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SPORTS

Thursday, December 25, 2014 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/TROYRECORD AND TWITTER.COM/TROYRECORD

troyrecord.com

Players of the Year

2014 ALL-AREA FOOTBALL TEAM

MIKE MCMAHON - MMCMAHON@DIGITALFIRSTMEDIA.COM

Bethlehem running back Ben Zonca had a breakout season, helping the Eagles win more
than six games for the first time in more than a decade.

J.S.CARRAS - JCARRAS@DIGITALFIRSTMEDIA.COM

Hoosick Falls Mark Hackett was dominant at middle linebacker as the Panthers
advanced to the state Class C championship game for the second time in three years.

Offense: Bethlehems Ben Zonca

BY THE NUMBERS

By James Costanzo
jcostanzo@digitalfirstmedia.com
@JamesCostanzo on Twitter

The number of yards

rushing this season
for The Records Offensive Player of the
Year, Ben Zonca of
Bethlehem.

1,240

made the most of his senior season

DELMAR >> Buried on the depth
chart behind two 800-yard rushers as a junior, running back Ben
Zonca entered his senior season
for Bethlehem football in relative
obscurity.
Then, in his second game as
a starter against Ballston Spa,
clinging to a six point lead and
facing a third-and-12 from the
Scotties 25-yard line, Zonca finally got his breakout moment.
We just ran the ball, hoping
to get some of it back and maybe
kick a field goal and he had a tremendous run. He ran over people,
around people and by people for a
touchdown, said Bethlehem head
coach Rich Leach. That put the
game away. Thats when I knew
he could have a really good year.
Boy, did he ever. The senior finished with 1,240 rushing yards
and 18 touchdowns and the Ea-

gles won more than six games for

the first time in over a decade.
Both Zonca and Leach point to
that third-and-long run as the
moment the Section II football
world began to notice him for
real.
The coaches just wanted a first
down, but I somehow got out of
two tackles and stiff armed a kid.
I think that was the most memorable run I had this year, said
Zonca. That was nuts, I wasnt
expecting that to happen.
He probably wasnt expecting
to be The Record Offensive Player
of the Year, either.
But he is.
Before the season started, during a hot practice in mid-August,
Leach teased that Zonca could
have a big year for the Eagles.
I just think hes flying under
the radar a little bit because he
was overshadowed by those two
seniors, said Leach over the sumZONCA PAGE 5

122

The number of tackles

this season for The
Records Defensive
Player of the Year,
Mark Hackett of Hoosick Falls.

Inside: Meet the

football large school
All-Area team. PAGE C3

Meet the football small

school All-Area team. PAGE

C4

Defense: Mark Hackett was the

anchor of dominant Hoosick Falls D

By James Costanzo
jcostanzo@digitalfirstmedia.com
@JamesCostanzo on Twitter

Its starting to
snow outside Hoosick Falls High
School, a couple light flakes floating out over the empty football
field. Its a Wednesday, a week or
so before Christmas break and
the football team is outside, together perhaps for the last time,
handing over their equipment to
be put back into storage until next
season.
They peel stickers off their helmets, hanging them on racks in
a shed out by the bleachers, and
make sure to get every last item
buried inside their lockers -- belts,
jerseys, mouth guards, it all must
go. For seniors like Mark Hackett,
itll be for the last time.
Its definitely weird, man,
Hackett says, stepping back into
the school to get out of the cold.
Handing in stuff for the last time
is is definitely weird.
HOOSICK FALLS >>

In his 19 years as a head coach

at the high school level, which
currently includes a streak of 59
consecutive Section II victories,
two state championship appearances in three years and eight sectional titles, Ron Jones says Hackett is one of the two best linebackers hes ever coached.
Youre looking at two out of 19
years, said Jones, playfully refusing to name the other as to keep
his former players guessing. Ive
had a lot of really good ones but
hes a next level above.
Hackett started in a state
championship game at linebacker
as a sophomore and did so again
as a senior, quarterbacking the
Panthers defense to a 12-1 season
in 2014, recording 122 tackles -115 of them solo and 10 for a loss!
-- three sacks, an interception and
two fumble recoveries.
He was named the Class C
North Division Player of the Year
for his talents at middle lineHACKETT PAGE 5

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

UAlbany contingent brings a piece of Australia to NYC

By Laura Amato
lamato@digitalfirstmedia.com
@LauraAmato on Twitter
ALBANY >> Australia is fairly far
away.
They do, after all, call it the
land down under for a reason.
But, over the past few days, for
just a short period of time, Australia was a little bit closer than
usual for University at Albany
mens basketball standouts Peter

Hooley and Sam and Mike Rowley.

In fact, Australia was in New
York City.
Following the Great Danes 7766 victory over Fairfield on Monday night, Hooley and the Rowleys took to the road, joining in
on what has become a bit of a holiday tradition for UAlbanys Aussie contingent.
The group, joined once again
by the Rowleys parents, cele-

brated the holiday in New York

City, bringing the other side of the
world to Albany; or at least three
hours south of it.
(Former UAlbany player Luke
Devlin) is going to be there and a
couple others from Australia who
are all across America are going
to come in too, Hooley said. It
should be nice. Theres going to be
a lot, like 10 or 12 of us all in there.
Sams parents are pretty nice to
put us all up in a place.

The group, who arrived in Manhattan on Tuesday, will be staying in the city into tonight, before returning back to UAlbany so
Hooley and the two Rowley brothers can rejoin the Danes practice
schedule.
But that doesnt mean that the
group didnt plan a jam-packed
schedule of holidy-infused activities while they were there; most
of which simply involved walking.
ALBANY PAGE 2

DECEMBER 30

Up next: The UAlbany mens

basketball team will play
Niagara in a non-conference
game at the Gallagher Center in Niagara at 7 p.m.
Online: For the latest
happenings in local
college sports, check out
Amatos Varsity Letters
blog. WWW.TROYRECORD.COM

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

SPORTS 2014

SKI SCENE

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

More like holiday jeer at

Siena College

Plenty of achievements
to remember

Warm weather, rain not

a major concern

The Record' All-Area

2014 Team

Second-year coach Jimmy

Patsos' team is beset by injuries. The Saints are struggling
and not playing well. Patsos
said after a loss to Cornell that
the Saints may be headed
toward last place.

Domestive violence seemed

to dominate headlines, but
it wasn't all bad. From Meb
at the Boston Marathon to
Mo'ne, at the LLWS, stories
that made us feel good about
sports in 2014.

The January thaw came early

this season Christmas break.
But New York resorts say they
have plenty of trails up and running for a long holiday weekend.
Check out the NY Ski Report.

The area's best high school

football players, complete with
capsules, photos, first team second team and honorable mention
selections. See if players from
your school made the cut.

FULL STORY ON PAGE 6

FULL STORY ON PAGE 2

FULL STORY ON PAGE 5

FULL STORY ON PAGES 3-4