Sports

Press release:

Longtime Notre Dame football Coach Rick Mancuso (ND Class of 1976) has announced his retirement from coaching with the goal of spending more time with his family especially his grandchildren.

In announcing his decision, Rick said: “All of us reach a time of reflection on where we’ve been and where we are going. Over the course of the last 35-plus years my family, as all coaches families, sacrificed to allow me to be a part of something special.

"At this moment of my life I would like to spend more time being a part of our children and grandchildren’s lives and create memories that we will forever cherish.”

Coach Mancuso’s retirement ends a 37-year relationship with ND football during which he coached for 22 seasons and spent the other 15 as a key member of the football program’s support staff. Rick began his football coaching career at Notre Dame as the Head JV coach in the fall of 1981. In 2005, he took on the daunting task of replacing retiring HOF Coach Bill Sutherland as Varsity Head Football Coach.

This was the beginning of a very successful coaching career the highlights of which include qualifying for sectional competition in nine of his 13 seasons as Varsity Football Coach, winning Sectional Championships in 2006 and 2012, advancing to the title game on three other occasions and winning three GR League championships.

Although most recognizable for his football coaching role, Coach Mancuso has also been a successful coach at his alma mater in other sports as well. He coached Varsity softball for five seasons from 2011-2015 winning a State Championship in 2012 after advancing to the State finals in 2011.

His softball squads brought home “the Block” in 2011 and 2012 as well as earning three GR championships. He also was a successful JV and Varsity baseball coach and even coached Modified basketball where his squads only lost one game in two seasons.

Rick has had a positive impact on the lives of numerous Notre Dame athletes and has always been there for them both on and off the field. He has built relationships that have stood the test of time and has always been a resource for young coaches seeking mentorship as they begin their careers. He has always taken pride in the numerous alumni on his coaching staff.

A prominent local businessman who is a lifelong resident of Batavia, Rick and his wife, Julie, are parents of five Notre Dame graduates Morgan (’01), Alexandra (03), Rick (05), Pat (’08) and Maddie (’14). They have both donated countless hours to the betterment of the Notre Dame experience for all our students as well as helping to keep the school vibrant and an affordable option to any who would like to attend.

Photo: File photo

Batavia High School Ice Blue Devils played Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a crosstown game tonight.

A packed arena was there to witness Notre Dame's total domination of Batavia HS. Notre Dame scored in the first few minutes of the first period and continued scoring until the end of regulation.

Batavia HS had a few shots on goal and at the end of the first period was able to control the puck for a few minutes. Outside of that, they did not offer much resistance to Notre Dame.

Final score, Blue Devils 0 Fighting Irish 10.

After the game players form both teams posed for pictures together for their parents. Hockey aside, the players from both teams are all friends and neighbors. 

Scott Culp of Lima put on a dominating performance over the weekend to capture his second straight Genesee Region USBC Scratch Memorial Tournament title.

The high-revving 39-year-old right-hander posted a wire-to-wire victory – leading both the qualifying and semifinal rounds and capping it with a 215-180 win over Jerry Blair of Le Roy in the championship match of the stepladder finals on Sunday at Letchworth Pines in Portageville.

Using a Storm Crux, Culp, a 240-plus average bowler at Livingston Lanes in Geneseo, rolled 900 to place first in the four-game qualifying round and added 873 in the four-game semifinals to earn the top seed for the stepladder finals with a 1,773 total (221 average).

Both rounds were contested on “Sport” oil patterns (considerably more difficult than “house” shots) – with the qualifying round rolled on Kegel Middle Road (39 feet) and the semifinals and finals on Kegel Route 66 (45 feet).

The event drew 46 entries – down from the 69 that bowled when Culp won the title last year at Medina Lanes.

The victory was worth $600 for Culp, while Blair earned $350.

Blair moved up the ladder by defeating Brady Weber of Perry in a 10^th frame roll-off, 20-9, after the bowlers had tied at 212-212; stopping Don Parrott of Warsaw, 215-176, and edging Kevin Gray Jr. of Warsaw, 220-214. In the semifinal match against Gray, Blair struck on the first ball in the 10^th to secure the win.

Gray won $260 for his third-place finish, while Parrott earned $210 and Weber $160.

The five other finalists were Dana Freeman of Silver Springs ($150), Dean Cadieux Jr. of Oakfield ($140), Mike Pettinella of Batavia ($130), Ron Bacon of Warsaw ($120) and Brian Green of Batavia ($110).

Parrott had the tournament’s high game (279), followed by Culp (278).

The GRUSBC contributed $400 to the prize fund.

Photo -- Scott Culp, left, and Jerry Blair.

Things got a little wild today in Oakfield as local fans got ready for the first playoff appearance by the Buffalo Bills in 18 years.

Sadly, for the fans, the Bills lost to Jacksonville 10-3.

Above, Brad Hilchey, Peter Hilchey, Matthew Doran and Tom Porter.

Second photo, Tom Porter, Brad Hilchey and Matthew Doran.

Third photo, Tom Porter, Brad Hilchey and Matthew Doran.

Photos submitted by Samantha Hilchey.

Press release:

NYS Snowmobile Safety course will be taught at Darien Fire Hall, from 7 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday Jan. 10 (Part 1), and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday Jan. 13 (Part 2).

The fire hall is located 10537 Alleghany Road (Route 77) in Darien.

The course is free to children from 10 to 18 years of age. New York State’s Snowmobile Law requires that youngsters ages 10-18 acquire a safety certificate before they may lawfully operate a snowmobile. Youngsters may qualify for their safety certificates by taking an eight-hour safety course and passing the examination given at the end of the course.

The course and all materials are furnished free. The course is also open to adults.

The instructors for snowmobile Safety Course are certified by NYS.

You must sign up for the course and attend both classes where you register. Those who pass the written exam will be issued a patch, certificate, and a license.

If your child is interested in taking the course and would like to lawfully drive a snowmobile, preregister by calling 585-599-6431 after 5:30 p.m.

The class is sponsored by the Millgrove Sportsmen Club, Darien Fire Hall, Genesee Sno-Packers Snowmobile Club.

In a rematch of last year's Rotary Tournament finale, Notre Dame, this time, was the more dominant team, beating Cal-Mum, 43-35.

"We didn't really have an identity early in the season last year and it showed," said ND's head coach Tom McCulley. "They were a mature team and we weren't really there yet. This year I think we probably had the edge maturity."

The star of the game was Stevie Wilcox, who scored 17 points and seemed in command of her game from the start. She was named tournament MVP.

"We were ready to bring it and play as a team and work together because when we do, we're unstoppable," Wilcox said.

The Lady Irish are always tough on defense and McCulley said that's what he saw from his team again, especially in the first half, when Notre Dame held the Lady Raiders to six points. Guard Morgan Rhodes was a big part of that, he said.

"Morgan was steady all throughout," McCulley said. "She got some steals and helped us with ball pressure so we weren't allowing them to get comfortable in their sets, maybe not as quickly as they would like. I think most of the time, when I looked up, by the time Cal-Mum got in their sets there was 16 seconds off the close. I was shocked by that. That puts a lot of pressure on the offense to execute."

Margret Sutherland and Natale Thornton also had big games. Sutherland scored 10 points and Thornton scored nine. Both were a strong presence under the boards.

Callie McCulley added six points.

For Cal-Mum, Elyse Van Auken scored 12 points.

Besides Wilcox at MVP, the all-tournament team was Taylor Gadd, Attica, Ryann Stefaniak, Batavia, Elyse Van Auken, Cal-Mum, Margaret Sullivan, Notre Dame, and Callie McCulley, Notre Dame.

To purchase prints, click here.

It will be Notre Dame and Cal-Mum facing off tonight in the championship match of the Batavia Rotary Club Girls Basketball Tournament.

After Batavia delivered an uninspired performance leading to a loss to the Red Raiders 43-40, the Lady Blue Devils will face Attica in the consolation game at 6 p.m.

NOTE: the games have been moved from Friday night to tonight because of the anticipated cold snap tomorrow.

The Lady Raiders will face a motivated Lady Irish team that had two of the squad's top players both in sync Wednesday night, with Callie McCulley scoring 22 points and Margaret Sutherland scoring 16 to help lead a dominating 64-42 win over Attica. Natalie Thornton added 13 points.

Attica was led by Taylor Gadd with 13 points and Kacey Pearce with 10.

Top scorer Wednesday night was Cal-Mum's Elyse Van Auken, who scored 24 points. Makenzie Wilson scored eight points.

For Batavia, Ryann Stefaniak scored 13 points, Bryn Wormley, eight, and Kenzie Reigle, seven.

Two Batavia players missed the game due to illness.

A newcomer to watch with Batavia is 5' 11" sophomore Emma Krolczyk, who scored six points. 

To purchase prints of pictures, click here.

For the 29th year, the Batavia Rotary Club will host its annual girl's basketball tournament at Genesee Community College starting at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

The club hosted a tip-off luncheon today the Arc Community Center in Batavia.

First game tomorrow pits Notre Dame against Attica and the nightcap matches Batavia and Cal-Mum, the defending champions.

The consolation and championship game will be Friday at GCC.

UPDATE: Because of anticipated bad weather, the finals will be played on Thursday.

Photo: Margaret Sutherland, Notre Dame, Taylor Gadd, Attica, Mackenzie Wilson, Cal-Mum, and Bri Janes, Batavia.

Below, the Attica players who attended the luncheon pose for a group selfie after the event.

(Photo from 1953 Golden Gloves fight "Franny Bond (left) vs. Edson Brown" from the archives of the New York Daily News.)

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Batavia, NY --- Francis R. Bond, 86, a longtime owner, driver and trainer at Batavia Downs and Buffalo Raceway, died peacefully Tuesday morning, Dec. 26, at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia.

“Franny” Bond was born in Buffalo on July 27, 1931. He became a Marine after leaving school and began boxing while in the service in the Armed Forces Title Fights.

He fought in the lightweight class and eventually worked into the featherweight division. The then 126-pound “fighting Marine” was described as “a game and lively scrapper who could take a hit and come back with a better one.”

Corporal Bond became one of the Marines' top boxers, winning a featherweight title in 1953 while often times fighting men from the professional ranks between service bouts and sometimes competing in higher weight classes.  

Bond continued to fight professionally in the Golden Gloves after he left the service under the name Bobby Bond and was trained by Angelo Dundee who also conditioned the likes of Muhammad Ali, George Foremen, Sugar Ray Leonard and Carmen Basilio. He competed in 15 professional fights all over the Eastern Seaboard including New York City at Madison Square Garden.

Bond first got involved in harness racing in 1966 and eventually got his trainer and driver’s licenses. He ran a small stable for the next 39 years, seeing most of his driving success in the 1970s (where he scored 135 of his 189 careers victories) and most of his training accomplishments (total of 108) between 1990 and 2000. Bond also occasionally catch-drove horses when the opportunity arose.

Bond’s last winning effort came on May 16, 1996 behind H F Harriet at Buffalo Raceway.

Bond was an entrepreneur and made a buck anyway he could. He owned a soft drink distributorship, ran the track kitchen at Batavia Downs and sold hay, straw and feed for many years while, and after, he was competing himself. He was known by everyone on the backstretch and was an affable individual his entire life.

No memorial information has been relayed. 

In what may be the last regular season meeting between Batavia and Notre Dame in boys basketball, the Blue Devils came out on top 68-45 to win The Peter Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament.

The tournament has commonly been known as the Lions Tournament, but the Lions Club of Batavia renamed it this year in memory of Pete Arras, a longtime Lions Club member and founder of the tournament.

The tournament is usually the one meeting each year between Batavia and Notre Dame, but next year, the tournament format will change to include eight teams, four each in Class A and B, and four teams in Class C and D, which is why Batavia and Notre Dame aren't likely to play each other again.

Last night, Mason McFollins scored 17 points, hitting five three-point shots. He was named tournament MVP. Steve Gilebarto and Antwan Odom scored 14 apiece.

For Notre Dame, Ryan Moffet scored 11 points and Keith Szczepanski scored eight.

Besides McFollins, the all-tournament team was Liam Ward, Albion, Colin O'Hallohan, Elba, Antwan Odem and Steve Gilebarto, Batavia, and Ryan Moffet, Notre Dame.

A new feature of the tournament is a banner acknowledging all of the teams. The winning team signs the banner and will be able to display it in the school. Above, Nancy Arras, wife of Pete, signs the banner.

To purchase prints, click here.

Pembroke pulled out a narrow win Friday night in overtime over Charter School for Applied Technologies in boys basketball.

The final, 66-64.

Jamil Marable scored 22 points for the Dragons. Ethan Stone, 16, Lucas Kohurst, 11, and Reid Miano, 9.

Top scorer for CSAT was Devin Ashley with 21 points.

Photos by Destin Danser.

For more photos and to purchase prints, click here.

Members of the basketball program with the Pembroke Youth Association showed "horns up" for UB men's basketball at Alumni Arena in Buffalo on Thursday night.

The kids got a chance to see a great Division I basketball game (the Bulls beat NJIT 86-81 in overtime) as a group outing.

(I attended the game and when one of the girls with the group won "Fan of the Game" during the second half, I noticed the Pembroke jersey and decided to get a picture of the group at the game. The kids were clearly having a blast.)

The Byron-Bergen Lady Bees beat Greece Odyssey on Thursday night to capture, for the second year in a row, the Sports Boosters Tournament championship.

The Bees came back from a 29-23 half-time deficit to win 56-48.  

After starting the season with three losses, Byron-Bergen has won five in a row.

On Thursday, Juliana Amesbury had 19 points, Kelsey Fuller 14 and Miriam Tardy with 12. Odyssey Shyasia McCullough had 16 points.

Byron-Bergen's Kelsey Fuller was named tournament MVP. The rest of the all-tournament team is Lydia Borrelli from Le Roy, Shyasia McCullough and Abby Wilson from Odyssey and Juliana Amesbury.

Information submitted by Kathryn Krzewinski. Photos by Tammy Fuller.

Members of the Batavia High School softball team, along with parents and coaches and parents, were at the basketball tournament on Wednesday night selling snacks and drinks.

The concession booth is a fundraiser to help the team pay for a trip to a softball camp in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in March. The camp will allow the team to start practices and see game action, helping them prepare for the season, while most of the team's spring competition is still stuck in frigid WNY.

Notre Dame and Batavia will meet in the finals of The Peter Arras GCC Basketball Tournament at Genesee Community College on Friday after both teams won opening round games of the annual tournament organized by the Batavia Lions Club.

Notre Dame beat Elba 77-66 and Batavia beat Albion 84-58.

In the first game, Notre Dame and Elba traded leads throughout the first three quarters, but the Irish pulled away by scoring 30 points in the fourth quarter even as Elba scored 24.  

Ryan Moffat scored 26 points for the Irish, hitting five three-point buckets. Nico Zambito scored 17 points. Spencer Miskiti and Brendin Klotzbach each scored eight.

For Elba, Jonathan Boyce scored 20, Collin O'Halloran scored 16, Colton Dillon, 14, and Ben Pflaumer, 13.

In the nightcap, Mason McFollins scored 31 points, hitting seven three-pointers, while Ray Mlodozeniec scored 13, Trevor Zewan, 12, and Jonathan Liciaga, 8.

For Albion, Liam Ward scored 20, hitting four three-point shots and Bryce Pritchard scored 17, hitting five three-point shots.

Elba and Albion will play the consolation game at 6:30 p.m. Friday, and Batavia and Notre Dame tip off at 8 p.m. Both games are played at GCC.

To purchase prints, click here.

Byron-Bergen's Lady Bees beat Le Roy in a girls basketball game Tuesday night at Byron-Bergen, 58-34.

The two teams were tied at the half, but the Bees outscored the Knights in the third and fourth quarter, 21-11 and 16-2.

For Byron-Bergen, Kelsey Fuller scored 16 points, Miriam Tardy, 14, Juliana Amesburg, 12, and Emily Kaczmarek, 8.

For Le Roy, Erin Cappotelli had 12 points, Bryn Luckey, 7, and Ava Horgan, 6.