The Averill Park board of education officially appointed Jim Kahler as the program's new varsity baseball coach on Tuesday, January 28th.

Kahler has been a coach with the program for 17 seasons and will replace Mike Conroy as the Warriors' head coach. Conroy led the program for nearly 20 years.

According to a press release from the school, Kahler's goals this season "include making positive connections with the Averill Park youth baseball community and providing opportunities for the baseball team to play nonleague games outside of the section."

That objective is already making moves for the Warriors, who have scheduled a non-league matchup in Cooperstown this spring, squaring off against a team from Rhode Island in late April.

Another day, another New York State rankings.

The latest NYS girls basketball rankings, compiled by the New York State Sportswriters Association have been released and therefore conveniently typed for your viewing pleasuere here.

A bit of a disclaimer, these only reflect games and performances through January 26, so nothing that happened over the last few days is included in these rankings.

Check out the top five teams in each class under the cut as well as any Section II teams that earned rankings. If you want to see how the entire state fared by reading the entire list, go ahead and click here.

Happy rankings!
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I come presenting the latest round of NYS boys basketball rankings, courtesy of the New York State Sportswriters Association.

There were some pretty interesting changes again this week - thanks to some pretty interesting shakeups in Section II.

Under the cut, see who moved where with the top five in each class as well as the rankings for any and all Section II teams. If you want to check out the entire list, go ahead click this link.

Happy rankings Tuesday.

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Bethlehem running back Jason Clas has accepted a full scholarship to play football at Wagner University on Staten Island.

Clas visited the campus of Wagner College on Thursday and liked what he saw almost immediately, officially committing to the program on Friday night.

"When I went there, it's a beautiful campus and the team was great," Clas sadi. "The coaches were amazing."

As a senior, Clas racked up 837 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 117 carries for the Ealges. A two-way player, he also recorded 57 tackles and forced a team-high three fumbles against Class AA opponents. He was named a first-team Class AA Empire Division all-star as a defensive linemen.

Clas immediately felt a sense of belonging on the campus, meeting with his future teammates and coaches on the overnight visit.

"My hosts were just super nice to me," he said. "The thing is, the guys were so nice and welcoming. It was really great."

During his meetings with the Seahawks coaching staff, Clas was essentially told that he could play anywhere on the field and the current Bethlehem senior had a choice of positions. But, in a somewhat surprising turn, Clas will officially join Wagner as a tight end next fall, a position he played only a few times with the Eagles during his high school career.

"My junior year I played a little bit of tight end," Clas, who caught five passes for 38 yards this past year, said. "I've played everywhere on the field though. Tight end was really the best psot. It'll definitely be a fun experience."

Wagner competes in the Northeast Conference as a Division I-AA affiliate and last season posted a 3-8 overall record.

After picking up so many honors and accomplishments thorughout his high school career, Clas is ready and excited for the challenge in front of him. But while there are plenty of things that may be changing, the Bethlehem standout knows exactly what won't change when he transitions to the next level; his work ethic.

"I put in a lot of work this last off-season," Clas said. "That really helped me a lot. So I know that works."

Tickets are now on sale for the NYSPHSAA boys basketball state tournament.

The tournament will once again be held at the Glens Falls Civic Center, marking the 3rd year the event will be held in Section II. Games will be played from Friday March 14th through Sunday March 16th.

Advanced tickets are being offered now at the Civic Center box office or by phone at (855) 432-2849. Tickets are currently just $8 for the first 1,000 purcharsed prior to March 1st. There is also a "4 for $50" option which incudes four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas. Keep in mind though, that there are only 250 TOTAL "4 for $50" ticket options available.

You can also purchase a $50 ticket online or by phone for an all-session ticket, which allows you to basically see every game over the course of the weekend.

Check out the entire event schedule under the cut.
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Ok, first and foremost, let's remember that these records ONLY go through January 19.

These DO NOT include last night's games and therefore don't reflect what happened last night.

Now, that there's a disclaimer out there, check out the latest NYS girls basketball rankings from the New York State Sportswriters Association. If you want to check out the entire rankings, go ahead click this link.

Otherwise, top five in each class and all Section II teams under the cut.

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Once again, the Patroon Conference will be hosting its annual Coaches vs. Cancer event at the College of St. Rose this weekend.

These are (almost) all league games and the event hosts both boys and girls squads over the course of Saturday and Sunday.

Check out the complete schedule under the cut and if you would like to get involved or contribute to the efforts of the American Cancer Society, comtact Michele Mack at (518) 22-06932 or michele.mack@cancer.org

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Cha-cha-chaaaanges.

We've got some changes in the latest round of New York State boys basketball rankings, courtesy of the New York State Sportswriters Association.

After Hoosick Falls upset over Lake George on Saturday, there's been a bit of a Class C shakeup statewide, while some other local teams are making the moves in a handful of other classes.

To see the top five teams in each class, as well as any and all Section II teams, go ahead and check under the cut. If you want to see the entire state rankings; there's a link for that.

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The New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced that tickets are now on sale for the 52nd annual state wrestling championships.

The event will once again take place at the Times Union Center, for the eighth straight year,  and will run from Friday, February 28th to Saturday March 1st.

There are currently a handful of ticket options being offered.
The "premium package" for $38 includes a ticket for each of the first two sessions and premium seating for the championship rounds.
There are also one-sesseion tickets for $12 as well as three-session tickets for $33 that does not include premium seating.

All seating is general admission, unless you pay the premium price. Tickets are on sale at the TU Center box office, select Wal Mat locations, charge by phone at 1-800-745-300 or at ticketmaster.com

As of right now, the current schedule for the state championship is as follows:
Session #1
Friday, February 28th
9:30 a.m...Parade of Champions
10 a.m. - 2 p.m....Preliminaries
2 p.m. - 4 p.m....Quarterfinals
4 p.m. - 8 p.m....Wrestlebacks
Session #2
Saturday, March 1st
9:30 a.m....Special Awards
10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m....Division I and II semifinals
12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m....Division I and II wrestlebacks
2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m....Division I and II consolation finals
Session #3
Saturday, March 1st
6 p.m....CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ok, let's start this blog post by saying that these records DO NOT include last night's results. DO. NOT. So keep that in mind.

That being said, here's the latest NYS girls basketball rankings from the New York State Press Association. Top five in each class under the cut, as well as the rankings for any and all Section II squads.

To see the whole list, there is a very convenient link you can click right here.

Happy rankings!

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As promised, the New York State Sportswriters Association has released the Large-School All-State Football Teams.

Class AA and A honorees from Section II are all listed under the cut, but if you want to see the entire list - and you should really check it out - you can click this convenient link.

Congrats to everyone on a great season!

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A new week, a new round of NYS boysbasketball rankings courtesy of the New York State Sportswriters Association.

These records only go through January 12 and things are starting to get interesting in the rankings world. We had some Section II movement and there are a few out of section teams that we all might want to keep an eye on.

Top five in each class under the cut as well as the Section II rankings. To see the entire rankings list, go ahead and click right here.

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I'm writing a story guys! It's about basketball and scoring points!

This is not surprising, I know, but I'm doing things a little differently this time around. I need YOUR opinion.

I don't know if you guys have noticed, but as an area, Section II has had some pretty dominant basketball performances so far this season and some pretty ridiculously high-scoring games.

Four different boys teams have posted over 100 points in a SINGLE GAME. A handful of girls basketball players have single-handedly outscored their opponents and that's just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. Teams have been regularly posting upwards of 80 points a game and while that in and of itself is impressive, what's even more interesting is that they've been doing it while giving up minimal points.

Some teams in the area have been out-scoring opponents by as much as 60 or 70 points in a league game.

So, I want to know why and how that keeps happening. As players, do you think there are just more talented kids out there playing? Or are teams not evenly matched within their own leagues? Do you guys not focus much on defense or is it simply that everyone wants to score as much as possible?

I'm sure some coaches would want their teams to pull back in an incredibly lopsided game, but what do you guys think when you're the ones on the court? How would you feel if a team put up 100 points on you? Would you want them to slow do or is that just insulting? On the flip side, would you feel bad outscoring an entire opponent? Or is that an accomplishment?

There is no right or wrong answer here. There are only opinions and thoughts and points to be made and I want to hear them all from you. So, leave a comment here (with your real and full name please!) or shoot me an e-mail at lamato@troyrecord.com or tweet me at @LauraAmato. You've got plenty of outlets to voice your opinion, so do it and help me out along the way.

Another week, another round of New York State girls basketball rankings care of the New York State Sportswriters Association.

Another pretty strong showing by Section II, with records that go through January 5. So nothing from this week is included here - keep that in mind.

If you want to see the entire rankings list, you can click this link right here. Enjoy!

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I come bearing the latest round of NYS boys basketball rankings - and they're on time too!

Top five in each class and the Section II rankings are all under the cut, as per the norm around here. Keep in mind though that these records go through January 5, so nothing from this week (or tonight) is included.

Also, interesting to note that not only has Lake George now won 14 games in row, giving the Warriors the longest win streak in the state, they have the ONLY win streak of 10 or more games around.

If you want to read the whole list, you can click on this link. Enjoy!

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The New York State Sportswriters Association has released its annual all-state teams, beginning with the small-school editions.

A pretty good showing by Section II here with plenty of Class B, C and D standouts making the cut. Speaking of cuts, under this one, check out all the area athletes who were honored on the various teams.

If you want to see the entire listing, you can go ahead and click these very convenient links.
Class B
Class C
Class D

For those asking, the large school (AA-A) all-state teams are scheduled to be announced sometime next week.

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I'm going to call 2014 that from now on.

Since it's been snowing for what seems like an entire year (that was a joke!) we already have some basketball postponements across all of Section II. Under the cut, check out who is no longer planning tonight and if the games have been rescheduled. If they have, the new date is marked right next to it.

This is actually going to make the end of the basketball season really interesting. Most teams have two games to make up now, so it might get a little crazy.

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The Green Tech basketball team will be hosting two games over the next few weeks that could make for some very interesting matchups - and one that could have a huge impact on the NYS rankings.

The Eagles announced on Thursday that they would be playing back-to-back games on January 11 and 12 against Marist High School, out of Bayonne, NJ and Long Island Lutheran. Check out the details under the cut.
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New year, new round of boys basketball rankings from the New York State Sportswriters Association.

Top five teams in each class as well as all the Section II squads typed up under the cut. Keep in mind as well that these records only go through December 29.

If you want to see the entire rankings list, go ahead and click this very convenient link. Enjoy!

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It's a New Year and so that means a brand-new set of girls basketball rankings from the New York State Sportswriters Association.

These records go through December 29 so under the cut check out the rankings of the top five teams in each class as well as any and all Section II teams.

To see thee entire list, go ahead and click on this link.

Welcome to 2014 everyone.

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