Yorktown Patch Weekly Sports Report

To win a sixth straight sectional championships is a rare thing to accomplish, but the Yorktown boys' ski squad did just that when it recently won this year’s sectional championship, with four of its members qualifying for the state meet.

They are Ben Strober, Danny Donatelli, Jeremy Katz and Thomas Menton.

“We spend most of the days of the week training,” Strober said. “We just have available to us a lot more than the other teams out there.”

Strober, a senior, said the Huskers usually spend six days a week training at West Point Military Academy.

“It’s about getting comfortable,” Strober said. “The more times you do it, the better.”

Strober, who placed first in the boys combined with a score of 68.71, further elaborated on the reasons for the Huskers’ success.

“We all have been working hard this year, throughout the pre-season, where we did all sorts of running to get in shape,” Strober said. “Then we all worked hard throughout the season and had a good day in the sectionals.”

Strober has competed on the Huskers in his eighth grade, junior and senior years. In between, in his freshman and sophomore years, he was at Mount Mansfield Winter Academy in Stowe, Vermont.

“Going to a ski academy is the only way to compete at an elite level,” Strober said. “That’s why I did it. It definitely helped out. I was on the snow for three to four hours a day, each day. Basically, it’s like a private school during the winter. I received one-on-one tutoring there. I coordinated my classes [at Yorktown] with the tutoring up there.”

During those two years, Strober would start the school year in Yorktown, then go the academy from late November through March before returning to Yorktown to finish the school year.

“It was definitely weird, socially and academically,” Strober said. “It was an adjustment going back from the academy to the regular public schools.”

Strober explained the differences between attending Yorktown and the academy.

“It’s a much smaller community, there are only 50 kids in the school,” Strober said. “Secondly, it was one on one tutoring instead of 20 kids in the class, which is different."

“I was going to races a bunch of days during the week,” Strober continued. “That’s was one of the things about the academy, the academy was able to coordinate your race schedule with your classes. So you could have classes during the night or whatever to fit in your race schedule.”

Athletes of the Week

(The below are some of the notable performances this past week for area athletes. This is not intended to be a complete list just an overview of the week’s accomplishments. To make future nominations, please email them to Mike Sabini at msabini@mail.com)

Boys bowling

Yorktown’s Vic Branciforti averaged a 223, registering 1,338 total pins in the Section 1 Bowling championships at White Plains Bowl. He bowled a 300 game, only the second in Section 1 championship history. Branciforti finished in second place to secure a spot on the Section 1 all-star team, which will compete in the state tournament.

Boys basketball

Lakeland’s Tyler Troppman and Alex Perlman each registered 14 points for the No. 17 Hornets, who won at Beacon 68-57 in a Section 1 Class A out-bracket game. Teammate Savahn Steadman registered 13 points.

Yorktown’s Jordan Moody tallied a team-high 15 points in the No. 11 Huskers’ 56-44 loss to No. 6 Mahopac in the opening round of the Section 1 Class AA tournament. Teammate Donta Dixon registered 13 points.

Girls basketball

Lakeland’s Courtney Stokes, Sara Oakes and Taylor Pompilio registered 14, 11 and 10 points respectively in a 45-33 triumph at Hendrick Hudson.

Ice hockey

Yorktown’s Randy Ashe made 35 saves in a 4-1 triumph against Carmel at Brewster Ice Arena.

Skiing

Yorktown’s Ben Strober placed first in the boys combined with a score of 68.71 for a Husker squad that won their sixth straight sectional title. Strober and teammates Danny Donatelli, Jeremy Katz and Thomas Menton all qualified for the states.