SARATOGA SPRINGS — Eight members of the Saratoga varsity field hockey team received honors from the Suburban Council for their play in the fall season.
Aubrey Ide, Allie Shamberger, Emma Landers, and Mia Bolster were named to the Suburban Council First Team. Charlotte Drabek and Eleanor McNamera were both named to the Second Team, while Lily Wilborn and Viviana Nicastro each received an honorable mention.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Skidmore men’s hockey team was able to put together a “positive weekend” of NEHC play, forcing a 3-3 tie with 7th-ranked Babson on Friday and defeating Southern Maine 6-2 on Saturday.
Head coach Rob Hutchison said the team aimed to keep their mindset and preparation consistent, following a weekend in which the Thoroughbreds beat New England College 7-4 and lost 4-1 to 10th-ranked Norwich.
“It’s kind of consistent in that we want to learn from each experience, win or lose,” said Hutchison. “Attack some different areas during the week, and then execute a little better each week.”
The Thoroughbreds certainly executed in the opening period against Babson on Friday. Kaeden Patrick gave Skidmore a 1-0 lead just 1:24 into the game, and Ryan Waltman added another goal just 33 seconds later to make it 2-0. Patrick’s second goal gave the team a 3-0 lead after the first period.
“We were really focused on executing our game plan,” Hutchison said of the opening period. “Some guys made some really nice plays. There was really good energy in the building, so we were feeding off that. I think we were pretty excited to jump on them early, and that was part of the game plan, making sure we came out of the gates hot.”
Babson wouldn’t go away, however, and the Beavers were able to cut the deficit to one following the second period of play. A powerplay goal by Colby Bailey landed Babson on the scoreboard, and another goal on the man advantage by Ian Driscoll made it 3-2 entering the final frame.
Hutchison said that Skidmore made some “self-inflicted” mistakes in the middle period.
“We took some penalties, kind of lost our discipline and our structure and our focus on the game plan,” said Hutchison. “In the third, we kind of hit reset and said, ‘OK, here’s where we’re at.’”
The Thoroughbreds played a “pretty good period,” in the third, Hutchison said, but were unable to add on to the lead, and Babson tied the game with a shorthanded goal by James Perullo.
“Which is uncommon, our powerplay’s been really good,” Hutchison said. “We weren’t able to overcome that goal late. But we did kind of turn the corner and play much better in the third period.”
Tied 3-3 after three periods, the game went to overtime, and resulted in a tie after neither team was able to find the back of the net again.
“I think the end result was a little disappointing, considering our start to that game,” said Hutchison. “But we responded nicely on Saturday.”
Skidmore bounced back with a 6-2 win over Southern Maine on Saturday, with six different players scoring a goal for the Thoroughbreds.
“It was just all hands on deck. Everybody was contributing,” Hutchison said of Saturday’s victory. “And it wasn’t necessarily just the offensive play. As the game progressed, we got better on the defensive side of the puck, which led to a lot of offensive scoring chances.”
After a scoreless first period, Kevin Urquhart gave Skidmore a 1-0 lead just under seven minutes into the second. Southern Maine responded just five minutes later, with Curtis Judd scoring to tie the game, but it was all Thoroughbreds from there.
Jaden York scored with eight minutes left in the period to put Skidmore back in front, and Zach Frisk added a goal just 1:34 after York to make it 3-1.
Devon Mussio extended the lead to 4-1 in the third, with a shorthanded goal by Thomas Finck making it 5-1 before Danny Magnuson scored the team’s sixth and final goal of the night. Judd scored his second goal for USM with 8 minutes remaining to round out the scoring. Tate Brandon stopped 27 of 29 shots in goal for the Thoroughbreds.
“Everybody was chipping in offensively. That bodes well for us, I think, moving forward,” said Hutchison. “You want to have guys moving forward with confidence, and feel like they can contribute in all areas of the game.”
Following the 1-0-1 weekend, Skidmore is 6-2-1 overall and 2-1-1 in NEHC play. The Thoroughbreds host the Skidmore Thanksgiving Invitational this weekend, playing Rivier University on Friday. The winner of that game will face the winner of Oswego State and Wilkes University on Saturday.
Hutchison said that “the intensity should never waver” entering the non-conference matchups.
“Every game’s important. We’re in a position where we aspire to win the conference and/or get an at-large bid,” said Hutchison. “There’s so few of them that every game matters if you’re going to be in the conversation for that. We’ve talked about that as a group, and the guys are all aware that’s a goal. The approach and the intensity don’t waver a bit.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Thursday, Nov. 10, eleven student-athletes from Saratoga Springs High School signed National Letters of Intent to compete at the collegiate level. A National Letter of Intent is a commitment to play sports at an NCAA college or university.
Here is a list of the student-athletes, where they are going, and what sport(s) they will play there:
Karley Austin: Softball at Southern Connecticut State University
Calvin Baird: Swimming and Diving at Saint Michael’s College
Mackenna Billington: Rowing at The University of Louisville
Natasha Chudy: Women’s Basketball at Lafayette College
Meghan Fairley: Lightweight Rowing at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Aubrey Ide: Field Hockey at Lehigh University
Claire Macy: Rowing at University of Notre Dame
Madelyn Vaughn: Softball at Saint Michael’s College
Mackenzie Waghorn: Softball at Villanova University
McKinley Wheeler: Cross Country and Track at Iowa State University
Sheridan Wheeler: Cross Country and Track at Iowa State University
DAKAR, SENEGAL — Melissa Myers from the Jason Morris Judo Center in Glenville won her first world tour event on Nov. 13, earning a gold medal at the Dakar Open in Senegal.
This result moves Myers into the top 100 on the world rankings for the first time in her career, as she now sits at #97 in the 70 kg weight class. Myers will stay on for the training camp in Senegal, then will compete on the second leg of the African tour this weekend in Yaounde, Cameroon, before returning to the USA.
While Myers was in Dakar, her JMJC teammates were competing at the Ontario Open in Toronto. Jess Alaynick captured a gold in the +78 kg Under-21 division, while Justin Mata claimed a Silver medal in the 60 kg Under-21 category.
Two-time Olympian Nick Delpopolo was a double medalist on the day, winning a bronze in the 81 kg Seniors division as well as picking up a bronze in the Open Weight category to close out the JMJC medal count.
Saratoga Springs — Coach Rich Johns recently presented his Act With Respect Always message to the players and parents of the City’s Introduction to Hoops Program at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center. After presenting, Coach Johns is seen here with one of the young hoopers, Christian McDonnell. Christian was presented with a book Coach shared with players and is wearing his new AWRA shirt.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Christopher Dailey Foundation Turkey Trot returns this Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, for the 21st annual running of the 5K.
The 5K will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, with the run starting on Broadway near the Saratoga Springs City Hall. Registration for the event costs $29, and online registration must be completed by Nov. 22.
Participants can still register in person from 4 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 23 at the Saratoga Hilton Hotel, where the Dailey Foundation will be holding packet pick-up for runners. Packet pick-up will also run from 6 to 8 a.m. on the day of the race. Day-of registration is not available for the 5K.
The first Turkey Trot was held in 2002, in memory of eight-year-old Christopher Dailey, who passed away in 2001. Laura Rose Dailey, a board member of the Dailey Foundation and Christopher’s sister, said the Foundation held its first fundraiser in May 2002, a golf tournament, before starting the Turkey Trot that fall.
The initial Turkey Trot took place in the Dailey’s neighborhood, and saw roughly 300 people in attendance, Dailey said. Every year since, the Trot has been held in downtown Saratoga, with this year’s route beginning on Broadway, looping through the Skidmore College campus, and finishing on North Broadway.
Dailey said roughly 3,000 to 4,000 people attend the Turkey Trot each year, which acts as a fundraiser for the Christopher Dailey Foundation, using the funds to help the Saratoga community.
“Our original goal and mission for the first few years of the foundation was to build a gym at Gavin Park, where he spent a lot of time, I spent a lot of time,” said Dailey. “It was around the corner from where we lived.”
The Christopher Dailey Memorial Youth Gymnasium opened at Gavin Park in 2006, and in the years since, the Foundation has used fundraising efforts to give even more back to the community.
“In the past, I’d say five or six years, we’ve transitioned to more just basic economic needs,” Dailey said. “My mom works really closely with the Franklin Community Center for clothes and jackets, shoes. We work really closely with sending kids home with food for the weekend.”
The Turkey Trot has grown so much that people “from all over the country” will show up on Thanksgiving morning by way of local family members, Dailey said.
“A ton of people whose families come from out of town will do the race, so we’ll have people from all over the country that do it, which also feels pretty cool,” said Dailey.
“Now, in the past couple years, we’ve been getting messages like, ‘I was at this vintage store in North Carolina and I saw a Christopher Dailey Turkey Trot shirt.’ That’s also been kind of cool, to see the way that those float around.”
Dailey said that she, along with her brother Brendan, are preparing to take over control of the Christopher Dailey Foundation’s board as their parents, Mark and Maria, transition out of the roles.
“My brother and I are going to start kind of taking it over,” said Dailey. “Him and I joined the board in January of last year, and we are adding a few board members of our own, with the intention of, in 2024, just being him and I and our board members.”
And Dailey noted that the opportunity to help the community while remembering Christopher is a special one.
“For me, Chris was 8 when he died and I was 12. To still be able to have everyone remember him every year, I just think it’s so rad,” said Dailey. “And to do it in the name of giving back to the Saratoga community, I just feel really lucky and blessed for that.”
SCHUYLERVILLE — The Schuylerville varsity football team saw its season come to an end on Friday, falling 20-7 to Warrensburg/North Warren/Lake George in the Section 2 Class C Championship.
The Black Horses scored first, taking a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter after Lukas Sherman broke free for a 23-yard touchdown run. The Wolverines buckled down on defense, however, and did not allow Schuylerville to score for the remainder of the game.
W/NW/LG got on the board in the second quarter, with a three-yard touchdown run by senior Tristen Hitchcock. A two-point attempt was stopped by the Black Horses, who held on to a 7-6 lead entering halftime.
In the third quarter, the Wolverines were able to take the lead for good. Hitchcock found the end zone again, this time from two yards out, and a two-point conversion by Brody McCabe gave the team a 14-7 lead.
A seven-yard touchdown run by Landon Olden in the fourth quarter extended the lead to 20-7, locking up the win for the Wolverines.
Sherman was 3 of 6 passing for 59 yards and had 62 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Martin Flanders Jr. had 60 yards rushing on nine carries, while Carter Phillips had one carry for 16 yards.
Otto Bolduc had 10 yards rushing, a 22-yard catch, and an interception on defense, while Ollie Bolduc had a 28-yard reception. John McGarrahan caught one pass for nine yards, while Landen Cumm had one yard rushing on five carries.
Warrensburg/North Warren/Lake George (11-0) will play Section 10’s Gouverneur in the NYSPHSAA Class C Regionals at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Mechanicville High School. The winner of that contest will face the winner of Westlake (S1) and O’Neill (S9) in the Class C State Semifinals at Middletown High School at 12 p.m. on Nov. 26.
SCHUYLERVILLE — The Schuylerville varsity girls cross country team capped off a great season on Saturday, finishing 8th at the New York State Class C Championships at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School.
The Black Horses reached the state finals by capturing the Section 2 Class C Championship at Queensbury High School on Nov. 5. Schuylerville boys’ runner James Lynch also qualified for states during the Section 2 Championships.
Adeline Ballou led the way for the Schuylerville girls’ team at states, finishing 18th (20:29.60). Megan Vianese (20:45.30) finished 22nd, while Nikki Stark (23:29.10) and Hannah Yonkin (23:29.40) finished 98th and 99th, respectively.
Lynch, the lone boys’ runner at states for the Black Horses, finished 43rd (18:28.90).
The Black Horses’ girls’ team reached states by cruising to victory in the Sectional Championships, finishing 49 points ahead of second-place Broadalbin-Perth. The team was led by Vianese (20:13.0) and Ballou (20:26.9), who finished second and third, respectively.
Stark (22:26.2) placed 11th, while Yonkin finished 15th (22:56.2). Lillian Letzring placed 22nd (23:35.5), with Taylor Brown finishing 32nd (24:09.1). Kayleigh Hays (24:45.8) was 39th, while Paige Nesbitt was 44th (25:03.4).
Lynch clinched his spot in the State Championships by finishing eighth in the boys’ race with a time of 17:23.3. The Schuylerville boys team finished 7th.
FONDA — The Schuylerville varsity football team won a thriller on Friday, with a game-winning touchdown run by Lukas Sherman propelling the Black Horses to a 14-13 overtime win over Fonda-Fultonville in the Section 2 Class C semifinals.
The game was a low-scoring, defensive affair, and entered halftime in a scoreless tie. In the third quarter, the Braves were able to crack the scoreboard first, with a two-yard touchdown run by Peyton Webber giving Fonda a 7-0 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Schuylerville had a response, leading a drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by quarterback Lukas Sherman. The extra point tied the game, 7-7, and eventually forced overtime.
In overtime, the Braves again scored first, taking a 13-7 lead after a two-yard run by Webber. Fonda attempted a two-point conversion to push the lead to eight, but were stopped short by the Black Horses defense.
With momentum after the stop, Schuylerville marched down the field and tied the game on another two-yard scoring run by Sherman. The extra point by kicker Connor Battle gave the Black Horses a 14-13 win, and clinched their spot in the Section 2 Class B Championship on Friday.
For Schuylerville, Sherman gained 16 yards and two touchdowns on 16 rushing attempts. The junior quarterback was 12 of 14 passing, with 97 yards and an interception. Martin Flanders Jr. gained 41 yards on 10 carries for the Black Horses, while Landen Cumm had four yards on four carries.
Otto Bolduc caught five passes for 48 yards and had a three-yard rush, while Ollie Bolduc caught three passes for 19 yards. Carter Phillips had four catches for 30 yards in the win for Schuylerville.
The Black Horses forced a pair of turnovers in the win, as Phillips picked off a pass on defense and Ollie Bolduc forced a fumble that was recovered by Otto Bolduc. Chase DeLisle also recorded a sack on defense in the win.
Schuylerville (8-2) will play Warrensburg/North Warren/Lake George (10-0) for the Class C Championship at 7 p.m. today at Lansingburgh High School. The two teams met in the regular season on Oct. 14, an 18-7 loss for the Black Horses.
Saratoga Springs — Saratoga-Wilton Elks Lodge No. 161 will hold its annual Hoop Shoot basketball free throw shooting competition on Saturday, December 3, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center at 15 Vanderbilt Avenue, Saratoga Springs.
This event is free and open to boys and girls ages 8-13. Boys and girls will be divided into separate divisions and by age groups of 8-9 year olds, 10-11 year olds and 12-13 year olds. Participants’ eligibility will be determined as of their age on April 1, 2023. Pre-registration is not required.
Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in all age groups in both divisions. Local winners will advance to the District Championship, and have the opportunity to advance to Regional, State and National Championship competitions. All national champions will be enshrined in the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
For more information, please contact one of the Co-Directors of the Saratoga-Wilton Elks Hoop Shoot: Steve Dorsey at 518-369-1985 or Mike Conley at 518-312-2284.
