Wolverines see brilliant 2024 campaign conclude to Burke Catholic in Class C State Semis, as Section IX reps make most of opportunities to score 4-1 victory at Binghamton U

[PHOTOS BY CHAR STONE]

BINGHAMTON — For the first time in 10 years, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg reappeared as one of New York State’s last four teams standing in Class C.

All the pieces have fallen into place. The bats, the defense, the pitching, the three ingredients to your typical championship-winning recipe were prepared by the Wolverines over the course of the last several weeks following their five-inning loss to the hands of Wellsville back in the beginning of May.

They have struck all chords since then, winning their eighth Sectional title in the last 11 years and a Far West title in dominant defensive fashion over Wilson last week in Salamanca. Now, the hunt was on for even more glory. The kind of glory that Bolivar-Richburg has longed to chase since their last go-around back in 2014.

Standing just two steps from reaching their ultimate destiny, there was still business to attend to in order to get there. Next on the docket was Section IX’s Burke Catholic, who defeated the team that the Wolverines last met in the Final Four a decade ago — Pierson, to claim their spot in this year’s Semifinal composition.

Bolivar-Richburg has made the provision of a fast start a top priority during Sectionals and leading into the Empire State’s tournament. With it, they have been able to establish their footing and attack from every single angle possible to collect the upper hand they desired. But the road ahead? It was going to be as tough as it gets.

Burke Catholic proved that right away.

After keeping the Wolverines empty-handed in their first at-bats of the game, the Section IX reps took matters into their own hands to commence the festivities, posting an early lead to aid their defense in a flawless seven-inning stand on the field. With Bolivar-Richburg attempting to claw back immediately following the opening frame, Burke Catholic chipped in two more insurance runs to branch their lead ultimately in insurmountable fashion, as they went on to score a big 4-1 victory to end the season of the Section V stalwarts at Binghamton University.

“We got off to a rough start, but we were able to bounce back and pick up one in the second to keep it close,” said Wolverines coach Dustin Allen. “They were just able to capitalize on our mistakes, and we couldn’t get anything going. Not to take anything away from them, they are a solid team. They made no errors in the field and their pitcher threw a ton of strikes. It was great to be in the position we were in again, but we were hoping to get over that hump. We have nothing to be unhappy about the season we had. We came together and it gave us some great memories to look back on down the road.”

Following the first two runs in unearned fashion going in Burke Catholic’s direction in the first inning, Bolivar-Richburg went to work on a response to provide in return, as they foresaw an opportunity to strike with a pair of runners on base. With Kingston Loucks stepping into the batter’s box, he would deliver a base hit straight up the middle to plate Landon Barkley on the RBI single to cut the deficit in half.

The run would be all that the Wolverines could muster, as Burke Catholic proceeded to toss five straight shutout innings to keep their opposition completely at bay for the remainder of the contest. All while issuing two more massive pieces of insurance to tack onto their advantage in the bottom of the fourth inning. An advantage that would then remain untouched until the game’s conclusion, as both defenses issued numerous scoreless innings to close the action out.

The one run for the Wolverines stemmed off just four hits at the plate, with Trey Buchholz and his 2-for-3 outing leading the charge. In addition to Loucks and his RBI single in the second inning, Landon Barkley also chipped in with a hit. On the mound, Barkley advanced his start into the fourth inning, where he struck out three and walked three.

Bolivar-Richburg’s masterful 2024 campaign has reached its ultimate conclusion, as the team puts the wrap on a 24-3 record behind another Section V title for the trophy showcase, as well as a Far West Regional championship for the first time in a decade. The Wolverines will lose seven seniors to Graduation in just a couple of weeks, saying goodbye to Buchholz, Caden Allen, Aydin Sisson, Reiss Gaines, Caleb Miller, Landon Arnold and Aiden Smith.

Allen held back his emotions talking about the endless contributions his seniors have made for the program during their time.

“This is a tough one to swallow for sure,” he said. “We’re going to lose seven great seniors. Four of them have been with me for three, four years. All of them are just incredible and great kids to be around. They were all a pleasure to coach, and it’s a group that will miss coaching dearly, because I watched them grow up together. They’ve put in so much work to become better players since the beginning.”

We at WellsvilleSports.com would like to congratulate Coach Allen and the Wolverines on a magnificent season. We wish all seven seniors the very best in their futures ahead.

Bolivar-Richburg 010 000 0 – 1 4 4

Burke Catholic 200 200 X – 4 7 0

B-R – Landon Barkley (LP) (3K, 3BB), Trey Buchholz (4) (K, BB) and Aydin Sisson.

BC – Mason Gove (WP) (CG, 8K, 3BB) and John Cook.