By Rob Potter
FALLSBURG — March 25, 2008 — The Fallsburg Central School District Board of Education and the Fallsburg Booster Club sponsored a winter athletic awards program last Wednesday night in the high school auditorium to recognize dozens of student-athletes for their accomplishments during the 2007-2008 season.
“I think it’s appropriate that on the last evening of winter we are holding this program,” said Fallsburg Central School Athletic Director Janet Carey. “We will be honoring over 100 athletes this evening.”
Coaches from the 11 Fallsburg teams which competed this winter introduced the members of their team and called them up on the stage.
In addition to thanking their players for working hard at practices and games, many of the coaches also praised parents and community members for supporting their teams. More than one coach noted at some away games, the Fallsburg team had more fans in attendance than the home team did.
“It was an exciting season,” said Coach Pete Dworetsky, who guided the boys’ varsity basketball team. “We put ourselves in a position to get to sectionals.”
Although the Comets’ bid for postseason play came up just short, Dworetsky praised his players for “working hard to get better as individuals and as a team.”
Girls’ varsity basketball Coach Frank Godlewski, who is a Fallsburg High School Assistant Principal thanked fellow Assistant Principal David Viglione and High School Principal Mark Plescia for all of their understanding and assistance this season. Godlewski noted that Plescia and Viglione filled in for him at meetings and events when he and the Lady Comets had a practice or a game that same afternoon or evening.
Godlewski lauded his players for their improvement this season. The Lady Comets won two games this season after not recording any victories during the 2006-2007 season. He smiled as he spoke about the team members dying his hair pink following their season-opening win against Rhinebeck back in December.
“I’m looking forward to next year,” Godlewski said.
Carey, who coached the boys’ alpine ski team spoke about her team as well as the girls’ alpine ski team. As has been the case for the past several seasons, both squads included student-athletes who attend Fallsburg High School and student-athletes who attend Tri-Valley High School.
Carey said that the boys’ and girls’ teams each finished third in the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division I standings this season. The boys’ team posted a 30-12 record and the girls’ team had a 24-12 record.
She noted that senior Chris Egenes placed sixth at the Section IX ski meet and therefore qualified for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Alpine Ski Championships at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid.
At the state meet, Egenes placed 12th in the slalom and 22nd in the giant slalom.
“He did very well at the state meet and was invited to join the New York State boys’ team at the USSA Northeast Championships in New Hampshire,” Carey said.
The prestigious event to which Carey referred, the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Eastern High School Championships, was held March 14-16 at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, New Hampshire. The 10-member New York State team placed second at the event.
Carey praised Egenes for being “there to help out,” noting that he often took the time to assist younger skiers at meets this season.
The awards presented by the coaches were as follows:
Girls’ Modified Basketball: Sportsmanship Award – Sarah Hallenbeck
Boys’ Modified Basketball: Sportsmanship Award – Russell Corley
Modified Wrestling: Sportsmanship Award – Nick McLean
Girls’ Junior Varsity Basketball: Sportsmanship Award – Mayana Patterson-DeCosta; Most Improved – Shanise Tisdale
Girls’ Varsity Basketball: Sportsmanship Award – Generosa Canales
Boys’ Junior Varsity Basketball: Sportsmanship Award – Rodrick Cash; Most Improved – Jonathan Quinlan
Boys’ Varsity Basketball: Sportsmanship Award – Evan Moyes; Most Improved – Jason Corley; Most Valuable – Darius Buckner
Junior Varsity Cheerleading: Sportsmanship Award – Brynne Bertholf; Most Improved – Bianca Molina
Varsity Cheerleading: Sportsmanship Award – Heily Flores; Most Improved – Lauren Olivencia; Most Valuable – Alyssa Olivencia
Boys’ Varsity Alpine Skiing: Sportsmanship Award – Wesley Castillo; Most Improved – Uddhava Stowell; Most Valuable – Chris Egenes
Girls’ Varsity Alpine Skiing: Sportsmanship Award – Stefanie Benjamin; Most Improved – Lauren Elliott, Arya Mazanek
When each of the teams was introduced and called up on stage, Carey and the coaches also presented special Honor Roll (HR) and Superintendent’s Honor Roll (SHR) awards to the players who earned them for their excellent work in the classroom. The honored teams included:
Girls’ Modified Basketball (Coach Neil Sapolsky): Christina Beatty (HR), Celia Garcia (HR), Valentina Gonzalez (HR), Sarah Hallenbeck (HR), Allison Jones (SHR), Elizabeth Lemitelamy, Shanequa Lewis, Maryanne Martineck (HR), Isabel Mejia, Melissa Melko (HR), Kierra Miller, Kelsey Moody (HR), Anne Moore (SHR), Zaira Pabon (HR), Sheryl Pinder, Shavonne Scott, Paige Seletsky (HR), Amanni Sitz (HR), Jeweliana Trujillo (SHR), Jewelisa Trujillo (HR)
Boys’ Modified Basketball (Coach Phillip Motl): Bigal Anthony, James Bertholf, Russell Corley, Samuel Didinsky, Richard Elliott, Dustin Foersch, Daniel Justiniano, Jarrett Madison (HR), Skylar Madura, Charles Marsden, Desmond Oxford McDaniel (HR), Corey McKeon (HR), Sebastian Sanchez Jr. (HR), Manolo Sutton, Rakkir Watson
Modified Wrestling (Coach Russ Alger): Matthew Bonnell (HR), Joseph LaCatena, Austin Halchak (SHR), Kyle Maxwell (HR), Nicholas McKlean, Brandon Weist
Girls’ JV Basketball (Coach Lucille Carter-Harris): Shanice Copeland, Jahlesea Davis (HR), Tonye Freeman, Tanganyika Hackett, Myana Patterson-DeCosta (HR), Shanise Tisdale
Boys’ JV Basketball (Coach Darren Kenney): GodDyhu Anthony (HR), Rodrick Cash, Zachary Ingber (HR), Zachary Jonas, Evan Luczyski, Jonathan Quinlan, Maico Quinones, Stephen Straker, Austin Williams-Cunningham
JV Cheerleading (Coach Kiffanie Sanchez): Brynn Bertholf (SHR), Brittany Borko (HR), Cassandra Colon, Courtney Dromazos, Collina Igiebor, Susan Moody (SHR), Karen Morales, Bianca Molina
Varsity Cheerleading (Coach Patricia Seletsky): Amie Akerley, Alicia Buckner, Heily Flores, Marilyn Linares, Katherine Mejia (HR), Alyssa Olivencia, Christine Olivencia (HR), Vanessa Piselli (HR)
Girls’ Varsity Basketball (Coach Frank Godlewski): Theresa Allen (HR), Joanna Blanchard (SHR), Jessica Brignoll (SHR), Generosa Canales (SHR), Rebecca Courtney, Demi Cruz (HR), Ebony Dubose, Sharea Finn (HR), Erin Gilmore, Jasmine James, Keyshawn Kennedy, Shaina Swerdling
Boys’ Varsity Basketball (Coach Pete Dworetsky): Darius Buckner, Colin Conway-Whitaker, Jason Corley, Randy Gilmore, Ethan Herrera, Samuel Ingber, Von Mason, Michael Melko, Evan Moyes (SHR), Victor Pacheco, Daniel Seletsky (HR), Matthew Seletsky
Girls’ Varsity Alpine Ski Team (Coach Andrea Millas, Coach Stacy Swornik, Coach Don Thomas): Stefanie Benjamin (SHR), Lauren Elliott (SHR), Dayna Halprin, Arya Mazanek (SHR), Kathleen Orlan (SHR), Amanda Scuderi, Rachel Adriaans (SHR), Samantha Adriaans (HR), Elizabeth Bracken (HR), Gabriella Calabrese (SHR), Kendra Erts (HR), Lauren Jones, Khrystin Matero (SHR), Ellen Williams (SHR)
Boys’ Varsity Alpine Ski Team (Coach Janet Carey, Coach Stacy Swornik): Wesley Castillo (SHR), Christopher Egenes, Sebastian Sarmiento (HR), Uddhava Stowell (SHR), Dylan Vazquez, John Bernstein (SHR), Weston Currey (SHR), Jaxon Denman, Ryan Erts (HR), Matthew Garigliano, Gregory Knox (SHR), Joseph Mickelson (SHR), Ryan Mickelson (SHR), Gavin Perrella (SHR), Nick Perrello (manager).