FEBRUARY 24

SON RISES

‘DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE’ AS PENHOLLOW CAPTURES TITLE

ALBANY — For an athlete to leave the Times Union Center in Albany as a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division II champion is to enter rarified air in the wrestling community.

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s Robbie Penhollow celebrates after capturing the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division II 195-pound championship Feb. 23 at the Times Union Center in Albany. Photo by Jennifer Russo

To earn that achievement in the way that Falconer senior Robbie Penhollow did so at 195 pounds on Saturday evening is to climb a even higher peak of athletic performance.

After facing one of his toughest tests of the season in semifinal action against the lanky fourth-seeded Devon Shader out of Section II Coxsackie, Penhollow returned to his trademark dominant form with a state title on the line, dispatching sixth-seeded Jace Filion of Section VII Adirondack with an 8-1 decision in the finals.

With that individual NYSPHSAA title, the first for Falconer/Cassadaga Valley since Jake Peru’s in 2016, the senior achieved an aspiration set out during his earliest years.

Penhollow’s father, Johnathan, is the owner of his own historic career at Cassadaga Valley Central School, which culminated in a second-place finish at the state championships in 1989 at 177 pounds.

“My goal, ever since I’ve been a little kid, is I want to do what my dad has done,” Penhollow said after his win. “There is only one spot that can one-up him and that has been my goal ever since I was little. To come out here and be able to get it done just shows that dreams really do come true.”

Maple Grove’s Marisa Schuppenhauer (32) is greeted by her teammates in the final moments of a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C semifinal basketball game March 15 at Hudson Valley Community College. P-J photo by Scott Reagle

From the very first moments of Penhollow’s bout against Filion, it was clear that nothing was going to get in the way of achieving that dream. After a brief series of hand fights, Penhollow took advantage of one of his first openings, shooting a single on the right leg of Fillion, and swiftly turning that into a takedown. Starting the second period in the bottom position, Penhollow abruptly rose to his feet, shucking off his opponent for an escape before threatening a pin with more dominance from the top position later in the match.

“I couldn’t be more excited for him. To be honest if there is a kid who deserves it here it’s him,” Falconer/Cassadaga Valley head coach Drew Wilcox said. “We preach the team stuff, and then we also focus on the individual stuff toward the end of the year. Our program is in a good spot right now and I think a lot of the younger kids are looking up to a kid like Robbie and they want to be the next guy standing out there to win a state title.”

Penhollow was one of few wrestlers in the finals to have the benefit of receiving cheers across the stands at the Times Union Center, with a group of fans giving their encouragement from across Section VI as well as a contingent of friends and family. As is most often the case in the wrestling world, it became difficult and ultimately irrelevant to try and distinguish between blood relatives and the wrestling family members that successful grapplers pick up over years of training.

“There is a lot of guidance and leadership at Falconer,” Johnathan Penhollow said after congratulating his son. “It’s not about the (individual) win at Falconer. That is the way that Drew runs things at Falconer. It is more … this is a life conquest, about everything. You as a person, you in the community, you in leadership, all of those great things.”

While the finals may have illustrated much of the same dominance that Penhollow has shown on the mat all year, it was the semifinals that proved the toughest test of the tournament. Shader, entering as the No. 4 seed, presented an interesting challenge as a sinewy and long opponent. Penhollow broke out to a 4-0 lead in that match following a pair of good shots, but as he went for an opportunity to pin Shader that move was turned into a reverse in favor of the No. 4 seed. In the opening seconds of the third period, Shader was able to swim his way to a takedown, earning another in the closing seconds, with Penhollow responding defensively on the way to a 9-7 win.

Panama’s Mitchell Hovey drives to the basket while being surrounded by a pair of Oppenheim-Ephratah/St. Johnsville players during the New York State Public High School Athletic Association semifinal at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton on March 16. Photo by Debbra Bailey

“He’s very tall. He was different to wrestle,” Penhollow said after that match. “It wasn’t too bad for me to get in on his legs but in terms of on top and on bottom that length was definitely to his advantage. I think he is the most well put together tall guy I’ve wrestled. You get a lot of tall skinny guys but he was well put together and tall so that makes for a tough opponent.”

Preceding Penhollow’s two wins on Saturday were a pair of wins via fall in the opening rounds. His career with Falconer/Cassadaga Valley will come to an end with a 49-1 season, and a 167-30 career record.

MARCH 16

THE SISTER ACT

CAMBRIDGE TANDEM TOO MUCH FOR MAPLE GROVE

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s 1,600-meter relay team, from left: Rayven Sample, Austin Johns, Bryce Baglia and Collin Barmore, won the Division II championship June 7 at the NYSPHSAA Track & Field Championships in Middletown. P-J photo by Tim Frank

TROY — Maple Grove was seeing double Friday afternoon.

Nearly every time down the floor during the first half, Cambridge’s offense would start with the ball in sophomore Sophie Phillips’ hands.

Eventually it would make it into the hands of her twin sister, Lilly.

No matter where else the ball traveled, it usually ended up in the hands of one of the Phillips sisters.

And then it ended up in the bottom of the net.

Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s John Swabik leads the field during the 1,500-meter run as part of the pentathlon at the NYSPHSAA Track & Field Championships on June 8 at Middletown High School. P-J photo by Tim Frank

The Section II champion Indians went 18 of 30 from the field, including 8 of 13 from 3-point range, in the first half alone as the Phillips girls combined for 29 points en route to a runaway 75-43 victory in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C semifinal at Hudson Valley Community College’s McDonough Sports Complex.

“It’s just tough to win when they shoot that well,” Maple Grove coach Bill Price said following the loss. “It’s like pick your poison. We just couldn’t stop anything.”

The win sends Cambridge into today’s 7 p.m. final against Section IV champion Watkins Glen, which upended Section IX and defending state champion Millbrook in Friday’s first semifinal.

“Having the feeling of losing coming this far, it wasn’t a fun feeling,” said Sophie Phillips, whose Indians lost to Millbrook in last year’s semifinals. “Knowing we could make it back this far was definitely our goal throughout the whole season.”

With a starting lineup featuring four sophomores and a freshman, the Indians caught fire early against the Red Dragons.

Freshman Stasia Epler banked in a 3-pointer before Lilly Phillips nailed a 3-pointer and added another bucket to make it 8-0 in the blink of an eye.

“We definitely weren’t expecting to have that big of a lead,” Lilly Phillips said.

Sophie Phillips then hit back-to-back 3s during another 8-0 run to make it 20-4 and Cambridge added a third 8-0 run that included a Lilly Phillips three-point play to close the opening eight minutes with a 28-10 lead. The Indians were 10 of 14 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range to stun Maple Grove.

“We can put it on the floor, we can shoot,” Cambridge coach Bob Phillips said. ” … Coupled with the way we play defense, that can create spurts for us. We put together multiple spurts.”

The Red Dragons’ offense got going in the second quarter as freshman Sam Snow and senior Courtney Hemminger sandwiched 3-pointers around a three-point play from senior Marisa Schuppenhauer, but the Indians didn’t let up, draining another four 3-pointers to lead 49-27 at halftime.

“Nobody is expecting to come out the way our team did,” Sophie Phillips said. ” … We continued the energy all the way to the second half.”

Schuppenhauer hit a top-of-the-key 3-pointer to make it a 17-point game with 4:58 left in the third quarter, but Cambridge answered that with a 15-0 run that included another Sophie Phillips 3-pointer and a three-point play from Lilly Phillips to take a 66-34 lead into the final eight minutes.

“We tried to press just to try and create a different tempo. It doesn’t matter whether you lose by 5 or you lose by 50, you still lose,” Price said. “That run they made was just the nail in the coffin.”

Maple Grove scored just 16 points in the second half.

“We just couldn’t shoot well,” Price said. “For us to be successful, we have to shoot the basketball well.”

Lilly Phillips finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while Sophie Phillips had 21 points and five assists.

“They just have so many weapons. When you come up on them, they go by you” Price said. “They’re not just scorers, they’re great passers. You key in on one and her sister is going to kill you.”

Sophomore Fiona Mooney gave Cambridge a third option behind the Phillips sisters, returning from injury to chip in 17 points and 11 rebounds — seven of which came at the offensive end of the floor.

“You could tell Monday when she first started full-contact practice that she was ready to go,” Bob Phillips said. “She was a caged animal that was finally getting a chance to play.”

Junior Bre Hill led Maple Grove with 10 points while Snow and Schuppenhauer each had 8.

“Bre had a good first half,” Price said, “but then they went box-and-one on her and took her away offensively.”

With Schuppenhauer and Hemminger the only players lost to graduation as well as injured junior Riley Caskey returning next year, the Red Dragons will have an opportunity to return to the state Final Four in 2020.

“They’ve got to come with a little fire in their belly. I know Riley has it. It was tough for her to come and just witness this,” Price said. ” … You’ve got to taste this. We just got a good, old-fashioned butt-whooping today.”

MARCH 17

GUT WRENCHING

PANAMA CAN’T HOLD LATE LEAD IN REGULATION, FALLS TO OES IN OVERTIME STUNNER

BINGHAMTON — With time winding down inside Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday afternoon, the Panama Panthers appeared to have a semifinal victory over Section II Oppenheim-Ephratah/St. Johnsville tucked away, ready to advance to today’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D final.

Coach Ed Nelson and his fourth-ranked Panthers held a four-point lead, 50-46, as the Wolfpack began what was likely their last possession in the closing seconds.

And then the improbable, almost impossible, happened. OES, the top-ranked team in the state, somehow found a way to advance.

That opportunity came courtesy of Tyler Leon.

After a scramble following a missed shot by teammate Chris Martin, Leon heaved up an awkward baseline jumper from just beyond the 3-point line that hit nothing but net with two seconds remaining. Not only that, but he drew a foul on Panama’s Jack Sperry. Leon then stepped up and calmly hit the tying free throw, sending the game to overtime.

After that bizarre and astonishing end to regulation, Martin made the most of his opportunities in overtime, burying an early 3 and picking up another crucial putback to lift the Wolfpack (21-3) to a 61-57 victory over Panama (18-7) and into today’s Class D final against Section X Harrisville, a 68-65 winner over Section IV Marathon in the final game of the day.

“I mean a four-point play? You don’t draw that up,” said Wolfpack head coach Jason Brundage after the staggering turn of events at the end of regulation. “Honestly you probably don’t even dream about it. But as far as a dream come true, Tyler Leon is that type of kid.”

Leon led OES with 20 points and a crucial 21 rebounds, but in overtime Martin scored his only five points of the day off the bench to finish off the wild ride.

Panama was the first to strike in the extra period as Gerrit Hinsdale hit home on a putback, but that was followed by a trey from Martin and an inside jumper by Brundage. While Cameron Barmore converted a pair of free throws for the Panthers, Martin came up big once more with a putback on a second-chance opportunity before Brundage was able to maintain his team’s lead at the foul line down the stretch.

“Chris Martin has been on the bench for two years of jayvee, all last year of varsity. He comes to every summer league thing that we have, he has been here the whole time. He has constantly been getting better and better and better,” said Brundage.

Panama held its four-point lead late in the game after Barmore picked up a key block on Travis LaFountain with the game knotted up at 44-44. From there, Sperry drilled a trey to give his team a one-possession lead with one minute left to play. The scoreboard read 50-46 in favor of the Panthers after Barmore finished off a pair of free throws after drawing contact on a drive, while Sperry nailed the first of his two chances at the charity stripe.

“I don’t think anybody prepares for a moment like this in the locker room, but I was just trying to make them understand it is just a basketball game and, again, how far we have come along,” Nelson said after the loss. “We were up four with 12 seconds left and they are dribbling the basketball down the court. Our message the whole time was we have to make sure we’re not giving them second- and third-chance opportunities. I think on that they had two second-chance opportunities on it and (Leon) hasn’t hit a 3-pointer all year and it was an opportune time to knock his first one down. It was a great shot, falling away, fading away out of bounds. He made a great play.”

JUNE 8

STATE CHAMPS

FALCONER/CASSADAGA VALLEY 1,600-METER RELAY IS VICTORIOUS

MIDDLETOWN — The Falconer/Cassadaga Valley track and field program left the grounds of Middletown High School with some hardware in tow after the first day of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships.

Despite team members Bryce Baglia and Rayven Sample running individual races earlier in the day, they joined teammates Austin Johns and Collin Barmore in winning the Division II 1,600-meter relay, edging out Our Lady of Lourdes with a time of 3:21.11.

“I had a good feeling that we could win,” Falconer/Cassadaga Valley head coach Dave Nelson said. “They were elated with their time and that they had won, and that they had done it for each other.”

Two hours previously Baglia earned a medal in the 800 meters, finishing sixth in Division II and 12th overall at 1:56.09 while Sample took home 12th in the Division II 400 meters with a time of 50.81.With 30 or 40 meters to go in the relay, Baglia found himself in a foot race with the anchor from Lourdes.

“We probably had a 15-meter lead going into the handoff and Bryce was our anchor,” Nelson said. “The kid pulled up even with Bryce with 30 meters to go and Bryce dug deep, just edged him out at the finish.”

While Nelson would normally hesitate to have relay runners compete in earlier races, he felt confident that the preparation his runners went through with the assistance of coach Nick Spry would pay off.

“Normally I wouldn’t really want kids to run before a relay but we thought they both had a chance to medal and Bryce did,” Nelson said. “Coach Spry and I knew that with their training they could do both.”

Nelson said it was most important on race day was to make sure that his runners were adequately fed, rested and hydrated.

JUNE 9

PACK MENTALITY

C/S/P’S SWABIK, BARMORE CLAIM DIVISION II STATE TITLES

MIDDLETOWN — Clymer/Sherman/Panama head coach Pam Warner hoped entering this weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association Track and Field Championships that her team would leave Middletown High School with success to invigorate the program for years to come.

With a pair of individual Division II state championships heading back to Panama and Sherman, and three podium finishes, that mission was accomplished Saturday.

One year after finishing third in Division II and ninth overall with a jump of 6 feet, 4 inches, Panama junior Cameron Barmore achieved his ultimate goal of an individual high jump championship — finishing the day at 6 feet, 7 inches.

Barmore finished just a hair behind Division I champion Kwamere White of Henninger, who was able to clear the bar at 6-8 on his final attempt, leaving Barmore second in the federation.

Also leaving Middletown with a state title in tow was Barmore’s teammate John Swabik, who claimed the Division II pentathlon with 3,411 points, finishing second in the federation behind Division I winner John Poplawski of Walt Whitman (3,477).

Swabik entered Saturday with just the long jump and one of his strongest events — the 1,500 meters — separating him from victory.

The Sherman sophomore jumped 19 feet, 3§ inches to take 12th place, finishing just steps behind Poplawski in the 1,500 with a time of 4:22.32 to grab second there.

SEPTEMBER 2

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

CARLSON SIGNED TO BROWNS’ PRACTICE SQUAD A DAY AFTER BEING CUT FROM 53-MAN ROSTER

Just shy of five years ago, Stephen Carlson stood at a podium at City Hall’s Tracy Plaza and spoke to his coaches, his teammates, school administrators, city officials and the large crowd gathered to celebrate Jamestown High School’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA football championship.

Three months into his senior year, the first-team all-state star was the only player from that talented Red Raiders’ squad to share his thoughts publicly on that bitterly cold, late-fall afternoon.

It was hardly a surprise, though.

After all, the young man from the city’s northside has always been comfortable in all settings — big and small — and he has possessed the innate ability to succeed in all of them.

Carlson added yet another milestone moment — arguably his greatest to date — on Sunday when he was signed to the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, less than 24 hours after being released by the team as it pared its roster to 53. Carlson, who has been training with the team since he was signed as an undrafted free agent tight end out of Princeton University in late April, is just the second JHS alumnus in history to sign a contact with an NFL team.

The first?

Jim McCusker, who just happened to graduate 65 years ago.

To suggest that Carlson is in some rare company would be an understatement.

“Hopefully,” he said Sunday afternoon, “I can live up to his name and to his honor.”

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Buffalo-based agent Shane Costa of Pillar Sports Management has nearly a decade of experience in professional football, and joined forces with Carlson late in 2018 after the latter completed his eligibility at Princeton.

“I’m from Allegany, New York, just being right down the road, and being a Western New York guy, we immediately had that connection, and it made a lot of sense,” he said Sunday afternoon.

A mutual-admiration society was born.

Costa maintains that the Browns like Carlson a lot, too.

“They can’t rule out at some point that he’s on the active roster and playing for them this year,” Costa said. “That’s kind of the nature of the business. They want to see him develop, but they like his potential, they’re excited to have him, and we are, too. It’s a good fit.”

The Browns announced nine additions, including Carlson, to their practice squad on Sunday.

“I tell people all the time that … practice squad is literally the next people up,” Costa said. “Most people who start on the practice squad at the start of the year end up being on somebody’s active roster at some point. It’s a game with a lot of injuries, unfortunately, and it really means, ‘Hey, you’re the next guy.’ It’s sort of akin to Triple-A baseball vs. the (Major Leagues). … He’s one injury away from having to go play for them on Sunday.”

Costa confirmed that other teams expressed interest in Carlson, too, but the Browns were deemed the best situation.

“He knows the system, he knows the playbook, he’s with the team and he can continually get better and develop,” Costa said. “They’ve identified him as someone that can help them in the future. Whether that’s in the immediate future or the far future remains to be seen, but they believe in him. It makes a lot of sense to stay there and continue to develop as opposed to going somewhere else where he has to start fresh. … It’s a nice organization, they like him. It’s a really good fit all around.”

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Carlson is usually pretty calm, cool and collected, but he admitted that the run-up to signing with the Browns’ practice squad Sunday morning was “pretty nerve-wracking.”

Arriving at the Browns’ facility in Berea, Ohio by early morning, Carlson fielded calls from Costa and weighed potential opportunities with other teams before deciding to stay with the franchise that gave him a shot four months ago.

“I’m pretty excited to finally get it down on paper that I’ll be on the practice squad,” he said. “When I first got signed … my goal was to make it on the practice squad. I knew that … if I could spend a little bit of time working on my technique … I could be a decent tight end in the NFL. That’s the plan so far. Everything is kind of coming into play with what my initial plan was.”

Support from Cleveland tight ends coach John Lilly has helped, too.

“Everyone has kind of embraced me (even though) I’m an undrafted tight end converted from wide receiver,” Carlson said. “(Lilly) has helped me out a lot since the beginning, giving me words of encouragement, telling me how good he thinks I can be. That’s really helped with my confidence. … Overall, the kind of people that are here — from the front office to the guys on the field — have a winning attitude.”

The Browns open their season this Sunday when they entertain Tennessee at FirstEnergy Stadium. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. Carlson will be watching from the sidelines.

“Hopefully I can contribute to the Browns this year,” he said. “That’s the plan and that would be my goal. For now, I’m just going to do what they tell me to do, work on my skills and my technique and put myself in the best position.”

Asked if he planned to celebrate his practice-squad signing in any way, Carlson said he was thinking about going out for dinner, but it wasn’t going to be a late night.

“I have a 6:30 lift (this morning),” he said. “It’s back to work.”

SEPTEMBER 30

END IS NEAR

SOUTHWESTERN’S CAULCRICK STEPPING DOWN AFTER FRIDAY’S GAME

Jehuu Caulcrick was having lunch one day in 2012 at Pinehurst Golf Club in Westfield with a couple of his friends, PGC owner Nolan Swanson and Brady Deuink, when his cellphone rang.

The call was from Ted Thompson.

The general manager of the Green Bay Packers at the time, Thompson wanted Caulcrick, the former Clymer Central School and Michigan State University running back, to join the NFL team for training camp that summer.

Caulcrick, who had previously been with the New York Jets, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills during a pro career that began in 2008, declined the offer.

“I had had a good run, I’d bounced around for five years, so I couldn’t complain about it,” he said.

As it has turned out, that wasn’t the toughest decision Caulcrick has ever had to make.

That came last week when he informed the Southwestern Central School administration that he was resigning as the varsity football coach in order to take a job with NFL/Xenith, based in Michigan.

That conversation was difficult enough, but then Caulcrick had to break the news to his team on Saturday morning, less than 12 hours after the Trojans, the state’s third-ranked Class C team, blanked Fredonia, 42-0, to run their record to 4-0.

“This was tougher than saying no to my NFL career,” he said. ” … The timing definitely (stinks). We have something special going (on) here and we’re going to continue to have something going (on). We have a great staff who is going to pick up the slack. It’s rough right now, but we’ll get through this.”

Caulcrick, who will coach his last game on Friday when the Trojans entertain Lackawanna on homecoming, will be replaced by defensive coordinator and longtime friend Jake Burkholder on an interim basis. A search for a permanent head coach will be conducted after the 2019 season is completed.

“Jehuu has done an incredible job supporting the kids academically, athletically and in their families,” Superintendent Maureen Donahue said. “This is a huge loss for the district, but we have full confidence that Jake Burkholder will show tremendous leadership for us.”

Caulcrick said he initially made a connection with NFL/Xenith, which researches and develops the safety of player equipment, in February when he spoke at an NFL symposium in San Diego, and “everything just picked up the last three weeks.”

Caulcrick, who will start his new job on Oct. 7, had hoped he could delay it until after the Trojans’ season, but that wasn’t possible.

“I felt it was good for me and my family right now,” said Caulcrick, whose wife, Bryar, is a nurse. “The biggest thing is going back to the timing (of the announcement).”

The time has been really good for the program, though.

Caulcrick enters his final game this week sporting a 31-11 career record, including three straight trips to the Section VI Class C championship game since taking over in 2015 from Jay Sirianni. Sirianni compiled a 101-26 record in 12 seasons, including two state championships. Although Caulcrick was never able to get Southwestern past Cleveland Hill in those sectional title contests, he still has left his imprint on the Hunt Road campus, posting a 28-6 record in his last three-plus campaigns.

“When I talk about the big shoes of Jay Sirianni that had to be replaced, (Caulcrick’s) are just as big,” Southwestern athletic director Kevin Salisbury said, “but (Burkholder) will be fine, and he’ll do a great job for us.”

Burkholder, 31, is a Southwestern graduate (Class of 2006), and played for some very good Trojans’ teams under Sirianni. Upon his graduation, Burkholder attended Washington & Jefferson (Pennsylvania) College and continued his football career playing for Presidents coach Mike Sirianni, Jay’s older brother. Upon returning to the area, Burkholder ultimately coached one year under Jay Sirianni and then joined Caulcrick’s staff, serving as an assistant varsity coach in 2016 and as a modified coach in 2017 and 2018, before being named defensive coordinator this season.

“I think he’s going to do a tremendous job,” Caulcrick said of his friend, who he has known for more than 20 years. “We’re ‘brothers.’ He came to Michigan State for games and he went to all my college (recruiting) visits. Then he went and played here at Southwestern, so he understands the tradition … and he understands how important football is to the community and the school.”

Added Salisbury, who was an assistant coach during Sirianni’s tenure with the Trojans:

“(Burkholder) is ready. He’s got the respect of the kids, he has the respect of his coaches and he works his tail off, so he is as ready as can be.”

“The biggest thing is the family mentality,” said Burkholder, who is nearing completion of a bachelor’s degree in education from SUNY Fredonia. ” … I don’t think anybody needs to put an individual stamp on it. The idea is we’re a family, and family does things together. As a family, we’ll have success. I think that’s going to be the big focus, just to continue with that, keep the momentum going and use that as a catalyst to push us forward.”

For the remainder of this week, however, it will be Caulcrick at the helm, capped by Friday’s nonleague game against Lackawanna.

“This team is unique,” Donahue said. “It is very well-rounded … and they all play well together. It’s just a nice group of kids. We’ll wrap our arms around them and take care of them.”

Caulcrick is confident that will be the case, even though it is difficult for him to leave.

“For the last week, it’s been keeping me up at night,” he said. “It’s been difficult, especially (Friday) night. Just looking at the scoreboard (clock) count down and (thinking), man, my time here is ending as each second passed on that scoreboard.”

Salisbury said Caulcrick’s absence will be felt as much inside the school as it will on the football field.

“He’s been Southwestern through and through since the day he walked on campus,” the athletic director said. “He’s done it just because he cares about the kids.”

OCTOBER 22

LIVING LEGEND

BARTON TO BE INDUCTED INTO DIRT LATE MODEL HALL OF FAME

Dick Barton was nervous.

Check that. He was very nervous.

I noticed it immediately when Randy Anderson and I arrived at Barton’s Ashville home to pick him up one late afternoon in June. The three of us were headed to the Norden Club steak fry at the Den Adelsman’s Klub in Gerry where Barton, the legendary dirt-track race car driver, was going to be the featured speaker.

The plan was to enjoy some hors d’oeuvres and a filet mignon dinner with about 100 club members of Scandianvian descent and their guests. My post-dinner role was to interview Barton about his extensive racing accomplishments that dated back more than four decades. As I quickly learned, however, he would have much rather made split-second decisions behind the wheel of his late model than hold a microphone in his hand and talk about himself.

“I don’t like to toot my own horn,” he said.

Fact is, Barton has never been comfortable gabbing about his prowess on the dirt track, deferring at every turn to his race team for his success. By the time we were through with our 30-minute conversation that evening and after he had answered a bunch of questions from the audience, Barton had maneuvered through it all with ease, just like he’s done on Saturday and Sunday nights for two-thirds of his life.

And, believe it or not, the 65-year-old Falconer native, who hasn’t driven competitively since 2014, is still adding to his bulging resume.

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According to an announcement released over the weekend by the Board of Trustees and the voting members of the National Dirt Late Model Hall Fame, Barton will be part of the Class of 2020, one of five drivers and three contributors who will be honored in August in Union, Kentucky.

Barton got the news via phone call last Wednesday, which just happened to be his birthday.

“You could say I got emotional,” Barton said as he stood in the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame in Jamestown on Monday afternoon. As he spoke, he was just a short walk from where he is immortalized in the CSHOF’s Hall of Honor as a member of the Class of 2003.

“The (Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame induction), in and of itself, was overwhelming,” he said, “but now to be recognized nationally is just a huge thing, and I’m pretty humbled. … It’s every racer’s dream. All you ever want, at the end of the day, is for someone to say you were pretty good at this. We were pretty good at this. Our team was pretty good at this. … I’m taken aback by the fact that normally these kinds of honors are for the traveling people. We were just doing it as a hobby.”

How good were Barton and crew as they pursued their “hobby?”

Along the way, Barton raced to 47 career track and series titles and reigns as the winningest driver at Stateline; and scored more than 225 career feature victories at 14 tracks in four states, including STARS (1991) and World of Outlaws (2006) victories at Stateline, where he was a 10-time champion.

Barton’s heyday came driving The Bolt Place-sponsored No. 28B, owned by Ron Nielson, that he drove to 172 victories from 1993-2009. His 80th career Stateline win in 2014 (at age 59) broke the 79-victory mark of Bobby Schnars.

Barton’s non-Stateline victories included 1996’s Budweiser 101 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pennsylvania; 2003’s Fall Classic at Raceway 7 in Conneaut, Ohio; 1994’s Race of Champions at Hagerstown (Maryland) Speedway; and 2002’s MACS Fall Fest Challenger Raceway in Kent, Pennsylvania, his richest win at $15,000.

“It’s like my career has come full circle,” Barton said. “All you ever want is to be remembered. … I’ve been very lucky. If you surround yourself with capable people, the chances are you’re going to get good results.”

NOVEMBER 18

NEAR MISSES

IN PLATTSBURGH

PLATTSBURGH — It was once again a day of near misses for local runners at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association cross country championships Saturday.

The Maple Grove girls, who finished second to Tully in the Class D race a year ago with 50 points, finished with 55 points this year, which was good for second place behind Delhi.

“We ran very well, but Delhi had an even better race,” Maple Grove head coach Steve Matteson said. “It would’ve been very hard to make up those five points. Hopefully we’ll have an answer for next year.”

Junior Ava Crist was the Lady Red Dragons’ top finisher in sixth place with a time of 18:08.3 while junior Christina Peppy was 10th in 18:16.6 and sophomore Abby Brunenavs was 15th in 18:30.2. Junior Tori Pavlock (40th, 19:39.4) and sophomore Hannah Tarbrake (48th, 20:20.4) completed the quintet of scorers from Maple Grove.

“My top three girls all ran very, very well, At the beginning they were pretty much right together. They separated by the end, but they all ran strong,” Matteson said. “Tori and Hannah both ran season-best times, even with the conditions.”

Maple Grove’s boys, who were also second in 2018, finished fourth this year with 102 points. Sophomore Lukas Baer was the Red Dragons’ top finisher in 27th place with a time of 16:14.9 while senior Riley Auer was 29th in 16:19.7 and senior Darius Jones was 39th in 16:41.6. Junior Drew Kelemen was 40th in 16:46.7 and senior Nick Brunenavs was 60th in 17:21.6. Beaver River won the team competition for the third-straight year with 26 points.

“The top 20 in the state in each class receive medals, so that was their goal. Lukas and Riley had very strong races. Darius and Drew ran together in a pack and it was good for them,” Matteson said. “Beaver River will compete for top one or two in the state and Delhi ran very well today. We just didn’t have enough to catch them this year.”

A pair of seniors ended their high school careers with matching fifth-place individual honors.

Randolph’s Ronan McDonald took fifth in the Class D boys race with a time of 15:12.5, just over 46 seconds behind winner Kal Lewis of Shelter Island. McDonald’s Cardinals senior teammate Josh Walters was 36th in 16:37.6, Frewsburg sophomore Toby Gifford was 62nd in 17:26.9 and Maple Grove eighth-grader Alex Crist was 78th in 17:55.2.

With his result, McDonald has been invited to attend the Federation race next weekend at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls.

In the Class D girls race, Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s Kylee Odell — who received the Section VI Sportsmanship Award — took fifth in 18:05.3, over two minutes behind Brooke Rauber of Tully.

NOVEMBER 25

END OF ROAD

SECTION IV CANDOR UPENDS

PANTHERS IN CLASS D FINAL

GLENS FALLS — Candor was able to upset two-time defending New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D volleyball champion Bainbridge-Guilford for the Section IV title, and on Sunday afternoon inside Cool Insuring Arena it was clear how they did it.

The Indians used a trio of talented hitters and a nearly flawless supporting cast to take home the 2019 Class D title with a 25-11, 25-20, 25-13 win over Panama.

After claiming both pool-play wins over the Panthers with close decisions at 29-27 and 25-22, Candor was even sharper with statewide bragging rights on the line. Megan Henry, Jennah Kareem and Shelby Swartz were an offensive hydra throughout all three games, forcing the offensively-minded Panthers into a defensive shell. Every time one option would get taken away, the Indians had another waiting to take its place.

“They have three hitters up in the front,” said Panama head coach Tammy Hosier. “They definitely out-attacked us and they are an overall good team. When we had some great hits, they were digging them. What got us here is we are more of an offensive team and we ended up on the defensive side. Those hits are coming down, they hit straight down, so we played too much defense.”

At times the Panthers would enjoy flashes of the offense that had gotten back to Glens Falls, but time and again those stretches of success were stamped out or matched equally. In the opening game of the day, the teams would trade leads back-and-forth out to a 4-4 tie, with Kareem struggling with a few early misses at the net. Panama would grab a lead at 7-5 thanks to a pair of service aces, with Ally Finnerty painting first the left line and then the right to give the Panthers a lead.

A spike off the hands of a defender from Henry and a service ace by Kailyn Edwards would highlight a crucial stretch of points for the Indians, as they picked up a five-point cushion. After fighting their way through the first half of the set, Panama would stall at 11 points, suffering a stretch of mis-hit balls while Shelby Swartz turned up her game with a tip, a kill and two blocks to complete the opener.

“We were just really struggling to get their passes up, their hits up,” said Panama captain Natalie Angeletti, who has four trips to Glens Falls and a state title on her resume. “I think we played the best in the first ten points and in the beginning. At one point we called a timeout — I think it was in the second game — and we sort of went on our own run. We just eventually sort of fell apart. We went on our own small runs and they were kind of short lived.”

After a drop off in the second half of the opener, the second set of the day showed indications that the Panthers had gotten that bug out of their system.

Kylie Schnars would pick up a point with a spike early on, while Angeletti got into the action early with a kill and a block to keep things close. A service ace from Kareem and cross-court finish from Selah Ray would put Candor up 10-8, but Angeletti would bring things back to even with a spike and a serve of her own that could not be returned. The Indians would stay one step ahead as Henry earned a lucky bounce off the tape of the net, before Swartz picked up a crucial block on an overhand by Schnars to maintain the lead. Angeletti would keep her team within two after a one-handed push late in the second set, but once again Candor was able to go to the offensive well as Henry finished off three straight points to make it 2-0.

“They definitely were on,” said Hosier. “I was kind of hoping that the whole mental aspect of it, their first time being here, that we could take advantage of that, but they were on their A-game from the get go.”

There were no nerves from the Indians, and their strategy was just as well-sorted. Despite leading her team at times in the second set, Angeletti would see limited touches as the Indians aimed to steer around the senior star.

“Honestly, it was just the fact that they were hitting down and she wasn’t getting as many touches on the ball,” said Hosier. “I don’t know that they played around her, but it did seem like the balls weren’t going her way quite as much.”

In a repeat of the first two games of the day, Panama would fight tooth-and-nail to keep its hopes alive, even after falling down by a pair.

Schnars opened up with a spike in the third set while Ally Finnerty continued to supplement the offense with her serving. After things got out to a 9-9 stalemate, Candor rattled off another stretch of points with Braelyn Hornick chipping in a drop-shot winner while Swartz and Henry continued to do damage with overhand shots.

“They don’t give up,” Hosier said of her team. “They work hard all the time. Nat and Kylie were just trying to keep hitting the ball and keep attacking the ball.”

Despite the fact that the rest of her high school and collegiate athletic careers will take place on the basketball court, Angeletti will certainly look back on her volleyball years with the happiest of memories.

“The teams and the coaches have been the closest people in my life. I think this sport kind of defined who I am and shaped who I am,” said Angeletti, who will play basketball for Daemen College next year. “I’m just going to think about all the fun that we had. This is one of the most fun group of girls that I’ve been on a team with.”

NOVEMBER 30

RELOAD & REPEAT

CLYMER/SHERMAN/PANAMA WINS SECOND STRAIGHT CLASS D TITLE

SYRACUSE — Clymer/Sherman/Panama ended the football season where it started.

At No. 1.

Senior Gerrit Hinsdale passed for two touchdowns and ran for another; junior Connor Cooper rushed for two scores; and the Wolfpack claimed their second straight New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D championship by steamrolling Section VII Moriah, 47-6, at the Carrier Dome on Friday afternoon.

Unlike a year ago when Clymer/Sherman/Panama didn’t pull away from the Vikings until the fourth quarter, this one was never in doubt.

“We all just do our piece of the puzzle and never take our foot off the gas,” said junior John Swabik, the game’s Most Valuable Player. “As long as we do that, we’re good.”

The day after Thanksgiving, the Wolfpack (11-1) were very, very good.

In fact, after punting on its first offensive possession, Clymer/Sherman/Panama scored the next seven times it had the ball, with six of those drive starts beginning around midfield. It was a recipe for success for Coach Ty Harper’s program, which improved to 24-1 over the last two years and 30-4 since the start of the 2017 campaign.

“I can’t say enough about this senior group,” Harper said. “They’ve really taken our program from a place of battling for respect and trying to become one of the elite teams in the area to this — back-to-back state champs. It’s something that kids dream about, it’s something that the coaches dream about and a lot never have an opportunity to achieve.”

Take a bow, Hinsdale, fellow seniors Cameron Barmore and Zavon Overton, and Swabik. All four played key roles in last year’s run to the state title, and they did so again in 2019, a season that could have been derailed after being dominated by Franklinville/Ellicottville in a Week Three loss. Instead, the Wolfpack ran off nine straight wins, including an epic, 28-27 come-from-behind win over Section IV Tioga in the Western semifinal last week.

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Hinsdale said. “I’m excited I’m going to be able to celebrate on the bus ride home with my teammates. I’m just going to live on the high right now.”

The Wolfpack’s Cameron Barmore clears the bar at 6 feet, 6 inches during the high jump June 8 at Middletown High School. P-J photo by Tim Frank

Dick Barton poses in front of memorabilia from his 40-year racing career at the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame in Jamestown on Oct. 21. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

Panama volleyball coach Tammy Hosier, second from left, enjoys a light moment with her team at the conclusion of their New York State Public High School Athletic Class D championship match in Glens Falls on Nov. 24. Photo by Debbra Bailey

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