Photos by Tricia Davenport (Cuba-Rushford) and Chris Brooks (Andover/Whitesville), stories by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com. See more local coverage at www.wellsvillesun.com
ANDOVER — Anything can happen now at this stage. Absolutely anything. It is day one of the Playoffs, and those famous lyrics uttered by the Beastie Boys never rung truer than at this very moment.
You’ve got to fight. For your right. To party.
For Keshequa and Andover/Whitesville, the two ball clubs most certainly fought like their lives depended on it. In this particular circumstance, the battle between the No. 9 and No. 8 seeds in Class D, was unequivocally bonkers.
When all 80 minutes of transpired soccer were registered into Section V’s first round ledger at the end of the night, the teams amalgamated to find the back of the net for a grand total of 11 goals — seven of those were plastered in the first 40, inducing all sorts of static electricity on both ends of the field, each and every step of the way.
As for that first half, the momentum was dichotomized in half, with one team executing a fiery start to the night, while the other extinguished the early five-alarm fire, starting one of their own in the same swing.
The latter was conducted by the Wildcats, who went on a mad dash to overcome a massive early deficit to Andover/Whitesville. After finishing the first half on a scintillating note, the ball was on their side of the court to ensure that the momentum they now possessed, remained ever in their favor going forward.
Fortunately enough, Ian Hinrich and Owen Pike made all the noise possible to ensure that it would.
The two Keshequa pyromaniacs caught the offense ablaze from start to finish, as the two combined to record all seven of the team’s goals — five of them belonging to Hinrich, Section V’s leading goalscorer, while Pike had two of his own to go with a pair of assists, as the Wildcats survived a tenacious back-and-forth shootout with Andover/Whitesville to clinch a 7-4 road win in Andover.
“This was a tough one tonight. The boys started hot and then we got a little flat,” Andover/Whitesville coach Cody Borden said. “Overall, I cannot complain with the effort. It just wasn’t meant to be. We had a tough time with late season injuries, but everyone stepped up and played their hearts out to give us a chance. To our three seniors graduating, I couldn’t be more pleased with how they handled themselves and the effort they put into this program. It hurts to lose them, but I am very thankful to have coached them over the last couple of years.”
The electric factory in Andover was presented with its first jolt out of the gate with Andover/Whitesville scoring a massive 3-0 lead of Keshequa in the first nine minutes of play. The team’s first marker would come 57 seconds off the opening kick at midfield, when a scrum formulated in front of the Wildcats net. After several attempts by the defense to clear the zone, the hosts were able to maintain their position to break through first with an early goal from Oliver Smith right into the empty net ahead of him.
Brody Vance was credited with the primary assist on the score.
Another clash in front of the Keshequa net formulates moments later, and after a couple of pokes to clear the zone again, the ball is regained by the far post by Andover/Whitesville, who saw Isaiah Cole knock in the loose ball in front to double their lead at an instant. Vance was given another assist on the play.
Cole would supply his second of the game before crossing the 10-minute threshold in the stanza, as he received the ball from behind him on the breakaway from the Keshequa defense, firing a missile from the near side to the far post.
Those two goals for Cole? — The very first markers of his Varsity career.
But that would all the scoring chances Andover/Whitesville received in the first half, as Keshequa shook every bit of the pressure off and took advantage themselves, as they went on to close the first half with the last four goals, with Pike getting the scoring started on a one-timer next to the far post off a pass by Hinrich to his immediate left-hand side with 19:27 remaining until the break.
Hinrich would go on to do damage himself, as he closed out the momentum-shifting sequence with the next three markers — two of them receiving assists from Pike, the first on a thru-ball and the second stemming off a series of back-and-forth passes entering the Andover/Whitesville zone.
His hat trick clinching goal was scored on a solo rush, catching goalkeeper Skylar Orpet out of goal before taking a big hit, seeing his initial shot slowly roll into the net with 25 seconds remaining.
But despite giving up four unanswered to close the half, Andover/Whitesville’s response was one that created another deadlock on the scoreboard behind a phenomenal individual effort from Colton Calladine, who provided a couple of fancy touches on the ball before bouncing it directly over top a Keshequa defender and back to his feet one more time to deliver a blistering rocket straight on the bottom portion of the crossbar and into the net.
That would be the last time Andover/Whitesville scored, as Keshequa went on to finish with three unanswered goals themselves, with Pike scoring his second off another one-time play before Hinrich netted his last two goals — the latter of the pair off a penalty kick with 9:29 left to play, to officially seal the comeback victory once and for all.
Keshequa went on to claim a 15-11 advantage in the shot department over Andover/Whitesville, with Skylar Orpet making eight saves between the posts for the hosts.
The 2024 campaign is now history for Andover/Whitesville, as they finish up with a record of 8-7-2 overall. The team will graduate three seniors this upcoming June, in Smith, Elden Terhune and Ethan Warriner.
No. 6 Fillmore 3, No. 11 Mount Morris 1
FILLMORE — The moment that the Fillmore Eagles have waited for, had finally arrived in full Tuesday night.
It was time to defend their seat at the high table in Class D, as they received the No. 6 seed for this year’s defense — a designation that allowed them to host at least one more game in front of their crowd, as they went toe-to-toe with No. 11 Mount Morris to open up their Playoff hunt.
It was a battle early on as both Mount Morris and Fillmore trade opportunities across the midfield, but two power players rose to the occasion to aid in tilting the balance of power heavily in one direction — Brayden Walton and Isaiah Sisson, as the two Eagles traded exchanges on all three of Fillmore’s markers, two of them before the first half closed its doors, as they set up shop for established into a 3-1 home victory over the Blue Devils to advance into the Quarterfinal round this weekend.
“We were able to get things rolling off on the right foot with Mount Morris here at home tonight,” Eagles coach Jarrett Vosburg said. “After a bit of a back and forth to start, Brayden and Isaiah took turns assisting one another to give us a lead that we never looked back from. They essentially pushed the game out of reach when they came together for their third goal. Give credit to Mount Morris though, they never quit. They eventually scored one off a direct kick to tighten the bolts for the last 20 minutes of play, but we were able to hold things steady from there.”
Fillmore (10-4-3) survived a back-and-forth sequence with Mount Morris that would carry into the late stages of the first half, when they were able to apply just enough pressure to crack through behind the guidance of both Walton and Sisson, with the former reaching the scoreboard first off a cross dished out by the latter to break the ice.
Just minutes later, the two flip-flopped to score the team’s second marker, with Sisson paying late dividends off a pass from Walton to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
Both goals were scored with less than 10 minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
The momentum carried over into the last 40 minute session, when Sisson and Walton linked up one more time to triple Fillmore’s lead, as Walton supplied a picture-perfect corner kick directly to the top of Sisson’s head for his second marker of the night, and a crucial 3-0 Eagles lead. Mount Morris would not give in however, as they trimmed their deficit back down to two following a late direct kick from Cooper Davis.
But despite it, the Eagles continued to hold their own on defense to lock down what could be their last victory on their home turf for the Fall. The three goals for the offense came on a 10-shot output against the Blue Devils, as they finished with a narrow 10-7 advantage in that respective department.
In goal, the win was Brayden Hennard’s to claim, as he put a stop to six shots he faced to do so.
Up next, the Class D Quarterfinal round awaits the Eagles, as they now hop onto the bus and head north for a 6 p.m. visit with the No. 3 C.G. Finney Falcons on Friday.
No. 10 Lyndonville 0, No. 7 Houghton Academy 0 (LYN won 4-2 in PK)
HOUGHTON — No. 7 Houghton Academy received a monumental challenge right out of the gate to open their trek through the Class D Playoffs on Tuesday against No. 10 Lyndonville. The Panthers knocked on the door several times across a first half they took advantage of, but the Tigers defense never broke.
As a result, both teams would remain in a stalemate all the way to the end of time. The Panthers would be awarded their very first tie of the season, but as for what now lay ahead? A chance to move onto the next round a different way, as both Lyndonville and Houghton Academy grinded their way towards a crucial session of penalty kicks for advancement.
Both teams traded back and forth barbs, with the first four shooters all converting their kicks for their respective sides. But then the tide was turned when the Tigers remained perfect through the session, while the Panthers were stopped on their next two opportunities, allowing the No. 10 seeds to officially record the upset victory by way of a 4-2 penalty kick victory to end Houghton Academy’s campaign.
“This one stung for sure,” Panthers coach Jeff Prentice said. “But this game doesn’t take away from what we were able to do this year. At the beginning of the year, it was a slow start, but we switched formations, we moved kids around and we got hot at the right time. Credit to the guys for their willingness to work hard and accept their role. To get 10 wins, including a big one against Fillmore we haven’t had in a long time, for a small school like ours, that is great in itself. The seniors have done a great job guiding this team this year, and for guys like Jon (Habecker) and Jack (Prentice) who have done it for years, those are the guys that don’t get the recognition they deserve for the product they put out time and time again.”
Despite the scoreless tie against the Tigers, Houghton Academy applied 14 shots on offense, as they carried a 14-4 advantage over their opposition. All four shots that Lyndonville garnered, were met by the hands of Jerry Pham, who posted one final shutout for the No. 7 seeds.
The Panthers will see their 2024 campaign come to a halt, as they wrap up with a record of 10-5-1 overall. The team will graduate six seniors in Prentice, Habecker, David Jatta, Huy Ho, Gavin Martino and Darin Alvaros.
No. 2 Naples 10, No. 15 Friendship/Scio 0
COHOCTON — The No. 2 Naples Big Green started their Sectional journey off on the biggest of bangs in the opening round of the Class D Tournament, as they took full advantage of the opportunity to score a 10-0 shutout over No. 15 Friendship/Scio at the Cohocton Sports Complex, Tuesday night.
Statistics were not made available to report upon publication.
Friendship/Scio finishes their 2024 season with a record of 0-17. The team will graduate just one senior in Cooper Greenman.
GIRLS SOCCER
Class B First Round
No. 5 LeRoy 4, No. 12 Wellsville 0
LEROY — Two goals in each half of play set the stage for No. 5 LeRoy to take full command of their Class B First Round battle with No. 12 Wellsville — two of those goals belonging to Zoey Humphrey, as the Lady Oatkan Knights delivered an early knockout punch on their home field with a 4-0 shutout of the Lady Lions to end their Fall campaign.
The Lady Oatkan Knights did not waste any time becoming the first team to break the ice right off the bat, as they garnered a quick 1-0 lead of Wellsville nearly two minutes into the game off a solid connection provided by Molly Chase. Just past 10 minutes removed from the clock, LeRoy doubled their lead with the first of two markers by Humphrey, which was set up by Harper Sullivan at the 29:53 mark.
The advantage remained fully intact when the second half kicked into gear, as the No. 5 seeds kept the pressure pinned up against the Lady Lions with two more goals coming in a three-minute span to officially put the game away for good, as Humphrey and Sullivan tag-teamed to deliver the big strikes.
When the final horn sounded, LeRoy managed to outshoot Wellsville by a 15-4 final count, with Lydia Kaye making 11 saves in net for the Lady Lions.
The 2024 campaign on the pitch has come to an end for Wellsville, as they finish up with a record of 6-10-1 overall.
Class C1 First Round
No. 7 Cuba-Rushford 2, No. 10 Addison 1
CUBA — Cloey Larabee is a workhorse. The Lady Rebels senior captain will do anything and everything possible to ensure that the offense gets going in a swift manner.
Although that wasn’t particularly the case when Cuba-Rushford took the field right after school for their Class C1 First Round battle with No. 10 Addison on Tuesday, there was fortunately still another 40 minutes of soccer left to play.
With the No. 7 seeds tangling with the Lady Knights in a tight, scoreless first half of battle, it was only a matter of time before the offenses started to click, as each squad registered a goal to create a new deadlock on the scoreboard that would remain frozen in place all the way down to the wire.
The latter of those two goals was scored by Addison, which allowed the Lady Rebels to serve up a response.
They looked to Larabee for that. And what a strike it was.
With time of the essence and overtime peaking around the corner, the Lady Rebels senior led one of their final rushes up the field against the Lady Knights. Upon entry into the offensive zone, Larabee supplied a tenacious cross to the front of the Addison net where her fellow senior, Brynn Lavery, met the ball with ease, taking one giant leap in the air to knock it home with nearly two minutes left in regulation to send Cuba-Rushford to the Quarterfinal round following what was a 2-1 victory.
“We had some really good chances early that we weren’t able to take advantage of,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “Thankfully, we stuck to it and battled, and eventually found the late goal that we needed. Addison has some pretty dangerous players, and I thought we did a decent job of containing them. We’ve had a handful of games just like this throughout the year. I think our past experiences helped us a lot down the stretch to be prepared for this today.”
It wouldn’t be until past the 10 minute mark in the second half when the glass was shattered on the scoring, with Cuba-Rushford (11-5-1) providing the first crack off the collection of a massive special teams goal. After a foul inside the Addison box against the Lady Knights, it would set up Larabee for her go-ahead, ice-breaking strike, sending her penalty kick straight to the lower left corner of the cage.
But the lead would not hold much longer following the score, as Addison responded quickly. Just over three minutes removed, at the 25:30 mark, the Lady Knights saw Ava Knowles take command of the offense, as she scored a big game-tying goal off a pass sent along by Kaylannah Ames.
Each team would remain frozen all the way towards the end of regulation, as a midfield battle for possession ensued leading up to what served as the game-winning goal for the Lady Rebels, as Larabee and Lavery put the finishing touches on a resilient finish for the No. 7 seeds with 2:17 left to play, locking up a spot in the Quarterfinal round this weekend in the process.
“Cloey plays so quick and plays so direct. She can really hurt you out of nowhere at times when you kind of forget about her. Brynn stepped up too with the header for the game-winner and she also helped draw the penalty for Cloey earlier on in the half.” Wight said.
The shots between each team were nearly identical when it was all said and done, with Addison claiming the 13-12 advantage over the Lady Rebels. But the victory belonged to Annaleece Melton in between the posts for the blue and white, making 12 saves.
Up next, Cuba-Rushford will now prepare for a road trip up north on Friday for Class C1 Quarterfinal action, as they battle the No. 2 Geneseo Lady Blue Devils at 6 p.m.
Class C2 First Round
No. 3 Genesee Valley/Belfast 2, No. 14 Bolivar-Richburg 0
BELMONT — Knocking off the same team three times in one season, the team on the victorious end of each of those contests knows exactly how difficult of a feat it can be to do it one more time. For No. 3 Genesee Valley/Belfast, it was a familiar hurdle they must ascend over in order to move on.
In their first term in the Class C2 picture, the United ladies wanted to make their first impact known, but the No. 14 Bolivar-Richburg Lady Wolverines would not make it easy.
For the majority of the first half on Tuesday, it would remain scoreless until the No. 3 seeds found an opening to squeeze out ahead. Behind two big markers from Madison Yackeren and Hannah Southwick-Powers in the waning minutes, Genesee Valley/Belfast garnered all the room they needed, as the defense in turn went on to pitch a complete game shutout by a 2-0 count at Judy Bliven Field in Belmont to end Bolivar-Richburg’s season.
“Tonight’s match was a tough one mentally and Bolivar-Richburg came with a good game plan,” said GV/Belfast co-coach Lisa Scott-Schneider. “We certainly had our opportunities, but finalizing the product wasn’t in the cards. We will need to finish better to further ourselves in this tournament. But like I always say, we are in survive and advance mode, and we did what we had to do tonight to get that next game this weekend. Everyone will have to pick up their game and be ready mentally.”
Both of Genesee Valley/Belfast’s (15-1-1) markers were connected upon in the last four minutes of the opening half, with the scoring beginning with Yackeren at the 3:19 mark, as she found the back of the Bolivar-Richburg net off a pass sent along by Southwick-Powers.
With a one-goal lead now intact, another opportunity was collected with less than a minute to go on special teams.
With a foul being drawn inside the Lady Wolverines box, the hosts in black were able to double their lead off a penalty kick scored by Southwick-Powers. Genesee Valley/Belfast would go on to preserve their lead across all 40 minutes in the second half, as they finished off a strong Sectional debut in front of their home crowd.
The two goals stemmed off a 21-shot output against Bolivar-Richburg, as they finished with a 21-1 advantage overall, with the one shot being saved by Morgan Yackeren in net to record the shutout.
On the other end, Rylee Whiting made 19 saves for the Lady Wolverines, who will finish their 2024 campaign with a record of 4-13 overall.
The team will graduate 10 seniors at the end of the school year, in Teegan Sibble, Cassidy Stives, Raegan Giardini, Emma Sisson, Sommer Beckwith, Nadia Baldwin, Haley Gaines, Jaelyn Kinnicutt, Aaliyah DeGroff and Addison Hackett.
As for Genesee Valley/Belfast, their journey continues on to the Class C2 Quarterfinal round, which begins on Friday right back at Judy Bliven Field with a 6 p.m. visit from No. 6 Harley Allendale-Columbia in store.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Wellsville 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0
BELMONT — The Lady Lions of Wellsville continued to roll in their rapid turnaround on the volleyball court Tuesday night.
Led by a remarkable night of service from Natalie Adams on the back line, they were able to provide a strong emphasis to their final road trip of the regular season, garnering a straight-set victory over host Genesee Valley/Belfast by a 25-6, 26-24, 25-8 count.
Adams was at the front of the pack for the Lady Lions (11-4), as she finished the night with a game-high 10 aces to pair with four kills. Right behind her was Lindsay Stuck, who followed up Monday’s offensive explosion against Arkport-Canaseraga with eight more kills, coupling them with four aces of her own.
Lexi Irish handed out 19 assists at the front of the net to further Wellsville’s cause on the attack.
Paizlee Tilton scored four kills and three digs to lead the way for Genesee Valley/Belfast (2-14). Aubrey Geoppner followed up with three kills and three blocks.
Both teams will finish their regular season on Thursday in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests, with Wellsville heading back home to host Fillmore for Senior Night, while Genesee Valley/Belfast hits the road for a stop in Hinsdale.
Bolivar-Richburg 3, Cuba-Rushford 2
CUBA — Bolivar-Richburg and Cuba-Rushford converged and delivered another instant classic on the volleyball court, as the two storied rivals filled the air inside the Wighthouse in Cuba with every ounce of excitement imaginable, one last time in the regular season on Tuesday.
In a back-and-forth battle from start to finish, all five sets were needed to decide it all. After being pushed to the brink by the Lady Rebels after three sets, the Lady Wolverines would need to mount a comeback of epic proportions. In the last two sets, they would proceed to do just that, as they went on to cap off a wild five-set, 25-14, 16-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-12 victory over the Lady Rebels to remain alone at the top of Allegany County.
The Lady Wolverines (13-3) were fronted by a 21-kill game from Carmen Crowley, as she added in seven digs, five blocks and two aces along the way. Jayna Thomas chipped in with 12 more kills along with seven digs and four aces. Delaney Loucks had eight digs and three aces, while setter Willow Worth (seven digs, two kills) handed out a whopping 36 assists.
On the other side of the net, Raegan Poore assembled a strong night of offense to lead the Lady Rebels (10-6), posting nine team-high kills to go with three blocks. Jordyn Radomski pitched in seven digs and six kills, while setter Kendall Tompkins was all over the floor, aiding the team with 31 big assists, 10 digs, five kills and an ace.
Both teams will conclude their regular seasons on Thursday in a pair of 7:30 p.m. first serves, with Bolivar-Richburg heading back home to host Andover/Whitesville, while Cuba-Rushford remains home to welcome in Houghton Academy for battle.
Fillmore 3, Hinsdale 0
HINSDALE — Another magnificent performance on the court was assembled by the Lady Eagles of Fillmore, who started the night on a positive note and never looked back on the road in Hinsdale on Tuesday, rolling towards a 25-13, 25-9, 25-19 victory to keep their foot down on the gas pedal towards a strong finish to their regular season.
In the midst of a powerful bombardment of offense, Annalisa Bialek paved the path forward for Fillmore (12-6) with a team-high 10 kills to go with six service points and two aces. Mya Keeler chipped in with 10 service points, nine aces and six kills.
Michaela Lewis had five kills and five service points, while setter Eleanor Reitnour (six aces, one dig) handed out 19 assists at the net to help round off the Lady Eagles.
Statistics for the Lady Bobcats (3-12) were not made available upon publication.
Both teams will close out their regular season on Thursday in a pair of 7:30 p.m. contests, with Fillmore traveling to visit the Lady Lions of Wellsville, while Hinsdale stays home to welcome in Genesee Valley/Belfast.
