State Rankings, the MVT Way: Boys & Girls Soccer

Since we focus on Section 2 & Section 3, we like to combine the two in our state rankings rundown. We'll start with boys soccer, Class AA & head down to D, then do the same for girls.

Boys - AA
4.) Fayetteville-Manlius (up 4)
6.) Shaker (just chillin)
10.) Proctor (huge jump - wasn't even ranked last week, they must have forgot)
13.) Shenendehowa (down 4 after losing to a.. meh.. Ballston Spa team)
Of course they added 1 upstate city school and took another one off, as Nottingham is off the list after being #14 last week. F-M handled Central Square today, but they have an interesting game later this week against Nottingham. Shen looks to get back on track with 1 win Burnt Hills and average to slightly above average Saratoga on the schedule this week. 'Toga is really the team in rough shape this week, as they get Shaker on Tuesday too. After that, Shaker meets a decent Niskayuna team. Proctor has Notre Dame & RFA this week. Cake. Next interesting game for them is against Clinton next week.

A
12.) CBA (the one to the west - up 3)
15.) Scotia (switched spots with CBA)
17.) Albany Academy (a 15 spot drop, interesting)
18.) Fowler (just hangin out)
I'm assuming Academy may have lost to Schalmont to get demoted, which is a score I never saw. They won against Cobleskill today and should win their other 2 games. Scotia's coming off a loss to the Q - I don't know of any games they have this week besides Amsterdam. CBA gets Fulton and ES-M this week - they beat those teams 5-1 and 5-0 already, respectively. Fowler tangoes with Oswego and J-D. They've already cracked Oswego 8-0, but Jamesville-Dewitt is a team that could give them issues.. 3-1 Fowler the first time, but circle that one.

B
2.) Broadalbin-Perth (still)
8.) Cazenovia (have)
9.) Skaneateles (not)
12.) Ichabod Crane (moved)
T20.) Schalmont (welcome!)
T20.) Clinton (again)
Schalmont gets a well-deserved (and I think belated) addition. They lost to Ichabod Crane in OT, but were better, and they apparently beat Academy. They should get 2 easy wins this week. Broadalbin is still knocking at the doorstep of #1 - their only non-win was a draw with Scotia. Caz's only loss is to the team right below them in the rankings, but this week features an interesting battle at Westhill, a team they only beat 1-0 at home. Their other game is against Solvay, who they beat 4-0 the first time. Circle your calendar for next Monday... Cazenovia/Skaneateles, part deux. Skaneateles has packed on the challenging non-league games - their 2 losses are to West Genesee and Aquinas of Rochester - and it doesn't change this week, with fellow Rochester private school McQuaid on there along with Westhill and Jordan-Elbridge. No sleeping before the showdown I suppose! Clinton has been quietly getting work done - they handled Adirondack easily today, with Gavin Gleasman setting the school record for career goals in the process.

C
5.) Stillwater (up 13)
8.) MPH (standing pat)
11.) Sauquoit (up 1)
13.) Lake George (down 8)
17.) Greenville (up 2)
19.) Tully (welcome back)
The men who compile the state rankings have drank the still water and have Cepiel fever. The huge jump to the top 5 puts a big target on the Warriors' back - they handled it by beating Doane Stuart 5-0 today. Tully with a big win over MPH today, so look for these rankings to shake up next week. Sauquoit is still the surprise of them all to me. The CSC is weak right now, but I still would not expect this team to keep winning. They're not blowing teams out, but they're getting the job done. Bye bye Notre Dame - #10 last week, nowhere to be seen this week.

D
2.) Fort Ann (up 4)
3.) Owen D. Young (no movement)
16.) Copenhagen (same)
17.) McGraw (also same)
Beating Lake George certainly will move you up the totem pole, and Fort Ann finds themselves behind only perennial contender Chazy in the state rankings with no other challenges in the regular season coming their way. MVT original John Kuznia was up at Old Forge today checking out ODY boys, and they narrowly escaped with a win - 3-2 against a tough Old Forge squad, and Old Forge was knocked down to 10 after a red card that was described as probably unnecessary. Lucky break for ODY. Still trying to get used to a state ranking without Poland.


Girls - AA
4.) Shenendehowa (up 3)
8.) Columbia (up 3)
12.) Cicero-North Syracuse (up 1)
13.) Saratoga (up 1)
15.) Baldwinsville (hi!)
20.) Liverpool (almost bye - down 5)
Fun week for Shen coming up, with Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (defending A champs, ranked in A currently) and Saratoga on the schedule, both on the road. Saratoga gets Shaker before Shen - they needed a late goal to beat Shaker early this season and got cracked by Shen, but things have changed since then as they've won 9 straight. Gotta love what Columbia's doing, quietly going about their business. Interesting one against Guilderland this week, but last 3 games this season should be easy wins. People just can't score on C-NS - the last team that did was Schalmont over a month ago. That may end this week in the Northstars' state-ranked showdown with Baldwinsville. Dicey week for the Bees - besides C-NS, they also have to deal with West Genesee. Bye bye to Nisky, knocked off the top 20 after a loss to 'Toga. Injuries doing them in.

A
2.) Jamesville-Dewitt (as usual)
13.) Burnt Hills (up 4)
15.) Queensbury (up 1)
16.) Watertown (up 4)
18.) Marcellus (down 8)
Still impressive that Marcellus is as strong as they are (despite a loss to Homer last week) this year, being so used to Class B. J-D is a Sayville screw-up away from the #1 spot. Big story here? Let's see how long Queensbury lasts - their all-everything absolute stud Brittany LaPlant is out for an extended period of time (perhaps the season) with a broken bone in her foot. They won tonight, but we'll see how long this can last.

B
1.) Schalmont (of course)
4.) Westhill (up 1)
8.) Cazenovia (up 1)
12.) Coxsackie-Athens (you weren't here last week!)
13.) Clinton (up 2)
17.) Catholic Central (also up 2)
18.) Lowville (welcome)
19.) Voorheesville (welcome to you, too)
Wow, talk about well-represented. Section 2 & 3 each have 4 teams on the list, and each has an honorable mention rep - Hoosick Falls being one of them, who was ranked last week. They didn't really do anything to get taken off, but B is a monster. Schalmont is really good. I'd put them up against Shen & Columbia and like my chances. I wouldn't mind watching CCHS on a good day play them, though, perhaps their only challenge in B... in my eyes. Westhill gets Skaneateles this week - Lakers dying for this one, as it'll get them state-ranked with a win. Caz can basically sleepwalk through this week and be fine. A win over Greenville put C-A on the map this past week: they get Chatham and Maple Hill this week, both could be interesting. Like their boys team, Clinton just keeps getting things done.

C
1.) Bishop Grimes
3.) Canajoharie
7.) Tully
16.) Sauquoit (up 2)
18.) Greenville (we missed ya)
No movement among the teams at the top. Grimes got another impressive win against CBA, so it looks like they'll hang out up there unless they mess up. Canajoharie keeps winning in the WAC, but they're not really blowing teams out - just winning a lot of 4-0, 4-1 games. Tully is a force to be reckoned with. They showed it with a tie against Grimes earlier this year - game against Faith Heritage this week, a team that kinda kept it close with them but shouldn't. Sauquoit just took an OT loss to New Hartford - if there is such a thing as a quality loss, that is one, and I hope it doesn't reflect heavily on their ranking next week. Carly Johnson and company are back after a short hiatus. Waterville and Schoharie both took a dive into the land of the honorable mention.

D
1.) Poland
3.) Copenhagen (up 1)
5.) Morrisville (up 1)
14.) Brookfield (up 1)
18.) Bolton/Warrensburg (hi)
B/W gets on after beating former #19 Fort Ann, big win for them. As usual, Class D girls soccer is run by Section 3 and their neighbors to the east aren't too involved. With O-E/St. Johnsville up in C now, their best state threat is gone. Poland had a legitimate scare from Cooperstown last week, needing to rally to win 2-1, but I'm thinking that won't happen again. Brookfield keeps putting up big numbers in the CCL, Abby Reilly and company are making the town of a post office, bar, general store, and about 100 people proud!

Games This Week Between State-Ranked Teams
Girls
In Section 3, Thursday has a pair - Class D #5 Morrisville-Eaton plays at Class C #16 Sauquoit, all while #12 and #15 in AA, C-NS & Baldwinsville, are duking it out. This weekend also brings about the annual Columbus Day tournament at Poland, where a Clinton/Poland game is always possible.
You don't have to wait until Thursday in Section 2 - tomorrow (Tuesday) features AA #4 Shenendehowa at A #13 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. Shen does it again on Thursday, heading to another #13 - Saratoga, ranked 13th in AA.

Literally nothing for boys. Yikes.
 

How Many Words Is This Worth? Pics of the Week

I didn't edit or really do anything with any of these pictures. Yes, it would make them look a little better. Yes, I have more. Yeah, I probably can if you want. For now, enjoy!

How physical this game was, in a nutshell. Marika Contompasis & company were not getting too many clean runs in without a Saratoga defender letting them know they were there!

Emily Lewandusky had about a mile of room on her run, and she responded by getting one past the Colonie GK on this kick to put Columbia up 2-0 Thursday.

Describes Friday's game for David Warnken. Literally wasn't going anywhere without a Schalmont Sabre defender breathing down his neck!

 John Clayton with the report! Well, the report was a completion, and a message that Burnt Hills is good... as always.

Well, at least the handoff worked. Maybe it looks like daylight for Guilderland, except for the unblocked end for CBA.

Austin Ellis, among others, caused mayhem for the Dutch defense in CBA's Saturday night beatdown of Guilderland. Cutback king.

Veda Hensel in the middle of a little juggling act to try and keep it inbounds against Ravena Wednesday. So concentration. Much good.

Looks like someone just got knocked out like fight night.

Don't shoot, I unarmed!

Fan section of the week has to go to the BC Hooligans - some of them here. I think I heard an MVT chant, but I was like 70 yards away... maybe I'm biased.

Where in the World Is Jeff? 10/6-10/12

There's certainly been more interesting weeks for games. Struggled for a couple hours yesterday trying to come up with a decent schedule - you'll notice there's a lot of maybes and 'one or the other' scenarios still. Possibly even a volleyball stop. You may be able to find me at:

Watervliet today. The one for sure is Albany Academy for Girls girls soccer visiting the new turf at 7:00 tonight. I may or may not start early, watching the same two schools duke it out in girls volleyball at 5:30. If you're interested, you can catch me at...

Shaker to start Tuesday, St. Rose.. for high school? at night. Saratoga boys soccer takes on Shaker at 4:15, and I feel like it might be a good one to watch. Haven't really caught either one yet. A late start at Plumeri for CCHS/Albany girls soccer, catch me there at 8:00. If all your homework is done, you might even be able to yell 'HEY CAMERA GUY' at...

Loudonville Christian, or at least their home field, at 4:00 Wednesday. New Lebanon boys take on the Eagles at the North Colonie Sports Complex. Or... you might even see me make the trip to Granville, the land of the Golden Horde. If I go there, I'll skip the LC game and catch a doubleheader - girls volleyball at 5:30 against Hoosic Valley and boys soccer against Cambridge at 7:00. If you're not sick of me yet, turn around and get me a hot chocolate the next day at...

Bethlehem Thursday afternoon, where Averill Park girls soccer visits at 4:00 or 4:15, if I could remember. Columbia will get another visit at night for more girls soccer - some people from Rotterdam will come through, another Mohonasen/Columbia matchup. If Thirsty Thursday didn't knock you out, please don't call me mean names at...

Albany Academy Friday! The land of Brian Fruscio. Watervliet boys soccer comes to visit in the afternoon at the super windy field. I get to catch someone from closer to my hometown at night, as Canajoharie football battles Rensselaer at 7:00. If you're a glutton for punishment, make the trip to...

Fonda and Northville on Saturday. Interesting football matchup at 2:00 when Coxsackie-Athens comes to play at the home of the Braves. Oppenheim-Ephratah/St. Johnsville, or as our favorite guy Jon Rathbun says, Alphabet Soup, has a doubleheader at Northville after that - boys soccer at 4:15, girls at 6:30.

I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself.

** Oh by the way, for all the hoopers out there... I'm starting to do my recruiting for the high school league. Instead of running King of Kings, I'll start up my own thing in the Albany area next summer and plan to have both a high school boys & high school girls division. I'm officially getting in that mode on Sunday, checking out a college exposure event for boys at Skidmore!

Saratoga Streaks Past Nisky

Saratoga 2, Niskayuna 1

Funny how things change.

These two teams opened up against each other. The early September game in Saratoga did not bode well for the home team, as Nisky pounded them 6-0. Nisky looked like the class of the Suburban early, and Saratoga was blown out in 2 of its first 3 games. However, a streaking 'Toga took advantage of a fading, Sophia Constantine-less Niskayuna to win its 9th straight and give them their 3rd loss in 4 games.

The action started early, as sophomore Sarah Covell scored on an assist from Sadie Ray to put Saratoga up 1-0 in the first 20 minutes of the game. The back-and-forth affair made for an exciting match, but a goalie's nightmare. The Blue Streaks went into intermission up 1-0 at half, but they narrowly missed a chance to add on - just as Nisky missed a golden opportunity to get the equalizer. A 'Toga defender had to knock one away from goal. A Nisky shot hit the top post and bounced straight down. Ellery Bianco found the ball at her feet 2 yards from goal for Saratoga, but a perfectly timed tackle just stopped it from becoming 2-0. The game felt like it could've been 4-3, but 1-0 sounds alright, too.

The action kept going in the 2nd half, picking up right where they left off. Ten minutes in, leading scorer Bianco was able to find Covell, who buried her 2nd goal of the game to put Saratoga up 2-0. The game wasn't over, but with 30 minutes left and a 2 goal deficit, it was danger time. You could tell Nisky was getting frustrated... more on that later. Without Constantine (a stud) in midfield, the home team was missing a huge piece of their attack - they especially missed her physicality. It really wasn't over though, as Niskayuna brought it to 2-1 when Rachel Walsh one-touched a long Sarah Cook cross past the keeper with 13:19 remaining. They pressured quickly after and nearly brought it even a minute later, but that chance didn't pan out and the well ran dry. Between two state-ranked teams, Saratoga surely proved their worth.

I'm skipping the numbers for the most part. There's a couple things that really stood out to me. First, Saratoga is just getting better. After a pair of 6-0 losses were bookends to a 2-1 W to start the season, they haven't lost. They've got a pair of standout scorers in Bianco and Ya'Nique Van Ness - and it was Sarah Covell who scored both of their goals in this one. With her up to 7 goals on the season, she's becoming a legitimate 3rd option. The Blue Streaks also make you earn it. They gave up 13 goals in their first 3 games - in their last 9, it's been just 8 goals. They play more physical than most teams in Section 2 that I've seen... which brings me to Nisky. When I watched them play earlier in the season (a 3-0 W over Colonie), I had a prevailing thought the whole time watching them. They're good. With Sophia, maybe they're the most skilled team in Section 2. Colonie let them get where they wanted to get, though. There wasn't much tackling, bumping, challenging. As a matter of fact, there was a 33 minute period where a foul wasn't whistled on either team. So odd, I considered it noteworthy even back then. My thought: how will Nisky respond if a team plays physical against them? I may have had that answered. The very skilled, finesse team started to get frustrated. The officials were letting them play - the very rare instances where Nisky responded by playing physical, the officials let it happen, so it wasn't just a one-way street. The Warriors made it a one-way street though, because instead of responding by understanding how the game was being called and playing tougher, it turned into more complaining than anything. Were some things let go that probably shouldn't have been? Sure. But not every game is officiated the same way, and it's on the players/coaches to respond to that. With the inevitable yell or hand wave or shoulder shrug to the official after any borderline push, nudge, or tackle, it took away from their play on the field. Occasionally, they would get the call - but for every time they did, there were 3 other times where Saratoga won the ball. The Blue Streaks effectively threw their opponents a little bit off their game & took them out of their comfort zone, and when Niskayuna finally started to respond the right way in the game's waning moments... it was too little, too late.
 

The Breakdown: Ravena/Schalmont

Let's talk.

It's the game I keep hearing about - and the game I'll be at. Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, ranked 14th in the state in Class B at 4-0, makes the trip to Sabre Drive to battle 2nd ranked, also 4-0 Schalmont. Schalmont is coming off an enormous win; this may be Ravena's first challenge. A challenge is an understatement in this one, as the Sabres have been putting the hurt on teams, including being up as much as 27 against Burnt Hills last week, one of the top teams in the state in Class A.

Ravena certainly has their work cut out for them. They've been able to score against all 4 of their opponents, putting up numbers in the 30s in three games and 42 last week. They like to keep it on the ground, but are capable of beating you in the air with the limited attempts they usher. David Warnken didn't have a TD pass last week, but has 7 on the season thus far. They've rushed for 200+ yards in every game at this point, and they're at 973 through those 4 outings. No one really shoulders the load - Warnken, Steve Kross, and Fred Pechette all have between 200 and 300 yards on the ground. The knock on Ravena is the schedule they've had to this point. The 4 teams they've beat (by a combined score of 146-50) are a combined 4-12... and it'll be 4-13 by the time I submit this, as Albany Academy is getting sodomized by Schuylerville. Nothing you can do about it necessarily, you just have to beat the teams on the schedule, but they aren't really battle-tested.

You can't make the same quip about Schalmont after last week. They beat Burnt Hills 34-28, then ranked #4 in the state in Class A, after being up as much as 34-7. Besides that, they've been putting their Class B foes into the dirt. Glens Falls? Night night. Cohoes? Nice try. Academy? Better luck next time. They've outscored their opponents 219-41 - take out the Burnt Hills game and keep it against B opponents, and it's 185-13. People on message boards like to say the Sabres keep their starters in the whole game to run up the score. I mean, I don't know about every game, but they thoroughly whooped Cohoes in the 2nd half with their 2nd string and pretty much everyone but the cheerleaders in the game. Nick Gallo and Hunter Gac lead the charge for Schalmont. Gallo - a better version of Sean Crandall, for any Section 3 people reading this - does a lot of his work on the ground, but will beat you over the top as well. He's thrown for over 400 yards and rushed for over 300, with 4 TDs in the air and 9 on the ground. Gac has rushed for 526 yards on just 36 carries (nearly 15 yards per carry), with 7 TDs on the ground and 1 receiving TD as well. They've rushed for over 1,300 yards already. They bumped up from 3rd to 2nd in this week's polls, passing Cazenovia even though Caz handled their opponent easily last week. There's something to be said about going out and playing/beating teams perceived to be better than you.

What do I think? It doesn't matter - but I saw this play out last year. A 4-0 Schalmont playing a 4-0 Cobleskill, both teams state ranked and playing at Schalmont. My first Sabre experience, actually. Schalmont started off sluggish, but overcame that to beat Cobleskill easily. 28-0 maybe? Something like that. I expect more of the same tonight. The Sabres, in my eyes, would beat the vast majority of teams in Section 2 regardless of class. Stick them in AA, they'll be ok. Ravena might like the role of underdog though. They know people aren't expecting them to win this. Nothing to lose, right? We'll see what happens tonight!

2 Teams, 1 Cup: Stillwater Takes the Cake

Stillwater 1, Mechanicville 0

 

In a rivalry, you never know what will happen.

The first time this game was played, Mechanicville cruised to a 6-0 W. This time, under the Stillwater lights and with a first girls soccer Indian Cup to play for, an Erica Nichols direct kick held up for the Warriors and their bend but not break defense didn't break.

It looked like Mechanicville was going to make things difficult right from the start. They pressured the defense and GK Danika Svendsen early, and Keara LaFountain was an inch away from drilling one in the first couple minutes. The ball hit the top post and bounced straight down, just off the goal line and ended up being cleared. As the half went on, Stillwater slowly evened up play and made things hairy for the Red Raider defense as well. At one point late in the half, a header made it past the keeper, but was less than a foot too high, hitting the top post and caroming harmlessly over. Svendsen had a little more work to do at this point than her counterpart, but neither were thrust into making legitimate saves - each had one in the 1st half, but Svendsen controlled it 7 other times in the half as well. Mechanicville still had the better of play in the half, but it was close - maybe 60/40 - as the scoreless, yet exciting first 40 minutes drew to a close.

But scoreless it didn't stay for long. Erica Nichols was awarded a direct kick for Stillwater a few yards outside the right elbow of the 18. The ensuing kick moved just enough in the air, throwing Lauren Claeys off by a second. She couldn't recover in time, as the ball went off her fingertips into goal, giving Stillwater a 1-0 lead with 36:13 remaining. Mechanicville made situations a little dicey for the Stillwater D at times, primarily off corner kicks (they had 8 to the Warriors' 3), but they were never able to crack through. As a matter of fact, after the goal, it was Stillwater who looked better. The team that got beat 6-0 the first time was the team that looked stronger. Was this the rivalry talking or is this for real? Well, perhaps both. They always say throw out the records when there's something to play for. I would expect a good one in the first Indian Cup for girls soccer regardless of if one was unbeaten and the other.. beaten. But let's look at the numbers. Stillwater started off the season 0-3-1 and didn't get their first win until a couple weeks ago. Since a loss to Hoosick Falls, Stillwater's went 3-1 to just about even up their record at 4-5-1. This includes not only this game, but a 4-1 win over Hoosic Valley - a team they played to a scoreless draw early in the season. Maybe this resurgence is for real.

A lot of action, but not a lot of shots. Stillwater outshot their opponents 7-6, but Mechanicville had 8 corners to Stillwater's 3. Lauren Claeys made just 1 legitimate save, but controlled it on non-saves 8 times. Danika Svendsen made a pair of legitimate saves and controlled it 10 other times. The numbers in this one don't tell you how exciting the game was - the play & the atmosphere. The crowd, the feel, the PA guy getting the crowd going and updating the Twitter simultaneously, Hollaback Girl on the warmup, where can you go wrong?

Keeping It Plain: Shen Controls Their Way to a Win

Shenendehowa 1, Guilderland 0

If you like kickball, this game wasn't for you.

Shenendehowa put all hands on deck in the game of possession & patience, and although Guilderland GK Parker Carmichael made a number of impressive saves to hold them to 1 goal, that lone one stood up to get a win for the Plainsmen.

We got going a little late for this one, as the Dutch had an eventful trip up the Northway in getting there. With the bus breaking down and all that jazz, it probably would've been quicker if they walked. Anyway, they made it to the field a few minutes before the game's scheduled start time, so it wasn't pushed back too much. Shen started off the game by showcasing what it does - bleed you dry with its possession. Not afraid to play it back from anywhere, switch fields, and slowly work men upfield, they played the ball 10-15 times before having someone make a run. The methodical work played in their favor early, as they had numerous opportunities to open the game. The sexiest chance was a header that caromed over the goal off the top post about 5 minutes in. In the first 20 minutes, play was about 90/10 in favor of the Plainsmen, and it paid off right around that 20 minute mark. James Homan was able to finish one around goal with 19:40 left in the half, getting Shen on the board. 4 minutes later, it appeared that it would double when a foul was called on the Guilderland GK going for a ball in the box. However, he made up for it by saving the ensuing PK to keep it at 1-0. The Dutch evened play up a bit after that (maybe a little momentum change there) and Shen had to live with a 1-0 lead at break.

There's not a whole lot to talk about in the 2nd half, as it resembled the last 20 minutes of the 1st. Shenendehowa continued its possession game, methodically working the defense and ready to pounce on any mistakes. Guilderland stood up to it pretty well - they bent, but didn't break most of the time, and even when they broke down, Carmichael was a human eraser in the back. He made 4 of his 9 saves after intermission, but they weren't easy. One of them was perhaps the best save I've seen all year, a phenomenal sprawling effort to his left on a shot that perhaps would've went upper 90 on the right side. Guilderland had a couple chances of their own late - a couple lasers in the last 6 minutes from long distance came dangerously close to dropping on frame but rocketed harmlessly a foot or two over goal. The ending was pretty anticlimactic, as no one had chances late. It almost appeared that Guilderland was playing with more of a 'make sure it doesn't get to 2-0' attitude than a 'let's tie this thing up' one. Maybe that was Shen possession talking. What do I know? Just that Shen is very poised, patient, and.. well, good. And Guilderland stood up to the test, but came up short. Shen outshot the Dutch 15-8 and had 9 corners to 1 for Guilderland. Guilderland's keeper had to make 9 saves and controlled it on non-saves 6 other times, compared to just 1 and 5 for Shen's.

Sorry about a plain & boring breakdown. It just represents how plain (and sometimes boring) the game was.