Well, this is it. Last game of the regular season at Troy High for their boys' soccer team. If there's any semblance of sense, athletic director Paul Reinisch and coach Mike Murnane would be wise to pass on the sectionals when they start next week.
When Murnane's Flying Horses hit the pitch at Picken Field tonight for their Senior Night clash with Averill Park, it, by all rights, should bring down the curtain on what has been one of the worst seasons, if not the worst, in school history. A putrid 0-13-2 (0-11-2 in the Suburban Council) record would suggest to Reinisch and Murnane to do right by the players and pack it up after tonight.
Personal note: When I was a student at Troy back in the day, their boys' soccer team was among the best in the Big 10, usually in contention for the league title. It was the football team, back then, that was the laughingstock of the campus. Oh, how times and fortunes have changed.
The Troy women will be at Averill Park tonight. The Lady Warriors already own one victory over Troy this season, as they're playing home & home matches this season to fill the void in the schedule created when Mohonasen jumped to the Colonial Council after last season. Justin Haviland's club has won 2 in a row, a modest winning streak, but with 3 wins on the season, the ladies may be coming together at just the right time to play spoiler during the sectionals. The girls close at Bethlehem on Saturday morning.
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According to Schedule Galaxy, it looks like Troy's boys' basketball team will play in a holiday tournament closer to home this year, that being at old rival Catholic Central in Lansingburgh. Tournament dates are December 28-29. More details as we get closer to the date.
Meanwhile, the women will open their season before the boys do. The ladies' first game is November 30 at home vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. Even though Paul Bearup's club struggled last year, the Lady Spartans haven't exactly scared anyone in recent years.
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Speaking of Averill Park, their football team will return to Picken Field for the first time since 2015 tomorrow night, hoping to spoil Troy's Senior Night in much the same way they did to Columbia two weeks ago. The Warriors are a vastly improved club compared to their 2015 edition, which left Troy battered, bruised, and beaten. Troy coach Bob Burns is hoping to remain undefeated at home, and at the same time collect the team's fourth straight divisional title.
One note of caution that I didn't mention in last week's report on the Troy-Columbia game. Troy threw caution to the wind, and risked fate by moving the band's position in the bleachers to the left side of the stands, as opposed to the right side, where they usually are. I suppose the point of this exercise was to make sure they were heard by the players as they raced out onto the field. Hopefully, this is just a one-time thing, because if it's the same thing tomorrow night, well, I don't want to think about it right now.
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The Albany Times-Union is reporting today that officials at Niskayuna are looking into allegations that students shouted racial slurs at members of the Schenectady women's soccer team during their match with the Lady Silver Warriors on Tuesday.
Here's my take:
1. It's a traditional border war between the two schools, and sometimes, things can get out of hand, especially with a few rowdy students, likely boys, showing no respect.
2. Schenectady has one of the worst teams in the Suburban Council in women's soccer, and the slurs won't help the players' self-esteem and confidence as the season winds down. In fact, according to one parent, it only makes things worse.
3. One wonders if there'll be any carryover during the winter, when the two teams play basketball, and some of the same women might also be on the court for the Lady Patriots. Something to watch for.
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