Gowanda Small Town Times

Monday, December 2

Snow day

Tuesday, December 3

Boys Basketball at Eden [non-league]
Gowanda 53, Eden 78

Thursday, December 5

Bowling at Allegany-Limestone
moved to 12/10

Boys Basketball at Cattaraugus/Little Valley [Non-League]
cancelled - weather

Girls Basketball at Salamanca
cancelled - weather

Friday, December 6

Girls Basketball vs Chautauqua Lake
Gowanda 53, Chautauqua Lake 39
Addison Kota 10 points
Lily Scanlan 7 points [2-3pt]
Corrina John 22 points [4-3pt]
Karice John 7 points
Marissa Beaver 3 points [1-3pt]
Elizabeth Green 3 points [1-3pt]

Friday/Saturday December 6&7
Wrestling at St. Francis Duals
Gowanda 50, Attica-Batavia 24
Gowanda 30, Fredonia 31
Gowanda 30, Frontier 41
Gowanda 9, St. Francis 63
Gowanda 20, Niagara Falls 49
Gowanda 40, Orchard Park 30

Saturday, December 7

Girls Wrestling at Salamanca
[no results reported]

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.”

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Crystal Rose-Williams, Jamestown Community College interim associate vice president of student affairs, and Jessica Kubiak, JCC vice president of academic affairs, recently announced students awarded degrees or certificates from the the Jamestown Community College Jamestown and Cattaraugus County campuses in the summer of 2024.

Sixteen of the 49 graduates earned high honors with a 3.50-3.99 GPA. One Gowanda student, Mary Denea (A.S.: Business-Business Administration – High Honors), was included in that announcement.

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