Sports Briefs: September 14, 2023
Reigning Hawkeyes Start Season Strong
COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown boys soccer, defending Section III Class C champions, rolled to a 6-1 victory over visiting Herkimer on Friday, September 8. The Hawkeyes, who have won two consecutive sectional titles and rode an 11-game winning streak to the state final four last November, are off to a strong start as they try to continue their dominance with a mixed roster of seasoned veterans and fresh faces. Cooperstown led most of the action against Herkimer, taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by senior Frank Panzarella before halftime. Senior goalkeeper Charlie Lambert, the long-serving bedrock of the Hawkeyes’ strong defense, faced only three shots in the contest. Junior Janak Pandit scored two goals, junior Roland Gardner-Oleson made five assists, and eighth grader Hayden Spencer scored the first goal of what promises to be a long and successful varsity career. Cooperstown took 36 shots overall and moved to 1-0 for the season.
OHS Volleyball Tops Susquehanna Valley
CONKLIN—Oneonta High School volleyball won a hard-fought Southern Tier Athletic Conference road match against Susquehanna Valley on Thursday, September 7. Aubry Microni made 23 assists, while Hayden LeFever added six kills and four blocks.
Laurens Girls Soccer Beats CV-S in Overtime
CHERRY VALLEY—Laurens girls soccer defeated Cherry Valley-Springfield 1-0 in an exciting night Tri-Valley League game on Friday, September 8. Jaidon Brodie scored with 31 seconds left in the first overtime period to secure the game for Laurens.
Cooperstown Cross Country Starts Season
VOORHEESVILLE—Cooperstown’s varsity cross-country teams traveled to the Blackbirds Invitational in Voorheesville on Saturday, September 9 for their first outing of the season. Twenty-four schools attended, mostly larger schools from Section II. Conditions were muddy and humid with full sun on ground sodden from two days of rain. Senior and Captain Margaret Raffo finished seventh overall in the girls’ race with a time of 23:05; the Cooperstown girls were unable to field a full team. On the boys’ side, Carter Stevens finished fourth overall in 18:23, followed by junior Jonah Hitchcock in 22nd place (21:09). Coach Jessie Ravage said that the results indicated a promising season for the boys’ team results and for individual runners on the girls’ team.
Hotaling Leads Offense, Girls Sweep Tourney
SCHENECTADY—Cooperstown senior Sophia Hotaling had the most dominant weekend of her career, leading the girls soccer team offensively as the Hawkeyes swept their bracket in the New York State Hall of Fame Tournament in the Capital District on Saturday and Sunday, September 9 and 10. Hotaling made a career-best four goals as Cooperstown defeated Mayfield 7-1 at Scotia-Glenville on Saturday, September 9. Sophomore Mia Pelcer scored twice, while junior Brenna Seamon made 11 saves. Hotaling tied her record the next day, scoring all four goals for the Hawkeyes as they defeated Hoosick Falls 4-0 at Niskayuna. This brought her to nine goals scored in the first three games, tying her total for the entire 2022 season. Seamon made 13 more saves. It was the second straight year that Cooperstown swept their tournament bracket. The Hawkeyes boast a 3-0 record for the season.