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Haldane Crowns 2 Champs, Put Valley falls Short
Blue Devils advance to State in football, volleyball
by Ray Gallagher
Heartbreak ran rampant for some the student athletes of Putnam Valley and Haldane High last week, but bliss was everywhere for a pair of Haldane teams. The Haldane volleyball team can now be linked to a dynasty after the Blue Devils secured a fifthstraight Section 1 Class D title, and the Haldane football team (3-5) will be representing Section 1 in the NYSPHSAA Class D tourney for the first time in seven years after staging a championship upset of defending state champion Tuckahoe last Sunday at Mahopac High.
Let's start with the dynasty. The Haldane volleyball team may be the best team in Section 1, regardless of classification. Put Coach Stanford's Blue Devils in Class AA, A, B or C; and I bet they still walk off with the plaque, which is a stunning statement for anyone to consider.
With seniors Megan Lyons, Jen Lombardo and Caitlin McConville hitting absolute bombs all over the floor, the Blue Devils trounced the Keio Academy en route to a threegame sweep (25-8, 25-17, 25- 7). The Blue Devils will play Candor, the Section 4 champion, at John Jay High School next Saturday. Play starts at 9:30am.
"Katie McConville continued her string of superlative matches as she led the team with 11 kills on 17 attacks," Coach Stanford said. "When our setter Rachel Flaherty wasn't feeding McConville, she was often going to senior Megan Lyons who continuously generated "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd with her thundering blasts from the outside as she racked up 10 kills on 19 attacks to go along with six aces. With the offense in high gear, senior co-captain Danielle Etta made sure the defense did its part in limiting Keio Academy to only six kills for the entire match."
The versatile McConville has been on a tear of late as she mixes up her attacks with a solid selection of hard hits and well placed off-speed tips and shots. McConville has also been very productive hitting out of the back row. Opponents can't decide to focus on McConville, though, as Lyons and Lombardo have averaged nearly 19 kills per match over the last five matches.
Expect more "oohs and aahs" this Saturday, and pack your bags for Glens Falls because I can't imagine anyone in Class D standing up to these Blue Devils before the weekend of Nov.17.
The Blue Devil football team will be in action later that same day, facing Section 9's Eldred in the Class D state quarterfinals at 4pm at Mahopac High School. Coach Tony Percacciolo's Blue Devils, with previous wins over Croton- Harmon and Blind Brook, shocked the section and broke a 6-6 tie with 8:25 left in the third quarter on a 44-yard run by Derek O'Dell for a 12-6 triumph. Haldane's win over the four-time defending champs from Tuckahoe signifies the Blue Devils' first trip to the state tournament since 2000, second time ever. Imagine what a kid like Mike Thorpe must have felt after being on the losing sideline for three straight years previously, only to go home a champion in this, his senior year. Section 9's Eldred awaits Saturday's play-date and a victory there would send the Blue Devils to Dietz Stadium to face the Fort Edward (Section 2)/ Ticonderoga (Section 7-10) winner. Eldred (7-2) is HM in the NYS rankings while Fort Edward (8-2) Ticonderoga (7- 2) are 13th and 14th, respectively. Eldred split a pair of games with Chester, which beat Haldane 34-21 three weeks ago. But none of those teams prepped for the Class D playoffs by accepting a challenge from defending Class C champion Dobbs Ferry.
Yeah, the Blue Devils are just two wins away from the Carrier Dome… imagine what Thorpe and his unranked Blue Devils would do there.
All was not well though in western Putnam as Putnam Valley came out on the losing end, as did the Haldane girl's soccer teams, each suffering gut-wrenching, one-goal setbacks.
For a fifth-straight year, thirdseeded Putnam Valley High and top-seeded Rye met for the Section 1 Class B Field Hockey Championship, and for the fourth time in five years Rye will represent Section 1 in the NYSPHSAA tournament after walking off with a 2-1 victory at Lakeland High School last Saturday. Rye's seventh title in the last nine years came courtesy of Alyssa Coughlan's penalty stroke with 11:13 left in the second half.
With the win, Rye improved to 18-2 and moved on to the regionals to face Section 9's Rondout Valley while the Tigers finished up another stellar campaign at 16-4.
The Tigers got the game even at 1-1 when Hannah Tavella scored a sweet back-handed goal with just over 12 minutes remaining in the second half off an assist from senior captain Brittany Kinsley, but before the Tigers finished celebrating Rye was back in the Putnam Valley circle, forcing the Tigers back on their heels and into a penalty stroke situation. Coughlan coolly stroked the ball stick-side high on Tiger keeper Jackie Gallagher, who never had a chance.
The Tigers were forced to play the game without injured starter Nicole Scott, the backbone of their defense, who was on crutches after a nagging injury became problematic for the gifted junior. Minus Scott, the Tigers were forced to shift players into unfamiliar positions, which kept them from brining their A-game. First-year Put Valley Coach Toniann Cortina and the Tigers found the game to be frustrating from an officiating standpoint as well.
I don't know what was more frustrating, the lack of adequate officiating or losing to Rye for the umpteenth time in a Section 1 championship game: Perhaps the latter.
Visit www.yourdirectrays.com to view Section 1 sports photo galleries.
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