Baseball bonded Hartford, Fort Edward

Harrington. Boucher. Bartholomew. Whitney. Durkee. Swezey. Stewart. Gauthier. These are just some of the names listed on the Hartford-Fort Edward baseball roster. Everyone in town is familiar with them. They are woven into the fabric of both communities. Each town has a rich athletic tradition.

This spring the schools that reside in a couple of the smallest towns in Section II, about 10 miles apart, combined to create something special. The Tanaforts won their first-ever Class D title as a combined program over Fort Ann and went on to also win a subregional game over Lake Placid.

Perhaps the most impressive part about the historic run is that it wasn’t all that long ago that the two teams were playing against each other in Adirondack League games. However, during this season’s run, the best since the programs joined forces, a definite theme developed. The student-athletes morphed into a family. A brotherhood for life was formed.

“Two schools coming together. the kids are like family, the brotherhood they’ve got,” co-coach Jeff Durkee said after the sectional final win.

“Just building up as a family. We became brothers,” ace pitcher Drake Stewart added.

Senior Ray Harrington, who was playing baseball for the first time in several years, explained it well on his Facebook page after the team suffered a season-ending loss.

“What a ride,” Harrington said. “Heartbreaking loss, but a life’s worth of fun and memories. Brought two communities together to make one big family. Love these guys like brothers.”

The timing of the deep run by the Tanaforts could not have been better. Numbers have been down in both schools’ programs, prompting the merger. There have been discussions about whether Fort Edward Union School District would even exist anymore. Hartford has recently been divided by a contract dispute between the highway department and the Town Board.

Both communities needed this. They were searching for something positive, and the Tanaforts obliged. In towns like Hartford and Fort Edward, there are no colleges, no pro teams and not a whole lot to do for entertainment at all. High school sports are there is to provide townspeople with a distraction from day-to-day life.

Unfortunately, the Hartford-Fort Edward dream season came to an end in a regional final contest against Parishville-Hopkinton on Saturday. It was a back-and-forth game with a little bit of everything, but in the end, the Section X champion Panthers prevailed.

“It was a great season. A heck of a ride with these kids, going from 0-2 to start the season, then running off about 10 in a row,” Durkee said. “You get to the regional finals, you have two communities coming together. It was all you could ask for. I wish we could have gone one more, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out today.”

Even though they fell short of their goal to win a state title, the Tanaforts may have accomplished something much bigger. This squad united two towns in a forever bond.

When the banners for the 2023 Section II Class D champions are raised in the Hartford and Fort Edward gyms soon, they will look a little different than the ones currently displayed on the walls. These banners won’t be just red and black, or blue and white. They will combine the colors of the two schools.

And this banner will be unique. It will forever serve as the symbol for this newly formed family. The brotherhood known as the Tanaforts.

League picks baseball all-stars

The coaches of the Adirondack League have selected their baseball all-stars for the 2023 season.

Brady Cheney of Warrensburg was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player.

Cheney put up some impressive numbers this season. He batted .424 with 25 hits and 25 RBIs. He was 11-1 on the mound with an earned-run average of 0.97, 105 strikeouts, and 17 walks in 64 2/3 innings pitched.

Seniors Brody McCabe and Luke Sheldon represented League champion Lake George on the first team.

Also named to the first team were Granville’s Caleb and Cody Nelson, Fort Ann senior Callon Sutliff, Hartford-Fort Edward senior Drake Stewart, Warrensburg senior Caden Allen, Hadley-Luzerne’s Tyler Plummer and Salem-Cambridge eighth-grader Stephen Yakubec.

Selected to the second team were Warrensburg’s Stevie Schloss and Daalten DeMarsh, Argyle’s Shea Squires, Fort Ann’s Dylan Brown and Josh Dornan, Granville’s Brent Perry and Alex Torres, Zach Bartholomew of Hartford-Fort Edward, and North Warren’s Wyatt Jennings.

Salem softball ends in state semifinals

Salem’s historic postseason softball run came to an end Friday as the Generals fell to Deposit-Hancock, 4-1, in the Class D state semifinals at the Moriches Athletic Complex on Long Island.

It was the first trip to the state final four for the Generals after winning the sectional and regional championships.

Salem certainly had a tall order as Deposit-Hancock came in as the defending state champions and had worn the crown for five of the last six years.

Salem was close the entire way but couldn’t overcome the strong pitching performance of Kaitlyn Macumber.

Macumber spun a four-hitter and struck out 15 in earning the win in the circle for Deposit-Hancock.

The Generals fell behind 1-0 but tied the game 1-1 in the third.

The Eagles scored two runs in the bottom of the frame and held on from there. Macumber drove in the go-ahead run for her squad.

Macumber also doubled to lead Deposit-Hancock at the plate.

Sophia Keays pitched well in defeat for Salem, allowing just six hits.

Keays also had three hits for the Generals.

Sarah Gross and Addison Makowski each went 2 for 3 with an RBI for the Eagles.

Deposit-Hancock advances to face Scio-Friendship in Saturday’s championship game.

Salem ends the season 11-11.

Deposit-Hancock is 22-2 on the season.