The road to Syracuse begins for 5 Section II teams: State regional preview

 Between 4 pm today and approximately 3:30 pm tomorrow, 5 Section II football teams will vie for berth in regional semi-finals in their respective classes. 2 Section II schools---Shenendehowa & Lansingburgh----will host three games between them. Games will be streamed on the NFHS Network, as Spectrum News 1 has finished its slate of games for this season, even though Shen is hosting a doubleheader tonight. Contracts, and all that, you know.

Here we go:

Class AA:

North Rockland vs. CBA at Lansingburgh, 1 pm Saturday.

'Burgh native Bob Burns will finally coach a game at his old stomping grounds at Lansingburgh. We know CBA fans travel well, and the seasonal conditions should not be a deterrent. If the bleachers aren't filled, though, that might be because people would rather watch the college games....!

Job 1 for North Rockland will be to stop, not just slow down, Lucius Anderson. Good luck with that. Burns may actually get CBA all the way to Syracuse this time.

Pick--CBA.

Class A:

Somers vs. Averill Park at Shen, 7: 30 pm tonight.

These two teams are no strangers. The Tuskers beat AP in a non-league game last year en route to a state title, and are the #1 ranked team in the state, sharing that distinction with Garden City, but the Long Island school doesn't play in this tournament, as the NYC area has its own tournament. I don't see anything changing here.

Pick--Somers.

Class B:

Glens Falls vs. Ogdensburg Free Academy at Potsdam, 6 pm tonight.

Hard to believe it's been 6 years since Joe Girard III and friends went all the way. The Black Bears have mowed down everyone in their path, and this will be no exception.

Pick--Glens Falls.

Class C:

Gouverneur vs. Schuylerville at Shen, 4 pm today.

The Black Horses woke up in the 2nd half to end Cobleskill-Richmondville's bid for a perfect Section II season last Friday. Gouverneur, the Section X champ, will run into the same problem, and Schuylerville will advance.

Pick--Schuylerville.

Class D:

Greenwich vs. Moriah at Beekmantown, 1 pm Saturday.

The Witches are back in the state tournament for the first time in 3 years. Moriah won the Section VII title with just a 4-4 overall record, half those wins vs. AuSable Valley, which Greenwich blew away back in September. Historically, Witches & Vikings don't get along, but I don't think Moriah has a counter-spell......

Pick--Greenwich.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Wednesday's college scoreboard, 11/20

 UAlbany's women's basketball team scored a very important win on the road Wednesday at Syracuse, upsetting the Lady Orange, 73-70, to go to 4-0 on the season.

Kayla Cooper led Albany with 21 points. Lily Phillips (Cambridge) had the game winning basket, and finished with 14 points. Meghan Huerter (Shen) went scoreless in 8 minutes, and Abby Ray (Saratoga) didn't play.

Next up is a return to Broadview Center Saturday night to host Cornell. UAlbany is paying homage to Taylor Swift with "Swifties Night", and a 4 pack of tickets will cost just $19.89. (True Swifties know what that means)

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Siena's men's team has now dropped two straight after getting blown out on national television by Xavier, 80-55. Reid Ducharme, a former Musketeer, led with 15 points for the Saints (3-2). Marcus Jackson (Albany Academy) & Brendan Coyle (Niskayuna) had 6 points each. The Saints head to Fort Myers, Florida on Monday morning to face Miami of Ohio, with a 11 am tip.

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The rest of the scores:

Women's hockey:

Union 3, Vermont 0.

Men's basketball:

Russell Sage 64, Vermont-Castleton 57.

RPI 72, Hobart 55. 

Mount St. Mary's 73, Cobleskill 69.

Women's basketball:

Middlebury 56, Skidmore 43.

LaSalle's bowling & basketball 2024-5 schedules

 Should've had this out sooner, but, well......!

Anyway, in the interests of equal time, here is LaSalle's basketball & bowling schedule for the 2024-5 season. Schedule dates are subject to change due to weather.

November: 

21: Women's home opener vs. Maple Hill.

25: Both the men & women will be at Ravena.

26. Men's home opener vs. Troy. Women vs. Mechanicville.

December:

3: Women's basketball home opener vs. Niskayuna.

5: Bowling @ Schalmont.

10: Bowling vs. Lansingburgh. Men's basketball home opener vs. Ravena. Women @ Ravena.

12: Men's bowling @ Catholic Central. The match will be contested at Hilltop Bowl. Women's basketball vs. Lansingburgh. Men @ 'Burgh.

16: Bowling vs. Mohonasen.

17: Men's bowling vs. Cohoes. Women @ Cohoes. Women's hoops vs. Mohonasen. Men @ Mohon.

19: Men's bowling @ Mechanicville. Women @ Maple Hill.

20: Men's basketball vs. Voorheesville. Women @ Voorheesville.

22: Men's basketball vs. Shenendehowa @ Siena College.

27: Women's basketball tournament vs. Mechanicville. Men's tournament @ CBA vs. Bethlehem.

28: Men's basketbal @ CBA.

January:

3: Women's basketball vs. Guilderland.

5: Men's basketball vs. Notre Dame-Utica @ Hamilton College.

6: Bowling vs. Ravena.

7: Men's bowling vs. Troy. Women's bowling @ Mechanicville. Women's basketball---1st ever meeting vs. Troy. Men vs. Troy in their first meeting since the 2019 Holiday Classic.

9: Bowling vs. Schalmont.

10: Men's basketball @ Catholic Central. The game will be at the Riverside Center in Mechanicville, as apparently, CCHS is no longer using Monsignor Burns Gym. Women vs. CCHS.

14: Bowling vs. Lansingburgh. The Knights will be the home team for this match. Women's basketball @ Holy Names.

15: Men's basketball vs. Albany Academy.

16: Men's bowling vs. Catholic Central.

17: Women's basketball @ Albany Academy.

18: Men's basketball tournament vs. Bishop Ludden.

19: Men's basketball tournament vs. Our Lady of Lourdes.

20: Women's basketball vs. Emma Willard.

21: Women's basketball vs. Hoosick Falls.

24: Men's basketball vs. Schalmont. Women @ Schalmont.

28: Bowling @ Mohonasen.

29: Men's basketball @ Cohoes. Women @ Mechanicville.

30: Bowling @ Cohoes. This means, unless there was an error in the earlier scheduling, that the women would bowl at Cohoes Arena twice.

31: Women's basketball vs. Cohoes.

February:

1: Men's basketball @ Albany Academy.

3: Colonial Council bowling championships @ Boulevard Bowl.

4: Men's basketball vs. Ichabod Crane. Women @ Ichabod Crane.

7: Men's basketball vs. Catholic Central. Women travel to Mechanicville to play CCHS.

11: Women's basketball Senior Night vs. Holy Names.

14: Men's basketball Senior Night vs. Albany Academy.

The men's bowling team was to open their season tomorrow vs. Voorheesville, but that match was postponed, with no make-up date set.

News & notes

 The NY Phoenix, the newest franchise in The Basketball League, brings owners Sam & Rebecca Clifford back into the league after a year away.

The Cliffords sold the Albany Patroons after the 2023 season, putting the team back in the hands of Washington Avenue Armory owner Ben Fernandez. On Tuesday, there was a presser in Schenectady that produced another surprise.

Trevis Wyche, who played for coach Derrick Rowland the last three years with the Pats, will now be coaching the Phoenix.

Photo courtesy Albany Times-Union.

According to Rebecca Clifford, the long term goal is to move up to the Basketball Super League. Don't think the Pats don't also have that goal, because they probably do.

The 2025 TBL season begins in February.

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OTB's physical parlors are slowly disappearing, one by one.

It was reported Tuesday that the Catskill area OTB is closing down, citing financial difficulties that have plagued it for years. Online betting has been a big factor in other parlors closing, including in Troy, Menands, Watervliet, and downtown Albany in recent years. The Menands OTB closed during the COVID pandemic period (2020-1). Aside from a branch in Lansingburgh that doesn't appear to be still active most of the time, Troy's lone remaining branch is at Uncle Sam Lanes at last check.

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Pokemon has been a popular collectible card game for over 25, nearly 30, years.

Pokemon Go, an online, interactive version of the game, is just as popular, but not with politicians in Colonie, who've decided to ban the game at The Crossings. Apparently, there's been a few accidental collisions between players and non-playing guests......!

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Tonight's Siena-Xavier men's basketball game can be seen nationally on FS1 (Spectrum channel 400), with a 6:30 pm tip. The Saints (3-1) will look to bounce back after losing to UAlbany on Saturday. The Musketeers are undefeated as they wrap a season opening 5 game homestand.

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The Albany Firebirds have released their 2025 Arena Football 1 (AF1) schedule:

March:

14: @ Orlando.

21: Home opener vs. Nashville.

April:

5: @ Nashville.

11: Billings.

Weekend of April 18-20: @ Salina. Exact date & time has not been finalized.

26: @ Nashville.

May:

1 or 4: @ Wilkes-Barre.

9: Southwest Kansas.

24: Wilkes-Barre.

31: Orlando.

June:

7: @ Orlando.

14: Wilkes-Barre.

News & notes

 In sports, rivalries create good business.

For example, in the 80's, the Albany-Colonie club in the Eastern League, representing either the Yankees or Athletics, would play a few games a year against a team from Glens Falls, which had affiliations with the Tigers and White Sox at different points.

The 90's brought the Albany River Rats vs. the Adirondack Red Wings in hockey.

Now, the Albany Patroons have some company in The Basketball League.

TBL head man Dave Magley announced Monday that there would be a franchise based out of Schenectady in the winter-spring 2025 season, and, depending on the final number of teams in each conference, the teams would see each other up to four times, two games each in Albany & Schenectady.

It ain't exactly RPI vs. Union or UAlbany vs. Siena at the college level, but let's see where it goes.

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We now know where Section II's volleyball teams will take the court this weekend.

On the men's side, Division 1 champ Shenendehowa will play Ward Melville at the Capital Center Saturday, with an approximate starting time of 11:30 am.

As for the ladies:

Class AAA:

Shen vs. Fairport, Friday at approximately 3:30 pm at Cool Insuring Arena.

Class D:

Mekeel Christian vs. Candor, also Friday at 3:30.

Class A:

Burnt Hills vs. Pittsford Sutherland, 9:30 am Saturday.

Class C:

Stillwater vs. Portville, 9:30 am Saturday.

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Due to an editing error, the High School Scoreboard in today's Albany Times-Union is reflecting last week's games. Fortunately, James Allen had the above games in his Tuesday column.

Sunday's high school scoreboard, 11/17

 Soccer & field hockey season are officially over in Section II. The state finals in both sports were on Sunday, but for most, it's wait until next year.

Field Hockey:

Class A:

Mamaroneck 2, Guilderland 1 (OT).

Class B:

Burnt Hills 3, Lakeland 0.

Men's soccer:

Class AAA:

Fairport 2, Shaker 1 (OT).

Class A:

Floral Park 2, Schalmont 0.

Women's soccer:

Class AA:

Albertus Magnus 2, Columbia 1.

Class C: 

Byron-Bergen 1, Stillwater 0 (OT).

Class D: Northville 1, Copenhagen 0.

Section II will host the state championships in volleyball this weekend. The women will be in Glens Falls at Cool Insuring Arena, where pool play begins for Classes AAA, AA, & D begins at 2 pm. Classes A-C will start play Saturday at 9 am.

The men will be at the Capital Center in downtown Albany Saturday, starting at 10 am.

State pairings for football:

Class AA:

North Rockland vs. CBA-Albany, Saturday at 1 pm at Lansingburgh.

Class A:

Somers vs. Averill Park, Friday at 7:30 pm at Shenendehowa.

Class B:

Glens Falls vs. Ogdensburg Free Academy, Friday at 6 pm at Potsdam.

Class C:

Gouverneur vs. Schuylerville, Friday at 4 pm at Shen.

Class D:

Greenwich vs. Moriah, Saturday at 1 pm at Beekmantown.

News & notes

 The Albany Cup stays with UAlbany.

The Great Danes took down Siena, handing Gerry McNamara his first loss, 70-60, extending the Danes' winning streak to 3 in a row. Justin Neely led Albany with 21 points.

For Siena, Marcus Jackson (Albany Academy), who was with the Danes last year, led with 17 points, followed by Brendan Coyle (Niskayuna) and Major Freeman with 11 each. The game attracted just under 4,000 fans to Broadview Center, making it a sellout. UAlbany is idle until Friday, when they begin a weekend trip to Puerto Rico.

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Meanwhile, the Lady Danes remain undefeated, beating Sacred Heart, 61-49. Kayla Cooper led Albany with 20 points. Lily Phillips (Cambridge) added 8. Abby Ray (Saratoga) and Meghan Huerter (Shenendehowa) did not score in the first half of the doubleheader. Next for Colleen Mullen's club (3-0) is a trip to Syracuse on Wednesday.

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RPI captured the men's title at the Mideast Regional cross country meet in New London, Connecticut. The women's team placed 2nd behind Williams College.

A correction on the Dutchmen's Shoes game. RPI actually won, 24-7, so we have to apologize for shorting the Engineers 4 points.

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The rest of Saturday's college action:

Men's basketball:

Bard 73, Russell Sage 60.

Women's basketball:

Bowdoin 74, Skidmore 64.

Men's hockey:

Clarkson 4, Union 1.

Elmira 5, Skidmore 1.

Women's soccer:

Division III tournament:

Cade Western Reserve 4, Skidmore 3.

Men's swimming:

RPI 166, Vassar 105.

Women's swimming:

Siena 170, Stony Brook 121.

RPI 164, Vassar 78.

Women's volleyball:

UAlbany 3, Bryant 1.

Maine Maritime 3, Cobleskill 1.

Niagara 3, Siena 1.

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High schools:

Bethlehem won the Class A state title in women's cross country.

Field Hockey:

Class A:

Guilderland 4, Sachem East 1.

Class B:

Burnt Hills 3, Garden City 0.

Men's soccer:

Class AAA:

Shaker 2, Scarsdale 1.

Class AA:

Clarence 2, Bethlehem 0.

Class A:

Schalmont 2, Brockport 1 (OT).

Class D:

Hamilton 3, Northville 0.

Women's soccer:

Class AAA:

Arlington 5, Saratoga 0.

Class AA:

Columbia 2, Vestal 0.

Class C:

Stillwater 3, Cincinnatus 1.

Class D:

Northville & Keskequa played to a 1-1 tie through overtime. Northville advances via penalty kicks.

Women's volleyball:

Class AAA:

Shenendehowa 3, Baldwinsville 0.

Class AA:

Fayetteville-Manilus 3, Niskayuna 0.

Class A:

Burnt Hills 3, John Jay-Cross River 0.

Class C:

Stillwater 3, Ausable Valley 0.

Class D:

Mekeel Christian 3, Chateauguay 1.

Have a Canaday! (Burnt Hills vs. Averill Park @ Shenendehowa, 11/16/24)

 Averill Park has never won a Section II football title heading into today's Class A Super Bowl at Shenendehowa vs. Burnt Hills. The game was the 2nd half of a doubleheader at Steuerwald Stadium, after Glens Falls captured the Class B title, defeating Ravena, 20-14, thwarting Ravena's bid to duplicate CBA's 4-peat.

Burnt Hills came into the game as the hottest team in Class A, having won 8 in a row. The Spartans won the toss, but for much of the first half it was a war of attrition, as both offenses were slow to start. In the 2nd quarter, Burnt Hills' defense gathered the first turnover of the day, as Drew Canaday lost a fumble. However, Burnt Hills couldn't take advantage, as their running game had been stifled by the Averill Park defense.

Amazingly, it was scoreless at the break.

Averill Park marched down the field to start the 3rd quarter, and Canaday redeemed himself with an 8 yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, the soon-to-be-former-Warriors don't have a confident placekicker, so the two-point conversion came up short.

"I told Zach to find a kicker, but he wouldn't listen. This'll cost him later."

That remains to be seen. It didn't take long for Burnt Hills to respond, as John Gload found a rare hole in the defense, and scampered 43 yards to the house. However, Logan Tomlinson's point after was wide, and we were tied at 6 going into the 4th quarter.

Then, Jacob Phelps took over.

The senior put Averill Park back in front, catching a 25 yard pass from Derek Kilgallon. Again, the 2 point conversion failed, and it was now 12-6, in favor of Averill Park.

After Phelps forced a fumble on defense, Canaday took it in again, this time from 6 yards, and Phelps caught the 2 point conversion. The Spartans had one last chance, but Phelps ended that with an interception to lock up the A title. A couple of first downs and two kneel-downs later, Averill Park had finally won their first title, 20-6.

"Maybe now, Zach can relax until the next game."

Maybe, but up next for Averill Park is Somers, a downstate power that had been a roadblock for Burnt Hills during the Matt Shell era.

Other scores:

Greenwich won the Class D title, blowing out Cambridge-Salem for the 2nd time this season, 48-7.

RPI reclaimed the Dutchmen's Shoes, beating Union, 20-7

UAlbany wasted a 17 point lead, and fell to Rhode Island, 20-17.

Hmmmm. 20's been a lucky number today......

High School Fridays: Class AA Super Bowl @ Troy High, 11/15/24

 On a night when Troy High's two most successful coaches came home, after a sort, the Collar City was the center of the Section II universe.

While Jack Burger is now a defensive assistant at Schuylerville, he & the Black Horses sought to wrest the Class C title away from unbeaten Cobleskill-Richmondville at Lansingburgh High. Across town at Picken Memorial Field, Bob Burns was closing in on a career milestone. As Spectrum News' graphics department revealed, Burns has won 98 games in his 10 seasons as a head coach, between Troy and Christian Brothers Academy, which hosted Shaker in the Class AA Super Bowl, enabling Burns to roam the home sideline once more.

CBA won the toss, and, if it wasn't for a penalty on the 2nd play from scrimmage, they would've had an instant lead. Instead, they went 3-&-out, forced to punt after quarterback Archie Jones was sacked. Shaker fared no better, and it was a war of attrition until Jones found Amare Cofill for a 13 yard touchdown late in the 1st quarter. Ted Gialanella added the extra point, and CBA was up, 7-0, at the end of the frame.

Shaker was driving as the 2nd quarter began, and Marcus Snipes answered with a 24 yard scoring toss to Dominic DiBacco. Connor Sullivan's extra point tied the game, but not for long. Burns had reached into his bag of tricks, and had Lucius Anderson start as a quarterback in the Wildcat formation. On CBA's next possession, Anderson capped the drive by running it in from 8 yards out. It was 14-7 CBA at the break.

Shaker began the 2nd half having made some adjustments on offense. Utilizing play-fakes in the running game, Snipes led the Bison down the field, culminating with Nick Graziano taking it to the house from just 3 yards out. Again, it was tied. Again, it didn't last. Anderson struck again on the ensuing drive, this time from 6 yards, and CBA led, 21-14, after 3 quarters.

On the first play of the 4th quarter, CBA seemingly put the game away, as Anderson scored again, this time from 30 yards. The 3 rushing touchdowns matched his total for the season, to complement 14 TD catches. Anderson also made his presence felt on defense, making plays, including an interception to shut down a Bison drive. With just over 2 minutes left, Snipes ran it in himself, and it was a one score game again at 28-21.

However, Thomas Tohre (pronounced Toure, which is how we'd spelled it previously) fielded an onside kick, and that, for all intents & purposes, was the ballgame. Four straight Section II titles for CBA. 99 wins for Burns. And, oh, but that ain't all.

CBA moves across town to Lansingburgh next week to play the Section 1 champion, whomever it may be, and Burns, a 'Burgh graduate, is on the cusp of his 100th career win.

Meanwhile, Schuylerville spoiled the perfect season for Cobleskill-Richmondville, taking the Class C title, 35-21. The Bulldogs had sought to end a 17 year title drought.

Tonight was also a homecoming of a different kind. Former Troy baseball coach Curtis Nobles was part of the officiating crew as a head linesman, and likely will also be part of the crew for the Class A title game tomorrow at Shenendehowa. Apparently, they're not paying him enough at Ballston Spa, so he's moonlighting.

Four straight Section II titles, and Burns is still looking to get back to the state title game at the JML Dome in Syracuse. This may be his year.

Time to go Bowling

 It's Super Bowl weekend in Section II. Five games across a 24 hour period. Two games will air on TV. The rest you could likely stream. Here we go:

Class AA:

Shaker vs. CBA @ Troy High (Spectrum News 1, 7 pm). Shaker coach Greg Sheeler is wishing this game wasn't being played in Troy. No, I'm not kidding. The last time he faced off with CBA coach Bob Burns with stakes as high as this, Troy defeated Shaker in what amounted to a de facto home game for the Flying Horses, with the game just down the street at RPI's East Campus Village Stadium. Burns owns one of the best, if not THE best, winning percentages in Section II history, and a large chunk of that was built over six seasons at Troy, where losses were rare at the time.

For the 2nd straight year, the AA Super Bowl is being played in Burns' old home at Picken Memorial Field. That's bad news for Shaker. If the Bison don't get out to a fast start against the Brothers, it's over.

Pick: CBA.

Class C:

Schuylerville vs. Cobleskill-Richmondville @ Lansingburgh. The Bulldogs are familiar with the Lansingburgh field, but not for football. They used to play soccer here as a member of the Colonial Council until jumping to the Western Athletic Conference this year. They're undefeated, same as CBA, and the next chapter of their Cinderella story comes tonight.

Schuylerville, however, sent a loud message in demolishing Fonda-Fultonville last week. The Black Horses are looking to put the Bulldogs under their learning tree.

Pick: Schuylerville.

Saturday:

Class D:

Cambridge-Salem vs. Greenwich @ Schuylerville. Would we have had this game if Bolton-Warrensburg-Lake George didn't have a case of Beavisitis on a bus? Hard to say. You know what they say. When one door closes, another opens, and Cambridge-Salem is overdue to return to the promised land.

Pick: Cambridge-Salem.

Class B: 

Ravena vs. Glens Falls @ Shenendehowa. First half of a doubleheader at Steuerwald Stadium. The championship pedigrees between these two teams would be worth putting this on TV as well. Ravena is the defending champion. Glens Falls is back in the title game for the first time since the Joe Girard III era. You know former Ravena coach Gary VanDerzee will be watching this one, hoping for a repeat. It's not happening.

Pick: Glens Falls.

Class A: 

Averill Park vs. Burnt Hills (Spectrum News 1, 4:30). Kevin DeBonis' Spartans have won 8 in a row to get here after starting 0-2. Averill Park's Zach Gobel would like to finally win the big one, especially for a talented senior class led by Jacob Phelps. Sorry, Zach, this ain't the year. Burnt Hills is all kinds of hot right now, as they usually are around this time of year. They just need to figure out how to win a state title.

Pick: Burnt Hills.

Of course, I could be wrong.

News & notes

 UAlbany's basketball teams had a productive night Wednesday at Dartmouth.

First, the men defeated the Big Green, 87-73. Newcomers Byron Joshua & Kheni Briggs led the Great Danes with 19 points each. Justin Neely added 18.

The women's game was supposed to start at 8 pm, but was delayed, even though there was sufficient time between games to have the court cleaned up. Didn't matter. Colleen Mullen's club is 2-0 after beating Dartmouth, 58-53. Kayla Cooper led Albany with 20 points. Meghan Huerter (Shenendehowa) had 6 points coming off the bench, and Abby Ray (Saratoga) didn't score in limited time. Ellie Cerf (Bethlehem) did not play for Dartmouth due to a coach's decision.

The men will next play Siena on Saturday at Broadview Center.

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After hosting two NY-Penn League All-Star Games, it was inevitable that the Tri-City Valleycats would get a turn hosting the Frontier League's annual game.

It was announced Wednesday that the 'Cats will host the Frontier League All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 16, at Bruno Stadium, preceded by a home run derby. Advance tickets are going on sale online, not sure about the box office, at $13 each.

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While the Siena men are undefeated in 3 games, the women are the direct opposite.

Terry Primm's Lady Saints are 0-3 after falling to Penn, 78-47, Wednesday night. The Lady Quakers led at halftime, 40-27, and were never threatened. Anajah Brown led Siena with 17 points, the lone Saint in double figures. Ahniysha Jackson (Albany) had 9. Siena is idle now until November 23, when they travel to Fordham.

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The rest of Wednesday's action:

Women's basketball:

RPI 53, Coast Guard 50. The Lady Engineers are also 3-0.

Russell Sage 56, Bard 52.

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If you saw the headline teaser in the paper this morning bemoaning Burnt Hills losing a volleyball match, don't despair. It was the men's team that went 1-&-done in state play.

The Spartans fell, 3-1, to Jamesville-DeWitt, ending their season. Meanwhile, it was business as usual for Gary Bynom's Lady Spartans, as they shut out Jamesville-DeWitt, 3-0, in a Class A sub-regional. The Burnt Hills women will next play John Jay or Cross River on Saturday at Yorktown.

Stillwater advanced in a Class C women's sub-regional, 3-0, over Fayetteville-Manilus, and will play Ausable Valley at Saranac on Saturday.

News & notes

 Siena's men's basketball team is now 3-0 after dispatching American University, 74-66, in front of just over 4400 fans at MVP Arena Tuesday night.

Justice Shoats led Siena with 18 points. Peter Carey & Brendan Coyle added 16 apiece. Marcus Jackson (Albany Academy) got the start, but finished with just 4 points.

Next up is the Albany Cup at UAlbany on Saturday.

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Speaking of UAlbany, the Great Danes are at Dartmouth for a men's & women's doubleheader, with the men tipping off first at 5 pm. The women's game will start at 8 pm, and for the Section II alums on the Lady Danes roster, they'll run into a familiar face.

Ellie Cerf (Bethlehem) is a freshman reserve for the Dartmouth women's team, and has just 5 points in 12 minutes played so far. 

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Section II volleyball has moved on to state regional play. We don't have any schedule for men's champions Shenendehowa & Burnt Hills, but let's take a look at the women's schedule:

Class AAA:

Shen will play Baldwinsville at Homer High on Friday at 7 pm.

Class AA:

Niskayuna will host Fayetteville-Manilus on Friday at noon. The match will be played at Gloversville.

Class A:

Burnt Hills will play a sub-regional at Baldwinsville today vs. Jamesville-DeWitt. Start time is 6 pm.

Class B:

Ichabod Crane, coming off a 3-1 win Tuesday over James O'Neil, moves on to face Blind Brook, Saturday at 4:30 pm at Yorktown.

Class C:

Stillwater plays Madrid-Waddington in a sub-regional today at Massena. Start time is 5 pm.

Class D:

Gloversville will host a regional between Mekeel Christian and either Lake Placid or Chateaugay, Friday at 2 pm.

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The rest of Tuesday's college action:

Women's basketball:

Union 91, Utica 61.

Cobleskill 65, Alfred 50.

Women's volleyball:

Liberty League 1st round:

RPI 3, Union 2.

Clarkson 3, Skidmore 1.

Empire 8:

Nazareth 3, Russell Sage 0.

News & notes

 Belated congratulations to Troy High's Angelina MacLeod, who qualified for state competition in women's swimming & diving, while the Troy/Columbia/Averill Park squad finished 6th in team competition during the Section II championships at Shenendehowa on Friday.

State competition starts this weekend.

Suffice to say, the men's team, unified with CBA, has a tough act to follow when they start their season next month.

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WOFX is looking for a new afternoon drive team.

Jeff Levack & Tom Gozlowski were among the talents laid off by corporate parent iHeart Media over the weekend. Luckily, both will be sticking around, as Levack also has a front office gig with the Albany Firebirds, and Gozlowski was the color analyst for the team last season, and likely will return in 2025 as well.

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Bethlehem grad Clare Hutton was named to the National Women's Soccer League's rookie team on Monday. Hutton and the Kansas City Current will play Orlando in the NWSL semi-finals on Sunday. The game will be on ESPN or ABC.

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In the NFL's eyes, Jared Verse is a rookie out of Florida State, but Verse had spent time at UAlbany before moving south.

Monday, in a LA Rams loss to Miami, Verse made his presence felt in the first half with a sack, a fumble recovery, and a few more tackles.

I"m willing to guess that Verse's rookie cards will still move for a pretty good price around here, given his previous stint with the Great Danes. Just sayin'.

News & notes

 On Friday, Fonda-Fultonville was denied an opportunity to repeat at Class C champions in football when they were blown out by Schuylerville. Less than 24 hours later, Stillwater, the defending Class D champ, met the same fate, falling to Cambridge-Salem, 21-13. That sets up Cambridge-Salem to play Greenwich on Saturday at Schuylerville. Kickoff will be around noon.

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When play in state regional soccer began Saturday, Section II had 11 teams. Today, the number is down to 8, as three teams were eliminated.

Men:

Class AAA:

Shaker 1, Baldwinsville 0. The Bison will play Scarsdale in the semi-finals at Middletown this coming Saturday at 3 pm.

Class AA:

Bethlehem 2, Nottingham 0. Next up for the Eagles will be either Spencerport or Clarence, at Middletown, Saturday at 10:45 am.

Class A:

Schalmont 2, New Hartford 1 (OT). The Sabres will next face Brockport, Saturday at 6 pm at Middletown.

Class B:

Westhill 4, Mechanicville 0.

Class C:

Loudonville Christian 5, Lisbon 0. LCA will play North Salem Friday at 5:25 pm at Middletown.

Women:

Class AAA:

Saratoga & Cicero-North Syracuse played to a 1-1 tie. The Blue Streaks advance via penalty kicks, and will next play either Arlington or Pine Bush at Tompkins-Cortland, Saturday at 9:30 am.

Class AA:

Columbia 3, East Syracuse-Minoa 1. Next for the Blue Devils will be Vestal, Saturday at 2:30 pm at Tompkins-Cortland.

Class A:

New Hartford 4, Schalmont 0.

Class B: 

Marcellus 1, Mechanicville 0 (OT).

Class C:

Stillwater 1, Lisbon 0. Stillwater travels to Homer to play Cincinnatus, Saturday at noon.

Class D:

Northville 9, Livingston Manor 1. Northville will play Keshequa, Saturday at 2:30 at Homer.

Field Hockey:

Class A:

Guilderland 1, Windsor 0.

Class B: 

Burnt Hills 2, Vestal 0.

Class C:

Whitney Point 6, Hoosick Falls 0.

Cross country:

Your sectional champions by class:

Class A:

Men: Colonie.

Women: Bethlehem.

Class B:

Men: CBA. LaSalle placed 7th.

Women: Burnt Hills.

Class C:

Men: Schalmont.

Women: Voorheesville.

Class D:

Men: Galway.

Women: Maple Hill.

Women's volleyball:

Class AAA:

Shenendehowa 3, Saratoga 0.

Class AA:

Niskayuna 3, Bethlehem 2.

Class A:

Burnt Hills 3, South Glens Falls 0. Make it 22 titles in a row for the Spartans.

Class B:

Ichabod Crane 3, Broadalbin-Perth 1 (Friday).

Class C:

Stillwater 3, Galway 1.

Men's volleyball:

Shenendehowa & Burnt Hills are your division 1 & 2 champions.

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In a year where Bethlehem has been collecting sectional titles like you or I would collect stamps or sports cards, a notable Bethlehem alumnus may be playing for her first pro title.

Clare Hutton didn't figure into the scoring, but she and the Kansas City Current have advanced to the NWSL semi-finals after eliminating North Carolina, 1-0, Saturday afternoon. The Current scored a goal in the first half, and made it stand up.

News & notes

 While Bethlehem's women's volleyball team prepares to play for the Class AA title tonight vs. Niskayuna, you can imagine many of the players will be tuning in this afternoon to see Eagles alumnus Clare Hutton play for Kansas City in a National Women's Soccer League match vs. North Carolina. The game airs on CBS at 12 noon, streaming on Paramount+. 

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UAlbany had its home opener for women's basketball at Broadview Center Friday night, and took down Rhode Island, 67-57, earning coach Colleen Mullen her 100th victory. Lily Phillips guarded twin sister Sophie most of the night, and finished with 10 points, one of 4 Lady Danes in double figures. Sophie finished with just 3.

Albany travels to Dartmouth on Wednesday night. The men will have their home opener tonight at 7 vs. Oneonta.

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Let's give you the schedule for next week's Super Bowls:

Friday:

Class AA:

CBA vs. Shaker, 7 pm, Picken Field (Troy High). Airing on Spectrum News 1.

Class C:

Cobleskill-Richmondville vs. Schuylerville at Lansingburgh, 7 pm.

Next Saturday:

Class A: 

Burnt Hills vs. Averill Park at Shenendehowa, 4:30 pm. Airing on Spectrum News 1.

Class B:

Ravena vs. Glens Falls at Shenendehowa, 1 pm.

Class D:

Greenwich will play the Stillwater-Cambridge/Salem winner at Schuylerville at noon.

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The rest of Friday's college action:

Men's basketball:

RPI 55, Cortland 40.

Women's basketball:

RPI 57, Plattsburgh 48.

Cobleskill 71, Hartwick 38.

Field Hockey:

America East semi-finals:

Vermont 1, UAlbany 0.

Liberty League semi-finals:

Ithaca 2, Skidmore 0.

Rochester & Union played to a 1-1 draw through overtime. Rochester advances via shootout.

Women's hockey:

RPI & St. Lawrence skated to a 3-3 tie.

Clarkson 3, Union 2 (OT).

Men's soccer:

Liberty League semi-finals:

St. Lawrence 2, Skidmore 1 (OT).

Women's soccer:

Liberty League semi-finals:

Ithaca 2, Skidmore 0.

Women's volleyball:

Skidmore 3, Plattsburgh 0.

UAlbany 3, NJIT 0.

Union 3, Western New England 1.

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We've reached the state regional quarterfinals in soccer. 11 Section II teams are in action today:

Men: 

Class AAA: 

Shaker vs. Baldwinsville at West Genesee, 11 am.

Class AA:

Bethlehem vs. Nottingham at West Genesee, 1:30 pm.

Class A:

Schalmont vs. New Hartford at Waterford, noon.

Class B:

Mechanicville vs. Westhll at Stillwater, 3:30 pm.

Class C: 

Loudonville Christian vs. Lisbon at LaSalle, 5 pm.

Women:

Class AAA:

Saratoga vs. Cicero-North Syracuse at Nottingham, 2 pm.

Class AA:

Columbia vs. East Syracuse-Minoa at Nottingham, noon.

Class A:

Schalmont vs. New Hartford at Waterford, 2:30 pm.

Class B:

Mechanicville vs. Marcellus at Stillwater, 1 pm.

Class C:

Stillwater vs. Lisbon at Potsdam, 1 pm.

Class D:

Northville vs. Livingston Manor at Walkill, 1:30 pm.

Good luck to our Section II squads.

High School Fridays: Spartan warfare (Queensbury @ Burnt Hills, 11/8/24)

 Last month, Burnt Hills & Queensbury had their annual meeting in Grasso Division play. Burnt Hills won, despite Queensbury gaining more yards.

Tonight was more of the same, with the winner moving on to the Class A Super Bowl November 16 at Shenendehowa.

Queensbury won the coin toss, and deferred. Bad move. Burnt Hills marched right down the field, and John Gload put the hosts up with a 4 yard touchdown. Logan Tomlinson added the extra point, and Burnt Hills had an early 7-0 lead.

Queensbury came back, and got as far as the red zone before Zavry Ward threw an interception to end the drive. From that point, it started to be a war of attrition. On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Ward found Tom Collins, Jr. in the end zone. Geordie Donnelly's extra point tied the game, and it stayed that way all the way to the 4th quarter.

Gload put Burnt Hills back in front with a 1 yard touchdown run. Tomlinson's extra point made it 14-7 in favor of Burnt Hills. After Sam Karlitz picked off Ward, DJ Mosher ran 43 yards to paydirt, and, suddenly, it was 21-7.

Queensbury finally answered with Ward hooking up with Collins again, this time for 12 yards. However, Donnelly's extra point was way short, leaving the score at 21-13. With 2 minutes and change left, Queensbury was forced to try an onside kick. Gabriel Garcia recovered for Burnt Hills, and that was your ballgame. A first down, and a kneel down iced it for Kevin DeBonis' club, which carries an 8 game winning streak into the Super Bowl next week.

Other scores:

Class A: 

Averill Park 36, Ballston Spa 13.

Class AA:

Shaker 28, Shenendehowa 21.

CBA 27, Saratoga 7.

Class B:

Glens Falls 29, Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 7.

Ravena 21, Mechanicville-Hoosic Valley 7.

Class C:

Cobleskill-Richmondville 31, Granville-Whitehall 7.

Schuylerville 49, Fonda-Fultonville 14.

Non-league:

Broadalbin-Perth 27, Johnstown 21.

News & notes

 The UAlbany women's basketball team has their home opener tonight vs. Rhode Island, and it doubles as a bit of a family reunion.

Sophie Phillips (Cambridge), the twin sister of UAlbany senior Lily Phillips, is in town with the Lady Rams, and will play against her sister for the first time. Also, it marks the return of former Siena women's coach Ali Jacques to the 518, this time as an assistant coach on the Lady Rams' staff. Tip time is 7 pm, and will stream on ESPN+.

==============================

Playoffs aside, football season ended for several Section II teams on Thursday......

Guilderland 36, Troy 20. The Dutchmen spotted Troy (5-5) an early lead, then scored 36 unanswered points before Troy got back in the end zone with under 2 minutes left in the game.

Gloversville 42, South Glens Falls 20.

Wednesday:

Hudson 18, Ichabod Crane 12.

Niskayuna 40, Columbia 0. The Blue Devils close with another 2 game losing streak.

Colonie 33, Bethlehem 29.

The rest of the scores have not been reported as of press time.

==========================================

Time to take a look at this weekend's playoff matchups:

Class AA:

Saratoga @ CBA: The Blue Streaks' offense was all but shut down last week vs. Shenendehowa. CBA should have no trouble getting back to the Super Bowl.

Pick-CBA.

Shenendehowa @ Shaker: Does Section II want another Super Bowl between CBA & Shen? Or does Shaker spoil the party? Either way, barring an upset, Bob Burns will be heading back to Troy High next week.

Pick: Shaker, to break the monotony.

Class A:

Queensbury @ Burnt Hills (Spectrum News 1, 7 pm.): I think we know how this will play out.

Pick: Burnt Hills.

Ballston Spa @ Averill Park: The Scotties have gotten hot at the right time, and that's bad news for Zach Gobel and AP.

Pick: Ballston Spa.

Class B:

Hoosick Falls-Tamarac @ Glens Falls: Nothing's stopping the Black Bears.

Pick: Glens Falls.

Mechanicville-Hoosic Valley @ Ravena: Winner gets the honor of getting mauled next week.

Pick: Ravena.

Class C:

Granville-Whitehall @ Cobleskill-Richmondville: This year's surprise team gets its 1st Super Bowl berth.

Pick: Cobleskill-Richmondville.

Fonda-Fultonville @ Schuylerville: 

Gotta go with horse sense here.

Pick: Schuylerville.

Class D:

Saturday: 

Stillwater @ Cambridge-Salem: After all the drama, Stillwater should make it back to the Super Bowl.

Pick: Stillwater.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Wednesday's college & high school scoreboard, 11/6

 The Terry Primm era got off to a slow start Wednesday at UHY Center, as Siena dropped a 66-56 decision to Army. Ahniysha Jackson (Albany) led Siena with 14 points. Remember, the Saints are missing some key players, with Teresa Seppala currently playing for the Finnish National team in a tournament, and Valencia Fontanelle-Posson (Guilderland) and Alison O'Hanlon (Duanesburg) already declared out for the season with injuries.

==================================================

In case you weren't listening to the Army-Siena game on WVCR, Joe Puccio is the new radio voice of the Lady Saints, paired with veteran journalist Steve Amedio. Joe Mixie's contract was not renewed.

==================================================

The rest of Wednesday's college action:

Men's soccer:

Siena 5, Marist 2.

Bryant 5, UAlbany 0.

Women's volleyball:

NAC West Division 1st round:

Cobleskill 3, Vermont State-Johnson 0.

=================================================

High schools:

Last night's men's volleyball semi-finals in division 1 were not reported as of press time.

Football:

Cohoes 25, Watervliet-Heatly 12.

Men's soccer:

Class A sub-regional:

Schalmont 2, Peru 0.

Class B:

Mechanicville 2, Northeastern Clinton 0.

Women's soccer:

Class C final:

Stillwater 2, Lake George 0.

Women's volleyball:

Class AAA:

Saratoga 3, Shaker 0.

Shenendehowa 3, Albany 0.

Class AA:

Niskayuna 3, Columbia 2.

Bethlehem 3, Guilderland 0.

The top 2 seeds have been eliminated, so Bethlehem & Niskayuna will meet Saturday night at Saratoga.

Class A:

Burnt Hills 3, Queensbury 0.

South Glens Falls 3, Academy of Holy Names 2.

Class B:

Ichabod Crane 3, Holy Trinity 1.

Broadalbin-Perth 3, Fonda-Fultonville 0.

Class C: 

Galway 3, Voorheesville 0.

Stillwater 3, Lake George 1.

Class D:

Mekeel Christian 3, Duanesburg 0.

Fort Edward 3, Hartford 2.

News & notes

 The Colonial Council released its men's golf all-star team on Tuesday. Ichabod Crane's Tanner LaTorre was named league MVP.

Troy High's Joey Degnan & LaSalle's Braxton Shields made the 2nd team. The Cadets' Harrison Daley was named to the first team, and Troy's Kayne Behan was named to the 3rd team.

===========================================

Section II's champions in field hockey will be traveling to Whitney Point for state regional play on Saturday. The lineup:

Class A: Guilderland vs. Windsor Central.

Class B: Burnt Hills vs. Vestal.

Class C: Hoosick Falls vs. host Whitney Point.

Good luck to our Section II teams.

==============================================

Tuesday's sectional scoreboard:

Men's soccer:

Class AAA: 

Shaker 3, Guilderland 1.

Class C:

Loudonville Christian 5, Waterford 0.

State regional schedule:

Class AAA:

Guilderland vs. Baldwinsville, Saturday at 11 am in West Genesee.

Class AA:

Bethlehem vs. Nottingham, Saturday at 1:30 pm at West Genesee.

Class A subregional:

Schalmont vs. Peru, tonight at 6 pm at Bethlehem.

Class B subregional:

Mechanicville vs. Northeastern Clinton, today at 4 pm at Bethlehem.

Class C regional:

Loudonville Christian vs. either Northern Adirondack or Lisbon Central, Saturday at 5 pm at LaSalle.

Class D:

Northville vs. Chapel Field Christian, tonight at 6:30 pm at FDR High School, Hyde Park.

Women's soccer state regionals:

Class AAA:

Saratoga vs. Cicero-North Syracuse, Saturday at 2 pm at Nottingham.

Class AA:

Columbia vs. East Syracuse-Minoa, Saturday at noon at Nottingham.

Class B:

Mechanicville vs. Marcellus or Canton, Saturday at 1 pm at Stillwater.

Class C:

Stillwater or Lake George vs. Moriah or Lisbon, Saturday, date & site to be determined.

Class D:

Northville vs. an opponent to be named, Saturday at 1:30 at Walkill.

Tennis state regionals:

Bethlehem will meet Horace Greeley, Friday at 9:30 am in Queens (Arthur Ashe stadium?).

News & notes

 Turns out I was wrong about Troy High's football team having finished their season. The Flying Horses will travel to Guilderland, the same place where their 2022 season ended, on Thursday night. Kickoff will be sometime around 6 pm, and the game will likely stream on Hudl.

Meanwhile, the school has made one change to their bowling schedule.

What was supposed to be the home opener on November 25 vs. Schalmont has been postponed, rescheduled to Wednesday, December 4. No reason was given for the change from either side.

==============================================

Siena opened its men's basketball season Monday with an overtime victory over Brown, 72-71, in front of 4483 fans at MVP Arena, giving Gerry McNamara his first win as Saints coach.

Newcomer Justice Shoats led Siena with 23 points. Brendan Coyle added 15, and another newcomer, Major Freeman, finished with 18. Marcus Jackson (Albany Academy), who transferred to Siena from UAlbany in the offseason, did not play. Siena visits Bryant on Friday.

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UAlbany, on the other hand, fell to Army, 67-59. Byron Joshua, one of the newest Danes, led with 15 points. Amare Marshall was held to 6 points, while Aaron Reddish had 5. The Great Danes will have their home opener Saturday vs. Oneonta.

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Monday's sectional scoreboard:

Women's soccer:

Class AAA final:

Saratoga 1, Shaker 0.

Class D final:

Northville 1, Fort Ann 0 (OT).

Men's volleyball:

Shaker 3, Guilderland 0.

Bethlehem 3, Niskayuna 0.

Shenendehowa def. Columbia.

Colonie 3, Saratoga 2.

================================================

Troy High & CBA have released their men's swimming & diving schedule for 2024-5:

December:

3: @ Albany.

10: Home opener vs. Bethlehem.

17: Burnt Hills.

19: @ Niskayuna.

January:

7: @ Ballston Spa.

14: Guilderland.

21: Senior day vs. Schenectady.

30: @ Shaker.

Home meets are at Troy High.