Empire State Games

FInal medal count

2010-07-25T18:27:00.002-04:00

Western 104 gold, 78 silver, 59 bronze, 241 total
Central 36 gold, 57 silver, 44 bronze, 137 total
Long Island 39 gold, 37 silver, 56 bronze, 132 total
Adirondack 35 gold, 44 silver, 39 bronze, 118 total
Hudson Valley 22 gold, 27 silver, 36 bronz, 85 total
New York City 24 gold, 20 silver, 21 bronze, 65 total

ESG weekend roundup

2010-07-25T16:50:00.001-04:00

Women's soccer

GETZVILLE — LaGrangeville native Kristen Skonieczny gave up one goal in regulation as the Hudson Valley scholastic women’s soccer team won the bronze medal by tying Long Island, 1-1, on Sunday.

The game went to a shootout with Hudson Valley prevailing, 4-3. Port Jervis’ Jen Peters, Armonk’s Erin Myers, Rye’s Katherine Greer and Cortlandt Manor’s Kayla Mancusi tallied for third-place Hudson Valley.

Ice hockey

AMHERST — Robert Belger of Yorktown Heights scored the lone Hudson Valley goal as the scholastic men’s team lost to eventual gold-medalist Western, 7-1, eliminating Hudson Valley from medal contention in the round-robin competition.

Baseball

AMHERST — Hudson Valley’s scholastic team lost out on the bronze medal when its game with Western on Saturday was suspended and fields were unplayable on Sunday.

The result was decided due to head-to-head competition and Hudson Valley lost to Western on Friday, 10-7. Long Island won gold and Central won silver based on overall records.

Wrestling

BUFFALO — Mark Settembrino of Wappingers Falls won the silver medal in the 123-pound class of scholastic freestyle wrestling on Saturday, falling to Western’s Tom Page in the gold-medal match, 6-2, 6-0, by decision

Scott Bova of Poughquag pinned Central’s Pat Nasoni in 1:16 to capture a bronze medal.

Weightlifting

SANBORN — Poughkeepsie resident Joe Rodriguez won the silver medal in the 150-pound open division final, lifting 191 pounds late Saturday.

Judo

BUFFALO — Charles Braun won the bronze medal at 132 pounds in the open competition late Saturday.

Former New Paltz resident Scott Honan won the bronze medal at 198 pounds.

Rowing

BUFFALO — The Hudson Valley men’s quad of Evan Heaton, Taylor Bodley, Jimmy Balsamo and Dylan Hartwick won the bronze medal on Friday in a time of 5:07.99.

GOLD! Soccer, field hockey, basketball prevail

2010-07-25T13:51:00.002-04:00

Patrick Noonan of Hyde Park accomplished something at the 2010 Empire State Games on Sunday afternoon that no one had to this point.

He scored a goal against New York City.

Noonan's tally from 18 yards out at the top of the box deflected off a City defender in the 72nd minute of an 80-minute game and put Hudson Valley's scholastic men's soccer team ahead. Valley defeated New York City, 1-0, at Amherst North French Soccer Complex in Getzville.

Hudson Valley's team has nine players from the Journal's coverage area on its squad: Noonan, Matt Daeumer (Wappingers Falls), Matt Garcia (Wappingers Falls), Matt Koziol (Poughkeepsie), Chris Metz (Hopewell Junction), Tim Ryan (Poughquag), Codey Stetler (Hopewell Junction), Conor Tasciotti (Poughkeepsie) and J.P. Veliz (Wappingers Falls).

Hudson Valley finished the tournament with an overall record of three wins, no losses and one tie. New York City was 3-1.

Meanwhile over in Amherst...

The Hudson Valley scholastic field hockey team captured its fifth straight gold medal, defeating Long Island, 3-0, at Walter Kunz Stadium on the campus of the University of Buffalo.

Jen Angevine, Leanne Goldblatt and Melissa Colton each scored for Hudson Valley, which finished the tournament with a perfect mark of 4-0.

Local residents Jade Dennett (Fishkill), Daniella Bernasconi (Hopewell Junction) and Erin Lidl (Pawling) were on Hudson Valley's roster.

Meanwhile over in Lewiston...

The Hudson Valley scholastic girls basketball team won the gold medal with a 99-53 win over Central at Taps Gallagher Center on the campus of Niagara University.

Teneka Whittaker of Poughkeepsie scored 13 points, while Liz Milner of Cold Spring chipped in six.

Lilian McCabe led Hudson Valley (4-0) with 19 points.

More results as I get them.

Local medalists to this point

2010-07-24T20:58:00.001-04:00

Gold
Curtis McCabe, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Ken Steier, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Kyle Peabody, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Sean Clarke, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Stephanie Hartmann, Hyde Park (rowing), Branden Dahlem, Rhinebeck (swimming), Shannon Walsh, LaGrangeville (swimming)

Silver
Jennifer Veloudas, Hyde Park (rowing), Chloe Beach, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Rachel Puchkoff, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Catherine Quattrociocchi, Pleasant Valley (rowing), Jeannette Eckelman, Hopewell Junction (rowing), Jonathan Kaufman, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Andrew Lemieszewski, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Randy Budd, Staatsburg (rowing), Brandon Clark, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Ken Steier, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Kyle Peabody, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Curtis McCabe, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Sean Clarke, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Stephanie Hartmann, Hyde Park (rowing), Darnell Cummings, Millbrook (track and field), Rachel Pierantozzi, LaGrangeville (track and field — two medals), Mike Debronsky, Beacon (track and field), Joe Rodriguez, Poughkeepsie (weightlifting), Mark Settembrino, Wappingers Falls, (wrestling), Branden Dahlem, Rhinebeck (swimming), Brad Thomas, Wappingers Falls (swimming), Kevin Walsh, LaGrangeville (swimming), Dorothy Tai, Stormville (tennis), Eva Siska, Beacon (tennis), Josephine Tai, Stormville (tennis), Victoria Alexander, Glenham (track and field)

Bronze
Evan Heaton, Poughkeepsie (rowing — two medals), Rachel Buchanan, LaGrangeville (rowing), Arielle Tillou, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Sophia Sagan, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Lauren LaBelle, Poughquag (rowing), Grace Nesheiwat, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Catherine Quattrociocchi, Pleasant Valley (rowing), Stephanie Lee, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Jeannette Eckelman, Hopewell Junction (rowing), Rachel Puchkoff, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Nicole Scaglione, Poughkeepsie (rowing), Chloe Beach, Poughkeepsie (rowing); Taylor Bodley, Pleasant Valley (rowing — two medals), Jamie Paterson, Hyde Park (bowling), Erin Patchey, Rhinebeck (gymnastics), Scott Honan, New Paltz (judo), Charles Braun, Poughkeepsie (judo), Scott Bova, Poughquag (wrestling), Shannon Walsh, LaGrangeville (swimming), Kevin Walsh, LaGrangeville (swimming), Victoria Alexander, Glenham (track and field),

HV scholastic men's soccer ties

2010-07-24T18:05:00.004-04:00

After going to a 5-on-5 shootout to decide the outcome, Central tied Hudson Valley, 5-5, in men's scholastic soccer.

J.P. Veliz scored a pair of second-half goals for Hudson Valley.

Hudson Valley plays in the gold-medal game on Sunday, with an 11 a.m. start.

Women's scholastic lax loses

2010-07-24T17:59:00.001-04:00

Anna Jeszeck and Tara Monaghan each scored two goals but their Hudson Valley scholastic team fell to Central, 14-5.

Karly Walborn scored the other goal for Hudson Valley.

Tons of medals in the track ESGs, just no gold.

2010-07-24T12:37:00.006-04:00

Rachel Pierantozzi of LaGrangeville captured the silver medal in the open 100-meter dash in 13.63 seconds, placing second to gold medalist Chianne Ashman of New York City.

In the men’s open 100 dash, Darnell Cummings of Millbrook (seen here) picked up a silver medal, edging bronze medalist Junior Burnett of Adirondack by one-thousandth of a second, completing the race in 11.291 seconds to Burnett’s 11.292. The gold medalist was New York City’s Andre Marcano in 11.08. Cummings also picked up a silver medal, running in the 400 relay, that placed second in 41.74 seconds. His teammates were Robert Graham, Joshua Louis and Justin McCollin. Western won the gold medal in 41.58 seconds.

Beacon standout Victoria Alexander of Glenham picked up the bronze medal in the scholastic women’s 100 in 12.74 seconds. The gold medalist was Ashley Fields of Western in 12.33 seconds.

Best of the rest: Hudson Valley Friday roundup

2010-07-23T20:13:00.002-04:00

BUFFALO — On Thursday, the Hudson Valley men’s open rowing team picked up a silver medal. On Friday, they did themselves one better.

The men’s four, consisting of Poughkeepsie residents Kyle Peabody, Curtis McCabe, Sean Clarke and Ken Steier, along with coxswain Stephanie Hartmann of LaGrangeville, won the gold medal on Friday in a time of 5 minutes, 28.05 seconds.

The race was run on a shortened course of 1,500 of the scheduled 2,000 meters, due to heavy winds and rain in the Buffalo region throughout the day. Western won silver and Long Island won bronze.

“It was just really bad weather,” Peabody said. “Our plan was to go out really hard until we had the lead. It was very exciting to beat those guys.”

Hudson Valley’s women’s four of Poughkeepsie’s Chloe Beach and Rachel Puchkoff, Pleasant Valley’s Catherine Quattrociocchi, Hopewell Junction’s Jeannette Eckelman and coxswain Jennifer Veloudas of Hyde Park won the silver medal in 6:39.22. Western took gold and Long Island won bronze.

The Hudson Valley women’s quad of Poughkeepsie’s Arielle Tillou and Sophia Sagan, LaGrangeville’s Rachel Buchanan and Newburgh’s Caitlin O’Neill won the bronze medal in 6:53.31. Western won gold and Central won silver.

Track and field

AMHERST — Rachel Pierantozzi of LaGrangeville won the silver medal in the women’s 200-meter dash in 27.70 seconds. Simonie Moore of New York City won the gold in 27.43 seconds.

Victoria Alexander of Glenham won her heat in the scholastic women’s 100 dash in 13.16 seconds. She placed fourth in the scholastic women’s 200 dash in 25.78.

Darnell Cummings of Millbrook was second in his heat in the men’s open 100 dash in 11.16 seconds. Andre Marcano of New York City was first in 11.10 seconds. The finals are today. Erik Simonson of New Paltz qualified for today’s scholastic 400 intermediate hurdles finals.

Women’s basketball

LEWISTON — Teneka Whittaker of Poughkeepsie scored a game-high 20 points as Hudson Valley’s scholastic team defeated Long Island, 106-40.

Marist College forward Emily Stallings scored 14 points, but the Hudson Valley open women’s basketball team lost to Western, 77-60 late Thursday.

Baseball

AMHERST — Seth Lamando of Hopewell Junction was 3 for 4 with an RBI as Hudson Valley’s scholastic team improved to 2-1 overall, defeating Adirondack, 9-2.

Bowling

WILLIAMSVILLE — Hudson Valley’s women’s open bowling team, including Hyde Park’s Jamie Paterson won the bronze medal, totaling 4,303 pins.

Long Island won gold and Western won silver.

Soccer

AMHERST — The Hudson Valley men’s scholastic team defeated Adirondack, 2-1.

The women’s scholastic team lost to Adirondack, 2-0.

Softball

AMHERST — Highland’s Amanda Morano had two hits and an RBI, but Hudson Valley lost to Western, 7-3, dropping its record to 1-3.

In its first action of the day the Hudson Valley’s open softball team beat Long Island, 11-4, pounding out 16 hits along the way.

Highland’s Kacie Demaio went 1-for-3 with two runs scored for the Valley, which also got a 2-for-3 performance from Morano, who scored two runs and drove in a pair.

Wappingers Falls’ Samantha Howe picked up the pitching win.

Swimming

BUFFALO — LaGrangeville’s Shannon Walsh won the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke in scholastic women's swimming in 1:17.51 on Thursday.

Kevin Walsh, also of LaGrangeville won bronze in the men's 100 breaststroke in 1:13.66.

Women’s ice hockey

AMHERST — Alyssa Lustenring of Poughkeepsie scored for Hudson Valley’s scholastic team, which lost to Long Island, 3-1.

Lustenring’s tally tied the score at 1-1 in the second period. LaGrangeville resident Anne-Marie Dion made 52 saves for Hudson Valley, which played against Central on Friday after the Journal’s deadline.

Women’s volleyball

AMHERST — Hudson Valley’s open team lost to Western, 25-20, 25-15, 15-10 to drop to 0-3 at the Games.

The scholastic women lost to Western, also lost to Western.

Fencing

NIAGARA FALLS — Hudson Valley’s scholastic men’s team won the bronze medal, defeating New York City, 15-8, late Thursday.

Hudson Valley’s men’s open team lost the bronze-medal match to Adirondack, 15-10.

Valley women's hoops wins again

2010-07-23T18:43:00.002-04:00

LEWISTON — Teneka Whittaker of Poughkeepsie scored a game-high 20 points as Hudson Valley's scholastic women's basketball team defeated Long Island, 106-40. Liz Milner of Cold Spring chipped in five points.

Valley men's ice hockey ties Central

2010-07-23T18:13:00.002-04:00

LaGrangeville's Jake Garay had a goal and an assist as Hudson Valley increased its medal chances with a 2-2 tie against Central on Friday afternoon.

Hopewell Junction's Bobby Henderson and Wappingers Falls' Ryan Connolly assisted on Garay's first-period power-play goal.

Valley rowing wins gold

2010-07-23T18:12:00.000-04:00

BUFFALO — On Thursday, the Hudson Valley men’s open rowing team picked up a silver medal. On Friday, they did themselves one better.

The men’s four , consisting of Poughkeepsie residents Kyle Peabody, Curtis McCabe, Sean Clarke and Ken Steier, along with coxswain Stephanie Hartmann of LaGrangeville, won the gold medal on Friday in a time of 5 minutes, 28.05 seconds.

The race was run on a shortened course of 1,500 of the scheduled 2,000 meters, due to heavy winds and rain in the Buffalo region throughout the day. Western won silver and Long Island won bronze.

“It was just really bad weather,” Peabody said. “Our plan was to go out really hard until we had the lead. It was very exciting to beat those guys.”

Valley's softball team beats Long Island

2010-07-23T16:20:00.002-04:00

In its first action of the day the Hudson Valley's open softball team beat Long Island this morning, 11-4, pounding out 16 hits along the way.

Highland's Kacie Demaio went 1-for-3 with two runs scored for the Valley, which also got a 2-for-3 performance from Highland's Amanda Morano, who scored two runs and drove in a pair.

Wappingers Falls' Samantha Howe picked up the pitching win.

Already up 5-1, Hudson Valley scored three runs in both the fourth and seventh innings.

Scholastic women's lax squad prevails

2010-07-23T16:14:00.002-04:00

Playing at Niagara University this morning, scholastic women's lacrosse team from the Hudson Valley triumphed against New York City, 10-0.

Erin Riley scored two goals to lead the Hudson Valley, which got one goal apiece from eight other players.

Hudson Valley scored all its goals in the first half, with Brittany McCormack scoring the first (and eventual game-winning) goal with 24 minutes, 2 seconds left in the first half.

Open men's hoops squad triumphs

2010-07-23T16:09:00.003-04:00

Hudson Valley's men's open basketball team defeated Adirondack, 77-65, on the campus of Canisius College.

Prince Jackson's 18 points led the victors, who also got 17 points from Michael McNair.

H.V. women's ice hockey loses

2010-07-23T15:59:00.002-04:00

The women's scholastic ice hockey team from Long Island defeated the Hudson Valley, 3-1, at the Amherst Ice Facility.

Hudson Valley's Alyssa Lustenring tied the game, 1-1, in the second period, but Long Island scored a pair of goals in the second half to triumph.

Hudson Valley field hockey improves to 3-0

2010-07-23T13:55:00.002-04:00

AMHERST — The Hudson Valley scholastic field hockey team won its third straight game at the Empire State Games, defeating Adirondack, 6-1, this morning amidst the rain and wind at the University of Buffalo.

Pawling native Erin Lidl, a student at the Kent School in Connecticut tallied a goal and an assist for Hudson Valley. Also on Hudson Valley's roster are Wappingers field hockey players, Jade Dennett on defense and Daniella Bernasconi at forward.

Read more about the Hudson Valley field hockey team in Saturday's Poughkeepsie Journal

ESG rowing photos

2010-07-22T22:50:00.006-04:00

Pair of Walshes pick up medals

2010-07-22T21:04:00.002-04:00

BUFFALO — LaGrangeville's Shannon Walsh won the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke in scholastic women's swimming in 1:17.51.

Kevin Walsh, also of LaGrangeville won bronze in the men's 100 breaststroke.

ESG: Our reporter checks in after a busy day

2010-07-22T20:04:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been a long and busy day here at the Empire State Games.

I'm currently tucked away in the media center at University of Buffalo, waiting for results to trickle in. I think I have pretty much everything I am going to get for the print product at this point. I will continue to monitor results and post things pertinent to the Hudson Valley on this blog.

• The Hudson Valley scholastic women's basketball team defeated Western, 100-36, today at the Taps Gallagher Center on the campus of Niagara University. WOW!

That is quite the score. Poughkeepsie native Teneka Whittaker scored 11 points and Liz Milner of Cold Spring added six.

Milner mentioned to Journal intern Adam Patterson earlier this summer that since many of the women play AAU ball together, that might be to their advantage. It certainly sounds like it was today.

• I was at two events today and scurried past several others. I watched as the open softball team from Hudson Valley was swept in two games by Adirondack and New York City.

Against NYC, both teams played some pretty sloppy softball. There was only one 1-2-3 inning in the entire game. Baserunning mistakes, errors, you name it. At one point in the third innings, Hudson Valley scored three runs because they hit balls to the outfield that would have been singles if they were actually fielded cleanly by the NYC outfield. They weren't.

Not exactly the way you'd like to start off a tournament, but at least it can only go up from there.

• I was also at crew over at the West Side Rowing Club in Buffalo, where the Hudson Valley won three medals. Those were in the men's eight, women's eight and men's double.

Almost the entire Hudson Valley women's team, as well as most of the men's team are from Dutchess County, which as everyone knows, is rich in tradition thanks to the Hudson River and several outstanding rowers in local high schools and colleges.

Don't see something on this blog or in the Poughkeepsie Journal? Well, I am only one person, but I want to make sure that the athletes of the Hudson Valley, and specifically, the Journal's coverage area, get their just due. E-mail me at pstrum@poughkeepsiejournal.com with date, location and any other specifics on the event and I will do my best to make sure it gets out there.

Hudson Valley scholastic girls basketball cruises

2010-07-22T19:57:00.000-04:00

LEWISTON — Teneka Whittaker of Poughkeepsie scored 11 points and Liz Milner of Cold Spring added six as Hudson Valley crushed Western, 100-36 in the scholastic women’s basketball opener at the Taps Gallagher Center on the campus of Niagara University.

Hudson Valley led Western, 50-17, at halftime.

Raegan Knox of Cross River led all scorers with 27 points. Hudson Valley plays Long Island today at 2 p.m.

HV women's tennis wins

2010-07-22T18:39:00.001-04:00

The Hudson Valley scholastic women's tennis team blanked Central, 5-0, with wins coming from locals Dorothy Tai and Eva Siska.

Tai's sister, Josephine, teamed with Kristen Villani to win at second doubles.

HV softball swept

2010-07-22T18:31:00.001-04:00

The Hudson Valley open softball team suffered defeats to Adirondack and New York City.

John Jay High School graduate Jennifer McCracken had two hits in each game for Hudson Valley.

HV scholastic soccer teams roll

2010-07-22T15:02:00.002-04:00

The Hudson Valley scholastic women's soccer team blanked Long Island, 6-0, behind three goals by Mahopac's Erin Felix. Hopewell Junction's Gabrielle Humphreys assisted on a goal.

The Hudson Valley scholastic men's team beat Long Island, 4-1. Wappingers Falls' Matt Garcia, Hyde Park's Pat Noonan and Hopewell Junction's Chris Metz all had a goal.

HV lacrosse teams swept by Adirondack

2010-07-22T14:56:00.002-04:00

The Hudson Valley scholastic men's lacrosse team lost to Adirondack, 7-6, and the scholastic women's team suffered an 11-6 loss to Adirondack.

Field hockey team blanks Western

2010-07-22T14:54:00.002-04:00

John Jay High School's Daniella Bernasconi scored a goal, and her high school teammate Jade Dennett added an assist as Hudson Valley beat Western, 3-0 on Thursday.

Later in the day, Hudson Valley beat Long Island, 4-0. Dennett had a goal for Hudson Valley.

Open volleyball teams lose to Central

2010-07-22T14:51:00.002-04:00

The Hudson Valley open men's and women's volleyball teams were swept in three games by Central.

Both teams lost by the identical scores, 25-22, 26-24, 15-13.

Let the Games begin

2010-07-21T20:20:00.003-04:00

OK, so I am not a photographer, but this is the view that I have from the press area of University of Buffalo Stadium in Amherst for the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Empire State Games, which will be held in Western New York through Sunday.

“This feels pretty cool,” said Darnell Cummings of Millbrook, shortly before the athletes were moved indoors because of impending bad weather. “I didn’t make it my first year trying out, so I wanted to get up here. I always loved this track and the environment just feels great.”

The Games issued a media guide with statements from state dignitaries on the return of the Games.

"These exciting Games have long represented an important standard of measure for athletic success, and moreover, they are symbolic of the drive and spirit inherent in all New Yorkers," Gov. David A. Paterson said. "Over the next few days, our State's finest amateur athletes will engage in contests of skill, endurance, and ability against other equally talented individuals in Olympic style sports events."

"The real stars of this event are the many outstanding athletes who inspire us with their talent, their dedication and sportsmanship," said Carol Ash, commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "I am very pleased that we could return these Games to you this year."

Well, Third Eye Blind — tonight's headlining band — just hit the stage. Gonna check that out and then get ready for a full day of sports on Thursday.

ESG blurb: Tennis' Tai sisters

2010-07-10T17:01:00.008-04:00

Poughkeepsie Journal intern Dave Aderson caught up with tennis players Dorothy and Josephine Tai for an upcoming story, and filed the following report for our ESG blog...

Dorothy and Josephine Tai are sisters who will be competing for the Hudson Valley Scholastic tennis team at the Empire State Games for the first time. When I first got the news that they would be competing, I was excited because it’s not often you get to see a pair of sisters competing on the same team, at the same Empire State Games. What’s also interesting about the Tai sisters is the way they got into playing tennis.

While some athletes have been playing their respective sports for quite some time, Dorothy (seen here) and Josephine have only been playing tennis for three years. Both sisters initially started playing tennis because their ice-skating coach told them it would help with their footwork and strength.

Well, Coach … it looks like your advice paid off!

Both Dorothy and Josephine have competed in USTA tennis matches and came away with victories. Josephine was also named a first team tennis all-star by the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Although both of them hope to be victorious in the Games, being there together it something they’re not taking for granted.

“Well it’s the first time, I think it will be a good experience to go with my sister,” Dorothy said.

Look for Dave full story on the sisters in an upcoming edition of the Journal.

ESB blurb: Erik Simonson

2010-07-09T19:29:00.007-04:00

Poughkeepsie Journal intern Dave Aderson caught up with track athlete Erik Simonson for an upcoming story, and filed the following report for our ESG blog...

Erik Simonson is going into his senior year at New Paltz High School. He’ll be competing in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the Empire State Games.

When talking to him about the Games, there was one thing about him that stuck out to me.

This guy sounds really enthusiastic about competing at the Games, I thought to myself while interviewing him.

After all, Erik has traveled an interesting path to get this far. Originally playing baseball for his town league, Erik decided it was time for a change and joined the track and field team in the seventh grade. Soon after he suffered a dislocated patella in his knee from playing football and was sidelined for a year before returning to the track.

I was also able to get a sense of Erik’s competitive nature during his interview. Erik placed second in the 400 intermediate hurdles in the Section 9 championship meet this year. Seeking redemption, Erik then beat the opponent who had placed first in sectionals in the state championship meet by nearly a second.

While Erik is passionate about track and field, he’s also looking forward to taking a break after competition at the Games is over. His time off won’t last very long though. Erik is also a member of the football team and swimming team at his high school, and he will start preparing for those sports after the Games are completed.

Look for Dave's full story on Erik in an upcoming edition of the Journal.

ESG blurb: Blair Wegescheide

2010-07-09T18:16:00.006-04:00

Poughkeepsie Journal intern Sam Speer caught up with local swimmer Blair Wegescheide for an upcoming story, and filed the following report for our ESG blog...

One word comes to mind about Our Lady of Lourdes athlete, Blair Wegescheide: athleticism. The 16-year-old has been selected to participate in this year’s Empire State Games. The swimmer is competing in not just one event, but rather three: the 50-yard freestyle, and the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes. This wasn’t an easy accomplishment; she had to place in the top two in each of these events.

But swimming isn’t the only sport she excels in. She also plays basketball for Our Lady of Lourdes HS, and was selected as an honorable mention in the Poughkeepsie Journal’s winter basketball all-stars. This is a clear is an example of exactly the athleticism she possesses.

Now swimming especially in three separate events is not a piece of cake. She has to practice both short and long course swimming. According the Wegescheide, the key to success in each event is learning how keep a good pace, especially in the shorter events.

Despite her athleticism, her dedication is also very impressive. She has to wake up in the early-morning hours just to drive to practice. Remember she still has two years left at Lourdes, so by the time she graduates she will be exceptional.

Look for Sam's full story on Blair in an upcoming edition of the Journal.

ESG blurb: Manny Emanuel

2010-07-09T17:59:00.007-04:00

Poughkeepsie Journal intern Dave Aderson caught up with bowling coach Manny Emanuel for an upcoming story, and filed the following report for our ESG blog...

Manny Emanuel retired six years ago from his position as bowling coach and biology teacher at Roy C. Ketcham High School. He’s now going into his 18th season as coach of the Hudson Valley Scholastic bowling team. Manny, 61, started teaching 10th-grade biology after graduating from SUNY New Paltz. He has 36 years of teaching under his belt. There are some aspects of being a teacher that are similar to being a coach.

“It’s trying to reach out and understand,” Manny explained.

It’s Manny’s caring nature that enables him to be a good coach. Manny realized that having fun should be just as important for his team as winning. That’s partly why Manny’s bowlers have had success in the past. In 3 out of the last 5 seasons, the New York State Bowling Proprietors Association voted Manny’s bowling team with having the best overall performance in competition.

Manny doesn’t try and push his team to be something they’re not. While constructive criticism and instruction are needed sometimes, Manny sees some things not worth changing. In the past, Manny has been coach to many unique athletes including a bowler who bowls with both hands. As unorthodox as it sounds, Manny didn’t push his bowler to change his ways. Instead, he encouraged the athlete to play how he felt comfortable.

“We try and make it fun for everyone,” Manny said. “I enjoy being a coach.”

Look for Dave's full story on Manny in an upcoming edition of the Journal.

ESG blurb: Dylan Kalogris

2010-07-09T13:30:00.004-04:00

It's Sam Speer with the Journal again. I recently had the pleasure to speak to wrestler Dylan Kalogris, recent 2010 Arlington grad, about his selection to the Empire State Games.

Kalogris has only been wrestling for roughly five years, but one thing that I came away from the interview, is how dedicated he is, not just as an athlete but also as a person. He works on a farm, which definitely contributes to how is overall work ethic. He also is active in his church, has a love for music and eventually wants to pursue a career in broadcasting. Talk about a well-rounded individual. Now considering Kalogris has never done Greco-Roman wrestling before, which you can only use upper body techniques, it is astonishing that he has been selected for the Games. He did say it was "hectic" because of the Greco-Roman learning process, which was new to him, but I feel overall it will help his skills as a wrestler.

In the fall, for his freshmen year, he will be attending Messiah College in Pennsylvania. Messiah College is a small Division III school, and has one of the top Division III wrestling programs in the country. I wish Kalogris the best of luck both at the ESGs and at Messiah next semester. I also hope the Greco-Roman wrestling skills and experience he gets from the ESGs will
prepare him for wrestling at the college level.

To read the profile on Kalogris, click here.

Sam Speer, a Journal sports intern, is a senior journalism major at SUNY New Paltz. He hails from Nyack.

ESG rosters released

2010-07-08T11:56:00.004-04:00

The rosters for the 2010 Empire State Games have been officially released.You can click here to read which athletes and coaches will represent the Hudson Valley (and every other region) in this year's Games.

ESG blurb: Liz Milner

2010-07-08T11:41:00.003-04:00

Adam Patterson
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

As I said before, I like to think of myself as a slightly better than average judge of character. Liz Milner, a basketball-aholic from Haldane, was the subject of my first very Empire States Game profile, I already had a mental picture in my head after five second of speaking with her.

I knew she was younger than I, but again that's not by much; I'm hardly old enough to buy beer. Her age in mind, I realized one the phone I heard one of the nicest, most polite telephone interviewees I have ever come across. She was eager to answer my questions, but not in the way that assumes she's eager to toot her own horn so to speak. She held no false modesty, but seemed aware of her basketball prowess. She played on several Amateur Athletic Union teams. I played enough basketball in my youth to remember AAU ball was held with a certain reverence us Christian Youth Organization kids could barely understand. Liz was on two teams. I was twice as jealous. Oh, and she played CYO too.

She also seemed, for someone her age, strangely articulate. I can imagine someone like President Obama speaking with a clarity and confidence that she had, and later on in the conversation I found out way; she was being looked up by the Ivy League, which is actually the name of an athletic league between those eight elite schools. The thing is, they don't offer athletic scholarships; you have to have the grades to play there. As it is, she has the grades.

By this time I'm so impressed and jealous I want to hang up the phone. In my youth there was no image of myself that I imagined more than being a star athlete, and working my way into Harvard. But alas, Dean's list at the local community college is the best I did. I blame MTV, and envy Liz.

Adam Patterson is a junior at SUNY Plattsburgh, studying journalism. After attending Arlington High School, he really did make the Dean's list at Dutchess Community College.

ESG blurb: Eva Siska

2010-07-07T11:44:00.005-04:00

Sam Speer
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

My name is Sam Speer, and I'm an intern for the Poughkeepsie Journal sports section. I
recently wrote a feature involving 13-year-old Beacon tennis star Eva Siska being selected to represent the Hudson Valley in the Empire State Games, which will be held in the Buffalo Region from July 21-25.

Despite Siska being an outstanding athlete and tennis player, she really impressed me as a person. During the interview, I realized how articulate she is, which honestly was a surprise given her age.

Another thing I noticed about Siska is how mature she is. She answered some technical questions instantly with almost no hesitation. It is obvious that she is wise beyond her years.

This statement is true both on and off the court.

Playing with older competitors is going to be quite a valuable experience for Siska. I think it will benefit her in the long run for years to come.

She has all the potential in the world to succeed, and it begins with the Empire State Games. If she soaks up as much experience as she can in the games, I can't imagine how amazing Siska will be as a high school senior.

To read today's feature on Eva Siska, click here.

Sam Speer, a Poughkeepsie Journal intern, is a senior at SUNY New Paltz where he studies journalism, and a native of Nyack.

ESG blurb: Ryan Connolly

2010-07-06T18:50:00.004-04:00

Adam Patterson
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

It seems like yesterday that I was hearing about Arlington vs. John Jay high school hockey games in the "quarter-mile hallway" of Arlington in 2006. Come to think of it, I'm actually not that far removed. Three years later and I'm still in Poughkeepsie, interning here at the Journal. But when I spoke to Ryan Connolly on the phone, an evidently very talented John Jay hockey player who is on his way to the Empire State Games, I felt a flutter in my chest; I still hold the biases of the often intense rivalry, being a 2007 graduate of Arlington.

The hockey fan in me is telling me to ignore that feeling. As Ving Rhames said in Pulp Fiction "It's just pride."

Then I spoke to him, read his stat sheets, and his coach had plenty to say about him as well. And the more I heard, the better and better this young hockey player started sounding to my partially trained ears. He could very well be a hot prospect in his college career. Second after second, my animalistic Arlington pride was being overruled by numbers on papers, testimonies from his coach and himself, as well as my self-professed ability to judge someone's character.

I very well could have been back in the hallways as a freshman, hearing about him in the hallways the last period of the day before I watched him play. That's the kind of awe that high school athletes had on me in Arlington, and even if the Arlington fanatic in me is partially ashamed, at 21 years old, Ryan Connolly can still wow me as an athlete of his age.

To read the profile of Connolly, click here. Connolly photo by Journal assistant photography editor Lee Ferris

Adam Patterson is a junior at SUNY Plattsburgh, studying journalism. He is a 2007 graduate of Arlington High School.

ESG blurbs upcoming

2010-07-06T18:46:00.003-04:00

While the Empire State Games are coming up soon (July 21-25), I felt it would be appropriate for the writers of the profiles we have been running on our sports covers to weigh in on their interview subjects.

All but one of the 15 profiles will be running in the next several days are college interns — plying their craft. I felt they might have an interesting perspective on the diverse athletes that make up the Empire State Games.

So enjoy over the next 15 days some anecdotes from the freshest perspectives on our staff — the interns.

Game(s) on!

2010-06-30T15:05:00.010-04:00

We're three weeks away from the start of the 2010 Empire State Games, the first ESGs since 2008.Following the cancellation of the '09 ESGs because of the state budget crunch, the annual event is coming to Western New York, beginning with the Opening Ceremonies on July 21, and with the actual competitions to take place the following four days.

Leading up to the Games, the Poughkeepsie Journal will profile some of the local athletes who will be competing in the Buffalo area.

One of those local athletes, Marist College's Emily Stallings (No. 20 above), said she was looking forward to the return of the ESGs, in which she participated for three years.

"I would have come back in 10 years," the Newburgh native said of the 2009 hiatus, "because I loved it so much."

Check out the Journal in the coming days to read about our local ESG participants...

Valley welcomes back ESGs

2008-07-30T17:09:00.003-04:00

POUGHKEEPSIE — Just three days after the 2008 Empire State Games concluded in Binghamton, the 51-week countdown to the '09 Games kicked off today.

Fred Smith, the Games' executive director, joined local officials in unveiling the logo for next year's event, seen here.

Standing under a gazebo-type structure at Marist College's Longview Park, Smith and others talked about the great job Hudson Valley did in 2005, the first time the region hosted the Games.

“There wasn’t anything I wasn’t impressed with, and I’m very serious about that. We really had no problem,” said Smith, adding the local organization and execution of the 2005 Games sped up the event’s return to the region. “I think that we’re back — or going to be back — four years later kind of speaks to that directly. It wouldn’t have happened so quickly if we weren’t so impressed by everything that went on.”

"Good night, Binghamton!"

2008-07-27T18:04:00.003-04:00

BINGHAMTON — The 2008 Empire State Games have officially concluded, as executive director Fred Smith just presided over the closing press conference here at Binghamton University.
"We couldn't be more pleased about our event here in Binghamton this year," said Smith, seen here at right, next to local organizers.

Not that the work is over.

Smith and ESG officials will hold a press conference later this week at Marist College, when they'll unveil the logo for next year's Games, which will be centered at our area.

“I’ve got a meeting down there Wednesday,” he said. “I’ve already had meetings with folks in Hudson Valley. … The work starts easily two years in advance, sometimes more.”

Valley 2nd in team medal count

2008-07-27T15:55:00.002-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Hudson Valley has won 13 totals in team sports during these Games, the second-most of any of the six regions.

Western is tied with the Valley, having also won 13 team medals.

While Long Island's 18 total team medals leads the standings, Hudson Valley has won seven gold medals in team events, the most of any region.

Breaking down the team standings, Hudson Valley has won seven gold medals, a silver and five bronzes.

Open soccer teams take 4th place

2008-07-27T15:30:00.003-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Both the men's and women's open soccer teams lost in today's bronze-medal games.

The men fell to Long Island, 2-1, using a goal from Wayne Storms.

Hudson Valley's women lost to Adirondack, 3-1, as Lauren Trinkoff's goal thwarted the shutout attempt.

Men's hoops falls short of bronze

2008-07-27T15:22:00.004-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Marist forward Ryan Schneider scored 14 points, but his open men's basketball team lost to Central, 78-76, in the bronze-medal game.

Schneider (seen here) hit four three-point field goals in the close game. He's participated in previous Games, representing his native Yorktown.

Brett Harvey's 22 points led Hudson Valley, while teammate Jonathan Huffman matched Schneider's 14 points.

In addition to hosting a sports-talk show on the campus radio station, Schneider also broadcasts many Marist women's hoops games on the Red Foxes' on-campus radio network.

Open women hoopsters take 3rd

2008-07-27T15:17:00.003-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Marist College guard Julianne Viani scored 16 points as her Hudson Valley open women's basketball team beat New York City in the bronze-medal game.

A graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes High School, Viani (seen here with the Red Foxes) sank a trio of three-pointers to help her team win.

A future teammate of Viani's, Marist recruit Emily Stallings, scored three points in the victory.

Marist forward Maria Laterza poured in six points toward the winning cause.

Scholastic women win hoops gold

2008-07-27T15:08:00.003-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Hudson Valley defeated Central, 69-62, in the gold-medal game of the scholastic women's basketball tournament.

Hudson Valley needed overtime to win gold, taking its first lead in the extra minutes.

Beacon High School's Kara Tancredi (seen here driving to the hoop for the Bulldogs in a sectional matchup) scored nine points in the win.

Poughkeepsie's Teneka Whittaker added six points.

Central led, 28-24, before Hudson Valley mounted its comeback en route to the gold medal.

JJ's Dennett helps HV win gold

2008-07-27T13:56:00.003-04:00

BINGHAMTON — John Jay High School's Jade Dennett scored an insurance goal for the Hudson Valley's field hockey team, which won the gold-medal game, 2-0, at Vestal High School.

Scholastic men play golden soccer

2008-07-27T11:51:00.010-04:00

BINGHAMTON — John Jay High School's Jake Keegan, Arlington's Cody Farrier and Spackenkill's Josh Maley each helped Hudson Valley win the gold medal by scoring goals in the second half of the championship contest, in which Hudson beat Long Island, 4-2.After leading Spackenkill to the state Class B crown last fall as a senior, Maley said Hudson Valley's teamwork — not to mention its ability to rally late — led to Sunday's win.

“We came back every game,” the team's captain said, “but on top of everything, this team is made up of guys from seven different high schools around the Hudson Valley. It’s just a bunch of amazing guys; we all clicked. You’ve got state championships, all kinds of characters on this team.

“We really came together, a lot of team chemistry, and that’s really what it’s all about.”

LaGrangeville resident takes silver

2008-07-27T11:13:00.003-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Rachel Pierantozzi was part of Hudson Valley's scholastic women's 400-meter relay team which took second place in Saturday's finals.

The LaGrangeville resident teamed up with runners from Mount Vernon, Yonkers and Spring Valley to finish the race in 48.93 seconds.

Central just edged out Hudson Valley to win the gold medal in 48.85 seconds.

For more on Rachel, who will return to Millbrook High School in the fall, here is a preview story we ran in the Journal leading up to the Games.

More on HV/Adirondack baseball

2008-07-26T21:22:00.003-04:00

ENDICOTT — Here's another view of the field that greeted players, coaches, officials and spectators when the storm at Union-Endicott High School died down.Parts of the field were actually under, thus rendering the diamond unplayable tonight and, officials said, tomorrow until noon at the earliest.

With that in mind, ESG officials called off the game and awarded the gold to Hudson Valley, though Steve Greller had another idea.

Even before the final decision was announced, Greller told me he was in favor of awarding each team gold — this despite the fact his team was ahead by two runs at the time the game was stopped.

“I liked the idea of giving both teams medals,” said Greller, a LaGrangeville resident, “but the state has decided that is not an option and they will base it on the seeding.”

As a result, Hudson Valley, which had lost the past two ESG gold-medal games against Long Island, returns home as the only team to receive gold, as Adirondack was awarded silver.

Valley baseball takes home gold

2008-07-26T20:17:00.003-04:00

ENDICOTT — Officials have conferred and awarded Hudson Valley's baseball team gold medals following tonight's dangerous storms.In short, tonight's weather left the field here at Union Endicott High School (not to mention most around the area) unplayable and ESG officials determined under the circumstances, the tournament could not continue at a reasonable time tomorrow.

As a result, Hudson Valley, which claimed the top seed in the standings following several tie-breakers, was awarded the top award.

"Hudson Valley wins the gold. Adirondack takes the silver, based upon the field conditions," said state baseball chairman Drew Marino, a Mahopac resident. "What happened was, we had a three-way tie for first (between Hudson Valley, Adirondack and Central) and then all the teams were 1-1 and then it went to run differential.

"So that's what happened. We had a rain-shortened tournament."

Gold-medal baseball weather update

2008-07-26T19:28:00.006-04:00

ENDICOTT — Big thanks to my colleagues in the information center (you might know it as the newsroom) for passing along the message: The gold-medal baseball game is currently delayed because of weather.As you can see, the tarp is on the mound and home plate here at Union-Endicott High School, as the rain continues to pour.

There was a delay in an earlier game here today due to thunder and lightning; and we've got that, too, here this evening to accompany the precipitation.As you can see from the above map, compliments of the Weather Channel, much of the state is experiencing showers. On their Web site, the Weather Channel announced a severe thunderstorm warning until 8 p.m.

You know you're in for it when the Weather Channel Web site tells you this: IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM... SEEK SHELTER INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS! (And that's a direct quote — capital letters and all — copied and pasted from their site.)

So sit tight, baseball fans, as we may be in for a long night!

Hudson Valley baseball team in rain delay

2008-07-26T19:17:00.000-04:00

The Hudson Valley baseball team leads Adirondack, 2-0, in the second inning, but are in a rain delay.

Hudson Valley scored twice in the first on a bases-loaded hit by pitch, and a bases-loaded walk.

For more updates, please check this blog later.

Baseball tries for gold

2008-07-26T17:02:00.003-04:00

BINGHAMTON — As Lorac was kind enough to point out before I could post it, Hudson Valley reached this evening's gold-medal baseball game.
Speaking to Hudson Valley coach Steve Greller, though, he said the game will likely start a little after tonight's scheduled 6 p.m. first pitch, as the earlier Adirondack-New York City game ran a tad late.

More updates will be coming as warranted...

Masters swimmer passes away

2008-07-26T16:24:00.003-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Rockland County's Joel Schwartz, a 72-year-old swimmer, passed away Friday while competing in the 1,500-meter race.

The Nyack resident suffered a heart attack while swimming his race.

Schwartz is believed to be the first ESG competitor to pass away during the Games in the event's 31-year history.

They are 'masters' on the track!

2008-07-26T16:05:00.003-04:00

Some really excellent and inspiring results from the past 24 hours in masters track competition, on both the oval and in the field ...

-- James Kiseda of Hopewell Junction was first in the 80-over long jump with a leap of 1.77 meters. He also earned gold in the shot put with a toss of 9.25 meters.
-- Kelly Thompson of Hopewell Junction earned gold medals in the women's 40-44 hammer (26.40 meters) and discus (26.87 meters).
-- Peter Van Aken of Poughkeepsie earned gold in the 50-54 hammer throw with a hurl of 36.54 meters. He notched a bronze in the shot put (11.78 meters).
-- Bill O'Neill of Fishkill got the gold in the 40-44 pentathlon with 1,964 points.
-- John Seto earned silver in the 45-49 hammer throw (30.40 meters).
-- Harry Owens and Gil Anderson teamed up for gold in the 40-44 4x800 relay (12:02.6). Owens also got bronze in the 50-54 10,000-meter run (47:13.7), an event in which Anderson grabbed gold for the fourth consecutive ESGs.
-- More on Anderson and Owens: The Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club teammates went 1-2 in the 50-54 800 run. Anderson won gold in 2:45.5; Owens won silver in 3:00.3.

Softball falls short of bronze

2008-07-26T15:56:00.003-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Hudson Valley gave up three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the final two on a single to center field, to lost to Central, 6-5, in the bronze-medal game.

"I'm very happy with the team," said Hudson Valley infielder Lexi Garbowski, a graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes High School seen here. "We're a very young team, and the girls who are younger really stepped up."

Hudson Valley rebounded from a pair of losses on Thursday to win three straight games to earn its berth in the bronze-medal game.

Orange County's Melissa Oliphant hit a two-run home run to left in the top of the seventh that broke a 3-3 tie — Arlington's Amy Weinberg scored ahead of her — only to see Central rally in the bottom of the frame.

Johnson sprints to medals

2008-07-26T15:49:00.001-04:00

FDR-Hyde Park graduate Erica Johnson, a Poughkeepsie resident, grabbed two medals in the open women's sprinting:

-- She won silver in the 100-meter dash, in 12.55 seconds.
-- She was part of the gold-medal winning 4x100 relay team that clocked a first-place time of 48.85 seconds. Team members included Keshia Butts, Sasha Richards and Heidy Palacios.

Check back for more results and updates ...

Bolstad wins diving gold

2008-07-26T15:43:00.002-04:00

Brian Bolstad of Highland earned the gold medal in men's open 1-meter diving with 437.70 points.

He continues a strong lineage of diving in his family: His mom, Melanie Bolstad, was a championship-caliber diver in college and continues to compete in the masters ranks; she is the associate head swimming coach/diving coach at Marist College.

Mitchell Katz of Wappingers Falls was sixth in the men's open 1-meter, with 363.60 points.

Paterson gets bronze in bowling

2008-07-26T15:37:00.003-04:00

Jamie Paterson of Hyde Park earned a bronze medal in the all-events bowling with 1,761 pins, as the competition wrapped up Saturday afternoon at Owego Bowl. Dan Dunleavy of Staten Island was the gold medalist.

Check back for more results and updates.

Valley softball plays for bronze

2008-07-26T12:42:00.004-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Hudson Valley will pursue a bronze medal at 1 p.m., having beaten Adirondack this morning, 6-5.

Arlington High School's Amy Weinberg (seen here) will be one of the local players on the team, looking to finish in third place overall for the tournament.

Playing for the bronze is quite an accomplishment for Hudson Valley, which lost its first two games on Thursday.

Softball's gold-medal game will follow the third-place game at the Binghamton Area Girls Softball Association Inc. complex at 3 p.m.

Big inning boosts HV baseball

2008-07-26T10:24:00.004-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Hudson Valley put up nine runs in the fourth inning, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 16-9 victory.

Arlington High School's Nick Camastro gave Hudson Valley a 4-2 lead with an RBI single with the bases loaded, and Ketcham's Mike Orefice (seen here) later made it an 8-2 game with his high pop to shallow right field which no one fielded.

The Games' bronze-medal contest will be played today at 3 p.m. at Union-Endicott HS; the gold-medal game will follow there at 6 p.m.

Hudson Valley now stands at 3-2 for the tournament. Adirondack and New York City began play at noon; if New York City wins, Hudson Valley would move into the gold-medal game. An Adirondack victory would place Hudson Valley into the bronze-medal game.

Further scores

2008-07-25T20:37:00.002-04:00

Hudson Valley beat Adirondack, 3-0, in scholastic field hockey. Hudson Valley outshot Adirondack, 29-5.

In open men's basketball, New York beat Hudson Valley, 84-76.

Some soccer results

2008-07-25T19:30:00.002-04:00

• The Hudson Valley Open men's soccer team lost to Central, 3-1. Matthew Daum of New Paltz scored the only goal for Hudson Valley.

• The Hudson Valley Open women's soccer team defeated Western, 2-1. Nicole Burke of Fishkill was on of the goal scorers for H.V. Rachel Silverman of Rye Brook was the other goal scorer for H.V.

Valley men's crew captures gold

2008-07-25T18:53:00.004-04:00

Hudson Valley's men's four and men's eight won gold at the Empire State Games.

• Ross Tremblay, James Olson, Kyle Peabody, Greg Smith and Stephanie Hartmann (coxswain) comprised the men's four.

• The men's eight was comprised of those above five in addition to Ben Smith, Giancarlo Incorvaia, Brandon Clark and Mike Masci.

Reilly wins high jump gold

2008-07-25T18:34:00.003-04:00

Sean Reilly of LaGrangeville and Arlington High School won the gold medal in the high jump with a winning jump of 1.95 meters or about 6 feet, 4 inches for our non-Metric System readers.

Michael Scott of Red Hook won bronze at 1.85 meters.

Western beats HV in hockey

2008-07-25T14:10:00.007-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Three Western goals the third period led to a 4-2 victory over Hudson Valley here at Broome Community College.

Zac Hiller, of Suffern, gave Hudson Valley a 1-0 lead against Western here at Broome Community College; and Chester's Connor Leen just made it a 2-1 Valley advantage.

Hiller (seen here in a Journal News file photo) scored his goal from inside the right circle came 6 minutes, 12 seconds into the second period. It was just Hudson Valley's third shot on goal.

But with 4:48 left in the second, Western's Stu Wilson tied the game with a goal before Leen took a pass from Highland resident Chris Cerbino and scored the goal with 1:52 remaining that put Hudson Valley ahead again.

Hudson Valley and Western skated to a scoreless tie after the first 20 minutes of play.

Hudson Valley was called for seven penalties in the stanza, compared to one for Western. As a result, Hudson Valley was outshot, 18-1, in the opening period.

Coming off a breakaway, North Rockland HS's Sean O'Connor came up with Hudson Valley's first official shot on goal with 4:12 to play before the break. By then, Western had amassed 12 shots.

From there, though, Western scored thrice in the final period to win.

Baseball team wins

2008-07-25T13:56:00.003-04:00

The Hudson Valley baseball team blanked New York City, 3-0, this morning. The two locals on the roster — Mike Orefice and Nick Camastro — didn't figure in the scoring. The team is 2-1. They're playing Long Island right now.

Field hockey rolling

2008-07-25T13:44:00.005-04:00

The Hudson Valley field hockey team beat arch-rival Central, 4-2, this morning.

The defending champs have two local players on the roster — Nicole Bachelet of Pine Plains and Jade Dennett of Fishkill.

If they win against Adirondack this afternoon, they'll play for gold Sunday at 11 against Long Island.

Golden Gil

2008-07-25T12:44:00.002-04:00

Gil Anderson of Highland — you may remember him as the last of our 30 Empire State Games profiles — won gold this morning in the 10,000-meter run in the 50-54 category. Beacon's Harold Owens won bronze in the same event.

In the 10,000 for men in the 60-64 age group, Michael Sheets of Poughkeepsie won gold; and in the same event for men 65-69, Norman Goluskin of New Paltz was the winner.

Tennis teams still in it

2008-07-25T11:44:00.003-04:00

The Hudson Valley women's tennis team is 2-0, and Milton's Elora Benfer — a Marlboro High School student — and her teammate are 2-0 in doubles competion. Hudson Valley beat New York City, 4-1, this morning.

On the men's side, the team is 1-1 after this morning's 3-2 win over New York City. Wappingers Falls' Connor Witty improved to 2-0 in singles play; Poughkeepsie's Jarrett Sears is 1-0 after a win at No. 1 singles this morning.

Johnson in medal contention

2008-07-25T11:35:00.003-04:00

Poughkeepsie Erica Johnson, a graduate of Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, placed second in heat in the women's Open 100 meters this morning.

Going into the finals, Johnson has the third-best qualifying time (12.75).

In the Scholastic women's 100, Lagrangeville's Rachel Pierantozzi placed fourth in her heat (12.94.)

Scholastic women's soccer scores win

2008-07-25T11:23:00.003-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Arlington's Lindy Sefcik scored to tie the game for Hudson Valley, 1-1, at halftime before Leanne Benson's goal after the intermission earned the region a 2-1 triumph over Western.

"It's very big," Sefcik, who will be a senior for the Admirals next season said of the win which evened Hudson Valley's record to 1-1 at the Games. "We lost our first game, but now we have our momentum and we're really excited. We want to win gold, so that's just our goal."

Benson, a Cortlandt Manor resident seen here in a Journal News file photo, scored the game-winner in the 25th minute of the second half.

Hudson Valley is now 1-1 for the tournament, and will next play Central at 9 a.m. Saturday at Binghamton University.

“I think that we’re all really excited about it,” Benson, at Hendrick Hudson HS standout, said of the Central showdown. “If we can play the same, we can beat anyone.”

An early Friday result

2008-07-25T10:18:00.002-04:00

Jorge Rojas of Beacon placed seventh in the men's Open 10,000-meter run this morning.

It's halftime

2008-07-25T09:53:00.003-04:00

Sean McMann just called from the Hudson Valley/Western Scholastic women's soccer game. It's tied 1-1 at halftime.

Melinda Sefcik of Poughkeesie has Hudson Valley's lone goal. HV could really use this win. They lost to Long Island, 2-0, yesterday.

More later.

Catching up to do

2008-07-25T08:59:00.007-04:00

If you've spent any time on the ESG site to get results, then you know how painfully slow they are about putting them up there.

Last night the Hudson Valley women's Open basketball team beat New York City, 72-53. Marist's Julianne Viani scored 11 points, Marist's Maria Laterza scored three points, and Marist recruit Emily Stallings scored two points.
Poughkeepsie's Joe Rodriguez took the silver medal in weightlifting in the 150-pound class.
Mike Meck of Hyde Park won silver in the Scholastic 100-meter breaststroke. Kevin Walsh of Lagrangeville was sixth in that final. Later, Meck won another silver in the 200-meter individual medley. Brenna Munz was sixth in the 800-free final. She's from Poughquag.
The Hudson Valley baseball team, which beat Adirondack in the afternoon, 14-2, lost to Central, 3-2, in 11 innings last night.
In Scholastic wrestling, Hopewell Junction's Todd Mueckenheim lost both his matches. Lagrangeville's Chris Cuzzola went 1-1, so he's still alive. Tom Oddo from Wappingers Falls went 0-2 on Day 1 in the Open class.
In Masters bowling, Hillar Adamson of Hopewell Junction shared silver in the men's 50-plus trio.

More later. Sean McMann is out at women's soccer this morning and he'll be at men's ice hockey later.

Ice hockey team rolls

2008-07-24T22:16:00.002-04:00

The men's Hudson Valley ice hockey team ripped New York City, 8-0, tonight.

Highland's Chris Cerbino scored twice, Hopewell Junction's Mike Chiacchia added a goal and two assists, and Milton's Michael Beck made 12 saves. Conor Frei of Hopewell Junction chipped in with an assist.

Sean McMann will go out to see those guys on Friday afternoon.

Women's soccer swept

2008-07-24T20:34:00.000-04:00

Both Hudson Valley women's soccer teams lost to Long Island today.

The scholastic team fell, 2-0.

The open team lost 2-1 in overtime. Fishkill's Nicolle Burke scored the only goal for Hudson Valley.

Softball loses pair

2008-07-24T18:41:00.001-04:00

The Hudson Valley softball team lost to Central, 6-1, this morning - then to Western, 9-5, this afternoon.

Sean McMann was at the second game; read more about it in tomorrow's Journal.

Baseball team rolls

2008-07-24T18:39:00.001-04:00

The schedule got a little screwed up, but Hudson Valley crushed Adirondack, 14-2, in baseball and is playing Central right now.

More later.

Bennett fourth in high jump

2008-07-24T12:02:00.003-04:00

Marlboro's Tiffany Bennett placed fourth this morning in the women's scholastic high jump.

Bennett jump 1.57 meters (about five feet), finishing just out of medal contention. Sarah Palmer of Adirondack won the event with a jump of 1.62 meters.

ESG baseball delayed

2008-07-24T11:54:00.003-04:00

Wet conditions have prompted ESG officials to move all the baseball games back three hours.

Hudson Valley will play Adirondack at 3 p.m. Nick Camastro (Lagrangeville) and Mike Orefice (Wappingers Falls) are the two local players on the roster.

Check back later for a score from that game.

Scholastic men's soccer falls in PKs

2008-07-24T09:55:00.008-04:00

BINGHAMTON — It took two rounds and a dozen penalty kicks but Adirondack defeated Hudson Valley 2-1 in PKs following a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation.

In the 24th minute of his team's opening-round game, Arlington High School's Eric Fortier scored off his own rebound to give Hudson Valley a 1-0 lead against Adirondack.

"It was nice," Fortier said. "I shot the ball, like, four times and luckily, one time it got in."

Officials credited fellow Admiral Cody Farrier (seen here against John Jay last October) with the assist.

Fortier, who will be a senior for Arlington next season, emerged from a scrum in front of the net to break the scoreless deadlock following a restart.

But 14 minutes after the break, Adirondack knotted the game to force the extra drama.

Games about to kick off

2008-07-24T08:55:00.005-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Hudson Valley's scholastic men's soccer team is about to open the Empire State Games with its first game, a matchup against Adirondack here at the Binghamton University soccer stadium.Of the 16 players on the Hudson Valley roster, 11 are from local schools, representing Red Hook, Arlington, Lourdes, Roosevelt, Spackenkill, John Jay, Beacon and Poughkeepsie.

Even Hudson Valley's coaches, Paul Maley and Chuck Wilder, are from Poughkeepsie.

The Bearcats' field here is an artificial turf, so we can likely expect a quicker pace than on grass.

The Games have begun!

2008-07-23T22:22:00.004-04:00

BINGHAMTON — Well ... at least they've begun in spirit, as we just had the Opening Ceremonies to kick off the 2008 Empire State Games.As you can see, Binghamton University's Events Center was packed with thousands of participants and fans, jamming the arena for the opening events.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” said soccer player Josh Maley, who just graduated from Spackenkill High School last month. “It’s almost like the Olympics.”

The ceremonies were originally scheduled to take place in the school's soccer stadium, but a day full of rain pushed the event inside.
Hopefully, the weather will cooperate the next four days, as the actual games begin tomorrow morning.

Rain, rain, go away

2008-07-23T15:11:00.002-04:00

BINGHAMTON — After having battled downpours all the way from Poughkeepsie to here in lovely Broome County, I finally arrived at Binghamton University, ready for the ESGs to begin.

Because of the weather, tonight's Opening Ceremonies will be held inside at the school's Events Center, as opposed to the outdoor soccer stadium, as originally scheduled.

The Games have arrived

2008-07-23T10:35:00.001-04:00

The 30 profiles in 30 days are over, and the Games begin tonight.

Journal sportswriter Sean McMann will be in Binghamton all week, beginning with Opening Ceremonies tonight. Check back here frequently to see how things are going up there.

A problem

2008-06-16T10:04:00.002-04:00

It's bad enough that I'm having to scramble to put together these ESG profiles. Now I've got another problem.

The nominations I'm getting so far are mostly connected to Arlington High somehow. Connor Witty — Arlington student. Amy Weinberg — Arlington student. Now Richie Kinnear — Arlington student.

To be more specific, people, I need nominations from ALL OVER Dutchess and Ulster counties, not merely from Arlington High. Still, at this point I'll take what I can get.

Profile nominees trickling in

2008-06-13T09:38:00.000-04:00

I realize some ESG tryouts aren't over yet — but I'm counting on you to help me fill up these 30 spots for our ESG profiles.

Connor Witty — a tennis player who is a student at Arlington High — is going to be our first profile subject on June 24.

Kara Tancredi, Beacon High basketball star, will be next.

Who will follow? You tell me.

2008 ESGs are coming

2008-06-06T10:13:00.003-04:00

The 2008 Empire State Games run from July 23-27 in Binghamton. We'll have a lot of local people participating.

As has become something of a tradition here at the Journal, we will publish 30 profiles of local ESG athletes — one a day — for the 30 days leading up to Opening Ceremonies.

Here's the catch. I'm no math wizard, but I was able to figure out using a giant-sized calendar that in order to make these profiles work, I need to start publishing them on June 24. ESG rosters won't be released until probably July 7.

Do you see my dilemma here? We need about half of the profile subjects to come to us by word of mouth. So open your mouth and tell me who we should profile. Once the rosters are made public, I won't have a problem, but right now I do have a problem and you have to help me solve it.

You have to.

It's over

2007-07-30T14:29:00.001-04:00

The 2007 ESGs are over. Phew.

There are a bunch of people who didn't get into the paper — or into this blog — for reasons entirely out of our control.

To compensate for this injustice, I will be writing a wrap-up story for Tuesday's paper that will include many of those who didn't make it in print.

We'll crank up this blog again next summer. Until then, have fun.

More Sunday info

2007-07-29T19:24:00.001-04:00

Here are some more results from the Empire State Games on Sunday. All of these are gold-medal games:

Boys' hockey: Western 5, Hudson Valley 2.

Men's scholastic basketball: New York 76, Hudson Valley 75

Open women's basketball: Hudson Valley 61, Adirondack 59

Scholastic women's soccer: Adirondack 5, Hudson Valley 1

Open men's soccer: Adirondack 2, Hudson Valley 0

Scholastic women's field hockey: Hudson Valley 1, Western 0.

Final total medal count: Western 242, Hudson Valley 237, Long Island 175, New York City 162, Adirondack 151, Central 117

Final gold medal count: Hudson Valley 97, Western 96, New York 58, Long Island 53, Adirondack 44, Central 35.

Also, Pleasant Valley's Marisa Hanson won the open women's 5,000 meters on Saturday.

Sunday's early update

2007-07-29T12:45:00.000-04:00

The Hudson Valley field hockey team won its third straight gold medal with a 1-0 win over Western.

The scholastic women's soccer team is down 5-1 in the second half to Adirondack.

The men's ice hockey team is down 3-0 in the second period to Western.

The open men's basketball team lost, 78-64, to Western.

The open men's soccer team got silver, losing to Adirondack, 2-0.

More on everything later.

Saturday report

2007-07-28T16:47:00.001-04:00

Hudson Valley's open soccer team is in the gold medal game after a 3-2 win over New York City.

The scholastic baseball team have up seven runs in the fourth inning and lost in the gold medal game to Long Island, 12-6. Hudson Valley takes the silver.

Just received word that Avery Evans of Pine Plains won a gold medal, anchoring the 4 x 100 relay team for Hudson Valley. Evans, who is entering her junior year won a bronze medal for the 4 x 400 relay team as well. Evans won a silver in the 100-meter hurdles yesterday, making her a triple winner for Hudson Valley.

The scholastic men's ice hockey team lost to Central, 4-3 on Saturday.

The scholastic baseball team continued their roll, rolling over Adirondack, 15-1 at Pace University this morning. They are facing Long Island in the gold medal game at 5 p.m. at Manhattanville. Mike Benischek will have more on that game later. Against Adirondack, Jeff Freyhagen of Roy C. Ketcham earned the win, throwing four innings, Dave Ciocchi of John Jay was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Kyle Kalaka of Ketcham was 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Joe Panik of John Jay was 2-for-5 and Joe Pedevillano of Lourdes was 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs.

The scholastic women's soccer team defeated Central, 4-1, putting them in the gold medal game, which will be Sunday at 11 a.m. at Manhattanville College in Purchase.

The open softball team was defeated 4-1 by Western, eliminating them from medal contention.

The field hockey team defeated Adirondack, 1-0, advancing them to the gold-medal game. Kristin McGurl of Arlington High School scored the lone goal for Hudson Valley, who advances to tomorrow's gold medal game at Rye Country Day School at 10 a.m.

In men's open track, Philip Shea of Beacon placed sixth in 17:11.23 in the 5,000

Julia Hopson of Poughkeepsie and Arlington grad, won the women's open hammer throw gold medal at 46.21 meters.

Erica Johnson of Poughkeepsie finished second in the 100 meter dash in 12.80 seconds.

Tiere Spruill of Amenia and Webutuck High School, won the bronze medal in the 100-meter dash in 11.33 seconds.

Paul Lagno of Salt Point and Millbrook HS, won the bronze in the men's scholastic 1,500 meter run.

Tim Walker, a 2001 graduate of John Jay, won the gold medal in the men's open 1,500. Walker was competing for Central, as he is now a resident of Cortland.

The scholastic women's basketball team earned an 80-58 win over Central, putting them in the gold medal game at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Westchester Community College.

Scholastic women's volleyball, won the bronze medal, as did the open women's volleyball team.

Frank Rutigliano of Poughkeepsie placed seventh in the men's open all-around bowling final.

Janet Manfredi of Poughkeepsie was part of the women's open trio bowling event, where she and her two teammates won the bronze medal.

Brian Bolstad of Highland placed fifth after his three-meter optional dives, falling short of medalling.

Jesse Dekrey of Rhinebeck placed 15th in the 31-mile Criterium final.

The women's ice hockey team lost to Adirondack, 5-3.

Saturday's plan

2007-07-28T10:51:00.000-04:00

If the weather holds up, which is a big if this morning, here's the plan:

Freelancer Nancy Haggerty will cover the men's open soccer team at 1; staff writer Mike Benischek will cover the women's scholastic basketball team at 2 and the baseball team in the gold medal game at 5.

Already this morning, the men's Hudson Valley ice hockey team lost its first game of the tournament, 4-3, to Central.

We'll be collecting all the other information from various sources, posting it here and publishing it in Sunday's paper.

Check back later to see what's going on.

Friday's news, notes and anecdotes

2007-07-27T16:29:00.001-04:00

In open division swimming, Eric Culver of New Paltz is having a terrific ESGs. He took bronze in the 200-free, silver in the 800-free relay, and gold in the 800 free. (That's Culver pictured.)

In the women's open 200-IM final, Hyde Park's Brenna O'Keefe finished fifth.

Bridget Latino of Wappingers Falls finished 12th in the women's open 800-free.

Red Hook's Michael Burud took a silver medal in the men's scholastic 100-breast, then another silver in the 200-IM. Burud was two seconds faster in the 100-breast final than we he was in qualifying.

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The Hudson Valley baseball team continued its roll, hammering Central, 13-1. Read details of the game in Phil Strum's entry below this one.
They won the second game of the day 10-3, and are 4-0 going into Saturday.

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The men's open soccer team — which has 13 local players on it - is 2-0 after this morning's 5-1 romp over Adirondack.

Tom Ciovacco, an Arlington grad, scored his second and third goals of the tournament, one on an assist from John Jay grad Jason Laffin. Also scoring were Ken Hinsch (Arlington) and Josh Breitmeyer (Highland). Wayne Storms (Highland) and Steve Skonieczny (Arlington) split the goaltending duties.

The men's scholastic soccer team is 0-2 after a 1-0 loss to Adirondack this morning.

Phil Strum just checked in from the women's scholastic soccer game. Hudson Valley edged Western, 3-2, in a shootout. Caitlin Steinberg and Colleen Barry of Arlington each scored during regulation, and they also each scored during the shootout, which Hudson Valley won, 3-2.

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In ice hockey, the Hudson Valley men improved to 2-0 with a tight 4-3 win over Adirondack earlier today. Pawling's Kevin Gaughran scored for the winners.

The Hudson Valley women's team fell to 1-1, losing 5-1 to perennial powerhouse Western.

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The Hudson Valley women's scholastic basketball team lost today, 91-81, to defending champion Western.

The Hudson Valley girls, including Haldane's Brittany Shields, Beacon's Ally Biordi and John Jay's Caitlynn Moran, can still get to Sunday's gold medal game for a rematch.

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Over at the track venue, FDR High grad Erica Johnson took second in her heat in the women's open 100 meters.

In the scholastic division, Webutuck's Tiere Spruill was third in his heat in the 100 (11.40). He was the Poughkeepsie Journal boys' track athlete of the year this spring. Dan Cimino of New Paltz placed 11th in the discus.

Avery Evans of Pine Plains took silver in the 100 hurdles; and Jasmine Simmons of Beacon took bronze in the long jump.

In the men's scholastic decathlon, John Jay's Frank Risole saved his best for his least-favorite event, the 1,500 meters, and pulled off a bronze medal in the decathlon.
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In open division diving, Highland High School graduate and Marist recruit Brian Bolstad is in third place after his three voluntary dives in the 3-meter event. In the scholastic division, Arlington's Kyle Molloy is second after three voluntary dives in the 3-meter event.

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In open women's shooting, Patricia Zidek is third after the pistol event. She's from Hopewell Junction.

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In field hockey, in a game played late yesterday, Kristin McGurl of Arlington scored as Hudson Valley topped Central, 2-0. Tonight, Western topped Hudson Valley, 1-0.

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In Masters track, Michael Sheets of Poughkeepsie won gold in the men's 10,000-meter run in the 60-64 age group. Tim Gunther of Poughquag took the silver in the 100 meters in the 45-49 age group. In the 50-54 age group, John Brooks of Poughkeepsie earned gold in the 100. In the same age group, Poughkeepsie Gil Anderson won gold in the 10,000.

Norman Goluskin of New Paltz, who was one of the athletes we profiled leading up to the Games, won gold in the 65-69 10,000-meter run.

Barbara Dalzell of Red Hook took home gold in the 5K racewalk (50-54), and Bill O'Neill of Fishkill won silver in the 100 (55-59).

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The Hudson Valley softball team got back on the right track this morning, beating New York City, 5-2. Later, however, Hudson Valley was on the wrong end of a 1-0 game vs. Adirondack. Our locals are 1-3.

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The Hudson Valley scholastic women's volleyball team stunned five-time defending champion Western, 20-25, 25-16 and 17-15. Later, the ladies beat Central 25-21, 25-21 and 15-1o. They are 3-2 heading into the third day of competition.

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Hudson Valley rowers had a pretty good day at the ESGs. In the women's open four with coxswain, the team of Rachel Buchanan (Arlington), Kyleen Parajon (Lourdes), Grace Rignanese (Spackenkill), Arielle Tillou (FDR) and Bria Woeckener (Wappingers) won silver. In the women's junior double, Olivia Garrity and Tiffany Schneck of Poughkeepsie also won silver. The men's open four with coxswain — Evan Chamberas, Joseph MacElveen, Michael Sussin, Joseph McCabe and William McCabe, all of Poughkeepsie — placed fourth.

Hudson Valley's bats not quiet

2007-07-27T15:17:00.000-04:00

PURCHASE — Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

OK, so I am in the library at Manhattanville College right now, which seems apropros since just a few hundred feet away from us here in Quiet Central is the noise of the Empire State Games.

Hudson Valley's baseball team put together an offensive barrage this morning. It was quite a display. The team seems to have a confident air, but they know they need to win this afternoon's tilt and then an early-morning game tomorrow at Pace before they are even allowed to THINK about the medal round.

The fourth inning felt like the longest 40-45 minutes or so of my life. The Valley batted around before Central was even able to get an out in an eight-run fourth in their 13-1 win. The players seem really excited to play for Steve Greller, who clearly knows his stuff.

I would be remiss if I didn't also acknowledge the strong pitching performance of Mamaroneck's Sean Hagen, who threw a six-hitter to Kyle Kalaka of Wappingers Falls behind the plate, often after long stretches of waiting for his teammates to stop hitting.

Well I want to yell and scream now. Well not really, but I can see the Manhattanville cafe from here and I haven't had any coffee today. Time to take a little breather before I head over to the soccer field.

Talk to you later.
Phil Strum

Strum in the field today

2007-07-27T08:06:00.000-04:00

Freelance writer Nancy Haggerty will be back at the track & field venue today.

Staff writer Phil Strum will attend the 11 a.m. baseball game between Hudson Valley (2-0) and Central (2-0). Later, he'll watch the scholastic women's soccer team (1-0) play Western.

Hudson Valley's captain, Colleen Barry of Arlington High, scored a goal in the team's 2-1 win over New York City on Thursday morning.

Check back later for an update from the baseball game.

This afternoon, we'll start posting anything and everything we can get our hands on.

Results trickling in

2007-07-26T11:17:00.000-04:00

As we learned when the Empire State Games were here in the mid-Hudson Valley two years ago, when it comes to obtaining results of games you don't attend .... you're out of luck.

All of the media outlets (and any online visitors to the ESG official site) are at the mercy of the ESG workers' ability to get results up on the web site.

When we're at games, we post the scores immediately. When we're not, we have to wait for ESG people to post the scores, and they don't always come. An example? The Hudson Valley women's scholastic soccer team played this morning at 8:30. There is still no score posted. Anywhere. It's maddening. And we've got to finish the newspaper in the next couple of hours.

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Hopewell Junction's John Tullo became the region's first medalist today when he won a silver medal in the open division shot put.

Here's a look at the rest of the day's activity:

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WHITE PLAINS — Finishing with just three singles — one each from Milton’s Sara Beck (right), Hopewell’s Christine Moran and West Nyack’s Tara Ulrich — Hudson Valley fell to Long Island, 3-0, in women's open softball.

“You have to produce,” Moran said. “We have the bats there, we just have to put it all together. It will come.

“It’s tough when you haven’t seen live pitching for half the summer, but we’ll come around.”

Laura Valentino of Smithtown hit a three-run homer to left-center field in the fifth inning, breaking a scoreless tie.

Later in the day, Hudson Valley lost to Central, 3-2.

“We’ve been here before, and going down 0-1 doesn’t mean a whole lot,” said Hudson Valley coach Brealand Edwards, referring to the tournament standings. “You have to play every game like it’s the last one. That’s what we’re going to do.”

ALSO IN...
Hudson Valley beat Long Island in baseball, 5-1, to open that tournament. John Jay-East Fishkill's Dave Ciocchi hit a two-run homer in a three-run third for the winners.

This afternoon, Ciocchi homered again and Hudson Valley blasted New York City, 17-1. Phil Strum will be out there to see the baseball team on Friday at 11 for the game against Central. Both teams are 2-0 after Day 1.

Last year in Rochester, Hudson Valley won the silver medal in baseball.

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The Hudson Valley men's scholastic basketball team held on to beat Central, 67-63. We don't have any local players on that roster.

The defending champion Hudson Valley field hockey team opened with a 4-0 win over Central. Kelsey Horton and Kristin McGurl of Arlington High are both on that roster, and didn't figure in today's scoring.

The scholastic women's basketball team hammered Long Island, 77-35. Brittany Shields of Haldane scored 14, Ally Biordi of Beacon had 11, and Caitlynn Moran of John Jay had five.

In the women’s open division, Hudson Valley cruised to an 88-62 win over Long Island. Marist’s Julianne Viani in on that squad.

The men's open division squad edged Central, 80-77. Two Marist players — Ryan Stilphen and Ryan Schneider — are on that roster.

Over at Mount Vernon High School, open and scholastic track & field got going in today's heat. Pine Plains student Avery Evans won her heat in the 100-meter hurdles. Evans has been a Poughkeepsie Journal track all-star four times already, and she's only heading into her junior year.

Also in the scholastic division, Arlington's Stacey Brooks finished fifth in the javelin.

John Jay High School student Frank Risole is off to a flying start in the scholastic decathlon. He took third in the 100, fourth in the long jump — and he won the shot put.

Spackenkill High grad Kyle Barden, competing in the open decathlon for the first time, is in 7th place after the first day of competition. His best finish was second in the 400-meter event so far.

The men's scholastic soccer team lost, 3-1, to New York City. Arlington's Matt Turcio had the lone goal for the Hudson Valley.

The women's open soccer team lost a heartbreaker, 1-0, to New York City. The game-winner was scored in the 59th minute.

The men’s open division soccer team, which includes 13 local players on the roster, edged Central, 2-1. Arlington High School graduate Steve Skonieczny was in goal for Hudson Valley. Another Arlington grad, Tom Ciovacco, scored the eventual game-winner in the 32nd minute.

In swimming, Eric Culver of New Paltz won his heat in the men’s open 200-individual medley. Rhinebeck’s Thomas Byrnes was seventh in the same heat. Red Hook’s Michael Burud placed fifth in his heat in the men’s scholastic 100-meter breastroke, then third in his heat int he 200-individual medley. In the women’s open 200-IM, Hyde Park’s Brenna O’Keefe took sixth in her heat.

In bowling, Cory Srebnik of Fishkill took bronze in the men’s open single event, rolling a 931 series. The winner had a 994. In the masters division, Hopewell Junction’s Hillar Adamson shared a silver medal with his teammates in the men’s trio event.

In the women’s scholastic division, Hudson Valley lost to Long Island, 25-20, 25-23 and 14-16. Danielle Etta, Meg Lyons and Caitlin McConville from Haldane High are on that team. Later in the day, Hudson Valley rallied to edge New York City 26-24, 26-24 and 15-11. In the men’s open division, defending champion Hudson Valley lost both games on the day, falling to Central 25-0, 25-16 and 17-15; then to Western 25-12, 22-25 and 15-4.

The Ceremonies have opened

2007-07-25T19:47:00.001-04:00

VALHALLA — The Games have begun … that’s the Empire State Games, of course! Technically, they’re the Gov. Hugh L. Carey Empire State Games, so named for the former chief executive who helped put the inaugural event in motion back in 1978.

This year’s Opening Ceremonies have just begun, with the parade of athletes into Kensico Dam Plaza still underway as I type.

Here’s a shot I snapped of keynote speaker Jeremy Schaap (center) preparing for his speech before the thousands in attendance. Admittedly, I'm no Ansel Adams, hence the "amateur" in that pro-am I spoke of earlier.

I just spoke to a slew of local athletes and coaches, who were getting ready to enter the Opening Ceremonies.

“It’s just a good experience to get to this level, and know that you had to make it to this level,” said Brenna O’Keefe, a Hudson Valley swimmer who will be a junior at Hyde Park’s Roosevelt High School in the fall. “All these people are good at what they do.”

An hour 'til kick-off

2007-07-25T18:24:00.000-04:00

VALHALLA — As I sit here at my improvised press box (that being an empty picnic table here at the Kensico Dam Plaza), we're little more than 60 minutes away from Opening Ceremonies.

Arriving even before the athletes get here, a school bus filled with media members pulled up to the plaza in a yellow school bus like this one (yes, I drove over an hour to get to Westchester County, only to take a ride in a school bus!) just like the thousands of spectators who are still filing into the venue, folding chairs and entertainment waiting to greet them.

A local marching band has just finished its performance, keeping the fans on hand pumped until the festivities here commence at 7:30 p.m.

Here's another shot I just snapped — this one of the grand stage where dignitaries and tonight's keynote speaker, Emmy Award-winning journalist Jeremy Schaap, will greet all in attendance.

(Just call me a "Mo-Jo" ... that's mobile journalist, taking pictures and writing stories! It's a "pro-am" approach.)

Well, time to wait for some local athletes to arrive so I can talk to them for stories I'm working on for tomorrow's edition of the Poughkeepsie Journal.

It's almost time to hear those four words we've been waiting a year for: Let the games begin!