After reverting to some bad habits in their 15-point loss to Ellenville in the MHAL basketball final last week, the New Paltz boys got it together quickly and routed Red Hook 71-55 in the Class A semifinal, before routing Minisink Valley (Friday, March 1 at Mount St. Mary’s) 58-44 in the final to defend their Section 9 title. It was a first for the Huguenots and the first team to repeat in Class A since Red Hook in 2010-2011.
Highland’s three-time Section 9 Division 2 champion Matt Malheiro had himself quite the State wrestling meet this past weekend. The senior, wrestling at 132 pounds after winning titles two years running at 138, advanced to the semifinal round on Saturday with victories on Friday over Malachi Porter of Eagle Academy (8-1) in the Round of 16 and 1-0 over Mike O’Brien of Mount Sinai in the quarterfinals.
It was a big day for the New Paltz boys this past Saturday, not only with Leo Kuyl running away with the 50 and 100 freestyle races, but also winning the 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle relays. All in all, the Huguenots are sending five swimmers to States.
The Saugerties High School varsity baseball team has a long history of excellence, but no team has ever bettered the run by the 1985 squad, which won the state championship. Robert Dodig, Jr., who will be enshrined in the Saugerties Sports Hall of Fame Club this April, was a key player on that team.
For most mammals, “hibernation” refers to a period of inactivity, even dormancy, designed to conserve energy during cold, snowy weather. But for cross-country skiers, that’s precisely the best time to come out of hiding and get active.
Axel Rodriguez needed just three points to reach 1,000 career points. He did that in the game’s opening minute on Friday night, hitting a three-pointer from the side of the key that put him in with that very select group of New Paltz boys that have hit the 1,000 mark: Charlie Davis (1982), Tom Morales (1991) and Matt Petruzzelli (2008), but even more hit for a career-high 29 in his face-off with Saugerties’ freshman phenom Dior Johnson as homestanding New Paltz nipped the Sawyers 57-55 in overtime, clinching the MHAL’s Division 1 title.
Forget about all the blathering by the likes of Dick Vitale about what geniuses the two coaches are who happen to be directing the fortunes of the teams he happens to be working. Really, whatever the game, whoever the coaches, Vitale’s over-the-top positive platitudes are monkey-business as usual.
The early-season struggles faced by the Saugerties High School girls’ varsity basketball appear to have been left behind, as the team’s hot streak continued through a cold January.
It was inevitable that Bri Rozzi — the youngest of the fabled Highland basketball sisters — barring injury, would break the school career-scoring record of 1,615 set by Lisa Pritzlaff in 2001.
Johnson could help turn around the 2-5 team.