Sports

Press release:

Genesee Community College has hired Andrew Crofts as its new sports information coordinator. He will serve as the first staff member dedicated exclusively to the position covering all aspects of the college's robust athletic teams. He brings a wide range of experience in the sports communication field, as well as a local appreciation for Genesee Community College and its athletic program.

Crofts has covered sports for WBSU-FM in Brockport and as an intern at 13WHAM Television in Rochester. His experience includes reporting on the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Rochester Red Wings, as well as many local college and high school teams. Andrew also served as a play-by-play announcer for WBSU Radio, calling Brockport College football, basketball and baseball. He was twice named a national finalist for "Best Sports Play by Play," presented by Collegiate Broadcasters, Inc. He was also ranked in the top ten of collegiate sportscasters according to Sportscasters Talent Agency of America in 2009.

A native of Batavia, Andrew attended Batavia City Schools from kindergarten to high school, where he graduated in June of 2005. While in high school, Andrew was a member of the football and baseball teams. He currently resides in Batavia.

Crofts' education includes a year of undergraduate work at Genesee Community College starting in the fall of 2005. He then moved on to The College at Brockport in the fall of 2006, and earned a bachelor's degree in Broadcasting Communications in the spring of 2009, graduating in the communications studies National Honor Society.

Andrew is an avid sports fan. He enjoys both playing and watching all sports. His favorite teams are the New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Sabres and the Syracuse Orange. He has also coached baseball at the Little League level. When he is not watching or playing sports, Andrew enjoys relaxing and watching movies.

Margaret (Peggy) Sisson, athletics director, explained why Crofts is an important addition to the communications team at GCC.

"Athletics at Genesee Community College are thriving," Sisson said, "Last year, our women's soccer team went to the national championship game, men's lacrosse and men's golf were ranked fourth in the nation, women's basketball and women's volleyball advanced to the national championships in Illinois and Wisconsin, and men and women's swimming and diving advanced to the national championships in Buffalo, New York.

"In total, seven teams advanced to the national championships. Having Andrew on our team will help us bring the latest Cougar news and the accomplishments of student athletes to the community better than ever before."

The Batavia Blue Devils pulled out a victory in a wild, high-scoring game against O'Hara HS on Friday night, with Justin Washington and Brett Scheuerlein leading the way. Washington had nine catches for 151 yards and four touchdowns while Scheuerlein passed for 208 yards and four TDs. Scheurline, along with James Soggs, had 12 tackles. Scheuerlein engineered an 80-yard drive with 2:56 left in the game to secure the Batavia (1-1) win.

In a Genesee League matchup, Barker moved to 2-0 beating Pembroke (1-1) by a score of 31-13. Cody Bedard threw for 184 yards with 14 competitions and one TD.

One point down and 44 seconds left on the clock, Tim McCulley, already 0-2 on PATs, kicked a gaming-winning field goal from 32 yards out to life Notre Dame (2-0) past Holley 23-21. McCulley also passed for 116 yards on 12 completions and ran for 117 yards and scored two TDs.

Even with Tommy Manzella completing 18 of 29 passes for 205 yards, Attica proved too much for Oakfield-Alabama, delivering the Hornets their second loss of the season, 32-8. Attica is no 1-1.

 Le Roy beat Warsaw 32-0. No further details of the game are available.

Elba beat Alexander 13-12 (coverage).

Photo from Pembroke's game submitted by Destin Danser (more pictures, including the option to purchase, on his website).

It took six quarters of football, but the Elba Byron-Bergen Lancers finally got fired up Saturday to turn a 12-0 half-time deficit into a 13-12 victory of the Alexander Trojans.

After a blistering 32-7 loss to Barker last week, Coach Mike Cintorino said the Lancers needed a spark to turn things around, and Zack DuBois, helped by some key blocks at the line, did that in the third quarter with a 95-yard run for a score.

"Our guys came out in the second half excited to play and we had some success to get us moving in the right direction," Cintorino said. "We've been waiting, knowing that Zach is due, and he popped a big one for us today. This is exactly what our team needed today just to show us that we are as good as we were last year and now we can build on that."

Alexander, playing under new head Coach Jack Rennolds, and coming off an injury-plagued 2010 season when the team went 1-6, played a pretty dominant first half.

The Trojans converted a turnover into a touchdown when Austin Heberline punched it in from two yards out.

Patrick Crawford helped lead the next drive, including darting in on a 12-yard TD run to put Alexander up 12-0 at the half.

Alexander had 213 yards on the ground, most of it gained in the first-half of the game.

But the momentum seemed to shift in the second half, sparked, of course, by the DeBois run, but defensively the Lancers seems to come to life, making it much harder for Alexander to move the ball.

Zac Gillard helped put his team ahead with a 35-yard TD pass to Matt Ramsey with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

From there, it was just a matter of a fired-up Lancers' defense keeping the Trojans in check.

Rennolds said he saw a lot of positives in his team, especially during the first half of play.

"We played really well in the first half and I was really happy with our play, but we seemed to drop our coverage a bit in the second half," Rennolds said. "We came out a little flat and Elba came out definitely ready to play."

The Lancers move to 1-1 and Alexander is now 0-2 on the young season.

Stats:

Offensive Stats - Elba Byron Bergen
RB - Zack DuBois (So.): 24 Carries for 175 yards and 1 TD (94-yard run)
QB - Zac Gillard (Jr.): 6-10 for 79 yards and 1 TD (35 yards)
WR - Matt Ramsey (Sr.): 1 reception for 35 yards and 1 TD (35 yards)

Offensive Stats - Alexander
RB - Pat Crawford (Sr.): 3 Carries for 51 yards and 1 TD (12-yard run)
RB - Austin Heberline (Sr.): 5 Carries for 6 yards and 1 TD (2-yard run)
RB - Mark Farnsworth: 48 yards rushing
RB - Luke Phillips: 42 yards rushing
RB - David Schmeide: 22 yards
QB - Mark Farnsworth (Jr.): 3-11 for 22 yards
QB - Nelson Burke: 3 completions for 31 yards
Lineman Nick Mrucza was used on an offensive play and carried the ball for 38 yards.

Defensive Stats - Elba Byron-Bergen
Cody Naylor (Sr.): 10 tackles, 3 for a loss
Nate Jonathan (Jr.): 10 tackles, 2 for a loss

Defensive Stats - Alexander
Lucas Phillips (Sr.): Forced fumble
Austin Heberlein: 8 tackles and 4 assists
Nick Mrucza: 6 tackles
David Patrick: 5 tackles and 2 assists

Photos from this game can be purchased by clicking here.

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

Press release:

This is going to be a big weekend at Batavia Downs Casino. Honoring and remembering is the theme.

Tonight, Joseph Teresi will be honored as the Batavia Downs Casino Italian-American of the Year with a special Winners Circle ceremony. The inaugural recipient of the award, Joseph Gerace, nominated Teresi for the award. Gerace recognized the work that Teresi does in the community and how he honors his Italian heritage doing so.

Teresi is currently the vice president of Tompkins Insurance Agencies. Some of his accolades include Geneseean of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, two-time Lions Distinguished Service Award winner and “Lion of the Year” award.

He is also involved as: the current president of Regional Action Phone Line; founder and volunteer of the YMCA Challenger Sports program; member of the Notre Dame High School Education Foundation; supporter of the T.F. Brown’s/Batavia Lions club annual Christmas dinner; past president of the Genesee YMCA Lions Club; and co-chair of the recent Genesee Foundation “Encore” event.

A special Italian-American themed buffet will be served in the Clubhouse while the Formula band, known for playing traditional Italian music, will be in Grandstands Bar & Grille from 8 until midnight.

On Saturday night, two big events will be taking place. After the fourth harness race, five high school students -- Elizabeth Shuknecht from Elba High School; Kendra Wall from Notre Dame of Batavia; Natalie Tuites from Batavia High School; Conor George from Oakfield High School; and Wyatt Chittenden from Pembroke High School -- will go behind the starting gate to race for their share of $7,500 in college scholarship money.

The scholarship race is a partnership between Batavia Downs Casino, Buffalo Raceway, Harness Horse Breeders of New York and the Western New York Horsemen Association. The college scholarship breakdown is as follows: $3,000 to the winner; $2,000 to the second-place finisher; and $1,200, $800 and $500 going to the third, fourth and fifth place finishers, respectively.

All students practiced at least five times during the month of August with the driver/trainer that they will be teamed up with. They were exposed to the full equine experience associated with the racing industry. The students and their professionals will race 1-mile, that's two laps around Batavia Downs on double-seated jog carts.

Later in the evening, Benny "The Whip"  Webster and P.C. "Patsy" Rapone will be installed in the Upstate New York Harness Racing Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2011 representing Batavia Downs. Webster and the family of Rapone will be presented their Empire Pinnacle Crystal awards to mark the occasion, trackside after the 7th and 8th races.

Webster is a homegrown Western New York racing legend. He lived in Hilton, and got his first driving win at the age of 16 at the Hemlock Fair; both a mere 25 miles from Batavia Downs Casino. But that incipient stage of his development would later see a 47-year career unfold on the biggest stages of the sport as Webster would go on to win the Hambletonian, the Little Brown Jug and the Kentucky Futurity.

In a career that spanned six decades, Webster won 4,378 races and his horses earned purses of $43,197,645.

Born and raised in Caledonia, Patsy C. Rapone came from a harness-racing family; just about every relative was involved in the sport in some capacity. His father Lou Rapone was a national training and driving force from the 1950s right through the 1970s and amassed 2,069 wins in his career. So it was no surprise when Patsy left high school to go work with his dad taking care of the horses.

He started driving at age 21 at Batavia Downs in 1974. During his short career, Rapone won 2,643 races and $5.8 million in purse money. He died of brain cancer on May 16, 1996 at the age of 42.

NOTE: Rick actually submitted this article yesterday morning and we neglected to put it on the home page. Apologies to Rick and the fans of Pembroke soccer.

The Pembroke Boys Varsity Soccer team started its regular season at home Tuesday with a league game against Kendall. After a slow first half where they gave up three goals, the Dragons came out strong in the second half, scoring their first goal of the season.

Sophomore Collin Lewis got the goal on an assist from Gabe Birkby. Coach Burch and the boys were very upbeat after the game, having played a very solid game against a strong opponent. The final score was 3-1. Next Dragons game is Friday 9/9 at 4:30 p.m. at Lyndonville. Go here to see more photos of the game.

Notes: A few weeks ago, Vic Marchese, owner of Main St. Pizza Company mentioned to me, almost offhand, that he thought it would be fun to sponsor a fantasy football contest for the 2011 NFL season. As it so happened, just of that very day, I had available the tools to make it happen. So here you go, a weekly football challenge sponsored by Main St. Pizza Company.

Each week, you will be asked to pick an NFL player who will lead the league in an offensive or defensive statistical category. All of the entrants who pick the correct player will be entered into a drawing to win that week's prize. This week, for example, is a sheet pizza from Main St. Pizza Company.

Each Tuesday we'll post who won the previous week's contest and the new challenge question.

Click the ad above to enter the contest.

The Batavia Area Jaycees' annual 5K race was Monday morning. Here are the results.

Overall Male: Collin MulCahly, 17: 17:26.

Overall Female: Melissa Domay, 36: 21:30.

AGE GROUP WINNERS:  

14 & UNDER - MALE:  
1. Campbell Anderson - 24:05 
2. Vincent DiRisio - 51:11  

14 & UNDER - FEMALE:  
1. Emma Eastridge - 26:57  

15-19 - MALE:  
1. Mitchel Ernst - 18:51  
2. Patrick Burns - 19:03  

15-19 - FEMALE:  
1. Samantha Wingate - 31:38  

20-29 - MALE:  
1. Michael Richenberg - 17:53 
2. Dave Bateman - 18:48  

20-29 - FEMALE:  
1. Christina Bak - 30:36  
2. Amy Swenson - 33:57  

30-39 - MALE:   
1. Paul Glor - 17:43  
2. Rich Boyce - 20:24  

30-39 - FEMALE:  
1. Jill Christinano - 23:57  
2. Nicole Boyce - 25:20  

40-49 - MALE:  
1.Kevin Sheehan - 18:43  
2. Jim Werven - 20:02  

40-49 - FEMALE:  
1. Lynn Auble - 21:51  
2. Carol Vanderberg - 23:56  

50-59 - MALE:  
1. David Oleary - 18:04  
2. Bill McMullen - 21:18  

50-59 - FEMALE:  
1. Janice Spiotta - 27:19  
2. Carrie Caccamise - 29:36  

60+ - MALE:  
1. Tom Dutton - 20:35  
2. Bruce Rychwalski - 25:04  

60+ - FEMALE:   
1. Mitzie Lewandewski - 28:29 
2. Debora Redding - 39:47

At the top of the ninth inning, the Dwyer Stadium PA announcer played a song by The Doors.

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again

For the Auburn Doubledays, it could have been a sign that the Muckdog's 4-1 lead could withstand any offensive assault. It could have been a reference to the final game of the season.

Or, perhaps, a dirge for the final game of the Batavia Muckdogs. Ever.

It's too soon to say, and nobody really knows, whether there will be a 2012 campaign of professional baseball in Batavia, but at least the Muckdogs gave the faithful something to cheer about on a cloudy Sunday in September.

The Muckdogs close out 2011 with a record 37-38, good enough for fourth place in the Pickney Division of the NYPL (a storied baseball league founded in Batavia), but leaving them eight games out of first place.

Vance Albitz, scrappy shortstop who played his college ball in San Diego but went undrafted despite twice being named defensive player of the year, helped lead the Muckdogs to victory with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI.

DH Jeremy Lee Patton, another first-year player, finished out the season with a .293 average after banging out two hits.

The win went to Javier Enrique Avendano (1-2) and Danny Miranda picked up his 15th save even though he surrendered two hits and run.

Miranda was helped out by two crucial Doubleday base running blunders.

Bryce Ortega, who should have been out at second except for a throwing error by second baseman Garrett Wittels, tried to advance to third. Ortega's decision to race for third was questionable with his team down by three runs. But with third baseman Daniel Stienstra busy retrieving Wittels' errant throw, maybe worth the gamble.

Stienstra grabbed the ball and was able to flip it to Miranda, charging toward the bag, and Miranda applied a tag with Ortega still two feet from the base (though some fans on the third-base side said the tag was never made).

When Russell Moldenhauer doubled to center, Matthew Skole scored and Moldenhauer, perhaps feeling greedy, tried to stretch his double into a triple. He was, as the say, out by a mile.

And that, my friend, was the end.

If you have trouble viewing the slide show below, click here.

The Blue Devils erased a 14-0 fourth-quarter deficit only to see a shot at victory slip past them. With less than 30 second to go in the game, Bath's Matt Nevius connected with Dan Leonard on a 47-yard TD pass.

In the season opener, Batavia's John DiFante connected with Brett Scheurline on a 65-yard pass to put the Blue Devils on the board.

In their next offensive series, the Blue Devils converted on fourth down to keep the drive alive and then scored on another fourth-down play, a three-yard run by Alex Ianita. Batavia's conversion attempt was a run by Codee Gangarossa, who managed to just get the ball across the goal line to tie up the game.

On Bath's next drive, the Blue Devil's defense looked like it might have a chance to stop Bath, but Leonard managed to sneak past a defender. Once he secured the pass from Nevius, there was nothing between him and the goal line.

The Blue Devils are at home again, 7:30 p.m., Friday, against Bishop Timon-St. Jude HS.

In other Genesee County football action on Friday: Way-Co beat Le Roy 28-8; Notre Dame beat Attica 27-7; Pembroke beat Alexander 21-14.

NOTE: About the video -- I shot the first half with the same video camera I've used each of the past two seasons, but it wouldn't stay in focus for some reason.  At the half, I decided to switch to my DSLR and use its video function. I decided not to even bother processing the first-half video, so the video above is only from half-time on. Ironically, during one of the key plays of the game, the tripod slipped, causing the camera to lose focus, but I included it in the video anyway.

Notre Dame scored 20 first-quarter points in route to a 27-14 victory over Attica in the opening week of high school football.

Quarterback Tim McCully tossed two TD passes to his brother Doane. Doane had four catches on the night for 90 yards. Doane also had a kick return for a touchdown.

Nick Conklin scored on a 10-yard run for the Fighting Irish in the first quarter and in the fourth quarter, Tim MCully connected with Nick Taylor on a 24-yard TD pass.

Photos submitted by Bare Antolos. His web site is bareantolos.com

The newly formed Pembroke Boys Varsity Soccer Team started its season at the Holly soccer tournament Thursday night. Playing in their very first game together, the boys played with great heart against the very powerful Holly Hawks team. Despite losing to the host team by a 5-0 score, coach Aaron Burch was very happy with the boys' effort. Go here to see more photos of the game.

*

On Tuesday, Jim DiSalvo invited me to his house on Fargo Road, Stafford, to meet his son, Jason, and Jason's racing team. I thought I'd get a picture and share a little bit about the great season Jason is having.

I set up a shot with a couple of bikes in the background and just as we were getting ready to make a photograph, Jason asked, "When will your picture run?" I told him, "probably tonight."

Well, that would never do. See that Triumph in the background -- the racing world didn't yet know that Jason would be running it this week at the final race of the season in New Jersey.

I agreed to hold the picture until the bike change was officially announced, and I also redesigned the shot to better include the bike in the picture.

This evening, the DiSalvo team officially announced that for the last race as well as next season, Jason will race a Triumph 675 Triple in Daytona Sportbike class races.

Jason said the team felt they would get great support from Triumph and he was excited about the switch.

Race 1 on Saturday will start at 2 p.m., and Sunday's race starts at 2:15 p.m.  Live timing for both events can be viewed at www.amaproracing.com.

Speed TV will air the races at 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Jason is currently third this season in points standing with three wins and four pole positions.

Pictured with Jason are Jordan Fielder, left, Bubba Evoy, Chase McFarland and Ronnie Saner.

It's official -- it's a tie.

Batavia Downs officials announced late this afternoon that, after spending hours reviewing all available pictures and video of the 2011 Wiener Dog Race, the final match ended in a dead heat.

Lindsay Ryan, owner of first-year runner Gordon, will receive $200 in free play at the casnio. 

After Sunday afternoon's race, when Jake Arnold, owned by Jane Smart, was declared the winner, Smart received the $200 in free play prize.

Hours after the race, evidence began to surface suggesting that Jake Arnold wasn't a clear-cut winner, leading Batavia Downs officials to delay certifying the race results.

A rematch is in the works, tentatively set for Sept. 24. Officials are waiting from confirmation from the Jake Arnold camp.

“It’s simply too close to call," said Todd Haight, general manager of live racing. “I know there is video out on the Internet that appears to show Gordon in front, but our official photo-finish camera shows both dogs hitting the line simultaneously. So in all fairness a dead heat was the right way to go.”

The rookie Gordon came a breath away from upsetting defending champion Jake Arnold.

In a statement released by Batavia Downs, Lindsay Ryan said, "We came to the dog races because we wanted to get my friend's mom, who has cancer, out of the house. We knew Gordon would run his heart out for her and he did. She had so much fun. I am so happy with how things turned out." 

The Batavia Bulldawgs Youth Football Team sold raffle tickets for a 2011 Johnny Pag Spyder motorcycle provided by Grease Lightning. The tickets were $40 each and only 150 were sold.

The winner was Chris Schafer of West Falls (He was not present.)

More pictures of the game can be found here.