The Pembroke Dragons defeated the Frewsburg Bears on Saturday to secure another shot at a West Regional title in 8-Man Football.
The final score, 50-19.
The Dragos is now 11-0 on the season and will face Frankfort-Schuyler out of Section III for the West Regional Championship on Friday, Nov. 29th, at Vestal High School.
Caleb Felski ran for 428 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also tossed a touchdown pass. Also scoring, Vijay Dhanda and Caleb Kimmel. Defensively the Dragons were led by Madden Perry who had a team high 11 tackles. Hayden Williams and Felski each had two interceptions a piece.
After scoring an upset win from an outside post last week at Batavia Downs, Mucho Macho moved up in class and did the exact same thing at The Downs in the $9,500 featured trot on a wet and chilly Friday (Nov. 22) night over a track rated sloppy.
John Cummings Jr. left from post seven and shot right to the front with Mucho Macho, who got to the half in 1:00.2 while BJ’s Smitty sat smartly in the pocket. Entering turn three, Jacked (Joe Chindano Jr.) came first-over from third and made his way alongside the leader under a highly animated drive. When they passed three-quarters, Cummings popped the plugs on Mucho Macho and the trotter began to pull away from the field. Coming off the final turn, Jacked faded and BJ’s Mitty dropped into the passing lane at the top of the stretch, trying to make up ground. But Mucho Macho refused to give way and trotted home the best to win in 1:59.
It was the eighth win of the year for Mucho Macho ($14.40) who is owned and trained by Julie Wagonblott.
Joe Chindano Jr. led all drivers on Friday with three victories during the card while Sam Smith was top trainer, winning two.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Nov. 23) with post time at 6:00 p.m. and there will be a carryover of $2,386 in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta in the 14th race.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
Photo of Scenic Adventure courtesy of Wendy J. Lowery.
It was no vacation for Scenic Adventure after high winds and heavy rain blew into Genesee County prior to her race. But the mare treated it like a day at the beach after handling her peers in the featured $11,000 pace for female sidewheelers at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (November 20) night.
Scenic Adventure (Drew Monti) took a quick, easy lead and marched to the half in :58.3 while Truly (Jim McNeight Jr.) tracked from second. With no one applying any pressure from the rear, Scenic Adventure continued to pace smartly and broke away from the field as she passed three-quarters in 1:27.4. Scenic Adventure continued to extend her lead around the last turn and was clear by 3-1/2 lengths as she turned for home. Scenic Adventure then paced to the line unfettered to win by two in 1:57.1.
It was the seventh win of the year for Scenic Adventure ($23.00) who is owned by Mike Torcello and trained by Sam Smith.
The win was one of four for driver Drew Monti, who registered a grand slam during the evening. Monti also won with Bee Still My Hardt (1:55.1, $5.60), Vondell Kemp (2:00.2, $3.30) and Big Bad Mosa (1:57, $14.80) who paced away to a 16-¾ length victory.
Matching Monti for driving wins on Wednesday was Shawn McDonough, who also had a four-bagger in the bike, including a natural hat trick in races seven, eight and nine. McDonough scored with Always B Mimi (1:55.3, $35.00) who is also trains, Keystone Phoenix (1:58, $3.80), R U Talkin (1:58.2, $48.40) and Hurrikane Msrodine (1:58, $8.70).
Sam Smith was the leading trainer on Wednesday after sending three of his students to the winner’s enclosure.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday (November 22) with post time at 6 p.m. and there will also be a carryover of $1,481 in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta in the 13th race.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
Photo of Power And Grace courtesy of Wendy J. Lowery.
Batavia Downs leading driver, Drew Monti, added to his already considerable lead on Saturday (November 16) night after bagging five more winners during the proceedings. Monti won with Soul Assassin (1:55.2, $6.70), Actor Hanover (1:56.1, $22.60), Parmesan N (1:56, $4.10), Stratosphere (1:55.4, $2.60) and Power And Grace (1:58.3, $6.90) who will be further covered later.
Monti now has 102 wins for the summer and fall meet at Batavia Downs and sits 16 wins ahead of Joe Chindano Jr. (86) and 17 ahead of Kevin Cummings (85) after Saturday’s action with only seven days of live racing left in the meet.
For the year as a whole including action at other tracks, Monti has now won 215 races and over $2.2 million in purses in 2024.
One race Monti did not win on Saturday was the featured $13,000 Open Handicap trot where Makes Me Charlie (Mike Baumeister) claimed his first top class event at Batavia Downs after having won his way up the class ladder since late September.
Makes Me Charlie was on a mission as he blasted off the gate and opened up a three length lead that he maintained to the quarter in :27.4 and the half in :57.3. And there was no let up in sight as he swung onto the second circuit as Makes Me Charlie stretched out to a six length advantage at three-quarters in 1:25.2. With the field mostly scrambling for minor spoils at this point, Makes Me Charlie entered the stretch still up by six and made his way to the line first in 1:55.3 to take a new lifetime mark.
It was the fifth win of the year for Makes Me Charlie ($14.00) who is owned by Margaret and Amy Butler and trained by Tom Mays.
There were also two $11,000 upper-class conditioned races, one on the trot and one on the pace, that also yielded impressive front-end winners.
In the first, the lone mare in the race, Power And Grace (Drew Monti), went gate to wire to defeat her seven male rivals by 1-½ lengths in 1:58.3. It was the 68th career victory for Power And Grace ($6.90) as well as her 12th of the year and it pushed her 2024 bankroll over the century mark, now sitting at $103,804 for owners Hartel Maintenance, Lormer McClure, Brett Macdonald and Reg Higgs. Ronald Macdonal trains the winner.
Then later in the pace, Youmakemyheartsing (Kyle Cummings) also went right to the front and paced unchallenged until deep stretch, where he turned back Ideal Artillery (Dan Yetman) and won in 1:55.2. It was the 40th career win for Youymakemyheartsing ($5.40) who is owned by his driver, Kyle Cummings, in partnership with his trainer, Tammy Cummings.
Sam Smith led all trainers on Saturday after three from his stable scored wins.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (November 20) with post time at 6 p.m. and there will also be a carryover of $1,053 in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta in the 13th race.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
Photo of Makes Me Charlie courtesy of Wendy J. Lowery.
It seems like deja vu for former Oakfield-Alabama Cross Country star Zachary Hall, as the now Roberts Wesleyan Senior Cross Country runner cruised to an East Coast Conference (ECC) title.
Former Oakfield-Alabama standout Cross Country and Track & Field runner Zachary Hall had an interesting start to his running career. Hall had seen plenty of success early and often on the track, claiming multiple sectional championships and racing at the 2019 NY State Outdoor Track & Field Championships, but struggled to reach the mountain top when it came to Cross Country. As a high school Senior, Hall’s goal was to win a Cross Country sectional championship. Hall had watched two of his teammates win the title he wanted so badly in the two years leading up to his Senior season. He was hungry to come out on top at the 2020 Class DI Sectional Championships and he did just that on his home course with a time of 16:50.
After a successful Senior season at Oakfield-Alabama, Hall would look to continue his success on the trails at the collegiate level. Hall committed to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where he would run the 2021 Cross Country season for the Tigers.
However, it did not take long for Hall to realize he did not want to be an engineer. After talking with former high school teammate and now Roberts Wesleyan alumni Karly Smith, Hall decided to transfer and enroll at Roberts that January. Hall would join many familiar faces on campus and make plenty of new friends, even meeting his fiancé.
At Roberts, Hall would lace up his spikes yet again and race for the Redhawks. For the Redhawks, Hall found his stride as a Sophomore, finishing 4th at the ECC Cross Country Championships. Heading into his Junior season however, Hall had goals for the track, as he wanted to break the 15-min mark in the 5000 meter run.
After being very close to going sub-15 in the 2022-23 Track & Field season, Hall wanted to join his four teammates Lee Sortore, Blake Kasper, Owen White, and Jackson Doran as a member of the exclusive sub-15 min 5K club. Heading into the 2023-24 season Hall seemed prime to do just that. At the 2023 ECC Cross Country Championships Hall finished 5th overall and helped the Redhawks clinch their ninth straight conference championship.
Throughout the Indoor season Hall would be very close to eclipsing sub-15, but would fall short. Hall would go on to win the 5K conference title for the indoor season and was eager to see results come during outdoor.
Hall would start off the outdoor season at the Redhawk Invitational on his home track with teammate Blake Kasper pacing him, only to finish with a time of 15:08 and face plenty of disappointment. After that race Hall had lots of time to prepare for his next 5K which would come during the Bison Outdoor Classic at Bucknell University.
Hall’s moment came and it was no disappointment, as he cruised to a 14:47 finish in the 5K alongside all of his teammates. Hall would go on to improve upon that time during the Harrison Dillard Twilight at Baldwin-Wallace University, running a 14:46 and would also go on to win the 5K conference title for the outdoor season as well.
Zachary Hall celebrating with his teammate. Photo by Jen Reagan
Photo of Crazy Brother Jim courtesy of Wendy J. Lowery.
Benefitting from post one and a perfect trip, Crazy Brother Jim (Rock Vinci) scored an easy victory in the $9,500 featured trot at Batavia Downs on Friday (November 15) evening.
Longshot Alan (John Cummings Jr.) left from post seven and bolted to the lead in easy fashion. With Crazy Brother Jim following from second, Alan set easy fractions of :29.4 and 1:01.2 to the half. From there, Jacked (Joe Chindano Jr.) pulled first-over from third to push the tempo and the top three horses broke from the field by nine lengths heading to three-quarters. Jacked continued to push Alan while Crazy Brother Jim laid in wait as they rolled around the final turn. When the trio reached the stretch, Vinci dipped Crazy Brother Jim into the passing lane and trotted right by Alan to win by a length in 1:59.4.
It was the eighth win of the year for Crazy Brother Jim ($8.40) who is owned and trained by his driver, Vinci.
Shawn McDonough scored a double-triple on Friday, by winning three races as both driver and trainer. McDonough won with Free To Dream (1:57, $3.40), Maczaffair N (1:56.1, $4.50) and Angelo J Fra (1:58, $11.00), who scored her 81st lifetime win and all three winners hailed from the McDonough stable.
Kevin Cummings also drove three winners on Friday.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (November 16) with post time at 6 p.m. and there will also be a carryover of $703 in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta in the 13th race.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
The Byron-Bergen Bees won its state championship semifinal against Burke Catholic on Saturday, 4-0.
The Bees play for the state championship on Sunday against Stillwater High School.
Byron-Bergen jumped to an early lead with a goal at 1:20 into the game. Riley Shallenberger scored on an assist from Mia Gray.
Bee's goalie Natalie Prinzi saved a penalty kick with 29:39 left in the first half.
Mia Gray scored the Bees' second goal with 25:00 minutes left in the first half. Grace DiQuattro scored a goal 41 seconds later on an assist from Libby Starowitz.
In the second half, Mia Gray scored the Bee's final goal, assisted by Grace DiQuattro, with 12:42 left in the game.
Megan Jarkiewicz was awarded The Sportsmanship Award.
Photo of Won Surreal Deal courtesy of Wendy J. Lowery.
A $23,931 carryover and $75,000 guaranteed pool through the USTA Strategic Wagering Program for the Pick-5 wager at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (November 13) night generated $79,508 new money, producing a $102,701 total pool that yielded the biggest mutuel payout ever in the history of Batavia Downs going all the way back to 1940.
After the prohibitive favorite, Raylan Drew ($3.10) won the first race, the longshots followed fast and furious. La Always Amartini ($15.20), Mason Street ($68.50), Batting Stats ($9.60) and Venue ($22.20) filled out the winning combination of 2-5-4-4-1 that returned $41,412 for a 50-cent wager.
Even after "price" horses won three of the first four races, the savvy punters who wager at Batavia Downs had all but two numbers covered in the fifth race, with a total of two winning tickets being sold.
The feature race on Wednesday came right after the huge payout in the fifth race, where Won Surreal Deal (Drew Monti) won the $11,000 fillies and mares feature and continued the string of premium payouts.
Monti put Won Surreal Deal on the point and led by 1-¼ lengths through splits of :28.3, :58.1 and 1:26.4 while the favored Mcvera (Shawn McDonough) tracked from the pocket. After spinning off the final bend, Won Surreal Deal was not to be caught and pulled away to a 1-½ length margin of victory in 1:54.3 with a snappy :27.4 final panel.
It was the second win in the last three starts and seventh win of the year for Won Surreal Deal ($13.80) who is owned by Parsimonious Racing Stable and trained by Jeff Sorenson.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday (November 15) with post time at 6 p.m.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
Women’s Triathlon is an “emerging sport” at the NCAA level. When Alexander Central School alum Jadyn Mullen transferred to Roberts Wesleyan University this past fall, she wanted to give Triathlon a go in hopes of using it as a way to cross train for the upcoming track and field season.
This past weekend Mullen capped off her successful rookie season as a member of the Redhawks triathlon team with a 43rd place finish at the NCAA DII National Championships, helping lead the Redhawks to a 10th place team finish in their second season as a program.
Mullen had a phenomenal first season with the team, coming in already having a background in running as a cross country and track and field athlete, as well as swimming, three sports she competed in at Alexander Central. All Mullen needed to perfect was her biking.
In her first ever Triathlon event Mullen placed 9th overall, leading her team to a 3rd place finish at the Patriot Sprint in Williamsburg, Virgina. Heading into the second week of the season, Mullen had fallen ill, so she did not compete at the Duquesne University Invitational.
However, Mullen would return the following week and travel with the team to Richmond, Virginia for the Robious Landing Triathlon. Hurricane damage in Virginia eliminated the swim portion of the event, making it a duathlon. Mullen again would lead the way for the Redhawks, finishing 37th overall, helping the Redhawks finish 9th overall as a team and 3rd out of Division II competitors.
Next on the schedule for Mullen and the Redhawks was the NCAA East Region Qualifier in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The Redhawks finished 5th among the Division II teams and 14th overall, with Mullen coming in at 24th overall, which helped secure her spot in the NCAA DII National Championships.
At the NCAA DII National Championships in Clermont, Florida this past weekend, along with three of her teammates Mullen finished 43rd, fellow Redhawks Joane Arzalluz Garzon, Jenna Maendel, and Paige Kern each finished 53rd, 61st, and 65th out of 69 total Division II competitors.
Last season the Redhawks sent Avon High School Alum Brett VanBoden to Nationals, where she placed 145th overall. This season saw much more success for the Redhawks who managed to place within the top 10 of Division II as a team.
Mullen hopes to continue to grow stronger as a triathlete heading into the 2025 season and help make an impact on the track and field team this season for the Redhawks. Mullen opens up the indoor track and field season at the Mike Kowal Multi Meet at Edinboro University on Dec 7-8.
With no one hitting the Pick-5 wager again at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Nov. 9) night, there is a $23,931 carryover for that wager in the first race on Wednesday (Nov. 13) night and track management has announced that pool will be guaranteed at $75,000 through the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program.
As part of that program, Trackmaster is offering free full past performance programs on the USTA website under the Strategic Wagering heading listed on the Handicapping tab.
This will be the largest guaranteed pool ever offered in the history of Batavia Downs.
The Pick-5 at Batavia Downs is a 50-cent minimum wager that begins in race one and runs through race five. Post time for the first race on Wednesday is 6 p.m.
And as always, free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
An Open pace and an Open trot, both valued at $13,000, were center stage at Batavia Downs on Saturday (November 9) night and the winners of both events went gate to wire to do it.
In the pace, Shipsaway (John Cummings Jr.) got his third win since shipping to Batavia.
Shipsaway initially got away second behind Bluesville (Dave McNeight III) but made a move past the eighth and had the front by the :28.2 quarter. Cummings then throttled the horse down to a :57.4 half where Primo Uomo (Joe Chindano Jr.) made a first-over move and was able to get to second and drop back to the pylons for the final turn. Shipsaway was pacing smartly on the lead when Chindano took his best shot with Primo Uomo at the top of the stretch. Shipsaway responded and never gave way, winning by two lengths in 1:53.2.
It was the ninth win of the year for Shipsaway ($8.10) who is owned by 716 Standardbreds and trained by Courtney Wright.
The very next race was the trot and El Toro Loco (Kevin Cummings) got back to his winning ways.
El Toro Loco and Biscoe (Jim McNeight Jr.) got away first and second and gapped the field by about five lengths heading up the backside to the quarter. The field remained in single file fashion to the half in a soft :59.2 where Discus Hanover (Drew Monti) pulled first to take a shot. Timing is everything and El Toro Loco's :28.2 third quarter turned back Discus Hanover’s bid and Biscoe was the last one to have a shot at the leader. But that challenge never materialized as El Toro Loco swelled up in the lane and trotted home, clear by 1-½ lengths in 1:56.3.
El Toro Loco ($3.90) is owned by Mike Torcello and trained by Sam Smith.
Kevin Cummings led all drivers with three wins on Saturday while trainers Ryan Hall and Sam Smith each won two races during the proceedings.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (November 13) with post time at 6 p.m. and there will be a $23,193 carryover in the Pick-5 in the first race and Batavia Downs will guarantee the pool at $75,000 through the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering program. Free programs for races one through five will be available on the USTA website under the Strategic Wagering heading listed on the Handicapping tab.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
Photo of El Toro Loco courtesy of Wendy J. Lowery.
Fourth set final celebration LeRoy Knights claim victory. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Le Roy made its fifth-straight appearance in a volleyball sectional champion game on Friday and came away with its third title in that span.
After Avon won the first set 25-20, Le Roy won three straight (25-15, 25-22, 26-24) to secure the Class C1 title.
"That (last) set was definitely a nail-biter," said senior Kylee Green. "I mean, we got down on ourselves, but we realized that we needed to pick it up to win, play our game and do what we do best. So I knew I had to pick my head up. I got down a few times, but I knew I had to focus, get the serves that I got and pick it up for the team."
Stats:
Kylee Green, nine service points, two aces, 19 digs
Sierra Burk, eight service points, two aces, 16 digs, three kills
Kylie Wilson, seven service points, two aces,19 digs
Shea Williams, 14 digs, 11 kills, one block
Eleah Dowell, nine kills, five blocks
Gabby Zitz, eight kills, five blocks
Le Roy's tournament all-stars were Gabby Zitz, Green, and the MVP was freshman Shea Williams.
Photo of Starlitcresentroll courtesy of Wendy J. Lowery.
When Starlitcresentroll made his first start at Batavia Downs on October 18, he was claimed by Lucky Label Stable and he hasn’t lost a race since. On Friday (November 8), Starlitcresentroll won his third straight for his new connections after taking the featured $9,500 trot at The Downs.
Dave McNeight III got away fourth with Starlitcresentroll as BJ’s Smitty (Mike Baumeister) battled HP Maestro (Kyle Swift) for the lead and took control passing the :29.3 quarter. BJ’s Smitty then motored down to the half where Crazy Brother Jim (Rock Vinci) made a first-over move and brought Starlitcresentroll with him. Positions remained unchanged to three-quarters but as they trotted into the turn, Crazy Brother Jim took the lead on the outside while Starlitcresentroll went three-wide around him to position for the stretch run. At the top of the lane, Starlitcresentroll was in full stride and reeled in Crazy Brother Jim with every stride and won by a head in 1:59.4.
It was the fifth win of the year for Starlitcresentroll ($4.10) who is trained by Taylor Fritz.
Two drivers had hat tricks on Friday. Kevin Cummings won three races including the seventh with Stranger Things (1:57, $3.40) who notched his 40th career victory and Drew Monti who also scored three and sat behind Stay Safe (1:58.4, $2.50) in the ninth, who won her 30th lifetime outing.
Trainers Angelo Nappo, Jim Rothfuss and Sam Smith all had two wins during the evening.
Live racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday (November 9) with post time at 6 p.m. and there will be two carryovers on the card. First, there is a $6,551 carryover in the Pick-5 in the first race and Batavia Downs will guarantee the pool at $12,500 through the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering program. Free programs for races one through five will be available on the USTA website under the Strategic Wagering heading listed on the Handicapping tab. And there will also be a carryover of $682 in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta in the 13th race.
Free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
The Pembroke Dragons will play for another Section V 8-Man football title this week after winning its semifinal game over Red Jacket 46-14.
It is the fourth time in five years the Dragons have played for a sectional title.
Caleb Felski ran for 328 yards on 16 carries and four touchdowns. Other scores were by Vijay Dhanda and Caleb Kimmel.
Defensively, the Dragons were led by Jayden Bridge and Octavius Martin, who each had 12 tackles. Madden Perry added nine while Felski and Dhanda each had interceptions.
The Dragons will face the Holley-Lyndoville Hawks for the sectional final.
