Gowanda Small Town Times

baseball 21-3
softball 9-8
boys lacrosse 12-3
girls lacrosse 13-4

Friday/Saturday, June 6 & 7

Section 6 Track & Field State Qualifier
- at Falconer, NY -

-76 schools represented -
Gowanda Top 10 finishes

boys

Maddox Hudson
3rd(high jump, 5-7.25; 110m hurdles, 16.93)
4th (pentathlon, 2770)
5th(long jump, 18-8.75)
6th(shot put, 33-6.75)
7th(1500m run, 4:59.61)

Chase Bolan
6th(3200m run, 9:59.49)
8th(1600m run, 4:47.34)

Owen Farner
10th(400m hurdles, 1:04.17)

girls

Isabella DeGolier
2nd(high jump, 5-2)

Rhianna Woods
5th(200m dash, 26.18)
6th(100m dash, 12.99)

Saturday, June 7

baseball vs. Kendall
Far Western Regional
- at Dwyer Stadium, Batavia, NY -
Gowanda 8, Kendall 1
Gowanda 0 0 6 0 0 1 1 | 8
Kendall 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 | 1

On June 7, the Gowanda varsity baseball team was in Batavia for the Far Western Regionals facing Kendall. Kendall came into the game with a 16-game winning streak and a record of 23-1.Their starting pitcher had a season record of 11-0 with 59 strikeouts. On paper, it looked to be a tight, low scoring affair.

Gowanda had the home team designation and batted first. After two scoreless innings, Gowanda shifted into high gear. Leadoff batter in the inning was Brayden Smith who was walked. Next up was Blake Herman. Herman connected, blasting a shot over the left field wall for a 2-run homer. After getting an initial out, the Kendall pitcher walked both Carter Capozzi and Logan Ruff. Jayden Fish singled and brought Capozzi home with the help of an errant throw to 1st base. Drew Kota followed with a bunt up the 1st base line scoring Ruff while being thown out at 1st. Seth Geiger was then hit by a pitch advancing Fish. A Kendall meeting on the mound followed. It was the third such stoppage in the inning and it led to a pitching change. Up next, Madden Lay powered a shot to right field bringing Fish home. Brayden Smith came back up to bat for the second time in the inning. While he was at bat, Lay got caught up in a rundown between 1st and 2nd that lasted just long enough for Geiger to up the Gowanda tally to 6 runs.

Two more scoreless innings followed. Brayden Smith was walked again in the 6th inning. He then stole 2nd base. A Kyan Austin hit was fielded by the Kendall shortstop who made a bad throw to 3rd base that allowed Smith to continue on to score again. Gowanda added an 8th run in the 7th inning. With one out, Jayden Fish drove a single into center field and would later score that run.

Pitching for Gowanda, Blake Herman put forth a 4-hit, no walk effort. He came one out short of getting the second shutout in two games. The lead-off Kendall batter was hit by a pitch before outs were registered on the next two batters. An RBI single followed getting Kendall on the board. Herman stuckout the next batter ending the game with a 8-1 score.

Screenshot from the NFHS Network stream. Blake Herman connects on the home run blast into left field.

Screenshot from the NFHS Network stream. The Gowanda players were out on the field to meet Blake Herman as he arrived back at home plate to complete the 3rd inning home run.

baseball 20-3
softball 9-8
boys lacrosse 12-3
girls lacrosse 13-4

Tuesday, May 27

baseball vs. Chautauqua Lake
- Sectional Quarter-Finals -
Chautauqua Lake 0 0 0 1 0 | 1
Gowanda 2 5 0 1 3 | 11

Thursday, May 29

baseball vs. Portville
- Sectional Semi-Finals -
Portville 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 | 1
Gowanda 0 0 3 0 2 3 x | 8

track at Section 6 Class D Championship
- at Randolph -
boys
1 st Maple Grove 94
9th Gowanda 27
13th Middle early College
girls
1st C/S/P 155.5
9th Gowanda 25
13th Research Lab 3

Gowanda Top 10 Finishers
boys
Reginald Irion 4th(200m dash, 24.04), 9th(100m dash, 12.04)
Chase Bolen 3rd(1600m run, 4:41.5; 3200m run, 10:30.23)
Maddox Hudson 4th(110m hurdles; long jump, 19-7.25), 5th(high jump, 5-6)
Owen Farner 6th(3000m steeplechase, 11:15.93), 10th(400m hurdles)

girls
Isabella DeGolier 2nd(high jump, 4-11
Rhianna Woods 3rd(100m dash, 13.21), 4th(200m dash, 27.26)
Elizabeth Malek 3rd(100m hurdles, 17.81)
Isabelle Graham 7th(high jump, 4-2
Leona Henhawk 9th(discus, 81-9
Jaylynn Elliott 10th(2000m steeplechase, 9:35.59)
relays
4×100m relay team 6th, 54.99
4×400m relay team 9th, 5:07.32

Saturday, May 31

baseball vs. Frewsburg
- at Hamburg - Sectional Class C Semi-Final -
Gowanda 3, Frewsburg 0
Gowanda 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 | 3
Frewsburg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 0

The Section 6 Class C Final was held on May 31, 2025. Rainy weather in the 50s caused the game to be moved from Diethrick Park to Hamburg High School which had an artificial surface on their field. Despite the weather, the game started, on schedule, at 11 a.m. Gowanda, as #2 seed, played the visitors role against #1 Frewsburg.

After securing an initial out, the Frewburg pitcher walked the next four Gowanda batters. That scored Kyan Austin and gave Jaden Fish a walk-in RBI for Gowanda. A meeting on the mound followed. At the conclusion of that, the officials sent the game into rain delay.

It was an hour later, just after noon, when the game resumed. With the bases still loaded from previous play, Gowanda’s Drew Kota brought Carter Capozzi home while being thrown out at 1st base. A third out followed and Gowanda had a 2-1 lead that lasted through the 3rd inning.

Gowanda’s lead-off batter in the 4th inning was Jaden Fish. He smashed the ball down the 3rd base line just over the 3rd baseman’s reach for a single. A Madden Lay ground ball into center field eventually brought Fish home. That would be the last run scored in the game.

Pitching for Gowanda was Blake Herman who had a nearly flawless day. He gave up no walks on the day while retiring Frewburg batters 1-2-3 in order in every inning except for the 4th, giving up a double to Frewsburg’s second batter in the inning.

When it was all over, Gowanda had a 3-0 win and a Section 6, Class C Championship. Next up for Gowanda is the Far West Regional game at 11 a.m. on June 7 against the Section V champion at Dwyer Stadium in Batavia.

On May 29, 2025 the Gowand Varsity baseball team played at home for the last time this season. On hand for this Semi-Final playoff game was Portville. After 2-1/2 innings of scoreless play, Gowanda got things going. Blake Herman was hit by a pitch after both Landon Ashley and Brayden Smith had singled. Next up was Kyan Austin who was missed at 1st base allowing Ashley and Smith to score. Herman also made it home giving Gowanda a 3-0 lead. Portville narrowed that to 3-1 in the 4th inning, but would not score again in the game. A pair of runs in the 5th inning and three more in the 6th gave Gowanda a 8-1 win.

Gowanda pitcher, Carter Capozzi, seen here in the 3rd inning, had a 5-hit, 6-strikeout performance giving up just 1 run. With Gowanda up 5-1, he was replaced after five innings. Blake Herman took the mound for the 6th inning followed by Noah Lauer for the 7th.

Landen Ashley scores the first run of the game for Gowanda in the 3rd inning.

Above, left, Brayden Smith (#21) heads home. Seen in the background is Blake Herman (#27) heading for third. An errant throw to home base allowed Herman to continue on to score. Above, right, Herman comes in for a landing at home base.