Hornell coach Jim Tobin on Gavin Haggerty: “Their keeper … I knew if we were going to beat him, we had to score off some great shots because he was outstanding. We haven’t had a game of this intensity all season.”

Story and photo gallery by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com

BATH — There simply just isn’t a rivalry quite like a Wellsville-Hornell rivalry. There just isn’t.

The historic altercation between the two schools has seen plenty of enriching and riveting moments over the course of time, whether it’s in front of a standing room only crowd at the Dan Barkley Showcase during the winter — an event that will celebrate its 10th Anniversary come this January in Wellsville, or perhaps in a different sports arena that the two foes collide and congregate in, such as baseball or wrestling, or even on the field outside during the Fall, in the game of soccer.

No matter the sport and no matter the location, with the Lion’s Den and the Seneca Street Zoo yelling at the top of their very lungs, it has perhaps become the most highly-regarded rivalry in all of New York State.

On an evening reminiscent of Spring in late October, the Lions and Red Raiders went to war once again. This time, with a spot in the Class B Finals this weekend at Honeoye Falls-Lima up for grabs.

And wouldn’t you know? Their latest installment on the soccer pitch was evocative of all those times they’ve clashed before in the past. Entering their Class B Semifinal matchup in Bath on Wednesday, Red Raiders head coach Jim Tobin knew exactly what he and his defending Section V champions were going to get.

A Lions team on an absolute tear. And feasting for victory.

“In the season, you’re always scoreboard watching,” he said. “From a distance, watching and seeing Wellsville sometimes struggle, they got themselves going on a roll these past couple of weeks. When you look at the scores, they’re a hard fighting and competitive team. We knew we weren’t putting up three, four goals against these guys. I didn’t think they were going to put up more than one against us, but the plan would have been 1-0.”

And they got every bit of that, even if the action on offense felt one-sided at times.

Across all 80 minutes between Wellsville and Hornell, it was a defensive chess match until the end. With the Red Raiders firmly taking control of the action right from the very beginning, they would adjust, create and apply every bit of pressure they could to try and force the hand of the Lions. But there was just one problem — Gavin Haggerty was another brick wall.

To follow up his incredible Quarterfinal performance against LeRoy/Cal-Mum, the Wellsville senior goalkeeper was laser-focused from the start, as he delivered yet another magnificent performance of a lifetime for his team between the posts amidst a barrage of shots pummeled on the cage by Hornell.

All of that cracking the Red Raiders supplied against the Lions, it would eventually receive its biggest fissure of them all.

Better late than never.

Gabriel Rasephei was the Maple City’s hero.

With a game-long stalemate still pasted on the scoreboard and neither team budging on the metaphorical chessboard with less than two minutes in regulation time, the Red Raiders were given an opportunity. With the ball being shuffled out to the near sideline, it was collected by Rasephei, who then took command all himself with a run in against the Wellsville defense, firing a shot so volatile that it wound up grazing the mitts of Haggerty next to the near post and into the net.

As a direct result, the Hornell cheering section and bench erupted into a frenzy, as the game-long draw received its answer to send the defending Class B Champions back to the Finals once again to defend their throne this weekend, officially surviving an outrageous and incredibly fierce challenge by Wellsville with a 1-0 shutout.

“I knew it was going to be a game. Their mindset has changed over the last few weeks. Their drive and initiative has been intense,” said Lions coach Bethany Faulkner. “It wasn’t at all for a lack of effort. They had to endure a lot of defensive play and they held onto that as long as they could. Gavin has held everything together from the back to the front. He has the best view of the field, he’s talking with everybody, all while trying to make all these incredible saves that he continues to make night in and night out.”

What was deemed the game-winning goal for Hornell rang in with 1:50 remaining in the final half of action, as PJ Picco shifted along a pass from the middle to the outside for a streaking Rasephei next to the near sideline. As soon as he took possession, he took off at a full sprint towards the Wellsville goal where a blistering shot on goal was provided. Upon its arrival, Haggerty saw the ball edge right through his grasp next to the near post and into the net for a 1-0 advantage.

“Gabriel has done really well for us,” Tobin said. “Him, PJ, Wyatt (Evingham) on the front line, we couldn’t find a way to really get the ball up there. We kept missing but it wasn’t by much. It gets scary to think about overtime and even beyond that, in penalty kicks. Those were very real possibilities and in this game, anything can happen.”

Tobin continued on Wellsville’s efforts, saying that “I really felt for the Wellsville kids, they fought hard and they had a terrific game-plan coming into this game. We’ve been scoring and scoring and scoring, and they played so well defensively I knew they were going to be a tough out. They tried to find a quick counter with their No. 7 (Aiden Cowburn) and their keeper. I knew if we were going to beat him, we had to score off some great shots because he was outstanding. We haven’t had a game of this intensity all season.”

With the remainder of time on the clock, the Red Raiders buckled down on defense to hold Wellsville in their one final rush into the zone at bay completely, as the defending Class B Champions finished off the evening with a 20-2 shot advantage over the Lions.

In net, Haggerty went on to make 19 more colossal saves for the Lions, while Alfie Whiteley set aside both shots he faced to record the shutout for Hornell.

Aside from the loss this evening, the Lions of Wellsville put a ribbon on an absolutely divine finish to their regular season campaign. After starting the year at 1-0-4 overall, the Lions managed to rise to the occasion and collect wins in nine of their last 14 games to finish behind a record of 10-5-4.

For Faulkner, it was the four ties in the first five games on their schedule that taught them many valuable lessons.

Perseverance being a major contributor.

“I do think those ties taught us some mental stamina and persevering lessons. Not being content is another,” she said. “We beat undefeated teams, and teams that we tied or lost to earlier in the season. It was a defining moment in helping us identify what team we wanted to be and being accountable when we weren’t meeting those standards. Their efforts were unmatched. As devastating as I am to be done with this group, I’m so proud of the tone they set for Wellsville boys soccer going forward.”

The Lions will officially close out their campaign in the Class B Semifinal round behind a record of 10-5-4, finishing with nine wins in their final 14 games on the docket.

The team will graduate 11 seniors when the school year reaches its conclusion, in Haggerty, Aiden Cowburn, Ty Vogel, Karson Grover, Kam Dodge, Jace Densmore, Camron Lyons, Lucius Griggs, Evan Billings, Corbin Quackenbush and Keenen O’Connor.

“I’ve been around all these seniors since they were in eighth grade and (Matt) Buckley brought me into the program.” Faulkner said. “They are who is behind the program that’s coming up. Having 60 kids signed up for boys soccer this year. They have initiated the younger kids and their love for the game, and the drive to want big things. They’ve had a lot of roll over in coaching the last few years and it’s hard to find consistency in that, and I just thanked them for trusting in me all season.”

As for Hornell, they now ride into the Class B Finals sunset with a Championship game clash in store against the Avon Riverhawks beginning at 5 p.m. this Saturday night at Honeoye Falls-Lima.

The No. 5 Riverhawks provided the upset of the entire Section V tournament, downing the top-seeded, State-ranked and undefeated Livonia Bulldogs with a 1-0 victory in Geneseo.

Going in against Avon, Tobin says that it could very well turn out exactly the way tonight unfolded.

“When you think of anybody beating Livonia, you’re thinking “Holy cow.”. They’re such a great team, and they’ve been the team to beat all year,” the Hornell coach said. “Avon, from what little I know, it will be very similar to this evening. They’re a very good defensive team, they’ve been involved in quite a few low-scoring games. They don’t give up goals either, so we have to figure out a way to break them and keep our defense going solid. I’m excited to know more, but even more excited to go back to the Finals again.”

FILLMORE —Both Wellsville and Fillmore have travelled in the same boat for much of the 2024 campaign.

They have both basked in the same heartbreak, especially when it whittles down to one-goal differences. In their previous meeting not too long ago in Wellsville, the Lions and Eagles went the entire 100-minute distance and settled on a score that did not exist, following a long and hard-fought battle.

Now on Tuesday, the two-game set between the foes made up for lost time with a bounty of goals, with the Lions having the upper-hand every step of the way. For the Eagles, they had to navigate their way back into the fray on three different occasions to level the playing surface one more time.

Because of their efforts late in the second half, they would once again force the Lions into overtime. But with the game advancing in time, the scoring came in high-octane, alternating fashion, with Wellsville starting the scoring early on before proceeding to end it on their own accord.

Ty Vogel was the man of the hour.

For the first time in seven years, the Lions have navigated their way towards victory over the Section V powerhouse Eagles, as Vogel scored the team’s last two goals of the game — his first coming past midway to give them their final lead change in regulation before his game-winning goal in overtime sealed the deal on a back-and-forth win to get back into the win column, as they edged Fillmore by a 4-3 count over the road.

“It was another heartbreaker tonight against Wellsville. After falling behind on three separate occasions, we battled back each time to draw even and force overtime,” said Eagles coach Jarrett Vosburg. “Unfortunately, Wellsville made one more play than us in overtime to capture the win. Credit to them on a game well played. Losses like this are always disappointing, but the hope is we learn from our recent adversity and become a stronger team, as we ramp up the approach to Sectionals.”

Out of the seven combined goals between both teams, three of them were scored in each half leading up to Vogel’s game-winner in overtime later on, with the Lions (6-3-4) climbing aboard first with a marker from Aiden Cowburn off a pass from Blake Kalkhof just over 10 minutes into the game.

Fillmore’s response was swift however, as Sam Cool fired right back with a game-tying marker of his own off a pass from Brayden Walton.

Wellsville would ensure they went into halftime with the lead, as the Lions jumped back ahead four minutes off Cool’s marker for the hosts, as Kalkhof found the back of the net himself off a slide dished along by Cam Lyons right near halfway to go until the break.

The visitors remained in control of a 2-1 lead approaching midway in the second half when the Eagles (5-4-3) found a way to tie the game again, as Jared Boon knocked away a perfect slide across from Isaiah Sisson.

A mere one minute later, Vogel answered right back with his first of two big strikes for the Lions, with Kalkhof recording a second assist on the game-tying marker to regain the lead for the final time in regulation.

In the 68th minute of regulation, it would ultimately reach penalty kick territory for the Eagles, with Sisson being credited for the score that ultimately forced extra time between the two foes.

In that first extra session, Vogel made sure his superhero cape was at the ready, as the Lions senior blasted home the game-winning goal from the top of the Fillmore box, officially capping off a victory over the Eagles that Wellsville has waited for since the 2017 season.

Both teams applied 15 shots on offense to their respective cages, with Gavin Haggerty scoring the win between the posts for the Lions, making 12 saves.

On the other end, Brayden Hennard made 11 saves for the Eagles, who will get set for battle on Thursday right back on their home field with a 7 p.m. visit from Friendship/Scio.

The Lions will stay over the road, this time, heading northwest to visit the Dansville Mustangs in a 4:30 p.m. first kick on Monday.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 6, Andover/Whitesville 0

BELMONT — If you think there was any slowing down the Genesee Valley/Belfast boys, think again.

On Tuesday, they used a rapid start out of the gate to set the tone early against Andover/Whitesville on their home grounds at Judy Bliven Field in Belmont, as they utilized a dynamic first half lead and never looked back from it to officially lock up the Allegany County League Championship all for themselves after a 6-0 home shutout.

Will Guilford and Ryan Snyder each led the offense for Genesee Valley/Belfast (11-1-1) with a pair of scores each, with Snyder chipping in an assist along the way to complete a five-point performance on the front line.

Ian McKenzie and Evan Turybury both scored once, with Callahan Tallman handing out one more assist for the hosts, who recorded a 5-0 lead on Andover/Whitesville going into halftime, never looking back on their lead in the same swing.

The six goals against Andover/Whitesville (6-5-2) were totaled off 16 shots at the opposing cage, as they went on to claim a 16-2 overall advantage.

In net, Zach Thomas made both saves to preserve the shutout for Genesee Valley/Belfast, while Skylar Orpet got down and recorded 10 saves for the visitors.

Both teams will make their return to action Thursday night, with Genesee Valley/Belfast staying put at Judy Bliven Field to host Bolivar-Richburg in a 7 p.m. first kick, while Andover/Whitesville heads back home to host Cuba-Rushford in a 6 p.m. contest in Andover.

Bolivar-Richburg 3, Houghton 2

BOLIVAR — After an 0-2 start to the campaign, the Houghton Academy Panthers have been absolutely destructive.

Along their path leading up to the home stretch of the regular season, they have lit the beacons at the perfect time to unleash victorious bombardments in nine of their next 10 games.

Looking to lock up one of the top seeds in Class D for Sectional play next week, they looked to keep their fire aflame at the hottest temperature with a stop to Bolivar-Richburg on Tuesday at Dunsmore-Latimer Field.

As for the Wolverines, they looked to bring out the fire extinguisher and cool their hot streak off.

For much of the battle, the Panthers and Wolverines were neck-and-neck across the first half, with just one goal from the hosts finding the back of the net. In the second half, a completely different story, as the intensity picked up every passing second. The two teams would go back and forth exchanging pleasantries, with Houghton Academy scoring back-to-back goals late to take their first lead of the game.

With the advantage evaporating in the late stages of combat, Bolivar-Richburg was pinned up against the wall. But despite it, they never put their heads down one bit. Instead, they showcased a tremendous amount of resilience.

Gary McDowell and Landon Barkley helped make all of that happen.

With the Wolverines mounting the pressure during their final stand against the Panthers, it ultimately boiled over. With 10 seconds remaining in regulation time, McDowell was the first to connect with the most clutch of goals, tying the game up to force overtime off a helper from Barkley. In the extra session, Barkley would then take matters into his own hands by putting away a perfect ball in front of the Panthers net with ease, finishing off a two-goal performance in Bolivar-Richburg’s biggest win of the season — a 3-2 thriller over the Panthers.

“We have lost many games this season by one goal, we have been in every game, but the message at halftime for the boys was to push forward,” Wolverines coach Mike Zilker said. “We have been talking about getting over the hump and how we need to trust each other and continue working the game plan. Tonight, we did just that. A very good Houghton team tied it up late and went ahead later. I thought we were going to struggle after that, but we kept our heads up and pushed forward with Landon leading the way on our last two goals to force OT and win it.”

All three of Bolivar-Richburg’s (3-9-1) goals were connected upon on special teams — a penalty kick, a direct kick and a corner kick, as they hung right with Houghton Academy early on in a battle of looks and opportunity across the midfield.

Following a corner kick from Braden Zilker that would reach the feet of Landon Barkley, only to be tripped up inside the Panthers box to set up a colossal early-stage penalty kick.

Barkley would not hesitate to knock in the free ball, as he delivered a perfect strike down the middle of the Houghton Academy (9-4) cage with 25:42 remaining in the half to score a 1-0 lead for the Wolverines.

Despite numerous attempts to keep the gas pedal locked down to the floor until the end of the stanza, the score would remain frozen with the hosts in black and red remaining unmoved in the driver’s seat.

In the second half, the Panthers managed to spin their way out from behind the eight-ball late, eliminating Bolivar-Richburg’s potential shutout bid with David Jatta picking up possession off a Josh Davidson pass and dribbling all the way to the Wolverines goal for a shot that ricocheted off the near points and into the net with 14:50 left in the game to tie it at one.

The momentum burst continued in Houghton Academy’s favor crossing the 10-minute mark left to play, as Davidson cashed in on a goal of his own, trapping a picture-esque pass from Jae Masiza behind him in front of the Wolverines goal, ripping it home next to the near post to score the second goal for the Panthers in just over five minutes time to take their very first lead of the game.

Houghton Academy’s advantage would hold firm leading up to Bolivar-Richburg’s final stand, as a foul against the Panthers set up a massive direct kick right at the top of the 18 with 10 seconds left.

Barkley elected to take the kick, and with everyone on the field, including goalkeeper Ayden Music, pushed up to make an impact, the ball was met with a touch of the head next to the Panthers near post by Gary McDowell in the middle of a jam-packed crowd next to it, tying the game at two to force overtime in the most clutch of moments.

Bolivar-Richburg kept on riding after that game-tying score, as with 3:25 left in the first overtime, they ended it on their own terms on a corner kick sent in on the Houghton Academy goal from Zilker. As soon as it declined from its apex, Barkley was the first to provide a touch, leaping up and trapping it straight into the net to help finish off a remarkable performance for the Wolverines — perhaps their biggest victory of the season.

“My team has been working their tails off,” Zilker said. “Our defense led by the leadership of Owen Unfus, played fabulously as well. I’m so proud of them to get this win and to now recognize what we are fully capable of. When we all show up together at the same time on the same night, we are a handful. I wish Houghton good luck on the rest of their season, and hats off to my team for displaying and playing up to their potential.”

Despite the defeat, the Panthers managed to outshoot Bolivar-Richburg by a 15-10 count. But the victory belonged to Music in net for the Wolverines, making 13 saves.

On the opposite end, Jerry Pham recorded seven saves for the Panthers, who will now get set for a 6:30 p.m. road trip to Keshequa on Friday.

Bolivar-Richburg will look to keep things moving in the right direction come Thursday over the road, visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast for their third and final meeting of the campaign at Judy Bliven Field in Belmont, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Cuba-Rushford 3, Friendship/Scio 0

HINSDALE — There was simply no time to waste for the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford, as they made their impact immediately known in the first two minutes of play to set the bar against Friendship/Scio on Tuesday, adding two more goals in the last five minutes of the opening half to help solidify what was a 3-0 shutout up the road in Hinsdale.

Nearly two minutes off the clock in the opening half, the Rebels (7-4-1) struck while the iron on the stove remained hot by the aid of Anderson Seigel, as he finished off a game-opening play dished along by Hunter Cassidy to break the ice.

The defending Class C2 champions kept the advantage frozen solid on the board leading up to their last two goals of the contest.

In the first half’s final five minutes, there was a ton of noise that sounded the alarm in Hinsdale, as Carter Brown and Robert Childs went back-to-back in nearly three minutes to triple their advantage over Friendship/Scio (0-13) in advance going into the break.

Chase Haas and Finn Ricketts each recorded a helper on the final two markers from Cuba-Rushford.

“It was an all-around, good performance from everybody that saw the field tonight,” Rebels coach Rob Wight said. “We were able to string together a lot of passes and get everybody a good amount on this playing field. Credit to Friendship/Scio, as always, they continue to work very hard and they have never stopped working.”

The three goals stemmed off a 27-shot application against Friendship/Scio, advancing forward to claim a 27-4 advantage. In net, the win was Caleb Elliott’s to declare, as he set aside all four shots he faced to record the blank.

On the other end, Deacon Brown put a stop to 24 saves for Friendship/Scio.

Both teams are back on the field Thursday night, with Cuba-Rushford hitting the road for Andover to battle it out against Andover/Whitesville in a 6 p.m. contest. As for Friendship/Scio, they will hit the road and take on Fillmore in a 7 p.m. contest.

BOYS SOCCER

Genesee Valley/Belfast 4, Jasper-Troupsburg 0

BELMONT — The tone was set almost immediately from the starting gate, Monday night at Judy Bliven Field in Belmont.

Behind a pair of goals in each half of play, the very first came at an instant, as Ryan Snyder helped Genesee Valley/Belfast become the first Allegany County boys soccer team to eclipse 10 wins on the campaign behind a 4-0 shutout of Jasper-Troupsburg.

Snyder came roaring into the Jasper-Troupsburg offensive zone to get things started for Genesee Valley/Belfast (10-1-1), with just over two minutes removed from the clock, as he broke the ice in quick fashion.

The lead would hold, leading up to Ethan Davenport’s marker with less than 10 minutes remaining, as he found the back of the Wildcats net from range to aid in the team’s 2-0 lead going into the break.

The lead was extended by three with another quick goal off the hop in the second half, as Evan Turybury was the next to find the back of the net for the hosts before their final goal was etched into the book from Kenton Shultz approaching halfway remaining.

All four goals received assists, with Snyder, Davenport, Wyatt Weaver and Sal Gambino all handing out helpers to set up the scores.

The four tallies came off a 23-shot output against Jasper-Troupsburg, as Genesee Valley/Belfast maintained a 23-3 advantage in the shots department.

In goal, the shutout belonged to Zach Thomas, who made all three stops between the posts to preserve the win.

Genesee Valley/Belfast is right back on the field in Belmont again tonight, as they play host to Andover/Whitesville in another 7 p.m. contest under the lights.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Olean 3, Bolivar-Richburg 0

OLEAN — The Lady Huskies of Olean went on to do the damage once again against Bolivar-Richburg, as they played host to the Lady Wolverines on Monday and started the new week off by bringing out the brooms, recording another sweep of the action on the hardwood to claim the series all for themselves in a 25-23, 25-11, 25-11 decision.

Statistics for the Lady Wolverines (7-2) were not made available to report upon publication.

Bolivar-Richburg will look to bounce back in a quick turnaround tonight, back home to host Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Houghton Academy 3, Hammondsport 0

HOUGHTON — Although visiting Hammondsport rallied back and sent host Houghton Academy into extra serves in the middle frame, the Lady Panthers would not be deterred away from their ultimate goal at the end of the night, as they used a rapid first set start to set the tone against the Lady Lakers to score a straight-set win on their home floor, claiming the 25-10, 26-24, 25-18 win on Monday.

The Lady Panthers (5-4) were paced by a strong night on offense by both Julia Winkens and Jaqi Dover, as each collected five kills. On defense, Dover recorded a team-leading nine digs to go with one ace, while WInkens had an ace of her own and one block at the front of the net.

The team’s setter, Ellie Brubaker, set up the attack for success behind 20 assists handed out, pairing them with a single ace from the back line.

Houghton Academy will look to carry the momentum back on their home floor tonight with a big 6:30 p.m. visit from crosstown rival Fillmore.