Section 3 Girls Soccer Athletes of the Year

Alert: we have co-athletes of the year at the small school level. Too tough to choose at this juncture. Here goes.

LARGE SCHOOL – Jessica Holmes (Jamesville-Dewitt)

She may not have the sort of standout numbers that you’ll be seeing with our small-school athletes, but her impact on a team that made it to the Class A state championship game is unquestioned. J-D had a strong team – good players at every position so one person must do great things to stand out. Once it hit sectional/regional time, Jess did just that: turned her game up to the next level. She scored 15 goals on the season – 7 of them in sectional/regional play, over half of J-D’s total goals in that timeframe (12). She had a pair in their quarterfinal game against New Hartford, the one to break the scoreless tie in the 2nd half and the one to make it 3-0 and really put it away. She scored both in their 2-1 W over Camden, the A semifinal. She put through the lone goal in their A final over Whitesboro on a scramble off a corner. She didn’t just stop at sectionals – put one through in their 2-1 comeback W over Massena in the regional final, and scored the lone goal in their state semifinal victory over Brighton. Get the trend? She made big plays when it counted. Jamesville-Dewitt had some bigtime players all over the field – but at the pair of games I was at, she separated herself. She had a motor that didn’t stop. I made the remark to another media member at a game that she was acting as J-D’s Energizer bunny. She made every run, even if it was far-fetched for her to catch up to it, and it put pressure on defenders to make quicker decisions. She has a relentless game, a gas tank that seems to always be on F, and a whole lot of skill to go with it; and the coaches at the next level notice this. She was an early commit to North Carolina to play soccer (yes, the UNC, my college team for life), but the NCAA (or as I call it, Nazis Controlling Amateur Athletics) is doing their boundary overstepping and their program is under a little fire with accusations of violations. Maybe they shook the hand of a recruit or something, I don’t know. Other schools are hot on her trail with offers in hand though, including (I believe this was her mother who told me this one) Vanderbilt, among others. Wherever she ends up, she’s bound to succeed with the rare combination of skill, relentlessness, and work ethic that she possesses. We wish you the best of luck at the next level, Jess, and congrats on the MVT Large-School Girls Soccer Athlete of the Year!

 

SMALL SCHOOL – Erin O’Connor (Remsen)/Mikayla Blumenstock (Poland)

Crazy that the CSC IV was so damn good that both of our recipients come from the same league. Small school was a little tougher – there are people who aren’t getting this that would most years. Class B was stacked, Elisa Marchione was Elisa Marchione, Bailey Rutan continued with a strong season in an illustrious career at Cincy. However, two people really stood up from the pack: I call them The Present and The Future. We’ll start with Erin. If you don’t know about her accomplishments yet, stop hanging out with Patrick Star and get out from under that rock. All she did was have one of the most productive seasons offensively that New York State has ever seen. If I remember correctly, 58 goals on the season, which, when the NYSPHSAA updates their record books, will tie her for 4th all-time for most goals in a season. She finished her nearly unprecedented high school career with 180 goals, which puts her at 6th on the career goal list, and 3rd in Section 3 history. We already posted something about this (check Erin O’Connor and the Battering Rams on Jeff’s Jabs), but a quick brief: everybody around her on the list has either played Division 1 soccer, professional soccer, or both. Not bad company. The team, ranked #1 in the state in D for an extended period of time, was upset (damn near shockingly) by Cincy in the D semis, but that doesn’t take away from the sort of numbers Erin had. Hell, if she had a hat trick, the first thought in my head was that’s it? That shows how ridiculous your numbers are if that’s my thought. So Erin, best of luck wherever you’re headed next year and we’re sure you’ll excel there as well!

Onto Mikayla. She’s the future in my head, but she showed she’s the present as well with what she did this year, especially in the postseason. She was an absolute terror to defenses for the Class D state champion Poland Tornadoes, and her speed and skill sent teams packing. Like J-D, Poland had a team. I still think Paige Sullivan is one of the most underrated players in the section, and I saw about half of the teams in the section this year and all of the good ones. Tara Seigle could put the ball in the back of the net, as she showed by scoring twice in the state final, including the OT goal (off a Blumenstock assist). Mikayla was just able to make a big name for herself and command attention with her performance in the win-or-go-home stages. She had 39 goals and several assists over the course of this season, her freshman year. Serious. She had a hat trick in the D quarterfinal game against Sackets Harbor, a hat trick in the D final, a 5-3 W over upstart Cincy, and a hat trick in their 4-1 regional victory over Franklin. She had a goal in each game in Cortland, a 2-1 semifinal victory over Jasper-Troupsburg and a 3-2 OT W over Chateaugay in the final. She also assisted both Tara Seigle goals in that state final. I personally watched Poland play twice this year – in the middle of the regular season, in a 6-1 beatdown that they took from Remsen, and then the 4-1 beatdown they gave Franklin in the regional final. Two totally different teams, and I think a whole lot of that had to do with the evolution of Mikayla Blumenstock. I left Remsen thinking two things: first, this game was closer than what the score indicates, but Remsen is better, and second, Paige Sullivan is their best player, no question. When MVT hit Fulton for the game against Franklin, an entirely different Poland team, a team with a fast, skilled, confident Blumenstock spearheading the offense, was on display. A couple of her goals were her speed doing the trick and one move doing the rest – beat everyone to the ball or up the field and had a 1 on 1 with a strong Franklin GK that was stepping out, and shook her to get the goal. The other goal was incredible – watched her dance and dribble her way through 5 Franklin players like they were parking cones in dribbling drills and put a strike past the keeper. One of the most skilled goals I’ve seen this year. And just to think… she’s a freshman (clap clap clap-clap-clap). With her, Sullivan (a junior), and Seigle (also a junior) back next year… look out, world.

Congrats to both Erin O’Connor and Mikayla Blumenstock, Section 3 MVT Girls Soccer Small School Co-Athletes of the Year!

Section 3 Football Athletes of the Year

Finally here, let the debate begin. A lot of players had big-time seasons, but we’ve narrowed it to a large school and small school athlete. This is about who was the most valuable piece to their team – not necessarily the best player on the best team. Here goes!

LARGE SCHOOL – Tyler Rouse (Baldwinsville)

Hopefully there wasn’t much debate here. The kid put up more numbers in 10 football games this season than most athletes do in 3 year varsity careers. He was the heart and soul of this team on the field in every aspect. He ran the ball harder than anyone else this year, and he came back defensively and hit the other team’s running backs as hard as other teams wish they could’ve hit him. He had a ridiculous amount of hype built up over the first 8 games – MVT had the pleasure of being at the last 2, and all we can say is: believe the hype. He finished up one nice gain away from a 3,000 yard season, with 2,977 yards on 331 carries. He ran for 45 TDs (and a 46th TD on a punt return), 15 of those rushing TDs at least 50 yard scampers, and 2 more of them were 49 yard runs. He led the Bees to the AA final when honestly, he wasn’t just the focal point of their offense; he was their offense. He averaged over 10 yards per carry in 5 of the 10 games played, the greatest being slightly over 14 yards per carry, a 26 rush, 366 yard performance against RFA. By the way, he was out for the 3rd quarter that game… at the hospital getting stitches. Came back and continued to go nuts. His season high rushing was 2 weeks after that against Liverpool, a 54-29 W in which he accounted for 7 TDs, 3 of them over 50 yard runs, and 388 yards on 38 carries. When sectionals came around, he didn’t slow down. During the 3 games, he rushed for games of 262, 274, and 209, with 12 TDs between the 3 games. As a testament of how good Rouse was, that game of 209 yards and 3 TDs? The consensus was that CBA contained him. Dude still ran for over 200 yards. I’d like to be good enough that people feel I’ve been contained if I “only” rush for 209. Also liked his attitude. Got to spend both of those games on the Bville sideline, and in general, the team wears their emotions on their sleeve. If they’re happy, you know it. If they’re not, cover your ears. Rouse had a very even-keel, focused demeanor. Didn’t ride the highs, didn’t ride the lows. Kept playing every down like it was his last, but didn’t really show frustration. I appreciated watching that, personally. Although the sectional title in AA eluded them with a 35-24 L to CBA, Rouse definitely proved his worth and then some, and for that, he is the Section 3 MVT Large School Football Athlete of the Year.

 

SMALL SCHOOL – Conor Herr (Skaneateles)

There were a number of kids who put up big numbers in our small-school level, but again, we feel that this one was pretty easy to call. Skaneateles was coming off of a major scandal, really unprecedented when it comes to public high school sports in New York, and that’s coming from journalists who have been in the hunt longer than I’ve been alive. This team could have just folded under the scrutiny, but they turned around with a new coach and new guys at basically every skill position, and they won their 1st sectional title. QB Conor Herr was the spearhead of the movement, and he had the numbers to match. In 11 games, he went 188/321, slightly under 59% completion percentage, and 2,778 yards in the air. He also ran for 588 yards, bringing his total beyond Rouse’s number: 3,366 on the season. He threw for 40 scores and ran for a half dozen more. Herr put up big numbers when it counted – especially the C-1 and overall C finals. Against Bishop Ludden, a team that gave Skaneateles a scare in the 1st game of the season, Herr was efficient. It was one of only two games that he attempted less than 20 passes, and also one of only two games (same other game) that he threw for less than 200 yards. However, now let’s get to the actual numbers. He went 13/19, threw for 183 and 3 TDs, and ran for 111 yards and 2 TDs. He accounted for everything but the XPs and a field goal in their win. He followed that up with even more all-purpose yards in the overall C final against Herkimer, throwing for 289 and rushing for 52 (341 total). He went 17 for 31, shaking off a dry spell for a long portion of the 1st half after their early outburst. He threw for all 5 TDs, including 4 to favorite target Jake Cooney, in their 33-16 W. He threw for over 300 yards 4 times, highest number being a 327 yard game at the beginning of the season against Ludden, and he also rushed for over 100 yards a pair of times, highest being 126 in the regular season finale. Herr is a very strong thrower, but drop a lot back into coverage, and he’s not afraid to run for big yards until you respect that. The true dual threat that he brings led us to proclaim that he was an all-around better football player than last year’s QB, highly touted Troy Green. They ended up taking a 28-21 L to a tough Chenango Forks in regionals, but that doesn’t take away from what the squad at Skaneateles was able to accomplish this season. Congrats to Conor Herr, Section 3 MVT Small-School Football Athlete of the Year.

Section 3 Athletes of the Week – 10/22 to 10/28

Time for our MVT Athletes of the Week. We don’t do it like others. We cover such a large base (2 sections, which means over 200 schools), it wouldn’t be fair to just one athlete. Therefore, the wealth will be spread. We select an athlete for Large School Football (Class AA-B), Small School Football (Class C-D), Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, and Field Hockey. This is Section 3 – check back for Section 2. Here goes!

Large School Football – Don’t really think there’s a whole lot of debate. This kid has been an absolute powerhouse, a man among boys. He’s created buzz through the section, the state – hell, the country, and he finds his way onto our Athlete of the Week stage. This, of course, would be Tyler Rouse, all-everything RB at Baldwinsville. Every team they’ve played has known exactly where the ball is going to go at least 80% of the time, but they haven’t been able to stop him – coming into this week, he was leading the nation in TDs – but let’s talk about this week. Dude went crazier than Chappelle once he got his money. I had him with 35 carries and 274 yards with 4 TDs in a 38-36 thriller over Fayetteville-Manlius. It wasn’t the amount of yardage he had that got to me, or even the amount of TDs. It was the times and situations that he broke those free, what his big plays did for his team on the sidelines, and what they did to the opposing sidelines (spent time on both sidelines, got a pretty nice sample set). His first touch was the first score of the game. He got to the left, juked the jock srap off an F-M defender, and proceeded to blow 75 yards into the end zone, which we call the Rouse House because he lives there. On the first play from scrimmage in the 2nd half, he took one 54 yards to the house to extend the Bees lead to 28-9. Right after F-M scored to bring it back down to 2 possessions a few minutes later, Tyler made the play of the day. It looked like he was going to be stood up for a short gain at one point, but he somehow broke free from that, got through/around someone else, and before you know it, he’s running back home with no one stopping him, that one a 51 yarder. That was his 4th TD of the game, 3rd of 50 yards or longer. When The Roadrunner ran in the 54 yarder, words could not describe the lull that hit the F-M sideline. Granted, they came back and made it more than just interesting, but with the 54 and 51 yard runs within 7 minutes of each other, it seemed to take the wind right out of people’s sails for a little while. The Baldwinsville bench, on the other hand, was the most animated sideline I’ve been on all year… without the Rouse runs. Very emotional group that tends to wear their hearts on their sleeves, which means it’s a hell of a rollercoaster ride over there when things are going both good and bad. Through the game, Tyler was the one kid who I really thought remained level-headed. His emotions never got too high or too low when he was on the side (which was rare, only kickoffs – one of their few 2-way guys). He had an almost eerie calm about him, almost like he didn’t care what was thrown at him & the team, he’d be able to throw a stronger counter. Between the 274 on the ground and a couple bigtime breakthroughs in the backfield, it looks like he always could throw that counter. Looking forward to the AA final at the Carrier Dome Saturday, pitting Rouse, his insane numbers, and his Baldwinsville squad against CBA and their insane defense. Should be worth the price of admission!!

Small School Football – Full credit to Rob Drumm for swaying  this one, because there were multiple candidates. Zack Green from Westmoreland had a big night, running for 2 TDs and kicking 3 FGs as their squad relished in the rare underdog role, smacking the #1 seed West Canada Valley, previously ranked #5 in the state. Conor Herr had his usual big night for Skaneateles, throwing 3 TD passes and running for 2 TDs as they beat Bishop Ludden 38-19 in the C1 final. However, a kid closer to home for us had some kind of a night this weekend, and condsidering the circumstances, we feel he is deserving of an Athlete of the Week. This one goes to Herkimer QB Austin Mills. Mills has been fighting off an ankle injury the past few weeks, but he showed no ill-effects from it Saturday night. And when feature RB Matt Borek went down for the game after he took a helmet to the knee well after the whistle blew (who already had 51 yds and a TD off 5 carries by mid-2nd), Mills took over. I had him finishing the game with 284 total yards, throwing 9/12 with 159 yards and 2 TDs, and rushing for 125 yards on 25 carries and a TD. On the 2nd play of a Herkimer drive right after Lowville tied the game up at 7, Mills threw a bomb to a wide open WR Zach Steele while rolling out to his right. It was a 58 yard TD, and the ball carried about that far in the air. His other TD was another one to Steele on a 4th and 8, where he rolled right again and threw it across his body to the left, falling into Steele’s hands in the end zone. He made big plays when they needed to be made, and was a big reason why Herkimer held the ball for nearly 30 of the 48 minutes, and were able to run off 20 more plays than the opposition. With this year being his first at the QB spot, he’s had to learn and grow constantly. He’s continued to get stronger as the season went on, culminating in what we feel was his strongest performance of the season in a game to bring the 2nd straight banner to Herkimer. Another one worth the price of admission directly before the AA game on Saturday, can’t wait to see Herkimer back at the Dome playing the game that was supposed to be played last year against Skaneateles! Should be a lot of fireworks in that one.

Boys Soccer – This kid has been the man all year, and he’s led his boys, seeded #6 in Class C sectionals, to the C semifinals. Our boys soccer athlete of the week goes to Mt. Markham striker Tyler Plows. Plows has been a dominant force throughout the season, and this week was no different. He scored both goals in their 2-1 W over #11 seed WCV, who came in as a formidable enough #11, since they actually won the CSC II title. They turned around, went up to #3 Lowville, and won another extra time game 3-2. Plows scored 2 of their 3 goals in this one too. It’s tough enough to score a pair in sectionals when everyone knows you’re the man – it’s even tougher to do it when you’re in a game with a different board of officials. Utica and Watertown board refs really like to screw teams from the other side over. Plows was able to break Mt. Markham’s single-season scoring record this week, and he’s still going. They have a formidable opponent next in #2 Fabius-Pompey, but they already beat the #3. And when you have Plows, who knows?

Read more about Tyler Plows HERE

Girls Soccer – We went against the mold on this one. For this week, a kid who was on a team with a lower seed that led their team to 2 wins over the week took precedence over a higher seeded team with 1 win. The only girls soccer team in Section III who took home 2 wins this week was Westhill, a hell of a #5 seed at 14-3-1. They won in a 1-0 game in OT, and a 0-0 draw that was won via penalty shootout. Westhill GK Samantha Peebles and the entire Westhill defense put up a stiff fight here, so we’ll give them all honorable mention. However, we need to choose just one athlete of the week, and this week’s one (Drumm helped sway this one as well) belongs to WCV striker Alexis Fauvelle. WCV came into sectionals 14-2 and the #2 seed in C2. They started off with a hell of a challenge, playing an Onondaga team that was much better than their #7 seed indicated, coming from an OHSL league much stronger than what CSC II has to offer. Alexis had 2 goals and was the reason for the opportunity given on the other one. With Onondaga holding a 1-0 lead very early in the 2nd half, Fauvelle tied the game up off an Andrea Christensen groundball cross. She actually kinda whiffed on the first attempt but kept running through and finally was able to bury it home when an Onondaga defender tried to clear it and went back to her. With Onondaga holding a 2-1 lead at around the 13 minute mark, Fauvelle outran everyone for a cross that wasn’t connected on, including the ‘Daga GK Sam Annable, who left the goal. Lex cut it back to get a better angle, and Annable went down to try and pounce on the ball, putting a nice shoulder into Fauvelle’s back in the process. WCV was awarded a penalty kick due to Fauvelle’s work and taking the hit, and Kalli Warmingham put it through to tie it up with 12:55 left. Warmingham put a cross through that took a high bounce a few minutes later, and Fauvelle put through goal #2 with a header, and that proved to be the game-winner at the 8:13 mark. It wasn’t just the 2 goals. It was in the situations that the 2 goals were scored (getting the 1st equalizer and then the game-winner), and it was the goal-scoring opportunities she provided, including the aforementioned PK. They’ve got a fun one in the C2 semifinals whenever Sandy goes back to Bikini Bottom against MPH, a team I’ve watched once and they’re… good. Best of luck to Alexis Fauvelle and WCV!

Field Hockey – There were also a number of people that could be given this. Hell, there were multiple people we could give this to on the same team. Lots of theatrics in sectionals this week, between penalty stroke shootouts, sudden-death OT goals, late drama, you name it, we had it. There were a few teams though that won 2 games this week. 2 of them didn’t allow a goal in either game. However, 1 of those teams had a less dramatic 4-0 W, while the other team took home a pair of 1-0 wins. I could give it to Carly Dziekan, do-it-all Marauder who I saw bang home the winner against Mt. Markham last week after taking what looked like a nasty spill, and she put home the lone goal again this week against Mohawk. However, I feel like this is a very underrated team on the defensive end. Watched them with their backs pinned against the wall in Mt. Markham for 16-17 straight minutes without giving up a goal – testament to the D and who they have between the pipes. She made some big-time saves in that game, and she made a couple big-time saves against Mohawk when a Mohican had room and slapped a solid one on goal, including when they were preserving that 1-0 lead late. Therefore, our athlete of the week goes to New York Mills GK Amanda Maciol. Getting shutouts in sectionals isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. Doing it twice in a row, including against Weedsport, and getting to the D final by not allowing a goal is clutch. Maciol was credited with 5 saves against Mohawk and 4 against Weedsport. She does a good job of stopping shots, and she does a good job of getting the ball the hell out of a dangerous area when she stops them. I watched NYM get a couple opportunities in open space off a Maciol kick away from goal. They have a formidable, well-rounded team. However, to have that successful team, you need a rock protecting the metal, and they have their Rock of Gibraltar in Maciol. Da Mills gets Morrisville in the D final (the other team that hasn’t allowed a goal!) Saturday at C-NS. All bets are off in that one. Best of luck to Maciol, all of the MVT followers in the Mills (best support out of any single team period), and NYM as a whole!