News & notes

 He may have been an Albany Firebird for just 1 season, but Terry Smith remains in their history books, which is why Smith gained some attention here after being named interim football coach at Penn State, replacing James Franklin, who was fired on Sunday, with the Nittany Lions on a 3 game losing streak.

Smith, a Penn State alumnus, was drafted by Washington in 1992, but never saw the field in an NFL game. He would then spend the next three years in the CFL before signing with the 'Birds prior to the 1996 season.

Best of luck to Smith as he tries to turn the Nittany Lions around with a month & a half left in the season.

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Niskayuna's Emily Ciesinski, a goaltender for the women's lacrosse team, has made a verbal commitment to play in college at Clemson, which she says is a lifelong dream. Ciesinski has been tabbed as a top 5 prospect by Inside Lacrosse, which also has her at #37 overall. Ciesinski also fielded offers from Johns Hopkins, Virginia, Florida, & Northwestern.

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It wasn't so long ago that Buffalo Bills DB Damar Hamlin had a cardiac event on the field in a Monday Night Football game vs. Cincinnati. The Albany Times-Union is reporting that a Darrow School student had one during a recent scrimmage.

Jamison Thrower, a transfer from Louisiana, suffered cardiac arrest earlier this month, and, according to the report, had been brought back twice when his heart stopped. Thrower is on Darrow's AAA team in NEPSAC (New England Prep School Athletic Council).

In other Darrow news, Guilderland's Brooke Lilley, a standout for the Lady Dutch in basketball, has transferred to Darrow, the better to enhance her chances for a college scholarship;

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Monday's college & high school scoreboard:

College golf:

Russell Sage College finished 2nd in the Empire 8 men's tournament at Teugega Country Club in Rome. Closer to home, UAlbany hosted an invitational for the women at Normanside Country Club, which saw the Lady Danes finish 3rd behind Boston University & St. John's. Siena finished 9th, and Union College came in at 14.

High school soccer:

Men:

Lake George 2, Corinth 1.

Granville & Saratoga Catholic played to a scoreless draw.

Johnstown 12, Gloversville 0.

Waterford 4, Chatham 0.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 2, Mekeel Christian 0.

Women's soccer:

Glens Falls 2, Hudson Falls 0.

Lansingburgh 1, Mekeel Christian 0.

Bolton-Warrensburg 5, Cambridge 1.

News & notes

 The International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame has its base at MVP Arena in Albany, and, tonight, 5 wrestlers familiar to WWE fans will be enshrined for their contributions.

All but one of tonight's honorees are in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Trish Stratus is the headliner. Fitness model-turned-world champion, Trish held the WWE Women's title 6 times, all between 2001-6. 

Tony Atlas: "Mr. USA" was a tag team champion with the WWE in the 80's, and won his only world title as a heel with the Savoldis' International World Class Championship Wrestling in the 90's, when the promotion had a TV deal with CNBC, if memory serves me correctly. Tony returned to the WWE to manage Olympic strongman Mark Henry during the latter's ECW title run in the late '00's.

Rocky Johnson was Atlas' tag team partner during those title days in the WWE. With the news in the press earlier this week, there surprisingly hasn't been much speculation as to whether or not Johnson's son, Dwayne (The Rock), might make an appearance in Albany to accept the induction on his late father's behalf.

Tito Santana was a multi-time tag team & Intercontinental champion in the 80's, the latter during a memorable feud with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, while enduring the racist taunts of color analyst Jesse Ventura in the mid-80's.

Johnny Rodz might be known to fans mostly as a jobber during the 70's & 80's, but he had been a mainstay with WWE since the 60's. Sure, he'd win every now & again, but in the 80's, especially, he was utilized to make bigger stars get over with crowds. Two of his most famous students, the Dudley Boys, aka Team 3D, will be with TNA at tonight's Bound For Glory PPV, along with Tommy Dreamer, a TNA employee.

Now, we'll see what kind of attendance this event draws.

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For the 2nd time in a month, CDTA was forced to reroute some of their buses going through Watervliet this morning due to a marathon race, which, unlike the Arsenal City Run three weeks ago, got little press attention.

In the run-up to the event, there were electronic signs posted near McDonald's and Walgreens, but a check of the city website earlier this week produced nothing remotely close to any actual news about the event, which by now has ended. Shame on the city for such negilgence.

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Shaker High has just one rooting interest in the ALCS, as Detroit and reliever Tommy Kahnle were eliminated in 15 innings by Seattle in a marathon game that spilled into early Saturday morning on the east coast. Kahnle gave up the game winning hit to Jorge Polanco, and was charged with the loss. Sports bars all over the 518 will have both the Mariners-Blue Jays game and Sunday Night Football available for customers tonight. The baseball game will get a 10 minute headstart.

Troy High sports review, through October 11

 Tennis season is over. Golf will soon follow. Volleyball will have sectional pairings in less than 2 weeks. With today's soccer match in the books, let's get to the recap.

Football:

Current record: 4-2 (2-1 Class A Capital Division).

Jordan Canzeri's club rebounded from an embarrassing loss to Niskayuna by defeating Bethlehem, 37-14.

Next: Senior night vs. LaSalle closes the home schedule (for now).

Volleyball:

Current record: 14-0 (9-0 Colonial Council).

Talia Valenti's squad continues to take care of business, dismissing Averill Park, Ichabod Crane, & Albany Academy. Four matches remain, three of them in the coming week.

Next: The Lady Horses go to Voorheesville on Tuesday, then a 2-match homestand vs. Cohoes (Thursday) & Mohonasen (Friday), the latter being Senior night. No reason was given for the schedule change on Mohonasen, which was originally slated for October 23. The season closes at Lansingburgh October 21.

Men's soccer:

Current record: 6-9.

Troy's 2 game winning streak ended at Cohoes on Thursday, and, then, the Horses fell to Averill Park today, 8-2.

Next: The season ends at Mohonasen on Thursday.

Women's soccer:

Current record: 2-11-1.

The losing streak is at seven with 2 games left. That's all I'll say.

Next: Luckily, Jarret Farrel's club closes at home, as they'll host Schenectady on Tuesday, and finish with undefeated Mohonasen on Senior night on Thursday.

Swimming:

Current record: 3-3.

After a 10th place finish at last week's Shenendehowa Invitational, Troy/Averill Park fell to Niskayuna on Wednesday.

Next: The Flying Knights return home for Ballston Spa on Wednesday.

Tennis:

Final record: 4-13.

Unsurprisingly, the Lady Horses were one and done in sectionals, losing to South Glens Falls on Friday. Still, 4 wins is an improvement from last year. I know some former players from my era that might be, ah, recruited to help coach Trevor McCarthy continue the improvement........

High School Fridays: Sloppy, but effective (Shaker @ CBA, 10/10/25)

 For the 2nd straight week, Spectrum News 1's cameras were at CBA, this time with Shaker providing the opposition in a rematch of the 2024 Class AA Super Bowl. 

The Brothers won the coin toss, and took the opening kickoff straight to the house. JT Vogel fielded the kick at the CBA 16, and found a seam in front of the Shaker bench. 84 yards later, Vogel was in the end zone. Teddy Gialanella added the extra point, and CBA had a sudden 7-0 lead, just 15 seconds into the game.

It didn't take long for Shaker to answer.

Austin Marohn, the 1st year starter at quarterback with Marcus Snipes gone (Snipes moved to Georgia in the off-season), found Bless Demand in the back of the end zone for a 30 yard score. Demand outjumped Amare' Coffil for the catch. However, the extra point was no good, and CBA led, 7-6, after the 1st quarter.

CBA had the ball to start the 2nd quarter, and wasted little time finding the end zone again. This time, Thomas Toher ran it in from 5 yards out. However, Gialanella's kick missed the mark, and it was 13-6.

Back came the Bison.

On the next CBA possession, Avery Jones intercepted a pass from Archie Jones (no relation), and, four plays later, scored a touchdown himself from 38 yards. The PAT tied the score, and we were heading to Mockingbird Lane at the break, with the score 13-13.

After a Shaker turnover to start the 3rd quarter, Coffil caught a 31 yard touchdown pass from Archie Jones, with CBA back in front. It was 20-13 as we headed to the 4th quarter. Determined not to let CBA take their measure again, Shaker came back, and Ryan Chudzinski ran it in from a yard out after Marohn hooked up with Demand on a long gainer to give the Bison 1st & goal. A 2 point conversion gave Shaker its first lead.

Admittedly, CBA actually helped out Shaker as they kept tripping over themselves with penalties, as usual, at very inconvenient times. However, with Shaker out of time outs, the Brothers mounted one last drive, ending with Gavin Potter catching a TD pass from 4 yards out. Toher sealed the deal with a 2 point conversion to put CBA back in front.

Shaker, however, had one last chance, but Marohn squandered it on the very first play, as Jack Hulett intercepted him near midfield. Two kneel downs later, and CBA secured a 28-21 victory, matching the final tally in the Super Bowl 11 months ago.

Next week, Friday Night Matchup will feature Burnt Hills vs. Ballston Spa. Shaker plays Shenendehowa, and CBA will play Guilderland.

Other scores:

Schuylerville 56, Watervliet-Heatly 0.

Granville-Whitehall 52, Mechanicville 12.

Greenwich 41, Stillwater-Saratoga Catholic 6.

Lansingburgh 21, Ichabod Crane-Chatham 0.

Averill Park 57, Cohoes 0.

Glens Falls 41, Ravena 14.

Cobleskill-Richmondville 49, Broadalbin-Perth 0.

Gloversville 47, Scotia 7.

Shenendehowa 54, Schenectady 0.

Fonda-Fultonville 41, Hudson 0.

Troy 37, Bethlehem 14.

Queensbury 20, South Glens Falls 14.

Niskayuna 39, LaSalle 13.

Johnstown 33, Coxsackie-Athens 8.

Schalmont 13, Green Tech 0.

The season is over for Troy's women's tennis team, eliminated in the 1st round of the Class A sectionals by South Glens Falls, 6-1.

News & notes

 Troy High's Marianna Alarcon was named the Albany Times-Union's Female Athlete of The Week with her All-Star level performance in volleyball. 

We're still waiting for the result of last night's match vs. Albany Academy, which, as of press time, has not been reported. Alarcon has been one of the floor leaders for Talia Valenti's club this season.

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Siena's Svatoslav Kolladynski has advanced to the 2nd round of the ITA New England Regional tennis championships in New Haven, Connecticut after beating Toby Luo of Brown in straight sets on Thursday.

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Thursday's high school scoreboard:

Men's soccer:

Albany 5, Burnt Hills 0.

Cohoes 5, Troy 0. Troy's 2 game win streak ends, as the Tigers complete a season sweep.

Columbia 7, Averill Park 0.

Schalmont 5, Ravena 1.

Mohonasen 1, Lansingburgh 0.

Ichabod Crane 5, Voorheesville 4.

Maple Hill 5, Hudson 0.

Greenville 7, Catskill 0.

Cairo-Durham 9, Doane Stuart 1.

Taconic Hills 4, Germantown 1.

Chatham 2, Watervliet-Heatly 1.

Shaker 2, Colonie 1.

Saratoga 3, Guilderland 2.

CBA & Schenectady played to a 3-3 draw.

Niskayuna 2, Ballston Spa 0.

Bethlehem 4, Shenendehowa 1.

Northville 9, OESJ 0.

Cobleskill-Richmondville 1, Schoharie 0.

Loudonville Christian 6, Johnstown 2.

Mekeel Christian 3, Galway 1.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo-Duanesburg 3, Canajoharie-Fort Plain 0.

Mayfield 5, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 0.

Tamarac 2, Saratoga Catholic 0.

Waterford & Greenwich played to a scoreless draw.

Mechaicville 5, Berlin-New Lebanon 0.

Hoosick Falls 4, Stillwater 1.

Cambridge-Salem 2, Hoosic Valley 1.

Women's soccer:

Greenville 9, Catskill 1.

Cohoes 3, Troy 1. Troy's losing streak has hit 7 in a row, as the Lady Tigers complete a season sweep.

Fonda-Fultonville 1, Johnstown 0.

Ballston Spa 1, Niskayuna 0.

Women's volleyball:

Burnt Hills 3, Albany 0.

Columbia 3, Averill Park 0.

Troy def. Albany Academy. 

Field hockey:

Taconic Hills 4, Onteora 0.

2025 Women's tennis sectional brackets

 Earlier today, the Section II tennis committee determined the seedings for this year's women's tournament. Play-in matches will take place tomorrow, with the rest of the tournaments to run Tuesday-Thursday next week.

Here we go:

Class AA:

Tuesday:

Albany @ Guilderland.

Bethlehem @ Shenendehowa.

Colonie @ Saratoga.

Niskayuna @ Shaker.

Semi-finals will be on Wednesday, with the finals one week from today.

Class A:

Friday:

Troy @ South Glens Falls. The winners meet Queensbury on Tuesday.

Tuesday:

Averill Park @ Academy of Holy Names.

Columbia @ Albany Academy.

Ballston Spa @ Burnt Hills.

Semi-finals will be on Wednesday, with the finals next Thursday.

Class B:

Friday:

Ravena @ Catskill-Coxsackie-Athens. Winner plays Scotia on Tuesday.

Tuesday:

Hudson Falls @ Ichabod Crane.

Finals are on Wednesday.

Class C/D:

Friday:

Cairo-Durham @ Maple Hill. Winner to play Greenwich Tuesday.

Tuesday:

Greenville @ Voorheesville. 

Finals are on Wednesday.

Good luck to all the teams.

News & notes

 Shaker grad Jeff Hoffman is heading to the American League Championship Series.

Hoffman closed Toronto's ALDS-clinching win Wednesday with 1 1/3 innings of relief, allowing a run, to pick up the save as the Blue Jays closed out the Yankees, 3 games to 1. Toronto now awaits the winner of the Detroit-Seattle series, which goes to a 5th and deciding game tomorrow night in Seattle. If Detroit wins, another Shaker alum, Tommy Kahnle, will likely pitch in the series.

Sports bars in the 518 should be prepared, even though the Yankees are out of the playoffs.

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Shenendehowa won the Class A men's golf championship Wednesday at the Fairways of Halfmoon. Shen's Kai Chiarenza & Saratoga's Ceko Cupp finished in a tie for 1st in individual competition with a 2-under par 70 each. Troy's Joey Degnan, playing his final sectional tournament, finished 2 over, and, along with Cupp & Chiarenza, will advance to a 2-day competition in Halfmoon October 14-15 to determine who advances to state play.

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Wednesday's college & high school scoreboard:

Colleges:

Field hockey:

Skidmore 2, Oneonta 1.

Hartwick 6, Russell Sage 0.

Women's soccer:

Siena & Canisius played to a scoreless draw.

Vassar 2, Union 0.

Russell Sage & Utica played to a scoreless draw.

High schools:

Men's soccer:

Argyle 1, Bolton-Warrensburg 0.

Hartford 2, Granville 0.

North Warren 2, Corinth 1.

Fort Ann & Lake George played to a 1-1 draw.

Broadalbin-Perth 2, Queensbury 1.

South Glens Falls 14, Gloversville 0.

Amsterdam 1, Scotia 0.

Schuylerville 8, Hudson Falls 0.

Middleburgh 5, Fonda-Fultonville 0.

Women's swimming & diving:

Shenendehowa 105, Shaker 63.

Niskayuna 96, Troy/Averill Park 79.

Guilderville 91, Burnt Hills-Scotia 77.

Saratoga 95, Schenectady-Colonie 82.

Men's volleyball:

Saratoga 3, CBA 0.

Shaker 3, Guilderland 0.

Women's volleyball:

Stillwater 3, Cambridge 0.

Schoharie 3, Middleburgh 0.

Mekeel Christian 3, Mayfield 0.

Columbia 3, Maple Hill 0.