State qualifier preview: Holley and Kendall to battle in Class C

One side is looking to clinch a state quarterfinal spot for the second time in four years while the other is looking for its first trip in more than a decade. Genesee Region rivals meet with a spot in the regionals on the line. Here’s the breakdown:  

KENDALL EAGLES 
(18-1-0/ Genesee Region I)
vs.
No. 3 seed HOLLEY HAWKS  
(14-5-1/ Genesee County I)

How they arrived here: Holley defeated No. 14 Letchworth (7-0), No. 6 Geneseo (1-0), No. 2 Red Creek (1-0) and No. 1 Avon (1-0) to reach the state qualifier. No. 1 seed Kendall defeated No. 8 Naples (3-0) and No. 5 Genesee Valley-Belfast (6-1) and Fillmore (9-0) to reach Tuesday’s matchup.

Total goals scored: Holley (46), Kendall (92)

Total goals allowed: Holley (11), Kendall (6)

Trends: Holley enters the finals on a 10-game winning streak which includes eight shutouts. The Hawks were undefeated in October. Kendall enters the finals on a six-game winning streak including a stretch of five straight shutouts.

Players to watch for Holley: Carsyn Mogle So. (11 G, seven A); Jayna Burris Jr. (seven G, eight A); Ava Mosier Jr. (five G, two A) Kyla Burne Jr. (one G, three A); Aiyana Stevens So. D; Zoey Warner Jr. GK (40 saves, nine goals against).

Players to watch for Kendall: Sophia Picardo Sr. M (16 G, 14 A); Ryleigh Denning Jr. F (31 G, 9 A); Jersie Drake Fr. F (15 G, 16 A); Mackenzie Cooper 7^th M (9 G, 9 A); Charlie Fox Fr. (5 G, 4 A); Addison Kludt Sr. D/CB (1 G, 3 A); Teagan Shaw Jr. GK (0.38 GA).

Coaches: Renee Wolf (Holley), Nino Pilato (Kendall)

History 101: Holley is looking to make its second state quarterfinal appearance in four years. Kendall last reached regionals in 2003, the second of back-to-back final eight appearances for the Eagles. Kendall coach, Nino Pilato, led the Greece Odyssey girls to three straight state quarterfinal appearances from 2010 to 2012. Pilato also was the head coach of McQuaid when the Jesuit Knights reached regionals in 2017 and 2021.

What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class C quarterfinal against Section VI champion, Wilson (18-0-0).

A 6:30 PM kickoff is scheduled for Tuesday at Caledonia-Mumford High School.