With 2009 one week away from being placed in the history books, it’s time to look back at the year that was in Capital District sports.
January through March
The Section II boys basketball season proved to be anything but predictable at least when it came to the Class AA playoffs.
Casual fans expecting that the Big 10-champion Bishop Maginn Golden Griffins would waltz to their third consecutive championship were stunned when they lost to an equally-tough Albany Academy squad in the semifinals. The Cadets readied themselves for Sectionals by playing a tough schedule independent of any area league, and it showed as they held on for a 60-59 overtime victory.
Bishop Maginn’s loss opened the door for venerable Big 10 power Christian Brothers Academy. After defeating Shenendehowa 63-56 in another overtime semifinal game, the Brothers captured their fifth Sectional title in seven years by beating Albany Academy 62-49 in the finals.
Scotia-Glenville ended a 34-year title drought when it won the boys Class A title with a 56-47 victory over Foothills Council rival Gloversville. The game wasn’t as close as the final score appeared, as the Tartans established an 11-2 lead early on and never looked back.
In girls basketball, Bethlehem and Mohonsen proved the Suburban Council’s might by winning Sectional titles and getting to the state’s final four.
Bethlehem claimed its first Sectional championship in six years by beating Shenendehowa 46-42 in the Class AA finals. The Lady Eagles kept winning until the state finals when in a rematch of the 2003 championship game ` Long Island champion Copaigue pulled away to a 74-58 victory.
Mohonasen garnered its first Sectional title since 2002 by pulling out a 44-39 victory over Suburban Council rival Averill Park in the Class A finals. The Mighty Warriors reached the state semifinals before bowing to Albertus Magnus (Section I) 68-56.
At the collegiate level, the Siena College men’s basketball team provided the region with another dose of `March Madness` when the Saints won their second consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost a close game to top-seeded Louisville.
In high school hockey, Shaker/Colonie officially ended Shenendehowa’s six-year reign as Sectional champions when the Jets defeated Niskayuna/Schenectady 8-1 in the Division I finals. Matt Vetrone had a hat trick and two assists for the Jets, who won their first title since 2002.
Individual athletes took home state titles during the winter season. Shen’s Austin Meys pinned the field on his way to the 189-pound division championship at the state wrestling tournament, while Saratoga’s Madalayne Smith won the 55-meter dash and 55-meter hurdles titles at the state indoor track and field championships. Colonie’s Kyle Plante added a victory in the 300-meter dash at the indoor track meet.
Shen’s most dominant statewide performance came at the boys swimming and diving championships. Jacob Johnson (50- and 100-yard freestyle) and Shayne Buckley (200-yard individual medley) won individual titles, and they teamed up with Troy Nichols and Sean Parnett to finish first in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
April through June
A power shift took place in Section II boys lacrosse as Niskayuna moved to Class B after dominating Class A for the last four years. That move benefited both Niskayuna and Section II, as the Silver Warriors reached the state finals for the second time in school history before losing to Section V’s Canandaigua Academy 10-5.
Niskayuna’s move to Class B opened the door for Guilderland to claim its first Sectional title in several years. The Dutchmen defeated Shaker 8-4 in the Class A finals and reached the regional championship game before losing to Section I power Yorktown.
The Guilderland girls lacrosse team maintained its dominance over Section II. The Lady Dutch won their third consecutive Sectional title and made it to the Class A state finals before suffering a 10-9 loss to Long Island champion Farmingdale. What made it tougher for Guilderland was that it had a 9-7 lead with less than seven minutes left in the second half.
In baseball, Schenectady Christian School proved that a 5-year-old varsity program can grow up in a hurry. The Falcons won their first Sectional title by beating top-seeded Fort Ann 6-3 in the Class D championship game and rode that momentum to the state finals, where they lost to Arkport (Section V) 11-6.
Mohonasen edged crosstown rival Schalmont 2-1 for its first Sectional title since 1982. Mohonasen ace Robert Tedesco scattered six hits and struck out 14, while Schalmont’s Joe Amorosi tossed a four-hitter with five strikeouts.
Saratoga Central Catholic won its second Sectional title in three years when the Saints dispatched Fonda-Fultonville 9-2 in the Class B finals.
The 2009 softball season will be best remembered in southern Saratoga County as the year when Shen’s streak of six straight Sectional titles came to an end, as Niskayuna defeated the Plainsmen in the Class AA quarterfinals. The Silver Warriors then defeated Saratoga Springs in the semifinals before losing to Columbia in the finals.
Saratoga’s Madalayne Smith added to her trophy case by winning the 100-meter high hurdles title at the state outdoor track meet. The Shen girls 3,200-meter relay team of Danika Simonson, Alex Burtnick, Cara Janeczko and Lizzie Predmore also took top honors at the meet.
July through September
Saratoga Race Course and Joseph Bruno Stadium remained the summer places to be, as both sporting venues packed in the spectators to watch the top thoroughbreds and up-and-coming baseball players, respectively.
Saratoga denizens were given a gift on Labor Day weekend when super filly Rachel Alexandra won the Woodward Stakes by fending off a field of male horses. It was the third time Rachel Alexandra defeated the boys in a major stakes race, as she also won the Preakness and the Haskell.
The Albany Dutchmen played their first season in the New York Collegiate Baseball League at Bleecker Stadium. The Dutchmen joined the East Division, which included the Saratoga Phillies, Amsterdam Mohawks and Glens Falls Golden Eagles among others.
The Albany Firebirds soldiered on at the Times Union Center, but the Arena Football 2 team struggled at the turnstiles and, by year’s end, went on hiatus as its league melded with the remains of the Arena Football League to form a new league.
The New York Buzz played its World Team Tennis season at the University at Albany’s SEFCU Arena and drew nice crowds. Their attendance was bolstered by an appearance from Venus Williams and Albany Academy product Matt Kandath, who played two matches with the Buzz.
October through December
Section II had a strong football season, as four of its five Sectional champions got as far as the state semifinals and one ` Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake ` made it to the Carrier Dome for the state finals.
BH-BL pulverized most of its opponents on its way to the state Class A finals, winning by an average score of 46-7. But just like in the 2008 state final, Sweet Home (Section VI) got the better of the Spartans as the Panthers prevailed 34-7.
BH-BL dedicated its season to coach Matt Shell’s son, Jacob, who battled cancer through the whole campaign. The Section II football community rallied behind the Shells by wearing `Shellstrong` T-shirts during the third week of the regular season.
Saratoga Springs (Class AA) and Schalmont (Class B) hoped to join BH-BL at the Carrier Dome for the state finals, but both teams came up short in the semifinals. Saratoga had a 14-0 lead on Section I champion New Rochelle before the Huguenots rallied for a 28-21 victory. Meanwhile, Schalmont couldn’t get its offense in gear in a 28-7 loss to Section IX’s Nanuet.
Schalmont’s loss to Nanuet ended a historic playoff run for the Sabres. Schalmont won its first Sectional title by beating Lansingburgh 35-20 in the Class B finals and earned its first regional victory by rallying past Beekmantown (Section VII) 34-20.
On the boys soccer front, Shen ended a four-year Sectional title drought by defeating Saratoga Springs 2-0 in the Class AA final. The Plainsmen hoped that would catapult them to a state title like it did in 2005, but they lost to Newburgh Free Academy 2-0 in the state semifinals.
Mohonasen repeated as Sectional champs in Class A, despite graduating most of its starting lineup from the 2008 season. The Mighty Warriors fended off Glens Falls 3-2 to claim the Sectional title for coach Corey Gregg, who missed last year’s championship run because he was serving with the National Guard in Iraq.
Loudonville Christian’s Dillon King set the Section II scoring record with his 134th career goal in an 8-0 Sectional victory over Argyle. King surpassed Middleburgh’s Austin Standhart, who held the record for several years.
In girls soccer, Bethlehem and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake repeated as Sectional champs. Bethlehem edged Shen 3-2 in overtime to win the Class AA title, while BH-BL edged South Glens Falls 1-0 to earn another Class A crown. The Lady Spartans eventually reached the state semifinals, where they lost to Section V’s Greece Arcadia 3-2.
Section II had some shining moments in cross country. The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake boys team repeated as state champions in Class A, with Otis Ubriaco earning an individual title after completing the course in a winning time of 15:44.1. Saratoga Springs’ girls team won the Federation championship and placed second to Fayetteville-Manlius at the Nike Team Nationals.
In volleyball, the Loudonville Christian girls team made it to the state finals in Class C before losing to City Honors (Buffalo) in three games. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (Class A) and Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk (Class B) also got to the state tournament, while Bethlehem (Class AA) reached the regional round for the second consecutive year. BH-BL’s boys team got as far as the Class A regional finals at the state level.
In girls swimming news, Shen hosted the Sectional meet for the first time, and the Plainsmen took advantage by winning the Division I team title. Olivia Samson led Shen with victories in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events.
As December wound down, Voorheesville’s boys basketball team was voted No. 1 in the state among Class C schools after jumping out to a 5-0 start, while CBA re-established itself as the Class AA team to beat after knocking off Schenectady 79-57 in a Big 10 battle. To be continued in 2010 “