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Notre Dame girls claim Section V cross country title

By Howard B. Owens

Submitted by Eric Geitner:

The Notre Dame girls cross country team claimed the Class D title on Saturday at the Section V Cross Country Championships at GCC. The girls team last won in 2006 and it is the sixth title for the girls program (1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006). Eighth grader Anna Warner led the Irish with a second place finish covering the course in 20:44. Her performance also qualified her to represent Section V at the New York State Cross Country Champioships in Pawling next weekend.

The top ten in each class receive sectional patches and ND had five finishers in that top ten. Freshman Bailee Welker placed 5th in 21:23, Junior Meghan Zickl 7th in 21:36, Eighth Grader Rosemary Flumerfeldt 8th in 21:51, and Senior Kristen Antolos was 9th in 22:14. Also racing for ND was Sophomore Madison Gluck finishing 18th in 24:03 and Eighth Grader Janelle Fancher placing 34th in 25:54.

The boys team was moved up to Class C this year due to winning too many titles in Class D and finished fifth in Class C. Sophomore Jeffrey Antolos paced the Irish placing 5th in 17:18. His performance qualified him for the New York State Cross Country Championships next weekend. Junior Andrew Fischer finished 18th in 18:11, followed by Sophomore Arron Carlson 24th in 18:24. Senior Nick Flumerfeldt finished 30th in 18:46 and Junior Luke Calla 39th in 19:01 to round out the scoring for ND. Junior Matt Sausner placed 51st in 19:30 and Senior Tyler Pingrey 58th in 19:50 were the other racers for the Irish.

Photos submitted by Bare Antolos.

Top photo: 8th grader Anna Warner, 8th grader Janelle Fancher, 10th grader Madison Gluck, 8th grader Rosemary Flumerfeldt, 9th grader Bailee Welker, 12th grader Kristen Antolos, 11th grader Meghan Zickl

Inset: Notre Dame 8th grade XC runner Anna Warner finishes her Section V Class D 2nd place finish to earn a spot in the state championships next weekend in Pawling, NY

In his first season running Cross-Country, Notre Dame sophomore Jeffrey Antolos completes his state qualifying run in a personal best 17:17:46 to earn a trip to the state cross-country championships to be held next Saturday in Pawling, NY.

 

GCC's women's soccer and volleyball teams having a great season

By Billie Owens

For several weeks now, the Genesee Community College Women's Soccer Team has been No. 1 in the nation!

It's been an exciting season for both soccer and volleyball at the college, and this week continues the thrill as both teams head off to national and district competitions, respectively.

The Soccer Team left Wednesday for a second consecutive NJCAA National Tournament appearance, held this year at Prince George's Community College in Maryland.

Ranked as the top NJCAA Women's Soccer team in the nation for several weeks, they have great expectations for ttoday's game against Ocean Community College.

Last Saturday at Tompkins County Community College, GCC's Women's Soccer Team (17-1-2) defeated Mohawk Valley Community College (12-4-3) 3-2 in an exciting overtime win to earn the NJCAA Region IIIA Title.

As 2010 Region III Award Winners, GCC also captured other major honors with Head Coach Kelly Gillow named NJCAA Region III Coach of the Year, and sophomore captain Jessie Jaszko (Batavia)  named NJCAA Region III Player of the Year.

The All-Tournament soccer team players from Genesee included: Jessie Jaszko (Batavia), Adele Zeh (Nunda), and Ali Cashmore (Akron). The Tournament MVP was Catherine Mucha (Dalton).

"It has been an amazing year with the team consistently coming together both on the offense and defense," Gillow said. "We are looking forward to Thursday's event and continuing the synergy in another heated game."

Inside the gym, another team of incredible athletes from Genesee have also been making a name for themselves.

Genesee's Women's Volleyball team hosted Mercyhurst NE in the Region III, Division II Championship finals last week and won the title beating Mercyhurst in three with scores of 25-13, 25-14, and 25-10.

Genesee (34-8) got off to a good start with Mikela Caseria's (Mililani, HI) crisp serving and 12 assists. Genesee also got good production from Sarah Ward (Rochester) producing 14 kills and five digs. While Maria Antsupova (Ozersk, Russia) and Kristie Barger (Lima) took control of the first two games with eight kills/two aces and 14 digs, respectfully.

Mercyhurst got off to a great start in the third game rallying to a 7-2 lead, whereupon Kristie Barger entered the game with great serving to put GCC back into the game. Mercyhurst again took the lead and with GCC down 7-8 Shelly Fuller (Trumansburg) entered the game and served 12 consecutive points to place GCC comfortably in the lead.

Fuller also contributed 12 assists and four aces in the match. Maria Anstupova finished the match by serving two aces. Region III, Division II All-Tournament team honors went to Paige Tilert, Mikela Caseria, Maria Anstupova and Sarah Ward.

In addition, Sarah Ward was named the Tournament MVP.

The Women's Soccer Team will be playing in the district-wide tournament this weekend with their sights on heading off to the Nationals in Wisconsin later this month.

GCC Women's Soccer Team roster:

Dzindzi Asamoah-Wade, CM,  Rochester; Ali Cashmore, F, Akron; Jasmine Coley, D, Rochester; Mollie Culmone, GK, Brockport; Kelsey Fenton, F, Batavia; Cady Hume, M/F, Batavia; Jessie Jaszko, F, Batavia; Jessica Klug, F, Alden; Shelby Koenig, D, Brockport; Jessica Laudico, D, Holley; Brittany Luckey, M, Le Roy; Sarah McGrath, D, Churchville; Anna Mucha, D, Dalton; Catherine Mucha, D, Dalton; Kristen Paris, D, Holley; Marissa Pecora, F, Rochester; Carly Shaw, D, Kendall; Katie Smith, M, Akron; Emily Troup, M/D, Holley; Jessica Veltre, D, Churchville; Shelby Walsh, M, Rochester; Adele Zeh, GK, Nunda.

GCC Women's Volleyball Team roster:

Maria Antsupova, S, Ozersk, Russia; Kristie Barger, OH, Lima; Austin Bishop, OH, Toronto, Canada; Mikela Caseria, S, Mililani, Hawaii; Megan Curry, OH, Byron; Dawn Dodd, M, Daleville, Ind.; Michelle Fuller, DS, Trumansburg; Danielle Kelsey, RS, Corfu; Deliane Lessard, OH, Rochester; Hannah Scott-McGrail, MH, Batavia; Paige Tilert, LIB, Derby; Sarah Ward, OH, Rochester; Alex Wysocki, MH, Hamburg; Marie Zimmerman, S, Medina.

For further information please contact Peggy Sisson, athletic director of Genesee Community College team at 585-343-0055 x 6239 or email:

<http:// MSisson@genesee.edu>

Football picture sale

By Howard B. Owens

We've reduced the prices on the pictures from our 2010 high school football coverage.

For the month of November, football prints can be purchased for as much as 75 percent off the suggested retail price.

Click Here to view the galleries.

Elba/BB drops Section V playoff game to Holley

By Howard B. Owens

The Lancers' offense never quite got untracked and the defense was a bit too porous at Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester on Saturday as Elba/Byron-Bergen dropped a Section V semi-final playoff game to first seed Holley, 0-29.

Holley out gained Elba/BB 259 to 141 yards, including 169 on the ground compared to 80 rushing yards for the Lancers.

Elba/BB coach Michael Cintorino said Holley simply got the job done.

"There were probably a couple of missed opportunities, but Holley has a great team," said Cintorino. "They’re very disciplined and strong and they’re very well coached. Today they did their job. I’m not saying we didn’t do ours, but they just did a better job."

Even so, Cintorino said, he told his players they could be proud of their season.

They had a great season," he said. "There were a lot of people who doubted they could get this far. They had a great year. Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but they have nothing to be ashamed of."

Zack DuBois (pictured above) led the Elba/BB offense with 52 yards on 14 attempts, while Dylan Bordanaro was held to 22 yards on 11 carries.

QB Eric Kowalik was 7 for 18 with two interceptions, tossing the ball for a total of 68 yards.

The Lancers never advanced the ball into the red zone.

To purchase pictures from this game, click here.

More pictures after the jump:


RCB will continue to operate Muckdogs in 2011 while seeking buyer

By Billie Owens

Here's a news release from Travis Sick, general manager of the Batavia Muckdogs.

Rochester Community Baseball announced today that it would continue operating the Batavia Muckdogs in the 2011 baseball season.

Naomi Silver, president and CEO of RCB, Inc., stated that "The Red Wings are very pleased to be able to continue to help Batavia in maintaining the operation of the Muckdogs. The Muckdogs are an extremely important asset; not only of great financial value as a Minor League Baseball franchise, but an important entertainment venue in the Batavia community.

"We would not want to walk away from the operation, leaving the team at risk of not being able to support itself financially while awaiting a sale. Our staying will permit the GCBC board the opportunity to seek out a sale of the Muckdogs on terms which will be most beneficial to the Batavia community."

The team has been for sale since late summer. To date, several inquiries have been made and conversations with potential suitors are ongoing.

Brian Paris, president of the Genesee County Baseball Club, the not-for-profit which owns the Muckdogs, said "We are appreciative and grateful that the Red Wings see fit to continue running the operation here in Batavia while we pursue a buyer.

"Our hope is that a local sale will occur, or that an individual or company will step forward with an interest in spending substantial sponsorship dollars, allowing the financial picture to improve. A company interested in naming rights, for example, would make a big difference here in Batavia, the way it has in most communities around the country."

Given the success of the Muckdogs' 2010 season on the field, it is anticipated that 2011 will be a good year for the operation.

Travis Sick, in his third year as general manager of the Muckdogs, is looking forward to solid sales both in advertising and at the ticket office.

Sick said: "We had a great year on the field this past season, and the Red Wings' dedication and support of this franchise bodes well for this community.

"I think our fans and advertisers were concerned that baseball might disappear from the Batavia landscape, but now we can move forward with our planning and sales for 2011. With the recent extension of the working relationship with the St. Louis Cardinals, I think we can expect another great year on the field."

Selling Falleti Ice Arena won't come without a cost

By Howard B. Owens

If the city were to sell the Falliti Ice Arena, it would have to get at least $450,000 for the 30-year-old facility according to City Manager Jason Molino.

That base price would cover current debt on recent improvements to the facility, the Zamboni ice resurfacer as well as the cost of separating the HVAC and sewer line, which is shared with the Batavia Fire Department headquarters.

Councilwoman Patti Pacino, for one, doesn't think any investor will pay as much as $450,000 for a facility that old and attached to a municipal building. What's more, she's worried that once the building has new owners, they will be under no obligation to provide community services, such as hosting local hockey leagues and high school programs.

What if some day they wanted to turn it into a discotheque, or something else, she mused.

"That (loss of community use of the facility) frightens me," Pacino said.

Councilman Bill Cox  (pictured) said he's pleased with how well things are going with the current management company, but doesn't think the city should own an ice arena.

"The ice arena is (a) great service and it’s enjoyed by people from throughout the county, but it’s not a vital service to the city," Cox said. "I believe we have to get out of areas that really aren't vital city services and involve private business."

Councilman Bob Bialkowski is all for selling the facility. He said he already received calls from local business people supporting the idea of selling it, wondering what the city was doing running an ice rink to begin with.

Technically, the city doesn't run it. For the past four seasons, a management company, Firland, has run the rink, and by all accounts, has done a good job. Firland has made all of its obligated payments to the city, totaling more than $160,000.

If the agreement were renewed -- which Firland wants to do -- the city could expect $400,000 from Firland over the next 11 years, enough to cover debt service, including the $75,000 still owed on the Zamboni machine.

If the city were to sell the facility, Molino said in a report, the sale price might only be four or five times current revenue, or between $300,000 and $400,000.

That's just a guess at this point. If the city were to get serious about selling the arena, a request for proposal would need to be written and an appraisal done -- a process that would cost the city thousands of dollars.

That cost scared off some council members from supporting the RFP process and by consensus, the council went along with a suggestion by Molino that the city generate a request for interest statement and float it around to potential buyers -- just to see if there is a market for the facility.

"It’s not every day that an ice rink goes on the market that’s 30 years old in a rural market like this," Molino said.

City Attorney George Van Nest also cautioned council members that finding a buyer could be difficult.

"There are going to be several strings attached, which is going to make it less attractive to a purchaser," Van Nest said.

Councilman Frank Ferrando said the currant arrangement with Firland seems to be working out well and from what he hears, hockey and ice skating are "booming" at Falleti.

"We need more booming kind of things happening in Batavia," Ferrando said. "I would hate to see us lose that just because we want to get rid of (the building)."

Elba/Byron-Bergen Lancers advance to sectional finals

By Howard B. Owens

Elba/Byron-Bergen beat South Seneca on Saturday, 23-7, in a Section V semi-final playoff game.

Next week, the Lancers will play the Holley Hawks in a semi-final playoff game. Game time is 2 p.m. in Rochester. The Hawks beat Le Roy 35-21.

Dylan Bordonaro carried the ball 26 times for 261 yards while Eric Kowalik completed nine passes on 17 attempts for 89 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions. Bordonaro had one rushing TD.

Elba/BB posted 463 yards total offense.

UPDATED: Notre Dame comes close to victory in semi-final game

By Howard B. Owens

With just over two minutes left on the clock, Notre Dame took a five-point lead over number one seed Dundee, but couldn't hold on as the Scotsmen engineered a nearly 80-yard drive to secure a 21-23 victory.

Notre Dame got the ball back with 36 seconds to play, but Tom Whelehan, who completed eight passes on the day for 159 yards and three TDs, was unable to connect on four attempts before time expired.

Dundee's final drive, Scotsmen head coach Sheldon Gibson said, was something the team had two weeks to work on following a forfeit by their first-around playoff opponent. Dundee made good use of the time, Gibson said, including designing and practicing the final touchdown play that won them the game.

Rick Mancuso said that winning play was really well executed.

"We’ve got some inexperienced kids and they were really jacked up," Mancuso said. "The took advantage of our aggressiveness."

A year ago in sectionals, Dundee literally ran away with the game, posting a lopsided 76-13 victory. It as a different story Saturday.

Notre Dame was never more than two scores down and grabbed a four-point lead with two minutes to go.

"Notre Dame came out ready to play, very tough, very well coached, without a doubt," said Gibson. "They were well prepared. They had our number, I’ll tell you that."

Mancuso said he was proud of his team.

"I thought the kids executed both offensively and defensively," said Mancuso. "We had a couple of turnovers, a couple of mistakes at inopportune times, and you can’t do that in this type of a ball game, but I was really proud of our kids for battling back."

Mike Pratt and Beau Richter lead the running game, with Pratt gaining 135 yards on 28 carries and Richter adding another 51 on nine carries, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

"Pratt and Richter were coming through very small holes at full speed," Gibson said. "That’s very tough to stop."

Doanne McCuley caught three passes for 78 yards, including a long of 41 yards, while Nate Woods caught three passes for 58 yards, including two TD receptions -- both on tipped balls. Tom Dehr made the go-ahead TD reception in the 4th quarter on a seven-yard pass from Whelehan.

Notre Dame had 362 total offensive yards compared to 284 for Dundee.  The Irish also posted 21 first downs, compared to 14 for the Scotsmen. Time of possession also tilted in Notre Dame's favor, 36:08 to 23:52.

On defense, Whelehan had eight tackles with Pratt and McCulley having six each.

In other football action from yesterday: No. 1 seed Hornell beat No. 8 Batavia, 64-42; Wayland-Cohocton over Pembroke, 40-13.

Top photo: Nate Woods keeps his eye on a tipped ball before hauling it on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Whelehan. The TD at 7:30 in the fourth quarter put the Irish within four points of Dundee, 14-17. Below, R.J. Marchese, who has been out with an injury for four games, reacts to Dundee's final touchdown. Bottom photo, Woods celebrates a second quarter TD after catching a six-yard pass, also a tipped ball, from Whelehan. That first TD tied the score at 7-7.

More photos after the jump:

Alexander wins final 3 games

By Chad Flint

 Alexander finished the regular season 13-1-2, 11-1-1 in the league with 3 wins in their final 3 games.  Alexander beat Byron-Bergen 3-1, Batavia 3-1, and Pembroke 6-1.  In those 3 wins Julia Pettys had 9 goals (3 in Bergen, 2 in Batavia, and 4 in Pembroke), Abby Shilvock had 2 (2 in Pembroke) and Claire Hartl had 1 in the Batavia game.

Alexander is currently 2nd in the Class CC sectional bracket but can move up to 1st if Bloomfield drops their final game tonight.  

Alexander won the Genesee Region Division 1 Title in the game against Byron-Bergen and finished 1 point behind Wheatland-Chili in the overall Genesee Region Points Race.

Sectionals start next Tuesday, if Alexander remains in 2nd place they will play Avon in the first round.

Batavia Girls Tennis Team Advances to Sectional Finals

By Annette Lazarevic

The 3rd seeded Batavia Girls Tennis Team posted a 3-2 win over 2nd seeded Pal-Mac to advance to the finals against 1st seeded Harley-Allendale-Columbia.

Michelle Richenberg started off the winning by crushing Courtney Partington 6-0, 6-1 at 2nd singles.  Robin CLemm followed next at 3rd singles winning impressively 7-5, 6-0 over Ashley O'Dell.

Clinching the match was the first doubles team of Nicole Guilds and Lisa Ferkinghoff. They beat Megan Doyle and B. Beauchat 7-5, 6-3.

For Pal-Mac Marie Black beat Amy Schmidt at 1st singles 6-3, 6-1 and Corin Deuge and Audrey Knorr defeated Maryssa Peirick and Alexis-Jackson Warner at 2nd doubles 6-4, 6-4.

Batavia Doubles Advance

By Annette Lazarevic

Batavia Girls Doubles Teams continue to have success in individual sectional play.

#3 seed Amy Schmidt and Michelle Richenberg defeated #6 seed Briane Kaufman and Krista Mansfield of HF-L 6-0, 6-0 to advance to the semifinals.  They will play #2 seed Olivia Schnieder and Abby King of Mercy on Friday at the Mendon Pool and Raquet Club. The winner of this match advances to the finals and earns an automatic bid into the state qualifier round.

Unseeded Nicole Guilds and Lisa Ferkinghoff lost in the quarterfinals to #1 seed Teresa Weissend and Hailey Roth of HFL  6-3, 6-4.  This put them into the Quarterfinal backdraw where they handily defeated #5 seed Sophia Eliseev and Kate Amuso of Mercy 6-2, 6-1. Guilds/Ferkinghoff play the loser of the #2 vs. #3 seed semifinals match on Saturday at the Mendon Pool and Raquet Club. The winner of that match advances to the state qualifiers.

 

Batavia Girls Tennis has Successful First Day of Individual Sectionals

By Annette Lazarevic

Batavia had 3 of 4 earn spots in the quarterfinals of the ClassB/BB Individual Tennis Sectionals at Palmyra-Macedon (Pal-Mac) today.

In the singles tournament, Robin Clemm beat HAC's Meghan Frost 10-8 in the first round and went on to beat Midlakes Kelli Leitner 7-6 (6), 6-2 in the second round.  Clemm advances to the quarterfinals where she will play #1 seeded Quinn Gleason of Honeyoye Falls-Lima (HF-L)

In the doubles tournament, Batavia saw both teams advance to the quarterfinals.

Amy Schmidt and Michelle Richenberg (who are the #3 seed) beat Jamie Kollmorgan and Kelley Eplin of Bath-Haverling 10-0 in the first round.  In the second round Schmidt/Richenberg defeated Emily Piacentini and Marissa DiGregorio of Eastridge 6-1, 6-3.  Their opponent for the quarterfinals has yet to be determined as the first day of play was called due to darkness.

Nicole Guilds and Lisa Ferkinghoff beat Haley Miller and Emily Bernai of Wayland-Cohocton 10-5 in the first round.  The second round was more exciting as Guilds and Ferkinghoff (who are unseeded), knocked off #8 seeded Lydia Hill and Hannah DeSelms of Harley-Allendale-Columbia 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. Guilds and Ferkinghoff advance to the quarterfinals to play #1 seeded Teresa Weissend and Hailey Roth of HF-L.

The tournament continues on Tuesday at Palmyra-Macedon.

 

Holley tops Pembroke in battle of 5-1 teams

By Howard B. Owens

Three early turnovers put Pembroke in a hole early against Holley in Saturday's match up of 5-1 teams, and a strong effort to recover still left the Dragons short, falling to the Hawks 41-25.

Pembroke struck first in the second quarter, taking a 7-0, but an interception returned for a touchdown and two fumbles -- one was converted into a TD on the Hawks' first play from scrimmage -- told the tale of the game.

By the half, the Hawks held a commanding 28-10 lead.

"We probably made more mistakes this game than any game during the year, but that’s a quality football team we played today," said Head Coach Chip Foster.

The Dragons opened the second half with two quick scores, cutting the Hawks' lead to 26-25, but Pembroke couldn't put the ball across the goal line again, while the Hawks would tack on two more scores.

“The kids kept their hearts in the game right until the end,” Foster said.

Pembroke travels to Wayland-Cohocton next week as the number five seed in the first-round of sectional playoffs. Holley secured the number two seed.

In other Genesee County football action:

  • Notre Dame won the first round of its sectional playoff series, beating Geneseo, 21-20 in overtime. Mike Pratt rushed for 185 yards and scored the winning touchdown. On a muddy field, Geneseo was unable to convert a two-point attempt following a TD on its OT possession. QB Tom Whelehan tossed in two touchdowns and was 6-for-7 for 70 yards.
  • The Batavia Blue Devils (3-4) secured the number eight seed in sectional playoffs with a 35-22 victory over Wellsville (0-7). Ryan Pyatt ran for 184 yards on 17 carries, putting the ball over the goal line once. Mitch Francis returned a kick-off 80 yards for a score and added a 24-yard TD reception. Ray Williams also ran it in once as part of his 80-yard rushing performance.
  • Attica tied Holley for best Genesee Region record with a 14-2 victory over Elba/Byron-Bergen.
  • Oakfield-Alabama (1-6) picked up its first victory of the season, beating Bolivar-Richburg (0-7), 32-14. Jeremy Crawford rushed for 114 yards on 18 carries. Kyle Metz tacked on 82 yards and scored a TD. Tommy Manzella had seven tackles.

More pictures from the Pembroke game after the jump:

Attica 1 Alexander 0

By Chad Flint

 Alexander's record dropped to 10-1-2 on the season overall and 9-1-1 in the league as they dropped a 1-0 game to Attica at home Tuesday.  Despite dominating possession of the ball and only allowing 3 shots while taking 19 of their own Alexander was unable to put the ball in the Attica net and fell 1-0 thanks to a goal on a rebound off the crossbar by Attica.

Alexander's last home game is Thursday against Bergen at 4:30.  Alexander remains in 1st place in the division by 2 games with 2 games to go.  Any win or tie will give them the division title (or a loss or tie by Attica) in the final 2 games.

Batavia Girls Tennis Team Cruises into Sectional Semi-Finals

By Annette Lazarevic

The 3rd seeded Batavia Girls Tennis Team posted a 5-0 win over 6th seeded Penn Yan in team sectionals yesterday. The win puts Batavia into the semi-finals vs. the winner of #2 Palmyra-Macedon vs.Midlakes/Bath, which play at 4 pm today.

Scores of each match are as follows:

1st singles-Amy Schmidt over Hilary Baxter 6-0, 6-0

2nd singles-Michelle Richenberg over Kara Hollowell 6-0, 6-0

3rd singles-Lisa Ferkinghoff over Kristen Anderson 6-2, 6-0

1st doubles-Nicole Guilds and Maryssa Peirick over Maddie Hill and Arion Dame-Pehring 6-0, 6-2

2nd doubles-Laura Mullen and Alexis Jackson-Warner over Katie Carpenter and Emily Doi 6-0, 4-6, 10-3.

 

Two Twentytwo notched fifth win Saturday at Batavia Downs

By Billie Owens

The "Comeback Kid," Two Twentytwo, prepping for next week’s $40,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace, once again made it look easy when he notched his fifth win of the summer-fall meet in the $9,000 Preferred Handicap, Saturday night (Oct.9), at Batavia Downs Casino.

Sent off as the prohibitive 1-4 betting favorite, reinsman Jack Flanigen (recovered from his recent tumble) fired the 6-year-old Blissful Hall gelding right to the top and they made every pole a winning one cruising to an underwraps 1:54.2 score. Track announcer Joe Zambito called it a “jogburger.”
 
Compass Connection (Jim McNeight) finished 1-1/2 lengths behind in second, while Oh Gee Whiz (Ray Fisher Jr.) forced to go wide for the second week in a row behind stalled cover wound up third.
 
“He raced really well,” Downs dashing leading driver Jack Flanigen said. “It was a pretty easy win, our game plan was to try and save as much as we could for next week's Kane, and we definitely did that.”
 
“He’s the favorite for Horse of the Year, no doubt about that,” said Mike Kane, vice president of Live Racing. “We wish him well next week.”
 
Two Twentytwo ($2.70) is owned by Dominic Colarusso Jr. and trained by Richie Mays. Saturday night's win was his ninth of season in only 15 starts; he’s earned more than $225,000 lifetime.
 
Two Twentytwo was one of the top-rated 3-year-old pacers before an injury sidelined him for more than a year.
 
Rockin Ronny was Rockin
Two Twentytwo wasn’t the only one that had a big Saturday night. Veteran reinsman Ron Beback Jr. was red-hot, guiding home five winners on the 12-program including four from his own barn. Beback is currently second in the trainer standings before Sherri Holliday.
 
Kevin Cummings well on his way to 3,000 career wins scored a hat trick while Ray Fisher Jr. notched a double. Trainer Jim Graham conditioned a pair of winners.
 
Bring on the Cannolis
A Columbus Day tradition returned to Batavia Downs on Monday afternoon, the annual Italian/American drivers' race. The Downs regularly raced on Columbus Day but Monday will be the first Columbus Day program held since Western OTB purchased the historic track in 1998.
 
Carded as race seven, Tom Agosti drove favored Encil from the rail; however, Mike Caprio, a three-time winner of his event, was one to watch.

Winner of Batavia Downs' handicapping contest announced

By Billie Owens

Batavia Downs congratulated Cyndy Stranges, of Lockport, for winning its $1,000 Handicapping Contest held Oct. 9! She bested 267 other contestants with a top score of 44 points to claim the $500 top prize.

Mark Angora, of Rochester, finished just a point behind to claim second place and $250.
 
Three contestants each finished with 42 points, Allan Wallace, Jean Liddell and LuAnn Furano.
 
Via the tiebreaker -- $2 to win on each winner selected during the nine-race contest -- Wallace’s tiebreaker total of $44.70 vaulted him into third place, good for $125. Liddell’s tiebreaker total of $40.20 bested Furano’s $38.20. They won $75 and $50 respectively.
 
All prize money can be picked up beginning at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at Players Club.

Batavia Girls Tennis Team ends regular season on a high note

By Annette Lazarevic

The Batavia Girls Tennis Team ended their regular season on a high note by blanking Eastridge 7-0.

At first singles Amy Schmidt defeated Emily Piacentini 6-1, 6-4.  Michelle Richenberg defeated  Marisa DiGregorio at second singles by a score of 7-6 (2), 6-1.   At third singles Lisa Ferkinghoff defeated Taylor Michels 6-0, 6-2.  Laura Mullen defeated Haley Biemiller at fourth singles 6-2, 6-2.

The first doubles team of Nicole Guilds and Maryssa Peirick defeated Vanessa Miller and Molly Sprague 6-2, 6-2. Robin Clemm and Alexis Jackson-Warner defeated Tori Quateln and Janisa Lynch at second doubles 6-0, 6-0.  The third doubles team of Hayley Jensen and Jessica Saile  won in a walkover.

Batavia improves to 6-6 on the year and is seeded 3rd in Class B for team sectionals. Batavia plays #6 seeded Penn Yan at HAC on Tuesday at 4 pm.  Batavia is the home team but the match has to be played at a neutral site by Section V rules because Penn Yan is more than 75 miles from Batavia.

 

 

Batavia Girls Tennis drops three

By Annette Lazarevic

Recently the Batavia Girls Tennis team lost three tough matches.  On September 28th they lost to Greece Athena 2-5. At second singles Michelle Richenberg defeated Sheri Leege 6-2, 6-3.  At third singles Lisa Ferkinghoff defeated Nicole DeRose 6-4, 6-4.The toughest loss of the day was at first doubles where Nicole Guilds and Maryssa Peirick lost in three sets to the undefeated team of Denae Kleehammer and Chelsea Touchstone by a score of 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (5).

On September 29th Batavia lost to Monroe County Powerhouse Pittsford Mendon by a  score of 1-6.  The lone win came when 2yr starting  first and second singles players Amy Schmidt and Michelle Richenberg joined forces to play first doubles and defeated Hannah Rasmussen and Hannah Yoo by a score of 7-6 (5), 1-6, 10-7.  The third set was a super tie-breaker due to darkness.

On October 7th Batavia lost to Brockport by a score of 2-5.  Nicole Guilds and Maryssa Peirick won easily at first doubles over Abbi Rice and Hayley Brugger by a score of 6-4, 6-1.  Alexis Jackson-Warner won at fourth singles by a score of 6-4, 6-3.

The team drops to 5-6 on the year.

Photos: Pembroke over Notre Dame

By Howard B. Owens

Destin Danser submitted four photos from the Notre Dame vs. Pembroke game. Pembroke moved 5-1 with the 20-13 victory over Notre Dame (3-3).

More photos after the jump:

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