The Saratoga Springs Boys’ High School Golf team has attained a perfect, 15-0 record in the regular season. The team is aiming to pull off a clean sweep of team achievements: a perfect regular season, Suburban Council Championship, and Section 2 Championship. 

In the seven seasons Coach Jake Zanetti has coached the team, they have never captured all three. 

In their final match against Shenendehowa on October 1, their winning streak was almost snapped. After all golfers had finished their game; it seemed Saratoga Springs lost by one point. 

On hole five, Wyatt Dolinsky’s ball was on the fringe. When he putted his ball, he inadvertently hit teammate Brady Greiner’s ball. When Dolinsky asked the coaches at the next hole if it was a penalty stroke, they told him it was.

However, a 45-minute conversation after the round, it was determined that if Dolinsky was on the green then it would have been a penalty, but because he was on the fringe, it was not. Therefore, the penalty was removed, and Saratoga retained their perfect season. 

The Section 2 team championship will be held on October 21 at the Fairways of Halfmoon. Saratoga has been runners up in the Section 2 Championship for the past three years.

Senior Cole Whitman has been on the team for all their runner-up finishes and is encouraging the team to stay focused. 

“I’ve been in this situation now many times, so the main idea is just to stay dialed in and be at the best of our game when it comes,” Whitman said.

In between the regular season and the Section 2 Championship, four of Saratoga Springs golfers qualified for the State Tournament for Section 2 in the Spring: Eliott Meyers, Michael Hakewill, and Matthew Nawrot, and Francisco Cupp who was the Section 2 Champion.

The state tournament will be held on June 6-7. at the Mill Creek Golf Course in Churchville, NY. 

Cupp, a sophomore, has been a section 2 star in his high school golf career so far, and took fourth place last year in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association boys golf championship. 

Schuylerville High School freshman golfer Hailee Riley has earned a spot on the Section 2 state golf team following an impressive performance at the Section 2 Girls Golf Championship. Battling cold and windy conditions, Riley shot an 84 on day one, placing her in the top 20 and advancing to the state qualifying round the following day.

On day two, Riley climbed the leaderboard with a 9-over-par 81, finishing 7th overall in Section 2 and securing her spot on the state team. Riley will represent Schuylerville at the NYSPHSAA Girls Golf State Championships in June at Wild Wood Country Club in Rush, NY.

On Sunday, October 4, the second annual Spook Out Cancer 5k raised $20,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). The race attracted a swarm of runners sporting their spookiest attire in the Saratoga State Park on a crisp autumn morning. 

Organized by stage four cancer survivor, Olivia Mannion, she says the money supports cancer advocacy.

“I started volunteering for ACS CAN a year after I reached remission in 2023,” said Mannion. “I realized how important it is to advance policies that can make a true impact for thousands or millions of patients. So, I just wanted to do my part so that we can ensure equal access and quality of care for all people.”

In September, Mannion, along with 700 other advocates from across the country traveled to the nation’s capital to lobby Congress for the advancement of nonpartisan policies to secure equal opportunities to prevent, detect, and treat cancer. 

Mannion is currently in her fourth year of remission, and over the two Spook out Cancer events, has raised almost 40 thousand dollars for cancer activism. 

Saratoga Springs Girls’ Tennis hosted Ballston Spa on Friday, September 25 for their senior night game. Saratoga bested the Scotties 7-2 and remain undefeated this season with a 7-0 record. 

The Saratoga Tennis team has 34 athletes as it is a no cut program, and each senior was able to get in a match, either in the lineup or an exhibition match.

Last year the team was able to clinch their first Section 2 Class AA title since 2013. However, this year the team returned without eight of their twelve starters from the sectional triumph.

“We have a lot of new players on the team, and it’s been a good start to the season with them,” said coach Tim O’Brien. “The match today and the matches coming up are going to be challenging, but I think these girls just have to stay positive and work hard.”

The Blue Streaks burst onto the field to an invigorated sea of blue which engulfed the bleachers and spilled onto the track behind the sideline for their annual homecoming football game.

 As the final gasp of the sun’s rays stretched out from the horizon, the buzzing from the overhead lights mixed with anticipated murmurings as Saratoga poised themselves to take on Niskayuna.

The offence, seemingly inspired by the occasion, scored a touchdown on the first drive of the game to the exuberance of the home support.

Junior four-star recruit, Cam Toomey, who currently has 24 division-one offers, set the tone on Saratoga’s first set of downs with a 40-yard gain on the ground. Once in the red zone, quarterback Bobby Morris connected with senior wide receiver Jaden Lockrow on a slant route in the middle of the endzone. 

Saratoga kicker Michael Pommenville then delivered an end over end kickoff on the ground, causing a fumble recovery to Saratoga. On the ensuing drive, Morris and Lockrow again connected, this time for a 50-yard touchdown. 

The Blue Streaks scored all their points in the first half, with a hat-trick of touchdowns from Jaden Lockrow; one rushing touchdown from junior running back Judah Wilson; and a throwing touchdown to senior wide receiver Gavin Lafrance to cap off the first half. The final score was 35-7, improving their record to 3-1 on the season. 

The team is returning from a historic 2025 season where they snapped their decade-long section 2 drought and were runners-up in the Class AA state final—although this season the team is without their entire starting offensive line and star running back. 

Before the game Saratoga TODAY caught up with Cam Toomey to get his expectations for the season and said the team was “off to a good start.”

“We brought in a lot of younger guys from JV,” Toomey said. “We’re just trying to get them acclimated to varsity, especially our linemen. Bringing up these new younger guys and really getting them back to what the seniors last year set the standard at. It’s been exciting seeing them developed.”

The team has five regular season games remaining before a postseason run beginning in early November. 

Ari Berliner (27) & Melissa Myers (30) from the Jason Morris Judo Center (JMJC) have qualified to team USA that will compete at the World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, October 4-10. 

This will be Berliners’ fifth trip to the worlds with his best finish being last year as he finished in the top 16 of the 66kg division. Myers is making her third 70kg appearance at the Worlds. The JMJC have now qualified at least one athlete to the World Judo Championships for a team USA record 18th straight time covering 22 years.

Blue Streak Hall of Famer, Gary Kalinkewicz, has been honored by the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO) for his lifetime service to the game of basketball. 

The IAABO is a nonprofit organization founded in 1921 to promote and standardize officiating in the sport of basketball. The organization’s primary purpose is to educate, train, develop and provide continuous instruction for basketball officials. 

Kalinkewicz has been a member of the organization for 50 years.

Like all high school coaches and officials, his affinity for basketball began in his youth.

“I grew up competing with my brothers and sisters on a daily basis,” Kalinkewicz wrote. “My dad built us a basketball court behind our home early in our childhood,” 

His first experience of organized basketball was playing for the Galway team in 6th grade.

“I found out early that the highlight of my week was the basketball games,” said Kalinkewicz.

As is common for athletes at a small school, Kalinkewicz played sports year-round so his school could field a team. 

He ended up playing soccer at SUNY Cortland. 

After graduating from SUNY Cortland, Kalinkewicz began teaching physical education in the Saratoga Springs City School District. Soon into his career, he was approached to coach the 7th and 8th grade basketball program, an opportunity he embraced. 

“I enjoyed getting back into the game in a different capacity,” said Kalinkewicz. “Over the years I have lived vicariously through the careers of these players.” 

In the late 1980s Kalinkewicz transitioned to coach the golf team at Saratoga. During his tenure the team went 360-75 overall, which is seventh in NYS all-time. Although he doesn’t give himself much credit for this achievement, preferring to highlight the athletes.  

Despite no longer coaching the sport, Kalinkewicz never stepped away from basketball. He has officiated games throughout the Capital region and North Country for over 50 years.

“I started officiating at the modified and junior varsity level wherever and whenever I could. I was able to progress to the varsity level and later moved on briefly to the college level. I found myself developing a rapport with many of the coaches and fellow officials. Many of them have become lifelong friends. These connections are another reason for my love of the game. Without basketball, these friendships would not have been possible,” Kalinkewicz wrote.  

During his lifetime service to the IAABO award acceptance speech, Kalinkewicz closed his remarks by saying:

“This ceremony has made my day, and this award has made my career.”