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Batavia's Jarvela earns AGR honors

By Brian Hillabush

Batavia junior Angela Jarvela earned All-Greater Rochester honors for cross country. She is a first-team selection for the awards handed out by the Democrat & Chronicle.

Jarvela, a junior, took sixth at the Monroe County championships and went to states for the fourth consecutive season. She finished 23rd in Class B and was second at the Alden Invitational.

Oakfield-Alabama's Kim Mills and Holley's Kristina Martin made the second team.  

No local boys made the All-Greater Rochester team, but we did have several honorable mentions.

 

D'Errico and Penn St. playing for national title tomorrow night

By Brian Hillabush

 Set your DVR or don't make plans for tomorrow night between 8 and 10 p.m.

Byron-Bergen grad Alyssa D'Errico and her Penn St. volleyball team will be playing in the national championship on ESPN2.

The Nittany Lions won the championship last year in D'Errico's freshman year. 

 

UPDATE: It looks like Penn St. will be playing Stanford, which just ended its match with Texas. It was a 20-25, 18-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-13 comeback victory.

Congratulations, Stephanie Lapple!!!

By Notre Dame

 

Stephanie Lapple ’10, daughter of Dr. William and Angela Lapple of Le Roy did it again!

Stephanie was recently selected [for the 2nd consecutive year] to the Democrat and Chronicle’s 2008 All-Greater Rochester’s Girls Golf Team!
 
She earned this prestigious recognition by recording the lowest scoring average in Section V competition this past Fall while averaging 39.75 during her eight regular season matches!
 
Stephanie repeated as City-Catholic champion for the 2nd straight year carding a 42 at Shadow Lake and finished tied for 6th at sectionals to earn her 2nd straight trip to the New York State Meet in Syracuse this coming June!
 
A member in good standing of the Notre Dame Chapter of the National Honor Society, Stephanie also qualified for New York State Scholar-Athlete recognition during the Fall season with a 97.47% classroom average! She is a class representative to Student Senate and a member of Concert Band and our Fighting Irish Varsity Girls Basketball team.
 
Stephanie lists LPGA professional Paula Creamer as her favorite golfer. At the rate she is going, she may be competing against her some day in the not too distant future!
 
Congratulations, again, on a job well done Stephanie, both on the course and in the classroom! We are all proud of your accomplishments at ND!
 

ND Sports Court Dedication set for Saturday, December 20, 2008

By Notre Dame

  

 
Notre Dame High School will officially dedicate our gymnasium sports court to legendary ND coaches Rhonda DiCasolo and Mike Rapone ‘71 on Saturday, December 20, 2008.
 
The official dedication ceremony will take place immediately following the ND JV game with Prattsburgh Central. Our JV game is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. at our Union Street gym.
 
Coach DiCasolo [Varsity Girls Volleyball] and Coach Rapone [Varsity Boys Basketball] both surpassed the 500 career victory mark last year [2007-2008 season] in their illustrious careers.
 
Coach DiCasolo’s 539 career victories place her at the top of all Section V coaches as well as a 6th place ranking all time in NYSPHSAA competition. Her Fighting Irish Varsity Volleyball teams have won 14 Genesee Region Championships, 6 Section V Championships and 2 Far West Regional Championships in her 30 years of coaching at ND.
 
Coach Rapone’s 511 career victories currently place him 3rd all time in the annals of Section V Boys Basketball. His Fighting Irish Varsity Basketball teams have won 26 Genesee Region Championships, 7 Sectional Championships, 4 Far Western Regional Championships and 2 Class D NYSPHSAA State Championships in the 29 years that he has been at the helm of ND Boys Varsity Basketball.
 
Notre Dame High School and the extended Notre Dame “Family” comprised of faculty, staff, students, parents, Board of Trustees members and alumni are indeed justifiably proud of the accomplishments of both Coach DiCasolo and Coach Rapone - both on and off the court - as both continue to serve as excellent role models for all of our students at Notre Dame.
 
Congratulations Coach DiCasolo and Coach Rapone on your upcoming court dedication!
 

ND Senior in the Spotlight: Sean Zawicki ‘09

By Notre Dame

 

It would have been very easy for our December “Senior in the Spotlight” to “throw in the towel” and point to his athletic injuries as a reason for feeling sorry for himself. Not so for this month’s spotlighted senior.  A talented runner and swimmer, Sean Zawicki, son of Dr. Joseph and Mrs. Ann Zawicki of Elba injured his ACL during his Sophomore year track season causing him to miss his entire Junior year Cross Country season. After following a rigorous off season rehab schedule, Sean was poised to rejoin our champion Boys Cross Country team for his senior season only to be sidelined once again, this time for stress fractures to both legs! As he had done as a Junior, Sean continued to attend all practices and meets even though he could not participate. It was only fitting that he was finally cleared to run in the final two meets of his senior year –Genesee Region Counties and the Section V Class D meet at Marcus Whitman High School. It was also only poetic justice that Sean’s performance at Sectionals helped us secure our 3rd consecutive Class D Boys Championship and an opportunity to represent Section V in this year’s NYSPHSAA meet in Long Island where we finished one point short of 2nd place!

 

A member in good standing of the Notre Dame Chapter of the National Honor Society since his Sophomore year at ND, Sean has been a four year member of our Fighting Irish Cross Country and Swim teams and served as captain of each squad since his Sophomore year! He has also participated in Track and Golf, as well as being an active member of our Mission Club, Mock Trial Team and Science Club during his career at ND.

 

Sean received the highest recognition possible for a Notre Dame student to achieve when he was selected to receive Anima Christi recognition in May of his Sophomore year. Anima Christi [Spirit of Christ] recognition is reserved for students who demonstrate unusual acts of kindness, faith, healing, charity, humility, selflessness or service. Sean has been active in his parish at Our Lady of Fatima in Elba as an Altar Server and Eucharistic Minister and in Youth Ministry [Young Christians at Work] in the Diocese of Buffalo where he has volunteered at St. Martin DePorres refuge house painting hallways, St. Vincent DePaul serving as a soup kitchen waiter and at Bissonette House cleaning a halfway house for ex-convicts in Buffalo.

 

Sean has been a High Honor Roll recipient throughout his high school experience at Notre Dame, as well as having attained New York State Scholar-Athlete recognition [minimum 90% average] during each of the ten Varsity sports seasons in which  he has competed at ND. Additional honors received include the Buffalo Diocesan Spirit Award [2008], the Donna Jean Mooney Memorial Sportsmanship award for Boys Swimming [2008] and induction into the Order of the Arrow Boy Scout Honor Society.

 

Sean is interested in pursuing a dual major in Mechanical Engineering and Physics and is currently considering the University of Rochester, Clarkson University and Alfred University as possible college choices for next year.

 

Red Wings operating crew not sure about staying in Batavia after $250k loss

By Philip Anselmo

Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle reports this morning that the Red Wings operations crew, Rochester Community Baseball, lost more than $250,000 on the Muckdogs in 2008 "in an effort to save professional baseball in Batavia." Because of that loss, not even a $150,000 profit pulled in by the Red Wings was enough to keep the company from losing nearly $95,000 for the year.

Naomi Silver, chief operating officer of RCB, spoke with Bob Matthews:

"Considering the poor economy, we're pretty happy with our overall financial statement. But Batavia was a tough nut. We won't stay in Batavia indefinitely if the operation continues to lose money."

Red Wings group outings and advertising set all-time record highs, according to Matthews. Not so rosy in Batavia.

"We expected to lose some money in Batavia due to startup costs at Dwyer Stadium, but attendance was disappointing," Silver said. "We're going to run the Muckdogs again next year, and this time we'll have a full offseason to sell tickets and advertising.

Attendance for the 2008 Muckdogs was 45,398, including the playoffs. That was up slightly over 2007. The Muckdogs won the NY-P league championship for the first time since 1963.

"Although the Batavia operation was unprofitable in 2008, we recognize that it was a transition year — and a losing year," RCB president Gary Larder said. "We are optimistic about an improved financial outcome in 2009."

Silver stressed that the company wants to keep the team in Batavia, "ideally" for 20 years, but she was careful to note that "we're taking our committment one year at a time."

Please check out the complete article by Bob Matthews.

HS highlights for Wednesday

By Brian Hillabush

 Tate Westermeier continues to be one of the top guards in the Genesee Region League, and he delivered a huge win for his Attica boys basketball team over their biggest league rival, Alexander.

Westermeier scored 10 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter and added 6 rebounds in the game as the Blue Devils won 42-36.

The win helps Attica improve to 3-0 in the league - keeping them right with Oakfield-Alabama at the top of Division I - and 4-2 overall.

Craig Wolfley added eight points for Attica.

Troy Shulnut led the Trojans (2-4) with eight points, with Kyle Woodruff and Andy Bittner adding six each.

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Pat O'Keefe dropped in 15 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter as Pittsford Sutherland outscored Batavia 25-17 to take home a 69-57 win.

Wayne Dillworth had 12 boards and eight assists to go with his four points and Dylan Sherwood added 20 points for Sutherland (4-0).

Andrew Hoy had 24 points and Josh Budlong added 11 for the Blue Devils, who fall to 4-1.

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The Lancers gave Notre Dame its stiffest test of the season so far, but the Fighting Irish still came away with an impressive 65-41 win on the road.

Kevin Francis had 20 points and Matt Thompson added 12, including three 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Fighting Irish had a 22-11 advantage.

Gregg Barr added 10 points for Notre Dame (3-0).

Phil Ostroski had 12 points and Sonny Giuliano added nine points with eight boards for the Lancers (2-3).

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Brian Mitchell guided his Holley basketball team to its first victory of the season with 24 points and four blocked shots, giving the Hawks a 50-36 victory over Byron-Bergen.

John Wharram and Chad Barhytt did the work on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds apiece.

Kurtis Fannon had 11 points for the Bees (1-4).

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In what Batavia coach Rick Stewart called the battle for the league title, his Blue Devils fell short.

Brighton beat host Batavia 35-28 in Batavia to knock the Blue Devils out of the ranks of the unbeatens.

Josh Mase, Nick Lazarony, Joe Muoio, Troy Ireland, Anthony D'Aurizio and Ryan Darch had the Batavia wins, but it wasn't enough.

Oakfield-Alabama taking charge of Division I

By Brian Hillabush

 With Pembroke and Oakfield-Alabama as the talks of Division I in the Genesee Region League at the start of the season, Wednesday's early season contest was obviously a key one.

The Hornets have established themselves as the team to beat after thumping the Dragons 76-43 to improve to 5-0.

They keys to the win were as simple as playing an up-tempo style of defense designed to keep Pembroke's Andrew Wright from getting good looks and limiting Andy Gabbey's 3-point attempts.

Mission accomplished.

Wright was held to just 12 points and Gabbey did not connect on a basket in the contest.

After Ken Babcock and Wright had consecutive baskets early in the game, O-A's Brad Riner hit his second 3-pointer to tie the score at 8.

Babcock and Noah Seward exchanged buckets, then Seward added a couple more before Tim Smith scored seven points to give the Hornets a 23-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Riner hit another 3-pointer and then A.J. Kehlenbeck dropped in a basket to make it 30-20 midway through the second quarter.

Pembroke got within six, but Seward had consecutive baskets and Smith hit another 3-pointer to give O-A the 37-24 lead at intermission.

The Hornets quickly made the game a 50-26 blowout in the third quarter with Chris Bucceri, Smith and Riner having big periods.

Smith had 14 points and Seward added 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Hornets, who are 3-0 in the league and 5-0 overall. Riner had 13 points and Chris Bucceri pitched in eight points and seven dimes.

Babcock had 11 points and Steve Moser added 10 points for the Dragons (4-3).

Mancuso Bowling Center Scores 12/16/2008

By Michael Sputore

Tuesday night Morrison's Garage Co-ed 12/16/2008

Bryan Conley     266--224-------673

Dan Cone          221--235--------647

Frank Stumpf   227--247-------638

Mike Barone     216--223--------612

Randy Gorski   212--------------607

Dan Tuerk  239

Gary Brennan Jr.  233

Doug Ostrander  216

Terry Czworka  214

Bill Loucks  214

Ray Morgan  214

Chuck Coach Bobo  213

Dave Barone  212

Kelli Schell  186

 

 

Hs highlights for Tuesday

By Brian Hillabush

The Batavia girls basketball team pulled off an upset Tuesday, surprising visiting Pittsford Sutherland 55-54.

"I hope this gives us (confidence)," Batavia coach Bill Wade said. "I told them after the game that we would be enjoying the game until 3:30 tomorrow, then we start getting ready for Brighton on Friday. I think the confidence started coming after winning the Attica Tournament and then beating Elba in overtime. I hope this takes us to the next level."

Batavia trailed 13-9 after the opening period, but Brittany Wormley scored eight of her 10 points, keeping the Blue Devils in the game.

Michelle Jordan took over the second half and scored seven of her 11 points.

Batavia wound up taking a 55-50 lead with moments left in the game when Kayli O'Keefe hit a 3-pointer to make it a two point game. She was then fouled and hit one of two free throws.

Jaycee Shirk had 16 points and 10 rebounds with Brittany Mazurkiewiecz and Stacey Hein dishing out five assists each.

Sutherland falls to 4-3.

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Nicole Sharick had five of her nine points in overtime to lead Pembroke to a 43-42 win over host Oakfield-Alabama.

Sharick went 3-of-3 from the charity striple down the stretch and had six steals in the game.

The Hornets actually had a two point lead but Danielle Smith scored with two seconds left to force the extra session.

Kelsey Lewis scored 13 points with seven boards for the Dragons (3-2).

Brynn Perfitt had 10 points and four steals and Dani Sage grabbed 24 rebounds for the Hornets (3-2).

 

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Anni Lehtola had 13 points and Nicki Laird added six points with 18 rebounds to lead the Trojans to a 56-32 win over Attica.

Rachel Pettys had nine points, eight boards and four assists for Alexander (4-1).

Margaret LeFleur had nine points to lead Attica.

 

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Byron-Bergen thumped visiting Holley 48-29 behind Mary Cocking's 13 points. Kaylee Ashbury had nine points and Kayleigh Puma chipped in eight points.

Julie Brooks scored 16 points for the Hawks.

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Haley Alexander and Lucy Norton were double winners as the Notre Dame swim team beat Wheatland-Chili 95-79.

Alexander won the 200 IM in 2:30.88 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:19.80. Norton won the 100 butterfly in 1:15.29 and the 100 freestyle in 1:03.11.

Jennifer Wilson won the 100 backstroke in 1:18.21 for the Wildcats.

The Wheatland-Chili boys won 110-67 as Ben HOgan (200 freestyle, 500 freestyle), Dave Chamot (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle) and Nick Westrich  (200 IM, 100 breaststroke) were all double winners.

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Jason Harasimowicz and Ivan Madaferri each had a goal and an assist to lead the Notre Dame hockey team to a 3-1 win over Bishop Kearney/Eastridge.

Tyler Kessler also had a goal with Luke Calla and Dylan Versage adding a helper apiece.

 

 

Elba's press helps Lancers win fourth quarter, and game

By Brian Hillabush

A huge third quarter run helped the Notre Dame girls basketball team take a 10-point advantage, which they held on to for a long time.

But there is never any quit in the Elba girls team.

The Lancers pressed their way to a comeback victory in the fourth quarter, stunning the host Fighting Irish 54-51.

Notre Dame had a 10-point advantage with 4 1/2 minutes left when Jill Marshall - an Elba transfer - scored a basket.

But the Lancers chipped away as Cassy Engle and Julie Webster hit consecutive baskets.

After Sarah Schwartzmeyer dropped in a pair of free throws, Notre Dame's lead was cut to 47-43.

It became even tighter when eighth-grader McKenzie Bezon drained a 3-pointer to get the Lancers within a point. Notre Dame traveled on the their next possession and Elba took the lead for good on a Julie Marshall two-pointer.

Webster followed with a put-back basket and a free throw and another foul shot.

Webster scored again, but the Fighting Irish were not about to quit at this point, in front of their home crowd.

Jill Marshall had a steal and a basket, then stole anouther inbounds pass with 12 seconds left on the clock.

She hit both free throws and Elba led 54-51.

Notre Dame's defense caused a turnover with 5.4 seconds remaining, but Nichole Hart chucked up a long 3-pointer that hit the back of the rim and bounced out, giving the Lancers the huge victory over their biggest rival.

Bezon's 3-pointer was one of the biggest baskets of the game, but she had a whole bunch of them. It's safe to say that without her game-high 18 points, Elba does not improve to 3-1.

Webster had 10 points and Schwartzmeyer added nine.

Notre Dame's Jill Marshall outscored her sister Julie 13-4, but her squad falls to 2-1 with the defeat.

Brittany Morelli led the Fighting Irish with 14 points with Liz Geandreau adding 10 points.

Mancuso Bowling Center Scores 12/15/2008

By Michael Sputore

Monday Night Mens Carlson Imaging 12/15/2008

Mike Barone     236--222--216--674

Roger Stone    224--224--------623

Anthony Scheeda      225--------611

Bud Ulander   233

Pete Janiszewski  223

Don Ruck  212

 

Independent Ladies 12/15/2008

Marlene Penders  185--222--172--579

Lorrie Gilbraith    209-196---------567

Barb Herman  214--184

Jeanie Godlove  198

Ann Crocker  181

Wendy Caccamise  180

Melissa Dibble  180

 

Bob Harris Realty 12/15/2008

Jayson Grant Quilliam  257--223--226--706

Robert Stefani             228---------------638

Charles Coach Bobo  223

Mark Grandpa Restivo  213

 

Gill staying at Buffalo

By Brian Hillabush

After not getting the head coaching job at Auburn, University at Buffalo coach Turner Gill has taken his name out of the running for any other coaching positions.

Gill, this afternoon, signed a contract extension with a raise, that will make him one of the highest paid coaches in the Mid-American Conference.

 "On the day I came here to be the head coach I told my team that one day we would be successful here at the University at Buffalo," Gill said in a statement.

 

 

 

"Now, more than ever, I have never been more proud to be the head coach of this program at this great academic institution. This program has proven it can win now and it is built to continue to win in the future. I am grateful to president John Simpson and athletic director Warde Manuel for their continued support and faith in me as a football coach and leader of young men."

Many teams, including Syracuse, have expressed interest in Gill after he lead the Bulls to an 8-5 season and won the school's first MAC Championship. Pembroke graduate Chris Lauzze is the starting center on that team.

University at Buffalo will be playing in the International Bowl on Jan. 3 in Toronto.

Great opportunity for local wrestlers

By Brian Hillabush

I just stumbled upon something that might be of interest to local wrestlers, who are looking to peak before sectionals.

Keith Lowrance, one of the top wrestling coaches in the country, will be hosting a clinic in Brockport on Sunday, Dec. 21.

The cost is $75 per wrestler and appears to be well worth it when you see Lowrance's resume.

  • Granby State Champion
  • Two-time Big Ten Champion
  • Two-time All-American
  • Coached State Champion teams at Granby and Kempsville High Schools
  • Virginia and National Coach of the Year
  • Record 271-33-2
  • Coached 35 State Champions, 102 Place-winners
  • Several High School and College All-Americans
  • Produced the nationally renowned Granby System Videos

Batavia basketball alumni game coming up

By Brian Hillabush

The Batavia boys basketball team will be holding its annual alumni game on Saturday, Dec. 29 at the high school.

The game will begin at 4 p.m. with a player, family and friends social at Ri-Dans Sports Park following the game. 

Anybody interested in playing should contact Mike Glow at 585-813-8819 or by e-mail at michaelglow21@hotmail.com.

Notre Dame swimming videos

By Philip Anselmo

We found this pair of videos posted on YouTube. They were taken at a Notre Dame swim meet at Genesee Community College in Batavia last week.

GR boys standings

By Brian Hillabush

 Yes, the season is very early. But the current Genesee Region League standings are out and the top teams are getting their due.

Oakfield-Alabama already has a big lead in Division I, with a 4-0 record. Pembroke and Attica follow with a 3-2 record.

Notre Dame is 2-0 and lead Division II. Elba is in second at 2-2.

There is a ton of basketball left to be played, but the Hornets and Fighting Irish have impressive leads early on.

Cocking is all-state

By Brian Hillabush

Byron-Bergen senior Mary Cocking ended her high school volleyball career with an All-state selection.

The outside hitter is a fourth-team selection in Class C and is the only local girl to receive all-state honors.

 Cocking is a four-time Genesee Region League all-star and ended her high school career with 1,061 kills, 788 digs and 309 aces. She was the MVP when the Bees won a sixth consecutive title in 2007 and was a member of the three state champion squads.

Batavia Boys Basketball

By Adam Pettinella

Our team has been working really hard all year so far and are now 3-0. We won the tip-off tournament in Olean, New York, as well as our first league game against Pittsford Mendon. The last couple of days we have been having pretty practices, so we definitely need to limit those so it doesn't affect us in games.

Blue Devils win Christmas Tournament

By Brian Hillabush

 For the second straight year, the Batavia wrestling team won its own Christmas Tournament.

The Blue Devils scored 186 points to easily down second-place finisher Fulton, which had 164.5 points.

Nick Lazarony (135 pounds), Ryan Darch (160), Anthony D'Aurizio (171) and Dylan Goodsell (285) all had victories for the Blue Devils.

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