With two weeks remaining before the start of the spring sports season, it’s time to take a glance back at the recently completed winter season.
Team of the winter: Colonie girls bowling
The Lady Raiders won the Section II title and placed second to East Islip at the state championships March 1 on Long Island.
Colonie led the state tournament after the four games before East Islip rallied past the Lady Raiders to win by 130 pins. Still, coach Pete Grugan said he was happy with how his team performed.
“I was pleased with the results, and we’re probably going to be there (at states) for the next three or four years,” said Grugan. “I don’t see anyone touching us – at least, not around here.”
Amanda Chrzanowski was the top individual bowler at states. Colonie’s freshman sensation rolled a state tournament record six-game score of 1,318 pins, 35 pins ahead of the next-best bowler, Sewanhaka’s Rebecca Gotterbarn. Junior Tiera Gulum was fourth overall with a six-game score of 1,179 pins.
The Lady Raiders lose seniors Hannah Mochrie and Danielle Niles to graduation in June, but with Chrzanowski and Gulum leading the charge and more young talent on the rise, they stand to contend for the overall Sectional title again next season.
“We’ve got three eighth graders who are going to be really good next year,” said Grugan.
Runner up: Shaker girls basketball
The Lady Bison were the lone Class AA team in Section II to post a perfect regular season record, but they were tripped up by Shenendehowa 59-52 in the Sectional semifinals.
Balance was the key to Shaker’s success. Jenni Barra, Merrick Rowland, Becky Rossier, Sage VanAmerongen and Sierra Mayo all made contributions at both ends of the floor to help the Lady Bison compile a 16-0 Suburban Council record.
Honorable mention: Shaker boys swimming
The Blue Bison showed promise this season by placing second at the Section II Division I meet and sending seven swimmers to states.
Sophomore William Matz led the way for Shaker at Sectionals by winning the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke. Sophomore Mark Enright, sophomore Zeeshan Irani, junior Andrew Semmes and senior Nikos Moisidis also teamed up to win the 400-yard freestyle relay. Semmes, Moisidis, Irani, sophomore Nicholas Buff and brothers Mark and George Enright also qualified for states in individual events.
Honorable mention: Colonie wrestling
The Garnet Raiders turned in a second-place finish at the Section II Division I Class I tournament and finished fourth at the Division I championships, thanks to a group of four grapplers.
Lightweight Golan Cohen and heavyweights Isaiah Cooks, Wayne Burt and Austin DiCerbo all won Sectional titles to earn trips to the state tournament in Albany. Cohen returned to states, while Cooks, Burt and DiCerbo made their debuts at the championship tournament. Burt had the fastest win in the Sectional finals, as he pinned Bethlehem’s Chris Tangora 41 seconds into their 220-pound championship bout.
Male individual athlete: Greig Stire
The Christian Brothers Academy basketball team went as far as Stire could take them. The senior center averaged 18.9 points per game to lead the Brothers to a third-place finish in the highly-competitive Big 10 and an appearance in the Section II Class AA quarterfinals, where they lost to Guilderland 54-43. Stire had eight games where he scored 20 or more points, including a 41-point night in a 69-65 loss to Big 10 champion Catholic Central Jan. 7.
Female individual athletes: Amanda Chrzanowski and Tiera Gulum
It was too hard for Grugan to see one of his top bowlers be recognized without the other getting equal billing.
“Tiera was our leader pretty much the whole way through,” said Grugan. “She had a higher average than Amanda, and she bowled a 300 (a perfect game).”
While Gulum was consistent the whole season, Chrzanowski had flashes of brilliance highlighted by her state tournament performance, which included single-game scores of 258, 230 and 260.
Grugan said what Chrzanowski and Gulum did on the lanes was often echoed by their younger teammates.
“When they’re bowling good, the younger bowlers tend to bowl good,” said Grugan.
