High School Notes: Spartans claim another Kerr Cup

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jim Schiltz

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School won the combined Class A title for the fifth time, and finished third overall, in the Kerr Cup All-Sport Championship.

This is the sixth year the New York State Sportswriters Association has compiled data for the competition, which awards points based on results from New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship tournaments and meets. The scoring is based on the first eight places (15-10-8-6-4-3-2-1), and the complete format can be found on the state sportswriters web site.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake had seven boys and girls teams factor into 46 points, best among the state’s Class A schools. Queensbury had four teams join for 36.67 points, the fourth highest total among Class A schools behind Pittsford Mendon (42.17) and Pittsford Sutherland (44.67).

“We got them with our depth,” said retiring BH-BL athletic director Bob McGuire. “We didn’t have a state champion this year, but we had a runner-up, a lot of thirds and a fourth. That’s Burnt Hills.”

The Spartans were led by their state runner-up girls’ volleyball team, while their field hockey, girls’ lacrosse, girls’ soccer and boys’ volleyball teams reached the New York semifinals.

“It’s amazing how a school of our size can field so many good programs,” said McGuire. “We’ve got some dedicated people.”

Burnt Hills captured combined Class A Kerr Cup titles from 2009-12, and was the top point producer in the combined all-class competition in 2009, 2010 and 2012. In 2011, Burnt Hills and Cazenovia shared the combined all-class honor.

“We’ve been able to maintain the level we have because of one word. Commitment,” said McGuire. “We’ve had that commitment from all parties, and you see the results not only on the athletic fields, but also in the classroom. I’m very proud of the success we’ve had in both areas.”

Burnt Hills tied for third in this year’s combined overall standings with Fairport (46). Massapequa (53.5) and Victor (50.33) placed one-two. Pittsford Sutherland, Fayetteville-Manlius (42.83), Pittsford Mendon, Haldane (41.), Hoosic Valley (40) and Shenendehowa (38.83) rounded out the top 10.

Shenendehowa (25) won the Class AA girls’ championship, Fort Ann (15) and three other schools shared the Class D girls’ top spot, and the Burnt Hills girls (33) were second to Pittsford Sutherland (35.17) in Class A. Shenendehowa was led by its state-winning field hockey team.

Schalmont (25) and Westhill (25) shared the Class B boys’ championship, with the Sabres winning the state baseball crown after a runner-up effort in the state football tournament. Hoosic Valley (30) was the top Class C boys’ school, with state flags in boys’ basketball and baseball.

COMBINED LEADERS

Class AA

1. Massapequa (5), 53.5; 2. Victor (5), 50.33; 3. Fairport (5), 46; 4. Fayetteville-Manlius (5), 42.83; 5. Shenendehowa (7), 38.83.

Class A

1. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (7), 46; 2. Pittsford Sutherland (6), 44.67; 3. Pittsford Mendon (7), 42.17; 4. Queensbury (4), 36.67; 5. Williamsville South (4), 30.

Class B

1. Bronxville (3), 37; 2. Eden (2), 30; 3. Westhill (3), 27.5; 4. Beekmantown (6), 25; 4 (tie). Schalmont (2), 25.

Class C

1. Haldane (7), 41.5; 2. Hoosic Valley (3), 40; 3. Friends Academy (5), 29; 4. Greenwich (4), 28.5; 5. Barker (3), 18.67.

Class D

1. Jasper-Troupsburg (2), 27.5; 2. Randolph (2), 25.5; 3. Fort Ann (2), 22; 4. Chazy (2), 19.5; 4 (tie). Heuvelton (3), 19.5.

BOYS LEADERS

Class AA

1. Fairport (4), 39; 2. Victor (3), 37; 3. Massapequa (3), 32.5; 4. Fayetteville-Manlius (2), 25; 5. Monroe-Woodbury (5), 23.5.

Class A

1. Pittsford Mendon (4), 35; 2. Massena (4), 22.5; 3. Queensbury (2), 18.33; 4. Maine-Endwell (2), 17.5; 5. Aquinas (1), 15; 5 (tie). Bayport-Blue Point (1), 15.

Class B

1. Schalmont (2), 25; 1 (tie). Westhill (2), 25; 3. Beekmantown (4), 21.5; 4. Rye Neck (2), 20; 5. Carle Place (1), 15; 5 (tie). Chenango Forks (1), 15; 5 (tie). Holland Patent (1), 15.

Class C

1. Hoosic Valley (2), 30; 2. Friends Academy (2), 22; 3. Randolph (1), 15; 4. Greenwich (2), 12.5; 5. Barker (2), 11.67.

Class D

1. Smithtown Christian (2), 17.5; 2. Mount Academy (1), 15; 2 (tie). New York Mills (1), 15; 4. Moriah (2), 14; 5. Chazy (1), 12.5; 5 (tie). Coleman Catholic (2), 12.5; 5 (tie). Jasper-Troupsburg (1), 12.5.

GIRLS LEADERS

Class AA

1. Shenendehowa (4), 25; 2. Massapequa (2), 21; 3. Suffern (3), 20; 4. Clarence (5), 19; 5. Fayetteville-Manlius (3), 17.83.

Class A

1. Pittsford Sutherland (4), 35.17; 2. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (5), 33; 3. Honeoye Falls-Lima (4), 28; 4. Williamsville South (3), 20; 5. Queensbury (2), 18.33.

Class B

1. Eden (2), 30; 2. Skaneateles (2), 23; 3. Bronxville (2), 22; 4. Oneonta (2), 17.5; 5. Center Moriches (2), 14.

Class C

1. Haldane (3), 32; 2. Chautauqua Lake (1), 15; 2 (tie). Elmira Heights Edison (1), 15; 2 (tie). Holland (1), 15; 2 (tie). Tully (1), 15.

Class D

1. Fort Ann (1), 15; 1 (tie). Jasper-Troupsburg (1), 15; 1 (tie). Romulus (1), 15; 1 (tie). Utica Notra Dame (1), 15; 5. Heuvelton (2), 12.5.

Note: The figure in parenthesis indicates the number of sports in which the school scored points.

anderson, musk best

Bob Anderson and Greg Musk have been selected the Class B Coach of the Year and Player of the Year, respectively, after leading Schalmont to its first state baseball championship.

Anderson was an obvious choice by the New York State Sportswriters Association after Schalmont’s 26-1 season which included a 22-game win streak. The Sabres posted seven playoff victories, the last two coming against Clinton and Rye Neck, and Anderson announced his resignation soon after to spend more time with his wife and four sons.

Anderson guided the Schalmont varsity for 20 seasons and put together a 325-149 record. His teams won five Colonial Council titles and three Section II banners, and twice finished as the area runner-up.

Musk set a Schalmont record with 10 wins, gaining his ninth in a relief stint against Clinton before going to distance against Rye Neck. The lefty also set school single-season records with five shutouts including a no-hitter against Cohoes, 107 strikeouts and a 0.39 ERA, and tied a record with 15 doubles while hitting .370. The Sabres’ lead-off batter scored 38 runs and stole 18 bases without being caught.

Musk is joined on all-state Class B teams by five of his teammates.

John Rooney of Hoosic Valley has been tabbed the Class C Player of the Year after winning 11 games on the hill and batting .448 for the state champion Indians. Rooney was also named the Class C New York basketball Player of the Year after the Indians’ run to the state title.

Other all-state first-team nods went to Justin Yurchak of Shenendehowa and Kevin Smith of Columbia (Class AA), John Barnes of Greenwich (Class C) and Brad Smith of Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville (Class D). George Books was named the Class C Coach of the Year after guiding Hoosic Valley to a 24-3 mark.

ALL-STATE

Class AA

Kevin Smith, Columbia, 12, shortstop (first team); Justin Yurchak, Shenendehowa, 12, DH (first); Garrett Whitley, Niskayuna, 11, outfield (second); Justin Decker, CBA, 11, third base (second); Jordan Bernacet, Schenectady, 11, outfield/pitcher (third); Bryan Warzek, Shenendehowa, 11, pitcher (fourth); Zach DeThomasis, CBA, 12, first base (fifth); Ben Contento, Colonie, 12, utility (sixth); Aaron Kalish, Shenendehowa, 12, pitcher (seventh).

Class A

Danny Maynard, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, 11, catcher (third); Tyler Childrose, Averill Park, 12, pitcher (fourth); Julian Gallup, Amsterdam, 12, outfield/pitcher (fifth); Zack Parsons, Queensbury, 12, outfield/pitcher (fifth); Kolbie Glionna, Amsterdam, 12, second base (sixth).

Class B

Greg Musk, Schalmont, 12, pitcher/center field (first, Player of the Year); Darren Conte, Hudson, 12, second base (second); Dom Toma, Schalmont, 12, second base (second); Matt Capovani, Schalmont, 11, pitcher (third); Brooks Knapek, Albany Academy, 10, pitcher (fourth); John Pascarella, Schalmont, 12, first base (fourth); Kody Skype, Chatham, 11, catcher (fifth); Joe Wignot, Schalmont, 12, shortstop (fifth); Anthony Villano, Corinth, 11, outfield (sixth); Tim Brizzell, Saratoga Catholic, 11, third base (sixth); Nick Bird, Schalmont, 11, pitcher (seventh); Kyle Lancto, Albany Academy, 12, outfield (seventh).

Class C

John Rooney, Hoosic Valley, 11, pitcher (first, Player of the Year); John Barnes, Greenwich, 12, utility/pitcher (first); Tommy Miller, Maple Hill, 11, pitcher (second); J.T. Sawyer, Hoosic Valley, 12, shortstop/pitcher (third); Will Brooking, Rensselaer, 11, pitcher/catcher (fourth); Billy Matin, Waterford-Halfmoon, 12, shortstop (fifth); Justin Hoagland, Whitehall, 11, shortstop/pitcher (sixth); Anthony Butler, Maple Hill, 11, catcher (seventh).

Class D

Brad Smith, Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville, 10, pitcher (first); Dylan Klock, Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville, 10, pitcher/shortstop (second); Chris Jackson, Fort Ann, 11, third base (third); Jeremy Johnson, Fort Ann, 9, catcher (fourth).

szelest picks hobart

Attackman Niko Szelest of Section II Class B lacrosse champion Albany Academy has made a verbal commitment to play for Hobart College of the Northeast Conference.

Szelest had a breakout freshman season with 69 points, which included eight goals against Glens Falls and seven goals against Kingston.

Albany Academy went 16-1 with Szelest in the lineup, and beat Queensbury, 9-7, for its first Section II title since 1997. The Cadets trailed in that game, 6-2, before rallying.

Hobart has fielded lacrosse teams since 1898, and piled up 15 NCAA Division II and III championships from 1976-93. The Statesmen went Division I in 1995 and have made four NCAA tournament appearances at that level.

semifinal showing

The Upstate New York girls reversed their fortune with three victories at the recent Under Armour Underclass Lacrosse Tournament at Towson University.

Upstate went 3-1 in pool play highlighted by a 9-8 overtime win against Baltimore before losing to Long Island, 15-6, in the semifinals. The local high schoolers went 1-3 last year and did not advance to the playoff round.

The team included Niskayuna’s Rebecca Curro, Marissa DiVietro and Asa Goldstock, Guilderland’s Cara Quimby and fellow Syracuse recruit Mary Rahal of Queensbury. Kara DePaula of Shaker was on the coaching staff.

The Upstate New York boys, with Niskayuna Aidan O’Brien, Dylan Pantalone and John Prendergast, as well as Peter Vadney of Ballston Spa, went 1-3 with a 12-6 win over Long Island.

Baltimore won both championships.

local girls to fest

A cast of Adirondack Region all-stars including Mylah Chandler of Albany and state long jump champ Nastasja Johnston of Columbia will be heading to Binghamton this weekend for the Basketball Coaches Association of New York Summer Hoops Festival.

The nine-team, two-pool tournament for high school-age girls and boys will take place at Johnson City schools. The Adirondack girls team will be anchored by the Colgate-bound Chandler, who averaged 11.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.2 steals for the Big 10 champion and Section II Class AA runner-up Lady Falcons.

Other team members are Liv Allrich of Ballston Spa, Sunshine Edwards and Nicole Fyvie of Guilderland, Courtney Pingelski of Mechanicville, Selena Lott of Columbia, Becky Rossier of Shaker, Alexis Case of Greenwich, Paige Neimeyer of Ichabod Crane, and Alyssa Paul and L’Rae Brundige of state Class C runner-up Hoosic Valley.