Wednesday Roundup: In packed boys soccer slate, C-R’s Searle earns 1st career blank vs. Fri/Scio; Wellsville records 4th tie of season after 0-0 battle with Fillmore; Houghton, GV/Belfast also win
FRIENDSHIP — Sophomore Coleman Searle had a night to remember on Wednesday. In the same swing of receiving his first career Varsity start in between the posts for the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford, he would also go on to record his first ever shutout, as the offense for the defending Class C2 champions went to work against Friendship/Scio and never looked back on what was a 3-0 blank in Friendship.
“Credit to Coleman on his first career start and shutout. Our regular keeper was out sick today and he slotted right in nicely,” Rebels coach Rob Wight said. “I give a lot of credit to Friendship/Scio. They played with a ton of heart and grit. Their keeper (Deacon Brown) made some great saves, including a penalty kick in the early minutes. It’s easy to be frustrated as a coach when you see 34 shots and only three goals, but at the end of the day, we took care of the ball and created the chances.”
Robert Childs was granted a pair of goals — one in each half to help lead the Rebels (2-1-1) on the attack, breaking the ice deep in the first half of play with the connection of a pass from Braxton Clark, as the two struck gold with a 1-0 halftime lead. Childs followed up later on in the second half with his second marker of the game, capitalizing off a feed sent along by Braedyn Kenjockety to double their lead with 22:23 remaining on the clock.
The victory was secured with six minutes left to play when Childs handed out an assist himself to complete a five-point night on the frontlines, as he aided in setting up Carter Brown with a score of his own.
With the defense in front of him, Searle was able to put a stop on all seven shots he faced for the Rebels in net to earn the shutout. On the other end of the pitch, Deacon Brown made 31 saves for Friendship/Scio (0-6).
Both teams will return to action Friday night, as Cuba-Rushford heads to Hinsdale to meet Andover/Whitesville in a 7 p.m. first kick, while Friendship/Scio stands pat in Friendship to welcome in Fillmore at 5 p.m.
Fillmore 0, Wellsville 0
WELLSVILLE — It was a grueling battle right from the beginning in the Lion’s Den on Wednesday.
There was plenty of war being waged across the midfield, plenty of opportunities to strike and plenty of pressure and physical play against one another. But when the final chapter was written after 100 complete minutes of soccer, a deadlock was reached between longtime rivals Fillmore and Wellsville, as they settled on a scoreless tie — the second for the Eagles and the fourth for the Lions, this season.
Between both teams, 32 combined shots were recorded by the offenses, with Fillmore claiming a 20-12 advantage over Wellsville.
Neither goalkeeper would let anything slip behind them, despite all the chances across the evening, with Brayden Hennard recording the 12-save shutout for the Eagles (2-0-2) and Gavin Haggerty making all 20 stops to earn his for the Lions (1-0-4).
Both teams will return to the pitch this weekend, with the Eagles preparing for a 5 p.m. visit to Friendship on Friday to take on Friendship/Scio, while the Lions hit the road Saturday morning to visit the Alfred-Almond Eagles in a 10 a.m. first kick.
Houghton Academy 5, Bolivar-Richburg 2
HOUGHTON — Over the course of the last couple of games, the Houghton Academy Panthers have begun to find their scoring touch. On Wednesday, they returned home and reigned another firestorm on the pitch.
It was a closely-knit and physical battle between both Houghton Academy and visiting Bolivar-Richburg across the first half, but when the goals started to find the back of the net, the intensity was taken to a completely different level. With a 2-1 lead in hand and the Wolverines hot on their trail following a strong finish to the first half, the hosts needed a swift response of their own.
That’s when the last 40 minutes came into play, as the Panthers took complete advantage of it every way they could, including a goal in the first 10 minutes of the new session to double their lead once again. In all, they would find the back of the Bolivar-Richburg net three times to maintain control of their own destiny to pick up a third consecutive win by a 5-2 count.
Following a lengthy battle for possession on all angles of the field, the scoring commenced with nearly 10 minutes left in the opening half, as the Panthers (3-2) struck first with a score from Josh Davidson off a pass delivered along by David Jetta, taking the game’s first lead at the 12:56 mark. The pressure against the Wolverines continued, as they doubled their lead behind Jack Prentice’s score with 2:36 remaining.
But the Wolverines (1-3-1) provided as strong of a response as possible to close out the first half on a bright note, as Landon Barkley completed the two-minute drill for the offense to cut their deficit right in half going into the break.
With the visitors in white and red now immediately following in their footsteps, Houghton Academy had to provide a quick response of their own. Nearly 10 minutes into the second half, David Jetta did just that, as he helped regain the two-goal cushion for the Panthers with his first of two tallies at the 33:20 mark.
Bolivar-Richburg did not go away though, as they kept the pressure on Houghton Academy themselves with a strike from Ryder Iantorno just seven minutes later to make it a 3-2 ballgame. With the Wolverines continuing to close the gap, the Panthers came right back and delivered two haymakers, the first from Huy Ho just past midway to regain their two-goal edge before one final piece of insurance was added by Jetta down the stretch to secure the victory.
The five goals for the Panthers were recorded off 20 shots, as they outshot their opposition by a 20-6 count. In goal, Jerry Pham made four saves to net the win for the hosts, while Ayden Music made 15 saves for the Wolverines, who will resume their rain-suspended contest with Genesee Valley/Belfast on Friday, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast.
Houghton Academy will stay put on their home grounds to host Andover/Whitesville, Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 4, Andover/Whitesville 0
WHITESVILLE — In a battle of early undefeated squads, it was Genesee Valley/Belfast who managed to come out unscathed on Wednesday, as their offense fired on all cylinders against host Andover/Whitesville to push towards a 3-0-1 start to their campaign behind a dominant 4-0 blank in Whitesville.
Statistics for both teams were not made available to report upon publication.
Genesee Valley/Belfast (3-0-1) will get set to take on Bolivar-Richburg in what was a rain-suspended contest earlier this season, beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday back home at the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast.
Also on Friday, Andover/Whitesville (3-1-1) will look to regroup and bounce back with a 7 p.m. trip to Hinsdale to meet defending Class C2 champion Cuba-Rushford.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Wellsville 3, Andover/Whitesville 0
ANDOVER — Following an upbeat and composed victory over Cuba-Rushford the previous night, the Lady Lions of Wellsville took their talents over the road on Wednesday and remained in firm control, as they rolled to a 25-5, 25-2, 25-4 straight-set victory over host Andover/Whitesville, in Andover.
Igniting the offense for the Lady Lions (3-2) was Mia Wyant, who collected 16 gigantic aces to go with a pair of assists at the front of the net. Lindsay Stuck chipped in with six aces of her own to pair with a kill. Alexis Ireland had four more aces, while Brooklyn Dahlgren rounded off the scoring with three aces, one kill and one dig on defense.
Statistics for Andover/Whitesville (0-4) were not made available to report upon publication. Andover/Whitesville will play host to Fillmore tonight at 6 p.m.
Wellsville will go for a third straight win coming up on Friday, as they renew their massive volleyball rivalry with the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg over the road once again in a 7:30 p.m. first serve.
Bolivar-Richburg 3 (3-0), Fillmore 0 (3-3)
BOLIVAR — Carmen Crowley assembled a statement performance for the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg, Wednesday night. With a showdown against Wellsville upon the horizon, the Bolivar-Richburg senior made all the noise possible against visiting Fillmore, bucketing 31 service points to couple along with 14 aces and 10 kills to aid their straight-set, 25-14, 25-18, 25-3 sweep of the Lady Eagles.
The Lady Wolverines (3-0) gathered many more contributions behind Crowley to help build even more success, including Joey Danaher, who kept the gas down to the floor for the offense with eight additional kills and five aces. Jayna Thomas chipped in with six aces of her own, while setter Willow Worth helped set everything up at the front of the net, handing out 18 assists.
Statistics for the Lady Eagles (3-3) were not made available to report upon publication. Fillmore will look to rebound back over the road tonight, visiting Andover/Whitesville at 6 p.m. in Andover.
Bolivar-Richburg will now get set to welcome in the Wellsville Lady Lions for a titanic battle beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Cuba-Rushford 3, Hinsdale 0
CUBA — After enduring a tough and competitive defeat to the hands of Wellsville, the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford brought it all the way back 24 hours later in their return to the Wighthouse, as they went full steam ahead and caught fire with a straight-set victory over visiting Hinsdale on Wednesday, claiming the 25-12, 25-11, 25-10 decision.
Charging the offensive efforts for the Lady Rebels (2-3) was Kendall Tompkins. In addition to her 15 assists at the front of the net, she went on to score six team-leading kills to go with a single ace from the service line. Kate Radomski provided a strong showing from the back line, recording seven aces to go with four kills. Lilah Stroud contributed five more kills, while Arlah Shaffer had six digs and five aces.
Statistics for the Lady Bobcats (1-2) were not made available to report upon publication.
Both teams return to the court Friday night in a pair of 7:30 p.m. first serves on their home floors, as Cuba-Rushford welcomes in Genesee Valley/Belfast, while Hinsdale heads back home to host Houghton Academy.
GIRLS TENNIS
Wellsville 5, Wayland-Cohocton 0
WELLSVILLE — It was another phenomenal day at the office for the Lady Lions of Wellsville back home in the Lion’s Den on Wednesday, as they continued stomping their foot down to the floor with their fourth straight victory to open the season up, streaking past visiting Wayland-Cohocton with a complete 5-0 sweep of the Lady Eagles.
All five matches for the Lady Lions (4-0) were scored in straight-set fashion, as the three singles competitors composed of Samantha Bidzerkowny, Hanna Miles and Peyton Cawley all took care of business in their respective matches to claim their victories, with Bidzerkowny’s 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Wayland-Cohocton’s Virginia Carr at first singles helping lead the charge.
Miles followed suit with a strong 6-3, 6-0 decision at second singles over Ava Senka, while Cawley battled tough and stood tall at the end of the night with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Lillian Scholtes at third singles.
Wellsville also collected both doubles matches, with the first doubles duo of Sarah Mattison and Caitlin Bittel nearly coming away shutout winners themselves, recording the 6-1, 6-0 win over Harley Grodis and Cora Hosmer. To put a wrap on the match victory, the second doubles team of McKenna Wonderling and Dalilah Dimpfl provided a 6-2, 6-0 win over Grace Bondgren and Ruby Yacono.
The Lady Lions are back on the court tonight in a 5 p.m. first serve, as they travel up north to Dansville to meet the Harley Allendale-Columbia Lady Wolves in a rematch of last season’s Class B State Qualifier match.
Singles
1. Samantha Bidzerkowny (WLSV) def. Virginia Carr (W-C), 6-0, 6-0.
2. Hanna Miles (WLSV) def. Ava Senka (W-C), 6-3, 6-0.
3. Peyton Cawley (WLSV) def. Lillian Scholtes (W-C), 6-2, 6-3.
Doubles
1. Sarah Mattison/Caitlin Bittel (WLSV) def. Harley Grodis/Cora Hosmer (W-C), 6-1, 6-0.
2. McKenna Wonderling/Dalilah Dimpfl (WLSV) def. Grace Bondgren/Ruby Yacono (W-C), 6-2, 6-0.
