Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish advanced to the finals of the Class D sections on Friday with a 52-6 win over Bolivar-Richburg at Cal-Mum.

Jed Reese set a new single-season school record for yards rushed at 1,723 with 232 yards on 21 attempts. He scored three touchdowns.

QB Gabe Macdonald rushed for 37 yards on nine carries and scored a TD while passing for 52 yards and a TD. He was 6-10 and had two 2-point conversions.

Mark Sanders rushed for 96 yards on two carries and scored a TD. He had four receptions for 46 yards and a TD.

Cody Henry carried the ball nine times for 72 yards and a TD.

On defense, Henry had 10 tackles and a pass deflection. Macdonald had eight tackles. Reese and Connor McWilliams had five tackles each, one sack. Mason Randall had six tackles and a sack.

In all, Notre Dame notched five sacks and held B-R to 74 total yards.

Next, Alexander at Brockport for the Class D championship.

 

In the battle of unbeaten Class D teams, Notre Dame beat Alexander on Friday night 40-0. This means the Fighting Irish will go into the postseason as the #1 seed in Class D and Alexander will be ranked #2.

Notre Dame's QB Gab Macdonald was 7-10 passing for 213 yards and a TD. He rushed 11 times for 49 yards and a TD. Jeb Reese carried the ball 20 times for 118 yards and a TD. Tony Zambito had two receptions for 93 yards.

For Alexander, Dylan Busch and Josh DeVries had solid games but the Trojans couldn't sustain a drive. Busch was 11 for 21 passing for 121 yards. Devries had five receptions for 87 yards. Ty Woods led the Trojans with 11 tackles.

Also on Friday:

• Batavia beat Newark 38-15 to finish the regular season at 5-2.
• Le Roy beat Wayland-Cohocton 43-12 to finish the regular season 7-0. The Knights are the #1 seed in Class C. Kyler LaCarte rushed for 109 yards and scored a TD while passing for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

Before Friday's game in Alexander, players Nathan Luker and Evan Whitmore did a fine job singing the National Anthem. Video below.

("JUUL gets our goat, too!" says Dot.)

Submitted photo and press release:

As part of Truth Initiative’s National Day of Action, Reality Check high school champions from Warsaw in Wyoming County and Notre Dame in Batavia took action on Friday, Oct. 11, with a Safari tour and rally at Hidden Valley Safari Adventure in Varysburg titled “Animals Against Human Testing.” 

Just as humans speak out when companies test their products on animals, the Reality Check students "interviewed zebras, deer, geese – and even a camel named Randy – to get their support." To a critter, they all came out in favor of telling JUUL that their pod-based vaping devices and flavor pods present unknown health risks and are not safe for testing on humans. 

While mingling with their friends from another species, the teens also promoted “This Is Quitting,” the first-of-its-kind text-to-quit-vaping service that gives youth and young adults the motivation and support they need to ditch JUUL and other e-cigarettes.

The Safari continued on social media, as Warsaw and Notre Dame youth took selfies and videos with their new animal friends and posted them on social media using Truth Instagram stickers and the hashtag #DontTestOnHumans.

As cases of lung disease and death resulting from the vaping epidemic continue to sweep across the nation, including the recent death of a 17-year-old male in Bronx – the state’s first vaping-related fatality -- Reality Check youth and their adult leaders wanted more than ever to take a stand against JUUL and vaping.

“Truth Initiative has a long history of calling out Big Tobacco for its deadly exploits, and Tested on Humans is the latest example which exposes just how little is known about the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes,” said Brittany Bozzer, Reality Check Youth Engagement coordinator of Tobacco-Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties (TF-GOW).

“We join them in delivering a clear message to JUUL and the entire tobacco industry: the safety and well-being of our region’s youth is not for sale.”

About Truth Initiative                                                                    

Truth Initiative is America’s largest nonprofit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of the past. Their mission is clear: achieve a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco.

About Reality Check

Reality Check empowers youth to become leaders in their communities in exposing what they see as the manipulative and deceptive marketing tactics of the tobacco industry. The organization’s members produce change in their communities through grassroots mobilization and education.

Efforts are evidence-based, policy-driven, and cost-effective approaches that decrease youth tobacco use, motivate adult smokers to quit, and eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke. Reality Check in this area is affiliated with Tobacco-Free GOW and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

 

Notre Dame went on a romp Saturday afternoon against Canisteo-Greenwood gaining 526 rushing yards and scoring seven touchdowns to remain undefeated on the season with a 49-6 win over the Redskins.

Jed Reese scored three of the TDs on 12 carries for 237 yards. Gabe Macdonald rushed for two TDs. He carried the ball seven times for 149 yards. Alex Totten and Dylan Warner each had second-half touchdowns, with Totten gaining 80 yards on seven carries and Warner picking up 39 yards on four carries.

Canisteo managed only 178 total yards, 87 on the ground and 91 passing.

Dakota Sica led the defense with 12 tackles. Macdonald had 10 and Reese had eight. Reese also intercepted a pass in the end zone to thwart a Redskins' drive.

Do you know who else is undefeated in Section V Class D? The Alexander Trojans.

The Trojans also had a big win this weekend, beating Cuba 56-7, setting up a big end-of-the-season showdown Friday night under the lights at Alexander High School. The two teams will be battling to become the number one seed in sectionals for Class D.

On Friday, the Trojans jumped to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and kept the ball rolling in the second quarter to go into the half up 42-7.

Dylan Busch was 15 for 20 passing for 287 yards and four touchdowns. He threw one interception. Kam Lyons caught six of those passes for 95 yards. Josh DeVries had two for 69, Ty Woods, three catches for 53 yards, and Connor Hollands had a big night at tight end, filling in for the injured Devin Dean, with two catches for 41 yards.

In the ground attack, Alexander spread the ball around with eight ball carriers picking up a total of 231 yards and scoring four TDs.

Hayden Walton led the team with 10 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Ty Woods had three carries for 45 yards and one TD. Jay Morrison had six carries for 50 yards and one TD. Josh DeVries had two carries for 41 yards.

Defensively, Ethan Heineman had eight tackles. Hayden Walton had six tackles. Ty Woods and Nolan Quackenbush each had fumble recoveries on defense.

The Trojans Sophomore kicker Eric Cline was once again perfect going eight for eight on the PATs.

Also on Saturday, Batavia lost to Greece Arcadia 26-7.

In eight-man football, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba beat Dundee 56-6. Joshua Cramer gained 147 yards on 19 carries and scored one touchdown.

Submitted photos and press release:

Notre Dame High School is proud to announce that its 2019 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction will be held on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Notre Dame High School, located at 73 Union St. in Batavia.

This fall’s program will begin with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by a dinner at 6:30 p.m. The alumni student-athlete, contributor, service awards and 1967-1969 Varsity Wrestling program recognition portion of the program will follow at 7 p.m.

Inductees to be honored will include:

• Richard O’Connor ‘64
• Robert Beyer ‘80 
• Amy Dwyer ‘83
• Christopher Sabato ‘98
• Maureen Del Plato Braunscheidel ‘97
• Jennifer Sutherland Forsyth ‘00
• Members of the 1967, 1968 and 1969 ND Varsity Wrestling Teams
• Edward Dwyer – Contributor Category
• Patty Panepento Daansen, and Dan and Kris Coughlin – Service Recognition

Tickets for this annual event will be $45/person and a table for 10/$400. Tickets will be available through the Notre Dame Advancement Office [585] 343-2783, ext. 106, or visit the Community Tab on the ND website -- www.ndhsbatavia.com

Richard O’Connor ‘64

Hailing from Darien Center, Dick O’Connor was regarded as one of ND’s finest all-around student athletes in the decade of the 1960s. A three-sport athlete, Dick earned a total of eight varsity letters – four as a four-year starter on the Fighting Irish varsity football team and two each as a key two-year member of both his Fighting Irish varsity wrestling and track and field teams.

As a member of the varsity football team, Dick earned Bishop Smith League All-Catholic Honorable Mention recognition as a halfback in 1962 and as a fullback in 1963. He had a reputation for being a hard-nosed competitor who played every down like it was his last, a reputation he handed down to his three eventual ND Hall of Fame brothers Dave ’67 [HOF 2017], Dan ’69 [HOF 2016] and Dennis ’72 [HOF 1996].

Dick’s senior season was unfortunately cut short by a season-ending knee injury incurred in the 1963-64 opener at Cardinal O’Hara in Tonawanda. Despite not being able to finish the season, Dick’s support of his teammates never wavered as he continued to offer encouragement and leadership on the sidelines until season’s end.

Dick’s passion for always giving it his all on the gridiron carried over to his two varsity seasons as a member of the Fighting Irish wrestling and track and field teams. Wrestling in the heavyweight class, Dick went undefeated in dual meets during his junior season.

He nearly replicated this feat as a senior coming up short in his last match of the year versus an unlimited weight class opponent from St. Mary’s of Lancaster. Revenge would be his as he would rise to the occasion and defeat this same opponent two weeks later in the first New York State Cathoic High School Wrestling Championships held in Rochester, thus becoming ND’s first ever New York State Catholic High School wrestling champion!

As a member of the Fighting Irish track and field team, Dick went undefeated in Bishop Smith League competition in both the shot put and discus during his junior and senior years. He finished second in shot put during his senior year in the All-Catholic meet, which featured all teams from both the Bishop Smith and Bishop Burke Leagues in competition.

In recognition for his outstanding senior year athletic accomplishments, he was recognized by the Batavia Lions Club with their prestigious Bill Cook Award designating him as the top student-athlete at Notre Dame High School.

Dick is the recipient of an AAS degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing from Erie County Technical Institute in 1970 and a Doctor of Optometry [OD] degree from Southern College of Optometry in 1975. He began his Optometry career in New Orleans, working in an inner city health clinic and private office specializing in vision therapy in 1975.

He has worked in the optometry field in Western New York since 1977 and currently heads up Vision Development of WNY in Elma, providing behavioral optometry/vision therapy while specializing in children with learning problems and adults with traumatic brain injuries.

Dick’s 2019 induction marks the first time that four brothers are now charter members of the ND Athletic Hall of Fame! Dick and his wife, Debbie, currently reside in East Aurora.

Robert Beyer ‘80

A native of Le Roy, Bob Beyer entered ND at the beginning of his junior year and would proceed to produce eye-popping performances during both his junior and senior years as a member of Fighting Irish football, basketball and baseball teams.

As a member of ND’s varsity football program, Bob was a key member of two Genesee Region [GR] Championship teams [1978, 1979] as well as the 1978 Section V NYSPHSAA Class D Championship team. He earned GR All-Star status and Democrat and Chronicle All Greater Rochester Honorable Mention recognition during both his junior and senior years of competition, while playing a key role in leading ND to a two-year overall record of 15 – 3.

On the hard court, Bob also earned Genesee Region [GR] All-Star recognition during both his junior and senior years while leading the Irish hoopsters to an overall two-year record of 37 – 6 and two Genesee Region [GR] boys basketball titles [1979, 1980). He was recognized as a member of the Medina Mustangs Christmas All-Tournament tournament as well as the ND varsity boys basketball team MVP during his senior season at ND.

On the diamond, Bob was a key member of two Genesee Region [GR] Championship baseball teams, as well as two NYSPHSAA Section V Class D Championship teams during his junior and senior years. He helped propel ND’s varsity baseball to a two-year overall record of 38 – 2.

He was the recipient of the Batavia Lions Club prestigious Bill Cook Award during the conclusion of his senior year. The Bill Cook Award is presented annually to the most outstanding student-athlete at both Notre Dame High School and Batavia High School by the local chapter of the Lions Club.

Bob graduated with honors from both Notre Dame and Alfred University and earned his master's degree at the University of Albany. He played collegiately as a star member of the Alfred University Saxon basketball program until a knee injury suffered in his senior year ended his actual playing career.

Staying close to the hardwood, he has continued his love of basketball by pursuing a very successful coaching career courtside at both the college and professional levels for the past 35 years.

His 20-year collegiate coaching résumé has included men’s basketball stints at Albany, Siena [as both an assistant and head men’s basketball coach], Wisconsin, Northwestern, Texas Tech and Dayton. His 15-year NBA coaching career has included assistant coaching positions in Toronto, Orlando, Charlotte, Golden State, Detroit and Oklahoma City prior to his current role as assistant in the Sacramento Kings organization.

He currently resides in Sacramento, Calif., and serves as an assistant coach for the NBA Sacramento Kings.

Amy Dwyer ‘83

A Batavia resident, Amy Dwyer will go down in the annals of Notre Dame High School Lady Irish athletics as one of the most all around talented student-athletes to have ever played at 73 Union Street!

Amy was a four-sport [soccer, volleyball, basketball and softball] varsity level participant throughout her high school career and earned a total of 16 varsity letters in the process! She also had the distinction of captaining each of her athletic teams during her senior year.

As a volleyball team member, she played a key role in helping ND Coach Rhonda DiCasolo’s volleyball program earn back-to-back Section V NYSPHSAA Class D Championships [1981, 1982] while also compiling a perfect 17-0 record during her senior [1982] season. Amy was also named ND’s Outstanding Defensive volleyball team member as a senior. ND’s overall record from her sophomore year on was an eye-popping 41 – 3!

She also earned honors as both her varsity basketball and varsity softball team’s MVP as a senior [1983] in addition to being named ND’s women’s basketball team Outstanding Offensive Player during the same season. She also earned the distinction of being the leading goal scorer during her senior ND soccer season.

Amy’s stellar senior season for the Blue and Gold resulted in her receiving the prestigious Father David J. Scheider Sports Loyalty Award, the Dave Darron Courage Award and the coveted 1983 ND Female Athlete-of-the-Year Award.

Upon graduation from ND in 1983, Amy entered Nazareth College of Rochester where she continued her love of competing by playing collegiate volleyball at the Division III level prior to earning her B.A. degree in Sociology in 1987.

A Pittsford resident, Amy is currently in her 14^thyear with Rochester-based Wegmans Food Pharmacy where she received has received ongoing recognition for outstanding sales, as well as serving as an active member of Wegmans Food Safety Team.

Christopher Sabato ‘97

A career 16-varsity letter recipient, Corfu resident Chris Sabato will go down in the annals of ND athletics as a stellar three-sport [football, wrestling and track and field] student-athlete. A mainstay and key member on each Fighting Irish varsity level team he was a member of, he received the ultimate recognition of 1998 ND Male Athlete-of-the-Year.

Chris earned four varsity letters as a member of the Coach Bill Sutherland’s ND football program and received Genesee Region [GR] first team All-Star recognition in both his junior and senior years. He served as team captain during his senior year, rushing for 1000+ yards and setting the ND single game rushing record [256 yards] versus the Livingston County league York Golden Knights on Sept. 27, 1997.

He began his varsity wrestling career as a seventh-grader at St. Joseph’s Elementary in Batavia en route to earning six varsity letters as a stalwart member of the Fighting Irish varsity wrestling team. Chris was a three-time Genesee Region [GR] champion [1994, 1997, 1998], a two-time Section V NYSPHSAA Class D champion at 140 lbs. [1997, 1998] and a one-time Section V NYSPHSAA Class D 112 lb. second-place finisher [1994].

Chris captained the ND wrestling team as a senior and still holds school records for career [134] and single season [32] wins as well as career pins.

He also began his star-studded track and field career as a St. Joseph’s seventh-grader and earned four Genesee Region [GR] All-Star team recognitions [1995 – 1998] by the time he graduated.

He was a member of ND’s 1995 Genesee Region [GR] Championship team, as well as winning the 400m run and helping the 1600m relay team set a new GR league record [3:38]. He was also a key member of this same 1600m relay team which captured the 1995 Section V NYSPHSAA Class D title.

Chris earned Genesee Region [GR] recognition for winning individual titles in the 100m, 200m, long jump and pole vault in both his junior and senior years, as well as a seventh-place finish in the 1998 NYSPHSAA Class C/D state meet in the 100 meter dash. In addition to being a member of ND’s school-record-setting 1600m relay team, Chris also finished his solid track and field career as ND’s 220m [22.7] school record holder!

Chris attended Alfred University after graduating from ND where he earned a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering [2002]. He continued to pursue his love of track and field at Alfred where he was a three-time All-Conference NYSCTC [New York State Collegiate Track Conference] pole vault champion.

He served as a collegiate track and field coach working with sprinters and jumpers for 11 years [two at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., and the other nine at Willamette University in Salem, Ore.] He has been at Willamette University for the past 15 years where he currently serves as assistant athletic director for Media. In this position, he is responsible for digital and creative content for the Willamette University Athletics Department including brand management and broadcast services.

Chris and his wife, Megan, are the proud parents of their 6-year-old daughter, Lucy, and currently reside in South Salem, Ore.

Maureen Del Plato Braunscheidel ‘97

Maureen Del Plato Braunscheidel was a solid four-year, three-sport student-athlete who captained her volleyball, basketball and softball varsity-level teams as a senior, the same year she was also honored as ND’s Female Athlete-of-the-Year [1997].

She was a two-time Genesee Region [GR] volleyball All-Star [1995, 1996] and senior year [1997] Coach’s Award recipient who helped lead coach Rhonda DiCasolo’s Lady Irish team to an 41-3 overall record, a Section V Class D semifinal appearance during her junior season [1995] and a Section V Class D final appearance [1996] during her senior year. Maureen capped off her successful volleyball career by being selected to the 1996 Section V Class D NYSPHSAA All-Tournament team.

A key contributor on ND’s first ever Section V Class D NYSPHSAA Sectional basketball title in 1997, Maureen captained her team as a senior and was a two-time Genesee Region [GR] All-Star [1996, 1997] playing for Coach Bill Wade. She was also named to the Section V Class D NYSPHSAA 1997 Sectional All-Star team. She finished her hoop career as 25^thall-time on the ND girls basketball scoring list.

Maureen earned Genesee Region [GR] All-Star recognition and the ND Coach’s award as a member of her Lady Irish softball team during her senior [1997] year. She finished her softball career as the leader in career triples.

The President of the ND class of 1998 and a NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete academic award recipient throughout her ND playing days, Maureen earned a bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education from Canisius College of Buffalo in 2001 and a master's in Exceptional Education from SUNY Buffalo State in 2006. She returned to Canisius to earn a building and district level certificates in Educational Administration in 2009.

She has served as a teacher [2001-2008] and Assistant Principal [2008-2013] in the Amherst Central School District, as well as the Principal of Douglas J. Regan Intermediate School in the Starpoint Central School District [2013-2016]. Maureen presently serves as the assistant superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology in the Starpoint school system, a position she has held since 2016.

While in Amherst, Maureen also served as the Middle School Modified Girls soccer coach [2002 – 2006] as well as the Amherst JV Girls basketball coach [2004 – 2007]. She is the founder of EdCampWNY, an annual educational professional development opportunity conference which is currently heading into its third year this month!

She currently resides in Williamsville, New York and is the proud parent of daughters Molly [10] and Megan [7]!

Jennifer Sutherland Forsyth ‘00

Jen Sutherland Forsyth left her mark in the annals of ND women’s sports lore as a stalwart member of Lady Irish volleyball, swimming and track and field teams in the latter half of the 1990s.

Jen was a key four-year member of Coach Rhonda DiCasolo’s varsity teams in the decade of the 1990s, which compiled a 66-10 win-loss four-year record between 1996-1999. She was a member of three Genesee Region [GR] Championships teams [1996, 1998, 1999] and received Genesee Region [GR] All-Star recognition as well as Section V Class D NYSPHSAA All-Tournament team recognition on two occasions [1998, 1999]. Her junior and senior year all-star performances were instrumental in qualifying ND for consecutive [1998, 1999] Section V Class D Sectional volleyball final appearances.

As a senior, Jen received the Coach’s Award, was named team MVP and also received coveted All-State volleyball recognition when named a 3d team All-State selection.

As a four-year member of the varsity swim team, she was a four-time Genesee region [GR] All-Star and earned the 1997 Most Improved Award as well as the 2000 team MVP award for helping to lead her Lady Irish swim team to the 2000 Genesee Region League title. As a junior and as a senior, she was undefeated in the 200m and 400m freestyle relay which, incidentally, set a school record during the 1999-2000 season. She finished her outstanding swim career as a member of seven of ND's top 10 record-holder lists.

Jen earned Genesee Region [GR] league track and field All-Star recognition as a junior and as a senior. She was a member of ND’s GR Champion 1600m relay team during her senior year [2000] when she also received the ND Coach’s Award.

Jen closed out her award winning career at ND by being named ND’s Female Athlete-of-the-Year in 2000.

Jen attended Alfred State College upon graduation from ND in 2000 and earned an associate degree in Liberal Arts and Social Sciences [2000-2002]. While at Alfred State, she captained the Women Pioneers collegiate volleyball team for two years and was named MVP in 2001. She also ran track for one season and medaled in the NJCA [National Junior College Association] 4x800m relay event.

She attended West Virginia University after receiving her Alfred State degree and graduated in 2004 with a B.S. Degree in Sociology. While a student at West Virginia, she was a member of the Mountaineer Womens’ Crew team and was awarded the Most Improved Crew team award in 2003 and a prestigious Division I Big East Scholarship.

Jen currently works at the Arc of Genesee Orleans in Batavia as a Quality Assurance Assistant/Investigator, as well as the co-facilitator of the “Friends for the Future” Self-Advocacy Group.

Jen and her husband Kevin [ND ’98] currently reside in Basom and are the proud parents of daughter Nora [1]. They are also currently awaiting the birth of their son Patrick in 2020!

Jen now joins her dad Bill ’67 [ND HOF ‘95] -- legendary Fighting Irish Football and Baseball Coach, Social Studies teacher and Administrator– as the first father-daughter ND Hall of Fame inductees in school history!

Team Recognition: ND Varsity Wrestling Program 1967, 1968, 1969

Coached by the legendary Ed Sullivan, Fighting Irish Wrestling teams from 1967 – 1969 combined for the best three year span dual meet record [37 – 5] in school history, which included three consecutive Bishop Smith League Championships and two overall All-Catholic Tournament Championships! A breakdown of team accomplishments includes:

1967 – Overall dual meet record [13 – 2], second place in the Medina Mustang Tournament, Co-Bishop Smith League Champions with St. Mary’s of Lancaster and the first All-Catholic Tournament Championship in school history! Six team members earned individual All-Catholic recognition: brothers Mike and Tony Cinquino; brothers Dave [captain] and Dan O’Connor; Bill Johnson and Tony Peca.

1968 – Overall dual meet record [11 – 2], third place at the NYS Catholic High School Wrestling State Championship Tournament held at Cardinal Mooney High School in Rochester, second consecutive year as both the Bishop Smith League Champions and overall All-Catholic Champions. Tony Cinquino and Dan O’Connor earned individual All-Catholic title recognition.

1969 – Overall dual meet record [13 – 1], third consecutive year as Bishop Smith League Championship and overall All-Catholic Tournament Champions. Four team members earned individual All Catholic recognition including Tony Cinquino [school record 61 consecutive dual meet wins], Dan O’Connor [captain], Don Kelly and Bruce Briggs. Cinquino’s and O’Connor’s individual championships were their third in consecutive years.

A collective roster of Varsity Wrestling team members from 1967 - 1969 being honored includes [in alphabetical order]:

Bob Balbick, Bruce Briggs, Mike Carragher, Joe Chiminio, Tony Cinquino, Mike Cinquino, Sal Cintorino, Bob Cline, Dave Dudek, Bill Fava, Tony Forti, Bill Geer, David Jamalkowski, Bill Johnson, Don Kelly, Ron Kelly, Don Linsey Jr., Tim Lippold, Charles Mullen, Tom Murray, Dan O'Connor, Dave O'Connor, Tony Peca, John Sorensen, Ricco Tepedino, and John Yanik [Mgr.]

Contributor – Edward Dwyer

Edward Dwyer, affectionately known in Batavia and throughout the New York-Penn professional baseball league as “Mr. Baseball,” was truly a civic-minded businessman who was widely respected for his leadership and promotion of many community and church organizations such as the Batavia Chamber of Commerce, Batavia Jaycees, St. Joseph’s Church Holy Name Society and the Notre Dame High School Sports Boosters Club.

He was an individual who preferred not to call attention to himself or the countless good deeds he did for others, whether it was serving as the past President of the Genesee County Baseball Club promoting the growth of Batavia’s first professional baseball team -- the Batavia Clippers -- or through his ongoing behind-the-scenes support of Notre Dame High School and the Notre Dame Sports Boosters Club.

A strong supporter of Catholic education in Genesee County, Dwyer generously promoted and supported the existence of Notre Dame High School from its beginnings in 1956 as well as being one of the founding fathers of the ND Sports Booster Club.

He specifically made it a point to support the initial growth of the ND baseball program in its early days by helping to provide the necessary supplies needed to start a program from scratch through his ties to the Batavia Clippers professional baseball organization and Wilson Sporting Goods organization. As previously mentioned, all of his gracious support was rendered without fanfare and without his need to be recognized publicly.

It is, therefore, for his unwavering support of Notre Dame High School and our original Sports Boosters Club from its early years of existence, that the Notre Dame Athletic Hall of Fame is proud to induct Ed Dwyer to the Hall of Fame in the category of Contributor.

Special Service to ND Recognition Award Acknowledgements -- Patty Panepento Daansen, and Dan and Kris Coughlin

Patty Panepento Daansen and Dan and Kris Coughlin are being recognized this year for their longstanding loyalty to and support of the Notre Dame Boys Basketball program.

Patty Panepento Daansen began keeping score for ND JV and Varsity basketball teams in 1983 and, with the exception of one year [2000] when she was living in Austin, Texas, has volunteered to serve in the capacity of official scorekeeper for legendary ND hoop coach Mike Rapone ’71 [HOF 1996] for the past 35 years! During this time period, she has enjoyed being courtside to watch and cheer for her sons Pete ’88, Dave ’89 and Rob ’93 during their ND basketball careers. Being courtside during Coach Rapone’s 1^stNYSPHSAA Class D Championship in Glens Falls on St. Patrick’s Day [1992] in which son Rob played a key role was a memory she’ll never forget.

Currently a Registered Nurse, Patty began her nursing career at UMMC and has worked at Rochester General Hospital for the past 25 years as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Neurology and Critical Care.

Dan and Kris Coughlin’s connection with the Notre Dame Boys Basketball program also began with their sons’ Daniel’s ’97 and Patrick’s ’00 involvement in boys basketball; first as fifth- and sixth-grade members of St. Joseph’s Elementary School level teams, then as members of ND junior high Modified level teams and eventually as ND JV and Varsity team members.

Dan initially served as a youth coach for St. Joe’s Elementary level teams and then moved on to ND to assist Kevin Smith as the ND Modified level coach. He moved to the high school level when Dan was a freshman on the ND JV team at ND [1993] and has been running the score clock for ND boys basketball games ever since for the past 25 years!

Kris also began her dedicated service to the Boys basketball program as the official scorer for St. Joe’s fifth- and -sixth-grade level teams. She also began keeping statistics for the ND boys basketball program during son Dan’s 1993 JV season and, like husband Dan, has been also been doing so for the past 25 years. On occasion she also doubles as scorer table shot clock operator. Of note, Kris never missed a ND boys basketball game, home or away, between 1993 and 2000!

Dan retired from Xerox Corporation Research and Development in 2016. Kris has served as a RN since 1980. She worked at the Genesee County Health Department as a Public Health Nurse for 18 years before moving on to the NYS Health Department where she provides oversight of home care agencies in the 17 WNY and Rochester Region counties.

Press release:

Notre Dame High School is proud to announce that its 2019 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction will be held on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Notre Dame High School.

This fall’s program will begin with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by a dinner at 6:30. The alumni student-athlete, contributor, service awards and 1967-1969 Varsity Wrestling program recognition portion of the program to follow at 7 p.m.

Tickets for this annual event will be $45/person and a table for 10/$400.

Tickets will be available through the Notre Dame Advancement Office [585] 343-2783, ext. 106, or visit the Community Tab on the Notre Dame website.

Notre Dame High School is located at 73 Union St. in the City of Batavia.

Inductees to be honored will include:

• Richard O’Connor -- Class of ‘64
• Robert Beyer -- Class of ‘80 
• Amy Dwyer -- Class of ‘83
• Maureen Del Plato Braunscheidel -- Class of ‘97
• Christopher Sabato -- Class of ‘98
• Jennifer Sutherland Forsyth -- Class of ‘00

Members of the 1967, 1968 and 1969 ND Varsity Wrestling Teams

• Edward Dwyer – Contributor Category
• Dan Coughlin and Kris Coughlin and Patty Panepento Daansen – Service Recognition

The Fighting Irish trounced the Perry Yellow Jackets in Thursday night football action in Perry, 64-3.

Notre Dame picked up 585 total yards on offense, including 512 rushing.

Jed Reese carried the ball 21 times for 250 yards and three touchdowns. He also had five tackles on defense.

Dylan Warner rushed eight times for 103 yards and three TDs.

The defense dominated with seven sacks and two interceptions and held Perry to negative 10 yards of rushing offense.

QB Gabe Mcdonald was 3 for 5 passing for 75 yards and two TDs. He also ran for 95 yards on three carries, scoring twice. He also caught a pass on a two-point conversion.

Cody Henry led the defense with 10 tackles. He also had a pass reception for a touchdown.

Anthony Zambito caught a pass for a 62-yard TD and had three tackles.

With QB 1 Colin McCulley out of action for six weeks after suffering a broken collar bone in a preseason scrimmage, Notre Dame called on Gabe Macdonald on short notice to take over the reins of the team's offense and Macdonald delivered in a 35-16 win at home Saturday over York/Pavilion.

Macdonald, taking snaps for the first time in a regular-season game, was 6 for 7 passing for 153 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for 37 yards on eight carries and scored a two-point conversion.

Jed Reese and Mark Sanders also helped pick up the offense. Reese rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns on 22 attempts. Sanders caught two passes for 127 yards and two TDs and rushed three times for 39 yards and a TD. He also had an interception on defense and eight tackles.

Macdonald had nine tackles and two interceptions on defense.

The Fighting Irish surged to an early 19-0 lead but in the middle of the third quarter, York/Pavilion made some adjustments stopped ND's momentum, making the score a more competitive 19-16 at the half.

Reese also sat out several minutes of game time during this stretch with an injury.

"We came out so high and we have high expectations and they were doing a great job early on," Head Coach Joe Zambito said. "Then Judd got a little nicked up and it hurt us a little bit there for awhile but he came back, and he's a tough kid, and he came back into the game.

"York did a good job. I told their coach they could have quit and hats off to him because they did an awesome job and we just came out and our kids played a good football game in the second half."

The Notre Dame game was the only local game on Saturday.

On Friday:

Alexander beat Lyons 48-14. Hayden Walton had 11 carries for 86 yards and two TDs. Jay Morrison, six carries, 72 yards and a TD. Ty Woods, seven carries, 54 yards, and two TDs plus 25 yards receiving. Dylan Busch 4-for-4 and 127 yards passing, with two TDs. Devin Dean had 10 tackles and two sacks. Nick Kramer, eight tackles, one fumble recovery. Eric Cline 6-for-7 on PATs.

Batavia 42, Wayne 12 (click here for game coverage)

Le Roy 46, Wellsville 14: Andrew Englerth carried the ball for 88 yards on nine rushes and scored at TD. Nate Andrews, seven times on the ground for 75 yards and a TD. Kyler LaCarte, nine carries, 55 yards, and a TD. Alex Panepento, three carries, 34 yards, and a TD. Jake Hill was 5-6 passings for 82 yards and two TDs. Cody Lytle had two receptions for 14 yards and two TDs. Tom Saunders had 10 tackles.

St. Mary's School first grade 1952. Dave Reilly was sick that day and is not included in the photo. His infamous pal Charlie is fourth from the left in Row 2.

I'm sure there has been plenty of research done about memory. Why do some people have better memories than others? How do our memories change as we age? Why do some people have vivid memories of their childhood while others' recollections are scant at best?

Of my elementary school experience at St. Mary's School in Batavia, grades 1-8 from 1952 to 1960, I only seem to recall funny or unusual happenings. What we were taught, projects we did, and most day-to-day classroom experiences elude me.

It's the silly or odd stuff that somehow has remained in my brain all these years. I guess that might be some kind of clue about my personality, but that would be for the experts to figure out.

St. Mary's was still being constructed when I started there, so for first and second grade we were housed in the lower floor of Notre Dame High School next door, which itself had just been built.

I started first grade at the age of 5 and didn't turn 6 until January. My teacher was a nun, a Sister of the Holy Cross, and that was the case seven of my eight years at St. Mary's. I do not remember her name or that of my second-, fourth- or sixth-grade teachers either.

I missed the first week of first grade due to illness. Not only did I not get to know the teacher and kids, I apparently also was left out of a group class photo taken on the steps of the school. We didn't have on uniforms, but we subsequently had to wear them.

A Howdy Doody Lunchbox and Terrifying Teens

For some reason on my first day of first grade (Maybe my mom brought me for my grand entrance later in the morning?), the nun sent me to the lunchroom all by myself.

So, there I was -- probably in a striped shirt with a clip-on bow tie and dark blue corduroy pants carrying my Howdy Doody lunchbox -- surrounded by high school kids. I do recall being intimidated by those huge, adult-like creatures and staring at them with a wide-eyed kind of terror.

I still can't believe the sister sent me alone. Knowing how shy I was I bet my mom had to work some magic to get me back there the next day.

Second grade (inset photo, left) is also a blur except for the time I got sick. I must have had a fever and recall shaking with the chills. Nonetheless, I was too afraid to tell the sister. When it came time to go to lunch, the nun lined us up and off we went down the hall.

I must have sneaked to the end of the line and as the class went one way, I went the other. Out the door I flew and on down the street.

It was probably about a mile from the school on Union Street to our house on Thomas Avenue, but despite being ill I made it. Imagine my mom's surprise (good thing she was home) when I walked in the door. “What in the world...?”, she probably said.

It's fortunate that she wasn't prone to any profanity until her elder years. After I was put to bed she must have called the school and reported my escape. I should have saved that skill for high school when I could have used it more beneficially.

The Lifelong Influence of Miss Marguerite Horgan

For Grade 3 we got to move into our now completed school. This was my only year with a secular teacher and it was my best and favorite one. Our teacher was the kind and gentle Miss Marguerite Horgan. Every day she would read to us and I enjoyed that. I like to think that she was a big influence on my lifelong love of reading.

When I became a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher myself for 33 years I made sure that every day after lunch I would try to choose some good example of children's literature and read an excerpt to my class.

The beginning of fourth grade is kind of foggy, but I think the nun who was supposed to be our teacher became incapacitated and as a result the fourth and fifth grades had to be combined.

Anyone who attended Catholic School in the '50s and '60s remembers that we always had classes numbering more than 40 students. I wish I had a class photo from that year because we must have been bursting at the seams with two classes joined together.

At lunchtime we were allowed to go outside to get some fresh air and play.

Fighting Dirty

That year some kind of construction was still going on and there was a big hill of dirt on the Union Street side of the school. This mound turned into a battleground of “king of the hill” between the fourth- and fifth-grade boys.

After about a week of torn and dirty clothes, bruises, cuts, several fistfights and most likely a bunch of parent phone calls, the principal put us on lockdown. Eventually the dirt hill was removed and we got to see the light of day again.

First and Lasting Impression

My only real memory of fifth grade happened on the first day before class even began. As we were milling about in the hall greeting our friends and looking for our classroom we heard some kind of commotion. Voices were rising, kids were laughing, and the queue of children and parents parted like the Red Sea.

But instead of Moses and the Israelites coming through, it was our classmate named Lenny. He had a wide grin on his face and a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Lenny didn't get too far before one of the nuns swooped in like a giant hawk and grabbed the cigarette in one hand and the collar of Lenny's shirt in the other. Away he went never to smoke up the halls of St. Mary's again. It was off to public school for him.

I was a student for 17 years and a teacher for 33 and absolutely no one ever made a more memorable entrance than Lenny.

Sixth grade must have been the year of boredom. One thing we had to do was memorize the Catholic catechism. The nun put a "Jeopardy!" like spin on this activity though by giving us the answer and we had to respond with the question.

A Pencil to Pass Time

To make the long day go by faster, I came up with a game to play. Did you realize that a pencil has six sides? Well, I made mine into a rolling die (as in the plural dice).

On a piece of paper I made a horseracing track divided into lanes of equal length. I would assign a famous horse (Citation, Whirlaway, Swaps) to a numbered lane and then roll the pencil to advance one to six spaces. I don't recall getting caught, but my mother had to have me tutored in math that year, so I guess one to six was my limit mathematically.

Grade seven (inset photo, left, doing homework) went pretty well for most of the year. Sister Mary Lourdes was young and seemed to convey a more relaxed and understanding atmosphere than my previous nun teachers. I really liked her and I think I started to actually enjoy school.

But, at some time in the spring that feeling went bad in a hurry.

One day we were playing outside at lunch and my friends Anthony, John and I wanted to know how much time was left. Not having a watch, we went around on the Woodrow Road side of the school to look in the window of our classroom and see the clock.

When we got back to the room, Sister Lourdes had a very sour look on her face.

As we took our seats she explained that she was horrified someone committed a grave sin by stealing the money we had been collecting for the “Missions” (poor Catholics in Third World countries) out of the container on the shelf by the windows.

If that wasn't bad enough, she said that someone had told her that they saw Anthony, John and David out there by the windows during lunch.

“Did you take that money boys?” she queried. Of course, since we didn't, all three of us adamantly answered “NO!”

Charlie -- Esquire, and a Jury of Peers

Well, the sister must have smelled a great teaching moment in the air because she told the class that since she had evidence she was going to put us on trial and the class would be the jury.

I only remember two things about the trial.

One, my friend Charlie, the costar of several of my previous stories, finagled the job of being our defense attorney. As a precursor to his later getting a law degree from Syracuse University, Charlie won the case. I think the vote to acquit was unanimous. Two, this was mostly because sister's “evidence” was solely the testimony of the informer whom she would not identify.

Afterward the nun tried to apologize and say that she really believed we were innocent, but she wanted to teach the class a lesson. Maybe, but I wasn't having it.

For the rest of the term I was disillusioned and never trusted her again.

Eighth grade was not an enjoyable year for me, or probably my classmates either. Our teacher in retrospect was not well suited or happy in her job and took it out on us on a daily basis. In my stories I try to find humor in my nostalgic remembrances and there wasn't much of that in our final year at St. Mary's.

Inventive, Perhaps, Amusing, No

I do recall one instance when I tried to be funny, but classmate Susan, who sat in front of me, was not amused.

The sister was teaching a history lesson and asked, “Does anyone know who invented the steamboat?” I whispered to the girl, “Stanley Steamer.” Immediately she raised her hand and called it out.

Now, I will give Susan credit, because when the nun reprimanded her for such a ridiculous answer she didn't rat me out. Maybe Susan had mercy on me because I was seemingly already the teacher's whipping boy. I hope I apologized to my classmate for embarrassing her, and if I didn't, I should have.

In June 1960 my elementary school career came to a close and it was on to Notre Dame.

My poor recall of any significant learning in those eight years at St. Mary's is a mystery to me. My hope is that over my three-plus decades of teaching, I provided my students with more substantial memories that they can look back on with fondness.

(Photos courtesy of Dave Reilly.)

Above, Marine veteran and former Batavia resident Jim Heatherman. Photo courtesy of Jim Heatherman.

Editor's Note: Eighteen days apart in 1968 two 1964 Notre Dame High School graduates were killed in Vietnam. Today, on the 51st anniversary of one of their deaths, their classmate and fellow Vietnam vet Jim Heatherman remembers them and wishes he got to know them better.

Story by Jim Heatherman.

It has been 50 years since I was a Marine lieutenant in Vietnam. It doesn’t seem like it but it’s true. Longer still since I graduated from Notre Dame High School in Batavia. I think of those days often. Notre Dame was a fine school but certainly not heaven on Earth.

My friends and I were by no means angels when we went to school there. I remember helping to make hydrogen sulphide in the chemistry lab, which permeated the entire school with the smell of rotten eggs and nearly caused an evacuation.

Don’t get me wrong. I am a proud graduate of Notre Dame in 1964, a college graduate later, and a Marine Vietnam combat veteran later still.

Many of my family grew up, lived, and died in Batavia. My brother, Pat, and I regularly visit their gravesites although I now live in Tulsa, Okla. My friend, Dave Reilly, has written wonder articles for The Batavian reminiscing those youthful days in Batavia.

Incidentally, we older people think in our minds and hearts that we are still young people living back in the 1960s. We try to ignore the pains in our knees...and, well, everywhere else, too.

I don’t think we spent much time thinking of the world situation including Vietnam when we were in high school. We were accepting our role as average teenagers thinking mostly of driving, girls, and sports. Since most of the girls didn’t particularly care for us we were able to focus mostly on the other two things.

Of course there were other guys in our class who were better looking, smarter, and all around cooler than we were and they got the girls. I wonder whatever happened to them. And then we had other classmates who were not members of our group and we didn’t think much about knowing them at all.

One of them was Daniel Bermingham (inset photo, left), who I remember as a pleasant person but not particularly cool...like we thought we were. (He was killed on Aug. 23, 1968 in Vietnam.)

Another was Thomas Welker (inset photo, below right), who with others was bussed into Notre Dame daily from a farm community.

Like Dan, Tom was an outsider to our group and we hardly got to know him. Unfortunately that did not change through four years of high school. I’d like to think that we are now wiser than we were then. That is our blessing but it is also our curse.

Well I graduated from Notre Dame, went on to college and joined a Naval ROTC unit. When I graduated from college I was happily commissioned a Marine 2nd Lieutenant. I come from a Marine Corps family so that result was expected and inevitable.

After additional training at Quantico, Va., I got orders to WESTPAC Ground Forces. That meant Vietnam, of course. I was fortunate to survive my combat tour in Vietnam as an infantry platoon commander and battalion staff officer.

I spent several more years in the Marine Corps and then returned to civilian life. I got married and had five children. They all went to Catholic school, too, and are all college graduates.

The four boys are Marine combat veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan, later became federal agents, and one is now a United States Attorney.

My daughter is a wonderful teacher in a Catholic school in Tulsa. I go there and mostly talk about Revolutionary and Civil War battles, although the kids want to talk about Vietnam, too. I have 15 grandchildren. I go to many, many sports events. I think often how blessed I am to have that family.

Then I think of Dan and Tom -- the guys that we never really got to know in high school. When most of us were happily running off to college in 1964 they were both preparing to join the Navy.

Dan became a member of a Naval Construction Force battalion -- the Seabees -- and was eventually sent to Vietnam. People in those positions rarely die in combat but Dan was killed.

He is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in Batavia, only 50 yards from my grandparents. I want to visit there often and leave a memento.

Tom received medical training in the Navy and became a Corpsman. Eventually he was sent to Vietnam and, of course, assigned to a Marine infantry unit.

As a Marine myself, I can tell you that no one is more revered by the Marines they serve than the Navy Corpsmen. They are always known as “Doc.” Tom was killed on a patrol with the Marines he served. He is buried in Attica.

I read in an article that his mother never really recovered from the loss of her son. I’m sure she is not alone.

Looking back now, I think of two things. As a very fortunate head of a family of 27 people today, I think of the void and unfulfilled promise that was cut down for Tom and Dan and so many others in Vietnam. The wives, children, and grandchildren that never were. Also, as a wiser and a bit more humble person now, I think that just being the goofy teenagers we were in those days should not have been an excuse for not knowing and appreciating our Notre Dame classmates, Tom and Dan, more.

Yet I’m sure we are not alone either. Wouldn’t it be nice after all these years to have a do-over?

Inset photos courtesy of Dave Reilly.