Coming into the season Batavia Head Coach Brennan Briggs knew that his team faced a tough challenge by joining the Monroe County League. This week was an example of why, as Brighton wore down the Blue Devils, spoiling homecoming in route to a 34 to 6 victory.

Batavia hung with the Barons through the first half, entering the break only down 7-0, but Brighton’s size and speed was just too much to overcome in the second half.

“It’s tough because nobody wants to hear moral victories,” Briggs said. “But every single week I want to tip my cap to these guys because every single week they are outmanned and outnumbered. There was no brilliant scheme that Brighton threw at us; they just ran the same play over and over. When it comes down to it, they were just bigger.”

The game was scoreless deep into the second quarter until Brighton mounted a 16-play, 88-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off of the clock before fullback Gordon Truesdale plunged in from three yards out. The Blue Devils appeared to be nearing a score with under a minute left after Brandon Stevenson ripped off a 27-yard run deep into Brighton territory. However, an offensive pass-interference call doomed the Batavia drive and the Barons entered the intermission with the lead.

The Barons received the ball on the second half kickoff and proceeded to impose their will for the remainder of the game.

Brighton opened the third quarter with another 16-play, 67-yard drive that took over seven minutes off the clock before Matt Stone, who ran the ball 19 times for 114 yards, finished off the march with a three-yard touchdown run.

Stevenson was then intercepted at midfield by Stone on the ensuing possession, and the Barons capitalized again with another goal line plunge by Truesdale.

The Blue Devils would turn the ball over on downs, and Brighton would score a back-breaking touchdown on a 27-yard scamper by Christian Jones to put them up 27-0 with just over nine minutes to play in the game.

Brighton seemed to be just too much up front for the undersized Batavia team, as they did not attempt a single pass in the second half, while running the ball 63 times for 432 yards on the evening. An even more telling statistic was the Blue Devils only held possession for 3:32 in the second half and only attempted 11 plays from scrimmage.

“The worst situation to be in is when a team is grinding the ball,” Briggs said. “When a team is throwing the ball you think you can get some stops, but when they are just grinding it and physically beating you up, there’s not much you can do.”

One bright spot was once again the play of Stevenson, who scored the lone Batavia touchdown on a 77-yard dash in the fourth quarter. He would finish with a game-high 139 rushing yards on 11 carries.

The Barons would get one more score, a 58-yard run from Jones to seal the game.

Jones would finish with 114 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns, while Truesdale added 65 yards on 11 attempts to go with his two scores for Brighton (1-2).

Batavia falls to 1-2 on the season and will travel to Canandaigua next Saturday for a 2 p.m. start.

“We have to turn the page, we can’t make any excuses, and we have to come out and work hard,” Briggs said. “Football is going to teach lessons to make you a man. They know that they are going to be in a dog fight every week and they are going to better for it.”

A woman who previously testified in a burglary trial and who joined her spouse in the first same-sex marriage in Genesee County in 2011 was accused today of selling crack cocaine to an undercover agent.

Toni M. White, 32, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, was arrested on a sealed indictment alleging she sold a quantity of crack cocaine to an agent of the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force.

She is charged with three counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, both Class B felonies.

White was jailed on $5,000 bail.

In 2010, White testified in the burglary trial of Reginald M. Wilson discussing the day Wilson drove her around in what turned out to be a stolen vehicle.

In September, 2011, White appeared in court with the woman she married the day before, Katrina Drake, when Judge Robert C. Noonan threatened to send Drake to jail on a violation of probation charge.

In the past few years, White has been arrested on charges of disorderly conduct (twice), petit larceny and trespass.

UPDATE 6:40 p.m.: The bail review of Toni M. White was conducted on Sept. 20 and she was released under supervision of Genesee Justice, with a curfew requiring her to be at her residence from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. every day.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley is in the midst of his annual Patriot Trip to Washington, D.C., with a group of residents from his district. He sent us these pictures.

Above, Jack Toth at the World War II Memorial.

Below, a group shot and a shot of some of the travels with Hawley and Rep. Chris Collins.

There's heavy equipment moving a lot of earth around just west of the Partridge Farm on Ellicott Street Road, Town of Batavia.

Crews are building a new roadway, which will provide secondary access to the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park. The secondary road is needed to accommodate anticipated growth and expansion of the park.

Press release:

The NYS Tax Department will be available to help inform homeowners of the Basic STAR exemption at an event for this purpose beginning at 6 p.m., Monday, Sept. 23 at the Old Courthouse in the City of Batavia.

The STAR registration program impacts 11,897 Basic STAR recipients in Genesee County, and 2.6 million homeowners statewide. Senior citizens receiving the Enhanced STAR exemption are not impacted.

The registration facilitates Governor Cuomo’s initiative to protect New Yorkers from fraud and waste in the STAR Program. The average homeowner saves $700 as a result of the Basic STAR exemption, which is available on the primary residence of homeowners with incomes under $500,000.

The registration deadline is Dec. 31 in order to continue receiving the exemption in 2014 and thereafter.

Basic STAR recipients have three easy options to register:

• More than 175 public events such as this one (full list of local events <http://www.tax.ny.gov/press/star_local_events.pdf> )
• Online registration at the Department’s Web site takes only two to four minutes: www.tax.ny.gov <http://www.tax.ny.gov>
• Homeowners without Internet access or with questions should call 518-457-2036

A one-car rollover accident, with possible serious injuries, is reported at 9327 Warsaw Road, near Perry Road, Le Roy. Mercy Flight out of Batavia is contacted and is available. Le Roy Fire and Ambulance Service are responding and Le Roy PD is on scene.

UPDATE 1:29 p.m.: A medic on scene says Mercy Flight will not be needed.

UPDATE 1:31 p.m.: Southbound traffic on Route 19 will be shut down. Firefighters are told to slow down their response and the assignment is held to Engine 62.

UPDATE 1:37 p.m.: The vehicle landed on its roof in a ditch.

UPDATE 1:48 p.m.: Le Roy ambulance is transporting the driver to Strong Memorial Hospital. The road is being reopened. Engine 62 is returning to service along with Le Roy PD. Fire police will remain on scene for awhile.

UPDATE 2:35 p.m.: The road is open. All responders are back in service.

Area residents are invited to walk through a labyrinth on the property of Tricia Zdep, 6600 Log City Road, Elba, on Sunday as part of a harvest celebration for the Fall Equinox sponsored by Blue Pearl Yoga.

Labyrinths -- a complex series of winding paths that require walkers to follow a serpentine trail -- have been an important spiritual part of many cultures for thousands of years, said Patricia Hawley.

"Walking through one is a powerful meditative and contemplative act," she said.

The word "equinox" is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night) and signifies a time when night and day are about equal length.

The term can also be used in a broader sense, meaning that the universe is in perfect balance, said Karen Reisdorf, owner of Blue Pearl Yoga

"At this time we concentrate on balancing our spirits, harvesting our dreams, and giving thanks for the beauty and bounties of Mother Earth," Reisdorf said.

The walk is at 1 p.m. and participants are asked to bring a gift from nature (leaf, flower, feather, stone, etc.) and any vegetables or flowers that have been harvested from your garden or from a farmers market. The event includes:

• Blessing of the harvest, offerings of gratitude;
• Yoga practice, planting new intentions;
• Ending meditation;
• Sharing of the harvest.

Leading the event with Reisdorf is Joni Yaskulski.

The labyrinth was made by Zdep and her husband at least five years ago (see it on Google Maps).

Pre-registration is required. Cost is $15. For more information contact Blue Pearl Yoga at 585-230-5430 or email bluepearl.yoga@yahoo.com.

A car vs. deer accident is reported at Bank Street and R. Stephen Hawley Drive. The deer is said to have crashed into the car's windshield and the driver sustained minor injuries. Mercy medics and Town of Batavia Fire Department are responding.

UPDATE 12:53 p.m.: Law enforcement on scene reports the driver is not injured and he is out walking around. Town fire's response is cancelled; the driver will not need medical attention.

For the first 74 minutes of play Thursday in Pavilion, two teams on the pitch with 3-0 records kept the score knotted at 0-0 and it was starting to seem like a tie was a predictable outcome.

Then Geneseo's Elliott Cannon scooted a ball past senior goalie Collin Sheflin. Another goal two minutes later by Mo Carlon, with only four minutes on the clock, seemed to seal the fate of the Golden Gophers.

"Genesee has been building a great program for years," said Pavilion Head Coach Matt Roth. "They seem to graduate players with another junior right behind who is good. We're working on doing the same thing here, but it takes time. We worked hard tonight. The better team, probably, ended up winning, but they didn't out work us."

Coming into the game, Pavilion had given up only one goal in its first three games. That was in a 2-1 win over Mount Morris. Pavilion has beat Pembroke 6-0 and Avon 3-0.

"Jake Defisher, Heyden Ewell and Stephen Pike work hard on defense," Roth said. "We've only given up three goals and two of them were tonight, so when you have that kind of defense, you're going to be in most games."

Riley Vallance has been working hard, too, Roth said. He's played every position this season and on defense against Pavilion he played a big role in keeping the game close.

Dakota Kegler, a midfielder, has also been working hard this season, he said.

Pavilion is now 3-1-1 on the season and Roth is expecting a good run for the team come time for sectional play.

"Our goal is to build, to be playing our best soccer in October," Roth said. "Right now, we're not where we want to be, but if we get there in mid-October when sectionals come, we're going to be a dangerous team in sectional play."

Pavilion's next game is at home, tomorrow, 1 p.m., against York.

Pavilion's goalie grabbing a shot in the first period.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Sheriff's deputies are responding to a complaint of two women arguing in the parking lot at School House Manor apartments, located at 1 N. Pearl St. in the Village of Oakfield.

They are fussing over one's efforts to round up stray cats there in order to sterilize them through the local non-profit "Spay Our Strays." It is a spay and neuter program wherein stray cats and dogs are captured, sterilized and then released in the place they were originally found.

UPDATE 12:13 p.m.: An animal control officer is dispatched to the scene.

UPDATE 1 p.m.: The animal control officer is returning to the shelter, alone.

It looks like Batavia is going to get a taco stand on Ellicott Street across from the Pok-A-Dot near Liberty Street. This sign appeared in the window recently. The new owners were not around when I stopped by this morning.

UPDATE: One of the new owners is Derek Geib, co-owner of Bourbon & Burger Co.. Mike Hyland, a partner at B&B, is also partner with Casa Del Taco, along with Dick Long. They're shooting for an Oct. 1 opening.

Genesee County added 200 jobs in August, according to a jobs report released yesterday in which the NYS Department of Labor touted a record number of jobs in the state.

According to the report, there are now 7.6 million jobs in New York, up 22,700 from July to August.

At the same time, the number of employment-eligible workers grew by 24,000, increasing the state's unemployment rate from 7.5 to 7.6 percent.

The number of jobs in Genesee County went up to 23,600, which is 200 over the July figure and the August 2013 number.

The County's unemployment rate has not yet been released.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley is in the midst of leading his annual Patriot Trip to Washington, D.C., but he just sent over this statement regarding the unfunded mandate by the NYS Corrections Commission requiring Genesee County to spend another $1 million on jail guards:

I was apprised by Genesee County officials of yet another $1 million unfunded mandate from Albany about a week ago. We are working closely with county officials to remedy this. When will Albany ever get it?

A 26-year-old Rochester resident is being held on $50,000 bail after being accused of dealing crack cocaine in Batavia.

Davon Tamer Michael Bell, of Gillette Street, Rochester, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.

Bell allegedly sold crack cocaine to undercover agents working with the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force.

The investigation into Bell's alleged activities began nine months ago. He was taken into custody Sept. 10 by Rochester PD.

Bell was indicted in a sealed indictment by the Genesee County Grand Jury.

Tracy Lynn Damato, 47, of Horsehoe Lake Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Damato is accused of stealing $19.99 in merchandise from Kmart.

Jordon Elizabeth Prescott, 19, of Ellicott Street Road, Bethany, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, and criminal contempt, 2nd. Prescott is accused of being at College Village after being barred from the property. She is accused of violating an order of protection by coming into contact with the security guard that was on duty at College Village.

Travis S. Bartz, 37, of Alexander, is charged with a violation of probation and criminal contempt, 2nd. Bartz was allegedly located at a residence on Route 98, Town of Attica, Wyoming County, by State Police in violation of probation conditions and a current stay-away order of protection.

Kimberley A. Smith, 36, of Alexander, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or higher and failure to stop at stop sign. Smith was arrested at 6:27 p.m. Wednesday on Brookville Road, Alexander, by State Police. Following her arrest, she was released to a third party.

Lamar Iteef Randall, 28, of Spruce Avenue, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th. Randall was arrested on a warrant out of Stafford Town Court upon his release from Monroe County Jail where he was being held on an unrelated charged. He was jailed on $5,000 bail.

The Atlantic: The Case Against High-School Sports

A 28-year-old Batavia man is sitting in the Monroe County Jail awaiting further court proceedings on a pair of third degree robbery charges.

Frank L. Schiavi was originally arraigned in Monroe County Court on the two-count indictment against him July 3. He was picked up by U.S. Marshals last week with the assistance of Batavia PD and the Sheriff's Office for allegedly missing a court date.

He is now being held on $5,000 bail or $10,000 bond.

Schiavi is accused of twice robbing a First Niagara Bank location at 532 Chili Ave., Rochester, on Oct. 24 and again on Feb. 6.

Sgt. Elena Correia, public information officer for RPD, said Schiavi allegedly put a mask over his face just prior to entering the bank and once inside he robbed the bank.

In both cases, the suspect fled and RPD conducted an extensive search of the area and no arrest was made.

Although bank employees were able to see the suspect's face in both robberies and the public was alerted to the suspect information through media releases, RPD investigators were unable to develop any concrete leads.

That led investigators to believe the suspect was not from Monroe County.

On the same day as the second robbery, Batavia PD received a report from a concerned citizen about a suspicious person in the area.

Batavia PD and the FBI followed up on the information and obtained a photograph of the suspicious person.

The photo was used to help identify Schiavi as the robbery suspect.

There was apparently no public announcement of Schiavi's arrest at the time. The Batavian learned about the case from a Batavia resident who also claimed knowledge of related law enforcement activity.

The source said there was a subject arrested Monday at an address on Jackson Street. While neighbors said they saw members law enforcement at that address Monday and one neighbor said he saw a man in handcuffs, a check with the Sheriff's Office, Batavia PD and the FBI turned up no record of law enforcement activity at that address on that day. The U.S. Marshal's Office did not return our phone calls, but the U.S. Attorney's Office for WNY also found no records of federal law enforcement activity at that address.

The source also claimed federal law enforcement was looking for a subject who has left the state. While coworkers of a person this subject is believed to be traveling with said that people they believed to be federal agents came looking for the the peson, no agency contacted by The Batavian has any knowledge, they say, of who the person is, and they say he is not the subject of an investigation and they are not actively trying to find him.

It's unknown at this time how much money may have been taken from the banks. 

A car has hit a tree at Judge and Feeder roads, Alabama.

There are reportedly minor injuries.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 9:34 p.m.: Alabama is back in service.

Two white males are reportedly fighting on Dellinger Avenue and another is yelling from a nearby porch. City police are on scene.