Janessa Amesbury's 25 points lifted Byron-Bergen over Wheatland-Chili in Girls Basketball on Thursday, 34-30.
In boys basketball on Thursday,
Batavia beat Honeoye Falls-Lima 55-50. Carter Mullen scored 24 points and Justin Smith scored 14.
Le Roy beat York 78-73. Merritt Holly, for the fourth time this season, topped 40 points in a game, scoring 41. He had 14 rebounds. Jean Agosto scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds. Jake Higgins scored nine points and had nine rebounds. The game went into two overtimes. The Knights are 11-2 and on a seven-game win streak.
Notre Dame squeaked by Byron-Bergen in Girls Basketball in overtime on Wednesday, 37-36.
The game was tied at the end of the fourth quarter at 32-32. The Irish were down by one with 4.9 seconds left when Sofia Falleti drove to the lane, missed the layup and Emma Sisson came in with a put-back at the buzzer for the win.
Falleti posted a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Sisson added eight points and 10 rebounds.
Byron-Bergen's Braedyn Chambry splits the Kendall defense for two points in the Bees' 71-46 win Thursday night. Photos by Jennifer DiQuattro.
The Byron-Bergen Bees improved to 7-1 on Thursday night by rolling past host Kendall, 71-46, in Genesee Region League varsity boys’ basketball.
Senior forward-center Braedyn Chambry poured in 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the way for Coach Roxanne Noeth’s squad.
Senior guard-forward Brody Baubie tallied 19 points and senior guard Colin Martin chipped in with 10 points eight steals and three assists.
For Kendall, 2-4, Louis Conte had 12 points and five rebounds.
In other boys’ basketball action:
-- Host Notre Dame withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally by Wheatland-Chili in a 63-62 victory.
Leighton Williams scored 34 points for W-C, including a three-pointer to give the Wildcats a one-point lead in the final minute. Mavrik Hall responded for the Irish, however, and ND thwarted W-C’s final possession to improve to 4-0.
Jaden Sherwood led the Irish with 23 points and eight rebounds while Jay Antinore scored 13 and Hall tallied eight points and 10 rebounds.
In girls’ basketball:
-- Le Roy, 5-3, defeated Greece Athena/Odyssey, 55-49, behind Abby Allen’s 16 points and six assists; Gabby Zitz’s 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Kenna MacKenzie’s 10 points and six rebounds.
-- Pembroke downed Holley, 61-37, to raise its record to 6-2. Elle Peterson scored 22 points – hitting six three-pointers – to lead the visiting Dragons.Jayden Hootman had 13 points, Seneca Calderon 12 and Morgan Coniber grabbed 10 rebounds while blocking six shots.
-- Eastridge topped Batavia, 52-37, behind Liv Green’s 22 points. Batavia, 4-3, got 11 points and 14 rebounds from Jamin Macdonald and 10 points, six rebounds and five steals from Isabella Walsh.
B-B's Colin Martin goes up against Kendall's Jacek Kwiatkowski.
William Kludt of Kendall looks for a driving lane.
Cody Carlson grabs a rebound for the Bees between Kwiatkowski (33) and Noah Clark.
The Byron-Bergen Bees, behind a balanced attack, turned back Oakfield-Alabama, 65-48, on Wednesday night in a Genesee Region boys’ basketball contest at O-A.
Six players got into the scoring column in the opening half as the visitors jumped out to a 32-15 advantage.
In the second half, Braedyn Chambry scored 14 of his game-high 20 points to keep B-B comfortably on top.
Brandon Pimm and Colin Martin tallied 11 apiece and Brody Baubie added 10 and Craig DiQuattro six for the winners. For the Hornets, Brendan Wescott and Avery Watterson scored 17 and 13, respectively.
Many teams have already played four or five games in the 2023/24 season, but the Pembroke Dragons didn't hit the hardwood for the first time until Wednesday night to take on an undefeated Byron-Bergen team led by early season hot shot Braedyn Chambry.
Chambry set a school record in a game this season by scoring 41 points. A couple of times, he's topped 20 points.
On Wednesday, the Dragons held him to nine points, sending the Bees (4-1) to their first defeat, 61-50.
For Pembroke, Tyson Totten scored 31 points, and Sean Pustulka scored nine.
Colin Martin led Byron-Bergen with 16 points. Noah Clare scored nine, and Brody Baubie scored eight.
"I was pleased with how we played defensively tonight, meeting our defensive goal 3/4 quarters," said Pembroke coach Matthew Shay. "I was also pleased with Jayden Bridge and Sam Pfeiffer and how they battled tonight defending Chambry along with our team defense limiting his touches. Roxanne always does a nice job with her squad, and I feel fortunate to come out of there with the win. Obviously, Tyson played really tough and controlled the game for us."
Byron-Bergen beat Pavilion 63-47 in the 31st Annual Warsaw Kiwanis Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night.
For the Bees, Brody Baubie scored 19 points and had 12 rebounds. Colin Martin, 12 points and five steals. Bradyn Chambry scored nine points and snagged nine rebounds.
The Golden Gophers will play Warsaw in the consolation game today (Saturday) at 5:30 p.m. Byron-Bergen will face off against Fillmore in the finals at 7 p.m. at Warsaw High School.
Photo of Mackenzie Hagen with her family and Coach Hill courtesy of Mary Hughes.
Press Release:
Byron-Bergen Central School District proudly announces that on Friday, Nov. 3, senior Mackenzie Hagen signed a letter of intent to attend Roberts Wesleyan University as a member of their women’s soccer team. At Roberts Wesleyan, she plans to enter the Pre-Veterinary Medicine program, majoring in Biology.
Her commitment to Roberts Wesleyan was witnessed by her parents, her sister Crystal, and Byron-Bergen Varsity Girls Soccer Coach Wayne Hill.
“Mackenzie is ready for the next level of soccer competition,” said Byron-Bergen Athletic Director Rich Hannan. “Her outstanding work ethic and speed make her an incredible athlete, but she is also a gifted leader on and off the field. I wish her the very best at Roberts Wesleyan.”
Hagen is a 6-year Varsity Soccer player and a member of three consecutive Section V championship teams. She participates in Varsity Track and Field where she is a member of the record-holding 800m Sprint Medley Relay team. She is also a Scholar Athlete and Genesee Region All-Star. In addition to sports, Hagen is a member of the National Honor Society. She would like to thank her parents, sister, and coaches.
Six members of the Byron-Bergen Chapter of the FFA joined over 72,000 attendees at the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana on Nov. 2 and 3. However, their adventure began four days prior when they loaded up the tour bus and set out on an agriculture-themed road trip complete with educational experiences, sightseeing, and celebrity photo-ops. They shared this journey with the Belleville Henderson FFA, Indian River FFA, and Alexandria Bay FFA.
“I really loved meeting people from all over the US,” said 10th-grade FFA member Grace Mundell. “The people I met and got to know on our bus were amazing and I felt such a sense of belonging.”
After a quick stop at the Cleveland Zoo, the group headed to Kentucky for a peak into the world of horse racing. Keeneland Racetrack, Churchill Downs, and the Kentucky Derby Museum were all on the itinerary as well as Ashford Farm. Ashford Farm is a family-owned horse farm specializing in boarding and training sport horses. While at Ashford, FFA members had the opportunity to Meet 2015 Triple Crown Winner, American Pharoah.
“I love how everything and everyone in Kentucky revolves around horses,” said Mundell. “I got to pet American Pharoah, one of two living triple crown winners. I learned that the stud fee for him is $250,000 and I learned about how much work and money goes into horse racing.”
“We learned that a horse sold for 12 million dollars at Keenland racetrack and (at Winstar Farms) I learned that Secretariat’s heart was three times the size of an average horse’s heart,” said 10th grade FFA member Paige O’Brien. O’Brien’s favorite part of the trip was visiting Haygard Equine Medical Facility. “I was able to see other career options that I may want to fulfill.”
From Kentucky, the group headed to Indiana to visit Tom Farms, the largest landowner in the state. They farm 18,000 acres, 3500 acres in seed corn and the rest is a mix of soybeans and field corn. The group received a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into producing over 150 million pounds of corn and soybeans every year.
The final stop on their journey was the 96th Annual FFA National Convention. The main sessions were held in Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. FFA members networked with agricultural industry representatives and representatives from many agricultural, natural resource, and engineering colleges including Cornell University, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Morrisville, Paul Smiths College, and Clarkson University.
“This was a great opportunity for our students to network with FFA members from across the state and nation,” said Parnapy. “There were chapters at the convention representing all 50 states.”
O’Brien stated that “making connections with members from other states” was the most memorable part of the convention. Mundell will always remember reciting the FFA pledge at the convention center in unison with 66,000 other FFA members. One of the last stops before boarding the bus back to New York State was to the Indiana State Fairgrounds to attend a rodeo.
“I think one of my favorite parts was probably the rodeo, I hadn't ever been to one before and it was really fun and super cool to watch and cheer for the cowboys,” said Mundell. “In all that was the best trip I have ever gone on. I will never forget the people I met or the things I experienced and the places we went, it really was amazing.”
Byron-Bergen FFA members board a tour bus for the FFA National Convention.
Submitted photo of BB FFA visits Churchill Downs.
Submitted photo of BB FFA member petting American Pharaoh.
Submitted photo of BB FFA at National Conference.
Submitted photo of Byron-Bergen FFA atop a 110-foot-tall storage silo at Tom Farms, Indiana.
Jack Farner with the kick that scored Byron-Bergen/Elba's only goal midway through the second half of Sunday's Class C state championship. Photo by Howard Owens.
With 26 minutes left in the first half, Mount Academy's Chris Recinos penetrated Byron-Bergen's defense and, from close range, knocked a ball over the goal line to put the Eagles out in front of Byron-Bergen/Elba in the state championship of Class C Boys Soccer in Middletown.
Eight minutes later, Alexis Mendoza blasted a penalty kick past a diving Bees keeper Martin Mac Connell to put the Eagles up 2-0.
Mendoza scored two more goals, including one on a second-half corner kick, for the hat trick. The Bees' only score was a second-half goal by forward Jack Farner.
The eventual 4-1 win was the second state title in soccer for the eight-year-old private Bruderhof Christian community high school. The Eagles won two years ago as a Class D team and were moved up into Class C, despite a student body of only 200, because of the school's perceived dominance in soccer.
While the game looked evenly matched for the first 18 minutes, the Eagles seemingly became more and more dominant, containing the Bees to their end of the field most of the rest of the way. The Bees were not without scoring opportunities, even in the second half, but either shots were missed or were blocked.
This year, the Mount Academy girls' team won a co-champion title with a tie score in their game.
Byron-Bergen/Elba was coming off a physically and emotionally draining win against #1 seed Seton Catholic on Saturday in Goshen. That game went to double overtime, tied at 1-1, for 110 minutes of fast-paced football, followed by a best-of-five penalty kick shout that the Bees won 3-2.
The Eagles had their own emotional motivation carrying them into the final after starting midfielder Lenis Arnold suffered a compound fracture in his left in Mount Acadamy's 4-2 win in the semifinal earlier on Saturday against Waterford-Halfmoon. Arnold was on the sideline with his leg in a cast for Sunday's game.
For more photos by Howard Owens and to purchase prints, click here.
The Batavian was the only news outlet from Section V with staff at the Class C tournament games for Boys Soccer. You can help support out local coverage by signing up for Early Access Pass.
Chris Recinos celebrates his goal , the first score for the Eagles in the game. Photo by Howard Owens.
The Bees Colin Martin takes a shot early in the first half that just missed the goal, sailing wide right by inches. Photo by Howard Owens.
Brayden Chambry has his goal attempt blocked. Chambry retrieved the rebound and shot again but the shot slid harmlessly left of the goalpost. Photo by Howard Owens.
Bees keeper Martin Mac Connell got a hand on a corner kick by Alexis Mendoza but couldn't block in late in the second half to give Mendoza a hattrick and put the Eagles up 4-1. Photo by Howard Owens.
Photo by Howard Owens.
Jack Farner Photo by Howard Owens.
Jack Farner and Mount Academy's Jameson Swinger battle for a header. Photo by Howard Owens.
Braedyn Chambry with a header in the second half. Photo by Howard Owens.
Colin Martin. Photo by Howard Owens.
Photo by Howard Owens.
Photo by Howard Owens.
Martin Mac Connell, after a penalty kick by Alex Mendoza gives Mount Academy a 2-0 lead in the first half. Photo by Howard Owens.
Alexis Mendoza scored a hat trick for Mount Academy to help lead his team to a 4-1 victory over Byron-Bergen/Elba in the Class C Boys Soccer Championship at Middletown High School on Sunday.
Jack Farner scored the Bees' only goal midway through the second half.
I'll drive back to Batavia before I start editing photos from the game. It's likely we won't have photos posted until tomorrow.
Carter Prinzi with the game-winning save on Saturday that came in a penalty kick shootout following a double overtime 1-1 tie. Photo by Jennifer DiQuattro
After 110 minutes of football that saw only two goals, one for each side, the state's Class C semifinal came down to a best-of-five-goal shootout.
One kicker (each team rotating through five hand-picked players) against one goalie for each team. Byron-Bergen/Elba, the #4 seed in the tournament, against Seton Catholic, the #1 seed.
The Bees coach, Ken Rogoyski, after the game, said he always regrets that a soccer game comes down to a shootout.
"No game should be decided by PKs (penalty kicks)," Rogoyski said. "Unfortunately, we need some way to see who advances."
A penalty kick is essentially a coin flip, a 50-50 chance to make a goal. There's pressure on both sides of the ball. It's as much a mind game as it is about athleticism. The kicker and the goalie must outguess each other. If the goalie guesses wrong and jumps the wrong way, he has no shot at blocking the shot. If the kicker guesses wrong, he has little hope of putting the ball in the back of the net.
On the first two penalty kick rounds, each goalie guessed right. On the next two, the guessing game favored the kickers.
So, coming into the fifth round, both sides were even at two goals each.
Braedyn Chambry made his kick to give the Bees a 3-2 edge.
That put the pressure on Carter Prinzi, normally a midfielder but called upon by Rogoyski to provide the keeper position with some fresh legs. Prinzi was well aware he had to outwit the opposing kicker.
He said he tried to use some body language to play mind games with the opposing kicker to hopefully get him to kick the ball where Prinzi wanted it to go. He was committed to a side, and he wanted to convince the kicker to pick that side.
We may never know if the trick worked, but the result was the same. The kicker kicked to his left, and Prinzi dove to his right and got his hands on the ball, batting it away.
"(Blocking the kick) means a lot," Prinzi said. "I mean, it pushed our team to the finals. It's probably one of the best moments in sports I've ever had."
Prinzi won the game within the game, and as a result, Byron-Bergen/Elba will play Mount Academy, the Section IX champs, today (Saturday) at 11:30 at Middletown High School for the state's Class C championship in Boys Soccer.
The championship game comes after the day after a long, hard-fought, high-energy game against Seton.
Rogoyski said his side would be ready.
"It's all about recovery," Rogoyski said. "Whoever recovers the best between now and tomorrow's game wins."
For much of the game, the Bees were defending a 1-0 lead on a goal by Jack Farner, with an assist from Colin Martin.
"Yeah, me and Colin, we've been doing it all season, just playing with each other, and I know where he's gonna place the ball, and I just run the way I think it's gonna go, and it just works out," Farner said.
Seton evened the score with less than 12 minutes left in regular time following a yellow card on a Bees defender within striking distance to the goal. The resulting kick sailed over the head of keeper Martin Mac Connell.
That led to a pair of 15-minute OT periods, both ending nil-nil and setting up the penalty kick shootout.
Rogoyski credited Seton for playing a great game.
The Bees seemed to dominate control up until Farner's goal, then Seton adjusted its tactics and began to make more incursions into Byron-Bergen's defense. The sides were evenly matched the rest of the way -- both getting their chances and both facing stout defenses when the scoring opportunities came.
"They played a good game, a great game," Rogoyski said. "They were tough. They were strong."
After such a long, tough game, Farner said he and his teammates will be ready for Sunday's 11:30 a.m. game.
"I'm feeling good," Farner said. "I'm just speechless. That (the shootout) was insane, but I feel confident that we're gonna get this win, and we're gonna come home state champs."
The Batavian was the only media outlet within Section V that had a reporter or photographer at the Class C state championship tournament in Boys Soccer. You can help support our coverage by joining Early Access Pass.
Braedyn Chambry with what proved to be the game-winning kick to settle a 1-1, double-overtime tie in the Class C state championship in Boys Soccer. Photo by Howard Owens.
The National Anthem on Veterans Day before Saturday's game. Photo by Howard Owens.
Colin Martin with a shot on goal early in the first half that was blocked. Photo by Howard Owens.
Jack Farner Photo by Howard Owens.
Colin Martin (Coach Ken Rogoyski on the left). Photo by Howard Owens.
Joel Lamb with a header save on a corner kick in the first half. Photo by Howard Owens.
Colin Rae Photo by Howard Owens.
Braedyn Chambry with a shot on goal that was blocked in the second half. Photo by Howard Owens.
Martin Mac Connell with a save. Photo by Howard Owens.
The Bees Carter Prinzi with the winning save in a penalty box shootout following a double overtime match between Byron-Bergen/Elba vs. Seton Catholic at Goshen High School in Goshen. Photo by Howard Owens
The Byron-Bergen/Elba Bees will play for a state championship in Boys Soccer on Sunday in Middletown after winning a double overtime match that was decided by a shootout against Seton Catholic.
Jack Farner, with an assist from Colin Martin, scored the only goal for the Bees in the first half and the Bees held Seton scoreless until just 11 minutes left in the match.
Regular time was followed by two 15-minute overtime periods that could have been decided by a "golden goal" (the first team to score wins).
The OT periods were followed by a five-shot shootout with Carter Prinzi stepping into the goal. Each of the first two shots by both teams was blocked by each goalie, then each team made their next two goals. Jesus Aragon made the fifth attempt for the Bees, giving Prinzi the opportunity to make the game-winning save.
Sunday's game begins at 11:30 a.m. at Middletown High School against Mount Academy from Section IX.
More photos and coverage coming this evening.
The Batavian is providing exclusive coverage of the Class C Boys Soccer State Championship matches. You can help support our coverage by joining Early Access Pass.
