Ron Moshier - Sports

Moshier: Boilermaker walk a must-do

2009-07-11T17:28:00.001-07:00

Another Boilermaker Weekend is off and running. The walk wasn’t bad, either.

On Saturday, my wife and I did the Boilermaker 3-mile walk in and around the Mason Care Community grounds for the first time, and we thoroughly enjoyed every step of the way. Not even a sudden downpour could put a damper on a good time for a good cause (The Ride for Missing Children).

We would encourage anyone to try it next year, if you haven’t already. It was money and time well spent, and a great way to be a part of the Boilermaker experience.

Moshier: Venus the classier sister act

2009-07-07T20:41:00.001-07:00

Serena Williams may have won her 11th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon with a straight-set victory over older sister Venus, and yes, she should be the No. 1 ranked woman in the word, not Dinara Safina.

When it comes to class actions, though, Serena isn’t the top-ranked player in her family. It’s not even close.

Making a mockery of the WTA rankings is one thing, but don’t pin the blame on Safina. It’s not her fault, it’s the system.

And do you think sister Venus would show up at an All England Club press conference wearing a pink t-shirt with the provocative phrase, “Are you looking at my titles?” stretched across her chest? No way.

Earlier in the tournament, while Serena was joking about the many differences between her and her sister, she laughed about being a fan of twitter, while Venus was learning to speak two or three languages. That should tell you something.

As good as she is on the court, the little sister still has a ways to go before she becomes the winner Venus has been for so many years.

Moshier: Hamilton gets title shot

2009-06-09T19:09:00.001-07:00

Hamilton Central’s baseball team hasn’t lost to another Class D team yet, and now, after knocking off state-ranked No. 1 South Kortright 4-2 in Tuesday’s Central Region final at Alliance Bank Stadium, the Emerald Knights are headed to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Final Four for the first time.

Hamilton (20-4) plays Far West Region champ Arkport (19-2) in a Class D state semifinal game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Union-Endicott High School’s Sylvester Field. The winner sticks around to play for the Class D state title at 4 p.m.

By the looks, the Emerald Knights have what it takes to win it all, most importantly two senior pitchers in lefty Jordan Doroshenko (8-2) and right-hander Tyler White (5-0), a very skilled catcher in junior Jack Sullivan, and a lineup capable of scoring enough runs to win two games Saturday and bring home the school’s first-ever state baseball championship.

Moshier: Shepardson a winner in defeat

2009-06-01T20:09:00.001-07:00

Little Falls pitcher Pat Shepardson was tagged with a loss he didn’t deserve, and his final high school baseball season abruptly ended with Monday’s 7-6 loss to Tully in the Section III Class C-1 final.

In gut-wrenching defeat, though, the Mounties’ senior should be commended for meeting two members of the local media head-on.

Shepardson did plenty for a 22-3 baseball team that won a Center State Conference Division I title and reached the Section III finals, but how he handled himself after such a devastating loss was even more impressive.

If only every high school athlete would follow his lead.

Moshier: New Hartford, Hamilton have title shotsl

2009-06-01T19:50:00.001-07:00

And then there were two, just two area high school baseball teams left with a shot at winning a Section III championship.

Tri Valley League East Division champ New Hartford (20-6) plays Mexico (18-7) for the Class A title at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Alliance Bank Stadium, with senior right-hander Pat Derrane (6-1) expected to start for coach Brian LaLonde’s Spartans.

On Wednesday, former New Hartford Spartan catcher Joe LePage takes his Hamilton Central Emerald Knights (18-4) to Alliance Bank Stadium, where they will play Copenhagen (14-4) for the Class D title at 4:30 p.m.

Section III champions advance to state regional play.

So far, this Section III tournament has featured two walk-off grand slams – by Fayetteville-Manlius against Rome Free Academy and by Christian Brothers Academy against Whitesboro – Oriskany’s 3-2, 11-inning win over New York Mills in a Class D quarterfinal, and Vernon-Verona-Sherrill’s stunning 12-0 win over TVL rival Oneida in Class A.

Now what? First, New Hartford will try to end its losing ways against Mexico (the Tigers have ended the Spartans’ season with playoff wins each of the last two years). New Hartford won the Class A title in 2005, and made it to the state Final Four before losing in the semifinals. Hamilton, meanwhile, will try to win its first Section III title since 1997.

Moshier: Shame on "King James"

2009-06-01T19:31:00.001-07:00

Shame on you, “King James.” You weren’t even a Prince after you and your Cleveland Cavaliers lost Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals to Orlando.

No win, so no handshakes, and no speaking to the media? C’mon, Lebron, you’re supposed to be better than that, aren’t you? You wear No. 23, don’t you? Do you think that other No. 23, would have acted that way?

No, Michael Jordan didn’t lose very often, but when he did, he remained a class act. When you finally decided to talk to the media, a day late, you said what you did – or didn’t do in this case – was “not being a poor sport.”

Oh no? Well, that was the message you sent. Face the music. Your teammates did. Why not you? When you did talk to the media, a day late, you called yourself “a winner.” Unfortunately, in defeat, you didn’t act like one.

You lost a game you’re getting paid millions of dollars to play, and then you lost some respect.

Moshier: Oriskany's baseball youth serving

2009-05-19T20:11:00.001-07:00

Yes, the future may be now for this Oriskany baseball team. With only two seniors on the roster, coach Tom Meiss and the Redskins could still earn a share of the Center State Conference’s Division III title.

That’s not all. Don’t be surprised if Oriskany, led by sophomore pitcher Mike Gaglianese and freshman pitcher and shortstop Mike Bunal make some postseason noise when the Section III Class D tournament begins next week. They are two of the most talented young players around, and a regular season spent knocking heads with Class C rivals Westmoreland and West Canada Valley and Class D Hamilton can only help the Redskins come playoff time.

For the same reason, Hamilton’s Emerald Knights, led by pitcher Jordan Doroshenko, could also contend for a Section III Class D title.

Center State Conference Division IV leader New York Mills, armed with 6-foot-4 sophomore lefty Jeff Albright, will also command respect in the Class D playoffs.

Section III tournament seeds and pairing will be announced Sunday.

Moshier: Talladega's "great show" not a great race

2009-04-27T20:19:00.001-07:00

Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner Brad Keselowski got it right when he called the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Speedway a “great show.” It was not, however, a great race.

Sure, 200 mph speeds, bumper-to-bumper start-to-finish action, and the anticipation of another “Big One” keep us glued to the edge of our seats for hours. But once again, as is the case with too many of these restrictor-plate races, the driver and/or car of the day didn’t win. Even worse, Sunday’s last-lap pass turned into a “Big One” that was scarier than most, for fans and drivers alike.

Hopefully, the last-lap crash that cost Carl Edwards the victory and injured several fans will force NASCAR to take a serious look at restrictor-plate racing and its pros and cons. The “show” doesn’t have to go on. Too many drivers believe it shouldn’t go on.

“Talladega is short for, ‘We’re going to crash, we just don’t know when,’” Ryan Newman told the Associated Press.

Edwards had his own take, and it wasn’t sour grapes (that’s not his style). “We’ll race like this until we kill somebody,” he said, “then (NASCAR) will change it.”

Let’s hope it never comes to that.

Moshier: CSC should consider restructure

2009-04-21T20:38:00.001-07:00

Section III’s decision to place the Utica and Rome City Schools in the Tri Valley League beginning with the 2009-10 school year for the majority of their athletic programs was the right move. There’s a lot more work to be done, though.

It’s time Section III takes it a giant step further and restructures the TVL and Center State Conference. Placing Class AA schools like Thomas R. Proctor High School and Rome Free Academy in the TVL was a good move for those two, but now the TVL’s two smallest schools, Clinton and Holland Patent, would be better off taking on somebody their own size, somebody like Adirondack, Sherburne-Earlville, Ilion, Mount Markham, or Sauquoit Valley, for instance.

A vote by all 104 Section III schools solved one problem, but it didn’t do Clinton and Holland Patent any favors. Restructuring the Center State Conference by school size and proximity, adding Holland Patent and Clinton to the fold, and changing the CSC from four divisions to three should be our next move. That wouldn’t be easy, but for most schools, it would be a change for the better.

Moshier: Giants need a receiver

2009-04-21T20:18:00.001-07:00

No more Plaxico Burress? No problem. Not if the New York Giants do the right thing.

With any luck, a replacement will be on the way soon, hopefully by the end of this weekend’s NFL draft.

The Giants need a receiver, and there are at least two (Braylon Edwards and Anquan Boldin) out there for the taking. The Arizona Cardinals may not be willing to hand over Boldin to an NFC rival capable of knocking them out of Super Bowl contention, and Edwards may go elsewhere.

If that’s the case, let’s hope the Giants trade up to get Texas Tech star Michael Crabtree in Saturday’s first round of the NFL draft. Whether it be Boldin, Edwards or Crabtree, all Big Blue needs is a big-time receiver to replace Burress and the Giants will be primed for another run at a Super Bowl title.

Moshier: Capponi RFA's new ace

2009-04-01T19:29:00.001-07:00

He quarterbacked Rome Free Academy’s football team in the fall. Now, the RFA baseball team will be relying heavily on Mark Capponi as a pitcher and shortstop.

Capponi, a senior who last year earned second-team all-star honors in the Central New York Counties League (CNYCL), looks to be the ace of RFA’s pitching staff this spring. The only returning letterman who threw over four innings last season, Capponi struck out 21 in 14.1 innings and was 3-0 with two saves and a 3.14 ERA. He also batted .324 with 12 RBIs.

Juniors Tim Abone, Mike Endres and Dante Mezza and sophomore Brandon Bertrand are some of the young and as yet unproven pitchers second-year head coach Mike Davis will call on this season.

Davis led RFA to a 15-8 record and a CNYCL National Division title last spring, but the Black Knights lost several key players to graduation, including first-team all-stars Garrett Baker, Kyle Richardson, and Rocco DeBlasiis. Baker pitched 58 innings and was 6-3 with a 2.02 ERA, Richardson batted .431 and was 4-2 with a 2.17 ERA, and another senior pitcher, Mike Stevens, was 2-3 with a 5.83 ERA.

“We’re going to have to do be more team-oriented this year,” Davis says. “We’ve got to play better defensively.”

C Zach Ciccotti, 2B Adam Davis, 3B Andy D’Amore and OF Ryan Cooke join Capponi as the only full-time starters returning this spring. Mezza, Kyle Conover and Trevor Brockway are the other lettermen back.

Speedy sophomore CF Tim Saccento will likely take Richardson’s spot at the top of the lineup. Davis also is high on Robbie Waller, a left-handed freshman pitcher.

Moshier: Proctor baseball reloads

2009-04-01T18:46:00.001-07:00

Don’t underestimate this Thomas R. Proctor High School baseball team. Don’t you dare, not after what the Raiders accomplished last season, in what looked to be a rebuilding year.

A year after winning its first state championship, a young and relatively unproven Proctor team proved itself with another amazing late-season run. The Raiders, seeded 10th in the Section III tournament, beat three teams they had lost to during the regular season, rallied from three one-run deficits in the Class AA final, and captured a second straight Section III title last season.

“We made some real young mistakes early last year,” says Proctor head coach Dave Guido, 396-119 in 22 seasons and four victories shy of career win No. 400. “We lost six one-run games and in five of them, we had the lead in the sixth inning. We just had a lot of young players and we were giving games away. But when we got into sectionals, that was when we were playing our best baseball.

“We turned it around and made every play count. It really was a great ride. Everything fell into place at the right time, and obviously, we climbed on Joey’s and Sean’s back and just rode them.”

Those two horses, Joe Perrotta and Sean Redmond, are both gone, but Guido believes he has a deep pitching staff that may surprise some more people this season. Steve Sarcone was 4-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 38 innings as a sophomore, and Ryan Donovan was 2-0. Guido also has high hopes for sophomore pitchers Tom Bernardis, Wendell Wright and Mike Lackey.

Donovan, last year’s team leader with a .394 batting average and 27 RBIs, will play third or first base when he is not pitching. He was a first-team league all-star last spring. So was Devin Warmack, a .308 hitter who stole 16 bases. He returns as Proctor’s starting center fielder and leadoff man.

Adam Dee, Vin Gaetano and Tom Reilly likely will split time in left and right field. Mike Scotellaro is at first base, Justin Hall at second, and Caesar Pujals at shortstop.

Mike Obernesser, a sophomore sensation Guido says “can flat-out play,” and senior Joe Priore will play catcher. Infielder Bruce Nichols is another returning letterman, and P-OF Ryan Alesandro, OFs Chris Evans and Frank Meola, and infielders Dan Priore, Frank Meola, Ryan Beck and Nick Raymer are first-year varsity players.

Proctor will play five nonleague games before the Raiders travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the 13th straight year to play in the Mango Bay Classic Tournament during spring break.

Moshier: No RFA-Whitesboro? What a shame!

2009-04-01T14:04:00.001-07:00

Section III’s 2009 high school football schedules are out, and conspicuous by its absence is the usual nonleague game between two of the area’s most storied and successful programs, Class AA Rome Free Academy and Class A neighbor Whitesboro.

It is traditionally one of the most intriguing matchups of the regular season, but now, RFA’s only game against another Mohawk Valley area team is the Black Knights’ Sept. 4 opener against Thomas R. Proctor High School’s Raiders at RFA Stadium.

Without RFA, Whitesboro is left with only two games against local teams, the usual Class A National Division matchups against New Hartford and Camden.

It may have been a nonleaguer, but the RFA-Whitesboro football game for years drew one of the largest crowds of the regular season. It most certainly will be missed.

Moshier: WCV star Suderley shines

2009-03-31T19:23:00.001-07:00

Let’s hear it for West Canada Valley junior Jared Suderley. In defeat, the 6-foot-4 swingman proved he belonged Tuesday night when he scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed six rebounds in the first round of the annual Zebra Classic all-star basketball tournament at Nottingham High School.

Playing against the likes of Jamesville-DeWitt senior Brandon Triche – Gatorade’s New York State Player of the Year -- Suderley shot 9-for-19 from the floor and made 9-of-9 free throws in a 92-81 loss.

Hamilton Central senior guard Derrick Cenicola had 11 points and six rebounds and Thomas R. Proctor High School sophomore Walkery Mills added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists for ITS.

Triche led AT&T with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Liverpool junior Jesse Gates had 21 points and eight rebounds.

The Zebra Classic continues Wednesday at Nottingham. A B&R Glass team of Tri Valley League all-stars plays Syracuse PBA at 7:45 tonight. Playing for B&R Glass are Mike Ryan and Junior Woodard of Whitesboro; Evan Croll and Adam Kemp of Vernon-Verona-Sherrill; Matt Petrone, Jerrell Hunter and Pat Moore of Notre Dame; Ryan Kramer and David Cieri of Oneida; and James Jarrett of Clinton.

The boys semifinals are Thursday at Onondaga Community College. Both the girls and boys championship games will be played Friday at OCC, and they will be televised by Time Warner Cable.

Moshier: Richfield Springs football not dead yet

2009-03-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

No, it wasn’t easy doing Wednesday night’s story about a Richfield Springs Central School football program that in recent years has been on life support. The news, though, could have been a lot worse. At least I didn’t have to write an obit.

For a guy who nearly 35 years ago was a proud, purple and gold captain of the Richfield Springs football team, writing about the program’s demise would have cut me to the core. I would hate to see football die at any high school. But this was my school, my alma mater, and if the program has to combine with Mohawk to keep giving student-athletes at RSCS the opportunity to play football, then so be it. That’s certainly better than no football.

I’m 52 years old, and now and then I still dream about playing high school football for Richfield Springs. That’s how much it meant to me. There’s no other team sport quite like football, the preseason workouts, the dreaded two-a-days in 90-degree heat, the practices, and the game days. It’s tough, but you’re all going through the same thing, every day. Now, nearly 35 years later, I feel the same way about running the Boilermaker. From the fastest to the slowest, we’re all in it together.

Richfield Springs may never field its very own football team again. I know that. That’s a shame. But I sincerely hope the student-athletes there, like me and my brother many years ago, will always have an opportunity to play the game if they so choose. Depriving a high school athlete of that opportunity, at any school, would be more than a shame. That would be the worst loss of all.

Moshier: Proctor remembers "Big-Shot Battle"

2009-03-24T20:34:00.001-07:00

Two years ago, after Utica’s Thomas R. Proctor High School had won a second straight Section III Class AA boys basketball championship, a Bishop Maginn senior point guard from Albany scored 34 points and the Raiders’ season ended with a 68-61 loss in the state quarterfinals.

That guard’s name was Talor Battle, he went on to finish his scholastic career with 2,161 career points, and Tuesday night, he helped lead his Penn State University team to next week’s NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

Battle, a Penn State sophomore, scored 13 points and had five assists as the Nittany Lions advanced with Tuesday’s 71-62 quarterfinal road win over top-seeded Florida. With Battle averaging 16.8 points per game, Penn State (25-11) has matched its single-season record for wins. He also was a first-team All-Big Ten selection who led the conference with 17.3 points per game and was second with 4.9 assists per game.

Two years ago, coach Norm Stamboly’s Proctor team came within a win of reaching the state Final Four championships in Glens Falls. It took a talent like Talor Battle to end the Raiders’ run. Two years later, what Battle is doing now shows what that Proctor team was up against.

Moshier: J-D's Red Rams roll on

2009-03-23T19:05:00.001-07:00

After his Jamesville-DeWitt boys basketball team had successfully defended its Class A state title with a 77-75 overtime win over Peekskill on Sunday, J-D coach Bob McKenney told the Glens Falls Post-Star what everybody back in Section III already knows.

“People are worried about when Brandon (Triche) leaves,” McKenney said. “But next year, when we turn the basketball team over to him, I’m thinking we’re going to be OK.”

“OK” would be understating it.

The “him” McKenney was referring to is junior guard Lamar Kearse, who Sunday scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, while at the same time playing some game-saving man-to-man defense on Peekskill’s talented point guard, DaQuan Brickhouse. And another J-D underclassman, 6-foot-8 freshman center Dajuan Coleman, had 18 points and 18 rebounds in the title game.

Syracuse University recruit Brandon Triche was still named Tournament MVP despite foul trouble and only 12 points – half his average – and another J-D senior, guard Alshwan Hymes, scored 21 points. The plays made by Kearse and Coleman, however, were the primary reasons why the Red Rams repeated, and their return next season means J-D will be more than “OK” in 2009-10.

During this championship weekend at the Glens Falls Civic Center, Jamesville-DeWitt (26-1) and Peekskill (24-2) were so good, either one of them probably would have won the Class AA final. Newburgh Free Academy (21-4) won that one, 62-42 over previously-undefeated and top-ranked Niagara Falls (24-1).

Section III’s Class AA champion, Christian Brothers Academy (21-5), lost to Niagara Falls 59-49 in the semifinals. Stefan Thompson led the Brothers with 18 points.

Another Section III champ, Onondaga (17-10), lost to Section II champ Maple Hill 77-51 in the Class C semifinals.

In Class D, the South Kortright team that ended Section III champ New York Mills’ season in the regionals capped a perfect 26-0 season in style. After disposing of Chateaugay 48-38 in the semifinals, the Rams got 15 points from Rashawn Herrington and edged Greenport 47-43 for their first state championship.

Greenport, from Long Island, had rallied for a 73-68, double-overtime victory over state-ranked No. 1 Maple Grove in Friday’s Class D semifinals. A year ago, Maple Grove ended West Canada Valley’s season in the semifinals and then captured the Class C state championship.

Moshier: Area hockey stars shine

2009-03-19T20:03:00.001-07:00

Think the Utica-Rome area isn’t a hockey hotbed? Think again.

The same week New Hartford High School’s Spartans win a Division II state championship, Whitesboro’s Andy Starczewski leads the Pembroke Lumber Kings to the semifinals of Canada’s Central Junior Hockey League and Utica’s Dominick Dawes coaches the Neumann College Knights to the NCAA Division III “Frozen Four” in Lake Placid.

Starczewski, who has accepted a scholarship offer from Army, was the leading scorer and Most Valuable Player of his junior league. Dawes, only 28 years old, is in his first season as Neumann’s head coach, and his Knights have won their last seven games, their last five by a single goal, en route to their first-ever appearance in the Frozen Four.

Starczewski helped Whitesboro High School win its only state championship before moving on to prep school. Dawes, who played at Thomas R. Proctor High School and a Vermont prep school, helped Norwich University win an NCAA Division III national title when he was a junior.

Like so many hockey players and coaches from this area, they’re winning ways have continued.

Moshier: Cavo's completes stellar career

2009-03-18T20:30:00.001-07:00

Former New Hartford High School star Amanda Cavo’s collegiate basketball career ended Wednesday night, when the Canisius senior guard scored a team-high 15 points in a 90-65 loss to Syracuse in a first-round WNIT game at the Carrier Dome.

In her four Division I seasons at Canisius, Cavo started and played in more women’s basketball games than any player ever had there. She also drained a school-record 267 three-pointers and scored over 1,300 points in her career.

We may not have heard the last of Amanda Cavo, though. Don’t be surprised if the 5-foot-9 shooting guard ends up playing professionally in Europe.

For now, though, the Greater Mohawk Valley area should be proud of one of its own. In defeat, she went out a winner.

Moshier: Utica Aud's time to shine

2009-02-17T20:21:00.001-08:00

This is it. Time for Utica, and the Utica Memorial Auditorium, to shine.

The Aud is hosting the Section III Wrestling Championships this Saturday and Sunday. The Section III girls basketball finals will be there soon. And the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s ice hockey championships will be held there for the 22nd straight year.

If all goes well, the Section III boys basketball finals, in need of a new home because Manley Field House no longer will be available, may return to the Aud next season. That would be quite a coup.

Here’s to hoping the price is right, and Section III is won over by what Utica and the Utica Memorial Auditorium can offer.

Moshier: Winning, not record, Knapp's priority

2009-02-03T20:18:00.001-08:00

Vernon-Verona-Sherrill coach Al Knapp says the record he’s on the verge of setting is a “distraction” to his basketball team. “But it is not an excuse.”

Knapp wasn’t using it as an excuse Tuesday night, when Whitesboro’s Warriors denied him career win No. 521 with a 47-44 Tri Valley League victory over the visiting Red Devils.

Instead, he was praising the play of Whitesboro senior guard Junior Woodard, and crediting the Warriors for “surviving” and making the plays when they had to.

The record for wins by a Section III boys basketball coach, the one he currently shares with former Oswego coach Dave Powers, eventually will be his alone. That didn’t make losing any easier Tuesday night, not with his Red Devils’ chances of winning a TVL West Division title withering away.

“It bothers me that we lost,” said Knapp. “It bothers me that we might drop out of a No. 2 seed for sectionals. It bothers me that we’re not breathing down Oneida’s neck.”

Maybe not, but the record will soon be his, and his alone.

Moshier: Defense wins another champoinship

2009-02-02T20:31:00.001-08:00

In Sunday night’s most entertaining fourth quarter, it was Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes who combined to spoil what would have been the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. What should be regarded as the greatest defensive play in Super Bowl history, though, is what really led the Steelers to their last-minute, 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Holmes’ remarkable grab in the corner of the end zone, in bounds by just the tip of his toes, may have been the game-winner. But the play of the game, the best defensive play made in any Super Bowl, was made by Steelers’ linebacker James Harrison. His 100-yard interception return for a touchdown on the final play of the first half was as good as it gets.

That’s two Super Bowl Bests in the last two years. Eli Manning’s escape and David Tyree’s catch in the New York Giants’ upset of the previously-unbeaten New England Patriots last year is the best offensive play made in any Super Bowl. From a defensive point of view, Harrison’s play Sunday should be just as highly regarded.

As good as Big Ben was when he needed to be, and as great as Holmes’ game-winning catch was with 35 seconds left, it was defense that won another championship.

Moshier: More magic from Kramer

2009-01-30T20:55:00.001-08:00

As a football quarterback, Ryan Kramer came close to leading Oneida’s Indians to a state championship. Now, the senior is trying to help his basketball team win a Tri Valley League West Division title.

Friday’s dramatic, 68-67 win at Notre Dame High School certainly was a giant step in that direction. The Indians bolted to an 18-4 lead, fell behind by five points early in the fourth quarter, and then rode Kramer’s heroics to a last-second victory.

In the last 61 seconds, Kramer scored Oneida’s last seven points, including a 3-pointer from NBA range, a twisting layup under extreme duress, and a 19-footer with two Notre Dame defenders draped all over him that beat the buzzer and the state-ranked Jugglers.

It was another dazzling display of Kramer’s willingness, and ability to make something happen in the heat of the moment. He did it on the football field and he’s doing it on the basketball court, helping the Indians maintain a one-game lead over Vernon-Verona-Sherrill in the TVL West.

On the same night VVS coach Al Knapp won his 520th game, tying him for the all-time Section III record, Kramer finished with 23 points and led Oneida to a victory that prevented VVS from tying the Indians for the TVL West lead. Notre Dame’s loss, meanwhile, helped Whitesboro take a half-game lead over the Jugglers in the TVL East.

Moshier: Economy gives Proctor, RFA hope

2009-01-23T21:20:00.001-08:00

This time, the timing may be right for Thomas R. Proctor High School and Rome Free Academy.

The area’s two largest high schools have applied for acceptance into the Tri Valley League, with hopes of playing several sports at the varsity level. Enrollment figures still won’t help their cause, but the economy certainly will.

That’s the difference between now, and 13 years ago, the last time Proctor tried to convince Tri Valley League officials that it belonged. The cost of traveling to and from sporting events concerns more than Proctor and RFA these days. Considering the state of the union, not to mention state budget cuts, it’s something superintendents from the eight Tri Valley League schools will have to consider.

Despite their size advantage, the chances of Proctor and RFA joining the Tri Valley League in some capacity are better than ever (still not great, but better). In this economic climate, dollars and cents may trump winning and losing.

Moshier: Young Proctor team's up, and coming

2009-01-21T20:18:00.001-08:00

Thomas R. Proctor High School’s young boys basketball team may be a work in progress, but it looks as if the Raiders are making progress.

Sure, they committed 30 turnovers in Tuesday’s Central New York Counties League game against Corcoran, but the first-place Cougars had 33 turnovers of their own. And, when push came to shove, it was Proctor that prevailed, 57-53 in an overtime nailbiter at the Michael J. Arcuri Athletic Complex.

Longtime Proctor head coach Norm Stamboly admits, “you don’t know from game to game” what you’re going to get, but for the second time in as many weeks his Raiders handed a division-leading CNYCL team its first league loss (they won at Liverpool last week).

Stamboly started three sophomores against Corcoran, and another sophomore who played for last year’s unbeaten freshmen team, 6-foot-3 forward T’Andre Richardson, was most impressive off the bench. He scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Junior Rahmel Brown added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore Walkery Mills had 10 points and eight rebounds for Proctor.

At 4-3, it will be difficult for the Raiders (7-7 overall) to claim a fourth consecutive league title. Still, there appears to be no Class AA powerhouse in all of Section III this season, so don’t be surprised if this young, up-and-coming Proctor team makes some noise come playoff time.