Skip to main content

Sports

Batavia Downs announces annual scholarship race

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Batavia Downs Casino will continue to enhance education, both of the sport of harness racing as well as classroom academics, by continuing its scholarship program for its third consecutive year.

The $7,500 one mile Dash for the Cash will be held on Saturday night, Sept. 15.

Five area high school seniors from the graduating class of 2013 will participate. The schools can use any criteria they wish to pick their students. This year’s participating high schools are Batavia, Notre Dame of Batavia, Elba, Pembroke and Alexander.

Kaley Falkowski of Batavia High School with professional Jim Mulcahy alongside won the inaugural event. Last year Elizabeth Shuknecht representing Elba High School with professional Jim Graham took top honors.

Beginning in August, the five participating students will attend at least five training sessions at the track with their professional to learn the safety and skills needed to drive a racehorse. Then between the fourth and fifth live harness races on Sept. 15, they will line up behind the starting gate and compete for scholarships checks of $3,000, $2,000, $1,200, $800 and $500.

“The enthusiasm in the crowd leading up to the race is amazing and it brings an entirely different demographic to the racetrack,” said Todd Haight, general manager of live racing. “These kids train very hard and definitely come away with a better understanding of our sport.”

Again the scholarship event is co-sponsored by the horsemen, breeders and owners of Western New York through the Harness Horse Breeders of New York State, the Western New York Harness Horsemen's Association, Buffalo Raceway and Batavia Downs Casino.

Batavia Downs Casino, America's oldest lighted harness track, opens for its 66th racing season on Monday, July 23, for 72 racing dates with a new post time of 6:25 p.m. Racing will be conducted on a Sunday afternoon, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night basis in August. For more information, visit www.bataviadowns.com.

Cougars win sixth Straight

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College men’s lacrosse team won their sixth straight game on Tuesday night, defeating the visiting Cardinals of the Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville 15-7.

Genesee scored under a minute into the first quarter when Connor Latimer (Whitby, ON) cashed in on a pass from Chip Chapman (Batavia, NY). Gaehnew Printup (Tuscarora, NY) followed with back-to-back goals and then Latimer returned the favor to Chapman who scored to make it 4-0 GCC with under two minutes to go in the opening frame. The Cardinals added a late first quarter goal, but Genesee responded with the next three tallies in the second quarter, including two from Marcus Palvino (Spencerport, NY). Genesee led 7-2 at the intermission.

Chapman opened the second half with his second goal of the game before Latimer added his second and Printup added his third to give GCC a 10-2 lead. Latimer found the back of the net three more times in the fourth quarter and Printup added one in the final six minutes to boost Genesee to the eight goal victory.

Latimer finished with five goals and an assist, Printup added four goals and also had three assists. Defensively, goalkeeper Brady Lawrence (St. Catherines, ON) made 20 saves in net and Aaron Hayward (Hilton, NY) had three takeaways and six ground balls. Vin Pedro (Batavia, NY) had three takeaways, four ground balls and also added an assist and Spencer Halliwell-Allen (St. Catherines, ON) chipped in with three assits. Mike Breindel (Hamburg, NY) went 8 of 12 on faceoffs.

Genesee (6-1) will play again on Thursday night when they host Alfred State at 7pm.

Niagara edges Genesee

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College women’s lacrosse team played host to Niagara County Community College on Sunday afternoon and played its most competitive game of the season, but fell to the Lady Thunderwolves 13-12.

Anna Modera (Geneva, NY) put Genesee out in front early with a first half goal just under a minute into the game. Niagara responded with a tying goal before Mercedes Stricklin (Queens, NY) scored her first goal of the season to regain the lead for GCC. The Lady Cougars held on to the lead for the remainder of the first half and had four different goal scorers. Genesee lead 7-6 at the break.

#7 Anna Modera fires a shot in the first half of Sunday's game against Niagara County Community College

Niagara opened up the second half by scoring the first three goals of the period and took their first lead of the afternoon. Modera’s third goal of the game cut Niagara’s lead down to 9-8, but the Lady Thunderwolves responded and regained a two-goal lead about two minutes later. Genesee made a late push and retook the lead after Cassandra Dembik (Pembroke, NY) scored to get GCC to within one, Arielle Lambert (Caledonia, NY) scored to tie the game at 11 and then Modera scored to give the Lady Cougars a 12-11 advantage. Genesee would not find the back of the net after that, and Niagara scored twice in a span of a minute to tie the game and take the lead for good with about four minutes remaining.

Genesee goalkeeper Sarah Bosa makes a save against NCCC

Modera finished the afternoon with five goals, Lambert added three goals and Stricklin scored twice. Stephanie McVicker (LeRoy, NY) also added a goal and goalkeeper Sarah Bosa (Buffalo, NY) made 16 saves in net.

Genesee falls to 0-3 on the year and will travel to Erie Community College on Monday for a 4pm start.

Cougars drop Hudson Valley

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College men’s lacrosse team played through the cold and snow on Saturday afternoon to defeat visiting Hudson Valley Community College 18-6.

Genesee gave up the first two goals of the game before finding the back of the net late in the first quarter. Marcus Palvino (Spencerport, NY) scored with just over six minutes remaining in the opening period to cut the Vikings lead down to 2-1 and then Connor Latimer (Whitby, ON) tied the game at two, about three minutes later.

Members of the GCC men's lacrosse team celebrate #22 Marcus Palvino's first quarter goal against Hudson Valley Community College

The Cougars took control of the game in the second quarter, scoring six of the seven goals in the period. Gaehnew Printup (Tuscarora, NY) gave GCC its first lead of the game at 3-2 when he came away with a steal behind the Vikings net and then beat the Hudson Valley goaltender on a backhand shot. The Vikings answered to tie the game at three before Genesee ripped off five unanswered goals to end the first half, including a second goal from Latimer and Printup and second and third goals from Palvino.

The Cougars kept up the offensive pressure in the second half and scored six times in the third quarter. Chip Chapman (Batavia, NY) scored early and Latimer’s third goal of the game with just under four minutes left in the third gave Genesee a 13-3 lead.

Hudson Valley ended a nearly two-quarter scoring drought with an early goal in the fourth, but it was too late as Genesee got two more goals from Latimer and cruised to the 12 goal victory.

Genesee midfielder #3 Joe Pedro works his way past a Hudson Valley defender on Saturday afternoon

Latimer finished the afternoon with five goals and three assists, Palvino found the back of the net three times, Spencer Halliwell-Allen (St. Catherines, ON) tallied four assists and Printup scored twice. Rashad Brown (Lockport, NY) and Mike Breindel (Hamburg, NY) combined to go 20 of 23 on face offs and defenseman Aaron Hayward (Hilton, NY) led the way with two takeaways, six ground balls and also added a goal.

GCC improves to 5-1 on the season and will host the Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville on Tuesday at 4pm for their next contest.

World's richest race on Saturday, wagers accepted at Batavia Downs

By Howard B. Owens

Press Release:

The $10,000,000 Dubai World Cup, the World’s richest horse race and the $1 Million Florida Derby, a major Kentucky Derby prep, headline a big day of racing at Western OTB and Batavia Downs Casino this Saturday.

OTB will offering wagering on the last five races from Meydan Racecourse located in the United Arab Emirates, the home of the Dubai World Cup. Post time for the World Cup is 1:40 p.m. All OTB branches will be open by 11:15 p.m.

Advance wagering begins on Friday.

History will be made as jockey Chantel Sutherland, a sometime reality star and model, will become the first female rider in the World Cup while Eclipse Award winner Royal Delta attempts to become the first filly to win the race.

Later in the afternoon, Union Rags the current favorite to win this year’s Run for the Roses makes his final prep before the Kentucky Derby in the $1,000,000 Florida Derby from Gulfstream Park. Union Rags has won four of his five lifetime races with the 3-year-olds lone defeat coming in the 2011 Breeders Cup Juvenile.
Post time for time for the Florida Derby is 5:40p.m.

Past performances for the Dubai races and the Florida Derby will be free at all branches and EZ-Bets.  Westernotb.com lists all branches and EZ-Bet locations.

Western Regional Off-Track Betting, the owner of Batavia Downs is a public benefit corporation serving 15 counties and two municipalities.  In addition to being America’s Oldest Lighted Harness Track, the facility at 8315 Park Road is home to over 640 of the most popular slots and Grandstands Bar & Grille.  Batavia Downs’ 66th harness season begins July 23.

Cougars sweep Erie

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College men’s baseball team took two from Erie Community College on Thursday afternoon, winning game one 8-7 and game two 5-1.

Genesee got off to a fast start in game one when starting pitcher Sean Stanley (Holley, NY) retired the first three batters in a  row. The Cougars took the lead in the home-half of the first inning when leadoff hitter Tyler Koronas (Naples, FL) singled and then scored on a Brandon Collins (Toronto, Canada) sacrifice fly.

Erie responded with seven runs in the second inning on four hits, two hit batters and two walks to take a 7-1 lead. The Cougars came right back and scored six runs in the second, highlighted by back-to-back two-RBI hits by Emmanuel Garcia (Rio-Grande, PR) and Rafael Lozada (Santo Domingo, DR), to tie the game at 7.

Adam Pratt (Batavia, NY) came in to relieve Stanley in the third inning and shut the door. The freshman hurler finished the final five innings of the game and did not allow a run while giving up three hits and striking out four.

#12 Adam Pratt earned the win on the mound for GCC in game on against Erie Community College on Thursday afternoon


Genesee scored the game winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Bryan Depew (Wellsville, NY) reached on an error, was sacrificed to second on a bunt by Jose Alicea (St. Croix, VI), and was cashed in on a game-winning RBI single by Sean Sutton (Toronto, Canada).

Sutton finished game one going 2-4, Koronas scored two runs, and Pratt picked up the win on the mound.


#16 Sean Sutton delivers the game-winning hit in game one against Erie Community College on Thursday afternoon

In game two, the Cougars again jumped out to an early lead with Koronas scoring a first inning run on an RBI double by Garcia. Genesee added one run in the second and three in the fifth to build a lead they would not relinquish.

Starter Dan Harms (Hamburg, Germany) went five innings, struck out four batters and only allowed one run en-route to earning the win. Kyle Taylor (Ajax, Canada) earned a six-out save by not allowing a run and giving up one hit and striking out one.

Koronas again scored two runs, Lozada went 1-2 with two runs batted in and Garcia went 3-4 with a run scored and a run batted in.

Genesee improves to 12-5 on the season and will play at Mercyhurst North East on Tuesday at 1pm.

GCC Lacrosse: men win, women fall

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College men's lacrosse team traveled to Monroe Community College on Wednesday afternoon and came away with their fourth victory of the season, defeating the Tribunes 9-7.

The Cougars trailed 4-2 early in the second quarter before coming back and tying the game on a Jon Gill (Cattaraugus Territory) goal with about 30 seconds remaining in the half.

MCC scored two quick second half goals to reclaim the lead, but the Cougars' defense and goalie Pat McMahon (Amherst, NY) shut the door after that. Genesee's offensive comeback began after a Joe Pedro (Batavia, NY) goal that sparked five unanswered tallies, including goals from Connor Latimer (Whitby, ON) and Gaehnew Printup (Tuscarora, NY) and gave GCC a 9-6 lead.

Monroe scored once in the fourth quarter but could not find the back of the net after that.

McMahon made 18 saves in net and defender Dave Lehman (Edmonton, AB) had five take-aways. Rashad Brown (Lockport, NY) and Mike Breindel (Hamburg, NY) combined to go 10 of 18 on faceoffs.

Latimer finished with three goals and two assists, Gill tallied three goals and also had an assist and Printup and Pedro both finished with a goal a piece.

Genesee improves to 4-1 on the season and will host Hudson Valley Community College on Saturday afternoon at 1pm.



The Genesee Community College women's lacrosse team fell to Jefferson Community College on Wednesday afternoon, 19-2.

Jefferson recorded the first 16 goals of the contest before Anna Modera (Geneva, NY) scored her sixth goal of the season about eight minutes into the second half. Modera scored the Lady Cougars' second and final goal as well with just over 1:30 left in the game.

(#7 Anna Modera scores her seveth goal of the season as teammate Alicia Lewis #15 looks on)

Sarah Bosa (Buffalo, NY) made 13 saves in net. Jen Nelson recorded three ground balls and Karen Brennon caused two turnovers.

Genesee falls to 0-2 on the season and will host Niagara County Community College on Sunday afternoon at 1pm.

Pavilion woman will take part in Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego to benefit blood cancer patient

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Nikki Calhoun, a resident of Pavilion, announced today that she will be participating in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego, Calif., on June 3rd in honor of a local blood cancer patient named Mary Beth Pelkey.

Calhoun has been approached by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Western & Central New York Chapter to join their Team in Training, which the society sponsors.

Team in Training (TNT), the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s  (LLS) leading endurance sports charity training program, has reached  a remarkable milestone of raising more than $1 billion to support blood cancer research and patient services.

Since its inception in 1988, when a team of 38 runners trained together for a New York City Marathon and raised $320,000, TNT has prepared more than 440,000 people -- approximately 40,000 participants annually -- to achieve their dream of completing a marathon, half-marathon, triathlon, century bike ride or hike adventure.

The enormous success of this program has helped make possible advances in blood cancer therapies and treatments that have prolonged and enhanced the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients.

This year’s honored patient, Mary Beth Pelkey, is a mother of four who has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

“Fifteen years ago, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s," Calhoun said. "I know what a struggle it is. I know how she feels. Whenever I feel too tired to get up and train or feel like I will never reach my fundraising goal, I remember what Mary Beth is dealing with. … It gives me motivation."

Nancy Hails, executive director of the local Leukemia & Lymphoma Society chapter, said “The Team in Training program is expected to raise approximately $500,000 this year in the Western and Central New York area to support blood cancer research and patient aid and services.”

Fundraising is a big part of the Team in Training program. When the fundraising goal is met, participants arrange to travel to their marathon site with arrangements made by the LLS. Calhoun explains that she has a goal of $3,000 to meet.

Persons interested in assisting Calhoun in reaching her goal in honor of Mary Beth Pelkey, may send a check or money order made payable to: “Leukemia & Lymphoma Society” and mail to P.O. Box 12, Pavilion, NY 14525.

You can also donate online at TeamInTraining.org. (Select Donate and search participant).

The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma and improve the quality of life patients and their families.

If you would like to learn more about the Team In Training program, contact us at (716) 834-2578 or toll free at 1-800-784-2368. Or check out their website at www.lls.org.

Pembroke takes mock trial title

By Howard B. Owens

After a couple of brushes with victory in the past couple of years, Pembroke's mock trial team finally came out on top, beating Attica on Monday evening in a match at the Genesee County Courthouse.

Pembroke scored 111 points in the two-trial match.

Judge Robert C. Noonan presided over the cases.

Pembroke will now move onto the regional competition at a time and place yet to be announced.

The Pembroke team is Patrick Burns, Dean Cullinan, Cale Fryer, Rachel Seweryniak, Joelle Fugle, Brett Jones, Andrew Reynolds, Brandon Kohorst, Ben Reiner, Christian Burn, Justin Sformo, Eva Reda-Kenrick, Sabrina Sanner and Karen Glomb.

The Attica team is Thomas Finnagan III, Cassandra McCulloch, Breanna Donnelly, Evan Reisdorf, Devin Tidwell, Naomi Lampke, Lauren Beatalan, Madison Cook, Kathrine Dusterhus and Hollie Seipel.

If you're unable to view the slide show, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

Lady Cougars drop season Opener

By Andrew Crofts

The Genesee Community College women's lacrosse team dropped their season opener on Sunday morning, falling to the Community College of Baltimore County- Essex 20-6.

The Lady Cougars trailed by a goal early before Anna Modera (Geneva, NY) tied the game at one with her first goal of the season. After two straight Essex goals, Arielle Lambert (Caledonia, NY) kept Genesee close with a goal to cut the Lady Knights' lead to 3-2. Essex took control from there, scoring the final 11 goals of the first half and took a 14-2 lead into halftime.

The Lady Knights scored four more unanswered goals to start the second half before Modera ended the Genesee scoreless streak with her second goal of the game. She would add three more goals, but it was not enough as the Lady Cougars fall to 0-1 on the season.

Anna Modera #7 scores five goals in Genesee's season opener

 

Modera finished with five goals.

The Lady Cougars will play at home again on Wednesday when they host Jefferson Community College at 4pm.

Pembroke and Attica advance to area finals in Mock Trial Tournament

By Howard B. Owens

Pembroke eked out a narrow victory over Notre Dame in the semifinals of the Mock Trial Tournament Wednesday.

The four remaining teams faced off in Warsaw.

While Pembroke won on points against Notre Dame (101 to 99), splitting the match 1-1, Attica beat Warsaw handily, 124 to 88, taking both sides (prosecution and defense) of the match.

Pembroke and Attica will square off at 5:30 p.m., Monday, in the Genesee County Courthouse with Judge Robert C. Noonan on the bench.

Which ever team wins Monday, it will be the first time in the history of the local tournament that a team other than Batavia won. Batavia went 1-3 in early competition and was knocked out before the quarterfinals.

The photos in this post are of the Notre Dame and Pembroke teams.

Notre Dame team members: Meghan Zickl, Anneliese Aliasso, Andrew Fischer, Matthew Sausher, Kendra Wall, John Lapple, Ariana Aliasso, Rosalie Mortellaro, Jake Krajewski, Brittany Perzia, Caleb Nellis, James Spear, Anna Arner, Natalie Mouton, Katie Fischer, Andrew Cheverie and Rosemary Fulmerfeld.

Pembroke team members: Dean Cullinan, Patrick Burns, Joelle Fugle, Cale Fryer, Rachel Seweryniak, Andrew Renolds, Brett Jones, Brandon Kohorst, Bea Reiner, Christian Burns, Eva Reda-Kenrick, Karen Globm, Justin Sformo and Sabrina Sanner.

Previously: Batavia knocked out of Mock Trial Tournament early; four teams left to vie for title

If you're unable to view the slide show, click here. To purchase prints of these photos (parents, you can't get these photos anywhere else), click here.

GCC Men's Lacrosse wins home Opener

By Andrew Crofts

The fourth-ranked Genesee Community College men’s lacrosse team cruised past Broome Community College on Wednesday night, defeating the Hornets 19-3 in their home opener of the 2012 season.

Coming off of their first win of the year against Finger Lakes Community College last week, the Cougars were on the board early when Connor Latimer (Whitby, ON) scored his 13th goal of the season to give Genesee the 1-0 lead. Gaehnew Printup (Tuscarora, NY) and Jon Gill (Cattaraugus Territory) followed with back-to-back goals to put Genesee out in front 3-0 with about five minutes gone by in the first quarter. The Hornets would fight back, scoring the next two goals to cut the GCC lead down to one before the Cougars took control of the game. Genesee scored the next ten goals of the first half, including a second from Latimer and Printup and a second and third from Gill, and held a 13-2 lead at the half.

GCC goalie #11 Pat McMahon makes one of his eight saves on Wednesday night against Broome Community College

The second half was more of the same as Joe Pedro (Batavia, NY) continued the Genesee scoring streak with an early third quarter goal that put the Cougars on top 14-2. Latimer scored his third goal of the game before Broome ended their scoreless drought and a 12-goal GCC scoring streak, tallying their third and final goal of the game. The Cougars would add one more third quarter goal and three goals in the fourth quarter and cruised to the 16 goal victory.

Genesee celebrates #10 Neil Kabesh's fourth quarter goal in a 19-3 win

Gill ended the night with five goals and two assists. Printup tallied three goals and four assists, Latimer netted three goals and also had an assist and Rashad Brown (Lockport, NY) was 13 of 15 on face-offs and also led the team in ground balls with nine.

Genesee split time between three goalies on the night. Pat McMahon (Amherst, NY) saw 30 minutes of action and stopped eight shots, Zack Wilson (Lewis Center, OH) played 15 minutes and made five saves and Brady Lawrence (St. Catherines, Ontario) also played 15 minutes and stopped the only shot he saw.

The Cougars improve to 2-1 on the season and will play next at Jefferson Community College on Saturday at 4pm.

Batavia knocked out of Mock Trial Tournament early; four teams left to vie for title

By Howard B. Owens

A team other than Batavia High School has a chance to win the 2012 Mock Trial Competition for the Genesee area, and following a quarter-final round Monday night, four teams are left, including two from Genesee County.

Those remaining are Pembroke, Notre Dame, Attica and Warsaw. They will compete at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Warsaw County Courthouse.

It's the first time in the nine-year history of the competition that Batavia won't be among the semi-finalists.

In fact, the team that wins this year will be the first team in nine years not from Batavia to win.

The Blue Devils failed to even make the quarter finals.

A first-time quarterfinalist, however, was Pavilion, which had never won a trial before this year.

Pavilion has two new coaches -- Thomas A. Burns, a Batavia-based attorney, and Assistant District Attorney William Zickl Kevin T. Finnell.

The 2012 case involves an assault at a nightclub. The victim and the suspect were known to each other prior to the night of the attack. The victim bumped into the alleged attacker and spilled his/her drink. The suspect gave, according to witnesses, "a look that could kill." The victim was struck on the back of the head. The victim did not see the face of his/her attacker, but he/she believes he/she recognized the voice of the attacker singing a rap song about hitting a person on the head with a crowbar. The arresting officer is an admittedly rogue cop who works alone and uses his/her own investigative techniques. The cop previously Tasered and arrested the suspect on a case that was thrown out and for which the cop was disciplined and denied a promotion.

It's apparently a tough case for the prosecuting teams to win.

In mock trials, however, points are awarded on a number of factors and it's possible for the prosecution to lose the case but win on points, or conversely, the defense can lose the case and win on points.

The photos are of the Pavilion and Notre Dame teams.

Pavilion Team members: Joshua Yunke, Mackenzie Grasso, Tiffani Bragg, Hannah Smart, Gabrielle Henry, Heather Stefan, Austin Wolcott, Alexis Boundry and Sara Thompson.

Notre Dame team members: Meghan Zickl, Anneliese Aliasso, Andrew Fischer, Matthew Sausher, Kendra Wall, John Lapple, Ariana Aliasso, Rosalie Mortellaro, Jake Krajewski, Brittany Perzia, Caleb Nellis, James Spear, Anna Arner, Natalie Mouton, Katie Fischer, Andrew Cheverie and Rosemary Fulmerfeld.

Judges in the pictures are Eric, Adams, Jerry Ader and Micahel Mohun. Also judging during the quarter finals was William Zickl.

The finals will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Genesee County Courthouse with Judge Robert C. Noonan on the bench.

If you're unable to view the slide show, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

Batavia Blue Devils JV team wins pair of tournaments

By Howard B. Owens

2012 March Madness 8TH Grade Champions
 
White team standing from left to right: Greg Mruczeck, Mike Rose, Matt Roach, Coach Alex Brasky, Xavier Green, Nashiem Harris, Coach Cam McDonald
Kneeling from Left to Right. Andrew Mruczek, Alex Candy, Tyler Prospero, Adonis Davis.

2012 Rochester Bash Tourney 8th Grade Champions
 
Blue team standing from left to right: Xavier Green, Terrell Mapes, Coach Alex Brasky, Jacob Schrider, Greg Mruczeck, Nashiem Harris
Kneeling from Left to Right. Mike Rose, Alex Candy, Tyler Prospero, Adonis Davis. Andrew Mruczek

Info and photos submitted by Joseph Prospero.

Elba celebrates Lady Lancers' state championship

By Howard B. Owens

Cheering, chanting, hugs and tears of joy were all part of a big celebration in Elba last night as the Lady Lancers brought home their Class D State Champions trophy.

"It’s amazing," said Meg Stucko. "It’s like  the best day of my life. I never thought the whole community would come together like this. It’s really awesome."

The whole community could celebrate together because the community won together.

Head Coach Tom Nowak praised dozens of volunteers, from scorekeepers to parents who traveled the state to videotape potential opponents in tournament games, along with all the fans who turned out to support the girls.

“They say it takes a whole community to raise a child,” Nowak said. “It takes a whole community to raise a state champion.”

The celebration in the gym followed a lights and sirens escort by the Elba Volunteer Fire Department through the village.

MacKenzie Bezon, who was Most Valuable Player of the title game, was amazed by the public's response.

"I can’t believe our community did this," Bezon said. "It’s not like just we won the championship. It’s the whole town. I just can’t believe it happened. We’ve been working so hard. I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was a dream."

Nowak said he was exceptionally proud that the Lady Lancers, who knew what to do, executed the game plan and their plays, and stayed in control.

"This is the most composed group of young ladies I've ever been associated with," Nowak said. "I was able to relax because I knew what they could do on the court."

After explaining the story because somebody told him recently "Coach, nobody is perfect," Nowak ended his remarks to thunderous applause when he said, "Right now and forever, these girls are a perfect 25-0."

If you're unable to view the slide show, click here. To purchase photos, click here.

Lady Lancers win state championship

By Howard B. Owens

The Elba Lady Lancers finish out 2012 with a perfect 25-0 season and a state championship after a win at Hudson Valley Community College today.

Elba beat Argyle High School 48--34 to take the team's first-ever state title.

Yesterday, Elba beat #1 seed South Kortright in the Class D semi-final to move on to today's final game.

McKenzie Bezon was named MVP and Meg Stucko was named to the All-Star Team. Kelsey Bezon won the Sportsmanship Award.

Notre Dame knocked out of state tournament

By Howard B. Owens

Sackets Harbor beat Notre Dame today in the semi-finals of the boys basketball tournament in Glens Falls.

The final score: 50 to 40.

It's only the second loss of the season for the Fighting Irish, who won their first Section V title since 2001 and the Western Regional title.

Five Genesee County hockey players picked to play in Bowman Cup games

By Howard B. Owens

Genesee County will be well represented in the 8th Annual Scotty Bowman Showcase, a hockey tournament sponsored by the Buffalo Sabres, with five local players making the junior and senior squads.

Named to the teams are three players from Notre Dame High School-- Zach Blew, Tyler Kessler and Brett Perfitt -- and two from Batavia HS -- Tom Grammatico and Josh Marr.

The games will be played March 20 at First Niagara Center. Tickets for the event are $5.

The first game begins at 6 p.m. and pits all-star squads from Buffalo and Rochester made up of players in their junior year of high school.

The senior game is at 7:30 p.m. and the winner of that match will be awarded the Bowman Cup. Buffalo has a 6-1 advantage in the tournament.

All five Batavia-area players will be on the Rochester teams.

Scotty Bowman, a former head coach, notched more NHL wins than any coach in history. The coach will be on hand to present the Bowman Cup to the winning team.

Notre Dame Head Coach was also named a Bowman team coach.

Lady Lancers put pressure on Clymer, grab regional crown in Canandaigua

By Howard B. Owens

The plan against Clymer, Elba Head Coach Tom Nowak said, was to play a fast-paced game and wear down the Clymer girls.

"We felt with them not having a lot of depth -- they didn't use a lot of depth during the season -- that we thought we would just try to up-tempo the game a little bit," Nowak said. "We thought that might create some turnovers and down the stretch maybe not be as effective on offense."

The strategy paid off and Clymer was just 3-14 from the floor in the final quarter, allowing the Lady Lancers to pull away with a 53-37 victory and a slot in the state Class D championship final four.

Clymer features some height and athleticism down front, and center Meg Stucko said the Lancers prepared well for what they were going to face.

"We practiced a lot all week for their forwards," Stucko said. "We kind of knew what they were going to do and what we were going to do, so we were ready for it."

Forced turnovers kind of told the story of the game, with Elba's defense taking the ball away a number of times, especially on transitions.

Nowak said, "that's kind of our bread and butter."

Elba is now 23-0 on the season and will face South Kortright (22-0), the state's top-ranked Class D team at 9 a.m. March 17 at Hudson Valley Community College.

"We’re all really excited because we all really want to go to state so bad," Stucko said. "That’s what we’re most excited about, just the chance to be in the state final four is really awesome."

Prints of photos from the game can be purchase by clicking here.

If you can't view the slide show below, click here.

Subscribe to Sports

Authentically Local