hilly
02-23-2008, 09:56 PM
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5742/tfbbannerob5.jpg
OUT OF BOUNDS
With Brian Hillabush
One and done
If the Attica boys basketball team was ever going to win a sectional title, this was the year.
Derek Wolfley is one of the best players to ever play in the Genesee Region League and he had a decent supporting cast. The loss to Freddie Thomas in the quarterfinals of the Class BB tournament is further proof that it’s time for a change.
Attica has excellent coaches and has had a ton of success in the regular season in many sports over the years. But we live in a sporting world that puts the focus on winning Section 5 championships and taking that shot at winning a state title.
I love the GR and it really is a huge honor to win the league title, but that’s not what people remember. Attica is “that school”. Attica is known as the school that can’t get it done when it counts and it really is a shame.
I cover a lot of schools and this is something I have felt strongly about for years and I’ve finally had enough. I don’t understand why the school district, the athletes and the parents haven’t had enough.
Denny Leyden is a great person, great coach and a legend, but I think I’ve had the conversation with him about not winning sectionals in football and baseball about a million times.
Jeff Cusmano has done a great job with the football program since taking over for Leyden, but how many sectional wins does he have?
Dan West has the best Division I basketball team almost every year, but the program has just one sectional win in 25 years. Not one sectional championship, one sectional game win.
It’s time that the “big sports” take a look at what one of the “fringe sports” is doing in Attica.
Eric Romesser’s wrestling program won sectional titles in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2008. As good as the GR is in wrestling, that program has won because of its non-league schedule.
Every time I talk to Romesser about the wrestling season, he’s going on and on about the major tournaments they are competing in.
That’s what the basketball, football and baseball programs need to do. Big competition is a must or Attica will always be that school that does well in the regular season and loses in the opening round of sectionals.
Basketball is fresh in everybody’s mind, so we’ll start with that.
Attica gets to play non-league games like all teams and scheduled Wayland-Cohocton, Canisteo-Greenwood, Letchworth and Penn Yan this year.
Those are not bad teams, but they aren’t exactly Class A schools. The non-league games should be tougher.
Attica should be playing Batavia every year in every sport. The only school in the area that is bigger than Attica is Batavia, and a loss against Batavia’s quality Class A basketball program is better than a win against a Class C school.
Attica has been in the Lions Club Christmas Tournament in the past and should be begging to be in that more often. It is the premier tournament in the area and battling Batavia, Notre Dame and another solid program like Perry would be a big help.
The football program deals with the same problems the basketball program does.
It’s great to win a GR title, but losing in the first round of the playoffs all the time isn’t good.
I would suggest going independent for football.
Batavia is doing it this year so I know it can be done, and the possibilities for games with big schools are way better than what they are right now. With Holley coming back into the league, Attica can’t schedule any non-league games.
An independent schedule would be huge for the Attica program. The Blue Devils could set something up where there would be games against Batavia, Livonia, Brockport ... and other big schools.
Attica has exactly zero sectional titles in baseball as well.
Leyden is one of the best baseball minds I have ever met, but his teams get into the playoffs and lose because they are playing the smaller schools in the regular season.
GR baseball is very good, with Oakfield-Alabama and Notre Dame fielding strong teams every year, but apparently Class B schools are even better.
Attica should not be in any baseball tournament with schools smaller than Class B.
Attica is a school that has a proud athletic tradition, including many Genesee Region League titles. Those championships are nice, but the way things are currently being done are making it impossible to win the big prize.
It’s time for a change.
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7360/img0483ns1.jpg
Elba fans rule
The Wolfpack and O-A Crazies have been very good all year and are the “gold standard” on this site.
But the best performance by a group of fans has to go to the Sherwood Shakers in Thursday’s girls basketball game between Elba and Notre Dame.
These kids won the battle against a very good group of Notre Dame fans and did everything a great cheering section would do.
Notre Dame has the Rusty kid that does backflips and such, but Elba had kids with no ability rolling around on the ground mocking him. That’s classic.
The chants were loud and the kids put forth a great effort.
I don’t get to a lot of events held in Elba because a lot of the administration doesn’t like me after I backed Joe Zambito, but I have to say the fans are still awesome in Elba.
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6552/img1137ws2.jpg
OUT OF BOUNDS
With Brian Hillabush
One and done
If the Attica boys basketball team was ever going to win a sectional title, this was the year.
Derek Wolfley is one of the best players to ever play in the Genesee Region League and he had a decent supporting cast. The loss to Freddie Thomas in the quarterfinals of the Class BB tournament is further proof that it’s time for a change.
Attica has excellent coaches and has had a ton of success in the regular season in many sports over the years. But we live in a sporting world that puts the focus on winning Section 5 championships and taking that shot at winning a state title.
I love the GR and it really is a huge honor to win the league title, but that’s not what people remember. Attica is “that school”. Attica is known as the school that can’t get it done when it counts and it really is a shame.
I cover a lot of schools and this is something I have felt strongly about for years and I’ve finally had enough. I don’t understand why the school district, the athletes and the parents haven’t had enough.
Denny Leyden is a great person, great coach and a legend, but I think I’ve had the conversation with him about not winning sectionals in football and baseball about a million times.
Jeff Cusmano has done a great job with the football program since taking over for Leyden, but how many sectional wins does he have?
Dan West has the best Division I basketball team almost every year, but the program has just one sectional win in 25 years. Not one sectional championship, one sectional game win.
It’s time that the “big sports” take a look at what one of the “fringe sports” is doing in Attica.
Eric Romesser’s wrestling program won sectional titles in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2008. As good as the GR is in wrestling, that program has won because of its non-league schedule.
Every time I talk to Romesser about the wrestling season, he’s going on and on about the major tournaments they are competing in.
That’s what the basketball, football and baseball programs need to do. Big competition is a must or Attica will always be that school that does well in the regular season and loses in the opening round of sectionals.
Basketball is fresh in everybody’s mind, so we’ll start with that.
Attica gets to play non-league games like all teams and scheduled Wayland-Cohocton, Canisteo-Greenwood, Letchworth and Penn Yan this year.
Those are not bad teams, but they aren’t exactly Class A schools. The non-league games should be tougher.
Attica should be playing Batavia every year in every sport. The only school in the area that is bigger than Attica is Batavia, and a loss against Batavia’s quality Class A basketball program is better than a win against a Class C school.
Attica has been in the Lions Club Christmas Tournament in the past and should be begging to be in that more often. It is the premier tournament in the area and battling Batavia, Notre Dame and another solid program like Perry would be a big help.
The football program deals with the same problems the basketball program does.
It’s great to win a GR title, but losing in the first round of the playoffs all the time isn’t good.
I would suggest going independent for football.
Batavia is doing it this year so I know it can be done, and the possibilities for games with big schools are way better than what they are right now. With Holley coming back into the league, Attica can’t schedule any non-league games.
An independent schedule would be huge for the Attica program. The Blue Devils could set something up where there would be games against Batavia, Livonia, Brockport ... and other big schools.
Attica has exactly zero sectional titles in baseball as well.
Leyden is one of the best baseball minds I have ever met, but his teams get into the playoffs and lose because they are playing the smaller schools in the regular season.
GR baseball is very good, with Oakfield-Alabama and Notre Dame fielding strong teams every year, but apparently Class B schools are even better.
Attica should not be in any baseball tournament with schools smaller than Class B.
Attica is a school that has a proud athletic tradition, including many Genesee Region League titles. Those championships are nice, but the way things are currently being done are making it impossible to win the big prize.
It’s time for a change.
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7360/img0483ns1.jpg
Elba fans rule
The Wolfpack and O-A Crazies have been very good all year and are the “gold standard” on this site.
But the best performance by a group of fans has to go to the Sherwood Shakers in Thursday’s girls basketball game between Elba and Notre Dame.
These kids won the battle against a very good group of Notre Dame fans and did everything a great cheering section would do.
Notre Dame has the Rusty kid that does backflips and such, but Elba had kids with no ability rolling around on the ground mocking him. That’s classic.
The chants were loud and the kids put forth a great effort.
I don’t get to a lot of events held in Elba because a lot of the administration doesn’t like me after I backed Joe Zambito, but I have to say the fans are still awesome in Elba.
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6552/img1137ws2.jpg