Summer
• Jason Morris Judo Center students Nick Delpopolo and Kyle Vashkulat competed at the Olympics in London. Delpopolo won his first two matches before losing in the quarterfinals, while Vashkulat lost in the opening round. Delpopolo was sent home shortly after competing when he failed a drug test.
• The New York Giants returned to the University at Albany for training camp after the 2011 camp was cancelled due to the NFL lockout. The defending Super Bowl champions spent three weeks in the area and held 14 public practice sessions. It was the last year of a three-year contract with UAlbany, and there has yet to be any decision regarding 2013.
• Saratoga Race Course had another successful season of summer thoroughbred racing, as attendance and wagering were up from 2011. Jockey Ramon Dominguez set a new course record for most wins in a season with 68, while Todd Pletcher took the top trainer title with 36 winners. Mechanicville native Chad Brown placed second in the trainer standings with 29 winners.
• The Tri-City ValleyCats won the New York-Penn League’s Stedler Division title with a 51-25 record and reached the championship series, where they lost to the Hudson Valley Renegades three games to two. The ValleyCats had the best record in the league for most of the season until the Renegades passed them on the final day of the regular season.
• The Albany Dutch-men enjoyed the best season in their four-year existence. The Dutchmen finished sixth out of nine teams in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League with a 22-24 record, and they remained in contention for a playoff berth until the final week of the regular season.
Fall
• The fourth time was the charm for the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake football team, as the Spartans defeated Section VI’s Sweet Home 40-20 in the Class A state finals at the Carrier Dome. The Spartans had lost in their three previous appearances in the finals, including two losses to Sweet Home.
BH-BL began the season with a 17-7 loss to Troy, but the Spartans were never threatened again as they won their final 12 games by an average margin of nearly 37 points. Tailback Dan Porter led BH-BL with 960 yards and 19 touchdowns, while tailback Dan Maynard was the Spartans’ playoff hero with 484 yards and seven touchdowns in the team’s final four games.
• Shenendehowa hoped to give first-year head coach Brian Clawson a Section II title, but Shaker shut out the Plainsmen 14-0 in the Class AA finals. Shen finished the season with an 8-2 record, with both losses coming against the Blue Bison.
• BH-BL’s girls volleyball team earned its second consecutive state title and its fifth since 2002 when it defeated Section V’s Pittsford Sutherland 3-1 in the Class A finals at the Glens Falls Civic Center. After losing the first set 25-21, the Lady Spartans won the next three sets 25-22, 25-21 and 25-21.
Siena Wilder was named the state tournament’s most valuable player after recording 38 digs in the finals. Kathleen Schurman led the offense with 17 kills, and Molly McCormack contributed 13 kills and 26 digs.
• The Saratoga Springs boys cross country team edged top-ranked Fayetteville-Manlius 57-58 to win the Class A championship at the state meet outside Buffalo. The Blue Streaks packed their top five runners between 10th and 29th place. Junior Jay Navin (10th, 15:57.4) led Saratoga’s pack. The Blue Streaks also won the Federation meet title.
Saratoga’s girls team finished second behind F-M at the state meet, but won the Federation championship. Senior Taylor Driscoll led the Blue Streaks at both meets with top-five finishes. The BH-BL girls team placed third at the Fed meet.
• The BH-BL girls soccer team won its eighth consecutive Section II title by beating Scotia-Glenville 3-0 in the Class A finals. However, Section III champion Jamesville-DeWitt scored an early goal and held on for a 1-0 win over the Lady Spartans in the regional finals.
• BH-BL was also strong in field hockey, as the Lady Spartans reached the Class B regionals before losing to Section I’s Lakeland 7-1. The Hornets entered the game undefeated against New York state competition and hadn’t allowed a goal in five games until Amy LeBel scored late in the game.
• BH-BL claimed the Section II Division II team title in girls swimming, while Shen placed second to Niskayuna in Division I. Shen’s Julia Samson posted a third-place performance in the 200-yard individual medley at the state meet.
• A two-car accident Dec. 1 on the Northway claimed the lives of Shen student-athletes Chris Stewart and Deanna Rivers and injured Shen’s Matt Hardy and Shaker’s Bailey Wind. The accident sparked a region-wide outpouring of support for the Stewart, Rivers, Hardy and Wind families, as well as the greater Shen and Shaker communities.
• Two coaches left their teams in December. BH-BL boys basketball coach George Dudas resigned three days before the season opener due to health reasons, while Ballston Spa football coach John Bowen stepped down to spend more time with his family.