Sunday, November 10, 2024

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.


Saturday, November 9, 2024

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.


Friday, November 8, 2024

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+.
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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.
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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.


Thursday, November 7, 2024

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

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.
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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.
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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?).

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

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.
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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.
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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.

High School Fridays: Week 4 roundup

 For the 2nd straight week, Spectrum News 1's game of the week was a one sided affair, basically over by halftime. Meanwhile, game analy...