Category: Independent

Albany, Amsterdam, Averill Park, Ballston Spa, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Columbia, Football, Gloversville, Green Tech, Home, LaSalle, Mohonasen, Queensbury, Scotia-Glenville, South Glens Falls, Troy

Section 2 football: A first glance at Class A

We will be taking a look at the alignments and schedules for all five football classes in Section 2 this week. To read about Class D, click here. To read about Class C, click here. To read about Class B, click here.

Very little changed for Class A when Section 2 revealed its alignments and schedules for the 2019 football season. Troy, Ballston Spa, LaSalle and Columbia remain in Class A for another season after dropping down from Class AA in 2018.

The lone addition is Albany, a Class AA team that is electing to play a Class A schedule. Albany has made this move before in an attempt to be more competitive during the regular season. Because they are playing in a different class than where they would otherwise compete, the Falcons are not eligible for the playoffs. Continue reading “Section 2 football: A first glance at Class A” →

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Albany, Boys basketball, Christian Brothers Academy, Colonie, Columbia, Green Tech, Guilderland, Home, LaSalle, Niskayuna, Schenectady, Shaker

Section 2 Class AA boys basketball playoffs: Higher seeds sweep opening round games

The higher-seeded teams won in the opening round of the Section 2 Class AA boys basketball playoffs Wednesday, Feb. 20.

No. 8 LaSalle pulled away from No. 9 Schenectady in the fourth quarter to prevail 66-54 and advance to Saturday’s quarterfinal game against top-seeded Bethlehem at Hudson Valley Community College. Connor Cepiel had 15 points, while Sean Desharnais and Gabe Lucarelli each added 12 points for the Cadets. Jonon White netted 19 points for the Patriots.

No. 7 Colonie moved on with a 62-36 victory over No. 10 Albany. Aaron Satin scored 18 points for the Garnet Raiders, who used a 21-7 run in the third quarter to take control. Brendan Coyle contributed 13 points, and Donovan Canty chipped in with 10 points. Tye-Rell Monroe had seven points for Albany. Colonie faces No. 2 Saratoga Springs in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Continue reading “Section 2 Class AA boys basketball playoffs: Higher seeds sweep opening round games” →

Academy of the Holy Names, Albany Academy for Boys, Albany Academy for Girls, Amsterdam, Broadalbin-Perth, Cambridge, Catholic Central, Cobleskill-Richmondville, Cohoes, Emma Willard, Fonda-Fultonville, Gloversville, Granville, Green Tech, Greenwich, Home, Hoosic Valley, Hudson Falls, Ichabod Crane, LaSalle, Maple Hill, Mechanicville, Mohonasen, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, Schalmont, Schuylerville, Scotia-Glenville, South Glens Falls, Stillwater, Tamarac, Voorheesville, Waterford-Halfmoon, Watervliet, Whitehall

Indoor track: Four leagues host championship meets at University at Albany

One day. Four league championship meets. One location.

The Colonial Council, the Wasaren League, the Foothills Council and the Independent League held their league meets together Sunday, Feb. 10, at the University at Albany’s SEFCU Arena.

The Colonial Council meet was a lopsided affair, as the Mohonasen girls and Albany Academy for Boys track teams dominated the competition. Mohonasen won the girls team title with 174 points, well ahead of runner-up Academy of the Holy Names, while Albany Academy finished 50 points ahead of Mohonasen in the boys team standings, 138-88.

Emma Sinisgalli (1,000-meter race), Kate Sherman (1,500) and Anna Sherman (3,000) won the distance events for Mohonasen. The Mighty Warriors swept the top three places in the 1,500 and the top two places in the 3,000, for added measure. Mohonasen also won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter relays, and Emily Racana took first place in the pole vault, with teammate Lena Calkins placing second.

Ahmad Praileau led Albany Academy with victories in the 55-meter dash, the 55-meter hurdles and the long jump. Jack Campito contributed a win in the triple jump, while Nick Graziano (1,600) and Vishal Hada (3,200) added victories in the distance races for the Cadets. Donald Jones won the pole vault. Continue reading “Indoor track: Four leagues host championship meets at University at Albany” →

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Section 2 boys basketball: Bethlehem, Troy, Schalmont, Lake George and OESJ receive No. 1 seeds

By ROB JONAS

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Brackets for the Section 2 boys basketball playoffs were revealed Wednesday, Feb. 13, and there were not many surprises.

Bethlehem (Class AA), Troy (Class A), Schalmont (Class B), Lake George (Class C) and Oppenheim-Ephratah/St. Johnsville (Class D) were named the top seeds by the Section 2 committee. Of the five No. 1 seeds, only Schalmont (19-1) was a mild surprise, as the Sabres were chosen over Foothills Council champion Glens Falls (19-1), which has only an out-of-state loss this season. Schalmont suffered an 80-69 loss to Colonial Council rival LaSalle Thursday, Feb. 7, for its only setback of the season, but grabbed the top seed due to a better strength of schedule, according to boys basketball chairman Will Ferguson.

“They were so close that Schalmont’s [seeding] points were only slightly ahead on the sheet,” said Fergsuon. “Then, there was the schedule … the number of AA’s and A;s played vs. the B’ and C’s they played against each other. One of the other key factors was Schalmont knocked off Troy, which was the No. 1 seed for the A’s.” Continue reading “Section 2 boys basketball: Bethlehem, Troy, Schalmont, Lake George and OESJ receive No. 1 seeds” →

Albany Academy for Boys, Ballston Spa, Boys basketball, Columbia, Galleries, Glens Falls, Green Tech, Home, Hudson, Mekeel Christian Academy, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, Schalmont, Scotia-Glenville, Troy

Scenes from Section 2 boys basketball: Schalmont tops Troy as part of showcase hosted by Mekeel Christian

GLENS FALLS – The Cool Insuring Arena was once again home to a day of Section 2 basketball, as Mekeel Christian Academy hosted the Sunmark Shootout Saturday, Feb. 2.

In one of the best match-ups of the day, Schalmont upended Troy 78-76 in a battle of the top teams from the Colonial and Suburban councils. The Sabres built a five-point lead at the end of the third quarter, and then hung on as the Flying Horses rallied in the fourth quarter.

Shane O’Dell lit up the scoreboard with a 36-point night for Schalmont that included an 11-for-11 performance at the free throw line. LJ Randle dropped a pair of three-pointers on his way to a 19-point effort.

Latyce Faison sank four three-pointers and finished with 30 points for Troy, which suffered its second non-league loss of the season. Nazaire Merritt chipped in with 28 points, including four three-pointers of his own. Continue reading “Scenes from Section 2 boys basketball: Schalmont tops Troy as part of showcase hosted by Mekeel Christian” →

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Weekend indoor track round-up: Nino Seidou-Bakari wins at Ocean Breeze High School Invitational

Colonie’s Nino Seidou-Bakari took first place in the boys Red Division weight throw at the Ocean Breeze High School Invitational indoor track and field meet Saturday, Jan. 26, on Staten Island.

Seidou-Bakari posted a distance of 61 feet, 9 inches to win his division at the regional meet. Josiah Kemp contributed a third-place finish in the Red Division 55-meter hurdles (7.58 seconds) and a fifth-place finish in the Red Division 55-meter dash (6.62 seconds) for the Garnet Raiders, and the Colonie boys 1,600-meter relay team placed fifth. Nathanial LaSorba added a third-place finish in the boys White Division 800-meter race with a time of 2:03.01.

Shenendehowa twin sisters Chidera and Chidalu Anameze had top-10 finishes in field events at Ocean Breeze. Chidera took second place in the girls Red Division weight throw with a distance of 46 feet, 3 inches, while Chidalu placed third with a throw of 44 feet, 2.75 inches. In the Red Division shot put, Chidera finished sixth with a throw of 37 feet, 6.25 inches, and Chidalu was eighth with a throw of 37 feet, 2 inches. Continue reading “Weekend indoor track round-up: Nino Seidou-Bakari wins at Ocean Breeze High School Invitational” →

Albany Academy for Boys, Amsterdam, Boys basketball, Galleries, Glens Falls, Green Tech, Home, Hoosic Valley, Hoosick Falls, Lake George, OESJ, Shenendehowa

Scenes from the ZG Slam North-South Classic, Day 2

GLENS FALLS – The second day of the Zero Gravity Slam North-South Classic boys basketball showcase took place Sunday, Jan. 27, at Cool Insuring Arena.

The highlight was reserved for the final game of the day-long showcase, as Glens Falls’ Joseph Girard III pursued another milestone against Foothills Council rival. Girard scored his 4,000th career point on a free throw in the third quarter as part of a 52-point performance in the Indians’ 78-74 victory over the Running Rams.

Two other major match-ups fell a bit short of generating much in the way of suspense. Albany Academy downed Park School of Buffalo 67-44 in a showdown between the state’s top two-ranked Class A teams, and Lake George stormed out to an 18-7 lead on its way to a 55-30 victory over Hoosick Falls in a battle between the state’s No. 1 and No. 4-ranked Class C squads. Continue reading “Scenes from the ZG Slam North-South Classic, Day 2” →

Cambridge, Coxsackie-Athens, Germantown, Granville, Green Tech, Home, Lake George, Loudonville Christian, Mayfield, Mohonasen, New Lebanon, Niskayuna, Northville, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, Saratoga Catholic, Saratoga Springs, Schalmont, Schenectady, Schuylerville, Tamarac, Warrensburg

Boys basketball: Tamarac defeats New Lebanon to clinch first winning season in 10 years

The Tamarac boys basketball team locked up its first winning season since 2009 with a 64-44 non-league victory against New Lebanon Tuesday, Jan. 22.

Anthony Ciampolillo and Frank Zotto each scored 17 points to lead the Bengals (11-3), who pulled away from the Tigers with a 21-9 run in the second quarter. Cole Erickson had 14 points, and Clayton Erickson contributed 13 points for New Lebanon.

Elsewhere, Duncan Tallman became Mohonasen’s all-time scoring leader as the Mighty Warriors defeated Schenectady 71-63. Tallman scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter lead Mohonasen to victory and surpass Phil DeCarlo atop the school’s leaderboard with 1,274 points.

Shawn Gillisslee chipped in with 16 points, and Chase Monroe added 15 points for Mohonasen, which overcame a slow start to build a 33-30 halftime lead. Elijah Johnsen had 15 points for Schenectady. Continue reading “Boys basketball: Tamarac defeats New Lebanon to clinch first winning season in 10 years” →

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Boys basketball: Schalmont, Mekeel Christian, Shaker and Albany Academy post wins at North-South Classic

ALBANY – Schalmont, Mekeel Christian, Shaker and Albany Academy won their games at Saturday’s ZG Slam North South Classic at the Washington Avenue Armory.

Schalmont kicked off the first day of the event with a 63-40 victory over Colonial Council rival Cobleskill-Richmondville. The Bulldogs hung with the Sabres through the first quarter, but Schalmont pulled away with a 13-4 run in the second quarter and a 22-6 spurt in the third quarter.

Shane O’Dell poured in 25 points to lead Schalmont. LJ Randle contributed 11 points, and Gannon Strube added 10 points. Donovan Pacatte got into early foul trouble for Cobleskill-Richmondville and was limited to 10 points. Continue reading “Boys basketball: Schalmont, Mekeel Christian, Shaker and Albany Academy post wins at North-South Classic” →

Boys basketball, Colonie, Galleries, Green Tech, Home

Scenes from the Pep Sand Holiday Basketball Challenge: Green Tech defeats Colonie

By ROB JONAS

COLONIE – Fueled by a strong defensive effort, Green Tech defeated Colonie 64-50 on the second night of the Pep Sand Holiday Basketball Challenge at Colonie Central High School.

The Eagles (5-3) pressed and harassed the Garnet Raiders all night, forcing numerous turnovers and preventing Colonie (2-7) from getting into an offensive rhythm.

“We’ve been struggling defensively this season, so that’s what we’ve been working on in practice,” said Green Tech head coach D.J. Jones. Continue reading “Scenes from the Pep Sand Holiday Basketball Challenge: Green Tech defeats Colonie” →