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Dozens of people donate at today's Matthew Kota Memorial Blood Drive at Notre Dame HS

By Billie Owens

Top photo, Charles Nielans gives the life-saving gift of blood this morning at Notre Dame.

By noon today, 50 blood donors had participated in the 12th annual Matthew Kota Memorial Blood Drive at Notre Dame High School in Batavia.

The event runs until 2 p.m. and includes a bake sale and donation opportunity for the Matthew Kota Scholarship Fund for students at Notre Dame High School and Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School.

Jason and Nancy Kota along with their children Sean, Sara and Tyler are the hosts. The family lost their son and brother Matthew in 2008 at the age of 17 due to complications from brain surgery.

At this point, the Kota family has now collected 675 units -- and counting -- in their 12 years of hosting the blood drive.

12th annual Matthew Kota Memorial Blood Drive is this Saturday at Notre Dame

By Billie Owens

Genesee County residents Jason and Nancy Kota lost their son Matthew in 2008 who died at the age of 17 due to complications from brain surgery.

Twelve years later, they’re still keeping his memory and spirit alive.

On Saturday, Feb. 1, Jason and Nancy Kota along with their children Sean, Sara and Tyler will host the 12th annual Matthew Kota Memorial Blood Drive in his honor at Notre Dame High School.

Time is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The school is located at 73 Union St. in the City of Batavia.

The family gathers every year, with many family members, friends and the general public, to make this blood drive a big community event and scholarships are raised for Notre Dame and Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School.

The Kota family has collected 625 units in their first 11 years of hosting the blood drive in memory of their late son and brother, Matthew.

The public is invited to donate blood for this worthy cause. Proper ID is required. Walk-ins are welcome. For an appointment, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org

There will be a bake sale, too, and donations are accepted to benefit the Matthew Kota Scholarship Fund.

Newly renovated Notre Dame High School to hold open house Jan. 30

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Have you seen the new Notre Dame High School? Notre Dame High School will be holding an open house for new and prospective students from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30th.

Come see what the #1-rated high school in the GLOW region has to offer!

Hear about our academic program, fine arts, athletics and inclusive education, meet our staff and tour our newly renovated school.

All eighth- through 12th-grade students and parents/guardians are welcome!

The school was founded in 1951. It a private, Roman Catholic high school within the Diocese of Buffalo. It is located at 73 Union St. in the City of Batavia.

Notre Dame and Pembroke win Wednesday's Scholastic Bowl matches

By Howard B. Owens

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In the Scholastic Bowl on Wednesday night, Notre Dame won the first match with a score of 270.

Alden scored 200 and Oakfield 160.

In the second match, Pembroke scored 230 points, edging out Attica with 210. Elba came in third with 90 points.

Submitted photos and information.

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O-A beats ND 68-56

By Howard B. Owens

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Oakfield-Alabama beat Notre Dame on the Fighting Irish home court on Thursday night 68-56.

For the Hornets, Travis Wiedrich scored 25 points and Joey Burdick scored 18. They each hit three three-pointers.

Gabe Macdonald scored 18 for ND and Cody Henry scored 10.

Photos by Kristen Smith, click here. For JV photos, click here.

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Top ranked Lady Lancers beat Notre Dame in home opener

By Howard B. Owens
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The #1 ranked Class D team in the state, the Elba Lady Lancers, didn't get to play at home until their eighth game this season, making it a big one against archrival Notre Dame, and they walked off the court with a 56-44 win to remain undefeated.

Taylor Augello scored 14 points for Elba. Maddie Muehlig scored 11. Leah Bezon and Brynn Walczak had 10 each.

For Notre Dame, Amelia McCulley led all scorers with 26 points. Morgan Rhodes scored six. Lindsey Weidman scored seven and had 10 rebounds.

Irish fight their way to 2xOT victory over Lancers

By Howard B. Owens
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It took two overtimes but in the end, Notre Dame prevailed over Elba in a fiercely contested match on Tuesday night.

The Fighting Irish came out on top 58-53.

Gabe Macdonald led the Fighting Irish with 18 points. Mark Sanders scored 12. Cody Henry and  Keith Szczepanski had 10 each, and Colin McCulley
scored eight.

For the Lancers, Colton Dillion led Elba with 23 points. Zach Marsceill hit four three-pointers and had 15 total points. Jaden Hughes scored seven.

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Batavia outlasts Notre Dame to win Rotary title

By Howard B. Owens
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The Batavia Blue Devils fought through a couple of lead changes against local rival Notre Dame on Friday night in the championship game of the 31st Annual Rotary Tournament but prevailed in the end, 53-46.

Mackenzie Reigle scored 22 points on the night and was named the tournament's MVP.

Reigle's scoring included a pair of three-pointers while Bryn Wormley added 13 points, hitting four three-pointers in the second and third quarters. Emma Krolczyk scored nine points.

For Notre Dame, Morgan Rhodes scored 20 points, hitting a pair of threes along the way. Amelia McCulley, who fouled out with about 1:30 left in the game, scored 15. Lindsay Weidman scored six points.

In the consolation game, Pembroke beat Le Roy 59-49. It's the most points the 7-1 team has scored on the season. It is also the most points the Lady Dragons have allowed. Serene Calderon scored 17 points as did Nicole Von Kramer. Von Kramer hit five three-point shots. Mackenna Johnson scored 11 points. Jillian Curtis scored 12 points for Le Roy. Bryn Luckey added 11 and Kailyn Tresco scored nine.

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Top-ranked Pembroke knocked out of Rotary Tournament by Notre Dame

By Howard B. Owens

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The Notre Dame Girls Basketball Team, ranked number 19 in the state in Class D, upset the Pembroke Lady Dragons, ranked #4 in Class C, in a first-round Rotary Championship game at Genesee Community College on Thursday night.

The Lady Irish won 33-28.

Amelia McCulley (top photo) scored 20 points for ND. Morgan Rhodes scored six.

For Pembroke, Serene Calderon, MacKenna Johnson, and Emily Peters, all scored six points each.

Photos by Philip Casper.

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Mackenna Johnson

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Serene Calderon

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Dekari Moss

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Montana Weedman

Elba beats Notre Dame for Lions championship

By Howard B. Owens

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The small-school championship game of the Pete Arras Lions Tournament came down to the final play as Elba beat Notre Dame 64-62.

Colton Dillion (top photo) was tournament MVP after scoring 22 points in the finale.

Collin O'Holloran scored 16 points. Caleb Scoten hit three three-point baskets for nine points.

For Notre Dame, Gabe Macdonald scored 19 points. Cody Henry and Colin McCulley scored 15 points each with McCulley hitting three three-point shots.

Photos by Philip Casper.

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Lions Tournament: Notre Dame prevails over Perry, 65-59

By Howard B. Owens

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Gabe Macdonald (top photo) scored 25 points to go with 18 from Collin McCulley to propel Notre Dame to a 65-59 win over Perry in a first-round small-school game at the annual Pete Arras Lions Tournament at Genesee Community College.

Photos by Phillip Casper.

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Mark Sanders

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Notre Dame students perform musical 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' on Friday and Saturday

By Billie Owens

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Students at Notre Dame High School will perform "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" in the auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, and at 12:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23.

Tickets available at the door for $8 each.

The high school is located at 73 Union St. in the City of Batavia.

"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" is a 1967 musical comedy based on the characters of the beloved comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles M. Schulz.

Joseph Condoluci is Notre Dame's Instrumental / Vocal Music teacher.

Here's the Notre Dame cast list:

  • Charlie Brown -- Owen Mileham
  • Snoopy -- Grace Mileham
  • Lucy -- Judah MacDonald
  • Linus -- Amanda Bergman
  • Schroeder -- Nathaneal Brew
  • Sally -- Lily Gaylord
  • Ensemble -- Justice YorkowskMarylin KruppaAmanda Doan

Photos by Howard Owens.

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Video: Notre Dame falls to defending state champions in Far West Regional

By Howard B. Owens
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The Fighting Irish dominated Section V Class D all season but when it came time to meet the Section XI champs, and defending state champions, Clymer/Sherman/Panama, Notre Dame found themselves facing a tough opponent.

While Notre Dame was able to pick up yards on offense -- 328 total yards -- scoring points proved difficult while the Wolfpack had little difficulty crossing into the end zone. 

The final score was 47-14.

The Irish were without Head Coach Joe Zambito, who was ejected during the Class D sectional last week because of a personal foul by one of his personnel on the sideline. By rule, he had to sit out the next game.

Sophomore Colin McCulley took most of the snaps from center and put on an impressive performance, going 15-26 passing for 176 yards.

Jed Reese rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries. Gabe Macdonald scored a TD on 10 rushes for 21 hards and had four receptions for 33 yards. Mark Sanders had two receptions for 77 yards and a TD.

The Wolfpack had 332 total yards on offense. 

Macdonald had 10 tackles, Anthony Zambito, eight, Sanders, seven, Cody Henry, six, and Reese, five.

Notre Dame honors newest inductees into its Athletic Hall of Fame

By Billie Owens

Notre Dame High School held its 2019 Athletic Hall of Fame dinner and awards ceremony on Saturday (Nov. 9).

Above, from left, are Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Dick O'Connor -- Class of '64, John Dwyer*, Christopher Sabato -- Class of '97, Maureen Del Plato Braunscheidel -- Class of '98, Lou Cinquino** -- Class of '80, and Jennifer Sutherland Forsyth -- Class of '00.

*[John Dwyer represented his father Edward Dwyer, who was inducted as a Contributor, and John's daughter Amy Dwyer -- Class of '83, who was unable to attend.]

**[Lou Cinquino represented Sacramento Kings NBA Assistant Coach Bob Beyer -- Class of '80.]

Above are Notre Dame High School 2019 Athletic Hall of Fame Service Award recipients, from left, Patty Daansen, Dan Coughlin and Kris Coughlin.

Above are members of Notre Dame Wrestling Teams [1967 - 1968 - 1969] inductees.

Front row, from left: Rick Tepedino, John Sorenson, Tony Peca, Dave O'Connor, Bob Balbick, Mike Cinquino and Sal Cintorino.

Back row, from left: Dan O'Connor, Dave Jamalkowski, Tony Forti, Don Linsey, Tony Cinquino, Charlie Mullen, Ron Kelly and Bob Cline.

Not pictured: Dennis O'Connor, Bruce Briggs, Mike Carragher, Joe Chimino, Bill Fava, Bill Gear, Bill Johnson, Tim Lippold, Tom Murray, John Yanilk [Mgr.], Don Kelly* and Dave Dudek* [Deceased *].

Notre Dame Father -- Daughter Hall of Fame members Bill Sutherland -- Class of '67 [HOF 1995] and daughter Jennifer Sutherland Forsyth -- Class of '00, who was inducted into this year's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Bill and Jennifer are the first father - daughter inductee combo in the history of ND's Hall of Fame Inductions!

The four Darien Center O'Connor brothers are now ND Athletic Hall of Fame Members!

Congrats to brothers (from left) Dick -- Class of '64 [HOF '19], David -- Class of '67 [HOF '17], Dan -- Class of '69 [HOF '16], and Dennis -- Class of '72 [HOF '96] O'Connor!

For more information about the inductees, including school photos, bios and their achievements, click on the previous story here.

Irish dethrone Trojans for Class D championship

By Howard B. Owens
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In a rare match between local teams for a Section V championship, Notre Dame and Alexander clashed in Brockport on Friday night with the Fighting Irish holding on for a 14-7 victory to become the new Class D champions.

The Trojans were trying to defend their 2018 crown.

Jed Reese was named the game's MVP after gaining 57 yards on the ground and scoring a rushing TD in addition to returning a flubbed punt for a touchdown.

Irish QB Gabe Macdonald rushed for 108 yards.

On defense, Chad Henry had 12 tackles, Anthony Zambito, eight, plus two pass deflections, Dakota Sica had nine tackles and a sack.

The game was a defensive battle with Alexander holding ND to 197 total yards and the Irish throttling the Trojans at 189 yards.

For Alexander, Ty Woods carried the ball 24 times for 104 yards and completed 2-4 passes, including TD pass to Kam Lyons, who had six catches for 65 yards. Dylan Busch was 8-15 passing for 55 yards.

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Notre Dame routs Bolivar-Richburg in Class D semifinal

By Howard B. Owens
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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.

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Notre Dame's Fighting Irish advance in playoffs

By James Burns

 


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Notre Dame took on York in playoff football this afternoon in Van Detta Stadium. The Fighting Irish had a rather strange first half with a lot of ball movement but no points put up on the board. At the half the game was tied at zero.

At halftime whatever the coaching staff said to the payers must have hit home because they came out and dominated York. They quickly put points up on the board and kept going. They were able to convert on third downs and complete passes with great consistency.

The Irish were unrelenting in the running game, hammering York’s front line and punching holes for their running backs on almost every play. Even a fumble in the red zone turned out to be a scoring play for Notre Dame as they recovered their own fumble in the end zone, moving the ball another 13 yards further once it popped loose. 

The Fighting Irish’s defense had to get into the act with their own offensive yardage after they made a late interception thrown by York. The interception, with 5 minutes left, made sure there was no way York could possibly have enough time to get back into the game.

The final score was Notre Dame  26, York 0.

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Notre Dame secures #1 seed in sectionals with win over Alexander

By Howard B. Owens
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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.

Notre Dame students rally against vaping, 'interview' wildlife opposed to testing e-cigs on humans

By Billie Owens

("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 and Alexander head into Class D final game Friday undefeated

By Howard B. Owens

 

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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.

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