Friday Roundup: Stives nets penultimate goal for Lady Wolverines to claim C2 Semis spot, stymie No. 2 Marion in double-OT thriller; No. 2 HAC nets early 2nd half score to eliminate No. 7 GV/Belfast

MARION — One goal can make all the difference. At the beginning of the game, it can be utilized as a giant piece of early momentum. In a tight game in the midst of battle, it can be the missing piece of the puzzle. But one that decides the outcome at its every end, it can provide instant gratification.

Especially at this stage of the game.

With the stakes as high as they have ever been before, there’s minimal room for error. The motive was simple: Win or go home. Between both Bolivar-Richburg and Marion, neither team wanted to be the one that would close the book on their season. That would be the case when they met in their Class C2 Quarterfinal matchup up north, Friday night.

Through over 100 minutes of grueling battle, one team would get the best of all three worlds. Instant gratification for the missing piece of their puzzle to use as a giant shift of momentum going into the next round. It would come just over halfway into double overtime with a game-long, scoreless tie still remaining on the board.

Cassidy Stives would unleash her inner superhero with one giant leap for the Lady Wolverines.

In one of the first upsets of the Sectional tournament to occur, Bolivar-Richburg struck gold on one of their biggest corner kicks of the season. With McKinlee Harris electing to take the kick, it was placed ever so perfectly in front of the Marion goal where Stives stood, springing up to meet the ball with her chest to knock it in past the Lady Black Knights keeper to send the sidelines into an absolute frenzy to end the game with a 1-0 blank to earn their place in the Class D2 Semifinal round next week.

“Marion is a good, well-coached team, so we knew coming into the game that we had to do a lot of things right tonight,” said Lady Wolverines coach Brooke Lovell. “We had some chances to score early in the game, but we just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net. I’m happy that Cassidy was finally able to capitalize off of McKinlee’s corner. The kids worked hard and they deserved to win. They have improved tremendously since the beginning of the season, and I have been proud to watch their growth as soccer players.”

To help set the game-winning chance up for the Lady Wolverines (10-8), it began with a long dribble from about 50 yards downfield by Teegan Sibble, running side-by-side with the Marion defense along the way. The ball would eventually be pressured out of play to set the corner kick up for Harris. With one swift kick, she would end the game by landing the shot directly onto the body of Stives right in front of the Lady Black Knights keeper, knocking it into the right side to send the team into pandemonium after recording the upset triumph.

Both teams combined for just nine shots on goal in what was a heavy display of defense all across their midfield battle, as Marion narrowly outshot Bolivar-Richburg by a 5-4 count. But it was Kyla Gayton that wound up making the victorious effort in between the posts, making all five stops, including some big stops in the early stages of the battle, to preserve the team’s victory.

Next stop for Bolivar-Richburg is the Class C2 Semifinal round, where they will now take on No. 3 Wheatland-Chili — one of the most prestigious girls soccer programs in all of Section V, on Tuesday at a time and venue to be determined.

It will be the first time that both the Lady Wolverines and Lady WIldcats will square off in Sectional play since their 2017 Finals matchup, where Wheatland-Chili took the 5-1 victory.

Lovell says she knows what will come from the challenge that lies ahead.

“We know that Wheatland-Chili is going to be one of our toughest matchups this year,” she said. “Hopefully we can continue to play with the intensity and the perseverance that we’ve been playing with.”

No. 1 Byron-Bergen 9, No. 8 Cuba-Rushford 0

BERGEN — The top-seeded Lady Bees of Byron-Bergen showed why they were Class C2’s team to beat on Friday, as they took advantage of all facets of the game on the field against No. 8 Cuba-Rushford and ran with it, scoring a big four-goal first half to set the tone in what was a 9-0 shutout at home to claim their place in the Semifinal round next week.

“Byron-Bergen was tough. I thought we closed out the season pretty well, but it was unfortunate that we had to run into them,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “The four seniors that I’ve had the opportunity to coach have been a great group to coach. They’re all four-year plus varsity players, and they will be tough to replace. But the big picture is that I’m happy with the way the program is progressing. We still have a strong, young core and I’m excited to see what the future holds next.”

An electrifying Lady Bees offense was led by a nine-point evening from Mia Gray, as she recorded a first half hat trick from within her four-goal outpouring to go with an assist. The top seeds wasted no time providing the start they wanted against the Lady Rebels (9-8-1), scoring twice in a two-minute span in the opening minutes to break the ice, before repeating the same sequence again to start the second half with the momentum remaining in their favor.

In all, Byron-Bergen produced 29 total shots against Cuba-Rushford’s defense, while in turn the defense of the Lady Bees held the nine-seeds to just a pair of shots. In goal, Tara Duvall put a stop to 20 saves in her final game in between the posts, for the team in white and blue.

The end of Cuba-Rushford’s season has been reached, as they conclude their 2022 campaign with a record of 9-8-1 — their second straight winning season under Wight. The Lady Rebels will lose four seniors at the end of the school year in Duvall, Taylor Searle, Sofia Riquelme and Fran Childs.

BOYS SOCCER

No. 2 Harley Allendale-Columbia 1, No. 7 Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

ROCHESTER — The Genesee Valley/Belfast was limited on offense, but their defense in turn, would attempt to keep a high-profile No. 2 Harley Allendale-Columbia offense at bay along the way, Friday afternoon up north.

Although Genesee Valley/Belfast was held to just a single shot on offense, they would keep the Wolves quiet on the attack through their midfield battle for much of the battle.

But then, an opening was created. One that Finn Costello would make sure was the deciding factor in the endgame, as he connected with the back of the net just past the 10 minute mark in the second half to break it open for good, sealing Harley Allendale-Columbia’s spot in the Class D1 Semifinals with a 1-0 shutout of Genesee Valley/Belfast.

Costello’s goal came at the 28:51 mark remaining in the second half of play for the Wolves, scoring it off a feed dished along by Alessandro Bosa. The shot was one of seven total the Wolves offense would produce, while the defense kept Genesee Valley/Belfast at a standstill with just one shot.

In goal, Thai Norasethaporn set aside six saves for the visitors in white and black.

The season is over for Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they wrap up their campaign with a record of 7-7-4. The team will graduate 11 seniors at the end of the school year in June between the two schools, in Norasethaporn, Justin Hill, Stiven Lopez, Daemon Cobb, Canaan Sullivan, Tyler Rawleigh, Carter Stout, Luke Snyder, James Frawley, Connor Hull and Alessandro Marotca.

No. 1 Fillmore 9, No. 8 Alfred-Almond 0

FILLMORE — The Class D1 title defense for the Eagles of Fillmore could not have gotten off to a more magnificent start on Friday. In what was their final home game of the 2022 season, the top-seeds would close it out with the largest of bangs against No. 8 Alfred-Almond, as Mitch Ward led the way with a 10-point evening on offense in the team’s 9-0 shutout in Quarterfinal action.

“We had an exceptional start to our Sectional push this evening,” said Eagles coach Jarrett Vosburg. “The defense played phenomenally once again to earn the shutout. But it was the play of Jack Cool, Eben Schilke and Zach Sisson in the center of the field that really got our offense clicking to generate the chances that Mitch (Ward) and Henry (Sardina) were able to consistently finish. Alfred-Almond never quit and they should hold their heads up high for playing a hard-fought, physical battle. We’ll enjoy tonight, but we have to set our sights on a very good team Tuesday night.”

The Eagles (17-0) wasted no time igniting the firepower early, scoring a pair of goals in the first four minutes with Ward having a hand in both, dishing off an assist to Brent Zubikowski before scoring his first goal over a minute later to break the ice with a 2-0 lead. Ward and Henry Sardina would then exchange the next three Fillmore goals beginning just past halfway in the period, and spanning across the next six minutes to branch their lead to five, with Ward scoring two of them to complete his hat trick.

Jack Cool would record his second assist on Sardina’s goal after dishing along a pass to Ward for his first.

In the second half, it was Sardina who found a way to complete his hat trick, scoring two of the team’s four goals remaining left to put away in the back of the Alfred-Almond net, sandwiched in between Ward’s fourth of the game and Cool’s first to complete his four-point night. Adding helpers along the way were Zubikowski, Eben Schilke (2) and Nolan Krzeminski.

All nine goals were recorded as nearly half of the team’s shots, as they outshot the visiting Eagles by a 20-4 count. In goal, Luke Colombo recorded the four-save shutout to keep the fort held down on defense.

Fillmore now moves into the Class D1 Semifinal round, which will begin on Tuesday as they face the No. 4 Keshequa Indians at a time and venue to be determined. It will be the first time the two teams have met in Sectional play since the Indians defeated the Eagles back in the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season, in the Finals by a 2-0 count.

Class D2 Quarterfinals

No. 2 Houghton Academy 3, No. 7 Jasper-Troupsburg 0

HOUGHTON — A fast start for No. 2 Houghton Academy got them off to the right start Friday afternoon, building the lead they would use to their fullest advantage against No. 7 Jasper-Troupsburg, extending it later on a quick sequence in the second half to work their way towards a Class D2 Semifinals berth in their 3-0 shutout at home.

“It’s an exciting time to grab a shutout when we can. It was a quick game in the first half, but our midfield started to take control in the next. They either ran out of gas, or we really pushed the pace against them. It was a great team win to get us going. A great first step.” said Panthers coach Jeff Prentice.

Josh Davidson was the first to strike for Houghton Academy (11-5-1), as he connected on the opening goal in the first 10 minutes off a pass dished along by Brian Patipewe to crack open the scoring. The lead would hold throughout the first half before the hosts in blue and white would push their lead out insurmountably near midway.

Pedro Rebello and Lucas Matias would trade goals and assists on the next pair for the Panthers, scoring them both in a five-minute span with Rebello’s being scored in the first 15 minutes while Matias found the back of the net five minutes later to conclude the scoring, sealing Houghton Academy’s trip to the Semifinals along the way.

Further in-depth statistics were not made available to report upon publication.

Houghton Academy will now await the winner of No. 6 Hammondsport and No. 3 Northstar in the Class D2 Semifinals on Tuesday, at a site and venue to be determined.

No. 4 Hinsdale 2, No. 5 Friendship/Scio 1

HINSDALE — They were one of the County’s hottest teams going into the beginning of the second season on Friday. After starting their season with a 1-7 record, the Bobcats of Hinsdale put the pedal to the metal in the back half of their campaign, winning five of the next seven games to capture what would be their final home game this year, in Sectional play.

Their opposition, a familiar one — No. 5 Friendship/Scio, a team the four-seeds have had close battles with twice already. Both games ended in 3-2 results, in a win for each squad. It was only fair that the rubber match in the Class D2 Quarterfinal round was decided in a similar fashion.

After a brilliant start in the first half, it was a lead that the Bobcats were able to hold all the way down to the wire. Although Friendship/Scio was able to put on some waning minute pressure, the hosts were able to fend it off excellently to make sure their spot in the Semifinal round next week was claimed, as they forced elimination against their opposition by taking the 2-1 win in the game, and the series.

“Hinsdale’s been playing better, and they’re not the same team they were since the start. So are we. We knew this was going to be a tight game, just like the two games we’ve played already,” said Friendship/Scio co-coach Dillon McFall. “It’s been our Achilles heel all season, not scoring in the flow of the game. We had to be better, we weren’t. We got down after that early corner kick and then a turnover in midfield they scored on from 25 yards out. We were able to respond in the end with a good chance to take it to them, but we couldn’t.”

Nearly 90 seconds removed from the opening kick at center, Hinsdale (7-8-1) did not waste any of it while they punctuated on their first goal of the game on a corner kick, which sailed in on the Friendship/Scio goal by Preston Jackson, shattering the ice immediately with a 1-0 lead to gain control of.

Later on, the Bobcats would find their groove one more time before the first half reached its conclusion, as Robert Childs added to their lead with seven minutes left, scoring on a solo rush into the offensive zone to branch their advantage to a pair — a buffer zone that was maintained for much of the second half.

When the opportunity arose to put pressure on down the stretch, Friendship/Scio (6-10-1) was able to do just that with the help of Brenden Loucks, as he rocketed his shot in on goal off a direct kick with 14 minutes left in regulation. The visitors would do all they can to remain on Hinsdale’s coattails all the way to the end, but ultimately, the early start would prove to be just enough to suffice in the end.

20 total shots on the attack were garnered between the two teams, with the Bobcats outshooting Friendship/Scio narrowly by an 11-9 count. In goal, Ethan Chapman picked up the win behind eight saves, while Taylor Moore had nine for the visitors in white. Friendship/Scio’s season comes to an end after a 6-10-1 campaign in 2022. The team will graduate eight seniors at the end of the year between the two schools, in Loucks, Moore, Jordan White, Chase Kinnicutt, Frank White, Hunter Hill, Camron Blouvet and Cooper Hosley.

“Our senior class this year, they had solid careers that was really highlighted by playing in the Finals last year,” McFall said of his Scio boys. “A lot of great memories, and it’s easy to remember tonight’s loss, but they had some great success throughout their careers. To have the Friendship kids in with us, it was a great blend. It was nice to have Brad (Gertis) along for the ride as well through the journey this year.”

Hinsdale will now get set to face top-seeded Mount Morris in the Class D2 Semifinal round, beginning on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined over the weekend.

No. 1 Mount Morris 8, No. 8 Andover/Whitesville 0

MOUNT MORRIS — Top-seeded Mount Morris struck while the iron was hot on their home grounds, Friday afternoon. Almost immediately after the final bell for the week, the Blue Devils went to work against No. 8 Andover/Whitesville, rattling off an eight-goal barrage to set up shop for their berth into the Class D2 Semifinal round with an 8-0 shutout.

Statistics were not made available to report upon publication.

Andover/Whitesville’s season has come to an end, as they wrap up with a record of 1-16 overall. The team will graduate just two seniors this upcoming June in CJ Estep and Will Kent.

FOOTBALL

Red Jacket 44, Bolivar-Richburg 30

BOLIVAR — It was a wild back-and-forth affair to close out the regular season at Dunsmore-Latimer Field in Bolivar under the Friday Night Lights. Although it was highlighted by an electric first quarter start, both teams would wheel and deal scores in a high-octane second quarter.

But in the end, it was the start that visiting Red Jacket would hold in the end, despite host Bolivar-Richburg chipping away at their lead to as little as eight at one point in the second half, as the Indians secured the victory while handing the Wolverines their third straight defeat by a 44-30 count.

Red Jacket raced onto the scene first in the opening 12 minute quarter, paving their way towards a 16-0 lead with scores from both James Sibeto through the air on his 6-yard catch from Matt Allen, and later, a 10-yard run from Micah Harshfield in the backfield. With the lead in hand, the Indians were able to keep the Wolverines (5-3) held at bay, despite 44 of the game’s 74 total points coming in the quarter before halftime.

Bolivar-Richburg would strike first and get onto the board with one of three Trent Sibble touchdowns from the backfield, easing his way into the end zone from the goal line. Red Jacket would extend their lead to its biggest it would be all night — 24 points, after scores of four and 47 yard from the backfield once more from both Allen and Harshfield, respectively, branched their lead out towards a 30-6 advantage.

But a strong note was reached towards the tail end of the first half, as the Wolverines accounted for the next three scores, including a safety for the defense, as Tavyn MacDonell cut down the team’s deficit first with a long run from 50 yards out. Two drives later, Sibble would score his second of the game from 13 yards out to bring the game towards an eight-point deficit for the hosts in black and red.

The first half would end with the pendulum shifting back into Red Jacket’s favor after Harshfield found the back of the end zone for a third and final time from the goal line to give the Indians a 38-22 halftime lead.

Just one more score for each team was garnered in the second half. Sibble was the first to strike in the next session with another goal-line run from a yard out to bring the deficit back down to eight. It would remain up until the final 12 minutes of play, when Matt Allen weaved his way through the Wolverines defense in the waning minutes to extend the team’s lead permanently, to 14, on his 6-yard run in the red zone.

The Wolverines finished with 227 total yards of offense, with Sibble being one of the team’s leading rushers by carrying the ball 16 times for 67 yards and his three scores. On defense, he would also become the team’s leading tackler with 7.5. Zach Mitchell had seven tackles. Caden Allen recorded six tackles, while Tavyn MacDonell had 5.5.

The regular season is now in the books for the Wolverines, as they now wait patiently for Sectional seeding to take place over the weekend after finishing up with a record of 5-3 overall.

Red Jacket 16 22 0 6 – 44

Bolivar-Richburg 0 22 8 0 – 30

Scoring Summary

1st

RJ – James Sibeto 6-yard pass from Matt Allen, 2-pts good (8-0 RJ)

RJ – Micah Harshfield 10-yard run, 2-pts good (16-0 RJ)

2nd

B-R – Trent Sibble 2-yard run, 2-pts failed (16-6 RJ)

RJ – Matt Allen 4-yard run, 2-pts failed (22-6 RJ)

RJ – Micah Harshfield 47-yard run, 2-pts good (30-6 RJ)

B-R – Tavyn MacDonell 50-yard run, 2-pts good (30-14 RJ)

B-R – Safety in the end zone (30-16 RJ)

B-R – Trent Sibble 13-yard run, 2-pts failed (30-22 RJ)

RJ – Micah Harshfield 1-yard run, 2-pts good (38-22 RJ)

3rd

B-R – Trent Sibble 1-yard run, 2-pts good (38-30 RJ)

4th

RJ – Matt Allen 6-yard run, 2-pts failed (44-30 RJ)

Total Yards: RJ 324, B-R 227.
First Downs: RJ 19, B-R 16.
Turnovers: RJ 0, B-R 2.

Penalties: RJ 6-73, B-R 2-8.
Punts: RJ 3-28, B-R 0-0.
T.O.P: RJ 29:17, B-R 19:58.

Penn Yan/Dundee 48, Cuba-Rushford 8

PENN YAN — The Penn Yan/Dundee offense soared above and beyond big heights on Friday to close out their regular season. After taking their first loss of the season to the hands of East Rochester/Gananda last week, they rebounded in the biggest way possible with a 48-8 rolling of visiting Cuba-Rushford, Friday evening.

A complete box score and scoring summary were not made available to report upon publication.

The regular season is now over for the Rebels, as they conclude and now await their fate for the second season with a record of 1-6 overall.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Wellsville 3, Hinsdale 0

WELLSVILLE — From the very beginning, the Lady Lions of Wellsville were a force. In their final game of the regular season, they would start off incredibly strong once again, this time against visiting Hinsdale on their home floor, as they coasted their way towards a strong finish with a straight-set sweep of the Lady Bobcats by a 25-8, 25-14, 25-6 count.

Fueling the efforts on the floor for Wellsville (14-2) was a strong night of service overall, with Lindsey Stuck pacing the service from the back line with 12 game-high aces to pair with two kills. Averee Palmatier recorded 11 aces of her own to go with five assists and a kill, while Natalie Adams had eight more aces to couple with two kills and a block.

Helping further the team’s cause was Morgaen Howe on the attack, garnering a team-high nine kills to pair with two aces, while Bry Moultrup had six kills and four aces.

Hinsdale (3-16) was led by Jaylee Jimerson on the frontlines, scoring five team-high kills and four blocks. Hannah Sutton chipped in with five blocks at the net and three kills, while setter Jamilyn Jimerson had 15 assists to hand out along with a pair of kills.

The regular season is now over for both teams, as they now await Sectional seeding over the weekend.

Bolivar-Richburg 3, Fillmore 0

FILLMORE — After momentum began to swing in their favor after a close first set battle in the Rock on Friday, the visiting Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg would go on to find their groove against the host Lady Eagles of Fillmore, as they created and capitalized upon all of the openings on the floor to record their 10th win of the season by a 25-22, 25-14, 25-9 straight-set sweeping fashion.

The Lady Wolverines (10-6) saw all facets of their game come to life against Fillmore, with Carmen Crowley’s hot night of offense pacing the way behind an 11-kill, three-ace effort. Brena Walp was not far behind, recording five kills and three aces herself. On defense, Haley Mascho did a fine job keeping the ball off the floor behind her 10 digs, while Willow Worth handed out 19 helpers up front.

Stats for the Lady Eagles (7-10) were not made available to report upon publication.

Both teams are now off until Sectional seeding concludes over the weekend, as their regular season reached its conclusion.

Cuba-Rushford 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

CUBA — The Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford will be one of the County’s teams that remains on fire heading into Sectionals next week. On Friday, they would use a brilliant and excellent start through a closely-contested opening set against visiting Genesee Valley/Belfast to their fullest advantage, coasting their way towards a straight-set rolling in the Wighthouse by a 25-19, 25-9, 25-6 count.

With the victory, the Lady Rebels (10-5) would close out their regular season with wins in each of the last five games of the season, which soared under a fantastic night of service from Lauren O’Keefe, who tallied a game-high 10 aces to pair with her seven kills to further the team’s offensive cause. Bri Green chipped in with four kills, while setter Kendall Tompkins handed out 19 assists to her teammates up front, pairing them with six additional aces.

Genesee Valley/Belfast (2-17) was led by Madison McKenzie, who had four kills. Kendra Bigelow and Liliana Porter combined to record five more kills, four aces and three blocks.

Both teams will now await Sectional seeding, which takes place over the weekend, as their regular season now reaches its conclusion.