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Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern receives generous donation from Byron-Bergen Central School District

By Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern

Casual Fridays or dress-down days are observed by businesses and organizations throughout the nation. At Byron-Bergen Central School they are a weekly event that has raised thousands of dollars for local organizations and charitable causes. Each fall the Byron-Bergen Faculty Association democratically designates a recipient to present the donations to that were collected through the school year. Through the generous donations of less than 120 members during the 2007-2008 school year, BBFA was able to collect $1600 to present to this years recipient, The Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern. 

Pool Play previews

By Brian Hillabush

 Barker (1-6) at Alexander (4-4)

2:30 p.m. Saturday

The Trojans are looking to end the year on a positive note. They lost to Canisteo-Greenwood in the opening round of the playoffs before beating Red Jacket 31-20 last weekend. Jay Schafer leads the squad with 779 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. The Raiders are led by Greg Brown.

 

Bolivar-Richburg (3-5) at Elba/Byron-Bergen (3-4)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

The Lancers won for the second consecutive week, beating Warsaw 19-12 in a Pool Play game. Zach Green has been putting up big numbers all year and they've gotten insane in recent weeks. He ran for 205 yards with three touchdowns last week.

Genesee Region League boys soccer all-stars

By Brian Hillabush

The Wheatland-Chili boys soccer team dominated the Genesee Region League, going 9-1, and also finished 16-3 overall and captured the league title.

For that, the Wildcats were rewarded with the Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and three first-team Genesee Region League all-star selections.

Coach of the Year Mike Skivington's squad finished three games ahead of Byron-Bergen in the GR standings.

Senior Garhett Varin easily won the league scoring title with 24 goals, he was tied for tops in assists with 10 and had a combined 58 points. He was an easy choice for the all-star team and Player of the Year.

Keeper Tony Pipitone had a goals against average of just .744 and gave up just 14 goals in 1,525 minutes played

Defender Steve Abbey also is an all-star from Wheatland-Chili.

Byron-Bergen also had three all-stars, led by senior Jordan Kiessling. Kiessling had a goal and an assist as a midfielder.

Junior Casey Longhini led the Bees in scoring with 10 goals and seven helpers for 27 total points.

Junior Dakota Longhini was recognized after scoring twice and dishing out eight assists.

Senior Jason Gaylord had five goals with two assists, for 12 points to lead the contingent of three Kendall players on the all-star squad.

Sophomore Brandon Moore had an assist and makes the team as well as junior Paul Brightly, who scored three goals and dished out three assists.

Lyndonville junior Joe Ianni was fourth in the league in scoring with 12 goals, four assists and 28 points and leads the group of three Tiger all-stars.

Aaron O'Connor had five goals and three helpers with Tyler Silversmith handing out two assists as a defender.

Four Holley players are all-stars.

Sophomore Nick Troup is going to have a great career as he already finished third in the GR in scoring with 11 goals, nine helpers and 31 total points.

Fellow sophomore Brandon Comden had 12 goals, three assists and 27 points with seniors Colton Orbaker scoring four goals with four assists and defender Eric Spychalski scoring once while passing off for three assists.

Senior forward Andy Hagen wound up second in the league in scoring with 16 goals, seven assists and 39 points to lead a pair of Attica players on the squad.

Brandon Reiner - a junior - had eight goals and four assists and is the other Blue Devil.

The second-team selections are:

Lyndonville - Jesse Follman, Aaron O'Connor.

Attica - Joe Wolak, Brandon Storch.

Kendall - Colt Tooley, Joel Mendoza.

Wheatland-Chili - Vince Rubert, Schuyler Johnston, Alex Stryker.

Byron-Bergen - Kody Weinert, Justin Barrett, Tyler Sass, Kevin Rickard.

Holley - Greg Knapp, Eddie Bower, Tim Pratt, Caleb Orbaker.

 

Girls volleyball playoffs getting started

By Brian Hillabush

 The Genesee Region League is typically very strong in volleyball, with Byron-Bergen, Notre Dame and Attica as top squads almost every year.

Those teams, a couple of others in the GR as well as Le Roy and Batavia are all kicking off the playoffs on Wednesday.

Byron-Bergen is 19-1, has won six consecutive sectional championships and will get the top seed in Class C, hosting No. 8 Marion in the first round at 6:30 p.m. 

Le Roy earned the top seed in Class CC with a 9-7 record and will host No 8 Sodus at 5 p.m.

Pembroke is a seventh seed and will be playing Mynderse at Victor at 5.

Batavia is a fourth seed and hosting No. 5 Aquinas at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Class BB with No. 4 Attica will host No. 5 Waterloo at 7 in Class B.

Notre Dame is a third seed - earning a bye - in Class D and is hosting either Houghton or Romulus at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Alexander was a ninth seed in Class DD and was at Perry Tuesday night, but got knocked out in the first round, 20-25, 25-19, 25-19, 26-16.

Chelsea Turcer had seven kills and seven aces for Alexander.

Elba/Byron-Bergen gets Pool Play win

By Brian Hillabush

The Elba/Byron-Bergen football won for the second consecutive time, downing Warsaw in a Pool Play game, 19-12.

The Lancers were down 12-0 midway through the third quarter but stormed back with two third quarter scores and another in the fourth.

Zack Green had another monster game with 26 carries for 205 yards and three TDS and Cody Torpey completed 2-of-2 pass attempts for 34 yards. He also made 10 tackles.

Brent Crawford had 14.

Warsaw falls to 0-8 while Elba/Byron-Bergen improves to 3-5.

Pool Play games

By Brian Hillabush

 Holley (0-7) at Bolivar-Richburg (2-5)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Guy Hills and his Holley football team are looking to get their first win of the season. It has been a long, difficult struggle but Pool Play is for building for the following year and that's exactly what coach Chad DeRock is looking to do.

Warsaw (0-7) at Elba/Byron-Bergen (2-4)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

The Lancers won a much needed game last week, dropping Section 6's Bishop Walsh 34-16. Zach Green continued to impress, gaining 255 yards with two touchdowns in the game. Elba/B-B is looking to build on that victory and get the returning players from Elba and Byron-Bergen confidence heading into the offseason.

Barker (1-6) at C.G. Finney (4-2)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Barker nearly shocked top-seeded Clyde Savannah in Class DD last week, showing how good the Genesee Region League is, losing 7-6. Greg Brown and his teammates can be proud of that effort, but will be tested against Finney, which was upset by Perry last week in Class D.

Red Jacket (1-6) at Alexander (3-4)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

The junior-filled Trojans were thrilled after a 3-3 regular season and then disappointed after penalties killed them in a 28-14 loss to Canisteo-Greenwood last week in the opening round of the playoffs. The juniors just want to keep playing and getting better.

School bus accident in North Byron (Update)

By Howard B. Owens

We have few details about the accident at this time. No bus passengers were hurt. A person in one of the other two vehicles was reportedly injuried. We'll update this post either later this evening or tomorrow morning.

(UPDATE 5:59pm): Genesee County sheriff's deputies are still investigating the crash and have not yet put together a report. We have been told that no information will be available until that happens. We will be sure to pass along that info once it comes our way, hopefully by morning.

(UPDATE 7:59am): Genesee County sheriff's deputies released a report on the crash early this morning. The Byron-Bergen school bus was stopped on Route 237 in Byron. Its red lights were flashing, and a student was getting off the bus. Kathleen A. Miller, 44, of Byron, was stopped in her SUV behind the bus. James A. Wright, 51, of Le Roy, had been unable to stop in time and crashed into the back of the SUV, pushing that vehicle into the back of the bus. No students were injured on or off the bus. Miller was taken to the hospital for treatment of a minor head injury.

Byron woman in guarded condition this morning after crash yesterday

By Philip Anselmo

Jennifer L. Bobzin, 37, of Byron, was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester yesterday afternoon following a crash in Byron, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. She remains there this morning in guarded condition.

Bobzin was driving on Byron Road when an 18-wheel tractor trailer failed to stop for the stop sign at the intersection of Walkers Corner Road. Bobzin's car passed underneath the tanker, shearing part of the roof as it struck the tanker and striking a few tires on its way out the other side.

Emergency crews took Bobzin to the hospital for a head injury. The driver of the truck, Ronald L. Sprague, 51, of Pavilion, does not face any charges at this time. State police did not find any "operating deficincies" on the truck. Investigation of the crash is ongoing.

Week 7 Elba/Byron-Bergen at Bishop Walsh preview

By Brian Hillabush

 Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-5) at Bishop Walsh (1-4).

7 p.m. Friday

Some games are close to a must-win, even if a team isn't going to make the playoffs.

This is one of them.

Elba/Byron-Bergen has that situation this weekend as Walsh is not a very good football team that could be the home underdog. The Eagles have only scored 66 points in five games, while giving up a whopping 187.

The Section 6 school is coming off a 43-12 beat-down at the hands of C.G. Finney last week and has only beaten Niagara Catholic this season in a 26-22 game. 

The Lancers need a win in this game to quiet some of the many critics that are not happy with the way the program is going.

Last week's 48-14 loss to Notre Dame was rough to look at on the field, but the reason isn't because of the skill of the players. The Elba/Byron-Bergen penalty count - including personal fouls - is out of control and the fans have grown impatient with the losing and penalties; and they are becoming very vocal.

When the team doesn't turn the ball over or shoot itself in the foot with the penalties, they are competitive.

Zach Green is one of the more talented athletes in the Genesee Region League and people will remember him as the biggest bright spot for this team, this year.

He gained the majority of Elba/Byron-Bergen's 129 rushing yards last week and can break off a big run at any time. Brandon Spurling also has that breakaway ability and will get his share of carries.

The Lancers had been starting Eric Kowalik at quarterback for most of the season, but switched back to Cody Torpey last week. It is unclear at this point as to which one will get the start or the bulk of the plays behind center this week.

The Byron-Bergen players have improved throughout the season and have now gained enough varsity experience to play with a team like Walsh. 

The Lancers are looking to win this game and try to turn some of the negative talk into positives heading into Pool Play.

The Elba football situation is messy

By Brian Hillabush

 After some consideration, I've decided to bring the current situation in Elba to the sports tab of The Batavian

I was one that figured that football merger with Elba and Byron-Bergen was going to improve the situation, but at this point I don't see people in Elba giving this a fair chance.

This thread on Section 5 Talksback really brings up a lot of concerns, true or not.

I've been hearing about players taking cheap shots at other players since I was a kid watching football for the first time. But some of the accusations made in this thread are pretty serious.

A poster going by the handle of "The Truth" writes this very serious accusation in that thread:

YES. This is exactly what happened. Zambito scored twice and had a very nice game against his former team. On his first touchdown an elba player got flagged for a blatant late hit on him. All throughout the game it was pretty obvious they were gunning for him not only during play (which is fine) but after the whistle had blown (which is not). The announcers on the radio even brought up the point of elba going after Zambito in an unsportsmanlike way.

But I cant even place most of the blame on the players for this, the true reason is utterly disgusting. The ND chain gang on the elba bb sideline overheard elba's head coach offering $5 to whoever hurt Zambito and took him out of the game. I think that right there says enough about the class act elba has leading its program. DISGUSTING.

Remember that posters are anonymous, but if you get into reading that thread, your stomach is going to churn a little bit as everybody involved (players, coaches, parents, school administrators) have to hate that these kind of topics are not going away.

I was at the game on Saturday and I admit that the situation was pretty ugly on the field. When Gianni Zambito - a former Elba student - scored his first touchdown, there was a late hit and personal foul call issued.

I know that there were several occasions when near-fights were broken up on the field, and a lot of it brings back the ugliness of the Joe Zambito firing of three years ago.

At the start of the season, it looked as if the merger was great for both schools and all of the kids, but the negativity isn't going away. In fact, it isn't even slowing.

I like Elba/B-B coach Streb and I'm not going to believe some of the ugly rumors being floated out there until I hear something like that myself. In fact, I feel for the coach as he walked into an impossible situation that isn't getting any easier for him.

High school athletics is all about the kids, and somehow Elba/Byron-Bergen football has to get back to being about the kids on the field, playing a great game.

Notre Dame ready for playoffs

By Brian Hillabush

 The Notre Dame football team is ready for playoff action.

The Fighting Irish wrapped up their regular season with a 48-14 win over visiting Elba/Byron-Bergen Saturday afternoon, and were nearly perfect in doing so.

The victory clinches a home playoff game in the first round of the Class D playoffs next Saturday, where ND will either be a No. 3 or No. 4 seed.

While Saturday's results were ugly, both on the field and off of it, Notre Dame's players are ready to go. They compiled 369 rushing yards compared to Elba/Byron-Bergen's 129.

Kevin Schildwaster racked up 129 yards and two scores on just eight carries and Mike Pratt added 92 yards on 14 carries.

Greg Barr finished with 12 carries for 58 yards with a TD and Gianni Zambito had four carries for 24 yards and two scores.

The Fighting Irish didn't pass the ball in the second half because of the blowout, but Nick Bochicchio had a solid effort, going 6-of-8 for 102 yards and a touchdown. Kevin Francis had that TD and caught four passes for 69 yards.

The Lancers actually opened the game with a touchdown on a great play. Elba/B-B made the surprising switch at starting QB from Eric Kowalik - who had been the starter for the past month - to Cody Torpey, who started at the beginning of the season.

Torpey had a nice game as signal-caller and kicked off the game's scoring with a 44-yard TD strike to 6-foot-6 receiver David Garnish, who made a finger-tip catch. 

The Lancers could be looking in the senior's direction more as the regular season wraps up.

Notre Dame got a 29-yard kickoff return from Zambito for solid starting field position on its opening drive.

The 1:30 drive which started at  midfield ended up leading to a 7-7 tie midway through the opening frame when Bochicchio pitched a ball up for Francis, who jumped over a defender to haul it in before jolting a few more yards to the end zone.

After Pratt recovered an Elba/B-B fumble, Notre Dame was back in business at the Lancer 7-yard line.

Schildwaster took it in from 7-yards out for the go-ahead less than a minute after the Irish had last scored. The faked extra point led to a two-point conversion pass from Schildwaster to Greg Barr.

Schildwaster later broke off a 48-yarder to set up a Beau Richter 1-yard TD run that gave ND a 22-7 lead after the opening frame.

After an Elba/Byron-Bergen punt, Bochicchio hooked up with Francis on a 29-yard pass to set up another Schildwaster TD run, this time for 10 yards.

The Lancers failed to move the ball again and failed to convert on a fourth-and-6 at their own 44.

Bochicchio hooked up with Rick Lair on a 27-yard pass inside the 5-yard line.

Zambito scored on a 3-yard touchdown run, and this is when the game got ugly. There was a personal foul called for a late hit after Zambito - who attended Elba before transferring to ND this year - scored.

Another penalty was issued as players were nearly ejected and some of the Elba/B-B fans started getting on the officials.

It was an ugly first half for the Lancers, who had six penalties for 84 yards.

The score was 34-7 at the half.

The Fighting Irish received the second half kickoff and marched 67 yards over nearly 10 minutes, with Barr scoring on a 1-yard run. 

The score remained 41-7 through three periods of play, but an unnecessary roughness call against the Lancers on a punt play pushed them deep into their own territory with another punt on the way.

The kick made it out to the Elba/B-B 40, and Pratt took it back to the 32.

Zambito scored a few plays later on a 10-yard scamper to finish up Notre Dame's scoring.

The Lancers tacked on a late touchdown with Zach Green ripping off a 67 yard touchdown run with seven minutes left in the contest.

 Elba/Byron-Bergen falls to 1-5 and is most likely eliminated from the Section 5 Class C playoffs, and will be in Pool Play.

Notre Dame is now 4-2 and will kick off the Class D playoffs on Saturday at home.

 

 

How to post Byron news

By Howard B. Owens

If you have news about Byron to share, tag your post "Byron" and it will appear on this page. More help here.

Week 6 Elba/Byron-Bergen at Notre Dame preview

By Brian Hillabush

 Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-4) at Notre Dame (3-2)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

The Fighting Irish are currently the No. 4 seed in Class D and will be looking to get things in order to start a sectional run next week. A loss would mean Notre Dame would lose a home game in the first round as they would probably move down to No. 5.

Notre Dame is doing it all on the offensive side of the ball.

Nick Bochicchio has over 500 yards passing and is getting better every week and he has a great target in Kevin Francis at wide receiver.

Bochicchio has the luxury of having a good running game to go with the passing attack.

Kevin Schildwaster had his best week of the season in last week's win over Holley and now has 358 rushing yards with five touchdowns. Mike Pratt has 348 yards and five TDs.

You never know what you are going to get from the Fighting Irish on offense.

The Lancers have had some serious struggles this season as the Byron-Bergen kids are still learning how to play the game.

But there have been some signs of potential.

Zach Green has become a star in the Elba/Byron-Bergen backfield and he gets plenty of help from Brandon Spurling.

The Lancers like to throw the ball around a little bit with quarterback Eric Kowalik and have the potential to do big things with Cody Torpey, who will line up at receiver, running back and quarterback.

Elba/Byron-Bergen is on the outside looking in when it comes to sectionals at this point. The Lancers are the No. 9 seed in Class C and a win on Saturday would be a big help if they want to get that eighth seed and the fun first round matchup against either Le Roy, Oakfield-Alabama or Pembroke. 

Police Beat: Weekend arrest round up

By Howard B. Owens

Shaun A. DiSalvo, 30, of Linwood Avenue in Batavia was apprehended Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m. for allegedly operating an ATV while intoxicated and unlawful possession of Marijuana.  Batavia officers report they spotted DiSalvo operating the ATV north on Route 98. When they attempted to stop ATV, he initially tried to flee, according to the report. After a brief pursuit, he stopped on South Jackson.  He also received citations for operating an ATV on a public highway.

Edwin L. Stancliff, 29, of Ocala, Fla., was arrested in Pembroke Thursday at 5:43 p.m. for allegedly operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Corfu police officers report they made the arrest after a traffic accident. According to the report, Stancliff was driving without a license and fled from the scene of the crash.

Melvin G. Draper, Jr., 27, of Walnut Street in Batavia, was arrested Saturday at 10:19 p.m. after reportedly operating a vehicle involved in a single-car accident that left a female passenger hospitalized with internal injuries. A 15-year-old passenger was uninjured. Draper was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, endangering the welfare of a child, driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and speed not reasonable.  The accident occurred with Draper was reportedly operating the vehicle eastbound on Batavia-Elba Townline Road at a high speed on a wet road. Police say Draper lost control of the vehicle and it slid into a ditch and became airborne after hitting a driveway.  The report says Draper then left the scene and went to a nearby friend's house. He later returned to the scene.

David W. King, Jr., 27, of Lockport Road, Elba, was arrested Friday at 11:28 p.m. for allegedly operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs. He was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, speeding and an unsafe lane change. Police report that they found King with a glass crack pipe and crack cocaine.

Gordon C. Gonyo, 54, of Byron Road in Byron, was arrested Saturday at 6:37 p.m. for allegedly driving while intoxicated. Gonyo was apprehended after a complaint about a vehicle being operated erratically on Byron Road.

Video: Cooking with the Dairy Princess (Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip)

By Philip Anselmo

Here it is, the second episode in our fun-time kitchen recipe series: Cooking with the Dairy Princess. This month, Anika Zuber shows us how to make a dynamite buffalo chicken wing dip. As she'll tell you: it's perfect for "any fun activities," including football parties.

For those of you who missed Episode One, here it is: Strawberry Sorbet Smoothie. Check back this time next month for the next episode.

Proposed trail would connect Byron and Churchville

By Howard B. Owens

The town of Riga and the village of Churchville have developmed a comprehensive plan for the communities' future. That wouldn't be of much interest locally, accept for this bit from the D&C story:

One interesting proposal is the development of a trail system along the Westshore Railroad right of way. Riga and Churchville have teamed with Monroe County and Byron and Bergen in Genesee County in a joint effort to secure funding for a feasibility study. The new trail would begin at the western townline of Byron and end in the central business district of Churchville. The money for the study is coming from the Genesee Transportation Council, a regional organization that oversees the administration and funding of all federal aid transportation projects.

New trails are good.

Homeowner tried to fight Byron blaze with a garden hose

By Philip Anselmo

Eleven fire crews were needed to battle a blaze that ripped through a house in Byron yesterday evening. Homeowners Ronald and Theodora Schramm were inside with eight children and one other adult when they smelled smoke and heard the flames. Ronald rushed everyone out of the house, opened the garage door and tried to fight back the flames with a garden hose while someone else dialed 911. The fire was far too tough, however, and Ronald was beat back by the heat. No one was injured.

The home at 6999 Bank Street Road was too far from any hydrant to hook up the fire hoses, so crews had to truck in tankfuls of water, said Tim Yager, coordinator of Genesee County Emergency Management Services. That made for a "labor intensive" fight that raged for more than two hours. Yager said there was a lot of "chasing the fire" around to get it completely extinguished.

Although the front part of the home escaped the complete damage that ravaged the rear of the structure, Yaeger thinks it will be a total loss. The home is insured.

No cause has yet been determined, said Yaeger. Crews have ruled out an electrical cause, but there was a shop area in the garage where the fire originated and some tools were plugged in to outlets there.

"At this point we're calling it accidental and undetermined," he said. That may never change.

The Daily News reports that the Schramms "have been foster parents for the county Department of Social Services for years," and "Theodora "Teddie" Schramm was honored for outstanding contribution to the department's Children's Services Division."

Video: Cooking with the Dairy Princess

By Philip Anselmo

I'm very pleased to announce the premier episode in our new video series: Cooking with the Dairy Princess, with Byron's own Anika Zuber. Each month Anika will prepare us a seasonal dairy delight, starting with a strawberry sorbet smoothie for August. Please enjoy, and check back this time next month for episode two.

Reis family memorial to be held Saturday

By Howard B. Owens

BataviaFuneralHomes.com contains the following message to the media:

To the Media:

The Byron-Bergen community has again experienced a great tragedy. Our community grieves over the loss of the Reis Family. On behalf of the surviving Reis family, I would like to present you with a few requests.

The memorial service is to be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Byron-Bergen High School in the Gymnasium. The family has asked that no video cameras or flash photography be used inside the building before, durring or after the service.

For your advance information, there will be no casketed remains present at the service.

They've also posted the following obituaries:

 

Photo Gallery from Byron Fire

By Howard B. Owens

GenFireWire.com has a collection of 30 photos from Monday's apartment fire in Byron that claimed four lives.

The photos show both the devestation of the apartment building as well as the efforts of area firefighters to battle the blaze.

Authentically Local