(Ellicottville visits Franklinville to ring in the New Year on Wednesday)
Monday, January 2nd
McDowell @ Jamestown - 7:30 pm
Tuesday, January 3rd
Park @ St. Joe's - 6 pm
Niagara Wheatfield @ Wilson - 6 pm
Williamsville South @ Cheektowaga - 6:30 pm
Grand Island @ Niagara Falls - 6:30 pm
Depew @ Cleveland Hill - 6:30 pm
Lew-Port @ Lockport - 6:30 pm
East Aurora @ Lackawanna - 6:30 pm
Canisius @ Timon - 7 pm
Maryvale @ Frontier - 7:30 pm
Wednesday, January 4th
Fredonia @ Dunkirk - 7:30 pm
Ellicottville @ Franklinville – 7:30 pm
Thursday, January 5th
Middle College @ Burgard - 6 pm
Depew @ Starpoint - 7 pm
Wilson @ Barker - 7 pm
Jamestown @ Lancaster - 7:30 pm
Friday, January 6th
Timon @ Park - 6:30 pm
St. Mary's @ Cardinal O'Hara - 6:30 pm
Walsh @ St. Francis - 6:30 pm
Lockport @ Grand Island - 6:30 pm
Canisius @ St. Joe's - 7 pm
Clarence @ Williamsville North - 7:30 pm
Hamburg @ Williamsville South - 7:30 pm
Cheektowaga @ East Aurora - 7:30 pm
Dunkirk @ Olean - 7:30 pm
Silver Creek @ Gowanda - 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 7th
United Way Showcase at Jamestown HS
Panama vs. Salamanca - 12 pm
Fredonia vs. Tapestry - 1:45 pm
East vs. Randolph - 3:30 pm
Sherman vs. Silver Creek - 5:15 pm
Jamestown vs. Leadership Academy - 7 pm
* Game of the Week – Ellicottville @ Franklinville on Wednesday, January 4th
We were cruising along through the first month of the season and the results seemed to have a certain flow to them, until we hit that tricky week between Christmas & New Year’s and everything we thought we knew got a little shook up.
Ellicottville opened its season with a win over Randolph, a team that battled with Middle College in the Class C2 semifinal last season and brought back four starters. The Eagles continued adding to the win column, including a victory at Gowanda, a Class B2 team that won CCAA I East last season. The Eagles lone loss was to Chautauqua Lake – a two-point heartbreaker to the #2 ranked team in NYS Class C who would go on to defeat Olean a week later. Everyone took notice of Ellicottville, and the Eagles became a ranked small school locally. They also climbed to the #5 ranked school in NYS Class D, one of two teams along with Sherman from Section VI to be ranked by the state in Class D.
Franklinville’s schedule was equally challenging, if not more so, to get the season started. The Panthers first hosted Burgard, one of the Yale Cup’s best teams, and took a three-point loss. They rebounded to earn their first win over Randolph, who Ellicottville had also beaten, only by a larger margin. Franklinville added a win over Portville, before suffering another three-point loss – this time at the hands of Tavien Kemp and Walsh on December 14th.
Heading into the holiday break, I was calling for everyone to beware of Franklinville, but couldn’t sneak them into the small school poll due to the losses to Burgard & Walsh, also unranked. But then came that tricky week I mentioned at the top, and plenty has changed. The Panthers followed a win over Allegany-Limestone with a convincing victory over Chautauqua Lake. Over the same two-day stretch, Ellicottville narrowly defeated Sherman to support its ranking above them, but fell the following night in a rematch with Randolph. The combination of results from those four games is sure to change where WNY and NYS have these two slotted when the rankings come out early this week. Two days after I show my hand with another small school poll and the day after the next state rankings come out, Ellicottville & Franklinville get it on to end the speculation.
Never mind where I rank them or what the state thinks, this game will be for first place in CCAA II East, as we have a pair of league rivals facing off. This game effects the league race, sectional seeding points, rankings, and the mental state of both teams. Both enjoyed success last season and returned their key talents. And each team has one of WNY’s elite players – Elliot Bowen for the Eagles and Sam Erickson for Franklinville. The Panthers also added a transfer from Fillmore with some height and talent, which certainly doesn’t hurt their chances.
It looks like I’ll be making my first ever trip to Franklinville on Wednesday night and I’m very much looking forward to it. Save me a seat, I like to sit right at…
- centercourt
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