SARATOGA SPRINGS — After a remarkable season in which he helped the Blue Streaks reach the sectional title game, Saratoga Springs junior Ryan Farr has been named the Section 2 Class AA Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

Farr had 20 goals and 11 assists in 16 games for the Blue Streaks, recording at least one point in every game. He helped lead the squad to a 15-1-1 overall record, including an unbeaten record in Suburban Council play and an appearance in the Class AA sectional championship, ending in a 4-3 overtime loss to Shaker. The junior was also named to the All-State First Team.

In addition to Farr’s awards, the Blue Streaks’ senior goaltender Ben Van Valkenburg was named Class AA Goaltender of the Year, while head coach Jeff Geller was named Class AA Co-Coach of the Year.

Geller said Farr “has dedicated himself year-round to being the best soccer player he can be.”

“This award is well-deserved,” said Geller. “Ryan was one of our team captains, and while he isn’t overly vocal on the field, he leads by example with his heart and determination on the field.”

Geller said that Farr offered great insight and feedback to the coaching staff, and that his work ethic motivated the rest of the team throughout the season.

“Ryan has an amazing touch and reads the game very well,” Geller said. “When the ball is played into his feet, he is able to make the right choice very quickly, whether it is to play the ball to a teammate in a more advantageous spot or to turn and take the player on himself. He has a nose for goal and finds the perfect spaces in the box to get a foot in and put it past the keeper.”

In the sectional championship against Shaker, Farr scored three goals and led Saratoga back from a 3-1 deficit to force overtime. 

“After going down 3-1, it would have been easy for Ryan and the team to pack it in,” said Geller. “The team rallied hard and put dangerous balls into the box where Ryan was able to find the perfect spots and score yet again to keep us in the match.”

Geller said he told his team that Farr’s recognition would not have been possible without the strong play of the team as a whole.

“From the goalkeeper to the defense to the midfield, it was our team play as a whole that opened up and moved defenses allowing Ryan to work his magic,” Geller said. “Our motto from day one was, ‘Teamwork to make the dream work.’ In order to be successful, we were going to need players to play unselfishly and not get hung up on individual honors. I feel the team followed through on this motto admirably.”

And Farr wasn’t the only member of the Saratoga team to receive recognition from Section 2, with Van Valkenburg earning Class AA Goaltender of the Year honors. Geller said Van Valkenburg ran away with the starting job in net during the latter half of the season.

“(Ben is) vocal and aggressive in the box,” Geller said of Van Valkenburg. “He’s also very good with his feet, which is important with a team like ours that likes to play back to the keeper often to keep possession. His passes out of the back often kickstarted our offense.”

The Blue Streaks’ success as a team led to Geller being named Section 2 Class AA Co-Coach of the Year alongside Shaker’s Dan Fountain, with Geller saying it is nice to receive recognition despite the team falling in the sectional title game.

“I would trade the individual honor for a sectional title in a heartbeat, but it’s nice to be recognized for having a successful season,” said Geller. “Going undefeated in Suburban Council play doesn’t happen very often, and I’m happy I was able to enjoy the ride along with assistant coach (Kasey) Lemos and the rest of the squad.”

Geller said that ultimately, this fall season was “a season (he) will never forget.”

“On the field, the team played some of the most beautiful soccer I’ve seen in over 20 years of coaching. Off the field, this team was a close-knit group of boys who were an absolute pleasure to work with,” Geller said. “I feel the team truly fought for one another each and every game. Having coached or known most of this squad since they were U8 and U10 players, it was truly bittersweet to see this season come to an end.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — It was a great first meet for Saratoga Gymnastics at its first meet of the season at Shaker High School, with the team placing first on vault and floor, as well as second place on beam and third on floor. The meet served as a charity fundraiser for Toys for Tots, with the Saratoga Springs gymnasts donating unwrapped toys to help support local children in need. 

Team highlights include the following:

• Olivia Allen, Grade 12, First Place on Vault

• Lily McKinley, Grade 8, First Place on Bars

• Maddy Austin, Grade 10, Second on Beam 

• Ellie Ott, Grade 10, Third on Floor 

“I could not be any prouder of this team,” said Saratoga Springs Varsity Gymnastics Coach, Deb Smarro, who is in her 19th year of coaching the team. “This has been a huge transition year for our team, but our girls have stepped up to the plate, or should I say mat, and shown the strength of Saratoga Gymnastics.” added Smarro.

MALONE — Coach Rich Johns presented his AWRA mission and “Keys to Success” to the students and teachers at Malone Middle School.

It was a full-circle moment for Johns, who was invited to speak by Malone Middle School Assistant Principal Joey Santamoor, a former student of Johns at Geyser Road Elementary School. Johns spent the day with students and staff at the middle school to present his ‘Act With Respect Always’ mission.

SCHUYLERVILLE — Schuylerville High School senior and girls soccer player Macey Koval has been selected to the 2022 New York State Sportswriters & Coaches Organization for Girls Sports All-State 5th Team.

“Macey has been a tremendous player for our program throughout her high school tenure,” said girls varsity soccer coach Paul Rogan. “She is a fierce competitor, great leader and even better person.  Macey has been our leading goal scorer for the last three years, tallying 17 goals this past fall season.  She is also a clutch competitor, having clinically scored some of the biggest goals in program history.  Macey’s play has not only been good, but it has been great.  She will be missed.”

In addition, Koval and teammate Alayna Wian were named to the Section 2 Class B Girls Soccer All-Star Team for 2022.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs varsity boys’ cross-country team “stuck through it” throughout the fall, utilizing their depth and a team mindset to cap off a successful season.

The Blue Streaks captured the Section 2 Class A Championship, and placed fifth in the NYSPHSAA Championships, the New York State Federation Championships, and the Nike Cross Regionals. The boys’ cross-country program also swept the Suburban Council Championships for the first time in school history, with the varsity, JV, freshman, and modified teams all claiming victory.

“I think we had some pretty high expectations,” said head coach Shane Zanetti. “We returned a lot of good runners from last year, and we had a really good spring on the track. We weren’t going to put any limits on ourselves. We knew that it was going to be really competitive within Section 2 and in New York, but we also expected to do pretty well.”

Senior runner Leydon Hemsworth said he approached daily practices “with the mindset of going to nationals.”

“I approached the season just trying to go as far as possible,” said Hemsworth. “I think it’s that drive of going as far as possible that got us there.”

“I think that was kind of the goal for the entire team most of the year, and we always stuck through it,” added teammate Mason Talarico. “We really never gave up throughout the process at all.”

Talarico, a senior, capped off his cross-country career with wins at the Burnt Hills Invitational, the Suburban Council Championships, and the Section 2 Championships. He placed fifth at the State Championships and earned a trip to the Nike Cross Nationals after finishing third at the Cross Regionals.

“I didn’t have an amazing race, but coming back now, I just remember that I really wasn’t nervous or pressured,” said Talarico. “Throughout the whole race, I really just enjoyed it.”

And while Talarico shined during his senior year, the Blue Streaks’ overall depth as a team was a large factor in their success. At the Section 2 Championship meet, Saratoga placed six runners in the top 15 finishers, and finished just two points ahead of second-place Shenendehowa.

Talarico finished first overall (15:59.0), with Darren Pasek in ninth place (16:50.7) and Thomas Isenovski placing 11th (16:55.1). Jacob Bernd (17:00.0) was 12th, Luke Dacey (17:08.0) finished 13th, and Hemsworth placed 14th (17:08.7). 

“We came in with confidence, but we were kind of banged up,” Hemsworth said. “We had some sick runners, we had a runner out with an injury, and it was a hot day. But I think it’s what we were talking about earlier with the belief. We all believed in each other, we believed that we could win.”

Zanetti said he spoke to the team about “running to win,” instead of “running not to lose,” in the sectional race.

“We didn’t want to run tight, we wanted to continue to compete the way we had throughout the season,” said Zanetti. “Shen gave a great effort, and it was a really close race, but in the end, the way these guys ran together and ran for each other got us where we wanted to be.”

Zanetti and the runners said the team developed their strong depth during the season.

“When we started racing, and our four and five prospects were beating our two and three, we started to realize, ‘OK, we have a good shot at going pretty far,’” said Pasek, a sophomore.

Hemsworth noted the competitiveness of the squad, saying the runners are constantly trying to best each other during the season.

“It’s so close between all of us, like two through nine can replace each other on any given day,” Hemsworth said. “I just kind of had a saying during the season, ‘Happy, never satisfied.’ I was happy with my races, but I was not satisfied. Because I knew people were coming for me. I think that was a testament to how great our team was.”

“They can replace each other, they can support each other,” said Zanetti of the team’s depth. “One of the things that we’re really trying to work toward and we’re going to continue to try to develop is just this idea of running as a pack. When they did that really well, that’s when we were at our best, for sure.”

The team used their depth to propel themselves to fifth-place finishes in the NYSPHSAA Class A State Championship, the New York Federation Championship, and the Nike Cross Regionals. Zanetti said it was exciting to reach those points and noted that it can help set the underclassmen up for success in future seasons.

“I think it was just a really good experience for the group,” Zanetti said. “For the guys returning next year, it’s going to be really valuable, because it’s at the same location again. They learn from that. I felt like they got more comfortable in that more highly-competitive environment each time around.”

Hemsworth said the atmosphere of those competitions can make runners feel “like you’re almost being eaten up.”

“You have super high adrenaline, and there’s people all around you,” said Hemsworth. “For the people that are coming back next year, hopefully that’ll be a really good experience, learning how to deal with that.”

And the team has high expectations for next season, helped by both a strong group of returning runners and a strong overall program, which was emphasized with a full program sweep of the Suburban Council Championships.

“That was kind of a goal we developed as a program from varsity down as the season progressed,” Zanetti said. “I think it’s a really good testament to the way that we try to run our program, and the way that these guys lead our program. They learn from the older guys, they spend a lot of time with the older guys.”

Talarico said the team makes an effort to reach out and connect with the runners at the program’s other levels, saying it can sometimes be “intimidating” for younger athletes.

“I kind of noticed that the kids don’t really feel that way, it seems like. We’ve become more of friends with them,” said Talarico. “We’re excited for what they’ve achieved, and stuff like that. I enjoyed seeing that. That feels like the right way to have a team.”

“These guys are one of the closest groups we’ve had over the years, and I think it shows in their results, which is really exciting,” Zanetti said. “To achieve success with your friends is great.”

 “Going into the season, we were really excited,” said Dacey. “We’re really happy with it.”

Zanetti said the athletes have goals for the indoor and outdoor track seasons, but also said “it’s almost impossible” to not get excited about the next cross-country season.

“That’s another part of that culture that these guys have helped to develop. Sort of the legacy of looking forward to what the next group of people is going to do,” Zanetti said. “Time goes on, and the next set of goals will come up.”

“I think we’re really happy with this year,” added Hemsworth. “It’s a little sad that me and Mason won’t be back next year, but it’s great seeing the team that we run with, that I think of as my own peers, and I’m excited to see what they do next year. Because I think they can go much further than we did this year.”

Kellen Dean Named SC Player of the Year

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Four members of the Saratoga Springs varsity boys’ golf team received Suburban Council All-Star honors for the 2022 fall season.

Junior Kellen Dean was named Suburban Council Player of the Year, and also received First Team honors. Sophomore Carter Sica also received First Team honors for the Blue Streaks.

In addition, sophomores Charlie Grenier and Henry Parobeck were both named Suburban Council Second Team All-Stars.