Saturday April 20, 2024 
By Eric Schuman
It was an exciting week full of games and awards for Averill Park.
Girls’ soccer athletes Jess Haskin, Syd Haskin, and Megan Glanton were all named to the All Section 2 Class A team. Jess Haskin was also awarded sixth team All State, and Glanton was named to the first team All State.
AP football players James Finelli and Jake Bornt were each placed on the Suburban Council first team. Kyle Nethercott, Jacob Lucier, and Austin Bradway were all awarded second team honors.
On 12/7, Boys’ basketball picked up a win against Albany by a score of 70-51. Zach Price scored 25 points and Thomas Hacker added 14 in the victory. The Warriors will next take on Shen on 12/14.
Girls’ basketball also took on Albany on 12/7 but fell 63-52. Kelsey Wood scored a team high 22 points in the loss. Up next for AP will be Shen on 12/14.
The AP girls’ bowling team opened up their season with a 22-10 win over Niskayuna on 12/3. Stephanie Mangene led the team with a series of 474 and a high game score of 201. Laney Brown was close behind, recording a 434 series with a 158 game for AP. On 12/5, the Warriors followed up with another 22-10 win over Ballston Spa. Stephanie Mangene had a big day for AP again, posting a high triple of 582 and a high game of 228.
The boys’ bowling team defeated Albany 24-8 on 12/5. Joe Keller had a high triple of 691 and recorded a 245 game to lead AP. Forest Wright and Joe Minehan followed with game scores of 226 and 224, respectively.
The AP wrestling team picked up a huge 40-37 win against Shaker on 12/5. John Martin, Sean Malenfant, Andrew Lee, Alex Cooper, Chad Rist, Dom Paradise, Mason Lumbra, and Nate Fischer all picked up wins for the Warriors.
Good luck to all of AP’s athletes as they head into another action-packed week. Go Warriors!
Photo by Michael Burton
6’ 6” Averill Park Senior Thomas Hacker tips off last Friday night at APHS. Thomas won this jump ball and helped AP to a 70-51 win over Albany HS.
~Scholar Athlete~
Thomas Hacker
This week’s scholar athlete is Thomas Hacker. Thomas is a captain for the Varsity Basketball team and plays for the Varsity Soccer team during the Fall along with Outdoor Track in the Spring. Thomas was introduced to basketball at a very young age. He began playing on a team in kindergarten and has practiced on his own since he was three years old. He says basketball has “always been a part of my family,” as his sister also plays the sport. During the offseason, Thomas participates in team workouts in addition to his exercise in other sports to ready himself for the season ahead. This year, Thomas hopes to win the sectional title and continue on to states. Through his and his team’s hard work, Thomas has found success in each of his sports. His greatest accomplishment was winning second place in sectionals for Varsity Basketball two years ago. He has also found sectional success in soccer where he was awarded a second-place patch; and two third place patches for outdoor track.
Not only are Thomas’ efforts seen on the court, but also in the classroom. Thomas has maintained a GPA of 97 throughout high school. His hard work may be recognized in his senior year schedule. While some elect to lessen their course load, Thomas is taking Advanced Placement Calculus, Advanced Placement Biology, Computer Science Principles, Engineering Design and Development, Participation in Government, Economics, and American Detective Fiction. Thomas was awarded for his hard work earlier this year as he was inducted into the National Honor Society. Outside of school and his sports, Thomas is an Eagle Scout. After high school, Thomas plans to attend college in pursuit of a career in engineering or mathematics. Thomas has continuously strived to find success in both school and his sports. Thomas says he is inspired to work hard from his family who always pushes him to do his best and has “always stuck by me through everything.” Along with his family, Thomas is largely supported by his coaches who push him to be the best player he can be. Thomas would also like to thank his coach Pugs for “letting me into hoop camp before I was even in school.” Thomas also wishes to thank coach Gerard O’Shea “for always keeping me at my best and always believing in me.”
We all wish Thomas the best and hope to continue supporting him as he finishes his high school career.
Welcome Averill Park Wrestling fans to what should be another exciting season! The Warriors jumped straight into the fray with a season opening match against a Shenendehowa team ranked fifth in the state. AP was game, but ultimately fell 49-26 to Shen. Next up was the prestigious two-day Clyde Cole Tournament at Oxford, NY. Featuring some of up-state’s toughest competition, Averill Park came in 7th overall, paced by 4th place finishes by Xavier Graham, Andrew Lee, Mason Lumbra, Sean Malenfant and Dominick Paradise, as well as 5th place finishes for Ray Hebert and Cameron Groff.
The team then went on the road to face a much-improved Shaker team. In what was a back and forth contest all night, it was the sophomores who kept AP in this one. The usual suspects of Malenfant, Lumbra and Paradise were joined in victory by new varsity starters John Martin, Chad Rist and Nathan Fischer. Add in a pin by Alex Cooper and the score was all tie at 37 going in to the final match of the night. It came down to Team Captain Andrew Lee vs. another Sectional place finisher. The Shaker wrestler tied the match up with 1 second left, but Lee was not to be denied, winning the match and the dual for Averill Park 40-37 in overtime!!
Go Warriors!
~Averill Park Wrestling Coaching Staff