When you watch the Oneonta Tigers this
season, there is no doubt you are awe-struck by the
presence (and performance) of #18. Catcher John
Murrian, the Detroit Tigers 9th round draft pick out of
Winthrop University, has provided some fireworks this
season. Probably the most memorable two games came July
27-28 vs. the Vermont Lake Monsters. In the first,
Murrian was a hitting machine – going just a triple
short of hitting for the cycle. At this level, that kind
of production is rarely seen. He went four for four that
night. Coming into that game, Murrian had already
established himself as the team’s starting catcher.
Batting cleanup, Murrian is hitting .352 with 37 hits on
105 at bats. He has nine doubles, a triple, four home
runs and 26 RBI’s – with stats like this, his
one-hit-shy night is no surprise. He has hit home
runs three times against Vermont, two at home and one in
Burlington, and one at Tri-City. So, at four for four
and a triple shy of the cycle, the sparks wouldn’t stop
there. The next night Oneonta would find themselves down
5-1 going into the bottom of the eighth inning. John
Murrian was hitless on the night and had already struck
out once. The Tigers rallied, bringing the game to 5-4
going into the 9th. Jaime Johnson tied the game with a
triple that scored Luis Palacios. After walking Rockett
and Bishop to get to Murrian, the Summerville, South
Carolina native made them pay. On a 0-2 curveball,
Murrian squared up and turned on the ball. With the
bases loaded, Murrian cranked a one out grand slam over
the left-center field fence, his first grand slam of the
season. He was met by his teammates at home plate and
mobbed as the Tigers won in walk off fashion 9-5. He
wasn’t done, however. He would homer the next night in
Burlington, keeping his amazing hitting streak
alive. John Murrian is also a great defensive catcher
as well, a stat that earned him the right as the team’s
predominate player at that position. Catchers,
stereotypically, are slow, flat footed, and not expected
to do much on the base paths without a hit and run
situation. However, Murrian has been able to leg out two
stolen bases so far. His on base percentage is .420 and
his slugging percentage is .571. John Murrian is an
all around danger both at the plate and behind it, and
has more than earned his place in the Tigers
organization. Murrian had a huge July, hitting 4 homers,
registering 30 hits (8 of the doubles and 1 triple),
pushed across 23 runs, drew six walks and stole two
bases. In upstate New York, August is usually the
hottest month. For Murrian, if August is any hotter than
July then expect to see him in West Michigan very soon.
Michael Rockett, the
Detroit Tigers ninth- round pick from the University of
Texas San Antonio, has done more than impress in the #24
Oneonta Tigers uniform this season. Batting in the
second spot for the Tigers, Rockett leads the team in
the RBI category as well as hits. He has legged out five
doubles and four triples and currently has two home runs
on the season. Rockett has 46 hits and has scored 21
runs in 138 at bats. His team leading 22 RBIs, mixed
with his other stats, has him ranked at third overall in
the New York-Penn League in batting. Rockett hit his
first homerun of the season on notoriously deep
Damaschke Field back in June, during a 9-3 victory over
NY-PL Stedler division rival the Lowell Spinners. As a
part of an Oneonta Tigers team that is leading the NY-PL
in batting, Rockett is an integral part of an offense
that gives chills to pitchers all over the league. He
currently posts an eye opening .367 on base percentage,
a .471 slugging percentage and a .333 batting average.
If these stats do not impress you, nothing about the
game will. Originally from Sugarland, Texas, Rockett
played baseball at Austin High School before choosing
UTSA. Many players have a hard time making the
transition from the metal bat collegiate leagues to the
wood bat pros, but for Michael Rockett this kind of
plate success is nothing new. He batted over .325 in
each of his first two seasons at UTSA and quickly became
a fixture in the starting lineup. While he did not
have many offers to play ball right out of high school,
he made the best of what he was given. Let me re-phrase
that, he re-wrote the record books with the opportunity
he was given. Rockett’s only offer out of high school
was to walk on at Temple Junior College after trying out
for the team. Fortunately for Texas San Antonio,
Associate Coach Marshall got a glimpse of Rockett’s
ability and called him up. Anyone who knows, has played
with, or has coached Rockett throughout the years, knows
that this decision has certainly paid off. A diverse
player in the field, Rockett has played a starting role
on defense in all of the outfield positions. He has
played 21 games in right field, 15 in left field and 2
in center, although center field is taken up by solid
Oklahoma University draft pick and lead off hitter Jaime
Johnson. In 48 chances Rockett, had 44 putouts
(getting a batter/runner out), 2 assists and 2 errors in
21 games. Chances are the total number of putouts plus
assists plus errors. He is, for the most part, a sure
fire grab in outfield unless it is an unusually good hit
and has the wheels to catch most high fly balls and line
drives. Oneonta has had some fantastic players grace
their town with summer gems throughout the years,
including major leaguers such as Andy Pettite, Jorge
Posada, Bernie Williams, Reuben Rivera, Russ Davis, J.T
Snow, Jim Leyritz, Al Lieter and don’t forget current
Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson. If things keep
going the way they are this season, you can soon add
Michael Rockett to that list of notables.
The uprights were homemade from PVC
pipe. The lockers were make-shift tents. Before
two small sets of bleachers, the New York Stallions
kicked off their first home game at Fortin Park in
Emmons, Town of Oneonta, with more than 300 fans on the
sidelines – a number which seemed to impress and please
everyone there, owner, players and fans alike. While
the score was nothing to brag about – the Stallions lost
to the NEPA Miners, 46-0 – the Saturday, July 18, game
proved to be good summer evening’s entertainment, and
free at that, if conversation on the sidelines was any
indication. Many families came out with kids to check
out the game. When not watching the game, the kids
gathered in the space between the new field and the old
airplane hangars and started games of their own. A
small concessions stand was set up nearby, selling
prepackaged goods such as candy, chips, soda, bug spray,
sunscreen, and the Stallions old Carolina Blue Jerseys –
they changed to green. Face painting may be in
evidence at the next game – 5 p.m., Saturday, July 25,
also a Fortin, said Del Anthony, the team’s owner, in an
interview. Fans watched through an orange snow-fence.
Most brought their own chairs or blankets. Spectators
stretched from one end zone to the other, and curved
around at each end zone. “This worked out wonderful,”
Melissa Bonney of Oneonta said about the turnout for the
game. She has headed up concessions and fundraising
efforts for the Stallions since Anthony took
ownership. Tracey Hood of Delhi, mother of Stallions
player Brenton Hood and wife of Martin Hood, a former
Oneonta Indians football player and new Stallions Line
coach, said, “I’m thrilled with the big turnout and
support. The team really wants to be a community
team.” Anthony said he will be changing Martin Hood
to defensive line coach as he has given up his duties
after taking fulltime responsibility of ownership. Otis
Perry will be taking on responsibilities as special
teams coach and team trainer. “We want to see
football in Oneonta,” said Oneontan Jay Salone, whose
dad used to play for the Oneonta Indians. “We’re big
football fans.” Fellow spectator Gary Newton of
Oneonta said he knows Del Anthony and came out to
support him and his team; he hopes community sponsors
will start to supporting the team as well. “Del’s
been working real hard for this team. This isn’t Giants
– New England, but it’s football and I’m a football
fan,” he said. “It was a great turn out and a victory
because we played a home game in Oneonta,” said Anthony.
“We want to thank the whole organization from parents to
the guy who did the field from Sports Field
Specialists. “Thanks, Oscar Carpenter, Paul Barber,
and anyone else who has helped with making this a
reality. We also want to thank Marie Lusins, Cheryl
Shackelton and the Town of Oneonta for everything they
have done,” he continued. “It’s really all about the
community.”
The Oneonta Tigers were
in first place as the week began and, despite being
swept on the road at Mahoning Valley, the boys in blue
are playing some of their best ball of the season right
now. Oneonta won its first game against Batavia at
home on Monday, July 20 – ’70s Night, where at least
some fans wore their grooviest outfits. This was one of
the Fan Fun Nights you should watch out for. I wrote
last week about my experience at Tri City and how
Oneonta performed to the highest standard; well, even
though it wasn’t a 13-5 victory with a seven-run second
inning, the Tigers still were able to open my
eyes. They had lost all three games to Mahoning
Valley in the last inning, so when the Tigers took a 2-2
lead to the ninth inning I feared the worst. Batavia,
though 15-15, is a battle-tested squad, NYPL defending
champions. The St. Louis Cardinals’ affiliate came
into Oneonta on a four-game winning streak and the world
in front of them. Oneonta came in deflated after three
straight losses and an eight-hour bus ride. The
situation heavy favored the Muckdogs, but that is the
beauty of baseball. Oneonta was battled back,
claiming a walk-off win in the 10th inning in front of
the home crowd. Oneonta has played considerably
better at home this season, and now the Tigers just need
one more thing – for someone to notice. The Tigers
have made so many great changes and additions to the
park, but they still struggle to get the attendance they
would like. I am not writing this because I am
interning with them. I am writing it because of the
history, because of the passion. I am writing it because
of the tradition. I am writing it for the little kids
that beam when they see O-Nee, for the adults who now
have a picnic area wherein to socialize and eat good
food, for the spirit of baseball – for the love of the
game. So close to Cooperstown, baseball is a local
tradition. Oneonta has done so much to keep a
professional rapport and that nostalgic feel for
summertime entertainment, and with their new ownership
things are really beginning to turn around. Oneonta
is a major part of America’s pastime, and with so much
to offer within the gates of Damashcke Field, why stand
outside them? Plus, the weather’s getting
better. Oneonta had two more games against Batavia
this week before going on the road for two against arch
rival Tri City. Catch them at 2 p.m. Saturday, July
25, at Doubleday Field during National Baseball Hall of
Fame Induction Weekend. Free admission.
CHRIS McSWIGGIN
It was the craziest game of the season. The
Oneonta Tigers won 13-5 against the Tri City Valleycats
in Troy, Friday, July 10, in a game that featured a
seven-run second inning where the Tigers only recorded
three hits and a homerun. The rest of the scoring
came from walks, wild pitches and stolen bases. The
hits: Jaime Johnson singled to right field, Michael
Rockett tripled and Wade Gaynor doubled. The inning
began with catcher John Murrian being hit by a
pitch. After three wild pitches by Tri City’s Brandt
Walker, and a walk for Palacios and Gulliver, Rawley
Bishop homered to left field for his fourth of the
season. I had seen seven runs on three hits before,
but never in the crazy walk, wild pitch, hit, walk, wild
pitch sequence of that evening. The madness would
continue the next time the Tigers took to the
plate. The top of the third inning saw third baseman
Luis Palacios hit in the head with a Brandt Walker wild
pitch. Palacios was down for a lengthy period, then had
to leave the game. Carmelo Jaime would come in as his
replacement. The next batter, Jimmy Gulliver, would then
double, moving Jaime to 3rd base. Both would score two
batters later when Jaime Johnson tripled, making the
score 9-0 Oneonta. This kind of offensive
productivity felt good after the Tigers were swept by
Vermont at home the series before, and it kept me on the
edge of my seat the whole time. I had been at the
most exciting baseball game I have ever attended, and it
was only the third inning. Oneonta played stellar
defense as well, holding Tri City scoreless through
four. The big sticks would continue as Rockett singled
in the top of the fifth. It was a beautiful night for
baseball, which felt good after the deluge of Mother
Nature’s bad attitude pretty much all
season. Oneonta, playing its first game on Tri City’s
field after a rainout the first time around, certainly
made its presence felt in the Capital District. The
Tigers, who would go up 10-0 on a John Murrian HR in the
6th, and would eventually make it 11-0. Previews of
the Indians/Yankees 22-4 rout came flashing into my head
as this game was getting way beyond the point of being
“out of control.” Tri City would provide a little
excitement for those who, like me, keep a close watch on
statistics and player personel, as their worst hitter
(batting 0.9-) hit two opposite field home runs late in
the game. His average is now .171. He would be the
spark for Tri City, but his flame would simmer as
Oneonta would tack on a few more runs and finish with
their highest scoring outing of the season with 13 runs
batted in. Oneonta would go on to sweep the series
with two 3-0 victories to follow. I am glad that I
traveled to Tri City for the game because I proved my
opening addage true; you see something you have never
seen before at every new game you watch. Oneonta will
take on Auburn for three games on the road then travel
to Mahoning Valley before returning home on July 20th
for a three game set vs. Batavia. Oneonta currently sits
in first place in the NYPL Stedler Division at 13-8 with
a two game lead over Lowell (12-11). Oneonta has
provided excitement this season to say the least, and
with their new-look ownership and numerous improvement
and renovations, the Tigers have become the team to beat
this season both on and off the field.
CHRIS McSWIGGIN
At mid-week the Oneonta Tigers sat, all alone, in first
place, with a 10-5 record and a three-game lead on the
Lowell Spinners. The Tigers completed their first
sweep of the season, taking three straight from Aberdeen
at Damaschke Field. Oneonta had taken two out of three
from the Ironbirds on the road the series before. The
Oneonta players have revenge on their minds as they take
on the Vermont Lake Monsters in a three-game set.
Vermont defeated Oneonta in two straight contests and
held them to their lowest statistical outings of the
season. The Tigers have a chance to take a firm lead
on the NYPL Stedler Division. The Lowell Spinners
play the pesky Tri City Valley Cats for a three game set
and with victories over Vermont, Oneonta could set
themselves up for another playoff run. Oneonta would
use their back-to-back losses at Vermont as momentum,
beating the Spinners 9-3 in game one. Now they have
won three straight, and look to keep the fire
burning. Oneonta had a heck of a July 4, with Tigers’
first baseman Rawley Bishop hitting a grand slam and a
solo home run in the Tigers 7-2 victory over Aberdeen in
front of the biggest Tigers crowd this season,
1.522. The Tigers have some solid pitching and have
relied on it to get them through a lot of games. Oneonta
takes on Vermont for three straight then take on Tri
City in a home-away-home contest before embarking on a
six-game road trip. July 8 was Sid Levine Bobble-Head
Night at the ballpark.
At
mid-week, The Oneonta Tigers sat tied for first with the
archrival Tri-City Valley Cats with both clubs sitting
at 5-4. Oneonta has shown some amazing talent this
year, coached by a very dedicated and experienced
coaching staff. However, the one thing the Tigers
have lacked this season is consistency. One game they
will flash the big sticks and the next game they will
get shut out. Oneonta, which has a very strong
pitching core, seems to just be finding its comfort zone
at the plate. Since the last Hometown Oneonta report,
they have certainly made the season
interesting. Oneonta finished its series with Lowell
on a good note, racking up a 3-0 over the Spinners on
the road before heading to Vermont where they would take
the first game of that series 5-2. The Tigers were
flying high, but weather put a damper on the fire they
had lit. Their second game of three in Burlington was
postponed due to rain. In the New York-Penn League, when
a game is rained out, the teams play a two-game,
seven-inning doubleheader next time they
meet. Oneonta would drop both games (0-3, 1-2) before
returning to Damaschke Field for a series against the
same Lowell Spinners they took two games from the series
before. Oneonta would use the back-to-back losses as
momentum, beating the Spinners 9-3 in game one. Michael
Rockett, a U Texas San Antonio prospect, hit the first
home run of the season for the Tigers and the first of
his professional career. In that game, six Tigers racked
up RBIs: third baseman Wade Gaynor (1), first baseman
Rawley Bishop (2), OF/DH Alexis Espinoza (2), catcher
Eric Roof (1), left fielder Matt Mansilla (1), and
Rockett (1). The Tigers brought out the big sticks in
this game, tallying up a highest run total of the season
so far with nine across the board. However, the next
night, after a 50-plus minute rain delay, the Tigers
would fall to the visiting Spinners 5-0. Their third
game, scheduled for Tuesday, June 30, was cancelled
mid-afternoon when a storm that flooded the
field. The Tigers will meet the Spinners in a double
header the next time they visit Damaschke, Sept. 2.
Lowell currently sits at third place in the NY-P Stedler
division at 5-6. Oneonta now goes on the road to face
a team outside of their division, the NY-P MacNamara
second place team, the Aberdeen Ironbirds
(4-6). Oneonta returns home July 4 for a six-game
home stand vs. Aberdeen and Vermont before hitting the
road again to take on Tri City. Bring a canned food
to the ballpark on the Fourth of July and your admission
is free.
Harlem, Pidgeon Honored As OHS
Athletes Of The Year At 63rd Annual Varsity ‘O’ Awards
Saturday, June 20, 2009
ONEONTA
Friends
and family gathered at Oneonta High School on Tuesday,
June 9 for the 63rd Annual Varsity “O” Awards to
celebrate and honor the accomplishments of the 2008-2009
varsity athletes. Major awards went to the following
students: The Carl J. Delberta Award went to Eric
Scheer for using the skills he learned at the Oneonta
Boys and Girls Club to help others and achieve in high
school athletics, Ian Kelley was awarded the Herb
Burchell Award, which is given to a player who does not
get all the attention or glory, but is there working
hard and being a strong participant that makes the team
better through attitude and effort. Service and
Athletics Award went to Emily Shea for her positive
contributions to team and involvement in a variety of
school and community services. Dalton Smith was
awarded the E.C. Dutch Damaschke Award for his
accomplishments which stem from youth programs and are
based on dedication, hard work and a positive team
attitude Phil Wright was awarded the Anthony C. Drago
Award for his participation in athletics which is
characterized by the highest levels of coachability,
sportsmanship, competitive spirit, work ethic and
conscious effort toward his athletic gifts Madeline
“Madie” Harlem and Brendan Pidgeon were honored with
this year’s Female and Male Athlete of the Year
Awards. Top scholar athletes recognized at the dinner
include: Bridgette Aikens, softball; Kaitlin
Armstrong, girls cross country; Caryn Balnis, Girls
Bowling;Nick Benjamin, Boys Winter Track; Dan Broe, Boys
Basketball; Ian Clemons, Football; Stratford Corkwell,
Boys Bowling; Ethan Cypress, Boys Cross Country; Eric
Deemer, Boys Soccer; Alden Duckett, Fall Cheerleading;
Beth Gollin, Girls Track; Mena Haile, Volleyball;
Madeline Harlem, Girls Basketball; Illa Labroo, Girls
Swimming; Alex Levenstein, Tennis; Connor McCafferty,
Boys Skiing; Alex Meschutt, Lacrosse; Brendan Pidgeon,
Boys Track Zane Relethford, Boys Swimming; Olivia Rule,
Girls Winter Track; Joe Sastic, Golf; Emily Shea, Girls
Skiing;Karsen Shultz, Girls Soccer; Dalton Smith,
Baseball and Hannah Visnosky, Winter
Cheerleading Three sport athletes
include: Bridgette Aikens, soccer, winter track,
softball; Dan Dokuchitz, golf, winter track, track;
Hannah Lawson, soccer, skiing, track; Ian Kelley,
football winter track, track; Nick Madison, cross
country, winter track, track; Brendan Pidgeon, football,
wrestling, track; Dalton Smith, Football, wrestling,
baseball; Jeremiah Ward, soccer, swimming, track
and Phil Wright, football, basketball,
lacrosse. Sportsmanship Award winners include: Levi
Anderson, boys cross country; Stephanie Birkhimer,
volleyball and girls spring track; Bryanna Brewer,
winter cheerleading; Felisa DeSilva, girls bowling; Dan
Dokuchitz, boys winter track; Vanessa Fassler, golf;
Beth Gollin, girls winter track; Cory Greenberg, boys
swimming; Jennifer Havens, girls swimming; Madeline
Harlem, girls basketball; Peatros Haile, boys spring
track; Jacob Joseph, boys soccer; Ian Kelley, Football;
Hannah Lawson, girls soccer; Luke Mancuso, tennis; Alex
Mirabito, boys basketball; Ryan Renwick, boys bowling;
Kim Scofield, girls cross country; Emily Shea, girls
skiing; Dalton Smith, wrestling; Joe Sullivan, boys
skiing and lacrosse, Katie Webster, fall cheerleading;
Jeff Wiltsie, baseball and Erin Wolstenholme, softball.
The Oneonta Tigers have a brand new
face this season, with new management, a new manager and
a plethora of new players. Oneonta, for years, has
represented tradition and excellence, and the goal of
the 2009 Tigers staff is to build on that
tradition. Detroit did its part too, drafting a
stellar group of athletes and sending third-, seventh-,
10th-, and 13th-round picks to Oneonta this season,
among many others. The Tigers, who opened the season
against the Tri-City ValleyCats Friday, June 19, with a
2-0 win, are well on their way to establishing
themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Mid-week,
the Tigers led the Stedler division of the New York-Penn
League with a 2-0 record after a 4-1 win Monday, June
22, win at Lowell that took them 12 innings to
achieve. Two of Oneonta’s first four games were
rained out, in Tri-City’s Troy and at Damaschke Field,
also against Tri-City. That means the Tigers will be
playing Tri-City in double headers in both locations, at
dates to be determined later. In the first game
against Tri City, Jeff Gerbe pitched a stellar outing,
allowing zero runs on four hits and two walks in six
innings pitched. RBIs were tallied by third-round
pick Wade Gaynor and 20th-round pick Jim Gulliver in the
2-0 victory. Mike LaLuna got the save, pitching three
scoreless innings and allowing only one hit, recording
six strikeouts. The Tigers recorded only four hits in
the win, committed no errors and only allowed five
hits. The team that had struggled with consistency in
the outfield last year seems to have defensive-minded
outfielders this year: Michael Rockett (UT-San Antonio),
Jamie Johnson (Oklahoma), Matt Mansilla (C of C) and
Alexis Espinoza (GCL Tigers). After the two rainouts,
the team left Monday morning for Lowell, which was in
first place at the time with a 2-1 record against
Vermont. Oneonta had a much better offensive
performance, knocking 12 hits and scoring four runs in
12 innings. A 1-0 Tigers’ lead early on was followed
by a 1-1 tie before Oneonta scored three runs in the top
of the 12th, quieting a raucous home crowd. The
Tigers got a little help from an error by Lowell first
baseman Drew Hedman, and a little more with an RBI
double by Oneonta left fielder Michael Rockett. Jimmy
Gulliver recorded another RBI in this contest. Luis
Sanz began the game, pitching just over four innings and
allowing one run on three hits. Kenny Faulk came into
the game in relief and struck out three. The winning
pitcher was Nick Cassavechia (1-0). By the time you
read this, the Tigers will have played two more games at
Lowell and gone on to three straight away games in
Burlington against the Vermont Lake Monsters. A three
game series at home begins Sunday the 28th.
Chris
McSwiggin, Hometown Oneonta’s sportswriter and a
Hartwick student, is interning with the Tigers.
The
players have arrived, the locker rooms and batting cages
are full of activity, and Tuesday night, June 16, marked
the 2009 Oneonta Tigers’ first practice as a whole
team. With new faces on the roster – only three
players, Nick Cassavechia, Wade Lamont and Noah Krol,
return this year and half the team is new to minor
league professional ball all together – and new faces in
ownership, management and coaching, this year promises
to be a whole new ball game for Oneonta. At Tigers
Media Day, that same Tuesday, newly arrived Team Manager
Howard Bushong was looking forward to working with the
whole team of guys in the days leading up to the season
opener, 7:05 p.m. Friday, June 19, at Damaschke Field
against the Tri-City Valley Cats of Troy. Former
owners Sam Nader and Sid Levine will be honored that
evening. The new owner E. Miles Prentice, a New York
City lawyer, and several of his partners intend to
attend. “Tickets sales are very good; most reserve
seats are gone. There’s still general admission
available,” said General Manager Andy Weber. Until
now, Bushong had only worked with 13 of the players
during spring training. The other 17 arrived in the City
of the Hills just this week. Other than those 13,
Bushong acknowledged he knew a little about one of the
new players, Michael Rockett, who was drafted from
University of Texas San Antonio, because he had coached
against him in college ball for three years. Bushong was
formerly a coach for Texas State University. “The
rest, I know just about as much as you do about them,”
said Bushong, “But there’s always a hope looking at the
draft, every year a hope about this guy or
that.” Bushong does have some high hopes for third
round pick Wade Gaynor, a third baseman from Western
Kentucky University and the team’s three catchers, Keith
Hernandez, John Murrian and Eric Roof. “I am looking
to put all three up there to play and prove and improve
on their catching,” said Bushong, a former catcher
himself. On the pitching front, Bushong reported
there are some really good pitchers who are doing a
great job and some who he will just have to wait and see
how they handle the pressure of this level of
ball. “Pro baseball is a whole different world,” said
Bushong, “Albert Pujols was just another guy in college,
a 13th round pick, some guys make it, some guys don’t.
It’s always interesting and always fun to
watch. Reserved seats are $10. Adult general
admission is $6. For kids and seniors, it’s $5.
Fireworks will immediately follow the game.
Oneonta has a long history of tennis
within its athletic heritage, and although it may not be
the number one sport in the area anymore, it still
raises some interest, especially for three boys in
Oneonta, for Riley Lorenz, Emerson Kelby and Josh Moss,
tennis is life. Josh Moss, a junior at OHS, didn’t
start playing tennis until he was about 12 or 13 years
old. “I used to play in Wilber Park all the time. I was
a member of the Oneonta Tennis Club for a
while.” Moss, who plays first position when playing
doubles, said he prefers to play solo. Riley Lorenz
is his sixth year of playing and said he began playing
tennis because it was “something to do after school.”
The sport caught on soon after, and he began to fall in
love with it. Riley is only a sophomore at OHS, and
has his best tennis in front of him. He came in second
in th STAC conference, losing to Dan Freeman of
Elmira-Notre Dame in the final game of his
season. Emerson Kelvy is the young gun in the bunch.
He is only a seveth grader and he is competing at the
highest level of varsity tennis. He too picked up the
sport because it was “something to do after
school.” Oneonta offers a plethora of sports and
activities, but despite all of the interesting things to
do, tennis does not often get the nod, these three
athletes were pursuing a hobby, and it became a
dream. The Oneonta team finished the regular season
undefeated but lost in the STAC finals to Horseheads
maiking the season 13-1, but in section 4 doubles
competition Kelvy and Moss placed first and Lorenz
placed second. They came home with two trophies and a
13-1 overall record. Not too shabby. They ran through
Elmira-Notre Dame in the semi’s 4-6,6-2,7-5. Before that
they beat Elmira Free Academy 6-3,4-6,6-4. Both teams
are very good and well respected within the area.
Oneonta, a young team to begin with, overcame fantastic
odds to accomplish this and with all of their top dogs
returning, they should be in the hunt for some time to
come. Their coach, Phyllis Orlowski, is a Spanish
teacher for grades seven through 12 in the Oneonta
system. This is her third year coaching on the varsity
circuit in Oneonta. She is an energetic, enthusiastic
coach who wants and expects the best from her
players. Oneonta tennis has their foot in the door,
now it is up to the big three to push it wide open.
Editor’s Note: Chris
McSwiggin’s “Blast From the Past” examines OHS athletes
who have beat the small-school odds to become state
champs.
OHS’ Kara (Hattem) Balliet, as a
sophomore coached by David Perry, took first place at
the state High School Championships to become the
NYSPHSAA slalom champion. Her performance, plus a
top-five finish in the giant slalom, also earned her the
Combined Championship. The OHS Ski Team was a force to
be reckoned with. As a junior in 1994, Kara was a key
performer in leading the Section IV Ski Team to a
combined Alpine Championship (slalom and giant slalom
events) in Lake Placid. Overall standings are based
on the top five racers from each Section’s ski team;
their finishes determine the champions in the combined
slalom and giant slalom events. More than 70
competitors took part from around New York State. As
a senior in 1995, Balliet was co-captain of the ski
team. She took second place in the Slalom Event at the
state High School Championships at Lake Placid. In
addition to skiing for OHS, Kara – and Brooke (Baker)
Bass, featured last week – also skied for the USSA Ski
Team. Kara later coached young skiers on the Scotch
Valley USSA Ski Team during her college vacations. “I
loved skiing since I was little. When I was about 3 my
parents took me to a ski slope and I really enjoyed it.
It escalated from there to ski teams and race teams. It
really began that first time.” Balliet, who attended
James Madison University in Virginia, ended her
competitive skiing days when she left Oneonta. JMU did
not offer a ski team, but Kara still tried to ski
whenever possible. “They have a few ski mountains,
but not enough to offer a ski team at the school.” In
the off season, when she wasn’t skiing, she rode horses.
A competitive equestrian as well, Balliet rode a horse
that was 6th in the nation during her senior year. “I
traveled all over the state (and country) to ride
horses” said Kara, “it got very competitive”. Living
in Arizona currently, Kara (now Kara Hattem), doesn’t
get as much time to ski as she would like nor does she
have the options for skiing she did in New
York. “There are the White Mountains to the north and
a couple of others, but it is not much.” Kara earned
her MBA at the University of Phoenix after graduating
from JMU. She was the manager of sales and marketing for
University Physicians Health Plans in Arizona. Kara
is now a provider contracting consultant with Humana,
Inc. and is on the board of directors of the Arizona
Small Business Association and on the board of directors
of the Southern Arizona Association of Health
Underwriters. Kara feels honored to be recognized by
OHS for her athletic achievements. “I am very proud.
That is a day that I will always remember. It was
exciting for Brooke and me because we were only
sophomores and we couldn’t wait to get back to school
and tell everyone. I am very honored that Oneonta is
remembering these achievements and I feel very proud
that I was able to accomplish something so
great.” Kara certainly has a lot to be proud about,
and it all stems from the City of the Hills.
After the heroics of Kevin Burnsworth and
the accolades he earned at OHS, the community would have
to wait 11 years for the next state champ. Her name was
Brooke (Baker) Bass, and she was an NYSPHSAA Ski
Championship Giant Slalom champion. Brooke won the
Giant Slalom in Lake Placid in 1993 on historic White
Face Mountain. Like most of the athletes featured in
this series, she played many sports while at OHS. She
joined the ski team as a seventh grader and was a member
for six years, becoming the varsity co-captain as a
senior. She played Varsity Soccer and Varsity Track
& Field for three years and also competed on the
Varsity Tennis team for one season. She lettered six
years in skiing, three in soccer, three in track and one
in tennis, for a total of 13 varsity letters. OHS Soccer
won the Susquenango League Championship three times, was
Co-Section IV champions with Maine-Endwell, and State
Section IV semi-finalists once. Brooke was not just a
great athlete but also a great student. She received
the New York State High School Athletic Association’s
Academic Recognition during soccer, skiing and track
& field season in grades 10-12 and joined the
National Honor Society in 10th grade. In her senior
year, Brooke was first chair, first clarinet in the
concert band. She won numerous individual
achievements in skiing at the local, sectional, and
state levels. During her skiing career, Brooke competed
against racers from all high schools in New York State,
regardless of size, and won two Section IV championships
in 1995 (slalom and giant slalom) and the State
Championship in Giant Slalom in 1993, besting all female
skiers (those that qualified for the State races) from
all sections in New York. Like all of those great
state champs before her, she had to go through numerous
big schools on her long ladder to the top. She won
the Coaches Award for three consecutive years as the top
female skier in Section IV. She also was awarded the
E.C. Dutch Damaschke Award for sportsmanship at the
Varsity “O” awards ceremony in her senior year.
Competing with all of the best skiers in the state,
Brooke Baker could safely say that she was the one on
top. Despite those accomplishments, Brooke set yet
more records. She set records in Track & Field as a
member of the Spirit Medley Team that still stands
today. Her triple jump record would later be broken by
Toni Lee McDaniels. Brooke would move on to play
three varsity sports at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT). Though they were a Division III
school in athletics (and one of the top in the country
in academics) OHS still played a very competitive
schedule. Collegiate ski racing only has one
division, so Brooke found herself up against skiers from
schools such as Boston College, UMass, Plymouth State,
Smith, Colby-Sawyer, Brown, Harvard, Dartmouth College,
Middlebury College, University of New Hampshire and
Univeristy of Vermont. She became captain of her
varsity soccer and ski teams for her junior and senior
year at MIT. If not impressive enough, she walked on to
the MIT lacrosse team, a sport she had never played
before, and was a starter on defense for three
seasons. “At the collegiate level, some sports cross
over seasons, so if I was going to do track it would
have to be in the spring,” said Brooke in a recent
interview. “They also have a winter segment and my
skiing coach didn’t want me to miss any of that season.
I had always enjoyed watching lacrosse.” Oneonta did
not have a lacrosse program when Brooke was a student,
but did install a men’s program shortly after. “I had
some friends who played it and field hockey and they
convinced me that it may be something I would be
interested in. The
sport seemed to come naturally to
me.” Brooke capped off the most
successful four-year career of any Alpine racer in the
history of MIT women’s skiing. Her accomplishments have
yet to be eclipsed. She was a top 10 racer in the
Osborne Division of the ECSC and went on to race in the
NCAA Regional competition in her sophomore and senior
years. Brooke excelled in everything she did
athletically, and never settled for being second place.
She wasn’t Oneonta’s all-around athlete, but more like
Oneonta’s super athlete. She did all of this while
maintaining stellar grades at one of the nation’s top
academic institutions. Brooke (Baker) Bass is truly
something special. She graduated from MIT with a
degree in environmental engineering, and then from the
Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Brooke
married Jeff Bass in 2003 and had daughter Avery in
January of this year. She lives in Massachusetts and is
an assistant vice president/property claims at the
Liberty Mutual Group in Boston. She recently became a
designated CPCU. When asked if she still skis
whenever she can, her response was, “It’s a little more
difficult to do it in the work world when you can’t just
go skiing everyday like you would on a team. Plus, I
just had a baby in January so it is tough for me to get
out that often.” However, soccer is still a major
part of Brooke’s life. She still plays on area club
teams and women’s teams. Brooke, who has all the
qualities of an OHS Hall of Famer, still has not gotten
the call. “It would certainly be a great honor if the
day came. It would be a great accomplishment to stand
beside them,” said Brooke, “I really think that it is a
unique accomplishment to say that you competed against
the absolute best and came out on top – it makes me
proud to say I was a state champion in that
circumstance.” She more than deserves her spot in the
OHS Hall of Fame, “If I get it, I would be honored and
accept my award humbly. If I do not, then I will still
be very proud of my athletic accomplishments.”
The OHS JV and Varsity boys’ lacrosse team
is a new program that is just developing, just becoming
a priority at the school and just becoming…more
diverse? Between both teams, there are three girls
who suit up for practice every day. There’s no girls’
program, so girls who love the sport have no choice but
to play with the boys if they want to play. Not only
does this show a love for the sport, but it shows the
grit and determination of a group of girls to change the
game forever. Men’s and women’s lacrosse are so
different they are almost separate sports. According
to uslacrosse.org, men’s lacrosse is played by 10
players: a goalie, three defensemen, three midfielders
and three attackmen. Men’s lacrosse begins with a
face-off. The ball is placed between the sticks of two
squatting players at the center of the
field. Generally, high school games are 48 minutes
long, with 12-minute quarters. Body checking is
permitted if the opponent has the ball or is within five
yards of a loose ball. All body contact must occur from
the front or side, above the waist and below the
shoulders, and with both hands on the
stick. Over-aggressive body checking is discouraged
but not illegal. Women’s lacrosse is a non-contact
game played by 12 players: a goalkeeper, five attackers
and six defenders. There are no long poles in women’s
lacrosse, so defense uses a normal sized stick. The high
school girls’ game is 50 minutes long; each half 25
minutes. Women’s lacrosse begins with a draw, which
is taken by the center position. The ball is placed
between two horizontally held crosses (sticks) at the
center of the field. At the sound of the whistle, the
ball is flung into the air as the crosses are pulled up
and away. For more rules and regulations for each sport,
visit www.uslacrosse.org Those are some of the subtle differences
and general overviews of both sports. However, what
sticks out the most is that women’s is non-contact and
men’s is full contact. So then, that leaves the question
of can a girl playing a guys game compete with
them? Or is the beating that a lacrosse player on the
men’s level takes simply too much? For Alicia Smith, the
lone female on the OHS varsity lacrosse team,
competition with the boys is just another day at
practice. “The two are definitely different” said
Smith, “I get some bruises, but I haven’t broken
anything. So until things stop working I’m not
complaining.” Smith, who danced for a long time
before playing lacrosse, said the sport has always been
an interest of hers. “This year I am not dancing as
much,” she said, “and it is my senior year so it is my
last chance to try something new.” Trying something
new seems to be a habit for this ambitious senior, as
she is going into Brockport State this coming fall
undecided on a major, with the intention of
exploration.
Chris McSwiggin may be
reached at chrism@hometownoneonta.biz
This week’s legacy athlete
sits high among the ranks in Oneonta’s great athletic
history, as he accomplished an NYSPHSAA Intersectional
Golf medal in 1982 and earned nine letters overall at
OHS. His name is Kevin Burnsworth. Kevin, who racked
up six Varsity Golf letters and three Varsity Soccer
letters, also played two years of varsity basketball; an
all-around athlete to say the least. He also played
baseball, but due to the one-sport rule, he was ruled
out of playing baseball for OHS and had to play on the
American Legion team, where he pitched a no-hitter
against Morris. In his senior year, Kevin was named
co-winner of the Oneonta High School Athlete of the Year
award and winner of the Oneonta Jaycee’s Service
Award. Kevin won the individual New York State
Intersectional Golf Championship in June of 1982,
playing under then head coach Tony Drago. He finished
second out of five qualifiers taken at the Cornell
University Golf Course in Ithaca, New York. The amazing
thing about Cornell run came a mere week later when he
defeated soon to be professional John Hulbert in a
sudden death playoff. This underdog victory marked OHS
golf for some time, and provided the school’s lone state
golf champion. “My grandfather on my mom’s side taught
my dad” said Kevin, “and he taught me. I started when I
was about 5. “I was a country club rat”, said Kevin,
“I was always hanging out around there and all the guys
knew me. It was a passion of mine.” After graduation,
Kevin won the Otsego County Championship and holds the
record score of 29 at Oneonta Country Club. He
attended Old Dominion University where he was given a
full athletic scholarship and was promoted to co-captain
of the golf team. As a senior he again played against
top competition facing, among others Davis Love, Jack
Nicklaus Jr., Billy Andrade, Brad Faxon, and David
Duval. Like them, Kevin also would soon turn pro. As
a PGA professional golfer, Kevin earned a spot in the
B.C. Open PGA tournament, where he played along side
Fred Couples, John Daly, and other greats. Kevin has
now been a PGA Golf Professional for 22 years, and has
spent the last 10 as a Head Professional. He is the Head
PGA Class “A” Golf Professional at Heritage Pines in
Hudson, FL. He lives in New Port Richey, Florida, with
his family and wife of 16 years. He stills plays golf
whenever he can and will be the first of our Blasts From
the Past athletes to be inducted into the OHS Hall of
Fame this fall. “It is a huge honor to be
recognized,” said Kevin. “Oneonta is a great place to
grow up. I tell everyone to this day that it is my
hometown and it always will be my hometown.” Hometown
Oneonta. Burnsworth was recently called and told that
he had been inducted into the hall of fame for
OHS. He was the first of the state champions to
garner this honor. “It is a huge accomplishment. It is a
huge honor to be recognized. I was the first to get in,
so we have our foot in the door. Joe Campbell has been
pushing hard.” “I am going to try really hard to get
the rest of my fellow state champs in there...it should
be automatic if you win a state title. Oneonta is a
great place to grow up and I wouldn’t give it up for
anything. I tell everyone to this day that it is my
hometown and it always will be my hometown.” Hometown
Oneonta.
Exclusive Interview: Kevin
Burnsworth: Oneonta’s All-Around Athlete
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Chris McSwiggin
Though many have worn the blue and yellow
throughout the years, not all of them can refer to
themselves as a professional. Kevin Burnsworth, from the
class of 1982, can. As a professional golfer, Burnsworth
now resides in New Port Richey, Florida, where he is a
Head Professional. I had a chance to speak with both
Kevin and his father, Chuck, Tuesday evening. Upon
speaking with them, I had a number of questions to ask
both and was enlightened by answers that expanded my
knowledge of the game and of the people who play it. I
have learned many new things from this Blast from the
Past series, and I have a newly-acquired respect for the
rich tradition and success of Oneonta athletics and the
outstanding athletes that made it.
Not
knowing much about the sport of golf, and having only
played it a few times, I was honored to speak with a
golf professional, someone who knows the game like he
knows his name. This is what I came up
with.
Kevin Burnsworth, a PGA golf
professional who was the first state champion to be
inducted into the athletics hall of fame at the school,
is not only helping the sport of golf every day, but he
is helping spread the message of golf to the
community.
“Golf is a sport of integrity, a sport of hones,”
said Kevin, “You can watch a game of golf and the player
will call a foul on him if he commits one. He will move
the ball or whatnot—but if he does something wrong he
calls out his mistake and takes the stroke. You do not
see a 65 yard touchdown pass negated because an
offensive lineman told the ref after the play ‘you know,
I held my man down on that play—don’t give us the
touchdown’. I think it teaches kids to be
honest.”
Burnsworth admitted that not too many places in his
area promote golf for younger kids, “Most of the rec
centers have soccer, basketball, baseball, but not
golf.”
He is working with younger kids and trying to get
golf into the community around him more. He feels that
golf should be instilled in middle school gym
classes.
“The only kids that are playing golf are the kids who
parents are part of a country club. The kids who parents
are not, probably have never picked up a club.” Kevin
wants to try to expand the number of kids playing golf,
and getting them to love the sport like he
does.
His effort is just, however it will be
difficult to start kids on the game when it seems that
golf is taking a numbers hit on a general level. Golf is
down 3% this year based on the number of people who play
consistently, or at all.
“I think a lot of it has to do with developing golf
programs,” said Burnsworth.
Golf is a sport that kids should get started at when
they are young, even if they consider it a second sport.
Kevin’s logic is you can play the game into your 60’s
and 70’s, something you can not do with more physical
sports such as basketball, baseball and
football.
“I have been playing for nearly 40 years now. I
couldn’t have done that with another
sport.”
Kevin said that his most memorable moment
throughout his career came in 1992 in the PGA BC Open in
Binghamton.
“I got to play in a tournament with other PGA pro’s.
I think you have reached the pinnacle when you can play
with those guys, and competitively. I missed the cut by
2 strokes but it was still a great experience. I got to
meet a lot of the guys, Couples, Daly...all them. It's
always an accomplishment when you can play at that
level."
Kevins father, Chuck Burnsworth, still
lives in Oneonta.
“I took him out when he was 6” said Chuck, “I put
every ball on a tee to make sure he’d hit it. I got him
a set of junior clubs and we went from there. Two years
later he moved up to ladies clubs and so on.”
Kevin’s father has been there to see all of his
amazing accomplishments, driving him all over the state
for junior tournaments and such, however he still smiles
at the thought of Kevin’s state championship.
“He won a state championship; he beat every kid in
the state. Every school in the state has a golf program,
and to come out number one is an amazing feat.”
Kevin won the junior tournament held at Colgate
University when he was 12 and would go on to win his
senior year of high school, a tournament that was held
at Cornell University.
Golf is a mentally
challenging sport as well as pyshically. You have to
have a good head on your shoulders in order to compete
at a high level. Churck would agree with his son about
the integrity part, claiming that golfers do not make
money if they do not perform.
“They pay for everything out of pocket—the expenses,
the food, the air fare, everything and if they do not
perform some guys go home with nothing. Some guys come
out Friday and go home Saturday without making a
penny.”
That is another edge that golfers have over other
athletes. No other sport would have that—there would be
anarchy amongst the players.
When asked about the
greatest contibutor to golf and the impact it has on
children beginning the game, Chuck's response was “I
think that Tiger Woods gave tremendous incentive for
young kids to begin the game. He makes all that money
and gets all of those endorsements. What kid wouldn’t
want to live like he does, or at least aspire to? Tiger
is a big plus for the sport.”
The quote that I felt was most moving was one he said
about basketball great, Michael Jordon. “He is a superb
athlete. This man is a hall of famer in basketball and
played a year of professional baseball…but he is out
there playing golf more than he probably played the
other two. He would give a million dollars to be on the
PGA tour.”
I have learned more than I thought
possible about the Burnsworth athlete career and the
people who made it, and after this exclusive interview I
find myself feeling more than rewarded that I got to
speak—if only briefly—to a true icon of athletic
fourtune and the one who started it all.
The NYSPHSAA Intersectional
Tennis Doubles Champions for 1955 and 1956 were
Oneonta’s William Whitaker and Pete Putnam. Bill, the
brother of previously featured John Whitaker, and Pete
defeated the top-seeded team from Garden City,
L.I. Uniquely, they won the Intersectional twice.
Both were coached by George Waddington, who succeeded
coach George Reynolds. Oneonta, which had provoked
Long Island teams with victories past, had to win in the
most hostile of environments – the Garden City Country
Club. The team they defeated to win the second title was
also from Garden City. However, this tournament was held
at the West Point. These two outstanding athletes helped
to forever change the face of Oneonta athletics, and set
the tone for the greats to come. Bill was also on the
1955 undefeated (7-0-1) football team that defeated
Elmira Free Academy with the legendary Ernie Davis. The
year they won the second tennis title, Bill was also the
co-captain and quarterback of the 1956 OHS football
team. He earned an astonishing eight varsity letters
(three in football, two in basketball, and three in
tennis). Leaving OHS, he went on to the Naval Academy,
graduating in 1961. He graduated from Texas A&M
University in 1967. He retired from the Navy 1981
with the rank of commander, joining FSC Securities in
Oneonta as a stockbroker. Bill is married to Hartwick
College Spanish Professor Esperanza Roncero, and the
couple has two children, Carmen Maria, 4, and Lucas, 2.
Esperanza directs Hartwick’s J-Term trip to Spain, and
Bill accompanies her. Pete Putnam graduated from the
University of Rochester in 1961. At OHS, he played
tennis and basketball and earned seven varsity letters.
He went to Boys State in 1956 and made first team in All
Iroquois League basketball in 1957. One of his
biggest accolades, came from winning the 1957 Oneonta
City Tennis Tournament’s Singles Championship in an epic
five-hour, five-set final match. “That match was
against Nick Lambros,” said Putnam. “He... could return
anything. I was bleeding through my sneakers, my feet
were so blistered. That match still hangs with me like
it was yesterday.”
While at U of R, he played #1
position for the men’s singles team for three years,
losing only three times. He also played a year of
varsity basketball. In 1965, Pete attended the
University of Buffalo Dental School on Regents
Scholarship. He got married the same year. Soon after,
Pete completed a 1 year dental internship for the U.S.
Public Health Service at the U.S.P.H. Hospital on Staten
Island, NY. Pete joined Coast Guard in 1968 with the
equivalent rank of lieutenant, running a dental clinic
in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He currently practices
dentistry in New Hartford, where he continues to play
tennis as much as possible and also golf. Pete
recently celebrated his 43rd wedding anniversary with
his wife, Jo Ann. They have two children and two
grandchildren. “I love watching sports in general-be
it tennis, baseball basketball-I always have a sporting
event on” said Putnam, who recently had surgery on his
shoulder, “but I want to play some golf this summer.”
Oneonta, by no means one of the largest
schools in the state, has an uncanny ability to knock
off the big guys, a trend that dates back to the
1950s. Oneonta tennis players William Campbell and
John Whitaker had to go through Newburgh, New Rochelle,
Garden City, and Hudson High, among the largest high
schools in the state, to win the title at Syracuse
University in 1953. They were even mentioned in the New
York Times, a rare feat for OHS athletics. This
tennis title had been held by older men in the past, and
at the tender age of 18 they were the youngest to hold
the title. Campbell and Whitaker earned varsity
letters in tennis as freshman, became members of the
Varsity “O” as sophomores, and were three-sport athletes
as well as stellar students. Campbell was the vice
president of the Student Council and also of the Varsity
“O.” Whitaker was the vice president of his class and
treasurer of the Student Council. Campbell earned
varsity letters in football, basketball and tennis.
Missing a full season his junior year after an incorrect
medical diagnosis, he was told by the school doctor he
had hypertension and any athletic activity at all would
ruin his heart. The dynamic duo of Campbell and
Whitaker was coached by George Reynolds. “Coach
Reynolds was a blessing to Oneonta,” said Campbell
during an interview. “He was natural winner at anything
he did. “He had a very competitive personality with a
lot of sophistication. A very powerful coach. Tennis may
not have developed the way it did here if it wasn’t for
him.” After high school, Campbell stayed local to
further his educational and athletic careers, receiving
the Dewar Scholarship from Hartwick College where he
pursued a physics degree with a minor in mathematics.
While at Hartwick, Campbell played the #1 and #2
positions on the tennis court, and served up a brilliant
career going 30-1. “The one I lost, I shouldn’t
have,” said Campbell, “I guess I just got over
confident.” After college, he became a research
engineer for the Bendix and Westinghouse, and a project
engineer (applied physics) for the General
Signal. Throughout his career, Campbell coached
tennis at two prestigious NYC area schools: Kew Forest
School, Forest Hills, and the Wardlaw School,
Plainfield, N.J. He now lives in Binghamton, where
teaches tennis and is active in the area
politics. P.S. Last week’s “Blast” on John Whitaker
brought a call that he has has discovered 150 species of
parasitic mites of mammals new to science.
In a matchup vs. Whitney
Point, a team from north of Bingampton, at home on
Tuesday, April 14, OHS played a competitive game, but
couldn't grasp the last few goals needed to win. They
lost 10-7 to Whitney Point.
Number 39, junior
Alex Meschutt scored five goals for the Yellowjacket,
with freshman Jon Meschutt scoring the other two goals.
Goalie Shawn Cobstill had 20 saves for the
game.
OHS 's next game will be vs. Elmira Notre
Dame on April 24.
Tennis Partners First To Claim State
Laurels in ’52
Friday, April 10, 2009
CHRIS McSWIGGIN
BLASTS FROM THE PAST
Editor’s Note: This is the
first of a series on OHS athletes who won state
championships. It was prepared with the help of OHS
alumnus Joe Campbell, an electrical engineer at MIT’s
Lincoln Laboratory.
To do justice to the long and illustrious
history of OHS athletics would fill an entire newspaper
front to back, and barely scratch the surface. However,
covering the state champions, the icons forever etched
into the OHS athletic shrine, is a bit more
manageable. Our first Blast From The Past features
two who started off winning traditions in Oneonta,
Warren Gray ‘52 and John Whitaker ‘53, 1952 NYSPHSAA
Intersectional Tennis Doubles Champions. In tennis,
the intersectional champion is the winner of all classes
(all school sizes) and all sections (all regions) of all
schools in the NYSPHSAA. Won at West Point in 1952,
Whitaker and Gray had to best teams from Binghamton,
Bethlehem and Flushing on route to the title. Perhaps
the best tennis players Oneonta has ever harbored, the
pair remain successful both in the world of tennis and
their professional careers. Warren Gray attended
Utica Tech after leaving OHS. He soon volunteered for
the Army during the Korean War, and served in Texas
playing in Waco against some of the world’s best. He
returned to school after the war, attending SUNY
Oneonta, where he created the tennis team under Athletic
Director Hal Chase, a team that continues to be
successful today. Gray started the high school tennis
team at Newark Valley, for boys and girls, and they were
very successful. Retiring, he started to play tennis
again, and he and partners have won gold, silver and
bronze medals in the state Senior Olympics. Today,
Warren Gray lives in Newark Valley, and winters in
Zephyrhills, Fla. He has been married 52 years and has
six children and seven grandchildren. One of his
grandchildren is playing lacrosse at perennial
powerhouse Syracuse University and was part of the 2008
national championship team. Warren could not be reached
for comment, but the exclusive interview will be
featured on www.hometownoneonta.biz later in the
week. John Whitaker doesn’t play as much anymore: “My
knees are getting a little weak, but I try to play when
I can.” His wife is Royce (Bagg) Whitaker, who
graduated from OHS in 1954, and she still
plays. After OHS, Whitaker went to Cornell
University, where he earned a bachelor’s, then shifted
halfway through a master’s to seek a Ph.D. He is now
the director of the Center for North American Bat
Research and Conservation at Indiana State University.
He has published several books, including his most
recent, the second edition of “Mammals of Indiana,”
which came out late last year. “Mammals of the United
States” came out in the late 1990s. He has also written
several research papers and journal entries. Out of
all the great tennis players under Coach George
Reynolds, he had the closest relationship. “I used to
go up in grade school and play with the team,” said
Whitaker. “He helped us out a great amount. I knew him
the best though, because our families were friends from
when I was younger. He had an ice skating rink out back,
and we used to go skate over there. Yeah, he definitely
knew me well.” Whitaker downplays his accomplishment
with Gray. “We didn’t go out thinking we were the
best – because we probably weren’t,” said Whitaker,
laughing. “We just wanted to have some fun.” When
asked about how it feels to be one of OHS’ first two
state champions and a nominee for the OHS Hall of Fame,
he replied, “It is pretty neat.”
‘Oneonta Sports Legacy’ Series
Begins In Next Edition
Saturday, April 4, 2009
By CHRIS
McSWIGGIN
The OHS Lady Yellowjackets running to
within points of a state title is just the latest
chapter in the city’s storied athletic history. Over
the entire history of OHS, eight other teams have made
it to state finals:
• 1952 NYSPHSAA
Intersectional Tennis Doubles Champions John Whitaker
& Warren Gray • 1953 NYSPHSAA Intersectional
Tennis Doubles Champions John Whitaker & William
Campbell • 1955 NYSPHSAA Intersectional Tennis
Doubles Champions William Whitaker & Pete
Putnam • 1956 NYSPHSAA Intersectional Tennis Doubles
Champion William Whitaker & Pete Putnam • 1982
NYSPHSAA Intersectional Golf Medalist Kevin
Burnsworth • 1993 NYSPHSAA Ski Championship Giant
Slalom Champion Brooke (Baker) Bass • 1993 NYSPHSAA
Ski Championship Slalom Champion Kara (Hattem)
Balliet • 2001 NYSPHSAA Federation Indoor High Jump
Gold Medalist Toni-Lee McDaniels
Hometown Oneonta
will revisit these athletes and several others in the
“Oneonta Sports Legacy” series, providing information
first hand from Joe Campbell, researcher and the
historian of OHS athletics. As star athletes move off
the field, others take their place. Akiva Garfield
won a state medal in swimming, and he is only 8 years
old. Not an OHS swimmer yet, but the future is bright.
The girls basketball team will be down Madie Harlem and
Meredith Ridgway, but should still be strong. The men’s
baseball team has high expectations and girls soccer
continues to churn out college athletes. But “Oneonta
Sports Legacy” is a tribute to those who have been there
before and how past OHS state champions may have set the
tone and the expectations for the athletes we know and
love to watch today. Next week we will explore and
look in depth into the life and times of the first
athletes on the list, John Whitaker and Warren Gray,
1952 NYSPHSAA Intersectional Tennis Doubles Champions.
We will go behind the scenes and look at life after OHS
and what the sport of tennis really meant to these
players, as well as acknowledging their on-field
accomplishments. What are they doing today? Warren
Gray lives in Newark Valley, has been married 52 years
and has six children and seven grandchildren (one
grandchild is playing lacrosse for Syracuse University,
which won the 2008 NCAA title). John Whitaker lives
in Terre Haute, Ind., with his wife Royce (formerly
Royce Bagg, OHS ’54). They have three children: John,
Lynne and Bill. John is a professor at Indiana State
University, a world authority on bats (see http://www.indstate.edu/ecology/faculty/whitaker.htm),
and the director of the Center for North American Bat
Research and Conservation at Indiana State
University. Do you want to know more about them? Open
up next week’s sports section of Hometown Oneonta as we
bring to you the greatest that Oneonta has to offer in a
series that will open the doors to much of the City of
the Hills’ historic yet uncovered athletic past.
So all of the hoopla is over. The lights
have come on and the confetti has since been swept up.
Now Oneonta have a chance to exhale and catch their
breath for a minute. Baseball is beginning, an American
pastime and a sport known and loved by the community for
ages, and head coach Joe Hughes is more than ready for
the shebang to begin. “There are high expectations
for this year’s squad,” said Hughes, Tuesday, “they are
listening and learning every day, working really hard in
practice, and should have a good season.” OHS, which
is already 1-0 after a 4-0 win at Cobleskill, was
scheduled to start its home season Wednesday, April 8,
against Windsor (pending the weather cooperating) and
then go on the road for three straight contests vs.
S.C.C, Maine-Endwell and Union-Endicott. OHS has a lot
of play makers and a great balance between pitchers,
hitters and fielders. No one position is more lopsided
than the other. “We are a good hitting team,” said
Hughes, “but we have some really good fielders.” OHS
brings to the table a possible reason for Yellowjacket
fever to re-infect the greater Oneonta
community. Matt Marcewicz, a catcher for the Yellow
Jackets and running back on the football team, suffered
a knee and lower leg injury early on in the fall. According to Hughes, Marcewicz is back to
100 percent and working hard. He is yet to make a
decision about where he is going to be playing after
OHS, but one thing is certain: Matt is a
gamer. Hughes, who played baseball at OHS, FIU and a
stint in the pros, has his team geared and ready to go
as they take on a brutal schedule yet again. The
Yellowjackets baseball team is one of the best at the
school, and if they can live up to their mammoth
expectations this season, it could breathe new life into
an Oneonta community who’s athletic excitement suddenly
needing life support.
Senior year is arguably the
most memorable year of a high school student’s life for
many reasons, but none more than the aspect of nostalgia
that is instituted the day after graduation. You will
always remember your high school friends and if you are
on a team, your teammates are as cherished to you as
your own family. In some cases, they are your second
family. These are the people you sweat, bled and
cried with. These are the people whose hands you held
while you were waiting in anticipation of a game winning
field goal, or layup or penalty kick. These are
the same people you laughed with on the long bus rides
and the people you played pranks on in the locker room
during the week. These are the people you will
remember forever. There are a number of senior
athletes at Oneonta High School and as teams finished up
their winter seasons and students are signing letters
for schools there is no better time to appreciate these
winter season seniors. Oneonta High School
student-athletes show integrity and intelligence both on
the court and off. They are not only model students, but
model citizens. Drumroll, please. Your Winter
2008-2009 OHS Senior Student-Athletes:
Bowling: Ryan
Renwick Eric Coss Boys Indoor
Track: Dan Dokuchitz Ian Kelley Nick
Madison Girls Indoor
Track: Bridgette Aikens Breelin
Shea Varsity
Wrestling: Dalton Smith Brendan
Pidgeon Girls Varisty
Basketball: Madie Harlem Nicki
Miosky Meredith Ridgway Boys
Basketball: Marc Rivera Ben Ehrets Phil
Wright Alex Mirabito Tony Burns Ski and Snowboard
Team: Roger Ackley KiKi Campbell Josh
Frederick Hannah Lawson Lucus Mancuso Chloe
Muller Ricardo Obando Scott Platukis Eric
Scorzafava Emily Shea Jon Shumway Veronika
Siskova
With
all this talk of state titles and national recognition,
things can get a bit hectic. However, something that
many people overlooked during Yellow Jacket Fever in
women’s basketball was that there was a group of Oneonta
kids swimming their way to a state crown. The YMCA
Orcas, who have been one of the state’s best swim
programs for their class for some time, have just
garnered state honors in several different races. “Our
swimmers did a phenomenal job this year” said Oneonta
YMCA Aquatics Director Christiana Gomez-Frye, “we sent
half of our team to states. This is a very dedicated
group of kids and all of their hard work paid off this
year.” Akiva Garfield placed first in the 25 breast
with a score of 18.33. His performance was the only
first place finish of the day, however several other
swimmers put up great numbers. Alex Miller placed
sixth in the 200 IM and second in the 200 back. Alex
placed third in the 100 back on Saturday morning with a
mark of 55.63, then placed second in the same event
Saturday evening with a 55.15 mark. Akiva Garfield
placed fourth in the 100 IM and Joel Levins also placed
fourth in his meet, the 50 free. The Orcas fared
well overall, with many swimmers finishing in the top
10, 20 and 30 in a good number of races. With such a
small swim team, the production numbers they put up this
year were truly outstanding. The girls 13-14 placed
twelfth in the freestyle relays. The New York State
Meet, which took place in Buffalo, is nothing new to the
Orcas. Oneonta produces great swimmers perennially and
this year it backs up that claim. The best part about it
is that these kids are young. They are young and have a
bright future ahead of them. If they can put up the kind
of production they did this early on, just imagine what
a little age and experience will bring. The Orcas have
set the tone this season for many successful years to
come.
"I'm really impressed with their
accomplishments," said Meghan Holstead, the exuberant
head coach and former SUNY Cobleskill swimmer, "it is
impressive, no matter how big the team is, when over a
third of your team makes states." Pressure did not
seem to be a factor either. Not only did a large number
of a relatively small team make states, but Oneonta
swimmers placed in the top 10 in 10 different races.
Holstead, a Junior at SUNY Oneonta now, has been
coaching the Orca's the past two years. Since then,
their performance has been going increasingly upwards.
"You can't expect everyone to place in the top 5," said
Holstead, "it just won't happen. However, a lot of teams
are very impressed with us and our performance, and what
we do for being such a small team. We come out every
meet and compete." A lot of people dropped their
time for states. The girls 13-14 freestyle relay placed
them 11th, but their time was 4 seconds quicker this
time, their time in this race used to be 2 minutes.
Their mark this time was 1.56.68. "Overall I think
the season was a success. I know that a lot of people
aren't going to come in with the mindset that they are
going to go to states, but rather just to have fun, and
they did that. I did that. It was a fun year for the
swimmers and for me." When asked if Akiva had some
more state championships in him, Holstead's answer was a
simple "I hope so. If he stays with it, yes, I think he
does." Garfield, finishing 1st place and bringing
home a state title in the 8 years old and under 25
breast event, was 4 one hundredths short of setting a
new state record. Impressive, to say the least.
Hughes Brothers Take 2 Top Teams To
Maine, N.Y., Finals
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
OHS Athletic Director Joe
Hughes was a little more rueful then he might have been
after the Lady Yellowjackets’ squeaker loss to Nanuet in
the Class B state finals Saturday, March 21, in
Troy. On Feb. 27, his brother Bill’s Camden Hills
Windjammers boys basketball team beat Cape Elizabeth in
a Portland, Maine, civic center to claim that state’s
Class B basketball title. Joe was hoping he and Bill
would both have a state championship to brag about at
the next family gathering. Bill’s team romped to a
62-49 victory after trailing by four points at halftime,
a feat not unfamiliar to the Lady Yellowjackets. In
January, there was another chapter of the friendly
rivalry, when Joe Hughes took the OHS boys’ team to play
his brother’s team before a crowd of 1,200 at Camden
Hills High School. Both Hughes brothers are Oneonta
High School grads.
It was Monday afternoon, March 23, and Bob
Zeh hadn’t eaten for two days. It was just about two
days since “Destiny’s Darlings,” his OHS Lady
Yellowjackets basketball team, had come within a few
points and a few seconds of winning the state Class B
championshop in the cavernous arena at Hudson Valley
Community College, Troy. Bob had lost six pounds in
the past 48 hours, but still he said, “This was the most
enjoyable season I ever had, coaching for 44
years.” “It’s too bad we couldn’t have had it all,”
he said. “But that doesn’t take anything away from how
much fun it was.” Fans know exactly what he meant.
What a ride. Star guard Madie Harlem, calm, almost
looking like she was thinking about something else,
effortlessly – or so it always seemed – dropping in a
three-pointer from the outside. Swish. Senior center
Meredith Ridgway plunging down the middle at hapless
defenders. The look in their eyes suggested fear, if not
a hint of terror. Sophomore Sienna Wisse – she
shoots, it’s in! That happened at so many key moments in
the just-finished season. And, of course, Bob Zeh,
pacing the sideline in front of the Yellowjackets’
bench, stern, craggy, like one of those Mount Rushmore
visages come to life. The girls had a squeaker or
two, but they breezed through most of their matches
before Zeh’s favorite moment of the season – that
victory over Cazenovia in the state semi-finals
Saturday, March 14, at Liverpool High School. The
Lady Yellowjackets were down by nine at the half. And
when they came out of the locker room to start the
second half, you might have thought they looked
downbeat. Actually, that look reflected
determination. We’ve never been in this place before,
the coach observed to his players during the
break. “Yeh, we were, coach, at Norwich,” said guard
Leslie Harlem, Madie’s younger sister. The girls had
been down 8-0 at the start of their first game against
their Chenango County arch-rival, then rebounded to beat
Norwich 59-44. Stay focused, Zeh told the team. Play
the second half four minutes at a time. And they
did. Halfway through the second half, guard Sienna
Wisse’s second of two shots from the foul line slipped
in easily, putting the Yellowjackets ahead for the first
time in the game. They never looked backed. “Madie
was ‘in the zone,’” the coach continued. “She was
determined we would win that game. Final score:
36-33. Madie had shot 10 for 10 from the line and
scored on nine of 17 attempts from the floor for 30 of
the 36 points. Coming into the season, Bob Zeh
thought his team would be strong. He hadn’t lost any
seniors. And new players were moving into the front
ranks. But the home opener of the season against
Johnson City – a 68-36 rout on Dec. 16 – confirmed his
expectations. “We knew we were going to be pretty
good.” Listen to him talk about his players: •
Madie – “a genius. She is probably the finest, the most
outstanding player I’ve ever coached. Her basketball IQ
is off the scale. She’s not particularly quick. She’s
not big and strong. But she’s so-o-o smooth. She knows
how to get open. She knows how to get the ball to her
teammates when they’re open.” She intends to play at
Hamilton College next year. • Meredith – Always a
defensive powerhouse, he saw her average points per game
rise from four two seasons ago, to eight last year, to
11 this year. She’s always been good for 9-11 rebounds.
“She’s going to be a pretty good Division III basketball
player somewhere.” (She still waiting to hear what her
choices will be.) • Sienna – A sophomore, the team’s
going to depend on her in seasons to come. “They called
her baby,” the coach said, noting that, just a
sophomore, she’d already been playing varsity ball for
two years. He told her at the start of the season, “You
can be a baby any longer. You can’t play like a
sophomore this year.” And she sure didn’t. • Val
Ridgway, Meredith’s sister – “A rebound machine, that’s
what we call her,” Zeh said. “She’s a tenacious player.
There are games where she gets every rebound. We just
have to make her believe she’s an offensive
player.” And she’ll be back next year, along with
Sienna, Leslie Harlem and other up-and-coming
youngsters. “They learned that, to be successful, you
need to be team-oriented,” the coach said. “You have to
depend on other people. “They learned how you have to
compete when you’re at the top. Every time you go out to
play there’s a bull’s-eye on your back. “They learned
to sacrifice individual glory for the sake of the
team.” If the quarter finals in Liverpool showed the
Lady Yellowjackets had grit, the semis on Saturday,
March 21, a 55-31 pummeling of Olean, showed they could
still turn on the juice. But in the last few minutes
of that game, Madie aggravated a back injury received in
the 2007-08 season when she took a hit in the game
against Johnson City. She sat out the last few
minutes, an ice pack on her back, and said she was fine
– but, her coach and fans believe – she couldn’t have
been. When she took the floor against Nanuet, “she
was hurting,” said Zeh. “She wouldn’t admit it, but she
was.” A team is a fragile entity. Bob ticked off this
player for Lansing, that player for Cazenovia, who had
been injured days before critical games. This was
Madie’s and the Yellowjackets’ turn. “It she had been
100 percent,” her coach avowed, “we would have won by
5-10 point.” On to 2009-10!
So what do the OHS Lady Yellowjackets
have to do in order to hoist up that state
trophy?
They, first off, need to run their offense.
They are an immensely talented team, and they have a
plethora of natural scorers, so they should use that to
their advantage. Also, their D needs to play a huge
factor. Those long arms need to be in every passing
lane, up in the face of everyone who touches the ball,
and the tenacity has to be turned up to otherworldly
levels. But, with this big of a prize riding on two
games, is the pressure on? “No,” said a calm and
collected Madie Harlem Saturday night, “no more pressure
than this game. We are confident that we can do
it.” Harlem, whose eyes lit up when the possibility
of a state trophy – a first in her four-year OHS varsity
career – is mentioned, has enough motivation to last her
a another whole season. “I feel like I am going to
wake up from a dream at any minute” said Harlem. “This
is unbelievable.” The state’s Class B Final Four
begins at 10 a.m. Friday, March 20, against Olean at
Hudson Valley Community College, Troy. The final is at 4
p.m. Saturday, March 21, against the winner of the
Nanuet-Northeastern Clinton game the day before. If
the game against the Cazenovia Lakers the week before is
any indication, this Final Four could be a
heart-stopper. The emotions ran high, the stakes were
monumental, and Madie Harlem’s performance in the
regional game at Liverpool High School was nothing short
of heroic, something you would see in a fairy
tale. OHS won a 36-33 thriller over Cazenovia, with
Madie scoring 30 of those points. “We couldn’t do
anything on offense, Madie just took over” said
assistant coach Matt Miller, who left the gym with a
smile and a fist pump in Madie’s direction, “took over.”
Oneonta, down by 9 at the half, had a season low 12
points at halftime. Madie had all 12. Division 1
signee Kiley Evans, a 5-11 machine headed to Sacred
Heart next season, was still no match for Madie. The
all-star was held to two points, both coming on free
throws, and a 0-9 performance from the
field. Division 1was outshone, as Harlem, headed to
Division 3 Hamilton College, completely stole the
show. The Yellowjackets hadn’t been down at the half
all season, but kept their cool. They held high-scoring
Cazenovia team to 33 points, controlling the board
decisively in the second half. Greg Koubeck, a Duke
University forward who was the only player in the NCAA
to play in four final fours, still runs a summer camp in
my home town, where he preaches what Mike Krzyzewski
once said so elegantly: “Offense sells tickets; defense
wins championships.” That is one thing that the OHS
team did well on Saturday: amazing defense, plus a
net-scorching put on by the older Ridgway sister, kept
them in the game. “We played outstanding defense”
said Coach Bob Zeh. “We were tenacious and
determined.” That should position the girls well to
take on offensive juggernauts Olean in the Class B State
Semi-Finals. When asked about what a state title
meant to her, she just smiled and said, “Oh my god, that
would be amazing. I can’t even imagine it”. Imagine
it, Madie, because you are one of a select group of
girls who now have a chance to be destiny’s
darlings.
Next Stop For Lady
Yellowjackets, State
Tournament
CHRIS McSWIGGIN
SPORTS BEAT
The best things in life come in
pairs. For Oneonta’s Lady Yellowjackets, the best
thing in life right now is a sectional title. However, a
state title is looming and the number-one ranked Class B
team in the state has its sights set on hoisting that
trophy. “Meredith and I want to keep playing, keep
going” said OHS Senior standout Madie Harlem, “but if
the season has to end, we want it to end on our
terms.” They have a chance to end it on their terms,
but first they have to get through Cazenovia (21-3) at 1
p.m. on Saturday, March 14, at Liverpool High School
near Syracuse. The War Veterans Arena in Binghamton
was packed to the rafters Friday, March 6, with
screaming fans and nervous parents. Oneonta had come
this far, had not lost a game all season, and now could
either win it all or throw it all away. The opponent
was also 22-0. Lansing, a small school near Ithaca that
has run through competition as easily if not easier than
the Yellowjackets have this year. A speed and finesse
team, Lansing was without a dominant center presence or
outside shot, but had great defense and indubitable
poise. Lansing forced Oneonta into some
uncharacteristic turnovers to begin the game ahead by
8-0. Oneonta, which has not trailed in a in a Sectionals
game this season, was in some trouble early on. In clutch situations, the star usually
arises. For Oneonta, their shining star was Sienna
Wisse. The 10th grader netted everything, it seemed,
scoring double-digit points, as the Yellowjackets
faithful who made the trip serenaded the Lansing crowd
with a “you can’t stop her!” chant. No use in lying
when the truth is so sweet. Lansing had its shining
star too, though. Senior guard and soccer star Rachael
Paladino, the speed demon, led the game with takeaways
and shattered the school’s steals record this season.
She is headed to Ithaca College for soccer. She caused
havoc for the ladies in white early on, but Oneonta was
simply too big inside. This is the atmosphere that
people and players love. The converted hockey arena was
hotter than ever as the intensity of this game picked
up. Easily the most physical contest OHS has been in for
quite some time, their 41-32 victory left them black and
blue, but smiling. I watched this game from the press
table on the sidelines, and when that final buzzer rang
I was a bit choked up as well. OHS, which was all
business during game play, converted immediately to
smiles, jumps and hugs when the clock hit
zero. Having been in several games of this sort,
playing for a Sectional Champion three-peat team in high
school, I know how hard you have to work to get here and
how good it feels to finally get it over with. This
OHS team is one of the most fundamentally sound programs
I have seen in a long time, and their heart and
determination out shadow their hard work. The team who
wants it rather than expects it will come away with the
W. OHS wanted it, and they got it. “Winning is always
nice,” said OHS Head Coach Bob Zeh, “and winning twice?
It’s like the cherry on top of a big bowl of ice
cream.” The emotions of this game ran wild, with the
seniors leaving their hearts still beating on the floor.
Their blood, sweat and tears soaking the Arena floor and
leaving an indelible mark of a career coming to an
end. Three Lansing seniors played their last
game, and three Oneonta seniors will see
another. Overall, the win was as special as it was
because of the story behind it. Both teams, 22-0 with
an average win margin of 20+ points in sectionals. Both
teams regarded as the “best.” And both teams fighting
tooth and nail in the arena, like gladiators in ancient
times. The ferocity of this game was unmatched by any
girls game I have watched. The echo of the
student-section chants and the anxious screaming and
cheering, the dead ball shouting and “shots up!” from
the players. There were the grunts when running into
picks and the thud of bodies hitting hardwood, but at
the end of the day, atmosphere aside, the better team
got the prize. The better team was OHS. When asked
what she would tell the girls in the locker room if this
were her last game, Senior captain Madie Harlem claimed
“I would tell them I love them, and to keep working
hard. They will be successful if they do that.” If
they do that, maybe they can hold up the signs next year
cheering, “three-peat, three-peat,
three-peat!” Oneonta has another tough one against
Cazenovia, then would go on to the final four weekend
March 20-21 at Hudson Valley Community College, Troy.
The semi final is at 10 a.m. that Friday, and the final
at 4 p.m. Saturday. Will the Jackets sting or get
stung? Only time will tell, but for now the Lady Jackets
can sit back and enjoy their sweet repeat.
Girls Echo 1997,
’98 Champs
By LAURA COX
Most memorable to Tiffany Hurley – now
Tiffany Carr – was how her OHS Lady Yellowjackets’
basketball team got along. But team members were
competitive, too, and the combination pushed that
legendary team to back-to-back state championships in
1997 and 1998. In addition to Hurley, ‘98, the
starting lineup was Stacey Knapp, ’98, Kristin
Konstanty,’98, Karyn Piece, ’98 and Kristin Zeh ’99,
best friends who had grown up playing together since the
third or fourth grade. “We didn’t like losing,” said
Carr, who is currently the nurse at Oneonta Middle
School, “we all wanted to win, so when we stepped on the
court we put it all out there and did the best we
could.” The championship team was honored during the
halftime at this year’s homecoming football
game. Krissy Zeh – OHS Coach Bob Zeh’s daughter who
is currently teaching 3rd grade in Florida – described
her team as confident and competitive and said it was an
honor to be recognized at the game with her fellow
teammates. “Personally, I didn’t realize how amazing
or great of an accomplish it was in high school. Until
you are away from home and see other places and
programs, you don’t know that to win back to back state
championships doesn’t happen that often. We reminisced
and had such a good time together.” Zeh and Carr
remember the girls who are on the team now from their
own basketball days. Both indicated they helped coach
clinics the girls participated in 10 years ago when
current players were in elementary school and they
remember the girls sitting on the sidelines as fans
during those championship years.
Oneonta’s Lady Yellowjackets have
themselves in position to make a historic run. As
this edition went to press, the only team in their way
to a Section IV Class B title was the winner of the
Chenango Valley v. Lansing game, and the OHS girls are
due to meet them at 6 p.m. Friday at the Broome County
Arena in Binghamton. A victory there will send them
to the state tournament, to play the Section III, Class
B winner March 14 in Liverpool. The final four round
will be March 21 in Troy, with the state championship
round at 4 p.m. that day. Oneonta, the number one
seed, is 18-0 on the season and had a bye for the first
round of sectionals. Due to a loss by third-seeded Seton
Catholic, Oneonta has a chance now to run the tables on
the sectional tournament. And judging from their last
two games, they’re on a roll. The Yellowjackets trounced
Watkins Glen, 52-31, Friday, Feb. 27, and swept Elmira
Notre Dame 54-30 Tuesday, March 3. If Oneonta can
roll into the arena and win the Section IV title , it
will be the icing on the cake to a season that will go
down in OHS athletics history. If they win this
tournament they will move from sectionals to regionals
then onto states. Going 18-0 is no easy feat. Oneonta
was rewarded for their hard work this season, as they
were crowned STAC Champions at the season’s end. A
magical run to the states and a possible state
championship is far from a fairy tale, as this team has
everything it needs to pull it off. It has
leadership, immense talent, heart and a coach who
exemplifies success. Oneonta has all the pieces in place
to be the next great story, the next big thing. In
the Quarterfinal sectional game versus Watkins Glen,
Madie Harlem had 20 points, a run that included the
Hamilton-bound senior scoring 14 of the teams’ first 18
points and 20 of the teams’ first 42. Meredith
Ridgeway, the co-captain and fellow senior, was dominant
as ever on the boards as she used her physical presence
and aggressive style to snatch rebounds left and
right. “I played offense against her and she’s
brutal,” said Val Ridgeway, sister and fellow teammate
to Meredith. “She uses her hip and tries to push you out
of her zone.” “She is huge on the inside.” The 6’0”
center is currently looking at Suffolk University in
Boston, an inner city private school that is home to
ironically named “Ridgeway Gymnasium.” Tuesday night,
sophomore Sienna Wisse exploded out of the gates,
hitting a few big three’s to start the game off, and
Leslie Harlem outshined her sister as she played a
dominate game on both sides of the ball. Madie, however,
finished with 17 points. Emotions also ran rampant
Tuesday night, as the seniors on this Yellowjackets team
completed their final home game with a dominant victory.
For the seniors, never stepping on the home court again
may be a tough thing to handle, but with the leaders on
this squad, they will pick themselves up and rally
around it. Oneonta’s defense is what keeps them in
games. “Every day when we step on the court I preach
defense and rebounding” said Head Coach Bob Zeh on
Tuesday, “If we play tough defense and rebound, we can
hang in there with anybody.” Oneonta will have a
chance to test that very soon, as they have a date with
destiny and it’s paying for the bill.
Chris
McSwiggin can be reached at
chrism@hometownoneonta.biz
Sometimes dreams can change. In
Cha Cha Naito’s case, that is exactly what
happened. The OHS soccer stand-out has just faxed her
signed letter of intent to attend New Jersey Institute
of Technology, and play Division I soccer. However,
NJIT was an acquired taste for the senior midfielder, as
her “dream” school was The University of North Carolina
Wilmington. “I have wanted to go there my entire
life,” said Cha Cha. Naito came to realize that there
were no scholarships left at UNCW, and NJIT offered her
a half scholarship and a guaranteed roster spot. “I
visited NJIT and the campus was beautiful and the
coaches were all really friendly,” said Naito, who fell
in love with it instantly. The Highlanders can use
someone with her talent as well. Coming off of a dismal
2-16-1 year, Naito’s 14 goals for the Yellowjackets this
season is an alluring statistic. NJIT Head Coach Kevin
Leacock has an impressive resume as head coach, taking
his team to a Division II postseason and made the switch
to Division I the very next year. Being there to
watch Cha Cha sign her letter and fax it over, was a
great feeling. Oneonta has produced so many great
athletes, and Naito is now the second Oneonta soccer
player this season to go Division I; Chris Hayen
committed to Binghamton. Naito will have an uphill
battle with team, but her heart mixed with her raw
talent should get her by just fine. “NJIT has a very
good relationship with one of the top medical schools in
New Jersey,” said Naito, who wants to be a physician’s
assistant and will be pursuing a biology
degree. “NJIT just had more to offer,” said Naito,
“it’s good to have your options open. I thought
Wilmington was my dream school, but you need to explore
your other options, you might discover something
new.” Cha Cha was very excited about her decision, as
was Coach Jerry Mackey and Athletic Director Joe Hughes.
Naito being Mackey’s first Division I signee during his
term as OHS head coach. I followed Cha Cha down the
hall and watched as the fax was sent. Her mind was made
up, she was headed to Newark. Cha Cha Naito made the
only choice she could, the right one for her. Look for
Naito to make a slash for the Red and Blue early next
season, as OHS puts yet another quality athlete and
quality student into college.
Oneonta High School Girls Varsity
Basketball Coach Bob Zeh has been invited to join the
elite members of the state Basketball Hall of
Fame. On March 28, he will have his name in the same
sentence as coaches like Jim Boeheim, Doc Saurers and
the legendary Nick Lambros, who he coached under at
Hartwick for a few seasons. Zeh, whose first season at
The ’Wick was graced with an NCAA Final Four appearance,
stayed for two more seasons before moving back to high
school ball. Zeh, who girls’ basketball team has an
18-0 record, has been coaching at OHS for 28 years.
After coaching the boys, he took over the girls team
nine years ago. Coaching 44 seasons overall, Zeh has the
experience and the love of the game to earn such a
prestigious honor. “Bob has been coaching since Moby
Dick was a minnow,” said girls’ JV Coach Matt Miller,
jokingly. “He’s a great guy and a great coach.” More
than just a great coach, though, Bob Zeh is a great
person. He has an uncanny way of connecting with his
players on and off the court. Those who he coached in
the past, such as former OHS player Frank Microni, speak
highly of Zeh. Athletic Director Joe Hughes, who
played for Zeh and was a sophomore at OHS when the coach
first came to the program, said he learned everything he
needed to know about the game of basketball. “I was a
coach on the JV level for some time, and I was always
more of a baseball guy, so Bob taught me everything
there is to know about the game of basketball and really
helped me along,” said Hughes. “Basketball is in his
blood, it truly is. I was very fortunate to play for
him, I was very fortunate to coach under him and now I
am very fortunate that I am the athletic director here
and he is the one coaching our kids.” Zeh, referred
to by some as the “ambassador of basketball” for the
Oneonta region, played for Saurers at SUNY Albany. Zeh
had the great opportunity of playing under a legendary
coach and now has a chance to sit side by side with him
in the history books. Speaking with Zeh myself about
this great honor, “the coach” was humble, “It is a great
honor for me to be in the same sentence as so many
fantastic coaches, and I have to say I am beyond
honored.” Zeh will walk across the stage of honor,
accept his nomination, and continue to coach one of the
best teams in central New York. “You don’t want to
play golf with him either,” said John Horne, a long-time
play-by-play announcer who currently works at the
Baseball Hall of Fame, “He’s a great golfer
too.”
On Monday the Oneonta Tigers officially
announced the pricing and options for reserved season
tickets and general admission season passes. These
tickets also went on sale on Monday. The pricing for
a 2009 season individual reserved seat is $299, for a
four seat box is $1,100, and for a six seat box is
$1,500. General admission season passes return this
year, an adult pass will cost $155 and the senior/child
pass will be $135. Also returning are the general
admission discount books where six adult general
admission tickets are available for $30 and six senior
or child general admission tickets will be $25. A new
option this year is reserved seat ticket vouchers in
packs of 10 and 20 vouchers. These can be purchased for
$85 and $170 respectively. Both the general admission
booklets and reserved seat vouchers will go on sale at a
later date. Day of game ticket prices for 2009 will
be $10 for a reserved seat, $6 for a general admission
adult and $5 for a general admission child/senior. If
you wish to purchase reserved seat season tickets or
general admission season passes, please contact the
Oneonta Tigers front office at (607) 432-6326.
Despite a rough start to the OHS
boys’ basketball season, the girls are soaring strong as
ever with a 17-0 record. The expectations coming into
this season were astronomical after last year’s
Sectionals victory, but these girls are determined and
have handled the pressure well. Behind every great
team, however, there is a great leader, someone who has
been there through the ups and downs and has the
experience to persevere through the toughest of
situations. Oneonta has that player; her name is Madie
Harlem. Harlem, a senior at Oneonta High School,
scored her 1,000th point on Feb. 4, something that is
very rare in Class A-B ball. This amazing feat, however,
was exemplified by how humble and unselfish she is both
as a person and a player. “I didn’t even know about
the stat until I saw I was close in the paper a few days
before,” said Harlem during a phone interview with
Hometown Oneonta Monday night. Harlem, a captain on
the varsity team along with teammate Meredith Ridgeway,
says she didn’t set scoring 1,000 as a goal for the
season. In fact, she didn’t have any individual goals.
“I just want to win,” said Harlem, “as long as we keep
winning, all of my goals are fulfilled.” Harlem, who
has been playing basketball at a competitive level since
the third grade, was a four-year varsity player. She
played junior varsity in seventh and eighth grade and
was moved to the varsity team for the final few games of
her 8th grade season. This is a testament to her will
and grit, her determination to be the best and her
undying will to win. Harlem, who has played on the Boys
and Girls Club travel teams and at the YMCA, has been
known around the City of the Hills athletics for quite
some time. Madie, a star in her sport, will be going
to college with an academic focus, not athletics. The
senior heads to Hamilton College next fall to play under
Head Coach Sean Mackin. As strong as the program is at
Hamilton, currently posting a 12-7 record and setting
the program record for league wins last season with 10,
Harlem says her focus is predominantly academic. A
tentative Economics major entering college, Harlem said
she was drawn to the school more after she found out how
strong their academics had become, “Knowing how good of
a school it is was a major reason for me choosing
it.” “Madie is a special player”, said Oneonta Girl’s
Basketball Coach Bob Zeh, who has coached Harlem since
she joined as a varsity player. He has been a coach at
Oneonta High School for 28 years, and been coaching the
girls for nine years. “Madie would much rather make a
good pass to set up a shot or get an assist than shoot.
I used to have to beg her to shoot when she was a
freshman and sophomore. That is the kind of player she
is. She makes everyone on the court better,” said Zeh,
who said Harlem also leads the team in steals and
assists. When Harlem was asked if she thought she was
a leader on this team, the four year varsity player and
three year captain was surprisingly humble, “Yes, I
guess I could say that. We are all leaders. Meredith and
I are the two captains and people listen to us, but if
anyone else has anything to say we listen to them as
well. The team has very good chemistry and we are very
interactive with each other as a whole.” A band of
sisters, brought together as one cohesive unit and one
dazzling ball club. When told how humble Harlem was
regarding her 1,000 points, Coach Zeh was not surprised,
“It’s never about Madie, it’s always about team, that’s
the kind of player she is.” In many small schools
girls play on the Varsity squad in 7th and 8th grade.
Essentially, they have six years to score 1000. Harlem
didn’t start playing until 9th, which makes her 1000
points even more special. Harlem is only the fourth
player in OHS girls’ basketball history to score 1,000
points and the feat is something Oneonta can remember
for a long time. “Every coach should have the
opportunity to coach someone like Madie Harlem,” said
Zeh. Hamilton College has only had seven 1,000 point
scorers on the women’s level. The one who holds the most
points is Julie Diehl who scored 1,451 points and
graduated in 1993. Nearly 16 years later, Hamilton is
going to get another player with potential to beat even
that score. Sean Mackin and the Hamilton College women’s
varsity program are going to get a special player and
student all in one dynamic package, her name is Madie
Harlem.
Contact Chris McSwiggin at
chrism@hometownoneonta.biz
The
Eric Douglas Dettenrieder Memorial Fund will partner
with the Hartwick College Men’s Basketball team to offer
a free basketball clinic for young people with
disabilities from 4-5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14.
The clinic is an opportunity for local youth
with disabilities to learn how to play basketball in a
non-competitive environment. The clinic will be held at
the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club at 70 River St. and will
conclude with a pizza party and awards ceremony for the
participants. The free clinic is open to children
and young adults with disabilities. No prior experience
is needed to participate. Hartwick College coaches and
basketball players will lead the clinic, teaching basic
skills through activities and games. Registration is
required.
The EDD Memorial Fund is a local
non-profit organization that provides recreational and
competitive sports programs to children and young adults
with disabilities. It was established in 1997 to provide
sports opportunities for young people with disabilities.
More than 1,300 young people have participated in their
adaptive sports programs. They currently offer adaptive
basketball, downhill skiing, soccer, swimming and tennis
programs in Central NY and Eastern PA.
Please
contact Gretchen Owens at 802-399-4366 or
events@eddfund.org to register for the clinic.
To find out more about the EDD Memorial Fund and
its programs, visit www.eddfund.org.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get
any better, Chris Hayen exploded into the
picture. With all the buzz around household names
like Pidgeon, Marcewicz, Willis and Wagner, the two area
hall of fames being more than active, some prized
athletes slip through the cracks of sports media. One
player for Oneonta however, did not. Chris Hayen, the
goalie for the Yellow Jacket varsity soccer team, has
announced that he is going to play ball at the
University of Binghamton, a Division I program. The
Bearcats, who have 21 varsity sports at their school,
play host to over 11,000 undergraduate students. Their
head coach, Paul Marco, was last year’s America East
Coach Of The Year. “I know the team and coaches,”
said Chris during a phone interview Monday night, “I am
comfortable with them.” The question arose as to
whether or not his decision to go to school in
Binghamton was a local thing. Hartwick College posts a
Division I soccer program as well, but the locality of
it wasn’t the top priority. “I played on the premiere
team under Marco for three years,” said Chris, “I know
these guys.” Oneonta, who posted a 9-7-1 record this
season, started slow but surged at the end. Like all
Oneonta sports, this soccer season was packed with
excitement and loaded with talent. Binghamton, who
posted a 14-6-0 record last season and finished as the
America East runner-ups have certainly found their gem,
with a resume the size of a soccer field. Some of his
achievements throughout his storied four year career in
the blue and yellow were being donned First Team
All-STAC, First Team Daily Star and All State Selection
plus posting nine shutouts. Mind you, this is all just
in his senior year. Chris, who was the starting goal
keeper as a sophomore, led his team to the Sectional 4
class B section title. That season he posted six
shut-outs, including the quarterfinal 1-0 victory over
rival Seton Catholic. Binghamton is a storied program
as well, posting an all-time record of 406-266-72 and a
Division 1 record of 66-55-26. Of those wins, Marco can
be attributed to 64 of them, losing only 38 games and
drawing in 25. If there is one thing that coach Paul
Marco knows how to do, it is turn a program around. So
for Chris Hayen it is like leaving one home to go to
another. He will always be fond of Oneonta and what
Soccertown USA has done for him. Hayen, who’s
greatest OHS soccer moment was winning sectionals as a
sophomore, said about his team, “this is the best soccer
team I have ever played on.” Chris graduates this
spring with high expectations for the upcoming season.
Hayen plans to study the liberal arts for his first two
years at school before worrying about the tough choice
of choosing a major, “I just want to live the college
life first, get used to things.” Hanging up the
yellow and blue cleats for a pair of green and black
will be tough, but Chris Hayen is a tough kid. He won’t
let anyone stand in front of his goals, no pun
intended.
It’s always a battle when you match Orcas
with Dolphins. The Oneonta Orcas swim team capped off
its amazing season Saturday with the final meet of the
season held in Chase Pool at SUNY Oneonta. Winning the
match 245-148, the 38-kid team is an underdog to
most. “Our team is small but strong,” said Christiana
Gomez-Frye, Aquatics Director for the Oneonta YMCA. The
8-18 year old team has 13 state qualifiers, six of which
earned their spot against Oswego. The state meet will
take place in Buffalo in March. “I am really
impressed due to our size,” said Orca’s head-coach Megan
Holstead. “I don’t know about other teams and how they
do, but to have one third of your team qualify is pretty
impressive.” Most of the other teams that Oneonta faces
have a lot more kids on the squad, some even have up to
90 or 100. Holstead, who swam in high school and at
SUNY Cobleskill before transferring to attend SUNY
Oneonta, works at the YMCA and swam there for years. She
was offered the job as head coach when the vacancy
opened. Megan has a close relationship to her team, many
of which swim scholastically for OHS. The six
swimmers who qualified for state during the meet against
Oswego are, Patrick Calhoun, 10, Akiva Garfield, 8,
Stephanie Havens, 13, Liz Knudson, 8, Joel Levins, 8 and
Alex Miller, 17. Oswego, who is a much larger team
than Oneonta, only brought about 40 swimmers, but their
team consists of over 60. “The season went very well”
said Gomez-Frye, “we had a lot of committed swimmers and
the turnout shows that.” The unsung heroes of Oneonta
aquatics provide just another reason to pinpoint Oneonta
on the map as a sports haven. Two colleges with
successful athletic programs, a rich tradition of
Oneonta High School sports being the upper echelon of
those in the area, a Hall of Fame located here, and now
an underdog swim team that shines through despite their
small size. This was a great event if you enjoy swimming
and a great story if you enjoy sports. Alex Miller,
who swims for the boys 15-18 level, came in first place
in all three of his events, the 200 back stroke, the 50
free, and the 500 free. He was the only Orca to
accomplish that. “We are extremely grateful that SUNY
let us use their facilities” says an exuberant
Gomez-Fyre, “the guys were very helpful.” The SUNY
Oneonta men’s swim team helped out with the event, which
as a whole went very well. This meet was a great way to
cap off a great season, and congratulations to everyone
on the Orcas team for their perseverance and
determination throughout the season. The Orcas, who
have proved a point to many of the teams in the area,
are going to make their presence felt in Buffalo come
March. Gomez-Frye, who was more than happy to give her
thoughts on the meet, was impressed beyond belief, and
sharing the feeling with the rest of the
Oneonta
Pidgeon
Advances to Finals
Brendon Pidgeon beat the #2 seed in the 215
pound class, Vestal’s Mike Degroat via a pin at 1:57 in
the semi-finals of the STAC (Southern Tier Athletic
Conference) wrestling championships on Saturday to
advance to the finals at Union-Endicott High School.
Pidgeon, the #3 seed, was pinned at 3:16 in the finals
by #1 seed Noah Sibley of Windsor. Oneonta finished
tied with Norwich for 14th place in the 17 team field
with 27 points. Chenango Forks finished first with
212 1/2 followed by host Union-Endicott with
192.
Bench
Press To Benefit Trip To Bluefields,
Nicaragua
Benefit Organizer and Oneonta Middle School
Principal Kevin Johnson, sits at center judging bench
pressers during the second annual Bench Press Benefit,
Saturday, Jan. 24. Proceeds made from the entry fees
and donations benefit a mission trip Johnson’s wife and
son, Suzanne and Lucas, will be going on to Bluefields,
Nicaragua in February with the Main Street Baptist
Church. Johnson competes in power lifting
internationally and many of the participants in
Saturday’s benefit were internationally ranked,
including John Bogart, Hartwick, who broke the world
record on Saturday, lifting 725 lbs. Pictured here,
Dustin Talbert, of Oneonta benches 225 lbs in his first
competition. Dan Tuthill, Oneonta, left, and Andrew
Bogart, Hartwick, right, spot him.
Oneonta, a small town in Upstate New
York that harbors two well respected colleges, just
became home to two well respected professional athletes.
Five-time MLS Champion Jeff Agoos and two-time World
Champion Joy Fawcett will be inducted into the National
Soccer Hall of Fame. The Induction 2009 ceremony will
be held on Sunday, Aug. 2, at the Hall of Fame &
Museum. The weekend will include the Big 3 Enshrinement
Ceremony that Saturday and numerous other fan-oriented
activities. Both of these players have many accolades
to their names, and their induction gives Soccer Town
USA something more to boast about. The talks that
Oneonta’s claim to fame can’t match up to those in
Canton, Ohio, Springfield Mass. and Cooperstown have
since worn dry. Agoos is the director of the New York
Red Bulls, an elite soccer team from the MLS. If that
isn’t a big enough accomplishment, he won three titles
as a member of the highly touted DC United and two more
with the San Jose Earthquakes, giving him 5 rings in
total. How many professional athletes can say they
have been a part of 5 national title teams? Michael
Jordan, but that’s about all that comes to mind. He was
also part of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and the 1998
and 2002 World Cups. He has accomplished more in his
career as soccer player than most of the athletes have
who play “mainstream” sports. Who said soccer
isn’t? Joy Fawcett, a two time Olympic Gold Medalist
and a Women’s World Cup winner, also has some chips on
the table to play with. Fawcett, who received 106 votes,
ranks fourth in women’s soccer history with 239 caps.
She also was a member of the Gold Medal teams in Atlanta
and Athens. These two are among the best to ever play
the game and with their rightful induction to the hall
of fame they can finally rest easy. So next time you are
in Cooperstown ogling Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, swing
over to Oneonta to see a Hall of Fame filled with
athletes who truly can share the title of America’s
Pastime. A total of 159 ballots were cast. Agoos was
named on 108 ballots (67.9 percent) and Fawcett was
selected on 106 ballots (66.7 percent). A player must be
selected on 66.7 percent of the ballots cast to be
elected.
Oneonta Boys Win Patrick C.
Fetterman Memorial Basketball Tournament
Monday, January 19, 2009
COOPERSTOWN
After a very close game,
the Oneonta 5th and 6th grade boys team placed first in
the 5th Annual Patrick C. Fetterman Memorial Basketball
Tournament 59-56 versus the Norwich Vipers in overtime.
The tournament took place at the Clark Sports Center in
Cooperstown.
Pictured at left: The team smiles
after receiving their trophy. Front row from left,
Jordan Guitterez, Tyler Tremain, Ethan Beckrink and
Brock Eichler. Back row, Skylar Thompson, Noah Sheehan,
Josh Davie and Willie Harrison.
Pictured below:
Three Oneonta players were recognized with individual
awards, Noah Sheehan, left, was named to the all tourney
team, Willie Harrison, right, was given the
sportsmanship award and Jordan Guitterez, center, was
named MVP, scoring the highest number of points in a
single game, 31 points.
‘There is no place like home,” says a
smiling Joe Hughes. A three-sport athlete who earned
eight varsity letters while donning the blue and yellow,
Hughes is now OHS athletic director and couldn’t love
the job more. He has contributed to OHS athletics as a
player and coach, and saw his name on the wall in
October as he was inducted into the OHS Athletic Hall Of
Fame. Hughes graduated from Oneonta High School in
1976 and went on to Florida International University in
Miami to play baseball. While at FIU, he earned the
title of 1st Team Collegiate All-American in 1980 and
even had a brief stint in professional ball with the
Baltimore Orioles. While at OHS, Hughes started on
the varsity soccer program for four years. He also was a
two-year varsity player in basketball and baseball, and
captained both his senior season. The soccer program
at OHS during Hughes’ years won the school’s first ever
STAC championship. “At the time, SUCO and Hartwick
both had established varsity programs, and both were in
the top ranks in the nation,” said Hughes. “With our
program being successful as well, and the Hall of Fame
deciding to open here, it was a really great time to be
involved in what is essentially ‘Soccer-town
USA’.” For Hughes, there really is no place like
home. After completing his baseball career he returned
home 1,500 miles to the City of the Hills where he
coached Boys JV Basketball for nearly 15
seasons. Hughes ended his stint as basketball coach
when he was offered the job as athletic director. He
still coaches varsity baseball for the Yellow
Jackets. The weekend of Jan. 16-18, Hughes gets a
chance to re-live the good old days. He will be
driving with the Yellow Jackets men’s basketball squad
eight hours up to Maine to take on nationally ranked
Camden Hills. The top ranked team in the state of Maine
and currently 9-0, the 6-3 Yellow Jackets will have a
gigantic mountain to climb. Camden Hills has a Hughes
for an athletic director also well, only his name is
Bill. Bill Hughes, who was a participant in the NCAA
College World Series as a baseball player for the
University of Maine, and an Oneonta graduate in the
class of 1974, will see his basketball team play his
brother’s team this weekend… the backyard all over
again. The Jackets (6-3) will be taking on Camden
Hills (9-0) and then the following night they will be
taking on another solid team at the neighboring Rockland
High School. The whole trip will be a fantastic
experience for the two programs, and it will be a
homecoming of sorts for the Hugheses. The tournament,
appropriately called “The City of the Hills Basketball
Tournament,” likely will not disappoint. Whether you
are from Oneonta or Camden Hills, this weekend will run
rampant with hometown nostalgia. Two brothers, both of
which have accomplished major feats, both of which were
born and raised in Oneonta, both of which, are hometown
heroes, will be on the court together again.
In the midst of a fun but disappointing end
to football, a fast paced and unpredictable start to
basketball and a boys’ swim team with something to
prove, there lies an annual tournament that is worth so
much but rarely gets its spot in the limelight. The
20th Oneonta Rotary Ross Cordell Tournament took place
in Oneonta on Saturday, Jan. 3 at Oneonta High School.
Wrestling is a sport that has been testing the wills of
its athletes for centuries, yet it always seems to flip,
twist and pin its way into the gloomy corners of sports
coverage. This tournament featured some of the best
natural athletes in the area and for any of those who
got out of bed on that frigid day to come and watch,
they witnessed a treat. Those who came to the event got
to see two- time Cordell Champ Tyler Peet from Unadilla
Valley win his third consecutive tournament as he spun
Darren Terpstra into a two point reversal with nine
seconds left, winning the contest 4-2. Peet had
struggled during the third and deciding period, but
turned on the burners at the very end to finish in
exciting fashion. If that didn’t keep you on the edge of
the bleachers, maybe a little hometown magic may
have. OHS football standout Brendan Pidgeon lifted
the Jackets to the finals as he took on Burnt Hills’
Zeal McGruw in the championship round of the 215 lbs
weight class. Pidgeon, despite valiant effort, lost this
matchup as Burnt Hills rolled on to their second
consecutive first place finish. The Saratoga area team
racked up 215 points and played host to six individual
champions. So, who says wrestling can’t hang in there
with the media juggernauts of ba
