News & notes

 They ran through the elements in a total of 9 cities on Thanksgiving morning. The Turkey Trots in Amsterdam, Cambridge, & Greenville flew under the radar. We were remiss in mentioning that Glens Falls' Gobble Wobble was for the benefit of the Open Door Mission in the city, as stated in pre-race advertising.

And there were some Section II alumni sprinkled all over the place, starting with Schenectady's Cardiac Classic.

Julian Franjieh (Niskayuna) outdueled fellow Nisky alum Louis Serafini, snapping the latter's 15 year winning streak in the event, with the margin of victory in terms of time being just 13 seconds. Franjieh is a redshirt sophomore at Syracuse. Siena graduate Maddy Hesler won the women's race.

Damian Hackett won the men's Turkey Trot in Troy with a winning time of just under 15 minutes. Hackett told reporters he has another race next week, and the Troy Trot was a warm-up. Some warm-up. Gwen Parks, out of Ithaca, won the women's event.

Elsewhere:

Virginia racer Alexander Knecht won the men's race at Cambridge, while hometowner Jessica Bashaw won the women's race.

Joseph Santiago won his hometown race in Amsterdam, while Gloversville's April Hannah won the women's race.

Max Hoffman of Clifton Park won the Cohoes Turkey Trot. Parker Dupuis of West Sand Lake (Averill Park student, maybe?), a 16 year old, won the women's race.

The Greenville American Legion Post hosted a Turkey Trot, with local runner Clarence Corcoran winning the men's race, while, Mariola Moeysert of Albany won the women's event.

Matt Dowling of Syracuse won the Gobble Wobble, while Glens Falls' own Megan Doster won the women's race.

Finally, in Saratoga, Darren Pasek won the men's edition of the Christopher Dailey Turkey Trot, while former Blue Streaks star Emily Bush took home the women's title.

They also raced in Bethlehem, but the results were not reported as of press time.

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4 Section II teams remain in play for state titles in football. Five games in two days at Middletown, starting today.

Today:

Greenwich vs. Burke Catholic: The Witches are looking for their first state finals berth since 2015. Burke Catholic has played one fewer game (9-1), which suggests they drew a bye into the semi-finals. Not that it'll help them.

Pick: Greenwich.

Saturday:

Schuylerville vs. Valhalla: The Black Horses last made it to Syracuse in 2021. The Vikings were on the undercard in 2016, when Troy won it all in Class AA. Both teams are hungry, and Valhalla is undefeated at 11-0. We think it's Schuylerville's year.

Pick: Schuylerville.

CBA vs. Corning-Painted Post: The Hawks earned an at-large bid, but otherwise are 7-3. Like Schuylerville, CBA is on a veritable mission from God. Bob Burns has more weapons at his disposal than most coaches know what to do with. Enough said.

Pick: CBA.

Glens Falls vs. Port Jervis: Port Jervis has won 5 straight sectional titles, but hasn't made it to Syracuse yet. This year will be no different. Glens Falls looks unstoppable.

Pick: Glens Falls.

Of course, I could be wrong.