Sudden Impact

Tri-Valley/Fallsburg Boys Soccer Game Terminated After Frightening Second Period Collision Of Players; Girls Game Postponed As Well Due To Safety Concerns; Fallsburg’s Arturo Perez Okay After Night’s Stay At CRMC; Hunter Kennedy Treated And Released From Hospital 

Fallsburg 2, Tri-Valley 0

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

A night of great soccer would change into a night of gloomy concern after a scary midfield collision between Fallsburg sophomore Arturo Perez featured in earlier action in the top left photo and Tri-Valley's Hunter Kennedy pictured next to Perez, again earlier in the game in the top photo at right as they observe a scramble in front of the T-V goal. Perez was seriously hurt and had to be transported by ambulance to CRMC where he remained overnight. He' and Kennedy are both okay. Bottom left: Sam Didinsky beats T-V keeper Mike Devault for the game's first goal. Another close encounter of the cerebral kind: Didinsky and Tom Monforte nearly bang heads as Patrick McHugh looks on.

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—It only takes a second for life to suddenly shift from the routine to the starkly dramatic.

The dramatic faces of comedy and tragedy mirror life's starkly contrasting emotions.

Ask drivers or passengers who have ever been in accidents. One minute they were just going along and then out of nowhere comes that unforgettable moment of a collision, that terrifying sound of metal on metal and then the aftermath….

Lives can be changed or even lost in the space of a nanosecond and we rarely see it coming.

As I write this piece that can’t help but focus on the terrifying on the field collision between Fallsburg sophomore Arturo Perez and Tri-Valley senior Hunter Kennedy, I am reminded just how precious life is, how fragile we are.

In the blink of an eye the focus on this chilly night shifted without warning from a compelling soccer game between rivals teams to the grave concerns about what could have been a potentially life-threatening injury.

Before recounting what occurred, it is of paramount importance to report that both boys are okay.

Perez was assiduously attended to by the Grahamsville EMS team and covered with a cascade of donated jackets, sweatshirts and sweaters  from concerned fans to prevent him from going into shock.

Fallsburg senior keeper Dustin Foertsch making one of his powerful punts. Foertsch and teammate Daniel Justiniano went to the hospital to look in on Arturo Perez.. The team is literally a band of brothers.

This transpired just moments following the head-to-head collision with the much larger Kennedy as the two boys raced with all the verve of their youth and determination for a ball that veered towards the near sideline, literally a few feet  from my fixed attention, not to mention far too close to be photographed by my nearly 300mm zoom lens. .

Kennedy was clearly shaken up, but soon able to get up on his own power apply  an ice pack to his aching head and looked over by EMS staff, before heading off to the hospital with his mom to be further checked out.

By stark contrast, Perez had fallen instantly to the field and immediately went into convulsions which then morphed into an even more frightening state of motionless as coaches and other personnel rushed to his aid.

As is the case with volunteer ambulance services in rural areas, it took awhile for the ambulance to arrive. Meanwhile Coach Herb Foertsch knelt over Perez, holding his hand and reassuring him that help was on the way.

The EMS team methodically assessed Perez’s vital signs, checking his pupils for dilation and rendering his neck and head motionless for the ensuing transfer to a backboard beforeh is trip to Catskill Regional  Medical Center.

The collision had occurred in an area of the field partially darkened by a stubborn set of lights that had kept going out during the game. There was  still sufficient light for the game to be played in but officials had already decided during the halftime that if any others had gone out they were going to call the game and the subsequent girls game slated to follow.

Tri-Valley's Anthony Beale nearly gets one by Dustin Foertsch. Operative word here: nearly.

The incident occurred with 18:55 remaining in the second period. Fallsburg led 2-0 at that juncture but the game was clearly no longer the focus at this point; only the safety and well-being of the injured players and by extension, the two teams who awaited news about their condition and what was to happen next.

Foertsch never thought twice about what he needed to do. He accompanied Perez to the hospital in the ambulance. Devoted to his players whom he regards as his own children just like he does his son Dustin who is the team’s keeper, he sped off in the ambulance, leaving things in the hands of his able assistant coach Mike St. Lawrence.

The latter expressed his reservations to the officials about putting his team back out there on the partially darkened field and told them that Fallsburg Athletic Director Tim Bult was on his way and that the decision would rest with him and the Tri-Valley Athletic Director as to whether the game should be resumed.

By now it was getting later and later and the girls game slated to start at 8:00 would have been delayed by more than a half-hour at the least. Bult conferred with Tri-Valley Athletic Director Derek Adams, the coaches and the officials and after a lengthy confab, the game was called.

“Safety is our principal concern, “ stated Bult who noted that the game was official having passed its halfway mark and that the girls game would be rescheduled as quickly as they could agree on a viable date/time.

Foertsch’s wife Winnie, who diligently photographs Fallsburg sports of every ilk and variety was visibly shaken by the scene. Like her husband, she is immeasurably close to her son’s teammates. She messaged me early the next morning to let me know the boys were okay and that Dustin Foertsch and Danny Justiniano had gone to the hospital to be on hand for their teammate.

Such brotherhood is part and parcel of teams like Fallsburg where the bond of playing together forges abiding friendship and love. Perez is the younger brother of the now –graduated Victor Perez. The family ties speak for themselves and by family I am referring to the entire team connection.

While Tri-Valley (1-13, 0-9 OCIAA) is no longer in contention for a playoff berth, Fallsburg now  4-7 (2-5 OCIAA) needed to win every remaining game including this one, two against Eldred and one versus Chester to return to the sectionals where it has had its share of success as well as drama over the past two years.

The Bears kicked off to start the game but Fallsburg went right on the attack. Tri-Valley had trouble clearing the ball in the early going as Sam Didinsky turned it back as did Austin Halchak as the Comets pressed their cause.

Fallsburg drew first blood with 4:37 gone by on a goal by Didinsky for the 1-0 lead.

Fallsburg's Victor Martinez and Tri-Valley's Dan Lederman vie for a ball near the sideline.

Tri-Valley looked to counter as the ball was sent ahead to a charging Tyler Greffrath. Fallsburg knocked it out and on a throw in by Dan Lederman the Bears tried to take advantage of the short field in front of Foertsch to make something happen.

Fallsburg’s Alan Sierra prevented that with a rapid rush up the far side. T-V kicked it back in but Justiniano was there to reverse it again as the back-and-forth parry continued.  Mike Devault made a save on a Fallsburg shot attempt. Devault stopped a Didinsky shot as the fiery Comet held the sides of his head in disappointment.

Much of the play continued in the midfield with great intensity, a foreshadowing of the second half catharsis but there would be no more scoring in the period as the teams came off the field with the Comets holding the narrow 1-0 lead.

The Comets would add to that with a goal by José Rubio on an assist from Didinsky at 24:17. The Bears had a couple of chances to get it by Foertsch including shots by Greffrath and Anthony Beale but the dominant keeper wasn’t going to be beaten on this night.

With the second period now more than half gone, the pace intensified as the Bears tried to break through. It was then that the aforementioned collision occurred and everything came to a halt.

Clearly the game stats were the last thing on my mind so I am unable to report on the minutiae including shots on goal, saves etc. Once the decision to call the game was rendered, Fallsburg’s 2-0 victory went into the books. The fans and the girls teams exited the field. The Tri-Valley girls who were hoping to clinch a playoff berth with a win over Fallsburg will now have to wait for that potential chance.

Good Golly Ms. Volley

Fallsburg senior volleyball players are honored on Senior Recognition Night: Left to right (players and coaches names only not including their representatives (sorry!) Coach Carlye Hyde, Shanice Mack, Isabel Mejia, Alexis McCarthy, Nicolle Freeman and Marie Countryman.

Fallsburg senior volleyball players had were honored on Senior Recognition Night prior to their 3-1 victory over Liberty. T-V seniors include Marie Countryman, Nicolle Freeman, Alexis McCarthy, Isabel Mejiaa and Shanice Mack. The girls posed for photos with their loved ones prior to the game in the ceremony overseen by Athletic Director Tim Bult and Coach Carlye Hyde.

The Lady Indians won the opening set 25-19 but the Lady Comets came back to win the subsequent three sets by the scores of 25-23, 25-18 and 25-20 to garner their third win and a season sweep of the Lady Indians. Fallsburg’s other win came against S.S. Seward.

Top Performers:

Fallsburg: Melissa Melko 7 aces, 19 service points, 4 digs; Shanice Mack 5 aces, 10 service points, 5 kills, 3 blocks, 3 digs; Isabel Mejia 3 aces, 5 service points, 3 kills, 4 digs.

Liberty: Tea Williams 4 aces, 10 service points, 3 assists, 5 kills, 4 blocks; Cortney Sawyer 2 aces, 9 service points, 3 assists, 6 kills, 2 digs; Kristen Siegel 4 service points, 5 assists.

Records: Fallsburg 3-15; Liberty 1-16.

For albums of photos from the volleyball and soccer games visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com

A Matter Of Pride

Liberty Punctuates Pride Weekend With A Captivating Non-League Win Over Talented Fallsburg; Sergio Diaz Records The Hat Trick To Account For Indians’ Goals

Liberty 3, Fallsburg 1

Pride Week at Liberty is enhanced by a dramatic 3-1 Indians' non-league win over neighboring Fallsburg. (Clockwise) Liberty senior captain Andy Hazelnis poses for a picture with his parents prior to the game as part of the honoring of the team's elder statesmen. Liberty players surround Sergio Diaz and congratulate him on his goal. He scored all three of Liberty's goals on the night. Liberty fans and band members amp it up as part of the night fever. Fallsburg's inimitable keeper Dustin Foertsch holds on for a save. Battle of the 17's. Liberty's Alex Barragan and Fallsburg's Alan Sierra go at it. Fallsburg brings the ball forward on a dramatic rush and early in the game Fallsburg's Amado Gallo and Liberty's Chris Symanski vie for possession.

LIBERTY, NY—“Liberty Pride,” was the school’s renaissance mantra rekindled by former Athletic Director Jason Semo. Though Semo is now no doubt churning up school spirit in South Colonie High School in the Capital District, the legacy he left behind in Liberty is alive and well.

A day after the girls soccer team pulled off a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 win over rival Sullivan West, it was the boys team who entered the limelight both literally and figuratively. The occasion was a non-league game against ever-competitive neighboring Fallsburg . The tilt was about to take place under the lights as part of the Pride Weekend cavalcade.

It should also be mentioned that the girls tennis team garnered a victory the day before as it beat Fallsburg 4-1.

With a playoff bid’s life on the line, the football game slated against Ellenville as the Friday Night Lights centerpiece of the weekend, Liberty is hoping for another outpouring of whoops, hollers and chest bumps.

But on this night it was all about soccer.

On the run: Liberty's Sergio Diaz looks ahead as he dribbles the ball up the field.

It should be emphatically noted that pride is not the exclusive property of Liberty. Fallsburg has plenty of it too and rightfully so, especially when it comes to a pair of boys sports, namely soccer and basketball. On this first day of fall it was the  soccer pitch, not yet the hardwood that would offer the Comets a chance to show their stuff and at times they did just that.

Both teams saw a bevy of talent go out the door at graduation, Liberty more so in terms of sheer numbers, but Fallsburg  too. For Liberty Coach Debora Simpson and Fallsburg Coach Herb Foertsch, the agenda is to get their newly configured squads to gel as rapidly as possible so that their vital league quests will result in sectional bids and the chance for a run at a title.

Fallsburg’s Class C quest entails encounters with S.S.Seward, Tuxedo, Chester and Tri-Valley, while Liberty’s Class B campaign calls for clashes with O’Neill, Burke and Sullivan West.

Night Fever

From the opening whistle it was apparent that both teams would hustle with all they had, vying for every loose ball and looking to create scoring opportunities in a game that figured to be immensely competitive.

In goal for Fallsburg was senior Dustin Foertsch. Anyone who knows anything about soccer in this region knows all about the athletic keeper who guards his cage with unflagging vigilance and whose acrobatic diving saves are the stuff of local legend.

At the opposite end of the field was Liberty freshman Julian Spina who replaces another legend, namely the recently-graduated Will McGuire. Spina is clearly up to the task as his five saves on the night would attest. With a stringent defense in front of him, he wasn’t tested that often in this game and the lone Fallsburg goal, a perfectly-lofted direct kick by Fallsburg sophomore Arturo Perez was impossible to stop.

A Liberty handball led to that score which tied the game at that juncture. Simpson and her sideline assistant Mike Salvia were impressed by the shot. Spina would have needed some Flubber, that miraculous substance of movie fame that lets a player defy gravity to have stopped that one.

But let’s start at the beginning…..

Fallsburg kicked off but within seconds, Liberty’s Sergio Diaz had his first shot on goal, a booming kick that sailed over the crossbar. It was a preview of coming attractions for Diaz who was about to uncork a hat trick to propel his team to an uplifting 3-1 win.

Fallsburg senior Sam Didinsky looks to make something happen.

Simpson has been noting from the start of the season how cohesive and unselfish this group is. Last year’s team was very, very talented, but was also plagued at times by overly-strong individual play.

As Fallsburg made its runs over the course of the night, Liberty showed great instincts in not only repulsing the attack, but turning it around to create push ups of its own. Great communication and deft passing, as well as a quickness to the ball would provide the opportunities for scoring.

Great speed is an attribute both teams can take pride in and there was plenty of that on display.

Fallsburg newcomer Alan Sierra made his presence felt early with a nice shot attempt. Speaking of speed, and deft ball skills, one cannot help but heap praise on Liberty junior captain Pedro Garcia who was racing up the field after dancing and juking to get the ball away from Fallsburg defenders who got to see much of the back of his jersey.

Speaking of captains courageous, how about Liberty’s Andy Hazelnis, a player this writer has now dubbed as “omnipresent.” For those of you who don’t know this word, it means appearing everywhere at the same time and that’s what Hazelnis does.

Lunging, leaping, sliding, running, he has great field vision and understands how to make the pass that will advance the ball towards that hoped-for seam in the defense.

Diaz got a rise of the crowd as he raced up the sideline, veered towards the middle of field and blasted a shot, ably resisted by Foertsch.  A Liberty corner kick was also nullified by Foertsch but soon the direction shifted and it was Perez knocking at the Liberty door. Spina answered.

Diaz had more opportunities with direct kicks but couldn’t close the deal. The teams retired to the half in a scoreless tie.

That deadlock ended as Diaz scored an unassisted goal about a minute in for the 1-0 lead.

Not long after, Perez deposited that classic direct kick into the upper part of the net and the Comets exulted in the 1-1 tie.

As Liberty pressed the attack, Foertsch came out and Diaz got the ball by him for the 2-1 lead on a ball that took an incredible angle from the right side. At first glance it looked like Diaz had penetrated too far to make the angle but the ball was perfectly placed for the go-ahead score. Garcia had provided the assist.

Fallsburg battled on but Liberty players seemed to find a newfound burst of energy, egged on by the loud crowd and pep band who were making their presence felt under the blackening skies.

Fallsburg’s Felix Martinez looked to tie it up with a superb shot but Spina snared it to preserve the lead.

Great sportsmanship. Fallsburg's Dustin Foertsch hugs Liberty's Andy Hazelnis as John Kolarik , left and Daniel Justiniano wait their turn to shake hands.

At 30:50 in, Diaz hit his third on an assist from Hazelnis. The hard-fought game would soon send him to the sideline with a bruised thigh. Fallsburg senior Sam Didinsky was another casualty with a hard-knock to  the head.

As the final whistle blew, the two teams amiably exchanged handshakes and a few hugs. It’s a good rivalry. Foertsch for one, can’t wait to renew it on the hardwood. Fallsburg stunned Liberty last year with last-second heroics by Michael Robinson..

Diaz who speaks volumes with his game, is a man of few words. “I don’t know what I can say. I’m just happy,” he grinned. Asked to respond to whether he felt proud given that it is Pride Week, Diaz said, “I am.”

Simpson had this to say. “It was a great game. We fought really hard for every touch on the ball.  We always play them very tough. This was one of the best-contested games. It was relatively clean and both teams hustled really hard.

We made it happen and we wanted it,” she added.

“I really thought at the beginning of the season that it might take awhile but that our kids would work together very well as a group and that even though you didn’t see everybody out there tonight, everyone is kind of on the same page right now in terms of where they’re supposed to be. We’re still working on our second touches.

“I told the guys  including those who didn’t play tonight that it was a team effort .”

Hazelnis deflected praise for himself and credited his entire team’s effort including defenders like John Kolarik. “He’s unbelievable,” he noted. It’s great to have him back. Kolarik broke his leg in a heroic play against O’Neill last season and hurt his other leg in the first game of the season this year. But he’s in there relentlessly pursuing the ball and using that patented head shot to repulse the opposition’s will to attack.

Foertsh agreed that it was a great hard-fought match. “We always want to win because they’re our neighbors and are a bigger school. We thought we had a chance and they came out strong in the second half.

Diaz is fast and a great ball handler. I tip my hat to them,” he added. “We worked hard and communicated well tonight. We were playing the ball the way we’re supposed to. We’re  improving from game to game. We’ll see what happens.

Fallsburg expended a lot of energy and has to turn right around and play a home league game against Eldred . A day game after a night game…another real challenge.

Liberty remains unbeaten at 3-0-1, while Fallsburg slipped to 2-3.

For a full album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com