By HUNTER O. LYLE
Holding a near-perfect regular season resume, the Allegany-Limestone girl’s soccer leads the local-team charge as they enter the newly-unveiled Section VI playoff brackets, being the only team guaranteed with holding home field advantage throughout the postseason.
Over the course of 41 days, the 14-2 Gators were unstoppable, collecting 12 wins in that window as they routinely outscored their challengers by over two-and-a-half goals a night. The effort on offense was led by the Green and White trio of Kennedy Honeck (16 goals, 14 assists), Leea Kopp (15 goals, 3 assists) and Kai Wojewoda-Ko (12 goals, 8 assists).
Their reward for the immaculate production: the top seed in the Class B bracket. On Saturday at noon, A-L will step back out in front of their home fans, hosting the winner of No. 8 Williamsville South versus No. 9 Depew contest for a noon postseason inauguration. Whoever emerges will then play again the following Wednesday with eyes towards the Halloween championship.
Four rungs down the ladder, Salamanca will also forgo a bus ride to their first playoff opponent.
For the Warriors, their 13-3 regular season record was made possible by their sophomore standout, Addison Earley. During her first year at the varsity level, Earley erupted for a team-leading 18 goals alongside four assists, with the next best goal-netter tallying ten less scores.
Stepping into the Class B pre-quarterfinals with the fifth seed, Salamanca will host No. 12 Newfane on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Finding another win at home, where they boast a 6-2 record, the Warriors will then take on No. 4 Eden or No. 13 JFK on Saturday at noon at the higher seed’s home field.
Slipping down to the Class C bracket, the Grace Gariepy-lead Portville Panthers claimed the fifth seed over the course of a 9-5-2 record.
In the final regular season of her high school career, Gariepy willed her team to the net, coming away with 24 goals – sixth in Section VI – and 10 assists in the process, both of which are team-highs. Her talents will be tested immediately in pursuit of her first Blue Patch, with Portville taking off on Saturday to play No. 4 Randolph at noon. Should they defeat the Cardinals in enemy territory, the Panthers will then most likely play No. 1 Wilson – who plays either No. 8 Barker/Lydonville or No. Franklinville on Wednesday – in hopes to secure their spot in the Class C championship on Friday.
Finally, in the Class A pool, Olean’s rocky road now ascends uphill as they take on the best-ranked team in their bracket.
After a 3-12 regular season, the Huskies open their postseason campaign road ready. With the No. 16 seed, all of their matches will be played away from home, including their pre-quarterfinal matchup against Lewiston-Porter. On Wednesday, they will take to Youngstown for a 6 p.m. showing under the lights. With a win, they will play either No. 8 Williamsville South or No. 9 Depew on Saturday at noon.
The full Section VI brackets are listed below:
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