Only five points separated Grand Island and Hamburg in Tuesday's Section VI Class A girls volleyball finals, but the Bulldogs were able to turn the slim margin into a 3-1 victory.

Grand Island shut down the usually high-powered Sweet Home offense Saturday, but it was the Panthers' defense that won them a trip to Ralph Wilson Stadium for the Section VI Football Federation Class A championship.

The Niagara Wheatfield Amateur Athletics Tomcats advanced to the 120-pound division Super Bowl by shutting out the Lew-Port Chargers 29-0 on Saturday, Oct. 27, continuing their undefeated record for their eighth win of the season.

Boats are money pits. No doubt about that. The bigger the boat, the bigger the pit to throw money into, but they sure do bring a lot of fun and pleasure for singles and families. You can fall in love with boats and boating, quicker than you can say "Happiness."

Richard Fortier and Tim Badeneyck, both of Niagara Falls, found the fall perch running in Wilson Harbor off the north dock at the Tuscarora State Park launch ramp.

Beyoncé will perform in the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show on CBS at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013.

A Town of Lewiston committee formed to look into the practicality of building a multimillion-dollar recreational and senior center has identified the Lewiston-Porter school campus as an ideal site.

Grand Island dropped its first football game of the season with a 22-16 loss to McKinley Saturday at Riverside High School.

About 30 members of the Niagara-Wheatfield girls swimming and diving team volunteered their time the morning of Sept. 22 to assist in the Hospice Dash 5K Race and the Mighty Niagara Half Marathon in Youngstown.

This little story is about trailerable boats like the ones I have owned through the years. Don't do what I did one time, do what I didn't do. Listen up and you'll get the "drift."

One winter I prepared my boat for winter storage outside in my backyard. I covered it, left loose ends for ventilation, tightened up the cover around the edges so I wouldn't have a water problem, and didn't look at it until the following spring.

Chris Connors caught three touchdown passes and quarterback Quinn Corrao scored a touchdown in the waning seconds as Grand Island came back to beat Williamsville North 26-21.

A total of 925 runners weathered cold, rainy conditions for a good cause as the first-ever Mighty Niagara Half Marathon to benefit Niagara Hospice took place Saturday morning along a course from Artpark in Lewiston to Porter on the Lake.

Grand Island passed its first road test of the football season last Friday with a 24-6 win over Huch Tech at All-High Stadium in Buffalo.

The Buffalo Museum of Science has partnered with the Buffalo Bills, Sabres, Bisons, Bandits and New Era Cap to create an interactive exhibit that investigates the science behind Buffalo's favorite sports.

"The Science of Sports" opens Sept. 29 and runs through Jan. 6, 2013.

Aside from being competitive, sports are a complex equation of physics, math and biology. From the physical impact of collisions to the technology behind how hockey ice is created, science plays an integral role in every highlight reel and play-by-play.

Students from the Lewiston Dance Center took first place in the Dance and Drill Team category in the Youngstown Field Days Parade held on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3.

The student section stormed the football field after Grand Island's 31-14 victory over Starpoint on Homecoming.

On Monday's episode of "The Fred Jackson Show" on WBBZ-TV, Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson told host Bob Koshinski and his television audience that he has "come a long way," crediting the staff of the Buffalo Bills for his rehabilitation since injuring his knee in week one of the NFL season.

After having an admittedly bad week on practice field Monday through Friday, the Grand Island Vikings had a good afternoon Saturday in beating North Tonawanda 35-21 at Masters Field.

On Saturday, Sept. 8, the Niagara Wheatfield Amateur Athletics Tomcats started their regular season off with a 40-0 win over the North Tonawanda 49ers.

Grand Island shook off some nerves and beat Kenmore East 26-14 in the first Section VI football game of the season on Sept. 1.

Although mainly a nocturnal animal, beavers can be spotted occasionally during the day, and their homes or "lodges" can be seen around the county along different streams and creeks.

Lew Port Youth Football held its annual football tournament on Aug. 25 and 26. The event included a chicken barbecue on Sunday as a fundraiser.

Grand Island football coach Dean Santorio was "pretty happy overall" with his team after the Vikings' first live action of the season Saturday.

Head coach Kevin Miller has announced the addition of two players to the Niagara University men's golf team for the 2012-13 season as Jackson Lizardo and William Lumadue join the squad.

Niagara begins play with the Little Three Tournament in Orchard Park on Saturday, Sept. 15.

Stacey Zahno of Ransomville, wife of powerlifting American record-holder Dan Zahno, recently set two state records.

The Mighty Niagara Half Marathon will be held on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 9 a.m. in conjunction with the Hospice Dash 5K Walk/Run. The half marathon, which was added to the event in 2011 (and had a turnout of more than 1,000 participants), has been expanded this year. The event will include more live bands and music, a new website at www.mightyniagarahalfmarathon.com, and a new name.

Independent Living of Niagara County recently held their seventh annual fishing contest in the Lower Niagara River. The contest was organized by ILNC for clients with disabilities.

Mike & Nate give new meaning to the phrase, "God works in mysterious ways."

Over 50 days, the two churchgoing college buddies - Mike Buonaiuto, 22, and Nate Frankoski, 26 - biked 2,500 miles to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Jack Hughes of Williamsville (18 minutes, 15 seconds) and Stephanie Schmidt of Sanborn were the winners in the 10th annual River Run to benefit the Center for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mount St. Mary's Hospital.

I often get asked by people where there is a good, safe place to take kids fishing - where they'll catch fish, be safe and learn to fish without a boat. Those are good questions for sure, especially the last one. We have lots of places around here to do that.

Thursday night's Bills-Redskins preseason opener was one marked by a largely lackadaisical offense for the Bills first string, but also impressive showings by two new QBs in their first games on both squads.

Great weather greeted race fans as week 14 of the 2012 season was completed Aug. 3 at Ransomville Speedway. A total of 85 cars entered the pit area set to battle in the Four Star Program presented by Grelak Mechanical.

BJ Willard invaded the Big R and took home a cool grand for his efforts aboard the 50-lap Grelak Mechanical Sportsman Nationals. Willard took control at the drop of the green and quickly pulled away from the field aboard his No. 77 machine. In only his second appearance of the season, Willard proved he adapts well as he mastered the one-half mile clay oval and captured his first win ever at Ransomville Speedway.

The sixth annual Dave's Memorial Dice Run benefit, held July 21, netted $3,313 for the Youngstown Volunteer Fire Co.'s "Ambulance Drive for Life."

Last week, when it was so hot the trees were whistling for the dogs, my wife and I took a little car ride.

Nathan Morski (left) shot his first hole in one this week at the Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Club on Creek Road.

Town of Lewiston councilmen Steve Reiter and Mike Marra unveiled the new playground behind the Red Brick Municipal Building in the Village of Lewiston.

Celebrating upstate New York's unique history and scenic beauty, 500 bicycle riders from 36 states joined with state and local officials at Quackenbush Square in Albany Sunday to mark the completion of Parks & Trails New York's annual week-long bicycle tour from Buffalo to Albany.

The Albany celebration recognized the riders' achievement and highlighted the importance of the Erie Canalway Trail to upstate New York's quality of life and economy. When the Canalway Trail is finished, it will be the longest statewide trail in the U.S. It is 75 percent complete along its 524-mile total length.

On June 26 at Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo, Chuck Thore of Harvey Road was the honorary PALS member (Person with ALS) at a Buffalo Bisons game, and got to throw out the first pitch of the game with the assistance of his wife Kristen, and step-daughter Sarah Brand.

Despite Mother Nature's best efforts - Ransomville Speedway pulled off its races Tuesday night for the third annual "Battle at the Border." Presented by Waste Management and Gater Racing News, the event proved to be action packed for the 2,200 in attendance. As has been the norm on Fridays this season, close to 100 cars filled the pit area for this mid-week special.

Danny Johnson of Rochester took top honors aboard the Mighty Taco/DIRTcar 358 Modified 75-lap main. Johnson threaded the needle on lap 18 splitting the likes of leader Ryan Susice and Chad Brachmann.