Sports

Press release:

All signs are pointing toward a successful return of semiprofessional football to the Batavia area.

Harry Rascoe, head coach of the Genesee County Spartans, announced that an eight-team schedule has been finalized for the squad, which will feature around 50 players – some of them former Batavia and Notre Dame high school athletes – from throughout Western New York.

“We are looking at eight games – four home and four on the road – and have secured several sponsors for our first season,” Rascoe said. “Opening day is June 3 at Auburn. Our first home game is set for June 17 against Ithaca.”

The Spartans will compete in the Northeastern Football Alliance against clubs from Auburn, Lockport, Ithaca and Broome County.

Rascoe said he is working with Batavia High School officials to have the Genesee County team’s home games at Van Detta Stadium. All home games will be on Saturdays at 7 p.m.

Fundraising is a key component to getting the venture off the ground, he said, adding that a “Meet & Greet” is scheduled for 6-11 p.m. on Feb. 11 at Ri-Dan’s on West Main Street Road. The event will include basket raffles and cash drawings to help defer expenses.

Rascoe said he will be coordinating a final tryout for roster spots on Feb. 26 at a practice location in Rochester.

“We’re seeing great competition at all positions,” he said, adding that players range from graduating seniors to those in their early 30s.

The schedule is as follows:

June 3 at Auburn; June 10 at Lockport; June 17 vs. Ithaca; June 24 vs. Broome County; July 15 at Broome County; July 22 vs. Lockport; Aug. 5 at Ithaca; Aug. 12 vs. Auburn.

For more information about the team, including how to become a sponsor, go to the team’s Genesee County Spartans Facebook page or contact Rascoe at rascoeh@yahoo.com.

Le Roy beat Perry in Boys Basketball on Monday, 51-26.

Scoring for the Knights: 

• Merritt Holly, 23 points, 10 rebounds.
• Andrew Pocock, 14 points
• Jean Agosto, 10 points, 9 rebounds.

Photos by Jason Coniber

In Boys Basketball:

• Pembroke beat Attica, 72-57. Cayden Pfalzer, 32 points, Tyson Totten, 12 points, Chase Guzdek, 12 points
• Batavia lost to Irondequiot, 67-45. Ja'vin McFollins scored 17 points. Carter McFollins scored 9. 
• Notre Dame beat Elba, 74-52
• Oakfield-Alabama beat Kendall, 63-48

The Empire State Winter Games Torch Relay passed through Batavia on Tuesday, with a visit to the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arenda during a Ramparts practice.

One of the Ramparts coaches, Mark Kuntz, carried the torch around the rink and Rampart players skated along with him.

This is the second year the torch has been brought to The McCarthy.

Le Roy Superintendent Merritt Holly asked students and parents to consider a few things during his talk this week about a potential merger of the district’s football program.

First, he didn’t want their immediate feedback, but, rather, he wanted the stats and details he was to provide to marinate for a while before they shared their comments and concerns. The deadline for feedback is Feb. 13.

Second, a merger doesn’t signal a “superpower” team of those earlier days of the game, he said. It’s not Le Roy football in the 1980s, 90s and early to mid-2000s, when enrollment numbers and participation were of a different nature, he said, and “the game of football” has drastically changed over the past 45 years.”

That isn’t what this proposition is about.

“This is about long-term sustainability in the sport of football,” he said.

Third, what is a potential merger with Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen about?

There’s a rationale — the method behind the madness, so to speak — for considering a merger, Holly said. One issue is the safety factor: Eighth and tenth graders wouldn’t have to play to fill rosters of the junior and varsity levels, and students wouldn't be required to be on the field more than necessary.

“Imagine if we could have some balance in practice and playtime,” he said.

Student-athletes wouldn’t be overplayed, which would reduce the risk of injuries, he said, during times of, for example, athletes playing both sides of the ball.

“You have to be very careful,” he said. “You have to worry more about injuries in practice. When it comes to accountability, when you have no one else in that position to play, it becomes an issue.”

A merger could mean sustainability. A roster would be maintained at three levels, modified, JV and Varsity, with a continuous foundation of youth programs being built. Plus, the other two school districts “have a need and want to be part of this relationship and one (B-B swim team) we have already partnered with,” he said.

Not to be left out of the equation was perhaps Holly’s biggest influential statistic: a decreased enrollment of more than 500 students in 2022-2023 from 1987 figures. He called it a “staggering” slide, though also later noted that numbers seemed to be slightly on the uptick. He did so with caution.

“We could end the presentation right now and say the numbers are coming back, but there’s more,” he said.

Much of the issue was about future roster sizes, the safety of students and the ability to be competitive.

“Sometimes we’re doing our students a disservice,” Holly said. “Sports is one of the best ways to have healthy competition.”

Other districts may decide to merge at some point, and this could be Le Roy’s moment to do so, but it’s up to the school community to decide, he said. Feedback is due by Feb. 13, and the school board is to vote on Feb. 28.

If it’s yes for the merger, that would mean splitting home games, operating costs amongst the school districts, sharing homecoming and senior nights at the home game district, each district paying its own insurance costs, uniforms purchased from a stockpile, and other details to be worked out, he said.

“We’d be looking at a whole new process,” he said. “There’d be a three-year commitment with a 30-day opt-out clause.”

If the merger is a no, Le Roy moves forward with a football program.

“We need to get feedback from you. This is just an initial conversation,” Holly said.

To view the entire presentation, go HERE.

2022 File Photo of Le Roy Oatkan Knights versus Attica by Howard Owens.

Amelia McCulley led all scorers with 26 points to help Notre Dame to a 53-38 win over Elba on Tuesday.

She also had eight rebounds. Avelin Tomidy scored 16 points and had five rebounds. Emma Sisson had 11 rebounds.

For Elba, Sydney Reilly scored 16 points. Kennedy Augello scored eight points and had eight rebounds.

Elba had six straight wins coming into the game. The Lancers fall to 8-8 on the season. The Irish are now 14-1.

Girls Basketball on Tuesday:

• Alexander beat Holley, 60-35. Alyssa Kramer scored 26 points. Laurel Kania scored 11 and Melanie Pohl scored nine.
• Oakfield-Alabama beat Kendall, 50-29.  Brooke Reding scored 15 points. Caitlin Ryan scored nine and Alea Groff scored nine.
• Byron-Bergen beat Lyndonville, 58-39. Ava Wagoner and Zoey Shepherd scored 14 points.  MacKenzie Senf scored 10 points, and Olvia Senf scored nine.
• Brockport beat Batavia, 45-29
• Perry beat Le Roy, 67-52. Kenna MacKenzie scored 14 points. Abby Allen scored 10.  Corina Dunn scored nine and had 10 rebounds.
• Pembroke beat Attica, 48-44. Karli Houseknech scored 15 points. Elle Peterson scored 11.

In Boys Basketball:

• Alexander beat Holley 70-40. 

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here. 

With a massive dunk in Pembroke's 80-56 win over Kendall on Monday night, Cayden Pfalzer scored his 1,000th career point.

Pfalzer reached the milestone despite missing more than 15 games in his 9th-grade year when he started out averaging 10 points per game. He also missed out on some of his sophomore year because of the pandemic. 

"He's one of the hardest workers I've had the pleasure of coaching and is truly unselfish," said Head Coach Matt Shay. "His whole career, we have had to push him to hunt for his shot. He truly enjoys the success of his teammates."

The Dragons are 15 and 1 so far in 2022-23. 

Pfalzer with his parents, Lisa and Raymond.

The Hornets improved to 13-2 with a come-from-behind 66-64 win over Wheatland-Chili on Monday.

Scoring for Oakfield-Alabama: 

• Kyle Porter, 20 points, 5 steals
• Colton Yasses, 18 points
• Brayden Smith, 10 points, 6 rebounds
• Noah Currier, 8 points, 5 rebounds

"The boys were a part of another great game," said Coach Ryan Stehlar. "Scott Lund (Wheatland coach) does an amazing job year in and year out, building solid teams. We knew going into this game, it was going to be a battle. Being down late in the 4th quarter, we needed to make some plays to give ourselves a chance. The boys listened to adjustments, and we were fortunate to get extra time in OT. Again, we had to play disciplined basketball. Both teams made big plays for an exciting finish. I'm proud of the effort, heart, and pride the boys took tonight."

Also in Boys Basketball on Monday:

• Batavia beat HFL 59-35. Ja'vin McFollins scored 23 points. Sayer Siverling scored 18. The Blue Devils are now 12-3.
• Pembroke beat Kendall, 80-56.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Press release:

The Western Division Champion, Batavia Muckdogs, and CAN-USA Sports Ownership are back for their third season in the PGCBL and are incredibly excited to announce plans for the upcoming summer!

The 2023 PGCBL schedule has been released with the Muckdogs on the road in Elmira on June 2nd and opening day at Dwyer Stadium the following night, Saturday, June 3rd, with postgame fireworks. If you have not bought season tickets that include admission to all 29 regular-season home games, make sure to get them by visiting the team website www.canusamuckdogs.com.  For the 2023 season, home game times will start at 6:35 PM, except for Sunday home games starting at 4:05 PM.

The Muckdogs came just 1 game short of winning the PGCBL Championship and will look to defend its West Division Title in 2023. Batavia will also host interleague play this year, including games against the NYCBL and others.

In the coming weeks, be on the lookout for our 2023 promotional schedule and be sure to check out our social media pages for more updates and email General Manager Marc Witt (mwitt.canusa@gmail.com) if you are interested in booking a night at Dwyer Stadium.

Lastly, CAN-USA Sports and Dwyer Stadium will be hosting multiple events throughout the spring and fall months. All varsity baseball games for Batavia and Notre Dame High Schools will be exclusively hosted at Dwyer Stadium, and many more to come. The season is only a few months away, and make sure to get in on all of the action for the best season in Batavia baseball history.

For a PDF of the schedule, click here.

Photo: File photo by Howard Owens.

Batavia Notre Dame United posted a pair of wins over the weekend, beating Canandaigua 5-1 on Friday and Webster Thomas 4-2 on Saturday.

In Friday's game: 

Period 1

• Canandaigua Academy - DJ Spychalski (Josh Barnes) 9:24

Period 2

• Batavia Notre Dame United - Ivan Milovidov (power play) (Cooper Hamilton, Alex Johnson) 0:07

Period 3

• Batavia Notre Dame United - Brady Johnson (Ivan Milovidov, Jameson Motyka) 2:47
• Batavia Notre Dame United - Jameson Motyka (Ronin Hofmaster) 7:42
• Batavia Notre Dame United - Jameson Motyka (Ivan Milovidov) 10:54
• Batavia Notre Dame United - Cooper Hamilton (power play) (Ronin Hofmaster, Brady Johnson) 12:46

In Saturday's Game:

Period 1

• Batavia Notre Dame United - Jameson Motyka (Brady Johnson, Ivan Milovidov) 3:27

Period 2

• Webster Thomas - Jason Tucker (Greg VanHeusen) 9:49
• Batavia Notre Dame United - Ivan Milovidov (Ronin Hofmaster, Jameson Motyka) 10:54

Period 3

• Batavia Notre Dame United - Jameson Motyka (Noah Whitcombe, Brady Johnson) 2:04
• Webster Thomas - Brady Hall (Evan Shaw) 10:02
• Batavia Notre Dame United - Cooper Hamilton (Brady Johnson) 16:37

“We had a solid weekend," said Head Coach Marc Staley. "The Power Play went 2 for 6.  The penalty kill was a perfect 4 for 4.   We got some great defensive play and excellent goaltending.  That’s the formula we need to win the big games down the stretch

“With only 4 games remaining before sectionals, it’s important that we are continuing to gel as a team," Staley continued. "I don’t think these kids have peaked yet.  They are continuing to improve -- individually and as a unit”.

BND United will next face the Portside Royals (Spencerport/Brockport) on Tuesday Night at 5 p.m. at SUNY Brockport.

BND is now 12-4 on the season.

Photos by Steve Ognibene Photos are from Friday's game To view or purchase photos, click here.

Press release:

Batavian Shayne Herold notched his second United States Bowling Congress honor score of the season on Friday night, putting together a 30-strike effort for an 814 in the County Line Stone Trios League at Mancuso Bowling Center.

The 32-year-old right-hander, a commercial driver for Noco Energy in Akron, recorded games of 279-268-267 on lanes 23-24 to eclipse his previous high series of 777 (bowled at Legion Lanes in Le Roy). He had the first seven strikes in game one, 10 strikes in game two and nine in the third game.

Using a Storm Pro-Motion ball, Herold said he kept the ball just outside the second arrow for all three games.

"The shot stayed about the same throughout," he said. "I really didn't have to move much at all, maybe a couple boards left in game three."

For his achievement, Herold, a 209 average bowler, said he will be selecting the USBC crystal award to go with the one he received for his first 300 game at Legion Lanes in February 2018.  His second perfect game came last month at the Le Roy hall.

Herold's 814 was one of several big scores in Genesee Region USBC action at Mancuso's last week:

• GRUSBC Hall of Famer Mike Pettinella of Batavia finished with 268-269 for a 785 series in the Turnbull Heating Triples League, raising his season average to 232. Chris Bailey of Batavia also had the hot hand, ending with a 279 game for a 771 series.

• Scott Culp of Honeoye Falls started with a 299 game en route to 772 in the Mancuso Real Estate Monday Doubles League, lifting his average to 236.

At Medina Lanes, two bowlers posted 300 games in the Sunday Rolloffs League -- Alex Allis of Medina, 300--774, and John Ross of Middleport, 300--772. Allis now has three perfect games while Ross' 300 is his first.

Ross, a 35-year-old righty, said he has come close to perfection several times with USBC-certified 299, 298 and 297 games. This time, he came through despite battling the nerves, especially on the final ball.

"My legs were shaking and my hands were shaking," said Ross, a gas fitter for New York State Gas & Electric.

The 300 came in the first game of his series. He added 257 and 215 for the 772. Ross' high series is an 800 posted at South Transit Lanes in Lockport in April 2015.

For a list of high scores for the week, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of the home page.

Amelia McMulley scored 18 points, putting her over 300 on the season, and had seven rebounds and our steals. Avelin Tomidy scored 14 points and had six rebounds. Emma Sisson scored eight points and had six rebounds.

There are no stats available for the Hornets.

Also in Girls Basketball on Friday:

Lancers top Attica, 47-31

• Pavilion beat Warsaw, 58-24. Lauren Kingsley scored 20 points, had six rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Karlee Zinkievich scored 18 points and had six rebounds and three steals. Kylie Conway scored eight points and had four steals. Ella Tillotson had 11 assists.
• Byron-Bergen beat Kendall, 56-21. Dayanara Caballero scored 17 points. Ava Wagoner scored 10.  Kendall Phillips and MacKenzie Senf scored nine each.
• Le Roy beat Arcadia 59-57, Lindsey Steffenilla scored 16 points and had eight rebounds. Abby Allen scored 15 points. Kenna MacKenzie scored 11 points. Corina Dunn scored eight and 13 rebounds.

In Boys Basketball:

• Batavia lost to Bishop Kearney 67-58. Sawyer Siverling scored 19 points and Rasheed Christie scored 12. Ja'vin McFollins scored nine.
• Warsaw beat Pavilion, 79-55

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

The Elba Lancers won their sixth straight in Girls Basketball on Friday, beating Attica 47-31.

Sydney Reilly scored 11 points, had five assists and four steals.  Halie Scouten and Lydia Ross scored eight each.  Scouten had five steals and 10 rebounds. Kennedy Augello scored six points. 

Photos by Kristin Smith.

Press release:

The Genesee Amateur Hockey Association will host at The David McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena on Evans Street on Saturday, Feb, 25,  a USA Try Hockey For Free clinic as part of  USA Hockey  Week  Across  America.  Starting at 11:40 a.m. to 12:50 p.m., local youth, ages 4 to 9, are welcome at the rink to experience getting on the ice, learning how to “skate”, getting up after falling, basic skills with a hockey stick and shooting punks into a hockey net (all by being guided by the head coach and on-ice helpers).

“We look forward to welcoming families to the David McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena to try our great sport of ice hockey,” said Sharon Gray, Coordinator of the “Try Hockey for Free” event.  “Our goal is for these families to enjoy watching their kids learn new skills with big smiles on their faces.”

The head coach for the event is Erik Triftshauser, along with Fred Hamilton – both with more than 30 years on the ice plus starting out as GAHA players, high school players and GAHA coaches over the years.  Their on-ice helpers are mostly from this year’s United high school teams, along with the coaches’ sons.

The event is hosted by the USA Try Hockey for Free Coordinators – Sharon and Bob Gray, and the GAHA Beginner Program Player Coordinator – Marcia Barnes.  It is the team’s goal to provide the hockey experience to area youngsters free of charge and to encourage them to enroll in October to become a player in the GAHA Beginner Program, which starts the first week of October.  The Beginner Program consists of two sessions (October to December and January to March) with a total of 15 on-ice hours per session.

All the participants need is a helmet (hockey or bike) and winter gloves.   Skates are available at the rink if needed and will be provided FREE by the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena Management Team.

USA Hockey’s Try Hockey program, with the support of the National Hockey League and NHL member clubs, among others, is designed to provide youth hockey associations with a national platform for introducing children to the sport, free of charge. 

Oakfield-Alabama beat Genesee Region rivals Notre Dame on Thursday in Boys Basketball, 75-49.

Scoring for the Hornets: 

• Kyle Porter, 17 points, 7 rebounds
• Noah Currier, 13 points, three steals
• Brayden Smith, 13 points, 10 rebounds
• Colton Yasses, 11 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks
• Avery Watterson, 9 points, four  rebounds

For the Irish:

• Ryan Fitzpatrick, 11 points
• Jaden Sherwood, seven points
• Jordan Welker, seven points

"Tonight was a battle against a solid team," said O-A Coach Ryan Stehlar. "Their gym is never an easy place to play in, and Coach (Mikey) Rapone always has his team ready. I'm glad the boys locked in early. They really focused on defense and made big plays down the stretch. This is good momentum for a tough week coming up in our schedule."

The Hornets are now 12-2. The Irish are 11-5.

Other games in Boys Basketball on Thursday:

• Dansville beat Le Roy 65-58. Merritt Holly scored 27 points. Holly now has 395 points on the season.
• Attica beat Elba, 63-43
• Pembroke beat Kenmore East, 83-34

In Girls Basketball:

• Elba beat Batavia, 60-44. Sydney Reilly scored 17 points and had five steals.  Mariah Ognibene scored 10 points and had nine rebounds. Halie Scouten had six blocks. Madison Thompson had seven rebounds. After losing seven of their first nine games, the Lancers have won five straight.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Pavilion's Lauren Kingsley has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for Gannon University, a NCAA Division II school.

Submitted photos. Top photo Basketball Coach Ben Schwenebraten, Lauren Kingsley, Assistant Coach George Schwenebraten.

The Kingsley family, Emily, Val, Lauren, and Dave.

The Alexander Trojans fell to 5-10 in Boys Basketball on Tuesday with a loss to Wheatland-Chili, 60-48.

Dylan Pohl scored 16 points for the Trojans. Trent Woods scored 13 and Paul Schmitt scored eight.

Also in Boys Basketball on Tuesday:

• Notre Dame beat C.G. Finney, 74-68
• Oakfield-Alabama beat Rochester Prep, 61-53
• Pavilion beat Lyndonville, 67-50
• Pembroke beat Cheektowaga 76-75

In Girls Basketball:

• Elba beat Pavilion, 50-39.  Sydney Reilly scored 16 points for the Lancers. She had six assists and six steals. Maddie Hall scored 12 points. Mariah Ognibene had 13 rebounds to go with four points scored and two steals. For Pavilion, Lauren Kingsley scored 18 points and had 20 rebounds. Karlee Zinkievich scored eight points and had five assists. Kylie Conway scored eight points.
• Byron-Bergen lost to Gananda, 48-38.
• Le Roy beat Batavia, 45-40. Corina Dunn scored 17 points and had seven rebounds for Le Roy. Abby Allen scored 15 points. Lindsey Steffenilla had 10 rebounds.

To view or purchase photos, click here. Photos by Steve Ognibene

Press release:

On Monday (Jan. 23), Batavia Downs began a four-week Pop-Up Racing Series for Western New York-based Trackmaster pacers and trotters with preliminary leg classes going for between $6,000 and $9,000 each (depending on class). Monday saw 10 series races go postward and these events provided some very competitive racing.

The best pacing effort of the day was turned in by Sportskeeper (Jim Morrill Jr.) who went gate to wire in the $9,000 Trackmaster 78 class.

Morrill left from post five with Sportskeeper and grabbed the lead before the :27.4 quarter. Then once he settled on the point, the pair dominated the field. Operating with a gapped advantage, Sportskeeper went :56.2 to the half and 1:25.1 to three-quarters with only Pet Sur-rock (Kyle Cummings) staying remotely close. When he turned for home, Sportskeeper was clear, under a line drive from Morrill and willingly paced away to a 2-1/2 length decision in 1:55.2.

It was the second straight win for Sportskeeper ($3.70) at Batavia and the purse pushed his lifetime earnings over the $600,000 mark, as he now boasts $603,847 in bank. The classy 11-year-old gelded son of Sportswriter-Keeper Flying is owned by Mike Torcello and trained by Sammy Smith.

The top trot came in the $9,000 Trackmaster 77 leg where Sanchez Rocks (Kyle Cummings) made a move past the half pay off with an impressive victory.

Pilgrim Caviar (Shawn Gray) led early and tripped the timer in a quick :28.4 before heading into turn two. But at the same time, Good Boy (Ray Fisher Jr.) brushed and crushed to the front and completed the first circuit in :59.4. It was at that point that Sanchez Rocks vacated the pylons from fourth and started trotting up a storm. Sanchez Rocks drew even with Good Boy on the backside, cleared at three-quarters and then extended his lead with every stride from there. By the top of the stretch, he was long gone and trotted home under no urging at all to win by 2-3/4 lengths in 2:00.2.

Sanchez Rocks ($5.80) is owned by Marie Houghtaling and trained by Ron Houghtaling.

The finals for the Pop-Up series races will be held on Monday (Feb. 20) and offer purses ranging from $12,000 to $18,000. Consolation races will also be offered and will go for $7,000 to $10,000 each. Spots in both will be secured by the top money earners in each Trackmaster category.

Jim Morrill Jr. and Keith Kash Jr. both had driving hat tricks on Monday, while trainers Joe Skowyra and Andy Torre scored two wins apiece.

Morrill is now only four wins away from 8,000 career victories, a number he should hit within the next week at Batavia. 

There will be two carryovers and a guaranteed pool when live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Thursday (Jan. 26) at 3 p.m. First, there is a $4,741 carryover in the Pick-5 (which starts in race one), and Batavia Downs has announced that pool will have a $10,000 guarantee through the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program. Complete program pages for those five races will be available on the USTA’s website under the “Handicapping” tab. Then later in the card there is a growing carryover of $1,322 in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta, which will be available in the 11th race.

Free full card past performance forms for the entire card of live racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing'' tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page. 

Batavia's Alpine Ski Team competed at Wheels Run at Swain over the weekend, with two girls team members notching five-place finishes.

On a cloudy day with no wind and temperatures just above freezing, Lily Wagner had the best individual results, finishing 17th in the afternoon slalom.

To view race photos, click here. To view team photos, click here. Photos by Steve Ognibene. Top photo: Ethan Bradley

Lily Wagner

Gunner Pietrzykowski

Ben Stone

Abby Bestine

Quinn Woeller