Monday News Brief
Written by WBTA STAFF on November 18, 2024
Tough Weekend for Genesee County Football
It was not the weekend residents of Genesee County hoped for, with their High School Football teams going a combined 1-3 over the weekend.
In our WBTA Game of the Week, the Batavia Blue Devils fell to Eastridge 28-14 in the Class B Championship Game. Batavia trailed 22-0 entering the 4th quarter and made a spirited comeback. However, Batavia was too depleted with injuries and Eastridge was able to pull away once more. In the Class C title game, the Le Roy/Cal-Mum Rivals lost to East Rochester/Gananada 26-13. This game was never truly close with ER taking an early lead and never letting the Rivals make the game closer than 2 scores. In the Class D title game, the Alexander Trojans lost to Avon 28-0. The Trojans kept it close early, but Avon was able to wear them down and pull away.
The one bright spot this weekend is that the Pembroke Dragons defeated Holley 52-16 in the 8-man football title game, and will move on to play Frewsburg in the Far West Regional.
Pontillo and the Town of Stafford Appear to be in a Stalemate
Howard Owens with the Batavian reports, that James Pontillo and the Town of Stafford appear to have reached a stalemate with the pending code violations at the former Odd Fellows Hall.
Pontillo’s attorney Chris Hummel released a statement this week accusing the Town of Stafford of wanting to seize ownership of the property and possibly demolish it over “a few petty code violations at worse”. The statement also states that the property was never abandoned and that Pontillo frequently tends to it. In response, David Roach, attorney for the Town of Stafford said that Hummel’s statement was a hodgepodge of objectively verifiable lies and contextually misplaced statements.” Roach also claimed that “Anyone who can read the Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and observe the condition of Mr. Pontillo’s building, inside and out, will arrive at that conclusion.”
Pontillo and the Town of Stafford have been at odds over the Odd Fellows Hall for over 8 years, and these recent statements don’t inspire faith that they are getting closer to a solution.
Byron Bergen Girls Win Soccer State Championship
The Byron-Bergen Bees Varsity Girls Soccer Team won the New York State Class C State Championship at SUNY Cortland.
Following a dominant 4-0 victory on Saturday over Section 9 champion Burke Catholic, the Bees played Section 2 champion Stillwater in the state championship game on Sunday. The game was a defensive masterclass, with both teams refusing to give an inch to the other. The game ended scoreless in regulation and had to be settled in overtime. Just 23 seconds into the overtime period, captain and star player Mia Gray scored to give the Bees a 1-0 victory.
The Bees have been to the state tournament and championship game numerous times over the last decade, but victory has always eluded them. Until now, Congratulations to the Bees.
