In the Maryvale gymnastics program since seventh grade, senior Karisa Poczciwiski has seen the team only get younger and younger as she got older. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t seen vast improvement from the gymnasts around her. “This year has been a lot better [than recent years],” said Poczciwiski. “We’re younger, but we’re more skilled gymnasts.” This year’s Maryvale’s gymnastics team is made up of 22 girls led by five seniors and a sectionals contestant. “The seniors have been really great,” said Shanna Buscaglia, the assistant to head coach Margaret Buscaglia, who has been coaching gymnastics at Maryvale for over 20 years. “They’ve made a huge contribution to the team,” she added....

Brendan Law sure has to be happy with the way his senior soccer season has been going. He leads Clarence in goals — and his Red Devils entered the Section VI playoffs at an impressive 17-0. “Undefeated, you sure can’t complain about that,” he said with a laugh. “I think we’re something like 17th in the nation; it’s been going pretty well for us.” Pretty well is a pretty big understatement. The Red Devils swept through the tough ECIC-I division and entered the playoffs as a No. 1 seed. Not bad for a team that was supposedly in a year of transition after a number of key graduation losses from last year’s club. But Law and friends certainly aren’t resting on their laurels. Another sectional...

Alden maintains upper-hand on Depew to get back to Stadium By Mike Pidanick The final step wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t have to be. The Alden High School football team braved the elements and punched its fourth straight ticket to Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bulldogs battled a steady rain and a tenacious challenge from rival Depew for a 28-21 win in a Class B sectional semifinal on Friday night. “It feels beautiful, beautiful,” said excited Alden junior Dylan Dussault, who had a touchdown catch on offense and a sack on defense. “I can’t wait to go to the Ralph; I’m ready to go right now.” Despite’s Dussault’s exuberance, the Bulldogs will have to wait until Saturday, Nov. 3. Alden will face...

AMHERST - Three weeks ago, David Fluellen played a big role as the Toledo Rockets won their annual homecoming game. Last Saturday, he was even better in his personal homecoming. Playing in his first game at UB Stadium, the graduate of Lockport High rushed for a career-best 228 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns in Toledo's 25-20 win over the UB Bulls. In the process, Fluellen topped the 1,000-yard mark just nine games into a season in which the Rockets have posted an 8-1 record. He now has 1,181 yards and is averaging 131.2 per game, the sixth-highest figure in the nation among Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players. Fluellen's five straight 100-yard games have been a major factor not only in...

JFK pulls out division title, beating Cleve Hill by one by Marquel Slaughter JFK was presented with the option to kick the tying extra point or go for the winning two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown late in the game against a team it has not beaten in six years with the division championship on the line. What to do? You go for two, of course. Down 28-27 after completing a 59-yard touchdown drive, John F. Kennedy decided to go for the two-point conversion with their home crowd behind them. Bears senior quarterback Nick Anderson was immediately met by Golden Eagles senior lineman Sharieff Fareed-Muhammad in the backfield after the snap. Avoiding what could have been a sack, Anderson...

St. Joe’s tops Lockport in WNY Top 10 public vs. private clash By Michael Straw When top teams meet, there is always a high expectation for how the game will play out. Sometimes the hype is met, while other times the game becomes a one-sided affair. When Western New York No. 2-ranked large school St. Joe’s took on No. 9 Lockport on Saturday (Oct. 6), the teams lived up to the hype, and then some, in a game that featured two of the top running backs in the area in seniors James Chambers of Lockport and Ilo Noble of St. Joe’s. Celebrating Senior Day before their last home game of the regular season on a breezy, picturesque day in Lockport, the Lions came out roaring with the support of the...

Alden bests Depew in Class A East first-place battle By Mike Pidanick Alden has been one of the most dominant small schools in Western New York in recent years. The Bulldogs have 25 straight wins over Section VI opponents, two straight sectional titles and have reached Ralph Wilson Stadium in each of the last four seasons. In what was being called Class B’s Game of the Year, the Bulldogs did their best to show that run isn’t ending any time soon. Alden celebrated its Homecoming Night in an impressive 34-13 win over rival Depew. “It’s always good to win on Homecoming, especially against the No. 2 team,” said Alden defensive back Matt Shields, who scored on an interception return. “I feel like...

Lauren Randaccio stands out, not so much because of a boisterous nature but due to the way she carries herself. Quiet yet confident, the Nichols School senior, in her fourth season with the varsity soccer team, never has to say, ‘I’m the leader,’ her teammates and classmates just give her that respect because she’s earned it. Randaccio’s leadership skills are needed now more than ever as the Lady Vikings have an influx of new faces thisd season looking for direction. Taking a cue from past leaders, like Catherine Williams, Maya Jackson-Gibson and others, Randaccio, a Clarence native, is more than ready to embrace the role of being the person her teammates count on. “Honestly it’s fun to be...

Woodard developing into ‘real deal’ for NT By Dave Ricci Chris Woodard remembered a talk he had with teammate Jacob Clare before the sophomore started his first varsity game at quarterback in the season opener against Sweet Home. “I was telling him I was a little nervous and everything,” Woodard said. “and he was in my shoes before at one time, too, because he’s a three-year starter. He started as a sophomore. He said to me you have the ability. We’re here for you. We’re going to support you and we’re going to go out there and do our best to win this game. And I think that really touched me. Saying that, from a senior to a sophomore, that was a lot of help especially right before a game. So,...

Ken East’s Smith dedicates performance to grandmother By Dave Ricci It was the game of his life. But Preston Smith didn’t just do it for his team, he did it for his grandmother. In Kenmore East’s 21-0 blanking of Niagara-Wheatfield on Sept.15 at Sparky Adams Field, Smith rushed for 95 yards, scored a TD and helped the Bulldogs to their first home game win since 2008. As he celebrated with his teammates, Smith’s thoughts were with his beloved grandmother, Mary Pasek, who passed away on Sept.1. “Everything is for her from now on,” Smith said after the game. Smith, who scored his first varsity touchdown when he bowled his way into the end zone with 28 seconds left to play in the half, said...

Holy Trinity pulls off improbable comeback to beat St. Francis By Mike Petro It was the perfect statement to make after a week one blowout loss. St. Francis had bounced back from a drubbing at the hands of the Section V power Aquinas the week prior by rolling to a 41-14 lead four minutes into the fourth quarter over another fellow state private school Holy Trinity of Long Island. The execution that wasn’t there against Aquinas couldn’t have been better on both sides of the ball to that point in the game. Alex Misterman was giving one of the finest performances of a running back at any level with almost 300 yards and scoring almost at will during a stretch in the second half. Meanwhile, the...

Recor steps in to lead injury-hampered Timon over South By Michael Straw It’s never easy replacing a key player. The roster gets thinner, the lineup changes more often than usual, and players are given bigger workloads, but when the time comes to do so, it’s the next player up. Bishop Timon-St. Jude senior running back JD Recor is trying to take full advantage of his opportunity to be the guy. Recor has been given the dubious task of replacing top returning running back, junior Adam Dimillo, who is out for a few weeks as he recovers from a broken arm. Recor helped his case to prove that he is capable of leading the offense with a stellar performance in the Tigers’ season-opening 21-14...