Gowanda Small Town Times

𝗚𝗛𝗦 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰’𝘀 𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦: The Student Council of Gowanda High School named seven outstanding Panthers as Students of the Month for October 2024.

Pictured above: Congratulations to Devan Giambrone, Isabella Gill, Alexander Hammond, Jeffrey Whipple, Alyssa Ruzycki, Richard (Willow) Kuras, and Seth Geiger on their recognition.

Honorees are selected based on the following attributes – collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity – otherwise known as The Four C’s. These skills and characteristics are central to the district’s mission and values.

• Devan Giambrone for collaboration: “Devan has been truly engaged with the content I’ve created for her this year, consistently bringing both curiosity and enthusiasm to every class discussion and group project. Her excellent grades reflect not only her intellect but also her remarkable work ethic, which, along with her excellent attendance and respectful behavior, make her a role model for her peers. Devan’s inquisitive nature drives her to ask insightful questions, enhancing the learning experience for everyone. It was her idea to create a class debate project. Her positive influence and natural ability to inspire others make her an invaluable presence in the classroom, and her collaboration skills set a high standard for our school community.” – Mr. David Bohn, social studies teacher.

• Isabella Gill for creativity: “Izzy is always coming into the art room in her free time to work on projects. She has new and creative ideas and is constantly ready and willing to work. Izzy takes on new challenges and uses creative problem solving to narrow down her ideas!” – Ms. Shelby Desantis, art teacher.

• Alexander Hammond for communication: “Zander is a model Earth Science student. He is the “go-to” person when no other student can come up with an answer. He eagerly participates in class and willingly shares his thoughts and life experiences with his classmates. Zander also enjoys connecting on a more personal level with his teachers.” – Mr. Scott Barto, science teacher.

• Jeffrey Whipple for critical thinking: “Jeffrey is a Spanish 4 student who takes the concepts he knows and applies them to new material. He is a dedicated Duolingo user and his has advanced his language skills through self-motivation. Since teaching is a great way to solidify what you have learned, he is always willing to help other students with their verb conjugation skills. JJ often shares his methods for remembering verbs and vocabulary. He is a positive influence on his class. His cooperation and willingness to learn are much appreciated.” – Ms. Barb Dempsey, language teacher.

• Alyssa Ruzycki for critical thinking: “Alyssa’s writing and projects reflect originality, insight, and intelligence. Her college application essay offered a thoughtful reflection of recognizing her own strengths and giving herself credit for hard work. Alyssa’s work during our media literacy unit showed her understanding of the algorithms and infrastructure that has created the social media monster. Alyssa sets a high standard for herself and, ultimately, this has a positive impact on the class as a whole.”

• Richard (Willow) Kuras for critical thinking: “Their ability to figure out problems and problem solve is excellent. Willow is also striving to challenge themself in and out of the classroom. They will even go above by asking to work on additional problems to push them further. Willow is a great student!”

• Seth Geiger for collaboration: “Seth is always positive, inclusive, and willing to help in PE in any way.”

On November 1, the Gowanda/Pine Valley Varsity football team hosted Wilson for a Class D Quarterfinal playoff game. Gowanda had entered the playoffs as the #4 seed with Wilson as #5.

Gowanda’s first series saw them initially pick up a 1st down on a 4th-and-2 play from their own 28. A completion to Winter Mentley-Peters got them a second 1st Down out to the 45. They got as far as the Wilson 34 before coming up short on a 4th-and-1 run. Wilson’s opening series got them to the Gowanda 49 before a sack set them back to 4th-and-19 on their own 41.

The teams traded 4-and-outs after that before Gowanda got a big break as the 2nd quarter began. Another 4-and-out saw the Gowanda punt reach the Wilson 15, a fumble on the return had Gowanda back in business on the 30. Two plays later, a Trelin Warrior touchdown catch gave Gowanda a 7-0 lead after a successful extra point kick. That lead increased to 13-0 on 35-yard completion to Winter Rivera later in the quarter. A bad snap resulted in a failed attempt to kick for an extra point. Wilson’s next series started and ended with a reverse that ended in a fumble. Three plays later Gowanda scored again. This time it was an 18-yard Warrior catch. The 2-point conversion attempt failed and Gowanda held a 19-0 lead with 2:34 left in the half. That score held to halftime.

Wilson saw disaster strike as the 3rd Quarter started. Their 6-yard return of the kickoff ended in a fumble on the 30. Gowanda turned that into another touchdown. Gowanda kicked off again. Wilson fumbled again after a 12-yard return to the 32. A final quick Gowanda score followed and it was 31-0 with 9 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

Shortly before the 3rd Quarter ended, Wilson finally put points on the board. It was 31-6 after a 2-point conversion pass attempt failed. With 5:27 left in the game Wilson upped their total to 13. An onside kick followed that was bobbled by Gowanda and recovered by Wilson. Quickly scoring again, Wilson tighten the score to 31-20, but it was too little/too late. Gowanda got the ball back on their own 32 with 4:54 left in the game. Wilson would not see the ball again as Gowanda mounted a game closing drive. They reached the Wilson 10-yard-line with under as the last minute ticked down. Gowanda closed out the game with a kneel-down as time expired.

Gowanda statistics from the game include:
Carter Capozzi
22/32 passes for 257 yards; 4 TD; 2 int.
4 carries for 11 yards
Winter Mentley-Peters
7 carries for 28 yards; 1TD
5 catches for 63 yards
Camryn Slade
7 carries for 24 yards
Zane Rogers
1 carry for 2 yards
Trelin Warrior
7 catches for 136 yards; 2 TD
Brayden Smith
5 catches for 59 yards
1 interception
Winter Rivera
3 catches for 70 yards; 2 TD
Kyan Austin
1 catch for 5 yards

The Pine Valley/Gowanda girls soccer team ended their season last week with a playoff loss. For all the rest of the Gowanda-connected Fall sports teams the last week in October 2024 is playoffs week.

The Gowanda Varsity girls volleyball team was at Chautauqua Lake for a Pre-Quarter Final playoff game on Monday, October 28. Despite having several long hard fought volleys scattered throughout the match, Chautauqua Lake proved to be more that Gowanda could handle.

After taking the first point of the 1st set on a Gowanda block that went out of bounds, Chautauqua Lake built a quick 4-0 lead. Gowanda’s first point came on a Holland Browning kill shot from the right corner. That proved to the only positive offensive play of the set for Gowanda leaving them dependent on Chautauqua Lake mistakes for points. In a near perfect set, Chautauqua Lake only made 5 more errors in the set giving them a 25-6 win.

Things got better for Gowanda in the 2nd set with Gowanda showing more positive offense while Chautauqua Lake was making more errors. Again Chautauqua Lake moved into an early lead, this time peaking at 6-2. Gowanda came back to tie the set at 8-8. Things remained tight from there through a 19-all tie before Gowanda moved into a 23-20 lead. Chautauqua Lake pulled back into a tie at 23. The teams traded points taking it to 24-24. Chautauqua Lake took the next point. A Gowanda kill shot followed that seemed to land in bounds watching live, but was called out giving Chautauqua Lake a set win and 2-0 lead in the match. Re-watching that the final play later, it was a closer call that it originally seemed. It was actually too close to call from replay being less than an inch either way. It was also a set where service errors were costly for Gowanda. Of a total of 8 in the match, 5 of those came in the 2nd set.

Moving on to a third must-win set for Gowanda. It was similar to the previous set with the difference being that the Chautauqua Lake offense ramped up. After a 2nd set with no kills that landed for points, Chautauqua Lake piled up 9 of those in set 3. Before that barrage set in, Gowanda had been able to mount a 8-5 lead. Gowanda still held on with the set tied six more times starting at 8-8 and ending at 20-20. Chautauqua Lake closed out a 25-23 win winning the match 3-0.

A particularly bright light for Gowanda was Envy Cross, a 9th grader pulled up from JV for the playoff game. She contributed 5 kills, 7 blocks and 4 digs to the Gowanda effort and should prove to be a valuable asset in the coming years.

The rest of the Gowanda stats are as follows:
Holland Browning 6 kills, 19 digs, 1 block
Lauren Kelly 1 kill, 2 digs, 5 blocks
Jillian Gernatt 7 assists, 2 digs
Addison Kota 1 assist, 5 digs, 2 aces
Cadence Luther 1 block
Elizabeth Green 1 kill, 5 digs
Bella Maines 1 assist, 4 digs
Tessa Kohn 3 digs
Sydney Smith 4 digs

Monday, October 21

Volleyball vs. Randoplh

Cross Country at Silver Creek [non-league]
Boys
1st Gowanda 27
2nd Catt.-L.V./Dunkirk/Randolph 51*
3rd Silver Creek/Forestville 52
* Catt.-L.V., Dunkirk and Randolph were all incomplete. Scored as if they were all one team
1st Chase Bolen
2nd Cashis Montour
Girls
1st Silver Creek 19
2nd Gowanda 37

Wednesday, October 23

Volleyball at Lake Shore
Gowanda 3, Lake Shore 2
25-18/20-25/25-21/21-25/15-7
Jillian Gernatt 1 kill, 27 assists, 5 digs, 2 aces
Elizabeth Green 13 kills, 16 digs, 1 block, 8 aces
Lauren Kelly 10 kills, 3 digs, 3 blocks
Holland Browning 10 kills, 11 digs, 1 ace
Cadence Luther 2 kills, 2 digs, 6 blocks
Addison Kota 3 kills, 12 digs, 2 blocks, 1 ace
Maleina Moses 2 kills, 1 assist, 6 digs, 2 aces
Bella Maines 5 assist, 2 digs
Sydney Smith 4 digs, 2 aces
Tessa Kohn 7 digs

Pine Valley/Gowanda at Falconer/CV/MG
Class B Pre-Quarter Finals
Pine Valley 0, Falconer 10

Friday, October 25

Gowanda/Pine Valley Football at Randolph
Gowanda 18, Randolph 20
Carter Capozzi
21/35 for 282 yards; 2 TD; 1 Int.
2 carries for 16 yards; 1 TD
Camryn Slade
4 carries for 99 yards
1 catch for 18 yards
Winter Mentley-Peters
1 carries for 2 yards
8 catches for 148; 1 TD
Brayden Smith
6 catches for 84; 1 TD
Trelin Warrior
3 catches for 15 yards
1 interception
Kyan Austin
2 catches for 20 yards

Cross Country at Bemus Point
Boys
1st Maple Grove 57
2nd Jamestown 60
3rd Fredonia/Westfield 114
4th Gowanda 129
5th Clymer/Sherman/Panama 140
6th Falconer/Cassadaga Valley 169
7th Franklinville/Ellicottville 179
8th West Valley 189
9th Southestern 190
10th Silver Creek/Forestville 251
11th Olean 254
Individual
6th Chase Bolen16th Cashis Montour
Girls
1st Clymer/Sherman/Panama 58
2nd Jamestown 72
3rd Southwestern 88
4th Maple Grove 93
5th Fredonia/Westfield 140
6th Silver Creek/Forestville 157
7th Olean 172
8th Gowanda 194
9th Falconer/Cassadaga Valley 205
Individual
18th Rhianna Woods

Monday, October 14

Columbus Day

Tuesday, October 15

Cross Country at Jamestown
Boys
1st Jamestown 39
2nd Gowanda 56
3rd West Balley 86
Frewsburg incomplete
4th Chase Bolen (17:27)
5th Cashis Montour
Girls
1st Jamestown 25
2nd Gowanda 70
Frewsburg & West Valley were incomplete

Pine Valley/Gowanda Girls Soccer at Salamanca
Pine Valley 0, Salamanca 4
Destiny Lindquist 14 saves on 18 shots

Eden(/Gowanda) Girls swimming at Cleveland Hill
Eden 100, Cleveland Hill 44
1st Mia Scott 4 gold 12 points
Gold
100 Breaststroke 1:28.97
1M Diving 157.80
200 Medley Relay (A) team
200 Freestyle Relay team
2nd Kay Lindstrom 3 gold, 1 silver 12 points
Gold
50 Freestyle 30.80
100 Freestyle 1:06.56
200 Freestyle Relay team
Silver
200 Medley Relay (B) team
3rd Grace Ritz 3 golds, 1 silver 10 points
Gold
100 Backstroke 1:25.22
200 Medley Relay (A) team
200 Freestyle Relay team
Silver
4th Sienna Miller 3 gold, 1 silver 10 points
Gold
100 Butterfly 1:23.83
200 Medley Relay (A) team
200 Freestyle Relay team
Silver
50 Freestyle 31.70
5th Brynn Mikac 3 gold, 1 silver 10 points
Gold
200 Freestyle 2:39.99
200 Medley Relay (A) team
400 Freestyle Relay team
Silver
100 Breaststroke 1:30.94
6th Kaevii Yasurek 2 gold, 2 silver
Gold
500 Freestyle 7:33.31
400 Freestyle Relay team
Silver
200 Freestyle 2:48.23
200 Medley Relay (B) team
11th Danielle Krajewski 1 gold, 2 silver 4 points
Gold
400 Freestyle Relay team
Silver
100 Freestyle 1:20.13
200 Medley Relay (B) team
12th Lila Jankowski 2 silver 4 points
Silver
100 Backstroke 1:34.78
200 Medley Relay (B) team
15th Tessa Dzubella 1 gold 0 points
Gold
400 Freestyle Relay team

Wednesday, October 16

Volleyball at Allegany-Limestone
Gowanda 3, Allegany-Limestone 1
25-18/17-25/25-22/25-9
Jillian Gernatt 1 kill, 3 assists, 10 digs
Corrina John 17 kills, 2 digs, 5 blocks
Lauren Kelly 6 kills, 1 dig, 6 blocks, 2 aces
Holland Browning 7 kills, 7 digs, 2 aces
Elizabeth Green 6 kills, 8 digs, 1 block, 1 ace
Addison Kota 4 kills, 1 assist, 26 digs, 3 aces
Tessa Kohn 10 digs
Aubrey Smuda 2 digs
Sydney Smith 7 digs

Pine Valley/Gowanda Boys Soccer at Cassadaga Valley
Pine Valley 0, Cassadaga Valley 4

Thursday, October 17

Pine Valley/Gowanda Girls Soccer vs. Randolph
Pine Valley 0, Randolph 5
Destiny Lindquist 16 saves on 21 shots

Friday, October 18

Football vs. Chautauqua Lake
Gowanda 28, Chautauqua Lake 29
Carter Capozzi
16/27 passes for 282 yards; 4 TD
3 carries for 26 yards
Camryn Slade
11 carries for 22 yards
Winter Mentley-Peters
7 carries for 16 yards
5 receptions for 56 yards; 1 TD
Brayden Smith
2 carries for 0 yards
6 receptions for 135 yards; 2 TD
Trelin Warrior
4 receptions for 91 yards; 1 TD
Owen Pfaffenbach 1 interception

Cross Country at Sunset Stampede
Evangola State Park Irving, NY

Girls 3.1 mile run Division 2 93 runners
1st Southwestern 53
7th Gowanda 170
10th Buffalo Seminary 287

12th Rhianna Woods 21:49.97
43rd Degaswined John 24:20.55
55th Helena Wallschlaeger 25:19.24
56th Lilliana Pierce 25:21.55
58th Jaylynn Elliott 25:25.25
65th Isabelle Graham 26:25.42
82nd Norah Tadt 29:19.86
84th Sophia Birtchnall 30:35.06

Boys 3.1 mile run Division 2 129 runners
1st Gowanda 64
2nd Fredonia 69
12th Cleveland Hill 309

3rd Chase Bolen 16:50.70
4th Cashis Montour 16:57.93
21st Maddox Hudson 18:51.01
25th Brendin Diebel 19:07.30
30th Owen Farner 19:15.05
46th Marcus Gamble 20:05.38
64th Jeffrey Whipple 20:52.00
82nd Kory Degenfelder 21:42.75

Saturday, October 19

Volleyball at Chautauqua Lake Tournament
Pool A Games
Gowanda 0, Chautauqua Lake 2
20-25/12-25

Gowanda 2, Eden 0
- Set scores not available -

Gowanda 1, Southwestern 1
25-20, 20-25

Thursday October 17 - Saturday, October 19

ECIC Girls Division 3 Girls Swim Championship
1st East Aurora 546.5
4th Eden 240
8th Cleveland Hill