It's transfer season in high school sports and there is good news for girls wrestling
Hello Section V sports fans,
There is less than a month remaining before the first official practices for the fall high school sports seasons begin.
Football players in the greater Rochester region and all around the New York State Public High School Athletic Association can begin the practices that count Aug. 20, a Saturday. The field hockey, cross country, soccer, volleyball, girls swimming and diving, girls tennis, girls golf and gymnastics and competitive cheerleading preseasons begin Aug. 22.
Right now, it's transfer season.
Athletes, in some cases all-stars, are going to end up on different teams, including in Section V Football. Some players and runners are working with new varsity coaches who are now in charge at their schools. Girls wrestling appears to be a sport that is on a roll toward recognition by the NYSPHSAA, including Section V.
Here are some of the changes during the spring and summer we're talking about:
College football prospect transfers to city school
Styhles McKenzie-Baker, who was a starter as a freshman on UPrep's Section V football champion team, said he plans to play his sophomore season at Monroe.
McKenzie-Baker enters this fall with an offer to play on scholarship at University at Buffalo after high school. The UB Bulls play in the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference.
A defensive back, McKenzie-Baker is following his brother William McKenzie-Baker to Monroe. This will be William McKenzie-Baker's first season as a Monroe assistant coach.
"Real excited," Styhles McKenzie-Baker said. "He's coached me before, so I already know what's going to be like."
William McKenzie-Baker played at Wilson, another school in the Rochester City School District, at Erie Community College, then West Liberty in NCAA Division II. Monroe football coach Terrell Cunningham said William McKenzie-Baker also has coached in the Changing The Community or CTC program run by Greg Hopkins.
"We have a lot of guys who played in the city, played at the next level and who come back and want to coach, right here in our backyard," Cunningham said. "I'm looking for that profile, because we need more of it."
Styhles McKenzie-Baker, who is scheduled to graduate from high school in 2025, is set to play his third varsity season. He is listed at 5 feet-7 inches tall and 155 pounds by rivals.com, which provides information and news about recruiting for college sports. He has played with future Monroe teammates at off-season 7-on-7 competitions.
"I'm trying to put in my work, get bigger and stronger," Styhles McKenzie-Baker said.
Good news for girls wrestling
A recent New York State Public High School Athletic Association meeting revealed that girls wrestling in the state is on the verge of taking a big step.
That step is being labeled an “emerging sport” and it could happen this year. To earn the status from NYSPHSAA, there must be at least four varsity teams of a sport in four different sections of the state. Currently, three sections have at least four teams and another, Section VI, has three varsity girls wrestling teams.
News that Section VI anticipates another team to join the mix would give girls wrestling enough to become an emerging sport, which is great news for fans of the sport.
Recently, Canandaigua Academy announced it will have a girls wrestling team at the varsity level this coming season, making the Braves the first in Section V to offer girls wrestling as a varsity sport.
Canandaigua coach Eric Mullen is optimistic the sport will grow in Section V, pointing to evidence that more girls will take up the sport if they know they can wrestle other girls instead of boys in the same weight class.
"We’ve always had girls reach out and express interest," Mullen said in July. “If you want the sport to grow, you should take anybody that wants to wrestle and if you offer it to the girls, more girls will come out.”
Familiar name for Victor girls basketball
Ashley Zahn was a two-time All-Greater Rochester girls basketball player at Canandaigua Academy in 2009 and 2010 before her collegiate career at St. Bonaventure.
So now that she’s a coach, it makes perfect sense for her to coach at … Victor. Right?
Actually, it’s as ideal as it gets.
In naming Zahn as the new girls basketball coach, the Blue Devils bring in a coach whose father, Scott, was as big a part of the program as any in its history. Scott Zahn, who died in October of 2019, was a longtime assistant for the Blue Devils. His death was a devastating loss for the communities in Victor, where he was cherished as an inspirational coach, and in Canandaigua, where he lived with his family.
Ashley Zahn was the junior varsity coach at Victor for three seasons and steps in for Frank Clark, who coached the last two seasons after he replaced Blake Smith.
Dittman dodges trouble
Harper Dittman used to get down on herself easily after bad shots.
The 13-year-old Fairport golfer has since changed her entire mindset, and she often gets herself out of trouble.
In the past, Dittman would have let bad shots impact her score. But with proper coaching, she responds to poor shots much differently nowadays, focusing on all of her options instead of getting down on herself.
For instance, if Dittman is in the trees, she's more aware of the angles she can swing at to lessen the blow. This mindset helped her win her first Rochester District Golf Association Junior Championship last week. She hit a "good" tee shot on the fifth hole in the first round, but bogeyed the same hole in the final round.
Dittman won the event by four strokes.
"Focusing has helped me slow down and think about all my options when I'm in trouble," Dittman said.
Until next time, keep up on Section V's sports scene by going to our high school page.
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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: It's transfer season in high school sports and there is good news for girls wrestling
