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Cayden Pfalzer became Pembroke’s all-time leading scorer in Boys Basketball and Tyson Totten scored his 1,000th point on Friday as the Dragons went on to beat Alexander 81-55 in their sectional playoff game.

Pfalzer needed 24 points to reach 1,128 and pass J.P. Coles and Pfalzer finished with exactly 24 points on the night.

Totten entered the game with 999 career points so hit the milestone with his first bucket of the night. 

Pfalzer, who has played varsity since his freshman year, has averaged 21.6 points per game this season.

Totten averaged 10.8 points per game his freshman season and was the leading scorer in the league his sophomore year, averaging 20.8 points, and came back his junior year to again lead the league in scoring with 20.3 points per game.

“We knew from a young age that Tyson had a chance to be a great player,” coach Matt Shay said. “He and Cayden are some of the hardest workers I have ever been around. He has committed to time in the gym, time in the weight room, and camps in the summer and it is paying off. I'm also really proud of him because he has improved his all-around game. I've challenged him to be a better passer and defender, and he's made considerable strides in both areas."

On Friday, Avery Ferreira scored 12 points for Pembroke. Chase Guzdek scored 10 and had 10 rebounds and Jon Sure had five assists.

Alexander’s Dylan Pohl scored 22 points and Kingston Woods scored nine.

“I wasn't really pleased with how we played defensively, giving up 31 in the first half,” Shay said. “Credit to coach Hanley and his squad on how they executed their game plan, we're really having a tough time with it. We played much better in the second half.”

Photos by Alison Lang.

Tyson Totten with his parents, Jamie Totten and Jamie Totten.

Cayden Pfalzer (Submitted photo).

Members of Batavia's Indoor Track and Field teams were able to advance on Thursday in the State Qualifier Meet at Nazareth College.

Cole Grazioplene won the 600m with a time of 1:23.96.  This time broke his own school record and was in one of the best races of the day. 

Nate Canale qualified for the State Championship meet in the 1000m by finishing 3rd in 2:38.78. 

Sheldon Siverling and Parker Kleinbach are going to represent Bataivia in the Shot Put and the Weight Throw respectively. Sheldon threw 50'-3" in the Shot Put for his first career throw over 50' and Parker threw 58'-9.75 to finish 2nd in the Weight Throw.  Batavia has had an athlete qualify for States in the Throws in every season since 2008, a 15-plus year run of success. 

The boys 4x400 Relay qualified for States by winning in a blistering fast time of 3:30.23.  The team members who ran the relay are Fabian Vazquez, Parris Price, Ryan Dillon, and Cole Grazioplene.  

The boys 4x800 relay finished 3rd with a time of 8:20.63, which is the second fastest time in team history. Relay members included Cody Harloff, Donavin Solis, Noah Pickard, and Nate Canale.

Ava Wierda finished 5th in the Weight Throw with a distance of 39'-10.25". 

Mallory Boyce earned a 7th-place finish in the 1500m with a time of 5:18.34.

"Batavia has had an athlete compete at the New York State Indoor Track Championships every year for over 30 years," Coach Nicholas Burk said. "This is an incredible streak of success and a testament to the quality of athletes we've been blessed to coach as part of our program during that span.  We will have nine boys attending the state meet next week and look to have multiple athletes return with state medals."

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Parker Kleinbach taking 2nd place in weight throw

Cole Grazioplene winning the boys 600m

In their opening round Section V playoff game, Elba had no trouble with Hinsdale on Thursday, winning 79-24.

Sydney Reilly scored 24 points, along with seven rebounds and seven steals. Lydia Ross scored 13 and had six steals. Halie Scouten scored eight points.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here

Press release:

The Batavia Ramparts played a strong weekend of hockey earning two championships and a 2nd place finish in the Gateway to the Adirondacks Tournament. Mite Team Sprague was the first team to get in on the winning, taking 2nd place to a strong West Hartford Wolves team in what was many players’ first-ever hockey tournament. Carley Grice picked up a shutout award and Duke Defreeze added a Hat Trick award puck on their way to the 2nd finish.

Pee Wee III earned their way into the championship game with a tough come-from-behind win against league foe, West Seneca, in an early Sunday morning matchup. Later that afternoon, with all of their Ramparts family cheering them on, they faced off against Lysander who beat them 7-1 earlier in the tournament. Lysander got out to a quick lead but the Ramparts never gave up and battled back to a 6-4 victory and a tournament championship. This was a total team effort led by Aaron Kujawski in goal, with big games coming from Joey Pellegrino, Gunner Hale, and Arlo Hoisington.

Up next was the Squirt III team with their chance to add another championship. They played to a tie in an early morning game to secure a spot in the finals against Navy Elite, who they also lost to early in the tournament 3-1. In this revenge match-up, Batavia started out with a quick 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Dylan Reidmiller and Cole Woodward and never looked back. They took that lead into the third period until Hunter Sprague added a third goal.  Jack McCarthy put it away with an empty netter making it a 4-0 final score. Sammy Calletto was awarded two shutout pucks for the tournament and Hunter Sprague picked up a playmaker puck with three assists in the championship game.

Amelia McCulley scored 22 points as Notre Dame won its opening-round sectional playoff game in Class C2, 59-16.

Avelin Tomidy scored 16 points and Sofia Falleti scored 10.

Also, on Wednesday:

• After 20 straight losses, Batavia picked up its first win of the season in its opening-round sectional playoff game, beating Young Woman's Prep, 49-39. Anna Varland scored 15 points. Isabella Walsh scored 13 and had 14 rebounds. She also had seven steals. Ady Odonell scored 10 points. Jaimin Macdonald had 11 rebounds.
• Byron-Bergen beat Bolivar-Richburg, 64-36
• Pavilion beat Red Jacket, 69-37. Karlee Zinkievich scored 29 points and Lauren Kingsley scored 21.
• Alexander beat Pembroke, 51-34. Madison Boyce scored 15 points for the Trojans. Melanie Pohl, 12. For Pembroke, Karli Houseknecht scored 11 points and had eight rebounds. Regan Schneider scored seven points and had 11 rebounds.
• Oakfield-Alabama beat Red Creek, 54-26.  Alea Groff, 14 points, six rebounds, four steals, Emma Wray, 13 points, Brooke Reding, 12 points, six rebounds, five steals.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Latoya D. Jackson, 37, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with resisting arrest while being arrested on four bench warrants. Officer John Gombos arrested Jackson on four warrants issued by City Court.  Jackson was a passenger in a traffic stop.  While officers were attempting to arrest Jackson, she allegedly refused to comply with verbal commands and resisted being handcuffed.  The first warrant stemmed from an incident on June 20, on State Street, where Jackson was charged with harassment 2nd and released on an appearance ticket, after which she allegedly failed to appear.  The second warrant was issued after Jackson was arrested on a charge of criminal contempt 2nd on June 28 for an incident on East Main Street for which she reportedly failed to appear.  The third warrant was issued for a trespass arrest on July 8 at an apartment complex on East Main Street, resulting in another appearance ticket.  The fourth warrant was issued after Jackson was arrested on Aug. 28 on a charge of criminal contempt 1st, endangering the welfare of a child, and harassment 2nd during an incident on State Street.  Jackson was arraigned in Centralized Arraignment Part Court on Feb 11 and released on her own recognizance. 

Joseph C. Jeffords, 31, of Chestnut Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Jeffords was arrested on a warrant out of City Court on Feb. 6 and released on his own recognizance.

Raymond J. Vickers, 55, of Dellinger Avenue,  Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and harassment 2nd. Vickers was arrested on Feb. 2, unspecified time, following an incident at a local business. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Jason S. Neth, 28, of Alleghany Road, Corfu, is charged with DWI, suspended registration and speeding. Neth was stopped on Feb. 5 at an unspecified time at an unspecified location in the City of Batavia by Joseph Weglarski. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Amber L. Turner, 29, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and unlicensed operator. Batavia PD K-9 Batu was reportedly alerted on Turner's car during a traffic stop on Feb. 10 at an undisclosed location in the City of Batavia, and she is accused of possession of crack cocaine.  She was issued an appearance ticket.

James N. Difalco, 26, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Batavia PD K-9 Batu was reportedly alerted on a vehicle Difalco was riding in during a traffic stop on Feb. 10 at an undisclosed location in the City of Batavia, and Difalco is accused of possession of crack cocaine.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

The Alexander Trojans won a first-round Class C2 playoff in Boys Basketball over Kendall at home on Tuesday, 68-55.

Dylan Pohl scored 25 points for Alexander, and Trent Woods scored 17. 

The Trojans seeded #8 at 7-14, face #1 seed Pembroke (19-1) in Pembroke on Thursday. Game time is 7 p.m.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Driving too fast through a curve is the likely cause of a traffic accident on Simonds Road in Darien at 1:43 p.m. on Tuesday, according to a Sheriff's Office accident report.

Charles Chesley, 52, of Varysburg, the sole occupant and driver of a 2016 Western truck, reportedly hauling manure, was entrapped in the cab of the vehicle and needed to be extricated by crews from Darien, Corfu and East Pembroke.

He was airlifted to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy Flight Central.  He is listed in "guarded" condition. At Strong, patients in the Intensive Care Unit are listed as "guarded."

No citations are listed on the accident report, which Deputy Kevin McCarthy prepared.

Previous report: Manure truck rollover reported on Simonds Road, Darien

Photo by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service

Batavia's Winter Guard team performed a show called "Safe Flight" at the 23rd Fantastic Vision Winter Guard Competition in the school's auditorium on Saturday night.

"The show takes you through a tumultuous flight from take-off to the landing," said the show's director, Jane Haggett. "Our 19 guards all performed well.  It was a beautiful culmination of a well-planned event."

Photos by Howard Owens

A manure truck rollover accident is reported in the area of 10067 Simonds Road, Darien.

Darien Fire, Corfu Fire and East Pembroke Fire were dispatched.

"Heavy entrapment," reported.

Law enforcement on scene requested Mercy Flight on standby.

UPDATE 1:59 p.m.: Mercy Flight Central requested to the scene.  There is a 30-minute ETA.

UPDATE 2:03 p.m.: Patient is alert.

UPDATE 2:37 p.m.: Mercy Flight is on the ground.

UPDATE 2:53 p.m.: DEC is responding though the manure spill is flowing into a field. "No waterways involved."  A heavy wrecker is canceled. The owner is apparently going to take care of moving it.

UPDATE 3:02 p.m.: The patient is being transported to Strong Memorial Hospital.

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service

There were dozens of craft brews on tap on Saturday night at Batavia Downs for the 4th Annual Brewfest.

Photos by Howard Owens

Poodle skirts galore, duck tails and pony tails, rolled-up blue jeans, and a rockin' band (the Front Porch Pickers) brought the era of hit 45s, soda jerks, jukeboxes, and pre-Beatles pop music back to life on Saturday night at the VFW in Batavia.

Photos by Howard Owens

Jason R. Anderson, 41, of Batavia, is charged with robbery 1st, criminal possession of a weapon 3rd, petit larceny, and criminal mischief 4th. Anderson is accused of displaying a knife during a robbery at an undisclosed business on Veterans Memorial Drive on Jan. 23 at 6:36 p.m. The suspect in the robbery fled the scene before deputies arrived. Following an investigation, Anderson was identified as the suspect. He was arrested without incident on Jan. 30. He was arraigned in town of Batavia Court and ordered held on $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond. The petit larceny and criminal mischief charges stemming from an incident on Jan. 3 at the same location. He is accused of cutting a chain lock on an electric bicycle and stealing the bicycle. 

Tiffany Marie McAllister, 32, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with assault 2nd. McAllister was arrested Feb. 13 in connection with an incident reported at 11:30 p.m. Jan. 28, at a location on West Main Street Road, Batavia. McAllister was arraigned and released on her own recognizance.

Zachary Russell Reed, 32, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with assault 2nd. Reed is accused of an assault reported at a business in the Town of Batavia on Jan. 28 at 10:30 p.m. He was arrested Feb. 13 and released on his own recognizance following arraignment.

Alyssa Michele Harnish, 34, of West Main Street, Road, Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd and endangering the welfare of a child. Harnish is accused of striking a child during a disturbance reported at 10:19 p.m. on Feb. 12 at a location on West Main Street Road, Batavia. Harnish was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released on her own recognizance.

Megan June Courtney, 26, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with two counts of grand larceny 4th. Courtney is accused of stealing a debit card and using the debit card to make purchases in excess of $1,800. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Michael John Szustakowski, 34, of Alexander Road, Attica, is charged with felony DWI, obstructing governmental administration 2nd, speeding, and open alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.  Szustakowski was stopped by Sgt. Mathew Clor at 8:07 p.m. on Feb. 10 on Clinton Street Road, Bergen. He is accused of attempting to flee on foot through the backyard of a residence. He was apprehended after a foot pursuit. He was arraigned in Centralized Court. His release status was not disclosed.

Tasha Lynn Horton, 41, Dry Bridge Road, Alexander, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to exercise due care to avoid a collision with an emergency vehicle, moving from lane unsafely, and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Horton is accused of driving drunk and nearly striking a patrol vehicle on a traffic stop on Feb. 12 at 1:50 a.m. on Route 33 in Bergen. Horton was arrested by Deputy Zachary Hoy.

Kevin Lysie Richardson, 49, of Tempest Street, Perry, is charged with falsifying business records 1st and attempted criminal purchase or disposal of a weapon. Richardson is accused of attempting to purchase a firearm he was ineligible to possess on Dec. 23 at 12:30 p.m at a location on Veterans Memorial Drive. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Joseph Carl Jeffords, 31, of Chestnut Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Jeffords is accused of shoplifting at Kohl's Department Store in Batavia.  He was released on an appearance ticket.

Raeshawn S. Robinson, 25, of Fairbanks Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd, insufficient tail lamps, no seat belt, and failure to use four-way flashers. Robinson was stopped by Deputy Ayrton Blankenberg on Route 63 in Alabama on Feb. 12 at 12:27 a.m. He was arraigned in Centralized Court. His release status was not disclosed.

Demetrius J. Coleman, 27, Highgate Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with petit larceny.  He is accused of stealing a BB gun from Dick's Sporting Goods in Batavia at 2:49 p.m. on Feb. 10. he was arraigned in City Court and ordered to appear in Batavia Town Court on March 2.

Zakara Rose Jackson, 19, of Trumbull Park, Batavia, is charged with promoting prison contraband 1st. Jackson is accused of bringing a crack pipe into the Genesee County Jail at 7:13 a.m. on Feb. 5. Jackson was arraigned in Centralized Court. Her release status was not disclosed.

Caleb Richard Swendsen, 28, of Akron Road, Pembroke, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Swendsen is accused of possessing a crystal rock-like substance and drug paraphernalia in his vehicle at 11:22 on Feb. 12 at a location on Main Street, Oakfield. Swendsen was arrested by Deputy Jacob Kipler and issued an appearance ticket.

John Mitchell Francis, 29, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, driving a vehicle with no tail lamps, no plate lamp, and failure to notify DMV of an address change.  Francis was stopped at 10:09 p.m. on Feb.11 on Clinton Street Road, Bergen, by Deputy Jonathan Dimming. He was issued traffic tickets and released to a third party.

Ethan Mitchell Conrad, 22, of South Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, moving from lane unsafely, and failure to dim headlights.  Conrad was stopped at 10:25 p.m. on Feb. 16 on South Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Zachary Hoy. He was issued traffic tickets and released.

John James Petti, 33, of Hawley Street, Lancaster, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, and no headlamps. Petti was stopped at 10:37 p.m. on Feb. 18 on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Ayrton Blankenberg.  Petti was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released on appearance tickets.

Jerwan B. McFarley, 37, of Rochester, is charged with criminal mischief 4th and acting in a manner injurious to a child, two counts. McFarley was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 8:34 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Town of Stafford. McFarley was ordered held on bail. No further details released.

A person in Alexander was killed this morning by a tree that fell on her at the WNY Gas & Steam Engine Association grounds on Gillate Road.

According to State Police, the tree was being cut down on the property and fell in the path of a 65-year-old woman.

Neighbors called 9-1-1, and the tree was removed with a tractor.

Troopers and medical staff attempted life-saving measures. 

According to State Police, the scene was consistent with with an accidental death and foul play is not suspected.

The identity of the victim is being withheld at this time.

For the 17th time, the Batavia Girls Indoor Track Team won a sectional title on Saturday.

The boys picked up their 11th sectional trophy.

The boys won with 148 points, beating out Uprep's 84 points.  The girls found Brockport a touch opponent and closed out the victory on the final event, posting a winning score of 111.5 points to Brockport's 109 points.

"The girls from Brockport were very tough and are well coached and never quit throughout the entire competition," Coach Nicholas Burk said.

• Parker Kleinbach - Weight Throw 59' - 2"
• Cooper Konieczny - Pole Vault  13' - 0"
• Fabian Vazquez - 55 Hurdles 8.05
• Sheldon Siverling - Shot Put  48'-9.5"
• Abby Moore - Triple Jump  34- 0.25"
• Girls 4x800 Relay - Mallory Boyce, Nicole Doeringer, Melanie Quinones, Izzy Scott  10:28.55
• Girls 4x400 Relay - Jadyn Boyce, Campbell Riley, Kylee Brennan, Ava Anderson  4:20.28

"We had Contributions from across the board - Throws, Hurdles, Jumps, Sprints, Distance," Burk said. "We were able to get over 70 athletes qualified for this meet which helped us to have the depth to finish strong in the relays.  The girls team was up by .5 points going into the relays and needed to outscore a very tough Brockport team in the relays to secure the championship.  Girls who were on their third events came through big time by winning the 4x8 and 4x4 and placing 4th in the 4x2 to score 24 points to close out the meet.  The boys team had a phenomenal day and found ways to score in every event except one (55m).  They also finished off the strong meet, scoring in all three relays too.  Our success was a direct reflection of the commitment of our athletes and the work our coaches put in to prepare for this meet.  The Blue Devil athletes displayed extreme toughness in this meet and collectively left it all on the track."

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Senior Fabian Vazquez placed 2nd in boys triple jump

Senior Sydney Konieczny 55 meter hurdles

Senior boys Noah Pickard and Gavin Fowler 3200 run

Sophmore Ava Anderon Long Jump

Sophmore Sheldon Silverling Class A2 Shot Put Champion

Senior Abby Moore on the last lap of the girls 4x200 meter relay help the girls clinch their 17th track title

Head Coach Nick Burk embraces Fabian Vazquez after the boys won their 11th indoor track title

On Thursday at Jackson Primary School, more than 70 students and their parents joined together to celebrate learning more about social and emotional well-being.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) has become an important component of public school education, and it's particularly important at Jackson and Robert Morris, Principal Maureen Notaro said, because young students are getting their first exposure to both educational lessons and being part of a larger community that includes their peers.

"Every day when kids walk in, we're their first experience," Notaro said. "They're greeted with a smile. They're accepted. They're welcomed. It's their first experience with school, so we go out of our way to try to make sure that they're socially and emotionally connected to the school."

Thursday's events included dance, yoga, a de-escalation class for parents, a chance for children to make affirmation jars and worry sticks, and for parents and kids to learn about Bouncy, the SEL dog that helps children learn to cope with their emotions. There were also community agencies in the gym for families to visit, including Batavia PD, City Fire, State Police, Community Schools, Eat Well Grill, and the Health Department.  Mr. Sunshine (top photo) led a participatory concert later in the evening.

Notaro said elementary schools have developed over time approaches that help students grow into their new roles as members of a community that include a lot of different kinds of people.

"We're kind of honed in on it more, the social-emotional piece of it, like making friends," Notaro said. "We focus on qualities every month -- honesty, generosity, we look for those traits in kids. We try to promote those and acceptance and all those different character traits in kids to help them grow to be good citizens."

Photos by Howard Owens.

One session during the event focused on Bouncy, an animatronic (mechanical) that is designed to help children cope with their emotions, particularly negative feelings. It's a pilot program, Notaro said.

"Bouncy teaches the children how to stop and deep breathe and take a minute if they get upset, and to recognize nice feelings when they become worked up and are upset," Notaro said. "Bouncy kind of helps them dial it back. We're piloting it in a couple of kindergarten classrooms. It's not a real dog. It's an animal animatronic dog, and the kids get an actual stuffed animal with it too. They're trying to relate to Bouncy, and how Bouncy teaches them acceptance because Bouncy has some disabilities."

Parents met with a teacher to learn about de-escalation techniques while their children were in another classroom making affirmation jars and worry sticks. 

"They're just little affirmations that kids can pull out every day that say, 'I'm happy,' 'I'm loved,' 'I'm, funny,' 'I'm smart," Notaro said. "It ties into our literacy goal, too, because we're trying to promote literacy at home."

On display during the community night were artworks created both by kindergarteners and high school students. Kindergartners drew pictures of monsters, and then high school students made clay sculptures based on those drawings.

In a tightly fought battle, Batavia Notre Dame United picked up a quarterfinals Section V win on Thursday over Brighton/HFL, 4-2.

Jameson Motyka led the way with a hat trick, scoring two goals in the second period (both with assists from Ivan Milovidov, and one on a power play), and then the icing on the cake at the 10:39 mark in the third period with an assist from Cooper Hamilton.

Brady Johnson also scored an unassisted goal in the second period.

United had 30 shots on goal.

Goalie Rhys Tanner blocked 16 shots.

United is the #3 seed in the tournament and plays #2 seed Victor in the semifinal on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Rochester Ice Arena.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Pembroke improved to 19-1 on Wednesday with a 71-56 win over Oakfield-Alabama.

The Hornets dropped to 17-3.

For Pembroke, Cayden Pfalzer had 28 points, Tyson Totten, 17, and Chase Guzdek, 10 points and 10 rebounds.

For O-A, Colton Yasses, 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists, Kyle Porter, 14 points, three steals, and Brayden Smith, 11 points, six rebounds

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more, click here.