Sports

Batavia's short playoff run in Girls Basketball came to an end Friday night with a loss to Livonia, 66-28.

Anna Varland scored nine points and Adyson O'Donnell scored eight points.

Also in Girls Basketball:

• Notre Dame beat York, 69-46. Amelia McCulley scored 36 points. Emma Sisson scored 14 points.
• Hornell beat Le Roy, 70-40. Lindsey Steffenilla scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds. Kenna MacKenzie scored 12 points.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

The Elba Lancers advanced in sectional play on Friday with a 66-47 win over Scio-Friendship.

Jake Eagle scored 16 points for the Lancers while Ashton Bezon and Nicholas Scott scored 15 each.

Also in Boys Basketball on Friday:

• Oakfield-Alabama beat Clyde-Savannah, 84-28
• Byron-Bergen beat Pavilion, 84-57
• Pembroke beat Alexander, 81-55

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Oakfield-Alabama easily dispatched of Clyde-Savannah in their Class C2 sectional playoff game on Friday, 84-28.

Scoring for the Hornets:

• Kyle Porter, 17 points, 5 assists, 3 steals
• Colton Yasses, 15 points
• Brayden Smith, 9 points, 3 steals
• Noah Currier, 9 points, 4 assists, 4 steals
• Aiden Warner, 6 rebounds

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

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

Press release:

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced the lineup for events taking place onsite alongside the 3 Triple Crown Races Dates this spring.

The Derby Gala returns on the first Saturday in May on the 6^th.  Cost is $129 per person and includes Buffet Dinner, Open Bar, a $10 Wager on the Derby, Derby Glass, Derby T-shirt, $60 in Free Play and bourbon sampling from Woodford Reserve, the official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby. 

A limited number of hotel specials are available on that day – The special is $399 and includes 2 entries to the party and a hotel room that evening.

On that same day, the Park Place Room will be host to the Superfecta Special – which includes a $25 Free Play, $5 Wager on the Derby, Derby Program and a ¼ Chicken Meal from the Center Street Smokehouse.  Cost is $30 per person and attendees can pay at the door.

On Preakness Stakes Day - Saturday, May 20^th, the 2^nd Annual Tacos and Tequila event, presented by Teremana Tequila, takes place inside the Park Place Room.  Cost is $40 and includes Tequila Sampling from multiple vendors, Taco Bar, $20 in Free Play, a $5 wager on the Preakness Stakes and a Taco Chip and Salsa Bowl to take home.

The hotel special for this event is $229 and includes 2 entries to the event and a hotel room that evening.

The final jewel of the Triple Crown is the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 10^th.  That same day inside Park Place is the Bourbon and Whiskey Fest, sponsored by Jack Daniels and Old Forester.  Cost is $40 and includes Bourbon and Whiskey Sampling, Grazing Stations, $20 in Free Play and a $5 wager on the Belmont Stakes.

The hotel special for this event is $229 and includes 2 entries to the event and a hotel room that evening.

Tickets to Derby Gala, Tacos & Tequila and Bourbon and Whiskey Fest can all be purchased beginning on Friday at 10am at BataviaConcerts.com.

Those wishing to book the hotel specials can find direct links to do so on the hotel deals page on the Batavia Downs website at https://www.bataviadownsgaming.com/hotel-deals/ beginning on Friday morning.

“The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing is such a fun time of year,” said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO for Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel. “By putting on these events in conjunction with these major races, we bring a lot of tremendous joy to our guests.”

Tickets are also on sale on BataviaConcerts.com for already announced events:  KISS This!, Music of the Stars, Beach Boys Tribute Show and the entire Pepsi Rockin’ The Downs Summer Concert Series.  Tickets for the upcoming Fur Ball Gala event may be purchased by calling Sara at Batavia Downs at (585) 344-6155.

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

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.

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

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.

Elba beat Lyndonville 61-45 on Wednesday night in Boys Basketball.

Angel Penna scored 26 points. 

Other Boys Basketball scores:

• Pavilion beat Perry, 56-53
• Kendall beat Alexander, 62-54
• Notre Dame beat Wheatland, 73-49
• Pembroke beat Oakfield-Alabama, 71-56. For Pembroke, Cayden Pfalzer 28 points, Tyson Totten 17, and Chase Guzdek 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Le Roy families got word this week that either solidified their hopes of remaining the Oatkan Knights football team or dashed visions of becoming a merged super team of three school districts.

Le Roy Superintendent Merritt Holly sent a letter home Wednesday to student athletes and families revealing the final decision about pursuing a football program merger with Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen.

After outlining the actions taken thus far, including a meeting with all concerned and taking feedback and questions from students and family members, Holly provided the answer that apparently most wanted to hear.

“After reviewing enrollment data, projected roster numbers, the rationale for combined teams, and student-athlete/parent feedback, the Le Roy Central School District Board of Education has decided to not merge for the upcoming 2023 Fall Football Season with Caledonia-Mumford and Byron-Bergen Central Schools,” he said. “There will not be a vote to merge at the board meeting on February 28, 2023.”

He thanked the district community — board members, coaches, students, parents — for being open and willing to listen to reasons for considering a merger.

“On rare occasions, we see schools merge to help grow existing programs,” he said. “A merger to grow existing programs becomes a hard sell to student-athletes and parents because the outcome is unpredictable. Change is not easy and giving up traditions can be even harder.”

There are many questions that arise with such a proposition, he said, and students weren’t short on them. They asked about playing time, why a merger when they already had three levels, what happens to senior night and homecoming, who will be coaching, to name a few.

The mission of the Le Roy Central School District is to provide an exceptional, high quality educational environment where all learners are empowered to succeed, Holly said. 

Reasons for a potential merger included filling the roster and avoiding injuries by overplaying and over practicing student athletes. The rationale now for not merging after taking all feedback and research into consideration is:

1. With the projected roster numbers for the Fall 2023 Season, Le Roy CSD can run three levels of 11-man football (modified, JV, and varsity). With that being said, we feel that a merger, as outlined in the Section V Combined Teams Application, does not meet the current rationale/criteria for Le Roy CSD. 
2. The current merger model in regards to percentages for Classes C (40%) and D (30%) sunsets next year. With no committee recommendation or decision yet from NYSPHSAA on what model may be adopted, it makes sense to wait for this decision to better understand the placement (classification) of merged schools in the future. 
3. ​The feedback from Le Roy student-athletes and parents was overwhelming against a merger. 

“The Le Roy Central School District would like to thank Caledonia-Mumford and Byron- Bergen Central Schools for their willingness to engage in a meaningful discussion on a potential football merger,” he said. 

File Photo of Le Roy Knights during a winning game.

Traveling to Lyndonville on Tuesday, the Elba Lancers came away with a win, 68-55, in Girls Basketball.

Sydney Reilly scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Halie Scouten scored 15 points and 15 rebounds. Lydia Ross scored 10 points. Kennedy Augello scored six and had six assists.

The Lancers evened the team's season record at 10 and 10.

Girls Basketball on Tuesday:

• Notre Dame beat Wheatland-Chili, 66-20. Amelia McCulley scored 26 points, had 10 rebounds and five assists and five steals. Emma Sisson scored 15. Avelin Tomidy scored 14.
• Alexander beat Kendall, 57-17.  Alyssa Kramer scored 19 points and Melanie Pohl scored 11.
• Pavilion beat Perry, 52-35. Karlee Zinkievich scored 27 points. Lauren Kinglsey scored 16 and had eight rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals.

Boys Basketball:

• Byron-Bergen beat Kendall, 63-44. David Brumsted scored 18 points and had eight rebounds. Colin Martin scored 10 points.

Photos by Kristin Smith