Thursday, March 28, 2013

Lansingburgh H.S. Facing Potential Cuts to Athletics

I've been getting some e-mails lately about the possible cuts to athletics - and more specifically the JV soccer program - at Lansingburgh and there is some news.

Right now, 'Burgh is facing an athletic deficit that will most likely require cuts somewhere but where that place is yet has yet to be officially determiend.

According to athletic director Mike Harkin, who answered questions about the cuts via e-mail earlier this afternoon, "We are examining all options to best serve our students academically and athletically here at Lansingburgh."

The key to remember right now, is nothing is absolutely certain and this is a problem that's facing a handful of schools in the Capital District; nothing is getting any easier. 

Harkin also added that "We have tossed around a few ideas but nothing is set in stone.  I have another meeting after break and will have some answers for you then."

So that's where we stand right now. If you guys remember, I did a story last year about athletic budget cuts and the affects they would have on students, so I'm in the process of trying to follow up as sort of a "year later" thing. If anyone has information on what's going on in your school or simply want to discuss potential budget cuts in the area, don't hesitate to e-mail me: lamato@troyrecord.com.

I'll have more updates on the various situations when it becomes available.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

FINAL Boys & Girls Basketball Rankings

This is it, folks.

The New York State Sportwriters Association has released their final rankings for boys and girls basketball, so take a second to go ahead and read and soak it all in.

If you don't know the drill by now, you clearly haven't been reading the blog and really you're missing out. Buuuut, under the cut check out the top five in each class for boys AND girls because I've decided to condense them this time around. I like to keep y'all on your toes.

If you want to see the entire rankings click here for boys and here for girls. Congratulations to everyone on an awesome basketball season all around. Let's break out the bats now (and hopefully the warmer temperatures, because I'm a wimp) because it's spring sports season.

Read more »

Big 10 Girls Basketball All-Stars Announced

The Big 10 has just released its girls basketball all-stars for the 2012-2013 season and the list is chock full of serious talent.

Albany's Emia Willingham-Hurst, who just verbally committed to Siena last week, was named the MVP of the league after leading the Lady Falcons to their third straight title this season.

Under the cut, check out the first and second teams as well as honorable mentions. Congratulations again to everyone on a great season!

Read more »

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Fourth Annual Capital Region Football Hall of Fame Induction Class Announced

The Capital District chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame has announced the latest group of athletes to be inducted into the Capital Region Football Hall of Fame.

The official induction will occur on August 10, 2013 at Micheal's Banquet House in Latham, starting at 6 p.m. So, without further ado, congratulations to this year's inductees!

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"Week of Champions" in Albany County

Albany County announced earlier this afternoon that County Executive Daniel P. McCoy will visit four local schools next week to congratulate the respective basketball programs on their recent accomplishments during the Section II and New York State Tournament.

The schedule for Mr. McCoy's visits is:
Monday, March 25: Albany High at 3 p.m. near the HS gym
Tuesday, Mach 26: Watervliet High School at 2 p.m.
Wednesday March 27: Bethlehem High School at 3 p.m.
Thursday March 28: Berne-Knox High School at 2 p.m.

In addition to County Executive McCoy, the schools and teams will be visited by the Chairman of the Albany Legislature, Shawn Morse and members of the city legislature. 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

NYS Girl's Basketball Rankings - 03/18/13

You totally wanted the latest New York State Sportswriters Association's latest girls basketball rankings, didn't you?

Fear not, blog-reading world, I've got you covered.

Under the cut are the most up-to-date rankings for the girls teams across the state. Now, keep in mind, that since Classes C and D don't play in this weekend's Federation Tournament, these are the final rankings for those teams.

And if you're interested in checking out the entire rankings list, go ahead click here.

Read more »

Monday, March 18, 2013

NYS Boy's Basketball Rankings - 03/18/13

Yes, the NYS championships are over (congrats Section II!) but the New York State Sportswriters Association is still ranking teams from across the state.

Under the cut, check out the top five teams from each class as well as the rankings of our local teams. If you want to check out the entire list, go ahead and click right here.

On a side note, Watervliet has an active win streak of  16 games currently and Argyle finished as the ONLY remaining unbeaten team in the state. Pretty cool, stuff.

Read more »

The NYS Federation Tournament of CHAMPIONS

You thought basketball season was over, didn't you? Psych.

We've got one final weekend of competition left and - thankfully for my car - it's all local. The New York State Federation Tournament of Champions will be held this weekend, from Friday through Sunday, at the Times Union Center in downtown Albany.

Now, I'll be the first to admit I didn't know too much about the Federation, so I thought maybe you guys would also be interested in a little history.

Originally the Federation Tournament was referred to as the Super Sixteen tournament where all four associations (NYSPHSAA, PSAL, NYSCHSAA and NYSAIS) competed in four classes (A, B, C, and D).

In 2000 though, the Federation Tournament evolved into the format we're slightly more accustomed to. Then, in 2004, the tournament cut down again and brought in only the three classes that are competing now - AA, A and B.

Now, Section II - being as awesome as it is - has three different teams competing this weekend. The Troy girls, Watervliet & Albany Academy boys will be fighting for the ULTIMATE bragging rights across the state. Underneath the cut, you can check out the brackets for the weekend and plan where to be over the three days of competition.

Read more »

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Section II For The Win...Seriously

Sports are the best.

There, I have said it. I suppose it's ok, after all, I do get paid to write about sports. But, let's be honest, I really, really like sports and I might be a little biased. On Saturday, I spent my day - as I spend most of my days - watching sports, camping out at the Glens Falls Civic Center for the New York State boys basketball tournament where I watched THREE Section II teams crowned the best in the entire state.

It wasn't just at the Civic Center though - the Troy girls were crowned top of Class A back at Hudson Valley Community College and as the clock struck midnight, signalling the end of basketball Super-Saturday (that's what I'm calling it), the Capital District was the brand-new home to four state championship teams. 

And it was awesome.

Read more »

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Colonial Council Wrestling All-Stars

As the name of the post implies, the Colonial Council has released the 2012-2013 wrestling all-star lists.

Watervliet's Anthony Mosca - who competed in the final round of the Section II tournament - was named a first-teamer, while Lansingburgh and Cohoes also had one grappler on the top team. The big winner though was Schalmont, who had five wrestlers named to the first team.

Underneath this, check out the first and second teams for the Colonial Council. Congratulations everyone on the awesome season!

First Team
99 - Alex Lambert, Schalmont
106 - Kyle Jasenski, Schalmont
113 - Matt Morris, Albany Academy
120 - Connor Franzese, Cohoes
126 - Anthony Mosca, Watervliet
132 - Adam Erno, Mechanicville
138 - Sean Romanski, Albany Academy
145 - Taishon Graham, Lansingburgh
152 - Anthony Paturso, Schalmont
160 - Nick Gallo, Schalmont
170 - Mike Green, Cobleskill
182 - Brandon Boomhower, Ravena
195 - Tyler Gallagher, Ravena
220 - Marcus Ramundo, Schlamont
285 - Alex Soutiere, Ravena

Second Team
99 - Laive Pleickhardt, Cobleskill
106 - Matt Gardner, Ichabod Crane
113 - Brandon Merchant, Cobleskill
120 - Paul Lambert, Schalmont
126 - Jay Kindlon, Albany Academy
132 - Sam DeLarge, Albany Academy
138 - Fredy Pechette, Ravena
145 - Zeke Thomas, Albany Academy
152 - Nick Rehberg, Cobleskill
160 - Luke Misuraca, Ravena
170 - Frank Capone, Watervliet
182 - Tim Flower, Schalmont
195 - Zeb Romano, Watervliet
220 - Zach Perras, Mechanicville
285 - Raekwon Ward, Lansingburgh 

Know Thy Enemy - Teams on the "Other" Side of the Bracket

There will be a handful - or three, for each team - different preview stories in The Record over the course of the next few days regarding the teams that will be facing off against our Section II squads in this weekend's semi-finals.

Now, the preview story for Pittsford Mendon, who will play Troy High girls at 3:15 on Friday afternoon at HVCC, was in today's paper. In case you missed that, here's the link for that story, so learn up.

But what about the "other" teams? The ones on the other side of the bracket, competing in those other semi-finals that are also happening this weekend? I've got you covered.

Under the cut, you can read up on some information regarding those "other" teams. That way, if our squads make it to the finals (fingers crossed) we'll all be a little more knowledgeable before that tip-off.

Read more »

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

NYSPHSAA Winter Scholar Athlete Teams

Sometimes it isn't all just about winning and losing.

This is, after all, still high school sports and sometimes keeping a stellar academic record is just as impressive as winning the biggest games of the season. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA, I won't type that up again) has released the scholar athlete teams for the winter season and Section II should be awfully proud of itself as a whole.

All of the teams had an average of 90% or greater during the winter season.

Now, under the cut I've listed the #1 team in all of the winter sports, as well as the overall average of any Section II team that received accolades in the top 10. I've also listed the Section II squads that were tops among local teams. 

Well done, Capital District. I knew you guys were smart too.
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NYS Girl's Basketball Rankings - 03/11/13

It's the usual Tuesday afternoon update here. The New York State Sportswriters Association just released their latest girls basketball rankings.

I feel like I'm getting repetitive on this, but under the cut check out the top five in all of the classes as well as the rankings of Section II squads.

If you want to check out the entire list, go ahead and click here. Enjoy!

Read more »

NYS Boy's Basketball Rankings - 03/11/13

We've only got a few more days of basketball left here in Section II but the New York State Sportswriters Association is still releasing rankings.

Under the cut, check out the usual top five in all the classes as well as the rankings of our local squads.

To check out the full list, go ahead and click right here.
Read more »

Monday, March 11, 2013

Colonial Council Boys Basketball All-Stars

Only a few hours after the girls all-stars were released, the Colonial Council has named their 2012-2013 boys all-star team.

It's not much of a surprise here, Watervliet senior guard Jordan Gleason was named this season's MVP. That makes it an MVP sweep for 'Vliet.

Check out the other all-stars underneath here and congratulations to everyone on the great season!

MVP: Jordan Gleason - Watervliet

First Team
Elijah Newsome - Cohoes
Tyler McLeod - Watervliet
Will Turner - Fonda
Malik Miller - Lansingburgh
Brandon LaForest - Cohoes (tie)
Dom Caputo - Schalmont (tie)

Second Team
Desmond Williams - Ravena
Logan Hotaling - Voorheesville
Dylan Henson - Vooreesville
David Warnken - Ravena
Nathan Hatalsky - Mechanicville

Third Team
Noah Crawford - Voorheesville
Shelton Alston - Cohoes
Steve Rybka - Ichabod Crane
Mike Canizzo - Mechanicville
Christian Hodson - Ravena

Colonial Council Girls Basketball All-Stars

After setting the all-time scoring record by a player at Watervliet - and scoring almost 40 points in last week's regional final - it's not much of a surprise that Ailayia Demand was also named Colonial Council MVP of the year.

Underneath, check out the rest of the all-star list. Congratulations to everyone on an outstanding season on the court!

MVP: Ailaya Demand - Watervliet
First Team
Hannah Friend - Holy Names
Mikayla Deguire - Watervliet
Kayla Hotaling - Ravena
Mary Kate Murray - Holy Names

Second Team
Haylee Metzold - Schalmont
Emily Parslow - Fonda
Anna Feller - Voorheesville
Kit Small - Holy Names
Ashley Haywood - Ichabod Crane

Third Team
Shelby Preston - Ravena
Nerea Brajac - Cohes
Deja Deas - Holy Names
Aubrey Zecca - Mechanicville
Abby Fitzgerald - Cohoes

Friday, March 8, 2013

Friday Night Lights at the Joe

The Tri-City ValleyCats announced this afternoon that they will be hosting six Section II high school baseball games under the lights at Joe Bruno Stadium this season.

The games begin on April 26th and run for three consecutive weekends, with each group fundraising for a specific cause.

The schedule for "Friday Night Lights" is below and the Cats will hold a press conference at the stadium next Thursday at 3:30 p.m. to discuss the initiative.

April 26th
Ballston Spa vs. Burnt Hills, 4:30 p.m.
Shenendehowa vs. Shaker, 7:30 p.m.

May 3rd
Fort Plain vs. Saratoga Catholic, 4:30 p.m.
Columbia vs. Saratoga, 7:30 p.m.

May 10
Guilderland vs. Bethlehem, 4:30 p.m.
CBA vs. Troy, 7:30 p.m.

Planning the Attack - Section II Opponents for Saturday's Regional Finals

Like any good strategist, it's important to know your enemy.

Now, I'm not suggesting that this Saturday's regional basketball finals are some sort battle (or maybe I am) but just in case you were interested in finding out who Section II is going up against, I've got you covered.

Underneath the cut, check out some information on all five of the teams that are facing off against The Record's teams on Saturday afternoon.

For those wondering, I'll be heading up north to SUNY Potsdam for three back-to-back-to-back games - Troy girls and both Watervliet teams. As per usual, I'll be live-tweeting the games and if anyone is interested I can probably live-stream at least one of the games, so make your suggestions for that now.

Also, if anyone is familiar with the Potsdam area and can inform me where to get coffee somewhere, we'll be best friends.

Enjoy the games this weekend folks and good luck to all the teams out there! Plan your battle plans carefully.

Read more »

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Wasaren League Girls Basketball All-Stars

While she's attempting to lead the Hoosic Valley squad back to another Class C state title, Cassidy Chapko is picking up some other accolades along the way.

The Indians' senior guard was named the Wasaren League MVP this afternoon.

The rest of the all-stars are listed underneath here, so check 'em all out. Congratulations to everyone on the season this year!

MVP: Cassidy Chapko - Hoosic Valley, Sr.

First Team
Frankie Pearson - Hoosick Falls
Jenna Erickson - Tamarac
Maria Linnett - Greenwich
Briana Matazinsky - Tamarac
Sydney Fitzpatrick - Hoosic Valley

Second Team
Adiya Henderson - Tamarac
Rachel Pine - Hoosick Falls
Carson Williams - Hoosick Falls
Kayla Brenz - Schuylerville
Alexis Case - Greenwich
Tori Menneto - Stillwater

Wasaren League Boys Basketball All-Stars

Shane Lyon has had quite the senior year.

The Schuylerville standout not only lead the football team to the Class B Superbowl but is now the league MVP for basketball season.

Check out the other Wasaren League all-stars underneath here and congrats to everyone on an excellent season!

MVP: Shane Lyon - Schuylerville, Sr.

First Team
John Rooney - Hoosic Valley, So.
Dan Waldron - Schuylerville, Sr.
Colin Oswald - Greenwich, Sr.
Ethan Ross-Hixson - Hoosic Valley, Sr.
Shawn McNeil - Stillwater, Sr.

Second Team
Jared Beattie - Granville, Sr.
John Hoin - Stillwater, Sr.
Taylor Baker - Hoosick Falls, Sr.
Greg Scott - Greenwich, Sr.
Evan Philips - Hoosick Falls, Sr.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

NYS Girl's Basketball Rankings - 03/05/13

Before we get into the actual rankings, puhleaseeeee keep in mind that these are only through March 4th, so if some of the records are off, that's why.

Now, getting back to the task at hand; the NYSSWA has released their most up-to-date girl's basketball rankings. Under the cut, check out the top five teams in each of the classes and the rankings for all of the Section II squads.

Read more »

Suburban Council Girls Basketball All-Stars

Another round of all-star accolades for some very deserving Section II athletes.

The Suburban Council released their girls basketball all-stars yesterday and there aren't too many surprises on there. All of these girls had fantastic seasons. Congratulations to everyone!

Player of the Year: Gabby Giacone - Bethlehem

First Team
Sydnie Rosales - Colonie
Madison Rowland - Shaker
Bridget Murphy - Bethlehem
Kelly Donnelly - Averill Park
Carly Boland - Shenendehowa
Second Team
Jaclyn Welch - Colnie
Kelsey Cowell - Mohonasen
Jenna Giacone - Bethlehem
Allison Nunziato - Averill Park
Nicole Riddick - Colonie

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

NYS Boy's Basketball Rankings - 03/05/13

We may be down to just five boys teams left in Section II, but the New York State Sportswriters Association is still releasing their weekly basketball rankings. And here they are.

Keep in mind, the rankings are through March 3rd, so they aren't accounting for last night's Class AA final.

Check out the top five teams in all the classes and the rankings of our local squads. To see the entire list, go ahead and click the link right here.

Read more »

AND THE WINNER OF THE RECORD'S ULTIMATE WARM-UP SONG IS...

LOSE YOURSELF by Eminem.

Well, there you have it folks. It's official. That's it and that's all.

Eminem beat Jay-Z, Kanye West in Rihanna.

Nowwwww originally I had said that anyone who nominated a song would be in the running to win a copy of the top 15 songs of the Warm-Up Mix. But, I only got a few nominations, so that makes this more difficult. If you guys are interested in having your very own copy of THE RECORD'S ULTIMATE WARM-UP MIX, tweet me @LauraAmato and let me know. The first ten people to do that, with the hasthag #WarmUp will win. It's that simple.

Thank you to everyone who voted and paid attention to this whole contest and congratulations to everyone who competed in the Section II basketball tournament the last few weeks. I hope you were sufficiently warm'ed-up.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Live-Streaming the Troy Girl's Regional Game on Tuesday

I am 99% positive that this plan will actually work this time around.

The Flying Horses are taking on Jamesville-Dewitt at LeMoyne College on Tuesday evening in the first round of the Class A New York State basketball tournament. I will be there and I will, hopefully, be utilizing the wonders of technology to let y'all see the game without driving to Syracuse.

Now, I know that we've tried this before and the technology failed when there wasn't good service in the area. I'm really not anticipating that this time around though, because the game is at a college and there should at least be 3G service in the gym. If it doesn't work, I give you all permission to mock me thoroughly. 

That being said, I'm going to be tweeting out the link for the stream about 15 minutes or so before the game tips...so plan on being near a computer around 5:45. If you don't already follow me on Twitter (@LauraAmato) you should get on that, so you can find the link.

I think that's it, so get ready for some technology folks. Let's all keep our fingers crossed it works.

NYS Basketball Tournament: Girls Edition

As the title implies, this is the girls bracket edition of the NYS basketball tournament, which starts on Tuesday.

Just like on the other side, all five brackets are underneath the cut and will be updated throughout the tournament up until the championship games at HVCC in two weeks. Good luck, Section II squads!

Read more »

NYS Basketball Tournament: Boys Edition

Alright folks, remember when I made you all those pretty graphics for the Section II tournament? I've made more for the NYS tournament!

You're totally welcome.

Under the cut, check out all the boys brackets for the state tournament and make sure to get your car ready for the inevitable driving in the next two weeks. Good luck, Section II.

Read more »

Sunday, March 3, 2013

This Is It - The Final Vote of The Record's Ultimate Warm-Up Mix

This is it, kids.

Two songs left. Two music videos to watch. One vote to make.

Voting will be open from now until Monday evening. I'll announced the ULTIMATE winner in between the Class AA finals on Monday at the Times Union Center. So make sure you get your votes in before then.

If you want to revisit how we got here go ahead and check out the final bracket. Now go vote.

Read more »

Friday, March 1, 2013

Patroon Conference Boys Basketball All-Stars Released

On the heels of the girls announcements, the boys side of the Patroon Conference released their own 2012-2013 all-stars.

Check out the honorees underneath here and congratulations to everyone on a great season!

MVP: Brendon Halligan - Cairo-Durham
Coach of the Year: Dough Lampman - Catskill

First Team
Jordan Brantley - Catskill
Andrew Spath - Rensselaer
Kyle Hall - Maple Hill
Sawyer Spohler - Cairo-Durham
Brenner Bachman - Greenville
Second Team
Nigel Gray - Catskill
Casey Ballard - Cairo-Durham
Dean Mazzacelli - Taconic Hills
Shawn Pondill - Rensselaer
Logan Samarija - Maple Hill

Let's Talk Championships, Shall We?

LET'S BREAK IT DOWN.

I mean that in a non-dance sense. More in a let's talk about all 10 of the impending Section II championship games in a statistical and analytical sense. I've seen almost all of these teams play at some point this season and with the exception of Class D, I think I've got a pretty good handle on the basketball scene this weekend.

In case anyone was wondering - I'm sure you were - I'll be at three of the four boys finals on Saturday afternoon at the Glens Falls Civic Center. I'll also gladly take updates on the girls finals from HVCC, so tweet away to @LauraAmato. Andddd I'll be at both games on Monday at night at the TU Center for the AA's.

Now, let's get to analyzing, why don't we?

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It's The Final VOTING CLOSED: Four (or Countdown) - The Record's Ultimate Warm-Up Mix

That joke seems insensitive to The Final Countdown since it was voted out in an earlier round, but I couldn't help myself. The joke was there and it had to be made.

We're down to four songs. That's right; FOUR SONGS! Now, listen, I know there has been some trouble with actually voting as opposed to simply just looking at the page. Now that we're down to just FOUR SONGS though, I've had an idea. You guys can tweet me your choices for the songs - so just two songs - and I will absolutely vote for you. I'm willing to do that for you. Just tweet @LauraAmato.

Super easy, right? Now, you've got through Saturday to vote for the final two songs and then we'll hold our championship round on Sunday. Please, go forth and vote.


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