Kingston sophomore places third in East Coast Downhill Mountain Bike Series
Luca Catalano, 15 of Hurley, finished third in the amateur 15-18 age class in the 2021 Maxxis Eastern States Cup (ESC) Downhill Mountain Bike Series. Catalano is a sophomore at Kingston High School. This was his first uninterrupted competitive downhill mountain biking season.
The Maxxis Eastern States Cup consisted of ten events spanning May through October 2021. Catalano participated in nine of them which required travel to bike parks in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. He raced for Team Overlook of Woodstock.
When asked about highlights, Catalano said they were “meeting new people who love the sport and riding at parks that I’ve never been to before.” He says the hardest part was, “maintaining my overall ranking in the top three for the season, keeping my race pacing up on the longer tracks and many mechanical issues.”
Catalano is fortunate to have his dad, Jim as his mechanic. It is common to have frequent mechanical failures during training and on race day as downhill mountain biking is done on incredibly rugged terrain. Jim was able to handle all but the most technical fixes.
Catalano said he learned so much this season, including how to “conserve power throughout the race” and to focus on “people who support you.” He said that “one bad run can always be fixed” and that you have to “push past the tired and believe in yourself.” His advice for racers just getting started is to remember that it’s “your season, nobody else’s” and to “focus on yourself, keep pedaling and keep the rubber side down.”
Kingston High School volleyball
The Kingston High School varsity volleyball team closed out its 2021 campaign last week by breaking a five-match losing streak. The Tigers wrapped the season with an 8-9 overall record, with all nine losses coming in league play.
Kingston swept Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association host Newburgh Free Academy 3-0 on Wednesday, October 27 to stop the bleeding that began when the team was 7-4 with postseason aspirations. Ryleigh Purvis (28 assists, 9 aces, 5 kills, 4 digs), Alannah Rolph (10 kills) and Julia Jankowski (9 kills, 8 digs, 8 aces) led the Tigers against the Goldbacks, who finished their season without a single match win.
The Tigers visited Valley Central in Montgomery for OCIAA action two days earlier, being swept 26-24, 25-13, 25-11 in what would be their final loss of the year. Purvis (12 assists, 4 kills, 3 aces), Jankowski (17 digs, 2 kills, 2 aces) and Rolph (6 kills, block) led Kingston in defeat.
Kingston High School cross country
The Kingston High School cross-country team competed in the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association championships at Bear Mountain on Wednesday, October 27, with stalwart runners Luca Maneri and Carla Bautista leading the way on the boys’ and girls’ sides respectively. The Tiger boys finished tenth collectively, while the girls finished eleventh.
Maneri finished in eleventh place with a time of 16:56 in the boys’ race. Other Kingston boys competing included Andrew Lee (30th, 17:51.2), Tim Leiching (69th, 19:20.0), Mauricio Castellanos (79th, 19:54.2), Zach Martinez (80th, 20:00.3), Jaco Kraft (90th, 20:38.0) and Gavin Blair (104th, 21:56.9).
Bautista finished 17th in the girls race with a time of 20:22. Other Kingston girls competing included Kat Toolan (53rd, 22:51.8), Lisa Vargas (77th, 24:47.4), Marla McCain (82nd, 25:07.6), Aislinn Hertle (105th, 28:17.7) and Lola Douglas (118th, 37:08.0).
Kingston returns to Bear Mountain on Thursday, November 4 to compete in the Section 9 state qualifying race.
Kingston High School field hockey
The Kingston High School varsity field hockey team won its 14th consecutive Section 9, Class A title last Thursday, rolling over Pine Bush 6-0 in Kyserike.
The score was nil-nil after the first quarter before the Tigers went to work, scoring a pair of goals in each of the remaining periods. Emily Beichert scored a goal in both the third and fourth quarters to lead Kingston, with Adelaide Finley (goal, assist), Niara Franklin (goal), Keeley Savona (goal) and Hannah Timbrouck (goal) also scoring. Kara Houston didn’t have to make a single save in goal to keep a clean sheet for Kingston.
The Tigers will travel to Rondout Valley to battle Section 1 champion North Salem on Sunday, November 7 in a regional final.
Kingston High School football
Kingston High School’s postseason hopes were stymied on Friday with a 37-7 road loss at Middletown. It was the fourth straight defeat for the Tigers, who fell to 1-4 in Section 9, Class AA competition and 3-6 overall.
Myles Gordon scored Kingston’s sole touchdown on an 8-yard run in the final frame. The Tigers will close out the season with a as-yet-unnamed crossover matchup on Friday, November 5.
Onteora/New Paltz/Saugerties High School cross country
The Mid-Hudson Athletic League cross-country championships were held at the Hudson Valley Sportsdome on Thursday, October 28, with the New Paltz girls finishing just behind overall winner FDR, 51-55.
Onteora’s girls’ team placed sixth with 133 teams, while Saugerties High was one of three schools with incomplete team tallies.
Mount Academy handily won the boys’ battle with 27 points. New Paltz placed fourth (109), Onteora seventh (224) and Saugerties 10th (280).
Local girls’ finishers included Ella Urrico (2nd, New Paltz, 21:44.4), Claire Holt (3rd, New Paltz, 21:54.7), Hannah Ettinger (7th, New Paltz, 23:15.4), Casey Druskin (14th, Saugerties, 23:53.3), Rachel Williams (22nd, Onteora, 24:55.9), Hailey Peck (25th, Onteora, 25:19.2, Roxanne Deney-Bhogart (26th, New Paltz, 25:30.1), Alicia Veranes-Suarez (31st, New Paltz, 26:21.1), Ferun Mayer (32nd, Onteora, 26:24.8), Veda Keon (33rd, New Paltz, 26:27.9), Roselle Davis (34th, Onteora, 26:34.5) and Chloe Schropfer (35th, Onteora, 26:34.7).
Local finishers in the boys’ race included Maxwell Hawkins (9th, New Paltz, 18:23.0), J.J. Giordano (10th, New Paltz, 18:28.4), Trapper VanDreason (19th, Onteora, 18:42.7), Lucien Skuba-Valdez (23rd, New Paltz, 18:58.7), Chace Snyder (26th, New Paltz, 19:08.2), Alex Carter (30th, Saugerties, 19:15.1) and Mike McCutcheon (35th, Onteora, 19:26.6).
New Paltz High School girls’ soccer
The New Paltz High School girls’ varsity soccer team came up just short in their first sectional final in 17 years, falling 1-0 to James I. O’Neill in the Section 9, Class B title bout at Faller Field in Middletown on Saturday, October 30.
Kaitlyn Zdeb scored the sole goal of the game for the Dragons just six minutes into play with the two teams battling throughout.
The Huguenots won a pair of games earlier in the week, including a 4-2 victory over top-seeded Red Hook in the Class B semis held at Bard College in Annandale on Thursday, October 28. Fiona O’Hara scored a hat trick to lead New Paltz, with Nyah Cunniff (goal, assist) and Melanie Kniffen (2 assists) also contributing offensively.
The Huguenots led 2-0 at halftime against Red Hook, and though they let their opponent get within a goal twice after intermission, they never allowed them to pull level.
New Paltz had its final regular season game one day earlier, a 2-0 home tune-up against John S. Burke Catholic. O’Hara scored a brace in the win, with Addison MacDonald assisting on the first in the 14th minute. Vivian Kay stopped 12 shots for the home side in the game.
The Huguenots finished the season with a 13-5 record.
Saugerties High School girls’ soccer
The Saugerties High School girls’ varsity soccer team’s wild run through the Section 9, Class A playoffs came to an end in the title game, a 4-1 defeat against Minisink Valley at Faller Field in Middletown on Thursday, October 28.
The Sawyers untied a nil-nil knot in the 22nd minute when Makenzie Below converted a penalty kick, but the Warriors came back to tie off a Jazmin Mejia goal with two minutes remaining in the half. Minisink scored three goals down the stretch to earn the title win.
Saugerties advanced to the championship one day earlier, ousting top-seeded Washingtonville 3-1 in a semifinal battle at Milton. Below scored a brace in the second half to lead the Sawyers, while Ashlynn DeRonda scored a goal and assisted on another.
New Paltz High School boys’ soccer
The New Paltz High School boys’ soccer team dropped a 5-4 barnburner at Spackenkill last Monday, digging their way out of a 4-2 hole and forcing overtime before eventually succumbing.
Yasha Tamarchenko scored a hat trick to lead the Huguenots. Tamarchenko and Hugo Kay each scored in the final five minutes of regulation to knot the score at 4-4. The Spartans’ Dylan Updike scored the game winner in overtime.
New Paltz High School football
The New Paltz High School varsity football team lost 22-2 at Red Hook on Saturday, October 30, their lone score coming on a safety after a bad snap sailed through the Raiders’ end zone.
Brady Saunders (11 tackles), Spyros Schrippa (9 tackles), Nick DeGiacomo (8 tackles) and Mike O’Dell (7 tackles) led a solid defensive effort for the Huguenots.
With the loss, New Paltz dropped to 2-5 in 2021.
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