elba

6873 Norton Road, Elba. Truly a country classic homestead on picturesque 5 acre lot! This home offers everything that most people try to recreate - large room sizes, tall ceilings, wide planked wood flooring, HOMINESS, and good country living! There is first floor bedroom and full modernized bath and upstairs, has 4 large bedrooms and newly added second full bath. Country kitchen with tons of cupboards, large dining area that is the heart and center of this home. Oversized back entrance/mudroom and laundry area(every home needs!) All bedrooms are large and offer a lot of storage/closet space and two staircases will get you where you need to go in this almost 2200 sq. ft. home! Let's not forget to mention; this home is all mechanically up to date including newer windows, metal roof and new septic installed 2019! The yard is something that most would not notice cruising by, but is absolutely beautiful with pretty views of farmland and gardens with pretty stone steps and garden pathways-all the hard work has already been done for you AND you can sit on one of 3 different porches to enjoy it all! Last but not least don't forget about the gorgeous big red barn! Make sure to tell your country loving friends about this one!! Call Lynn Bezon at Relaint Real Estate today to see this lovely home. Call (585) 344-HOME (4663). Click here to view the full listing.

The final score was lopsided but it didn't necessarily look like it was going that way early in the game said OAE Head Coach Tyler Winter following the Aggies 70-6 win over the Geneseo Blue Devils.

"Contrary to the final score, we faced a little bit of adversity early in the game," Winters said. "It was good to see this group respond the way they did.  After our opening score, Geneseo came right back down the field and answered with a score of their own.  We needed to see if we could take one on the chin and not waver.  I'm proud of our guys for keeping their composure and keeping the pedal down for the remainder of the game."

Noah Currier helped lead the way with 132 yards rushing on 11 carries. He scored four touchdowns and also had an interception on defense.

QB Bodie Hyde tossed a 10-yard TD pass and gained 138 yards and scored two touchdowns on seven carries.

Conor Scott scored a touchdown and gained 49 yards on four caries. He had five tackles on defense.

Avery Watterson scored a touchdown on an 11-yard run.

On defense, Austin Pangrazio had seven tackles and a sack.  Brayden Smith had seven tackles as did T.J. Andrews.

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more photos, click here.

A pair of run-down sheds on an old farm on Edgerton Road, Elba, yesterday evening.

Photo by Howard Owens.

The Oakfield-Alabama/Elba Aggies started off the 2022 season with a convincing win over Cardinal O'Hara, 76-6.

Noah Currie had six carries for 114 yards and four touchdowns.  QB Bodie Hyde carried the ball three times for 78 yards and three TDs. 

Aiden Warner scored on a 66-yard run and on defense had four tackles and an interception that he returned for a 25-yard TD.

Connor Scott returned a kickoff 75 yards for a score and had five tackles and an interception on defense.

Jake Walczak also returned a kickoff 75 yards for a TD.

T.J. Andrews had six tackles and a sack and Brayden Smith had six tackles.

Head Coach Tyler Winter said:  "It's always good to start the season off with a win. It's even better when you can do it with this type of performance.  We had a high level of execution on all three sides of the ball, we came out healthy, and a lot of our guys got to eat today.  We'll take what we can from the film and look to get ready for the next opponent."

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more photos, click here.

There are three candidates for the 2022 Elba Onion Queen.  The winner will be announced on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. in the Elba Village Park.

Press release:

Emily Rowe: 
My name is Emily Rowe. I am an incoming senior at Elba Central School. I have lived with my mom and dad, Scott and Jennifer Rowe, and my younger brother Jason in Elba for all of my life.

I am involved in Girls Soccer, Basketball Cheerleading, and "Boys" Tennis in the spring season. I have had an active role in Student Council, Yearbook Club, Class of 2023 activities, Future Teachers, Student Athletic Association, Multicultural Club, and National Honor Society. I attended the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference (HOBY) in the New York West chapter in 2021 at a wonderful weekend of virtual seminars in 2021.

I am a high honor student. I have been a dancer at Center Stage Dance Company for 15 years. I plan to attend NTID at RIT in the fall of 2023 for American Sign Language-English Interpretation.

I look forward to working with the children at church, taking tennis lessons, and going for long bike rides with my mom. I love Elba and am so grateful to get to be a role model for the younger students.

I'm proud of the academic and athletic programs that Elba has to offer and all of the support that the community gives to every member of it.

Amelia Brewer:
My name is Amelia Brewer and I am the daughter of Richard and Joy Brewer. I am 17 years old and will be a Senior this year at Elba Central School. My family has been in Elba for many generations. I live on my family's dairy farm Post Dairy Farms, LLC here in Elba.

I participate in many activities in and out of school. Some of them include Student Council, National, Honor Society, Tennis, FFA, Genesee County 4-H, New York Jr. Holstein Association.

Onion Queen is a great tradition that the town of Elba has kept running and it is an important tradition to keep running. There are many reasons why I am choosing to run for Onion Queen. One reason is I am passionate about AG-vocating and being the Onion allows me to talk about the great farmers in our community. It is also the Onions Queens job to tell everyone about our town and how great it is and why it is a place they should visit. Something that I hope to get from this experience is more connections in our town and gain more knowledge and experience from people within our community.

Isabella Mateos: 
I am Isabella Mateos, although most of my friends and family call me Bella. I am 17 years old and will be a senior at Elba Jr/Sr High school this upcoming fall. I am the daughter of Leandro and Emma Mateos. My father works at Torrey Farms and my mother is a bilingual preschool teacher at Agri-Business Child Development. I have an older brother named Lean, who graduated from Elba Central School and received his bachelor's at the University of Rochester and his master's at SMU Guildhall. He now works at Gearbox Software in Dallas, Texas.

I come from a very supportive family-oriented home where my family encourages me in my dance, bilingualism, and most importantly academics. Both my parents and my brother always encourage me to put my very best effort into everything that I do.

This past school year I was involved in clubs such as Envirothon, Masterminds, Scholastic Bowl, Student Athletic Association, Student Council, Senior National Honor Society, and was also President of the Multicultural Club. In addition to clubs, I was on the Winter Varsity Basketball Cheerleading game team and competition team and ran the Instagram social media account for the Class of 2023. Outside of school, I have danced for ten years and nine of those years have been competitive. I currently dance at Fusion Dance Center and am also on the Senior Dance Competition team there. I am an alumna and a dedicated volunteer at Agri-Business Child Development.

My hobbies and interests include baking, babysitting, gardening, reading, yoga, traveling, community service, and learning about new cultures and languages  

After graduating high school, I plan on attending a University on the pre-med track in hopes of becoming a pediatric oncologist. 

Registration is open for the Arc GLOW Friends and Family 5K, scheduled for Sept. 17 in Elba.

This is the 18th year of the event, which helps raise funds for Arc GLOW and raise awareness off the agency's programs to child, adults, and families with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Funds raised also contribute to the Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship.

Registration is $20 per 5K entrant and $15 for the fun walk.

The after-party includes music, food, children's activities and the "Taste of the County."

To register, click here.

File photos from 2021 by Howard Owens

DSP Jazz Trio is offering two opportunities to enjoy the last weeks of summer with some "laid back, easy listenin' jazz favorites" in Genesee County.

The trio is Derek Reiss, trumpet and flugelhorn, Skip Taylor on an electronic drum set, and Pete Mark, trombone and vocals. They will be playing from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at TF Brown's, 214 East Main St., Batavia, and beginning at 6 p.m. Aug. 25 in Elba Village Park on Route 98, Elba.

The group will also jazz things up from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Bent's Harvest Restaurant, Medina.
 

The last time the First Presbyterian Church of Elba had its property lines surveyed, Ulysses S. Grant was president.

That's just one measure of how much history has passed since the church's founding 200 years ago.

"Two hundred years is a long time for a small church in a rural community to be able to hang in here," said the current pastor, Rev. Barbara Tipton (inset photo). "They have seen the Civil War and the Depression and World War I, World War II, all that history they have gone through and watched the history of this country and the development of this country."

That long history shows the spirit of the people of Elba, Tipton said during a bicentennial celebration picnic in the Elba Village Park on Saturday. The picnic included live music, food served by Elba's Boy Scouts, a petting zoo, a balloon artist, and a bounce house.

"They've been through several fires and rebuilds and they still hang in there," Tipton said. "They're tenacious. They need to be in a community like this that has seen all kinds of changes. They're salt of the earth. They have the muck in their blood. The nature of farming makes you strong."

The church is healthy, Tipton said, with about 100 members and strong regular attendance from much of the congregation. Tipton has led the flock for 15 years, making her the third-longest tenured pastor in the church's history.

"We're fortunate that we have a choir director and an organist," Tipton said. "Many churches our size don't have that, and our members contribute to their community through food pantries and special offerings. They are generous people when it comes to answering a need, and expressed needs when people have them, within their limitations. They do the best that they can out of generosity of spirit. You have to admire that."

Photos by Howard Owens

Michele Keberle makes friends with a calf born earlier Saturday morning.

Somebody who bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket at Crosby's in Elba could be $1 million richer.

All that person needs to do is claim his or her prize.

According to the NYS Lottery, one second-prize ticket from the July 8 Mega Millions drawing was purchased at Crosby’s in Elba.

The winning numbers were 20-36-61-62-69.

A farm field in Elba.  Photo by Bryan Gubb.

The Genesee County Sheriff's Department is investigating a one-vehicle accident that occurred about 9:20 a.m. in the area of 3919 Lockport road in Elba. 

According to Deputy Robert Henning, the truck, from Buffalo Auto Auction, was heading west on Lockport road with a camping trailer in tow, when the driver says he swerved to avoid an animal in the roadway. The truck then went off the south shoulder of the road and struck a tree. The accident caused the camper to break apart and debris covered a wide area behind the truck. 

The male driver of the vehicle had to be extricated from the vehicle as there was entrapment and heavy damage to the front end of the truck after the collision with a tree. The driver was conscious and alert and suffered a serious injury to his lower body and legs. He was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC with non-life-threatening injuries.

The roadway will remain closed for some time as the wreckage from the camper is cleared away and the truck is towed from the scene. 

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service

A motor vehicle accident with entrapment is reported in the area of 3919 Lockport Road, Elba.

One vehicle is off the roadway.

Elba Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched. Oakfield Fire and Town of Batavia Fire requested to assist.

Mercy Flight dispatched.

Lockport Road is closed between Fisher Road and Route 98.

Brianna L. Way, 31, of Batavia, is charged with assault 3rd and endangering the welfare of a child. Way is accused of punching and kicking a nine-year-old child causing an injury, shoving the child's head as punishment, and forcing the child to watch a TV-MA documentary about child murder titled “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez” while telling the child that it could be him. Way was arraigned in City Court and released on her own recognizance. An order of protection was issued.

Jordan Taylor Reese, 30, of Ford Road, Elba, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and criminal mischief.  Reese is accused of injuring a child during an incident at 6:48 p.m., June 22, at a residence on Ford Road, Elba. Reese was arrested by Deputy Ayrton Blankenberg, was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court, and released.

David John Chormanski, 42, of Mechanic Street, Byron, is charged with criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a child. Chormanski allegedly damaged property of another person during an argument in the presence of a child at 5:03 a.m., June 21, at a location on Mechanic Street, Byron. Chormanski was arrested by Deputy David Moore, arraigned in Town of Le Roy Court, and released on his own recognizance.

Brian Joseph Crawford, 48, of Independence Drive, Methuen, Mass., is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Crawford was stopped at 12:59 a.m., June 20, on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Morgan Ewert. He was released on appearance tickets.

Marvin K. Barber, Jr., 37, of Lackawanna, is charged with harassment 2nd, criminal possession of a weapon 4th, criminal possession of a weapon 3rd, menacing 2nd, and grand larceny 4th. Batavia police officers were dispatched to a report of a disturbance at 8:30 a.m., June 22, on Lewis Place, Batavia. Following an investigation, and making contact with Barber, who had left the scene, Barber turned himself in to police custody. He was arrested and arraigned in City Court and ordered held in the Genesee County Jail.  

Andrew J. Draper, 43, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. Draper is accused of damaging property at a residence on Miller Avenue during an argument at 9 a.m., June 17. He was arraigned in City Court and released.

Andrew J. Draper, 43, of Batavia, is charged with driving while under the influence of drugs and aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd. Following an investigation, Draper was arrested on June 17 for an incident reported at 10:53 a.m., May 14, on Ellicott Street, Batavia. Draper is accused of driving while impaired by crack cocaine. Draper was issued traffic tickets and released.

Andrew J. Draper, 43, of Batavia, criminal contempt 1st and harassment 2nd. Draper is accused of violating an order of protection by striking another person during a disturbance reported at 1:17 p.m., June 17, at a location on West Main Street, Batavia. Draper was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision.

Dorsie McGill, Jr., 37, of Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC .08 or greater, resisting arrest, and using a mobile phone while driving. McGill was stopped at 8:39 a.m., June 18, on East Main Street, by a Batavia patrol officer. McGill was processed at BPD and released on an appearance ticket.

Ledaga K. Wright, 31, of Batavia, is charged with burglary 2nd, criminal mischief 4th, and criminal tampering 3rd, Wright is accused of causing damage inside apartment on June 15 on Holland Avenue. He was arraigned in City Court and released on his own recognizance.

Latoya D. Jackson, 36, of Batavia, Jackon is accused of threatening to fight multiple people during a disturbance on State Street at 8:18 p.m., June 20. Jackson was issued an appearance ticket.

Nick A. Hawkins, 38, of Batavia, Hawkins is accused of threatening another person during a disturbance on State Street reported at 8:18 p.m., June 20.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

Daniel R. Yates, 52, of Batavia, is charged with criminal tampering 3rd and criminal mischief. Yates is accused of damaging property inside Tops Market at 7:52 p.m., June 17. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Maurice D. Bishop, 36, of Rochester, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Bishop was arrested on a warrant related to an incident reported at 1:10 a.m., Oct. 12. Bishop was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision. A stay-away order of protection was issued.

The chance to wed two great flavors was also an opportunity to bring two local companies together to develop a new product that helps both mark their business anniversaries, said Jeremy Liles, owner of Oliver's Candies in Batavia and Elba.

Hence, Oliver's Candies and Eli Fish Brewing Company have collaborated to bring Genesee County its own local version of beer brittle -- peanut brittle with a beer base instead of water to give the candy an added flavor dimension.

"I like the collaboration amongst businesses, and with this being our 90-year anniversary, I thought it was a fun project," Liles said. "I love Eili Fish and eat there often and those guys are great over there, so that's what I liked about it, just the whole collaboration idea and experimenting with something new, and introducing something new to our customers."

Master candy maker Doug Pastecki said he and Liles have been fascinated with the idea of beer brittle since reading several years ago about a collaboration in California between a candy company and Anchor Steam Brewing.  At the time, there was no local brewery, and using a mass-produced beer wasn't appealing so the idea got shelved.  As Oliver's 90th anniversary approached, Pasteck and Liles were casting about for a new product idea when the trade magazine re-ran the beer brittle story.  With Eli Fish coming up on its fourth anniversary, it seemed like a perfect time for the two companies to work together.

"We got together, we picked up the beer and we got it right in the first shot," Pastecki said.

The beer is a sweeter beer with a complex malt flavor, "Bad Bad Le Roy Brown," an Eli staple.

Malt, sugar, and peanuts go great together, Pastecki noted, and of course, peanuts are often served in bars so that aspect was also a natural fit.

That doesn't mean there wasn't some R&D involved in the process, said Adam Burnett, master brewer for Eli.

"When you just eat a lot of candies, drink a lot of beer, and figure out what goes well together, that's the fun part," Burnett.

Burnett said he was also energized by the opportunity to collaborate with a local legendary company, and from an industry he hasn't previously worked with.

"I definitely have a bit of an MO for doing collaborations by any means necessary," Burnett said. "I think it raises both brands. Every other collaboration I've done has been with breweries, which is a lot of fun for me, but this is outside my wheelhouse. I got to learn about what's going on here. Getting to learn about the history of Oliver's and getting to take part in something for a big anniversary for them is special for me. At Eli Fish, we're the new kids. It's nice to be taken into the old guard a bit."

The beer brittle is being sold at both Oliver's Locations -- Batavia and Elba -- as well as at Eli Fish.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Press release:

The students in the junior and senior high school at Elba Central have engaged in a rigorous program designed to qualify them for a 4+1 graduation pathway or a special stand-alone designation on their diploma upon graduation. 

The Elba Central School District was selected to be a pilot school for the Seal of Civic Readiness program, which is a new initiative designed by the New York State Department of Education. 

NYSED had already established the Seal of Biliteracy, which is awarded to students who demonstrate fluency in a second language, as determined by a series of benchmarks.  Similarly, the Seal of Civic Readiness was designed to provide recognition to students who go above and beyond the standard graduation requirements in social studies, history, and service-learning. 

Acceptance into the pilot program was granted to schools that demonstrated academic and civic learning opportunities robust enough to meet the program criteria. 

Elba Central was selected as a pilot school in the fall after completing the application and selection process.  Throughout the pilot period, the committee of educators met frequently to revise capstone projects, review the curriculum, design project-based learning, and refine teaching practices to align with the program.  Additionally, the Elba committee met with other pilot schools in the Monroe 2 BOCES region to collaborate on promising practices in alignment with the goals of the Seal of Civic Readiness. 

Members of the Elba Central School committee are Sean Bryant (ELA teacher); Mike Cintorino (social studies teacher); Laura Williams (social studies teacher and service-learning coordinator); Alison Riner (HS counselor), and Gretchen Rosales (Superintendent). 

Rosales led the application process and credits the teachers for their willingness to critically evaluate their own teaching and to provide robust opportunities for students to engage in project-based learning, both inside and outside of the classroom. 

“Our teachers have put in countless hours analyzing, revising, and reconceptualizing what they do in the classroom to reimagine education for today’s world," she said. "Students at Elba can critically apply social studies, history, and research skills to the issues that need to be addressed in their own communities.  This is what education should look like.”

Working with Mrs. Williams, students in the middle school have engaged in the planning and implementation of projects designed to improve their school and community. 

Students administered surveys to determine needs and then researched, planned, and implemented project-based learning activities to meet those needs. 

Projects have included campus-wide clean-up activities; determining a need for community seating areas at the school (which included designing and building picnic tables), researching pet abandonment and securing donations to a local shelter; and implementing a composting program at the school in conjunction with Porter Farms, a local and organically managed farm in Elba. 

The middle school students have even connected with the youngest children in the building; noting a need for some positivity, the 8th graders record kindergarteners reading happy messages. 

Throughout the week, anyone can call in to hear the happy pre-recorded communications. 

According to Laura Williams, service learning coordinator, “it became obvious that the skills needed to become civically engaged at all levels of adulthood have to be fostered and practiced at an earlier age. More important than executing a perfect service-learning project is their own reflection of what worked well, what didn’t work well, what obstacles were overcome, and what could be improved upon the next time. Watching these young adults practice reaching out to community members and following through with their plans is something they rarely get to practice in a traditional classroom setting.”

Christine Radez, an associate at the New York State Office of Curriculum and Instruction at the New York State Department of Education in Albany, congratulated Elba Central and stated, “On behalf of our Civic Readiness Task Force members, I extend gratitude for your efforts to support this important initiative. Our vision is that the Seal of Civic Readiness is available for all students across New York State in the future. The steps you have taken towards the development of a civic readiness program and student credential are advancing that goal.”

Submitted photos.

Press release:

Girl Scouts of Western New York (GSWNY) is proud to announce 2 Girl Scouts in Genesee and Livingston Counties as the 2022 recipients of the Girl Scout Gold Award. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award in the world for girls and acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself but also to making the world a better place for others. These young women are courageous leaders and visionary change-makers.

The Gold Award project is the culmination of all the work a girl puts into “going for the Gold.” The project should fulfill a need within a girl’s community (whether local or global) and create change that has the potential to be ongoing or sustainable. Approximately 80 hours of community service are involved in the project.

Completion of the Gold Award also qualifies the Girl Scout for special scholarship opportunities and she can enlist in the military at a higher starting pay grade. In total, 36 girl scouts across the Western New York region will be presented with the 2022 Gold Award on Saturday, June 4, 2022.  For more information on the Girl Scout Gold Award, https://www.gswny.org/en/our-program/highest-awards/gold-award.html.

Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Laci Sewar of Elba, NY, as a 2022 Gold Award Girl Scout. Laci is a member of Troop 42222.

What Laci said about Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts has brought me some good lessons and fun memories. I have been a Girl Scout for 13 years and that came with a lot of work from me. I learned basic life skills from going to camp in my younger years which was fun and I kind of want to go back. I got some nice memories that I still haven’t forgotten from that place. I live my life by the Girl Scout Promise and Law. I do those things on a daily basis which makes me the type of person I am today. As I got into my older years of Girl Scouting, doing the budgeting badges and things have helped me balance my money with college coming up and work. I may not seem like it, but I do appreciate my mom for pushing me to stay in all these years, so thank you!

Project: Stations of the Cross Program

For my Gold Award project, I renovated the wooden Stations of the Cross located outside of the Elba church next to the school. I obtained new wooden plaques and stained/sanded/sealed them. I also polished up the old brass plaques that would then be put on the wooden plaques.

I created a program for children in grades 3-6 about the Stations of the Cross. The program included a matching game, word searches, a prayer for each station, and a laminated paper with a description of each station. I obtained materials needed to make my project successful from Home Depot and my home from my dad’s shop. The purpose of my project was to strengthen children’s understanding of the Stations of the Cross. My project will allow the teachers of the Faith Formation classes to continue to use my resources to teach their classes. 

Submitted photos of Laci Sewar

Article submitted by Mike Cintorino.

It has been quite the run for the Elba/Oakfield-Alabama Lancers Golf Team. 

On Thursday, at a blustery Livingston Country Club in Geneseo, the Lancers earned their 4th Section V Class C Boys Golf Championship in the last 6 seasons. 

The day started with a semi-final match against the top-seeded Gananda Blue Panthers.  The Lancers were led in that match by their stalwarts, CJ Gottler and Brayden Smith who shot 39 and 45 respectively on the par-36 front nine. 

Gananda's Carter Lathrop fired a 47, but behind solid efforts from the Lancers' Jake Walczak and Aiden Warner, they were able to defeat the Blue Panthers 194 to 234 in the first of two Class C semi-final matches. 

In the second semi-final, the Byron Bergen Bees had a nail-biter against the Geneseo Blue Devils that came down to the final pairing of the match. 

Ryan Muscarella, Brendan Pimm, and David Brumstead all fired 50's on the front nine, all lower than the top four golfers for the Blue Devils. 

The medalist of the match would come from the third pairing with a Geneseo golfer (name not submitted) who shot the low round of the match with a 48. 

However, the steady and consistent rounds of the Bees allowed them to edge out the Blue Devils 202-207.  

For the second consecutive season, the Byron Bergen Bees matched up with the Elba/Oakfield-Alabama Lancers in the Section V Class C Boys Golf Finals. 

Last year the Lancers defeated the Bees 172-199 at Caledonia Country Club.  This year, the conditions, specifically the wind blowing over 20b mph at times, proved for much tougher conditions on a difficult Livingston Country Club back nine. 

Although the conditions were different, the results were similar as the Lancers defeated the Bees by a score of 189-206. 

CJ Gottler once again medaled in the finals with a round of 41 while teammate Brayden Smith and Byron Bergen's Ryan Muscarella fired a round of 47.  The Lancer's Jake Walczak (46) and Kaden Cusmano (55) rounded out the scoring for the Lancers as they successfully defended their Class C title.  

The win was the Lancers' 4th Section V Golf Title in the last 6 seasons (2016, 2017, 2021, 2022 - there was no season in 2020). 

In 2018 the Lancers finished 2nd. 

With the win, the Lancers end the season 13-3 overall while the Bees fall to 12-3. 

This was a fantastic season for the Lancers as for the second consecutive year they swept both the team title and individual title (CJ Gottler in 2021 and Brayden Smith in 2022) in Section V Class C Boys Golf. 

This group of young men (and women) have grinded all season to live up to the legacy set for them by previous teams. 

For Elba/OA Senior, CJ Gottler, he finished his 6th year as a varsity golfer as a 3-time team and 2-time individual Section V Champion, along with back-to-back Genesee Region League Player of the Year honors.  Gottler's leadership on and off the course will be sorely missed, and his personality and ability to make not just teammates, but competitors laugh during a round of golf.  

Reader-submitted photos.

Brayden Smith (top photo) of Elba grinded his way to his first sectional title in Class C in golf on Saturday with a round of  82 at Clifton Springs Country Club.

After finding himself four over par after the first two holes, Smith settled in and used his short game to secure par-after-par, finishing out the front nine with four straight followed by five pars on the final six holes to move ahead of teammate and two-time defending champion CJ Gottler who lost ground with penalty strokes down the stretch. Gottler shot an 86.  

Byron Bergen's Ryan Muscarella finished third with a round of 90.

Photos by Kristen Smith.  For more, click here. 

CJ Gottler