Syracuse Herald-Journal 1989 winter high school sports preview-1
2
Syiacw Herald-Journal, December 1, 011 WINTER SCHOLASTIC SPORTS '8 9 - 90 «*•» Bulldogs t o keep winning 1 1 players returning to federation champs By Andrew Milner Contibuting Writer In 11 seasons at Nottingham, girls' basket- ball coach Willetta Spease ha s crafted a 210- 99TO.'^fC «cl*-J V"- - —•__• _ centage of .901. The Lady Bulldogs won the State Federa- tion Class B Championship last March. That's after beating not just the best public schools in New Y ork state, but the best pri- vate ones as well T he Lady Bulldogs won their final 21 games. Nottingham's dominance in Metro League Metro poll Ranking Team Pts 1. Nottingham 81(9) Z. Cortland 55 3 East Syracuse-Minoa 52 4. Corcoran 48 5. Fulton 46 6. Jamesville-De Witt 43 7. Central Square 28 8. Fowler 22 9. CBA 17 10 Whitesboro 11 (Note: League poll results were deter- mined by a vote of the league coaches, with coaches not allowed tovote for t her own teams. First-place votes in parenthe- ses.) File photo IN 11 SEASONS at Nottingham, Willetta Spease's Lady Bulldogs have won 90.1 percent of their games, including last seasons State Federation Class Bcrown. competition is the stuff of legend. Whether th e Lady Bulldogs can win a fifth state title is the big question in the league. Nottingham (18-0, 26-2) is the unanimous of Metro League coaches for first in th e league. One of last year's keys to Nottingham's success, all-state guard Vanessa Brooks (MVP of both th e Class B and Federation tournaments), graduated. Bu t seniors Uhssa Mallory, Pam Odom an d Lauren T ownes lead 11 returning players from last's year dream season, including freshman Rasheada Caldwell, who saw action last year as an eighth-grader. • Cortland — According to coach Le n Diloia, the strength of the Tigers (12- 6,15- 7) this season will be the experience of three juniors. "The three juniors who played varsity last year (guard Amy Meldnm and forwards Am y Sherry an d Jessica Wellings), played quite a bit," Deloia said. Sherry averaged 16.7 points and 13.1 rebounds a game, and was named M etro League MV P and was a first-team all- lea- guer. • East Syracuse-Minoa — T h e Lady Spar- tans lost only two gam es last year, (17-1,21- 2 ) bu t suffered eight major setbacks when that many players graduated. "We're going to be a second-half team," coach Karen K east said, noting that "a lot of kids ar e moving up " from last year's 18-0 .IV team. • Corcoran — After a disappointing 1988- 89 campaign, coach Jim Marsh expects his Cougars (8- 10, 8-12) to con ten d this season. "The majority of my players back know my system and have more experience," Marsh said. "We have th e potential to beat anyone" The top returner is unior shooting forward Rhuykia Walker, a second-team all-leaguer, wh o averaged 16.5 points a game last season. "She ca n score on anyone," Marsh said. • Fulton - T h e R e d Raiders (10-10,10-11) lost no starters to graduation. As a result, coach Larry Callahan said, "We'll play pretty much the same style as we did last year." The Red Raiders will be led by all-confer- ence senior center Robin V erSchneider, who averaged 18.9 points and 11.1 rebo und s a game. She is likel y to reach the career 1,000- pomt plateau this season. • Jamesville-DeW itt — The loss o f four seniors makes the current crop of Red Rams (15-3,17-5) no t only young, bu t, coach Rick Ellison said, very inexperienced, "Because of our youth, we'll be a little shaky in the beginning, an d we're going to be playing ou r best as the season ends," Elli- s o n said. "By the last third of the season, we're going to be very respectable " Players back from last year include senior center DeDe Sullivan, senior guard Mary HerLzog an d sophomore guard-forward Jennifer Passonno, last year's second-lead- ing Re d Rams scorer. • Central Square — With si x members of last year's Lady Redmen team (7-9,9-10) lost to graduation, coach K evin Brazell plans a different playing style "We'll be smaller and quicker," Brazell said. "We'll have more man-to-man defense, an d we'll press more. W e'l l us e some quick- ness because we don't have any of the big people anymore." Only on e starter, guard Jennifer Ash, remains from last year's squad. • Fowler — Falcons coach April Wertheim hopes to maintain a positive atmosphere on her team (4-13,5- 14). 'I just want to explai n to them that if they don't stay with it, they won't be successful," Wertheim said. Returning from last year's squad are junior forward Bernice Temple an d senior forward Yolanda Jones, both selected third-team all- Metro. • Christian Brothers Academy — In their first year of existence, th e Brothers (2-16) were com posed entirely of freshmen an d sophomores. Coach To m Cpluci hopes for a stronger year with a returning squad "In the second half of last year, we became more competitive," Coluci said. For example, after Corcoran rol led by the Brothers by more than 50 points in their first matchup, they lost by only eight in their second game." Returning ar e sophomore guards Adetone Adenlji-Adele an d Erica Speach (13 ppg, an d a third-team All-Leaguer), an d junior center Adnenne Pollichemi. • W h i t e s b o ro — N ew Warriors coach B o b Fenton's hopes for an improved season were lifted by the response of the W arriors (0-12, 0-18) at early practices. "They had a very goo'd spirit," Fenton said. "Everybody's enthusiastic. They're willing to give all they have." Returning from last year ar e senior guard Kristen Shuemaker, senior forward Debbie Macner, and senior foward-center Felicia Buble, complemented by freshman forward Heather Daniels an d sophomore guards Erin Brooks and Michell e Dwyer. Onondaga considered class of tne league By Michael Flam Contributing Writer T h e AlLmar-Pansh-William- stown girls' basketball team h a s lost a ll five starters from last year's team to graduation, but coach Jim Miller is hoping th e Rebels can break even in 1989- 90. "I would like to see the kids finish .500," Miller said. "That's what I'm looking toward." Nonetheless, OHSL South coaches predict that A-P-W will finish last in the division. Miller does have three seniors back from last year's 4-14 squad, each of whom sa w considerable playing time. Senior forward Paula Davis and senior guard Shannon N ewton are penciled in at two of the starting spots. Junior Athena Stere an d sopho- more Angie Petrie are also being counted on to fill the voids created by graduation. "There's not a lot of experience at the varsity level, but we will g e t better as the sea- so n progresses," Miller said. • Onondaga — This team is generally considered the class of the division, but coach Mary Austin isn't so sure. "We'll be pretty good, but not as successful as last year," she said. Austin worked with a nine- player starting rotation last sea- s n bu t five have graduated. Senior guard Renee Nickerson an d senior forward Jami Corso " nl rfoir"to*T r+3"-+ tn 1OOO OA • • ILL Uc*!l4CJ Otd 1 11 1 IwU^-v/W, while Austin hopes that senior forwards Charina Johnson a nd M olly Woods an d senior guard He'ather Stanton can claim the • TuHy — First-year coach Ji m Casterella is hoping that three returning players and a group of girls up from last year's 19-1 junior varsity team will help th e Rlarfc KniPhi«= imrtrovo on Ipat season s 17-5 mark. "I've got a good group of ath- letes who are very coachable an d very hard-working." Casterella said. "I'm hoping they'll work hard and come together by mid- season." Honorable mention all-league senior forward Cathy Fink is the South poll Ranking Team Pts 1 Onondaga 51(4) 2-Tully 49(2) 3. Pulaski 41 4. Hannibal 40(2) 5. Weedsport 35 6. Port Byron 25 7. Cato-Mer idian 18 8. Fabius-Pompey 16 9 A-P-W 13 (Note- League pol results were determined by a vote of the league coaches, with coaches not allowed tovote for their own teams. Weedsport's coach declined to participate in the poll, citing lack of familiarly with the teams. First-place votes in parentheses.) only returning starter an d will b e joined by senior forward Jennifer Grille a n d junior guard Amy McDonough. This trio will likely b e joined in th e starting lineup b y junior forward Michelle Mas- ters, last season's junior varsity leading scorer and rebounder, a nd junior guard Amanda Potter. • Pulaski — Coach Ra y Sliwoski has lost only one starter from last season's team, but he Stl!! haS a yCUHg team. .UJiic'uic- less, he is confident his team will be in the hunt for the league title. "We can be very competitive because we have good balance," he said. "We can have a good year if we get mentally into the game." First-team, all-league junio r wing Kate Watson will return to junior guard Jackie Nutting and senior wing Rosanne Van Duzer. Honorable mention all-league senior post Jennifer Higby is looking to claim th e fifth starting spot • Hannibal — Coach Steve Cianfarano can be rightfully opti- mistic about th e upcoming sea- son. He has eight players coming back from last year's team that went 14-6. "I think e'll be very competi- tive," Cianfarano said. "We're hoping to fight it o ut with Tully and OCS (Onondaga) for the top spot." The four returning starters from last year ar e senior guard Lisa Dodd, junior forwards 1dm Tomak and LuAnn Knoop a n d junior guard Christine Marshall. "We'll still make young mis- takes, but as the season pro- gresses we'll move further along," Cianfarano said. • Weedsport — First-year coach Mary Connors is optimistic about inheriting a team that has four returning starters. "We look very strong," she said. "Our defense is very strong. We're quick and hustling and we're going to be a good running team." Senior forwards Jenny Beards- "ley an d Cathy Short and senior guards Julie Drury and Kelly Turner started last season for an 11-7 W arriors team. Tara Jorole- m on has the inside track on the fifth starting spot. "I see us having a very suc- cessful year," Connors said. "Hopefully, with the experience we have, we can finish on top." • Port Byron — Coach Ronald Wilson believes his team's experience an d maturity will help the Panthers improve on last season's 11-7 mark. "All ou r players have played quite a bit on the varsity level," he said. "They can adjust to citli?>tirtne r»rt iVyr* firm*- " linger a n d senior foward Jenny Harkness have each started since their sophomore years and will b e counted to pick up the scoring void created by the grad- uation of Sue Abate. Six players ill battle for the remaining six star in g positions. "Our finish depends o n what happens on the offensive end of th e court," Wilson said. "If we can do anything on offense, then we'll be competitive in the top half of the division." • Cato-Meridian — Coach Ann Gregory has four starters return- in g from last season's 2-14 team. She believes the Blue Devils ar e still in th e building stages. "There were a lot of teams that killed u s last season and it's unre- alistic to think that we'll beat them," Gregory said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to give them a bet- ter game." Senior forwards Donna Fre- denburg and Lynne Clarke and senior guards Stephanie Cnm an d Lynn Podolak started last year, but will have to play a more controlled defensive game fo r th e Blue Devils to improve their 198 8- 89 record. "We have an aggressive team, b u t we have to be more con- trolled," Gregory said. • Fabius-Pompey — The Fal- cons have been th e bottom team in the OHSL South for the last several years, but coach Lois Haas believes this may be the season that the team climbs up. "I think we'll be right in th e middle," she saia. "We re build- in g and getting better, but I don't think we're ready to take the league." Haas h a s four starters return- in g from th e 1988-89 team. Senior forward Jessica Henry, junior forward Emily Habereck, junior center Melanie Parker an d honorable mention all-league sophomore guard Carrie Lysik .. .n , . .1 "t » ' Sport provides he r plenty of thrills By Andrew Milner Contributing Writer F or two consecutive years, Daryle Mako of the Not- tingham cross country ski- in g to the Games at Lake Placid. Last February at ESG time, Mako couldn't make u because stie had a prior commitment In Minne- sota. At the U.S. Junior Olympics. Mako teammate Krissy Pedersen were chosen as two Daryle Mako Scnoot Nottingham. Sport Cross-country skiing. _ Ksy numbers: 5-(oot-8, 135-pound, 17-year -oM senior. _ Other sport*: Cross country run* ning. «f o: Bl Koch, Olympic skier iss: Sailing. Sports goals: To make the U.S. Junior Olympics agan. _ Career goal: A career in sports medcine- reatest sports acNsHnent Mak- -• "- • • <- • generally made up of only six-io- eight of the best 16- and 17-year- old cross-country skiers in the region. To qualify, Pedersen an d Mako competed in a series of races in Old Forge and Lake Placid, host of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Immedia- tely after th e final race, Mako learned she had made the elite team. "I WAS THRILLED," sh e said. " ! wasn't expecting t o make it because I had moved up in the age group. But I had a good'season." At th e Junior Olympics, held at Giant's Ridge in Biwebic. M ako competed in both the relay races of 10 kilometers and the classical races. In classical races, of between five an d seven kilometers, skiers shift back an d forth on their skis. In both events, Mako finished "in the middle of the pack" among 70 skiers. But the most important thing that mattered to her was not winning, but m erely taking part Mako, named to last season's New York state team, begins her fourth year on the Bulldogs skiing squad. A senior at Henmnger High School, Mako skis with Not- tingham because Henninger does not have a cross-country skiing team. She began skiing at age 8, and at 13 joined a league of sk'e^s organ- ized by Olympian Bill och, n d began with Nottingham he follow- in g year. Mako recal ls be ing excit ed w hen named to her first Empire State team during ninth grade. "I was just as thrilled as when I was chosen to go to the Junior Olympics," she said. IN THE FALL, sh e runs cross- country. , "It's good for cross-training," she said. "A lot of people who ski run to keep in shape, and a lot of run- ners ski." As one of four seniors on the Bulldogs' squad, Mako said that they do their part to keep morale high. "Spiritwise. we all pretty much help each other," sh e said. Mako admits that it can be diffi- cult to maintain a winter mindset when there is no snow on the ground. Last year's mild snowfall wa s especially difficult fo r country skiing. Whereas downhill skiers have artificial snow to rely on , Nordic skiers do not, an d must work on real snow. "IT W AS VERY frustrating to go to a race and see other schools that have snow," Mako said. When n o t running or skiing cross country with Nottingham, Mako practices th e biathlon. The biathlon combines cross-country skiing and sharpshooting from a 22-cahber rifle. "There's no t many girls doing it," sh e said. At Henmnger, Mako's favorite academic subjects ar e math an d science. Mako's top college choices include Ithaca College, SUNY Buf- falo and the University of Ver- mont. Mako agrees with th e idea that skiing is a lifetime activity, not something to do just fo r competi- tion. "I' ll always be sk iing becaus e I love it so much," sh e said. "I'll sk i until I'm physically unable to do it" O ld Forge stays intact, primed for more victories By Andrew Milner Contributing Writer Th e area high school skiing sea- so n won't begin in earnest until January, when th e first competi- tions begin. Until then, coaches are keeping their teams ready by leading skiers in conditioning an d cross cou ntry running. Urihke bss sophomore post Ton ya Gilbert, Senior guard Shelley Terwi! r th e Falco'ns. there are no formal won-loss records in high school skiing, an d no standings. A boys' champion an d girls' champion are ch osen at the end of the regular season after mtersectional com petition at Lake Placid, site of the 1980 Winter Olympics. • Ol d Forge — Alpine: "We're going to be pretty much the same as last year," Alpine coach Sandy Stnpp said. In other words: Wa tch out, Section T hree. Th e boys' Alpine squad finished first in Section Three, while th e girls consistently finished second a n d third. An d since n o female skiers departed, Stnpp said, "That ca n only make us stronger." Returning are Rick Hassion, Matt Ritz, David Palmer, Laura Hession, Stacy Olson and Knsten Wengert Nordic: Th e Section Three cham - pion O ld Forge cross-country ski- in g team, which sent more kids to the U.S Junior Olympics than an y school its size in the Northeast, is a near-unanimous pick b y section coaches to repeat Coach Carl Klossner said that losing no male skiers to graduation will make the team "very strong," but having only three female skiers will be a problem. "We can score only as long as they all fin- ish." • Adirondack — Alpine: "We don't intend to set the world on fire, but we'll step up a little bit," coach Cleve Lansing said "A lot of these kids have skiing experience, bu t they have n't raced. " Senior skiers include Rachel Szyikowski, Jennifer Payne, Crys- ta l Kwasnieski, Michelle Mercer an d Chris Rice. Nordic: Two years ago, the Adirondack cross country sk i team sent four skiers to the Lake Placid intersectionals. After a disappoint- ing 1989 season, coach To m Crow- ley expects improveme nt. • HMkHMr - "Last year," Her- kimer Magicians coach John M it- chell said, "w e looked to one another and nobody made it." But this season, "because of our experience, i uinm «e n ao a 10 1 better." Herkimer's returning seniors include Leigh Dillard, Jeff Cole an d Lucas Rockw ell, Andy Hopson an d Tony Maida. • Nottingham — The Bulldogs' Nordic skii ng team sent two female skiers, Daryle Mako a n d Krissy Pedersen, to the Junior Olympics last February. Nottingham coach Jim Schoon- maker expects an improved girls' SCju<id. I Fayetteville-Manlius — Schoon- maker also coaches the Hornets' squad, which tripled in size from Skiing lineup Adirondack, Cooperstown, Fayette- ville-Manhus, Little Falls, Nottingham, Old Forge, South Lewis last season — from on e skier to three. Last season sophomore Kelly Schalk was, literally, a one-woman team. Section Three rules require ski- in g teams to have at least three athletes. So Schalk will e joined by her sister Kate, a freshman, and an undetermined third skier. • Cooperstown — Nordic coach Paul Tobler's theme song for the upcoming season might well be, "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Le t It Snow." He believed that last season's dismal performance wa s related to th e lack of snow in the area. The Redskins sent senior Han- na h LaBarre as a second alternate to intersectionals in Lake Placid. • Lewis — Mike Paczkowski hopes to keep success al l i n th e family this season with daughter Piper, a selection to states in each of the last three years, returning to the Falcons. Piper will rejoin sophomore An n Cook, who went to the states as a freshman, and junior Mike Earl, wh o finished third in the slalom. Nordic: Most of the Falcons' ross-country skiers are sopho- mores an d juniors, which coach J im Wright hopes will be an advantage. This year's skiers include junior Peter Vanry and sophomores Heather LaFountain, Ciley Water- ma n an d Tina Wmlarski. • Litllt Fills — Alpine coach Nancy O'Leary acknowledged that "we had an awful lot of room for improvement" after a dismal sea- son. Sh e said, "There are a couple of people w ith the potential to go to states," amo ne them iunior Jennifer Maione a n a sopnomore Todd Vincent.
-
Upload
andrew-milner -
Category
Documents
-
view
219 -
download
0
Transcript of Syracuse Herald-Journal 1989 winter high school sports preview-1
8/3/2019 Syracuse Herald-Journal 1989 winter high school sports preview-1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/syracuse-herald-journal-1989-winter-high-school-sports-preview-1 1/1
SyiacwHerald-Journal, Friday, December 1, 1989 011
WINTER SCHOLASTIC SPORTS '89 - 90 «*•»
Bulldogsto keepwinning11 players returningto federation champsBy Andrew MilnerContibuting Writer
In 11 seasons at Nott ingham, girls' basket-ball coach Willetta Spease ha s crafted a 210-99TO.'̂ fC«cl*-JTV"-- —•__• _
centage of .901.T he Lady Bulldogs won the State Federa-
t i on Class B C h a m p i o n s h i p l a s t M a r c h .That 's af ter beating not jus t the best publicschools in New Y ork sta te , but the best pri-vate ones as wel l
T he Lady Bulldogs w on t h e i r f ina l 21
games.Nottingham's dominance in Metro League
Metro poll
Ranking Team Pts
1. Nottingham 81(9)
Z. Cortland 55
3 East Syracuse-Minoa 52
4. Corcoran 48
5. Fulton 46
6. Jamesville-DeWitt 43
7. Central Square 28
8. Fowler 22
9. CB A 17
10 Whitesboro 11
(Note: League poll results were deter-
mined by a vote of the league coaches,with coaches not allowed tovote for ther
own teams. First-place votes in parenthe-ses.)
File photo
IN 11SEASONS at Nottingham, WillettaSpease's Lady Bulldogs havewon 90.1percent oftheir games, including last seasons State Federation Class B crown.
competition is the s t u f f of legend. Whether
th e Lady Bulldogs can win a f i f t h state titleis the big question in the league.
Nott ingham (18-0, 26-2) is the u n a n i m o u schoice of Metro League coaches for f i r s t inth e league.
One of last year 's keys to Nottingham'ssuccess, a l l-sta te guard Vanessa Brooks( M V P of both th e Class B and Federationtournaments), graduated.
Bu t seniors Uhssa Mallory, Pam O d o m an dLauren T ownes lead 11 re turning playersfrom l ast 's yea r dream season, inc ludingf r e s h m a n R a s h e a d a Caldwell , w h o s a waction last year as an eighth-grader.
• C o r t l a n d — Accord ing to coach L e nDiloia, the strength of the Tigers (12-6,15-7)this season w i l l be the experience of threejuniors .
"The three juniors who played varsity lastyear (guard A m y M e l d n m a n d f o r w a r d sAm y Sherry an d Jessica Wellings), playedquite a bit," Deloia said.
S h e r r y averaged 16.7 points and 13.1rebounds a g a m e , a n d w a s n a m e d M e t roLeague MV P and w as a first-team all-lea-guer.
• East Syracuse-Minoa — T h e Lady Spar-tans lost only two gam es last year, (17-1,21-2 ) bu t suffered eight m a j o r se tbacks whentha t many players graduated.
"We're going to be a second-half team,"coach Karen K east said, noting that "a lot of
kids ar e moving up " from last year 's 18-0.IV team.
• Corcoran — After a disappointing 1988-89 campaign, coach Jim Marsh expects hisCougars (8-10,8-12) to con ten d this season.
"The majority of my players back knowm y sys tem and h av e more exper ience,"Marsh said. "We have th e potential to bea tanyone"
The top returner is unior shooting forwardRhuyki a Walker, a second-team all-leaguer,wh o averaged 16.5 points a game last season.
"She ca n score on anyone," Marsh said.• F u l t o n - T h e R ed Raiders (10-10,10-11)
lost no starters to graduation.As a resul t , coach Larry Callahan said,
"We'll play pretty m u c h the same style aswe did last year."
The Red Raiders will be led by all-confer-ence senior center Robin V erSchneider, whoaveraged 18.9 points and 11.1 rebo und s agame. She is likely to reach the career 1,000-pomt plateau this season.
• J a m e s v i l le - D e W i t t — T h e loss o f f o u rseniors makes the current c rop of Red R ams(15-3,17-5) no t only young, bu t , coach RickEllison said, very inexperienced,
"Because of our youth , we ' l l be a l i t t leshaky in the beginning, an d we're going tobe playing ou r best as the season ends," Elli-s o n said. "By the las t th ird of the season,we're g o i n g to be very respectable "
Players back f r o m last year includ e seniorcen t e r DeDe Sull ivan, senior guard Mary
HerLzog an d s o p h o m o r e g u a r d - f o r w a r dJennifer Passonno, last year's second-lead-ing Re d Rams scorer .
• C e n t r a l Square — W ith si x membe rs oflast year's Lady Redmen team (7-9,9-10) lostto graduat ion, coach K evin Brazell plans ad i f f e r e n t playing style
"We' ll be smalle r and quicker," Braze l lsaid. "We'll have more man-to-man defense ,
an d we'll press more. W e'll us e some quick-ness because we don't have any of the bigpeople anymore."
Only on e s t a r t e r , gua rd J enn i fe r Ash,remains f r o m last year's squad.
• F o w l e r —Falcons coach April Wertheimhopes to maintain a positive atmosphere onher team (4-13,5-14).
'I just want to explain to them that if theydon't stay with it, they won't be successful,"Wertheim said.
Returning f r o m last year's squad are juniorforward Bernice Temple an d senior forwardYolanda Jones, both selected third-team all-Metro.
• C h r i s t i a n B r o t h e r s A c a d e m y — In theirfirst year of existence, th e Brothers (2-16)were com posed ent i re ly of f r e shmen an dsophomores. Coach To m C p l u c i hopes for astronger year with a returning squad
"In the second half of last year, we becamemore competitive," C o l u c i said.
For example, after Corcoran rolled by theBrothers by more than 50 points in their firstmatchup , they lost by only e ight in the i rsecond game . "
Returning ar e sophomore guards AdetoneA d e n l j i - A d e l e an d Erica Speach (13 ppg, an da third-team All-Leaguer), an d junior centerAdnenne Pollichemi.
• W h i t e s b o ro — N ew Warriors coach B obFenton's hopes for an improved season werelifted by the response of the W arriors (0-12,0-18) at early practices.
"They had a very goo'd spiri t ," Fentonsaid. "Everybody's en thus ia s t i c . They ' r ewilling to give all they have."
Returning f r o m last year ar e senior guardKristen Shuemaker , senior forward DebbieM acner , and senior foward-center FeliciaBuble, complemented by f r e s h m a n forwardHeather Daniels an d sophomore guards ErinBrooks and Michel le Dwyer.
Onondaga considered class of tne leagueBy Michael FlamCon t r i bu t i n g Writer
T h e A l L m a r - P a n s h - W i l l i a m -s t ow n girls' ba s k e t b a l l t e a m h a slost a ll f i v e starters f r o m lastyear's t e am to g r a d u a t i o n , butco ach J im M i l l e r is h o p i n g th eR e be l s c a n break even in 1989-
90."I w o u l d l i k e to see the kids
f inish .500," Mil le r sa id . "That'swhat I'm looking toward."
Nonetheless, O H S L S o u t hco ache s p r e d i c t t h a t A-P-W wil lfinish last in the divis ion.
Mil le r does h a v e three seniorsb a c k from las t year's 4-14 s q u a d ,each of w h o m sa w considerab leplaying time. Senior f o r w a r dPaula D a v i s and senior g u a r dS h a n n on N e w t on a r e p e n c i l e d i nat two of the starting spots.Jun io r A t h e n a Stere an d sopho-m o r e An g i e Petrie are also beingcounted on to f i l l the voidscreated b y g r a d u a t i on .
"There ' s not a lot ofexperience at the varsity level,b u t w e wi l l g e t better a s t h e sea-so n progresses," Mil l e r sa id .
• O n o n d a g a —This team isgenerally cons ide red the class ofthe d i v i s i o n , but coach M a r yA us t i n isn't so sure.
"We'll be pretty good, but notas s u c c e s s f u l as last year," shesaid.
A u s t i n w o r k e d w i t h a n i n e -p l a y e r s t a r t i ng rota t ion last sea-s o n b u t f i v e have graduated.Senior guard Renee Nickersonan d s en i o r f o r w a r d J a m i Corso"nl rfoir"to*Tr+3"-+ tn1OOO OA• • ILL Uc*!l4CJOtd1111 IwU -̂v/W,
while Austin hopes t h a t seniorf o rwards Char i na Johnson a ndM o l ly Woods an d senior guardHe'ather Stanton can claim theother three starting positions.
• T u H y — First-year coach Ji mCasterel la is hoping tha t th reer e t u rn i ng players and a group ofgirls up f r o m last y e a r ' s 19-1j unior varsity team w i l l help th eRlarfc KniPhi«= imrtrovo on Ipat
season s 17-5 m a r k .
"I've got a good g r ou p o f ath-letes w h o a r e very c o a c ha b l e an dvery hard-working." Casterellas a i d . "I'm h o p i n g they'll w o r kha r d a n d c om e t og e t h e r by mid-season."
Hon or a b l e m e n t i on al l - leaguesen ior f o r w a r d Ca t h y F i n k i s t h e
South poll
Ranking Team Pts
1 Onondaga 51(4)
2-Tully 49(2)
3. Pulaski 41
4. Hannibal 40(2)
5. Weedsport 35
6. Port Byron 25
7. Cato-Meridian 18
8. Fabius-Pompey 16
9 A-P-W 13
(Note- League pol resultswere determined by a vote of theleague coaches, with coachesnot allowed tovote for their own
teams. Weedsport's coach
declined to participate in the
poll, citing lack of familiarly with
the teams. First-place votes in
parentheses.)
only r e t u r n i n g starter an d wi l l b ej o ined by sen ior f o r w a r d J e nn i f e r
G r i l l e a n d j u n i o r g u a r d A m yM c D o n o u g h . Th i s tr io will l ikelyb e j o i n e d in th e s t a r t i ng l i n e u pb y j u n i o r f o r w a r d M i c he l le Mas-ters, l a s t season's j unior vars i tyl e a d i n g scorer and rebounder,a n d junior gua rd A m a n d a Potter.
• P u l a s k i —C o a c h Ra ySliwoski has lost only one starterfrom l a s t season's t e a m , bu t h eStl!! haS a y CUHg team. .UJiic'uic-
less, he is confident his team willb e i n t he h u n t for the l e aguetitle.
"We can be very competitivebecause we have good balance,"he sa id . "We can have a goodyear if we get menta l ly in to thegame."
Fi r s t - t eam, a l l - le ague j un io rwing Kate Watson w i l l re turn to
j un i o r g u a r d Jackie N u t t i n g a n dsen ior w i n g R o s a n n e V a n D u z e r .Honorable mention all-leaguesenior p o s t J e n n i f e r H i g b y islook ing to claim th e fifth startingspot
• H a n n i b a l —C o a c h SteveCianfa r ano can be r igh t fu l ly opti-mis t i c a b o u t th e u p c o m i n g sea-
son. He ha s eight players c o m i ngba c k f rom last year's t eam thatw e n t 14-6.
"I t h i n k we'll be very competi-tive," Ci a n f a r a n o said. "We'reh op i n g to f i gh t it o ut wi th Tu l l yand OC S (Onondaga) fo r the topspot."
The f o u r returning startersf rom last year ar e senior gua rdLisa Dodd , jun ior forwards 1dmT o m a k a n d L u A n n K n o o p a n dj un i o r g u a r d Chr i s t ine Marsha l l .
"We'll still m a k e y o u n g mis-takes, but as the season pro-gresses we'll m o v e f u r t h e ralong," Cianfa r ano said.
• W e e d s p o r t —First-yearcoach M a r y Connor s i s opt imis t i cabout inheriting a team that hasfour r e t u r n i ng starters.
"We l ook v e r y strong," shesa id . "Our defense is v e r y strong.We're q u i c k a n d h u s t l i n g a n d
we're g o i n g t o b e a good r u n n i n gteam."
Senior forwards J e n n y Beards-"ley an d C a t hy S h or t a n d s e n i o rguards J u l i e D r u r y a n d K e l l yTurner started last season f o r an11-7 W ar r i o rs t e a m . T a r a Jorole-m on h a s t h e ins ide t r a c k on t h efifth starting spot.
"I see us h a v i n g a very suc-c e s s f u l year," C o n n o r s said."Hopeful ly , wi th the experiencew e have , w e c a n f in i sh on top."
• Port Byron —Coach RonaldW i l s o n b e l i e v e s h i s team'sexper ience an d maturi ty w i l lhelp the Panthers improve onlast season's 11-7 mark.
"All ou r players have playedqui te a b i t on the varsity level,"h e s a id . " T h e y c an ad ju s t t ocitli?>tirtner»rt i V y r * firm*- "
l i nge r a n d senior f o w a r d JennyHarkness have each startedsince their sophomore years andw i l l b e c o u n t e d to p i c k u p t h escor ing void created b y t h e grad-ua t ion of Sue Ab a t e . Six playerswi l l battle for the r ema in i ng sixstar in g posi t ions .
"Our f i n i s h d e p e n d s o n what
h a p p e n s on t h e offensive e n d o fth e court," W i l s o n said. "If wec a n do any t h i ng on offense, t h e nwe'll be competitive in the topha l f of t he d iv i s ion . "
• Cato-Meridian —Coach AnnGregory has f o u r starters return-in g f rom last season's 2-14 team.She b e l i eve s t h e Bl ue D e v i l s ar estill in th e bu i l d i n g stages.
"There were a lo t o f teams thatkilled u s last s e a s on a n d it's unre-a l i s t i c to t h i n k that we'll beatt h em, " G rego ry said. "Hopefu l ly ,we' l l be a b l e to give them a bet-ter game."
Senior forwards D o n n a Fre-d e n b u r g a n d L y n n e C l a rk e a n ds e n i o r g u a r d s Stephanie Cnman d Lynn Podolak started lastyear, but w i l l have to p l a y am or e c on t r o l le d de f e n s i v e g a m efo r th e B l u e Devils to improvet h e i r 1988-89 record.
" W e h a v e an aggressive t e a m ,b u t we have to be more con -trolled,"Gr e g o r y said.
• Fabius-Pompey —The Fal-c on s h a v e been th e bot tom teamin the OHSL South for the lastseveral years, but c o a c h LoisH a a s believes this may be theseason that the t e am c l imb s up.
"I th ink we ' l l b e r i gh t in th emiddle , " she saia. "We re b u i l d -in g and getting better,but I don'tt h i n k we're ready to take theleague."
Ha a s h a s fou r starters return-in g f r o m th e 1988-89 team.Sen io r f o r w a r d Jessica H e n r y ,j u n i o r f o r w a r d E m i l y Habereck,
j un i o r cen t e r M e l a n i e Parker an dh o n o r a b l e m e n t i o n a l l - l e a g u es o p h o m o r e g u a r d C ar r i e Lysik.. .n ,. .1 "t » '
Sport provides herplenty of thrillsB y AndrewMilner
Con t r i bu t i n g W r i t e r
For two consecut ive year s ,Dary l e M a k o of the Not-t ingham cross country ski-
in g team went to the Empire StateGames at Lake Placid.
La s t Februa ry a t ESG t ime ,Mako couldn't make u because stiehad a prior commitment In Minne-sota.
At the U.S. Junior Olympics.M a k o a n d t e a m m a t e K r i s s y
Pede rsen w e r e chosen as two
D a ry l e Mako
Scnoot Nottingham.
SportCross-country skiing. _
Ksy numbers: 5-(oot-8, 135-pound,17-year-oMsenior. _Other sport*: Cross country run*ning._
«f o:BlKoch, Olympic skier iss:Sailing.
Sports goals: To make theU.S.
Junior Olympicsagan. _Career goal: A career in sportsmedcine-_
reatest sports acNsHnent Mak--• "- • • <- •
generally made up of only six-io-eight of the best 16- and 17-year-old cross-country sk i e r s in theregion.
To q u a l i f y , Pedersen an d Makocompeted in a series of races in OldForge and Lake Placid, host of the1980 Winter Olympics. Immedia-
tely afte r th e f i n a l r a c e , M a k ole a rned she had made t h e eli teteam.
"I WAS THRILLED," sh e said. "!w a s n ' t e x p e c t i n g t o m a k e itbecause I had m o v e d up in the agegroup. Bu t I had a good'season."
At th e Junior Olympics, held atGiant ' s Ridge in B iweb ic. M akocompeted in both the relay races of10 kilometers and the c lassica lraces. In classical races, of betweenfive an d seven kilometers, skiersshift back an d f o r t h on their skis.
In both events, M a k o finished "inthe middle of the pack" among 70sk i e r s . But the most impor t an tth ing tha t matte red to her was notwinning, but m ere ly taking p a r t
Mako, named to last season 'sN ew York state team, begins herfourth year on the Bulldogs skiingsquad. A senior at Henmnger High
School , Mako s k i s w i t h Not -t ingham because Henninger doesnot h ave a cross-country skiingteam.
She began skiing at age 8, and at13 j o i n e d a league of sk'e^s organ-ized by O l y m p i a n Bill Koch , an dbegan with Nott ingham he f o l l o w -in g year.
M a k o recalls be ing excited w henn a m e d to her f i r s t Empire Sta teteam during ninth grade .
"I was just as thrilled as when Iwas chosen to go to the Jun iorOlympics," she said.
IN THE FALL, sh e runs cross-country. ,
"It's good for cross-training," shesaid. "A lot of people who ski runto keep in shape, and a lot of run-ners ski."
As one o f fou r seniors on theBulldogs' squad, M ako said t h a tthey do the ir pa r t to k e e p moralehigh.
"Spiritwise. we all pretty muchhelp each other," sh e said.
Mako admits that it can be d i f f i -cult to maintain a winter mindsetwhen t h e r e is no snow on theground. Last year's mild snowfallwa s especially difficult fo r cross-country skiing. Whereas downhillskiers have artificial snow to relyon , Nordic skiers do not, an d mustwork on real snow.
"IT W AS VERY frustrating to goto a race and see other schools tha thave snow," Mako said.
W h e n n o t runn ing or sk i i ngc ross coun t ry w i th Not t i ngham,Mako pract ices th e biathlon. T hebia thlon combines c ross-countryski ing and sharpshooting f r o m a22-cahber rifle. "There's no t manygirls doing it," sh e said.
At Henmnger, Mako's favori teacademic subjec ts ar e math an dscience. Mako's top c o l l e g e choicesinc lude Ithaca College, S U N Y Buf-f a l o and t he U nive r s i t y of Ver-mont .
Mako agrees w i t h th e idea thatski ing is a l i fe t ime ac t iv i ty , notsomething to do just fo r competi-tion.
"I'll always be sk iing becaus e Ilove it so much," sh e said. "I'll sk iunt i l I 'm physica l ly unable to doit"
Old Forge stays intact,primed for more victoriesBy Andrew Milner
Contributing Writer
Th e area high school skiing sea-so n won' t begin in earnest unt i lJ anua ry , when th e first competi-tions begin.
Unti l then, coaches are keepingtheir teams ready by leading skiersin conditioning an d cross cou ntryrunning.
U r i h k e bss
sophomore post Ton ya Gilbert , Senior guard Shel ley Terwi! r th e Falco'ns.
t h e r e a r e n o f o r m a l w o n - l o s srecords in high school skiing, an dno s t a nd ing s . A boys ' c hamp ionan d girls' champion are ch osen atthe end of the regular season aftermtersectional com petition at LakePlacid, site of the 1980 W i n t e rOlympics.
• Ol d F o r g e — Alpine : "We' r egoing to be pretty much the sameas last year," A l p i n e coach SandyStnpp said. In other words: Wa tchout, Section T hree.
Th e boys' A l p i n e squad finishedf i rs t in Sect ion Three , while th egirls consistently f i n i s h e d seconda n d t h i rd . An d since n o f e m a l eskiers departed, Stnpp said, "Thatca n only make us stronger."
R e t u r n i n g a r e R ick Hass ion ,Matt Ri tz, David Palmer, LauraHession, Stacy O l s o n and Kns t enWenger t
Nordic: Th e Section Three cham -p i o n O ld Forge cross-country ski-in g team, which sent more kids tothe U.S Junior Olympics than an yschool its size in the Northeast, is anea r - unan imous pick b y sec t ioncoaches to repeat
Coach Carl Klossner sa id t h a tlosing no male skiers to graduat ionwill make the team "very strong,"b u t h a v i n g o n l y t h r e e f e m a l eskiers will be a problem. "We canscore only as long as they all f in-
ish."• Adi rondack — Alp ine : "Wedon ' t in tend to set the world onfire, but we'll step up a little bit,"coach Cleve Lansing said "A lot ofthese kids have skiing exper ience,bu t they have n't raced."
Sen ior sk i e r s i n c lude R ache lSzyikowski, J e n n i f e r Payne, Crys-ta l Kwasn i e sk i , Michel le Merceran d Chris Rice.
N o r d i c : T w o y e a r s a g o , t h eAdirondack cross country sk i teamsent f o u r skiers to the Lake Placidintersectionals. A f t e r a disappoint-ing 1989 season, coach To m Crow-ley expects improveme nt.• H M k H M r - "Last year," Her-
k imer Magic ians coach John M it-che l l s a i d , "w e l ooked to oneanother and nobody made it." B utt h i s s e a s o n , " b e c a u s e o f o u rexper ience , i u i n m «e n ao a 10 1better."
Herk ime r ' s r e tu rn ing sen ior s
inc lude Leigh Dillard, J e f f C o l e an dLucas Rockw ell, Andy Hopson an dTony Maida.
• N o t t i n g h a m — The Bulldogs'Nordic skiing team sent two femalesk i e r s , Da ry l e Mako a n d KrissyPedersen, to the Junior Olympicslast February.
Not t i ngham coach Jim Schoon-maker expects an improved girls'SCju<id.
I Faye t tev i l le -Manl ius —Schoon-m a k e r a l s o co ache s t h e Hornets'squad, which tripled in size f rom
Skiing lineup
Adirondack, Cooperstown, Fayette-
ville-Manhus, HerKmer, Little Falls,
Nottingham, Old Forge, SouthLewis
last season — f r o m on e skier tothree.
Las t se a son sophomore Ke l lySchalk was, literally, a one-womanteam.
Section Three rules require ski-in g t e ams to have at least t h r eeathletes. So Schalk w i l l be joinedby her sister Kate , a freshman, andan u n d e t e r m i n e d third skier.
• Cooperstown — Nordic coachPaul Tobler's theme song for theupco m i ng season might well be ,"Let It Snow , Let I t Snow , Le tIt Snow."
He bel ieved t h a t last season'sd i s m a l performance wa s related toth e lack of snow in the area.
The Redskins sent senior Han-na h LaBarre as a second alternateto intersectionals in Lake Placid.
• South L e w i s — Alpine: CoachM i k e Paczkowsk i hope s to keepsuccess al l i n th e f a m i l y this seasonwith daughter Piper, a selection to
s t a t esin each of the last
t h r e eyears, re turning to the Falcons.Piper will rejoin sophomore An n
C o o k , who went to the states as af r e shman , and j u n i o r M i k e Ear l ,wh o finished third in the slalom.
Nord i c : Mos t o f t h e F a l c o n s 'cross-country skiers are sopho-more s an d juniors, which coachJ im W r i g h t h op e s wi l l b e a nadvan t age .
This year's skiers i n c l u d e juniorP e t e r V a n r y a n d s o p h o m o r e sHeather LaFountain, Ciley Water-m a n an d Tina Wmlarski .
• Litllt Fills — Alpine coachNancy O'Leary acknowledged tha t"we had an a w f u l lot of room forimprovement" a fte r a d ismal sea-son. Sh e said, "There are a coupleof people w ith the potential to go tostates," a m o n e t he m i u n i o rJ e n n i f e r M a i o n e a n a sopnomoreTodd Vincent.
