Notre Dame

Three Lancers scored in double digits Monday night in the home opener for Elba against archrival Notre Dame, a game won by Elba, 72-34.

Tucker Bezon put up 19 points and Henry Pflaumer had 17 and Shane O'Halloran added 12. Pflaumer knocked down four three-point baskets.

For Notre Dame, Ryan Mukkat scored 11 points, anchored by a trio of three-point baskets.

Tonight, the Notre Dame girls host the Elba girls in their newly renovated gym. Game time is 7 p.m.

None of Notre Dame's hockey players will need to sit out the 2016-17 season, at least to start the year, state officials determined after hearing an appeal by school officials on a Section V ruling on eligibility requirements for two or three players.

Officials with NYSPHSAA kicked the appeal back to Section V to reconsider after finding irregularities with the initial ruling.

Wade Bianco, principal for Notre Dame, said he hopes to know by the end of the day today when the school and Section V officials will meet again.

He said he doesn't know what the impact would be on this season if Section V officials again reach an adverse decision based on new perimeters.  

"This their first time through this process and it's our first time through it all, so it's really something for the lawyers to work out," Bianco said.

Bianco said a top priority is protecting the students, the integrity of the coach and the school.

The names of the involved players have not been released, but in early November, Section V officials issued a decision after a hearing that at least two players were deemed ineligible for this season, citing possible violations of recruitment rules.

Officials with NYSPHSAA (New York State Public High school Athletic Association) were out of the office today and not available to provide more information.

Members of Notre Dame's basketball team from 1969, which won a state title known as the Manhatten Cup, were together once again last night for the school's Hall of Fame dinner. In the picture above, they pose in front of a case which holds a replica of the 1969 trophy.

For more on the inductees, click here.

In 1969, the Notre Dame High School Boys Basketball Team won its one-and-only Manhatten Cup in basketball and that team will be honored along with other Hall of Fame inductees Saturday.

There will be a tour of the newly renovated school at 4:30 p.m., followed by a picture of the 1969 team members in front of a replica trophy.

The actual Hall of Fame event begins at 5:30 p.m.

Press release:

1969 Boys Basketball Manhattan Cup Championship Team: First and only Manhattan Cup championship team. Also were the Smith League Champions for the first time. Many believe this to be the greatest championship in school history due to the format of this tournament, which involved schools of all sizes much like the Hickory championship in the movie “Hoosiers."

Tony Cinquino ’69: Outstanding wrestler during our era of dominance in Smith League Wrestling. Three-time All-Catholic who ended his wrestling career on a 61-match win streak. Three-sport athlete who also ran X-C & track. X-C senior season went 7-1 and the wrestling squads he was on won three Smith League titles and two All-Catholic Championships with one second-place finish.

Dan O’Connor ’69: 1969 Athlete of the Year who earned All-Catholic recognition in football, wrestling & track. Led Smith League in rushing his senior season and the wrestling squads he was on won three Smith League titles and two All-Catholic Championships with one second-place finish.

Tom McGrath ’76: 1976 Athlete of the Year. Tom was an exceptional all-around athlete who excelled at four sports: football, basketball, baseball and golf. He led the Varsity Football team in receptions, was the boys Varsity Basketball team’s leading scorer and the MVP of the Varsity Baseball team his senior year.

Phil Pangrazio ’79: 1979 Athlete of the Year. Phil was a GR All-Star in football who also was a top track performer earning All-Catholic in the discus. Played basketball & wrestled.

Mark Wadams ’96: Three-sport standout (Football/Basketball/Baseball) was Notre Dame’s Athlete of the Year in both 1995 & 1996. Mark was a three-time Section V All-Star in basketball playing IN THREE Sectional Finals winning in 1995 and earned GR All-Star recognition in baseball, basketball & football. He was named First Team All-State in Basketball in 1996 and is the only player in school history to accumulate both 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Dave Pero ’69: Longtime basketball coach who was on the bench for more state championships than any other coach (three). Dave served 12 years as a very successful JV boys basketball coach where he had an outstanding win/loss record developing players for future varsity success and was an assistant coach for two state championship teams (1992 & 2001). Took over as Girls coach in 2003 where he won a state title as a head coach in 2013. He also won two Western Regionals, four sectional titles, six GR championships and is ND’s winningest Girls Basketball coach.

Notre Dame may be looking at a 2016-17 ice hockey season without a player or players who Section V officials deemed was inappropriately recruited or influenced to attend the school.

Kathy Hoyt, executive director of Section V, confirmed Section V officials held a hearing on the eligibility of the player or players. She declined to discuss details. She said the school has appealed the decision and New York Public High School Athletic Association will consider the appeal next week.

A source said two players were affected. Another Section V official who is not authorized to speak on behalf of the section said he was aware that players had been deemed unduly recruited or influenced, but he didn't know how many players were affected.

Hoyt said regardless of the outcome of the process, Notre Dame will retain its 2015-16 Section V Class B crown. 

The only question is whether the players will be eligible for the 2016-17 season.

The Batavian received no response to our request for comment made via email yesterday and today from either Notre Dame Athletic Directory Mike Rapone nor Head Coach Marc Staley.

A source says the complaint that led to Section V holding its hearing came from a team outside of Genesee County.

The names of the players involved have not been released.

As many 50 young girls, grades 2 through 8, have just completed the new Fall Ball Training Camp run by Tom McCulley and Otis Thomas in the renovated Notre Dame High School Gym.

The camp was offered to girls attending either St. Joe's or Batavia City Schools.

"There’s not really a whole lot going on for girls this age," said McCulley, who takes over from Dave Pero as head coach at Notre Dame this season. "We thought this would be a way to get them ready for the upcoming season no matter where they may be playing."

The camp is designed to get the girls in basketball shape for the season, drill them in fundamentals and help them learn how to focus, follow directions and participate as a team member.  

McCulley said this training will help the girls as they move up to higher levels. It's a lot harder for a coach to work with an incoming freshman, say, who hasn't had this kind of experience.

The camp ran for five weeks.

This was the first year for the camp and given its success, McCulley expects it to become an annual event.

"The girls love it," McCulley said. "They’re excited about it. They show up every week, so obviously, they want to do it. It gives them a chance to compete and to learn how to compete, learn how to prepare and stay focused and take direction, so when they do get up to the higher levels, at least they have a foundation to build upon."

In Connors and Ferris Bowl play on Thursday, Pembroke notched one more victory for 2016, making it a total of four against four losses, by beating Notre Dame, 20-0.

In a rain-soaked game, there were only six pass attempts between the two teams, so the ground game dominated, and Pembroke dominated on the ground, with Zachary von Kramer rushing for 188 yards on 33 attempts and two TDs for the Dragons. Nick Clark added another 44 yards on a single run that went for a score. 

Jordon Weatherwax gained 51 yards on 16 carries for Notre Dame. 

Notre Dame's Caleb Wolcott led all defensive players with 12 tackles. Jim Zickl added seven tackles for the Irish.

For Pembroke, Von Kramer had eight tackles and Brian Seweryniak added seven and a sack. Jarrod Carrow had an interception.

In the area's other Connors and Ferris Bowl game, Perry/Mt. Morris beat Oakfield-Alabama/Elba, 27-0.

Section V playoffs begin tonight. The #1 seed in Class B, Batavia, hosts University Prep, coming in at #8, at Van Detta Stadium tonight. Game time is 7 p.m. Alexander, the #1 seed in Class D, also has a 7 p.m. home game against Lyons. 

Pembroke/Notre Dame game photos by Rick D. Franclemont. 

From 6 to 8 p.m. next Wednesday, Oct. 19, Notre Dame High School will hold its annual Fall Open House for prospective students. Everyone is invited to come “Experience the Difference” of a Notre Dame education.

Teachers will be on hand along with many clubs and sports coaches. The Notre Dame experience is affordable for all, with more than 80 of students receiving financial aid and scholarships.

Notre Dame is a Catholic school with a physically and emotionally safe learning environment welcoming to all. Its Tradition of Excellence continues with a graduation rate of 100 percent for the Class of 2016, earning $4.6 million in scholarships. Please visit to learn more about this small school community with big school possibilities.

Notre Dame is located at 73 Union St. in the City of Batavia. Phone is 343-2783​. Email is:    ​info@ndhsbatavia.com

C.G. Finney/Northstar 36 Notre Dame of Batavia 7

Pembroke edged out Holley 34-26. (Photos by Rick Franclemont -- more here)

Alexander moved to 4-0 with a 46-0 win over Oakfield-Alabama/Elba. QB P.J. Brennan was 5-10 passing for 116 yards and three TDs. He had two carries for 20 yards and two TDs. Jacob Bykowski, 12 carries for 51 yards and one TD. Chris McClinic, six carries for 47 yards and one TD reception. Dustin Schmeider, two catches, 26 yards and one TD, and three carries for 53 yards and a TD. Derrick Busch, two receptions for 85 yards and a TD. Dan Heberlein, nine carries for 52 yards. On defense, Heberlein had one interception an three tackles. Job Smith, six tackles and a fumble recovery.

Notre Dame lost to C.G. Finney, 36-7.

Batavia varsity Lady Devils Volleyball Team played last night in their annual matchup at home versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and won 3 sets to 1. Batavia’s first set came out on top, winning 25 to 16, led by freshman Courtnee Yasses serving one ace and servicing numerous times. Senior Courtney Burns added five kills.

In the second set, Batavia continued to start strong going on a 10-2 run, Notre Dame called time-out. They changed their game up a little and then slowly chipped away Batavia’s lead, which eventually tied the game at 18. Batavia called time-out to regroup but Notre Dame won the set 25-21. Thea Bochicchio and Julia Streeter added combined four kills. Natalie Thorton had seven digs.

Third set, Notre Dame continued the momentum to lead by a few points 10-7, then Batavia’s Courtney Burns served an ace and Batavia called time-out. Notre Dame increased their lead to eight points until Batavia regained the serve and Courtnee Yasses started to serve. The freshman continued to win points for Batavia to tie the set 19-19, Notre Dame called time-out.

Both teams exchanged the lead until the end where Batavia won by two points 25-23 to lead two games to one after three. Batavia Junior Taylor Stefaniak had six digs and Senior Maria Canzoneri had three aces and four digs.

Fourth quarter, Batavia jumped on a lead of 16-3 then Notre Dame called time-out. The Irish made some errors that let the set slip away; Batavia won 25-10, to win the match three to one. Batavia’s Stefaniak sisters each had three kills and senior Maria Canzoneri added three aces.

For more photos and to purchase prints click here.

Through three quarters of football, Pembroke battled Notre Dame to a draw, but when Jake Weatherwax dashed into the end zone from six yards out with five minutes left in the game, the Dragons were unable to answer and fell to 1-2 on the season, 34-27.

It was Notre Dame's first win of the season.

The Dragons and Irish were pretty evenly matched throughout the contest, with each team averaging 5.8 yards per play on offense and only being a minute apart on time of possession for the game.

Weatherwax finished with 187 yards rushing on 29 attempts (he scored four times) and Pembroke's Zach von Kramer had 187 yards on the ground on 27 attempts, and he had two TDs. 

Pembroke's Reid Miano had 13 completions on 29 attempts for 209 yards and two TDs.

Notre Dame's Brendan Klotzbach was 8-19 in the air for 126 yards. He was intercepted once.

"Pembroke’s a great team," said Notre Dame Head Coach Rick Mancuso. "They’re very well coached and they have a couple of great athletes on that team. We knew we would have our hands full. Their quarterback threw the ball fantastic and Von Kramer is just a phenomenal running back. We had our hands full. There’s no doubt."

Von Kramer also caught a TD pass and gained 74 yards on three receptions.

Mancuso thought it was a great win for his team, which struggled a bit through the first two games of the season.

"I think we're getting better each week," Mancuso said. "We're not there yet, obviously, but I think the kids had a great week of practice."

Mancuso was impressed with the game Weatherwax had.

"Jake did a fantastic job," Mancuso said. "He's a gritty, hard runner. He makes great cuts. He reads the blocks. I thought he did a terrific job."

Defensively, Notre Dame played tough, but the team still has some holes to plug.

"Defensively, we brought it," Mancuso said. "We really worked hard this week on staying diligent to our plan and working hard and I thought the kids stuck with it. I thought they did a very nice job of executing."

Caleb Wolcott had 10 tackles and a sack. Brad Misiak had 10 tackles.

"We’ve got a lot to work on," Mancuso said. "I mean, they put up 27 points. I’m not ecstatic about that, but those are things we need to clean up and each week we’ll get better."

For the Dragons on defense, von Kramer had 12 tackles.

Four Notre Dame receivers had two catches each -- Ryan Moffatt, Nico Zambito, Misiak and Jordon Weatherwax. Moffatt gained 45 yards and Zambito gained 42.

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The Alexander Trojans beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a Saturday night game played in Warsaw (because of renovations to Alexander's field) 45-15.

The Trojans scored all of their points in the first half and the Irish scored theirs in the second.

P.J. Brennan was 10 of 16 passing for 198 yards and three TDs and zero interceptions for Alexander. Derrick Busch caught three balls for 75 yards and two TDs. Dane Heberlein rushed for 61 yards on 11 carries and scored twice. Job Smith had 12 yards on three carries and scored. He also had two receptions for 26 yards and scored on a nine-yard TD pass. Chris McClinic caught two passes for 54 yards.

On defense, Eric Scharlau had three sacks and Zach Jasen had a sack and two tackles.

To purchase prints, click here.

After graduating 15 seniors, Notre Dame's starting varsity will feature a lot of new faces, but Head Coach Rick Mancuso says his players are working hard and will be ready for Thursday's season-opening kickoff at Alexander.

"We have a good group of kids," Mancuso said. "We’re really happy with the effort. We just came off our scrimmage the other day. We’ve got a lot of stuff to clean up, but the effort that they’re putting in is good."

Brendan Klotzbach takes over at QB and a trio of players -- Jordan Weatherwax, Jake Weatherwax and Cam Clark -- will rotate through the backfield.

The offensive and defensive lines are strong.

"We're down in numbers, but what we have is quality," Mancuso said. "We’ve got lot of growing pains to get through to get up to speed as quick as we can."

Press release:

For the ninth consecutive year, Notre Dame High School is ranked as the #1 secondary school in Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties, according to rankings announced last week by Buffalo Business First.

In addition, this is the ninth consecutive year that Notre Dame is included in the "Top 15 Percent" of all 136 secondary schools -- public and private -- in Western New York. And it is the 12th straight year that the Catholic school ranked in the publication's "Top 10" of WNY private schools.

Notre Dame, home of the Fighting Irish, offers a physically and emotionally safe learning environment that is welcoming to all, resulting in a graduation rate of 100 percent for the Class of 2016, with 97.4 percent attending college earning $4.6 million in scholarships.

The 2015-2016 academic year brought home 79^th and 80^th Sectional titles, in Ice Hockey and Softball, with 15 of 17 varsity level athletic teams achieving “Scholar Athlete” status as designated by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. This long-standing "Tradition of Excellence" continues with the most current Buffalo Business First rankings.

Now accepting applications for the ’16 – ’17 school year. Financial aid available, call today to discover the difference.

Michael C. Napoleone was born May 13, 1998. He succumbed to Burkitt's Lymphoma in 2006. Had he lived, he would have graduated from Notre Dame High School yesterday with the Class of 2016. In recognition for his love of Notre Dame and the charitable work of his family through the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation, Michael was granted an honorary degree, accepted by his mother, Laurie, and father, Mark, pictured with Principal Wade Bianco.

Notre Dame graduated 28 seniors yesterday in a ceremony held in the forum at Genesee Community College.

Valedictorian, Luca Zambito.

Salutatorian, Jack Sutherland.

Connor Logsdon walking up to receive his diploma.

Former Principal Joe Scanlan was honored for his contributions to the school.

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With a 7-6 win over Lyndonville in the Section V Class D2 championship softball game yesterday, the Fighting Irish became Notre Dame's 80th girls team across all sports to win a sectional title.

Notre Dame took a 6-1 lead into the sixth, but Lyndonville put together a rally to tie the game. The Irish won on a walk to Jessica Bukowski with the bases loaded, bringing Callie McCulley in to score.

Photo submitted by Kathy Antinore.

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia today honored a dozen students from Notre Dame High School today for academic and artistic achievement.

Receiving awards were: Ethan Osborne, Vocal Performance; James Farmer, Instrumental Performance; and Bryan Moscicki, who received the Citizenship Award.

The top academics in the senior class are Luca Charles Zambito, John William Sutherland, Emily J. Sherman, Jessica Lynn Bukowski, Nichol Marie Salvador, Emily Elizabeth Fischer, Joseph Thomas Bergman, Stephanie Lynn Pingrey, Cindy Sophia Skalny and Bryan Alexander Moscicki.

Several parents of the students also attended today's lunch.

Students from Batavia High School will be honored next Thursday.