Sports Briefs: October 30, 2025
Cross Country Teams Finish Season Strong
COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown cross country faced Adirondack, New York Mills and host Waterville in a meet on Wednesday, October 8. The girls team was incomplete but put up strong individual times. Evelyn Rhodes won outright with a time of 20:50. Courtney McCarthy placed third in 22:35 and Olivia Temp was seventh in 24:44. Maggie Heavner finished 14th with a time of 27:53. The boys team swept all three opponents, including an incomplete Waterville team. Jacob Johnson led the pack in third with a time of 20:17, followed closely by Hu Agostino in fourth (20:19). Owen Capozza Flannigan finished seventh in 21:04. Brendan Heavner (10th, 22:13) and George Riesenfeld (24th, 24:28) rounded out the scoring for the Hawkeyes.
Both teams swept all competition in a meet against Remsen/Old Forge, Poland and host Little Falls on Wednesday, October 15. Evelyn Rhodes recorded another first-place finish in 19:26. McCarthy and Temp took second and third place in 22:21 and 23:29. Willow Burr and Heavner finished seventh (26:10) and ninth (28:26). The girls finished their season with a 13-2 record. Johnson (19:02) took second place in the boys’ race, followed by Owen Capozza Flannigan (fourth, 19:19) and Agostino (fifth, 19:49. Wyatt Capozza Flannigan (eighth, 20:45) and Heavner (ninth, 20:48) finished the scoring. The boys entered the postseason with a record of 15-2 and 5-0 in their division.
The boys team secured an undefeated Division II record and divisional championship in contest with 19 schools at Sauquoit Valley on Saturday, October 25. Johnson (seventh place, 19:37) and Owen Capozza Flannigan (13th, 20:26) were named all-stars. Heavner (33rd, 21:58), Wyatt Capozza Flannigan (38th, 22:15) and Agostino (41st, 22:24) rounded out the scoring. Although the girls team ran incomplete due to illness, Rhodes (second, 21:32), McCarthy (sixth, 22:46) and Temp (17th, 24:32) were named all-stars. The varsity teams will compete in the Section III Championships and State Qualifier at Mount Markham on Saturday, November 8.
Cooperstown Soccer Teams Make Playoffs
COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown boys soccer battled to a 3-2 division match victory over Poland on Wednesday, October 8. Sophomore Beckett Grady scored 15 minutes into the match, followed a few minutes later by junior Hayden Spencer. Sophomore Henry Ayers scored early in the second half on an assist by junior Gavin Grady, who also assisted Spencer’s goal. Senior Cooper Coleman made four saves in the net.
Cooperstown defeated Frankfort-Schuyler 3-1 in their long-awaited rematch on Wednesday, October 15. F-S took an early lead, but senior Ben Lewis tied up the game close to the end of the first half. Spencer scored shortly into the second half and Ayers rounded out the scoring on an assist from Gavin Grady with three minutes left to play. Coleman made 10 more saves.
Ayers scored twice in Cooperstown’s last game of the regular season, a 4-1 victory over Town of Webb on Friday, October 17. Gavin Grady and senior Anthony Anderson scored the other goals for the Hawkeyes, who finished the season 10-4-2 and 6-2 in their division. Coleman made one save.
Beckett Grady scored twice in the first round of the Section III playoffs, a 3-0 rout of 12-seed Syracuse Academy of Science on Wednesday, October 22. Cooperstown was seeded fifth. Lewis, Spencer and Shane Bradley recorded assists. It was Head Coach Frank Miosek’s 500th career varsity win.
Gavin Grady scored on an assist from Bradley to win an upset quarterfinal match against four-seed Westmoreland/Oriskany 1-0 on Friday, October 24. Coleman made seven more saves. The Hawkeyes will face top-seeded Bishop Ludden-Grimes (13-2-1) in the semifinals after press time on Wednesday, October 29.
The girls team romped to a 5-0 home victory against Waterville on Tuesday, October 14. Junior Sophia Johnson scored on an assist from senior Claire Baldo less than a minute into the game, followed minutes later by Baldo’s own goal. Senior Bianca Adam scored twice and senior Mia Pelcer recorded a goal and an assist. Eighth grader Emma Johnson made three saves.
Pelcer assisted both of junior Ruby Stevenson’s goals as Cooperstown battled Poland to a 2-2 tie at home on Thursday, October 16. Johnson made eight saves. The Hawkeyes finished 7-8-1 for the season and 6-2-1 in their division.
Pelcer scored both of Cooperstown’s goals in a 2-1 double-overtime nail-biter against Bishop Ludden-Grimes in the first round of the Section III playoffs on Thursday, October 23. Evie Baldo and Imogen Stevenson made assists.
The Hawkeyes’ run came to an end with a 5-0 loss to top-seeded Tully on Saturday, October 25. Further details were not available at press time.
Football Wins Season Finale Against Mills
COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown football lost a contentious division game to Waterville 26-19 on Friday, October 10. Max Koffer rushed for 68 yards on 14 carries, including two touchdowns. Brenin Dempsey made 12 of 19 completions, throwing for a total of 94 yards and including a 38-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Spaulding.
Dempsey threw for two touchdowns and rushed for three more as Cooperstown defeated New York Mills 34-20 in their regular season finale on Saturday, October 24. Despite an early 12-0 deficit, the Hawkeyes rallied late in the first half and dominated the third quarter. Sophomore Matthew Duszynski scored on a 14-yard pass in the third and Dempsey found Thomas Hellenthal with a 25-yard pass in the fourth. Cooperstown finished the season 4-4 and earned the seventh seed for the playoffs. They will face two-seed Morrisville-Eaton (6-2) after press time on Thursday, October 30.
