Messere stands alone
Just another Thursday evening in the spring where West Genesee's lacrosse machine sized up an opponent and turned them back, right? Not this night. The Wildcats' conquest of Oswego included a small historical detail - Mike Messere, the chief keeper of the winning flame in Camillus since 1976, has 748 ...
Another night with the Boss
Some 30 months ago, when Bruce Springsteen last played in Buffalo and wrapped up his latest tour, some were pondering the end of the E Street Band. And that was before Clarence Clemons, the much-beloved "Big Man", passed away, only adding to the sense of possible finality. Alas, there we ...
Boys lacrosse preview
Boy, was it good to be a Central New York lacrosse fan on the afternoon of June 11, 2011 at Cicero-North Syracuse's Bragman Stadium. Jamesville-DeWitt needed overtime, but still pulled out a second consecutive state Class B title. Cazenovia's dream season ended with a state Class C title. And Ithaca's ...
Girls lacrosse preview
We don't take a breath around here. Just as Breanna Stewart and company at C-NS were polishing off a Federation basketball championship,high school lacrosse teams were on the field, in the middle of scrimmages, or even a couple of games. Best of all, there was a reason to be outside. ...
Breanna's perfect ending
Every high school athlete semi-serious about their craft want it to end one way - on top, a senior's cap and gown accompanied by championship hardware of some kind. Few ever get that ultimate wish. But Breanna Stewart did. The last high school game of Stewart's extraordinary career at Cicero-North ...
Boys state championship - Glory for Gaelic Knights, Patriots
Sackets Harbor had built to this moment for a long time. Bishop Ludden arrived at least a year ahead of schedule. But they both exited Glens Falls Civic Center Saturday night with smiles on their faces - and state championship plaques. Section III expected to find some degree of success ...
Girls state championships - Stars shining brightly
It surprised absolutely no one that Cicero-North Syracuse repeated as state Class AA girls basketball champions, finishing the task Saturday night at Troy's Hudson Valley Community College with a 62-48 victory over Penfield. What was noteworthy was the makeup of the Northstars' two efforts during the state final four. One ...
Lucky seven for state final four
Basketball in Central New York is doing pretty well, and not just the college version. On a single Saturday, 10 Section III champions went into the cauldron of the regional finals. Seven emerged with their seasons intact and tickets to the state final four punched, whether the destination is Glens ...
Heroes and high honors
Oswego had a pretty good weekend, don't you think? As if the local college hockey team's national-title quest wasn't enough, Oswego also saw the city's high school deliver a triple dose of championship glory during the first weekend of March. It began with Drake Becksted, sprint swimmer extraordinaire. The Virginia ...
The Dome Experience, Part II
All right, Section III folks. That 10-hour basketball festival known as the Section III championships in the Carrier Dome proved to be a big hit. Bigger crowds, more buzz, a sense of real history being made on Jim Boeheim Court as five teams got to claim the banner. So why ...
The Dome Experience, Part I
It felt different. Really different. True, these were the same Section III girls basketball championship games done in arenas in Watertown and Utica, in college gyms at OCC and Le Moyne. But in the grand setting of the Carrier Dome, they seemed to take on a larger prestige and greater ...
Three for it all
They are celebrating this weekend in Phoenix and Canastota, as three of their finest returned home from Albany with state Division II wrestling championships in tow. This was nothing new for the Firebirds' Nick Tighe, the school's first two-time state champ, who won it all at 119 pounds a year ...
Basketball semifinal summary
On Friday, the remaining Section III boys and girls basketball teams, and their coaches, were honored at a luncheon at the Carrier Dome - a place where most of them are going to return next week. Sure, there's some B-1, B-2, C-1 and C-2 business to take care of early ...
Championship Weekend II
Once you get to spring high school sports, everything is compacted, the state championships mostly handed out on a single weekend in June as summer, and breathing space, looms. Not so in the winter. Starting in early February, and running through the end of March, every weekend something is getting ...
On to the semifinals
So a week of Section III playoff basketball is put away. None of it involved Jeremy Lin, but we managed just fine, with a fair amount of surprises, especially on the boys side. Just look at who's left in Class D - Blessed Virgin Mary, the little school that stunned ...
Boys basketball playoff preview
Basketball fans in Central New York must know how spoiled they are here. Not just with that no. 2-ranked college team on the SU hill, who keeps picking up big wins - three of them in six days, Georgetown, Connecticut and Louisville. Not bad there. But also the high school ...
Girls basketball playoff preview
Exactly 63 girls basketball teams start to set out on the Section III playoff journey Tuesday with first-round games on Tuesday. By week's end, they'll be down to 28, all of them dreaming of going to the Carrier Dome on the first Friday of March. Ah yes, the Dome aspect. ...
Long days, long nights, great rewards
Saturdays in winter mean many things to many people. For high school wrestlers, their coaches, their parents and everyone else involved with the sport, it means going to a gym early in the morning and staying until nightfall for the results. So it is during those big regular-season meets in ...
Let the honors begin
Since it's award season anyway, it only figures that, in the last days of January and first of February, there would be titles handed out in various winter sports. All of it started Monday with the CNYCY and OHSL girls indoor track championships at SRC Arena. Both in that event, ...
A gained perspective
The conclusion was reached last night, and it was inescapable. I have no right to complain, ever. This week had been yet another one of those stressful weeks, with work responsibilities piling up, long hours, etc. Add to it the usual personal quirks that can pop up, plus some family ...
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