batavia

Mark Potwora brought a news item to our attention that was posted up on the WBTA Web site late this morning. It tells of an award ceremony that was held today at Robert Norris School to honor the Batavia City School District with the Torchlight award from Promethean Inc. In other words, the company that supplied the schools with their high-tech blackboards is honoring the school for using them. Or at least, that's how it sounds. Dan Fischer writes: "We expect to find out later today just what the designation means for city schools."

Potwora has an idea what it might mean. He has this to say: "I would give a school an award also if they bought my product..Is this a nother way to over hype something."

Reporter Scott DeSmit has a pair of interesting articles on the front page of today's Daily News. In one, DeSmit writes about how many municipalities saved themselves some considerable money by locking in their price for this year's road salt at last year's figures. That move will keep them immune, at least for now, from the 30-percent increase in the price per ton.

In the town of Batavia, that move saved them nearly $12,000. They've got 1,300 tons of the stuff packed in their barn.

It's a great article. Worth a full read.

In his front page piece for today, DeSmit writes about an odd state of affairs in Le Roy, where it turns out that ten parks in the village—some more than 100 years old—have never been "properly designated" as parks. "When is a park not a park?" DeSmit quips. "When it's in the village of Le Roy."

Now, the village will have to pass a law to say that yes, in fact, the parks are parks.

This farce is worth more than a laugh. In fact, it's a great example of the ubiquity of legislation in our lives. Without this law, those parks remain a sort of no-man's land where "regulations and restrictions on park use" cannot be "properly" enforced, and the town can't yet do anything to make sure people obey the rules, "rules such as being in the park after hours." Although, as DeSmit admits, this glitch has never prevented those rules from being enforced in actuality. Only now, once the law is passed, it will be official. Funny stuff.

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

We received a tip from one of our readers this morning that Victorian Manor was not merely delayed in the reconstruction of its facility on Main Street in Batavia, but that it would be closing down. We called to inquire about this and spoke with a woman who identified herself as Mrs. Noonan who said, regarding the rumor that Victorian Manor will close: "That's very incorrect."

Mrs. Noonan also told us that "the company is preparing a statement very soon," though on what, she wouldn't say. She told us to call her back next week, but she didn't say why.

We thought it important to note that the rumor proved false, but we were a little confused about what would be happening next week. We will get out any information as it becomes available to us.

We received this letter this morning from Ed Minardo, director of Genesee Justice. It's from the mother of Desean Gooch, and it's addressed to the Genesee County Community. Here it is, in full:

Thanks to the Genesee County Community

On 10-9-08, it will be the second anniversary of the date that my son Desean Gooch was killed in Batavia.  I want to take this opportunity first to remember the short but joyful life of Desean, and also to send a thank you to those agencies and individuals that were of great comfort and assistance to us in our family’s time of need.  This was especially important to us as we had to endure Desean’s death, police investigation, prosecution and disposition from out of state.  The staff of Genesee Justice was a constant source of information, support and caring that kept us connected to agencies and events that were taking place.  The outstanding efforts by the Officers and Detectives of the Batavia City Police Department in identifying the individuals and evidence involved in Desean’s shooting death were remarkable.  In addition to their professional demeanor, they were there for our family as compassionate human beings to recognize the depth of our loss.  The Genesee County District Attorney’s Office did a wonderful job of presenting the facts in the trial and including us in the plea offerings of the various defendants.  We would also like to extend our appreciation to County Court Judge Noonan and the jury for their role in the trial which ultimately resulted in the conviction and incarceration of the individual directly responsible for Desean’s death.   The tragedy of Desean’s death was made a bit easier to bear with the help of all the caring, professional people in Genesee County.  We wanted you to know that you are appreciated and remembered!

The Mother and Family of Desean Gooch

WHAM was in Batavia yesterday to cover a class project for 7th grader to interview their parents and others about the election. The big concern: the economy. Here's the video.

Rob Williams has been having one tremendous season so far for the Batavia football team.

Yet he hadn't won Section 5 Class B Player of the Week for offense or defense yet.

His numbers were hard to ignore from this past Friday's 32-13 win over Penn Yan and now the Batavia senior has been named Offensive Player of the Week this week.

Williams picked up 267 yards on the ground and scored a pair of touchdowns, while catching a pair of passes for 29 yards and returning two kickoffs for touchdowns, one for 90 yards and another for 94.

I spoke with coach Dan Geiger after the game it he was pretty confident that his tailback had to get the award this week.

"If he doesn't win it this week, they just aren't going to give it to him," said the coach.

Williams was held to just 17 yards on seven carries in the season opening loss to Le Roy, but has been putting up impressive numbers every week since.

He now has 878 yards on the ground with 10 touchdowns.

He has also been a star on defense and special teams.

He had an interception, two fumble recoveries and a big stop on a 2-point conversion play in a Week 2 loss against Pal-Mac.

Williams also had a 99-yard fumble recovery in a Week 4 win over Midlakes.

He's been having a great season in all three aspects of the game and could be in the running for Class B Player of the Year of Batavia keeps getting the job done on the field.

The Blue Devils are 3-2 and currently the No. 8 seed in Class B, with a great chance of making the sectional tournament.

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.

Paul M. Rossiter, 19, of Woodstock Gardens, Batavia, was arrested Saturday evening on Route 237 in Byron for alleging possessing marijuana. Rossiter was reportedly the passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over in a traffic stop by a sheriff's deputy.

William Stephans, Jr., 41, of Lake Street in LeRoy, was arrested for allegedly driving while under the influence. He was stopped by a deputy on Route 5 in Stafford.

Both of these incidents were reported in press releases from the Genesee County Sheriff's Department.

Dan Geiger has been working to build Batavia's football team for three seasons.

The Blue Devils were a losing program when he stepped in and  finally, Batavia has a record above .500 because they traveled all the way to Penn Yan Friday night and picked up a convincing 32-13 victory.

"I feel like we are still in an uphill battle," Geiger said. "We are Batavia; nothing comes easy to us. We have to work for everything we get."

I've personally been saying Rob Williams has deserved to win Class B Offensive Player of the Week for a few weeks now, and there is no way he can't win it this week. There aren't many performances that get bigger than this one.

The senior rushed the ball 22 times for 267 yards and two touchdowns while catching two passes for 29 yards. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, one for 90 yards and another that was 94 yards.

"If he doesn't win it this week, they just aren't going to give it to him" Geiger said.

For good measure, Williams intercepted a pass on a two-point conversion attempt.

It isn't just Williams running the ball well as Anthony D'Aurizio had himself another big game, picking up 103 yards and a score on 16 carries.

The Blue Devils rushed for 398 yards on 42 carries as a team.

Joe Canzoneri connected on 4-of-9 passing attempts for 51 yards.

Teams have scored just 20 points - one TD on special teams last week - in the last two Batavia victories as the defense is starting to match the production of the offense.

Adam Hausfelder had nine tackles and a sack with Troy Ireland making eight stops and D'Aurizio recording seven tackles.

David DiSalvo had an interception.

"We are a young team," Geiger said. "We have seniors out there that are young to varsity football. There are details that they have had to learn and understand each week. In practice they are working harder and harder and Coach Gravante is doing a great job of breaking down teams. The kids are stepping up."

Batavia (3-2) will be at East Rochester/Gananda next Friday night.

There is further proof that being a solid role player for the Batavia High basketball team is a great place to start if you want to get into college coaching.

Last week we reported that Joe Zinni had recently accepted an assistant coaching position with Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball, and now Russ Phillips is moving up the ladder at his college alma-matter, SUNY Cortland. He will be serving as the top assistant to coach Tom Spanbauer this winter.

Phillips led Batavia's team on the floor as a point guard and that knowledge along with the work ethic it takes to play BHS coach Buddy Brasky's high-octane pressure defense has translated well into his coaching career.

 Phillips went right from his playing days to coaching when he started working as an assistant coach for the Batavia jayvee program in 2004. 

He picked up valuable experience as an assistant with both the jayvee and varsity squads at BHS for two years. During that time he also was the head coach for four different Rochester Area Players AAU teams. He also worked as a member of the Board of Directors for RAP where he was involved in planning AAU tournaments.

Phillips has also been Brasky's assistant coach for the Western Scholastic boys basketball teams at the Empire State Games for the past two summers.

At Cortland, he got his start in college coaching as a team manager during the 2006-2007 season, where he handled film work along with game and practice preparation.

He was promoted to student-assistant coach last year.

His work in assisting Spanbauer, scouting, coordinating practice and game day video along with breaking down statistics earned him the top assistant position.

Phillips appears to be on the fast-track to achieving his career goal of being a head basketball coach for a college team.

 The Batavia football team is having a long, but great bus ride home from Midlakes.

That's because the Blue Devils scored 28 fast points and beat the host squad 41-7 Friday night.

"It would be a very long ride home without the W," Batavia coach Dan Geiger said. 

Vinny Pedro returned the opening kickoff 84 yards to start the ball rolling.

Midlakes then marched down to the Batavia 1-yard line, but fumbled the ball.

Rob Williams picked it up and took it to the house.

After Batavia got the ball back, Williams had the carry on Batavia's first offensive play of the game. He took it 55 yards for the score.

Again, Batavia got the ball back and Williams got another carry. He took this one 85 yards for the TD.

"The great this is that Rob ran behind Todd Logsdon and Adam Hausfelder on both plays," Geiger said. 

Anthony D'Aurizio had a touchdown run and Chip Chapman returned a fumble 40 yards for a score.

Williams finished the game with five rushes for 150 yards and two touchdowns with D'Aurizio gaining 91 yards with the score on just eight carries.

Pedro gained 75 yards on 15 attempts as Batavia picked up 336 yards and three TDs on 35 attempts as a team.

Hausfelder had nine tackles, Logsdon had eight and Devonte Rolle made four stops and intercepted a pass.

Batavia (2-2) will play Penn Yan next week.

 Just a reminder, we have two big local games tonight and I will be doing coverage of both.

Le Roy is looking to improve to 4-0 and get ready for a stretch of big games to end the regular season with a game against Canisteo-Greenwood at Hartwood Park.

I will be at this game with my camera and video camera to show you what the Oatkan Knights are all about.

Batavia is traveling to Midlakes and trying to even up at 2-2. Coach Dan Geiger will be calling me after the game and I will be relaying the details as soon as possible.

Make sure you check back to The Batavian tonight for the fastest, most in-depth coverage possible of these games.

 Brighton's defenders made things difficult for the Batavia boys soccer team Thursday.

The Blue Devils had a few chances to score, but fell behind early and wound up getting shutout 2-0 in the Monroe County League game.

The Barons attacked early and had a shot to score 13 minutes in when a shot hit the crossbar atop the net. They took the 1-0 advantage just moments later when Sean Rose got one past Batavia keeper Jordan Brown.

Brighton kept the pressure high early in the first half, with Batavia's defense making some key stops, including a penalty kick attempted just after the goal was scored.

The Blue Devils had their best chance to score in the final six minutes of the opening half.

With about 5 1/2 minutes remaining, Batavia had a corner kick.

Brighton goalie Jake Bonar stopped two difficult shot attempts and a third went sailing over the net.

The Barons had a corner with less than a minute left before the break, but never got a shot off.

The momentum that Batavia had built near the end of the first half vanished fast at the start of the second half as Michael Patchen scored off a pass by Joe Shapiro at the 42 minute mark

Batavia had a few chances to score, but not many quality opportunities because of the Brighton defenders. Bonar had 11 saves for the Barons, who are 2-3 in the league and 3-7 overall.

Brown made nine saves for Batavia, which drops to 0-4 in the league and 4-6 overall.

UPDATED WITH VIDEO

Six new members will be inducted to the Batavia Blue Devil Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 18 at Terry Hills Restaurant and Banquet Facility.

Nancy Viola worked in athletics and served as Athletic Director from 1981-1998, where 14 Batavia teams won Section 5 championships, including a New York State football title in 1981.

Viola was a chairperson for Section 5 girls basketball from 1975-1997 and NYS girls basketball from 1978-1982.

She earned the 1985 Jean Giambrone Rochester Press Radio Award, was inducted into the Section 5 basketball HOF in 2001 and is a member of the Rochester Red Wing Walk of Fame.

Jonathan Walton was a 1974 graduate after playing four years of varsity basketball and three years of both football and baseball, 

Earned all-county honors in both basketball and baseball. He earned second-team all-county honors when he helped the Batavia basketball team go 19-2 during his junior year.

Walton played baseball and basketball at Buffalo State College and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1974.

1964 graduate Douglas King played four years of football, bowling and baseball at Batavia and earned the Judd-Guinlock MVP award as a co-captain during his senior year.

King led the 1964 bowling team with a 194 scoring average.

Compiled an 11-3-2 record on the mound as a senior, tossing a no hitter, four one-hitters and four shutouts.

He was named the best male athlete at BHS in 1964 and was awarded the Mary Delbridge Citizenship award.

King was scouted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, N.Y. Yankees and San Francisco Giants.

Thomas Vincellos is a 1961 graduate and ran four years of cross country and track, and wrestled one season.

He was the Section 5 cross country champion as a senior and led Batavia to four straight Genesee-Wyoming team titles, setting the course record twice.

Vincellos was the best athlete of senior class and earned the Babe Ruth Sportsmanship award in 1961. He was also a three-time recipient of the Dominic Valle Cross Country MVP award.

1943 graduate Don Johnson played football and ran track for four years while playing baseball and basketball for three each.

He was awarded the 1943 Cope-Dowd Award for excellence in Track & Field and was named to the 1943 Section 5 basketball tournament all-star team.

Johnson earned a letter in four sports in his junior and senior years.

Ralph "Buddy" Houseknecht is a 1968 graduate and played three years of baseball and two years of football and basketball.

He won the Judd-Guinlock MVP award as captain of the football team as a senior. Was also a captain on the baseball team.

Houseknecht was named best BHS athlete in 1968 and received a scholarship to Edinboro State College in Pennsylvania where he played football.

Has been a long-time Batavia High School and Blue Devil Athletics supporter as member of Batavia Rotary Club and as President of Pepsi-Cola Batavia Inc.

The 7th Annual Induction Ceremony has a social hour beginning at 5 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. dinner.

Tickets are available at the Athletic Directors office at Batavia High School. For more information you can call 585-343-2480 ex. 2003

A third straight home loss to start the season would have meant the Batavia football team was going to be looking at a nearly impossible climb to get into the Section 5 Class B Tournament.

But the running of Anthony D'Aurizio and Rob Williams made sure that that climb is going to be a little less difficult as the Blue Devils offense outgunned visiting Waterloo 41-28 at VanDetta Stadium Friday night.

The scoring output shows the ability of the offense, which put up 33 points in a difficult 34-33 overtime loss against Pal-Mac.

Williams rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries while D'Aurizio had 180 yards and two scores on 21 attempts.

After Rich Chilson kicked off the scoring for the Indians with a 15-yard run just 1 1/2 minutes into the game, Batavia got cooking.

D'Aurizio ripped off a 42-yard run that set up a 1-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown by Joe Canzoneri. The Troy Ireland extra point gave Batavia a 7-6 advantage.

Kevin Sessler punched one in from two yards out and after the two-point conversion failed, the Indians led 12-7 to end the opening quarter.

D'Aurizio scored from 2 yards out and had a conversion run to put Batavia up 15-12 before Sessler capped off the first half scoring with a two-yard run for Waterloo, with the extra point making it 19-15 Indians at intermission.

Batavia owned the third quarter.

After receiving the opening kickoff, D'Aurizio had a 12-yard run, Williams ripped one off for 21 yards and D'Aurzio capped off the drive with a score from 10 yards out.

Ireland pounded the ensuing kickoff and Waterloo didn't get much of a return. That was compounded by a block in the back penalty, which meant the following drive started at the 5-yard line.

Waterloo didn't move the ball and had to punt. 6-foot-1 Joe Schlossel blocked that punt and Batavia took over at the Indian 2-yard line.

Williams scored on the next play, giving the Blue Devils a 28-19 lead.

After Batavia's defense caused another three-and-out, Waterloo had to punt and Williams put the nail in the coffin when he ripped off a stunning 75-yard touchdown run. Ireland's kick made the score 35-19.

The Indians did drive and Chilson scored on a 10-yard run to get the score within 10 points early in the fourth quarter.

Waterloo then recovered the onside kick.

Jordan Cook nailed a 29-yard field goal and it was a one score game with about 4 minutes left to play.

Batavia struggled to move the ball and was in a fourth-and-2 situation with 3:21 left

Coach Dan Geiger decided to punt the ball away - despite the urging of several players to go for it with the ball at their own 38. But Canzoneri drilled a perfect punt, which was downed at the Waterloo 13-yard line.

The Indians never moved the ball and turned it over on downs, allowing Williams to cap off the game's scoring with a 13-yard TD run.

Waterloo had very little time to attempt to get back into the game, but Devonte Rolle intercepted a Cook pass to ice the game.

D'Aurizio led the defense with 11 tackles, with Ireland making 10 stops and Adam Hausfelder getting nine. Vinny Pedro had seven tackles and blocked an extra point for Batavia (1-2).

Waterloo falls to 0-3.

UPDATED WITH VIDEO

 I just wanted to leave a reminder that I will be at the Waterloo at Batavia game tonight, so please check back shortly after the end of the game for complete coverage as well as results from other area games.