Sports Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, September 8, 2005
Guilderland boys soccer vs. mohon 2005
By Tim Matteson
GUILDERLAND — In a change from the past few seasons, the Guilderland boys’ soccer team scored early and scored often in a 7-0 win over Mohonasen on Tuesday.
The Dutchmen scored five goals in the first half and cruised in the second half to shut out the Mighty Warriors.
"We didn’t have that many goals in a game last year," said Guilderland Coach Mike Kinnally. "I don’t think we had that many goals in back-to-back games."
The first goal came with 12:50 left in the first half. Sophomore Frank Campagnano hit a shot into the upper left corner.
Two minutes later, Kousha Navidar scored after getting a pass from Mike Camardo. Navidar hit a well-placed low shot into the goal to make the game 2-0.
Just a few seconds later, Nick Stark scored after he got to a loose ball on the Mohonasen side of the field. Stark dribbled past a couple of defenders and lofted a shot over the Warrior goalie for the score.
Goal number four was scored by Kelly Young with two minutes left until halftime. Young received a pass from Campagnano and kicked a low shot away from the goaltender.
The final goal of the first half came off the foot of Camardo. He made his tally with eight seconds left and was assisted by Campagnano.
Navidar scored in the second half with an assist from Justin Sedefian. The final goal of the game came with 16:06 left as Campagnano scored unassisted.
"It was just one of those things that happens," Kinnally said. "Today we got all the bounces. We had some one-versus-one with the goalie. We got scoring from different guys and everybody got some quality minutes."
Junior Uriah Myrie and senior Barry Kinlan split time in the goal for the Dutch. Myrie played in the first half and Kinlan played in the second half, but neither saw much action in the shutout as they combined for one save.
The Dutch took 10 shots in the game.
Beating Amsterdam
The win was the second for the Dutchmen this season. Guilderland beat Amsterdam, 4-1, on Thursday.
Campagnano scored three goals and Stark scored one for the Dutchmen. Young, Navidar, and Kyle Klapp had assists for Guilderland.
"I knew we would be good in the front and in the middle," Kinnally said of his forwards and midfielders. "The back was where I was concerned. We were a little bit better. The best thing to happen for this team is practice."
The Dutch also got good play from some younger players, which is key as the team lost nine starters from last year’s team.
"The club effect"
"Next year, we’ll have nine starters returning," Kinnally said. "And that is the club effect. We’ll take this win and savor it for six hours. Then we’ll get ready for Bethlehem."
The club Kinnally referred to is the Dutchmen United Football Club that he runs.
"Most kids on high school teams play in it," Kinnally said. "It allows me to keep in contact with the kids in high school through my influence in the club. It is for development of players."
The club has teams in under-eight to under-19 age groups.
"I don’t believe kids are too young to learn how to do things the right way," Kinnally said. "And that is the biggest thing."
The Dutchmen United offers a more competitive alternative to the Guilderland recreation league.
"We tried working with the recreation league," Kinnally said. "But they were not too receptive."
The United play in the winter and spring with the season ending in June and registrations for the next year in July.
"We had 11 teams this year," Kinnally said. "We’ve grown over 45 players from last year. And that is key to how we do."
The league also has girls’ teams.
Kinnally said that playing tougher competition will prepare players for the rigors of playing in the Suburban Council at the varsity level.
The Dutch will have some tough competition coming up as they play Bethlehem on Thursday and Ithaca on Saturday.
But starting the season 2-0 will provide a boost for the Dutchmen.
"It will help our confidence," Kinnally said. Referring to varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen teams, he went on, "We’re working in a new system with all three teams and this shows us what can happen in this system. But we’re still learning it."
Guilderland football opener 2005
By Tim Matteson
GUILDERLAND — A slow start and lack of offense hurt the Guilderland football team in its season-opening game against Shenendehowa.
The Dutchmen lost to the Plainsmen, 22-6, on Friday night in Clifton Park.
"We shot ourselves in the foot," said Guilderland Coach Dan Penna. "But we started playing better in the second and third quarters. When you play a program as great as Shen, you can’t make mistakes. I’m disappointed that we didn’t go out and play the best that we could. We had bad field position. But I’m happy with the way we played in the second half; there is some battle in the kids."
Shen scored on its first possession of the game after taking the opening kickoff to the 36-yard line.
On the ninth play of the drive, Shen’s Salih Banks scored from the 15-yard line. The extra-point kick failed but the Plainsmen led, 6-0, with 7:31 left in the opening quarter.
Guilderland was forced to punt on its opening drive and Shen took advantage. The Plainsmen drove the ball downfield again and Banks scored his second touchdown with 35 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Dutchmen turned the ball over on their next possession, and, with 10:24 left in the second quarter, Shen got a field goal from Max Blain to go up 15-0.
The Dutch answered on their next possession.
A short kickoff was fielded by Kevin Forbes who returned the ball to the 47-yard line.
Kevin Doherty then moved the ball on runs of three and two yards.
An offsides penalty on the Plainsmen moved the ball five yards and set up and third down and short. Doherty picked up the first down on a run.
Guilderland quarterback Greg Buck completed a pass to James Ramson that put the ball on the Shen 31-yard line.
Ramson ran for two yards and Buck completed a pass to Pete Stanish for a six-yard gain. Doherty got the first down on a run to the 19-yard line.
Three successive runs by Guilderland set up fourth down and two from the 11-yard line.
Gutsy play
After a time out, the Dutch ran a gutsy play and, instead of going for a first down, Buck threw the ball into the end zone to Paul Booker who made the catch for the touchdown.
The extra-point kick attempt failed, but the Dutchmen had closed the margin to nine points, 15-6, with 4:33 left until halftime.
The score would remain the same until Shen scored with 3:24 left in the third quarter.
Steve Gauck scored for the Plainsmen on a one-yard run to cap a seven-play drive that featured him as the main running back.
The Dutch’s defense was solid in the second half. They gave up only one touchdown to Shen, but struggled to get anything going on offense.
Kyle Hussey, Booker, Stanish, and Chris Wolfe came up big on the defensive side for Guilderland.
The offensive struggles might be due to a lack of experience.
"We have some kids that haven’t played for a few years," Penna said after the game. "It’s different playing under lights on Friday than during practice. But we have some athletes and I’m looking forward to playing Troy next Friday."
In this Friday’s game, Shen had the size advantage on the offensive and defensive lines.
"They were physical and out-sized us," Penna said. "But they didn’t out-physical us in the second half. We had a fumble that gave them a short field. I’m disappointed that we didn’t play at our best."
Guilderland will host its first home game of the season on Friday against Troy with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
Guilderland volleyball 2005
By Tim Matteson
GUILDERLAND — The Guilderland girls’ volleyball team will be relying on a strong group of seniors to compete in the tough Suburban Council this season.
The Lady Dutch opened the season with a four-set win over Bishop Maginn on Aug. 30 and then beat Voorheesville in five sets last Thursday.
"We have a strong group of seniors," said first-year Guilderland Coach Meaghan McGonagle. "They play during the off-season for clubs. We also have juniors that are in club leagues. They show good camaraderie and good communication on the court."
McGonagle takes over for Warren Bollinger, who is coaching the junior-varsity team this fall.
"Warren and I flipped," McGonagle said. "And it has fit perfectly. Warren loves teaching fundamentals with the younger players. And we felt I’ll be strongest with the varsity. It’s a great situation for everybody."
McGonagle coached most of the varsity players at the j.v. level and is familiar with the kids, which should make the transition to varsity coach smooth.
Senior leaders
The Lady Dutch will be led by seniors Gwen Simmons, Katrina Ernest, Amanda Zuspan, Katie Jacobson, and Sarah Jurczynski. Juniors on the team are Dana Saragaglia, Laura Doak, Lauren Jurczynski, Amanda Baldwin, and Mark Kate O’Connell.
Emily Collen is the lone sophomore on the team.
There are no captains on the team so far, but McGonagle is looking for leadership from her seniors.
"The seniors have been on varsity for the past two seasons," the coach said. "I’m looking for them to be big on the court as a group...They are the foundation of the team and will be for the year."
And the seniors came through against Voorheesville.
After a disappointing fourth set, where Voorheesville tied the game, the Lady Dutch took command in the fifth set and held off the Blackbirds to win the final game, 25-13.
Guilderland was led by the serving of senior Jacobson and the strong hits by classmate Sarah Jurczynski in the final game.
Jacobson ran off nine consecutive service points in the final set to build on a one-point Guilderland lead. When Jacobson finally hit a serve out of bounds, she had made the score 19-9.
Lauren Jurczynski and Ernest also played well in the fifth and final set.
"A lot of our girls play with the Voorheesville girls in club," McGonagle said after the match. "They’re very competitive. It’s great to see a team like that. I’m satisfied with the start."
Tough matches
The team has not made many goals for the season and hopes to continue the strong start with tough league matches against Saratoga and defending state champion, Burnt Hills.
"We’re going to get as far as we possibly can get," McGonagle said. "We’re not setting anything in stone. We play Saratoga on Tuesday and Burnt Hills on Thursday. We’ll see how far this takes us. They are both very good teams."
McGonagle, who is in her fourth year teaching in the Guilderland School District, is looking forward to her first season as varsity coach.
"It’s very exciting to start the season," McGonagle said. "But I was very nervous. The seniors were around during my first year of coaching. I coached them on j.v. when they were in the 10th grade. They’ve really been helping a lot."
Voorheesville football opens 2005
By Tim Matteson
VOORHEESVILLE — The Voorheesville football team traveled to Mechanicville on Saturday and went on the defensive.
The Blackbirds shut down the Red Raiders’ offense and intercepted five passes in a 12-0 win in a Class C South Division game.
"This is a real good win," said Voorheesville Coach Joe Sapienza. "Our defense kept us in it at halftime. They ran something that was completely different than what we saw from them before. There were a couple of adjustments that we didn’t make. We made them in the second half."
The halftime score was 0-0 as neither team could mount any offense. Voorheesville came the closest to scoring but had a pair of penalties take the ball out of scoring position.
A personal foul penalty after a long run by Paul Hognestad moved the ball from the Mechanicville seven-yard line back out to the 22-yard line and the Birds could not make up the yards.
On Mechanicville’s next possession, Voorheesville’s Adam Duncan intercepted a pass and returned the ball to the Mechanicville 31-yard line.
A pass from Voorheesville quarterback Andy Catellier to Nick Duncan moved the Birds to the eight-yard line but a holding penalty negated the play and took the Birds out of scoring position.
"We got sloppy in the red zone," Sapienza said of the team’s play after getting inside the Mechanicville 20-yard line. "We shot ourselves in the foot with penalties. Those are two scores we should’ve had."
"A positive"
The Blackbirds opened the third quarter with a key defensive play.
Nick Duncan made a one-handed catch to intercept a Mechanicville pass and returned the ball to the Red Raiders’ 43-yard line.
Three runs by Hognestad, the last good for 15 yards, moved the ball to the six-yard line.
The Birds lost yards on a running play and a delay-of-game penalty to move the ball back to the 13-yard line.
But this time, the Birds didn’t stall as, on the next play, Catellier completed a pass to Nick Duncan, who reached over his defender to make the catch in the end zone for a touchdown.
The extra-point kick was no good, but the Birds led, 6-0, with 8:23 left in the third stanza.
The Blackbirds scored their second touchdown, again taking advantage of a Mechanicville interception.
Kurt Hoffart intercepted a pass at his own 31-yard line and returned the ball to the Mechanicville 47.
The Blackbirds took 13 plays but Justin Lupien capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown dive into the end zone. The two-point conversion attempt failed, but the Birds led, 12-0, with just 1:10 left in the contest.
The Blackbirds finished the game with five interceptions. Eric Dickson and Catellier also had interceptions for the Blackbirds.
Hognestad rushed for 88 yards on 20 carries to lead the offense. Catellier completed six of 12 passes for 53 yards.
Nick Duncan, who was an all-state receiver last year, had only two catches for 19 yards,
"Their game plan was to take Nick out of the game," Sapienza said. "We had trouble with their coverage. Nick’s phenomenal. Catellier to Duncan is going to be a big combination, and, in the first game of the season, the other team is game-planning to take that away. It says a lot for the kids."
Sapienza said that this is Voorheesville’s first win against Mechanicville since 1998 in the Class C Section II championship game.
"Mechanicville is a powerhouse," the coach said. "It has nothing to do with them having a new coach. That is a good football team."
Sapienza is also happy that his team responded in a tough, physical opening game against a divisional opponent.
"This is a positive for the kids and coaching staff," Sapienza said. "We typically open with a crossover game. We had no reason to be ready."
The Blackbirds will have to get ready for another divisional game this week. The Voorheesville team will travel to Troy to take on Catholic Central High School on Friday night.
Voorheesville volleyball 2005
By Tim Matteson
VOORHEESVILLE — The Voorheesville girls’ volleyball team is trying to get over the hump this season.
The Lady Blackbirds want to beat those teams in the Colonial Council that have given them problems over the past couple of years.
"We’re hoping to win the Colonial Council and go far in sectionals," said senior Co-Captain Brigit Feeney.
"There are three teams that beat us every year," added Brittney Wineinger, the Birds’ other captain, "Ravena, Schalmont, and Cobleskill. We want to break into that three."
Voorheesville opened the season with a good showing in the Fonda-Fultonville Tournament, placing second after losing to Schalmont in the championship game. The Birds followed that with a tough five-set loss to Guilderland, a larger Class A school. The Birds will play in Class C this fall.
"I felt this was the first year that we could give them a great match," said Voorheesville Coach Sandy Vorse. "And we almost won. We are learning to go the distance. We just have to finish out the fifth game."
The Blackbirds trailed the Lady Dutch, two sets to one, but were impressive in the fourth set, winning 25-11, to even the match.
Senior Clare Gravelin’s great service of the ball, big hits by Feeney and Wineinger, and digs by Lauren Passarelli and Kathleen Hoyt contributed to the win.
The fifth game was a different story and showed the Birds still need to work on playing in the final set. Voorheesville had the fifth set tied at 9-9 but lost 10 straight service points to fall behind, 19-9, and couldn’t catch up.
"A lot of good things happened," Feeney said. "We are still getting used to playing different positions and used to new rotations and being next to new people. We did better than we have before against bigger schools and I’m happy with that."
"Working really hard"
Seniors, Hillary Goetz, Tara Joyce, Kerri Farley, Amanda DeZalia, Laura Gorgen, Abbey Schultz, and sophomores Kristen Lysenko and Alyssa Cave round out the team.
"We have two seniors that have been on the team for four years," Vorse said. "And we have three on the court full time. The two juniors bring a lot to the team."
"Brittney and I have been on varsity for four years," Feeney said. "We have a lot of seniors. We have nine, but we have a lot of people that it’s their first year on varsity. We all have different skill levels. I think our bench is strong. We can send people in and they’ll do great. They’re working for their chance to get in and play."
"The team is really close," Wineinger said. "We’re working really hard."
The tough early matches should help the Blackbirds during the season and prepare them for the Class C playoffs. They have already seen some of the teams they could face in the tournament.
"We’ll see some different teams in sectionals," Feeney said. "We saw a few of them in the [Fonda] tournament and we beat a few of them."
"We’re in one of the strongest leagues considering the size of the schools," Vorse said. "We’re playing some good volleyball teams."
The Blackbirds have set goals for the season.
"Our goal this year is to qualify for the sectionals and advance," Vorse said. "To do that we have to be .500 in the league."