Schuylerville’s Macey Koval (12) looks to drive to the hoop during the Black Horses’ 57-52 win over Amsterdam on Feb. 1. Photo by Super Source Media Studios.
SCHUYLERVILLE — The Schuylerville varsity girls basketball team held on for a big 57-52 victory at home over Amsterdam on Friday, powered by 24 points from senior Macey Koval.
The Black Horses jumped out to an 18-13 lead after one quarter, but the Rams hung around, cutting the deficit to 32-29 at halftime. Schuylerville used a strong defensive third to push the lead back to six, and held on through the fourth for a 57-52 victory.
Koval led all scorers with 24 points in the win. Amanda Pflieger had 13 points for Schuylerville, hitting a trio of three-pointers, while Lauren King added nine points. Anika Buff had eight points, with Sophie Bodnar adding three points for the Black Horses.
Annika Fedullo led Amsterdam with 16 points in the loss. Felise Fowler added 11 points, while Natalee Agresta and Rosalie Sculco each had 10 points. Liana Brown added three points, while Sharazade Cooper had two points for the Rams.
Schuylerville turned its momentum into another win on Monday, cruising past Gloversville 56-30 on the road. The Black Horses are 10-8 overall, and have won five straight games.
Amsterdam hosted Broadalbin-Perth on Monday, falling 53-45. The Rams are 9-8 overall, and will play South Glens Falls in the Foothills Showcase on Feb. 12.
Photo provided by Schuylerville Central School District.
SCHENECTADY — The Schuylerville girls’ indoor track team won the Foothills League Championship at Union College on Jan. 22. Every athlete scored either individually or in a relay, while the team won 8 of the 16 events contested. In addition, several athletes broke Schuylerville school records throughout the season in various events.
The Black Horses girls’ team finished with a team score of 134 points, with second-place Scotia-Glenville finishing with 114 points.
“The team has put in a tremendous amount of work this season, often training in difficult weather conditions,” said Assistant Coach Justin Vianese. “They have approached every challenge with a positive attitude. Their efforts have enabled them to realize their goals, whether a personal record, school record, or team championship. It’s great to see the athletes believe in themselves and know their hard work has paid off.”
See below for results and records from the Schuylerville varsity track teams:
Kiera Rogan: Rogan holds the new school record for the 3000m, with a finishing time of 10:28:66. Rogan beat the previous record by 26 seconds during the Dec. 10 Tri County Indoor Track League Meet at Union College. Rogan also holds the new school record for the 1500m, with a finishing time of 4:50:83. Rogan beat the previous record by 15 seconds.
Nikki Stark: Nikki Stark set the new school record for the 50m hurdles with a time of 8.70. Stark broke the old record of 9.14 from 2016. Starks also holds the new school record for the 200m hurdles with a time of 30.24. Stark broke the previous record by more than 9 seconds at the Jan. 8 Ed Cepiel Invitational in Springfield, MA.
Ryan Stark: Ryan Stark holds the new school record for the indoor triple jump with a jump of 34’ 1”, eclipsing the old record of 34’ 1/2”. Stark beat the previous record at the Armory High School Holiday Classic in NYC on Dec. 29.
Meaghan Lynch: Meaghan Lynch set the new 45m school record with a time of 6.53 seconds. Lynch beat the previous record of 6.54 seconds at the Foothills League Championship at Union College on Jan. 22.
BURNT HILLS — Three Ballston Spa wrestlers earned first-place finishes in their respective weight classes, helping the Scotties capture the team championship at the 2023 Section 2 Division 1 Class 2 Tournament on Feb. 4.
Ballston Spa’s Ralph Keeney, Connor Gregory, and Darrien Insogna placed first in their respective weight classes, while Tristan Hinchcliff, Cameron Hinchcliff, William O’Connor, and Jacob Perkins finished as runner-ups in their weight classes.
Tyler Perkins placed third at 132 pounds, while Cole Donnelly placed third at 285 pounds. Quinton Warlikowski earned a fourth-place finish at 102 pounds, and James Capasso earned a fourth-place finish at 145 pounds. Gavin Whipple and Anthony Prastio each placed fifth in their weight classes.
All 13 wrestlers will head to the Section 2 Division 1 Championships this weekend at Cool Insuring Arena.
At 110 pounds, Keeney pinned all three of his opponents, defeating Amsterdam’s Breyana Montalvo in the quarterfinals, Queensbury’s A.J. Spero in the semifinals, and South Glens Falls’ Dylan Keech in the championship match.
Gregory, wrestling at 160 pounds, pinned Burnt Hills’ Andrew Martin in the quarterfinals and pinned Scotia-Glenville/Galway’s Alwalid Bourkia in the semifinals. Gregory earned a 3-0 decision over Queensbury’s Lucas Schell in the championship.
Insogna won at 215 pounds by pinning Burnt Hills’ Julian Goss in the semifinals, and pinning Averill Park’s Connor Byers in the championship match.
Tristan Hinchcliff advanced to the championship at 118 pounds by earning a 12-5 decision over Mohonasen’s Nico Rivera in the semifinals, falling to Burnt Hills’ Tyler Whiteley by a 5-2 decision. Cameron Hinchcliff pinned Ben Taylor (Burnt Hills) in the semifinals at 126 pounds, losing an 8-6 decision to Averill Park’s Jacob Hanlon in the championship.
O’Connor, wrestling at 138 pounds, won a 9-4 decision over Queensbury’s Timothy Paculavich in the semifinals, and was pinned by Burnt Hills’ Gabriel Goss in the championship. Jacob Perkins beat Thomas Pawlinga (Burnt Hills) by 5-3 decision in the semifinals at 172 pounds, losing a 3-2 tiebreaker decision to Averill Park’s Elias Goosmann in the championship.
The Scotties finished with the top overall team score at the tournament, with 248.5 points. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, the host school, was second with 243 points.
Pictured with family members are the Saratoga Catholic varsity boys basketball seniors, from left: Kam Cox (14), Matt Murphy (33), Aidan Dunne (5), Justin Duscher (25). Photo by Super Source Media Studios.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Central Catholic varsity boys basketball team got back in the win column on Senior Night, honoring the Saints’ four seniors with a 41-35 victory over Waterford-Halfmoon on Tuesday.
“We’ve come a long way,” said head coach Shea Bromirski, who credited the seniors for their leadership. “It’s a classy group. We have really good kids here.”
Senior Justin Duscher, who led the Saints with 15 points, said it was meaningful to have the senior ceremony and noted the closeness of the Saratoga Catholic squad.
“I came here last year, and these guys welcomed me with open arms,” said Duscher. “This team’s a really tight-knit group of guys. It’s a special moment.”
Saratoga Catholic has four seniors: Kam Cox, Aidan Dunne, Justin Duscher, and Matt Murphy.
Dunne said it was an exciting night, saying his teammates “mean the world” to him.
“They’re like the closest group of friends you could have,” Dunne said. “You’re with them every day.”
The Saints led 9-5 after a low-scoring first quarter, and the defensive affair carried into the second, with Saratoga Catholic taking a 17-12 lead into halftime.
Dunne had nine points in the first half to pace the Saints, who limited the Fordians to just five made field goals in the half. Bromirski said that defense has been a main point of emphasis for the Saratoga Catholic team this season.
“That’s what we hang our hat on, is the defensive end of the floor,” said Bromirski. “That’s something we talk about every day in practice. … They bought in to playing that end of the floor.”
But Waterford-Halfmoon opened the second half on a 12-0 run, jumping to a 24-17 lead with 3:27 left in the third. Duscher, the Saints’ leading scorer, stepped up at the end of the quarter, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to cut Waterford’s lead to one entering the fourth.
Bromirski said that Duscher making big shots is “what he’s done for us all year.”
“Every time that we’ve won a close game or done something, he’s been our guy who makes big shots for us,” Bromirski said. “He’s one of the best kids I’ve ever coached, one of the best people I’ve ever coached.”
The teams traded baskets early in the fourth, with the Saints taking the lead for good on a basket by Aidan Crowther with 3:24 remaining. Duscher then scored to give Saratoga Catholic a 36-33 lead, and a steal and fastbreak for Hunter Fales made it 38-33 with 2:08 left.
The Saints held strong defensively in the final minutes, sealing a 41-35 win with free throws from Duscher. Bromirski said the team came alive late after “doing the little things.”
“I talk to these guys religiously about (how) the ball goes in the hoop when you do the right things,” said Bromirski. “When you’re playing as hard as you can, and you’re getting every loose ball, somehow the ball starts to find the basket.”
Duscher’s 15 points led all scorers, while Dunne added nine in the win for the Saints. Ronan Rowe had six points, Fales and Crowther each had five points, and Ryan Gillis added one point for Saratoga Catholic.
Derrick Ponture and Anthony Scunziano each had 13 points for Waterford-Halfmoon. Matt Soden added five points, while Nate Griner had four points.
Saratoga Catholic (11-8) will play Waterford-Halfmoon again on Friday in a Wasaren League crossover game, with the Section 2 Class C Tournament to follow.
“Our resume’s pretty good. I would think that we would be somewhere in the top half of the Class C bracket,” Bromirski said. “… Then we’ll see who we play on Tuesday, and we’ll go from there.”
“Just to lock in,” said Dunne of the team’s mindset. “I don’t think we’re playing our best basketball right now, but we were a couple weeks ago, and we can get back to that.”
WILTON — Four Section 2 gymnastics teams competed to raise money and awareness for domestic violence on Friday, as the Saratoga Springs varsity gymnastics team hosted the 17th annual Purple Passion Meet.
The four competing teams were: Saratoga Springs, Bethlehem, Shaker, and Guilderland. Athletes from all four teams wore purple gear, helping raise awareness and funding for Wellspring of Saratoga.
See below for top finishers from each event of Friday’s meet:
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs varsity wrestling team honored its seniors on Thursday, rounding out the night with a strong 35-28 victory over Shenendehowa.
The Blue Streaks have 13 seniors: Isaac Coffin, Jack Dacey, Alex Julian, Damian Maura, Shawn Mergen, Andrew Monroe, Gordon Murray, Lorenzo Paleschi, Dylan Przedwiecki, Connor Saltzgaver, Victor Santabar, Cam Smith, and Vito Spadafora.
See below for results from the Blue Streaks’ victory over the Plainsmen:
Saratoga Springs 35, Shenendehowa 28
102: Isaac Jaynes (Shen) def. Kyle Edwards by pin at 1:58
110: Chase Matter (Saratoga) def. Joe Donatelli by pin at 1:52
118: Greg Green (Shen) def. Luke Stoutenburg by 11-2 maj. decision
126: Brandon Deuel (Shen) def. Danny Dacey by 5-1 decision
132: Vincent Grembocki (Shen) def. Taylor Beaury by 3-1 decision
138: David Emsminger (Shen) def. Trey Edwards by pin at 1:36
145: Davin Leavey (Shen) def. Hayden Passaretti by pin at 1:12
152: Gordon Murray (Saratoga) def. Anthony Harbour by 17-12 decision
160: Gianni Delgado (Saratoga) def. Max Woolums by 17-4 maj. decision
172: Vito Spadafora (Saratoga) def. Anthony Kennedy by 10-1 maj. decision
189: Lorenzo Paleschi (Saratoga) def. Dante Maiello by pin at 5:07
215: Patrick McKinley (Saratoga) def. Erik O’Toole by pin at 1:34
285: Jack Dacey (Saratoga) def. Colin Thompson by pin at 6:54
SYRACUSE — The Ballston Spa varsity wrestling team competed at the NYSPHSAA Dual Meet State Championships in Syracuse over the weekend, defeating East Islip in the opening round before falling to Hilton in the third round.
The Scotties clinched a spot in the Dual Meet Championships by capturing the Section 2 Dual Meet crown on Jan. 17, defeating Saratoga Springs and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.
Connor Gregory, Darrien Insogna, Ralph Keeney, and Cameron Hinchcliff combined to win all of their individual matches for Ballston Spa. The Scotties will next compete at the Section 2 Class B Tournament on Feb. 7 at Burnt Hills.
See below for results from the Dual Meet Championships:
1st Round: Ballston Spa 35, East Islip 32
(102) Quinton Warlikowski (B-Spa) def. Rocco DeStefano by pin at 4:00
(110) Ralph Keeney (B-Spa) def. Anthony Liedtke by pin at 3:04
SARATOGA SPRINGS — This season marks an important milestone in the legacy of Saratoga Springs High School sports: it is the 50th anniversary of the Blue Streaks wrestling team winning the program’s first-ever Section II team title in 1973.
Coming into the season-ending crowning tournament from a two-and-a-half year run that included just one loss and two conference championships, the Blase Iuliano-coached grapplers entered the Class A division showdown in Burnt Hills as one of three favorites to take the crown.
After two days of single elimination action, Saratoga’s undefeated team captain – and future All American – Jay Mulligan was joined in the final round by fellow seniors Bob Millis and Keith Potter, along with underclassmen standouts Kevin Mulligan, Jay Winchester and Korey Dismus.
Three champions emerged, with the elder Mulligan also taking the tourney MVP award.
Additional team points from earlier rounds were contributed by Tom Evans, Bob Perkins, Roy Lusk, Todd Henning and John Greenleaf.
The result was a narrow win over the competitive teams sent from Mount Pleasant, Shenendehowa, Scotia-Glenville and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.
This breakthrough title achievement set the standard and paved the way for the local wrestling program, as succeeding classes repeated the accomplishment on several occasions and put even more hardware into the Blue Streak trophy case in the decades since.
Amber Cook (left), Paige Cook (middle), and Rachel Wilbur (right) qualified for the 2023 National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships in Grand Island, Nebraska. Photos provided by Kim Wilbur.
BALLSTON SPA — Three local teens are heading west in June, competing at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships in Grand Island, Nebraska.
Amber Cook, Paige Cook, and Rachel Wilbur, members of the 4-H Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County, all qualified for the National Championships after competing at the New York State 4-H Shooting Sports Championships. Amber Cook will compete on New York’s Shotgun team, while Paige Cook and Wilbur will each compete on New York’s Archery team.
Paige Cook said it is “overwhelming, but exciting,” to clinch a spot at nationals.
“Yeah, it’s definitely overwhelming. But we’re all definitely blessed to have this opportunity and be able to experience this,” Wilbur added. “Very excited. We’re all working pretty hard at everything.”
The girls are also the first group from Saratoga County to even compete at the state championships, much less advance to nationals. Wilbur and Amber Cook competed at the state level in 2019, and all three girls competed in 2021 before qualifying for nationals at the 2022 State Championships.
“(In) 2019, we were the first ones to go out to the state competition, and now we’re the first ones from Saratoga County to go out to nationals,” said Amber Cook.
Kim Wilbur, mother of Rachel, said she is “so proud” of the girls, a sentiment that was echoed by the Cook’s parents. Renee Janack, mother of Amber and Paige Cook, pointed out that the girls are competing in fields that have been traditionally male-dominated.
“Proud just keeps coming to my mind,” said Kim Wilbur. “It’s exciting to see what the future holds.”
“It seems like such a cliche, I just keep saying how proud we are,” said Janack. “Not only are they the first going from Saratoga County, they’re young women. … It’s very male-dominated, so it’s thrilling to watch them grow as a team.”
Wilbur and Paige Cook both qualified for nationals at the New York State Championships in September. However, neither were certain they would make the cut.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it,” said Paige Cook.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to make it either,” added Wilbur. “I really just went in there with an open mind, like, ‘Whatever happens, happens.’”
Of course, both qualified for nationals, with Wilbur finishing second and Cook third overall.
Amber Cook, however, initially qualified for nationals in May 2022, but didn’t discover this until after her teammates had clinched their spots.
“I didn’t find out until after they did, in September. I was very surprised,” said Amber Cook. “I really did not think I was going to qualify, so it was just very exciting and I’m very proud of myself for being able to.”
Amber Cook will be joined on New York’s Shotgun team by qualifiers from Dutchess and Chemung counties, while Paige Cook and Wilbur will compete alongside a qualifier from Wyoming County on the New York Archery team.
Competitors will be scored individually, with their scores added up to generate overall county and state scores.
“We all go out there and shoot individually,” said Wilbur. “So we’re scored individually, and then all together as a team at the end.”
The group is currently in the process of fundraising for the trip, with Wilbur saying it will cost about $3,000 per girl for the travel alone. The National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships will be held from June 25 to 30 in Grand Island, Nebraska.
“(We’ve been) getting together and just making sure everything is very precise, so we can go out to different stores and even just individual people and do group fundraising,” Wilbur said. “We’ve been in the process of that for a few months now. It is a lot of work to do fundraising, especially this big.”
“It’s a long process,” added Paige Cook. “We’re mostly preparing to start in the next couple weeks, because getting the names and the emails and all that has taken quite a long time.”
The girls’ parents are also chipping in any way they can. Jeff Breedon, father of Amber and Paige, is an instructor at Saratoga County 4-H along with Janack and Kim Wilbur.
“Every one of us brings a different strength to the team,” said Breedon. “That’s how we’ve succeeded, I think, so well. If something needs to happen, one of us knows how to do it.”
And the time spent in 4-H has also helped the trio become closer, which Janack emphasized as one of the strengths of the program.
“That’s the beauty of 4-H, it’s a county-wide thing,” Janack said. “You have youth coming from all over who would have never met each other, would never have known how awesome their friendships are going to be. This is truly going to be a lifelong friendship between these three.”
Wilbur agreed, saying that while the girls knew each other before joining 4-H, the club has “really sparked that friendship in all of us.”
“I don’t even consider them my teammates, they’re just my family now,” said Wilbur. “That’s what 4-H has brought to us. It’s definitely a blessing.”
WILTON — The Saratoga Springs varsity gymnastics team celebrated its seniors and picked up a win on Tuesday, defeating Guilderland 174.1-153.95.
The Blue Streaks honored two seniors prior to the win: Erika Sudigala and Olivia Allen.
Saratoga’s Ellie Ott had the highest overall score (36.20), placing first in the bars and vault while finishing second in floor events. Guilderland’s Addison Seebode (34.60) and Miranda Putorti (34.35) finished second and third overall, respectively.
Allen finished fifth all-around (33.65) while Sudigala placed eighth (32.65).
Below is a list of the top five finishers for each event, as well as all-around:
