News & notes

Troy High has shuffled its lacrosse schedule, perhaps needlessly.

Saturday's non-league home opener vs. Amsterdam was pushed back to this Friday. Today's & tomorrow's home league matches vs. Guilderland and Niskayuna have also been rescheduled. As previously reported, Thursday's road match vs. Shenendehowa was moved back to June 4. Something tells me the lacrosse team may have had a run-in with COVID-19.

The revised schedule:

May 7: Home opener vs. Amsterdam.

May 10: @ Amsterdam.

May 12: Guilderland.

May 13: Colonie.

May 18: Ballston Spa.

May 19: Niskayuna.

May 20: @ Shaker.

May 22: Columbia.

May 25: @ Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.

May 27: @ Bethlehem.

May 29: @ Averill Park.

June 1: CBA.

June 4: @ Shenendehowa.

June 8: @ Saratoga.

As of now, Troy's varsity softball team will still have its home opener vs. Catholic Central this afternoon at 4:30. The JV game has also been postponed.

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518 Alumni Watch:

Anthony Germinerio (Averill Park) was cuffed around by Maine on Saturday in the first game of a double-header for UAlbany. Five walks certainly didn't help, as the Black Bears swept the Saturday twin-bill, only for Albany to return the favor on Sunday.

Ian Anderson (Shen) suffered his first loss of the season on Sunday in a 7-2 loss to Toronto at Dunedin, Florida. Anderson went 4 innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5.

Hunter Levesque (Troy) had the weekend off as Pittsburgh's softball team is idle until Friday.

Jeff Hoffman (Shaker) will start Tuesday for Cincinnati vs. the resurgent Chicago White Sox.

News & notes

 Mechanicville native Chad Brown has never won the Kentucky Derby. Tonight, he has a chance with Highly Motivated, a 10-1 longshot on the morning line. Jockey Javier Castellano, who will ride Highly Motivated, is also seeking his first Derby win. Post time is just before 7 pm, and will be shown on NBC (WNYT, Channel 13).

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It seems fitting that MLB Network has been using this quote from legendary Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Vin Scully:

"In a season that seemed improbable, the impossible has happened!"

It also applies to Section II football.

Guilderland won its first Class AA title with a late touchdown in the fourth quarter to upset Shaker, 21-20. Marcus McClaine caught a 14 yard touchdown pass from Logan Broomhall, who'd run for 2 scores earlier, to get within one at 20-19. Broomhall then scored the winning two point conversion.

In other action on Friday:

Shenendehowa won the Suburban Council men's volleyball championship, besting Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, 3-1 in sets. The Spartans had entered the night with a chance to win three titles, but only came away with one (women's volleyball). Some things just aren't meant to be.

Women's volleyball:

Wasaren League:

Saratoga Central Catholic def. Mechanicville, 3-2.

Western Athletic Conference:

Galway def. Schoharie in straight sets.

Suburban Council:

Saratoga def. Colonie, 3-1, to claim the women's consolation title.

Other football:

Class A:

Mohonasen 49, Albany 0.

Class B:

Schalmont 29, Glens Falls 20.

Broadalbin-Perth 14, Green Tech 0.

Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk 28, Lansingburgh 14. The Knights (3-4) finish with a four game losing streak.

Class C:

Coxsackie-Athens 34, Cairo-Durham-Catskill 12.

Class D:

Stillwater 7, Chathan 0.

Non-league:

Granville 20, Lake George/Hadley-Luzerne 0.

Men's soccer:

Colonial Council:

Albany Academy 5, Ichabod Crane 1.

Schalmont 3, Mohonasen 2.

Foothills Council:

Glens Falls 5, Amsterdam 1.

Wasaren League:

Waterford 2, Greenwich 1.

Mechanicville 14, Cambridge 0.

Western Athletic Conference:

Mayfield 3, Middleburgh 1.

Women's soccer:

Colonial Council:

Academy of Holy Names 3, Mohonasen 2.

Schalmont 1, Voorheesville 0.

Ichabod Crane 4, Lansingburgh 0.

Catholic Central 1, Cohoes 0.

Wasaren League:

Tamarac 4, Berlin-New Lebanon 0.

Waterford 4, Hoosick Falls 2.

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Per Schedule Galaxy, Troy High & Amsterdam will now play a home & home series. Amsterdam will visit Troy on Friday, May 7 (originally scheduled for today), and then, the two teams will have the rematch in Amsterdam three days later, on May 10. 

In addition, Troy's road game vs. Shenendehowa has been postponed from May 6 to June 4, presumably due to COVID concerns. The June 4 date would now be the season finale for both clubs.

High School Fridays: Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake @ Troy (Class A football championship), 4/30/21

 Tonight's Class A championship game is sponsored by Rice Krispies. Yes, it's a blustery night, and that means Troy High's ancient sound system is compromised. The YouTube feed, as you'll see, was plagued with frequent freezes and, during the first quarter, the screen went dark a few times. And now you know why they haven't committed to using the stream for home baseball & softball games or lacrosse, starting next week.

It was a battle of undefeated teams, as Grasso division champion Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake rolled into town, on a night where Burnt Hills was also hosting the Suburban Council volleyball championships for both men & women (more on that later)., and hoping for one big celebration at the end of the night. Normally, the title game would be at a neutral site, but in this abnormal season, Section II decided that Troy, with its turf field, and with some tiebreakers in their favor, would host the game.

You count on your hand, leaving room for some fingers, how many times Troy had beaten Burnt Hills prior to this game. The Spartans felt so confident, they posted a highlight reel of a 2008 Class A semi-final game vs. Troy, which they won, 38-20.

Motivation can be a wonderful thing. And, after a slow start, Troy basked in its glow.

With the Spartans' defense keying on senior tailback Xavier Leigh, who statistically did not have his best game of the season on offense, quarterback Alex Wolfe scored the game's first touchdown late in the first quarter on a 16 yard run. Will Ryan, back after a week off, nailed the extra point, and Troy led, 7-0, after the first quarter.

For Burnt Hills, it only got worse after that.

In the second quarter, with the Spartans' offense stifled by a swarming Troy defense, Wolfe directed the Flying Horses on another drive, capped with Avvon Smith running it in from 3 yards out. Another Ryan PAT made it 14-0.

Then, it was time for the air show.

Late in the period, Burnt Hills was forced to punt, but a low snap was fielded by the punter, who made the  mistake of dropping to one knee at the 11 yard line. Oops! Wolfe took advantage, and slung a dart to Nasir Dawud-Soto. This was wrapped in between TD tosses to Tyrell Penalba and Soto, and Troy took a 35-0 lead into the break.

In the third quarter, Wolfe put the game away with a short TD run. However, on a low snap on the extra point attempt, Wolfe picked it up, then hit a strike to Penalba in the back of the end zone for a 2 point conversion. 43-0 Troy after three. Just eight seconds into the fourth quarter, Burnt Hills finally got on the board with a field goal, but, by then, it was too little, too late.

Leigh finally cracked the scoring column a few minutes later, breaking off a 79 yard run. Ryan added another PAT, his 6th of the night, and it was 50-3. Leigh had lost two fumbles earlier, but made up for it with the big run, plus some key plays on defense. Unfortunately, late in the quarter, Leigh was knocked out by a gang tackle in what would be his final play. Burnt Hills had conceded the game by punting a couple of plays earlier when otherwise they were in four down territory. Leigh was ruled down by contact, although the Spartans tried to sell another lost fumble. One play later, the game was over, and Troy had smacked another Spartan monkey off its collective back, following a demolition of Queensbury last week.

Enjoy the video:

In all, Troy allowed just 48 points on the season, or an average of 6.6 points a game. The Flying Horses rolled up 347 points in 7 games, for an average of 49.4 points per game.

Meanwhile, Burnt Hills' women's volleyball team captured the Suburban Council title, beating Shenendehowa in straight sets to complete a perfect season. The men's match, also vs. Shen, was not completed at press time. The men's title match was moved from Shen to Burnt Hills due to a power outage in Clifton Park that affected the Shen campus, leaving both school buildings in the dark.

Thursday's high school scoreboard, 4/29

 There was football on Thursday. 

Class A:

Averill Park 17, Ballston Spa 8. AP finishes the season 5-2. The result was not reported to the local papers as of press time.

Men's soccer:

Foothills Council:

Scotia-Glenville 8, Gloversville 0.

South Glens Falls 2, Queensbury 1.

Non-league:

Mekeel Christian 3, Loudonville Christian 1.

Women's soccer:

Foothills Council:

South Glens Falls & Broadalbin-Perth played to a scoreless draw.

Wasaren League:

Mechanicville 3, Emma Willard 0.

Women's volleyball:

Non-league:

Broadalbin-Perth def. Mayfield, 3-1.

Suburban Council:

It will be Shenendehowa vs. undefeated Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake for the women's championship. The Spartans defeated Columbia in straight sets, while Shen similarly defeated Niskayuna. The men's teams for both schools play for the championship tonight. This could be a big weekend for the Spartans, especially if their football team wins the Class A title.

Troy High's volleyball season is over, as the Lady Horses (6-11) were eliminated from the consolation tournament in straight sets by Colonie. Saratoga defeated Shaker, and will play at Colonie in the consolation final tonight.

Troy's Jenalyse Alarcon was named to the Suburban Council's 2nd team in volleyball, while Nadia Brown, Alyssa Bruno, & Kayla McNall earned Honorable Mention honors.

News & notes

 The Albany Empire will have a familiar face under center when they open their season May 29. QB Tommy Grady has re-upped for another season with the team, now in the National Arena League. He'll have to get used to having a new coaching staff directing the Empire, with Rob Keefe & Les Moss gone (Iowa), plus the new league, but, given Albany's history with arena football, that shouldn't be a problem.

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LaSalle closed out its football season in grand style Wednesday in the north country.

John Audino's Cadets caught Queensbury at a bad time, after the Spartans, like LaSalle at the beginning of the season, were run over by Troy five nights earlier.

Then, Bo Catherwood added to the Spartans' misery. The senior ran for 236 yards, and scored six touchdowns, as LaSalle blew away Queensbury, 44-6. Queensbury finishes 2-3, while LaSalle closes the season at 4-2.

The only other game reported saw Niskayuna defeat Colonie, 10-7.

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Siena's visit to the NCAA women's soccer tournament was a short one.

The Saints fell to Arizona State, 4-0, at East Carolina University on Wednesday afternoon, putting an abrupt end to an undefeated season.

In other Siena news, Isis Young announced Wednesday that she is turning pro, and will not return for another season. Young has accepted an offer to play in Germany, and the season there starts in August. Best of luck to Isis in her new venture.

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Friday's Suburban Council men's volleyball finals are set.

Shenendehowa defeated Columbia in straight sets, while Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake needed 5 sets to put away Bethlehem. 

In other volleyball action:

Women's volleyball:

Western Athletic Conference:

Galway def. Mekeel Christian in straight sets.

Foothills Council:

Gloversville def. Johnstown, 3-1.

Wasaren League:

Mechanicville def. Saratoga Central Catholic, 3-1.

Men's soccer:

Western Athletic Conference:

Mayfield 6, Canajoharie 0.

Middleburgh 5, Mekeel Christian Academy 2.

OESJ 6, Schharie 2.

Women's soccer:

Foothills Council:

Scotia-Glenville 2, Broadalbin-Perth 0.

Wasaren League:

Tamarac 6, Waterford 1.

Western Athletic Conference:

Mekeel Christian 2, Duanesburg 1.

Schoharie 5, OESJ 0.

Non-league:

Hoosick Falls & Galway played to a 3-3 draw.

News & notes

 Shaker grad Jeff Hoffman went just four innings Tuesday at Los Angeles against the Dodgers, but while he gave up three runs in the four innings, he only allowed one hit. Five walks did Hoffman in, ending his night early, but the Cincinnati Reds bullpen came to the rescue, as Cincinnati beat the Dodgers, 6-5. 

Hoffman's season ERA is a tidy 3.33 after Tuesday's game.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Shenendehowa ace Ian Anderson pitched like an ace for the Atlanta Braves, as he combined with two relievers on a shutout of the Chicago Cubs, 5-0. Anderson went seven innings, and lowered his ERA to under 2 1/2 runs a game as he won his 2nd straight decision.

Check the video from MLB:

Oh, it's going to be fun if we have a Suburban Council reunion when the Reds & Braves meet later this season.

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Tuesday's high school scoreboard:

Men's soccer:

Foothills Council:

Schuylerville 2, Glens Falls 1.

Scotia-Glenville 3, Broadalbin-Perth 0.

Wasaren League:

Waterford 3, Hoosic Valley 2.

Mechanicville 6, Stillwater 1.

Non-league:

Bethlehem 7, Johnstown 0.

Women's soccer:

Foothills Council:

Broadalbin-Perth 2, Amsterdam 0.

Wasaren League:

Emma Willard 3, Hoosic Valley 0.

Non-league:

Queensbury 4, Ballston Spa 2.

Waterford 7, Berne Knox-Westerlo 1.

Women's volleyball:

Suburban Council championship quarterfinals:

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake def. Averill Park in straight sets.

Shenendehowa def. Schenectady, 3-1.

Niskayuna def. Ballston Spa, 3-1.

Columbia def. Guilderland, 3-2.

Thursday's semi-finals:

Columbia @ Burnt Hills.

Nisky @ Shen.

Consolation games:

Shaker def. Bethlehem in straight sets.

Thursday's semi-finals:

Troy @ Colonie.

Shaker @ Saratoga.

Western Athletic Conference: both matches ended in straight sets:

Galway def. Duanesburg.

Mayfield def. Schoharie.

Non-league:

Saratoga Central Catholic def. Corinth in straight sets.

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The final week of the "Fall II" football season starts today with 5 games on the schedule:

LaSalle @ Queensbury.

Scotia-Glenville @ Columbia. Games that were postponed in weeks 1-2 due to COVID will not be made up.

Colonie @ Nisky.

Fonda-Fultonville @ Cobleskill-Richmondville.

Helderberg Valley @ Taconic Hills.

How do Falcons lay goose eggs? When they're shut out (Albany @ Troy, women's volleyball, 4/27/21)

 Four weeks ago, Troy High earned its first win of the season in women's volleyball, beating Albany in four sets.

Today, the two teams met again at Zotto Memorial Gym in the quarter finals of the Suburban Council consolation tournament, with the winner to play either Saratoga or Colonie on Thursday. Troy, coming off a five set loss to the Blue Streaks last Friday, had won consolation tournaments in women's soccer & basketball earlier this season. Could they do it again?

It's clear, however, that the Falcons came back to town to give Troy, ah, claws for alarm, as they weren't going down quietly. Unlike their avian namesakes, however, Albany lacked the killer instinct, and the Lady Horses pitched their third shutout of the season, all in the last week and a half. Now, coach Talia Valenti's club will find out where they'll play on Thursday.

Check the video:

Now 6-10 overall on the season, Troy is peaking at the right time. They'd love to win this tournament, and carry some momentum for the school into spring sports season, which begins next week.