As is our tradition, it’s time to look back at the sports headlines of 2014.
• The Voorheesville boys basketball team won the Section 2 Class B title in March under head coach David Burch. The Blackbirds won 20 consecutive games on their way to claiming the Sectional championship, which they did with a 61-37 victory over Broadalbin-Perth. Noah Crawford was Voorheesville’s best offensive and defensive player, while Dylan Hensel stretched opposing defenses with his three-point shooting exploits.
• Guilderland came close to winning the Class AA Sectional title in 2014. The Dutchmen pushed Green Tech in the final, only to see the Eagles pull away at the end for a 65-56 victory and their first Sectional title in their history. Green Tech continued on to winning the state championship.
• The Bethlehem girls basketball team’s bid for a second straight appearance in the Class AA Sectional final ended with a 52-48 semifinal loss to Albany. Sisters Gabby and Jenna Giacone led the way for the Lady Eagles, as they each averaged more than 13 points per game.
• Bethlehem indoor track and field star Grace Smith earned her first state title by winning the public school division high jump after clearing 5 feet, 7 inches at the state meet. BC swimmer Gunnar Zemering turned in a blistering 50-yard freestyle time of 20.72 seconds at the state meet, but he fell short of winning his second state title in the event as Ithaca’s Ryan Nicholson claimed it with a time of 20.25 seconds.
• When spring came, the Bethlehem softball team turned in a memorable playoff run that included the program’s second Sectional title in the last four years. The Lady Eagles defeated Guilderland and Shenendehowa before edging Columbia 1-0 in the Class AA final. Bethlehem’s run ended with an 8-7 loss to Section 3 champion Liverpool in a game the Lady Eagles led 7-0, but it might be only a temporary setback as they will have most of their starters back for 2015.
• The Voorheesville baseball team’s season ended in a similar fashion to the Bethlehem softball team’s season. The Blackbirds were three outs away from winning their third consecutive Class B Sectional title, but Fonda-Fultonville scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out a 3-2 victory in the final.
• Guilderland’s boys tennis team earned its third Sectional championship in four years by knocking off Niskayuna 5-3 in the final. The Dutchmen sent three players to the state tournament, as Alex Fedorov placed second in the singles division and doubles team Michael Zhu and Bill Dong finished third in their bracket.
• Smith followed up her indoor track championship by winning the state and Federation titles in the girls high jump at the outdoor championships. Once again, Smith cleared the bar at 5 feet, 7 inches to best the competition. Glenmont resident Leah Triller, an Academy of Holy Names athlete, won the 800-meter race title with a time of 2:13.10.
•The summer saw Bethlehem Babe Ruth’s 15-year-old division all-stars reach the quarterfinals of the Mid-Atlantic Regionals. Bethlehem pulled out two wins on the final day of pool play, including an 11-inning victory over Frederick, Md., to make it to the quarterfinal round, where it lost to Waretown, N.J.
• Long-time Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk coach and Section 2 chairman Gary VanDerzee became the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s new state football chairman in July. VanDerzee replaced Dick Cerone, who held the position for 33 years before retiring. Bob Dorrance, VanDerzee’s assistant coach at RCS, was promoted to replace VanDerzee as the section’s football chairman.
• The Albany Dutchmen made the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League playoffs for the second consecutive year, but Mohawk Valley ended their season in the divisional semifinal round with a 3-2 victory. The Dutchmen finished with a 21-25 record.
• In the fall, Bethlehem’s girls soccer team returned to the pinnacle of the section after a two-year absence. The Lady Eagles defeated top-seeded Saratoga Springs 2-1 in the Class AA Sectional final, and then knocked off Section 3 champion Liverpool 2-1 in the regionals to make it to the state’s Final Four in Cortland. Section 1 champion North Rockland defeated Bethlehem in the semifinals.
• The Voorheesville girls soccer team turned in the upset of the year when the Lady Blackbirds knocked off Schalmont — the state’s No. 1-ranked Class B team — 1-0 in the Sectional semifinals. Schalmont entered the game averaging more than five goals per game, but Voorheesville goaltender Jordan Pettograsso stopped 17 shots to post the shutout. Catholic Central edged Voorheesville 3-2 in overtime to win the Class B final.
• In boys soccer, Guilderland won the Suburban Council South Division title with a lineup featuring several new starters, but the Dutchmen fell short of repeating as Sectional champions after losing to Shenendehowa in the semifinals.
The Bethlehem boys volleyball team continued to dominate the section. The Eagles won their fifth consecutive Sectional championship by beating Shenendehowa in the final, and then they ran through the regional rounds before losing their four pool play games at the state tournament. Bethlehem (Class AA) and Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk (Class B) lost in the Sectional finals of girls volleyball.
• The Voorheesville football team posted a perfect regular season record and reached the Sectional Class C semifinals before losing to Fonda-Fultonville. Tailback Matt Feller had four games where he ran for more than 150 yards, and wide receiver Shane Parry hauled in five touchdown passes in the Blackbirds’ 42-16 Sectional quarterfinal victory over Mechanicville.