One team is making its first regional appearance as a program, while the other team was in this exact same spot last year. Arkport/Canaseraga and North Collins will go at it in a battle on Friday, with the winner advancing to the state semifinals. Here’s the breakdown:
ARKPORT/CANASERAGA WOLVES (14-3/Steuben)
vs.
NORTH COLLINS EAGLES (14-3/Chautauqua Catteraugus III)
Friday, Salamanca City Central High School, 4 p.m
How they arrived here: Arkport-Canaseraga beat Elba (5-2) and Fillmore (9-6) en route to the Section V championship game, in which they took down Genesee Valley-Belfast 6-2. North Collins defeated Ellicottville 11-0 in the semifinals before winning against Franklinville 4-1 to claim the Section VI title.
Tempo and Trends: Arkport-Canaseraga scores 8.88 runs while allowing 3.31 runs. The Wolves have won five straight games.
Players to watch for Arkport/Canaseraga: Ben Leibham Sr.; Bryer Drake Jr.; Eli Merry Jr.; Tayven Lavesky Jr.; Bryson Jones Jr.; John Marcus So.; Micah Marvin So.; Caden Carey Fr.
North Collins: Derek Ebersole; Matthew Warsaw; Zander Miller; Carson Teijeira
Coaches: Nick Smith (Arkport-Canaseraga), Scott Gill (North Collins)
History 101: It is the first regional appearance for Arkport/Canaseraga as a team since the two schools merged athletic programs. Arkport made three regional appearances (2005, 2009 and 2012) with a record of 1-2 in those games. The ’09 Arkport squad went on to win the NYS Class D title. arkport defeated North Collins, 7-2 in the quarterfinals that year. North Collins enters the Far West Regional for the sixth time in program history and second consecutive year. The Eagles have a 1-4 record in the previous five appearances with the win coming in 2017, a year that ended in the state final with a 5-4 loss to Fort Ann (II).
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class D state semifinals against the winner of Chapel Field Christian (IX) and Bridgehampton (XI).
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