Anne Delaney

Delaney: Torrez, Dent comfortable with their places in history

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:15:00 +0000

Looking tanned and relaxed, Mike Torrez and Bucky Dent stood to shake my hand.

We talked about the A.L. East Division playoff game on Oct. 2, 1978 - as was my assignment. Dent hit the game-winning home run off then-Red Sox pitcher Torrez to help the Yankees win the division title 5-4 in Fenway Park. The Yankees went on to win the World Series for the second consecutive year, and Dent was the MVP.

I couldn't help but notice how content they were with their respective places in baseball history -- especiallly Torrez. Maybe I expected him to be a reluctant participant in a fundraising event at St. Peter's School earlier this week considering he's was the so-called goat that afternoon in Fenway Park. Maybe I was so caught up in what I was doing, I didn't stop to realize Torrez had had 30 years to adjust.

I think people in my profession, sports reporters and sportscasters, tend to pin one defining moment of glory or failure on an athlete. We don't always look beyond the heroics or gaffe to see there's more to the play and, often, the person than we first thought.

Delaney: 6 area soccer teams state ranked

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:42:00 +0000

With 2 1/2 weeks until the Oct. 19 seeding meeting, the number of area state-ranked high school soccer teams is dwindling.

Six are in the latest rankings, including the undefeated Mohawk boys and Hamilton Central boys and girls teams.

The girls teams are: Clinton (11th in Class B), Hamilton (5th Class D) and Remsen (11th Class D). The boys are: Mohawk (5th in Class C), Poland (6th in Class D) and Hamilton (11th in Class D).

Nine area teams were among the state-ranked schools the last time I posted on this space, on Sept. 24. The teams that dropped out were: Mount Markham and Cooperstown boys and the Mohawk girls.

Still ranked - #1 in boys Class D - is Chazy with a 12-1 record.

Delaney: 9 area teams in state soccer poll

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:52:00 +0000

The weekly state soccer poll is out and nine area teams are ranked, including two schools that has its boys and girls in the poll.

Mohawk and Hamilton Central have that honor. The Mohawk boys remain undefeated and are sixth in Class C. The Mohawk girls are 15th. In Class D, the Hamilton girls are undefeated and ranked seventh. The Emerald Knights boys team, with one loss, is 14th.

The other area teams in the rankings are: Clinton girls (seventh in Class B); and Remsen (14th in Class D). On the boys side, it's Mount Markham (15th in Class B); Cooperstown (15th in Class C); and state runner-up and three-time defending Section III Class D champ Poland (5th in Class D).

Chazy, the team that defeated Poland in the state finals last year, is ranked No. 1 in boys Class D.

Delaney: Thank you, Mary

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:53:00 +0000

Where would I be without Mary Garber?

Maybe I'd be rich. Maybe I'd be famous. Maybe I'd be unknown and a candidate for Vice President of the United States. But I wouldn't have a chance to be what I am now: a woman covering sports.

Mary Garber died on Sunday in North Carolina. She was 92 and covered sports at a time when women were banned from press boxes and water fountains were segregated. I'd heard of Garber before I read an obituary on Monday afternoon, but it was long ago and I would've been hard pressed to name her in a quiz.

Garber covered high school sports and colleges, including sports at all-black colleges that were largely ignored. Eventually Garber worked her way up to covering the ACC. If not Garber, some other woman would've come along as a pioneer in sports journalism. I'm grateful to Mary because I'm not qualified to be vice president.

Delaney: Rivalry games not always good

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:30:00 +0000

The Hamilton-Poland boys soccer game on Friday (Sept. 19) reminded me of another rivalry match I saw earlier in the week.

Like Whitesboro-New Hartford on Tuesday, the Class D game at Poland didn't start out with a lot of clean soccer. The ball bounced around more than it was controlled on the Poland field at least in the early going. It was a big match, the first between league rivals vying for a league title, as was Whitesboro at New Hartford. And the players knew it. Poland got a yellow card and Hamilton did, too. The play was physical, just like at New Hartford where the officials issued four yellows - two for each team.

At least 175 people stood along a sideline at Poland to watch the game. The turnout at New Hartford the other day wasn't close to that, but it was a weekday so that's understandable.

Rivalry games are great. They are a lot of fun to watch and with good history between the teams and the fans, such games are what high school sports are all about. But give me a clean game between two unfamiliar teams any day.

Anne Delaney: Mohawk's Brotherly Connection

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:46:00 +0000

The undefeated Mohawk boys soccer team needed two goals in the final 16:30 to defeat CSC rival Ilion, 3-2 on Wednesday.

Leigh Van Volkenburg scored 2:10 into the second half for Ilion to put the Golden Bombers up 2-1.

John LeClair tied the game for Mohawk (8-0) on a second-half penalty kick with 16:26 left. LeClair scored the game-winner on a breakaway with 46 seconds remaining on an assist from his brother, Billy.

Anne Delaney: Not the best soccer, but Whitesboro-New Hartford had lots for fans

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:03:00 +0000

In the end, they lined up and acknowledged the opponent as they were supposed to.

After 90-minutes, 31 seconds of soccer, four yellow cards and at least four clock stoppages to allow a New Hartford trainer to attend to the injured, the members of New Hartford and Whitesboro boys soccer teams uttered 'nice game' in low voices as they filed past each other at Perry Junior High School.

The quality of soccer wasn't stellar between the Tri Valley League rivals who came into the match unbeaten in the league. Neither established possession in the first half. New Hartford had the upper hand in this area for most of the second half, but Vinny Barbato gave Whitesboro a 3-2 win with a goal 31 seconds into the second 10-minute sudden death overtime.

"They wanted it so bad, they went all out," Whitesboro coach Ben Karas said of his team, which trailed 2-1 with less than two minutes to play in regulation. "It's that rivalry between New Hartford and Whitesboro."

Both teams had at least one good shot on goal in the first 10-minute OT. New Hartford's Joel Kamilow went left to right with a good shot at Whitesboro keeper Scott Barry. With 22 seconds remaining, Nathaniel Mansur got the ball in the open field for New Hartford. Mansur beat Kevin Donato to give the senior a one-on-one with Barry. Mansur overran the play and his momentum carried him wide left to keep the game tied.

Anne Delaney: Not running up the score

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 04:52:00 +0000

There was more to Sauquoit Valley's 7-0 win over Canastota in boys soccer on Monday night.

Indians coach Rick Purcell played the second half with 10 men on the field after scoring all their goals in the first half. Canastota is a young team, not long ago the Raiders were not able to field a varsity team. Purcell's move was not only legal - teams can play with as few as 7 men on the field. Purcell's decision was a nice way not to embarrass an opponent.

Rays for Real

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 04:34:00 +0000

Matt Devins is a believer.

He wasn't always sure the Tampa Bay Rays, leading the American League East by two games through Saturday, were going to be able to hold on in a division dominated by the Yankees and Red Sox.

But the young team has surprised many by staying in the race including Devins, a former member of the organization after stand out careers at Notre Dame High School and Stony Brook University. Devins, 25, gave pro ball a try for three years with the franchise then known as the Devil Rays. He left baseball late last year after he was released by the team. Devins declined offers this summer to play in the Marlins and Braves organizations. Soured for a time by the game he spent most of his life playing, Devins is able to enjoy baseball again and to root for guys he played with.

"I think they are the real deal with all of the wins against formidable A.L. East opponents, you have to give them a shot," Devins said. "They have a realistic shot of winning the division and ultimately making it deep into the playoffs."

At one point or another, Devins said he had contact with most of the Tampa players now on the Major League roster. The team sent players to Devins' team in Vero Beach to rehab an injury because of the proximity to Tampa-St. Petersburg. Among the guys in Vero were catchers Dioner Navarro and Shawn Riggans. Devins had two experiences with Rays manager Joe Maddon - certainly the A.L. Manager of the Year - during spring training practices with the big club.

"He had a firm grip on the team and that's not always easy," Devins said.

Hamilton, Poland rivalry to watch in 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:15:00 +0000

The boys soccer preview will be in Saturday's Observer-Dispatch (Sept. 13). It's running a little later than intended, sorry about that. It's a busy time of year for people involved with high school athletics and getting in touch with multiple groups of coaches is a challenge - even in the era of e-mail.

Poland senior midfielder Richard Hazard is the subject of the feature story. Hazard, a four-year varsity player for the Tornadoes, has settled into the midfield after splitting his time between the midfield and the forward line in 2007.

The Center State Conference Division III race between Poland and Hamilton Central will be worth watching all season. It might be the most compelling division/league race in the area. The Class D rivals have met six times in the last three years, including in the Section III semifinals in 2007 won by Poland. The teams play for the first time this year on Sept. 19 at Poland (4:30 p.m.) and on Oct. 14 in Hamilton (7 p.m.).

This might be Hamilton's year to get past the Tornadoes. The Emerald Knights return nine starters from 2007, including three defenders (Alex Thompson, Bobby Dick and Brandon Meek) in front of returning starting GK Will Keever.

Poland has eight guys back, but the team that went to the state finals last November took a hit when senior defender Mike Hennings was lost for the season with a knee injury. Hennings, a sweeper, was a physically imposing presence in the back for Poland and his absence will be difficult to fill. Sal Collard, another senior defender who was a starter last year, is also out after having knee surgery in the spring.

In other area action:

* look for intense football rivals Whitesboro and New Hartford to bring their rivalry to the pitch in the Tri Valley League. Defending league champion Clinton is very young, with one starter back. New Hartford's top two scoring leaders graduated, including O-D All Mohawk Valley Player of the Year Michael Payne who's now at Old Dominion, but the Spartans played a challenging early-season schedule and are well coached. Whitesboro has the TVL's top returning scorer in junior forward Vinny Barbato (10-8-28). Midfielder Mike Gigliotti is also back as one of the starters with defender Joe Rucco and GK Scott Barry (1.22 GAA, 8 SO).

* In CSC Division I, Mohawk is off to a 5-0 start but the best player in the league is Frankfort-Schuyler midfielder Leo Nizzi. Ilion senior forward Cory Rowland (12-5-29) can give Nizzi a run and Ilion has eight other returning starters.

* In CSC Division II, Cooperstown is turning into the Clinton of this league - the Redskins always seem to reload and manage to stay competitive. Sophomore forward Jake Chase is a talent and returns as the team's leading scorer with 10 goals, 9 assists (29 points). The team will be pressed by Mount Markham. Dinged with injuries in 2007, the Mustangs have their best team since 2003 when the team shared the Section III Class C title with Manlius-Pebble Hill. M-PH advanced in a shootout, and the match in the Carrier Dome remains one of the best high school games I've covered. Blair Bellamy, a possession-type midfielder, didn't play much in 2007 because of a bad hip. He's back, as are the top two scorers a pair of junior forward in Tayron Ixlaj and Jeremy Slosek.

*Rome Free Academy and Thomas R. Proctor play in the Central New York Counties League, Class AA league dominated by Syracuse-area schools. RFA, with first-year coach Keith Meola who came from Camden after that school was unable to field a varsity team, is off to a 4-0 start. The Black Knights' record includes an overtime win over Proctor on Sept. 9. Meola is looking for midfielder Mario Gomez to be the sparkplug for his team, a guy who get 8-10 goals and 12-15 assists. Proctor should continue the nice season it had in 2007 when Nick Galiulo took over. The Raiders return a pair of junior forwards, Osman Osman (8-13-19) and Armin Budjno (13-3-29), a guy a couple coaches think is the best forward in the area.

D'Alessandro Thriller

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:17:00 +0000

The game of Tuesday night was at Thomas R. Proctor where the Raiders boys soccer team went to overtime with visiting Rome Free Academy.

RFA's Mike Endres converted a PK called off a hand ball two minutes into OT to give the Black Knights a 2-1 win. A tough way to lose, for sure, but both coaches said it was a great game.

The teams play again on Sept. 20 at 12 p.m. at RFA Stadium.

Educational experience for Mustangs field hockey

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:09:00 +0000

Earlier this week, the Mount Markham varsity field hockey team returned from a trip to Orlando, Fla. where the Mustangs competed in a tournament at the Disney Sports Complex.

Coach Dawn Yerkie took 16 players to Disney where they played three games against bigger schools - two against teams from New Jersey and one against a team from Delaware.

The experience was beneficial on and off of the field. The players, who had plenty of time for sightseeing, learned there was a world beyond their lives in West Winfield.

"Certainly for our girls it was an eye opener beyond the field hockey realm," said Yerkie, the principal at Mount Markham Middle School. "They realized there are educational opportunities out there and things to do."

And that is what high schools sports should be about.

Tough game for Cronk, Mott

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:30:00 +0000

The Ilion and Oneida boys soccer teams opened their seasons on Friday with wins at the Sherburne-Earlville Tournament.

Center State Conference Division I member Ilion defeated Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, 3-1 in one game. Oneida of the Tri Valley League defeated Sherburne, 4-1 in the other match. Ilion and Oneida will play in the tournament championship at 6 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 30). That's good news for the Ilion and Oneida players. It's not good news for the coaches.

Ilion's Jim Mott and Dwayne Cronk of Oneida try to avoid in-season matches. The men are boyhood friends back to their days playing soccer in Chittenango. They played together on the Bears' varsity - Mott on defense and Cronk in goal. Their families are friends and the stability of their friendship is more important than soccer, so they stay away from competition.

On Saturday, a match-up will be unavoidable. For the sake of both men, let's hope the game is decided in regulation and doesn't require a penalty kick shootout to determine a champion. But given their history, regardless of what happens on the field Mott and Cronk will both be a part of a victory.

One champion in TVL boys soccer

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:04:00 +0000

In boys soccer, the Tri Valley League will be one seven-team league this season. For the last five years, the TVL was comprised of two four-team divisions. Camden was not able to field a varsity team this year. The Blue Devils also didn't have a varsity team in 2001 and 2002.

The impact of this alignment will be minimal. The league will have one overall champion and that's how it should be instead of two division winners. Champions of the East and West divisions under the old alignment feels watered down.

McCutcheon redefines focus

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:47:00 +0000

The best athletes and coaches can turn on their powers of concentration and perform regardless of circumstances around them. Michael Jordan comes to mind. So do Tiger Woods and Bill Belichick. After watching the Beijing Olympics, add Hugh McCutcheon.

The 38-year-old New Zealand born McCutcheon showed an incredible amount of poise, concentration and grace while coaching the U.S. men's volleyball team to the gold medal under trying personal circumstances.

McCutcheon's father-in-law, Todd Bachman, was killed in a random Beijing stabbing on Aug. 9 while touring with his wife, Barbara and daughter, Elisabeth McCutcheon, Hugh's wife. Barbara was seriously injured in the attack and eventually flown back to the Mayo Clinic in the family's home state of Minnesota. After taking some time with his family, Hugh McCutcheon returned to the team that finished the tournament with a four-set victory over world No. 1 Brazil.

I thought I'd seen inner fortitude at its best earlier this summer when Woods won the U.S. Open on a bad knee. It's exhausting to limp through life, as Woods did.

It seems nearly impossible to try to escape them.

An Olympic Finalist

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:31:00 +0000

In Jen Kaido's first Olympics, the 27-year-old rower from West Leyden has a chance to race for a medal.

Kaido and teammates Lia Pernell, Lindsay Meyer and Margot Shumway earned a place in Sunday's final with a second-place finish in a repechage race on Tuesday. The repechage, or second-chance race, was a better effort for the Americans, according Kaido.

"Overall I think it was a great race and if we keep learning from the previous race, executing our goals and attacking all they way down the course, I really believe it could get us on the podium," she wrote in an e-mail.

The women's quadruple sculls final will be Sunday at 4:30 a.m. The race will be covered on NBC's web site (www.nbcolympics.com) during its 3:30-6 a.m. time slot. and on local NBC affiliate WKTV from 12-2 p.m.

Kaido wrote she will be doing a lot of resting leading into Sunday. The scullers will practice twice a day on both Thursday and Friday.

"I have been watching a lot of Olympic events on TV or movies on my laptop," she wrote.

Kaido wants more 'aggressive' approach

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:23:00 +0000

When Jen Kaido rows her second Olympic race early Tuesday morning Eastern Daylight Time, she will do so with a different attitude.

Kaido wants her women's quadruple sculls boat to be aggressive from the beginning of the race, instead of only toward the end which helped the Americans salvage a third-place finish in a heat race on Sunday.

Kaido and teammates Lia Pernell, Lindsay Meyer and Margot Shumway will row in second-chance racing, called repechage, on Tuesday morning. Repechage ensures each boat has two chances to advance from preliminary races because there is no seeding in heats. Six boats will be in the repechage with the top four moving on to a final later in the week.

Kaido ready to go

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:39:00 +0000

As of Saturday morning, Eastern time, West Leyden's Jen Kaido was in the midst of final preparation for her first Olympic race.

Kaido will race Sunday at 4:40 ET. Rowing will be included in NBC's Olympic coverage from 12-1 p.m. on Sunday. Kaido wrote in an e-mail there will be two heats of four boats. The US will be racing against Germany, Great Britain and Australia. Kaido wrote she and her teammates met with their coach to discuss logistics, including what bus to catch to the race course and needed time for warm up.

"It's not going to be easy," Kaido wrote, "but if we are aggressive the whole way down the course while maintaining all the fundamentals we've been working on this summer, we could do it."

Campbell should serve in Army

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:56:00 +0000

Caleb Campbell shouldn't be allowed to play in the National Football League.

Campbell has a job: He is a 2nd Lt. in the United States Army. Just because Campbell - a standout on the Army football team last fall - can play ball doesn't mean he should be released from his commitment to the U.S.

Campbell was picked by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of April's NFL Draft. He was all set to join the team. But the Department of Defense reversed an Army policy that permitted athletes to pursue professional careers while remaining on active duty.

Roger Staubach fulfilled his service with the Navy, including a tour in Vietnam, and he became one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. The Navy didn't allow Mitch Harris to begin a pro baseball career after the right-hander was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of June's MLB draft.

Campbell shouldn't be allowed an out either, even for the NFL. Because, maybe now more than ever, the U.S. needs soldiers with a linebacker's mentality.

Manley deployed in Afghanistan, will miss Frankfort soccer

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:37:00 +0000

Dwayne Manley won't be with his Frankfort-Schuyler boys varsity soccer team this year.

The 39-year-old Frankfort resident has four-and-one-half months remaining on a National Guard deployment in Afghanistan. Manley is a staff sargeant in the 27th Brigade Combat Team out of Syracuse. He deployed in January and will likely be back by the end of December, according to his wife Nicole. Manley is located in the area of Kabul, the capital, and his work includes mentoring the Afghan National Army.

Manley joined the National Guard in January 1993.

"Being over here for any length of time gives you an insight on how other people live their day-to-day lives, and how even the smallest of items, like a box of crayones to a young child, brightens their day in such a way that makes you truly feel good about what we're trying to do here," Manley wrote in an e-mail.

Perez believes in U.S. World Cup win

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:04:00 +0000

In Hugo Perez's speech on Sunday at the National Soccer Hall of Fame, he referred to the 1991 FIFA World Cup title won by Mia Hamm and fellow inductee Anson Dorrance.
"I'm still a little jealous," Perez said. "The U.S. still hasn't won a World Cup on the men's side."
Perez is holding out hope that the U.S. will win the World Cup in his lifetime. Perez is 44.
"They have a good program. The federation has a good program. I think it's getting closer," Perez said.
Perez said the U.S. has the ability to produce a winning team; the resources are in place. He said what's needed is for those young athletes to be taught the correct way to play the game technically. Perez acknowledges that with all of the other sports in the U.S., soccer will have to break out of second-tier status.
"It will be a passion for generations coming up," Perez said. "Before it was a pastime, now it's a passion."

Maurer had a way on the sidelines

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:07:00 +0000

In 2001, the Adirondack girls basketball team's unbeaten season was in jeopardy.

The Wildcats trailed Rome Catholic by 20 points at halftime. Adirondack coach Tom Maurer didn't yell. He laid out a new plan and new adjustments. The Wildcats cut Rome's lead to a couple by the end of the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth to hang onto its undefeated season.

Maurer, 59, of West Leyden died Tuesday morning. He had been recovering from hip surgery earlier this month at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.

"It was one of those things he could and they believed," former Maurer assistant coach Dom Ventiquatrro said. "He was fun to coach with."

Upfront and honest, Maurer had an old-fashioned disciplined style of coaching. Ventiquattro and longtime softball opponent Pat Whalen of Ilion said Maurer could get away with being tough because his players knew he cared. They saw it. Maurer coached 27 seasons of girls varsity basketball and softball at Adirondack and his dedication included summer league games four days a week.

"He taught them to be more intense and to believe in themselves," Whalen said of Adirondack softball. "I told my kids 'look I'm not the only one who yells.'"

Soccer playoffs begin on Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:43:00 +0000

The Central New York State Soccer League men's division playoffs will begin on Thursday.

The two division, 14-team men's league has been whittled down to a Final Four leading into the 'A' and 'B' Division finals on Saturday. There no playoffs in the eight-team women's division.

In the 'A' Division semifinals, SC Sturlic will host Coliseum A at 6 p.m. at South Park Drive in Utica. SC Krajisnik will host Booters 'A' at Proctor Park. Game time is to be determined. In the 'B' Division, the Gunners of Madison/Waterville will play op seed Lee Alumni at 6 p.m. at Lee Town Park. Coliseum Roma will host Whitesboro at Proctor Park. Game time is to be determined.

The semifinal winners will play in Saturday's finals at East Herkimer Elementary School. The 'B' Division final will be at 1 p.m. followed by the 'A' Division final at 4.

WNBA fight sad development for women's sports

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:15:00 +0000

Is the brawl between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock of the WNBA a sign of a development in women's sports?

I can't recall another instance of a fight in women's sports, which is still in its infancy in the American sports conscious. The WNBA began in 1996 and established itself as the foudation of women's sports leagues.

We think nothing - or shouldn't - of female athletes participating in intense, compelling, minute-by-minute changing games. There are more women playing sports than 10 years ago, and opportunities exist for girls at younger ages. Yet an incident of women fighting, even in the heat of the moment, is difficult to accept.

Farley resignation bad for Notre Dame girls basketball

noreply@blogger.com (Anne Delaney) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:59:00 +0000

The girls basketball program at Notre Dame High School is going to be poorer for the resignation of Bill Farley.

The longtime varsity coach stepped down earlier this month, citing changes in the school's administration. Jugglers assistant coach Tommy Hynes and athletic director John DePerno also stepped down. Farley, who had 214 wins in 14 years, was a teacher of the game and one of the top girls coaches in the area.

Farley was interested in his players' development on the court. After games - win or lose - he often talked about what the players did well or no so well and what he wanted them to understand as the season progressed.

Notre Dame had a few down seasons in recent years, but the teams improved from beginning to end and that had to be due to Farley. High school sports is cyclical, and with a coach of Farley's quality the odds were good the team would again be competive in the Tri Valley League and the post season very soon.