High School Huddle

The brackets have been released in Section V basketball and it's time to break it all down.Karen and Gerard Iglesia from Primetime 585 join AJ Feldman and Rachel Libert to preview all the basketball action, draft style.Moderated by Thad Brown, everyone selected four teams in four categories: a top seed, a 2-4 seed, a 5+ seeded 'Cinderella', and a wild card they could use on any seed they liked.Each team is awarded three points for winning a sectional title, two for finishing as runner-up and one for falling in the sectional semifinals. Points are cumulative, so any sectional champ will earn a total of six points. Listen to our reasoning for each pick as everyone vies for the title of the most knowledgeable analyst.

Sectionals are here and it’s time to preview what should be a thrilling month of playoff football action. Karen and Gerard Iglesia join AJ Feldman and Rachel Libert to participate in a fantasy draft to preview the matchups and share who we think is going to win it all. Thad Brown moderates the draft. You can read the full rules of the draft online at RochesterFirst.com

There is exactly one weekend left of the 2023-24 spring sports season. AJ Feldman and Carl Jones link up to discuss the state semifinals and put a bow on the year as a whole. The News 8 duo kick off the show by discussing how Section V dominated in girls lacrosse in the Far West Regionals and their matchups in the state semifinals. Victor, Fairport, Mercy, and Penn Yan all cruised to the state final four (5:25). Then, they break down the Section V boys for lacrosse and their chances of winning a state title this weekend. Can McQuaid or Victor end the boys lacrosse title drought for Section V (8:55)? Next, AJ and Carl pivot to softball. There are five Section V squads competing for a state championship. Fairport, Sutherland, Wellsville, Bloomfield, and Friendship-Scio are all vying for a state title (12:35). Finally, they wrap it up with baseball. After an eventful state quarterfinal round, can the Section V teams keep it going down in Binghamton (19:30)? You can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

After a weekend filled with delays and postponements, all of the sectional titles have been claimed. Carl Jones recaps all of the championship games while looking ahead to the state quarterfinal matchups. First, the News 8 sports reporter breaks down the sectional finals in lacrosse including a 5-hour contest due to a weather delay (0:30). Next, Tom Prince of WNY Athletics joins the podcast to preview this weekend’s Far West Regionals for baseball and softball. Prince pulls back the curtains and dives into the key matchups in baseball for Class AAA’s Fairport vs. Lancaster (5:45), Class AA’s Victor vs. Clarence (9:40), Class A’s Sutherland vs. Amherst (12:50), Class B’s Wellsville vs. Medina (15:35), Class C’s Bolivar-Richburg vs. Wilson, and Class D’s Arkport-Canaseraga vs. North Collins. Then, Prince gives his analysis on the softball contests in Class AAA’s Fairport vs. Lancaster (17:30), Class AA’s Schroeder vs. Clarence (20:35), Class A’s Sutherland vs. Iroquois (25:00), Class B’s Wellsville vs. Fredonia (29:00), Class C’s Bloomfield vs. Westfield, and Class D’s Friendship-Scio vs. Ellicotville.

It’s crunch time in Section V with plenty of sectional championships on the horizon. AJ Feldman and Carl Jones begin by discussing the flag football sectional finals. Penfield claimed back to back titles in Class A. Athena took the top spot in Class B1 while Bishop Kearney won the Class B2 crown (1:20). Athena’s Connor Osier has had a stellar season on the mound and is headed off to the University of Houston. Ryan Fishback of Geneva is ranked top 10 in the country for tennis and has claimed another sectional title. Those are two players we are watching this postseason (6:55). Irondequoit boys lacrosse has put together an impressive resume this season. Can they grab their first title since 2012? Also, Section V is looking to repeat as state champions at the golf state championships. Those headline our storylines for the playoffs (13:50). Both the Class AA brackets for softball and girls lacrosse are stacked for the semifinal round. Who will rise to the top? AJ and Carl preview those games (19:50).

The school year is winding down which means sectional play is right around the corner. AJ Feldman and Carl Jones begin by breaking down the state rankings for boys lacrosse and softball. Section V is well-represented in both sports up and down the classifications (1:10). Victor softball had a memorable week led by a historic performance in the circle. East baseball is undefeated and has mowed down everyone in their path. They're our Teams of the Week (8:55). Sarah Ferruzza was recently named the all-time winningest student-athlete in Schroeder history while Batavia flag football appears to be in a tier of their own in Class B1. Those two lead our Eyes on You segment (17:20). Lastly, we are looking forward to the matchups between Fairport and McQuaid in boys lacrosse as well as Penn Yan and Mercy in girls lacrosse.

AJ and Carl are taking a bit of late spring break, so we bring you the News 8 Primetime 585 Elite Awards for this week's episode. News 8 Sports Director Thad Brown and Karen Iglesia from Primetime 585 hand out awards for the top student-athletes in each winter sport in Section V. It was fun show with several worthy winners from the hardwood to the slopes. Also in the show is our Citizen of the Season award. You can also watch the video version of the award show on RochesterFirst.com.

The spring sports season is well underway in Section V. But before they dive all the way in, AJ Feldman and Carl Jones discuss the News 8 Primetime 585 Elite award show for the winter sports season. Earlier this week, Dyaisha Fair, an Edison Tech grad and former Syracuse guard, was drafted 16th overall to the Las Vegas Aces in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Carl was in Brooklyn for the festivities and shared his experience in the city (1:55). The New York State Sportswriters Association released their initial rankings for girls lacrosse and the lists were littered with Section V teams. Rush-Henrietta was the highest ranked of four Class A schools from the area. The News 8 duo broke down how an early season injury for Fairport will have an impact on this class (5:50). There were five Section V schools ranked in the top 20 for Class B with Victor leading the way at third. Carl and AJ discuss the play of the Brighton Bruins and how their record does not tell the entire story (9:16). In Class C, Mercy was the lone Section V representative as they were ranked 20th (14:15). Penn Yan, led by Bailey Cooper, was ranked second in Class D by the sportswriters (16:35). They wrap up the show with two games to watch in the coming days. Carl talks about the Canandaigua/Honeoye Falls-Lima in boys lacrosse while AJ goes to the diamond to speak on the McQuaid/Aquinas game (18:28).

Section V is back from spring break and so is the High School Huddle. Before diving into the start of the sports season, Carl and AJ share their eclipse stories, with the latter getting slightly better weather in the former's hometown. They then discuss some of the early headlines of the season. McQuaid boys and Canandaigua girls lacrosse are off to undefeated starts, Pittsford has a pair of dynamite pitchers, and flag football is making strides once again this season (4:45). There are a handful of good lacrosse matchups on deck this week, they highlight Irondequoit/Penfield boys lacrosse and Rush-Henrietta/Penfield girls lacrosse (17:15).

The winter high school sports season has officially has come to an end. AJ Feldman and Carl Jones come together to recap another exciting chapter of the year. First, the duo discuss how Section V fared in the basketball state championships (4:00). Hilton's Elena Graziano made the shot of her life in the "Game of the Year" in the state semifinals. Next, they talk about their most memorable moments of the 2023-2024 winter sports season (9:40). Carl begins with the hockey sectional finals returning to RIT and the electric games at the Gene Polisseni Center. Then, AJ gives his thoughts on the boys slate of games at Blue Cross Arena for the boys basketball sectional finals (13:00). Carl comes back to close the chapter on an outstanding basketball season for the girls Class AA division (15:45). Finally, AJ talks about the bowling sectionals and the elite performances from student-athletes such as Victor's Toby Prescott (18:35). He also discussed the remarkable story of Midlakes bowler Emma Monagle (19:50). The sophomore rolled the game of her life at sectionals while battling leukemia.