TIOGA THREE-SPORT STANDOUT ROBINSON JOINS SECTION IV HALL OF FAME (2020-03-31)
BY TIM TAYLOR
Valley Sports Report
VALLEY AREA — Jesse Robinson was a multi-talented athlete who would go on to play college basketball, but it was her talent as a three-sport athlete that led to her being named to the Section IV Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
...more

TIOGA THREE-SPORT STAR CHAMBERS NAMED TO SECTION IV HALL OF FAME (2020-03-31)
BY TIM TAYLOR
Valley Sports Report
VALLEY AREA — Julie Chambers would take her volleyball skills to Division I Binghamton University, but it was her talent as a three-sport athlete at Tioga which earned her a spot in the Section IV Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
...more

COLLEGE BASEBALL: SAYRE'S CONNOR HANAFIN WILL TRANSFER TO DIVISION II MANSFIELD (2020-03-31)
By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
SAYRE — Sayre grad Connor Hanafin, who had his final season at Frederick Community College cut short, will continue his baseball career at Mansfield next year.
...more

COLLEGE BASEBALL: SAYRE'S QUINN HANAFIN WILL PLAY FIRST TWO YEARS AT LACKAWANNA COLLEGE (2020-03-30)
By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
SAYRE — Sayre senior Quinn Hanafin has verbally committed to play his first two years of college baseball at Lackawanna College in Scranton.

Hanafin will make it official by signing his National Letter-of-Intent as soon as the NCAA lifts its recruiting blackout, which was put into effect due to the Covid-19 pandemic. ...more

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL: WAVERLY'S LEWIS SIGNS TO PLAY COLLEGIATELY AT DeSALES UNIVERSITY. (2020-03-28)
By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
WAVERLY — Waverly senior Paige Lewis signed a National Letter-of-Intent Thursday to play college volleyball at DeSales University.
...more

COLLEGE GOLF: TIOGA'S TAYLOR WILL PLAY COLLEGIATELY AT METHODIST UNIVERSITY (2 PHOTOS) (2020-03-25)
By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER — With his senior season on the links is in jeopardy, Tioga senior Sam Taylor recently signed a letter-of-intent to play collegiately at Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C. beginning in the fall. ...more

COLLEGE SOFTBALL: TIOGA GRAD CULVER STRONG IN PITCHER'S CIRCLE IN FINAL TWO OUTINGS FOR CALDWELL (2020-03-25)
Valley Sports Report
MIAMI SHORES, Fla. — After a rough first outing, Tioga grad Mariah Culver, a sophomore on the Caldwell University softball team, turned in two strong performances in the pitcher’s circle before the season was canceled due to concerns surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.
...more

COLLEGE SOFTBALL: WAVERLY GRAD KRAFT COLLECTS SIX HITS IN FIVE GAMES BEFORE SEASON CANCELED (2020-03-24)
Valley Sports Report
CLEMENT, Fla. — Waverly grad Shailei Kraft, a junior on the Dominican College softball team, started slow this season, but had six hits in five games before the season was canceled on March 13 due to concerns surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. ...more

NYSPHSAA OFFICIALLY CANCELS REMAINING WINTER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS (2020-03-23)
Valley Sports Report
LATHAM, N.Y. — The New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced the cancellation of the remaining winter state championship events Monday morning, according to a press release on the NYSPHSAA web site. ...more

THE FINAL WORD: PUTTING A BOW ON THE 2019-20 WINTER SEASON (2020-03-22)
Wrestling dominated the 2019-20 winter season headlines, but there were plenty of other stand-out performers and teams.
...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: WAVERLY'S ATANASOFF TOPS LIST OF BOYS 'SUPER 7 ATHLETES OF THE WINTER' (2020-03-22)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — In a winter season full of outstanding performances, senior Mike Atanasoff capped a brilliant and record-breaking career for the stories Waverly boys swim program with a pair of state medals at the New York Swimming & Diving Championships. He is the 2019-20 Valley Sports Report boys Super 7 “Athlete of the Winter” season. ...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: WAVERLY'S TOMASSO LEADS SUPER 7 AS GIRLS "ATHLETE OF THE WINTER" (2020-03-22)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — If the Waverly girls basketball team was to be successful this season, junior Sidney Tomasso would need to shoulder much of the load. She came up aces, leading the Lady Wolverines to a 15-5 season and the Section IV, Class B quarterfinals, and is the 2019-20 girls “Athlete of the Winter” season. ...more

THREE VALLEY HOOP PLAYERS NOMINATED FOR SOUTHERN N.Y. BASKETBALL OFFICIALS SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD (2020-03-22)
Valley Sports Report
ELMIRA — A trio of Valley basketball players were nominated for the sportsmanship award presented annually to one senior boy and one senior girl by the Southern New York Basketball Officials Association.
...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: THE 'SUPER 7 STORYLINES' OF THE WINTER (2020-03-21)
What a winter season — chock full of intriguing storylines, ranging from continued dominance, to a young champion, to the heart of a champion.

I've talked about storylines in the past and how they normally come in one of four realms: the start of a storyline, the continuation of one, the likely culmination of one, or a storyline totally out-of-the-blue. ...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: SAYRE'S FABBRI TOPS LIST OF SUPER 7 BOYS 'NEWCOMERS OF THE WINTER' (2020-03-21)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — The winter season produced a host of first-year varsity athletes who contributed on successful teams. Sayre sophomore Dom Fabbri was a major contributor on the Redskins’ run to the state playoffs, and is the 2019-20 Valley Sports Report boys “Newcomer of the Winter” season. ...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: ATHENS' WILLIAMS HEADLINES SUPER 7 AS GIRLS 'NEWCOMER OF THE WINTER' (2020-03-21)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — Freshman Taegan Williams made an immediate impact in her first season in the pool for the Athens girls swim team, and is the 2019-20 Valley Sports Report girls “Newcomer of the Winter.” ...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: TIOGA'S HARRINGTON HEADLINES SUPER 7 AS 'COACH OF WINTER' (2020-03-21)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — It was another historic season for the Tioga wrestling program — another Section IV, Division 2 championship, another Section IV Duals title, and another team title at the New York State Division 2 Championships — resulting in coach Kris Harrington repeating as the Valley Sports Report 2019-20 “Coach of the Winter” season. ...more

FROM THE PRESS BOX: CRYSTAL BALL LOOK AHEAD TO THE 2020-21 WRESTLING SEASON (2020-03-20)
The 2019-20 wrestling season will long be remembered after 10 Valley grapplers (six Tioga, three Athens, one Waverly) qualified for their respective state tournaments, and eight (five Tioga, two Athens, one Waverly) earned state hardware, including Tioga 8th-grader Gianni Silvestri, who became the youngest wrestler in Valley history to win state gold.
...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: TIOGA'S SILVESTRI NAMED 'WRESTLER OF YEAR;' TIOGA'S HARRINGTON, WOOD, ATHENS' COURTNEY ALSO EARN TOP HONORS (2020-03-20)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — Tioga 8th-grader Gianni Silvestri became the youngest wrestler in the storied history of the four Valley programs to win a state title, and is the 2019-20 Valley Sports Report “Wrestler of the Year.” ...more

FROM THE PRESS BOX: CRYSTAL BALL LOOK AHEAD TO THE 2020-21 BOYS BASKETBALL SEASON (2020-03-19)
The 2019-20 season was a pretty good one. Three of the four boys basketball teams in the Valley qualified for the postseason, with two — Sayre and Athens — advancing to the State playoffs.

The crystal ball has been fired up, and with the 2020-21 season eight-plus months away it’s still a bit murky, but I can see enough to tell you it’s going to be another good year — possibly even better than this year. ...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: WAVERLY'S WOODRING NAMED BOYS HOOP 'PLAYER OF YEAR;' SAYRE'S FABBRI, SHAW, WAVERLY'S MCCARTY ALSO EARN TOP HONORS (2020-03-19)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — Waverly senior Scott Woodring put up numbers that haven’t been seen in decades in the Valley, and is the 2019-20 Valley Sports Report boys basketball “Player of the Year.”
...more

FROM THE PRESS BOX: CRYSTAL BALL LOOK AHEAD TO THE 2020-21 GIRLS BASKETBALL SEASON (2020-03-18)
The 2019-20 girls basketball season was fairly successful with three of the four Valley teams qualifying for the postseason, and the Athens Lady Wildcats advancing to States.

I’ve fired up the crystal ball, but with the 2020-21 season still eight-plus months away, it’s still a bit murky. I can, however, see that it will be a season much like this one. ...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: WAVERLY'S TOMASSO NAMED GIRLS BASKETBALL 'PLAYER OF YEAR;' ATHENS' PRIESTER, MILLER, WAVERLY'S WESTBROOK ALSO EARN TOP HONORS (2020-03-18)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — A well-rounded player, and a newly-minted member of the 1,000-point club, Waverly junior Sidney Tomasso is the 2019-20 Valley Sports Report girls basketball “Player of the Year.”
...more

FROM THE PRESS BOX: CRYSTAL BALL LOOK AHEAD TO 2020-21 BOWLING, SWIMMING, INDOOR TRACK SEASONS (2020-03-17)
The winter sports season saw the final act of one of the best swimmers to come out of the Valley in Waverly senior Mike Atanasoff. It also saw the opening act of Taegan Williams, who could leave an indelible mark of her own on the Athens girls swim program.
...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: WAVERLY'S ATANASOFF HEADLINES SUPER 7 AS 'SWIMMER OF YEAR;' WAVERLY'S STREETER, ATHENS' DEFOREST ALSO EARN TOP HONORS (2020-03-17)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — Senior Mike Atanasoff capped a brilliant and record-breaking career for the storied Waverly boys swim program with a pair of state medals at the New York Swimming & Diving Championships, and is the 2019-20 Valley Sports Report  boys “Swimmer of the Year.” ...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: ATHENS FRESHMAN EARNS PAIR OF TOP ALL-VALLEY GIRLS SWIMMING TOP HONORS; ATHENS' ROE TABBED TOP DIVER (2020-03-16)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — Freshman Taegan Williams made an immediate impact on the Athens swim team, and won four medals in her first trip to the District 4 Swimming & Diving Championships to earn the moniker of 2019-20 Valley Sports Report Girls “Swimmer of the Year.” ...more

ELMIRA'S FIRST ARENA CLOSING 'REC RINK' TONIGHT DUE TO GOVERNOR'S DIRECTIVE (2020-03-16)
Valley Sports Report
ELMIRA — The First Arena will be closing its “rec rink” in accordance with New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s directive beginning at 8 p.m. tonight.
...more

VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: WAVERLY'S VANDERPOOL HEADLINES BOYS & GIRLS 'ALL-VALLEY BOWLING SUPER 7;' TIOGA'S CAIN ALSO EARNS TOP HONOR (2020-03-16)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — Waverly freshman Zach Vanderpool finished the season with second-best average in the IAC, led the Wolverines to a division title, and is the 2019-20 Valley Sports Report “Bowler of the Year.” ...more

WOMEN'S COLLEGE GOLF: WAVERLY GRAD TOMASSO SHOOTS CAREER-BEST IN FINAL ROUND OF FRESHMAN SEASON (2020-03-15)
Valley Sports Report
DAYTONA BEACH — Waverly grad Alex Tomasso shot a career-best round on Tuesday to help Merrimack College to an 11th-place finish here at the two-day Lonnie Barton Invitational at the 5,917-yard, par-72 LPGA International course. ...more

COLLEGE BASEBALL: TIOGA GRAD HENDERSHOT HITLESS IN PENN STATE'S FINAL GAME BEFORE BIG TEN SUSPENDS SEASON (2020-03-14)
Valley Sports Report
OXFORD, Ohio — Tioga grad Parker Hendershot, a junior on the Penn State baseball team, was 0-for-2, in what may or may not be, the Nittany Lions’ final baseball game of the season — a 5-1 non-league loss here to Miami here Thursday night. ...more

COLLEGE BASEBALL: SAYRE GRAD HANAFIN RAPS OUT THREE HITS FOR FREDERICK CC IN FINAL TWO GAMES BEFORE SUSPENSION OF SEASON (2020-03-14)
Valley Sports Report
FREDERICK, Md. — Sayre grad Connor Hanafin, a sophomore on the Frederick Community College baseball team, rapped out three hits and had two RBI in his last two games prior to an NJCAA-imposed suspension in play until April due to concerns surrounding the Coronavirus. ...more

SECTION IV FOOTBALL: NEW DIVISIONAL ALIGNMENTS, 2020 SCHEDULES RELEASED (2020-03-13)
Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — The 2020 Section IV football divisional alignments and schedules have finally been released, with Waverly getting what appears to be a favorable division draw, but opening the season with back-to-back games against defending state champions, while Tioga is joined in its division by arch-rival Newark Valley. ...more

CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS CAUSE POSTPONEMENT OF REMAINING NEW YORK STATE WINTER POSTSEASON (2020-03-12)
Valley Sports Report
ALBANY — The New York State Public High School Athletic Association have postponed all remaining winter sports state championship events indefinitely over coronavirus concerns, according to a press release posted on its Web site Thursday afternoon. ...more

SCHOLASTIC BASKETBALL: STARS & STRIPES ALL-STAR CLASSIC CANCELED (2020-03-12)
Valley Sports Report
GREENE, N.Y. — The annual Section Stars & Stripes all-star basketball tournament, slated to be played here March 23 and 25, has been canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus.

Waverly head coach Lou Judson was to coach the West all-star team, which included Waverly’s Scott Woodring, Tioga’s Sam Taylor, and S-VE’s Noah Mack. ...more

COLLEGE BASEBALL: WAVERLY GRAD STILLMAN HOMERS AGAIN, SAYRE GRAD WILLIAMS ADDS TO HIT TOTAL IN ST. BONAVENTURE LOSSES (2020-03-12)
Valley Sports Report
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Waverly grad Brendyn Stillman, a junior on the St. Bonaventure baseball team, launched another home run, and Sayre grad Matt Williams had another hit, but the Bonnies dropped a pair of decisions last week in non-league action over the weekend. ...more