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Batavia HS

Photos: Youth football summer camp at Batavia High

By Howard B. Owens

Blue Devils Head Coach Brennan Briggs has been leading a two-day summer football camp for young players in grades one through eight at Batavia High School. The camp features various offensive and defensive drills to help the kids learn football fundamentals.

Today winds up with a flag football game, pizza and a T-shirt for each participant.

UPDATE: Submitted group photo from the end of the camp

Blue Devils getting ready to go after another winning season in 2017

By Howard B. Owens

It's the middle of summer, but it's not too soon to start thinking about high school football -- the players are getting ready.

Batavia Head Coach Brennan Briggs sent in this picture of some of his team who participated yesterday in 7-on-7 drills yesterday as they get ready to defend three straight Section V championships this season.

Also participating in the drills were Elba/Oakfield-Alabama, Gates, Churchville, Alden and Albion.

The 7-on-7s take place every Tuesday.

There are 11 versus 11 drills on Thursday at Cal-Mum.

Former standout Batavia High baseball player signs with Division I school

By Howard B. Owens

Alex Canty, who excelled in baseball at Batavia High School, through his senior season in 2016, announced on Twitter yesterday that he has committed to Southeast Missouri State.

That gives the infielder a shot at playing Division I baseball.

Canty played his 2017 season at Monroe Community College, where he hit .357, with eight home runs, 53 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and 18 walks. His on-base percentage was .418.

Committee selects 2017 inductees into Blue Devil's Hall of Fame

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Batavia Blue Devil Athletic Hall of Fame committee has recently chosen the Class of 2017. They are:

  • Bruce Dedman, 1973
  • Jason Bibler, 1991
  • Ice Devils Hockey Team, 1986-87
  • Nate Hicks, 1998
  • Joe Amico, 1987
  • Brian Herdlein, 1999

On Saturday, Sept. 30th, we will be hosting the Hall of Fame Dinner at Terry Hills Restaurant and Banquet Facility. A social hour will begin at 5 p.m. with dinner being served at 6 and the ceremony immediately following dinner. Tickets will be available in the Batavia HS Athletic Director's office after Aug. 15th.

BHS Drama Club to perform songs from Les Miserables

By Howard B. Owens

The Batavia High School Drama Club is staging a showcase concert featuring songs from the musical "Les Miserables" at 7 p.m., Thursday, at John Kennedy School on Vine Street. Free-will donations will be accepted at the door.

Batavia, Notre Dame to challenge for state titles this weekend

By Steve Ognibene

Batavia is sending eight athletes to the New York State Championships this weekend at Union-Endicott High School near Binghamton. 

Junior Anthony Ray Qualified for States in the Shot Put by winning at the State Qualifier meet last Friday night. His best throw of the season is a 54' 3 1/2" which is the school record. He is seeded third heading into the meet and is looking to improve upon his fifth-place finish at States from last year.

The girls 4x400 relay team (right to left) consisting of sophomore Caitlin Kingston, junior Claire Zickl, sophomore Regan Henrici and junior Kiaya Franklin will compete on Friday and is also seeded third. Their best time is a 4:00.70, which was from the State Qualifier Meet. Alternates pictured from right to left is sophmore Elizabeth Cohen and freshman Camryn Buck

Kiaya Franklin will also compete in the 400m and the 200m for the second year in a row. She heads to the State Meet seeded fifth in the 400m and 6th in the 200m. 

Finally, Junior Eric Davis will run in the 110 Hurdles after running a 14.78 at State Qualifiers which was the winning performance. This will be his first time competing at the New York State Championships and he is seeded second.

All of the Batavia track athletes have an excellent opportunity to medal this weekend and have continued to improve all spring. Good luck Blue Devils representing Batavia at the New York State Championships.

Senior Brad Misiak from Notre Dame will compete in the 200-meter dash this weekend. He broke the school record this year at the Class D Section V championships last Friday with a time of 22.84, which he took first place in. This is his first time competing at the New York State championships.

Information submitted by Batavia Head Coach Nick Burk and Notre Dame Head Coach Eric Geitner.

BHS Class of 2020 benefits from McTeacher's night

By Howard B. Owens

Teachers and staff from Batavia High School were at McDonald's on West Main Street, Batavia, yesterday evening for McTeacher's Night, serving up meals to customers and helping raise more than $500 for the Class of 2020.

Photo and info provided by Lisa Robinson.

Top students from Batavia HS honored by Kiwanis

By Howard B. Owens


The Kiwanis Club of Batavia, as it does every year, honored the top students from Batavia High School at its weekly lunch at the ARC facility on Woodrow Road, Batavia.

Pictured are: Campbell Anderson, Margaret Cecere, Madison Grover, Celia Flynn, Elizabeth Piedmont, Zachary O'Brien (back), Chyenne Ernst, Madison Moore, Serena Strollo-DiCenso, Abigail Stendts, Cassidy Miller, McKenna Dziemian, and Quenten Branciforte.

Photos: Mr. Batavia winners present checks to their charities

By Howard B. Owens

John Currier, winner of the Mr. Batavia contest at Batavia High School this year, presents a check for $2,323 to Habitat For Humanity, the charity he supported through the competition. With Currier, Lauren Casey, left, board president, and Jaylene Smith-Kilner, director.

Quentin Branciforte, runner-up, presents a check to Jeff McKinney, president of Anna's Wish, which supports families dealing with pediatric cancer.

Ryan Bieniek, another runner-up, was out of school yesterday, so Lisa Robinson, center, student government advisor, presented the check to his charity, All Babies Cherished. From All Babies Cherished, Sue Sherman, left, director, and Becky Amico, program coordinator.

Photo: 'Rachel, will you go to the prom with me?'

By Howard B. Owens

Emily Murphy, a student from Batavia High School convinced the folks at Dunkin' Donuts today to let her use their sign to ask Rachel Salvadore for a prom date. No word on if she accepted.

Update: Rachel has accepted.

BHS gets happy

By Howard B. Owens

Staff made this video for the Mr. Batavia show last week showing just how happy they are to be working at the school.

John Currier wins 5th Annual Mr. Batavia contest at BHS

By Steve Ognibene

A sold-out crowd packed Batavia High School last evening for the fifth annual Mr. Batavia Competition hosted by its student government.

The mission behind the community fundraiser is to “take care of BHS,” said Lisa Robinson, student government advisor.

Twelve seniors participated in these categories: Dance, Talent, Question & Answer, Swimsuit, Lip Sync and Tux Walk.

The contestants were: Jerry Reinhart, Dominic Brown, Campbell Andersen, Casey Radka, Cody Dioogardi, Sam Bartz, Quentin Branciforte, Ryan Bieniek, Casey Ausin, Joe Allegue, Freddie Cunningham and John Currier.

Lisa said they raised a new record of $4,500 for the local charities chosen by the top three winners. Habitat for Humanity is winner John Currier's charity; first runner-up Ryan Bieniek selected All Babies Cherished; second runner-up was Quentin Branciforte, whose charity of choice is Anna’s Wish Inc.

The judges were: Kaitlin Logsdon, cocreator of Mr. Batavia, past BHS student and senior at Ithaca College; Shawna Murphy, Batavia City Schools Board of Education member; Jim DeFreeze, Batavia City Police officer; and Matt Morasco, Batavia City fireman.

Tuxedos for the event were provided by Charles Men's Shop and Reed Eye Associations donated sunglasses to the dozen seniors who competed.

To view and or purchase photos go to: Steve Ognibene Photography

Tonight's Mr. Batavia is nearly sold out

By Howard B. Owens

The Mr. Batavia contest starts at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of Batavia High School, but if you don't have tickets, better get their early, because the event is nearly sold out.

Local businesses invited to participate in 'hiring fair' at BHS

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Anita Strollo, the coordinator for Batavia High School’s College and Career Center, is “casting a wide net” to find local businesses that may be interested in being part of the school’s second Hiring Fair on Tuesday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at BHS, 260 State St.

This time frame allows for students that attend Genesee Valley Educational Partnership (formerly BOCES) for skilled trades to meet with potential employers.

“We had nearly 12 businesses last year for our first hiring fair and would be happy with at least that many again this year,” says Strollo. “Over 35 students got hired at that fair and that is a number I could live with again."  

Last year approximately 100 students took advantage of the opportunity to meet with potential employers and organizations. Having all these employers and organizations come to us provides them with the opportunity to meet face-to-face with a large pool of well qualified, potential employees and volunteers under one roof. 

“This year, with all of our students having their own Chromebooks it will be very easy to submit online applications. We will also provide, as we did last year, quiet zones for interviewing. 

“What is still on our wish list is volunteer organizations, job shadowing opportunities and nonprofits for students seeking volunteer opportunities or a chance to test the waters in career exploration. I am optimistic that such organizations will be abundant this year also,” Strollo says.

On a purely selfish note Strollo says “we have extraordinary students at BHS and this is a great way to show them off!"

For more information, contact Anita Strollo at amstrollo@bataviacsd.org, or 343-2480, ext. 2012.

Written by Serena Strollo-Dicenso, BHS '17

BHS seniors set to compete in Mr. Batavia competition March 31

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia High Schools annual Mr. Batavia contest is at 7 p.m., March 31, in the school auditorium.

Contestants have been in rehearsals for weeks for the annual event.

This year's contestants and their charities they are competing for: 

  • Jerry Reinhart, Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation
  • Dominic Brown, Iroquois Trail Council, BSA
  • Campbell Anderson, Red Cross
  • Casey Radka, Genesee Cancer Assistance
  • Cody Dioguardi, Ricky Palermo Foundation
  • Sam Bartz, Batavia VA
  • Quentin Branciforte, Anna's Wish
  • Ryan Bieniek, All Babies Cherished
  • Casey Austin, Collin Crane Memorial
  • Joe Allegue, Community Action
  • Freddie Cunningham, Volunteers for Animals
  • John Currier, Habitat for Humanity

Below, a few shots from rehearsal for the "swimsuit" competition.

Batavia's indoor track team members do well at state championships

By Howard B. Owens

Members of the Batavia Blue Devils indoor track team performed well at the NYS champions Saturday at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.

Anthony Ray placed ninth in the shot put with an overall throw of 50' 10". In the weight throw, an event he holds the record in for Section V, he earned all-state honors by placing sixth in the NY Federation and fourth among state competitors with a throw of 62' 7". That is his second-best throw ever and led all WNY competitors. He will compete in the shot put and weight throw next weekend at the Indoor National Championships at the Armory in Manhattan.

The girls 4x400 relay team finished ninth with a time of 4:04.11, which broke an existing school record. They also qualified for nationals next week. The team is Claire Zickl, Regan Henrici, Brianna Bromley and Kiaya Franklin.

Nate Crane is a team of one for Letchworth, so he trained with Batavia this season. In the pole vault he placed sixth in the NY Federation and fourth among state competitors. He cleared 14' 6" and will also compete next week at nationals.

Photos and info submitted by Coach Nick Burk.

Photos: BHS rehearsal for Hairspray

By Howard B. Owens

Students at Batavia High School are in the midst of rehearsals for the musical "Hairspray," which they will perform next weekend.

Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m., March 10 and 11, and 2 p.m. March 12.

Blue Devils let semi-final lead slip away in 57-55 loss

By Howard B. Owens

The Batavia Blue Devils played hard but came up short, letting a five-point lead slip away in the closing minutes of play against Wilson in a Section V semi-final to lose 57-55.

"My guys fought," said Head Coach Buddy Brasky. "They fought. We could have folded and they fought."

They fought on even after star guard Tee Sean Ayala fouled out with more than a minute left in the third quarter, putting him and his game-high 24 points on the bench the rest of the way.

That isn't the reason Batavia lost, though. Jonathon Liciaga in particular stepped up to fill the void, finding ways, even at 5' 9", to slip in behind Wilson's big center, 6' 7" Patrick Phillips, for easy baskets. He scored six points in the final quarter.

"I give a lot of credit to our guys," Brasky said. "After Tee Sean went out, they could have folded. They didn’t. Some other guys stepped up, but it just wasn’t enough."

Liciaga, who scored 11 points total, has become a bigger factor in Batavia's offense as the season has worn on as his talent for finding open space on the court has become more apparent.

"Guys figured out as the year went on, he’s open and he can put the ball in the basket," Brasky said. "As the year went on they started finding him more and more."

In the final minute, the Blue Devils didn't score and Brasky said that was the result of some bad decisions.

"The initial pressure (from Wilson) didn’t hurt us," Brasky said. "On the back end, we had some turnovers down the stretch. We made some bad decisions. We missed some open guys. That’s what young teams do, I guess."

Brasky and every player on the team certainly wanted to end the season with a Section V trophy. That, after all, is kind of a Blue Devil's tradition under Brasky, but as Brasky noted, this is a young team (only three seniors). The team has come a long way over the course of the season from a rather disorganized, mistake-prone group to being more disciplined on offense and defense.

"We preach at beginning of the year, especially this year, that it’s going to be a journey," Brasky said. "We had to keep trying to improve and we wanted to try and peak at the end.

"We went through some tough stretches and at the end of the year, we started playing some pretty good basketball. I thought we played, for the most part, tonight, we had stretches of really good basketball from a lot of guys, but again, it wasn’t enough."

To purchase prints, click here.

Batavia conquers HF-L 59-49 giving Brasky 400th career win

By Howard B. Owens

The Blue Devils are moving on in the post-season with a Section V playoff win today over Honeoye Falls, 59-49.

Antwan Odom scored 22 points, hitting two threes along the way. Tee Sean Ayala scored 14 points, hitting two three-pointers. Jonathan Liciaga scored 11. John Kindig added six.

For HF-L, Owen VanNewkirk hit 15 points, including a trio of threes.

It was the 400th win for Head Coach Buddy Brasky (submitted photo below).

To purchase prints, click here.

Both boys and girls teams win sectional titles for Batavia in track and field

By Howard B. Owens

Both the boys and the girls indoor track teams for Batavia High School won Section V titles at RIT on Friday night. It was the 13th title in 15 seasons for the Lady Devils and the 5th in the last 10 tries for the boys team.

The girls team dominated throughout the meet, finishing with 124 points to 71 for second-place Pal-Mac, and featured several outstanding individual performances. Katherine Wiseley won the shot put and weight throw. Lizzie Cohen won the triple jump, the 55 hurdles, and placed second in pole vault. Claire Zickl won the 600 meter, and Maddie Moore won the 1500 race walk. Bri Bromley had a strong meet with a second-place finish in the 1000 meter and a fourth-place finish in the 1500 meter. The 1600 relay of Regan Henrici, Bri Bromley, Claire Zickl and Kiaya Franklin also won.

The boys faced a bigger challenge with U-Prep keeping things close until the final event. The final point margin for Batavia over U-Prep was 15 points, with Batavia notching 91 total points. Anthony "Butch" Ray continued his dominance in the throws by winning the shot put and the weight throw while regaining the Section V record in weight, with a throw of 62'. Eric Davis had a strong performance, winning the 55 hurdles. Campbell Andersen won the 600 meter and placed third in pole vault. Nick Neid placed second in the 1600 meter. Ian SanFratello placed second in the weight throw. The 1600 relay of Isaiah Ciociola, Jerry Reinhart, Freddie Cunningham and Campbell Andersen also placed second.  

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