Athletics

Athletics provide an opportunity to develop qualities of sportsmanship, citizenship, and personal discipline in addition to physical athletic skills. BKW student athletes are expected to represent themselves, their school and community in a positive and respectful manner.

Participation in the BKW athletic program is a privilege, not a right. Regulations are in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week. BKW is proud of the successful athletic program it maintains. The high standard of conduct to which we hold our athletes helps us to uphold this positive representation.

Our athletic code addresses attendance, academic eligibility, alcohol, tobacco and drugs, and citizenship and sportsmanship, among other factors. Code violations can result in discipline ranging from game suspensions to removal from the team.

All current athletes are given an athletic handbook. Extra copies of this document are available in the Secondary School office.

Sports Teams

Fall Sports

• Boys Soccer combined with Duanesburg – Modified, JV and Varsity
• Girls Soccer – Modified and Varsity (combined with Duanesburg)
• Football Cheer – Varsity
• Boys and Girls Cross Country – Modified and Varsity
• Girls Volleyball – Modified, JV and Varsity
• Boys and Girls Golf – Modified and Varsity
• Football with combined Duanesburg – Modified and Varsity

Winter Sports

• Basketball (boys and girls)
• Wrestling (boys and girls)
• Bowling (boys and girls)
• Indoor Track (boys and girls)

Spring Sports

• Varsity Boys Baseball
• Varsity Softball
• Modified Baseball (boys and girls)
• Modified Track
• Varsity Track and Field

Winter Review: BKW Athletics Rundown

Stay tuned.

Cheerleading

The Helderberg Cheerleaders started off the season strong with a trip to Pine Forest Cheerleading Camp in Greeley, PA. At this year’s event, they were presented with two blue ribbons and received a superior squad award based on their performance. Branden Redick received an award recognizing his leadership and cheerful outlook.

Diana Colavito, Emma Detlefsen, Evelyn Hopkins, and Branden Redick made All-American; an honor given to the top athletes at the camp. They continued their season by cheering on the football team at home games and were proud to host this year’s fall festival, running games, pumpkin decorating, and face painting! They finished the season by recognizing their senior Ava Smith at the homecoming game!

Girls Varsity Soccer

This year’s team was comprised of a great group of student-athletes who defined team unity and perseverance. An important highlight this season was winning a road sectional game against Whitehall 1-0.

Here are our special honors for this year’s team:

• Katie Stevens WAC 1st team all-star
• Alanna Yandon – WAC 2nd team all-star
• Abby Pasquini – Team Leader Award
• Lauren Emmerich – Most Consistent Player Award
• Madison Pasquini – Offensive Asset Award
• Madelyn Emmerich – Rookie Goalkeeper Award

Boys Varsity Soccer

The Duanesburg-BKW Beagles came into this season with a sense of the unknown. Since last season, they had lost most of their starting line-up to graduation. This year’s team did not have many returning players, was playing for a new coach, and was moved up to Class B this season for sectional play. When the athletes showed up on August 21st to start work, there were many new faces around the field, including some that hadn’t played soccer in 3-5 years, some that were new to the sport, and a few recently moved up from lower levels. However, what was clear to anyone watching was that there were several leaders on the field and a strong desire to succeed.

As with any group who are learning from each other, there were times during the first few weeks when the players were not sure how successful their season would be, but they would continue to improve as a group. The team had its ups and downs as we learned our system of play. This year’s team ended with an overall successful season with a record of 9-6-2. Each player on this team contributed to our success this season, some statistically and some simply with their contributions on the field. Statistically, our leaders were Blake Shaver (12G, 3A), Jansen Proulx (11G, 4A), Jack Jewett (5G, 5A), Lucas Negron (5G, 1A), and Logan Kapusta (1G, 10A). However, none of our games would have been successful without contributions from Joe Harris, Ryan Martin, Dalton Cooper, Jacen Zdanowicz, Adam Noviscki, Ben Zyniecki, and Andrew Zink. This year’s team ended the season tied for second in the WAC Hudson division, and unfortunately, ended our season with a loss to Johnstown in the first round of the B sectional playoffs. Thank you to all the tremendous seniors on the team.

Cross Country

The BKW Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Cross Country Teams each had a successful season this year. Individually, everyone continued to run faster times throughout the season. The highlight for both teams was a second-place finish at the Western Athletic Conference Championships.

Natalie Elble led the Girls’ Team with a first-place finish and was named WAC Champion and All-Star. WAC All-Stars Emma McFadden and Olivia Kirker supported her. Natalie went on to finish fifth at the Section 2 Championships, which qualified her to participate in the State Championship Meet. Natalie finished the season ranked 42nd among all Varsity Girl runners in the 11 Athletic Sections in New York State and had a season-best 3-mile time of 19:55.

The Boys were led by All-Star Owen Lounsbury at the WAC Championships with a seventh-place finish and were supported by All-Stars Hunter Smith and Shane Kirker. Owen had a season-best 3-mile time of 17:28. At the Section 2 Championships, the boys finished in fifth place out of twenty-one teams.

BKW Football

The 2022-23 season presented some tough situations for our team. Our student-athletes continued to work hard and learned a lot of valuable lessons. Our team also persevered and NEVER quit. Our players never stopped preparing and worked to be their best on the field! Football is Family. This year’s team experienced some tough times, but all the hard work paid off during the last game of the season with a 56-6 WIN at Coxsackie. The energy and effort were contagious for this year’s players. The future is bright for HV Football!!

Girls’ Golf

Boys’ Golf

What a season! The best record in ten years is nine wins and five losses. This year, our boys’ golf team finished third in the league and placed fourth in the WAC tourney! Rookie of the Year went to Jameson Poole, and the Ron Conners Award Winner went to Marshall Stevens. The 2022-23 Most Valuable Player went to Justin Murphy. The first-team All-Star went to Owen Lounsbury. Both Justin Murphy and Charles Tommell were named second-team All-Stars.

Girls’ Volleyball

Varsity Volleyball had an amazing season, finishing 10-7 overall. Season highlights include a first-place finish in the Greenville tournament, beating out Albany High and Schoharie, and a sectional win versus Berlin New Lebanon. Our season ended in a very close second-round match against undefeated Maple Hill.

Three seniors (Ruby Poole, Faith Coates, and Mackenzie Lawrence) were selected to play in the 2023 WAC Exceptional Senior Game.

Four players were named to the WAC All-Star Teams:

• Faith Coates – 1st Team All-Star Team
• Ruby Terrell – 2nd Team All-Star Team
• Ruby Poole and Mackenzie Lawrence – Honorable Mention All-Star Team
• Ruby Terrell was named Tournament MVP out of all players from all participating schools at the Greenville Tournament.

Faith Coates was recognized as the 2023 WAC Most Exceptional Setter and was also this year’s BKW MVP!! Congratulations ladies!

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Information

The Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act requires schools, students, and parents/guardians to be informed about sudden cardiac arrest risks, signs, and symptoms. The goal of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Prevention Act is to promote safe interscholastic athletics and to prevent incidents of SCA in student-athletes.

The law requires districts to provide information to parents/guardians of student-athletes prior to the student’s participation in any interscholastic athletics. The law also requires coaches to hold a valid certificate of completion of first aid training through a nationally recognized organization.

SCA is an emergency that happens when the heart suddenly stops working. SCA can cause death if not treated immediately. Immediate treatment is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED). SCA in students at risk can be triggered by athletic activities. All public schools must have a staff member trained in the use of CPR and AED in school and at all school athletic events.

Preventing SCA before it happens is the best way to save a life. Both your family health history and your child’s personal history must be told to healthcare providers to help them know if your child is at risk for sudden cardiac arrest.

To decrease any chance of SCA in a student, the Athletic Health History Form (via Google Drive) must be completed and signed by a parent/guardian before each sports season unless a physical examination has been conducted within 30 days before the start of the season. This form has questions to help identify changes since the last physical examination or health history was completed. School personnel may require a student with health or history changes to see a healthcare provider before participating in athletics.

The law also requires any student who has signs and symptoms of pending SCA to be removed from athletic activity until seen by a physician. The physician must provide written clearance to the school for the student to be able to return to athletics.