This week, the Batavia High School Girls Tennis Team capped a nine-match winning streak with a Division IV championship, the team's third, and now enter sectional play as the #2 seed in Class B. They next play Wednesday, vs. Aquinas, #7 seed, at home.
Mark your calendars for the Dig Pink Game on Oct. 6 when Oakfield-Alabama and Elba high school volleyball players compete again Wheatland-Chili to benefit The Side-Out Foundation.
The JV matchup starts at 5 p.m. and the varsity game begins at 6:30. They will take place inside the Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School Gymnasium, located at 7001 Lewiston Road in Oakfield.
There will be 50/50 raffles, refreshments, raffles items and a serving contest.
This is the sixth year of the Dig Pink Game and to date more than $7,000 has been raised locally for the nonprofit foundation, whose mission is to enhance breast cancer research and awareness.
Submitted photo: Several Alexander JV and varsity volleyball players and parents attended the recent Great Strides Walk at Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County to show their support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and promote the Alexander Volleyball Booster Club’s upcoming fundraiser.
Press release:
The Alexander Volleyball Booster Club will be hosting its 5th annual fundraiser volleyball game Oct. 6 in a match against the Pembroke Dragons. This year’s event at Alexander Central School, located at 3314 Buffalo St. in Alexander, benefits the local chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
According to event co-chairs Laura Marzolf and Colette Yax, choosing to support CFF hits close to home.
“One of the varsity volleyball players and her family recently lost a loved one to this disorder,” Yax said.
“There is no cure for Cystic Fibrosis – yet,” Marzolf said. “We hope our fundraiser helps make a difference and creates a greater awareness surrounding Cystic Fibrosis and the lifelong struggles that people with CF and their families endure."
The fundraiser includes a basket auction, 50/50 drawing, bake sale and a serving contest with a chance to win prizes from local merchants. The fun begins at 5 p.m. with the JV game, followed by the varsity game at 6:30.
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and frequent lung infections.CF affects about one out of every 3,000 newborns.
The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is to cure Cystic Fibrosis and to provide all people with the disease the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment and ensuring access to high-quality, specialized care.
Community members wishing to donate to the Alexander Volleyball Booster Club event may contact Laura Marzolf at 585-322-3748 or Colette Yax at 716-400-3628.
By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
In the featured $10,000 Open pace at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Sept. 24), the only race was for second as the heavily favored invader, Scott Rocks led at all stations en route to registering the fastest pacing mile of the year at the Genesee County oval.
John Cummings Jr. left with Scott Rocks and after easing him through a brutally sunlit first turn, got his horse in gear on the back straight and took the lead by the quarter in :27.4. As soon as he crossed over to the pylons, Cummings popped the plugs and took a reclined posture in the bike as he became a passenger for the rest of his ride.
Scott Rocks was up by one and one-half lengths at the half in :56.2 and by two at three-quarters in 1:23.4. With the rest of the field scrambling to keep up at that point, the leader opened up three lengths under mild urging from Cummings and won wrapped-up in 1:52.
China Dream (Shawn Gray) closed strong to catch second and Heaven Rocks (Kevin Cummings), who followed the winner the entire mile, hung on for third.
It was the ninth win of the year, including three straight most recently for Scott Rocks ($2.50) and the purse increased his 2016 bank to $133,374 for owners Susan Oakes and Chuck Pompey. The 6-year-old gelded son of Rocknroll Hanover is trained by Chris Oakes.
John Cummings Jr. had a driving grand slam on Saturday winning with Scott Rocks ($2.50, 1:52), Keystone Dalton ($3.10, 1:55), Foreign Officer ($4.30, 1:54.1) and Untouchable One ($3.40, 1:56).
Drew Monti had a driving triple while Ray Fisher Jr. doubled up.
Trainer JD Perrin conditioned three winning horses on the night.
Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday night (Sept. 28) with the first post at 6:15.
C.G. Finney/Northstar 36 Notre Dame of Batavia 7
Pembroke edged out Holley 34-26. (Photos by Rick Franclemont -- more here)
Alexander moved to 4-0 with a 46-0 win over Oakfield-Alabama/Elba. QB P.J. Brennan was 5-10 passing for 116 yards and three TDs. He had two carries for 20 yards and two TDs. Jacob Bykowski, 12 carries for 51 yards and one TD. Chris McClinic, six carries for 47 yards and one TD reception. Dustin Schmeider, two catches, 26 yards and one TD, and three carries for 53 yards and a TD. Derrick Busch, two receptions for 85 yards and a TD. Dan Heberlein, nine carries for 52 yards. On defense, Heberlein had one interception an three tackles. Job Smith, six tackles and a fumble recovery.
Notre Dame lost to C.G. Finney, 36-7.
(Photo of Snapshot Springs with driver Drew Monti.)
By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
Fresh off a solid win in Open II company last week, Snapshot Springs moved to the top class for resident trotters and took a new lifetime mark in winning the $10,500 Open at Batavia Downs on Friday night (Sept. 23).
With three horses leaving off the gate, it took until the quarter for the favored Kahoku (Kevin Cummings) to clear in :28.1. He then proceeded to lead the pack in single-file order to the half in :57.4. At that station, Snapshot Springs (Drew Monti) pulled first-over from fourth and motored up on the outside.
Up the backside, Snapshot Springs pulled even with Kahoku and at that point, Monti popped the plugs before they hit the three-quarters in 1:27.1. From there he cleared and opened up a two-length lead around the last turn. Then with mild urging from Monti down the lane, Snapshot Springs coasted home to a fairly easy two-length win in 1:57.
It was the seventh win of the year for Snapshot Springs ($8.40) and it enriched his 2016 earnings to $41,085 for owner/trainer Allan McCarty.
Bob Davis won both $5,000 divisions of the C.K.G. Billings races. In the trotting leg he scored a wire to wire win with V I P ($15.80) and in the pacing division he went from worst to first with Helena’s Hope ($7).
John Cummings Jr. had a driving triple while Drew Monti and Shawn Gray scored doubles. Trainers Edgar Clarke and Jeff Amann both sent two horses to the winner’s enclosure.
Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Sept. 24) with a 6:15 post time.
It was supposed to be Le Roy's night -- new stadium facility at Hartwood Park, crowning a homecoming queen, a new half-time show from the marching band -- but there were some long faces after Hornell's Jack Henby stole the show.
The Red Raiders' back carried the ball 16 times for 229 yards and four touchdowns as the visitors quashed any high spirits with a 42-0 win.
Henby, fast and strong, hit holes quick and carried tacklers five and 10 yards at a time.
The first quarter looked like it might be a tighter game than some might have predicted, but with the score only 7-0 near the end of the quarter, the Oatkan Knights squandered a scoring opportunity with a couple of penalties. It was all Red Raiders the rest of the way.
Le Roy's OB Josh Laurie was 9-22 on the night for 98 yards. Ryan Boyce caught three passes for 36 yards and Reece Tresco, Canyon Roster and Gaven Cassidy each had two receptions.
As a team, the offense managed only one yard on 20 rushing attempts.
Gaven Cassidy had six tackles, and with five each were Justin DiFalco, Luke Hogle, Josh Laurie and David Privatera.
In other local football news from Friday Night:
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Photo and story by Alex Feig, with our news partner, WBTA.
Operation Injured Soldiers was hosting military veterans for the beginning of geese-hunting season at the Wounded Warrior House in Orleans County from Wednesday through Sunday this week.
OIS as it’s called by volunteers, began its presence in the Batavia area around six years ago when veteran Edward Spence got together with several other vets in the area, one of which was Floyd “Skip” Hulburt.
“Ed Spence and I and a fellow veteran, we had talked about establishing OIS in New York, and once it was established Ed Spence just took off with it.”
Skip had just gotten back from another successful hunt but his focus was on a fellow soldier, “My main focus was Jack who is a Vietnam veteran. This is his first time waterfowl hunting so I wanted to get him into it and see how he likes it, and that's a lot of why I do this. I'm not as bad (off) as some of these guys. I'm pretty mobile still.”
Jack Olson, a Vietnam vet, lives just down the road from the Warrior House and was very grateful for the opportunity.
Olson said “I had a good time, I enjoyed it. Great people, great guides, great veterans I was with. All good, all good, nothing bad I can say.”
Olson. like many veterans. is not just receiving help but is providing for others like himself.
“I think more people should get involved in veterans organizations and volunteering at the Batavia VA," Olson said. "I am myself a volunteer at the VA and it's a very rewarding experience and there's always stuff to do. Somebody will find something for you to do at the VA.”
For more information on Operation Injured Soldiers, you can visit www.injuredsoldiers.org or message Edward Spence on Facebook.
By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
When racing resumes at Batavia Downs tonight (Sept. 23), the early Pick-5 pool will be guaranteed at $2,500. The early Pick-5 wager runs from race one through race five and is a 50-cent base wager.
America’s oldest lighted harness racetrack currently races every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night with post time for the first race set at 6:15. The 2016 season continues through Dec. 10.
Press release:
About 150 students have joined RIT's fall sports teams, including men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's cross-country and women's volleyball.
They include these local students:
Dakota Kegler, of Pavilion, who is studying Mechanical Engineering Technology, is on the men's soccer team.
Montana Vescovi, of Le Roy, who is studying Nutrition Management, is on the volleyball team.
Jennifer Crossen, of Basom, who is studying Chemical Engineering, is on the women's cross-country team.
Becca Schwan, of Le Roy, who is undecided on a major, is on the women's cross-country team.
Rochester Institute of Technology is home to leading creators, entrepreneurs, innovators and researchers. Founded in 1829, RIT enrolls about 19,000 students in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs, making it among the largest private universities in the United States.
The inductees into the 15th annual Batavia Blue Devil Athletic Hall of Fame were announced this afternoon.
They are:
Biographical information about the honorees has not yet been released.
They will be honored at Terry Hills Restaurant and Banquet Facility in Batavia on Saturday, Oct. 22.
Cost is $30 per person. Social hour begins at 5; dinner is at 6.
Tickets are available at the Athletic Directors Office at Batavia High School.
For more information, call 343-2480, ext. 2003.
This event is sponsored by the Batavia Coaches Association.
Batavia varsity Lady Devils Volleyball Team played last night in their annual matchup at home versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and won 3 sets to 1. Batavia’s first set came out on top, winning 25 to 16, led by freshman Courtnee Yasses serving one ace and servicing numerous times. Senior Courtney Burns added five kills.
In the second set, Batavia continued to start strong going on a 10-2 run, Notre Dame called time-out. They changed their game up a little and then slowly chipped away Batavia’s lead, which eventually tied the game at 18. Batavia called time-out to regroup but Notre Dame won the set 25-21. Thea Bochicchio and Julia Streeter added combined four kills. Natalie Thorton had seven digs.
Third set, Notre Dame continued the momentum to lead by a few points 10-7, then Batavia’s Courtney Burns served an ace and Batavia called time-out. Notre Dame increased their lead to eight points until Batavia regained the serve and Courtnee Yasses started to serve. The freshman continued to win points for Batavia to tie the set 19-19, Notre Dame called time-out.
Both teams exchanged the lead until the end where Batavia won by two points 25-23 to lead two games to one after three. Batavia Junior Taylor Stefaniak had six digs and Senior Maria Canzoneri had three aces and four digs.
Fourth quarter, Batavia jumped on a lead of 16-3 then Notre Dame called time-out. The Irish made some errors that let the set slip away; Batavia won 25-10, to win the match three to one. Batavia’s Stefaniak sisters each had three kills and senior Maria Canzoneri added three aces.
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Special teams play put Le Roy on the road to victory with two quick scores in the first quarter in a game that was unique in a couple of ways.
First, it was a home game played on the road. Second, it was played on a Sunday.
Regardless of the strange circumstances, the Le Roy team displayed vintage Oatkan Knights' dominance as it cruised to a 52-7 victory over Wellsville.
The game was played in Perry because Le Roy's home field won't be ready for players and fans after a major upgrade until this coming Friday's homecoming game, and the game was delayed until Sunday because of a massive thunderstorm that passed through Wyoming County right at game time Saturday night.
The game started early, about 10 minutes before the scheduled 3 p.m. time, and Le Roy scored before the official kickoff time when Jason Doemling scampered 39 yards on a punt return.
Later in the first quarter, Le Roy scored its second touchdown, to take a 14-0 lead, when Josh Laurie blocked a field goal attempt and returned it 75 yards.
Wellsville never again mounted a serious offensive challenge, until the team scored late in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach.
Laurie had quite the game. Besides the blocked field goal, he had two interceptions. He rushed for 96 yards on seven carries and scored two TDs in the process. He also was 7-13 passing for 148 yards and a TD.
Nate Flint also had an impact, going 85 yards on 11 carries with a TD. Dom Filio carried the ball nine times for 54 yards and two TDs. Luke Stella added 61 yards on six rushes.
Pass catchers included Reece Tresco, two for 87 yards, Filio, three for 34 yards and a TD, and Ryan Boyce, two for 27 yards.
Luke Hogle had five tackles and a sack, Canyon Roster, five tackles and Cole Biggins, five tackles.
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(Photo of China Dream.)
By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
Track conditions were sloppy at best after torrential downpours swept through Genesee County, but China Dream didn’t seem to mind the mud as he came first-over and put in a gutsy effort while winning the $10,000 Open pacing feature at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Sept. 17).
From the pylons, Heaven Rocks (Kevin Cummings) took the lead by default as no one else in the field left. From there Cummings proceeded to cut pedestrian fractions for the class of :29.1 to the quarter and :59.1 to the half with his competitors following in post position order.
Shortly past that station, China Dream (Shawn Gray) pulled first-up and drew alongside Heaven Rocks. The two matched strides up the backside and around the last turn. At the head of the lane, China Dream wore down Heaven Rocks, but met another challenge from Foreign Officer (John Cummings Jr.) who had tipped three wide and was driving. But China Dream was the better horse this night and held all comers at bay to win by length in 1:56.2.
It was the ninth win of the year for China Dream ($10.80) and it raised his annual income to $65,055 for owners Jack and Maria Rice. China Dream is trained by Maria Rice.
Shawn Gray posted four driving victories on the night while Ray Fisher Jr. won two. Trainers Maria Rice, Angelo Nappo and Richard Lareau all sent two winners postward.
Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Monday afternoon at 4:30 for the final twilight card of the year.
The folks at Godfrey's Pond hosted an open house today, called Hunting and Fishing Days.
Eric Boyce had the best time for the men.
Kim Mills had the best time for the women (she also had the best women's time in the GLOW Corporate Cup).
By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
The last time BZ Glide visited the winner’s circle was on May 27 of this year, but that absence was quelled when he got up late to win the $10,000 Open trotting feature at Batavia Downs on Friday night (Sept. 16).
As the race got underway, habitual leaver Kahoku (Kevin Cummings) took a stay-at-home approach and let Studio City (Dave McNeight III), Noble Legend (Jack Flanigen) and Serendipitious (Ray Fisher Jr.) all go for the top. Those three battled three-wide to the quarter in :27.4 before Noble Legend finally cleared and then Serendipitious overtook from him. But the action was far from over before they reached the half as Studio City pulled first over with Kahoku shadowing the move.
The field was in two rows at three-quarters in 1:27.3 when Cummings pulled Kahoku three-high around the far turn. Not to be outdone, Mike Caprio pulled BZ Glide from the back of the pack and swung four-wide at the head of the lane. With horses coming from everywhere, four had a shot in mid-stretch. But it was BZ Glide who brushed the best to win by a neck in 1:58.1.
It was the second win of the year for BZ Glide ($4.30) who is just rounding into form after being off two months over the summer. So far in 2016, he has earned $18,625 for owner Caprio Stable LLC. BZ Glide is trained by Alana Caprio.
The Downs leading driver, Kevin Cummings and Drew Monti both had triples on the card while Mike Caprio checked in with two winners.
Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Sept. 17) with the first post set at 6:15.
Through three quarters of football, Pembroke battled Notre Dame to a draw, but when Jake Weatherwax dashed into the end zone from six yards out with five minutes left in the game, the Dragons were unable to answer and fell to 1-2 on the season, 34-27.
It was Notre Dame's first win of the season.
The Dragons and Irish were pretty evenly matched throughout the contest, with each team averaging 5.8 yards per play on offense and only being a minute apart on time of possession for the game.
Weatherwax finished with 187 yards rushing on 29 attempts (he scored four times) and Pembroke's Zach von Kramer had 187 yards on the ground on 27 attempts, and he had two TDs.
Pembroke's Reid Miano had 13 completions on 29 attempts for 209 yards and two TDs.
Notre Dame's Brendan Klotzbach was 8-19 in the air for 126 yards. He was intercepted once.
"Pembroke’s a great team," said Notre Dame Head Coach Rick Mancuso. "They’re very well coached and they have a couple of great athletes on that team. We knew we would have our hands full. Their quarterback threw the ball fantastic and Von Kramer is just a phenomenal running back. We had our hands full. There’s no doubt."
Von Kramer also caught a TD pass and gained 74 yards on three receptions.
Mancuso thought it was a great win for his team, which struggled a bit through the first two games of the season.
"I think we're getting better each week," Mancuso said. "We're not there yet, obviously, but I think the kids had a great week of practice."
Mancuso was impressed with the game Weatherwax had.
"Jake did a fantastic job," Mancuso said. "He's a gritty, hard runner. He makes great cuts. He reads the blocks. I thought he did a terrific job."
Defensively, Notre Dame played tough, but the team still has some holes to plug.
"Defensively, we brought it," Mancuso said. "We really worked hard this week on staying diligent to our plan and working hard and I thought the kids stuck with it. I thought they did a very nice job of executing."
Caleb Wolcott had 10 tackles and a sack. Brad Misiak had 10 tackles.
"We’ve got a lot to work on," Mancuso said. "I mean, they put up 27 points. I’m not ecstatic about that, but those are things we need to clean up and each week we’ll get better."
For the Dragons on defense, von Kramer had 12 tackles.
Four Notre Dame receivers had two catches each -- Ryan Moffatt, Nico Zambito, Misiak and Jordon Weatherwax. Moffatt gained 45 yards and Zambito gained 42.
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U-Prep and Batavia kept everyone on their toes in a hard-fought game where mistakes were made on both sides last night at Salen's Stadium in Rocheter. Pictured above is Ray Leach for Batavia, catching a pass from quarterback Jerry Reinhart to win the game with 0:07 seconds left on the clock 30-26.
Highlights of the game: First quarter – Terrance Bethel Touchdown scored early 4:25, missed two point conversion, giving U-Prep a 6-0 lead. Batavia and U-Prep exchanged the ball until Batavia recovered a fumble.
Second quarter -- Batavia scores midway to tie it 6-6. U-Prep carried the ball and converted on a fourth down to score at 7:52 and lead 12-6. Batavia's Eric Davis goes out on a leg injury. Near the end Jerry Reinhart passed a 38-yard touchdown pass to Chandler Baker, two-point conversion is good. Batavia leads 14-12.
John Garlock recovers an onside kick, which Ray Leach scored for Batavia and led at halftime 22-12.
Second half -- Jonathan Williams touchdown for U-Prep at 6:17 thrown by Amari Masse; two-point conversion is good. Batavia's lead is cut to only two points, 22-20.
U-Prep runs 45 yards to Batavia 10-yard line at 7:36, batavia and U-Prep exchanged a fumble and interception. U-Prep scores late in the fourth to lead 26-22 with 2:52 left.
Batavia dominated on driving down the field with 7 sconds left on a pass caught by Ray Leach. Batavia wins 30-26.
Batavia moves to a 3-0; U-Prep moves to a 2-1 record.
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