Friday April 26, 2024 
It was another exciting week in sports for the Warriors! AP’s wrestling team had a big week that began with a 69-18 win over Schenectady. On 1/9, the Warriors fell to Saratoga 47-32. On 1/11, AP took first place out of 17 at the Schenectady Invitational. Chad Rist and Sean Malenfant each won their tournaments. With the victory, Malenfant has attained the school record with 131 total wins.
The boys basketball team defeated Albany 57-34 on 1/7. Senior Matt Lettko scored a team high 16 points in the win. On 1/9, AP destroyed Burnt Hills 60-16. Alex Pascarella and Ben Romer lead AP in the scoring column with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Lettko registered 8 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds.
Girls basketball took on Albany on 1/7 and came out with a 63-57 win. Kelsey Wood recorded 20 points to pace the Warriors. Amelia Wood and Anna Jankovic finished with 18 and 10 points, respectively.
The boys bowling team defeated Albany 25-7 on 1/6. Joe Kellar had a high series of 686 and high game of 258 to propel AP. The Warriors followed up the win with another over Ballston Spa 27-5 on 1/8. This time, Kellar finished with a high series of 658 and game of 262. On 1/11, AP competed in the Schenectady Tournament and placed 6th out of 20.
Girls bowling took on Saratoga on 1/6 and won 18-14. Anna Wicks had a high triple of 503 and Saeryn Sawyer bowled a high game of 181 for the Warriors. On 1/8, AP fell to Ballston Spa 19-13. Sawyer led AP with a high series of 548 and single of 204.
The Capital District Jets fell to Queensbury 8-1 on 1/10. Cole Davidson assisted the lone goal for the Jets. On 1/11, the Jets fell to Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa 9-1.
Gear up for another action-packed week. On 1/17, boys basketball will take on CBA away from home at 7:00. The Capital District Jets will take on LaSalle on 1/18 at Hudson Valley Community College at 7:15. Go Warriors!
This week’s scholar athlete is Jason Meyer. Jason is a sprinter on the Varsity Indoor and Outdoor Track teams. Jason began running track in ninth grade in order to stay in shape for soccer. He soon came to love the sport and made it his priority. Jason’s favorite part of track is “that it involves teamwork as well as self work, and it brings people together.” Yet, Jason faces challenges when he feels he is not improving his times. He says the most difficult aspect of track is “when you aren’t succeeding in an event, you can get yourself down, it’s hard to motivate yourself to keep trying if it isn’t working.” In order to improve his times for this season, Jason lifted weights and did core training during the offseason. This year, Jason hopes that his offseason efforts will help him to “reach 20 feet in Long Jump and 40 in Triple Jump by the end of the Outdoor Season.”
Jason works hard both in his sports and his academics. He has maintained a GPA of 91 throughout highschool. Jason’s academic efforts were recognized when he was inducted into the National Honor Society last Fall. In his future, Jason plans to attend college and pursue a career in engineering. In order to prepare himself for engineering courses at a college level, Jason is taking challenging courses such as Physics, Engineering Drawing & Design, and Principles of Engineering. Jason balances school and his sports “by planning out time to do both.”
Jason says his role model is his sister, Shannon Meyer. “She has always supported me in what I want to do.” Additionally, Jason says that he looks up to his teammates and coaches: “I am thankful for everyone in being so supportive and outgoing in helping me strive to do my best.” Jason wants to tell younger athletes “You’re never going to win every time, the sport is more challenging than you would expect. If you think you’re good there is probably someone better, but you can be better than them if you work hard.” We wish Jason the best as he finishes his senior year and prepares for college.
One of the busier weeks in the wrestling season began with the Saratoga Invitational. Averill Park was participating in this tournament for the first time. Featuring a competitive fourteen team field, including four Suburban Council and two additional Class B rivals, the team got in some tough matches against wrestlers they are likely to see again at the end of the year Class and Sectional tournaments. Pacing the squad were Nick Tempel, Mason Lumbra and Alex Cooper who each finished in 3rd place in their weight classes, as well as Jacob Hanlon, Nate Fischer and Chad Rist, who reached the podium as well, by finishing in 4th, 5th and 6th place, respectively.
The team then had rare home matches on back to back nights versus Suburban Council foes Schenectady and Saratoga Springs. While they were able to celebrate a 69-18 victory versus Schenectady, they did suffer a 47-32 setback against Saratoga. The Schenectady match was highlighted by pins by Colin Catlin, Jacob White and Michael Steen, as well as a thrilling 1-0 victory by Chad Rist. The high point of the Saratoga match was a major decision by Sean Malenfant versus a fellow former state qualifier. Ben Riston also was part of an inspiring back and forth match.
The last home match of the season is Thursday, January 23rd against Burnt Hills. Come out and see some top level wrestling and to support the team!
Submitted by the AP Wrestling Coaching Staff