Lady Rams lacrosse end season with a win
Kayli Hoefs scored five goals helping the Amsterdam Lady Rams varsity lacrosse team end their first varsity season on a winning note with a 12-5 victory over the Schenectady Lady Patriots on Wednesday afternoon at Lynch Literacy Academy Field.
Lucia Liverio found the back of the Schenectady net twice for the Lady Rams and contributed an assist, Ashley Searles, Britney Potter, Alyssa Kuchis and Victoria Barone-Lopez each scored a goal, and Hope Adair tallied a goal and an assist as Amsterdam won its second game of their first varsity campaign. During a season of firsts, the Lady Rams added one more. The victory marked the first time the Lady Rams overcame a deficit and won. Amsterdam had trailed by three goals early in the game.
“It feels good to end the season the way we did,” Amsterdam coach Jessica Byerwalters said. “I’m proud of the girls. We had to come back from an early deficit and it was the first time we did that. It’s definitely an accomplishment.”
Amsterdam had defeated Schenectady 8-3 earlier in the year for its first win. The Lady Rams played a very competitive schedule that with experienced Foothills Council programs including Scotia- Glenville, South Glens Falls, Schuylerville, and Queensbury, all perennial Section 2 contenders. Amsterdam showed improvement throughout the season and were never shutout by an opponent. Improved teamwork was evident as the season continued with Amsterdam’s best chance to pick up a league win coming in a 16-10 loss to South Glens Falls in last weeks Foothills Council home finale.
AHS Goalkeeper Paige Bertuch faced 15 shots and made ten saves. Nyzairia Ussery scored a pair of goals for Schenectady. Lady Patriots goalkeeper Sara Ali faced 25 shots and made 13 saves.
Amsterdam returns a strong team in 2018 with Bertuch and leading scorer Hoefs, along with Liverio, Kuchis, and a young cast led by Lauren Adair and Lydia Iorio as well as a few rookies from this years modified team. Coach Byerwalters said that Amsterdam will not participate in sectionals this year. NYSPHSAA lacrosse is an open sectional. But, with a program now firmly in place, sectionals are sure to be in the team’s future.
Amsterdam baseball, softball, and track and field will play in sectionals
The Amsterdam varsity baseball team opens the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Section 2 Class A playoffs today at home with a 6:30 pm start against Foothills Council rival Gloversville. The No. 2 seed Rams played the Huskies twice this season, winning both games.
The Amsterdam Lady Rams varsity softball team was successful in petitioning its way into the Section 2 Class A softball playoffs. Amsterdam (6-8 Foothills Council, 9-11 overall) will travel to Queensbury today for an opening round game with the Lady Spartans. The Lady Rams biggest win this year came on April 26 at Shuttleworth Park in a 9-2 victory over Queensbury and factored into their making the tournament. First pitch is slated for 4:30pm. A win will put Amsterdam into the quarterfinals on Monday at No. 2 seed Burnt Hills- Ballston Lake.
The Amsterdam boys and girls varsity track and field teams will be in action at the Section 2 Group 1 meet on Tuesday, May 23 at Guilderland High School . The meet scheduled to begin at 3:30pm.
Fedullo, Pritchard named to girls basketball All-State team
At the conclusion of the 2016- 2017 girls basketball season in April, the trophy case outside the Amsterdam High School gymnasium received a pair of new additions. First, was a plaque for the Lady Rams varsity’s second straight runner-up effort in the Section 2 Class A tournament, and the second, a basketball with the total 1500 points on it for the new all time girls basketball leading scorer in school history. Both elements had one thing in common, Nina Fedullo. The senior captain of the Lady Rams was named to her second All State team when the selections were announced Thursday.
Fedullo was chosen for the third team in Class A for the second consecutive season after leading the Amsterdam Lady Rams to back to back Class A title games for the first time in school history. Fedullo scored over 400 points in each of the last two seasons, setting the single season scoring record with 445 points in 2016, and broke the all time career scoring mark previously held by Amy Jo Stewart (954 pts) by putting up a total of 1,500 points during her four-year varsity career (2013-2017). Fedullo also gathered in 856 rebounds during the four-year span putting her third on the all-time list at AHS, behind only Stewart and Brittany Stahura (AHS 2008).
Only one Class A player from Section 2 earned a higher recognition. Mohonasen’s Saeeda Abdul- Aziz was named to the Class A first team. In addition to the school records and team accomplishments, Fedullo was named to the Section 2 Class A All-Tournament Team twice, and was named the MVP of the Foothills Council in 2016 as well as a league first team all-star selection three times. During the Lady Rams run to the title game in 2016 they defeated both Mohonasen and former Class A champion Troy. Fedullo is continuing her basketball career at the college level and will pursue an NCAA title with the College of St. Rose in the fall of 2017.
Joining Fedullo on the All State team is her teammate Giuliana Pritchard, who as a junior has already moved into the top ten on the all time girls basketball scoring list at AHS, and could become only the second girl in school history to score 1,000 points. Pritchard was named to the 13th team for her first All-State selection. Pritchard was second on the AHS varsity team in scoring in 2017 posting 292 points, and like Fedullo has also been a first team all-star choice from the Foothills Council, and was named to her second Section 2 Class A All Tournament Team at the conclusion of the title games at Hudson Valley Community College. Pritchard returns to AHS for her senior season in 2017-2018 having already scored more than 700 career points.
Joining Fedullo, Pritchard, and Abdul-Aziz on the Class A All State girls team were Gloversville sophomore Harmony Philo (seventh team), Scotia- Glenville senior Caitlin Estes (twelfth team), Averill Park’s Stephanie Jankovic (seventh), and Kathryn Stackrow (ninth), and Nylasia Sutton of Lansingburgh, who was named an honorable mention.
Other Foothills Council girls named to the All State team in Class B were Glens Falls’ Sophie Tougas (first team), and her sister Lucy Tougas (fourth team). Fonda- Fultonville’s Julianna Taylor was a twelfth team Class B selection out of the Western Athletic Conference.
Among other local players chosen were Mayfield’s Sydney Sheldon (honorable mention, Class C), OESJ’s Merari Freeman (third, Class C), and Northville’s Hannah Coupas (fifth team, Class D). Section 2 Class C champion Mekeel Christian Academy placed three on the Class C team; Liz Singleton (third), Rebekkah Dean (fourth), and Jessie Show (seventh). Columbia’s Selena Lott was a first team selection from Class AA. Shenendehowa’s Cameron Tooley (eighth), and Alexandra Tudor (eleventh) were Class AA choices from Amsterdam native Joe Murphy’s Section 2 Class AA champion team.
