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Oakfield-Alabama girls looking to stay at top

By Brian Hillabush

 The Oakfield-Alabama girls basketball team only lost two games last season. Unfortunately, the second came in the Section 5 Class CCC semifinals, where Honeoye had a 10-2 advantage in the fourth quarter to knock off the Hornets 39-29.

Three Genesee Region League all-stars graduated from that team, but three players that had significant playing time return and step into leadership roles as O-A looks to repeat as the Division I champions. The team had a 20-2 record last year.

Senior guard Hillary Bates is the top returning scorer at 4.5 points per game and will probably be the top scoring option. She will be a score-first point guard after earning GR honorable mention status last in 2007-2008.

The other senior on the team is Dani Sage, who scored four points per game last year and will play small forward.

Junior Lindsay Chatt also scored about four points per game and will start at guard as well. 

Sam Kidder was the leading scorer for the Hornets last season at 13.3 points per game and the three aforementioned players will be looking to take much of the scoring responsibility.

Junior guard Brynn Perfitt was called up at the end of the season and had success putting the ball in the basket, and could also be somebody that handles the scoring duties.

Jeff Schlagenhauf - last year's Coach of the Year - has a team that looks very different than a year ago. The Hornets didn't have a single player over 5-foot-9 last season, but have a bunch of size this year and could look to pound the ball into the paint.

Sarah Scarborough is over 6-foot tall and Christina Palillo also has size, so O-A will be able to play a more physical style of play this season.

Schlagenhauf believes this year's squad has as much potential as last year's, but might take a little time to play together before reaching its full potential.

HS highlights for Friday

By Brian Hillabush

The Batavia girls basketball team is already feeling the impact of hiring Bill Wade.

The Blue Devils were down 22-14 at halftime, but went on a 12-0 run in the third quarter and went on to beat Alexander 57-48 in the opening round of the Attica Tournament Friday.

Brittany Mazurkiewicz scored all 16 of her points in the second half and Jaycee Shirk pitched in 19 points with 10 rebounds, five steals and three blocks. Mazurkiewicz also dished out five dimes and had six steals.

Brittany Wormley and Kristen Klein added six points apiece for the Blue Devils (1-0), who will play Dansville in the finals.

Anna Dominick had 16 points to pace the Trojans (0-1), with Chelsea Turcer adding 11 points and Rachel Pettys finishing with 10.

The Mustangs (1-0) advance to play Batavia after thumping host Attica 55-25.

Ashley Amidon led the way with 17 points, with Margaret Infantino pitching in 14.

Jackie Algiers scored seven points to lead the Blue Devils (0-1).

The finals are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

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The Pembroke boys opened up with a non-leaguer against host Penn Yan and fell short, losing 57-54.

The Dragons got big games from stars Ken Babcock and Andrew Wright, but not much else. Wright had 23 points with seven boards and Babcock poured in 21 points with nine rebounds, but the only other players to score were Kyle Stocking (7 points) and Andy Gabbey (3).

James Wilson led Penn Yan (1-0) with 18 points and 13 boards.

Pembroke starts off 0-1.

Jim Burke joins the 500 club

By Brian Hillabush

Prattsburgh coaching legend Jim Burke knew victory No. 500 was going to come at a point, probably sooner than later.

His Viking squad overcame a tough Whitesville squad and got their coach that historic win with a 57-48 victory Friday night in the opening round of the Honeoye Holiday Classic.

"One reason why we are happy is that it puts us in the championship game tomorrow," said Burke, who now has a career record of 500-155. That was in the front of our minds. It was awesome because there were so many people here from Prattsburgh and there was a (celebration) afterwards. It was pretty awesome."

Whitesville only has eight players on the roster, but gave Prattsburgh everything they could handle, and the Vikings needed a big third quarter run to pull out the victory.

Burke and his team ended last season with a loss to Northstar Christian in the Class D finals, leaving him one win short of the milestone.

"What bothered us most last year was losing, not, not getting 500," said Burke, who is good friends with Notre Dame coach Mike Rapone, and even beat him when Rapone was at win No. 499 last season. "If you come back, you know you will win one more. It was tough for the kids with the great work ethic last year that didn't get a patch. That was the worst part of it."

When you have 500 wins, you have a lot of career highlights. Burke lists his top highlight as the 1991 season, when the Vikings went 29-0 and won the state title.

Prattsburgh will be playing Honeoye in tomorrow's championship game. Honeoye beat Genesee Valley 52-50 in the opening round.

"The weight is gone, especially for the kids" Burke said. "They had a card made up and everything before the game, so you know it was on their minds. It wasn't just the kids, but the community. They feel it and were talking about it. I'm so glad to get it off our shoulders so we can just go play."

Burke is not ready to commit to another year after this one, but if this is it would go out as one of the top coaches in Section 5 history.

"I will probably have some thinking to do over the summer," Burke said. "But it is getting close to the end. I'll know at the end of the season. There are a lot of factors involved."

A month later, McCormick still touching Hornell and Section 5

By Brian Hillabush

 It must have felt like hell for the Hornell community.

It has been exactly one month since the tragic death of Hornell football player Dillen McCormick, a loss that devastated a town, a football family and all of Section 5.  The passing was a total shock and under circumstances that are as tough as can possibly be for a family to deal with.

But Dillen's family has been able to survive the crushing loss of a son, and a brother, in do so in many ways because of the love and support shown by the football program and fans from all throughout Section 5.

News of Dillen's death quickly spread as a thread was started on Section 5 Talksback, just hours after the news broke in the town of Hornell. Athletes and fans from everywhere from Bath to Oakfield-Alabama to Geneva and all over one of New York State's largest sections delivered classy, touching and supportive messages. McCormick's passing made an impact on people that were related to him, were friends with him and had never met him.

If you had never met the young man, you very well have heard enough about him by now to feel like you did. One message sent to me personally by one of Dillen's good friends described him as a weight lifter, a class clown, a daredevil, athletic, funny and a kid that loved his family and his friends more than anything else.

Whatever the reasons for Dillen's tragic death, it could never take away from the person that he was and the amount of people he touched in his life can never be in doubt. The evidence is in the Talksback thread, and when you look at the 279 members that are members of a Facebook group set up in his honor.

Or just pay attention on I-390 when you drive past Hornell, where you will see a rock decorated for Dillen. 

The football team rallied around Dillen as well, with the Section 5 Class B semifinal game against Geneva played the weekend after his passing. Legendary coach Gene Mastin asked his players if they wanted to forfeit the game or play, and Dillen's friends took the field in honor of their fallen friend. The Red Raiders lost the game, 21-12, but the result was more than could be expected as football was probably the furthest thing from those kid's minds.

Those closest to Dillen, his family, have been through a lot but are doing okay as well. Darrin and Carol - Dillen's parents - are back to work, doing well and have presumably had the pain of a son's death eased by the kids that are showing support. In the message I mentioned earlier, Mr. and Mrs. McCormick are described as "the most kind, loving, welcoming people you could ever meet." In this hard time, they have opened their home to many of Dillen's friends, giving them as much support as they are receiving in return.

Anybody with a brother or sister could only imagine what Dillen's brother Pat has had to go through. He was pulled out of a football practice and informed of his brother's death. The two were very close.  But he is back to school and playing on the Hornell jayvee basketball team this winter. Pat has seen some great relationships develop with friends of his older brother, which has hopefully helped him through this difficult time.

It is always tough when a high school kid loses his life and it is easy to look at the negatives of a devastating loss. But in just a month, there are a lot of positives to come out of a big negative. Dillen may be gone, but he has united a town, a football community and all of Section 5.

Boys Soccer Players of the Year

By Brian Hillabush

Wheatland-Chili's Garhett Varin led his squad to an 18-3 record and the Section 5 Class DD championship this past soccer season.

The senior had 25 goals with 11 assists and earned Genesee Region League Player of the Year, which was announced by The Batavian in our GR all-star write-up on Oct. 29.

 The Democrat & Chronicle lists the Players of the Year for each league in Section 5 this morning.

Wheatland-Chili senior attacker Garhett Varin of Wheatland-Chili had 61 points, 25 goals and 11 assists, in leading his team to an 18-3 record to date and the Section V Class DD championship. He had five goals and an assist in the sectionals. Wheatland also beat Andover 2-1 in the State Class D Qualifier Game.

You can see the entire roundup of Players of the Year here.

Football Players of the Year

By Brian Hillabush

 The Democrat & Chronicle this morning announced the Section 5 Players of the Year in every classification.

The only local player to receive the honor was Le Roy's Travis Fenstermaker in Class C. He won the Offensive POY, which was announced on The Batavian on Nov. 6.

Here is what the D&C writes about Fenstermaker.

Le Roy senior quarterback Travis Fenstermaker had 59 completions out of 98 attempts for 970 yards and 18 touchdowns through his team's first eight games of the season. He was also 1-for-2 on field goal attempts and 29-for-31 on extra point kicks. He will attend Buffalo in the fall, where he will play baseball and pursue a degree in physical education.

You can check out the entire write-up of the Players of the Year in each class here.

Luckey is second-team AGR

By Brian Hillabush

Senior midfielder Brittany Luckey had a fantastic high school soccer career, and will be ending it with a second big honor.

The five-year starter for Le Roy had already won Livingston Conference Division I Player of the Year and now is named to the All-Greater Rochester second-team by the Democrat & Chronicle today.

Luckey was a three-time captain for the Oatkan Knights, who won the Section 5 Class B title this season. Well, actually shared it with Greece Odyssey after playing to a 0-0 tie. Odyssey moved on to the state tournament after winning a shootout.

Luckey scored 31 goals and had 81 assists in her high school career and led Le Roy to a sectional title three times in five seasons. The Oatkan Knights went 12-2-6 this season. She scored 12 goals with 22 helpers this season.

No other local players made the AGR first or second team, but 17 players received honorable mentions for the Genesee Region League.

Julie Brooks (Holley), Hannah Wilson (Alexander), Abby Shilvock (Alexander), Lindsey Hall (Alexander), Christina West (Attica), Corinne VanSchoick (Holley), Rachel Warren (Pembroke), Rachel Pettys (Alexander), Chloe Smith (Wheatland-Chili), Emily Troup (Holley), Hillary Bates (Oakfield-Alabama), Julie Marshall (Elba), Todne Crowe (Byron-Bergen), Kaila Browe (Kendall), Chelsi Clark (Elba), Stacy Maskell (Byron-Bergen), Nicole Sharick (Pembroke).

Stacy Hein of Batavia received an honorable mention for Monroe County. You can check out the entire All-Greater Rochester girls team here.

 

Printing stories

By Brian Hillabush

 A common question I get when covering games is : How can I print stories?

I know a lot of parents and grandparents want hard copies of game coverage on The Batavian, and that ability is now here.

All you have to do is click on the title and at the bottom of the post there is a link that says "Printer-friendly version". Just click on that and then print. 

This new feature will come in handy in the future. And football fans can go back by searching for old stories, and then print them.

Hockey previews

By Brian Hillabush

 The Democrat & Chronicle released its preview capsules for Section 5 hockey teams, including Batavia and Notre Dame. They can be read here

Notre Dame's Lapple is AGR

By Brian Hillabush

Notre Dame junior Stephanie Lapple has been named to the All-Greater Rochester team by the Democrat & Chronicle.  

Lapple had the lowest scoring average in Section 5 this past fall, averaging 39.75 during eight golf matches. She tied for sixth at sectionals with a 90, earning a trip to states. She also won the City-Catholic qualifier with a 42.

Langston Walker and other NFL big men struggle

By Brian Hillabush

ESPN.com's Elizabeth Merrill has a very interesting piece on the Web site today that is well worth checking out.

Merrill talks with Buffalo Bills tackle Langston Walker about the difficulties that come with being an oversized NFL offensive lineman. 

 

It's Tuesday, an off day for the Bills, and Walker wants to demonstrate a few things he can't have as an NFL big man. He pulls into a car dealership and says he wants to drive a Mini Cooper. After a couple of laughs and nervous looks, he shoehorns himself into the car, pushes the seat all the way back, and turns the ignition. It is not a flattering -- or comfortable -- ride.

 

The 6-foot-8, 366-pound 29-year old is in his second season with the Bills.

First HS wrestling match was Monday

By Brian Hillabush

 The first Genesee Region League wrestling match of the season took place on Monday as Kendall downed Alexander 51-27.

The quickest victory of the match took place at 112 pounds as Kendall's Gabe Sobiersky pinned Kyle Shea in 1:49. Complete results of the match can be found here.

McInally is Wrestler of the Week

By Brian Hillabush

 Byron-Bergen grad Mike McInally won all four of his matches at the 2008 Oneonta Red Dragon Invitation this weekend and because of that was named the Empire Conference Wrestler of the Week.

The RIT junior beat Niagara Community College's Jared Lemke in the finals, 6-1, to capture the tournament title.

McInally is 5-0 now on the season and has a career record of 73-17.

His RIT wrestling squad will be hosting the RIT Invitational this weekend. A full day of wrestling starts at 9:30 a.m. at Clark Gym at RIT.

3 GR teams in tournaments this weekend

By Brian Hillabush

 Three Genesee Region League teams will tip-off the high school boys basketball season Friday night in tournament play.

Alexander is hosting a tournament and will be playing Geneseo at 7 p.m. Wellsville and Livonia are the other two squads in the tourney and are scheduled to play at 3 p.m.

The winners will be in the finals on Saturday.

Wheatland-Chili is in the Northstar Tournament and Attica will be in the Warsaw Tournament.

 

Friday night could be historic for Burke

By Brian Hillabush

The boys basketball season will be getting started this weekend and opening day could be a historic one for one of Notre Dame's Section 5 rivals.

Prattsburgh will be playing Whitesville and coach Jim Burke could join Notre Dame coach Mike Rapone in the 500 win club if the Vikings pick up a victory.

The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. and you won't even have to leave the house to keep up with potential history. The game will be broadcast on WABH 1380 AM and locally it can be heard on the net at www.localsportsedge.com.

Daily News sports, Tuesday

By Brian Hillabush

 There is that photo again.

The front page of Tuesday's Daily News sports has basically the same photo as the Genesee Region League girls soccer all-stars, just a team photo. I have never been a fan.

But again, Daily News sportswriter Alana Stage writes a stat-packed roundup of the GR boys soccer all-stars. She leads with the Wheatland-Chili squad that went 19-3 and are Class DD champions. 

The Batavian also led with the Wildcats in our roundup of all-stars, which ran on Oct. 29.

The winter high school season is just getting going, so this is the only local information in today's paper.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Wolfley gets serious minutes for Iona

By Brian Hillabush

Attica grad Derek Wolfley only played two minutes in his college debut.

But he spent a lot more time on the floor in his second game and his Iona basketball team thumped Valparaiso 75-55 Saturday night.

Wolfley played 15 minutes and went 0-for-1 shooting the basketball, but had an assist and two blocked shots. 

Chmielowiec makes all-tournament team

By Brian Hillabush

 Mike Chmielowiec was one of two players to make the All-Tournament Team at the Chuck Resler Tournament, but his University of Rochester basketball team didn't walk away with the title Saturday night.

The Batavia grad set a career-high in the opening game and followed that up with a 16 point performance in the finals. But Ithaca walked away with the 81-72 victory to claim the title.

Career high for Chmielowiec

By Brian Hillabush

Senior captain Mike Chmielowiec had a hunch he was in for a big season when he spoke to The Batavian Friday afternoon.

Well, he's off to a hot start.

Chmielowiec hit 10-of-18 attempts in scoring a career-high 25 points in University of Rochester's season-opening 78-62 win over Pitt-Bradford last night in the opening round of the Chuck Resler Tournament.

He also connected on 3-of-5 3-point attempts in the game.

Rochester will play Ithaca in the championship tonight.

Wolfley starts for Iona

By Brian Hillabush

 Former Attica star Derek Wolfley made his NCAA Division I basketball debut last night for Iona.

He actually started the game for the Gaels, playing the first two minutes of the game.

Wolfley had a turnover and a personal foul. Iona nearly surprised No. 24 ranked Wisconsin, leading during regulation. But Wisconsin came back and tied the game at 52 in regulation.

The Badgers went on to win 60-58 in overtime.

Iona falls to 1-1.

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