Fall Review: BKW Athletics Rundown

Each year, our student-athletes work to prepare and reach new heights while representing our district. For this past fall season, we are proud of their hard work and dedication in their respective sports. Here is the rundown of our fall athletic teams and their achievements.

As a district, we thank you for representing our district inside the classroom and on the athletic fields. Special thanks to our coaches for providing the background and images from their fall season. 

Please note additional team photos will be shared on the district’s Facebook page.

Cheerleading

2023-24 BKW cheerleading team.
2023-24 BKW cheerleading team.

 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

BKW soccer player pushing the pace of play during the 2023-24 school year.
BKW soccer player pushing the pace of play during the 2023-24 school year.

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

2023-24 boys varsity soccer team.
2023-24 boys varsity soccer team.

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, were playing for a new coach, and were 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

2023-24 boys cross country team.
2023-24 boys cross country team.

The BKW Boy’s 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 Girl’s 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 was 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

2023-24 HV varsity football team.
2023-24 HV varsity football team.

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

2023-24 varsity girls golf team.
2023-24 varsity girls golf team.

There is nothing like making history at BKW! This year introduced the first-ever girls’ golf team! They played six matches against tough competition and played in the first-ever WAC Girls Tournament. Special shout out to Lauren Murphy as a first-team All-Star, and Skyler Stevens as a second-team All-Star. Honorable mentions went to Alexa Hubbard and Emma Carey.

Boys’ Golf

What a season! The best record in ten years at 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

2023-24 girls varsity volleyball team.
2023-24 girls varsity volleyball team.

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!