Sports Snippets: November 9, 2023
Compiled by WRILEY NELSON
Wilcox Boat Fourth in Regatta
CAMBRIDGE, MA—Cooperstown native Colin Wilcox competed in the world’s largest three-day rowing regatta on the weekend of October 20-23. His boat (above) finished fourth in the Men’s Club Fours event at Head of the Charles, about 20 seconds behind the winner in a field of over 50 boats.
“There were about 11,000 athletes competing and I heard there were nearly 200,000 people in town, including spectators and staff,” Wilcox said. “It was just a privilege to be able to compete in such a famous regatta. I’ve heard about it and dreamed about it as long as I’ve been rowing. To be able to stand on the podium was even more exciting.”
Edmeston/Morris Wins S4-D
ONEONTA—The Section IV Class D soccer championship games were played at the Wright National Soccer Campus in Oneonta on Saturday, October 28. Three-seed Edmeston/Morris defeated four-seed Franklin 1-0 in the girls’ title game after Sophie Robinson scored on an assist from Hannah Wist just five minutes into the contest. E/M keeper Abby White kept the season alive with a critical diving save that blocked a shot by Franklin star Shannon Kingsbury with 10 minutes left to play. E/M will face Cincinattus (Section III) in the regional match at Nottingham High School in Syracuse at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 4; the winner of this game will advance to the state final four. The Morris girls previously won the section outright in 2011 and shared it with Franklin on penalty kicks in 2012.
The boys’ title game saw one-seed South Kortright shut out three-seed Edmeston 1-0. Jack Byrne scored unassisted just four minutes into the match. The rest of the contest was physical and hard-fought but remained scoreless. SK earned the 10th Section IV title in program history and the fifth since 2016. They will face Poland, the Section III Class D champions, at WNSC on Saturday, November 4.
OHS Falls in S4-B Title Game
ENDWELL—Oneonta girls soccer came up short against Chenango Valley in the Section IV Class B championship game at Maine-Endwell on Saturday, October 28. CV took the lead with 20 minutes left in the first half and led 2-0 early in the second. OHS rallied late, with Grace Slesinksy scoring twice to cut the deficit to 3-2 by three minutes before the end of regulation, but were ultimately unable to catch up. Josie Scanlon and Veronika Madej made assists. The Yellowjackets finished the season with a 10-5-1 record.
Oneonta Advances in Playoffs
ONEONTA—The 23-ranked SUNY Oneonta men’s soccer team redeemed themselves after a tough regular-season loss and defeated number-19 Brockport 1-0 in the SUNY Athletic Conference semifinals on Wednesday, November 1. After a scoreless first half, sophomore Joe Holder netted the game-winner in the 52nd minute on an assist by junior Luigi Prosperi. Senior Nate Hanna made a career-high 11 saves.
“Brockport is always a tough out and today was no different,” said head coach Iain Byrne. ‘They had a couple of chances in the first half and we had ours in the second. Fortunately, Holder reacted quickest to a great save from their keeper to bury the rebound and send us on to another conference final.”
Oneonta improved to 14-2-3 for the season and will face Cortland in the SUNYAC finals at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 4.
Hartwick College men’s soccer fell 1-0 to Elmira College in the Empire 8 Conference semifinals on the same day. The match went scoreless through the first overtime period, but Elmira finally scored the winning goal in the 105th minute. Hartwick put up a strong fight to the end. Junior goalkeeper Dante Gesamondo made two saves in the loss. The Hawks finished the season with a 8-5-4 record and 4-3-2 in E8.
Oneonta Boys Win XC Title
ONEONTA—The Oneonta High School boys cross country team won their second consecutive Section IV Class C title at Chenango Valley State Park on Thursday, November 2. Colin Fletcher-Foster, Keyon Ziaie, Jackson Forbes, Donovan Lema and Gabriel Rissberger finished third through seventh. These five runners, as well as Brighton Logue and William Cooper, qualified for the state meet.
Kane Breaks Swim Records
ROME—Cooperstown girls swimming competed in the Tri-Valley League championship meet at Rome Free Academy on Friday, October 20. The Hawkeyes finished fifth in a field of eight teams. The team racked up 14 new personal records and two Cooperstown swimmers qualified for sectionals. Emily Kane set new school records of 1:10.00 in the 100m breaststroke and 2:20.06 in the 200m individual medley.
Boys Fifth in Championship
WEST WINFIELD—Cooperstown cross country competed in the Center State Conference Championship meet at Mount Markham high school on Saturday, October 21. Eighteen schools attended the meet, which faced strong winds and rain. Cooperstown’s Hu Agostino won the junior high boys race, finishing the 1.45-mile course in 9:09 in a field of more than 70 runners. The varsity boys placed fifth in team scoring in a field of 11 complete teams. Carter Stevens and Jonah Hitchcock placed fifth and 16th, respectively, and were named conference all-stars. Cooperstown was unable to field a complete girls varsity team, but Cate Bohler and Nora Craig finished 29th and 31st, respectively.
Coop Soccer Ousted on PKs
VERONA—The Cooperstown girls soccer season came to a heartbreaking end with a loss to Beaver River on penalty kicks in the Section III Class C semifinals at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School on Wednesday, October 25. The Beavers and Hawkeyes played 110 minutes of a hard-fought, scoreless match before resorting to penalty kicks. The teams remained tied 3-3 after five kicks before the Beavers pulled ahead 4-3. Cooperstown seniors Sophia Hotaling and Tori France, and sophomore Cecilia Franck, made penalty kicks. It was the second straight game in which Beaver River advanced on penalty kicks. The game technically counts as a tie and the Hawkeyes finished the season with a 14-3-2 record. It was the first time the program had advanced to the semifinals since 2006. France and Hotaling were named to all-tournament honors.
Coop Fourth, Kane Advances
COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown girls swimming placed fourth in a field of 11 teams at the Section III Championship meet in Syracuse on Wednesday, November 1. Freshman Emily Kane of Milford was honored as the Class C Swimmer of the Year, and varsity coach John Hodgson received Class C Coach of the Year. Kane placed first in the 100 breaststroke and the 200 individual medley. Caitlin O’Sullivan finished second in the 100 butterfly and third in the 200 freestyle. Arya Patel won the 200 IM relay and placed second in the 400 freestyle relay. Jaina Bischof took fourth in the 100 backstroke. Kane also won the 200 IM at the Section III State Qualifiers on Friday, November 3, guaranteeing her a place in the state meet.
XCountry Races at Sectionals
VERONA—The Cooperstown cross-country teams wrapped up the season at the Section III Championships and State Qualifier meet at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School on Saturday, November 4. Weather conditions were ideal on the gently rolling course. The Hawkeyes were unable to field a full varsity girls team, but freshman Nora Craig finished 25th with a personal record of 22:51. Seniors Margaret Raffo and Cate Bohler completed their final high school race despite both suffering from recent injuries. The boys varsity team finished ninth in a field of 22 teams. Milford senior Carter Stevens paced the Hawkeyes, placing 12th of 184 runners with a time of 18:14. He was followed by Jonah Hitchcock, Owen Flannigan, Brendan Heavner and Caleb Hitchcock to round out the scoring.
SK, E/M Fall in State Tourney
NEW YORK—Edmeston/Morris girls soccer fell 2-0 to Cincinnatus in the State Class-D Regionals on Saturday, November 4. Cincinnatus scored the insurance goal with half an hour left to play. The match was hard-fought and most action took place in the midfield. The South Kortright boys team lost a state quarterfinal match to Poland 3-1 on the same day. Poland jumped out to an early lead with two goals in the first five minutes of the match. Darren Dengler scored the lone SK goal of the day on an assist by Connor Quarino with 24 minutes left to play.
Leonard Ranked in Wrestling
READING, PA—The National Wrestling Coaches Association announced its first ranking of the 2023-2024 season, and Alvernia University sophomore Avery Leonard of Maryland was ranked ninth in his weight class. He was a national qualifier last year and finished the season with a 32-11 record. The Alvernia Golden Wolves are ranked sixth in the team tournament poll, just half a point behind the fifth-place finishers. Leonard recorded a first-place finish in the 141-pound bracket of the season opener on Saturday, November 4. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
Hartwick Field Hockey Wins
ONEONTA—The Hartwick College field hockey team battled to a hard-fought 3-1 win against Houghton University in the Empire 8 Conference semifinals on Thursday, November 2. The Hawks scored just 51 seconds into the contest, with senior Holly Calore making the shot on an assist by junior Mackenzie Kensel. Senior Julie Ruzzi scored after a perfectly-executed corner penalty by junior Sami Shortino. The Highlanders cut the lead to one in the second quarter, but Hartwick hung on and Shortino scored an insurance goal assisted by Ruzzi in the 44th minute. The Hawks will face St. John Fisher University on Saturday, November 4.