Archive: Sports

Tompkins Girls Hockey Association's three travel teams competed well against peers last weekend:  The 12U Shooting Stars advanced to the championship game of the Clifton Park tournament, and the 14U and 19U teams played their Central Sectional games.

Ithaca 19U Shooting Stars competed in the 19U Tier 2 Central Sectionals this  weekend facing peers Camillus Cougars and Mohawk Valley Herricanes.  They will advance to the NYSAHA 19U Tier 2 Tournament seeded as "Central 2" as they defeated Mohawk Valley, 7-4, but lost to host Camillus, 0-1. In the loss, Ithaca outshot Camillus 42-20.

The Lansing Varsity Indoor track team had a strong showing at the Section IV state qualifier meet held at Cornell University’s Barton Hall last Friday evening Feb. 27th.  Lansing will be represented by 7 student athletes at the State meet to be held this Saturday again at Cornell University’s Barton Hall.

Earning a trip states for individual performances where Anna Mapes finishing 2nd in the 600 Meter Run with a time of 1:38.83, Kathryn Hornibrook finishing 2nd in the 55 meter hurdles with a time off 9.09, Lindsay Petry finished 1st in pole vault with a height of 10’ 6”, Kathryn Hornibrook tying for 2nd in pole vault with a height of 8’, and Jeff Swayze finishing 1st in the shot put with a distance of 50’ 4”. 

Lansing third graders Jill Austin and Kaitlyn Smith, plus Mackenzie Todd won All-Around Champion, and Lansing kindergartner Emma Smith took fourth at the International Magic Classic in Orlando, Florida February 11-18, when 13 Finger Lakes Gymnastics athletes and their families traveled to Orlando to compete with teams from around the world.  The group also won two team awards.

"This was one of the hardest competitions we have ever attended," says Finger Lakes Gymnastics owner Dean Altes.  "The gymnasts did a phenomenal job."

The Lansing Girls Basketball team defeated Odessa Montour 53-42 to win the IAC Championship at TC3 on Saturday night, finishing the regular season with a perfect 20-0 record. Jocelyn Ford scored 12 of her team high 19 points in the first quarter to give the Ladycats an early 17-8 lead, one they would not relinquish the rest of the contest.

In addition to her 19 points Ford had a team high 5 steals and 8 rebounds. Rachael Palladino added 11 points and Beth Lader chipped in with 10 points. Ellyn Grant-Keane contributed in a number of areas starting with her team high 10 rebounds and her team high 5 assists along with 4 steals, while Stephanie Gonyea had 5 points and MC Barrett added 4 points and 8 rebounds.

Last Saturday Lansing's varsity boys swim team ranked number 1 in Section IV Class C Finals at Watkins Glen with 460 points, nearly 100 points more than the next highest team in the class.  This was one week after the team earned first place in the IAC Championships in Elmira with 377 points, 199 points more than Dryden, which scored second.  That was the culmination of a shut-out season, the sixth year in a row that the Lansing Boys Swim Team has gone undefeated, totalling over 60 dual meets in a row.

Lansing Coach Brian Vaughan attributes the team's success to hard work.  "Overall one of their best strengths is their work ethic," he says.  "The fact that these guys are in the pool six days a week for three hours a day, they end up doing really well.  Guys from other teams don't work as hard, don't swim as many yards.  Their coaches don't expect as much from them, and because of that they don't do quite as well."

The Ithaca 19U Shooting Stars played four games last weekend as they prepare for sectional playoffs and the state finals of the NYSAHA 19U Tier 2 Tournament. The girls hockey team were on the road for games vs the Pawling 19Us (5-2 W), Brewster 16Us (1-2 L), and Troy Albany 16Us (2-1 W).  They hosted the Cornell women's club hockey team (4-4 T).

Against Pawling, Lauren Cole, Erin Grainger and Carrie Wilder scored unassisted.  Emily Eisenhut scored assisted by Cole, and Samantha Craig scored assisted by Emma Hassen. Cole scored the one goal vs. Brewster assisted by Katie Long. Long scored vs. Troy Albany assisted by Grainger, and Krystalyn Yonkin scored unassisted.  Sarah Eisenhut stopped 57 shots in these three games.

This past weekend the Lansing Girls went to Vestal to bowl in the Section IV State Qualifier and also for Kristi Sullivan to compete for a spot on the “All Section Team”.

I told the girls they had two jobs on this day one to bowl well and have fun but there second job was to push Kristi in her quest for the “All Section Team”. With seven girls and six games to bowl they started out well in the morning rolling a 2468 team series which was in the ball park for my girls. All I had told Kristi was that she needed to average 200+ and she started the morning out with a 229,228 and a 168 for a 625 series. After the morning session was done she was setting in sixth place and looking at the school teams ahead of us I told her all she needed to do was bowl in the afternoon.

The Lansing wrestling team enters it' s final two weeks of the 2008/2009 season with a degree of satisfaction,and optimism.

The team placed forth last weekend at the Class"C" sectional meet. Corey Dake, Kyle Dake,and Jon Glennon, each won their repective weight classes, while Sean Eastman, and Ryan Todd placed 2nd. Joe Jimenez,and John Oblinski ended up placing 3rd. This was Kyle's 5th class "C" title in his 6 years of varsity wrestling.

During the Feb. 14-15 weekend, the three Ithaca Shooting Stars girls hockey teams played local games including the 12U girls finishing in a 2-2 tie with the Cortland Flames Squirt Snowbelt youth team and winning 1-0 over the Canandaigua Knights 12Us. The 14Us lost a close one to the Binghamton Blizzard 16Us 3-4, and the 19Us defeated the Perinton Edge 16Us, 3-0.

The 12U Shooting Stars tie featured unassisted goals by Anastasia Lyon and Paige Johnson. Caitlin Whittaker had 25 saves. Maddy Kessy scored against Canandaigua assisted by Ellie Muckstadt and Paige Johnson. Whittaker had a shutout with 18 saves.

This past weekend the Lansing Bobcats Boys & Girls teams went to Mid Way Lanes in Vestal to participate in Sectionals. With 16 teams in the "Class C" division and six unknown teams from the southern end of Section IV competition was very competitive.

Friday the boys took to the lanes and as I've told them all year long pick the spares the strikes will come. Harry Herzog start us out on the right track with a 243 game and provided the early excitement as he totaled 568 for the day. Tyler Mix rolls a 213 game to start and finishes with 573 and Matt Tucci provides help with a 537, the most consistent roller of the day was Tim Carlson with games of 198, 209 & 194 for a 601 series. Tyler Engles comes off the practice lanes to roll a fine 231 in his final game for Lansing as the boys finish 5th just 10 pins out of 4th, but any ways you look it was a great ending to this season and we have a great future to look forward to for the next few years.

Lansing bowlers will complete in the Section IV State Qualifier at Vestal's Midway Lanes this Saturday.  Last week the Lansing girls won second place in the Sectional matches.  They had their skill and commitment to draw from, as well as over 25 years of coaching experience from Head Coach Doug Volbrecht.

Volbrecht has been coaching Lansing High School bowling since before there was a varsity team.  When the Interscholastic Athletic Conference established bowling Volbrecht and Bill LaRock coached a club team that was accepted into the conference.  The second year then Athletic Director called Volbrecht to ask if he would coach again.

During the Feb. 7-8 weekend, the 12U, 14U and 19U Ithaca Shooting Stars girls hockey teams were active.  The 12Us defeated the Monroe County Eagles 12Us 3-1 and tied the New Hartford girls 1-1 while the 14Us tied an IYHA PeeWee Snowbelt team 7-7 and the 19Us had three losses against teams in the Capital Region.

Against Monroe, Paige Johnson scored two goals while Sacha Rady scored one. Johnson scored the single goal against New Hartford in a game when Ithaca outshot the opponent three to one.  Caitlin Whittaker made 28 saves in the two contests.