2008: The Year in Review
Another postseason run for Fort Plain baseballBy JAMES A. ELLIS, BILL CAIN and MIKE ZUMMO, The Leader-Herald
Article Photos
2008 was another busy year for local sports.
Several teams, players and coaches made plenty of news and there were several highs and lows along the way.
Here are the top local sports moments, according to The Leader-Herald for 2008, along with several other notable events and performances.
1. Fort Plain goes back to states
The Fort Plain baseball team nearly made it two in a row at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C championships, but, after a lengthy rain delay, the Hilltoppers fell short in the state semifinal against Section IV champion Thomas Edison, 4-1 at Conlon Field in Binghamton.
The loss took away the opportunity for the Hilltoppers to play for the opportunity to win their second straight title.
The Hilltoppers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Adam Cutspec's leadoff triple and he scored on Tyler Barhydt's single, but an 84-minute rain delay interrupted the game in the top of the fourth inning.
The Spartans then scored four runs off Baker in the fifth to take the championship game.
The Hilltoppers won the Section II Class C title with a 3-2 win over Duanesburg in the championship game for their third straight title and entered the state tournament with an 8-1 win over Corinth in the Class C-CC playoff game. They beat Section VII champion Ticonderoga, 8-0, on Dustin Baker's no-hitter at the Morse Complex in Queensbury and followed that with an 11-1 win over Section X champion Brushton-Moira in the regional championship at Shuttleworth Park.
The HIlltoppers finished the season with a 26-4 record, and coach Craig Phillips was named the American Baseball Coaches Association High School Division III Region I Coach of the Year.
2. Northville boys basketball
The Northville boys basketball team beat defending champions St. Johnsville 51-33 for the Section II Class D championship. It was the first title for the program since 1962. Led by Ryan VanNostrand, Josh Dietrich, Jordan Williams and first-year coach Ryan Gander, the Falcons rolled into the regional round and came one win shy of the state final four.
The Falcons beat Argyle in the sectional semifinals, 60-52, led by Williams' 20 points. In the finals, he scored a game-high 19 points and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. The championship game was close after one quarter with Northville leading 12-11 and still in reach for the Saints at the half as they trailed 26-20. However, a Dietrich 3-pointer at the end of the third gave the No. 3 seed a 36-25 advantage they were never in danger of losing.
Having beaten the Saints twice in the Western Athletic Conference regular season, Northville made it a three-game sweep with the win. The Falcons finished third in the WAC North Division, where most teams are from Class B or C schools.
The Falcons beat Section VII's Westport, 46-40, before losing in the region finals to Section X's Chateaugay, 62-41. Northville finished the season 16-9 overall.
3. B-P cross country sends boys, girls teams to states
The 2008 fall season was a historical one for the Broadalbin-Perth cross country program as both the boys' and girls' teams won Section II Class B championships for the first time in the same season and went to the New York State Athletic Association championship meet together in the same season.
The girls' team went to the state meet for the third time in four years and after the boys closed the gap separating them from three-time defending champion, Ichabod Crane, the Patriots finally overtook them this year, winning the sectional meet with 57 points, 10 under the Riders.
Andrew Goodspeed led the way with fifth-place finish of 16:25.0 and Adam Rasefske took 11thin 16:49.2. The Patriots bunched enough runners together, putting five between 16th and 26th place to take the championship.
The Lady Patriots did it with speed as they scored 19 points to Cobleskill-Richmondville's 44 to take the championship. After Glens Falls' Erika Kuhn won the overall championship, Broadalbin-Perth placed runners in the next four spots to finish the top five.
Gina Cristaldi led the way with a second-place finish in 18:48.2 and Opal Jessica Bogdan was third in 19:13.2. Emily Baker was fourth in 19:14.7 and Nicole Wojciechowski took fifth in 19:41.9. Julianna Mendez rounded out the top 10 with a time of 20:02.0.
Cristaldi finished 12th for the Lady Patriots at the state championship meet at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park with a time of 19:54.9, leading the team to a sixth-place finish with 139 points. Goodspeed led the boys with a 32nd place finish in 17:33.35, leading the Patriots to a seventh-place finish with 185 points.
4. Soccer title town
It was a banner year for the Northville boys and girls soccer teams.
The Falcons entered the Section II Class D postseason tournament as the third seed. The Falcons rolled through their bracket, finally posting a 2-1 victory over Loudonville Christian to bring home the schools 21st sectional championship and first since 2003.
Advancing into regional play, Northville received a first-round bye, but came up on the short-end of the 3-0 score against Section IX champion S.S. Seward, finishing the season with a 16-5-1 record.
The Lady Falcons ended their title drought on Halloween, defeating Salem to claim their third Class D championship in school history and first title since 1997.
The Lady Falcons also received a first-round bye but also fell a team from S.S. Seward, 3-0 in regional play at Broadalbin-Perth High School.
the Lady Falcons finished their season with a 12-7-1 record.
5. Mayfield volleyball
After winning the first two games of the Section II Class D volleyball championship match, the second game 25-16, Mayfield dropped the next two games to top-seeded Loudonville Christian. Then a Kelsey Henry serve clipped the top of the net and fell to the floor to give the Lady Panthers their sectional championship in five games.
Being on the verge of sweeping was nothing new, as each of the Lady Panthers' previous playoff matches was won 3-0.
In the 25-23, 25-16, 22-25, 17-25, 25-18 sectional championship win, Christie Showers had four blocks and eight kills at the net, along with 10 service points. She had to go up against Loudonville Christian's Lindsay Burgher much of the night in the middle. Rebekah Haschytz had 17 service points, 12 kills and five aces. Kacie Edwards had 11 service points, Brooke Mawery had 10 kills, while both Henry and Alyssa Wells had nine service points.
Mayfield led 13-3 when the teams switched sides in the fifth game, but the Eagles closed in and trailed 23-18. A Loudonville Christian serve sailed long and Henry's ensuing serve found an open spot for the win.
Their run ended one match shy of the state final four with a loss to Section X champion Chateaugay. Mayfield was 20-3 overall on the season and were champions in the Western Athletic Conference with a 13-1 mark.
6. Dolgeville advances to state quarterfinals
The Dolgeville High School football team posted an undefeated regular season record to captured the Center State Conference Division championship.
The Blue Devils rolled into postseason play, and brought home the Section III Class D championship with a 21-14 victory over Watertown-Immaculate Heart Central.
Dolgeville's post-season run took the Blue Devils to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D quarterfinals where their season ended at the hands of Section IV champion Walton, 44-21. The Blue Devils closed out their season with a 10-1 overall record.
7. Beekman starts for Bears
Josh Beekman spent most of his rookie season inactive for the Chicago Bears. However, the Amsterdam native got an opportunity in his second season when Terrence Metcalf suffered an knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery and Beekman played the entire season as the Bears' starting left guard.
In his second season, the Bears posted a 9-7 record, but missed the playoffs after suffering a 31-24 road loss to the Houston Texans.
Beekman was the youngest members of an otherwise veteran Bears' offensive line, which paved the way for rookie Matt Forte to run for 1,231 yards on 315 carries and eight touchdowns. The line plowed the road for a Bears' offense that scored 15 rushing touchdowns.
Beekman and the line also protected Kyle Orton long enough to throw for 2,979 yards and 18 touchdowns.
8. Wrestlers pin down berths
The local wrestling teams were well represented at the at the state championship tournament at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester.
The Section II Class B champion Amsterdam Rams' Brian Benton (130), John Morey (152) entered the tournament with Section II Div. I championships, while Giuseppi Lanzi (135) and John Paris (160) earned wild card bids.
Johnstown's Mark Gillen (125) and Lou Emden (189) and Dolgeville's Dan Haughton (96) earned berths in the Div. II portion of the tournament.
Gillen and Emden won the Section II, Div. II championship in their respective weight classes, while Haughton made the trip via a wild card bid.
Benton and Morey reached the championship round of the two-day tournament.
Benton was decisioned 5-2 in the Div. I championship match by Fordham Prep's Andrew Lenzi. Benton was awarded the NYSPHSAA championship and was runner-up in the overall competition. He finished the season with a 53-3 record and posted 253 career victories.
Morey was also decisioned in the championship match, falling to Peter Capone of Johnson City, 12-2. He finished the season with a 45-4 record.
Gillen cruised through the opening day of competition with a pin fall and a technical fall in his first trip to the championships. He ended the tournament with a sixth-place finish in the Div. II 125-pound division. He closed out his junior year with a 37-4 record.
Haughton, a freshman, made the most of his wild card berth, coming through the wrestlebacks to finish fifth.
Lanzi advanced to the Div. I quarterfinals at 135 before ending his tournament in wrestlebacks with a 1-2 record.
Paris, a junior, also finished his first trip to the championships with a 1-2 mark.
Emden, a senior, posted a 1-2 record against Div. II 189-pound competition before ending his tournament run.
9. Varin, Brownell claim titles
A late-season change of rides was only a slight speedbump in Bobby Varin's drive to his fourth modified track championship at Fonda Speedway.
Varin opened the season driving the Jake Spraker-owned No. 1J which he drove to the 2006 track championship. Midway through the season, with Varin leading in the points, Spraker pulled the car from Fonda Speedway and Varin returned to action in the Dover Brake 00 to close out the season and capture the track championship.
David Towns, Kenny Gates and Jeremy Cramer successfully defended their 2007 division championships in the sportsman, pro stock and IMCAs. Chuck McSpirit captured his first Fonda Speedway street stock division championships.
Ronnie Johnson made a clean sweep of the season-ending River Rage weekend features, while Brett Hearn was crowned the champion of Fonda Speedway's five-race NMX Go Green Series.
Jeff Brownell Jr. made the most of his first full-season of competition at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park a good one as he picked up four feature wins and 11 top five finishes en route to the modified track championship.
Jeremiah Munson raced to eight feature wins as he claimed the budget sportsman championship and Chuck McSpirit picked up four feature wins and finished in the top five in 17 of 18 races started to win the street stock division championship.
Kerrie Hollenbeck won 11 of 18 features to claim the cruiser division title.
Jeremy Wilder and Dave Bayes picked up the King of the Budget Sportsman and Harry's Auto Street Stock Series titles respectively.
10. Longtime coaches retire
Two longtime area coaches retired at the end of their 2008 campaigns. Fort Plain softball coach Don Stockwell hung it up after his Lady Hilltoppers lost 8-1 to Duanesburg in the Section II Class C semifinals, while Broadalbin-Perth volleyball coach Mike Calvello stepped down after his Lady Patriots lost 3-0 to Schalmont in the Section II Class B semifinals.
Stockwell coached for 18 seasons, 13 at the varsity level. He won two sectional championships while compiling 234 wins and suffering just 56 losses. The Lady Hilltoppers finished the 2008 season 16-8 overall. He said he will use his time away from coaching to watch his young daughters grow up and play ball.
Calvello coached for 20 years and amassed a 283-158 record at B-P. He won four conference championships between the Tri-Valley and the Western Athletic Conference. His teams won nine sectional championships and made the trip to regionals seven times. The 2008 Lady Patriots finished the season with a 15-4 record. Now that his daughter Brittany has finished her career as a Lady Patriot, he said he wants to be able to travel and watch her play collegiately, something he would not be able to do while coaching.
Honorable mention
Mohawks reach NYCBL semis
The Amsterdam Mohawks rebounded from a 2007 summer season that saw them miss the New York Collegiate Baseball League playoffs and posted a 26-14 regular-season record in 2008, which was good enough for second place in the NYCBL Eastern Division.
The Mohawks swept the Little Falls Miners in two games with wins of 3-2 and 5-2, but fell in the divisional championship series to the first-place Glens Falls Golden Eagles in three games.
Mike Spina was the Mohawks' leading hitter with a .330 average and hit eight home runs and drove in 25 runs. Right behind him was Marc Onorati, who hit .309 with seven homers and a team-high 32 RBIs.
Logan Darnell was the Mohawks' top pitcher with a 3-0 record and a 1.82 ERA. He struck out 33 batters in 34 innings over six starts. Kyle Putnam had one more start than Darnell and finished 4-3 with a 2.59 ERA.
Team milestones
The past year saw several area teams reach other important milestones.
The Johnstown boys' lacrosse team won its second straight Section II Class C title June 6 with a 17-14 win over Schuylerville. John Roth scored six goals, while Kevin Hunt and David Sagan scored five each.
The Amsterdam wrestling team racked up 16 pins at the Section II Class B tournament to earn the championship. The Rams took the title with 246 points.
Both Fonda-Fultonville basketball team's played for the Western Athletic Conference championship against Schenectady Christian.
The Braves hung on for hard-fought, 51-48, win over the Falcons behind Kevin Hanson's 16 points.
The Lady Braves fell a points short in their game, suffering a 30-29 loss. Molly Sullivan scored 17 points.
Just a year after posting only four wins, the Broadalbin-Perth boys' basketball team advanced to the Section II Class B championship game, where it saw the season end with a 44-37 loss to Hoosic Valley, which marked the end of the basketball career for point guard Dan Schulz, who scored 13 points, and forward Tom Hart.
The Patriots finished the season with a 16-8 overall record and finished fourth in the Foothills Council with an 8-6 record.
The Canajoharie softball team reached the Section II Class C championship game, but fell to Duanesburg, 1-0, giving the Eagles their fourth straight sectional title. The Lady Cougars finished the season with a 16-7-1 record and spoiled Duanesburg's 33-game winning streak in the WAC with a 4-3 win May 14.
A pair of golf teams also did well in the fall. Mayfield posted a 16-0 season, while the Broadalbin-Perth Patriots won the Section II Class B title.
Also the Fonda-Fultonville boys' and girls' indoor track teams won Section II Division IV championships at the University at Albany. The boys had a team total of 127 points and the girls were four points up on Greenwich with 112.
Coaching milestones
The past year also saw several area coaches reach milestones in victories.
Amsterdam wrestling coach Ken Benton was the first when he got his 200th win in the Rams 78-6 win over Glens Falls at the North-South Duals at Saratoga High School. The 200 milestone was a big number in the family as Benton's wife, St. Johnsville coach Zale Benton, picked up her 200th victory
Amsterdam girls' basketball coach Eric Duemler got his 100th career victory when the Lady Rams defeated Kingston, 61-48.
St. Johnsville boys' basketball coach Jason Brundage picked up his 100th victory when the Saints defeated Canajoharie in a Western Athletic Conference game Feb. 11. The Saints won the game 50-35.
Amsterdam girls' tennis coach Tony Orapello notched his 300th career victory when the Lady Rams defeated Schenectady, 5-4.
Colonials win, Zephyrs make playoffs
After two-plus seasons with no win, the Glove Cities Colonials got back on track with three wins in 2008 in the Northeastern Football Alliance. The first came Aug. 9 against the St. Lawrence Valley Trailblazers, 13-8, the second over the Southern Tier Diesel the following week, 36-8. With a playoff spot on the line in the final game against Troy (5-4 overall), the Colonials (3-7 overall) forfeited. The Amsterdam Zephyrs (4-7 overall) were tied with Ottawa for the fourth seed in the Empire Football League before playing the continuation of a game with the Demon Deacons that was postponed due to lightning earlier in the season. The Zephyrs won the game 33-32 to slide into a postseason matchup with top-seeded Vermont, which beat Amsterdam 48-0 in the first round.
Sectional champions
Broadalbin-Perth's golf team shot a 331 at the Section II Class B Championship at Saratoga State Park to claim the crown, beating Scotia-Glenville's 339. Brandon Bush carded a team-best 79, tying him for third on the day, while Garrison DeRocker shot an 82, Jake Rounds an 83 and Tom Mittler an 87.
The Johnstown boys' lacrosse team won the Section II Class C championship with a 17-14 win over Schuylerville. The Sir Bills recovered from a 4-1 deficit early in the first quarter and were led by John Roth with six goals, while both Kevin Hunt and David Sagan scored five goals. Hunt had seven assists.
Fonda-Fultonville's boys' and girls' indoor track teams won Section II championships. The indoor boys won the Section II Division IV title with 127 points, outscoring runner-up Schuylerville (91). The indoor girls won their crown with a 112-108 edge over Greenwich. Jordan Therrien (pole vault) and Tom McLaughlin (300-meter dash) won events for the boys, while Sheila Niedziela (pole vault, triple jump), Kendra Bush (55-meter dash), Kayla Twardzik (55-meter hurdles) and Kirstyn Newkirk (shot put) won for the girls. The team of Bush, Twardzik, Samantha Givis and Brianna Derby won the 800-meter relay.
At the end of the outdoor season, Shane Smith won the boys' discus. Johnstown's Schuyler Duross won three events - high jump, triple jump, long jump. For the outdoor girls, Twardzik won the 100 hurdles for the Lady Braves, while Newkirk won the shot put. Johnstown's Emily Bearden won the 400 hurdles.
The Gloversville indoor relay team of Lacie Newland, Erin Leitt, Katie Conrad and Elise Maryanopolis won the 3,200-meter relay in Division-III, while Broadalbin-Perth's Joelle Guisti won the pole vault. Broadalbin-Perth's Colby Russell (pole vault), Gloversville's Matt Siegle (55-meter dash) and Ryan Blackmon (3,200-meter run) also won individual Division-III championships.
In the outdoor Class BB meet, Broadalbin-Perth's Chelsea Gruet (100 hurdles) took home a title.
At the Class CC meet, Mayfield's Rebecca Graudons (high jump, pole vault) was a two-time champion.
In the Clas C meet, Northville's Alicia Ellsworth (100-meter dash, long jump) and Canajoharie's Bethany Young (100-meter hurdles) were champions. The Fort Plain boys' relay team of John Resch, Dylan Antalek, Jack Boyer and Kyle Phillips won the 3,200-meter relay, while Chris Gattman (shot put, discus) won two individual titles.
Milestones
2008 was record-breaking year for several local high school athletes.
Fonda-Fultonville's Kevin Hanson reached the 1,000-point scoring plateau Monday in the Braves' 61-51 victory over Johnstown at the Gloversville Holiday Festival.
Senior quarterback Josh Nethaway connected for 30 touchdown passes in the 2008 football season to establish Fonda-Fultonville and Section II single-season touchdown pass records. He finished his career with 59 touchdown passes. He also established a new single-season passing record for the Braves with 2,118 yards.
The Gloversville-Mayfield girls swim team established nine school records at the Section II, Division II sectional meet.
The 200-yard freestyle team of Jade Woodend, Justin Woodend, Morgan Frasier and Victoria Blakeslee placed second in the meet with a time of 1:46.60. The 200-medley relay team of Mary-Kate Poulin, Katie Conrad, Jade Woodend and Frasier set a new record with 2:01.
Jade Woodend set a new 200-yard IM record with her time of 2:27.12 and a new mark in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:04.52.
Justine Woodend set new marks in the 100-yard freestyle and50-yard freestyle with times of 56.99 and 25.60, respectively.
Justine Woodend was also a member of the record-setting 400-yard freestyle relay team with Claire Cellery, Blakeslee and Poulin (3:59.77). Blakeslee established a new mark in the 200-yard freestyle in 2:07.57, while Poulin's time of 1:08.53 set a new 100-yard backstroke mark.
Canajoharie senior Heidi Anderson reached the 1,000-point scoring mark on January 8 in the Lady Cougars' Western Athletic Conference girls basketball game against Berne-Knox-Westerlo.
Mayfield softball pitcher JaeDee Lavada reached the 500-career strikeout mark May 21 against Fort Plain.
Fonda-Fultonville shot putter Kirstyn Newkirk earned a berth in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association indoor track and field championship meet with her throw of 37-9 3/4 at the state qualifiers at the University at Albany. Newkirk placed eighth at the championship meet with a throw of 36-10 1/2.
