Things

 

are looking up for Horde football heading into the Stillwater game Friday night. At 4-0 Granville looks to knock off the single-win Warriors and go into the post season for the first time in a few years. 5-0, with a worst case scenario 5-2 season in the cloudy future.

Tests in the succeeding weeks will show where the team ranks in terms of the post season.

Schuylerville is always dangerous especially a winless squad. And then, on to Cambridge who, like the resurgent Horde, have yet to lose in 2009.

After that Granville will be seeded, but where is the question.

Maybe third behind Hoosick Falls and Cambridge who are blowing opponents out racking up what I have heard called “Newspaper scores” as in scores others see in the paper and say ‘Wow did that team get blown up!’

Granville’s scores are less gaudy, but witnesses might argue tell less about the team.

Do these teams call off the dogs at the end of the games?

Not sure.

Head coaches Aaron and Mario Torres are focused on getting some of their young players game experience with an eye to the future; younger players have gotten playing time in the last three contests which might not pay dividends now, but next year.

Granville has not been tested since week one. However, if the Corinth game was any kind of indicator the Horde should do all right. Corinth has gone on to beat some pretty good football teams after losing to Granville.

The final game of the regular season is one that holds a particular attraction for this reporter as I was standing there on an incredulous sideline as the men in black (and white) handed the game to Cambridge with an extra third down play. All rooting aside that was a bad call that really deflated a Horde team battling and beating the Indians on their home field. You could see the air come out of the team on that one.

Still, should be a great contest.

Posted by Matthew Rice at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

 

Unfortunately

 

it looks like the Granville boys soccer team has a ways to go against some of the better teams in the Wasaren League.

Cambridge came to town under the lights and committed felonious assault; 7-3 doesn’t really tell the story.

Cambridge seemed to score at will in the first half. Glass half full good news, their second string had to work pretty hard to score.

 

Not at all trying to be mean; I just think it paints a picture of a team a few years from competing – provided they can keep coaching stability and still keep kids coming out.

The Wasaren is a tough league in pretty much every sport so there isn’t much room to grow as a team while you compete in varsity contests.

It’s hard sometime to get kids to take the field for a program without banners in the rafters but kids are what this program needs – at all levels.

Kids at each level willing to put in the time.

Those guys from Cambridge didn’t learn no-look passes and drops like that this spring or this summer at a camp and certainly not at the end of the summer in the lead up to the regular season.

They learned it three years ago when playing modified or junior varsity; playing with the same guys who didn’t stop coming out because practice was too hard or the team didn’t win every last game.

The Granville team works hard and deserves credit for their performance even and sometimes especially in the games they don’t win for being out there doing it.

One look at the enrollment roster of the school shows that there are many, many kids sitting at home exercising their X-box thumbs – and their butts, but not their increasingly flabby arms and legs.

Plenty of people who were never star athletes come out for three sports each year.

They might not get a lot of glory or starting time, but they play and they get all of those good things that playing sports teaches (teamwork, working with others, etc).

What am I saying? Well, part of it is get out and play.

There is nothing wrong with being a senior bench warmer. People like that contribute too. It’s called role playing, being part of a team.

Quitting, when things don’t go your way or you’re not the star at the position you want is being tolerated more and more it seems.

There’s a life lesson in there somewhere.

How about doing the right thing and working hard are their own rewards?

Ummm…or…hmmm, I don’t know. I’m out of gas.

 

Here.

 

Your turn on the soapbox.

Posted by Matthew Rice at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looks like a few of the last blogs didn't get posted, forgot to hit 'publish'

To my readers readers readers readers readers - is there an echo in here? - I apologize for keeping these posting from you.

 

Ha

Posted by Matthew Rice at 05:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Football’s 2-0, girls soccer is .500, the field hockey team looks good and the golf team is in the thick of things for the Wasaren – quite a time to be a Horde sports fan.

 

On the field hockey field the team has two losses but both to quality teams, Warrensburg and Johnstown. They look to have that trademark Granville speed and no lack of goal scoring ability. The team is stopping the ball as well, with a tough defense in front of untested goalie Cassie Goodspeed. Goodspeed looked confident and capable when taking shots or handling the ball despite the great big pads she’s filling. Having not seen much of the rest of the league it’s hard to say how well this team can do – it’s early yet.

 

The golf team has fared well again this season, which is almost over already, dropping only a match with the unstoppable force that is the Ryder Cup team is disguise Stillwater and who else? I’m drawing a blank. Sectional play is well within the reach of this team which would be the second time in two years and two of three as Mark Valentine’s coaching tenure. Valentine will admit/ brag about how much hard work his guys, there are no girls on the team but could be it’s technically a co-ed sport, making much difference in a sport where all of the hard work is done well before the season starts. Remember these guys will hang up the spikes long before the snow flies after working in many cases for years to develop their game. Another thought, Miller might be their only senior in the starting five and there are about 10 guys on the team.

 

Girls soccer. Good for them. A tough as nails team that is living each game by the best defense is a good offense philosophy took one to Tamarac the other night. Granville got the margin down to a single goal before a fluke stretched it back to two goals at 3-1. One heck of a final if you think about it. This is a league power in the men’s and women’s game. Head coach Carol Scott said the team was fired up to give the Bengals all they could handle the next time they make the trip north. Oct. 2 is the game date in case anyone is keeping track or reading this at all.

 

No replies or responses that are legit in a very long time, mostly ads for ‘male enhancement’…how nice. It’s one thing when you can change the channel to avoid ‘Smilin’ Bob’ but that stuff just seems to be everywhere.

 

Football. The schedule seems to be Granville’s friend for a change with the only real test on the immediate horizon under the lights against Salem.

Hoosic Valley has been housed each of the first two weeks of the season and there is no reason to think it will be any different this week – other than the fact that the Granville coaching staff and players can ‘remember when…’

I don’t expect Granville to run it up like some of the other programs might. Salem could be a test, a smaller school without the depth of the Horde, this program is having a bit of a down period over the past couple of years and I honestly haven’t been paying close attention to them.

Stillwater kicks off October and all reports thus far say they should have kept the old field and gotten a new team. Roughed up each of the first two weeks the Warriors will experience the Trail of Tears when the Horde come to town. Rounding out the season will be the one-two punch of Schuylerville and Cambridge there is a not out of the question shot the Horde host the Black Horses at 5-0. No kidding. That is if this team can keep themselves humble and not buy into the hype (like what was just written here). The Terrible Torres twosome (or tandem, which one works better?) have that “1-0 each week” mentality. A team that maintains focus can do great things.

 

 

Posted by Matthew Rice at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

 

One tough cookie.

 

 

It was a shot you could hear; sounding something like a turkey being dropped on the kitchen floor.

Thud.

Granville forward Ashley Whittier took a karate-style kick to the chops along the sideline Tuesday during second half action against Greenwich. Whittier bent over to try to stop quick when a closing forward snapped a kick at the ball.

While unintentional, the kick was hard. For some reason the referee would not let coach Carol Scott onto the field to evaluate her player. Whittier was obviously injured – spitting blood like a prize fighter or ice hockey player – but was game to go on; she trotted back towards mid field.

Her stunned opponent looked at Scott and in an apologetic tone said “I kicked her right in the face,” as if appealing for her to get Whittier off the field. Finally Whittier was brought to the sideline, but the coach was never let on the field and was faced with drawing a card if she did so without permission.

Mystifying.

Whiter was a trooper and after just a few minutes on the bench to let her parents get a look at what was found to be a chipped tooth was back in the game and a key part in the pressure that led to the Emily Fuller game winner.

Posted by Matthew Rice at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

 

 

A few things occur to me after watching the Horde take out C-Town this weekend.

 

One, having a kicker in high school is deadly. Mr. Hahn, it’s too bad he’s not blond so we could call him Goldie (Hawn) Hahn but enough of that. If not for some first time out nerves Granville wins in regulation 7-6 or 9-6 or in overtime by the same score. This freshman’s got a nifty foot and it will begin to produce with a little game experience.

 

Two, there is no panic in this team. Corinth kids could be heard from the end zone squabbling a bit as Granville pushed them around in the fourth quarter and OT. Granville is business-like in their approach and I like. ‘Act like you been there’ someone once said and that just seems like another part of a team with a workmanlike attitude towards winning football games.

 

Three, watch out for this team when the line play solidifies. With better pass protection Jamie Hicks has weapons streaking down the field –pick you cliché  - I like ‘speed kills’ – other teams, that is. DJ Campbell was inches from two long touchdowns Saturday both balls that came painfully close to being caught. And he’s not the biggest or the fastest.

 

Other points of interest. Granville doesn’t seem to have taken any injuries out of the game. Although J.O. went down I’m pretty sure that was cramping.

 

Troubling sights.

Granville was getting beat on the line for part of the game Saturday. Fans of the Horde do not want to see this team try to come from behind each week. The Class C North has teams Granville will have to get out in front of and work hard to stay there the Schuylerville’s and Cambridge’s of the league. 

 

Boys soccer. I saw the score but did not see the game as the Horde racked up Poultney. Not sure what this means for the season as it was non-league against a school with a soccer tradition that is unknown to me.

It’s all breaking loose starting today, Sept. 8. So get out there and support the hometown kids even if you don’t think you like sports or you’re bored with the same old thing – try something new.

If you’re looking for a real challenge as a spectator try field hockey. Unless you’ve played it’s hard to figure out why they blow the whistles so much. With lots of action this is a sport that is fun and exciting even when you don’t quite know what’s going on.

With 8 varsity sports there is plenty to see, pretty much every day of the week.

 

 

Posted by Matthew Rice at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)