Monday, September 30, 2013

NYS Boys Soccer Rankings - September 30

We're back again. Now, that the girls have finally gotten some rankings it's time for the boys to get some attention this week.

Please remember that these records only go through September 28, so anything that happened yesterday or today isn't included here.

Check out the top five teams and all the Section II squads under the cut. And as always, if you want to see the New York State Sportswriters Association's entire rankings, click the link right here.

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NYS Girls Soccer Rankings - Round One 09/30

After two weeks of delays, the NYS girls soccer rankings are out.

Now, these rankings are only through September 28, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that it's very tough to rank teams across the state when a lot of these schools won't face each other until sectionals at the earliest.

Also also, for reasons I cannot understand Hoosick Falls, the reigning Class C champions two times over aren't anywhere on this list. But I don't make the rankings, I only report them, so feel free to debate but don't blame.

The top five teams from each class as well as all the Section II teams are underneath the cut, so enjoy. If you want to see the entire list from the New York Sportswriters Association go ahead and click the link right here.

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Thursday, September 26, 2013

NYSPHSAA Announces Fall Sports Championship Broadcasts

We may only be creeping towards the middle of the fall season but the New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced on Thursday the TV broadcast schedule for this year's championship games.

Just as in years past, the championships will be broadcast on the Time Warner Cable SportsChannel and get used to hearing that name because TWC and NYSPHSAA have inked a ten-year partnership to show state finals, semifinals and regionals every year. Eventually, the hope is, that TWC will broadcast all 32 championship events.

There are a few changes though this year - girls singles and doubles tennis will be broadcast on TV for the first time and for the first time since 1978 boys soccer will also be gracing our screens. In the Albany area Time Warner Sports is channel 1803.

As of right now, this is the current broadcast schedule:

Monday, November 4
Girls Tennis State Championship - singles and doubles at Tri-City Tennis Center, Latham (tape delay)

Friday & Saturday November 15 and 16
Football West Regionals - Section V vs. VI at Sahlen Stadium, Rochester (all 5 classes will be shown)

Friday & Saturday November 22 and 23
Football East Semis - Dietz Stadium, Kingston
Football West Semis - Sahlen Stadium, Rochester

Friday November 29 - Sunday December 1
Football Championships - Carrier Dome, Syracuse

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Jordan Gleason Withdraws from Sacred Heart

Watervliet grad - and reigning Record Boy's Basketball Player of the Year - Jordan Gleason has withdrawn from Sacred Heart for "personal reasons" it was reporter early Wednesday.

Gleason was just the second Watervliet basketball player to commit to a Division I program and in addition to a number of other accolades last season, lead the Cannoneers to a NYS Class B championship. He was named MVP of the New York state tournament as well.

The information was first reported by William Paxton - a UConn writer for the Connecticut Post. That's his tweet underneath.







According to reports, Gleason is back home.

Questions sent to Sacred Heart were returned with the following answer from media rep Bill Peterson: "He is no longer at the university. We do not have any comment."

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

New York State Football Rankings - September 24

Oh man, football rankings.

We're back again for more typed up information on the football teams across the state, with special thanks to the New York Sportswriters Association for making all of this typing possible.

It's another pretty excellent Section II showing this week with 11 teams making the cut. Now, if you want to see the entire list you can go ahead and click on the following links:
LARGE SCHOOLS (Class AA-A)
SMALL SCHOOLS (Class B-D)

Also, keep in mind, both Burnt Hills and Hoosick Falls kept their respective win streaks alive this week. Panthers are at 16 straight and the Spartans are at 15. It's like their reigning state champions or something.

Top five schools from every class are listed under the cut as well as all the Section II appearances. Let's go.

Read more »

Monday, September 23, 2013

NYS Boys Soccer Rankings - September 23

Happy Monday and happy rankings day!

We've got a brand-new crop of boys soccer rankings from across the state thanks to the New York Sportswriters Association.

Section II has 12 teams on the list this week - including some squads that weren't here in the first go-round, so things are still pretty competitive around here. Also, keep in mind these records are THROUGH Sunday, so anything that happens this afternoon is for next week.

Under the cut, check out the top five teams in each class and the location for all our Section II squads. If you want to check out the entire list, go ahead and click here. On a side note, if you're wondering when the girls soccer teams are going to get their due, rumor has it, those rankings will be released tomorrow. So check back here for that.

Enjoy the rankings.

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Friday, September 20, 2013

A Daily Dose of Positive

This is a good story.

I say that without sarcasm and an entire batch of seriousness.

Last night, the Troy and La Salle soccer teams battled into extra minutes in a Big 10, cross-town rivalry. Akrum Mezza connected on the game-winning goal off an Adam Kaarstad free kick to eventually lift the Flying Horses to a victory and keep the squad undefeated.

That's not where this story ends though. If you want to read about the game you can check out Mike Cioffi's story here. It's what happened after the game that is the best part of all of this.

Despite falling in OT the La Salle coaches and team presented Troy goalkeeper Josh Rasmussen with a card and money they had raised for his brother who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia three weeks ago.

This is entirely my opinion, but I think that's pretty awesome. Troy and La Salle are rivals in every sense of the word, but when the moment came one stepped up for the other, supporting their fellow student athletes. Sometimes sports are more than just sports. Sometimes sports are about humanity. And that's awesome.

The Troy High team will also be walking for Josh's brother in next Saturday's Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk at Siena. A major thank you to Josh's mom, Luanne Rasmussen who shared this story with me following the game.

This is a chance to take a moment and see how much sports can affect our lives. In times when the rest of the world seems to be going crazy, sports still have a structure, they still have rules and they give our student-athletes the chance to build bonds that can help keep everything "normal" and add a whole new dynamic. Sports for the win.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

UPDATED: Saturday, 9/21 Catholic Central Athletic Fields - Post Rain

After last Friday night's rain storm - and the football game that they played during it - Carley Field at Catholic Central is a bit under the metaphorical weather.

In other words, there are a lot of ditches and divots on the field used for Crusaders football and boys and girls soccer. So, as of right now, the future of the field is still up for debate.

That being said, there is a contingency plan for the varsity teams to still practice/play over the new few days.

Football is currently practicing at 112th street, while the soccer teams are heading up to Waterford for practices. In a stroke of (possible) luck, football plays its next five games away but soccer has a handful of home games, so the future of field use is still a little up in the air.

As of Saturday, September 21 the upcoming schedule for Crusaders athletics is as follows...
Tuesday, September 24
Girls varsity soccer will play AT St Johnsville, 4:30 p.m.
Boys varsity soccer vs. CBA at Middletown Road Field in Waterford, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 26
Girls varsity soccer vs. Amsterdam at Middletown Road Field in Waterford, 4:30 p.m.
Boys varsity soccer vs. Amsterdam at TBA

The schedule for October is still being finalized buuuuut the CCHS field is now completely under maintenance and will unplayable for the remainder of the fall season. That's official.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

New York State Football Rankings - September 17

Here we go again.

Mere hours after I finished typing up the boys soccer rankings, I come bearing more information - FOOTBALL RANKINGS!

You guys know the drill by now - under the cut are the top five teams in each class well as the Section II teams which earned rankings. If you want to check out the entire rankings from the New York State Sportswriters Association (and you totally should) you can click on the links below.

Just a few notes - reigning state champs Burnt Hills and Hoosick Falls both open (unsurprisingly) at number one. Even more impressive, both teams boast win streaks of 15 and 14 respectively. Overall Section II had 11 teams in the rankings, not including honorable mentions, so a pretty good showing after only two weeks.

Other than, enjoy the rankings and keep in mind that these records go through September 15.

Full Large School Rankings (Class AA-A)
Full Small School Rankings  (Class B-D)

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NYS Boys Soccer Rankings - The First Time 'Round

I'm a day late on this, so I apologize on that front.

That being said, here are the New York State Sportwriters Associations' first 2013 boys soccer rankings for the brand-new season. Also, keep in mind that these records are only through September 15. Also - South Glens Falls topped Queensbury on Monday afternoon, so these are a little in flux.

Under the cut, check out the top five teams in each class and the rankings of all of the Section II teams. If you want to see the entire list of rankings, go ahead and click here.

Read more »

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

UPDATED, 3:38, Thursday: So You Know Where to Go...Football Schedules for Week Two

So what with all the rain on Thursday afternoon - in addition to some early changes to the usual schedule - there are now a good amount of OFFICIAL CHANGES to this weekend's football games.

THERE ARE NO LONGER ANY GAMES ON THURSDAY. None. They've all been moved and they're all now under their appropriate days and times under the cut. This is where we're at now. So, double check to make sure you know where to go.

Don't get decked out in school colors, just to find out that the game was a different day. That's just awkward.

Read more »

Saturday, September 7, 2013

I Will Not Make a Friday Night Lights Joke...Opening Night Football Highlights

Well, we've survived.

We've all made it through the opening night of high school football relatively unscathed. So, as we all get ready for a Saturday afternoon of more football, let's take a few minutes to check out the higlights from Friday night.

Picking Up Right Where They Left Off: Section II boasts two reigning NYS champions in Burnt Hills and Hoosick Falls. The two squads both lost a good chunk of playmakers from last year's teams, but you wouldn't have known it on Friday night. Led by senior quarterback Danny Maynard, in his first varsity start, the Spartans rolled to a 69-25 victory over Lansingburgh - scoring on all but one of their drives. Meanwhile, Hoosick Falls didn't allow any points until the fourth quarter en route to a 48-7 victory over Tamarac. Brandon Hodges, who saw some time in the backfield last season, stepped into the starting RB position with ease, rushing for 146 yards and scoring four touchdowns. Overall, a pretty good night for teams with expectations that are sky high.

The Inevitable Upset of the Night: If you can call it an upset (I tweeted it was a quasi-upset) Cohoes grabbed an opening night 17-6 victory over Ravena. The biggest thing to get out of that game though - besides the fact that Cohoes could be a major threat in 'B' this season - is the arm of Max Carey. The senior QB threw for 241 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaForest. Oh, and if you thought the Carey-LaForest combination was going to cool off from last season, think again. LaForest pulled in five receptions for a staggering 190 yards and two touchdowns on Friday night.

Speaking of Passing: Rensselaer quarterback Steven Harwood, one of Section II's top performers last season, had a standout game in Friday's 47-14 victory over Lake George. The Rams senior threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Oh, and he ran for 155 yards too. If Rensselaer is looking to go after a second straight Section II title, this is a pretty solid way to start.

Basketball Score: In a back-and-forth game, Averill Park and Amsterdam combined for over 1,100 yards of offensive effort. If there was one standout player, it was Amsterdam's Kolbie Glionna, who had 223 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground, in addition to five more catches for 128 yards and two more touchdowns.

The Inevitable Thriller: It wouldn't be football without a little excitement, and maybe a little controversy. After Colonie's Wayne Burnt scored the game-tying touchdown against Niskayuna with seven minutes left in regulation, the Raiders attempted to go for two - and the win. While it appeared that Will McCann was down, there was never any whistle and he was able to hand off to Burt, who scamped into the endzone for the PAT. The Raiders held on for a dramatic 22-21 victory.

That's where we stand after day one. It was fun. It was dramatic. It smelled like fall and it's now socially acceptable to drink apple cider. These are all good things. There are a handful of games this afternoon - and I'll be heading up to the Troy at Queensbury game, so expect some live tweets. I'll have a "What We Learned and What Was Awesome" column from week one in Sunday's paper, so expect that as well. Andddddd if you want to see all the scores from Friday night's game, check it out here.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Who To Follow For Week One Football

FOOOOOOOOOOTBALLLLLLLLL

There are football games tonight! Actual high school football games! In full pads! With real hits and real touchdown scoring attempts! Football is happening tonight.

I am slightly excited. You should also be this excited.

Now that we've all properly registered our excitement level for the first week of high school football, take a loot at where the sports staffs of The Record and The Saratogian are going to be tonight. You should follow all of us.

Lansingburgh at Burnt Hills - me, Laura Amato - @LauraAmato
Columbia at Shenendehowa - Stan Hudy - @stanhudy
Shaker at La Salle - Andrew Santillo - @AndrewSantillo
Tamarac at Hoosick Falls - Mike Cioffi - @MikeCioffi1
Mechanicville at Catholic Central - Tom Reale - @realet
Bethlehem at CBA - Brien Bouyea - @TroyRecordSport
Ballston Spa at Guilderland - Andrew Champagne - @AndrewChampagne
Hudson Falls at Schuylerville - David Johnson - @davidmichael10

Additionally, if you head over to troyrecord.com at any point after 6:30 tonight, you can see everybody's tweets and updates from all of the games in one convenient live-stream. We aim to make this as easy as possible.

Anddddd if there's any games we've missed - I know there are some - and you're there, feel free to send me some updates and I'll do my best to retweet in between plays at Burnt Hills.

Good luck to everybody suiting up tonight and thank goodness it's football season again.