Genesee Sun

Geneseo Little League Baseball Off and Running

GENESEO — The Geneseo Little League Baseball program kicked off their 2012 season on a cool sunny day at Highland Park with over 300 kids participating this year.

The season concludes with a playoff at the end of the season and the two senior leagues battle for the Vic Raschi Trophy.

"The league offers players from York, Leicester, Mount Morris and Geneseo the opportunity to play baseball," said Pete Robinson a volunteer. "Little League Baseball is about communities coming together and having fun playing a great game."

Robinson also stated that Village employees donated time to help prepare the fields so that they are in their prime playing condition.

VIDEO: Geneseo Football Program Wins First Section V Title

ROCHESTER — Geneseo won it's first ever Section V Class D football title defeating Notre Dame of Batavia 52-42 at Sahlen's stadium.

"This was the most physical game I ever played in both teams hit really hard and I give them a lot of credit," said Jon Ridler, Geneseo's Senior RB. "This is the best feeling in the world."

Ridler had a huge game with 157 rushing ads and 2 TD's. Geneseo had 552 offensive yards in the game.

"When we needed the big plays our guys made them," said Tim Dolgos, Geneseo Head Coach. "It was a chess match, they would have big plays and then we had to game plan to stop them."

Geneseo's Xavier Copeland was the game MVP with 232 rushing yards, 145  passing yards and 5 TD's.
Geneseo (7-2) will now face Class DD winner Letchworth nest week at Sahlen's stadium.

BASEBALL: Geneseo falters before trip south

BATH – The Geneseo varsity baseball team fell to the Bath Rams 6-1 in the Blue Devils’ final game before the team heads to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for a set of spring-break scrimmages.

Geneseo’s (1-2) only run came in the fifth inning when junior Tony Belfiore plated fellow junior Devin Welch with an RBI knock. Belfiore finished the game with two hits to lead the Blue Devils, who could only muster 5 hits as a team in the loss.

Welch started the game on the mound, working his way in to, and out of, trouble several times over his four innings of work. He allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits while striking out and walking five batters a piece.

Junior Connor Ragan came out of the bullpen to pitch the final two innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out two.

Geneseo head coach Chuck Nesbitt said physical errors doomed his squad Tuesday afternoon.

“In any game, you can’t give teams more than three outs (per inning), especially Division I teams like Bath,” he said. “We have a ways to go, but we’ll get there.”

Despite the loss, Nesbitt said the team’s trip south will serve as a great measuring stick before their regular season resumes.

“We have six scrimmages in four days, so that will tell us a lot about our team,” he said. “Everybody is going to get a chance to pitch, and everybody is going to get a chance to play, so a lot of guys will get a lot of at-bats. Last year guys won starting roles in Myrtle Beach, so it may happen again. They kind of know it’s like a tryout again.”

VIDEO: Geneseo Defeats Dundee 64-14, Earns Berth in Title Game

ROCHESTER — The Geneseo Blue Devils have picked a fight with the Notre Dame of Batavia Fighting Irish in next weeks  Class D Section V final after soundly defeating Dundee 64-14.

The Blue Devils ran away with the game with a halftime score of 44-7. Geneseo was led by Sr. QB Xavier Copeland who had 3 rushing TD's in the first half. Copeland finished with 182 total yards rushing and Geneseo had 494 total yards on offense.

"We just got off the best week of practice all season," said Xavier Copeland. "Coach has been preaching from the beginning of the season that we have to finish and that's what we've got to do to win next week."

Geneseo had the better crowd support during the game thanks to the school providing a bus for transportation.

"The entire Coaching staff was helped tremendously in this win." said Tim Dolgos, Geneseo Head Coach. "We are going to come out and be ready next week for Notre Dame."


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BOYS BASKETBALL: Wheatland-Chili halts Geneseo's sectional run 67-64 in OT

VIDEO: Geneseo Defeats York to Claim Valley Bowl Title and Playoff Berth

YORK — Geneseo held on to defeat York 44-36 in the battle of the Valley Bowl, with the victory Geneseo now heads into the playoffs.

The back and forth battle came down to the fourth quarter where the Geneseo (5-2) defense held York (4-3) at midfield with 40 seconds left on a 4th and long play.

On offense Geneseo was led by Four year senior starting Quarterback Xavier Copeland who had 4 rushing TD's and 1 passing TD.

"I give all the credit to my teammates." said Copeland. "These guys did all the work tonight."

Copeland would scored the go ahead TD on a 9 yard run followed by a 2-point conversion from fellow senior Jon Riddler.

"As quarterback in the Valley Bowl I started with a win and I finished with a win," said Copeland, who's career record in Valley Bowl games is 2-2. "It means the world to win this game."

Geneseo had 452 total yards on the night, 352 of came on the running attack.

York senior Quarterback Tyler Shutts led York with 177 rushing yards including a late 4th quarter TD pass that temporarily gave York the lead.

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BOYS BASKEBALL: Geneseo Traps South Seneca With 88-61 Victory

GENESEO — The #5 Blue Devils’ class C3 sectional run got off to an explosive start Monday night as Geneseo (13-6) ripped #12 South Seneca 88-61 behind huge games from senior Wes Smith and sophomore Bryan Rollins.

Smith poured in 21 first-half points and finished with 24, and Rollins scored 21 points of his own. The duo also caused a ruckus on the defensive end by snatching nine combined steals. Sophomore point guard Mo Carlon dished out 13 assists and added five points and five steals, while junior Sam Lofquist and sophomore Elton Johnson both scored eight points.

South Seneca (3-16) stayed close in the first quarter, but the Blue Devils opened up a 46-32 halftime lead, and the advantage ballooned to 71-47 by the end of the third. Senior Kevin Close lead the Falcons with 12 points and five rebounds.

Geneseo head coach Brian Stout praised Smith’s first-half effort and his team’s ability to lock down on defense as the game progressed.

“Wes kept us alive in the first half with 21 points, but as a team we came together in second half on the defensive end.”
Geneseo’s win sets up a second-round road contest between the Blue Devils and Wheatland-Chili Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Stout said Monday’s game was a good test for his young team heading into Wheatland-Chili.

“Having a first-round game is good experience,” he said. “We had those jitters in the first half a little bit, and I think those will be gone now.”

Smith acknowledged the Blue Devils’ sloppy first-half defense but said he’s confident for Friday’s game.

“If we come out and make the shots we should, and make the passes we should, we can play with anyone in this tournament,” Smith said.

Geneseo D3 Little League Defeats Batavia for Crown

GENESEO — Geneseo defeated Batavia in the D3 11 – 12 year old Little League All Star Championship game at High Land Park on Saturday.

It was a hard fought game that came down to the wire but thanks to some heads up play by Brian Linton Geneseo emerged victorious.

“To be honest with you, I haven’t slept very well these last few nights,” said Geneseo Coach Chris Metcalf, “We are two wins away from the State Championship game.”

Metcalf started Parker Burnette on the mound vs. Bryce Roach and Batavia jumped on Burnette right off the bat, scoring 3 runs in the 1st inning. Geneseo notched a single run (3-1) early in the bottom of the 1st and had Roach on the run when KC Howe ripped a home run, and the 1st inning ended 3-3. Batavia scored twice in the 2nd inning making it a 5-3 game while the Geneseo bats fell silent.

In the top of the 3rd inning, Batavia looked like they were going to add to their lead when Geneseo catcher Mitchell Walton made a heads up play catching Batavia base runner Canty in a “pickle” between 2nd and 3rd base, and Walton made the throw to 2nd and that ½ an inning was history. Matt Robinson ripped into the baseball with the bases loaded for a double scoring 3 runs giving Geneseo the lead back at 6-5. Batavia swapped out Roach for Bryce Polito, and Polito closed out the end of 3 inning with out giving up a run.

Metcalf pulled Burnette at the start of the 4th inning sending in Jack Oakes as relief pitcher, and Oakes held Batavia scoreless until the 5th inning, when one of his pitches got by catcher Walton, allowing 1 run to score and tying everything up 6-6. Once again, the sweet sound of aluminum pinging off a fastball fell silent for Geneseo in the bottom of the 5th inning. Now it was the 6th and final regular inning of the D3 Championship game with the score all tied up at 6-6… 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd bases, and Metcalf went to the bull pen once again, Oakes was out and KC Howe was in.

Metcalf then has Howe intentionally walk Jake Hale loading up the bases with 1 out in the 6th and final inning. The last Batavia batter ripped a line drive up the middle that handled by the 2nd baseman Brian Linton who made the play and final out at 1st base.

Now, all Geneseo had to do was score a single run in the bottom of the 6th inning against arguably the 2nd best defensive baseball team in D3 which they did thanks to a clutch hit by Linton.

Geneseo plays again next Sunday in the Section 1 tournament.

In addition to coaches Metcalf, Robinson, Johnson and Bosch this years Geneseo D3 11 – 12 year old Little League All Star Championship Team is: KC Howe, Mitchell Walton, Jack Oakes, Travis Johnson, Brian Linton, Brody Metcalf, Sean LaGrou, Parker Burnette, Daniel Kaye, Sebastian Bosch, Matt Robinson and Jason Valentine.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Letchworth nips Geneseo 62-57

LETCHWORTH – The 11-5 Geneseo Blue Devils travelled to Letchworth for a huge pre-sectional matchup against the 12-3 Indians, and the home squad picked up a hard-fought 62-57 win.

Letchworth senior Ryan Owens exploded for 21 points and 14 rebounds, and with a made free throw in the third quarter, went over 1,000 career points. Junior Jake Remington added 15 points, and senior Jordan Andrews finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Indians’ (13-3) length and athleticism bothered Geneseo (11-6) all night, but hot shooting from beyond the three-point arc and a solid game from junior Sam Lofquist kept the Blue Devils in the game.

Sophomore guard Mo Carlon paced Geneseo with 18 points and five boards, and Lofquist finished with 13 points and eight rebounds down low. Senior Wes Smith also played well for the Blue Devils, scoring nine points and nabbing three steals.

Geneseo head coach Brian Stout said despite the loss, the matchup against a long, athletic Letchworth squad would help his team heading into sectionals. He added that the Blue Devils expect to get healthier in the coming days.

“We have a couple guys out right now, (sophomore) Elton Johnson and (junior) Will Kingston, and they’re a couple big players for us,” he said. “We’ll definitely get Elton back Wednesday, and hopefully we’ll get them both back and they can make an impact.”

Geneseo hosts Pavilion next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. to round out their regular season. Letchworth will welcome Caledonia-Mumford Friday at 7:30 p.m. before hosting LeRoy next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. to finish their regular season.

Geneseo D3 Little League All Star Team Stays Undefeated

GENESEO — The Geneseo D3 Little League All Star Team defeats Leroy 12-5 at Highland Park to remain undefeated (5-0) in regular season pool play.

Geneseo Pitcher Parker Burnette’s strong arm kept Leroy off the scoreboard for the first 3 innings, he was equally hot with the bat scoring the 1st run in the 1st inning, he drove in 2 runs in the 3rd inning with a triple, and then crossed the plate again making the score Geneseo 5 and Leroy 0.

Geneseo Coach Chris Metcalf replaced Burnette [1 walk / 0 hits / 6 K’s] with Jack Oakes after 3 solid innings, presumably saving Burnette’s arm for the huge game against Batavia this Saturday at 4 PM.

In the bottom of the 4th inning Leroy scored 1 run when they should have scored 2, but 1 runner failed to slide into home plate and was called out. In the 5th inning Geneseo got going again and added 2 more runs making it 7-1, but it was the 6th inning when Geneseo got red hot adding 5 more runs creating a 12-1 deficit for Leroy to try and overcome with their final at bats.

While Metcalf, the players and assistant coaches took today’s game seriously knowing they are the #1 seed no matter what happens… it is clear the District Title is their primary goal.

"We had a little trouble focusing early on today knowing we are playing a championship game this Saturday, and we also know we’ll need to play better against Batavia to win.” said Metcalf.

#1 Geneseo hosts #2 Batavia at Highland Park in Geneseo on Saturday at 4:00 PM for the D-3 Championship and the winner advances to play in Wellsville next week-end in the Sectional Tournament.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Geneseo Defeats Dansville 74-72

GENESEO — Wednesday was senior night for Geneseo, but the game against the visiting Dansville Mustangs belonged to sophomore Bryan Rollins from the tip.

Rollins poured in 26 points including four three-point buckets in the Blue Devils’ 74-72 win. Geneseo improved to 10-3 with the victory while Dansville fell to 5-8.

The game did not look like it would end in dramatic fashion, with Dansville exploding on an 11-0 run to start the game. The Blue Devils gathered themselves quickly, responding with a 26-7 run to close the opening quarter up 28-18. Geneseo dominated the second and third quarters behind Rollins monster night and took a 65-45 lead into the fourth period.

The Mustangs came out blazing in the final period, whittling Geneseo’s lead down to 4 with 6.9 seconds to go. The Blue Devils added a free throw to push the lead to five, and Dansville senior Mitch Lamerson hit a three at the buzzer to put the final margin at two in favor of Geneseo.

Geneseo head coach Brian Stout said his team played well, despite the near collapse.

“Our bench came up big; we play a lot of guys on a regular basis,” he said. “We made a nice run at them, and sophomore guard Bryan Rollins came up huge.”

Rollins wasn’t the only Blue Devil in the mix. Junior big man Sam Lofquist had 14 points and 5 boards and sophomore Mo Carlon added 10 points, five boards, four assists and four steals.

Stout said Geneseo’s decision making needs to improve so leads don’t erode away.

“We shot way too many threes, and we stopped the attacking pressure which got us the lead,” he said.

For Dansville, Lamerson finished with a game-high 30 points including six three balls, and fellow senior Geoff VanDunk played big on the block scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 boards. Seniors Steven MacDonald and Gio Mountzourous added 10 points and seven points, respectively while junior Danny Pierce chipped in with six points off the bench.

The Mustangs will host Hornell this Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Geneseo will travel to Nunda Friday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with Keshequa.

Geneseo Thunder Defeat Greece Bombers in USSA Baseball

YORK — The Geneseo Thunder, a baseball team made up of Geneseo area kids under the age of 17 playing in the Monroe County Baseball Region / USSSA league defeated the Greece Bombers at York Central High School on Thursday by a score of 11 to 8.

“We got off to a slow start and in the 3rd inning I told my guys to just get focused,” said Coach Bennett of the Thunder .

The Bombers were up 3-0 at the top of the 3rd inning with the bases loaded when Thunder 2nd baseman Patrick Dishaw barehanded a weak drive up the middle and had the presence of mind to tag the runner leading off 2nd base, literally turning a double play single handedly. Geneseo began to rally in the bottom of the 3rd inning when the Bombers replaced their ace on the mound with #12 Wiggins, who gave up 4 quick runs making it 3-4.

Coach Bennett swapped Pitchers Ben Kelly with Alex Yarton and Greece got hot in the 4th inning scoring 4 runs, including a sweet triple by Sean Taylor with the bases loaded bringing the score to 7-4 in favor of the visiting Bombers. Thunder answered with a 2nd rally, scoring 4 more runs in the bottom of the 4th and taking the lead back at 7-8. For some reason the Greece Coach lost control of his mouth at this point, and was ejected from the game by the home plate umpire.

In the 6th inning Yarton took a line shot straight up the middle to the kidney / rib area dropping him in his tracks. Yarton rose, shook off the 70 mph rabbit punch and other than allowing the tying run to score. Finished the game strong. Thunder added 3 more runs in the 6th inning and held off any more runs from the Bombers in the 7th inning ending the night victorious with an 11-8 triumph.

The Geneseo Thunder is currently 12-1 for this 16 game regular season. Playoffs for this 17 and under division will begin next Tuesday.

Check the [MCBR] / USSSA out here www.mcbaberuth.com for more information.

Geneseo Handles Avon in Boys Basketball

AVON – Geneseo was looking to improve their defensive game and they did just that with a hard fought 67-55 win Wednesday night against the Braves.

The game was very evenly matched thru the first half with Avon and Geneseo playing hard press defense making it difficult for both teams to get into a rhythm.

After halftime the Blue Devils came out and turned up the pressure and made it very hard for the Braves to get anything going in the paint by contesting and altering shots, which is what senior Kyle Betron said Geneseo stressed before the game.    

“We knew we had to step up after last week and continue to get tougher,” said Betron, who had a few eye opening blocks.  “I think we stepped up our play tonight and are starting to play well together as a team.”

Avon played fast and was also giving Geneseo their share of trouble with turnovers but luckily Coach Stout has no problem going to his bench.

“Avon gave us a little trouble with the ball then we put in Brian Rollins, who is a sophomore, and he had a huge fourth quarter,” said Geneseo Head Coach Brian Stout. “We’re a deep team this year so practice has been a battle,” he said.  “We have eight or nine starters.”

Leading all scorers was Brandon Fuentes , from Avon, who put up 18 points, while Geneseo was lead by Mo Carlton with 14 and Sam Lofquist with 12.

Geneseo will play next at home vs. Keshequa Friday 12/16 at 7:30 while the Braves will travel to Warsaw to take on the Tigers this Friday 12/16 at 7:30 PM.

VIDEO: Geneseo Little League Concludes With a Perfect Day

GENESEO — Nearly 300 Little League players participated in the Geneseo Rotary Vic Raschi Little League this year and the season's conclusion was a family affair at Highland Park.

The season that started on a rough note because of all the rain ended on a perfect one with a sunny day.

Bounce houses as well as food were there for all to enjoy as well as the presentation of the trophies.

The senior league trophy, named in honor of Vic Raschi a former major league pitcher that played for the Yankees, Cardinals and Athletics was presented to the Indians.

Raschi lived in Groveland until 1988 when he died at the age of 66.

"We had a tremendous year this year," said Sean Ledwith Little League President, "We had nearly 300 participants and despite the rain the kids had a lot of fun."

CLICK HERE FOR EXCLUSIVE VIDEO FROM LITTLE LEAGUE TROPHY CEREMONY

VIDEO: Geneseo's Historical Run Ends in Regionals

ROCHESTER — Letchworth dismantled Geneseo in the Section V class D Western Regional play-in game 56-6.

Letchworth has marched through the Sectionals dismantling Cal-Mum, Avon and now Geneseo. Letchworth has outscored their opponents 126-34 through the playoffs.

Despite the loss Geneseo had a historical season winning their 1st ever Section V football title.

Letchworth had 336 offensive yards in the first half.

Geneseo was led by Wes Smith who had a spectacular one-handed catch and Geneseo's lone first half TD on a pass from Xavier Copeland.

Letchworth will play the winner of Section VI  tournament at Sahlen's Stadium next week.

Wes Smith was the game MVP for Geneseo and Clifton Bacon won the award for Letchworth.

Geneseo Skewers Canisteo in Section V Playoffs 11-0

GENESEO — 2010 Livingston County Division III Champions, the Geneseo Blue Devils defeated the Canisteo – Greenwood Redskins 11-0 on a very hot Memorial Day.

"We got lucky when they made some bad plays, and of course if you can hold the other team to no run you can win a lot of those games, ” said Geneseo Head Coach Chuck Nesbitt.

Senior athlete and Pitcher Conor Herlihy was on the mound and throwing strong for the Blue Devils, but it was Geneseo’s Catcher and junior athlete Xavier Copeland who immediately took command in the 1st inning by picking off a Canisteo – Greenwood runner attempting to steal 2nd base.

“I felt good but it definitely wasn’t my best game,” said Herlihy “It was a good defense that won this game.”

Geneseo scored 3 runs in the 1st inning and “X” came up big defensively again in a later inning picking off a second Canisteo – Greenwood runner attempting to steal 3rd base this time. Canisteo – Greenwood couldn’t seem to catch a break offensively and struggled defensively executing plays.

The Blue Devils stayed hot scoring 2 runs in the 3rd inning off an over-throw to  1st base and then scored an addition 2 runs in the 4th inning. The final score was 11-0 as the Blue Devils scored a few security runs in the later innings.

“You boys did a good job of taking care of business today,” Nesbitt said as he congratulated his team, and laid the framework for tomorrows game.

The Blue Devils travel to Hornell today [Wednesday June 1st] to take on Bolivar – Richburg at 4:30 PM and will play again on Friday at a location yet to be determined, but Batavia and York Central School are rumored to be the neutral fields for this round of competition.

Thursday Knights to Mt. Morris LATS and SUNY Geneseo Launch Express Service

GENESEO − Livingston Area Transportation Service (LATS) and SUNY Geneseo launched the new Thursday Knights to Mt. Morris Express Service yesterday. The new service offers a direct route from Geneseo to the Mt. Morris downtown business district.

Thursday Knights to Mt. Morris Express Service is open to Geneseo students, faculty and staff and to the general public. Geneseo residents are encouraged to take advantage of the 15 minute trip to Mt. Morris to do a bit of shopping, dinner and live entertainment. 

Businesses in the Mt. Morris business district are staying open until 9:00pm and offering weekly specials.

Thursday Knights to Mt. Morris Express Service will run every Thursday through April 26, 2012. The first bus leaves MacVittie College Union at 6:00pm with runs every forty-five minutes. The last bus leaves Main and Lake Streets in Mt. Morris at 9:00pm.

Thursday Knights to Mt. Morris is subsidized by SUNY Geneseo and is open to the general public. One-way fare for ages 12-60 is $1.00; Senior Citizens over 60; persons with disabilities and children ages 6-12 pay $0.50.

For more information call LATS at 585.568.4690.