After a long and successful season, Bulldog Fall Sports are officially over, so it is a fitting time to briefly reflect on the major events of the fall season. The highlights included the Golf Team going undefeated in the SCC, and the development of a young core of athletes for the Field Hockey, Football, and Boys’ Cross Country teams, while the Volleyball and Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer teams rode a strong group of seniors to playoff berths. However, Girls’ Cross Country stood above the rest with their State Meet Championship title and 5th place finish in the All-State Meet. Congrats to all of ORR’s players and coaches on a great fall season.
This past week, the Football team played their much-anticipated rematch against Apponequet on Thanksgiving Day, winning 13-7, while the Girls’ Cross Country team and freshman Adam Sylvia of the boys’ team competed at the Nike Northeast Regionals Meet in Wappingers Falls, New York.
Football: The boys got an off week last week to prepare for the classic Thanksgiving game against the Apponequet Lakers. The seniors were especially determined to go the extra mile in their last high school football game. After a few weeks of heavy scoring by the Bulldog offense, the defense stepped up to make the biggest plays at Thursday’s game, and the ‘Dogs rolled to a 13-7 victory, defeating Apponequet after losing to them 20-15 earlier in the season. Senior Corey Dias threw a touchdown pass to usual quarterback Cam Hamilton on a sneak play in the 1st quarter, and then added an extra point kick. Hamilton also ran for a 6-yard touchdown in the 2nd quarter, giving the Bulldogs all the offense they needed. The junior quarterback was 4-8 for 98 yards, and found junior tight end Grant Reuter on three passes for 64 yards. Senior running back/defensive back Darien Dumond also had a strong game, intercepting a game-saving pass in the 4th quarter, running eight times for 33 yards, and catching Hamilton’s other completion for 34. Top-notch defense came from senior defensive linemen James Estudante and Jarrett Johnston. Congrats to the Bulldogs on a solid season in which they improved every game, and set themselves up well by developing some terrific offensive talent in the sophomore and junior classes.
Boys’ Cross Country: Freshman Adam Sylvia continued his season by competing as an individual at the Nike Northeast Regionals Meet in Wappingers Falls, New York on Saturday. Sylvia had an excellent regular season, his best time registering as a 17:29 5K at the SCC Championship on October 31 at Washburn Park. The course at Wappingers Falls was quite treacherous and featured a gigantic hill, so Sylvia’s 19:08 time marked a strong performance. Most runners find their time to be a minute and a half off of what their time would be on a neutral course, such as the one at Washburn Park. With the race, Sylvia capped off an extremely impressive freshman season, and he appears to be set to lead the Bulldogs for years to come.
Girls’ Cross Country: The girls’ varsity team headed up to Wappingers Falls, NY to compete in the Nike Northeast Regional Meet, which marked a first for the program. Last week, the girls finished 5th at the All-State Meet at Stanley Park in Westfield, led by senior captain Nina Bourgeois’ personal-best 19:39, and sophomore Madisen Martin’s 19:50, another career best. The girls were primed for success coming into Saturday’s meet, and they ran well despite having to battle the notoriously difficult course at Wappingers Falls known for its hills. The Lady Bulldogs finished 20th overall, with senior Madeline Meyer (20:51), Bourgeois, (20:54), and Martin (21:13) leading the way. They were followed by juniors Avery Nugent (21:28) and Riley Shaughnessy (21:42) and sophomore Samantha Ball (23:01). Although their times were below the norm, the Wappingers Falls course usually throws off runners by a minute and a half, so the performances were still exceptional. It was ORR Cross Country’s first trip to the Nike Northeast Regionals Meet, and it marked the end of an incredible season, highlighted by the SCC title and the Division 5 State Championship victory. Runners like Nugent, Shaughnessy, and Ball give the Bulldogs the chance to be a force on both the conference and state level for years to come.
Below are the overall fall team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of November 29.
Boys’ Cross Country: (6-1-0)(6-1-0); Girls’ Cross Country: (7-0-0)(7-0-0); Golf: (17-1-0)(16-0-0); Football: (5-6-0)(5-4-0); Volleyball: (13-11-0)(8-9-0); Field Hockey: (9-7-4)(8-2-4); Boys’ Soccer: (9-11-2)(8-8-2); Girls’ Soccer: (10-9-2)(9-6-1).
By Patrick Briand