Cheektowaga Central’s baseball team has gradually been improving over the past couple of years, and they think this year can be the beginning of the program’s anticipated turn around. The Warriors tallied a 2-14 record in 2012, but it was an improvement from their 2011 campaign when Central did not win a single game all season. Despite their record, the Warriors played one of their best games of the season when they lost to top-seeded Amherst 3-1 in last year’s Class A-2 playoffs. It’s a game that players have kept on their minds to use as momentum heading into the 2013 season. “We just wanted to win the game,” said senior third baseman Mike Crissy. “We took it serious.” With a confidence...

With about half the team returning to Maryvale’s softball team, the Flyers that come back have a championship on their mind. Finishing the regular season 12-8 (7-5 in ECIC III), the Lady Flyers headed into the postseason as the No. 3 seed in 2012. They defeated Amherst 7-2 in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual Class A-2 champion Albion 4-0 in the semifinals. “That was definitely a heartbreaker for us,” said fifth-year coach Tracey Poole, who leads the team with Melissa King. “We were hoping to go further than that, into the finals.” Having competed in Class A last year, the Flyers will move to “B” for the 2013 campaign. Having never won a division or class title during Poole’s tenure,...

Even as the weathe remains cold early in the spring, baseball was the hot topic recently inside Coca Cola Field as the Buffalo Bisons hosted their annual What’s New at the Ballpark event. With the new affiliation with the Blue Jays, the talk of the town in Toronto as well as here in Buffalo, the Bisons said this opening day is even more eagerly anticipated than most. First pitch of the 2013 season is 2:05 p.m. on Thursday, April 4 when the Herd hosts Rochester. “To be part of the Blue Jays buzz in extra exciting for us,” Bisons general manager Mike Buczkowski said. Fans can look forward to a pair of giveaways that are sure to be very popular. The Bisons replica series giveaway will feature...

After advancing through the playoffs further than any Maryvale baseball team has in over 10 years, the Flyers plan to carry the momentum into the 2013 season. Posting an 8-12 (6-6 in ECIC III) record in the regular season, the Flyers turned it up in the postseason. As the No. 4 seed, they knocked off fifth-seeded Pioneer 2-1 in the quarterfinals and upset top-seeded Amherst 4-2 in the semis, giving the program its first trip to the Class A-2 finals since 2001. “We knew it was going to be a tough game because they were the top seed and they beat us twice during the season,” said senior utility player Jon DiPasquale, who was inducted into the Maryvale Athletic Wall of Fame last week. “We had...

Behind the strength of it’s senior leader and sophomore sensations, Cleveland Hill’s softball team is ready to rewrite the history books once again. In the midst of winning four of the last five ECIC Division IV regular season titles, the Eagles have made it further and further into the postseason the last two years. They made the program’s first Class B-2 final in 2011. The next season, after posting a 17-3 (11-1) record and winning the regular season division title, the girls topped their previous postseason run by winning the 2012 B-2 championship on their way to capturing the school’s first Section VI title. “I knew it was going to be a good year because we all played well and worked hard...

The stars came out one last time at Cheektowaga Central High School as the best basketball players in Western New York participated in the Cheektowaga Lions 15th Annual Senior High School Ladies Basketball Classic on March 23. The girls were separated into four teams for two games in one night, with an MVP selected from each team, along with a scholarship winner from their respective schools, which are awarded by the Cheektowaga Lions and Fr. Justin Council Knights of Columbus. “This is always fun,” said Frank Martin (Allegany-Limestone), who coached the Knights with Brian Baker (Wilson). “They’re kids that you coach against and read about. The Lions Club does a great job with this each year...

After their season ended sooner than they hoped it would, the West Seneca East Trojans’ girls lacrosse team is using the heartbreak from last year’s shortened season as motivation to bring back prior success of recent seasons. While 2012 may have been a down season, the girls lacrosse team is looking to bounce back and make a deep run into the postseason behind the leadership of its four captains. East went 6-11 in the 2012 regular season after losing nine starters to graduation. The Trojans won their pre-quarterfinals contest before losing to Williamsville South in the quarterfinals with two key players (including their leading scorer) physically unable to play. After beating South almost...

Behind the leadership of a veteran-laden team, West Seneca East believes it can do all the small things to bring home a championship. Losing in the semifinals each of the last two seasons, the Trojans will not be satisfied with anything less than challenging for a title. “We want to win the section,” said 12th-year head coach Jimmy Maisano, who runs the boys lacrosse team with Justin Wurl. “We’ve been in the final four the past two years and now it’s our time.” Being eliminated by Niagara Wheatfield in 2011 and Hamburg in 2012 — both of whom went on to win Section VI titles in those respective seasons, East is confident that steering clear from a few minor mistakes would help it be major contenders....

The start of a new high school lacrosse season in Western New York means for the Metro Source newspapers first an array of previews from the many communities and schools that we cover and then getting out to see all of the talent from this area. Along the way, we’ll be taking notes and we hope you are too as the season culminates with what has became a successful and proud event for us, the All-Metro Boys and Girls Lacrosse Banquet, which honors the finest players and student-athletes in our area. Under the guidance of our editor, Matt Ondesko, and plenty of insight from myself and our crack staff of reporters and lacrosse gurus covering your communities, we’ll put together an all-star team...

The most dangerous sport has finally been recognized as, a sport. The Maryvale Flyers cheerleading team placed ninth while competing in the inaugural NYSPHSAA Cheerleading Invitational. There were two Invitationals — the East Invitational was on Jan. 26 at Arlington HS. Maryvale participated in the second Invitational, which was held on March 9 at Rochester Institute of Technology. There were 19 teams from all throughout New York State that competed in the Medium Squad division (between 13 and 20 competitors) where they Flyers placed in the top 10. “When we placed in the top 10 it was really exciting,” said junior Jocelyn Strohm. “We’ve worked so hard this season and it showed off. A lot...

History repeated itself at Erie Community College as a number of West Seneca and Cheektowag-bred ballers won a couple of awards and broke even more records on their way to another run at nationals. ECC women’s basketball team repeated as Region III tournament champs last weekend, earning a spot in the NJCAA Division II Tournament for the second straight year. The tournament will be held March 19-23 at the CougarPlex at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Ill. Going 0-2 as the 16th seed last year, the Lady Kats enter this season’s national tournament as the 15th seed and will play No. 2 Louisburg (N.C.) College, who finished in third place last year. “The main thing we wanted to do was...

Age is nothing but a number for Cleveland Hill’s Aviance Clark, who helped turn the future of the girls basketball program from vague to vivid in a matter of months. With uncertainty looming over the Lady Eagles season back in November, the 14-year-old baller led the Eagles girls basketball team on a playoff run that the program has not seen in decades. Hosting their first playoff game in about 20 years, the Eagles continued to reach historic heights in the postseason as they advanced to the semifinals behind the play of their star eighth grader. Clark scored 15 points in a home win over JFK in the pre-quarterfinals and another 15 in a win at No. 3 Medina in the quarterfinals. She then managed...

You cannot write a better ending than this. Not only did Maryvale senior Melanie Hannon shoot a near-perfect 299 high game in the final game of her high school career, but she led her All-Section VI team to a gold medal at the New York State All-Sectional Bowling Championships on Sunday, March 3 at Strike N’ Spare Lanes in Syracuse. Hannon shot a 635 in the morning, before exploding for 775 in the afternoon, with games of 242 and 234 before ending the day as the second girl to ever bowl a 299 at the championships. “The last game I started stringing strikes together,” said Hannon, who is still looking for her first 300 after bowling games of 296-99. “I was so concerned about how the team was...

Last weekend, the Cheektowaga Warriors girls basketball team made history. Just a few more seconds would have made it even sweeter. Coming into the playoffs as the sixth seed, Cheektowaga returned to full strength and upset two higher seeds to earn a spot in the Class A-2 championship game at Niagara County Community College on March 2. Cheektowaga had control the entire way until Pioneer junior Jacque Law made the game-winning shot with 3.1 seconds left to give the No. 4 Panthers a 50-49 win over the Warriors (10-11) for their third straight Class A-2 Section VI championship. Pioneer improved to 13-8 but fell in the Class A crossover to Grand Island. After falling behind 2-0, Cheektowaga...

Placing second in the state tournament last season, Cheektowaga’s Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer would accept nothing less than a state title his junior year. Rodriguez-Spencer (132) scored a take down on former state champion Tristan Rifanburg in the final second for a 2-1 win, capturing the 2013 Division II NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championship Feb. 23 at the Times Union Center in Albany. “I worked so hard for this my whole life,” said Rodriguez-Spencer. “Now that I got it, I just want to go to the next step — win another state title, win at Virginia, win at Fargo, win everything I can.” After a scoreless tie in the first two periods, Rodriguez-Spencer was down 1-0 to the Section VI Norwich sophomore...

Uniform turn-in day for the Cheektowaga Central girls basketball team has been delayed. The Warriors' run in the Class A-2 Section VI playoffs will continue as seventh-seeded Cheektowaga controlled second-half play on Saturday (Feb. 23) afternoon and posted a 51-38 win over No. 3 Starpoint in a quarterfinal game. "Basically they knew that if we lost, they were going to have to turn in their jerseys," Cheektowaga coach Lynnae Fenton said. "None of them were ready to do that. They were not giving me those jerseys today." Cheektowaga outscored the Spartans by a 24-9 count in the game's final 12 minutes. Andrea Montgomery scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the second half to lead the Warriors'...

As some Cheektowaga wrestlers went further than they have ever gone before, it was just another day at the office for one of them. All three of Cheektowaga’s wrestlers placed at the Section VI Division II State Qualifiers at the University of Buffalo on Feb. 9, including a third-time first-place finisher. Junior Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (132) captured his third sectional title last weekend after going 3-0 in the tournament, defeating Ryan Kromer from Lewiston Porter by major decision 18-7 in the finals. “I knew I wanted to come in here and dominate, which I did,” said Rodriguez-Spencer. “I wanted to come in confident, but not cocky and not take any wrestler for granted.” Coach Matt Haberl...

After losing a chance for a title on Super Sunday last year, Cheektowaga’s seniors are looking forward to making it back one more time, where they hope to go up against a familiar opponent. The Warriors (31-6-1) have advanced to Super Sunday two of the last three seasons, losing to Starpoint last year. After going 1-2 against Starpoint this season, they want nothing more than to meet them a fourth time for all the marbles. “It would be ideal,” said coach Steve Ferrentino. “It would be great for our seniors to get back, but also for our young kids who have worked hard all year.” Last year, some of Cheektowaga’s key players were injured just before the finals. With a healthy team this time...

Feeling as if the team underachieved during the regular season, Cleveland Hill swam one last meet together as a team last weekend and came out as champions. The Eagles won the Class C Team Championship on Feb. 9 at Maryvale High School. With only one first place finisher at the meet, Cleve Hill won the team title off of their depth. Champion in the 100 backstroke, sophomore Bryce Bielanin, was just .03 seconds away from a 20-year-old school record. “I felt I was mentally prepared,” said Bielanin, who also placed third in the 200 individual medley. “It was more weight on my shoulders because I wanted to break the record so bad.” “He has loads of talent and tons of potential,” said coach Doug...

Behind the leadership of a long-time captain and the return of an old friend, Maryvale girls basketball became a force in less than a year. Senior Emily Speidel is balling in her fifth year and has been the face of Flyers hoops for four. Voted “Most Athletic” in her class as a standout in soccer and softball, Speidel will also participate in the Cheektowaga Lions Club 15th annual Senior High School Ladies Basketball Classic after the season in March. Coach Tim Klimtzak calls Speidel his “little floor general,” but she is also a problem for opponents off the ball, dropping three-pointers on opponents from every angle. Her average of 14 points, four assists and four rebounds this season are career...

Maryvale would not have wanted to end the regular season any other way. The Lady Flyers and Cheektowaga Lady Warriors both came into Airport Lanes 10-1 on Feb. 4 with the ECIC North Small Schools division title on the line. After a close Game One from the “A” and “B” teams, Maryvale took the remaining matches decisively, beating Cheektowaga 6-1 to earn its third straight division championship. “It was phenomenal to have everything on the line between us and Central,” said coach Joe Hannon. “I know they’ve really been after us the last couple years to try to knock us off.” Their mid-season loss to Tonawanda is their only division loss in the three regular seasons Joe Hannon has been at Maryvale....

With the amount of talent they have in a number of events, the boys indoor track team at Cheektowaga Central Warriors are prepared to have a memorable season in the spring. Steering the Warriors are Rich Bridenbaker and Ken McCracken, who use the winter to try to stay ahead of the game. “We use indoor as a four-month prep time for outdoor,” said McCracken. “When you’re competing against programs that don’t have indoor, you’re four months ahead of the curve. So it’s a great tune up.” The coaching staff is especially excited for the season that the boys are having this winter. “We’re a little bit light on numbers, but the boys that we do have are really good,” said Bridenbaker. “Not only do...

If you’re from Cheektowaga, you already have a suspicion how these Cleveland Hill and John F. Kennedy match ups will turn out. Both boys basketball teams came in on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. However, when these two met at the Bear Cave on Jan. 17, their records meant nothing. Both teams clawed at each other for 32 minutes as Cleve Hill (10-1 overall, 7-0 in division) survived a 56-50 scare from rival JFK (2-4, 4-6) in ECIC IV play. “It’s a tremendous rivalry,” said Cleveland Hill coach Jason Przybysz. “They play hard against each other in any sport. Sometimes, this makes or breaks a season. If you can win this type of game; it’s the talk of the town.” “We sound like broken...

The season just keeps getting better for Cheektowaga Warriors wrestling, and this may just be the tip of the iceberg. Cheektowaga competed in the ECIC Tournament at Clarence High School on Saturday, Jan. 19, placing seventh out of 27 schools with 104.5 points. Their standing came behind the strength of four wrestlers who were able to place at the tournament. Three of them finished fourth in their weight classes and the other took first. Junior Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (132) went 5-0 with four pins at Clarence to win a title and earn him his third Most Outstanding Wrestler award. “I wanted to go into the tournament and dominate everybody,” said Rodriquez-Spencer, who also earned ECIC II...

If the Flyers have not played their best game of the season yet, we could have a monster on our hands. Maryvale improved to 7-4 overall and 5-2 in ECIC Division III by running down the street to beat rival Cheektowaga (4-5, 2-4) 67-46 on Tuesday (Jan. 15). “We always talk about the Battle for Union Road,” said Marvvale coach Mark Kensy. “This is the game that the Cheektowaga kids and Maryvale kids look forward to.” “As far as I know, Maryvale has always been the biggest rival of the year,” said Cheektowaga coach Pat Cullinan. “And they came in and gave it to us.” Seniors Max Aikin and Demetri McCallie traded roles on offense in the victory. Aikin, who is the team’s three-point specialist,...

Ever since the arrival of coach Joe Hannon, the Maryvale Flyers have been the staple of top bowling in Cheektowaga, as well as their division, and this season is no different. At press time, the Lady Flyers were 5-0 and have not lost a game within their division since Hannon started coaching there two seasons ago. They've also advanced to Sectionals last year and to States two seasons ago. "We had a fairy tale first year," said Hannon. "We got into Sectionals as a big underdog and surprised everybody. We got into States for the first time in a number of years. We weren't real successful when we got to States, but not surprising because the team was so young; incredible to even be there." So...

The Lady Warriors are hoping that the second time is a charm if they hope to dethrone the defending division champions. Co-coaches Dan Kaplan and Jerry Carroll have steered the Cheektowaga bowling team to a 5-1 record this season. They were unbeaten going into their match against the defending division champs, Maryvale, whom they lost to 5-2. "Our girls bowled very well versus Maryvale," said Kaplan, who is in his 14th year at Cheektowaga. "Maryvale is one of the top two teams in the area. To go toe-to-toe with them, I was pretty proud of them." Cheektowaga's "B" team won the Game Two by 10 pins while their "A" team won by one, but the Warriors just could not keep up in Games One and Three....

CHEEKOTWAGA - Although they have just one win under their belt in the young season, a few seniors and record breakers on the swimming and diving team at Maryvale are helping the Flyers become more competitive every meet. Third year head coach Jeff Kunkel saw the potential in their first meet at Cleveland Hill, where the Flyers only lost by 20 to the defending division champions. “For us, it was a victory,” said Kunkel. “On the scoreboard, it doesn’t look that way. But we came in knowing they’re a strong team, wanting to do our best, and they did.” Kunkel swam under Cleve Hill’s current head coach Doug Newman in 2004 before coaching under him for two years after swimming at Cortland. “Newman...

LANCASTER - As a subpar first half of basketball for the Bishop Timon/St. Jude was coming to an end, the Tigers needed a spark. Bryant Fulton had just the thing they were looking for: a 60-foot heave at the second-quarter buzzer. That proved to be exactly what Timon needed to get rolling. The Tigers were much better in the second half and went on to a 65-59 win over Kenmore West in the final game of Monday's quadruple header of the ECIC-MMAA Challenge at St. Mary's High School. "Honestly, I was kind of surprised it went in," Fulton said. "But that was the boost we needed heading into the lockerroom." The Tigers were in control for most of the second half and took the lead for the first time...

The John F. Kennedy boys basketball team may only have one returning starter from last year’s squad that finished 5-15, but with their core group of players all being seniors, the Bears are looking forward to making their mark for the 2012-13 season. “We’re really excited to play. This is a really good group,” said 12th-year coach Tony Krupski. “The captains all enjoyed that success from the football team, and we’re hoping that they can carry over that confidence onto the basketball court. A lot of people may not expect much from us, but we’re going to expect a lot from ourselves.” “Last year was a struggle, but we have better hopes for this year,” said senior Tyler Gabrielli. “We keep ourselves...