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Top 10 local sports stories of 2009

1 Julia Hopson and Kelly Sponholz become Fredonia State's first National Champions within days of each other.

2 Kenny Betts finishes high school career as state champion.

3 Carlene Sluberski becomes first ever female to compete in state championship match.

4 Fredonia softball team competes in state championship game for third straight year.

5 Robert Nalepa reaches 1,000-point plateau for Dunkirk school record.

6 Dave Richter sets Gowanda school record for third-place finish at state finals.

7 Fredonia baseball team reaches state semifinals for third time in five years.

8 Fredonia Cross Country team takes fourth in Class C at state meet.

9 Gowanda Cross Country team returns to state finals for second year in a row.

10 Terrell Owens signs with Buffalo Bills.

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By CRAIG HARVEY

OBSERVER Sports Editor

Every year, local athletes bring lasting memories to Northern Chautauqua County.

This year alone, Northern Chautauqua County had two national champions, a state wrestling champion, state softball runner up and a basketball player become the first male athlete in school history to surpass 1,000 career points.

Following is a list of the top 10 sports stories in the area.

Hopson, Sponholz

become national champions

No female athlete at Fredonia State had ever won an individual NCAA championship. But in a matter of seven days, both Julia Hopson and Kelly Sponholz were able to call themselves national champions.

Hopson, of the women's track and field team, launched a 20-pound weight 59-feet-10 inches on Friday, March 13. The senior athlete was able to maintain the SUNYAC record after two other women were unable to beat her throw at the Division III meet in Terre Haut, Ind. The championship throw came on Hopson's final collegiate toss.

"I could not believe what had happened until a long time after my throw," Hopson said a the time. "All I knew was that my hard work and high standards I set for myself were big catalysts for the win. It feels amazing now."

However, as if this groundbreaking achievement for Fredonia State was insufficient, fellow senior Sponholz, of the swimming and diving team, became the second Fredonia State athlete to win a national championship just days later when she set a Division III diving record in the 3-meter springboard competition. Her score was totaled at 516.50 points, surpassing the previous record of 509 points set in 2008.

"I have worked so hard for this," Sponholz said. "When it was happening I just tried to stay relaxed and focused and it ended up working in my favor. I really wanted that win."

"I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach her," Crawford said. "I realize that there are many excellent diving coaches who have never had the privilege of coaching an NCAA champion. For me, it has been an enjoyable learning experience."

See BEST?OF?2009,?Page B3

During her time at Fredonia State, Sponholz won eight SUNYAC titles, was an eight-time All-American and competed at the NCAA championships four times.

"It's extremely surreal," Sponholz said recently while attending a Blue Devil swim meet as she reflected on her accomplishments. "Sometimes I start to think about it and I think about what happened and it puts a smile on my face. It's something I never thought could happen but I am extremely proud it did happen."

Kenny Betts reclaims his crown at states

Kenny Betts had arguably the best wrestling career in New York State history.

With that said, it only seemed fitting he end his career as a state champion last March at the Times Union Center in Albany.

The standout is a two-time state champion, two-time state runnerup, Western New York's all-time record holder for pins in a season, as well as second and third place with 39 and 38 respectively. He is New York State's all-time wins record holder with 269 and he is only the second Section 6 wrestler to become a five-time sectional champion. He is near the top in the nation with 186 career pins.

"It just flew right by," Betts said about his five years as a varsity wrestler in March. "It's pretty special."

Often at state meets, when a wrestler wins the championship match, the wrestler is overjoyed and jumps in his coach's arms. When Betts won, it was a business-as-usual approach for Betts as he walked over to hug his coach Alex Conti and his other coach and father, Greg Betts.

"Coach Betts is a very proud father," Conti said. "Kenny is a terrific son. They aren't showy people. Kenny trains hard to accomplish something and when he accomplishes it, he is proud in the moment. If he doesn't, he is disappointed but never, ever in his 306 matches, I can honestly say I never seen him be a poor sport. Kenny and his dad aren't showy people who beat their chest and proclaim to the world they are the best or throw a temper tantrum if things don't go right. That's as high a praise you can give a family or person. When I saw Greg's face, it was worth all the time and sleepless nights we have endured for the past 14 years here at Fredonia."

Betts defeated Section 5's Craig Scott, 2-0 to add another memorabilia to his already impressive trophy case.

"His warrior mentality, happy-go lucky demeanor. He is everyone's favorite. He is not mean to anyone. You can't help but love Kenny Betts. Four time state finalist. He will be missed. His parents have raised a wonderful, wonderful, gentle beast."

Carlene Sluberski shows girl power at states

Betts wasn't the only Fredonia student-athlete to have an impressive showing at the Times Union Center.

Carlene Sluberski became the first ever female wrestler to compete in the state final championship match.

Unfortunately for Sluberski, a broken finger early in the second round hindered her performance in a 7-2 defeat to Jacob Goddeau of Section 7's Peru.

"I felt bad for Carlene because Carlene did not show what she had," Fredonia coach Alex Conti said. "She did all weekend. Give her props. She wrestled some tough kids. This finals match would have been a little bit different if she had wrestled the way she is capable of. I just wish she could have pulled this off."

Sluberski's victory in the semifinals is what made her run so impressive. After losing to Tom Page of Eden the previous two weeks, Sluberski had to go through Page in the semifinals for a chance at the state crown.

Turns out for Sluberski, third time's a charm as she won a 6-5 decision and a ticket into the championship match.

Despite not coming home with the title, Sluberski's season was nothing short of remarkable.

"I couldn't be more amazed and proud," Conti said. "She is a warrior. She is a pleasure to coach every single day, There hasn't been a day where she hasn't been a pleasure to coach. I will miss her. Her work ethic - she inspires people just by working. Her kind demeanor is something any parent can be proud of. To finish a New York State tournament in second is pretty awesome."

State title eludes Lady Hillbillies for third straight year

Unfortunately for the Lady Hillbillies, the softball Gods were not on their side for the third straight year as the Mechanicville Raiders defeated Fredonia, 3-1, in the championship game of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B softball championship game.

In the semifinal game, it was Marah Dahn that guided the Lady Hillbillies into the championship game with a 5-1 victory over the state's top ranked Class B school Chenango Valley.

Dahn faced just three batters over the minimum, striking out four and inducing 15 pop flies. Her command was sensational, hitting her target most of the time.

Dahn's command had Chenango Valley coach Eric Coleman praising her.

"Give credit to her," he said. "She did a great job keeping us off balance. She was all around the plate, but never over the plate. We have faced lefties before, but nothing like her."

In the fifth inning, the wheels came off for Chenango Valley as Fredonia scored four runs to all but put the game away. Fredonia sent 10 players to the plate in the inning.

While scoring runs is what wins, it was the pitching of Dahn that propelled the Lady Hillbillies into the championship game for the third straight year.

"She was herself," Fredonia assistant coach John Bongiovanni said. "That ball was moving and she was overpowering them. I don't think she was fooling too many people. Their swings were from their heels. I guess when you get on top of somebody, they swing a little harder and that's when you get pop ups."

The momentum going into the championship game gave the Fredonia faithful hope this would be the year their Lady Hillbillies would finally capture that elusive title.

However, it was not meant to be.

"This is very hard because it's been the culmination for five years for some of them of hard work and effort. I am so proud to have the opportunity to work with these girls," Fredonia coach Dave Polechetti said after the title game. "I thank them for taking me on a great ride and letting me go on this great ride with them."

Robert Nalepa scores his way into the Dunkirk record books

Robert Nalepa could easily be one of the greatest athletes to ever grace the halls of Dunkirk High School.

In his senior year, he became the first male basketball player at Dunkirk High School to surpass the 1,000-point mark.

"In the history of Dunkirk High School - well over 100 years old - we have never had (a boy) score higher than 801 points," then-Dunkirk basketball coach Rich Catalano said.

The 801 points was a record for male athletes and was held by the late Andre Indelicato who set the record in 1955-56

Nalepa scored 11 points in a loss to Olean for a total of 1,003 career points, just one point shy of tying the school's all-time record set by Karen Grace in 1990 - a record he would break the following game.

"Scoring 1,000 points was my main goal going into the season," Nalepa said. "This really means a lot to me to be able to reach this goal. I was surprised that no other boy has broken 1,000 before. I'm sure there will be more guys down the road that will break 1,000."

Nalepa was the football team's starting quarterback and also the star baseball player. He is currently at St. Bonaventure where he will play baseball in the spring. However, Nalepa will forever be linked to the school's first Mr. 1,000.

"It was great to see all of the students and fans that came out to support Robert," Catalano said.

Dave Richter takes third at state wrestling meet

In 2008, Gowanda's Dave Richter qualified for the state championship meet and barely had a chance to enjoy it as he went two-and-out.

In 2009, it was a completely different story as he took third place. With that finish, Richter became the highest place finisher at a state wrestling tournament in Gowanda school history.

After an opening-round win, Richter fell to Section 9's Cody Reed of Walton, 4-2, to be placed in the wrestlebacks. There, Richter's intensity proved too much for Leonard Dul from Section 8's Mineola pinning Dul in 1:36. The win put Richter in position the place as high as third and he did just that with three wins.

"He was on fire today," an ecstatic Gowanda coach Mark Leous said after seeing Richter make school history. "He came out there and wrestled his heart out all weekend."

In the wrestlebacks, Richter opened the day with a 4:09 pin of Luke Pariso of Attica (Section 5). His next match was equally impressive with a 2:47 pin of Section 5's Cody Hutcheson from Bath. In the third-place match, Richter was unstoppable with an impressive 16-4 major decision of Zachery Diekel of Whitehall (Section 2).

The six-year starter ended his career on a high note.

"You have to come here and press the button and never turn it off," Leous said. "Dave is very courageous. He will try any move and he did it. He tried everything. He is a great kid and a great leader for our team. He set a high bar for the rest of the program."

Fredonia baseball team finds strength to make it to semifinals

While the Fredonia Lady Hillbillies softball team earned much press with three straight trips to the state championship game, the Fredonia baseball team earned some of their own recognition in 2009 as it seemed as if there were angels in the outfield, guiding them back to the state semifinals for the third time in five seasons, winning the Class B title in 2006.

For the second time in as many games, the Fredonia Hillbillies won in the bottom of the seventh inning in the Class B championship game at Diethrick Park as Chris DiRusso's walk-off single gave the Hillbillies the Section 6 Class B title, knocking off the Gowanda Panthers, 11-10.

Fredonia's Dylan Allesi led off the inning with a single. Pinch-runner Max Crinnin came in and stole second base. With the crack of the bat by DiRusso, the entire Fredonia team poured out onto the field before Crinnin had even crossed the plate as they were off to the Far West Regionals against Bath.

There, a huge performance by the Hillbillies in the first two innings gave the team the momentum they needed to defeat the Bath Haverling Rams, 10-6 and advance to the Class B state semifinals.

"I've just never seen a team come out hotter," Fredonia coach Vince Gullo said about his team scoring eight runs in the first two innings. "That boy, (Bath pitcher Mike Rossi) is an all-state pitcher and we came out smoking him. They had a chance to get right back in the game, but those four runs in the second were huge for us."

However, in the semifinals, Fredonia's magical run came to a halt with a 4-2 loss to Westhill Warriors.

Whitehill scored four runs in the top portion of the seventh inning for the come-from-behind victory.

"We gave it our best shot," Gullo said after the game. "We had a two-run lead going into the seventh and I'd take that anytime I could. We just didn't hold onto the lead this time.

Fredonia accomplished a great feat by becoming the third Hillbillies team to make it to the state tournament in five years, unfortunately the run was cut short early. However, Gullo could not be more proud of his team.

"Our guys have shown so much class this year and we are very proud of them," Gullo said. "I couldn't be more proud of the seniors. They have shown great leadership and great class. What a great season we had."

Fredonia girls cross country, Wills compete at states

The Fredonia Lady Hillbillies' cross country team made a return trip the state meet in 2009. There, they finished fourth in the Class C State meet while

Alissa Conti was 17th for Fredonia with 19:36.5 to seal her position on the All-State team.

"This was probably the best performance of her career," Fredonia coach Carol Zirkle said. "She's been challenging the top girls in each race all season long and that's exactly what she did at the state meet.

Emily Wendell was 30th for the Lady Hillbillies with a time of 20:09.1, Lauren Reyda was 36th with a 20:16.4, Jessica Swoyer was 48th with a 20:34.6, Kaitlyn Marshall was 76th with a 21:25.2, Michaela Tramuta was 77th with a 21:25.8 and Laura Poweski was 95th with a 22:02.9.

"We came in with high expectations for the season," Fredonia coach Carol Zirkle said, "but you never know what's going to happen. You never know if the girls are going to remain focused, but the girls have been incredibly focused. They worked hard and really took charge of their own season, using a great work ethic and maintaining that focus to get back to the states."

The Lady Hillbillies were able to compete at the state meet thanks to becoming Sectional champions at Elma Meadows the week before.

"We are very pleased with the outcome," Fredonia coach Carol Zirkle said after winning the Section. "The girls all did what was expected of them. The seniors stepped up as they usually do. Alissa (Conti), Emily (Wendell), Kaitlyn (Marshall) and Laura (Poweski) were great. For seventh grader Lauren Reyda to place seventh at Sectionals is awesome. They did what we asked them to do. They've been very focused. Their goal was to repeat as Section champs. They stayed focused and they got the job done."

Alex Wills, the lone Fredonia boy to compete at states, came in 69th place.

Wills earned a spot at states with a fifth-place finish at the Sectional champions at Elma Meadows with a time of 17:53.

Gowanda Boys go undefeated to states along with Steves

With a second consecutive Sectional title under their belts, the Gowanda Panthers boys' cross country team made another appearance at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association's cross country Class C State finals this year. Gowanda finished sixth out of 11 teams.

Kevin Brown took the best time for the Panthers, finishing in 16th place. His time of 16:31 was good enough to earn a medal for being the 16th best runner for Class C in New York State.

"We had three runners finish with personal records," Gowanda coach Tim O'Donnell said. "Kevin Brown, Christian Igielinski and Jarred Bogardus all ran personal bests in the state meet. That just shows how hard the guys were running out there."

Igielinski finished in 75th place with a time of 17:51, while Bogardus finished in 18:13.

Despite not having his best showing, Nielson was still able to come in 23rd place with a time of 16:41.

"Cliff usually beats Kevin," O'Donnell said. "He and Nick Snow didn't have their best races, but we really ran hard as a whole."

Also, joining the action was Emily Steves who was competing individually in the Class C State girls' meet. Steves, represented the Lady Panthers by taking 24th place with a time of 19:58, a personal best.

At the Sectional Championships, the Panthers ran a solid race as a team, but leading the way, as usual, were Nielson and Brown, who took first and second, respectively. Nielson crossed the finish line in 17:21.7, while Brown timed in at 17:26. 6.

"We expected them to have a really good year," Gowanda coach Tim O'Donnell said. "Kevin (Brown) is running faster times this year than Cliff (Nielson) did last year. We were worried because both of them had the flu and Nielson has had knee problems. They gutted it out to win this year."

The solid overall performance helped Gowanda go undefeated in Section 6 for the second straight year.

"We were undefeated last year and this year as well," O'Donnell said. "We were really hoping to do it again this year. I wasn't sure because Fredonia is a tough team with a lot more depth. We were worried they would beat us out."

Terrell Owens signs with Buffalo Bills

(AP) - Terrell Owens needed only two days to find another place to play.

The Buffalo Bills decided to take a chance on the talented but high-maintenance receiver, signing Owens to a $6.5 million, one-year deal.

The 36-year-old Owens caught 69 passes for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns last season with Dallas. But the Cowboys were looking to improve the atmosphere in the locker room and decided they would be better off without him.

"I'm leaving America's team (for) North America's team,'' Owens said at a news conference. "I must move on, and it's another beginning for me. "If I can be that extra added piece to get them to the playoffs, then that's what I'm here for. I looked at the defensive side of ball and offensive side of the ball, and these guys have all the pieces.''

The Bills were in need of a receiver to take the pressure from Lee Evans. They got one of the biggest names out there.

"We all know of his tremendous ability and look forward to what he will bring to our offense,'' Bills owner Ralph Wilson said in a statement. "This is a very exciting day for the Buffalo Bills.''

Owens came to the Bills coming off the ninth 1,000-yard receiving season in the last 11 years.

''We got one of the premier playmakers in a playmakers league,'' Bills chief operating officer Russ Brandon said.

For the Bills, the signing was their biggest splash since acquiring quarterback Drew Bledsoe in a trade in 2002.

"Wow!' was my first reaction,'' Evans said. ''I know we were looking at some different receivers out there. When he was cut by the Cowboys, I didn't know if we were going to make the move for him or not. We did and it worked out. I'm very excited for everybody.''

However, Owens has been anything but electric this year as he has just 51 catches for 764 yards and four touchdowns entering today's season finale.