With each year, the recruiting clock seems to be getting set earlier and earlier.
Bishop Timon-St. Jude sophomore Adam DiMillo, a lacrosse standout who is a member of the Class of 2014, verbally committed to the University of Maryland this week, Timon coach Mike Burke told The News.
DiMillo picked Maryland over other perennial powers in college lacrosse: Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, North Carolina and Notre Dame. He was a second-team All-Western New York pick as a freshman last season as Timon won the Monsignor Martin title and followed it up with a successful summer at recruiting events (check out more on those from Inside Lacrosse).
DiMillo also earned All-WNY honorable mention in football this past season; he was a key part in Timon's resurgence before a suffering a broken arm that ended his year in a Week Eight win against Canisius.
We are in the fourth quarter of our selling of raffle tickets to raise money for the Tom Borrelli Award and Scholarship Fund.
The drawing will take place at Wednesday's third annual Tom Borrelli Memorial Golf Tournament at Holland Hills (participants do not need to be present to win).
The Borrelli Awards -- this year we are awarding the top male and female senior lacrosse players -- will be handed out at the golf tournament.
Tickets are $5 each or three for $10. A great lineup of prizes include:
* a Ryan Miller autographed goalie stick;
* a Jim Kelly autographed football; a Dan Marino autographed mini-helmet;
* a framed Masters print from Augusta National;
* a Buffalo Bills golf bag;
* and a $50 restaurant gift certificate.
If you would like to purchase tickets, email me at kmcshea@buffnews.com. Several people have bought tickets through me by ordering them via email and sending us a check.
Tickets are $5 each or three for $10. A great lineup of prizes include: a Ryan Miller autographed goalie stick; a Jim Kelly autographed football; a Dan Marino autographed mini-helmet; a framed Masters print from Augusta National; a Buffalo Bills golf bag and a $50 restaurant gift certificate.
The drawing will take place at the golf tournament on July 27 at Holland Hills (participants do not need to be present to win).
If you would like to purchase tickets, email me at kmcshea@buffnews.com.
We've been fortunate that a number of people have taking a block of tickets to sell to their own group or organization -- if you are interested, send an email as well.
I will be trying to make the rounds at summer high-school-ish events (like summer basketball leagues or football camps) on a raffle-ticket-selling tour.
I may try to shoot up to Niagara Falls on Saturday for the finals of the Niagara PAL boys hoops tournament. If you have any suggestions for events where I can sell tickets, email me, comment on this post, send a tweet or comment via the Prep Talk blog page on facebook (links below).
I had a summer break that started as soon as the 2010-11 season concluded, and now I'm back -- and here to throw some notes out regarding some summer news and notes ...
* Late in the spring season we told you about the BCANY Hoops Festival set for Johnson City from Aug. 5-7. The event seems like a great one, and it's one that came about due to the unfortunate absence of the Empire State Games this summer.
The roster has been selected by the coaching staff of head coach Larry Jones (Depew) and assistants Mike Haskell (retired Pioneer) and Mike Berkun (Medaille):
Reggie Agbeko (St. Joe's), Stan Wier (who has transferred back home to East Aurora), Sterling Taplin (Williamsville North), Ryan Whelpley (Walsh), Matt Hart (Canisius), Aaron Frasier (Seneca), Aaron White (Canisius), Jamaal Carter (City Honors), Adam Weir (Canisius), Jordan Williams (Bishop Timon-St. Jude).
The team will play Long Island on Friday, Aug 5 at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 6, the Buffalo team plays New York City at 9 a.m. and Hudson Valley at noon. Saturday's evening session includes a dunk contest and three-point contest at 4:30 p.m.; a parent clinic on recruiting at 5:30 and a player clinic with college coaches at 6:30.
The event concludes on Sunday, Aug. 7 with the seventh-place game (9 a.m.), fifth-place game (10:30 a.m.), consolation (noon) and championship (1:30 p.m.).
While the event is being run by BCANY, there are some expenses that will need to be covered for teams and players (food, lodging, transportation -- costs mostly taken care of by the ESG during the Games). The squad is seeking sponsorships -- if you are interested in helping the team defray some costs, call Jones at (585) 746-8327.
This team deserves some serious commenting -- that squad is a really good one, a much better collection than I expected for what is a startup event this year. Great talent, great depth, great mixture of schools. Excellent job by the basketball community in getting the word out and credit the coaching staff for what must have been some difficult choices after the tryouts.
* Speaking of some good hoops competition, this weekend might be the Taste of Buffalo but fans can get a taste of hoops up in Niagara Falls. Some top programs are in action at the Niagara PAL Team Camp at Niagara Falls. Here's the lineup:
Friday: 5 p.m. -- Main gym, Niagara Falls vs. Canisius; Aux. gym, St. Joe's vs. Niagara-Wheatfield; 6 p.m. -- Batavia vs. Grand Island; Aux. gym, Wilson vs. Holland; 7 p.m. -- Main gym, Jamestown vs. Sweet Home.
Saturday: 9 a.m. -- Main gym, St. Joe's vs. Niagara Falls; Aux. gym, Canisius vs. Jamestown; 10 a.m. -- Main gym, Sweet Home vs. Wilson; Aux. gym, Batavia vs. Niagara-Wheatfield; 11 a.m., Main gym, Grand Island vs. Holland.
Single elimination tournament begins at noon, with championship at 5 p.m.
There is a $2 admission for fans 13 and older.
* I will hopefully hit some summer events of all sorts -- I'll be soon selling raffle tickets to benefit the Tom Borrelli Award and Scholarship Fund. We have some great prizes and it's a great cause as we continue to honor our fallen coworker.
The third Borrelli Award for boys and the inaugural Borrelli Award for girls will be announced later this month and the winners will receive their trophies at the July 27 Tom Borrelli Golf Tournament at Holland Hills. For those interested in golfing ($100 per person) or donating, please email me at kmcshea@buffnews.com.
* By the way, the spring All-WNY teams and all-league teams (for baseball, softball and boys and girls lacrosse), which have been published over the last month, have all been collected at the high school home page.
For the third year, we will be handing out the Tom Borrelli Memorial Award to the top senior boys lacrosse player in Western New York. And for the first time, we'll be honoring the top girls player as well.
It's our way of honoring our late coworker and friend, who was a fan of all high school sports, particularly lacrosse.
A major fund raiser for the a scholarship fund we are building will be the third annual Tom Borrelli Memorial Award Golf Tournament on Wednesday, July 27 at Holland Hills.
The first two events have been a big hit and a great time. We're looking forward to seeing many familiar faces. If you competed last year, email me as soon as possible if you plan on playing again.
Spots are filling up so act fast. Here are the details:
It is a 10 a.m. shotgun scramble. The cost is $100 per golfer. Price includes golf, cart, lunch at the turn, dinner, open bar and another chance to hear Jerry Sullivan lie about how well he played. There will be prizes, auctions, raffles and drawings. Golfers who want to play with Sullivan or other News staffers can do so at a higher cost. There is limited space for dinner-only guests at a cost of $25.
To register, mail a check payable to the Tom Borrelli Memorial Award and Scholarship Fund, along with the names of golfers, dinner guests and a phone number to: Tom Borrelli Memorial Award, c/o Sports Department, The Buffalo News, Box 100, One News Plaza, Buffalo, 14240.
** Can't play but still like to donate? Send contributions directly to: Tom Borrelli Memorial Award, c/o Community Fundation for Greater Buffalo, 712 Main St., Buffalo, 14202-1720
**We are also seeking donations from local businesses -- items which can be auctioned off or which can be given out as prizes (such as gift certificates), we are selling hole and green sponsorships, Businesses interested in donating can contact me at kmcshea@buffnews.com. We have a tax identification number we will provide to donors.
Thanks very much for any generous donations and please spread the word.
Details are coming soon regarding a fund-raising raffle.
Hello again from Growney Stadium at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, site of the state semifinals in boys lacrosse for the Western half of the state.
We were here on Saturday for the Far West Regionals, when Silver Creek became the first Section VI team to win a regional game to advance to the state final four. The Black Knights will try to continue their historic playoff run as it faces Cazenovia of lacrosse power Section III (Syracuse area).
7:24 p.m. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m., but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. We have 4:32 left in the third quarter of the Class B game between Irondequoit and Jamesville-Dewitt (J-D just took a 4-1 lead).
8:03 p.m. We have a final score in the Class B game: Jamesville-Dewitt 9, Irondequoit 6.
With the ceremony going on now and warmups to follow, it's going to be a close call for my deadline, which is before 10 p.m.
8:13 p.m. Yikes. There are just over 26 minutes counting down on the scoreboard, giving us a first faceoff at about 8:40 p.m. Yikes again.
With that yikes-like stuff in mind, I'm going to do a lot of prep work before the game.
When the action starts, I'll go to the live blog below. Please be mindful that I'll do my best to post comments but my primary goal is to have an account of the action for my story. I won't be able to answer many questions if any. Thanks much for your understanding.
After the game, feel free to make comments on the post.
Hello from St. John Fisher, the site for today's Far West Regionals in boys lacrosse. The day starts with the Class A game between Clarence and Pittsford at 1, the Class B game pits Niagara-Wheatfield against Irondequoit at 3:30 and the Class C game has Silver Creek facing Penn Yan at 6.
1:17 p.m. No blog until now because there's been nothing to blog about.
We're in a lightning delay, with 17 minutes counting down on the scoreboard clock, so we're running a half hour behind. That's, of course, if there isn't any more lightning. Some good news is that a very steady rain has just let up a bit and the heretofore grey skies seem to be lightening (not to be confused with lightning).
In the mean time, feel free to browse our Section VI championships post, which includes a bunch of video interviews and a few highlights (from farrr away :-) ).
1:22 p.m. Update: The Class A faceoff is now scheduled for 1:55 p.m.
My take on today is that Clarence and Niagara-Wheatfield are not expected to win and it would be a surprise if either won. Pittsford is 19-0 and has been highly regarded all season; Irondequoit is a regular here and is 16-3 with two losses to Section V Class A teams (one was Pittsford) and one to Duxbury, Mass. In the regular season, the Section V teams in Class A and B have won nonleague games against Section VI teams to the point where it appears that Section V teams have the edge this year.
Now, Class C could be a lot of fun. Penn Yan is a state power and Silver Creek has had a season-long goal of making it to the state final four. No Section VI team has ever won the Class C regional since it was formed in 2000. It will be fun to see how the Black Knights' explosive offense and stickwork do up against one of the top programs in the state for decades.
Penn Yan is 16-3 against its typically tough schedule, but Section VI fans can point to Clarence's 7-6 win at Penn Yan as encouraging. Silver Creek recorded a big win over Orchard Park this season, and, of course, Clarence beat OP in the Section VI final.
1:56 p.m. That 1:55 time was pretty much dead-on. Teams are concluding warmups right now and introductions will soon begin.
2:10 p.m. My apologies on some browser problems at the start.
Pittsford calls a timeout with Clarence doubling the ball with 6:39 left in the first quarter.
Clarence's Jack Lally won the first faceoff, Clarence failed to convert an extra-man chance; senior Zach Johnson has had two great saves on Pittsford -- going low with the stick. One very poor turnover by Clarence a possession ago, but otherwise it's not like they look like they are out of place here.
2:14 p.m. Pittsford takes a 1-0 lead as Corey Parke blows by a short stick and scores on the left side with 4:40 left in the first.
It was a lengthy possession during which Johnson with another fine stop -- getting a leg on a shot.
2:16 p.m. James Burke rolls off a defender and scores nicely for a 2-0 Pittsford lead with 3:24 to go in the first.
2:18 p.m. Pittsford goalie is double-teamed near midfield and it's another timeout for the Panthers with 2:02 left in the first.
2:23 p.m. Man, Clarence has a knack for getting goals in the final seconds of quarters.
At the END OF THE FIRST QUARTER, Pittsford leads Clarence, 2-1.
The Red Devils got on the board with a really pretty play as Charles Warkenthien had his defender fall down; he then went to the cage, drew a defender and went cross-cage to Dave DeCirce to scored on the open side.
2:27 p.m. Tyler Skowronski drives and draws a foul with 9:42 left in first.
2:29 p.m. Great stick check by Andrew Larson gets possession for Pittsford after the expiration of the man-up.
2:30 p.m. Parke with a nice individual run down the left side and a goal for a 3-1 Pittsford lead with 6:57 left in the first. After a lengthy empty possession by Clarence, including the man-up, Parke got taht goal with some quick work.
2:33 p.m. Clarence gets a goal with 6:16 left on a very nice play by Wittig, who takes a hit but finds Troy Boller for the goal and a 3-2 game. The hit results in a man-up for Clarence, which wins the faceoff with Lally and a wing man doing nice work, and coach Mike Silverstein with 6:04 left in the second quarter.
2:38 p.m. Some nice defensive work by Clarence to get the ball down and the officials grant a timeout with 3:23 left in the second although the ball may have popped loose on a check. Pittsford coaches take turns yelling at the sideline official, with one marching down the sideline purposely to berate the referee.
2:43 p.m. Clarence has possession for the final minute, but they can't make it another quarter with a final-second goal.
At HALFTIME, Pittsford leads Clarence, 3-2.
2:55 p.m. We're going live-chat for the second half.
Here's the Class B game:
5:19 p.m. The second half has just started. We're going old school with the updates with the game pretty much out of hand. An official just visited the press box so the timekeeper was aware of the mercy rule, in which a running clock is instituted after a team takes a 12-goal lead.
5:22 p.m. Now 14-4 after Enright scores from Coholan with just under nine minutes left in the third quarter. N-W had a lengthy possession before that goal.
5:24 p.m. Timeout Niagara-Wheatfield with 7:49 left in third.
5:26 p.m. Miller scores off a pass from Kostyk with 6:04 left. ... Followed by George Jerman scoring right off the faceoff with 5:54 left in the third. A running clock starts after the next faceoff as it is now 16-4.
5:29 p.m. Bissell scores off a nice feed from Patterson to make it 16-5 and the clock stops at 5:00 left in the third.
5:36 p.m. With 29.7 seconds left in the third, Irondequoit scores with Brandon Costanzo and the lead is back to 12 at 17-5.
5:37 p.m. At the END OF THE THIRD QUARTER, Irondequoit leads Niagara-Wheatfield, 17-5.
5:40 p.m. Mo Bissel finishes off a pass from Dubec to make it 17-6 with 10:33 left.
5:42 p.m. Kostyk scores for a 18-6 lead with 9:22 left.
5:46 p.m. Brad Thomas answers an Irondequoit goal and with 5:24 left it is 19-7.
5:52 p.m. 20-7 after a man-up goal by Irondequiot's No. 23, who is not in the program. Not a good thing when players not in the program are scoring on you, of course.
Reported as Joel Romer.
5:54 p.m. We have a FINAL SCORE: Irondequoit 20, Niagara-Wheatfield 7.
6:30 p.m. Time for the Class C game. And back to the live blog ...
Here's Silver Creek's celebration from the sideline to the field:
Hello again from All High Stadium for another spectacularly sunny day for the Section VI lacrosse championships -- yesterday it was the girls, today it's the boys.
Today's tripleheader begins with an excellent Class C matchup between Amherst and Silver Creek at 3:30 p.m. (it's one I wrote about in Tuesday's Scholastic Spotlight). Then it is the Class A final between Orchard Park and Clarence at 5:30 and the Class B final has Niagara-Wheatfield takes on Hamburg in a scheduled 8 p.m. start.
Class C
3:54 p.m. First chance for an update after setting up here; Silver Creek has a 2-0 lead with 2:53 left in the first quarter.
The first goal was by eighth-grader Sherman Williams, who came in from the right side to convert a pass by Frank Brown wth 6:16 left; Blake Curry then scored off a very nice cross-cage transition pass from Jon Jimerson with 4:08 left.
4 p.m. At the END OF THE FIRST QUARTER, Silver Creek leads Amherst, 4-0.
Silver Creek added two more goals in the final three minutes as their famously high-powered offense is certainly doing its thing. Zach Williams converted a pass from Curry with 2:46 left; Silver Creek got a full-field breakaway on a play in which Amherst had a mixup as the official winded the clock -- and Curry went in alone and scored.
4:04 p.m. Silver Creek starts strong in the second quarter with a goal thanks to a fantastic effort by Zeddie Williams, who picked up a failed clear by Amherst, zig-zagged his way through at least three defenders before finding Frank Brown open on the left side of the cage for the goal 49 seconds into the quarter.
Amherst responds less than a minute later with its first goal as Evan Theilman converted a back-of-the-cage pass by Clifton Jackson with 10:14 left in the second for a 5-1 Silver Creek lead.
4:13 p.m. Silver Creek got one back quickly by Zed Williams just eight seconds later to make it 6-2, but Amherst came back with a two-goal surge to cut it to 6-4. Ed Doherty scored on an unassisted rush from behind the left side of the cage with 6:56 left, then 22 seconds later Jackson burst from the left side to the right and scored on about a 10-yard shot.
4:20 p.m. Amherst came within one as Ted Tiftickjian converted in close off a pass by Doherty with 4:24 left in the second quarter, but then Silver Creek flashed more offensive prowess with two quick goals.
Zed Williams scored on a low-slung shot from the right side off a pass from Zach Williams with 3:48 left, then Zed followed with a outstanding play to set up a Brown goal. Right off a faceoff win by Zack Williams, Zed Williams ran the ball across the front of the goal about 15 yards out, and, as he appeared to head to pull the ball back out, he no-look, backhanded a pass to Brown at the left side of the cage for an 8-5 lead with 3:33 left .
4:22 p.m. Amherst gets an extra-man opportunity and cashes in immediately as Theilman scores from about 10 yards straight out after Jackson fed him the ball soon after the whistle restarted play. Silver Creek's lead is 8-6 with 2:12 left in the second.
4:26 p.m. We are at HALFTIME with Silver Creek leading Amherst, 10-7.
Fun finish to a fun quarter. Amherst cut the lead to one (8-7) less than a minute after its previous goal as Dane Bentley created a nice play by feeding Theilman, who was in motion from behind the left side of the cage and he scored with 1:13 left in the quarter.
The Black Knights again flashed their offense thanks to more faceoff work by Zack Williams, who won two straight that led to a pair of goals. Just nine seconds after Amherst cut the lead to one, Zack Williams won the faceoff, sprinted out and found Frank Brown on the left for a 9-7 lead. Another faceoff win and another six seconds later (whoa), Zack Williams created a tic-tac-toe goal that was finished nicely by Sherman Williams for the 10-7 lead with :59 left in the half.
4:41 p.m. Amherst with a great start to the third quarter with two goals to cut the Silver Creek lead to 10-9. Doherty scored on a rebound and Dane Bentley scored 1:27 later with 9:11 left in the third.
4:48 p.m. Silver Creek takes a timeout with 5:07 left in the third; they have an 11-9 lead after a goal on a long, hard shot by Zeddie Williams with 6:02 left.
4:49 p.m. Black Knights score quickly after the timeout as Zack Williams picks up a ground ball and fires a long pass to Jon Jimerson on the right doorstep for a 12-9 lead.
4:54 p.m. Tough to keep track of all of this action :-) Amherst keeps staying close, Silver Creek keeps flashing the offense to stay ahead. The Black Knights' lead is 14-10 heading into the final minute of the third.
4:56 p.m. At the END OF THE THIRD QUARTER, Silver Creek leads Amherst, 14-10.
5:04 p.m. Amherst calls a timeout with 8:00 left to go and the score still 14-10 in favor of Silver Creek.
5:11 p.m. Silver Creek doing a great job here in the fourth and now leads, 17-10. They've had a few more flashy goals, but they've also had some lenghty, smart possessions, and its defense has stepped up with some body checks, stick checks and freshman goalie Connor Graves just came up with a fine save.
Zeddie Williams went on a solo charge to the goal with 5:24 left, somehow scoring as he fell to the turf while being slashed. Frank Brown added his fifth goal with 3:56 left in transition off the Graves save, and Sherman Williams scored off a great long feed from Brown with 3:23 left for the seven-goal lead.
5:14 p.m. Silver Creek calls a timeout with 2:06 left and holding its 17-10 lead.
5:20 p.m. We have a FINAL SCORE: Silver Creek 17, Amherst 10.
The Black Knights win their third straight Class C title.
The postgame show:
Class A
6:07 p.m. We have our first timeout in the A final, taken by Orchard Park. The game is scoreless with 5:57 left in the first quarter. Both teams have exchanged turnovers for the most part with no good chances of note.
6:17 p.m. At the END OF THE FIRST QUARTER, Orchard Park leads Clarence, 2-0.
Orchard Park scored twice in a 2:17 span, both on unassisted goals. Tim Wagner went from left to right and scored on about a 10-yard shot with 5:48 left in the first; Austin Goltz followed with a charge from the right side and scored while spinning and falling to the turf while being fouled.
Clarence has had a few shots, all but one of them going wide of OP goalie Nick Owens.
6:23 p.m. OP calls a timeout following a failed clear with 9:46 left in the second quarter. Quakers lead, 3-0, after a nice play with Wagner up high and feeding forward to Goltz, who came in from the left side and scored on a high shot just under the crossbar.
6:33 p.m. Clarence calls a timeout with 4:12 left in the second quarter.
Clarence scored its first goal moments ago as Tom Zimmermann converted a pass from Charles Warkenthien with 7:30 left in the first quarter; OP leads, 3-1.
6:38 p.m. OP goes ahead, 5-1, after two goals within a minute. Connor Hicks speeds to the cage and whips a shot that Clarence goalie Zach Johnson got a piece of but trickled in with 2:57 left; Goltz with another goal, his third, as he goes flying to the cage and scores with 2:03 to go in the second.
6:42 p.m. Moments after an incredible point blank save by OP's Nick Owens, Clarence gets one past him on an unsettled play as Dave DeCirce picked up a loose ball off a missed pass and fired it in -- and at a great time, with just 2.9 seconds left in the half.
At HALFTIME, Orchard Park leads Clarence, 5-2.
7:02 p.m. Great start for the Red Devils, scoring twice in the first 3:35 of the third quarter to come within 5-4 and get its crowd fired up.
Warkenthien scored off a pass from Nick Gay just as an extra-man opportunity had come to an end with 9:24 left; a fast break with Alec Dietsch displaying some nice speed before finding DeCirce at the left side of the cage -- his up-and-down fake gave him a goal with 8:25 left in the third.
7:11 p.m. HELLO. We've got a tie game at 5-5 AT THE END OF THE THIRD QUARTER.
As it did in the second quarter, another huge, late goal for Clarence as Cooper Wittig sprints from the left side and unleashes a long shot from about 12 yards out that skids low into the goal with 4.4 seconds left.
Can't remember the last time I've covered a Class A final fourth quarter in which the score was tied to start. Might have to go back to an OP-Hamburg classic at UB Stadium in the early 2000s, which was when Hamburg was an A and which was won by OP in OT. Here we go.
7:17 p.m. Here we go indeed. Clarence now LEADS, 7-5, with less than 10 minutes to go.
Wittig scored as he streaked down the middle and scored off a pass by Gay with 10:47 left. After a Jack Lally faceoff win, Warkenthein came on a strong solo effort from behind the cage on the right side and whipped around and scored with 10:06 left.
Reminder: OP has won 16 straight Section VI Class A titles.
7:23 p.m. Injury timeout with 6:07 left as OP's Trevor Vargo is down on the turf. Clarence leads, 7-5.
7:28 p.m. Orchard Park calls a timeout with the ball and 3:42 left with Clarence still leading, 7-5.
7:33 p.m. Clarence timeout with the ball and 1:31 left. They ran more than 30 seconds off before the timeout.
7:35 p.m. Another timeout by Clarence with 1:00 left after running some more clock off.
7:38 p.m. Another timeout with 19.6 seconds left.
7:41 p.m. We have a FINAL SCORE and it is a STUNNER: Clarence 7, Orchard Park 5.
Sixteen-time defending champ OP goes down.
The postgame show:
Class B
8:36 p.m. Niagara-Wheatfield has an early, 3-2 lead on Hamburg with about three minutes left in the first quarter.
The Clarence win over OP has created an extra story for me to write so the updates won't be as plentiful here for the B game. My apologies. I will update at least at the quarters.
8:40 p.m. At the END OF THE FIRST QUARTER, Niagara-Wheatfield leads Hamburg, 3-2.
9:04 p.m. Niagara-Wheatfield used a four-goal run to take an 8-3 lead before Hambug got one back with 4:19 left in the quarter.
At HALFTIME, Niagara-Wheatfield leads Hamburg, 8-4.
9:57 p.m. Sorry for the delay. Exciting second half while I've been writing. Wheatfield leads, 9-8, with 1:11 left in the game.
10:05 p.m. WOW. We're going to OVERTIME tied at 9-9.
Wild finish with Hamburg tying the game with 32.9 seconds left in regulation as Pat Nowak scored off a pass from Max Maxwell.
Hamburg had a chance to win the game in the final seconds, but after one shot was blocked at the defense, a shot by Maxwell with the clock winding down was stopped by N-W goalie Rob Eisenbart. Awesome save.
Four minutes on the clock.
10:10 p.m. Niagara-Wheatfield WINS IN OVERTIME, 10-9, as Cory Becker picked up a loose ball at midfield, then sped to the cage and -- with Hamburg roving goalie Thomas Liponi retreating after the turnover -- scored to give Niagara-Wheatfield the win 48 seconds into overtime. Wow.
Here's video of the winning goal, and my apologies that it isn't clearer. I ran down into the stands to get a better angle (in front of that girder you see in other shots), but the game-ending play happened so fast -- it was too fast for me to adjust the focus to take the glare of the lights away. My bad (chest tap).
It's the first title for Niagara-Wheatfield since 1986.
The postgame show:
* * *
10:59 p.m. Whoa. What a night. The B game going to OT was a tense thriller that we hadn't really seen here in two days of championships.
Sidenote: Clarence had a pretty good night, huh? Lacrosse team knocks off OP, baseball is champions for third straight year, softball team is back in the final. Throw in football and boys soccer titles (Mike Silverstein coaches both boys soccer and boys lax) and the Red Devils have had quite a year.
I'll be getting additional info up here.
The scoreboard page has statistics from all of the games here tonight as well as all of the other action on a busy, important day in high school sports.
All three boys finals will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable SportsNet on Thursday.
Hello from All High Stadium in Buffalo for the Section VI girls lacrosse championships. Class B gets us started with Lake Shore and Hamburg; Class C follows with six-time defending champion Amherst trying for a three-game season sweep of East Aurora at 5:30; at 8 p.m. six-time defending champion Lancaster takes on Frontier in the Class A showdown.
Great venue for all sports -- and it's a wonderful weather day for the action. Should be a great two days here as the boys championship tripleheader is tomorrow.
Class B
3:43 p.m. Lake Shore is off to a quick start, as Lauren Scanlan has three goals and the Eagles have a 4-1 lead with 20:13 left in the first half.
3:45 p.m. Another Scanlan goal, off a nice feed from Vivian Curry, makes it a 5-1 lead for Lake Shore.
3:49 p.m. Two quick goals from Hamburg cut it to 5-3, but another Scanlan goal on a breakaway makes it 6-3 Lake Shore with 16:04 left in the first half.
4:01 p.m. Timeout on the field with 11:01 left in the first half -- the players left their sticks in their places on the turf; ostensibly it is a water-break timeout mandated by officials. It is certainly a hot one here. Lake Shore has teh ball and its 6-3 lead.
4:03 p.m. A great feed from Curry from the right side, a great catch by Scanlan cutting down the middle, and she scores her sixth goal as Lake Shore goes up, 7-3, with 10:08 left in the first half.
4:05 p.m. Solo rush from the right side of the cage for Hamburg's Amanda Obenshain -- her second of the game -- make it 7-4 with 8:59 left in first.
4:07 p.m. Lake Shore answers that with a Curry goal inside to make it 8-4 with 7:56 left in the first half.
4:12 p.m. Obenshain takes a very nice feed from Taylor Wolff on the left doorstep of the cage and she scores to make it 8-5 with 4:08 left in the first half. That came just after a nice save by Lake Shore goalie Kachine Lay.
4:13 p.m. A draw control win and another goal by Obenshain, who made a few dodges in front of the cage before scoring and we're at 8-6 Lake Shore with 3:38 left in the first.
4:18 p.m. Big goal late for Lake Shore, who had been pressuring Hamburg but goalie Lauren Courteau came up with four nice saves in the final two minutes. Shelby Stevens then came up with a big steal of a Hamburg clear; she passed to Scanlan, who found a slashing Alie Jimerson for a nice catch and score for a 9-6 lead with 11.4 left.
4:22 p.m. We are at HALFTIME and Lake Shore leads Hamburg, 9-6.
Obenshain went down with an injury with 5.2 seconds left and was writhing on the field for a few moments before trotting off the field.
Lake Shore seems to be overpowering with Scanlan playing a big part of draw controls and the offense, but Hamburg continues to keep hanging around.
4:38 p.m. Curry comes back with her third goal to answer one by Obenshain; Lake Shore leads, 10-7, with 22:08 left.
4:42 p.m. Curry on a clear breakway from midfield -- she sprints to the cage and fires an overhead shot under the crossbar to make it 11-7; 30 seconds later Scanlan makes a great catch of a feed, then whirls in front of the cage to score for a 12-7 lead with 19:45 to go in the game.
4:44 p.m. Obenshian up the middle after a penalty and Hamburg pulls within 12-8 with 18:23 left.
4:45 p.m. Official-mandated water break with 18:18 left in the game and Lake Shore up, 12-8.
4:54 p.m. Hamburg got a great goal from Megan Mikolajek, who went coast-to-coast after a steal deep in the Hamburg end. ... but Curry scores two straight to push the Lake Shore lead to 14-9 with 14:18 left.
4:58 p.m. Lake Shore scores again as Scanlan fires it in for her eighth goal -- the lead is now 15-9 with 11:57 left and Hamburg takes a timeout.
5:03 p.m. Obenshain scores her seventh goal in front to make it a 15-10 lead for Lake Shore with 9:21 left.
5:04 p.m. Curry comes right back -- a familiar theme there for Lake Shore. She goes to the goal, has her shot stopped but she scoops up the rebound and fires it in for a 16-10 lead with 8:55 left.
5:08 p.m. Officials timeout for a water break with 6:22 left.
5:12 p.m. Hamburg cuts it to 16-11 with 5:56 left on Mikolajek's second goal.
5:13 p.m. Hamburg back to within four as Obenshain scores her eighth goal to make it 16-12 with 4:23 left.
5:15 p.m. As has happened many times today, Lake Shore comes up with a big goal just when Hamburg is thinking of making a game out of it. Kiersten Kennedy scoops up a loose ball on a turnover by Hamburg, goes to the goal and her backhand shot trickles over the line to make it 17-12 with 3:21 left.
5:18 p.m. Amanda Patrone scores on the doorstep for Hamburg to cut it to 17-13 with 2:30 left. Lake Shore's Melissa Haring was down on the play due to cramping. She remained down through an official timeout before walking to the bench.
5:23 p.m. We have a FINAL SCORE: Lake Shore 17, Hamburg 13.
Lake Shore wins its first sectional title. Interview time for me.
And the Class B postgame show:
Class C
6:04 p.m. The Class C game is underway and Amherst, expectedly, jumps on top of East Aurora on an Ivy Timlin goal less than two minutes in.
6:06 p.m. EA ties it up on a Addie Ohler goal with 21:32 left in the 25-minute half.
6:12 p.m. Hmmmm. EA, which lost twice to Amherst during the regular season, gets another Ohler goal to take a 2-1 lead with 16:49 left.
6:15 p.m. EA scores again, with Victoria Budzyn scoring after a foul call right in front. EA takes a surprising 3-1 lead and Amherst calls a timeout with 15:13 left in the first half.
6:24 p.m. Amherst gets one back as Alana Rockoff wheels around from the right side to the left and scores to make it 3-2; that's followed by an officials timeout for a water break with 10:20 left in the first half.
6:29 p.m. Moments after a big save by EA's Rachel Hallnan, Katie Daminski scooted coast-to-coast, accelerating nicely in the Amherst half before scoring to push the Blue Devil lead to 4-2 with 7:32 left in the first half.
6:33 p.m. Alanna Rockoff scores 85 seconds after Sara Bischof and Amherst has tied it at 4-4 with 5:33 left in the first half; timeout EA.
6:38 p.m. Rockoff scores on a free shot in front -- moments after a yellow card was issued to an EA player after a collision -- to give Amherst its first lead of the game at 5-4 with 3:43 left in the first half.
6:40 p.m. Sophie Nieschur circles the cage, comes around the right side, waits a step against her defender and wheels and scores for a 6-4 lead.
6:43 p.m. After a nice save by EA goalie Hallnan, a scramble results in Sara O'Brien left open in front of the cage and she converts a pass to make it 7-4 Amherst with 1:12 left in the half.
6:46 p.m. At HALFTIME, Amherst leads East Aurora, 7-4.
Nice surge by Amherst to score the last five goals of the half; the last three came after the yellow card was issued to EA.
7:09 p.m. Amherst has kept rolling in the third quarter, scoring the first four goals to take an 11-4 lead with 18:42 left. I'm starting to write my story. Three games in one story and the Class A game is an 8 p.m. start, which puts us in a little deadline danger.
7:22 p.m. EA gets on the board but Amherst answers shortly thereafter as Ivy Timlin scores her fourth goal of the game to give the Tigers a 12-5 lead with 12:08 left.
7:26 p.m. A highlight goal from EA's Ohler, who goes coast to coast and finished it off by jumping to the left of the cage and shooting across her body to score at a very tough angle. Amherst's lead is 12-6 with 9:55 left.
7:33 p.m. EA gets two quick ones to cut it to 12-8 with 4:11 left. After Ashley Friess scored, Nikki Schneider scored right off the draw control win to cut the lead to 12-8.
7:39 p.m. Myriah Magaris with a goal off a free position shot for Amherst to make it 13-8 in the final minute.
7:40 p.m. We have a FINAL SCORE: Amherst 13, East Aurora 8.
Seventh straight title for the Tigers, first for coach Kristy Grossman who took over for Janet Battaglia this year.
The Class C postgame show:
Class A
8:19 p.m. The Class A game has started with some great play -- by the goalies. Lancaster's Brooklyn Schilling and Frontier's Mia Wagner have exchanged saves on the first two trips by each team. Wagner then stopped two straight free position shots from near point-blank range. Whoa.
8:26 p.m. After some more great defense, Sarah Lorusso sprints in alone on a fast break and scores to put Frontier up, 1-0, with 14:14 left in the first half -- that's 10 minutes-plus of scoreless play, and it was very good stuff, not what you would automatically think of a scoreless start.
8:32 p.m. It is 2-0 Frontier as Ashley Bandt-Hunter loses the ball after a check, but then scoops it up and scoots to the goal to score on an overhand shot with 9:49 left in the first half.
8:38 p.m. We definitely have a situation here. Frontier's Lorusso scores again to give Frontier a 3-0 lead over the seven-time defending champions with 6:10 left in the first half. Lancaster called a timeout after the goal.
8:43 p.m. BIG goal for Lancaster as Alexis Ruggiero, a freshman midfielder, scores on a free position shot with a bounce shot that is the first to get by Wagner. Lancaster cuts the Frontier lead to 3-1 with 3:01 left in the first.
8:45 p.m. A big draw control violation gives the ball to Lancaster, and they capitalize as Brittany Delano scores to make it 3-2 with 1:54 left in first. Great surge here late in the half by the Redskins.
8:50 p.m. Frontier with several chances deep in Lancaster territory in the final minute, but Schilling made two big saves, one on a free position shot and one on a bang-bang pass play, and another free position shot went wide.
8:52 p.m. At HALFTIME, Frontier leads Lancaster, 3-2.
The low score is not a surprise considering the team's two meetings this year. Lancaster won both by scores of 5-4 and 9-5.
9:18 p.m. Working on my story so updating when I can.
Frontier made it 4-2 with 18:52 left on a transition play by Bandt-Hunter, who went coast to coast and fired it in after accelerating near the cage. The Falcons just made it 5-2 on another Bandt-Hunter goal with 12:22 left, prompting a Lancaster timeout.
9:33 p.m. Timeout Frontier with 3:31 left to play. Teams have exchanged goals in the last 23 seconds with Frontier leading, 6-3.
9:41 p.m. HUGE win for Frontier.
We have a FINAL SCORE: Frontier 6, Lancaster 3.
Lancaster's reign as Class A champions ends after six straight titles.
Here are the final seconds:
And the postgame show:
* * *
Stats and goal scorers are available at the scoreboard page.
I've been looking forward to Friday's boys lacrosse matchup between Orchard Park and Bishop Timon-St. Jude since before the spring season, and I know I'm not the only one.
Bad news just in from Timon coach Mike Burke: It's just a scrimmage.
Why? Timon scheduled too many games. The state limit for Catholic schools is 18 and the Tigers have already reached that total.
On the team's schedule as reported to laxpower.com, Timon is 16-3. Coach Mike Burke said that Timon's game with Kiski Prep (Pa.) was played as a scrimmage and will not count towards the team total.
Burke said he was unaware of the limit until he was told by league chairman Tom Franz, who is the Nichols coach, following TImon's 11-9 home win over the Vikings Wednesday evening. Burke consulted with Timon administrators, including athletic director Jim Palano, and learned that the Timon-OP game would have to be a scrimmage.
"It's disappointing because this is a game that all of our kids look forward to, because Orchard Park is the top dog," said Burke. "I know that they're disappointed, too.
"We overlooked the rule regarding how many games you could have. We probably need to be more selective with who we play -- maybe we didn't need to play Aquinas [of Section V] twice. I talked to [OP] coach [Gene] Tundo. He sounded disappointed but he was as accomodating as he could be."
The teams will still play Friday evening, but with a running clock for 15-minute quarters and no official score kept on the field.
"With the playoffs coming up, it's still good to get another quality opponent to prepare us, so something is better than nothing," Burke said. "We're going to be playing it as hard as possible, and I know they are too."
Timon has several games scheduled against private schools in Detroit this weekend; Burke said those will also be played as scrimmages and were always scheduled as such. Burke also said that in previous years, Timon's game against Ontario's Hill Academy was treated as a scrimmage.
"We did a couple of things different and it really screwed it up," said Burke. "We just have to be more selective with who we play."
My take?
Coach Burke has played perhaps the most impressive nonleague schedules in Western New York over the last five or six years. I credit him for seeking out top competition that has included outstanding programs both from within New York and out of the state (and out of the country). His scheduling is one of the major reasons that Timon has become one of Western New York's elite program.
But (and this is a big but) to schedule too many contests is a hugely critical error on behalf of Burke and the school. To have an outstanding game like Timon-OP wiped out because of too many games being played is inexcusable. It's a simple matter which could have been avoided. It's also something that almost never happens in other sports.
The bottom line is that arguably the best regular-season matchup between Western New York boys lacrosse teams has been lost for the players, programs, fans and yes, the media. A matchup like this attracts attention and deserves attention. It is one that would not have only benefitted the teams involved, but would have benefitted the sport in Western New York in general.
Instead, we won't be there. Because it's just a scrimmage.
