Wednesday Roundup: And/Whi’s Vance completes hatty with GWG in waning minutes of 4-3 comeback over Avo-Pra; C-R hands GV/Belfast 1st loss, Lady Lions tennis with 3 50-win careers in final home match

ANDOVER — A boisterous clash between Avoca-Prattsburgh and Andover/Whitesville had showcased just a little bit of everything, Wednesday night.

Goals, physical gameplay, big positioning amidst the Class D field with Sectionals emerging from around the corner. All of those elements, mixed with a beautiful sunset over the hillside, would help paint the picture in the background of a gorgeous night for soccer. When Planet Earth’s power source began its descent, the environment surrounding the pitch in Andover started to dip down to the brisky level.

As for temperature on the grass itself? — Well, that became a different story.

There was plenty of speed and tenacity to go around between the two squads to served as the contest’s facilitating firestarter, as the teams came together to zip up and down the field repeatedly to each knock in a pair of goals to head into the halftime break ensuring their possession of a headful of steam and a level playing surface underneath them.

With the Titans finding their way back ahead in the early stages of second half battle, the ball was now on Andover/Whitesville’s side of the court to try and maneuver around the eight-ball for what would be a third consecutive time.

Andover/Whitesville did everything in their power to whittle away at the Avoca-Prattsburgh defense in the heat of battle, down the homestretch. Because of it, their efforts would not go unrewarded.

Brody Vance came to the rescue.

Staring at a one-goal deficit directly in the face with 10 minutes remaining, there was absolutely no more time to waste. The Andover/Whitesville sophomore completely shifted the landscape of the game, netting two goals in nearly six minutes, including a long-range snipe to complete his hat trick in style, helping the team overcome and power their way past a hard-hitting challenge posed by Avoca-Prattsburgh with a resilient 4-3 victory.

“We were down three different times to them. We found a way to tie the game at halftime and I talked to them about continuing to remain physical and aggressive,” said Andover/Whitesville coach Cody Borden. “We came out and gave up a goal and quick, but in the last 10 minutes, we capitalized when we needed to. Brody capped off the hat trick with a great shot from about 25 yards away and beat the keeper. With a couple of those close games we’ve had now, it’s amazing to win in this fashion in front of a home crowd. The crowd was amazing all game and I couldn’t be more proud of the effort. Avoca-Prattsburgh is a great possession team, but our boys rallied and played outstanding in the end.”

The possession kicked into gear right away with Avoca-Prattsburgh putting Andover/Whitesville on thin ice early on. Behind some nifty passes to maneuver the ball up field, the Titans eventually would cross the goal-scoring threshold with their first from Colin Zurlick, as he successfully punctuated a drive home off a cross feed to the front dished along by Noah Hoffmann right to the far post with just over 10 minutes erased off the clock.

With the midfield battle for possession recommencing soon after, Andover/Whitesville’s (5-4-2) first chance to strike arose at the 24:56 mark from Ethan Warriner off a direct kick deep down field. The unleashed rocket would soon find the feet of Colton Calladine on the run, as he knocked in the game-tying response a mere four minutes later.

Both teams would earn some more scoring chances in their respective attacking zones, but Avoca-Prattsburgh was the next to find the back of the net to go back out ahead, as they jarred the ball loose in the middle of a thick scrum in front of the Andover/Whitesville net following the play of a short-distance corner kick. After the pinballing ball was finally gathered, Elias Putnam was awarded the goal that sent the Titans back out on top with 14:25 left in the half.

Like the previous sequence, Andover/Whitesville would not let it go unmatched, as Brody Vance followed several minutes later with his first of three consecutive markers for the hosts in black by taking complete advantage of a penalty kick in front to re-apply the deadlock with a 2-2 combination going into the recess.

Once again, Avoca-Prattsburgh battled quickly and delivered another jab at Andover/Whitesville by regaining the advantage in the first 10 minutes of play, with Evan O’Brochta having a hand in the team’s scoring, connecting with the back of the net off a pass supplied by JJ Crowder. That would allow the Titans to keep the lead in their back pocket for the vast majority of time ahead.

For the remainder of time remaining following the third go-ahead strike for the Titans in the game, Andover/Whitesville fought relentlessly to smash through the Avoca-Prattsburgh defense one more time. The pressure began to mount more and more as more time drained from the scoreboard. But despite it, Vance provided a clutch power surge to turn the tide one more time in the biggest of ways possible.

Going back to back.

With 8:34 left in regulation, Andover/Whitesville found their off the floor and on the board with a go-ahead marker that warranted a momentum shift, which saw Vance double down on the win minutes later with his hat trick-clinching game-winning goal from 25 yards out, popping it behind Avoca-Prattsburgh netminder Zachary Heale to give the hosts their very first lead at the most opportune of times in the game, permanently.

Between both clubs, 27 shots were garnered on the attack, with Avoca-Prattsburgh claiming a 16-11 advantage. In net, the win would belong to Skylar Orpet, who made 13 saves for Andover/Whitesville. On the other side, Heale made seven stops for the Titans.

Andover/Whitesville makes their way back onto the field Friday night in Andover again, as they now play host to the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines in a 7 p.m. first kick.

Cuba-Rushford 1, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0

BELFAST — The last time Cuba-Rushford and Genesee Valley/Belfast collaborated on the soccer field, it was a pendulum-shifting tale of two halves, with the Rebels seeing a first half lead transform into a big second half resurgence from Genesee Valley/Belfast that gave them the edge over the road in Cuba.

That was at the beginning of September. Nearly a month later, the Rebels were looking to seize redemption. At a time when it would matter the most.

In a game where a war for possession broke out, the chances to break through the ice were very limited. Having eclipsed over an hour of scoreless gameplay, something had to give way. With time running out and overtime arising as a real possibility, the Rebels would make sure that Genesee Valley/Belfast did not have the final word.

Instead, it was Robert Childs that was honored with that privilege, as the Cuba-Rushford senior made it all happen in the last 10 minutes of regulation, scoring the game’s lone goal to ensure Genesee Valley/Belfast was handed their very first loss of the campaign on Wednesday at the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast in a 1-0 decision.

“Anytime you can pick up a shutout win against a great team like GV/Belfast, you know you’ve earned it,” Rebels coach Rob Wight said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the effort tonight, especially from my back four and keeper Caleb Elliott. After a tough week last week, we wanted to bounce back and show what kind of team we are. I’d say we’ve done a pretty good job at turning things around.”

Childs was the game-winning hero for the Rebels (5-4-1), as he cashed in on a pass from Carter Brown to put away the lone marker on the scoreboard — one of five total shots the visitors in white and blue applied against Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they were outshot by a 12-5 total count.

Despite it, Caleb Elliott was declared the winning goalkeeper at game’s end, as he made all 12 saves in between the posts to record the massive shutout. In net for Genesee Valley/Belfast (8-1-1), Zach Thomas made four saves.

Both teams are back on their home fields Friday night, with Cuba-Rushford heading back home to welcome in the Wellsville Lions for battle in a 5 p.m. first kick, while Genesee Valley/Belfast heads south down the road to Judy Bliven Field in Belmont to meet Fillmore for a 7 p.m. contest.

Houghton Academy 2, Fillmore 1

FILLMORE — Head coach Jeff Prentice has been searching for that one game on the schedule that could perhaps serve as a potential spark plug to fire up the engines and kick up the tires on a big run to the end of the regular season and into Sectionals for his Houghton Academy Panthers squad.

That opportunity came shortly after a tough defeat to the hands of Genesee Valley/Belfast earlier in the week. The next opponent on the docket, their crosstown rival — the Fillmore Eagles. The degree of separation the first time around was a pair of goals, with the Eagles taking full advantage of them while holding the Panthers in check on defense along the way back in early September.

Now, things have changed dramatically since that game, with the Panthers running off as one of the hottest teams in Allegany County with wins in seven of their last eight games. Fillmore on the other hand, is looking for a unique spark themselves to turn the jets on their Class D title defense with Sectionals right around the corner.

When the two foes collided on a cool Wednesday night in Fillmore one more time, it would all come down to the final stages of battle.

With both the Panthers and Eagles registering a special teams goal to deadlock the score on the board in the second half, something had to give way to the barricade standing in front of them. The opportunity to provide an exploit arrived just past midway for one team.

For Josh Davidson, it was Houghton Academy’s game to lose.

With 15 minutes remaining in regulation and a 1-1 tie to break, the Houghton Academy junior was at the ready to deliver a knockout blow to Fillmore in front of their home crowd, as Davidson poked home a go-ahead shot from the top of the circle to ultimately hand the Panthers one of their biggest wins of the season — a 2-1 victory over the defending Class D champion Eagles on the road.

“This was a tough one tonight against Houghton,” Eagles coach Jarrett Vosburg said. “After a scoreless first half, we gave up an unfortunate penalty kick three minutes in, and then we capitalized on one of our own 10 minutes later. We just could not get enough going offensively to break through them. Davidson hit a beauty of a strike from the top of the arc to give Houghton the game-winner. I was proud of our guys for battling right down to the last second, but credit to Houghton for getting the job done tonight.”

The scoreless battle between the crosstown foes intensified heading into the second half of play, when special teams became the top story in the first 15 minutes, as Houghton Academy (8-3) broke the ice behind a David Jatta strike to the back of the net on a penalty kick before Isaiah Sisson countered right back with a penalty kick of his own 11 minutes later, tying the game at one for Fillmore.

The deadlock would remain frozen in place until the Eagles (5-2-3) defense bent just enough for the Panthers to receive their biggest look at jumping ahead of the defending Class D champions. With possession, Jatta shifted the ball along to Josh Davidson to take. After making his way to the top of the circle in front of the Fillmore net, Davidson wasted no time and absolutely buried home a laser behind Brayden Hennard in between the posts to give the Panthers the lead, and eventually, the one-goal victory to redeem their early September defeat.

Houghton Academy outshot Fillmore by an 8-3 count, with Jerry Pham making seven stops to preserve the victory in net. On the other side, Hennard put a stop to six shots he faced from the Panthers, for the Eagles.

Both teams will march back onto the field Friday night, with Houghton Academy heading back home to host Friendship/Scio in a 5 p.m. contest, while Fillmore hits the road for a visit to Judy Bliven Field in Belmont to meet host Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 7 p.m. clash under the lights.

Bolivar-Richburg 6, Friendship/Scio 0

BOLIVAR — The offense for the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines was at full throttle under the Dunsmore-Latimer lights on Wednesday, as they saw multiple contributions from many different Wolverines make their impact to deliver a 6-0 shutout win over visiting Friendship/Scio to spring back into the win column.

Of those seven tallies, the first came from Blake Scroggie nearly three minutes in to set the tone right away for the Wolverines (2-8-1), as he finished off the score from one of two Braden Zilker assists. Landon Barkley and Waide Karnuth would also add tallies along the way in the first half. Trey Pettit, Ryder Iantorno and Owen Unfus helped finish off the scoring with one of their own, with Unfus scoring off a corner kick.

In the helping hand department, Barkley and Zilker each had two assists, while Iantorno had one. The six goals for Bolivar-Richburg came off 16 total shots, as they outshot Friendship/Scio (0-11) by a 16-3 count.

In goal, the win was for Ayden Music to capture, as he made all three stops to record the shutout. On the opposite end, Deacon Brown made 10 saves.

Both teams are back on the field Friday night, with Bolivar-Richburg hitting the road to Andover for a 7 p.m. clash with Andover/Whitesville under the lights, while Friendship/Scio continues their road swing with a 5 p.m. visit to Houghton Academy.

GIRLS SOCCER

Wellsville 3, Campbell-Savona 1

WELLSVILLE — With Campbell-Savona following their every footstep all the way down to the wire on Wednesday, the Lady Lions of Wellsville needed a big push to keep them in the rearview mirror once and for all.

Talia O’Connor most certainly had that something to give. With a 1-1 tie displaying on the scoreboard and time running out on regulation, the Lady Lions junior turned the game completely upside down with back-to-back goals coming within the game’s final three minutes, as they broke a game-long deadlock and morphed it into a two-goal win instantly, securing the 3-1 comeback win over the Lady Panthers.

The Lady Lions (5-5) were the first team to strike in the opening half, as they saw Ayla Faulkner bury a shot to the back of the Campbell-Savona net off a feed sent along by Jaden Dunbar to give them an early 1-0 lead going into the halftime recess. In the early stages however, the Lady Panthers responded off an errant redirection into Wellsville’s net off a Lady Lions body in front of the net, 10 minutes off the clock.

The score remained the same leading up the O’Connor’s titanic heroics in the last three minutes of regulation, as she went back-to-back to send Wellsville over the top with the lead and insurance in hand, as Faulkner and Caelyn Stevens dished out the game-winning helpers to seal the victory.

The three goals for the Lady Lions stemmed off 20 total shots against Campbell-Savona, while the Lady Panthers provided four in return — three of them, stopped by Lydia Kaye in between the posts to record the victory.

The Lady Lions are now off from action until Monday night back inside the Lion’s Den, as they prepare to host the Cuba-Rushford Lady Rebels in a 7 p.m. contest.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 11, Jasper-Troupsburg 0

JASPER — Right after pulling away from Arkport-Canaseraga’s grasp on Tuesday, the Genesee Valley/Belfast girls put on an offensive show from start to finish, totaling 23 shots against host Jasper-Troupsburg to ignite the charge on what was an 11-0 shutout over the road against the Lady Wildcats, Wednesday evening.

There were plenty of highlights to go around for Genesee Valley/Belfast (8-1-1) with a 6-0 halftime lead taking effect, powered by a Bayleigh Tallman hat trick, with her first coming nearly three minutes into the game to set the tone against Jasper-Troupsburg quickly.

Hannah Southwick-Powers recorded two goals and handed out two assists. Whitney Young and Addisyn Ely each had two goals — the latter of the pair were the very first markers of Ely’s Varsity career. Allyson Hazelton and Sophie Zillgitt rounded off the goal-scoring with one each, with Hazelton also netting her first of her Varsity career.

In the assists department, Southwick-Powers collected two, while Tallman, Kayla Wedge, Kate Callanni and Ava Aronson each had one to hand out. In net, the win was captured by Morgan Yackeren, as she made one save to record the shutout.

Annabelle VanNorman made 12 saves for the Lady Wildcats in between the posts.

Genesee Valley/Belfast is back on the field Saturday afternoon at the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast, as they prepare to host Cuba-Rushford in a 12 p.m. first kick.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Wellsville 3, Fillmore 1

FILLMORE — The Fillmore Lady Eagles had visiting Wellsville on their feet since the very first serve of the night on Wednesday, taking the Lady Lions the distance in two of the four sets of action. But for the visitors, they managed to hold on tight and fend off the pressure by securing the big four-set victory over the road by a 25-18, 23-25, 25-15, 25-23 count.

Wellsville (6-3) witnessed a phenomenal night all around on the attack, with Lindsay Stuck leading the charge on the frontlines with 11 team-leading kills, pairing them with a strong defensive effort along the way with 12 digs and eight aces. Natalie Adams chipped in with 12 more digs of her own, totaling seven kills and a pair of aces in addition. Makenna Dunbar had eight kills to go with five digs, two aces and a duo of blocks.

At the front of the net, Lexi Irish was helping get the offense all set up, handing out a whopping 41 assists to go with seven digs of her own on defense.

Fillmore (7-4) was jumpstarted by Mya Keeler and her four blocks, three kills and one ace at the net. Annalisa Bialek recorded three more blocks to go with two kills and an ace, while setter Eleanor Reitnour handed out 10 assists to round off the Lady Eagles, who will get set for a rare Friday afternoon matinee at Cuba-Rushford, with first serve taking place at 1 p.m.

The Lady Lions are back on the road Saturday afternoon, as they prepare for a long bus ride north to Waterloo for a 4 p.m. contest.

Cuba-Rushford 3, Houghton Academy 0

HOUGHTON — Kendall Tompkins did a little bit of everything to help make the world go around for the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford, as she racked up the assists and put the ball down onto the floor to ignite what was a straight-set sweep over the road at Houghton Academy on Wednesday, claiming the 25-22, 25-16, 25-11 decision.

Tompkins was at the very top of her game for Cuba-Rushford (5-5), as she handed out a dynamic 20 assists at the net to go with six kills, four aces and a block to pace the attack. Adding more help was Kate Radomski and her team-leading seven kills, coupling them with three aces and two digs. Jordyn Radomski rounded off the scoring with six more kills, six digs and a duo of aces from the service line.

Houghton Academy (4-4) was powered by Julia Winkens, who had seven kills, five digs and two aces. The Lady Panthers return to their home floor on Monday, hosting the Lady Lakers of Hammondsport in a 7 p.m. first serve.

Cuba-Rushford will head back home and host a Friday afternoon matinee against the Lady Eagles of Fillmore, beginning at 1 p.m.

Bolivar-Richburg 3, Andover/Whitesville 0

ANDOVER — The Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg did not show any signs of slowing down following their straight-set defeat to the hands of Olean earlier in the week, as the picked up right where they left off by claiming a straight-set sweep over host Andover/Whitesville on Wednesday by a 25-12, 25-12, 25-9 count.

Carmen Crowley took command of the Lady Wolverines (7-1) offense behind eight kills, collecting six digs and three aces along the way. Right behind her was Kylee Whiting, who had four kills of her own to pair with three digs and a pair of aces, while setter Willow Worth aided in establishing the offense behind 15 assists, four aces and three more digs on defense.

Statistics for Andover/Whitesville (0-10) were not made available to report upon publication. Andover/Whitesville is in action Friday night back on their home floor with a 6 p.m. visit from Genesee Valley/Belfast.

Bolivar-Richburg will now keep their road swing going after the weekend ahead, as they prepare for a 6:30 p.m. visit of redemption to Olean.

GIRLS TENNIS

Wellsville 5, Alfred-Almond 0

WELLSVILLE — Before the end of the regular season arrives in its entirety this weekend, there was one more piece of business for the Lady Lions of Wellsville to handle on the tennis court. On Wednesday, it was time to say goodbye to five major ingredients of their championship-winning formula — Samantha Bidzerkowny, Hanna Miles, Caitlin Bittel, McKenna Wonderling and Shayla Cowan.

What better way to send them all out, than with one final victory together in front of their home crowd. For three of them, it was one of historic value.

The defending Class B2 champions assembled one more dynamic performance on their home court during the regular season, as they brought out the brooms to sweep all five matches in action against the visiting Alfred-Almond Lady Eagles. For Bidzerkowny, Miles and Bittel however, the last victory in front of their home fans was the 50th notch of their individual careers — a mark never captured simultaneously before by three different Lady Lions in the same season, as they put an extravagant bow on a 5-0 team win.

For longtime Lady Lions head coach Bill Stives, the achievement was something he had not witnessed at first glance. Until he began piecing together his seniors profiles for Senior Night.

“Samantha, Hanna and Caitlin each got their 50th victory tonight. I didn’t realize it until I was getting stats together for Senior Night to recognize them,” he said. “They all did this in a four-year span. It was really special that it happened in the same exact match, which just happened to be our last home match of the regular season. I am very impressed with this milestone they reached. Also, this group of five seniors have helped our team win a couple of championships. Not to mention, they have represented us in the State Qualifiers after placing in the tournament. Samantha also has a Section V Singles title.”

Bidzerkowny and Miles helped lead the way for the Lady Lions (12-1) in the singles department, as they each collected their 50th career win in straight-set fashion, with Bidzerkowny going on to claim a 6-1, 6-2 win over Alfred-Almond’s Beatrice Beaudry at first singles, while Miles swooped in for a 6-2, 6-0 win over Eleanor Drozeski at second singles. Peyton Cawley rounded off with a 6-1, 6-2 win of her own at third singles over Rose Schreiber.

Wellsville continued their winning ways with both doubles wins in addition, as Bittel scored her 50th career win alongside her longtime first doubles partner, Sarah Mattison, as they collected a 6-0, 6-1 win over Allegra Bordeaux and Izzie Willard. At second doubles, seniors Wonderling and Cowan went out in style with a stellar 6-0, 6-2 win over Ezi Backer and Layla Shelley.

On Friday, the Lady Lions will finish out their regular season slate with a 5 p.m. visit to Wayland-Cohocton. Immediately after on Saturday, the Section V Individual Tournament will officially commence at Canandaigua.

Singles

1. Samantha Bidzerkowny (WLSV) def. Beatrice Beaudry (A-A), 6-1, 6-2.

2. Hanna Miles (WLSV) def. Eleanor Drozeski (A-A), 6-2, 6-0.

3. Peyton Cawley (WLSV) def. Rose Schreiber (A-A), 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles

1. Caitlin Bittel/Sarah Mattison (WLSV) def. Allegra Bordeaux/Izzie Willard (A-A), 6-0, 6-1.

2. McKenna Wonderling/Shayla Cowan (WLSV) def. Ezi Backer/Layla Shelley (A-A), 6-0, 6-2.

Fillmore 5, Canisteo-Greenwood 0

HORNELL — With the Lady Lions of Wellsville looking to close out their regular season in style, Allegany County’s second girls tennis squad made sure theirs ended on the most positive of notes on Wednesday, as the Lady Eagles of Fillmore brought the fire to the court in the Canisteo Valley and came away victorious in a 5-0 match sweep of the host Lady Chargers of Canisteo-Greenwood.

“The girls were very efficient today and played solid tennis,” Lady Eagles coach Randy Crouch said. “I was worried that we might be a little flat after the three-hour round trip and late night playing Addison last night, but we were loose and ready to play. It was a great finale to a successful regular season. We will spend the next two days getting ready for the Individual Tournament at Canandaigua before Team Sectionals next week.”

To finish off a strong regular season for the Lady Eagles, Claire Schilke led all three singles victories with a dominant 10-0 shutout of Canisteo-Greenwood’s Ali Jackson at first singles. Indigo Knapp followed up with a 10-1 win of her own over Paige Acor at second singles, while Tori Tetta was credited with a third singles forfeit win to help round off.

Down in doubles action, the first doubles team of Kirra Bentley and Molly Mahoney made some noise, scoring a 10-0 blank against Joelle Minch and Madison Smith. To finish off the match win for Fillmore, the second doubles team of Summer Friedl and Lena Tucker closed down shop with a 10-2 win over Maeleigh Hosmer and Alexandra Farkas.

The Lady Eagles will now await Individual Sectional play this weekend at Canandaigua, as well as Team Sectional play kicking into gear next week, as they put a wrap on a 2024 regular season campaign with a record of 8-4 overall.

Singles

1. Claire Schilke (FIL) def. Ali Jackson (C-G), 10-0.

2. Indigo Knapp (FIL) def. Paige Acor (C-G), 10-1.

3. Tori Tetta (FIL) by for.

Doubles

1. Kirra Bentley/Molly Mahoney (FIL) def. Joelle Minch/Madison Smith (C-G), 10-0.

2. Summer Friedl/Lena Tucker (FIL) def. Maeleigh Hosmer/Alexandra Farkas (C-G), 10-2.