Friday, September 30, 2011

Former RPI football player Patrick Casey dies

Another tragic story regarding a former football standout from this area.

Below, you can see that former La Salle and Union player Kevin Flike was injured, but is expected to live, while serving his country overseas.

Unfortunately, that's not the case for former Shenendehowa and RPI football player Patrick Casey.

Casey was caught up in an altercation that he tried to step in the middle of, outside a Washington, D.C., eatery. He was punched by a stranger, fell and hit his head violently.

The George Washington grad student passed away Tuesday, at George Washington University Hospital. Casey was only 33.

Casey had served in the Army, as a sergeant in Afghanistan.

RPI will have a moment of silence in Casey's memory, before their Liberty League home game against Rochester, on Saturday.

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Fomer Union/La Salle football player Kevin Flike injured

Former La Salle Institute football player Kevin Flike was injured overseas after the solider suffered a gunshot wound.

The 27-year-old, who also played football at Union College, is a member of U.S. Special Forces unit, who was injured in Afghanistan on Saturday evening.

Flike has undergone multiple operations and the reports say it could take up to a year to fully recover.

La Salle will host a fundraiser in Flike's name at their home football game vs. Shaker, on Thursday, Oct. 6.

Flike graduated from La Salle in 2002.

Here's more in a link from WXXA Fox-23.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

FCS Top 25 - Sept. 26

Here is my ballot for The Sports Network Fathead.com FCS Top 25.

UAlbany picked its first victory of the season, over Ivy League member, Columbia.

Like usual, the number in (x) is where the team ranks in the poll.

On a side note, I'm traveling down to Boone, N.C., for a wedding on Columbus Day weekend. That's the home of my No. 1 team, Appalachian State. The Mountaineers are off that weekend.

1. Appalachian State (3)
2. Georgia Southern (1)
3. Northern Iowa (2)
4. Montana State
5. Delaware (6)
6. New Hampshire (7)
7. North Dakota State (5)
8. Jacksonville State (14)
9. Lehigh (13)
10. Wofford (8)
11. James Madison (9)
12. William & Mary (11)
13. Richmond (10)
14. Chattanooga (15)
15. Southern Illinois (12)
16. Sacramento State (25)
17. Montana (19)
18. Massachusetts (20)
19. South Dakota (21)
20. Maine (NR)
21. Southern Utah (17)
22. South Carolina State
23. Sam Houston State (16)
24. McNeese State (18)
25. Towson (23)

Teams in Top 25 - not in my ballot
24. Indiana State

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Where does realignment leave Siena and UAlbany?

So if you're a college sports fan (and even if you aren't) you couldn't help be bombarded with the news of more upheaval among different conferences this past weekend.

First, Syracuse and Pitt and leaving the Big East and joining the ACC. Maybe UConn and Rutgers will follow.

Next, Texas and Oklahoma are headed to the Pac-12.

Then, Tuesday night word came down that the Pac-12 is not expanding...for now.

This all started about a year and a half ago, when Nebraska up and left the Big 12 for the Big Ten.

There was a lot more talk (and TCU decided to go to the Big East) but that was really that.

Now, it seems like the dominoes that were loosened that day are starting to tumble.

The question I'm wondering - and maybe some of you are as well - is what does this mean for our local Division I teams, Siena and the University at Albany.

The quick answer would be nothing. UAlbany is in the America East and Siena is in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Well, not so fast.

If the Big East truly unravels with UConn, Rutgers leaving in addition to Pitt and Syracuse, some rumors suggest an all Catholic school basketball league.

Could Siena ever gain footing in that?

Does the fact that UAlbany has a football team help them, since it's clear that football is the driving force behind this?

Only the future knows. And the future may be here quicker than you think.

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Monday, September 19, 2011

RPI dominates league awards

From RPI sports info department

TROY – The Liberty League has announced its weekly award winners in football and three Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athletes have been selected. Mike Hermann was named the Offensive Performer of the Week, while Joe Tedder was the Defensive Performer of the Week. Rounding out the awards was Andrew Franks, who garnered Special Teams Performer of the Week and Rookie of the Week.

A junior quarterback from Hardeeville, S.C., Hermann rushed for 168 yards and a 40-yard touchdown on just 13 carries in a 51-21 home opening victory against Castleton State. He also threw for 188 yards and three scores (17, 11, 5 yards), completing 13 of 20 passes with no interceptions.

Through the first two games of 2011, the Avon Old Farms graduate has completed 31 of 55 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns. Additionally, he is the squad's leading rusher with 22 carries for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He has not been intercepted this season.

Tedder, a junior defensive back who hails from Stamford, Conn., garnered his honor after making three tackles and intercepting two passes, including one on the RPI 5-yard line. He also recovered a fumble in the win over the Spartans.

A former standout at St. Luke's School, Tedder has recorded six tackles in the team's first two contests, including one solo stop. Last season, he appeared in eight games, recording one assisted tackle.

A freshman kicker from Carmel, Calif., Franks earned two awards for his play last week after he kicked a 36-yard field goal and was successful on 6 of 7 point-after-touchdowns in the victory over Castleton State. He also averaged 59 yards on nine kickoffs.

The Carmel High School graduate has had a solid start to his collegiate career through the team's first two games going 8 of 9 on point-after-touchdowns with two field goals. Franks has also totaled 784 yards (60.3 average) on 13 kickoffs.


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FCS Top 25 - Sept. 19

Here is my ballot for The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25.

The entire poll can be found here.

The number in (x) is there if there's a difference between my ballot and the actual poll. Incredibly, I'm off on every single team, which I think is the first time that's ever happened in my two years of voting.

After starting the season 0-2, UAlbany is not receiving any more votes. I did move Maine into my Top 25, because of their performance against the Great Danes on Saturday evening.

1. Appalachian State (3)
2. Georgia Southern (1)
3. Northern Iowa (2)
4. William & Mary (6)
5. Montana State (4)
6. Delaware (7)
7. Richmond (5)
8. Montana (10)
9. New Hampshire (11)
10. North Dakota State (8)
11. Chattanooga (13)
12. Jacksonville State (16)
13. Wofford (9)
14. Lehigh (15)
15. James Madison (12)
16. Stephen F. Austin (22)
17. Sacramento State (NR)
18. Southern Illinois (14)
19. South Dakota (18)
20. Massachusetts (17)
21. Liberty (NR)
22. Maine (NR)
23. Eastern Washington (21)
24. South Carolina State (25)
25. Sam Houston State (20)

(NR) = Not Ranked

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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Siena Sneak Preview Notes

The Sneak Preview, hosted annually by Siena College, is a good way to get people thinking about the upcoming college basketball season.

Below freshman Marcus Hopper meets with Jack and Mary Ryan of Waterford.

This is my fourth time at the event and this year was quite frankly a lot different than the past few seasons.

This will be my fifth season covering Siena and in years past there were high expectations.

While those are the same expectations the players have year in and year out, this is certainly a different season for the Saints.
In the past three years Siena has seen Kenny Hasbrouck, Alex Franklin, Ronald Moore, Edwin Ubiles, Clarence Jackson and Ryan Rossiter come and go.

Those six players all scored 1,000 points in their careers and represent six of the top 34 scorers all-time in Siena history.

Here's how they stack up.
3rd - Ubiles, 1,939
4th - Hasbrouck, 1,917
5th - Franklin, 1,730
10th - Rossiter, 1,457
26th - Jackson, 1,164
34th - Moore, 1,070

This year, the leading returning scorer is senior Kyle Downey, who has 379 career points.

Obviously, this is a new-look team, especially with six freshmen.

Two of those players (Imoh Silas and Lionel Gomis) have been declared ineligible for this upcoming season by the NCAA.

Siena did win a small battle on Tuesday though, when it was ruled that both Gomis and Silas will have three years of elgibility, when they begin their careers in 2012-13.

"I’m really excited that Lionel Gomis will be able to get two years back," said Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro. "A lot of credit goes to our administrators at Siena. They did a lot of work."

The original decision where Gomis and Silas and an injury to Davis Martens means that the other four freshmen (Rob Poole, Marcus Hopper, Evan Hymes and DeVonte Beard) will have to step up.

"With the unfortunate circumstances that we have, we’re going to need the freshmen to grow up quick," said junior forward O.D. Anosike. "Frankly put, we need them to step in and play right away."

Buoaguro indicated that he hopes Hopper will step up, given the lack of big bodies up front.

MARTENS UPDATE: Buonaguro indicated that he knew the decision was coming to hold out Martens for the entire upcoming season.

Martens struggled with pain this summer and needed a specialized surgery, which should be totally solved if rehabbed properly.

This is a big loss for Siena because Martens had showed positive steps in flashes and needed more big bodies up front.

"I thought he made a jump last year," Buonaguro said. "That hurts. He has experience, too."

Martens will have to rehab for three months.

I also bumped into Just-in'love Smith at the event, who said that Martens is the godfather to his little girl.

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Siena Sneak Preview - Owen Wignot

Senior Owen Wignot talks about the upcoming season at Tuesday's Sneak Preview in downtown Albany.

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Siena's Martens will miss 2011-12 season

Siena is reporting that junior forward Davis Martens will miss the 2011-12 season following hip surgery to repair a labrum tear on Aug. 30.

Martens averaged 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds last season and likely would have had a bigger impact this season with the graduation of Ryan Rossiter.

“I’m going to do what I can to be there for the team, and support my teammates,” Martens said. “It’s disappointing, but I’m going to hit my rehab hard and hopefully return better than before.”

According to Siena, the labrum tear resulted from a congenital condition called Femoral Acetabular Impingement Syndrome.

“We want Davis to have a full recovery, and rejoin the team at 100 percent,” head coach Mitch Buonaguro said. “The surgery was successful, which is obviously great news. He has such a promising future with our program, and we can’t wait to have him back on the floor next year.”

Siena has already received word that newcomers Imoh Silas and Lionel Gomis will be unable to play this year, due to an NCAA decision.

Siena is appealing that decision.

Siena hosts their annual Sneak Preview, tonight at 5 p.m., in downtown Albany.

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Friday, September 9, 2011

RPI/Alfred preview - Nick Herrera, CB

RPI senior cornerback Nick Herrera talks about his team's opening game against No. 17 Alfred.

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Thursday, September 8, 2011

VIDEOS: Dion Lewis makes Eagles roster

Here is a story, written by our sister paper the Delco Times in Pennsylvania about former Albany Academy star Dion Lewis.

Following an impressive preseason, Lewis made the 53-man Philadelphia Eagles roster.

Below are some videos of Lewis talking about learning the game at the NFL level and returning kicks, something he's expected to do during his rookie season.




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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

UAlbany releases bball schedules

Here are the schedules for the University at Albany men's and women's basketball teams.

The America East released their schedules today, so now the entire schedule is complete and listed below.

2011-12 Men’s Basketball Schedule
Nov. 11 (Fri.) at Pittsburgh
Nov. 14 (Mon.) Brown+
Nov. 15 (Tue.) Syracuse or Manhattan+
Nov. 21 (Mon.) NIT Season Tip-Off
Nov. 22 (Tue.) NIT Season Tip-Off
Nov. 25 (Fri.) Navy
Nov. 27 (Sun.) Colgate
Dec. 5 (Mon.) at Siena
Dec. 7 (Wed.) Fairleigh Dickinson
Dec. 17 (Sat.) at Cornell
Dec. 19 (Mon.) at St. Francis, N.Y.
Dec. 23 (Fri.) Dartmouth
Dec. 28 (Wed.) at Maryland
Dec. 31 (Sat.) at Mount St. Mary's
Jan. 2 (Mon.) Hartford*
Jan. 5 (Thu.) at UMBC*
Jan. 8 (Sun.) at Stony Brook*
Jan. 11 (Wed.) New Hampshire*
Jan. 14 (Sat.) Maine*
Jan. 16 (Mon.) at Boston U.*
Jan. 19 (Thu.) at Vermont*
Jan. 25 (Wed.) Binghamton*
Jan. 28 (Sat.) at Hartford*
Feb. 1 (Wed.) UMBC*
Feb. 4 (Sat.) Stony Brook* (BPG)
Feb. 6 (Mon.) Boston U.*
Feb. 9 (Thu.) at New Hampshire*
Feb. 11 (Sat.) at Maine*
Feb. 15 (Wed.) Vermont
Feb. 23 (Thu.) at Binghamton*

+NIT Season Tip-Off (Syracuse, N.Y.)
BPG - Big Purple Growl

2011-12 Women’s Basketball Schedule
Nov. 11 (Sat.) at Fordham
Nov. 13 (Mon.) La Salle
Nov. 16 (Wed.) at Iowa
Nov. 19 (Sat.) at Brown
Nov. 22 (Tue.) at Toledo
Nov. 27 (Sun.) St. Francis, N.Y.
Nov. 30 (Wed.) at Long Island
Dec. 3 (Sat.) at Siena
Dec. 6 (Tue.) Niagara
Dec. 18 (Sun.) Sacred Heart
Dec. 22 (Thu.) at Canisius
Dec. 29 (Thu.) at Florida International+
Dec. 30 (Fri.) Auburn or Charlotte+
Jan. 2 (Mon.) at Hartford*
Jan. 4 (Wed.) UMBC*
Jan. 8 (Sun.) at Stony Brook*
Jan. 11 (Wed.) at New Hampshire*
Jan. 14 (Sat.) at Maine*
Jan. 16 (Mon.) Boston U.*
Jan. 19 (Thu.) Vermont*
Jan. 25 (Wed.) at Binghamton*
Jan. 28 (Sat.) Hartford*
Feb. 1 (Wed.) at UMBC*
Feb. 4 (Sat.) Stony Brook* (BPG)
Feb. 8 (Wed.) New Hampshire*
Feb. 11 (Sat.) Maine*
Feb. 15 (Wed.) at Vermont*
Feb. 18 (Sat.) at Boston U.*
Feb. 22 (Wed.) Binghamton*

+Sun and Fun Classic (Miami, Fla.)
BPG - Big Purple Growl

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Colgate tops UAlbany in OT

Here is the final play of Saturday's Colgate/UAlbany football game.

While the shot is from far away and in the second row of the pressbox at Andy Kerr Stadium, you can see Nate Eachus fall into the endzone and the Colgate players come out to celebrate.

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FCS Top 25 - Sept. 5

The first week is in the books.

Here is the new poll as voted on by the The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 voters (which are listed below the poll on the link).

I was out at the Colgate/UAlbany game on Saturday and it was really a good matchup. I think both teams showed a lot of promise. I moved the Raiders into my Top 25 because of the victory, which I likely would have done for the Great Danes had they won.

UAlbany is still receiving votes - down to only 3 though- after the overtime loss to Colgate and while I voted for the Raiders on my ballot, at No. 24, they are still outside of the Top 25 in the poll.

This was a difficult week because many of the team played "up" to a FBS team and lost. The big winner was Sacramento State, which I moved all the way up to No. 7, after its victory over Pac-12 member Oregon State.

Below is my poll. The number in (x) is only listed if there's a difference between my ballot and the poll.

1. Eastern Washington
2. William & Mary (5)
3. Georgia Southern (2)
4. Appalachian State (3)
5. Montana State (6)
6. Northern Iowa (4)
7. Sacramento State (12)
8. Delaware
9. Wofford (7)
10. Jacksonville State
11. New Hampshire (13)
12. Lehigh (14)
13. Stephen F. Austin (16)
14. Montana (15)
15. Richmond (9)
16. North Dakota State (11)
17. Chattanooga (23)
18. Southern Illinois (17)
19. Central Arkansas (18)
20. South Carolina State (NR)
21. James Madison (19)
22. Liberty (24)
23. Penn (NR)
24. Colgate (NR)
25. Central Connecticut State (NR)

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Thursday, September 1, 2011

UAlbany/Colgate football preview

Senior defensive lineman Eddie Delaney talks about the season opening game at Colgate.


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