heave on the last play of the game was intercepted by Cranick to seal the deal. Ballston Spa, with the 28-23 win, earns the #2 seed in the Grasso division, with Queensbury at #3. Burnt Hills clinched the division, and Mohonasen will be the 4th seed. In the Capital Division, quarter points will decide the seeds.

Other action:

Mohonasen 16, Schenectady 7.

Gloversville 20, Scotia-Glenville 7.

Averill Park 34, Troy 0. Based on the quarter points, and holding a head-to-head tiebreaker over Columbia, AP will be the top seed in the Capital Division, and will host Mohonasen next week.

Burnt Hills def. South Glens Falls.

Ravena 50, Green Tech 6.

Schalmont 28, Cohoes 14.

Bethlehem 14, LaSalle 7. The Cadets (2-6) could be on the outside looking in.

Mechanicville-Hoosic Valley 42, Hudson 12.

Shenendehowa 35, Niskayuna 12.

Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 41, Broadalbin-Perth 0.

Fonda-Fultonville 42, Canajoharie-Fort Plain-OESJ 28.

Glens Falls 49, Lansingburgh 7.

Columbia 47, Amsterdam 21.

CBA 69, Colonie 13.

Warrensburg-Lake George-Bolton 54, Greenwich 0.

Men's soccer sectionals:

Class AA:

Bethlehem 5, Burnt Hills 1.

Columbia 9, Troy 0.

Class A:

Schalmont 2, Broadalbin-Perh 0.

Averill Park 1, Albany Academy 0.

Ichabod Crane 10, LaSalle.2.

Class D:

Northville 8, Saratoga Catholic 0.

Argyle 2, Mekeel Christian 0.

Thursday's sectional scoreboard, 10/24

 Field Hockey:

Class A:

Shenendehowa 4, Shaker 0. Shen moves on to play Guilderland on Halloween.

Bethlehem 9, Columbia 1.

Saratoga 5, Niskayuna 1.

The Blue Streaks travel to Bethlehem on Halloween.

Women's soccer:

Class AAA:

Guilderland 2, Colonie 1 (OT). The Lady Dutch will play Shaker on Monday at Niskayuna.

Class B: 

Mechanicville 6, Albany Academy 0.

Coxsackie-Athens 2, Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 0. Coxsackie-Athens will play Mechanicville on Saturday.

Cobleskill-Richmondville 6, Catskill 0.

Greenville 2, Academy of Holy Names 0.

Chatham 5, LaSalle 1.

Schylerville 3, Tamarac 0.

Cairo-Durham 2, Fonda-Fultonville 0.

Voorheesville 9, Corinth 0.

The rest of Saturday's lineup:

Schuylerville @ Chatham.

Cairo-Durham @ Voorheesville.

Cobleskill-Richmondville @ Greenville.

Men's soccer:

Class AAA:

Guilderland 4, CBA 0.

Saratoga 4, Colonie 0.

Albany 2, Shenendehowa 1.

Class C:

Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 3, Hoosic Valley 0.

Bolton-Warrensburg 3, Schoharie 1.

Cambridge-Salem 1, Stillwater 0.

Chatham 3, Mayfield 2.

Maple Hill 2, Middleburgh 0.

Waterford 8, Granville 1.

Class D:

Fort Ann 4, Germantown 0.

Hartford 1, North Warren 0.

News & notes

 Wednesday's college scoreboard:

Men's soccer:

Siena & Canisius played to a 1-1 draw.

St. Lawrence 4, Union 2.

Women's soccer:

Siena 2, Niagara 1.

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To borrow from Dennis Miller back in the day, I hate to go off on a rant here, but I feel as though I have to.

As I alluded to on Monday when the soccer sectional pairings came out, Troy High's women's team got shafted, not so much due to strength of schedule, as would be suggested, but, rather, politics. We've seen it every year in basketball. In classifications where the Suburban, Foothills, & Colonial Councils intermingle, if you will, you'd think the suits in Section II would get a clue and seed based on overall records, with tiebreakers decided by either head-to-head (within the league) or better league records.

Nope. This outdated system needs to be replaced yesterday. While I have zero issue with Troy's women being eliminated from the tournament (more below), the issue I have is that the Lady Horses could've been at home as they had a better record than Averill Park. Instead, they go on the road. Section II needs to be & do better.

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It took almost a week, but we can report that Bethlehem captured the Class AA women's tennis title last Friday, beating Saratoga. No reason was ever given for the delay in reporting the result.

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Wednesday's sectional scoreboard:

Field Hockey:

Class C:

Schuylerville 5, Granville 1.

Greenwich 4, Salem-Cambridge 1.

Johnstown 4, Corinth 0.

Women's soccer:

Class AA:

Averill Park def. Troy. The teams were scoreless after regulation & double overtime. AP won on penalty kicks, and will play Columbia Saturday.

Queensbury 2, South Glens Falls 0. The Spartans travel to Niskayuna for the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Men's soccer:

Class AA:

Burnt Hills 2, Amsterdam 1.

Troy def. South Glens Falls. This also went to penalty kicks, after the teams were even at 1-1 after regulation & double overtime. Troy will go to Columbia tomorrow.

Class A:

Averill Park 5, Lansingburgh 0.

Broadalbin-Perth 4, Gloversville 1.

Cohoes 3, Ravena 1.

LaSalle 2, Scotia-Glenville 1.

Class B:

Cairo-Durham 2, Coxsackie-Athens 1.

Cobleskill-Richmondville 6, Hoosick Falls 0.

Corinth 2, Catskill 1.

Johnstown 2, Tamarac 0.

News & notes

 Ichabod Crane sophomore Tanner LaTorre captured first place in the Section II men's golf state qualifier Tuesday at the Fairways of Halfmoon in Mechanicville. 1st round leader Sean Roddy of Guilderland faded to 3rd. Troy's Joey Degnan failed to qualify.

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The women's soccer sectionals opened Tuesday with Albany Academy blowing away Hoosick Falls, 11-0. The Bears will now face another team from the Wasaren League, Mechanicville, tomorrow.

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Shonly Wallace was a graduate student when she played for UAlbany in women's lacrosse a year and a half ago. Now, she's back in the area as a scout for the Albany FireWolves, the first female scout in National Lacrosse League history. If this works, other teams will begin looking for women in similar positions around the league.

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The rest of Tuesday's action:

Men's cross country:

Adirondack League:

Granville-Hartford-Whitehall def. Argyle-Fort Edward.

Colonial Council:

Albany Academy def. Cohoes.

Western Athletic Conference:

Galway won a 3 team meet over Johnstown & Berne-Knox-Westerlo.

Women's volleyball:

Colonial Council:

Troy 3, Lansingburgh 2. 

Suburban Council:

Albany 3, Schenectady 0.

Burnt Hills 3, Ballston Spa 0.

Shenendehowa 3, Guilderland 0.

Non-league:

Spackenkill 3, Taconic Hills 1.

Broadalbin-Perth 3, Mayfield 0.

2024 Section II women's soccer sectional pairings

 Now, it's the ladies' turn:

Class AAA:

Thursday:

Colonie @ Guilderland. Winner to play Shaker next Monday at Niskayuna.

Also on October 28:

Shenendehowa vs. Saratoga at Niskayuna.

The finals will also be at Niskayuna on November 4.

Class AA:

Wednesday: 

Troy @ Averill Park. Even though Troy has a better record, AP gets the higher seed due to "strength of schedule", and Section II bias in favor of the Suburban Council. The winner will play Columbia on Saturday.

Also Saturday:

Ballston Spa @ Mohonasen.

Bethlehem @ Burnt Hills.

South Glens Falls vs. Queensbury @ Niskayuna.

The semi-finals will be October 30 at Shaker, while the finals are at Stillwater on November 2.

Class A:

Saturday:

Scotia-Glenville @ Cohoes. Winner will play Schalmont October 29 at Amsterdam.

Glens Falls @ Ravena.

Ichabod Crane @ Broadalbin-Perth. 

The winners of these games will meet at Amsterdam on October 29, with the finals at Stillwater November 1.

Class B:

Tuesday:

Hoosick Falls @ Albany Academy. The winner will play Mechanicville Thursday.

Also Thursday:

Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg @ Coxsackie-Athens.

Catskill @ Cobleskill-Richmondville.

LaSalle @ Greenville.

Academy of Holy Names @ Chatham.

Tamarac @ Schuylerville.

Fonda-Fultonville @ Cairo-Durham.

Corinth @ Voorheesville.

The quarterfinals will be Saturday, with the semi-finals on October 29, and the finals on November 1, both at Stillwater.

Class C:

Friday:

Mayfield @ Maple Hill. Winner to play Stillwater October 30.

Whitehall @ OESJ.

Cambridge @ Schoharie.

Hoosic Valley @ Lake George.

Berlin-New Lebanon @ Waterford.

Galway @ Bolton-Warrensburg.

Catholic Central @ Greenwich. 

The quarterfinals are on October 30. Lansingburgh will host the semi-finals on November 2, and the finals on November 6.

Class D:

Friday:

Saratoga Catholic @ Mekeel Christian. The winner will play Fort Ann next Monday at Gloversville.

Salem @ Germantown. The winner plays Northville next Monday at Gloversville.

Niskayuna hosts the title game on November 4.

Good luck to all the teams.

2024 Section II men's soccer sectional pairings

 The pairings have been announced for the 2024 Section II men's soccer sectionals. The women's pairings will be posted later today.

Class AAA:

Thursday:

Colonie @ Saratoga. Winner will play Shaker October 29.

Albany @ Shenendehowa.

CBA @ Guilderland.

The semi-finals will be at LaSalle on 10/29, with the finals at Bethlehem November 5.

Class AA:

Wednesday:

South Glens Falls @ Troy. These two teams met last month, also at Picken Field, with Troy winning. Winner will play Columbia on Friday.

Amsterdam @ Burnt Hills. Winner will play Bethlehem Friday.

Saturday:

Ballston Spa @ Niskayuna.

Queensbury @ Mohonasen.

The semi-finals will be at Guilderland on October 30, and the finals at Queensbury on November 2.

Class A:

Wednesday:

Gloversville @ Broadalbin-Perth. Winner will play Schalmont on Friday.

Ravena @ Cohoes. Winner will play Glens Falls on Saturday.

Lansingburgh @ Averill Park. Winner will play Albany Academy on Friday.

Scotia-Glenville @ LaSalle. Winner will play Ichabod Crane Friday.

LaSalle hosts the semi-finals on October 30, and the finals are at Queensbury on November 2.

Class B:

Wednesday:

Coxsackie-Athens @ Cairo-Durham. Winner will play Mechanicville Saturday.

Hoosick Falls @ Cobleskill-Richmondville. Winner will play Schuylerville on Saturday.

Tamarac @ Johnstown. Winner will play Greenville Saturday.

Catskill @ Corinth. Winner will play Voorheesville.

The semi-finals are at LaSalle on October 30, with the finals at Queensbury on November 2.

Class C:

Thursday: 

Lake George @ Greenwich. Winner will play Loudonville Christian October 28.

Hoosic Valley @ Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg. 

Schoharie @ Bolton-Warrensburg.

Middleburgh @ Maple Hill.

Mayfield @ Chatham.

Stillwater @ Cambridge-Salem.

Granville @ Waterford.

All 4 quarterfinal matches are on October 28. The semi-finals are at Bethlehem on November 1, with the finals also at Bethlehem on November 5.

Class D:

Thursday:

North Warren @ Hartford.

Germantown @ Fort Ann.

Friday:

Argyle @ Mekeel Christian.

Saratoga Catholic @ Northville.

The semi-finals are at Gloversville on October 29, with the finals at Queensbury on November 2.

Good luck to all the teams.

News & notes

 Shaker High grad Tommy Kahnle is heading to the World Series.

Kahnle and the Yankees advanced to the Fall Classic for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, and now will face an old, ancient nemesis in the Los Angeles Dodgers, who eliminated the Mets on Sunday. Game 1 is Friday in Los Angeles. Ex-Tri-City Valleycat Enrique "Kike" Hernandez will be waiting with the Dodgers.

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Time to give high school field hockey some love, as sectional pairings have been made public.

Class A:

Thursday:

Shaker @ Shenendehowa. Winner to play Guilderland in the semi-finals a week later on Halloween.

Columbia @ Bethlehem.

Niskayuna @ Saratoga.

The winners of those two games will meet on October 31 as well, with Burnt Hills hosting the finals on November 3.

Class B:

October 29:

Glens Falls @ Burnt Hills.

Queensbury @ South Glens Falls.

The winners meet at Burnt Hills November 3.

Class C:

Wednesday:

Salem-Cambridge @ Greenwich. Winner to play Hoosick Falls on October 30.

Granville @ Schuylerville.

Corinth @ Johnstown.

The winners of those two games will meet October 30, with the finals at a site to be determined on November 3.

Soccer sectional pairings will be announced later today.

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Sunday's college scoreboard:

Field Hockey:

Union 4, RPI 2.

Boston College 3, UAlbany 1.

Rochester 3, Skidmore 2.

Men's golf:

Siena won the Lehigh Invitational.

Women's golf:

Navy won the Lehigh Invitational.

Men's soccer:

Vermont State-Johnson & Cobleskill played to a 1-1 draw.

Women's soccer:

Vermont State-Johnson 1, Cobleskill 0.

Maine 1, UAlbany 0.

Women's volleyball:

Quinnipiac 3, Siena 0.

Troy High sports review, through October 19

 A shorter review this week, as the fall season winds to a close. Tennis & golf are over. Soccer soon will be, with volleyball & football to follow.

Women's soccer:

Final regular season record: 7-8-1 (5-8-1 Colonial Council).

Let's give credit where it's due. 1st year coach Jarret Farrell's Lady Horses nearly doubled their win total from last season. Troy was swept by Mohonasen, but, then, completed a season sweep of Lansingburgh on Senior Night.

This week: Sectional pairings will be announced Monday, and we'll have the information here.

Men's soccer:

Final regular season record: 3-11-2 (2-8-2 Colonial Council).

Russell Hines' unit closed the regular season on a 2 game losing streak after losing to Mohonasen on Tuesday, spoiling Senior Night, and then, dropping a 6-1 decision to Ichabod Crane on Saturday.

Again, sectional pairings will be out tomorrow. The guys figure to be 1-&-done. Maybe they should study tapes of the women's games to tighten the defense.

Volleyball:

Current record: 6-7 overall (6-5 Colonial Council), not including Friday's home match vs. Tamarac, which has not been reported as of press time.

This week: Talia Valenti's squad will play three matches in four days. They'll play their last non-league match at Amsterdam on Monday, then return home for Senior Night Tuesday vs. Lansingburgh, and finish at Mohonasen on Thursday.

Swimming:

Current record: 4-3 (or is that 5-3?).

Emily Caboot's unit defeated Albany on Wednesday, and will host Burnt Hills this week.

Football:

Current record: 4-3 (1-3 Class A Capital Division).

By now, James Allen should've already gotten a free plate of crow. Allen said Troy would win just 2 games. Jordan Canzeri's club has doubled that total after erasing a 6 point halftime deficit vs. Amsterdam, shutting out the Rams in the 2nd half to win, 31-13.

Now is when the fun starts.

Troy closes its homestand on Senior Night vs. Averill Park, which blew out LaSalle, 47-12, on Friday. There is a scenario by which Troy can earn a playoff berth. Consider:

If Troy beats Averill Park, and Bethlehem beats LaSalle, the Flying Horses will get in. However, should Averill Park and Bethlehem both win, LaSalle would have a head-to-head tiebreaker on Troy, despite a worse record. I don't even want to think about quarter points at this point. If Troy & LaSalle both win, both would be 2-3 in the division, and LaSalle again would have the tiebreaker via head-to-head, having beaten Troy on September 27.

Bethlehem (3-3 overall) and Columbia (5-2 overall) are already assured of playoff spots. It's unfortunate that the league standings do not appear in the local papers.

For what it's worth, volleyball sectional pairings will be announced October 29.

News & notes

 South Glens Falls freshman Hayden Knapp overcame a 2 stroke penalty to claim the Section II women's individual title Friday, finishing 8 shots ahead of the pack. She'll lead a Section II contingent to the state tournament next June. Congratulations to Hayden.

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For some unknown reason, the Class AA women's tennis tournament results have not been completed as of press time, and the finals took place on Friday. Seems someone was asleep at the switch over the last 48 hours.

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Friday's college scoreboard:

Field Hockey:

UAlbany 3, New Hampshire 2 (OT).

Ithaca 2, RPI 1.

Union 3, Vassar 0.

Skidmore 1, William Smith 0.

Women's hockey:

RIT 3, RPI 0.

New Hampshire 2, Union 1.

Men's soccer:

Hobart 1, RPI 0.

Skidmore 1, RIT 0.

Union 1, Ithaca 0.

Women's soccer:

William Smith 1, RPI 0.

RIT & Skidmore played to a 2-2 draw.

Union 1, Ithaca 0.

Tennis:

Hartwick 5, Russell Sage 1 in an Empire 8 semi-final. The Gators are eliminated.

Women's volleyball:

UAlbany 3, Bryant 0.

High schools:

Men's cross country:

Guilderland won the Albany County Championship. 

Columbia won the Rensselaer County Championship. LaSalle placed 3rd.

Women's cross country:

Bethlehem won the Albany County Championship.

Columbia won the Rensselaer County Championship.

Men's soccer:

Glens Falls won the Foothills title, 1-0, over Queensbury.

Adirondack League:

Hartford & Argyle played to a scoreless draw.

Fort Ann 3, Lake George 2.

North Warren 4, Granville 1.

Colonial Council:

Schalmont 3, LaSalle 0.

Other Foothills action:

Schuylerville 4, Broadalbin-Perth 1.

South Glens Falls & Amsterdam played to a scoreless draw.

Patroon Conference:

Maple Hill 5, Hudson 1.

Cairo-Durham 3, Doane Stuart 0.

Western Athletic Conference:

Middleburgh 1, Galway 0.

Non-league:

Chatham 2, Ravena 0.

Germantown & Hunter-Tannersville played to a 2-2 draw.

Football:

Canajoharie-Fort Plain 48, Green Tech 22.

Cobleskill-Richmondville 42, Fonda-Fultonville 21.

Schuylerville 49, Hudson 14.

Saratoga 28, Guilderland 19.

Watervliet-Heatly 14, Corinth-Hadley-Luzerne 0.

Columbia 35, Bethlehem 28. The Blue Devils snap a 2 game losing streak.

Granville-Whitehall 27, Voorheesville 12.

Glens Falls 27, Mechanicville-Hoosic Valley 8.

Lansingburgh 32, Ichabod Crane 0.

Stillwater 49, Chatham 0.

Gloversville 48, Schalmont 28.

Averill Park 47, LaSalle 12.

Ravena 34, Cohoes 7.

Queensbury 41, South Glens Falls 12.

Shenendehowa 41, Albany 0.

Ballston Spa 54, Mohonasen 8.

Warrensburg-Bolton-Lake George 2, Rensselaer-Loudonville Christian 0.

Colonie 40, Schenectady 12.

Women's soccer:

Patroon Conference:

Greenville 3, Maple Hill 0.

Non-league:

Coxsackie-Athens & Tamarac played to a 1-1 draw.

Stillwater 6, Mayfield 0.

Wasaren League:

Cambridge 10, Salem 0.

Women's volleyball:

Columbia 3, Colonie 1.

High School Fridays: Snipe hunt (CBA @ Shaker, 10/18/24)

 Christian Brothers Academy & Shaker, each making their 3rd appearances on TV this season, met in Latham on this week's Friday Night Matchup.

Homestanding Shaker won the toss, and took the opening kickoff. However, just three plays in, CBA's Amare Cofill intercepted Bison QB Marcus Snipes, Jr., and the Brothers were off & running. A minute or so later, Aiden Guzi ran it in from 3 yards out, and CBA took a 7-0 lead into the 2nd quarter.

Just a couple of minutes into the 2nd quarter, Archie Jones took it in himself from a yard out, and it was quickly 14-0, CBA. However, Shaker was having some issues. Injury issues, that is. Multi-faceted senior Jake Smith was knocked from the game with an ankle injury in the frame, and Dominic DiBacco, son of Catholic Central women's basketball coach Audra DiBacco, stepped up. DiBacco put the Bison on the board with a 35 yard run to cut the lead in half at the break at 14-7.

With Guzi dinged up, Thomas Toure stepped up as well, and the sophomore scored on a 22 yard run in the 3rd quarter. However, Ted Giannella's PAT was wide left, and the Brothers were now up, 20-6.

Back came Shaker & DiBacco, who scored his 2nd TD, this time from 3 yards. A PAT failed here, too, and the score was 20-13 heading into the 4th quarter. In that final frame, DiBacco scored again, this time from midfield all the way to the house. Unfortunately, a 2 point conversion failed, and the lead was down to 1 at 20-19, with just over 7 minutes left in regulation.

CBA put the game away with under 2 minutes left, as Jones scored again, this time from 4 yards out. Giannella added the extra point to make it 27-19. Now, Shaker had no choice. With 90 seconds left, they had to score, then get a 2 point conversion, in order to win the game.

Nope. Not happening. CBA forced a turnover on downs. One kneel-down later, and CBA goes to 6-0 overall with a 27-19 win.

Meanwhile, Troy High won its 2nd straight, dispatching Amsterdam, 31-13. For the 2nd straight week, the Flying Horses (4-3 overall, 1-3 Capital Division) trailed at halftime, but their defense shut down the Rams in the 2nd half. Troy hosts Averill Park, a blowout winner over LaSalle, next week.

News & notes

 We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge that the Class C-D women's tennis final on Wednesday was held at Troy High instead of Central Park in Schenectady. The last minute change was a welcome surprise at Troy, to be sure, but this was not reported to the local press.

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RPI's women's hockey team opened a weekend series at RIT a day earlier than normal Thursday, and the two teams skated to a 3-3 draw. The series ends tonight.

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Thursday's high school scoreboard:

Field Hockey:

South Glens Falls 5, Johnstown 1.

Men's soccer:

Colonial Council:

Albany Academy 2, Lansingburgh 1.

Mohonasen 3, Voorheesville 1.

Foothills Council:

Hudson Falls 1, Gloversville 0.

Suburban Council:

Columbia 5, Shaker 1.

Bethlehem 1, Saratoga 0.

Shenendehowa 4, Albany 1.

Guilderland 5, Schenectady 0.

CBA 3, Ballston Spa 0.

Niskayuna 4, Averill Park 1.

Wasaren League:

Hoosick Falls 4, Berlin-New Lebanon 3.

Hoosic Valley 4, Tamarac 2.

Greenwich 2, Cambridge-Salem 1.

Mechanicville 10, Saratoga Catholic 0.

Western Athletic Conference:

Mayfield 4, Middleburgh 2.

Non-league:

Loudonville Christian 4, Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 1.

Cohoes 6, Waterford 4.

Women's soccer:

Adirondack League:

Bolton-Warrensburg 6, Whitehall 0.

Corinth 6, Hadley-Luzerne 0.

Colonial Council:

Mohonasen 4, Voorheesville 3 (OT).

Cohoes 4, Catholic Central 0.

Foothills Council tournament:

Hudson Falls 1, Gloversville 0.

Suburban Council:

Columbia 2, Shaker 1.

Women's volleyball:

Colonial Council:

Troy 3, Cohoes 0. The Lady Horses complete a season sweep of the Lady Tigers.

Wasaren League:

Emma Willard 3, Mechanicville 0.

Non-league:

Burnt Hills 3, Galway 0.

News & notes

 South Glens Falls freshman Hayden Knapp holds a 5 shot lead heading into the final round of women's golf individual sectionals today in Queensbury. What we're finding out is that Knapp is playing on the Bulldogs' men's team because South High does not have a women's team. That, I think, could change.

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Troy High's women's soccer team has been assured of another season below .500 after a 6-0 loss to Mohonasen on Tuesday. We are waiting on the result of last night's Senior Night game vs. Lansingburgh.

Soccer sectionals will be announced on Monday, so there's a good chance the Lady Horses could get a favorable seeding for a change.

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Wednesday's high school & college scoreboard:

Colleges:

Field Hockey:

Union 3, Utica 1.

Skidmore 11, Russell Sage 0.

Men's soccer:

Russell Sage & SUNY Poly played to a scoreless draw.

Women's soccer:

Siena 3, Manhattan 0.

Women's volleyball:

Skidmore 3, Vermont-Castleton 0.

UAlbany 3, Siena 1.

High schools:

Field Hockey:

Hoosick Falls 6, Salem-Cambridge 0.

Women's golf:

Bethlehem won the Section II title. LaSalle placed 2nd.

Men's soccer:

Adirondack League:

Argyle 2, North Warren 1.

Bolton-Warrensburg 1, Lake George 0.

Hartford 8, Granville 0.

Corinth 2, Fort Ann 0.

Colonial Council:

Lansingburgh 3, Ravena 2. The Knights pick up their first league win of the season and 4th overall.

Foothills Council:

Schuylerville 9, Gloversville 1.

Glens Falls & Amsterdam played to a 2-2 draw.

Patroon Conference:

Greenville 11, Doane Stuart 0.

Chatham 5, Hudson 0.

Maple Hill 4, Coxsackie-Athens 2.

Catskill 3, Taconic Hills 0.

Western Athletic Conference:

Northville 6, OESJ 1.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 6, Canajoharie-Fort Plain 0.

Johnstown 7, Middleburgh 0.

Mekeel Christian 4, Galway 0.

Women's soccer:

Patroon Conference:

Coxsackie-Athens & Maple Hill played to a 2-2 draw.

Wasaren League:

Greenwich 3, Cambridge 0.

Berlin-New Lebanon 4, Hoosick Falls 0.

Western Athletic Conference:

Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 6, Canajoharie-Fort Plain 0.

Tennis:

Class B:

Scotia 5, Hudson Falls 2.

Class AA:

Shenendehowa 9, Shaker 0.

Bethlehem 7, Guilderland 2.

Class A:

Albany Academy 4, Queensbury 3.

Class C-D:

Greenwich 7, Chatham 0.

Men's volleyball:

Burnt Hills 3, CBA 0.

Women's volleyball:

Suburban Council:

Burnt Hills 3, Saratoga 0.

Wasaren League:

Stillwater 3, Saratoga Catholic 0.

Non-league:

OESJ 3, Loudonville Christian 0.

Swimming:

Troy/Averill Park/Columbia 51, Albany 29.

News & notes

 Former NYRA track announcer Tom Durkin is currently doing radio spots for the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga. The ads began running during the summer meet at Saratoga. Nice to hear Tom is keeping busy.

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Former UAlbany football coach Bob Ford, for whom the football field was christened at Casey Stadium, is getting a well deserved honor, well into retirement.

Ford, 87, will receive the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award from the American Football Coaches Association in January at the association's convention in Charlotte.

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Coxsackie-Athens has called a halt to its football season due to a player shortage. The Riverhawks started the season with 24 players, but, after an 0-5 start, are down to 15, and thus will forfeit their remaining games. The future of the program remains in question.

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Russell Sage College has advanced to the semi-finals of the Empire 8 tennis tournament after beating St. John Fisher, 5-2, on Tuesday. The semi-finals will be either Thursday or Friday at the earliest.

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Tuesday's high school scoreboard:

Men's cross country:

Adirondack League:

Granville-Hartford-Whitehall 15, Warrensburg 50.

Lake George 22, Corinth-Hadley-Luzerne 37.

Colonial Council:

Voorheesville won a 3 team meet over LaSalle & Albany Academy.

Schalmont won a 3 team meet over Mohonasen & Ichabod Crane.

Foothills Council:

Schuylerville won a 3 team meet over Glens Falls & Amsterdam.

Queensbury won a 3 team meet over Scotia-Glenville & Gloversville.

Broadalbin-Perth 21, South Glens Falls 35.

Patroon Conference:

Cairo-Durham def. Catskill.

Western Athletic Conference:

Galway 19, Cobleskill-Richmondville 42.

Women's cross country:

Adirondack League:

Lake George 26, Corinth-Hadley-Luzerne 31.

Colonial Council:

Albany Academy won a 3 team meet over LaSalle & Voorheesville.

Mohonasen won a 3 team meet over Schalmont & Ichabod Crane.

Foothills Council:

Schuylerville won a 3 team meet over Amsterdam & Glens Falls.

Broadalbin-Perth 27, South Glens Falls 30.

Scotia-Glenville won a 3 team meet over Queensbury & Gloversville.

Western Athletic Conference:

Cobleskill-Richmondville won a 3 team meet over Schoharie & Galway.

Field Hockey:

Johnstown 5, Glens Falls 0.

Men's soccer:

Colonial Council:

Mohonasen 3, Troy 0.

Schalmont 2, Vootheesville 1.

Ichabod Crane 11, Ravena 0.

Albany Academy 5, LaSalle 2.

Cohoes 3, Lansingburgh 0.

Foothills Council:

Broadalibin-Perth 8, Scotia-Glenville 1.

Queensbury 1, South Glens Falls 0.

Suburban Council:

Shaker 4, Averill Park 0.

Niskayuna 3, Saratoga 0.

Guilderland 2, Albany 1.

Shenendehowa 9, Schenectady 0.

Columbia 2, Bethlehem 1.

CBA 2, Burnt Hills 1.

Wasaren League:

Greenwich 3, Hoosic Valley 0.

Non-league:

Cairo-Durham 2, Berlin-New Lebanon 1.

North Warren 6, Saratoga Catholic 2.

Women's soccer:

Foothills Council:

Scotia-Glenville 1, Amsterdam 0.

Tennis:

Class AA semi-finals:

Guilderland 8 1/2, Emma Willard 1/2.

Saratoga def. Colonie.

Class A semi-finals:

Queensbury 6, Academy of Holy Names 1.

Albany Academy def. Burnt Hills.

Class B semi-finals:

Hudson Falls 4, Ichabod Crane 3.

Scotia-Glenville def. Greenville.

Class C-D:

Greenwich def. Maple Hill.

Women's volleyball:

Colonial Council:

Academy of Holy Names 3, Cohoes 0.

Suburban Council:

Columbia 3, Bethlehem 0.

Wasaren League:

Mechanicville 3, Waterford 1.