Displaying items by tag: blue streaks

Photos provided.

The Saratoga Blue Streaks varsity football team kicked off their 2018-2019 season on August 13, heading straight into practice. There are no try-outs or cuts for this team, anyone who shows up is put to work. That means all 48 players hit the field.

“We have some great kids back and we beat one of our rivals, Christian Brothers Academy, last week and we’re getting ready for Albany this week,” explained Terry Jones, head coach.

Last season, the Blue Streaks’ record was 9-1, losing to Troy in the Section II finals. Troy went on to win their second state championship.

“Jake Williams is taking over as quarterback, he was a sophomore last year, but he wasn’t our starting quarterback. He’s taken over the reigns as our quarterback and we’re excited about what he brings to the table,” Jones said. Wes Eglintine was quarterback last year and graduated.

“We feel good about the kids that we have. Jake was with us last year and saw a lot of time. It’s the high school process, kids graduate and move on and the next group must step up. Jake played a great game Friday night and we expect great things out of him this year,” Jones complimented.

This is Jones’ 28th coaching year overall and 12th year as head coach for the Blue Streaks.

Photos provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Varsity Golf Team only has ten golfers, but they’re already 5-0 this season. The team is the defending champion of the Section II title and they are aiming to hang on to that title. Coach Mike Hall, only in his second season coaching, says he has a very strong team this season, even with a “few new guys” and six returners.

“Our new guys have worked their way into the lineup very well and that makes us even stronger,” Hall complimented.

Try-outs began on August 13 and Hall ended up with three seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, and one freshman.

“To be honest, with golf, it’s 98 percent the kid’s talent and 2 percent coaching, at best,” he laughed.

“I tell the boys on day one that they are all significantly better golfers than I am. My main job is to get them organized, get them to where they need to be, and help them focus on the game,” Hall explained.

He started golfing his freshman year of college, about 24 years ago.

“That’s the one nice thing about why these guys are so strong, they started at such a young age. They get a chance to naturally develop their swing. The big thing with golf, especially, is it’s one of
those sports that no matter what kind of athlete you are, you have to commit the time to be good at it. Very few people just pick up a golf club and are consistently good. Even the best golfers in the world aren’t very good unless they’re out playing a ton,” Hall explained.

The team is constantly at class and lessons on the golf course together, which has led to a very tight-knit group.

“It’s interesting that on the course they can talk and give each other advice out there because they know each other’s game so well,” he said.

Their home course is McGregor Links where they are accompanied by Bob Cain, the pro at McGregor Links. Anders Mattson is Cain’s counterpart at Prime, where he runs Anders Academy, a lesson program the entire team also attends. Hall commends the team on all of the effort and investment they and their families put into the game, citing that as the reason the team is so strong.

“I joke with them that I could play my best and their worst for us to be about even,” Hall chuckled.

For a schedule of the golf teams matches, check out our Sports at a Glance page.

[Photos provided]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Brad Hipsley, a senior at Saratoga Springs High School, is in the middle of his first varsity ice hockey season as goalie and already has his fourth league shut out.

“My fourth shut out this year happened against Guilderland. It was our first play off game, it’s good to get a playoff game under my belt,” Hipsley explained.

A shut out is when the defense is doing a great job of blocking shots.

“It means I’m making saves, which is a good thing,” Hipsley said.

Even though this is Hipsley’s first year playing varsity, he’s played ice hockey for the majority of his life.

“When I was younger my cousin played ice hockey, he lives in Maine, so whenever I went up there we used to play. He had an ice rink in his backyard and I developed a love for the game and I bugged my parents, I told them I really wanted to play ice hockey and they wanted to make sure it was something that I really wanted to do because the time commitment was a lot, but I finally convinced them,” he said.

Though he loves hockey, baseball has always been his main focus. He will be attending Stonybrook University on Long Island next fall with a baseball scholarship, and potentially majoring in either physical therapy or business.

“I stopped playing hockey around fifth grade and then I picked it back up my freshman year, not with the varsity team but with a club team, and then this year I decided to play again for my senior year,” he explained.

After making the decision to attend Stonybrook University, he decided, after some “badgering” from Coach Torres, that “it would be cool to play hockey again and Coach Torres asked me to play and he kept badgering me and said it’d be fun and I’m really glad I did it,” Hipsley laughed.

Hipsley is excited for his senior baseball season, where he plays shortstop.

“I’m excited, I think we have a lot of good players coming back. A couple good pitchers. I’m friends with Brian Hart, an outfielder, he’s coming back for his senior year, and some other really good players. I think we have a really good shot at winning in the sectional championships and possibly winning at state as well,” he said.

Aside from hockey and baseball, Hipsley is also a member of the National Honor Society and takes accelerated classes.

“I’m taking AP biology right now and AP calculus, so that’s consuming most of my academic energy. Two pretty difficult classes and along with playing sports, it’s tough but I’m managing to do pretty well,” he explained..

Hipsley credits Matt Shamberger as his friendliest competition on the ice.

“We usually compete with each other in practice. He always likes to pull some cool moves and tries to score on me and that’s fun. He’s always pushing me to be better,” he said.

The highlight of Hipsley’s high school playing career though, was his sophomore baseball season.

“I got to play with a bunch of kids that are playing in college right now, like Nick Condo, and some guys are playing Division I baseball now. It’s cool to look up to those guys and see what they do and what works for them,” he said.

“I’d like to thank Coach Torres. I think he’s been a really key part of my success so far and I really think that he was the main reason why I decided to come back,” Hipsley stated.

[Photos provided]

SARATOGA SPRINGS —
 On Friday, Jan. 26, the Saratoga Springs High School Gymnastics Team hosted their sixth annual Purple Passion fundraising meet at the Wilton YMCA. Thanks to event sponsors and gift basket raffles, $500 was raised for Wellspring of Saratoga, an organization dedicated to ending relationship and sexual abuse in the community.  In addition to the Blue Streaks, gymnasts from Guilderland, Bethlehem and Shaker participated in the event.  Although there were no team scores tallied or individual awards presented, all the gymnasts prevailed as the camaraderie and support for one another was contagious throughout the evening. 

Saratoga Springs High School gymnastics ended their dual meet season a perfect 6-0 with a win over Bethlehem 176.05 -155.60 on Tuesday night.  With the victory, the Blue Streaks won the 2017-2018 Suburban Council gymnastics title.  Saratoga was led by freshman Ava Dallas who broke the longstanding Section 2 vault record of 9.325 with a score of 9.40.  In addition to winning the vault, Dallas also won the floor exercise with a score of 9.50 and took first place in the all-around with a score of 37.10.  Saratoga’s Sophia Damiano was second in the all-around with a score of 36.65.  Damiano also won the uneven bars with a score of 9.15 and the balance beam with a score of 9.40.  Taking third in the all-around was Saratoga’s Laura Eberlein with a score of 34.90.  Fourth place in the all-around went to Bethlehem’s Allison Gray with a score of 33.05.

With the dual meet season over, focus now shifts to Sectionals and the State Championships. On February 14, Saratoga will compete at the Section 2 Gymnastics Championships at Shaker High School against Shaker, Guilderland and Bethlehem.  Saratoga gymnastics is looking to extend their 16-year winning streak at the Sectional Meet.  For the Section 2 gymnasts who qualify, they will compete at the State Championship meet in Cold Spring Harbor, NY on March 3.

[Photos by www.PhotoAndGraphic.com]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Blue Streaks had their rivalry game against the Shenendehowa Plainsmen on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at the Weibel Avenue Ice Rink. The winner of this game was given home ice advantage in the playoffs and one playoff game. The Blue Streaks lost to the Plainsmen, 3-0, effectively ending their winning streak. With no goals in the first period, they seemed to be on even
ground. However, at 0:21 seconds into the second period, Shen’s Jon DiGiovanni scored the first goal of the night with an assist from Tyler Sullivan. In the third period, Brennan Alheim scored the final two goals, the first at 1:36 with an assist from Zach Rupert, and the final at 12:06 with assists from Cole Haldane and TJ Novitsky. Saratoga Goalie Brad Hippsley had 25 saves and Shen Goalie Kent Leighton had 16 saves. Saratoga’s league record is now 3-5-2.

[Photo by www.PhotoAndGraphic.com]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks wrestlers are on a hot streak this season so far. Currently, they are 16-3, with losses to Shenendehowa, Ballston Spa, and Warrensburg.

“So far we’re doing pretty good right now. All of the guys are pretty much right on track, I’m happy so far,” said coach Kris West.

On Saturday, Jan. 6 the Blue Streaks held their invitational where 21 teams came and competed; Saratoga ranked fifth in the team scores.

“We had 19 teams at the invitational and we had a great competition. Probably the most successful tournament we’ve hosed in the last 10 to 15 years, it was great,” West explained.

With only three weeks until sectionals, West and the team are ready to give it their all.

“The guys are pleased because this year may be a bit of a down year; we’ve lost some seniors from last year out of our lineup but we kind of picked up right where we left off. Guys stepped up, we’re having a great season,” he said.

In any sport, a healthy rivalry with another school is important, it pushes each individual to do their very best.

“Shen is always a good rival, Ballston Spa, too. We’ve had some good battles with them over the past few years. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake as well. They are all traditionally great in this program,” West stated.

Traditionally great indeed. All four schools are in the Suburban Council North League; Ballston Spa is ranked number 1, Shenendehowa is number two, Saratoga Springs is number three, and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake is number five. The Section II Class A Tournament is Saturday, Feb. 3.

Saratoga Central Catholic Bowling [Saints v. Hoosic Valley]
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017, the Saints played Hoosic Valley. For Varsity, Hoosic Valley took the win with 3360-3179. Tim Barrett had the highest average for the Saints with 212, followed closely by Hayden Day with an average of 189. For Hoosic Valley, Leigha Henkel had the highest average with 221, followed closely by Blake Weibert who had an average of 219. For JV, the Saints took the win with 2371-2357. Jack Naughton had the highest average for the Saints with 158, followed by Tom Frankowski with 142. For Hoosic Valley, Jen Acker had the highest average of 169 and Zack Milette had the second highest average with 150.

Saratoga Central Catholic Bowling [Saints v. Granville]
SARATOGA SPRINGS – On Tuesday, Jan. 3, the Saints played Granville and won, 3565-2644. Tim Barrett had the highest average for the Saints with 233, followed by LJ LaFiura with an average of 216. For Granville, Mikey Martin had the
highest average of 186 with DJ Ludwikowski with 179. The Saints currently have a record of 38-6.

Saratoga Central Catholic Boys Basketball
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Over the Christmas break, on Wednesday, Dec. 27, the Spa Catholic Boys Basketball team improved to 3-0 league, 7-1 overall, by winning the 42nd Annual Saratoga Central Catholic Holiday Tournament. In the opening round, the Saints faced off against Bishop Maginn, posting a 75-62 win. Tyler Haraden led the Saints with 31 points, followed by Ryan McFadden with 13 points, and Sean Englert with 11 points. Dominique Threatt led Bishop Maginn with 22 points. The second night, the Saints faced Cambridge in the championship game. This was a hard-fought game with multiple lead changes and the Saints would ultimately pull it out for the win 57-49. Tyler Haraden again led the Saints with 19 points and was named the Tournament MVP. Terel Tillman had a strong game for the Saints on the boards and defensively, while clipping in 12 points. Tillman was also name to the All-Star Tournament Team. Cambridge was led by Tristan Williams with 20 points.

[Photos provided]

Saratoga Blue Streaks vs. Adirondack Rivermen Hockey
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Blue Streaks played the Adirondack Rivermen in the Blue Streaks’ first sectional game at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at the Weibel Ice Rink. Saratoga took the win, 4-1. All goals were made at full strength. In the first period, Saratoga’s Nick Larrabee scored the first goal with assists from Ryan Jones and Devon Wormley. In the second period, Ryan Jones scored with an assist from Matt Shamberger and Will Detora scored with assists from Charlie Leary and Ryan Jones. For the Rivermen, Andrew Rizzo scored with the help of Jordan Willis and Cullen Krug. In the third period, Matt Shamberger scored the final goal with an assist from Gary Blanchard. Saratoga’s goalie Brad Hipsley had 12 saves and Adirondack’s goalie Ben DiFiore had 18 saves.

Saratoga Central Catholic Bowling
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Thursday, Dec. 14 Saratoga Central Catholic played a match against Waterford, winning each game with an overall score of 3261-2092. For the Saints, Micaela Barbolt had the highest average, 194, and Tim Barrett with an average of 189. For Waterford, Mackenzie Fletcher had an average of 132 and Elias Martin had an average of 125. On Monday, Dec. 18 Saratoga Central Catholic played a match against Whitehall. The Saints won all matches and overall defeated Whitehall, 2855-2040. Zac Niles
had the highest average for the Saints with 169 and Micaela Barbolt followed closely behind with an average of 164. For Whitehall, Abby Melvin led the team with an average of 152 and Zac Hollister with 131.

Saratoga Central Catholic Boys Varsity Basketball
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Overall, the Saints are 4-1 and 2-0 in the league. On Tuesday, Dec. 12 the Saints played Hoosic Valley and won, 53-45. On Friday, Dec. 15 the Saints defeated Stillwater, 71-55. On Tuesday, Dec. 19 the Saints beat Waterford 59-44 in a Wassern League matchup. Leading the way for the Saints, Tyler Haraden had 19 points, Terel Tillman and Aiden Dagostino each had 10 points.

Saratoga Springs Gymnastics Team
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Gymnastics, the 16-time defending Section II champions, opened their dual meet season with a convincing win over Shaker on Monday night, 166.95-150.35. Saratoga secured four out of the top five all-around scores led by Ava Dallas (1st all-around; 35.10), followed by Sophia Damiano (2nd all-around; 34.05), Kate Dellaratta (3rd all-around; 32.00) and Megan Wishart (5th all-around; 31.00). Shaker’s top all-around finisher was Brianna Morris (4th allaround; 31.95). Saratoga gymnasts captured the top spot in each of the four individual events, with Ava Dallas winning the vault (9.00), the floor exercise (8.90) and the bars (8.70), and with Emily Ward winning the beam (8.90).

Saratoga Regional YMCA Youth Basketball League
ROTARY JUNIOR DIVISION: Saratoga Financial Services 31 — Mexican Connection Restaurant 25 In a nip and tuck game, Saratoga Financial outlasted Mexican Connection by a score of 31 to 25. Alex Cutler dropped in 12 points and teammate Ryan Boyle added another 8 points in the victory. Nick Scalo led his team in scoring with 11 points along with 7 points from
Yankiel Bracero in the loss.

Saratoga PBA 30 — PJ BARB-QSA 19
In a defensive battle, PBA got 9 points apiece from Steve Bebee and Emylyn Tineo and Jack Foster added another 8 points and defeated PJ’s BBQ 30 to 19. PJ’s was led by Caleb Beverly with 7 points and 5 points apiece by Jacob Armer and Jordon Cousar. SENIOR DIVISION: Saratoga Firefighters 54 — Berkshire Hathaway Blake, Realtors 36 In a very physical game, the Firefighters got off to an 18-point first half lead over BHHS, Blake Realtors and went on to a 54 to 36 victory. Noah Rourke exploded for a team high 21 points and Enyer Tineo scored 13 points while Curtis Bennifield added 12 points for the Firefighters. Ian Fisk had a game high 27 points with Jake Graham and Tim Leary each contributing 5 points in the defeat.

Village Photo 55 — Cudney’s Launderers 34
The game was even through the first half but in the second half, Village Photo used a smothering pressure defense to get a win over Cudney’s 55 to 34. The victors got 19 points from Jose Garcia along with 12 points apiece from Donald Steves and Patrick Deschaine. Cudney’s got 13 points from Hunter Regels and Lydia Green added 7 points, Tom Leary had 6 points in the loss.

[Photos provided]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Saturday, Dec. 16 students from the Saratoga Springs athletic department rang the bells for The Salvation Army at six stands in Saratoga Springs including Fingerpaint, Adirondack Trust, and Uncommon Ground on Broadway, Market 32 in Wilton, and the Wilton Mall. Lieutenant Bree Barker from The Salvation Army contacted all Saratoga County High Schools to seek help for the bell ringing.

“Collections are almost down $10,000 this year, mostly due to illness of our faithful, yearly volunteers and also from donor fatigue from the hurricane season. Saratoga Springs High School Athletics have stepped up to the plate to help us make it to the goal line,” Barker said.

Athletic Director Peter Sheehan and varsity girls’ lacrosse coach Elaine Anton-Lotruglio “quickly and enthusiastically responded and organized for their students to cover 60 hours of bell ringing,” Barker explained.

The students who signed up first were lacrosse players and the signup sheet quickly snowballed into the entirety of the athletic department; students from all the teams signed up and every spot on the sheet was filled, resulting in roughly 80 students volunteering their time. Some Maple Avenue Middle School students signed up as well, and were paired with high schoolers when they rang the bell.

“Even parents jumped in if they had a younger child in seventh or eighth grade,” AntonLotruglio said.

From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., three to four students monitored the bell in each location per two-hour shift.

“It was cold! They’re athletes though, so some of them even play in that weather sometimes. The ice hockey players were used to it,” Anton-Lotruglio laughed.

“We rely on this money to carry us through the year in order to help those who need us. All of the money raised stays in our area, so when you make a donation this Christmas, you are really making change happen for your neighbors,” said Lieutenant Trish Smouse, Corps Officer.

“It was fun! Who doesn’t like to ring that bell? It gives you a good holiday feeling, that’s for sure,” said Anton-Lotruglio.

If you would like to donate to The Salvation Army or are interested in being a bell ringer, visit www. salvationarmyempirestate.org.

[All photos by www.PhotoAndGraphic.com]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Coach David Torres has been coaching the Saratoga Springs ice hockey team for seven years now. With the league games starting this week, Torres and his guys are ready to take their solid defense to the ice.

“We’ll be very competitive in the league. We have excellent goalies and excellent defense, I think those will be our strong points this season,” Torres said.

“We’re still learning to play together. We’re still young but we have some proven leaders on the team,” he explained.

The team has 23 players total this season; three goalies, eight defensemen, and 12 forwards.

“We had a record number of kids try out for the team; it was very competitive. It’s a lot of talent coming up. I like our team, I think we’ll be very competitive in the league and hopefully we could return to sectional finals if we do all the right things during the season and if we stay healthy, we should be in the mix,” Torres said.

Ryan Jones, a senior and one of the captains, has played hockey since he was four years old and is playing on varsity for his third season and plays hockey year-round.

“Ryan’s a great leader in the locker room. He leads by example and leads by being a good influence on the younger guys on the squad,” Torres said of Jones.

Matt Shamburger, a senior and third-year varsity player, is also one of the teams’ captains.

“Being a captain is a big role on the team and I’m taking it very seriously. I’m trying to lead our team and I want to create a team where the youngest and oldest get along, no one gets excluded. I think it’s really important that everyone feels like we’re all one unit. It helps the team perform at a higher level and creates a more fun environment for everyone,” Shamburger said.

Xavier Clarke, a sophomore who has played on varsity for two years, is described by Torres as, “a great player, one of the best defensemen in the league.”

“It’s pretty fun being a captain,” Clarke said, “I’ve got a whole different role on the team now rather than just being a regular player.”

All of the captains agree, they have a young offensive line and that is looking like their biggest challenge for this season, but that’s why they have upped their intensity this year in practice.

“I love the practices. The kids come to learn every day. They’re so enthusiastic about learning, they hate to miss practice. There’s just something about our practices that’s inviting. I’m not sure what that is exactly but maybe it’s the comradery combined with the fun drills we have. They want to learn, they work hard, and at the same time they have fun,” Torres said.

“During our practices we’ve been working really hard, conditioning more than ever before. We have a young team this year so everyone is out there working as hard as they can to prove themselves and that helps the older guys too,” Shamburger explained.

Jones had nothing but praise for freshman Will Detora, who started on varsity this season.

“We had watched him at his youth hockey games, we knew he’d be good but we didn’t expect him to make this much of an impact. He’s playing on the second line for us and he has been really impressive so far,” Jones praised.

Shamburger has been impressed so far with goalie Brad Hipsley, a senior.

“Brad’s a baseball guy but he came back for one last season with us. He’s been working really hard and we’ve all been extremely surprised at how well he’s been doing. We think he’ll be a starter for us this season and we’re really happy to have him back. He’s definitely a big factor for our team,” Shamburger said.

“Playing the game you love,” Jones simplified, “nothing beats it.”