More than a dozen Amsterdam High School varsity spring sports athletes earned recognition when the Foothills Council named its all-star teams for softball, lacrosse, and baseball recently.
Five Rams named to baseball all stars
The 2017 Amsterdam Rams varsity baseball team was honored with five on the Foothills Council all-stars. Brendan McGillin, Dale Stanavich, Robbie Spagnola, Jeffrey Brennan, and Max Spagnola earned recognition for the 2017 Foothills Council South Division champions.
Among the first team selections were McGillin (pitcher), Stanavich (outfield), and Robbie Spagnola (second base). Stanavich also received an all-star nod on the second team as a pitcher. Brennan was chosen to the second team as a shortstop. Max Spagnola was an honorable mention choice as an outfielder for a 13-6 Amsterdam team that earned its second Foothills Council South Division crown since joining the league four years ago.
Broadalbin-Perth had four players named to the all star teams. Matt Hinderliter was a first team selection, Mike Dygon was named to the second team, and Brodryk Benton, and Will Austin were honorable mentions. Johnstown’s Ben Wager (first team), and Mike Brown (honorable mention), and Gloversville’s Anthony Ponticello (first team), and Dylan Sweeney (second team), were also chosen.
Six Lady Rams lacrosse players chosen all stars
Lucia Liverio, Paige Bertuch, Victoria Barone- Lopez, Kayli Hoefs, Kateland Cooks, and Cinderae Chrzanowski became the first players in the history of the Amsterdam girls lacrosse program to be named to the Foothills Council all-star team.
Liverio, a junior midfielder, and Bertuch, a junior goalkeeper were selected as Amsterdam’s representatives on the Foothills Council first team. Liverio was among the team leaders in both goals and assists, and Bertuch was the starting goalkeeper for a Lady Rams team that made its debut as a varsity program. Amsterdam achieved a 2-14 record including a pair of wins over Schenectady.
Barone-Lopez, a senior, and Hoefs, a freshman were also a key part of the teams first varsity season. Barone-Lopez led the team with assists, and Hoefs led in goals scored including a five goal performance against Schenectady in Amsterdam’s 12-5 victory at Lynch Field.
Seniors Kateland Cooks and Cinderae Chrzanowski, who earned all-star recognition in volleyball during the Foothills Council fall sports season, were chosen as honorable mentions for the Lady Rams lacrosse program. Cooks was selected for her work anchoring the Amsterdam defense. Chrzanowski, in only her second year playing lacrosse became the fourth Lady Rams midfielder chosen to the Foothills Council all-stars.
Johnstown placed six on the all-star team, including Katelyn Serpa (first team), Madison Etherton (first), Amber Tesi (second), Madison Delgado (second), Alexandra Queeney (honorable mention), and Abbey Hollister (honorable mention).
Lady Rams softball places five among leagues’ best
The 2017 Amsterdam Lady Rams varsity softball team was honored with three Foothills Council second-team all-star selections and two honorable mention choices. Nicole Derose, Gianna Quatrini, and Emma Patrei were chosen to the second team, and Megan Lamont and Karly Power were named honorable mentions from an Amsterdam team that finished 6-8 in a very competitive Foothills Council, and 9- 11 overall before earning the tenth seed in the 2017 New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Section 2 Class A softball playoffs.
Amsterdam (10-12 overall) defeated Queensbury 4-3 in eight innings to earn its first victory in a sectional playoff game since the 2005 AHS team won a Class A quarterfinal game. Patrei went the distance in the pitchers circle for the Lady Rams in the win, and was also a defensive standout at shortstop as well as one of the top hitters on the club.
As much as Patrei anchored the Lady Rams infield, Quatrini provided that same stability in center field consistently making the tough plays look almost routine. Quatrini also came through during the playoffs collecting two hits in the Lady Rams win over Queensbury, and had one Amsterdam’s four hits in their quarter-final loss to Burnt Hills- Ballston Lake.
Derose was the only left handed batter in the Lady Rams starting lineup ans excelled throughout the season. The Lady Rams first baseman collected four hits, scored four runs, and drove in a pair of runs during the Lady Rams wins over Johnstown and Fonda- Fultonville at Fonda’s Paperniak Memorial Scholarship Tournament in May helping AHS claim it’s second tourney title. Derose’s performance was crucial during Amsterdam’s four game winning streak that led to their sectional bid, and she also drove in a run in the Lady Rams sectional win over Queensbury.
Megan Lamont helped Amsterdam with her bat and her glove. At the Paperniak Tournament, Lamont earned the Defensive Player of the Game award for a pair of diving, run saving catches in center field. Lamont was filling in for Quatrini who missed the tournament due to illness, but the sophomore was normally the Lady Rams second baseman, or shortstop where she is as steady as any infielder in the game. At the Paperniak Tournament, Lamont also made a statement with her bat smacking four hits, and scoring a team high five runs.
Karly Power had the task of being the Lady Rams starting catcher for the majority of the season. The sophomore provided a strong presence while catching for a talented group of hurlers that included Patrei, Michaela Rust, and eighth grader Sydney Szczepanik, who started Amsterdam’s playoff game against Burnt Hills- Ballston Lake after playing most of the season at the junior varsity level where she set a team record from the pitcher’s circle in strikeouts. Power was Szczepanik’s battery mate on the JV team last season, and was the starting catcher in both of Amsterdam’s tournament victories in Fonda where Rust pitched a pair of complete game wins. Power got it done with the bat as well driving in six over a four game win streak, and scored the winning run in the playoff triumph over Queensbury.
Scotia- Glenville’s Kelly Mayette and Lauren Zeglen were the only Foothills Council first team selections from the South Division. Third Baseman Maddy Capozucca from league champion South Glens Falls was named the Foothills Council MVP.
