Prep Talk

I'm running around to different sites this afternoon before tonight's chat  -- but the rush-hour traffic in the Northtowns isn't helping.

First stop is Williamsville South softball. Some rain but just a light drizzle.

5:21 p.m. Will South has a 1-0 lead on West Seneca East after four and a half.

Off to Clarence for softball and lacrosse.

5:42 p.m. Arrive at Clarence to see that the home team has an 8-2 lead on Lancaster with less than two minutes left in the second quarter.

Also an update from correspondent Nate Beutel -- West Seneca East beat Williamsville North, 13-9, in the Class B girls lacrosse final.

5:47 p.m. Clarence softball has a 3-1 lead on Niagara-Wheatfield -- whoops, just made it 6-1 with a three-run homer by Tori Nappo in the bottom of the sixth. Val Nappo just added an RBI single for a 7-1 lead.

Well-placed sources here say that Williamsville North is up on Lancaster, 4-1, late in the other AA softall semifinal.

Also, Sean Bruso just texted me that Lancaster has a 6-5 halftime lead over Clarence in the Class A girls lacrosse championship.

6:11 p.m. We have a final score: Clarence beats Niagara-Wheatfield in the AA softball semifinals, 8-3.

6:19 p.m. Over at the lacrosse field (the football field), Clarence has a 9-4 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Man, Clarence just made it 10-4 while I was typing and not video-ing. Argh. Missed out on some softball stuff too.

6:22 p.m. Now 11-4. Still typing. Ugh.

6:32 p.m. Clarence leads, 13-5, with 3:56 left. And yes, we got some video highlights. Whew.

6:43 p.m. Clarence wins, 13-5. Nice job by the Red Devils to reach their first boys lax final. Good, physical, well-played game from what I saw.

Off to Hamburg.

7:28 p.m. Arrived at Hamburg after a very necessary fuel stop (five diet Cokes to get me through the night).

Hamburg boys have scored four times -- I believe -- while I've been trying to find a parking spot. They just have Iroquois overmatched. Iroquois called a timeout after the fourth goal -- and just after I found a spot.

Also we have some final scores. Lancaster wins it's sixth straight Class A title in girls lacrosse with an 11-9 win over Clarence in what must have been a great game. thanks to correspondent Amanda Bremer and Mr. Bruso for the texts in the last few minutes.

Also, Mr. Bruso confirms a 4-1 softball final victory for Will North.

7:39 p.m. Correspondent Ben Gaughan reports that Albion beat Williamsville South, 5-3, to win the Class A baseball title.

7:49 p.m. The sky darkened big-time and a serious downpour hit Hamburg. They're still playing, but I'm still in the car -- for now.

7:50 p.m. Rain has stopped. Iroquois hanging in there at 4-2 with 3:44 left in second quarter.

8:01 p.m. Awesome goal by Iroquois -- which I caught on video -- late in the quarter makes it just a 4-3 halftime lead for Hamburg. Hmmmmm. Battery running low on iPhone - hope we have enough juice to handle a closer game than most expected.

8:21 p.m. We have a lightning delay - which means we have a 30-minute wait. Hamburg has scored twice to take a 6-3 lead with 3:48 to play in the third quarter.

With the live chat at 9:30ish, I'm going to head back to One News Plaza.

Back in the car. It wasn't raining when the delay was called, but it is now and fans are seeking shelter across the street in the high school. Thunder rumbled often before lightning was seen.

See you in the chat and we'll have all results posted as soon as possible.

8:40 p.m. Wow. Did some work in the car - now we have a torrential downpour with thunder and lightning. Not sure if they'll get to finish tonight.

I'll have video of the stormy weather, too :-)

9:45 p.m. We're back at One News Plaza, fuled with some Subway and up and running with our weekly live chat.

If you're out at a game, let us know what you saw and what you thought of the action.

---Keith McShea

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A update from my travels before tonight's chat ...

I started with a traffic-stalled trip down clogged Route 5 to Hamburg, where Clarence had a 5-0 lead on the Bulldogs after two innings. Zach Lauricella looked quite sharp on the mound (see videos below). The Red Devils ended up with a 16-0 victory.

Then I headed up to Williamsville North for a top five softball matchup that lived up to it's billing. No. 3 North beat No. 1 Clarence, 1-0, in 11 innings.

Junior Robin Kennery clobbered a pitch well over the left fielder to score junior Ashley Fillmore from third. Fillmore started the inning at second on the international tiebreaker, which is used starting with the 10th inning.

Here's our first softball video of the year -- the 11th inning was three pitches: a ball, a stolen base and Kennery's blast.

Clarence's Jen Sansano had 12 strikeouts and allowed five hits and one walk. North's Nikki Attea struck out five, allowed three hits, had one walk and one hit batter. Kennery had three hits for North while Val Nappo had two for Clarence.

The victory splits the season series between the ECIC I rivals -- Clarence had won, 2-1, on April 27.

North had some nice defensive plays in the top of the 11th, including throwing out a runner at home after an overthrow to first. Here's the highlight in which right fielder senior Sarah Rodems backed up an overthrow to first and threw to junior catcher Ashley Fillmore for the out. Nice play on both ends.

* * *

We're going to rewind it a little bit now. Here's action from previous innings. 

Kennery had a sharp single in the bottom of the ninth -- she got hung up at first when she missed the bag. After the game she mentioned that she was glad to get the winning hit because she had felt bad about missing first.

Sansano ended the ninth by getting a flyout from Rodems after a long at-bat.

The rest is pretty self-explanatory -- after each standout pitcher ended their 10th inning with a strikeout we have video of the entire top of the 11th. It includes Rodems' play, a nice catch of a deep ball in left and very solid shortstop play from Corrin Genovese.

Here's the postgame wrap-up with Kennery and North coach Rick Bubar (if you tilt your head slightly, it's as if I held the phone straight!):

* * *

Back to the start of the trip down in Hamburg -- here are two of Lauricella's nine K's.

---Keith McShea

I headed out to catch some big lacrosse matchups this afternoon and saw two top teams head on their way to statement victories in league play.

I started out at Lancaster to see a portion of the second half of its 10-3 victory over Clarence, then swung south to Hamburg, where I saw the Bulldogs put some distance between themselves in Amherst in the beginning of the fourth quarter in what would be a 13-5 win.

Here are some highlights. Happy squinting.

I'm in the office putting together the High School Extra for Friday's paper. Check the high school home page (link below) for all the scores and highlights.

---Keith McShea

Jamestown boys basketball's United Way Tip-Off, which was postponed due to last weekend's snowy and windy weather, has been rescheduled for Jan. 8-9, 2010.

The lineup -- Friday, Jan. 8: Maple Grove vs. V-Newark, 6 p.m.; Fredonia at Jamestown, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9: Consolation, 6 p.m.; championship, 7:30 p.m.

The Orchard Park at Jamestown game, originally scheduled for Friday, Jan. 8, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010.

OP also rescheduled its game with Hamburg that was snowed out last Thursday -- it will be played Monday, Jan. 11.

Please report any rescheduled games to The News as soon as possible. Email sports@buffnews.com AND kmcshea@buffnews.com. Thanks.

---Keith McShea

City Honors earned its first trip to the state tournament in 10 years Saturday by sweeping Section V Class C champion Nazareth, 25-18, 25-19, 25-7, in the Far West Regionals before an estimated 300 at Lockport High School.

Natalie Southard had 18 kills and five blocks, while senior Alysia Negron added 18 digs and 10 kills as the Centaurs (18-0) advanced to next Saturday's state gathering at the Civic Center in Glens Falls.

"It's a great accomplishment," Negron said. "It's taken us 10 years to get back to where we belong. ... It means a lot to us being a [Buffalo] city school."

"It feels amazing," Southard said. "It's indescribable almost."

City Honors is making its seventh state tournament appearance and has won four state titles, the last coming in 1995. The Centaurs lost in the state final in 1999.

* * *

Eden advanced to its 11th straight state tournament, cruising to a 25-10, 25-6, 25-12, win over Section V champion Wayne in the Class B regional.

Hannah Herc led the Raiders (53-1-1) with 10 kills and six digs, while Katie Eschner had eight kills and four aces.

Eden won its last state championship, its sixth, in 2007. Last year's title quest fell short in the final when a banged-up Raiders crew lost in five games to Hendrick Hudson.

* * *

It's not about quantity, it's about quality. Cattaraugus-Little Valley is the proof in the pudding.

The Timberwolves advanced to their first state tournament Saturday, beating Section V champion Lyons, 25-21, 25-16, 25-20, in the Class D Far West Regional clash before an estimated 250 at Lockport.

After rallying to win its first Section VI championship a week and a half ago, Cattaraugus/Little Valley -- which has just eight girls on its volleyball roster -- relied on solid serving and and made the hustle plays a team needs to make to earn a shot at the title in Glens Falls.

Eighth-grader Sara Crandall was a force with 19 kills and 18 digs, while her sister Erin, a sophomore, had eight kills and 16 digs. Shelby Ellis had 26 digs, while setter Casey Miller finished with 30 assists for the T-Wolves (20-2).

"It's great," said coach Joe Crandall, the father of both Sara and Erin. "It's kind of a 'pinch-me' to see if it's real situation. The kids played great. It's an unbelievable feeling."

Lyons finished 21-4.

* * *

The feel-good season for the Hamburg girls volleyball team came to an end at the hands of defending state Class A champion Victor on Saturday morning in the Far West Regionals.

The Section V champions beat the Bulldogs, 25-17, 25-18, 25-9, in a match played before an estimated 100 at Lockport.

Hamburg, which went from 1-13 last year to winning the program's first Section VI title under first-year coach John Crangle, didn't have the size or the talent possessed by Victor (20-4), which has all but one starter back from last year's team. The Blue Devils advance to the state tournament next week in Glens Falls.

Kiersten Krolikowski led Hamburg (14-10) with eight kills and five blocks, while Jessica Wood finished with 39 assists.

"We weren't on anyone's radar this year," Crangle said. "I think the girls have created a new identity for themselves and the program. ... The girls gained confidence on the court throughout the year and off the court, too. As a teacher and a coach that's the most important thing. They improved, they learned and they had fun."

Jessica Fessler led the winners with 13 kills, while Brigid Moore had 31 assists.

* * *

In Class AA, Canandaigua (19-1) ended the stunning run of North Tonawanda (16-3), sweeping the Section VI champions, 25-15, 25-15 25-12. The Braves' size and skill proved to be too much for an undersized NT crew to overcome as Canandaigua finished with 10 blocks, while 6-foot-2 Kymberly Gordon (19 kills, three blocks) and 6-footer Liz Scott (eight kills, three blocks) altered countless other shots. Adding to NT’s woes, Braves setter Marissa King (35 assists) did a wonderful job passing to keep their attack unpredictable.

Lauren Metzger led NT with seven kills.

---Miguel Rodriguez

Class A has been a blast to keep track of all year with its talented teams and unbalanced schedule, and the next three weeks are sure to be fun as well.

Right from the start there are tremendous games as West Seneca East heads to Iroquois and WIlliamsville South hosts Grand Island in a rematch of an excellent Week One game won by South. Hamburg has had a tremendous year, and Sweet Home is only the defending state champion.

As with all of our polls, we want to hear how and why you voted. Let us know in the comment space below.

Be sure to vote in all of the polls: Class AA, Class B, Class C and Class D.

---Keith McShea

The best highlights from my trip from North Tonawanda to Hamburg to Depew is at the Friday Night Live post, but here's every video clip that I shot (that was worth keeping).

Here we go, in chronological order:

Continue reading "Friday Night video mania" »

In case you didn't realize that tonight marks the end of the regular season in high school football, just step outside.

Some high-impact games will have some low temperatures as football playoff weather comes rolling across your Doppler Radar screen tonight. Monday morning's forecast called for lows of 31, highs of 45 and a chance of flurries in the Buffalo area. Down Southern Tier way, there is a greater chance of snow.

For those who want to keep their blood moving tonight, there's a chance to see a lot of action (and see your breath) by bopping around to different sites -- which is what a certain reporter is going to do.

The traditional 5 p.m. Harvard Cup game has South Park meeting East at All High Stadium. The 100th game in the Tonawanda-North Tonawanda series kicks off at 6 p.m. at NT's Lumberjack Sports Complex. Among several 7 p.m. kickoffs is the crucial Class A contest in which Williamsville South plays at Hamburg. The lineup of games at 7:30 p.m. includes Lancaster at Depew, an outstanding rivalry game featuring two ranked teams, as well as a big Class B South game of Lackawanna at Alden.

There are ton of other top-notch matchups, including the traditional rivalry games (check out some great capsules on the rivalry games).

Here's what you think the best game of the weekend is.

Check out today's weekend preview by Miguel Rodriguez, which breaks down some of the playoff picture.

***

6:36 p.m. It's going as expected at NT, where North Tonawanda has a 20-0 lead after one quarter. Having some trouble with the youtube-ing, so sit tight. I'm off to Hamburg.

Here's the kickoff of the 100th edition of the rivalry, with the classic voice of Dick Grapes on the call:

Here's Aaron Davis scoring NT's first touchdown on a 3-yard run.

Here's NT's second touchdown on a razzle-dazzle halfback option.

7:18 p.m. Made the long trip to Hamburg and pulled in as Will South scored a touchdown to go up 7-0 early.

Lockport's WJJL reported that NT was five for five on possessions as it built a 35-0 lead in the first half.

8:20 p.m. Spent a good amount of time watching Hamburg-Will South because it sure was entertaining. The teams were tied at 16-16 in the last half-minute of the first half. Hamburg had the ball but had just been pushed back on a penalty when it called timeout -- I don't have much time to spare so I headed out. I'm off to try and catch a few plays of Lancaster-Depew before returning to the office.

There was a light, cold rain adding to a brrrr of a night at Hamburg but both teams were slugging it out. Both defenses had some key stops while Hamburg was showing a nice quarterbacking game to answer some big plays by South's Joe Licata.

Hamburg scored a field goal off an interception, which is right here:

Here's a great connection from Licata to Mark Coppola -- note the nice block by Tyler Krempa.

Hamburg's Nico Zarcone had several nice plays, including this big pass for a TD on third down.

Hamburg stopped Will South late in the first half, including this fourth-down incompletion.

8:53 p.m. We're at Depew, where WXRL tells me that Lancaster has a 20-6 halftime lead. The halftime show on the radio was very enjoyable on the drive here -- Milt Latimer of the Prep Talk blog was the guest! Gotta love it.

We won't be here for long. Gotta run.

9:30 p.m. We're back in the One News Plaza parking lot. We caught a touchdown by Depew that made the score 20-12, but as we headed to the parking lot, Lancaster returned the ensuing kickoff for a score and added another touchdown.

Here's a video of a nice run by Lancaster's Justin Juda.

Depew got a big gain on an Anthony Emmanuele run which got the big crowd around the blue track going.

That run helped set up Depew's pass play for a score at the jam-packed Frank Constantino complex. Great venue.

In the fourth, Lancaster is up, 34-12.

10:40 p.m. In the midst of deadline madness at the home office right now ... here is the scoreboard that we will be updating as soon as we can.

The big score in so far is Hamburg 23, Williamsville South 22.  

11:14 p.m. Just got off the phone with Dan McGrath, whose Depew team lost to Lancaster, 41-40. Wow.

***

Stay here through the night as we'll have updates and scores as soon as we get them.

Also, tune your twitter to "bufnewspreptalk" to get instant updates of the scores as soon as they are reported to us. We also have a fan page at Facebook -- just search "The Buffalo News' Prep Talk blog" -- and you'll get updates with links to our high school sports stories.

If you are at a game, or saw one tonight, be sure to let us know what you thought of the action in the comments section below.

Our end of business report:

* Here's our roundup which is led off with the big wins for Lancaster and Hamburg, both of which include more information than we could squeeze in the paper. There are several other games which have bonus coverage -- the nice road win for St. Joe's is just one of them.

* Here's a separate story on the 100th T-NT game won by NT in a blowout. 

* The High School Extra delves into soccer, field hockey, swimming, cross country -- and swine flu!   

Some random blabbity-blah: I'd have to think there were crowds of over 5,000 at both the T-NT game and the Lancaster-Depew game. ... The Hamburg-Will South game was a gritty, cold, tough game where South (not surprisingly) went for two and the win at the end. They've been playing aggressively all year. Class A is going to be pretty crazy the next couple of weeks. ... I tried to squeeze in a trip to the South Park game to start the evening off, but the Main St. construction made that a no sale. I had to U-turn it to the 198 and head to T-NT land. I wanted to catch the opening kickoff; Tonawanda, on the other hand, didn't -- but that was just the start of an expectedly tough night for the Warriors.

Should they keep playing the game? Absolutely. Class B teams can be competitive with Class AA teams. Just ask Lancaster and Depew.

I'll have more videos posted when I get a chance to dig the best stuff out of the iPhone. See you back here for Saturday Afternoon Live.

* * *

There are a ton more video clips as part of a separate post.

---Keith McShea

The top-ranked Hamburg boys volleyball team won the Sweet Home Tournament for the sixth straight year Saturday -- without dropping a set -- and they sent in this photo.

---Keith McShea

Hamburg boys lacrosse coach Jerry Severino emailed me today with the news that Eric Chadderdon, just a junior, has verbally committed to Ohio State.

Chadderdon, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound defenseman, accepted a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes. More than 30 different programs recruited Chadderdon, including Albany, North Carolina, Harvard, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Fairfield, Georgetown, Virginia and Providence.

Check out the nice things Inside Lacrosse has to say about Chadderdon.

It's notable about Chadderdon, Hamburg and overall Western New York lacrosse that he has accepted a scholarship offer not only as a junior, but in September of your junior year. The higher recruited you are, the earlier you are able to sign.

It's also another WNY recruiting coup for Ohio State, where Orchard Park graduate, two-time All-Western New York first teamer and inaugural Borrelli Award winner Jeff Tundo is currently a freshman.

I'll have more on Chadderdon's signing in Tuesday's Prep Talk column.

---Keith McShea