Yeah, you read it right. Mapped out a hopeful schedule up until New Year's Eve - well, December 30. No games on 12/31. Note that I said 'hopeful schedule'. Things will get in the way: snow days, crap weather that I think twice about driving like a fool in, sickness, car troubles, hospital visits for working myself too hard. There's a number of days where I have a 6:00 & 7:00 game planned. Obviously, they overlap. The plan is to go with the flow on those; if the early game is good and I'm not itching to be at the late one, I stay until it ends. If it's not good, I leave. I at least plan on being there. Enough talk... let's see where the initial plan is!
***By the way, I took these schedules/game times off league websites generally. Viewmyschedule, SportsPak, Colonial & Wasaren websites, syracuse.com for Section III stuff. If you see your school on here and the time on your schedule doesn't jive with the time I have here, PLEASE TELL ME!!! I wouldn't want to make the trip for nothing because the schedule was off!***
11/12
Women's Basketball - ACP @ HVCC - 6:00
Men's Basketball - ACP @ HVCC - 8:00
11/15
Boys Soccer State Semifinals @ Middletown
Games of Interest: East Hampton/Jamesville-Dewitt - 8:30, Mattituck/Skaneateles - 9:15, World of Inquiry/Potsdam - 11:15
Women's Basketball - HCCC @ HVCC - 1:00
Men's Basketball - HCCC @ HVCC - 3:00
Men's Basketball - Wilmington @ St. Rose - 7:00
11/16
Girls Soccer State Finals @ Cortland
Games of Interest: Will bounce through them all - AA at 9:30, C at 10:30, A at 12:15, D at 1:15, B at 3:00
11/19
Boys Basketball - St. Thomas More @ Hoosac (Prep School) - 5:00
Women's Basketball - Utica @ RPI - 6:00
Men's Basketball - ACP @ Sage - 7:00
11/20
Girls Basketball (Scrimmage) - Shenendehowa @ Tamarac - 4:00
Boys Basketball (Scrimmage) - Watervliet @ Bethlehem - 6:00
11/21
Football - Class D Semifinal at Dietz Stadium - 4:00
Football - Class A Semifinal at Dietz Stadium - 8:00
11/22
Girls Basketball (Scrimmage) - Hoosic Valley @ Troy - 9:00
Football - Class C Semifinal at Dietz Stadium - 11:00
Football - Class B Semifinal at Dietz Stadium - 3:00
Football - Class AA Semifinal at Dietz Stadium - 7:00
11/23
Oneonta Mayor's Cup - TBD
11/24
Girls Basketball (Scrimmage) - Galway @ Ballston Spa - 4:00
Boys Basketball (Scrimmage) - Troy @ Shenendehowa - 5:30
Girls Basketball (Scrimmage) - Columbia @ Maple Hill - 7:00
11/25
Boys Basketball (Scrimmage) - Maple Hill @ Averill Park - 4:30
Women's Basketball - Adelphi @ St. Rose - 5:30
Men's Basketball - Adelphi @ St. Rose - 7:30
11/26
Boys Basketball (Scrimmage) - Broadalbin-Perth @ Mohonasen - 9:30
Boys Basketball (Scrimmage) - Mekeel @ Niskayuna - 11:00
Girls Basketball - Bishop Maginn @ Ballston Spa - 2:00
*maybe boys basketball scrimmage - Valley Central @ Red Hook instead?
Boys Basketball - Rensselaer Tournament (Rensselaer, Heatly, Ichabod Crane, Berne-Knox-Westerlo) - 6:00/7:30
11/28
Boys Basketball (Scrimmage) - Amsterdam @ Guilderland - 10:00
Girls Basketball - Watervliet Tournament (Watervliet, Schenectady, Susquehanna Valley, Glens Falls) - 2:30/4:00
Boys Basketball - Mechanicville Tournament (Ravena, Lake George, Mechanicville, Lansingburgh) - 5:30/7:00
11/29
Girls Basketball (Scrimmage) - Albany @ Guilderland - 10:30
Girls Basketball - Johnstown @ Mohonasen - 1:00
*Toss-up, depending on game times/matchups.. Cohoes or Ichabod Crane girls tournaments
12/1
Boys Basketball - CBA @ Watervliet - 7:00
*may do boys scrimmage, Our Lady of Lourdes @ Poughkeepsie instead
12/2
Girls Basketball (Scrimmage) - Albany @ Ichabod Crane - 4:00
Girls Basketball - Mohonasen @ Averill Park - 6:00
Women's Basketball - Cazenovia @ Sage - 7:00
12/3
Girls Basketball - Hoosic Valley @ Ravena - 6:00
Girls Basketball - Troy @ CCHS - 7:00
12/4
Girls Basketball (Scrimmage) - Lansingburgh @ Tamarac - 6:00
Girls Basketball - Hoosick Falls @ Albany Leadership Charter for Girls - 7:00
12/5
Girls Basketball - Ogdensburg @ Scotia - 5:30
Boys Basketball - Ogdensburg @ Scotia - 7:00
12/6
Boys Basketball - Gloversville @ Averill Park - 12:00
Boys Basketball - Ogdensburg @ Cohoes - 1:30
Boys Basketball - St. Laurent (Canada) @ CCHS - 4:00
Boys Basketball - Waterford Tournament (Tamarac, Stillwater, Duanesburg, Waterford) - 5:30/7:00
12/7
*Toss-up, depending on game times/matchups.. Albany girls tournament or Waterford boys
12/8
Boys Basketball - Glens Falls @ Fonda-Fultonville - 7:00
*may do boys basketball, Webutuck @ Coleman Catholic instead
12/9
Boys Basketball - Bethlehem @ Averill Park - 6:00
Girls Basketball - Averill Park @ Bethlehem - 7:00
12/10
Girls Basketball - Mechanicville @ Stillwater - 7:30
*may do girls basketball, FDR-Hyde Park @ Monroe-Woodbury instead
12/11
Girls Basketball - Berlin @ Cambridge - 4:00
Boys Basketball - Heatly @ Doane Stuart - 6:00
12/12
Girls Basketball - Niskayuna @ Guilderland - 6:00
Boys Basketball - Guilderland @ Niskayuna - 7:00
*may do boys basketball, Red Hook @ Saugerties instead
12/13
Boys Basketball - Poughkeepsie Tournament - All Day
12/15
Boys Basketball (Scrimmage) - Housatonic @ Pine Plains - 5:30
12/16
Boys Basketball - Saratoga @ Columbia - 7:00
*may do boys basketball, FDR-Hyde Park @ Saugerties
12/17
Girls Basketball - Mohonasen @ Schalmont - 7:00
12/18
Girls Basketball - Fonda-Fultonville @ Cohoes - 7:00
12/19
Boys Basketball - Colonie @ Shaker - 7:00
Boys Basketball - CBA @ Albany - 7:30 (maybe end of it)
12/20
Boys & Girls Basketball - Saugerties Tournament - All Day
*may do girls basketball, Nottingham @ Troy - 2:30
12/22
Boys Basketball - Scotia Tournament - 4:30 (just first game)
Boys Basketball - Watervliet Tournament (Notre Dame, LaSalle, Nazareth, Watervliet) - 6:00, 7:30
12/23
(hi, Section 3)
Boys Basketball - Fowler @ RFA - 12:00
Boys Basketball - Hamilton @ Oriskany - 7:00
So yeah, this is where it gets dicey and I have chicken scratch all over my paper. I'll talk about Christmas tournament week with just a rough draft of places I'm mulling over hitting. They include:
12/26
Boys Basketball - Colonie Tournament - 5:30/7:00
Girls Basketball - Ballston Spa Tournament - ?
12/27
Girls Basketball - Amsterdam Holiday Showcase - I'm assuming all day
Girls Basketball - Schenectady @ Niskayuna - 2:00
Girls Basketball - Ballston Spa Tournament - ?
Boys Basketball - CBA Tournament - ?
Boys Basketball - Saratoga Tournament (Rice, Burr & Burton, Queensbury, Saratoga) - 6:30/8:15
12/28
Girls Basketball - Amsterdam Holiday Showcase - again, all day?
Girls Basketball - Bishop Maginn @ Niskayuna - 1:00
Girls Basketball - Westchester County Tournament - ?
Girls Basketball - Troy Tournament - ?
Girls Basketball - RFA @ Holy Names (Tournament) - 6:30
12/29
Girls Basketball - Colonie Tournament (Averill Park, Shaker, CCHS, Colonie) - 4:00/5:30
Boys Basketball - Schenectady Tournament - 6:00/7:30
Girls & Boys Basketball - Maple Hill Tournament - 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, 7:30
12/30
Boys Basketball - Granville Tournament (Fort Ann, Hadley-Luzerne, Mount St. Joseph, Granville) - ?
Boys Basketball - STOP DWI Tournament in Binghamton - All Day
Boys Basketball - Burnt Hills Tournament (LaSalle, Bishop Maginn, Saugerties, BH-BL) - 6:00/7:30
Girls Basketball - Queensbury @ Burnt Hills - 3:00 (maybe part of a tournament too?)
Well, that's a rough draft. You'll see me around. Let me know if I didn't mention your school in this, and I'll make sure I throw it in January's. I'm trying to get to every single school I possibly can this winter!
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Girls Soccer Regional Roundup: 3 Each in Section 2 & 3 in Semis
Class AA
Bethlehem 2, Liverpool 1 (OT)
Class A
Jamesville-Dewitt 6, Scotia-Glenville 0
Jamesville-Dewitt 8, Massena 0
Class B
Westhill 2, CCHS 0
Westhill 3, Beekmantown 0
Class C
Schoharie 2, Potsdam 0
Lansing 2, Sauquoit 1
Class D
Bolton-Warrensburg 3, Eldred 1 (OT)
Poland 3, Milford 0
Great game on Saturday afternoon in Fulton between Section 2 and Section 3's Class AA representatives in regional finals. Bethlehem, out of Section II, and Liverpool, out of III, both were teams that most didn't expect to get to this point. At least 'Pool was somewhat of a contender - the 3rd seed still had to knock off the top 2 seeds in sectionals to be crowned - Bethlehem had nothing handed to them. Section 2's 6 seed beat the 3, 2, and 1 in succession to get here. The game resembled that of two teams with the kind of grit needed to battle through teams presumed as better. Well, that and two teams that were cold. Everyone was a step slower than usual. Liverpool got on the board first in the earlier stages of the 1st half when Emily Dorr put one inside the left post in the 18th minute. I could hear Bethlehem coach Tom Rogan addressing his team at half. Mental toughness was the message - through sectionals, they had jumped on their opponent early and had a halftime lead. This was the first time in the postseason that they had to play from behind. Toughness is what they showed. Kassie Hautau tied it up with 19:08 remaining (somewhat) off a corner kick - the corner bounced around like a pinball in the box for almost 15 seconds before being cleared. The ball quickly found its way to Hautau, who put it on frame and off the keeper's outstretched hand into goal. Miranda Manziano did a phenomenal job on the other end in goal to make sure Liverpool didn't regain the lead. She made 5 legitimate saves in the 2nd half, including a couple diving stops and sliding kick save. Dorr put a hard shot on goal with 13 minutes to play, but Manziano knocked it away with a diving save to her left. 5 minutes later, she did the same thing, diving to her left to stop a ball that had a tricky bounce to it. We got to see 20 extra minutes of soccer, but the winner happened in just over 2. Kaylee Rickert worked hard to win a ball on a hard run, and the toe poke toward goal snuck underneath a diving Julia Richey to make it 2-1 in favor of Bethlehem with 7:54 left in the first extra session. The Eagles were able to do a nice job through the rest of OT warding off pressure, as Liverpool was only able to get 2 shots off (1 on goal) in extra time. The run for the Eagles that can only be described as magical rolls on - the 3 seed, 2 seed, 1 seed, Section III champ, and now they get North Rockland (#5 in the state) at 9:30 AM on Saturday at TC3 in the semis. Oh, yeah. A team that's supposed to beat them. They've heard this story before.
There hasn't been any drama for J-D. I already wrote a story about the sub-regional game, where they blasted Scotia 6-0. Scroll down for that story if you're interested. As bad as that was, their regional final was even... worse? Yup. The Red Ram train is coming through to flatten anyone in their way, and Massena was on the blank end of an 8-0 smacking yesterday. One person taking over and running up her goal total?.. Nope. The game after 6 girls scored a goal apiece in the 6-0 win, 7 players contributed goals in this 8-0 win (Paige Sherling was the only one with 2) and 5 more had assists (Alex Catanzarite had 2). Think about that. Let it marinate. 12 people were in the scoring column for J-D. In a game. In the regional finals. Wait, what? Yeah. In all, 9 J-D players have scored in the 2 regional games. Pretty sure there isn't a soul that wants to line up opposite them right now. With Sayville, the #1 team in the state in Class A, knocked out by Shoreham-Wading River - and them being knocked out by Rockville Centre South Side - J-D is the favorite in the Class A state tournament. They will get a challenge in the semis, facing #3 Somers of Section I at 2:30 Saturday at TC3.
Westhill's been solid as a rock in Class B. I also already talked about their 2-0 win over CCHS, so scroll down more if you'd like to read about that. They locked up their next opponent in the same way, beating Beekmantown up north 3-0 yesterday to keep on rolling. Jayanna Monds buried two goals to lead the #1 ranked Warriors, giving her 3 and an assist in 2 regional games. Judging by tweets from some northerners, they.. erm... didn't exactly make friends with the Beekmantown girls? But that's irrelevant, I'd dance on the field all day if I dominated someone en route to the semis. Westhill is solid in every position, and they very rarely break down. If you want to have a chance against them, you either have to take advantage of every single time there's a breakdown or just make some phenomenal plays. Good luck. Section I's Bronxville, ranked 3rd in the state, will be the next team to give it a crack. That game is 12:00 Saturday at Cortland HS.
Ahh, the two smaller classes. In C & D, I get to talk a touch more because Section II & Section III reps don't play each other in regionals. 3 plays the southern tier, and 2 plays.. whoever gets there. In Class C, Section II got the winner of the north country. The north country stopped there. Schoharie got its 2nd straight win at the 'Burgh, beating Potsdam 2-0 yesterday. It was the usual suspects involved again, with Carrie Krohn & Seana Cleveland scoring and Kaitlyn Kendle handing out an assist. Schoharie now boasts 3 players with 20+ goals & 10+ assists on the season, and a 4th with 10+ & 10+. Only one of them (Kendle) is a senior, and her 25 goals are matched by Krohn (a freshman), who has 25 as well. Stillwater gave them everything they could handle in the quarterfinals. They must be wondering how far their season could've went if they were able to break through in that one. As a matter of fact, all of their Section II postseason games were 1 goal games, with this being the most "lopsided" in postseason play. Schoharie is battle tested and not afraid of close ones. They like to score early and then focus on shutting you out, and it's worked so far. They've given up just 1 goal in the postseason, and that was with 3 minutes left in the final. Only 9 have been scored on them all season, and I'm sure they'd like to keep it at that number in their game against Section IV's Lansing, 5:00 Saturday at Cortland HS. Lansing got there by beating Section III champion Sauquoit Valley 2-1 yesterday at Fulton. It was a hotly contested game that was the most physical of the three at G. Ray Bodley HS on this day. Lansing got on the board first after Megan Dean knocked one through in the 15th minute. The ball bounced out to her after the pinball effect on a corner and she finished the job. Sauquoit responded with 13:00 left in the 1st half off a corner as well. The ball ended up a little over 20 yards outside of goal, and then Elma Sarajlija happened. The youngster turned on it and sent a rocket right upper 90 with the left foot in what without question was the goal of the night, tying it up at 1. Sauquoit wasn't in full control, but they did have the better half of play. However, it didn't translate onto the scoreboard, and Lansing broke the tie midway through the 2nd half when Reilly Zajac put one home. Sauquoit brought the pressure, but couldn't get the equalizer. Another season coming up short in the state playoffs for a perennial Section III powerhouse.
Both state semifinals in Class D feature a team in my zone. I like it. Section II's Bolton/Warrensburg squad needed an extra 20 minutes, but were able to knock off Eldred 3-1. Eldred made it to the semis last year before getting ousted by Poland; they won't get the chance this year. Liv Seamans is now the leading scorer in Section II, and that won't change. She put home goals 44 and 45 in the extra session to help her squad roll forward. They play at 10 AM Saturday at Homer against Arkport, Section V's rep. B/W is currently #8 in the state; Arkport is at #5. One of Arkport's 3 losses this year... came to Poland. The top-ranked team in Class D advanced to the state semifinals for the 3rd year in a row with a 3-0 W over Milford. They weren't expected to get out of Section III (poor Remsen) in 2012. They did, and it resulted in a state title. They were perhaps expected to win the state title last year, but lost to Jasper-Troupsburg in the final. They're back, looking to go 2 for 3 in the finals. They dominated for all 80 minutes against Milford, who was ranked #4 in the state coming in as Section IV's representative. It took a little while for them to break through, but there was no question who was coming out on top. In the 20th minute, Mikayla Blumenstock (I mean, who else?) started off the scoring off a feed from Jordan Batson. Milford did everything they could to keep Poland off the board, bringing the vast majority of their team back to clog the middle of the field. Despite an 11-1 edge in shots, along with 4 corners, the clutter of defenders mixed with 3 solid saves by Rukiye Henderson held the score at 1-0 by half. Just over 5 minutes into the 2nd half, the other Blumenstock struck. 8th grader Keara is quickly showing why you should remember her name instead of just as 'Mikki's little sis'. Her emergence as the 3rd scoring option behind Mikki (47 goals) and Saige Hampston propels this team to a new level. Oh yeah, Saige. She scored too. The senior knocked one home with 10 minutes left, bumping the lead to 3-0 and effectively ending any thought of a comeback. Milford didn't quit - they nearly tallied with 30 seconds left - but it was all Poland. 20-3 edge in shots with 9 on goal, the ball in their attacking third for what seemed like every minute, they showed why they're tops in the state. For anyone who was at Franklin/Poland in 2012 in Fulton... everything about the two games lined up except for one goal. Fulton HS on a Saturday in November. Really cold. Poland played a Section IV team near Oneonta that wore purple. Dominated, but the other team never quit. Youth on both sides. The other one was 4-0; this one was 3-0. Only difference. Many of the Poland players that are factors now were factors then. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Tornadoes will have their chance to advance to their 3rd straight state final when they battle Chateaugay, 12:30 on Saturday at Homer. Poland beat Chateaugay 2 years ago in the state semi before winning the final. Let's see if history repeats itself.
Side Notes
Barring anything crazy, Kaitlin Robbins' career goals mark of 208 will not be standing after next year. Mikayla Blumenstock is at 159 and counting, 47 this season. A couple more goals next weekend and match the total next year, and she breaks it. The easiest option to pick for breaking it, though, is Queensbury junior Brittany LaPlant. She has 182, and if she didn't miss the last month of this season with a broken foot, she may be past it now... Section II & III, with 3 reps each in the semifinals, are just behind Sections I & V for most representatives. Section V has 4 teams through, with Class AA being the only one in which they were nipped by Section VI. Section I has teams in all but Class D semis, and that's because there isn't a Class D school in Section I... Three things are certain. Death, taxes, and either Chazy or Chateaugay being in the D semis. Chateaugay beat Chazy this year to get there... Look out for Rockville Centre South Side in the Class A bracket. Long Island's representative (Section VIII) that just beat the team that knocked off the top-ranked team in the state is no stranger to Cortland. RCSS girls soccer has won more state titles than any team in NYS, any school, any sport. Winning one this year would give the program number 18.
Bethlehem 2, Liverpool 1 (OT)
Class A
Jamesville-Dewitt 6, Scotia-Glenville 0
Jamesville-Dewitt 8, Massena 0
Class B
Westhill 2, CCHS 0
Westhill 3, Beekmantown 0
Class C
Schoharie 2, Potsdam 0
Lansing 2, Sauquoit 1
Class D
Bolton-Warrensburg 3, Eldred 1 (OT)
Poland 3, Milford 0
Great game on Saturday afternoon in Fulton between Section 2 and Section 3's Class AA representatives in regional finals. Bethlehem, out of Section II, and Liverpool, out of III, both were teams that most didn't expect to get to this point. At least 'Pool was somewhat of a contender - the 3rd seed still had to knock off the top 2 seeds in sectionals to be crowned - Bethlehem had nothing handed to them. Section 2's 6 seed beat the 3, 2, and 1 in succession to get here. The game resembled that of two teams with the kind of grit needed to battle through teams presumed as better. Well, that and two teams that were cold. Everyone was a step slower than usual. Liverpool got on the board first in the earlier stages of the 1st half when Emily Dorr put one inside the left post in the 18th minute. I could hear Bethlehem coach Tom Rogan addressing his team at half. Mental toughness was the message - through sectionals, they had jumped on their opponent early and had a halftime lead. This was the first time in the postseason that they had to play from behind. Toughness is what they showed. Kassie Hautau tied it up with 19:08 remaining (somewhat) off a corner kick - the corner bounced around like a pinball in the box for almost 15 seconds before being cleared. The ball quickly found its way to Hautau, who put it on frame and off the keeper's outstretched hand into goal. Miranda Manziano did a phenomenal job on the other end in goal to make sure Liverpool didn't regain the lead. She made 5 legitimate saves in the 2nd half, including a couple diving stops and sliding kick save. Dorr put a hard shot on goal with 13 minutes to play, but Manziano knocked it away with a diving save to her left. 5 minutes later, she did the same thing, diving to her left to stop a ball that had a tricky bounce to it. We got to see 20 extra minutes of soccer, but the winner happened in just over 2. Kaylee Rickert worked hard to win a ball on a hard run, and the toe poke toward goal snuck underneath a diving Julia Richey to make it 2-1 in favor of Bethlehem with 7:54 left in the first extra session. The Eagles were able to do a nice job through the rest of OT warding off pressure, as Liverpool was only able to get 2 shots off (1 on goal) in extra time. The run for the Eagles that can only be described as magical rolls on - the 3 seed, 2 seed, 1 seed, Section III champ, and now they get North Rockland (#5 in the state) at 9:30 AM on Saturday at TC3 in the semis. Oh, yeah. A team that's supposed to beat them. They've heard this story before.
There hasn't been any drama for J-D. I already wrote a story about the sub-regional game, where they blasted Scotia 6-0. Scroll down for that story if you're interested. As bad as that was, their regional final was even... worse? Yup. The Red Ram train is coming through to flatten anyone in their way, and Massena was on the blank end of an 8-0 smacking yesterday. One person taking over and running up her goal total?.. Nope. The game after 6 girls scored a goal apiece in the 6-0 win, 7 players contributed goals in this 8-0 win (Paige Sherling was the only one with 2) and 5 more had assists (Alex Catanzarite had 2). Think about that. Let it marinate. 12 people were in the scoring column for J-D. In a game. In the regional finals. Wait, what? Yeah. In all, 9 J-D players have scored in the 2 regional games. Pretty sure there isn't a soul that wants to line up opposite them right now. With Sayville, the #1 team in the state in Class A, knocked out by Shoreham-Wading River - and them being knocked out by Rockville Centre South Side - J-D is the favorite in the Class A state tournament. They will get a challenge in the semis, facing #3 Somers of Section I at 2:30 Saturday at TC3.
Westhill's been solid as a rock in Class B. I also already talked about their 2-0 win over CCHS, so scroll down more if you'd like to read about that. They locked up their next opponent in the same way, beating Beekmantown up north 3-0 yesterday to keep on rolling. Jayanna Monds buried two goals to lead the #1 ranked Warriors, giving her 3 and an assist in 2 regional games. Judging by tweets from some northerners, they.. erm... didn't exactly make friends with the Beekmantown girls? But that's irrelevant, I'd dance on the field all day if I dominated someone en route to the semis. Westhill is solid in every position, and they very rarely break down. If you want to have a chance against them, you either have to take advantage of every single time there's a breakdown or just make some phenomenal plays. Good luck. Section I's Bronxville, ranked 3rd in the state, will be the next team to give it a crack. That game is 12:00 Saturday at Cortland HS.
Ahh, the two smaller classes. In C & D, I get to talk a touch more because Section II & Section III reps don't play each other in regionals. 3 plays the southern tier, and 2 plays.. whoever gets there. In Class C, Section II got the winner of the north country. The north country stopped there. Schoharie got its 2nd straight win at the 'Burgh, beating Potsdam 2-0 yesterday. It was the usual suspects involved again, with Carrie Krohn & Seana Cleveland scoring and Kaitlyn Kendle handing out an assist. Schoharie now boasts 3 players with 20+ goals & 10+ assists on the season, and a 4th with 10+ & 10+. Only one of them (Kendle) is a senior, and her 25 goals are matched by Krohn (a freshman), who has 25 as well. Stillwater gave them everything they could handle in the quarterfinals. They must be wondering how far their season could've went if they were able to break through in that one. As a matter of fact, all of their Section II postseason games were 1 goal games, with this being the most "lopsided" in postseason play. Schoharie is battle tested and not afraid of close ones. They like to score early and then focus on shutting you out, and it's worked so far. They've given up just 1 goal in the postseason, and that was with 3 minutes left in the final. Only 9 have been scored on them all season, and I'm sure they'd like to keep it at that number in their game against Section IV's Lansing, 5:00 Saturday at Cortland HS. Lansing got there by beating Section III champion Sauquoit Valley 2-1 yesterday at Fulton. It was a hotly contested game that was the most physical of the three at G. Ray Bodley HS on this day. Lansing got on the board first after Megan Dean knocked one through in the 15th minute. The ball bounced out to her after the pinball effect on a corner and she finished the job. Sauquoit responded with 13:00 left in the 1st half off a corner as well. The ball ended up a little over 20 yards outside of goal, and then Elma Sarajlija happened. The youngster turned on it and sent a rocket right upper 90 with the left foot in what without question was the goal of the night, tying it up at 1. Sauquoit wasn't in full control, but they did have the better half of play. However, it didn't translate onto the scoreboard, and Lansing broke the tie midway through the 2nd half when Reilly Zajac put one home. Sauquoit brought the pressure, but couldn't get the equalizer. Another season coming up short in the state playoffs for a perennial Section III powerhouse.
Both state semifinals in Class D feature a team in my zone. I like it. Section II's Bolton/Warrensburg squad needed an extra 20 minutes, but were able to knock off Eldred 3-1. Eldred made it to the semis last year before getting ousted by Poland; they won't get the chance this year. Liv Seamans is now the leading scorer in Section II, and that won't change. She put home goals 44 and 45 in the extra session to help her squad roll forward. They play at 10 AM Saturday at Homer against Arkport, Section V's rep. B/W is currently #8 in the state; Arkport is at #5. One of Arkport's 3 losses this year... came to Poland. The top-ranked team in Class D advanced to the state semifinals for the 3rd year in a row with a 3-0 W over Milford. They weren't expected to get out of Section III (poor Remsen) in 2012. They did, and it resulted in a state title. They were perhaps expected to win the state title last year, but lost to Jasper-Troupsburg in the final. They're back, looking to go 2 for 3 in the finals. They dominated for all 80 minutes against Milford, who was ranked #4 in the state coming in as Section IV's representative. It took a little while for them to break through, but there was no question who was coming out on top. In the 20th minute, Mikayla Blumenstock (I mean, who else?) started off the scoring off a feed from Jordan Batson. Milford did everything they could to keep Poland off the board, bringing the vast majority of their team back to clog the middle of the field. Despite an 11-1 edge in shots, along with 4 corners, the clutter of defenders mixed with 3 solid saves by Rukiye Henderson held the score at 1-0 by half. Just over 5 minutes into the 2nd half, the other Blumenstock struck. 8th grader Keara is quickly showing why you should remember her name instead of just as 'Mikki's little sis'. Her emergence as the 3rd scoring option behind Mikki (47 goals) and Saige Hampston propels this team to a new level. Oh yeah, Saige. She scored too. The senior knocked one home with 10 minutes left, bumping the lead to 3-0 and effectively ending any thought of a comeback. Milford didn't quit - they nearly tallied with 30 seconds left - but it was all Poland. 20-3 edge in shots with 9 on goal, the ball in their attacking third for what seemed like every minute, they showed why they're tops in the state. For anyone who was at Franklin/Poland in 2012 in Fulton... everything about the two games lined up except for one goal. Fulton HS on a Saturday in November. Really cold. Poland played a Section IV team near Oneonta that wore purple. Dominated, but the other team never quit. Youth on both sides. The other one was 4-0; this one was 3-0. Only difference. Many of the Poland players that are factors now were factors then. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Tornadoes will have their chance to advance to their 3rd straight state final when they battle Chateaugay, 12:30 on Saturday at Homer. Poland beat Chateaugay 2 years ago in the state semi before winning the final. Let's see if history repeats itself.
Side Notes
Barring anything crazy, Kaitlin Robbins' career goals mark of 208 will not be standing after next year. Mikayla Blumenstock is at 159 and counting, 47 this season. A couple more goals next weekend and match the total next year, and she breaks it. The easiest option to pick for breaking it, though, is Queensbury junior Brittany LaPlant. She has 182, and if she didn't miss the last month of this season with a broken foot, she may be past it now... Section II & III, with 3 reps each in the semifinals, are just behind Sections I & V for most representatives. Section V has 4 teams through, with Class AA being the only one in which they were nipped by Section VI. Section I has teams in all but Class D semis, and that's because there isn't a Class D school in Section I... Three things are certain. Death, taxes, and either Chazy or Chateaugay being in the D semis. Chateaugay beat Chazy this year to get there... Look out for Rockville Centre South Side in the Class A bracket. Long Island's representative (Section VIII) that just beat the team that knocked off the top-ranked team in the state is no stranger to Cortland. RCSS girls soccer has won more state titles than any team in NYS, any school, any sport. Winning one this year would give the program number 18.
Friday, November 7, 2014
So, about the pictures...
I have a lot of them. I've been thinking about just putting them all up, but debating on where/when/how to do it. After a little consideration, this is what I'm doing:
I'll keep utilizing Facebook as a place to throw all the pictures. When I put pics on Facebook, I'm not touching them up before because who's got time for that? If there's something you'd want me to touch up, let me know and I'll sharpen it up or whatever it needs. Over the next week or two, I'll be sorting and putting all the pictures up in albums. What I've traditionally done is put them in albums by game, but to make it easier for everyone looking for their own shining faces, I'm going to now sort them by school. If you're a Burnt Hills football player and want to see yourself somewhere, look in the Burnt Hills football album. As you can tell, this is going to take a little while - which is why I don't promise it tonight, or this weekend. I have homework, work, and a life (ok, maybe not that.. but at least 2 out of 3).
My only problem - I regret to say that the laptop I stored all of my pictures from September 2013 through the back half of this September took a dump. There's a chance that I can maybe extract the pics from there, but it's pretty slim. So, the only ones I can draw from are ones that are already on FB, Instagram, and ones from September 8 of this year and on. It's still quite a nice sample set - at least for Section 2. Section 3 is kinda screwed unfortunately.
Stay tuned, I'll release something when I've got it all done!
I'll keep utilizing Facebook as a place to throw all the pictures. When I put pics on Facebook, I'm not touching them up before because who's got time for that? If there's something you'd want me to touch up, let me know and I'll sharpen it up or whatever it needs. Over the next week or two, I'll be sorting and putting all the pictures up in albums. What I've traditionally done is put them in albums by game, but to make it easier for everyone looking for their own shining faces, I'm going to now sort them by school. If you're a Burnt Hills football player and want to see yourself somewhere, look in the Burnt Hills football album. As you can tell, this is going to take a little while - which is why I don't promise it tonight, or this weekend. I have homework, work, and a life (ok, maybe not that.. but at least 2 out of 3).
My only problem - I regret to say that the laptop I stored all of my pictures from September 2013 through the back half of this September took a dump. There's a chance that I can maybe extract the pics from there, but it's pretty slim. So, the only ones I can draw from are ones that are already on FB, Instagram, and ones from September 8 of this year and on. It's still quite a nice sample set - at least for Section 2. Section 3 is kinda screwed unfortunately.
Stay tuned, I'll release something when I've got it all done!
Warriors Too Much For CCHS
Westhill 2, Catholic Central 0
When we get past sectional play, there should never be a gimme. Even for teams ranked #1 in the state, you hope games will be competitive all the way through once they start facing winners from other sections. The top-ranked Westhill team got a test on Tuesday night, but they were able to ward off danger like top-ranked teams do en route to a sub-regional W.
Since I haven't read an article on this yet, either way, that I was thinking 'holy shit, this is pretty biased' while reading it, I'll be the impartial one in this article. No Syracuse or Albany (well, Troy) bias. Pretty even first 30 minutes in Fulton for this one. A lot of play between the 18s, but it was fast-paced. Fast play favors CCHS, but as I mentioned in the preview, both teams can win playing at any pace at this point, so it's not like it hurt Westhill. The Warriors let loose a couple shots on goal that Dom Stavis had to work in order to save, and the Big 3 of Riffelbach, Purcell, and Drake made things happen at times, but Westhill's defense was able to recover and at least not give the 85 goal trio great looks. Arlana Henneberry had to do some work early in goal for Westhill, but the Warrior strikers were giving Stavis more issues than CCHS' were giving her. Westhill was able to break through in the 33rd minute thanks to a finish from freshman Katelyn Karleski. Jayanna Monds was able to put pressure on the Crusader defense, and the ball was eventually hit back out to a trailing Karleski on the right side, who was able to sail an open look through with 7:29 left in the half.
As the 2nd half started, you still got the feel that it was anyone's game to be had. Westhill had a 1 goal lead, and they lock teams up: but CCHS is a different animal offensively. CCHS hadn't been shut out all year - as a matter of fact, they hadn't even been held to just 1 goal all year - but Westhill is a different animal defensively. In the battle of great offense vs. great defense, the D generally trumped the O. The Crusaders were very rarely able to get the ball to Riffelbach in open space. Many of her 39 goals have come from being able to beat defenders up the field, but with her being marked at all times by a physical defender, she wasn't able to roam. Purcell occasionally got some room, but she was being hounded too. Even if she got a nice ball through, a defender was able to recover in time to clear it. On the other end, Jayanna Monds was starting to get herself going. Most of the time, one defender wasn't enough to contain her. She was able to lay a couple passes in the box, but they were knocked away. She got a couple shots off, but they were off frame. Then there was the time 3 defenders couldn't handle her. She got the ball 50 yards out, beat one defender. Kept making her run a little left of center, zig zagged through another 2 defenders. With the ball rapidly rolling toward the end line, she got her left foot on the outside of the ball and snuck it in the bottom left of goal underneath an approaching Stavis to make it 2-0 with 23:07 left. Damn, that was good. She knew it too. Walked back after she did it. No celebration. She had the 'f with me, you know I got it' look. That's when it was over. CCHS was able to get some fine looks late, but Henneberry did fine work. Purcell let a low ball rocket toward the bottom left of goal with 15 minutes and change left, but Henneberry dove to her right and knocked it out of play. On the ensuing corner, Lauren Drake got her head on it, and Henneberry made the save going to her left. Lexi Riff got one off that she saved. Tough. Westhill was able to finish the job off, getting a regular clean sheet for them but against an opponent who was far from used to the clean sheet treatment.
There's a reason they're #1 in the state. Hell, they might be the only team in the state in Class B that could shut Catholic Central out. This game showed me two things: how good Westhill is, and how far Catholic Central has come. With no disrespect to Troy and Albany, Westhill is way better. I saw those schools put a couple goals up on CCHS earlier in the season, and if CCHS was the same in November defensively as they were in September, Westhill would score 10. Their defenders came a long way, Stavis stepped up to the challenge, and they treated defense more as a team effort than a 'well, that's their job' attitude. Westhill is just so solid. They were the team to beat in Section III, Class B all year. There's a reason for it. Offensively, defensively, in goal. You really can't find a weakness, even if you're looking for one. It helps that Jayanna Monds is a stud, but their other scoring options are solid enough on their own that you can't necessarily call them a 'supporting cast'. They don't have mental lapses. Find me a team without weaknesses on the field that also doesn't ever take a play off, and I'll show you a team that has every chance of becoming a state champion. That's the Warriors for you.
When we get past sectional play, there should never be a gimme. Even for teams ranked #1 in the state, you hope games will be competitive all the way through once they start facing winners from other sections. The top-ranked Westhill team got a test on Tuesday night, but they were able to ward off danger like top-ranked teams do en route to a sub-regional W.
Since I haven't read an article on this yet, either way, that I was thinking 'holy shit, this is pretty biased' while reading it, I'll be the impartial one in this article. No Syracuse or Albany (well, Troy) bias. Pretty even first 30 minutes in Fulton for this one. A lot of play between the 18s, but it was fast-paced. Fast play favors CCHS, but as I mentioned in the preview, both teams can win playing at any pace at this point, so it's not like it hurt Westhill. The Warriors let loose a couple shots on goal that Dom Stavis had to work in order to save, and the Big 3 of Riffelbach, Purcell, and Drake made things happen at times, but Westhill's defense was able to recover and at least not give the 85 goal trio great looks. Arlana Henneberry had to do some work early in goal for Westhill, but the Warrior strikers were giving Stavis more issues than CCHS' were giving her. Westhill was able to break through in the 33rd minute thanks to a finish from freshman Katelyn Karleski. Jayanna Monds was able to put pressure on the Crusader defense, and the ball was eventually hit back out to a trailing Karleski on the right side, who was able to sail an open look through with 7:29 left in the half.
As the 2nd half started, you still got the feel that it was anyone's game to be had. Westhill had a 1 goal lead, and they lock teams up: but CCHS is a different animal offensively. CCHS hadn't been shut out all year - as a matter of fact, they hadn't even been held to just 1 goal all year - but Westhill is a different animal defensively. In the battle of great offense vs. great defense, the D generally trumped the O. The Crusaders were very rarely able to get the ball to Riffelbach in open space. Many of her 39 goals have come from being able to beat defenders up the field, but with her being marked at all times by a physical defender, she wasn't able to roam. Purcell occasionally got some room, but she was being hounded too. Even if she got a nice ball through, a defender was able to recover in time to clear it. On the other end, Jayanna Monds was starting to get herself going. Most of the time, one defender wasn't enough to contain her. She was able to lay a couple passes in the box, but they were knocked away. She got a couple shots off, but they were off frame. Then there was the time 3 defenders couldn't handle her. She got the ball 50 yards out, beat one defender. Kept making her run a little left of center, zig zagged through another 2 defenders. With the ball rapidly rolling toward the end line, she got her left foot on the outside of the ball and snuck it in the bottom left of goal underneath an approaching Stavis to make it 2-0 with 23:07 left. Damn, that was good. She knew it too. Walked back after she did it. No celebration. She had the 'f with me, you know I got it' look. That's when it was over. CCHS was able to get some fine looks late, but Henneberry did fine work. Purcell let a low ball rocket toward the bottom left of goal with 15 minutes and change left, but Henneberry dove to her right and knocked it out of play. On the ensuing corner, Lauren Drake got her head on it, and Henneberry made the save going to her left. Lexi Riff got one off that she saved. Tough. Westhill was able to finish the job off, getting a regular clean sheet for them but against an opponent who was far from used to the clean sheet treatment.
There's a reason they're #1 in the state. Hell, they might be the only team in the state in Class B that could shut Catholic Central out. This game showed me two things: how good Westhill is, and how far Catholic Central has come. With no disrespect to Troy and Albany, Westhill is way better. I saw those schools put a couple goals up on CCHS earlier in the season, and if CCHS was the same in November defensively as they were in September, Westhill would score 10. Their defenders came a long way, Stavis stepped up to the challenge, and they treated defense more as a team effort than a 'well, that's their job' attitude. Westhill is just so solid. They were the team to beat in Section III, Class B all year. There's a reason for it. Offensively, defensively, in goal. You really can't find a weakness, even if you're looking for one. It helps that Jayanna Monds is a stud, but their other scoring options are solid enough on their own that you can't necessarily call them a 'supporting cast'. They don't have mental lapses. Find me a team without weaknesses on the field that also doesn't ever take a play off, and I'll show you a team that has every chance of becoming a state champion. That's the Warriors for you.
#TooEasyTuesday - Red Rams Roll
Jamesville-Dewitt 6, Scotia-Glenville 0
If you're an avid watcher of sports at any level, you realize that you'll get one of those games that you really can't believe what you're seeing on rare occasion. This game was that rare occasion. When one team fires on all cylinders from the opening minute and the other can never get out of 1st gear, beatdowns happen. Even when it's sectional champions battling each other. Jamesville-Dewitt, ranked #2 in the state in Class A, came out of the gates with guns a-blazin' and turned a hot start into a match that felt more like a beginner playing against the all-star rating on FIFA.
It didn't take long for J-D to get going, so I won't take long to get going either. Alex Catanzarite got them on the board in less time than the length of an average song. It was all speed from the striker, blowing by a Scotia defender to finish off against the sitting duck GK to put J-D up 1-0 2:40 into the game. They continued to put pressure on. Sherling in between the soccer & football crossbars. Sherling header just high. Kopp header just wide. Kopp shot just wide. So many close calls. Speed killed for their 2nd one as well though, when Amber Hyatt sped forward to get position against a Tartan defender on a run, and a long throw-in that took a couple hops went right to her feet. Hyatt bagged it, making it 2-0 with 29:26 left in the half. Scotia started to settle in after that - JD GK Maddy Frank saw the ball for the first time in the match a few minutes later. That changed though, and in a hurry. One goal, then another, then another, and wait.. this is a regional? Damn. Ali Durkin finished a ball from Erin Brinley, then Catanzarite had a pair of assists on Alex Epifani and Paige Sherling goals. Those 3, putting J-D up 5-0, took 3:34 to happen. Caroline Kopp finished off the half, dribbling through defenders like it was drill time and finishing at the end. That goal in the 39th minute made it 6-0. Scotia was a little more aggressive in the 2nd half - Dom Puglisi in particular was able to make some things happen running up the left side - but nothing materialized, and 6-0 it remained.
I unofficially gave J-D a 25-0 edge in shots. Maybe you could say Scotia had a shot, but ehh... it was a cross that kinda came close to the goal. 19 of those Red Ram shots came in the first half, along with 7 of their 9 corners. Maddy Frank only touched the ball a couple times. Not much to talk about with numbers besides 6-0. J-D was impressive. You can tell it's a team that had basically everyone back from a team that made it that far last year. They're fast defensively, plastering up holes quickly. They time runs so well - that can't be said enough. With a team that attacked that much, and all of their goals basically coming off good runs, how were they only offsides one time? And that one being someone running back on, for that matter? They're such a disciplined group, and certainly deserving of that #2 ranking in the state. Everyone always says 'this is our year'. This might be J-D's year.
If you're an avid watcher of sports at any level, you realize that you'll get one of those games that you really can't believe what you're seeing on rare occasion. This game was that rare occasion. When one team fires on all cylinders from the opening minute and the other can never get out of 1st gear, beatdowns happen. Even when it's sectional champions battling each other. Jamesville-Dewitt, ranked #2 in the state in Class A, came out of the gates with guns a-blazin' and turned a hot start into a match that felt more like a beginner playing against the all-star rating on FIFA.
It didn't take long for J-D to get going, so I won't take long to get going either. Alex Catanzarite got them on the board in less time than the length of an average song. It was all speed from the striker, blowing by a Scotia defender to finish off against the sitting duck GK to put J-D up 1-0 2:40 into the game. They continued to put pressure on. Sherling in between the soccer & football crossbars. Sherling header just high. Kopp header just wide. Kopp shot just wide. So many close calls. Speed killed for their 2nd one as well though, when Amber Hyatt sped forward to get position against a Tartan defender on a run, and a long throw-in that took a couple hops went right to her feet. Hyatt bagged it, making it 2-0 with 29:26 left in the half. Scotia started to settle in after that - JD GK Maddy Frank saw the ball for the first time in the match a few minutes later. That changed though, and in a hurry. One goal, then another, then another, and wait.. this is a regional? Damn. Ali Durkin finished a ball from Erin Brinley, then Catanzarite had a pair of assists on Alex Epifani and Paige Sherling goals. Those 3, putting J-D up 5-0, took 3:34 to happen. Caroline Kopp finished off the half, dribbling through defenders like it was drill time and finishing at the end. That goal in the 39th minute made it 6-0. Scotia was a little more aggressive in the 2nd half - Dom Puglisi in particular was able to make some things happen running up the left side - but nothing materialized, and 6-0 it remained.
I unofficially gave J-D a 25-0 edge in shots. Maybe you could say Scotia had a shot, but ehh... it was a cross that kinda came close to the goal. 19 of those Red Ram shots came in the first half, along with 7 of their 9 corners. Maddy Frank only touched the ball a couple times. Not much to talk about with numbers besides 6-0. J-D was impressive. You can tell it's a team that had basically everyone back from a team that made it that far last year. They're fast defensively, plastering up holes quickly. They time runs so well - that can't be said enough. With a team that attacked that much, and all of their goals basically coming off good runs, how were they only offsides one time? And that one being someone running back on, for that matter? They're such a disciplined group, and certainly deserving of that #2 ranking in the state. Everyone always says 'this is our year'. This might be J-D's year.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
The Preview: Class A & Class B Regionals
Heading to Fulton today, the land of Lake Ontario, strong wind, and (thankfully not today) lake-effect snow. Scotia/J-D and CCHS/Westhill. Let's talk about them quick.
Scotia-Glenville girls soccer has their first sectional title in 12 years. Jamesville-Dewitt now has their 6th title in 6. For the first time in that run, they're not playing Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, who fell just short of winning 10 straight titles. The Tartans are just a solid team across the board. Skilled enough to beat you in an uptempo game, physical enough to grind one out against you. There's a reason they were able to convincingly slay the dragon. Dom Puglisi is one of the most impressive players I've watched this season - 8 goals, but 24 assists and almost never makes the wrong play. She feeds the monster that is the balanced Scotia offense - 97 goals this year, and no one has 20. Gracie Mailey leads the way with 18, but Abby O'Connor and Maddy Carroll are both in double digits too, and Kelsey Martin will be if she scores tonight. Winners of 16 straight over the last 2 months, they're looking to keep rolling. Can't get a more difficult challenge than J-D though. They lost to Burnt Hills at this stage last year... with basically the same team. They only lost 3 players from that regional squad, and they're as strong defensively as you could hope for. I can say the same thing about the home team on the scoreboard as I did for S-G. They're skilled enough to beat you in fast break soccer, and they're physical enough to put the hurt on in a physical game. Did I mention they D you up? Something like 8 GAA all year. Sophomore Alex Catanzarite made an enormous jump from last year, now leading J-D with 19 goals & 8 assists. Other usual suspects Paige Sherling, Caroline Kopp (always dangerous on free kicks), and Amber Hyatt make the Red Rams oh-so worthy of that #2 ranking they've had all season long. Two teams with similar styles duking it out - skilled, yet physical. They take their opportunities when they get them, but they're cool with playing slower and controlling it a little bit. This one is more of a chess match. Let's see who outwits the other.
And then the nightcap. Unlike the first game, we've got contrasting styles here. When you make it this far, not only does it mean you're pretty damn good, it also means you've improved over the season. Catholic Central exemplifies that. If you asked me at the beginning of the season, I wouldn't be so confident that they could beat another good team in a 1-0 or 2-1 game. That's changed. The Crusaders are like a bottle rocket. When they get room and are able to explode... oooh, ahhh. 3 goals in 2 minutes. Oooh, that was quick. They will still make mistakes. They'll still give up goals. Their willingness to sacrifice whatever to not break has been the difference for them. The defense has bent and twice in the last 2 games, the ball's made it past GK Dom Stavis - only to be booted away by a retreating defender right before it hits the goal line. Didn't matter as much when they cranked Hoosick Falls in the semi, but in a 1 goal OT game in the finals... all the difference in the world. Oh yeah, they've got the Big 3. Alexis Riffelbach, Section 2's leading scorer with 39 goals (18 assists too) leads the charge. Madison Purcell, the lone senior of the 3 - making the trip near her future college, as she's a LeMoyne hoops commit - has 25 goals & a Section 2 leading 31 assists. Lauren Drake has went ballistic in postseason play, nearly doubling her regular season output already, and she's got 21 & 11. Well, there you have it. The team has scored 95 goals this year, and they have 85 of them. They make things happen. The bottle rockets take on the Mack truck (ha, get it. Westhill's playing CCHS. I threw a Mack reference in there. Like Anthony. Heh.) in the Westhill Warriors. Once Westhill gets going, good luck slowing them down. They're a very solid team top to bottom, and they very rarely break down in the back. They're so strong defensively, it was a defender who won the sectional tournament MOP. They have also improved - they'll give you scoring from almost anywhere, so sophomore standout Jayanna Monds has some pressure relieved, and defenses can't key in on just her. It was her older sister, Tatiana, who got her 6th of the year in their 1-0 sectional final win over Lowville. They've given up just 15 goals on the season, with 1/3 of them being to A champ J-D. They don't score quite as much, but it's also an option-loaded squad. Jayanna has 18 & 10 to lead the top-ranked Warriors, but 6 in all have 5+ goals. This one's going to be very interesting. This is CCHS' first sectional title in girls soccer, and it's Westhill's first since my senior year of HS (fall 2008). Their styles of play are very different, but they've shown they can win at each other's style now. You pick 'em. I'm not.
The Rest
1.) I'll number these.
2.) Scotia/J-D, CCHS/Westhill... who else would want to see these matchups in boys basketball? Cremo vs. DeRegis, Stopera vs. Dourdas, etc... I know Coach Giammattei & Coach McKenney have seen quite a bit of each other in regionals. Maybe even this year! Won't have the chance for CCHS/Westhill, but oh boy... Raiquis Harris (D1 interest), Anthony Mack (D1 lock), Brian Brooks (#ShiftTeam) vs. Jordan Roland (George Washington commit), Tyler Reynolds (D1 lock), Jeff Lobello (Mr. Calm, Cool, & Collected)... yo, make it happen!
3.) Section 2 people that haven't been to Fulton before... beware of winds coming off Lake Ontario. They're strong & cold. You're damn lucky it's too warm for lake-effect snow. Y'all don't know 'bout that...
4.) If you're not going to Tully's after for food, it's really time to reevaluate life choices!!!
Scotia-Glenville girls soccer has their first sectional title in 12 years. Jamesville-Dewitt now has their 6th title in 6. For the first time in that run, they're not playing Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, who fell just short of winning 10 straight titles. The Tartans are just a solid team across the board. Skilled enough to beat you in an uptempo game, physical enough to grind one out against you. There's a reason they were able to convincingly slay the dragon. Dom Puglisi is one of the most impressive players I've watched this season - 8 goals, but 24 assists and almost never makes the wrong play. She feeds the monster that is the balanced Scotia offense - 97 goals this year, and no one has 20. Gracie Mailey leads the way with 18, but Abby O'Connor and Maddy Carroll are both in double digits too, and Kelsey Martin will be if she scores tonight. Winners of 16 straight over the last 2 months, they're looking to keep rolling. Can't get a more difficult challenge than J-D though. They lost to Burnt Hills at this stage last year... with basically the same team. They only lost 3 players from that regional squad, and they're as strong defensively as you could hope for. I can say the same thing about the home team on the scoreboard as I did for S-G. They're skilled enough to beat you in fast break soccer, and they're physical enough to put the hurt on in a physical game. Did I mention they D you up? Something like 8 GAA all year. Sophomore Alex Catanzarite made an enormous jump from last year, now leading J-D with 19 goals & 8 assists. Other usual suspects Paige Sherling, Caroline Kopp (always dangerous on free kicks), and Amber Hyatt make the Red Rams oh-so worthy of that #2 ranking they've had all season long. Two teams with similar styles duking it out - skilled, yet physical. They take their opportunities when they get them, but they're cool with playing slower and controlling it a little bit. This one is more of a chess match. Let's see who outwits the other.
And then the nightcap. Unlike the first game, we've got contrasting styles here. When you make it this far, not only does it mean you're pretty damn good, it also means you've improved over the season. Catholic Central exemplifies that. If you asked me at the beginning of the season, I wouldn't be so confident that they could beat another good team in a 1-0 or 2-1 game. That's changed. The Crusaders are like a bottle rocket. When they get room and are able to explode... oooh, ahhh. 3 goals in 2 minutes. Oooh, that was quick. They will still make mistakes. They'll still give up goals. Their willingness to sacrifice whatever to not break has been the difference for them. The defense has bent and twice in the last 2 games, the ball's made it past GK Dom Stavis - only to be booted away by a retreating defender right before it hits the goal line. Didn't matter as much when they cranked Hoosick Falls in the semi, but in a 1 goal OT game in the finals... all the difference in the world. Oh yeah, they've got the Big 3. Alexis Riffelbach, Section 2's leading scorer with 39 goals (18 assists too) leads the charge. Madison Purcell, the lone senior of the 3 - making the trip near her future college, as she's a LeMoyne hoops commit - has 25 goals & a Section 2 leading 31 assists. Lauren Drake has went ballistic in postseason play, nearly doubling her regular season output already, and she's got 21 & 11. Well, there you have it. The team has scored 95 goals this year, and they have 85 of them. They make things happen. The bottle rockets take on the Mack truck (ha, get it. Westhill's playing CCHS. I threw a Mack reference in there. Like Anthony. Heh.) in the Westhill Warriors. Once Westhill gets going, good luck slowing them down. They're a very solid team top to bottom, and they very rarely break down in the back. They're so strong defensively, it was a defender who won the sectional tournament MOP. They have also improved - they'll give you scoring from almost anywhere, so sophomore standout Jayanna Monds has some pressure relieved, and defenses can't key in on just her. It was her older sister, Tatiana, who got her 6th of the year in their 1-0 sectional final win over Lowville. They've given up just 15 goals on the season, with 1/3 of them being to A champ J-D. They don't score quite as much, but it's also an option-loaded squad. Jayanna has 18 & 10 to lead the top-ranked Warriors, but 6 in all have 5+ goals. This one's going to be very interesting. This is CCHS' first sectional title in girls soccer, and it's Westhill's first since my senior year of HS (fall 2008). Their styles of play are very different, but they've shown they can win at each other's style now. You pick 'em. I'm not.
The Rest
1.) I'll number these.
2.) Scotia/J-D, CCHS/Westhill... who else would want to see these matchups in boys basketball? Cremo vs. DeRegis, Stopera vs. Dourdas, etc... I know Coach Giammattei & Coach McKenney have seen quite a bit of each other in regionals. Maybe even this year! Won't have the chance for CCHS/Westhill, but oh boy... Raiquis Harris (D1 interest), Anthony Mack (D1 lock), Brian Brooks (#ShiftTeam) vs. Jordan Roland (George Washington commit), Tyler Reynolds (D1 lock), Jeff Lobello (Mr. Calm, Cool, & Collected)... yo, make it happen!
3.) Section 2 people that haven't been to Fulton before... beware of winds coming off Lake Ontario. They're strong & cold. You're damn lucky it's too warm for lake-effect snow. Y'all don't know 'bout that...
4.) If you're not going to Tully's after for food, it's really time to reevaluate life choices!!!
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Crusaders Bounce Back, Bring B Title Home
CCHS 2, Voorheesville 1 (OT)
This type of game is what you hope for in a sectional final. The type of game that, whether win, lose, or just watch, you won't be forgetting for a long time.
After looking like they had it wrapped up in regulation, a misplayed ball and a high bounce became an unreal fluke goal to initially rip it away from Catholic Central. However, they were able to regain their composure and eventually get a fortuitous bounce of their own, which helped them bring home a title.
It was cold. And rainy. And cold. And windy. Really windy. Did I mention cold? It was the type of weather that I tried to come up with a 'only (enter name here) could love' line for, but gave up because I don't think anyone could love it. There was a pretty strong diagonal wind blowing which could put one team downwind and one upwind, but couldn't help anyone. CCHS went that semi-downwind in the first half, and controlled over the last 20 minutes but couldn't finish anything off. The Blackbirds, a 5 seed that won a legitimate road game and a neutral site game against the #1 team in the state, Schalmont, to get here, picked it up to start the 2nd half. They evened play, and a lot of it was physicality. CCHS normally gets into opponents' heads with their physicality, but the reverse was happening for a little while on this day. For the majority of the contest, Blackbird defenders were able to neutralize Alexis Riffelbach and Madison Purcell. Easier said than done.
For the first 30 minutes of the 2nd half, Voorheesville's chances were better too. Shot just wide left. Shot juuust wide right. Shot off the post. Shot that made it past GK Dominique Stavis on goal but was deflected away by a defender. The chances were there. They weren't able to capitalize. Along with that, they forgot about one thing for a minute; hey, mark Lauren Drake too. Drizzy sometimes isn't in the limelight because of Riffelbach and Purcell, but she's every bit of a stud, too. 7 goals in 3 sectional games before this one, including back-to-back hat tricks - make that 8 goals in sectionals and 22 for the season when the Voorheesville D lapsed for a minute. Lauren got a couple steps of separation and snuck one underneath the top post from a little outside the 18 with 6:17 remaining. From that point on, it was about holding on for dear life because you knew the Voorheesville last chance onslaught was coming. A couple dangerous balls were cleared away, and it looked like the Crusaders would hold on.
Oh, how were we so naive? In the waning seconds, the ball was cleared to Lydia Parker over 40 yards away from goal. She booted one towards the goal, and Stavis approached it as if it would take a grass field bounce - either that, or she wasn't sure if she should charge at it and get it in the air or just hang out and let it bounce to her. Whatever it may be, it took a high bounce on the new turf field and got over her hands straight into the netting, knotting it up at 1 with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. The borderline miraculous goal by a girl with just 2 goals & 2 assists on the season beforehand gave Voorheesville new life. That new life lasted into the first OT...
Let's talk about Dom Stavis for a minute. She let that goal go through on a ball everyone knew she wished she could have. It takes mental toughness to recover from that and handle business as quickly as she was called upon, and most people - especially high schoolers - will shut down from that. She didn't. Voorheesville put two shots on goal 3 minutes into the first extra time session - one that was another tricky bounce that she needed to lay out for, and a second shot that was right to her, but low and hard. She handled both without a problem. Those saves ended the Blackbird push, and CCHS was able to build a little bit of pressure late in the 1st session. Things always tend to work themselves out in the long run. Early in the 2nd session, the aforementioned Madison Purcell - 25 goal scorer who is a LeMoyne commit for basketball - knocked a free kick inside the box from 35 yards out. Voorheesville GK Jordan Pettograsso slid down to catch it, but the ball bounced off her chest and out of reach. As she was trying to dive forward for it, a defender and Alexis Riffelbach were going for it as well. From my angle, it looked like the defender was who hit it, but I had the bad one, as it was Lexi Riff. Regardless of who hit it, the ball hit the back of the net and Riffelbach got with her 39th goal of the season - and I'm going to assume the one she likes the most - with 9:00 to play in the 2nd session. Voorheesville tried to throw the kitchen sink at Catholic Central late, eventually letting a couple more shots loose, but the Crusaders were able to ward it off and boot the ball away from danger every time. It took 100 minutes, but when all was said and done, CCHS was able to call themselves sectional champs in girls soccer for the first time in its history.
The Rest
I've probably watched CCHS girls soccer more this year than any other team in any sport. Giving a quick look through my game log, I think this marked the 7th time. They've had the offensive firepower from the start, but two things have pushed them over the top since the beginning of the year: defensive improvements and the emergence of Lauren Drake. At the beginning of the season, they appeared to be a team that could outscore nearly anyone with their skill and speed up top, but I was far less confident if the game was a 1-0 or 2-1 game. They buckled down defensively. It wasn't always pretty, but the job got done. In each of their last 2 games, a CCHS player knocked away a sure goal right by the line after it got past the keeper. It was one thing against Hoosick Falls, a 6-2 final. Imagine this game if a CCHS defender hadn't knocked a 2nd half shot away from the goal line? We'd probably be talking about Voorheesville winning. The emergence of Heartbreak Drake can't be understated - at least heartbreak for the teams that underrated her. At the beginning of the season, it was Riffelbach, Purcell... and oh yeah that #3 girl is decent too. Now, it's Riffelbach, Purcell, and Drake. No question that the dynamic duo up front is now a big 3. In 16 regular season games, she registered 13 goals & 7 assists. Not bad. In the 4 sectional games, she added on 8 goals & 4 assists to that total, including hat tricks in the quarterfinal and semifinal games. Teams didn't show her as much attention in their gameplan as the other two, and she responded in the best way possible for her team... CCHS has scored 95 goals on the season. 85 of them have come from Riffelbach (39), Purcell (25), and Drake (21)... 2 goals scored for them matched their lowest output of the season. They beat Troy 2-1 twice... The 1st time sectional champs now play Westhill of Section 3 in always cold & windy Fulton on Tuesday. The Warriors are no stranger to success, but it's their first time coming out of Section 3 in 6 years. Their only loss is to 6 time defending Section 3 Class A champ Jamesville-Dewitt. 6 players have scored 5+ goals for them, led by sophomore Jayanna Monds (18). They've given up just 16 goals on the season (5 to J-D) and 1 in sectionals... I told you I'm initially a Section 3 guy. Of course I know this stuff... Good luck to both teams. I'm close with some people in the Westhill district, and the CCHS crew has been nice enough to me!
This type of game is what you hope for in a sectional final. The type of game that, whether win, lose, or just watch, you won't be forgetting for a long time.
After looking like they had it wrapped up in regulation, a misplayed ball and a high bounce became an unreal fluke goal to initially rip it away from Catholic Central. However, they were able to regain their composure and eventually get a fortuitous bounce of their own, which helped them bring home a title.
It was cold. And rainy. And cold. And windy. Really windy. Did I mention cold? It was the type of weather that I tried to come up with a 'only (enter name here) could love' line for, but gave up because I don't think anyone could love it. There was a pretty strong diagonal wind blowing which could put one team downwind and one upwind, but couldn't help anyone. CCHS went that semi-downwind in the first half, and controlled over the last 20 minutes but couldn't finish anything off. The Blackbirds, a 5 seed that won a legitimate road game and a neutral site game against the #1 team in the state, Schalmont, to get here, picked it up to start the 2nd half. They evened play, and a lot of it was physicality. CCHS normally gets into opponents' heads with their physicality, but the reverse was happening for a little while on this day. For the majority of the contest, Blackbird defenders were able to neutralize Alexis Riffelbach and Madison Purcell. Easier said than done.
For the first 30 minutes of the 2nd half, Voorheesville's chances were better too. Shot just wide left. Shot juuust wide right. Shot off the post. Shot that made it past GK Dominique Stavis on goal but was deflected away by a defender. The chances were there. They weren't able to capitalize. Along with that, they forgot about one thing for a minute; hey, mark Lauren Drake too. Drizzy sometimes isn't in the limelight because of Riffelbach and Purcell, but she's every bit of a stud, too. 7 goals in 3 sectional games before this one, including back-to-back hat tricks - make that 8 goals in sectionals and 22 for the season when the Voorheesville D lapsed for a minute. Lauren got a couple steps of separation and snuck one underneath the top post from a little outside the 18 with 6:17 remaining. From that point on, it was about holding on for dear life because you knew the Voorheesville last chance onslaught was coming. A couple dangerous balls were cleared away, and it looked like the Crusaders would hold on.
Oh, how were we so naive? In the waning seconds, the ball was cleared to Lydia Parker over 40 yards away from goal. She booted one towards the goal, and Stavis approached it as if it would take a grass field bounce - either that, or she wasn't sure if she should charge at it and get it in the air or just hang out and let it bounce to her. Whatever it may be, it took a high bounce on the new turf field and got over her hands straight into the netting, knotting it up at 1 with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. The borderline miraculous goal by a girl with just 2 goals & 2 assists on the season beforehand gave Voorheesville new life. That new life lasted into the first OT...
Let's talk about Dom Stavis for a minute. She let that goal go through on a ball everyone knew she wished she could have. It takes mental toughness to recover from that and handle business as quickly as she was called upon, and most people - especially high schoolers - will shut down from that. She didn't. Voorheesville put two shots on goal 3 minutes into the first extra time session - one that was another tricky bounce that she needed to lay out for, and a second shot that was right to her, but low and hard. She handled both without a problem. Those saves ended the Blackbird push, and CCHS was able to build a little bit of pressure late in the 1st session. Things always tend to work themselves out in the long run. Early in the 2nd session, the aforementioned Madison Purcell - 25 goal scorer who is a LeMoyne commit for basketball - knocked a free kick inside the box from 35 yards out. Voorheesville GK Jordan Pettograsso slid down to catch it, but the ball bounced off her chest and out of reach. As she was trying to dive forward for it, a defender and Alexis Riffelbach were going for it as well. From my angle, it looked like the defender was who hit it, but I had the bad one, as it was Lexi Riff. Regardless of who hit it, the ball hit the back of the net and Riffelbach got with her 39th goal of the season - and I'm going to assume the one she likes the most - with 9:00 to play in the 2nd session. Voorheesville tried to throw the kitchen sink at Catholic Central late, eventually letting a couple more shots loose, but the Crusaders were able to ward it off and boot the ball away from danger every time. It took 100 minutes, but when all was said and done, CCHS was able to call themselves sectional champs in girls soccer for the first time in its history.
The Rest
I've probably watched CCHS girls soccer more this year than any other team in any sport. Giving a quick look through my game log, I think this marked the 7th time. They've had the offensive firepower from the start, but two things have pushed them over the top since the beginning of the year: defensive improvements and the emergence of Lauren Drake. At the beginning of the season, they appeared to be a team that could outscore nearly anyone with their skill and speed up top, but I was far less confident if the game was a 1-0 or 2-1 game. They buckled down defensively. It wasn't always pretty, but the job got done. In each of their last 2 games, a CCHS player knocked away a sure goal right by the line after it got past the keeper. It was one thing against Hoosick Falls, a 6-2 final. Imagine this game if a CCHS defender hadn't knocked a 2nd half shot away from the goal line? We'd probably be talking about Voorheesville winning. The emergence of Heartbreak Drake can't be understated - at least heartbreak for the teams that underrated her. At the beginning of the season, it was Riffelbach, Purcell... and oh yeah that #3 girl is decent too. Now, it's Riffelbach, Purcell, and Drake. No question that the dynamic duo up front is now a big 3. In 16 regular season games, she registered 13 goals & 7 assists. Not bad. In the 4 sectional games, she added on 8 goals & 4 assists to that total, including hat tricks in the quarterfinal and semifinal games. Teams didn't show her as much attention in their gameplan as the other two, and she responded in the best way possible for her team... CCHS has scored 95 goals on the season. 85 of them have come from Riffelbach (39), Purcell (25), and Drake (21)... 2 goals scored for them matched their lowest output of the season. They beat Troy 2-1 twice... The 1st time sectional champs now play Westhill of Section 3 in always cold & windy Fulton on Tuesday. The Warriors are no stranger to success, but it's their first time coming out of Section 3 in 6 years. Their only loss is to 6 time defending Section 3 Class A champ Jamesville-Dewitt. 6 players have scored 5+ goals for them, led by sophomore Jayanna Monds (18). They've given up just 16 goals on the season (5 to J-D) and 1 in sectionals... I told you I'm initially a Section 3 guy. Of course I know this stuff... Good luck to both teams. I'm close with some people in the Westhill district, and the CCHS crew has been nice enough to me!
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