It’s that time of
the year again. The best part of the fall sports season is starting up
soon, as this Wednesday Section IV will announce the brackets for
sectional and IAC playoffs for boys’ and girls’ soccer. In this
tournament, a lot of teams will have something big to prove.
To me, no school
has more to prove than the Dryden girls’ soccer team, who wrapped up
their regular season Monday night by beating Lansing 1-0 and clinching a
perfect 14-0 in the regular season.
If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past
year about high school sports, it’s that coaches typically downplay how
good they are. Last week, I did a feature story on the team and while
doing the article, head coach Janine Bennett, as well as her star player
and daughter Taylor, made me believe that a sectional title was further
out of reach than their record indicated.
Janine told me that with many of their players not playing year round meant that it would be difficult to hang with some of the talented B schools who do.
That may be true, but I’m not going to be fooled. The Lions may not be the most talented group in the section, but that team, which is mostly made up of freshmen and sophomores had a perfect season, beating very tough schools like Waverly and Lansing (twice). What’s most impressive is that they are doing this by limited the talented Taylor Bennett, who D1 bound already as a junior. Taylor is playing defense for the Lions, and leading the team in scoring, when she could probably be on the other end of the field scoring twice as many goals.
The reasons for her limitation this season is a smart one for her coach, and it makes the depth of this team all the more impressive. Don’t let the two Bennett girls fool you: I think this team is going to really make some noise in the sectional tournament, and quite possibly, in the state tournament as well.
The crazy thing too is that after this year, we very well may see a repeat performance from the Lions, who will only be one senior short in 2015. These girls have to know they are in the middle of something special, but that shouldn’t stop them from going all out and making this year the Year of the Lady Lions.
Tarbell Is Awesome
Last weekend at Trumansburg was a pretty cool night to witness. Homecoming is always a special time at high schools because watching any sport with a packed house of supporters makes that experience 10 times better.
Factor in football and for me, it’s a can’t miss event. I’ve looked forward to getting to schools’ Homecoming celebrations each week.
Trumansburg did things differently and it was just as great. Going 2-0 on the evening was the cherry on top, but the sundae was the brand new Tarbell Stadium - the million dollar athletic complex that officially opened its gates Friday afternoon.
It looks fantastic. The bleachers are high and long, the field is pristine, and the track is made of perfect surface - a great mix of soft, yet sturdy ground for running. I thought most things about the evening were really top notch. In one night, Trumansburg fans saw the first win on the field, the first official race on the track, and the first win under the lights. The night wasn’t without it’s blips - the lighting issue definitely needs to be looked into - but it was a terrific night to celebrate the community of Trumansburg and their athletic program. Football was a distant memory for one night, and it worked out just fine.
I’ll really be looking forward to the modified football game coming up soon where they will honor the senior players in a game at Tarbell. Hopefully the community will get their first football win at Tarbell soon.
It was a stadium years in the making, but it was worth the wait. A first class facility indeed.
Lansing Stays Undefeated
Besides Dryden girls, Lansing boys’ soccer is another team that remains undefeated this season.
The Bobcats had an impressive 4-0 over Trumansburg Wednesday to win their season series 2-0. As we all know, Lansing has not lost a regular season game since they got beat by Trumansburg a year ago.
In another case of coaches undestimating their team to me, Heck was unsure at the start of the season just how good his team would be. Well, right now, they have a better record than the team that finished second in the state last year. If that’s any indication, I think this group is just a good as that team.
Also like Dryden girls’, this team is incredibly young and also made up of a good number of freshmen and sophomores. This team is not going away anytime soon, and IAC teams will be dreading seeing Dryden girls’ and Lansing boys’ on the schedule for a long time.
In any case, with two elite teams in the IAC, we are certainly shaping up for what should be an excellent sectional playoff tournament.
Janine told me that with many of their players not playing year round meant that it would be difficult to hang with some of the talented B schools who do.
That may be true, but I’m not going to be fooled. The Lions may not be the most talented group in the section, but that team, which is mostly made up of freshmen and sophomores had a perfect season, beating very tough schools like Waverly and Lansing (twice). What’s most impressive is that they are doing this by limited the talented Taylor Bennett, who D1 bound already as a junior. Taylor is playing defense for the Lions, and leading the team in scoring, when she could probably be on the other end of the field scoring twice as many goals.
The reasons for her limitation this season is a smart one for her coach, and it makes the depth of this team all the more impressive. Don’t let the two Bennett girls fool you: I think this team is going to really make some noise in the sectional tournament, and quite possibly, in the state tournament as well.
The crazy thing too is that after this year, we very well may see a repeat performance from the Lions, who will only be one senior short in 2015. These girls have to know they are in the middle of something special, but that shouldn’t stop them from going all out and making this year the Year of the Lady Lions.
Tarbell Is Awesome
Last weekend at Trumansburg was a pretty cool night to witness. Homecoming is always a special time at high schools because watching any sport with a packed house of supporters makes that experience 10 times better.
Factor in football and for me, it’s a can’t miss event. I’ve looked forward to getting to schools’ Homecoming celebrations each week.
Trumansburg did things differently and it was just as great. Going 2-0 on the evening was the cherry on top, but the sundae was the brand new Tarbell Stadium - the million dollar athletic complex that officially opened its gates Friday afternoon.
It looks fantastic. The bleachers are high and long, the field is pristine, and the track is made of perfect surface - a great mix of soft, yet sturdy ground for running. I thought most things about the evening were really top notch. In one night, Trumansburg fans saw the first win on the field, the first official race on the track, and the first win under the lights. The night wasn’t without it’s blips - the lighting issue definitely needs to be looked into - but it was a terrific night to celebrate the community of Trumansburg and their athletic program. Football was a distant memory for one night, and it worked out just fine.
I’ll really be looking forward to the modified football game coming up soon where they will honor the senior players in a game at Tarbell. Hopefully the community will get their first football win at Tarbell soon.
It was a stadium years in the making, but it was worth the wait. A first class facility indeed.
Lansing Stays Undefeated
Besides Dryden girls, Lansing boys’ soccer is another team that remains undefeated this season.
The Bobcats had an impressive 4-0 over Trumansburg Wednesday to win their season series 2-0. As we all know, Lansing has not lost a regular season game since they got beat by Trumansburg a year ago.
In another case of coaches undestimating their team to me, Heck was unsure at the start of the season just how good his team would be. Well, right now, they have a better record than the team that finished second in the state last year. If that’s any indication, I think this group is just a good as that team.
Also like Dryden girls’, this team is incredibly young and also made up of a good number of freshmen and sophomores. This team is not going away anytime soon, and IAC teams will be dreading seeing Dryden girls’ and Lansing boys’ on the schedule for a long time.
In any case, with two elite teams in the IAC, we are certainly shaping up for what should be an excellent sectional playoff tournament.
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