By CHRIS BROOKS, sports editor, wellsvillesports.com
Bolivar-Richburg’s Malayna Ayers scored final goal as B-R downed Wellsville in girls soccer, 4-2 on Saturday afternoon at Dunsmore-Latimer Field.
The Wolverines (4-3) were the first to strike almost immediately out of the gate in the opening half, as Cassidy Stives started a play from center with a terrific pass up to McKinlee Harris, who began an odd rush against the Lions defense with Madigan Harris, shifting a pass straight up to her for a breakaway goal three minutes after the kick at center.
Chances to add more fuel to the fire would come throughout the first half for the hosts in black and red. On three different rushes into the Wellsville (0-6-1) zone, all three shots put on goal would hit directly off the goal post and out of harm’s way. But soon after, the Lions would begin building up a mound of pressure to carry into the second half.
Jaden Dunbar had perhaps the best chance for the visitors in white and orange at that point, nearly capitalizing on a mishandle from Kyla Gayton right next to the Bolivar-Richburg goal, but the keeper was able to dive right back onto the ball to freeze play with 15 minutes removed from the clock.
Despite the added build-up of pressure from the Lions, the Wolverines were able to extend their lead to a pair a short time later with a backbreaker from Madigan Harris and her second tally of the game, punctuating a Malayna Ayers pass from the far end line across to the front, where she was able to corral the ball into the net.
But the Lions wouldn’t go down just yet, as their shutout-ending goal with 15 minutes remaining would start a wild strand of goals until the end of the game, as Madison Thompson was the first to cut down the deficit after digging the ball loose in front of the Bolivar-Richburg cage, taking it to the near post and into the netting behind Gayton.
Right after they found their way onto the board, the two-goal advantage was regained again by the Lady Wolverines and McKinlee Harris, who finished off a 2-on-1 rush into the Wellsville zone 51 seconds later alongside her sister, Madigan, seeing her initial shot stopped by Makenna Dunbar before it created just enough of a rebound to roof back over her head and into the goal.
After one goal in all of the first half’s 40 minutes, Wellsville would go on to make it four in a 15-minute span as they would find a way to cut down their deficit to a single tally one more time with Lauren Viglietta jarring the ball loose and poking it into the back of the net with under 10 minutes left to play.
With time favoring the Lady Wolverines and the pressure from the Lady Lions continuing to rise, the hosts would ultimately put the finishing touches on the victory with 2:22 left to play, as Ayers tucked away the game’s final goal on a second chance attempt after Madigan Harris’ initial shot created a hard rebound back out front of the Wellsville cage, sending it back in for the piece of insurance the team needed to seal up the win for good.
Bolivar-Richburg would go on to outshoot Wellsville by a 13-6 count, with Gayton earning the win behind four stops. Dunbar set aside nine shots on the other end for Wellsville.
Amy MacMichael Tourney: C-R captures title, Fri/Scio earns Consolation honors
SCIO — The annual Amy MacMichael tournament in Scio officially drew itself to a close on Saturday in Scio, as host Friendship/Scio and Franklinville opened up the festivities in the Consolation round, while Hammondsport and Cuba-Rushford duked it out under the lights later on to determine this year’s champion.
Up first in the Consolation round, it was highlighted by some quick tallies in the opening half that were garnered by the hosts. Both tallies stemming from a connection that Franklinville could not find a response for — Lexi Crossley and Nevaeh Ross, as both Friendship/Scio scorers interchanged on their goals in the opening half to create a 2-0 lead that they would never lose over the Lady Panthers to earn the win.
“The defense played solidly with the halfbacks and fullbacks. It was a midfield game, and we were able to win it from that. We had some great opportunities, especially early on, but we were fortunate to find the net when we did,” said Friendship/Scio co-coach Eric Weinman.
Crossley was the first to score for Friendship/Scio (2-3-1), taking a pass fed along by Ross just 10 minutes into the game and burying it home into the Franklinville cage to garner the lead. Another 10 minutes removed from the opening tally, the two Friendship/Scio scorers repaid the favor to one another again, as Ross found the back of the net herself off a pass from Crossley on the way in to branch out the team’s lead insurmountably to help the team hang on for the remainder of the game.
In all, Friendship/Scio outshot Franklinville by an 8-2 count, with Grace Drumm earning the two-save shutout in net.
To end the night — a battle for the Tournament’s crown, as Hammondsport and Cuba-Rushford then took center stage. Like the first game, the title game would end with the same score, favoring the Lady Rebels after they scored a goal in each half against the Lady Lakers to pick up the 2-0 win that was needed to capture the Amy MacMichael title to end the night.
“We struggled to finish up today, but we played really well defensively and we created a ton of chances,” said Lady Rebels coach Aaron Wight. “We did enough to win, so it’s hard to find something that we did wrong. I hope this gives us a nice confidence boost going into the new week. It feels great to get back in a rhythm of consistent games without any big breaks.”
To gain the 1-0 edge over the Lady Lakers at the half, Taylor Searle was rewarded after a run into the offensive zone, receiving the ball after a long ball off the foot of Fran Childs. Searle would then fire off a shot that found its way in at the midway mark to break the ice.
The advantage continued to hold until Cuba-Rushford netted an enormous piece of insurance past the midway mark from Sydney Howard, as she connected with Cloey Larabee and her pass into the Hammondsport zone to help put a bow on the championship-clinching victory.
The Lady Rebels outshot the Lady Lakers by a 20-3 count, with Tara Duvall making all three stops to secure the shutout.
FOOTBALL
8-Man: Bolivar-Richburg 34, Holley 0
HOLLEY — A long road trip bright and early in the morning for the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines was in store for Saturday, with their chance to rattle off three straight wins to begin their first campaign in 8-Man. Up next were the Holley Hawks — another foe also looking to improve towards a 3-0 start of their own.
Luckily for the Wolverines, all sorts of fiery foot trails resonated in their backfield. All from the legs of Ethan Coleman, who provided another rampant afternoon for the offense by scoring all five touchdowns — an answer that Holley could not find a response for all game, as Bolivar-Richburg galloped towards a 3-0 start by handing the Hawks their first defeat with a 34-0 shutout.
Coleman and the Wolverines (3-0) were able to come away with at least a score in every single quarter of play, beginning with a short-distance run to the end zone from six yards out to break the ice. With an 8-0 lead to build on, one more score came before the half, as Coleman gathered the loose ball after a high snap went deep into the backfield.
With possession deep into Holley territory, Coleman fielded the ball and ran it all the way back and then some, scoring his second touchdown of the game from 50 yards out to pick up a 14-point lead. The Wolverines continued all momentum with their last 20 points coming in the last two quarters — beginning with a 44-yard touchdown for Coleman’s third score, and then runs of 32 and seven yards to close it out in the fourth.
Altogether, the Wolverines tailback recorded 237 yards on 18 rushes. As for the offense as a whole, they gained 295 total yards of production. On defense, Coleman along with Caden Allen, Tavyn MacDonell and Zach Mitchell all recorded five tackles.
BOYS SOCCER
Fillmore 1, Allegany-Limestone 0
FILLMORE — It was last season’s turning point. A 4-0 loss to the hands of the Allegany-Limestone Gators was a loss that helped provide all the motivation in the world for the Eagles of Fillmore.
That would lead to a 17-game winning streak that would pave the road all the way back to Middletown for a shot at a State Championship in what was Jamie Mullen’s final season on the sidelines after nearly over three decades. To say it was a memorable campaign would be an understatement.
But with a new era of Fillmore soccer underway on the highest of notes, and with four straight wins in the wagon, the time to face the Gators once again came Saturday night. This time, to avenge the loss itself.
In one of the most stout defensive battles of the season, the goals came at an absolute rarity. But when one did cross the line into the goal, it was a big advantage to hold.
Fortunately enough for the Eagles, they were the ones that recorded said goal, as they broke the ice against the Gators a little past midway in the opening frame. It was a 1-0 lead that they would wind up holding down for the remainder of the game, resorting to their defense to keep Allegany-Limestone locked down tightly to grab the avenging shutout triumph on their home turf to remain unbeaten.
“It was a huge win for the program tonight. Allegany-Limestone is a perennial powerhouse, and they’re always well-coached and they play disciplined, systematic soccer,” said Eagles coach Jarrett Vosburg. “With that in mind, I am so proud of the boys for going out and battling for a gritty win. The defense was incredibly stout, and we played some excellent team defense. We had some quality chances in both halves, and had a bend-don’t-break mindset throughout the second half. It was an important win, and we know these are the kinds of games we have to grind out in order to compete in Sectionals.”
Fillmore (5-0) was able to create just enough of a sizable opening in the Allegany-Limestone defense through the intense midfield battle that raged on all game. With it came the lone goal scored by Layton Sanasith at the 19:42 mark, as he knocked home a second chance rebound after Mitch Ward provided the initial shot to put them on the board.
The goal was one of nine shots that the Eagles would produce. Allegany-Limestone would also have nine shots, but all of which were stopped by a stellar outing by Luke Colombo in goal to preserve his biggest shutout of the season.
Vosburg said that in last year’s matchup, the Gators had their number. But now, he considers it avenged.
“They had our number on our own field last year, and this is one tough place to play,” he said. “With as many guys as we have this year that have all returned, to say that we were motivated to come out and compete, and avenge that loss would be an understatement. They are a great program, so this type of team win where everyone on the field all contributed, is the type of win that gives our season a huge boost. It’s a great example of the old adage that when no one cares who gets the credit, the team can do great things.”
Wellsville 2, Cuba-Rushford 0
CUBA — 30 seconds was the favorite time for some goals to find the back of the net. Those were accounted for by the Lions of Wellsville, who battled alongside Cuba-Rushford through a first half midfield battle, opening the defense up in the second half with two big goals to put them ahead for good to earn the 2-0 road win over the Rebels, Saturday morning.
After the first half midfield battle reached its conclusion, it was one that the Lions (3-4) would garner a feasible amount of momentum to use in the very early stages of the second half when they would break the ice 30 seconds after the opening kick at center, as Ty Vogel kicked it off for the 1-0 lead.
The lead would hold all the way to the very end when a last minute piece of insurance from the leg of Cody Costello worked its way into the back of the Cuba-Rushford (3-5) goal — that being scored with 30 seconds remaining in the game, to officially lock up the victory for Wellsville at game’s end.
The two goals for the Lions came on 14 shots, while the Rebels were held to just four — all of which were stopped by Logan Dunbar in goal to record the shutout. On the other end, Adam Shaffer made 12 stops for the hosts, who play host to Houghton Academy on Monday at 5 p.m.
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