As we begin 2014, let’s not forget what took place in 2013. There were a number of sports stories that captured our interest, but which one was the most memorable? Here are the top five choices:
Bethlehem boys volleyball goes to states again. The Eagles won their third consecutive Sectional and regional championships, but they lost three of their four sets in pool play at the state tournament to finish third.
Bethlehem’s trip was memorable in a controversial way, as coach Jason Wood felt that eventual state champion Fairport deliberately threw one of its two pool play sets against Sachem East to make it more difficult for the Eagles to advance. Fairport coach John O’Dell said he simply wanted to give his bench players a chance to see some on-court action after the Red Raiders clinched their berth to the finals.
Gunnar Zemering becomes second Bethlehem swimmer to win a state title. Zemering joined Ken Neff on the school’s short list of state champs when he won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.10 seconds, one-hundredth of a second ahead of Alexander’s Robert Brown.
Where Zemering swam in the finals made the achievement all the more amazing. Zemering was in Lane 8 after barely qualifying for the championship heat, limiting his ability to know exactly where his competition was.
Guilderland boys soccer reaches state semifinals for first time since 1989. The Dutchmen knocked off Big 10 upstart Albany 4-1 in the Section II Class AA finals and then edged Section III’s Baldwinsville 2-1 in overtime to win regionals before falling to Fairport 3-1 in the state’s Final Four.
Guilderland’s success was due in large part to Connor O’Brien’s restarts. Whether it was corner kicks or free kicks, O’Brien found a way to get the ball in just the right spot for a teammate to knock it into the goal. The Dutchmen’s playoff wins over Shaker (1-0) and Baldwinsville came from goals started by O’Brien’s kicks.
Guilderland beats Bethlehem for Sectional softball title. The rivalry between the two neighboring schools took on an added dimension in 2013 when the Lady Dutch met the Lady Eagles for the Class AA title. However, the suspense quickly melted away as Guilderland scored the first four runs on its way to an 8-3 win over Bethlehem and its first Sectional championship in 15 years.
“I coach a lot of those (Bethlehem) girls in summer ball,” said Guilderland coach Lou Marino. “It’s hard, but I’m glad they were there and they were happy for us. It’s kind of a unique situation.”
Victor Fox and Earl Winchester challenge for state golf titles. The two Delmar natives took advantage of playing state tournaments close to home in 2013, as Fox placed second at the men’s amateur at Loudonville’s Schuyler Meadows Country Club and Winchester finished second overall in a playoff at the men’s senior amateur on his home course at Normanside.
Fresh out of Bethlehem Central High School, Fox had a two-stroke lead going into the final hole at the men’s amateur. But he double bogeyed the hole, while Matt Stasiak sank a birdie putt to claim the championship.
Winchester had a shot to win the overall men’s senior amateur title when he went into a sudden death playoff against Frank Broderick, but Broderick parred the first hole to clinch the championship. Still, Winchester earned the Super Senior Men’s division title.
Make your choice for the top sports story of 2013 in the box to the left of the screen. Votes will be counted through 11:59 p.m. Sunday.