Notre Dame High School opens its staging of the musical "Anastasia" tonight (Friday) at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
A second show is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Director Kate Edwards said of the show:
Anastasia the Musical is based on the animated film Anastasia, which is also based on the real-life story of the Romanov family. It takes place during the Russian Revolution when the Bolsheviks took over Russia and killed the Czar and his entire family. The rumor was always that young Anastasia, the youngest of all the children, actually lived.
The musical is based on the animated film of the same name. The plot is that Anastasia did live, but her memory has been wiped. She now knows herself to be Anya, and she’s searching to find where she belongs. She looks for help from two Russian revolutionaries, who are also good-hearted con men. They are looking for a young girl who can pretend to be Anastasia because they want the reward money. They also need to escape Russia because the communists are taking over.
Through a series of escapades and traveling from Russia to Paris, they discover that Anya is actually the real Anastasia. Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks are looking for Anya because if she really is alive, they want to kill her.
To see what happens next, you’ll have to come see the show!!
Long-time Notre Dame football coach Jimmy Fanara has decided to retire ending a 22-year stint coaching football at his alma mater.
Coach Fanara had planned that 2022 (his son Jimmy’s Senior year) would be his final season before he stepped up to take the head varsity coach position when Joe Zambito’s job took him out of the area.
Fanara held a variety of coaching positions, spending most of his years on the coaching staffs of Notre Dame HOF coaches Bill Sutherland and Rick Mancuso before taking over the Varsity reins in 2022.
His final team team advanced to the Sectional semifinals before losing a hard-fought contest to York-Pavilion.
AD Mike Rapone commented “When I coached Jimmy in basketball during his high school years, he demonstrated the leadership, determination, passion for athletics, and the love of Notre Dame that he displayed for his 22 years coaching football at ND. Any of the young men who were fortunate enough to have been coached by him have benefited greatly from the experience. He will be missed!”
Anyone interested in applying to be the next Varsity football coach at Notre Dame should email a letter of interest and a resume to michael.rapone@ndhsbatavia.com. Applicants must have or be willing to pursue NYS Coaching Certification.
Byron-Bergen beat Notre Dame 67-60 on Monday to stay alive in the postseason as Section V consolidates its Class C champions.
The game matched up Class C2 vs. Class C3. The Bees will next play Class C1 champion Lyons in West Bloomfield at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The winner of that game will represent Section V in Class C against the Class C champion of Section VI in the Far West Regional Championship game, with the winner moving on to a state championship semifinal game.
For the Bees, Colin Martin scored 22 points, and Braedyn Chambry scored 17. Broady Baubie scored 16, and Brendan Pimm scored 11.
For the Irish, Jaden Sherwood scored 23, Jay Antinore scored 16 points, and Chase Antinore scored 10.
Elba beat Notre Dame on Friday in the Class D Girls Basketball Quarterfinal, 55-47.
Sydney Reilly and Lydia Ross both scored 20 points for the Lancers.
Emma Sisson scored 20 points for Notre Dame, and she had 12 rebounds. Lucia Fiorentino contributed 12 points and 5 rebounds. Sofia Falleti had 7 points and 14 rebounds.
"We had a tremendous season with many accomplishments," said Notre Dame Coach Vinny Falleti. "With two seniors and underclassmen, this team came together and worked so hard this season. Even though it wasn’t the ending we had hoped for, I am so proud of this team. Irish Proud!”
Elba plays in the Class D semifinal on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Mount Morris against Avoca-Pratssburgh.
Notre Dame beat Wheatland-Chili 48-17 in Girls Basketball on Tuesday.
The Lady Irish had two players record double-doubles on Senior Night.
Emma Sisson led in scoring with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sofia Falleti followed her with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals. Gianna Falleti also added eight points for the Irish.
“Tonight was a great way to close out our regular season with a home game and celebrate senior night," said Coach Vinny Falleti.
The Irish were led in scoring by freshman forward Sofia Falleti with 14 points. Emma Sisson contributed a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Gianna Falleti also added nine points for the Irish.
Notre Dame beat Elba 68-55 in Girls Basketball on Wednesday.
The game, played at Elba, also served as a fundraiser in memory of Jordyn Torrey Augello, with the memorial foundation named in her honor, co-hosting the game. A raffle, braids and Tinsel by Jagged Edges, and gift certificates sold helped raise money for the University of Rochester Genetics, Epigenetics & Metabolism Research Program.
Augello was an Elba Lady Lancer who later returned to Elba to coach youth basketball.
A 2009 graduate of Cornell who became a partner in Torrey Farms, Augello died at age 30 in 2018.
In Wednesday's game, Sofia Falleti scored 22 points for the Irish. Emma Sisson scored 16 points, Nina Bartz scored 14, and Gianna Falleti scored 12.
For Elba, Sydney Reilly scored 19 points. Lydia Ross scored 12. Mariah Ognibene and Brea Smith each scored 11.
Batavia and Notre Dame faced off against each other in both Girls and Boys Basketball in support of a good cause at Genesee Community College.
The Hoops for Hope Tournament benefited the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation.
The Notre Dame girls won the first game 29-24. For the Irish, Sofia Falleti scored eight points and had five rebounds. Emma Sisson scored seven points and had 17 rebounds. For the Blue Devils, Isabella Walsh scored 15 points.
In the nightcap, Batavia beat Notre Dame 53-49. Carter Mullen led the Blue Devils with 17 points. Casey Mazur scored 12 points and Gavin White and Justin Smith each scored eight. For the Irish, Jaden Sherwood scored 20 points.
A full slate of both girls and boys basketball is scheduled for Jan. 27 and we hope to see you there. Batavia High School will take on the Notre Dame Irish for a full day of both JV and Varsity girls and boys basketball. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation.
Game times are as follows:
JV Girls: 2:30 p.m. Batavia High School Gymnasium
JV Boys: 4 p.m. Batavia High School Gymnasium
Varsity Girls: 6:30 p.m. GCC Gymnasium
Varsity Boys: 8 p.m. GCC Gymnasium
Admission will be Adults $5 & Students $2, Children 5 & under - free! There will be a 50/50 raffle at each game.
The Foundation will be running concessions and is looking for donations of soda, water, pizza, candy, and chips! All donations assist our fundraising efforts! Please call Laurie for any donations or questions @ 585-409-3275.
The Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation was established in 2007 in memory of Michael Napoleone who died at the age of 8 of Burkitts Lymphoma, a form of pediatric cancer. Since its start, the Foundation has given over $725,000 to families facing the challenges of a pediatric cancer diagnosis. They have donated over $75,000 to Youth programs from their grant funding, and supported research in the amount of $95,000. They also donated $50,000 to Golisano Children's Hospital and recently just completed their $25,000 gift to United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia.
The Foundation depends solely on volunteers and less than 3% of monies raised are applied to administrative costs.
Come out and watch your hometown teams and support a great cause!
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.
Pembroke will play for the Rotary Tournament championship on Thursday after knocking off Notre Dame in a first-round game on Tuesday, 50-43.
Elle Peterson scored 15 points, and had five assists and four rebounds to help lead the Dragons to the win in the Girls Basketball game.
Seneca Calderon scored 11 points and had four assists and five rebounds. Jaden Hootman scored seven points. Morgan Conibert scored six and blocked three shots. Regan Schneider grabbed seven rebounds while scoring four points.
For the Irish, Nina Bartz scored 15 points, Emma Sisson, 10, and Sofia Falleti, eight.
Alexander captured the Batavia Lions Club Small School bracket championship on Friday night at Genesee Community College by defeating Notre Dame, 61-49. Photos by Deb Reilly.
The Alexander Trojans used a 17-0 spurt at the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter to break open a close game and went on to defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 61-49, for the Small School bracket championship of the 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament.
The game took place on Friday night at Genesee Community College, prior to the Large School title contest that was won by Batavia, 56-52, over Attica.
Tournament MVP junior center Dylan Pohl scored 21 points for Coach Jalen Smith’s Trojans, doing most of his work close to the hoop, while junior guard Kingston Woods added 14 points, mostly on hard drives to the basket.
Woods joined Pohl on the all-tournament team along with Notre Dame’s Jay Antinore and Jaden Sherwood, Oakfield-Alabama’s Avery Watterson and Elba’s Michael Long.
ND led 13-6 after the first period before Alexander rallied to take a 23-21 lead on a layup by Pohl following a nifty pass by Trenton Woods. Antinore sank two free throws for the Irish to make it 23-23 before two buckets by Kingston Woods gave the Trojans a 27-23 halftime edge.
Alexander caught fire over the first three minutes of the third quarter, scoring the first 13 points of the period on baskets by Pohl, Kingston Woods, a pair of three-pointers by Paul Schmidt, and another by Trenton Woods to make the score 40-23.
The Trojans’ advantage ballooned to 54-33, with Jacob Brooks providing five points on a three-point shot and a turnaround jumper to beat the third-quarter buzzer.
Notre Dame employed a full-court press to start the fourth period, came up with several steals and created some turnovers to close the gap. A steal and layup by Sherwood made it 58-48 with just over two minutes left before a three-point shot by Brooks with 1:18 to play sealed the outcome for Alexander.
“Our game plan was to be patient on offense and look inside as much as we can because our big man (Pohl) is one of the best in the league,” Smith said. “It was all about ball security and taking care of the ball. The more we did that, the better we got on offense.”
Smith, in his first year at the helm, said he is excited about the progression of his team, which upped its record to 6-2.
“From the start, new principles and rules came in because of new coaches, and honestly, we’ve been getting after it every day, and the guys are starting to learn what we’re expecting and looking for and starting to get the job done.”
For Notre Dame, now 6-1, Sherwood was the top scorer with 12, while Ryan Fitzpatrick tallied 11, Antinore 10 and Makyell Walker nine.
ND Coach Mikey Rapone said the game turned when the Trojans got hot from three-point range,
“Basketball is a game of runs, and they went on one there in the second half,” he said. We tried to make some adjustments … but once they started hitting from the outside, we weren't able to give help against (Pohl) inside.”
All in all, he said he was “proud” of the way his players fought back and hopes they use it as a learning experience.
“Either you springboard (from) this and realize the things we need to work on … or you feel sorry for yourselves and go on a spiral. It was good to see that fight and ‘no quit.’”
In the Small School bracket consolation game, Oakfield-Alabama downed Elba, 47-35, as Gavin Armbrewster scored 11 points and Avery Watterson and Kyler Harkness 10 apiece. Michael Long had 15 for Elba.
Photos by Deb Reilly.
Tournament MVP Dylan Pohl goes up for two of his 21 points over ND defenders Ryan Fitzpatrick (2) and George Woodruff.
Sophomore Kingston Woods played a key role in the Trojans' victory, scoring 14 points.
Jay Antinore flies in for two of his 10 points for the Fighting Irish.
Jaden Snyder looks for a driving lane as Fitzpatrick defends.
Selected to the all-tournament team, from left, Dylan Pohl, Kingston Woods, Jaden Sherwood and Jay Antinore.
Markyell Walker drives in for an uncontested layup during Notre Dame's 63-31 win over Elba in the Batavia Lions Club boys' basketball Small School bracket tournament tonight at Genesee Community College. Photos by Deb Reilly.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had little problem extending its unbeaten season tonight as they rolled past Elba, 63-31, in the opening round of the 42nd annual Batavia Lions Club Pete Arras Memorial Basketball Tournament at Genesee Community College,
Coach Mikey Rapone’s team, now 6-0, advanced to the Small School bracket championship game against Alexander, which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at GCC.
Elba will face Oakfield-Alabama in the consolation game at 4:45 p.m.
Senior guard-forward Jaden Sherwood led a balanced attack with 19 points while junior guard Makyell Walker added 12 and senior guard-forward Ryan Fitzpatrick chipped in with 10.
The Irish jumped out to a 19-6 first quarter lead and never looked back, hitting 10 three-point shots for the game.
Ryan Marsceill and Ashton Bezon tallied nine and eight points, respectively, for the Lancers.
Photos by Deb Reilly.
Elba's Ashton Bezon grabs a rebound in front of ND's Jaden Sherwood.
Jay Antinore shoots for ND after getting past Elba's Nick Scott.
The Notre Dame varsity girls’ basketball team raised its record to 3-2 on Friday with a 53-27 win over visiting Lyndonville in Genesee Region League action.
Nina Bartz scored 14 points and Sofia Falleti contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Luci Zambito and Emma Fitch each chipped in with nine points for the Lady Irish.
Ashley Stephens scored 11 points for Lyndonville.
ND Coach Vin Falleti: “We came out tonight and took a solid lead in the first quarter and never looked back. We played tremendous defense, which led to (numerous) offensive opportunities.”
Elba defeated host Notre Dame, 49-44, in Genesee Region girls’ basketball action Wednesday night.
Sofia Falleti recorded a double-double for the Irish, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Nina Bartz added 12 for ND.
ND Coach Vinny Falleti:
“Our team played hard tonight and made runs to come back but couldn’t put together a complete game against a physical Elba team. The game was back and forth with a lot of intensity. We will see each other again late in the season.”
Statistics from Elba have yet to be submitted.
For more high school sports competition from last night, click on the Sports tab at the top of the home page.
Notre Dame picked upa 61-19 win over Wheatland-Chili in Girls Basketball on Thursday.
The Irish are now 2-1 on the season.
Sofia Falleti led the scoring with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds.
Luci Zambito scored 12 points, while Emma Sisson and Lucia Fiorentino contributed nine each.
“Tonight was a complete team effort as everyone contributed and got a balanced amount of play time for the win,” Coach Vinny Falleti said. “They executed well tonight and played like a team.”
