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Byron-Bergen senior signs letter of intent to play on SUNY Geneseo Women's Soccer Team

By Billie Owens

Submitted photo and press release:

Byron-Bergen Central School District proudly announces that on Friday, Jan. 24, senior Miriam Tardy signed a letter of intent to attend SUNY Geneseo as a member of their women’s soccer team.

At SUNY Geneseo, Miriam plans to study Childhood Education and work toward her goal of becoming an elementary school teacher.

Witnessed by Byron-Bergen Athletic Director Rich Hannan, Varsity Soccer Coach Wayne Hill, and her family, Miriam took another step toward a bright future.

She has played soccer for 14 years, including four on the Byron-Bergen Varsity Team where she served as captain her junior and senior years. During her varsity soccer career, she was named a Genesee Region League All Star all four years, scoring 80 goals and 187 points.

“Miriam is an exceptional student-athlete,” Hannan said. “She is a talented soccer player, but she is also agreat person and a great role model. We are all cheering her on.”

In addition to soccer, Miriam is in her fourth season on the Varsity Girls Basketball Team where she served as captain her junior and senior years.

This spring she will enter her sixth season on the Varsity Track and Field Team where she was named a Genesee Region All Star in grades seven, nine, and 11. She is vice president of the Varsity Club, the Class of 2020 vice president, and vice president of the Byron-Bergen elite singing group, the Singing Silhouettes.

In 2019, Miriam was named Female Athlete of the Year by Byron-Bergen Central School District.

“Thank you to my teachers and coaches,” Miriam said. “I appreciate all the support they gave me both on the field and in the classroom.”

Le Roy soccer player signs Letter of Intent with GCC

By Billie Owens

Submitted photo and press release:

On Dec. 19th, Genesee Women’s Soccer signed their sixth recruit for the upcoming season, Kiaya Condidorio.

Kiaya is a 5’7” center midfielder and a three-year varsity starter for Le Roy High School Girls’ Soccer Team. She is an Honor Roll student, appeared in the Exceptional Senior Game this past fall, and was awarded All Livingston County as well. She has played for the Greece Cobras in the offseason and also plays basketball at LeRoy.

When asked what Genesee Head Coach Jeff Reyngoudt saw in Condidorio, he said “She’s big, strong, and wins balls out of the air. She commands leadership on the field and distributes so well. We have been lacking a midfield with size and strength for a while.”

Reyngoudt had also mentioned that Chloe Barrett, who was Genesee’s first signee for the 2020 season, will be a perfect fit with Kiaya.

“They are both powerhouses and I’m excited to put the two of them on the field together,” Reyngoudt said.

The Genesee Cougar’s coaching staff is still in the process of recruiting for the 2020 team and have some more signings coming up. If you are interested in trying out for the Genesee Cougars, please email Jeff Reyngoudt at:  jcreyngoudt@genesee.edu.

BHS Soccer player signs with Division I university in Florida

By Howard B. Owens

Katie Moore, a standout with Batavia High School's soccer team, signed a Division I scholarship offer this week with Jacksonville University in Florida.

Photo: Steve Moore, Katie Moore, Melissa Moore, William Buckenmeyer, Roger Hume, and Chris Chilano.

Submitted photo.

Big day for soccer at Van Detta on Saturday

By Howard B. Owens

Van Detta Stadium was filled with soccer players and soccer fans on Saturday for "Super Soccer Saturday" with five soccer games on the pitch, including an alumni soccer game in the afternoon (top photo).

Games: 

  • JV boys (Batavia beat Pembroke 4-2)
  • JV girls (Batavia beat Greece-Odyssey 2-0)
  • Batavia Alumni (Members from 1991-2019 played. Evens beat odds 4-1)
  • Varsity Girls Sr. Recognition Game (Batavia beat Greece-Odyssey 4-0. Piper Harloff scored one goal and Katie Moore scored three).
  • Varsity Boys Sr. Recognition Game (Batavia beat Pembroke 3-0)

Photos and info submitted by Carolyn Della Penna.

Batavia senior girls: Syd Della Penna, Maddie Taggart, Erica Flint, Azalea Wierda, Katie Moore, Liv Ells, Emily Janes, Bri Gutman.

Video: Batavia boys soccer team wins first home game in new Van Detta Stadium

By Howard B. Owens
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The Blue Devils soccer team has historically faired poorly on artificial turf but Monday, they got a chance to start a new tradition -- one that is now necessary -- by winning their first home game in the new Van Detta Stadium.

Batavia beat Dansville 3-2 behind three goals by Garrick Havens. Two were on penalty kicks and the third was assisted by Andres Mateos.

Batavia took 16 shots on net and Dansville, 14.

Unique to the current roster are three pairs of brothers, all starters.

Watch the video to find out more and click this link to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Byron-Bergen varsity football and soccer teams helped raise more than $900 for Alzheimer's

By Billie Owens

Submitted photo and press release:

Bergen -- On Saturday, Sept. 21, student athletes from Byron-Bergen and Caledonia-Mumford joined more than 400 other participants on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Batavia.

This year, the Byron-Bergen Varsity Football Team was joined by members of the Byron-Bergen Girls Varsity Soccer Team.

The football and soccer players’ combined efforts raised more than $900 for the Alzheimer's Association, Western New York Chapter.

Byron-Bergen’s participation in this annual event began three years ago when the combined Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen Varsity Football Team decided to take part.

“In the past, the team used to do a cancer walk, but our soccer teams do a cancer fundraiser, so we thought itwould be good to give to a different organization,” said Byron-Bergen senior and varsity football co-captain Bryce Yockel.

The team raised money, but they also raised awareness.

“We made posters in honor of different community members affected by the disease that we posted around the area," said Byron-Bergen senior and varsity football player Alex Dean. "We made one for my grandfather who has Alzheimer’s.”

“I’m proud to walk with members of our football and soccer teams,” said Byron-Bergen High School Principal Pat McGee. “They’re great kids supporting a great cause.”

“It’s really about the feel good part,” Yockel said. “It’s helping people who are struggling and can’t do anything about it. A lot of the people who are in the walk are older, a lot of them are walking for themselves, so it feels good to support them.”

All together, the day’s event raised more than $40,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association and 441 people participated.

Photo: Members of the Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen Raiders Varsity Football Team with Byron-Bergen High School Principal Pat McGee (bottom left).

Notre Dame Girls Varsity Soccer Team wins match with Pembroke 2-1

By Billie Owens

From Jarrod Clark:

On Monday (Sept. 9) the girls varsity soccer team from Notre Dame won the match against Pembroke 2-1. The game was played at Notre Dame.

Emma Sission, an eighth-grader from St. Joe's, scored her first varsity goal, assisted from Morgan Rhodes in the first half at the 15-minute mark.

Ava Reinhart scored unassisted in the second half at the 5-minute mark.

Notre Dame keeper with the win -- Rebeka Nickerson, five saves.

Batavia's Margaret Cecere is a student-athlete playing soccer at Kutztown U. in Pennsylvania

By Billie Owens

Submitted photo and press release:

Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pa., will have 31 student-athletes representing its women's soccer program for the 2019 season, including Margaret Cecere, of Batavia.

The 2019 season will bring a new look to the Kutztown University Women's Soccer Team. With the renovation of Kutztown Field, KU will have a ton of positive energy around the program, as it continues to compete to achieve its lofty, yearly goals of winning championships.

Not only will the field be different for the Golden Bears this year, but the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) has also changed up its format for women's soccer. Since 2010, the PSAC has had a single division. With the addition of Shepherd University to the conference, the PSAC is now instituting two divisions (East and West), a first since it last had two divisions in 2009. Each team plays each other twice during the regular season.

Kutztown was recently voted second in the Eastern Division of the PSAC preseason poll, behind defending conference champs and nationally ranked Bloomsburg. Nationally ranked West Chester, 2017 PSAC champion East Stroudsburg, and 2018 semifinalist Millersville round out the top-five in a very competitive division featuring a majority of the top teams in the Atlantic Region.

But Head Coach Erik Burstein, beginning his 13th season as head coach, once again has an experienced and talented team that has played in big, postseason games earlier in their careers.

"I have tremendous faith in this group," Burstein said. "We have some exceptional athletes who work hard, have great attitudes, buy into our culture, believe in our system and have worked hard to adapt to their new roles and responsibilities.

"They are an exciting group who truly want to be successful, and I believe they will be. However, we all know this new divisional format will provide some very different and unique challenges. We need to focus on one game at a time and make sure we finish in the top four in the East. Once that is accomplished, we can start thinking about competing for championships. Stay humble and stay focused; one game at a time."

KU finished the 2018 season at 14-4-2 overall and qualified for both the PSAC and NCAA Atlantic Region tournaments. It was the third consecutive NCAA berth and eighth in 10 years. Dating back to the 2008 season, Kutztown has earned 11 straight PSAC Tournament appearances.

Kutztown begins its 2019 campaign with back-to-back road games. It will take on the University of Charleston (WV) in the season opener on Thursday, Sept. 5, and then play at Millersville on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The home-opener in the brand-new Keystone Field complex will be Saturday night, Sept. 14, under the lights at 6 p.m., against East Stroudsburg.

Byron-Bergen Sports Boosters' Day of Soccer is Sept. 14, benefits two charities

By Billie Owens

The Byron-Bergen Sports Boosters fourth annual Day of Soccer (Homecoming) will be held on Saturday, Sept. 14.

This is also the eighth annual fundraising event of the Byron-Bergen Girls Varsity Soccer Team.

Girls' teams and boys' teams will play soccer all day. There will also be gift basket raffles, 50/50 raffles, along with concessions. Proceeds from this event will go to the Wilmot Cancer Institute and, added this year, Crossroads House.

The games will be played at the Byron-Bergen Soccer Stadium, 6917 W. Bergen Road, Bergen.

The schedule is:

  • 9:30 a.m. -- Boys Modified
  • 11 a.m. -- Girls Modified
  • 12:30 p.m. -- Boys Junior Varsity
  • 2:30 p.m. -- Boys Varsity
  • 4:30 p.m. -- Girls Junior Varsity
  • 6:30 p.m. -- Girls Varsity

To make a monetary donation, make check payable to Byron-Bergen Central School and mail to Byron-Bergen High School, 6917 W. Bergen Road, Bergen NY 14416; or call (585) 297-3352.

Donations of gift baskets are welcome.

Contacts are:

Diane MacCowan -- (585) 503-2081 -- dmaccowan@yahoo.com

Tammy Fuller -- (585) 297-3352 -- tfullerstamps@yahoo.com

Alyson Tardy -- (585) 414-8031 -- atardy@bbschools.org

BB varsity athletes achieve 100-percent Scholar-Athlete Team awards

By Billie Owens

Submitted photos and press release:

The Byron-Bergen Senior High School proudly announces that every fall varsity Byron-Bergen sport team achieved the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Scholar-Athlete Team award.

The fall sports teams are cheerleading, boys cross-country, girls cross-country, football, gymnastics, boys soccer, girls soccer and girls volleyball.

“Here at Byron-Bergen we are always proud of our student athletes and their accomplishments,” said Byron-Bergen Athletic Director Rich Hannan. “This fall we are especially proud that all of our fall teams made the NYS Scholar-Athlete Team award.

"As Athletic Director, I am extremely blessed to work with such great student athletes and coaches. This particular recognition is a great testament to the student athletes and what it takes to perform at a high level. In and out of the classroom, our kids are getting it done!”

The Scholar-Athlete program recognizes athletes for their academic success. NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Team awards go to teams whose average GPA of 75 percent of the athletic team equals 90 or above.

Scholar-Athlete Team award recipients, with Byron-Bergen HS students named below photos:

Cheerleading (a multi-school team)

  • Sarah Sue Streeter

Cross-country -- Boys

  • Joshua Fleming
  • Zachary Hannan
  • Travis Lambert
  • Colby Leggo
  • John Mercovich
  • Caleb Sharpe
  • Corden Zimmerman

Cross-country -- Girls

  • Rachel Best
  • Camryn Brookhart
  • Dayanara Caballero
  • Siomara Caballero
  • Emma Goodman
  • Sara Goodman
  • Annaliese Hersom
  • Cambria Kinkelaar
  • Alaura Rehwaldt
  • Grace Shepard
  • Emma Smith

Football (a multi-school team)

  • Alexander Dean
  • Anthony DiQuattro
  • Andrew Parnapy

Gymnastics (a multi-school team)

  • Victoria Rogoyski
  • Emily Salmonds

Soccer – Boys

  • Nicholas Baubie
  • Ryan Cooper
  • Adam Drake
  • Kyle Foeller
  • Rick Hubbard
  • William Johnson
  • Hunter Leach
  • Sabastian Pawlukewicz
  • Wade Thompson
  • Nathan Zwerka

Soccer -- Girls

  • Julianna Amesbury
  • Lydia Campbell
  • Zoey Chambry
  • Elizabeth Donnelly
  • Veronica Duell
  • Kelsey Fuller
  • Eden Goff
  • Hope Hersom
  • Melissa MacCowan
  • Jillian Menzie
  • Chloe Shuskey

Volleyball -- Girls

  • Justine Bloom
  • Hannah Catalino
  • Madison Farnsworth
  • Sara Fraser
  • Amaya Gunther
  • Janae Meister
  • Alexandra Vurraro
  • Annabella Vurraro

Three Batavia Soccer Club teams win league championships

By Billie Owens

Submitted photos and press release:

The Batavia Soccer Club is pleased to announce the successful completion of our fall soccer season with three of our teams earning championship titles in the Livingston County Fall Soccer League!

Games were held every Saturday in September and October in Geneseo, York, and Livonia, culminating in a season-ending tournament on Saturday, Oct. 20th.

The Batavia Soccer Club had 110 participants on nine teams enter this very competitive league which is comprised of third- through sixth-grade boys and girls teams from Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Monroe, and Wyoming counties.

Our three championship-winning teams included two teams from the fifth- and sixth-grade girls division and one team from the third- and fourth-grade girls division.

The Batavia Soccer Club has served Genesee County and the surrounding area for more than 40 years. With more than 600 summer program participants in 2018, it is one of the largest and most successful youth sports program in the region.

Registration for the 2019 season will begin in December. Please visit our website at www.bataviasoccerclub.com.

Byron-Bergen girls soccer raises $3,000 for cancer research

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

On Saturday, Sept. 15, the Byron-Bergen soccer teams took to the field looking to score more than one kind of goal. Of course, they wanted to win their games but they also wanted to raise awareness for testicular cancer and a monetary donation to the Wilmont Cancer Institute.

They were successful on all fronts. The varsity girls won 3-0 against Alexander and the varsity boys won 4-1 against Attica. Byron-Bergen players set aside their burgundy team jerseys and played in T-shirts, blue for testicular cancer awareness, reading “Kickin' Cancer” on the front. In addition, they collected $2,910 in cash and checks.

Several vendors were present at the event who will donate a percentage of their sales to the total. When those final numbers are in, the teams are hopeful that it will bring the total to $3,000.

The check presentation to the Wilmont Cancer Institute will be scheduled for later in the school year. 

Photo: Varsity Girls Soccer Team, from left, Miriam Tardy, Chloe Shuskey, Hope Hersom, Holleyann Winder, Rebecca Johnson, Veronica Duell, Lydia Campbell, Zoey Chambry, Elizabeth Donnelly, Julianna Anesbury, Melissa MacCowan, Eden Goff, Kelsey Fuller, and Jillian Menzie.

More than 90 kids turned out for Ricky Palermo annual soccer clinic

By Howard B. Owens

More than 90 children from age 4 to age 8 turned out at the Batavia Sports Park on Friday for Ricky Palermo's annual soccer clinic.

This was the 15th year Palermo hosted the clinic.

"It grows a little bit every year and that's exciting," Palermo said.

The clinic helps raise awareness about spinal injury, Palermo said, and shows the kids that even a person with a spinal injury can still do things.

Holmes Named USC Scholar All-American

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Genesee Community College men's soccer captain Glenn Holmes was named to the United Soccer Coaches Junior College Men's Scholar All-America First Team Dec. 15 by the national chair of the USC Junior College Men's Scholar All-America Committee, Chris Handy. Holmes will be honored by the UCS at its 71st convention in January 2018.

The 2017 National Junior College Athletic Association National Champion Cougars were co-captained by Holmes, who hails from Kildare, Ireland. The sports management major was just one of four overall junior college players who were recognized as first-team selections both on the field and in the classroom by the USC. At the junior college division-three level, he was just one of two to achieve the feat and the lone defensive player in the country.

Although known more for his stealth defensive play, Holmes' offensive numbers were quite astonishing. He led all NJCAA defenders in points with 32 and goals with 13. In addition, the Genesee sophomore was the catalyst behind the team's amazing run that ended with a 10-game winning streak and a 20-game unbeaten streak in bringing the Cougars its first national championship in soccer.

This is the third time Holmes has been honored this season as a first-team all-American. In addition to the two aforementioned USC All-American accolades, Holmes was also named to the NJCAA All-American squad as well.

GCC's men's soccer team wins national championship

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Genesee Community College men's soccer team came from behind to win its first-ever National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association D-III men's soccer national title by beating the reigning champion and top-seed Richland College (Tx.) 2-1 at Herkimer County Community College, Sunday.

It was Genesee's third-overall national title and GCC President James M. Sunser made the sojourn to Herkimer and was on hand when GCC Athletic Director Kristen Schuth was presented the championship plaque.

Iyad Lablack scored the game-winner six minutes into the second half off a Joseph Calvert pass and then the team relied on its defense and tournament most valuable player David Ormiston to do the rest, as the Cougar keeper recorded four saves in the win.

"Dave (Ormiston) had a really great game and the defense stuck to their job," Cougars Head Coach Ken Gavin said immediately after the game.

After James Sasay gave the Thunderducks a 1-0 lead about 10 minutes into the game, Genesee's Charlie Livesey responded 14 minutes later to tie the game at 1-1 after Billy Murphy sent Livesey in alone on goal from the left side.

After Lablack gave the Cougars the second-half lead, the strong defensive team sat back and only allowed one shot the rest of the way, and Genesee successfully defended 16 corner kicks during the contest.

Joining Ormiston with national tournament accolades was Glenn Holmes and Philip Melo -- who were both named to the all-tournament team.

After the Cougars started the season with a 1-2 record, Coach Gavin wondered if his team was as good as he originally thought. The team answered that question by going unbeaten the rest of the campaign that culminated with the national championship win. Genesee ended its season unbeaten in its last 20 games with the last 11 being wins.

"When we were 1-2 we lost to a very good Camden team that we beat in this tournament. I think I was proven right that we weren't as good as we could be. But they started playing the system and buying into it. I think that we've scored 380 goals in three years and there's a reason we scored them. The system works if you buy into it; you can get where you need to be."

The team opened national tournament play with a 3-1 win over the Howard Community College Dragons, Nov. 9. Then followed that win with another 3-1 victory over the Camden Community College  Cougars Nov. 10, before besting Richland's Thunderducks, 2-1 this afternoon. All told, Genesee slew the Dragons, caged the Cougars and stole the thunder from the Ducks, respectively.

Asked to pick an unsung hero or two, Gavin responded, "Everybody on the bench is the unsung heroes. They pushed everybody in practice; others didn't see that. They (bench players) pushed the first-string players where they needed to be."

Photos: Mark Jagord/GCC Athletics 

Byron-Bergen/Elba will play for soccer state championship after 4-0 in semifinals

By Howard B. Owens

Four second-half goals propelled the Byron-Bergen/Elba Bees boys soccer team into the state finals as they beat Lake Placid in the Class C semifinals today, 4-0.

The #1 ranked Bees play for the state championship tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. in Middleton.

Photos and the following write-up by Rob Swapceinski:

The Byron-Bergen/Elba Bees took on the Lake Placid Bombers for the NYS Class C Semi-Finals in Middletown, NY. The BB/Elba team got off to a strong start with multiple scoring opportunities in the first half.

The Bombers withstood the BB/Elba attackers and the first half remained deadlocked at 0-0. The BB/Elba team continued putting pressure on the Lake Placid defenders early in the second half. The Bees broke through the Bombers defense when Adam Swapceinski fed Kyle Foeller for the games first goal.

But Swapceinski didn’t stop there and, within minutes, scored two goals of his own. Late in the game, Wade Thompson beat multiple defenders before blasting a shot past the Lake Placid goalkeeper to put the Class C Semi-Final game out of reach. Bee’s goalkeeper, Brandon Kropf recorded his sixth shutout, in a row, in postseason play.

The Byron-Bergen/Elba Bees play for the Class C State Championship on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 10:30 a.m. in Middletown, NY.

Byron-Bergen/Elba Soccer heading to Final Four ranked #1 in the state

By Howard B. Owens

The Byron-Bergen/Elba boys soccer team is 19-1-1, ranked #1 in the state and on the verge of playing for a Class C state championship.

The captured a Section V title by beating Bishop Kearney in a second overtime period and then went on to win the Far West Regional title.

The Final Four begins at 1:30 p.m., Saturday in Middletown with B-B/Elba taking on Lake Placid. The finals will be played the following day in Middletown at 10:30 a.m.

Info and photos submitted by Robert Swapceinski.

Top photo: Celebration after the sectional title. Adam Swapceinski, Greyson Huntington, Wade Thompson, Adam Drake, Kylar Chambry and Kyle Foeller.

Captain Kylar Chambry, left, Captain Adam Swapceinski and Coach Ken Rogoyski.

GCCs men's soccer team wins regional title

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The No. 3 Genesee Community College men's soccer team is heading back again to the National Junior Athletic Association D-III National Tournament after blanking Cayuga Community College 3-0 Oct. 29 in the Region III District A Championship game.

The region's top-seeded Cougars have now outscored their opponents 53-1 during their current eight-game winning streak. The win also extended the team's unbeaten streak to 17 games.

Current NJCAA D-III Goalie of the Week David Ormiston recorded five saves in the win and was named the tournament's most valuable player in leading the team to its seventh-consecutive shutout and 12th of the season.

Ross White got the game winner almost 30 minutes into the contest and Ben Wattis extended the Cougars' lead to 2-0 about 10 minutes later to round out the first-half scoring.

Charlie Livesey had the lone goal of the second half about 25 minutes into the session to add some insurance to the Cougars' lead.

Cayuga outshot Genesee 11-8 in total shots and shots on net 5-3. Each team had a half dozen corner kicks and the physical game produced eight yellow cards collectively.

Also selected to the all-tournament team from Genesee were Livesey, Wattis, and Glenn Holmes, with the latter assisting on Wattis' goal. Cayuga's Mikel Abando and Santiago Ortega were also selected.

Genesee heads to the NJCAA National Tournament as one of eight teams Nov. 9-12 at Wehrum Stadium. The men's soccer D-III nationals are hosted by Herkimer College, who will join the Cougars from Region III after defeating Onondaga Community College 4-0 in the last regional title game of the night that followed the Cougars' win.

Photo: Curtis Kreutter / GCC Athletics

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