Notre Dame's girls soccer team beat Fillmore today for their first-ever sectional win, 1-0.
Pete Welker supplied us with three photos from the game. Above, Burgandy Bartlett kicks the only goal of the game.
Bailee Welker
Tess Diskin with the ball.
The Genesee Community College volleyball team captured the Region III Division II title on Tuesday night, defeating Mercyhurst North East three sets to none.
The Lady Cougars dominated the first set, winning 16 of the first 18 points. They went on to win, 25-9.
GCC took an 8-1 lead in the second set and never saw their lead drop below six points at any time. They took the second set, 25-17.
Mercyhurst held their first lead of the match early in the third set when they jumped out in front 2-0. Genesee scored nine of the next ten points, taking a 9-3 and never looked back, winning the final set 25-10.
Leyinska Quiles had 23 assists and four digs, Carrie Blunt had eight kills, Stephanie Maddox tallied five digs and four aces and Karin Davis added nine digs.
Maddox, Quiles and Blunt were named to the Region III Division II All-Tournament team for GCC. Davis was named the MVP.
The Lady Cougars will move on to the NJCAA District Tournament, which begins on November 3rd.
The Genesee Community College men’s soccer team edged out Erie Community College in the quarterfinals of the Region III playoffs on Tuesday night, downing the visiting Kats 1-0.
A slick pitch caused the Cougars to lack offensive rhythm throughout the match as a number of passes sailed off the mark. Genesee had only a few scoring opportunities in the first half, including a cross from Dom Francis to Aaron Dunks midway through, that Dunks shot over the Erie net from about 20 yards out.
(Liam Ross, yellow, starts the charge for GCC in Tuesday night's Region III playoff match)
Dunks would make up for it, as the freshman tallied the only goal of the game in the 49th minute of the second half to put the Cougars on the board. GCC was unable to capitalize on another scoring chance the rest of the night, but Jake O’Leary kept Erie off the board while in net for the Cougars.
Genesee, the overall number one seed, will move on to the semifinals this weekend in Herkimer, NY. The Cougars will take on Tompkins-Cortland Community College on Saturday afternoon at 3pm.
Press release:
King Otra ($3.60), getting a crafty drive from veteran reinsman Tony Morgan, made every pole a winning one, taking his first $9,000 Open Pace of the season on Saturday night (Oct.20) at Batavia Downs Casino
Leaving from the rail King Otra got plenty of respect from the other six rivals strolling to the first quarter in :28.3, as the field lined up in post-position order. A 30-second, second quarter breather gave the 5-year-old altered son of Western Ideal a big advantage on the top end as field reached the half.
Down the backside the “King” began to lengthen his stride pacing a :28.3 third quarter. A :28.1 final stanza sealed the deal with King Otra going on to a 1-3/4th length score over Cole Hard Cash (Dan Noble) and the pocket sitter, Spender Hanover (Jack Flanigen).
King Otra was claimed for $10,000 back on July 14 at Buffalo Raceway by current owner and now trainer Linda Magnusson. Since the claim he has won eight times and is Western New York’s winningest pacer with 13 victories in 2012. He raised his seasonal earnings to $58,413.
Jacqueline Ball, of Batavia, corrected selected all nine winners in the final free handicapping contest of the season at Batavia Downs and takes home the top prize of $500. A total of 268 patrons participated in the handicapping contest.
The Pick-6 carryover pool continues to build and starts out at $1,860 when racing resumes on Tuesday night, the final Tuesday program of the season. Post time is 6:25 p.m.
Submitted by Mike Henry:
The Batavia Bulldawgs varsity squad beat Akron 36-12 to earn a spot in the NOFA League Championship game. They will play Bar-Lyn next Saturday at 5 p.m. in Medina.
Photo and info submitted by Justine Bonarigo:
Batavia High School's varsity cheerleading squad placed first in the Co-Ed Division at Webster Schroeder Competition held Sunday. They will take on the sectional competition this Saturday at R.I.T. for the Class B division title.
The team includes: Samantha Saraceni (captain), Codie Grazioplene (captain), Macey McCulley, Whitney Athoe, James Murphy, Megan Wilcox, Miranda Reed, Heather Lewis, Makaela Kitcho, Katie Garlock, Danielle DellaPenna, Kayla Corp, Alexandria Ernst, Allison Smith, Teiona Kemp and Alex Rebman. Coached by Marianne Sallome and Justine Bonarigo.
Notre Dame has faced Dundee in four of the past five seasons of sectional play, losing in overtime on a questionable no-call penalty, falling in a blow-out where some thought Dundee ran up the score, and then failing to hold a late fourth-quarter lead.
The tables were turned on Dundee today as the Fighting Irish notched a first-round victory 28-6.
ND went after Dundee with a well-distributed offense. Touchdowns were scored by Nick Taylor, Tim Culley and Anthony Paladino. McCulley also connected with Taylor on a TD pass.
McCulley was 7-15 on the day for 128 yards, the TD, plus two interceptions.
Taylor gained 128 yards on 17 carries. He also had four receptions for 65 yards. Andrew Mullen rushed 13 times for 91 yards.
Charlie Bebert caught the ball three times for 63 yards.
Defensively, Taylor had six tackles, Brian VonKramer, five, Herbert, 5.5 and Mullen 4.5. Mullen added an interception, as did Josh Johnson. Joe Ryan notched a sack.
For Dundee, Aksel Jensen scored their lone TD and rushed five times for 27 yards.
Photos by Bare Antolos.
More photos by Bare after the jump (click on the headline):
Bath put together two long drives in the first and second quarter, grinding out yards down after down, three and four yards at a time with runs up the gut, chewing up the clock.
On the first drive, a fumble on the two-yard line put the ball into the hands of the Elba/Byron-Bergen offense, but the Lancers were forced to punt four downs later.
On the second drive, the Rams punched through the right side of the Lancers line, and those six points stood the test of the remaining time.
In the second quarter, the Lancers' defense turned back Bath possession after possession, forcing multiple three-and-outs and claiming a couple of turn overs.
But tit-for-tat, the Rams' defense remained just as stout, bottling up the Lancers' big back, Zack DuBois, whose only long run from scrimmage was canceled by a penalty.
"They did a nice job of taking away cutback lanes and that’s where Zack has his success, cut back or get to the outside," said Lancers Head Coach Michael Cintorino.
This was a game fought in the trenches.
"We knew we had to come out and play physical football and I think they did," Cintorino said. "It was a little bit of an awakening in the first half. In the second half, I think we came out and did exactly what we needed to do."
As the clock wore down in the fourth quarter, QB Zac Gillard was forced to look for open receivers down field and with less than three minutes to go he thought he found Kyle Dougherty. But Dougherty lost his footing when he tried to cut on the soggy turf. That left Bath's Matt Nevius alone to play centerfield and haul in Gillard's pass with a basket catch.
Another interception on the Lancers' next possession pretty much sealed Elba/BB's fate and sent the Rams to the next round of sectional play. Next Saturday, they play Le Roy.
"This is a team that can definitely make a run, but at the same time I’m proud of our boys, who came out and had an opportunity to win the football game on multiple occasions," Cintorino said.
Bath had lost this year to Batavia and Le Roy, but coming into sectionals, the Rams have two starters returning from injuries, including one, Cintorino said, who otherwise missed the entire season.
"We knew coming in they were a good team," Cintorino said. "We’re the third-seeded team and we’re playing a team that probably should have been somewhere in the top four. If you could squeeze five teams into the top four, Bath definitely belongs there."
Most of this year's Lancers have been playing together since eighth grade and they've come a long way as a team, as players and as men, Cintorino said.
"I am extremely proud of them," Cintorino said. "I wish we could have gotten a couple of more weeks of play together, but I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in the time we’ve had."
If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here.
It was the running game that once again carried Le Roy to victory.
The Oatkan Knights rushed for 1,975 yards this season. Peter Privitera ran for nearly half of those yards, but with the junior out due to injury, the Knights leaned on a stable of backs to run past Holley in their Class C first round matchup, 26 to 18.
After averaging 282 yards per game on the ground during the regular season, Le Roy pounded the Holley defense for 314 yards on 58 attempts.
In the absence of Privitera, Coach Brian Moran used Tom Kelso, Marcus Mistersaro, Dylan Johnson and Kylan Carter to fill the void. While Mistersaro and Kelso have played an integral part of the offense all season long, it was Carter who stepped up with several big runs.
Coming into the game, Carter had only carried the ball two times all season.
On the last home game of his career, he exploded for 110 yards on nine carries, including a 52-yard dash that helped set up the second touchdown of the game.
“This was our last home game and I held nothing back,” Carter said. “I played like a senior tonight.”
Another senior stepped up to the plate for the Knights, and that was fullback Dylan Johnson, who accounted for all 26 Le Roy points. Johnson scored four touchdowns and added two extra points, including the game-winning 18-yard run and PAT with 2:16 remaining in the ball game.
Le Roy got a break early, as Holley marched into Knights’ territory on the first drive of the game, but Mistersaro recovered a Nick Conklin fumble on a short yardage play.
After a few Kelso runs, Mistersaro burst free for a 35-yard scamper to set up a Johnson scoring plunge. Johnson would score again to put the Knights up 13-0 at the end of the first quarter
It appeared as if Le Roy might run away with the game, but the Hawks responded quickly.
Holley senior running back Cadizsh Norford took control of the second frame, cutting the lead to 13-6 as he darted up the middle for a 23-yard touchdown run.
After forcing Le Roy to punt on their next possession, the Hawks got the ball on their own 38 with just before halftime. On the first play of the drive, Norford took a direct snap, faked a pass and sprinted 62 yards for another touchdown to make the score 13 to 12 at the half.
“I’ve been here 24 years and [Norford] is as good as I’ve ever seen,” Moran said.
In desperate need of keeping the ball out of Norford’s hands after running for 124 yards on nine carries in the first half, the Knights proceeded to march 60 yards on 18 plays, consuming 10:45 of the third quarter. The long drive was capped by Johnson’s third touchdown of the game.
Even after a chop block penalty pushed them back 15 yards, the Le Roy offense continued to pound at the Hawks' defense until reaching the end zone.
“That’s old-school Le Roy football,” Moran said. “It shows that our kids are physically fit and it shows their mental preparation.”
Norford fired right back, receiving a pass from Kyle Bell for a 43-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 19-18.
After trading punts, the Knights embarked on an 80-yard scoring drive that took up 5:31 on the clock, and was finished off by Johnson’s final touchdown with 2:16 remaining to seal the game.
Moran made a point to control the clock in the second half, particularly with the explosive Norford on the opposite side. Le Roy dominated the time of possession down the stretch, ticking off 20:49.
When Holley took possession down 26-18, they had run only six offensive plays in the entire half.
“It does two things,” he said. “It puts pressure on them to score touchdowns and it puts us in a good situation to win because we have used up so much time.”
Holley (4-4) played a hard-fought game, with Norford finishing with 10 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns, while catching four passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Kelso finished the game with 80 yards on 26 carries, while Mistersaro racked up 90 yards for the second consecutive week.
Le Roy (7-1) advances to the Class C Semi-Finals next Saturday at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester for a 1:30 p.m. start.
They will play the winner of today's Elba/Byron-Bergen and Bath game.
In other Friday night sectional play: Batavia fell to East Rochester in a Section V playoff match, 35-20. Justin Washington scored on a 14-yard pass from Brett Scheuerlein in the second quarter. In the fourth, James Soggs scored on a six-yard run and Cody Swimline caught a five-yard pass from Scheuerlein for another TD.
In Connors and Ferris Bowl games, Cal-Mum beat Alexander, 36-6, Oakfield-Alabama beat Bolivar-Richburg 42-0 and Pembroke topped Geneseo 26-0.
In other Section V playoff action today, Notre Dame hosts longtime post-season nemesis Dundee.
In other games of note on Friday, Attica stomped Mynderse 61-8, and Hornell, which dropped down a class this season, continued its 40+ game winning streak, beating Wayland-Cohocton 41-13. Elba, Le Roy, Attica and Hornell are all Class C teams. Hornell and Attica face off in a semi-final game next week in Rochester.
If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here.
Photos by Howard Owens.
Alexander High School has never had a hockey team, but starting this season, players there will get to play varsity level hockey for the first time.
Batavia HS is facing a shortage of varsity level players this year, so Alexander and Batavia will come together to form the Batavia/Alexander Ice Devils.
Batavia Athletic Director Mike Bromley said when school officials realized there would be a shortage of players this year, the school held a meeting with the parents of hockey players and the parents took the initiative to get the puck rolling on a possible merger with Alexander.
Once the idea was raised, things came together pretty quickly, Bromley said.
"Several students (in Alexander) expressed an interest," Bromley said. "We expect that anywhere from five to 10 students may try out."
The problem the Ice Devils faced, Bromley said, is that several seniors graduated after last season and then three varsity players elected to play in another, more advanced, hockey league.
That left Batavia not only with fewer players but also with a team of mostly ninth- and 10th-graders.
"There's a lot of hitting in hockey," Bromley said. "Hockey can be just as tough physically as football, but where you play only one game a week in football, with hockey sometimes you play two or three games a week, and trying to play ninth- and 10th-graders out there could be tough."
For Alexander, the opportunity is welcome by administrators, parents and players alike, said Athletic Director Ben Whitmore.
"All of these kids play together in youth leagues and they always dreamed of playing high school hockey, so to be able to give them that chance is very exciting," Whitmore said.
Press release:
There's no doubt who the sharpest race mare in Western New York is these days, it's definitely You're Too Funny. She overcame the eight-hole Wednesday night (Oct. 18), to score her third straight victory in the $9,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace at Batavia Downs.
Driven by Jack Flanigen, You're Too Funny ($5.80) has now won four times and finished second four times in her last eight starts in the weekly Wednesday feature, giving her great credentials for "Horse of the Year" honors.
Sitting dead last at the half, You're Too Funny slowly started her winning rally. The field became double-decked down the backstretch and You're Too Funny was still seventh at the three-quarter pole, fourth over. Flanigen then guided her out four-wide down the stretch, unleashing a wicked stretch drive and beat another fast closer, Miss Two Punch (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) by a neck and Romania Hanover (Shawn Gray) in 1:55.2 over the fast track. Romania Hanover may be one to watch for next week as she was parked out for almost three-quarters of a mile.
Owned by Greg Capell, of Batavia, and trained by Chris Naedele, You're Too Funny now has 11 wins in 25 starts and increased her bankroll to $55,034 in 2012.
The horses return to the track on Friday night at Batavia Downs with the $9,000 Open Trot scheduled as the feature in the seventh race. Big Baller, after a week off, returns and will open as the 8-5 morning line favorite with Dan Noble in the sulky.
To get the latest news and information on Batavia Downs or to watch streaming video of the races, go to www.batavia-downs.com
#7 Batavia Blue Devils (3-4) vs. #2 East Rochester/Gananda Bombers (6-1)
7 p.m., Friday
Batavia enters their Class B first round matchup against East Rochester/Gananda riding a three-game losing streak, and has lost three out of the last four.
Despite the recent lack of success and a few injuries this week, first year Head Coach Brennan Briggs is still optimistic about his team’s chances of pulling off the upset.
“We are due to play 48 minutes of football because we haven’t in the last three weeks,” Briggs said. “If we execute and know our assignments, we can win this football game.”
To key to the Blue Devils’ success will be the playmaking ability of wide receiver Justin Washington. The senior is capable of making big plans in the return game, running and catching the ball.
“We have been working on a few different ways to get him the ball, whether it’s running or passing,” Briggs said. “We think [Washington] is the best athlete on the field on any given night.”
If Washington can break loose, and the Blue Devils overcome their injuries, they have a chance to beat the Bombers on Friday night.
#7 Holley Hawks (4-3) vs. #2 Le Roy Oatkan Knights (6-1)
7 p.m., Friday
Second-seeded Le Roy will host the seventh seed Holley in the first round of the Section V Class C Football Playoffs on Friday night in a matchup of Livingston County and Genesee Region League teams.
Le Roy is coming off an emotional come-from-behind win against rival Cal-Mum last week, as they scored 10 points in the final four minutes of the game to squeak out a victory.
The Knights’ only loss on the season came against Perry in Week 6, but leading rusher Peter Privitera did not play in the game, nor did he last week due to injury. Privitera has rushed for 834 yards and 10 touchdowns in five games this season, while Marcus Mistersaro has 362 yards, 3 touchdowns and 9.8 yards per carry.
Mistersaro stepped in for the injured Privitera last week and ran for 90 yards, including 63 on the game-winning drive against Cal-Mum.
Le Roy averages 282 rushing yards per game, so Holley will have to slow down the running attack in order to have an opportunity to win.
While the Hawks enter the game with more wins than losses, they have a 1-3 record against teams with a winning record for the season.
#6 Bath Rams (4-3) vs. #2 Elba/Byron-Bergen Lancers (6-1)
1:30 p.m., Saturday
Elba/Byron-Bergen will host Bath in a Class C first round matchup on Saturday afternoon and the player to watch is undoubtedly Lancers running back Zack DuBois.
The senior led the Genesee Region League in rushing with 1,572 yards and 16 touchdowns. DuBois also ran for 200 yards in 5 of 7 games he played this year, and never rushed for less than 113. His average of 224.6 yards per game and 10.3 yards per carry were also tops in the league.
If Elba can get DuBois rolling early, it will open up the passing game for quarterback Zac Gillard, who has 881 yards, 12 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions on the season.
Defensively, they are led by four-time Section V Class C Defensive Player of the Week Andy Underhill.
The junior linebacker led the Lancers with 132 tackles, averaging almost 19 per game. While Bath comes in with a 1-3 record against teams with winning records, they did defeat a strong Livonia squad, so the Rams will be a tough first round matchup for Elba/Byron-Bergen.
#4 Dundee Scotsmen (3-4) vs. #1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1)
1:30 p.m., Saturday
While Notre Dame is coming off an emotional high last week after defeating Attica to force a three-way tie for the Genesee Region League Championship, the 76 to 14 drubbing that Dundee gave the Irish in the 2009 Class D Championship game is still fresh in the mind of Head Coach Rick Mancuso.
Notre Dame will look to avenge that loss and the attack will begin with do-it-all quarterback Tim McCulley. The junior led the G-R League in passing yards and his 16 touchdown passes were also tops in the league.
McCulley is also extremely effective running the ball if the pocket breaks down, as he did last week 11 times for 79 yards. The McCulley-to-Jared Thornton connection has been hot as of late, with the two hooking up 10 times for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns in the victory against Attica.
If Dundee wants to upset the number-one seed in Class D, they will have to do so by shutting down Irish passing attack.
Notre Dame fell in the Class D Finals a year ago, and has not won a championship since 2006.
Article submitted by Andrew Crofts, GCC sports information director. Photos by Howard Owens.
It was the most anticipated regular season matchup in Genesee Community College men's soccer history. The #2 Cougars welcomed the #1 Herkimer County Community College Generals to town in a rematch of last year's NJCAA Division III National Championship game. The game lived up to the hype.
Both teams entered Tuesday night's showdown with identical 14-1 records. The Cougars won the Western New York Athletic Conference title this season and the Generals took care of the Mountain Valley Conference. Tuesday night's winner likely will determine next week's number one team in the National Poll.
Not wanting to give up the top spot, Herkimer jumped out in front just under three minutes into the first half. The Generals capitalized on a penalty kick that came as a result of a GCC handball in the box. Jordan Stoddart converted on the kick.
Genesee's best chance to tie in the first half came late when Dom Francis sent a lefty bid from just outside the box that hit the crossbar, keeping the score 1-0 in favor of the visitors. The Cougars trailed by the same score at the break.
GCC notched the equalizer about 10 minutes into the second half when Theo Stamotopolous chipped in a goal off of a corner kick to tie the score at one. It was his third goal in two games.
Both teams played scoreless soccer for nearly 30 minutes after that until GCC broke through. Set up with another corner kick, Sam Cassidy sent the cross in front of the Generals net that was headed in by Cody Niccloy to give Genesee a 2-1 lead with about five minutes remaining.
The Cougars were able to hold off Herkimer for the final five minutes and knocked off the country's number one team, 2-1.
Niccloy's game-winning goal is his second of the season. He also tallied the winner against Mercyhurst North East in double-overtime in September.
Jake O'Learly played all 90 minutes in net for GCC and made six saves.
The win is the second regular season victory for Genesee over Herkimer in the last two years. The Cougars defeated the Generals 1-0 during the regular season last year, before falling 4-1 in the National Championship game.
Genesee improves to 15-1 overall and will conclude their regular season on Thursday night when they travel to Bryant and Stratton College for a 4 p.m. start.
If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here.
It was a great fall day to be out at Genesee County Park for the final regular season meet for the Notre Dame Cross Country Teams. Both the boys and girls swept Alexander, Attica, Pembroke and Pavilion on 'Senior Night.' With the wins, the girls team clinched the Division III GR/LCAA title, last accomplished in 2002. Laurie Call was the race winner in 19:54 and Anna Warner was second with 20:05. Emily McCracken was fourth in 20:32, Shelby McGinnis placed 8th in 21:12 and Rose Flumerfeldt rounded out the scoring in 19th with 23:32. The rest of the Irish pack took 20th through 22nd with Hannah Pingrey (23:57), Madison Gluck (24:18) and Emily Sherman (24:36).
In the boys meet, Jeff Antolos added another course record to his name running a 15:28 to smash the old record of 16:08. Arron Carlson took 4th with 17:14, Justin Carlson 5th in 18:01 and Dennis Bleier sprinted past Alec Covel in 18:42 to take 10th and 11th respectively. Ryan Fuller placed 13th in 19:08 and Bryan Moscicki placed 23rd (21:24).
The Irish will next be in action at the GRLCAA Championships (Counties) on Thursday, October 25 at Leroy High School, with the first race going off at 4:30.
Press release:
Tuesday, October 16th has been a date circled on the Genesee Community College men's soccer calendar since their 2012 schedule was announced over the summer. Genesee Community College vs. Herkimer County Community College.
Tuesday night will bring the most anticipated matchup in the history of the GCC Soccer program. The Cougars, currently ranked number two in the NJCAA Division III National Poll, will sport their 14-1 overall record against the Generals, the number-one ranked team in the National Poll, who also hold a 14-1 record.
The last time these two teams met was last November when both squads played for the Junior College National Championship. Herkimer defeated Genesee 4-1, en route to their eighth National Championship in school history. Genesee had defeated Herkimer 1-0 in their regular season matchup last fall.
The only blemish on GCC's season so far came against Division I Monroe Community College in early September. The Tribunes defeated Genesee 4-1. After the loss, Genesee put together 13 straight victories and claimed their second straight Western New York Athletic Conference title, finishing a perfect 5-0 in conference play. Herkimer's only defeat came against Division I Mercer County Community College (PA). The Generals fell to Mercer CCC 2-0 earlier this month.
All-American sophomore Dominic Francis will pace the Cougars offense against the number-one squad in the country. The forward currently leads all of NJCAA Division III in scoring and surpassed the GCC single-season scoring record, tallying 27 goals this fall (the previous mark was 23). The Genesee defense and goalkeepers have combined for seven shutouts against opponents this year and have held teams to just 0.9 goals per game.
The showdown will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night and admission is free. It will be the final regular season home game for the Cougars this season and likely determine the number one team in next weeks National Poll.
Genesee Community College athletics program endeavors to provide a quality and competitive intercollegiate athletics program consistent with the National Junior Collegiate Athletics Association (NJCAA) philosophy and the overall educational mission of Genesee Community College. Participation in collegiate athletics should be an extension of the total educational experience for the student athlete. The inherent philosophy emphasizes the athletic setting as a classroom used to teach character, commitment, work ethic, respect for differences, and the importance of sacrifice, teamwork and cooperation.
For further information and pictures go to Genesee's Athletic Web page, which is updated regularly with game results, team rosters, photographs and information about Genesee's overall athletic program. http://www.genesee.edu/athletics
The Notre Dame Girls Cross Country team captured second place at the Dragon Invitational at Pembroke Town Park. The ladies were led by third place finisher Laurie Call in 20:04 followed by Anna Warner in 4th place in 20:14. Shelby McGinnis moved up to the third Irish spot with her 12th place finish in 21:28. Emily McCracken placed 19th in 22:25 and Rose Flumerfeldt rounded out scoring in taking 32nd (24:02). Hannah Pingrey was 34th (24:15), Madison Gluck 35th (24:19), and Emily Sherman 39th (25:14).
The Boy's team placed third in the invite with Jeffrey Antolos smashing the course record and winning the race by 1 1/2 minutes in 15:38. Arron Carlson rebounded from Tuesday's ambulance visit to place 3rd in 17:32. Justin Carlson placed 17th in 19:00, Dennis Bleier moved up the ranks to place 20th in 19:24, Alec Covel 22nd in 19:44, Ryan Fuller 26th in 20:01 and Bryan Moscicki 33rd in 20:51.
The Irish are in action on Tuesday at Genesee County Park Course 1 at 5:00 and will recognize the senior runners in their final league meet.
Dr. Micheal Merrill shared these pictures of the Batavia HS girls cross-country team from their meet Saturday in Alden. There are no results available from the meet.
Tim McCulley and Jared Thornton made quite a duo on Saturday, helping to lead the way for a Notre Dame victory over Attica in an overtime game, 32-26.
The quarterback and receiver connected 10 times for 240 yards and four touchdowns.
The two biggest plays came in the fourth quarter and OT.
Down 26-18 with less than three minutes on the clock, Thornton jumped off sides to turn a fourth-and-five into a fourth-and-10.
"I just wanted to make it up to my teammates," Thornton said. "I just tried to make it up best I could."
When the ball was snapped on that fourth-down play, McCulley dropped back and looked for Thornton cutting across the field. He put the ball up and Thornton snagged it.
I just wanted to make the first down," Thornton said. "I caught the ball and somebody hit me, but I just bounced right off him so I just kept going."
The score followed by a two-point conversion knotted the game at 26 apiece.
On its next possession, Attica stalled and with less than 30 seconds on the clock, just let time expire, deciding to roll the dice on OT.
The Blue Devils won first possession of OT and on the first play from scrimmage, QB Austin Skawienski ran a sweep to the far sideline. Attica dodged a bullet when he fumbled the ball was ruled down before the ball sprung loose.
Two plays later, Skawienski tried for a corner end zone pass but Notre Dame's Josh Johnson stepped in front of the ball and pulled it down.
The Irish took possession on the 20-yard line, but before the first snap, a player jumped off sides.
From the 25, McCulley dropped back to pass, Thornton streaked toward the back corner of the end zone, McCulley tossed it high, Thornton jumped, but so did Zach Kozma. Kozma actually got his hands on the ball first, but Thornton pulled it away.
As the players tumbled to the ground, Thornton's helmet popped off, but he held firm to the ball.
TD and a ND win, 32-26.
"He’s really good at jump balls, kind of like Calvin Johnson, I guess," McCulley said of Thorton. "I just throw it up there and he goes up to get it."
With the win, Notre Dame secured a first-round home game in sectional play.
"It was a fantastic game," said Head Coach Rick Mancuso. "I thought both teams played their hearts out. It’s a shame that anybody had to lose that game. I give all the credit in the world to Attica. They lose the quarterback in the first quarter and they gutted it out and they gave it everything they possible had. We just managed to pull it out in the end. I’m really proud of our guys."
The Irish defense had their hands full with junior running back Matt Perry who carried the ball 27 times for 181 yards and one TD.
"Perry is a workhorse," Mancuso said. "He can take the ball 50 times and be as tough on the last carry as the first carry. He’s a heck of running back and they have a great line."
QB Skawienski was 3-6 for 58 yards and one interception for Attica. He replaced Corey Ruddock in the first quarter after Ruddock was transported by Mercy EMS to an area hospital with possible back and leg injuries.
While Attica dominated on the ground -- 287 total yards to Notre Dame's 139, the Irish looked at times like Air Coryell. McCulley was as likely to drop back and look for an open man as he was to hand it off. On the day, the junior QB was 14-22 for 270 yards and the four TD tosses to Thornton.
On the ground, McCulley carried the ball 11 times for 79 yards. Nick Taylor had six carries for 35 yards and Andrew Mullen had six carries for 25 yards.
In those final minutes of the fourth quarter, the situation did look pretty bleak for the Fighting Irish.
After the Blue Devils marched the ball 70 yards down field, and knocking at the door of another TD, Perry coughed the ball up on the one-yard line.
That could have been a turning point for Notre Dame, a chance, down 19-18, to move the ball into scoring position.
After a second-down penalty negated the positive gain of a first-yard play, McCulley ran a bootleg. He never made it out of the end zone. While it appeared that he was trying to pass the ball while being dragged by Jake Dollard, the play was ruled a fumble. Attica recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
For a lot of teams, that would have been the game right there.
"I just told my guys, a win starts with belief," said senior lineman John Lapple. "If you believe you can win, great things can happen, never go down on yourself. You’re always positive and you know what’s going on."
On defense, Aaron McDonald and Josh Johnson had nine tackles apiece. Johnson also had the interception. Thornton and Taylor each had 6.5 tackles. Jason Hart and Charlie Hebert had five apiece.
In other football action Saturday:
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Tie game, the 80th meeting of Cal-Mum and Le Roy, and a coach on the side lines yells, "Just give it to Mistersaro."
During the next drive, Marcus Mistersaro's #40 was called at least four times and the senior who is listed on the roster as a tight end, gained most of the 95 yards he had on the night in those carries.
With runs of 28 and 31 yards, Mistersaro helped set up a three-yard push by Tom Kelso with 39 seconds left in the game to give the Oatkan Knights a 19-12 win.
The loss for the Red Raiders (4-3) knocks Cal Mum out of the playoff picture for the first time in a long, long time.
The Knights (6-1) were already guaranteed a first game at home for the Section V Class C tournament.
After the game, Head Coach Brian Moran praised Mistersaro's work ethic.
"There’s a perfect example of a young man who spent his winter in the weight room and it showed in the 4th quarter," Moran said. "He just dominated the 4th quarter.
"There was a young man who put the weight of the team on his shoulders and said, ‘we’re not going to lose tonight,' " Moran added.
It was a big deal, Mistersaro said, to be given a chance to make a contribution in a big game.
"It means a lot," Mistersaro said. "It's 12-12 against Cal-Mum. You just kind of have to step it up."
For senior outside linebacker Archie Cappotelli the win was special on a couple of levels. One, his family is from Cal-Mum. Two, it's the first time senior players from Le Roy experienced a win against the Red Raiders.
"It means a lot to the whole team," Cappotelli said. "We’ve all been working hard since the beginning of August and even before that in the weight room."
The 6-1 record, Cappotelli said, proves what the players knew even before the season started. This is a good football team.
"Everybody was down on us at the beginning of the season, but we’ve been showing them," Cappotelli said. "We can play. We’re for real. We’re ready to go for sectionals now. This game is going to feel good for tonight, but next week we’ve got to focus and get ready for our next team."
You knew this was going to be a hard-fought game when the first quarter ended without a score from either side.
Cal-Mum got on the board first with a two-yard run by Kurtis Haut, but failed its two-point conversion attempt.
Le Roy struck back on the next drive when QB Mike McMullen hooked up with Ryan McQuillen on a 53-yard pass. A Dylan Johnson extra point made the score 7-6.
The Red Raiders opened the second half with a TD drive capped by Haut's one-yard dive into the end zone.
But the Knights didn't get down, Cappotelli said.
"We never gave up," Cappotelli said. "This team is like a big family. We're all good, ready to go. We knew we were going to win."
A safety later in the quarter made the score 12-9, setting up a big decision in the fourth quarter when Le Roy was near its own end zone on 4th down with four yards needed for a first down.
At first, Moran sent out the offensive unit, ready to go for it, but as the Knights lined up for a play, Moran called time out.
Thomas took the field and kicked the ball through the up-rights to tie the game.
"12-12 is 12-12," Moran said. "If we tie it up, we extend the game. Dylan did a great job for us tonight."
Moran was excited about the win and his players. After a big stop at the close of the first half when a Cal-Mum drive stalled one the one yard line, Moran charged onto the field pumping both fists, congratulating his players.
He was just as excited when time ran out and the win was secured.
"These games are always big," Moran said. "Caledonia is six miles down the street. Any time you play them, it’s a big game. It’s great for our communities, and that’s what it’s about. High school football. These kids know each other and they talk all the time. It’s just nice to get together."
He's also proud of his team's 6-1 record going into sectionals. He said this team has been special.
"It’s enjoyable when you come to practice and kids are ready to work hard," Moran said. "When you have young men who want to learn and do the things you ask them to do, it’s just a pleasure to coach them. You know, they’ve done the things we’ve asked and it’s shown on the field."
In the game, besides Mistersaro's 95 yards on eight carries, Kelso had 16 yards on 16 carries and one TD. Dylan Johnson had four rushes for 10 yards. McMullen was 2-8 for 53 yards and was intercepted twice.
On defense: Kody Lamkin, 10 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 pass breakup; Zack Fitszimmons, 10 tackles, 1.5 for loss; Cappotelli, 9 tackles, .5 for loss; Kelso, 9 tackles, 1.5 for loss; Mistersaro, 5 tackles; Sean McMullen, 5 tackles; Alex Dunn, 4 tackles, 2 pass breakups; McQuillen, 3 tackles, 1 interception.
In other Friday night action:
No stats are available for these games.
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The winner of last week's contest was Jacob Quinn, who was among six people who picked Curtis Lofton for most tackles. Quinn's name was selected in a random drawing of those six people.
To enter this week's contest, click here.
The Notre Dame girl’s cross country team took all four races yesterday at Byron Bergen High School to improve to 15 – 2. The Lady Irish dominated Leroy, Dansville, and Lima Christian and got by Byron Bergen by one point, 28-29. Shelby McGinnis was the deciding factor in the girl’s race with her 9th place overall finish in 21:36. Anna Warner broke away in the last mile to comfortably win the race in 20:32, with teammate Laurie Call taking second in 20:55. Emily McCracken placed 6th with 21:18 to help the Irish to the victory. Other ND finishers included Rose Flumerfeldt in 24:00 to take 15th place, Hannah Pingrey 24:03 to take 16th place, Madison Gluck 25:19 to place 21st and Emily Sherman 25:40 to place 23rd.
In the boy’s race, the Irish were victorious over Leroy, Lima Christian and Byron Bergen, but fell to undefeated Dansville to move to 12 - 5 on the season. Jeff Antolos won the race by almost two minutes, running 16:16. Justin Carlson picked up 7th place in 18:49, with Alec Covel taking 13th in 19:31 and Ryan Fuller and Dennis Bleier placing 18th and 19th with 19:41 and 19:42. Arron Carlson finished the race in 23rd after having an allergic reaction to Byron Bergen in the first mile and Bryan Moscicki placed 35th in 22:26.
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