Batavia HS

Photos and information submitted by Coach Matt Holman.

SWAIN -- The Batavia Ski Team and Southern Tier Race League began their race season Saturday at Swain Resort with a double race.

Two runs of Giant Slalom in the morning, followed by a single run of slalom in the afternoon.

It was an above-average temperature day for ski racing, spring-like conditions and morning mist turned to sleet and back to rain that making the top layer of snow soft and lumpy like mashed potatoes and also exposed the hard-packed ice base in spots of Wheels Run at Swain.

The Batavia Alpine Ski Team had a successful day, senior Aubrey Towner had the best finish of her career and led the way in fourth place in the giant slalom, and sixth in slalom. Junior Lily Whiting came in ninth in giant slalom and 13th in the slolam. Junior Zack Wagner finished in 11th in giant slalom and 12th in the slalom on the boys' side.

Modified skiers Lily Wagner (11th/13th), Ethan Bradley (12th/12th), Ben Stone (16th/18th), Elijah Abdella (18th/15th), Brody Swinehart (23rd/20th) and Abby Bestine (24th/23rd) all had strong first races.

The ski team will next compete at Swain on Wednesday, in a two-run Giant Slalom race at 5:30 p.m.

Team photo: Aubrey Towner, Lily Wagner, Lily Whiting, Elijah Abdella, Abby Bestine, Zack Wagner, Ben Stone, Ethan Bradley, and Brody Swinehart.

Zack Wagner

Aubrey Towner

Twenty four-quarter points helped lift Batavia over Greece Athena for a 64-53 win Wednesday night.

Zach Gilebarto scored 21 points, Cam White, 16, Stone Siverling, 14, and Caeden White, 8.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

To view or purchase prints, click here.

Batavia couldn't quite close the gap at the end Friday night in their home opener against Honeoye Falls-Lima, falling 59-57.

Zach Bilebarto had a big game for the Blue Devils, scoring 25 points while hitting seven three-point shots. Caden White hit three three-pointers and finished with 13 points. Camden White scored 10 points and had eight rebounds.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

To view or purchase prints, click here.

Katie Moore, a standout with Batavia High School's soccer team, signed a Division I scholarship offer this week with Jacksonville University in Florida.

Photo: Steve Moore, Katie Moore, Melissa Moore, William Buckenmeyer, Roger Hume, and Chris Chilano.

Submitted photo.

Batavia High School's Production Club this weekend presents "Shrek: The Musical."

Tickets are $10 at the door and $8 for students and seniors. They're available in advance for $9 through showtix4u.com.

Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Tim Martin, born and raised in Batavia and a 2014 graduate of Batavia High School, is now in the Marine Corps and a tool he invented to assist in maintenance on the brakes of MV-22 Ospreys is getting the attention of even some of the highest-ranking generals in the Corps, thanks to its ability to reduce maintenance time and save money.

Martin's tool is now patent-pending and being deployed throughout the Corps for use on Ospreys, a type of multi-use aircraft that can take off and land both vertically (like a helicopter) and then fly like a fixed-wing plane.

After graduation from BHS, where he took several advanced-placement classes, Martin started college in an engineering program but decided he didn't like college life much so he joined the Marine Corps. He's now an aviation mechanic. 

In his email to us, Martin said, "I have loved my time in the Corps since the day I joined, and wish for everyone to seek out what they are truly called to do. I never thought in my life that I would drop out of college as an engineering student and go on to be patent-pending on a tool I invented a few years later. The opportunities in life are endless. Once you find your calling everything else falls into place."

It's Make a Difference Day for Batavia High School seniors with students and teachers taking on several community projects, including cleanup at the Peace Garden despite the rain.

Top photo: Leah Wroten. Second photo, Wroten along with Carolena Williams, Gabrielle Lawrence, Andrea Kraus, Katie Metzler and Ethan DiLaura.

At the Batavia Agri-Business Child Development Center on Brooklyn Avenue, Ron Williams, Alesia Schmidt and Sherry Crumity.

Marcello Harris, Jacob Bondaruk and Joshua Wasiulewski clean toys at the Batavia Agri-Business Child Development Center.

Jacob Crimes cleaning a display case at the Holland Land Office Museum.

Charlie Burton and Ayden Dowd-Devay paint a door at HLOM, while in the background Eddie Goodenough vacuums. 

Van Detta Stadium was filled with soccer players and soccer fans on Saturday for "Super Soccer Saturday" with five soccer games on the pitch, including an alumni soccer game in the afternoon (top photo).

Games: 

• JV boys (Batavia beat Pembroke 4-2)
• JV girls (Batavia beat Greece-Odyssey 2-0)
• Batavia Alumni (Members from 1991-2019 played. Evens beat odds 4-1)
• Varsity Girls Sr. Recognition Game (Batavia beat Greece-Odyssey 4-0. Piper Harloff scored one goal and Katie Moore scored three).
• Varsity Boys Sr. Recognition Game (Batavia beat Pembroke 3-0)

Photos and info submitted by Carolyn Della Penna.

Batavia senior girls: Syd Della Penna, Maddie Taggart, Erica Flint, Azalea Wierda, Katie Moore, Liv Ells, Emily Janes, Bri Gutman.

Occasionally, a Batavia High School student completes their graduation requirements out of cycle with the rest of their class and receives their diploma at a Board of Education meeting. That was the case Tuesday night for Hezekia N. Burch.

The Blue Devils soccer team has historically faired poorly on artificial turf but Monday, they got a chance to start a new tradition -- one that is now necessary -- by winning their first home game in the new Van Detta Stadium.

Batavia beat Dansville 3-2 behind three goals by Garrick Havens. Two were on penalty kicks and the third was assisted by Andres Mateos.

Batavia took 16 shots on net and Dansville, 14.

Unique to the current roster are three pairs of brothers, all starters.

Watch the video to find out more and click this link to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Batavia High School held its annual Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday night at Batavia Downs.

Inducted were:

• Elizabeth Varland, 2002, Soccer, Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field
• Ryan Gugel, 2005, Football, Wrestling, Ice Hockey, Baseball
• Stephanie Conway, 2003, Cross-country, Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field
• Amanda Page, 2006, Soccer, Basketball, Softball
• Sumiyya Hunter Roff, 2004, Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field
• Jennifer Gurrant, 2005, Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field
• Phillip Santiago, 2003, Basketball

The Blue Devils appear to have found their own four horsemen of destruction, capable of shredding defenses and leaving despair in their wake.

Cody Burns, Terez Smith, Alex Rood and Jesse Reinhart are establishing themselves, since Head Coach Brennan Briggs realigned the backfield before last week's game, as a dominant offensive force.

Last night Burns gained 118 yards on nine carries and scored a TD. Smith ran for 99 yards on 21 carries. Rood rushed 14 times for 95 yards and two TDs. While Reinhart was 7 for 16 passing for 113 yards and a TD.

Batavia beat Bishop Kearney 33-18.

Daemon Konieczny caught two passes for 58 yards. Bannon Moore had one 30-yard TD reception.

On defense, Isaiah Hill had nine tackles and Rood had eight. Max Rapone snagged two interceptions and returned one 90 yards on the last play of the game, getting caught from behind two yards from the goal line. Reinhart had five tackles and an interception.

In other Friday night football: 

• Notre Dame beat Lyons 51-6. Jed Reese went into the game needing to gain 205 yards to top 1,000 rushing yards on the season. He gained 210. He ran 16 times and scored four touchdowns. All but 19 of the yards were gained in the first half. The game was played with a running clock in the second half. Gabe Macdonald was 3-5 passing for 41 yards and a TD. He rushed six times for 52 yards an two TDs, all in the first half. Jayson Reinhart had two catches for 25 yards and a TD. Mason Randall and Reinhart had three sacks each. Randall made five tackles. Max Hutchins had eight tackles and Collin McWilliams had seven tackles and a sack.
• Le Roy beat Mynderse/South Seneca 58-13. Separate coverage coming.
• In eight-man football, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba 14, Pembroke 0.
• Alexander plays at Red Jacket this afternoon.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

Top photo: Bannon Moore, who caught a key pass from a double QB move from Rood to Reinhart with seconds left before halftime to give the Devils the lead.

To view and purchase prints, click here.

Reinhart intercepts the ball during the first half.

Alex Rood scores from the ground.

Blue Devils defense stopping senior Nathan Carter from scoring.

Maximus Rapone incercepts the ball.

Cody Burns on the run for a touchdown.

First the Blue Devils lost Josh Barber then they suffered a lopsided upset at Honeoye Falls-Lima the next week, but last night they bounced back for a convincing 44-7 win at home against Geneva.

"Last week, obviously, it was our first game without Josh Barber," said Head Coach Brennan Briggs. "You know it's kind of the shell shock a little bit. We didn't have that MIC linebacker-guard in there. And you know that's a tough toll for a high school kid to deal with. I think it was still we were a little bit shell shocked.

"They punched us to the mouth last Friday and we didn't respond but I think we found ourselves this week. We got some pieces in place, moved some guys up, and everybody played for the name on the front the jersey tonight and they were willing to sacrifice whatever it took to win for the name on the front of the jersey and I'm just proud of these guys."

Terez Smith was the offensive star of the night going for 276 yards on 22 carries. He scored three touchdowns. Cody Burns added two touchdowns on 16 carries for 126 yards.

Jesse Reinhart took over at quarterback, with Alex Rood moving to fullback, and was four of seven passing for 72 yards and a touchdown.

Rood caught three passes for 66 yards and a TD. He also had 29 yards on five carries.

On defense, Burns had seven tackles. Matt Beach and Cam White each had four tackles and Beach also forced a fumble and had a fumble recovery.

Near the end of the game, Kam Culver took over at running back and had four carries for 40 yards.

In other Friday night action:

Notre Dame beat Clyde-Savannah 34-12. Gabe Macdonald rushed for 231 yards on 16 carries and he scored twice. He had 25 reception yards and on defense had an interception and six tackles. Jed Reese carried the ball 20 times for 157 yards and two TDs. He had six tackles. Mark Sanders had an interception and a 25-yard kick return for a TD. Dakota Sica led ND with; 13 tackles; Mason Randall had eight tackles and a sack.

Alexander 24 beat York/Pavilion 0.

Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen won 47-0 over Mynderse/South Seneca. Bryce Yockel had 160 yards on 14 carries and scored on the ground three times. Joey Laursen was 11 of 23 passing and connected on two TD receptions. Adam O’Donoghue had a 66-yard pick-six.

Le Roy's game against Avon was moved to Saturday night.

In eight-man football, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba  beat Frewsburg 66-14.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

A big night, a big crowd, a big win but the Batavia Blue Devils also suffered a big loss in the second quarter when Joshua Barber went down with an ankle injury.

The senior 230-pound lineman and linebacker is likely out for the rest of the regular season, at a minimum. 

"When you lose a player of that caliber, with that leadership, with that physical presence, it's a shot at the heart of the team," Head Coach Brennan Briggs said after the game.

He praised his team for the way they pulled together and fought through adversity after Barber was helped off the field with his leg in a splint. 

Batavia, Section V's #1 ranked team, beat the #2 team, and always a tough opponent, Livonia, 19-6.

"We know they're always going to be tough," Briggs said. "I'm proud of our guys. Our defense played great, and our offense, you know, obviously we didn't put up 50 points like everyone always expects, but at the end of the day, these are the games that you want to be in to test the character of your team."

Alex Rood at QB, Terrez Smith and Cody Burns in the backfield, carried the team offensively.

Rood had 90 yards on 17 carries and scored a touchdown. Smith scored on a four-yard run and Burns on a breakaway 56 dash to the end zone.

It was Batavia's first came on their new artificial turf field in the new Daniel A. Van Detta Stadium, which was dedicated before the game with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by about two dozen of Van Detta's relatives.

"t's great," Briggs said. "I'm happy for the kids. I'm really happy for the community. I think that I didn't even really turn around and look at the crowd but I'm assuming it was a pretty good crowd up there. I'm just happy for everybody, honestly.

"You know everybody's been driving by, waiting for the opening of this and these guys had a lot of pressure on them just because of the amount of people here and the media and everything and they handled it well.

"For these young high school kids to come out here and play a gritty game and come out with a win, especially without one of their big-time leaders, it's a testament to their character."

Photos by Jim Burns.

NOTE: We'll have a video posted later today about the game and the opening of the new stadium.

The new Daniel A. Van Detta Stadium officially opens tonight with a game between Batavia and Livonia at 7 o'clock.

There will be a ribbon cutting at 6:30 p.m. and the public is invited.

Young football players from throughout the county -- 48 total -- participated Monday in a youth camp conducted by Batavia HS Head Coach Brennan Briggs.

Submitted photo.

The Batavia Blue Devils beat Geneva 9-0 behind an Alex Hale one-hitter at Wayland-Cohocton today to win the school's first sectional title in baseball since 1998.

Submitted photo.

The stands are up, the turf is in and it looks like the Batavia Blue Devils will indeed have a new stadium in time for fall football as workers tighten bolts and sew up seams in coming days before the oval track around the field is installed.

The new stadium, replacing the 70-year-old Van Detta Stadium, is part of a $27 million district-wide capital improvement project approved by voters two years ago that includes upgrades at all three school sites.

Several student-athletes at Batavia High School signed letters of intent with area colleges and universities on Wednesday, including Sam Sallome, above, who signed with Tompkins-Cortland Community College to play baseball.

Sallome is joined by Jaime Sallome, Emma Sallome, Sam Sallome Sr., Coach Rick Saunders, and Asst. Coach James Patric.

Taiyo Iburi-Bethel signed with the University at Buffalo to play football.  Iburi-Bethel is joined by Mekhi Fortes (brother), Kinu Fortes (mother), Edwin Bethel (father), Lila Forte (sister), Darazian Williams (brother), Coach Brennen Briggs, Brenda Iburi (grandmother), Terri Ernst (grandmother), Shin Iburi (uncle), and Akari Iburi (aunt).

Joe Martinucci signed with St. John Fischer to play football. He is joined by Aimee Martinucci, Joseph Martinucci, Michelle Martinucci, and Coach Brennan Briggs.

Ryann Stefaniak signed with Nazareth to play basketball. She is joined by Anne Stefaniak, Rich Stefaniak, and Coach Marty Hein.

John Bruggman signed with Daemen to run cross-country and track. He is joined by Courtney Bruggman, Michael Bruggman, and coaches Dan Geiger, Rich Boyce, and Bill Buckenmeyer.

Elizabeth Cohen signed with Geneseo to run cross-country and track. She is joined by Coach Dan Geiger, Jeanne Cohen, Coach Bill Buckenmeyer, and Coach Rich Boyce.

Zak Jantzi signed with Roberts Wesleyan to run cross-country and track. He is joined by Coach Dan Geiger, Todd Jantzi, Coach Bill Buckenmeyer, and Coach Rich Boyce.

Ray Leach, the Blue Devils star running back who set several state records on his way to leading the Batavia to a state championship appearance, did not attend Wednesday's signing ceremony. He is expected to attend SUNY Cortland.