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Batavian Johnson spins 822 series in Toyota league at Mancuso's

By Mike Pettinella

Batavian Mike Johnson grabbed the spotlight in league bowling action last week by rolling a lofty 822 series in the Toyota of Batavia Thursday night league at Mancuso Bowling Center.

The 52-year-old left-hander put together games of 279-255-288 for the Eastown Beverage team for his fifth United States Bowling Congress-certified 800 series to go along with a handful of 300 games.

Johnson – an employee of MTM Property Management in Rochester – rolled 10 strikes in the opening game and eight more in game two before stringing 10 consecutive strikes in game three. His bid for a perfect game was thwarted by a stubborn 7 pin on the 11th ball – but he had the 800 well in hand by that point.

He used a Radical Intel bowling ball, drilled by Brian Green of Striking Effects Pro Shop, for the first time.

Johnson said he plans on competing in the Genesee Region USBC’s first tournament of the season -- the Handicap Bracket Challenge singles event on Saturday, Oct. 26th at Mancuso Bowling Center – and in the Genesee Region USBC Senior Masters Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 3rd at Mount Morris Lanes.

For a list of high scores from area bowling centers, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of the page. Mike Pettinella's next Pin Points column is scheduled to run this Thursday.

Changes made to Batavia Downs draw schedule

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

With the final matinee card of racing at Batavia Downs coming up on Columbus Day (Monday, Oct. 14) and no racing the following Wednesday (Oct. 16), horsemen are advised of the following changes in the draw schedule for the upcoming week. 

The draw for Friday (Oct. 11) will be held on Tuesday (Oct. 8).

The draw for Saturday (Oct. 12) will be held on Wednesday (Oct. 9). 

The draw for Columbus Day Monday (Oct. 14) will be held on Thursday (Oct. 10). 

The draw for Friday (Oct. 18) will be held on Tuesday (Oct. 15). 

The draw for Saturday (Oct. 19) will be held on Wednesday (Oct. 16). 

The box closes at 9 a.m. for all draws. Questions can be directed to Race Secretary Joe Zambito at 585-344-6161. 

Please see the new condition sheet for further information. 

Mike Caprio gets his 2,000th lifetime win at Batavia

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Saturday night (Oct. 5) will be one that Oakfield native Mike Caprio will never forget because he captured his career milestone 2,000th driving win with his own prized trotter BZ Glide in the featured $12,500 Brian Schroeder Memorial Trot at Batavia Downs. 

After a two-month summer vacation and one qualifier back, BZ Glide left from the pylons and cut fractions of :28, :58.3 and 1:28.1 before turning for home and holding off all challengers under a line drive by Caprio to win in a season's best 1:57.4. 

The win was a true family affair as BZ Glide ($5.40) is owned by the Caprio Stable and is trained by Mike Caprio's wife, Alana. 

Caprio got his driver’s license in 1981 and has been competing full time ever since. His first driving successes came behind two main horses; his father Joe Caprio’s prized pacer Prosecutor and a horse he owned with his dad, Connecticut Glove. 

Prosecutor (Flying Bret-Chuck’s Maid 1:59.3, $104,902) was a 58-time winner lifetime and a top-class pacer in Western New York for many years, winning 39 of those races on that circuit with the younger Caprio at the lines. 

Connecticut Glove (Bullet Hanover-Congress Glove 2:00.3, $211,261) was a hard-knocking overnighter who won 43 races lifetime, 20 of which had Caprio in tow. 

Since the early years Caprio has owned 57 horses and had much success with many of them, but the one that stands out as the shining star of his career was his 2,000th winning drive, BZ Glide.

BZ Glide (Yankee Glide-Bloomer Zoomer 1:56.1, $339,847) was purchased as a 2-year-old by Caprio and his wife Alana and they developed him into one of the best Open class trotters to ever compete in Western New York. Now 10-years-old, BZ Glide has won 45 races with Caprio at the helm and has been the cornerstone of their operation during that time. 

Caprio has also been responsible for much of the driving success of another Western New York 56-time winning star, Fireyourguns (American Ideal-Villa Hanover 1:47.3, $406,886) who is trained by Terence Mc CLory. 

Besides driving his own horses, Caprio has always been a very popular catch driver throughout his career. As a result he has scored 2,000 wins out of 14,904 starts with 1,829 seconds and 1,839 thirds and has earnings of $4,942,824. His highest earnings year was 1989 ($251,170) and he scored his most wins in 1988 (129).

Pembroke volleyball team finishes second in Warsaw tournament

By Howard B. Owens

The Pembroke Dragons placed second in the Warsaw Volley Tournament over the weekend.

The Dragons beat Alexander in the semifinals but fell to Warsaw in the finals in three games. Dekari Moss and Olivia Metz were named to the tournament all-star team.

David Bellavia throwing out first pitch tonight for playoff game in Washington

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Army Staff Sgt. Bellavia of Western New York has been invited to throw out the first pitch at tonight's Washington Nationals baseball game against the the L.A. Dodgers (Oct. 6). The game in D.C. begins at 7:45 p.m. and will be aired on TBS. The two teams are tied at 1-1. 

Shortly after receiving the Medal of Honor at the White House on June 25, Bellavia threw out the first pitch at the Mets/Yankees game on the Fourth of July. 

Coming up
This Saturday, Oct. 12, Bellavia will be honored by the Niagara Falls community with a key to the city and present the talk "Duty 1st with David Bellavia: Serving Country and Community" at the Rapids Theatre. Tickets to the 3 p.m. event are $22 and will benefit a new nonprofit created by Bellavia called Deuce Deuce Relief Fund.

This inaugural fundraiser and Deuce Deuce benefits soldiers from Bellavia's prior Task Force in Iraq (Task Force 2-2), who may be experiencing hardship or require other assistance. 

Tickets are available online through EventBrite, with a link at DavidBellavia.com.

Photo: Submitted by Duty 1st courtesy the New York Mets. The photo is from the Mets v. Yankees game earlier this year.

UPDATE: Video below courtesy Duty 1st.

Batavia's four-man backfield unstoppable in 33-18 win over Bishop Kearney

By Howard B. Owens

The Blue Devils appear to have found their own four horsemen of destruction, capable of shredding defenses and leaving despair in their wake.

Cody Burns, Terez Smith, Alex Rood and Jesse Reinhart are establishing themselves, since Head Coach Brennan Briggs realigned the backfield before last week's game, as a dominant offensive force.

Last night Burns gained 118 yards on nine carries and scored a TD. Smith ran for 99 yards on 21 carries. Rood rushed 14 times for 95 yards and two TDs. While Reinhart was 7 for 16 passing for 113 yards and a TD.

Batavia beat Bishop Kearney 33-18.

Daemon Konieczny caught two passes for 58 yards. Bannon Moore had one 30-yard TD reception.

On defense, Isaiah Hill had nine tackles and Rood had eight. Max Rapone snagged two interceptions and returned one 90 yards on the last play of the game, getting caught from behind two yards from the goal line. Reinhart had five tackles and an interception.

In other Friday night football: 

  • Notre Dame beat Lyons 51-6. Jed Reese went into the game needing to gain 205 yards to top 1,000 rushing yards on the season. He gained 210. He ran 16 times and scored four touchdowns. All but 19 of the yards were gained in the first half. The game was played with a running clock in the second half. Gabe Macdonald was 3-5 passing for 41 yards and a TD. He rushed six times for 52 yards an two TDs, all in the first half. Jayson Reinhart had two catches for 25 yards and a TD. Mason Randall and Reinhart had three sacks each. Randall made five tackles. Max Hutchins had eight tackles and Collin McWilliams had seven tackles and a sack.
  • Le Roy beat Mynderse/South Seneca 58-13. Separate coverage coming.
  • In eight-man football, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba 14, Pembroke 0.
  • Alexander plays at Red Jacket this afternoon.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

Top photo: Bannon Moore, who caught a key pass from a double QB move from Rood to Reinhart with seconds left before halftime to give the Devils the lead.

To view and purchase prints, click here.

Reinhart intercepts the ball during the first half.

Alex Rood scores from the ground.

Blue Devils defense stopping senior Nathan Carter from scoring.

Maximus Rapone incercepts the ball.

Cody Burns on the run for a touchdown.

Call My Broker, Alert Hanover victorious at Batavia

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

A pair of $9,000 claiming/conditioned trots topped the card at Batavia Downs on Friday night (Oct. 4) and the winner of each took a different route to victory. 

Call My Broker (Jim Morrill Jr.) took full advantage of his pylon post position and seated the field off the gate. Then, after cutting moderate fractions of :28.4, :59.3 and 1:29.1, Morrill kept Call My Broker rolling down the lane and held off the pocket-sitting Barn Winner (Ray Fisher Jr.) to win by three quarters of a length in 1:58.3. 

Call My Broker ($3.60) scored his fourth win of the year for owner Frank Meier and trainer Angelo Nappo. 

Later in the other division, Alert Hanover (Shawn McDonough) started from post two and opted to stay there, taking the garden spot trip behind Golden Tate (Jim Morrill Jr.) from the start to the top of the lane where Golden Tate made a break he did not recover from. McDonough directed his horse around the off-stride trotter and cruised home on top by a length, also in 1:58.3.

Winning his fourth race of the year as well, Alert Hanover ($6.80) was owned by Carl Kuepfer and trained by Patrick Shepherd until the race ended when he was claimed. 

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on today (Oct. 5) with post time at 6 p.m.

Drew Monti wins six at Batavia Downs

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Although the weather turned decidedly cooler after the rain on tonight (Oct. 2) in Western New York, driver Drew Monti was red hot at Batavia Downs as he won six races on the card, including a natural Grand Slam in races three to six. 

Monti visited the Purple Haze Winner’s Circle with A J Cash (2:01, $2.70), Rock N Roll Rosie (1:57.3, $8.40), Our Art And Heaven (1:59.2, $4.60), Cracked Glass (1:58.4, $9.10), Terlingua (1:56.3, $19.60) and Tymal Luckynpink (1:57.2, $3.90). 

Monti hit the board with a second and a third as well giving him a .530 Universal Driver Rating (UDR) for the night. 

Over the last six race nights at Batavia Downs, Monti has been the winningest driver on the grounds with 10 victories in 33 starts giving him a win percentage of 30 percent, and including his five seconds and four thirds, he has a UDR of .428 during that same time.

The feature race for the night was the $12,000 Fillies and Mares Open Handicap that saw Little Joke (Billy Davis Jr.) leave from post seven to take the lead and keep it throughout the mile and win by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:56.1. 

It was the seventh win of the year for Little Joke ($15) who is owned by Vogel and Wags Nags Stable and Jack Rice. Maria Rice trains the winner. 

Davis had two more winners on the card beside the feature giving him a driving hat trick as well. 

Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday (Oct. 4) with post time at 6 p.m.

(Photo of Drew Monti courtesy of Steve Roth.)

Charity benefit at Stan's Saturday for injured motorcycle racer, donations and raffle items wanted

By Billie Owens

Jeremy Higgins, a national flat track motorcycle racer with ties to Rochester and the Western New York area was seriously injured in a racing accident in Springfield, Ill., last month.

He suffered several injuries, which included multiple broken bones, but more seriously, swelling of his brain that required emergency surgery. He and his wife, Amber, will need to stay at a hospital in Springfield for several weeks before being able to be transported back home to New York.

With a lengthy rehabilitation and recovery ahead of him, Higgins will not be able to return to work for quite some time.

Supporters of the Higgins family are attempting to raise as much money as possible to help offset the cost of all the necessary medical bills to help Jeremy get back to good health.

Stan’s Harley-Davidson in Batavia has graciously offered their dealership as a venue to host a benefit forJeremy Higgins on Saturday, Oct. 5th, 2019.

"Western New York Dealers Unite for Jeremy" will take place at Stan's from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It is located at 4425 W. Saile Drive.

There will be a silent auction, 50/50 and basket raffle. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

Any type of donation or anything to be raffled off to help raise funds for Jeremy and Amber is appreciated. All of proceeds will go directly to the Jeremy Higgins family.

Stan’s Harley Davidson welcomes not only other Bike shops but any local businesses in the area to display and advertise at this fundraiser.

The end goal is to help aid Jeremy and Amber as much as possible. No matter the size of the gift or donation, everything helps to aid our friend in his recovery.

Jeremy is one of the hardest working, most dedicated and kindest racers around; now it’s our turn to support him in this time of need.

If you or anyone you may know would like to donate, please contact Bob Dell 585-794-9091 or James Liles 585-813-1482. Thanks in advance for your time and gracious donation!

Halfway through harness racing season, Batavia Down's numbers are soaring

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Saturday (Sept. 28) marked the halfway point of the 2019 Batavia Downs harness racing season and all indicators are showing so far, it has been one of the best in the track’s history.  

The on-track handle up 15.1 percent, the export handle is up 26.1 percent, OTB handle is up 8.7 percent and total betting from all sources associated with Western Regional OTB is up 20.5 percent or $820,609.

“The numbers are very impressive, but the product has been as well,” said Todd Haight, director/general manager of Live Racing at Batavia Downs. “Our overnight racing has been very competitive and we’ve had many guaranteed pools in conjunction with the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program which draw bettors from all over to follow our track.

"And our New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) Night of Champions was the jewel of the season and it has exposed many new local people to our sport as a result.” 

Many horses have set seasonal or lifetime marks at Batavia since the meet started, plus seven new track records have already been set since July. Trotters Hypnotic Am, Quincy Blue Chip, Third Shift and CR Blazin Beauty along with pacers Hickfromfrenchlick, American Mercury and Cigars And Port account for those new track standards. 

There were also two stake records broken by Hypnotic Am and Third Shift during the NYSS Night of Champions. 

At this point of the season Billy Davis Jr. is the leading driver with 63 wins, Jim Morrill Jr. is second with 58 and Dave McNeight III is third with 46.

On the training side, James Clouser Jr. is on top with 37 wins, Maria Rice is second with 20 and David Russo sits third with 17. 

There is a tie for the winningest horse between Blue Bell Bonny and Tullow N who each have visited Purple Haze Winner’s Circle five times. 

The Batavia Downs meet will continue this afternoon (Oct. 2) with post time at 5 p.m. and runs through Saturday (Dec. 15) with a Wednesday, Friday, Saturday schedule. Post time for Wednesdays is at 5 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays are at 6 p.m. There is one remaining Monday meet, which is Columbus Day (Oct. 14) with an early post of 1:15 p.m.

Pavilion defeats Dansville in volleyball match

By Howard B. Owens

In girls volleyball Monday night, the Pavilion Gophers defeated the Dansville Mustangs in five sets.

The scores were 25-17, 22-25, 25-18, 14-25, 25-9.

Lauren Kingsley had 16 kills and 3 blocks. Shannon Campbell had 27 assists, Addy Milligan had 11 kills and 12 digs. In the fifth set, Paige Landers had 13 straight service points including three aces.  

Information and photos by Ryan Paddock.

Top photo: #11 Addy Milligan goes up for a spike.

#3 Karlee Zinkievich of Pavilion bumps a return back to the Dansville Mustangs.

Pavilion's Scott posts 300 game at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen

By Mike Pettinella

Joseph Scott registered the first 300 game of the season at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen this week.

The 37-year-old Pavilion resident put together 12 consecutive strikes on his way to his first USBC-certified perfect game in the Wednesday Men's Handicap League.

It is his second honor score -- the first one coming in October 2005 in a 290-268-200--758 effort.

"I've had a bunch of 279s, but wasn't able to break through until now," said Scott, who resumed league bowling last season -- averaging 212 at Rose Garden Bowl -- after a five-year absence.

Using a Brunswick Vintage Inferno, Scott said he had eight strikes in an opening 255 and continued his hot hand in the second game 300. He finished with 162 for a 717 series,

"I got away with one on the last ball when I tripped a 4-pin," he said. "I tugged it by about four boards (but it held pocket for the final strike). And I really didn't focus too well in the third game (understandable considering that the emotions had to be running pretty high at that point).

Scott works at Logwell Acres dairy farm in Pavilion and bowls for the Wright Beverages team.

Other highlights of the week in Genesee Region USBC league play:

-- Jeremy Vallance of Warsaw, 266-279-234--779 in the Le Roy Moose League at Legion Lanes on Tuesday night.

-- Brandon Gurnsey and Reid Cole, 735 and 734 series, respectively, in the Sneezy's Monday Night League at Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion.

For a list of high scores, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

Tullow N splashes to Batavia feature pace win

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

A torrential rainstorm rolled into Genesee County just prior to post time and downgraded conditions to sloppy before the first race ever hit the track. But the inclement weather and less than desirable track conditions did not prevent Tullow N from imposing his will on his foes in winning the $12,500 Open Handicap pace at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Sept. 28).

Tullow N (John Cummings Jr.) was the only leaver in the feature and Cummings took full advantage of his position. After settling onto the lead, he backed the quarter down to a pedestrian :29 flat and then further throttled-down to a :59.2 half as everyone refused to pull. 

As soon as they entered the third turn, Cummings hit the gas and Tullow N looked more like himself. With a two-length gapped advantage he got to the three-quarters in 1:27.3, swung around the last turn and then just paced away in the lane to win by three in 1:56.

It was the seventh win of the year and fifth of the Batavia meet for Tullow N ($5.90) and owner Blindswitch Racing. Dave Russo trains the winner.

Russo had another training win earlier in the night with Reiki ($4.20) who he also drove in the Billings Amateur Pace. 

In the $11,000 Open II pace, Mr. Euroman N (Billy Davis Jr.) went right to the front and never looked back. After cutting fractions of :27.3, :57 and 1:25.3, Davis rounded the last turn on cruise control and let Mr. Euroman N fly home in 1:55 on top by a 1-½ length margin. It was the second win in a row for Mr. Euroman N ($3.40) who is owned by Vogel and Wags Nags Stable, Jack Rice and Adelphi Bloodstock. Maria Rice trains the winner.  

Drew Monti, Shawn Gray, John Cummings Jr. and Billy Davis Jr. all had driving doubles on the card. Trainer Patrick Shepherd had two wins on the training side. Since last Saturday, Shepherd is the hottest trainer at the Downs, winning nine races in only 17 starts. 

Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (Oct. 2) with post time at 5 p.m.

Batavia rallies to beat Geneva 44-7

By Howard B. Owens
Video Sponsor
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First the Blue Devils lost Josh Barber then they suffered a lopsided upset at Honeoye Falls-Lima the next week, but last night they bounced back for a convincing 44-7 win at home against Geneva.

"Last week, obviously, it was our first game without Josh Barber," said Head Coach Brennan Briggs. "You know it's kind of the shell shock a little bit. We didn't have that MIC linebacker-guard in there. And you know that's a tough toll for a high school kid to deal with. I think it was still we were a little bit shell shocked.

"They punched us to the mouth last Friday and we didn't respond but I think we found ourselves this week. We got some pieces in place, moved some guys up, and everybody played for the name on the front the jersey tonight and they were willing to sacrifice whatever it took to win for the name on the front of the jersey and I'm just proud of these guys."

Terez Smith was the offensive star of the night going for 276 yards on 22 carries. He scored three touchdowns. Cody Burns added two touchdowns on 16 carries for 126 yards.

Jesse Reinhart took over at quarterback, with Alex Rood moving to fullback, and was four of seven passing for 72 yards and a touchdown.

Rood caught three passes for 66 yards and a TD. He also had 29 yards on five carries.

On defense, Burns had seven tackles. Matt Beach and Cam White each had four tackles and Beach also forced a fumble and had a fumble recovery.

Near the end of the game, Kam Culver took over at running back and had four carries for 40 yards.

In other Friday night action:

Notre Dame beat Clyde-Savannah 34-12. Gabe Macdonald rushed for 231 yards on 16 carries and he scored twice. He had 25 reception yards and on defense had an interception and six tackles. Jed Reese carried the ball 20 times for 157 yards and two TDs. He had six tackles. Mark Sanders had an interception and a 25-yard kick return for a TD. Dakota Sica led ND with; 13 tackles; Mason Randall had eight tackles and a sack.

Alexander 24 beat York/Pavilion 0.

Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen won 47-0 over Mynderse/South Seneca. Bryce Yockel had 160 yards on 14 carries and scored on the ground three times. Joey Laursen was 11 of 23 passing and connected on two TD receptions. Adam O’Donoghue had a 66-yard pick-six.

Le Roy's game against Avon was moved to Saturday night.

In eight-man football, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba  beat Frewsburg 66-14.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

$7,500 Guaranteed Pick-5 tonight at Batavia Downs

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Tonight (Sept. 28) the Pick-5 at Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel has a carryover pool of $3,202 will be guaranteed at $7,500.

The pool is part of the United States Trotting Association’s (USTA) Strategic Wagering Program and as such, free program pages are available courtesy of Trackmaster on the USTA’s website or by direct download by clicking here.

The Pick-5 wager begins in race one and runs through race five. It is a 50-cent base wager and if all five winners aren’t selected, the carryover amount will then move to the Wednesday (Oct. 2) program.

Saturday’s first five races that comprise the Pick-5 wager include the Open II and Open III paces and the Billings Amateur pace. Post time for the first race is 6 p.m.

BJ Lorado upsets in Batavia Open trot

By Billie Owens

Photo of BJ Lorado with driver Shawn McDonough.

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

A summer-long resident of the now closed for the season Tioga Downs, BJ Lorado shipped north to Genesee County on Friday night (Sept. 27) and made himself right at home, winning the $12,500 Open Handicap trot at Batavia Downs.

Southern Palms (Jim Morrill Jr.) took command and led the field of seven to the half in a moderate :58 flat. Looking to take his shot, Keystone Apache (Billy Davis Jr.) came first up and was followed by BJ Lorado (Shawn McDonough) and the two forced the leader into a :28.4 third panel. 

Heading into the far turn, Southern Palms was starting to tire and Keystone Apache’s assault had stalled. As a result, McDonough tipped BJ Lorado three-wide at the apex and cleared by the time they straightened away. Down the lane BJ Lorado was in full flight and trotted to the wire on top by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:56.1. 

It was the seventh win of the year for BJ Lorado ($18.20), who is owned by Michael and Diane Norcross and trained by Donna Riedel.  

In the $11,000 Open II trot, Put On The Day (Jim Morrill Jr.) tripped out third to the half where he pulled first-over, cleared at three-quarters and trotted away down the lane to win by two lengths in 1:58. It was the second straight win for Put On The Day ($3.90), who is owned by his driver Morrill and is trained by Steve Andzel. 

Jim Morrill Jr. led all drivers on Friday winning four races on the card. Shawn McDonough and John Cummings Jr. were right behind, each got the hat trick and trainer Patrick Shepherd also scored three conditioning wins. 

When live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Sept. 28) at 6 p.m. there will be a carryover of $3,202 in the Pick-5 wager with a guaranteed pool of $7,500. The guarantee is made in conjunction with the United States Trotting Association’s (USTA) Strategic Wagering Program and as such, free program pages for races one through five will be available on the USTA’s website starting on Saturday.

Mark Your Calendar: Notre Dame Athletic Hall of Fame to honor 10 people Nov. 9

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Notre Dame High School is proud to announce that its 2019 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction will be held on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Notre Dame High School.

This fall’s program will begin with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by a dinner at 6:30. The alumni student-athlete, contributor, service awards and 1967-1969 Varsity Wrestling program recognition portion of the program to follow at 7 p.m.

Tickets for this annual event will be $45/person and a table for 10/$400.

Tickets will be available through the Notre Dame Advancement Office [585] 343-2783, ext. 106, or visit the Community Tab on the Notre Dame website.

Notre Dame High School is located at 73 Union St. in the City of Batavia.

Inductees to be honored will include:

  • Richard O’Connor -- Class of ‘64
  • Robert Beyer -- Class of ‘80 
  • Amy Dwyer -- Class of ‘83
  • Maureen Del Plato Braunscheidel -- Class of ‘97
  • Christopher Sabato -- Class of ‘98
  • Jennifer Sutherland Forsyth -- Class of ‘00

Members of the 1967, 1968 and 1969 ND Varsity Wrestling Teams

  • Edward Dwyer – Contributor Category
  • Dan Coughlin and Kris Coughlin and Patty Panepento Daansen – Service Recognition

Byron-Bergen varsity football and soccer teams helped raise more than $900 for Alzheimer's

By Billie Owens

Submitted photo and press release:

Bergen -- On Saturday, Sept. 21, student athletes from Byron-Bergen and Caledonia-Mumford joined more than 400 other participants on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Batavia.

This year, the Byron-Bergen Varsity Football Team was joined by members of the Byron-Bergen Girls Varsity Soccer Team.

The football and soccer players’ combined efforts raised more than $900 for the Alzheimer's Association, Western New York Chapter.

Byron-Bergen’s participation in this annual event began three years ago when the combined Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen Varsity Football Team decided to take part.

“In the past, the team used to do a cancer walk, but our soccer teams do a cancer fundraiser, so we thought itwould be good to give to a different organization,” said Byron-Bergen senior and varsity football co-captain Bryce Yockel.

The team raised money, but they also raised awareness.

“We made posters in honor of different community members affected by the disease that we posted around the area," said Byron-Bergen senior and varsity football player Alex Dean. "We made one for my grandfather who has Alzheimer’s.”

“I’m proud to walk with members of our football and soccer teams,” said Byron-Bergen High School Principal Pat McGee. “They’re great kids supporting a great cause.”

“It’s really about the feel good part,” Yockel said. “It’s helping people who are struggling and can’t do anything about it. A lot of the people who are in the walk are older, a lot of them are walking for themselves, so it feels good to support them.”

All together, the day’s event raised more than $40,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association and 441 people participated.

Photo: Members of the Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen Raiders Varsity Football Team with Byron-Bergen High School Principal Pat McGee (bottom left).

Drew Monti wins five and feature at Batavia

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Frequent flyer miles between the Red Mile, Plainridge Park and Batavia Downs have certainly kept driver Drew Monti sharp as a tack. Currently sitting sixth, fourth and eighth in the driver standings at those respective tracks, Monti has been on a tear since returning to Batavia and over the last five days has posted a Universal Driver Rating (UDR) of .440. 

On Wednesday (Sept. 25) Monti added to those numbers by winning five races on the card including the weekly distaff feature with the red hot HP Sissy. 

HP Sissy’s initials may very well stand for “high powered” because she certainly has a huge engine and showed it off for the second week in a row by dominating the best mares on the grounds while winning the $12,500 Open I Handicap for distaff pacers at Batavia Downs on Wednesday evening. 

HP Sissy (Drew Monti) was deliberate off the gate, going three-deep to the quarter to out-leave Little Joke (Billy Davis Jr.) and Sarah Cola (Mike Caprio). After seating at the first split in :27.2, Monti reined-in the leader and backed off the half to :56.3.

The race proceeded on the second circuit and HP Sissy continued to pace under a strong hold with Little Joke tracking from second. After hitting three-quarters in 1:25 Monti let his mare out a notch and HP Sissy switched into glide and opened up a two length advantage while scooting home in :28.4 to win in 1:53.4. 

Notching her 11th win of the year, HP Sissy ($3.70) has now earned $91,343 for owner Finocchario’s Dream Stable and trainer Mike Ohol. 

Monti completed his piloting pentafecta by winning with Rock N Roll Rosie (1:56.3, $6), Media Queen N (1:54.2, $5), Cracked Glass (1:58.1, $7.70) and Snapshot Springs (1:58.2, $2.40). Adding in a second and two thirds, Monti’s UDR for the night was .479. 

The $11,000 Open II pace for fillies and mares went to Badlands Delight (Ray Fisher Jr.) who took the lead by the quarter, cut quick fractions of :28.1, :57.3 and 1:26.1 before holding off a late closing Carly Girl (Drew Monti) to win by two-lengths in 1:54.4. Badlands Delight ($9.60) is owned by Sam Smith and is trained by Gerry Sarama. 

Driver Dave McNeight III had a good night as well, winning three races on Wednesday.  

Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday (Sept. 27) with post time set at 6 p.m.

Guaranteed Pick-5 Pool Wednesday at Batavia

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

On Wednesday (Sept. 25) the Pick-5 pool at Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel will be guaranteed at $2,500. 

The Pick-5 wager begins in race one and runs through race five. It is a 50-cent base wager and if all five winners aren’t selected, the carryover amount moves to the Friday program.

Wednesday’s guaranteed pool is part of the United States Trotting Association’s (USTA) Strategic Wagering Program and as such, free program pages are available courtesy of Trackmaster on the USTA’s website.

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