Monday April 29, 2024 
Averill Park Sports By Issac Joseph
AVERILL PARK – Hello Warrior fans! Averill Park’s varsity teams had strong showings in the week leading up to the holidays.
The hockey team shutout Mohawk 6-0 on 12/21. Cole Davidson, Kyle Millington, and Brendan Walsh all scored in the win while Josh Durocher, Millington, and Walsh assisted on scores. The hockey team takes on Rome Free Academy on 1/8 for their next match.
The wrestling team defeated Bethlehem 48-21 on 12/22. Connor Dee, Luke Hempel, Nick Tempel, Mike Steen, Edward Marcus, Reese Bunney, Jacob Hanlon, Jamie Bartlett and John Welcome all won their matches. The wrestling team will travel to Schenectady for their next match on 1/5.
The girls basketball team dominated Troy on 12/21, with a 63-15 final score. Amelia Wood and Taylor Holohan both scored 11 to lead the girls. The basketball team will face Bishop Guertin on 12/30 for their next game.
The boys basketball team fell 68-53 against Troy on 12/21. Nicholas Galuski led the boys with 11 points. The basketball team turned it around, defeating South Glens Falls 61-31 on 12/23. Nicholas Galuski led the team with 14 points, while seniors Dan Coiteux and Aidan Mccue added 12 and 10 points respectfully. The boys team travels to Albany for their next game on 1/5.
The boys bowling team lost 21-11 against Burnt Hills on 12/21. Mike Angrisano had a 615 triple in the loss. The boys defeated Shaker 16.5-15.5 on 12/23. Hunter Willet had a 605 high triple and 237 high single while Angrisano had a 215 high single. The bowling team travels to Columbia on 1/4 for their next match.
The girls bowling team lost to Bethlehem 19-13 on 12/20. Laney Brown had a 560 high triple and Anna Wicks had a 546 triple. The girls lost to Schenectady 27-5 on 12/22. Laney Brown had a 648 triple and a 266 single in the loss. The girls team will take on Saratoga in their next match on 1/5.
I will be back next week to report on AP scores and highlights. Go Warriors!
Scholar Athlete Of The Week By Tyler Michaels
AVERILL PARK – This week’s Scholar Athlete is Michelina Lombardi. Michelina is a captain on the Varsity basketball team where she plays as a point guard or shooting guard. Michelina is also a captain of the Varsity soccer team, and runs track in the spring. Michelina’s father loves basketball and wanted her to play the sport, so in third grade Michelina played basketball for her elementary school. Michelina soon fell in love with the sport, and has developed her own passion for basketball. To prepare for her season, Michelina runs, lifts weights, and works out to help build up her strength, speed, and agility. Over the summer, Michelina also plays with City Rocks, an AAU team that allows her to travel around the country to play other skilled teams. Michelina’s favorite part about her sport is the sense of atmosphere. “All of my teammates work extremely hard and give it their best effort. Coach Organ and Keegan are consistently putting in effort and spend countless hours breaking down game film. Overall, the Averill Park Girls Basketball Program has been known to be successful and we all just hope to continue on that legacy.” For Michelina, the most difficult part about basketball is keeping motivated and working hard. To keep herself from losing motivation, Michelina reminds herself that other players are constantly improving. To be great at her sport, Michelina pushes herself to improve with them. Last year, the basketball season was brought to a halt due to the pandemic right before the regional championship game. This year, Michelina wants to lead her team to win the regional championship game and bring her team to the state championships.
While Michelina succeeds athletically, she also excels academically. Michelina has a 4.0 GPA and is enrolled in the New Visions Scientific Research and World Health Program. To help balance school and sports, Michelina has had to learn how to manage her time. Michelina has found this time management and hard work to be her keys to success. In addition to her three athletic seasons, Michelina is the Senior class president, president of the Student Athletic Advisory Council, a member of the National Honor Society, a member of Journalism Club, and a member of International Club.
Michelina would like to thank her friends and family for supporting her in her athletic career and everything she does. Michelina also wanted to thank her coaches for pushing her to improve every day, especially Coach Organ, Coach Keegan, Coach Huerter, and her trainer Brian Matthews. Next year Michelina will be attending LeMoyne College where she will be playing on the women’s basketball team. Michelina will be majoring in biology, and hopes to be an endocrinologist in the future. We wish Michelina the best as she finishes her senior year and prepares for college.
