BALLSTON SPA — Not all competitors are enemies. In fact, sometimes they’re friends. At the Ballston Spa High School pool on Monday, one could find both Scotties and Blue Streaks practicing together in preparation for an upcoming state championship.

The harmonious session was the result of girls varsity swim and dive coaches Ted Snyder and Joshua Muldner, from Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs, respectively. The two have been friends for years. And with states on the way, they decided to (temporarily) join forces.

“Ballston Spa and Saratoga had an amazing dual meet this year and these girls battled hard against each other in their meet. These differences miraculously blend away,” Coach Muldner said.

Three local girls are heading to the swim and dive state championships this week: Jillian Ferrie and Addison Kenney from Saratoga, and Sarah Blaum from Ballston Spa. They’re all coming off impressive performances at sectionals.

Blaum, an eighth-grader, took first in both the 100 fly and 100 free. “My relays both did amazing too,” she said. “So, it was really good.”

The Saratoga girls made school history, according to Muldner. “[Ferrie] had her highest placed finish ever at sectionals at two events,” he said. “She is now eighth all-time in school history in the 200 IM.”

Not to be outdone, Kenney broke the school record in the 100 backstroke. “That was a 17-year-old record,” Muldner said.

But the record-setting may not be done.“For my fly, I’m trying to go for the other school record, which is like a half-second drop from where I’m at,” Kenney said.

Kenney will have an opportunity to do so at states in Webster, New York on Friday and Saturday.

Blaum said she was feeling excited but “pretty nervous” about her first state championship. “I just want to see how it feels, have fun,” she said. “It’s kind of a test run, basically.”

Luckily, the elder Kenney and Ferrie seemed to be taking Blaum under their wings. Ferrie admitted that her first experience at states was “kind of intimidating.” 

“It’s a little nerve-wracking,” Kenney said. “At the same time, it’s such an intense meet that there’s a really good energy and you feel proud of what you’ve done and accomplished.”

The Saratoga swimmers firmly believe in their coach’s mantra, “trust the process.” Ferrie defined what that meant. “Even if you’re not there now, you will be there,” she said. “You just have to wait and keep trying your best. You’ll get there.”

Fans can follow the action at states in real-time via the Meet Mobile app. Results will also be posted to the website Swim Cloud.

QUEENSBURY —The Schuylerville Black Horses are bound for the Class C championship after a dominant 35-7 win over Johnstown on Friday, Nov. 3 at Queensbury High School.

Martin Flanders Jr. rushed for 183 of the Black Horses’ 380 total offensive yards. Flanders Jr., Sam Dwyer, Luke Sherman, and Landen Cumm all scored rushing touchdowns in the decisive victory.

Flanders Jr. credited his team’s defense with the win. “The team was really able to have an efficient defensive night, making key stops in the red zone and in the fourth-and-short situations,” he said.

“Our linemen did a great job blocking and creating holes for our running backs,” said Cumm. “Martin did a good job finding the hole and gaining yards to keep the sticks moving.”

“We had a sequence of about eight minutes of clock time that we were really on our heels,” said Coach John Bowen. “We were fortunate enough to keep that zero up on the scoreboard a little bit longer than it probably otherwise would have.” 

The Black Horses are 9-1 on the season, and will now face Fonda-Fultonville for the Class C championship on Friday, Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. at Troy High School.

Schuylerville last played Fonda on September 1, when they eked out a 34-32 victory. Fonda has since won ten straight games, setting the stage for an exciting rematch against the Black Horses.

“To be able to beat a great team like Fonda on Friday, it is going to take eleven guys on each side of the ball for us to execute with high proficiency,” Flanders Jr. said. “It will be important for us to compartmentalize every down.”

Coach Bowen noted that the Black Horses would have to play better than they did against Johnstown in order to defeat Fonda. “We’re certainly not going to be able to play that way against Fonda and expect to still be in the game.”

“We are watching film, creating a game plan, and fixing the mistakes that we made last time we played them,” Cumm said. “We are perfecting the little details that most people don’t notice while watching, but have a huge impact on the result of the game.”

“It is going to take a sound game overall to win,” said Sherman, “but we are sure capable of doing so.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams won section titles in class A and class B on Saturday.

Blue Streaks runners Emily Bush and Alycia Hart both broke the course record, with Hart finishing a mere second later than Bush. Anya Belisle also placed within the top five. The three seniors had an emotional post-victory celebration that capped off a successful season.

Four days later, Bush and Belisle participated in a National Letter of Intent signing ceremony at Saratoga Springs High School, where they reflected on their time with the Blue Streaks.

“I’ve been competitively running since I was seven years old,” Bush said at the event. “I would like to thank my family for being my biggest fans, my teammates for giving me a reason bigger than myself to do what I do, and lastly, my coaches Art and Linda Kranick for helping shape me into the athlete I am today and helping me achieve my wildest dreams.”

Belisle also thanked her coaches.“I didn’t know that all these opportunities would be presented to me. They told me but I didn’t really believe them. So, I’m very thankful.”

Bush is headed to Providence College, while Belisle will attend the University of New Mexico.

Not to be outdone, the boys’ cross-country team had five runners in the top eleven spots on Saturday. Sophomore Thomas Isenovski bested all competitors with a time of 15:40. 

“[Thomas] has really begun to come into his own this season,” said boys varsity coach Shane Zanetti. “He’s always been very talented,” Zanetti said, “but he’s definitely come into his own as one of the top runners in the state.”

Zanetti also praised his team as a whole. “There was only 39 seconds between Thomas and our fifth runner,” he said. “So we take a lot of pride in trying to keep that number nice and tight between one and five and really approach it like a team sport.”

The Blue Streaks will now head to the state meet on Saturday, November 11 at VVS High School in Verona, NY.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs varsity boys cross country team captured the 2023 Suburban Council team championship after a balanced effort at the Saratoga Spa State Park on Saturday.

Thomas Isenovski won the Suburban Council boys individual title for the Blue Streaks, leading a group of six Saratoga runners placing in the top 30 finishers. With 73 points, the Blue Streaks’ boys team held off second-place Guilderland (77 points) for the team title. 

Saratoga’s Emily Bush took home the Suburban Council girls individual title, with Anya Belisle earning a second-place finish. Despite the duo earning the top two spots in the girls race, the Saratoga girls team (50 points) finished second to Bethlehem (37 points).

For the second straight season, the Blue Streaks’ boys program swept the Suburban Council meet, with their modified, freshman, and JV teams also earning team victories in their respective races on Saturday.

“That was a goal that the team had from, really, the beginning of our summer training,” said Saratoga boys head coach Shane Zanetti of the program sweep. “It was really exciting to have that come to fruition.”

The Saratoga girls team was paced by Bush (17:09.8) and Belisle (17:47.8), the race’s top two finishers. The Blue Streaks also received top-20 finishes from Reagan Owen (14th, 18:41.7), Tong Ang (16th, 18:51.1), Katie Turner (17th, 19:00.9), and Heidi Berglund (19th, 19:05.3).

Linda Kranick, one of the Saratoga girls coaches, said she was “very proud” of Bush and Belisle earning the top two spots. She noted that both runners are seniors, and that the Suburban Council championships would be the last time they ran a cross country race at the Saratoga Spa State Park.

The Blue Streaks’ varsity boys were led by Isenovski (15:22.3), with Darren Pasek placing seventh (16:05.5), and Luke Dacey placing 16th (16:19.1). The Saratoga boys team also received strong finishes from Jacob Bernd (20th, 16:29.4), Hudson Shaw (29th, 16:44.4), Cooper Brandriss (30th, 16:45.9), and Owen Blaisdell (50th, 17:07.0).

Zanetti gave credit to Isenovski, who he noted led the pack for a majority of the race, saying he ran “a really smart race.”

“He’s only a sophomore, but he’s got a lot of experience running at a high level already,” said Zanetti of Isenovski. “He’s a really intelligent racer, and he loves to compete.”

Zanetti also credited Pasek and Shaw for stepping up during the race.

With the Suburban Council Championships behind them, the Blue Streaks’ cross country teams attention now turns to the Section 2 Championships at Queensbury High School this weekend. 

“We were pleased with the way the girls ran, but we’ve got more work ahead of us,” said Kranick.

Kranick said the girls team has continued to improve and gain experience during the fall, and made note of several younger runners who have stepped up, including Owen, Ang, Berglund, and Turner among others.

“All you can ever ask an athlete to do is give it their all and do the best you can,” Kranick said of the team’s mindset entering sectionals. “That’s always been the emphasis.”

On the boys side, Zanetti said the Blue Streaks are entering this weekend with the goal of bringing home another team victory.

“Our goal is definitely to win sectionals and move onto states, and hopefully be successful there,” Zanetti said of the boys team’s mindset.