Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017: Dunkirk's Hanlon scores all five goals in OT win

   Leading off today: Already an all-state softball player and a qualifier for the state indoor track championships in her high school career, Emilee Hanlon is off to a flying start in a bid for honors in girls soccer.

   Hanlon scored all five Dunkirk goals, including a pair in overtime, in a 5-3 victory Tuesday against host Eden in a non-league game. Hanlon had 12 goals for Dunkirk last season.

   Milestone win: Brandon Mimas' score midway through the second half gave Baldwinsville a 2-1 boys soccer victory at Syracuse Henninger and handed coach Tim Scheemaker his 300th win.

   Scheemaker took over the varsity team in 1996. His Bees are off to a 2-0 start this fall.

   Soccer streaks ended: Sophomore Abby Piddock scored twice as South Jefferson's girls downed Lowville 4-1 to end the Red Raiders' 52-game unbeaten streak in the Frontier League. Lowville had gone 48-0-4 dating back to the 2013 season.

   Sophomore goalkeeper Megan Whitley made nine saves as South Jefferson improved to 3-0 overall.

   Meanwhile, the Jamestown boys captured their first divisional win since 2013 with a 1-0 triumph vs. West Seneca West. The Red Raiders were 0-12 in ECIC Division I each of the last three seasons and also lost their 2017 opener.

   Michael Andalora scored 45 seconds into overtime for Jamestown, which lost to West Seneca West by scores of 16-0 and 13-0 a season ago.

   Pro athletes stepping up: A couple of neat stories connected to New York high school sports made it into the news Tuesday, and both reflected well on pro athletes -- a nice change of pace.

    • Gerard Rhatigan's football season at Shaker in Section 2 came to a quick and brutal end Friday when he broke both his right leg and his left ankle in the opener vs. Albany CBA.

   The New York Giants' Orleans Darkwa, a fourth-year NFL running back who's had some leg injuries of his own in recent seasons, called Rhatigan to wish the teen well and offer encouragement. Darkwa made the call after learning he is Rhatigan's favorite player.

   "I just wanted to let you know to stay motivated and tackle that rehab," Darkwa told him.

   On Aug. 25, Rhatigan helped in a frantic search and rescue that likely saved a young special-needs girl from drowning in a pool.

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   Shaker coach Greg said support for Rhatigan is rooted in more than just his skills on the field.

   "I said to him the outpouring for you and the people who are concerned for you is not because you're a good football player it's because you're a great person," told WTEN-TV.

    • WNBA star Tina Charles, who was New York's Miss Basketball in 2006 as a Christ the King senior, has been heavily involved in supplying automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to schools and other facilities around the world.

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Since starting Hopey's Heart Foundation in 2013, Charles has been responsible for more than 300 AED purchases.

   Earlier this summer, the New York Liberty player received a letter informing her just how important her dedication to the cause had been. One of her donations helped save a life. Charles' foundation received a letter from the family of a Texas man who'd suffered a heart attack and was revived with an AED.

   "I was overwhelmed with emotion," Charles told USA Today over the weekend. "All the glory belongs to God. I'm just a servant out here able to do his work, and that's what Hopey's Heart is about -- serving others. I don't take any credit."

   In a surprise to Charles, she met Dan Carlson and his wife at the Liberty's practice facility last week.

   "I started crying. I gave him a big hug," she said. "I wanted to know who he is. He's a father. He's a husband. He's going to be a grandfather. It was neat to have this experience and know the AEDs I placed through Hopey's Heart Foundation are making a difference. Dan is living proof."

   Coaching changes: Former assistant Kostas Varkatzas has taken over as boys soccer coach at Elmira Notre Dame. Brian Adams stepped down as head coach after 10 seasons due to additional responsibilities related to his business but will help as his schedule allows, The Star-Gazette reported.

   Notre Dame went 16-1-2 last season before seeing its 57-game unbeaten streak end with a 1-0 loss to Westhill in the state tournament. The 2015 team won a state championship with one of the most dominating seasons in state history.

   Former Eden standout Hailee Herc is the new girls volleyball coach at her alma mater following the retirement of Stephen Pierce, who won 995 career wins and 14 state championships -- both NYSPHSAA records -- in 28 seasons.

   Herc was mot recently an assistant at SUNY Cortland.

   Extra points: St. Anthony's girls basketball player Lauren Hackett will be sticking close to home for college, having committed to Long Island University-Brooklyn over the weekend according to her post on social media.