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![]() Welcome to the Connors & Ferris High School Sports Show, the only talk show in the Rochester area that covers Section V sports, and we've been doing it for two decades! You can watch each show on the RocSportsNOW YouTube channel Archived versions of the show are available right here on our website. We feature interviews with coaches and players, previews of games, and highlights of the biggest contests each season. Plus, we hand out awards for our Bob Johnson Auto Group "Athletes of the Week," the G&G Fitness Equipment "Coach of the Week," and showcase a Pittsford Pub "Game of the Week," too! The show also tackles the issues facing teenage athletes, such as proper nutrition, recovery from injury, and how to balance academics and athletics. More than 5,000 coaches and athletes have been on the show since 2003. Special thanks to Connors & Ferris, Salvatore's Pizza and all of our sponsors. Without their support, our athletes and coaches wouldn't have a chance to be showcased on the show and social media on Jeff DiVeronica's @RocDevo Twitter account. Combined, he and co-host Steve Bradley, have more than 60 years of experience covering high school sports. DiVeronica founded the show and has hosted it since 2003. The St. John Fisher College graduate covered high school sports for the Democrat and Chronicle for nearly 25 years, departing in 2018 to become the Director of Public Information for West Irondequoit schools. Bradley joined the show as co-host in 2020 and is a former Section V athlete himself. The Pavilion native and Syracuse University graduate's career includes stints as a sportswriter at The Daily News (Batavia), sports editor at The Daily Messenger (Canandaigua) and more than 20 years at the Democrat and Chronicle, including 10-plus as sports editor.
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![]() Watch previous episodes of the show |
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Episode 70: Irondequoit softball has been led by senior star pitcher Marlayna Cartagena and catcher Emma Rovet this spring during its 13-1 start. The girls joined us on the show along with veteran coach, Scott Smith. Watch it now. Episode 69: Batavia Notre Dame baseball has started 11-0 and outscored foes 126-7 behind an incredible pitching staff. Coach Rick Rapone and pitchers Bryceton Berry, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jay Antinore and Jaden Sherwood joined the show. Watch it now. Episode 68: Honeoye Falls-Lima won eight of its first nine games under first-year head coach Eric Goodberlet and he joined us with junior standouts Drew Angelo, a Syracuse University commit and face-off specialist, and defenseman, Ben Cook. Watch it now. Episode 67: From Warsaw to Clemson University? It's not a typical route, but that's what Tigers track and field standout and throws specialist Matt Auble will do. We learn more about his ascent as one of the top throwers in the country. Watch it now. Episode 66: Churchville-Chili baseball won 8 of its first 9 games this spring and is in the hunt for its first Section V title since 2009. We spoke with coach Guy Puglia and players Braedon Reina, Jaylen Lopez, Michael Sardou and Anthony Sortino. Watch it now. Episode 65: Webster Thomas softball with twins Anna and Emma Bello, pitcher Maddie Hicks and coach Emily Castro talked about their big win over rival Schroeder and more. Watch it now. Episode 64: Spencerport boys lacrosse coach Bill Buttaro and players Cameron Mesh and Zach Tortora discuss the program's recent rise and becoming a Section V title contender. Watch it now. Episode 63: Former Irondequoit boys basketball coach Chris Cardon recaps his 37th and final season as coach, which included a fourth Section V title and run to the state championship game. Watch it now. Episode 62: Rush-Henrietta girls lacrosse coach Jim DeWald and players Avery and Ashlyn Roberts and Sammy Sleve about the school's first sectional title in 2022 and their goal to repeat. Watch it now. Episode 61: Steve Bradley and Jeff DiVeronica interview organizers, players, coaches and referees at the annual Ronald McDonald House All-Star Basketball game banquet. Watch it now. Episode 60: Victor boys basketball climbed the mountain, winning the Class AA state title, coach coach Tyler Roberts, junior Nick Leonard and sophomore Owen Dake share their thoughts on the postseason run and amazing season. Watch it now. Episode 59: Waterloo girls basketball won its first state crown and coach Mike Bree and standout players Morgan Carabello, Natalie DiSanto and Jazzmyn Lewis relive the great moments. Watch it now. Episode 58: Newark basketball coach Henry Kuperus and senior standouts Brayden Steve and Raeshawn Howard talked with us about the Reds' first trip back to the Class B state semifinals in 13 years. The Reds have won 14 sectional titles. Watch it now. Episode 57: Webster Schroeder girls basketball with coach Codi Mrozek and junior captains Mariah Watkins and Sarah Ferruzza spoke with us as they headed to the Class AA state Final Four after winning the first sectional title for Webster since 1976. Watch it now. Episode 56: Canandaigua girls basketball coach Michael Brennan, senior guard Mya Herman and junior forward Kylie Chapman recap the Braves' run to the Section V Class A championship! Watch it now. Episode 55: Webster Schroeder hockey celebrated its first sectional title in nine years. First-year coach David Broussard and players Colin Smith and Jason Simons and Matt Grattan also joined us. Watch it now. Episode 54: Pittsford sent seven boys to the state swimming championships on March 3-4 and we learned about these new Panthers, who won their 21st straight Section V Class A crown, from coach Rick Schmitt and co-captains, Dylan Magda and Cameron Stetzer. Watch it now. Episode 53: In a a wide-ranging in-depth interview NYSPHSAA Executive Director Dr. Robert Zayas spoke about sportsmanship, including behavior issues with players and fans, and the potential of a fan "expectation statement." Bad fan behavior has a direct correlation to another problem-area -- the officials' shortage, which Zayas said is at a "crisis" stage. Zayas also discussed the booming girls sports -- plans for flag football, wrestling and a new twist to gameday cheerleading. Watch it now. Episode 52: Churchville-Chili never won a Section V wrestling title -- until this year. We learn more from 9th-year coach Justin Raines, his SuperSectional champion twin sons Cael and Coy, and runners-up Gael Sanchez (junior) and Andrew Jeffers (freshman). Watch it now. Episode 51: LeRoy boys basketball rallied to beat Geneseo in what may be the Game of the Year, winning 81-74 in 3 overtimes and needing two buzzer-beaters to end regulation and the second OT to do it. It is the Pittsford Pub Game of the Week. Coach Adam Weinman, senior Andrew Pocock and junior Merritt Holly Jr. were our guests. Watch it now. Episode 50: East Rochester girls basketball coach Sam Rizzo, in his first season leading his alma mater, and Bombers team leaders Lily Funk and Zarriah Eldridge Watch it now. Episode 49: Batavia Notre Dame girls basketball coach Tom McCulley and seniors Amelia McCulley (his daughter) and Avelin Tomidy and junior Emma Sisson discuss their season and pursuit of another sectional title in the tradition-rich program’s history. Watch it now. Episode 48: McQuaid hockey coach Joe Dugan and seniors Rory Fitzpatrick and Evan Kopacz, along with sophomore Jack Callery, discuss the Knights' 15-game win streak and No. 2 state ranking. Watch it now. Episode 47: Webster Schroeder senior Camryn Cole and coaches Dan Graf and Dave Klehr shared with us more about the high jumper/hurdler's meteoric rise. The Northeastern University-bound Cole is also competing in the prestigious Millrose Games. Watch it now. Episode 46: It was a wrestling homecoming on Feb. 10 and we previewed the Cornell-Binghamton NCAA match in a sold-out Hilton gymnasium. Guests were Hilton athletic director Mike Giruzzi, Cadets coach Craig Gross and Hilton wrestlers Nate Kasper and Elija Diakomihalis along with Hilton alums Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) and Lou DePrez (Binghamton). Bearcats coach Kyle Borshoff (Pittsford) also joined us. Watch it now. Episode 45: Waterloo wrestler Maddie Westerberg and her coach, Tyrone Thomas, recap the sophomore's pin-laden run to winning the title in the first-ever state wrestling invitational for girls. Watch it now. Episode 44: Victor boys basketball coach Tyler Roberts with Garrett Clar and AJ Queri discuss the Blue Devils' undefeated start, and big win over Aquinas in our Pittsford Pub Game of the Week. Watch it now. Episode 43: Irondequoit diver Michael Wood, a two-time Section V champion, is ready to take aim at a state title. He joined us with diving coach, Teresa Fox, on the show. Watch it now. Watch it now. Episode 42: Avon boys basketball coach Rob Fries with sophomore guards Josh Harter Jr., Trevor Stroud and junior Michael Rowland recap Harter's record-setting night with 14 three-pointers and the Braves’ bid for a 4th straight sectional title. Watch it now. Episode 41: Penfield girls basketball coach Mark Vogt and seniors Grace Alexander, Emily Fordham and Jackie Funk talk about this year's squad, a Class AA title contender again. Watch it now. Episode 40: Newark girls basketball coach Diane Kirnie shares more about her return to coaching after a 10-year hiatus and becoming the second woman in Section V history to win 400 games. Sophomore TaKyla Vaughn, senior Ciana Galvin and former star Alyssa Fenyn also joined us. Watch it now. Episode 39: New Aquinas football coach Maurice Jackson tells us about becoming the Little Irish's new boss and the first black head coach in school history for a program with more state titles than any other. Watch it now. Episode 38: Oakfield-Alabama girls basketball coach Jeff Schlagenhauf and senior captains Brooke and Makena Reding and Emma Wray talk about the Hornets' season, coach's 400th win and the chance to bring a Section V title back home again. Watch it now. Episode 37: Victor girls basketball coach Ashley Zahn, assistant coach Blake Smith and players Abbie Murphy, Emily Neenan and Maryn Savage joined us to talk about the team and the impact the late Scott Zahn, Ashley's father and the former Victor/Canandaigua coach, had on them. Watch it now. Episode 36: York boys basketball coach Ed Orman and top scorer Maddox Timothy discussed the Golden Knights' strong start, defending their Section V Class C3 championship and a basketball life in a small town. Watch it now. Episode 35: Churchville-Chili hockey coach Brian Young, our G&G Fitness Coach of the Week, defenseman Gavin Carr and and forward Parker Farnham talk about the Saints' hot start to the season. Watch it now. Episode 34: Byron-Bergen Boys Basketball is off to a 7-0 start under sixth-year head coach Roxanne Noeth. We interviewed her and senior guards David Brumsted and Ryan Muscarella. The Bees have never won a Section V title and yes, Noeth, is believed to be just the second woman to coach a boys' varsity basketball team. Watch it now.
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Episode 33: Pittsford Sutherland girls hoops coach Dan Judd and seniors Dylan Madigan and Lara Brandt tell us what it's like to play in the Rainbow Classic and discuss the Knights' prospects upon the return of AGR forward, Ellie Bergin. Watch it now. Episode 32: East Rochester track and field star Manny Sepulveda and Bombers coach Bob Hendy shared with us more about Sepulveda's success in multiple sports, including football and soccer, and his future at the University of Buffalo. Watch it now. Episode 31: Greece Athena boys basketball coach Mike Setzer and junior guard Khorie Reaves and Connor Osier joined us to talk about the Trojans' solid start and huge upside to contend for a Section V title. Watch it now. Episode 30: Pittsford hockey is coming off an uncharacteristic 10-9-1 season, but the Panthers learned from it. Forwards Griffin Storrar, Cole Mann and Lucas Procious talked about their season. Watch it now. Episode 29: Brighton boys basketball went 13-9 last winter, has a rising star in explosive junior Reggie Smith Jr. and a veteran team that knows its roles. Sixth-year coach Dave Tisa and players Smith Jr., Andrew Kotrides, Troy McPherson and Trygve Watkins joined us. Watch it now. Episode 28: Webster Schroeder girls basketball hasn't won a Section V title since 1976, but the young Warriors have a star player in Mariah Watkins and a strong supporting cast that makes them a contender with perennial power Bishop Kearney. Coach Codi Mrozek, Watkins, her sister Bria and junior center Ava Gallup joined us. Watch it now. Episode 27: In 2006, Jason "J-Mac" McElwain won hearts across the world as a highly-functioning autistic Greece Athena basketball manager. In his only game, he made six 3-pointers in the final minutes on Senior Night. That feat won him an ESPY. Now, he’s 34, a veteran marathoner and a passionate assistant basketball coach who has started a social media platform to showcase local college athletics. Watch it now. Episode 26: Aquinas football has been part of Derek Annechino's life for 25 years as a coach and a few more as a player. But after a 3-6 season, his sixth as head coach after 19 as an assistant, he stepped down last month. Watch it now. Episode 25: Irondequoit girls volleyball was far from a favorite to win sectionals this fall, but the resourceful Eagles found ways to keep winning. Coach Marc Callari, junior hitter and his daughter, McKenna Callari, and junior setter Laney Flynn shared with us more about their 21-1 season which is on to the state semifinals. Watch it now. Episode 24: Hilton football hadn't won a Section V title since 1994, but the Cadets ended the drought this fall with a 40-7 shellacking of previously unbeaten Webster Schroeder for the Class A1 crown. We checked in with 34th-year coach Rich Lipani and standouts Jeff Broadnax, Karl Khuns and Ameer Alsafadi. Watch it now. Episode 23: Byron-Bergen girls soccer's second straight championship season has the Bees (22-0) headed back to the Class C state semis looking to write a different ending. Coach Wayne Hill and seniors Ava Wagoner, Kendall Phillps and junior Mackenzie Hagen joined us. Watch it now. Episode 22: Pittsford football pulled off the shocker of the Section V playoffs, shutting down top-seeded UPrep 6-0 to reach the title game. Can they do it again vs. three-time defending champion McQuaid? Defensive coordinator Steve Marriott and LBs Nathan Rodi and Ignat Fomin joined to talk about it. Watch it now. Episode 21: Spencerport soccer enjoyed a historic season! For the first time ever, the girls AND boys teams went to the state semifinals. We talked with coaches Jamie Schneider and Jody Wyant and standout juniors Cate Burns and Kyle Milburn. Watch it now. Episode 20: Victor football coach Geoff Mandile, QB Brady Robinson and lineman Ty Rader revisit their 7-1 regular season with us, including a win at McQuaid, and preview Friday's Class AA semifinal showdown with three-time defending champion Knights. Watch it now. Episode 19: Eastridge football coach Jasson Jobson and players Loyall Mouzon, Brennen Russo and Sherman Carson recount the Lancers' wild 50-48 upset over #3 Greece Athena to open the Section V football playoffs and preview Friday's semifinal at Canandaigua. Watch it now. Episode 18: Webster Schroeder girls soccer players Megan Fry, Abby Herbst, Alyssa Doody, Ellie Ockrin and Maddie Peterson, along with coach Kent Brown, talk about the Warriors winning their third Section V Class AA title in five years. Watch it now. Episode 17: Sister Act! Section V girls golf champion Julia Zigrossi of Mercy shares with us details about the march to her third straight crown and her sister, Emily, a Spencerport eighth-grader, also joined us to tell us what it felt like to make the state team with her big sister. Watch it now. Episode 16: Brighton sophomore tennis star Leyla Tozin, winner of a third straight Section V Class A1 singles title, and her mother, Anna, a two-time Section V champ in the 1990s, joined us to share their story. Leyla is also the Bob Johnson Auto Athlete of the Week. Watch it now. Episode 15: Jeff and Steve give their insights and forecast the first week of the Section V football playoffs. From Class AA all the way down to 8-man, they cover it all. Watch it now. Episode 14: Pittsford Mendon girls soccer players know all about the program's tradition of winning. After an unbeaten regular season (14-0-2), they want to repeat as a Section V champion. Coach Eric Pritchard and team leaders Merin Manske, Sophie Tomassi and Elena Barr joined us. Watch it now. Episode 13: Webster boys volleyball hasn't won a Section V title since 1997, but the Lakers are a contender to do so this fall. Coach Greg Kennedy, junior setter Bodey Groff and junior hitter Joey Preische joined us to share more about the team. Watch it now. Episode 12: Pittsford Sutherland girls volleyball coach Taylor Rivera, senior libero Ryan Kotalik and junior hitter Lila Keating joined us coming off a big win over Irondequoit and shared with us more about the streaking Knights, who take a 15-1 record into the postseason. Watch it now. Episode 11: A two-time Section V soccer champion in coach Nino Pilato's six seasons as coach, McQuaid is 12-0-2 and a Class AA contender once again. Pilato, his son and the Knights' top assist man, Marco; goalie Niyen Ruffin; and senior Andrew O'Neill joined us. Watch it now. Episode 10: Avon lost 1-0 in last year's Section V Class C1 championship match, but the boys soccer Braves are 13-0 ranked #1 in the state and are pumped to again try to win the school's first sectional brick. We caught up with coach Tony Patti and senior midfielders Hudson Volpe and Lee Hartke to learn more. Watch it now. Episode 9: Palmyra-Macedon's rise to the top of Section V Class B1 girls soccer last fall actually started when COVID cut short its bid to win in 2020. Now coach Mike Karns' team has the talent to repeat. The 24th-year veteran and seniors Maya Ikewood and Molly Seither joined us to share more about the Raiders. Watch it now. Episode 8: We learned about the evolution in recent years of Oakfield-Alabama/Elba, a 2021 Class D state semifinalist, how the "Aggies" nickname was born and how much this team loves playing football. Coach Tyler Winter, junior QB Bodie Hyde and senior OL/LB Brayden Smith joined us. Watch it now. Episode 7: Coach Ray Maxwell, senior Jackson McEnerney and goalie Peter Tonkery joined us to talk Livonia tradition and more! The Bulldogs shared what it's like to play for a legendary coach like Maxwell and what it's like to play at soccer-loving school like Livonia. Watch it now. Episode 6: Scott Deuschle's world turned upside down last May when a growth in his neck was malignant. After a summer of treatment, he relied on his staff and players to carry the Webster Thomas football program this fall. Deuschle shared his story and senior leaders Brad Coleman and Jack Roetker told us how his cancer battle has impacted the Titans. Watch it now. Episode 5: The story behind the PickinSplinters.com website: Former teacher turned sportswriter/editor Paul Gotham is the founder of the popular, online-only platform that covers local sports, from pros to high schools and some colleges. Gotham gave us an in-depth look at the site's genesis, what the name "Pickin' Splinters" means and much more. He also tells us how hard work and collaboration with young writers has helped him build the popular site and launched a couple of their careers to ESPN and NBA.com. Watch it now. Episode 4: The Fairport girls volleyball team should contend with perennial power Penfield and star hitter Nicole Bell for the Section V Class AA crown. Coach Trisha Forgensi and captains Meghan Clifford and Kiera Cornman joined us to describe the team's developing culture of winning. Watch it now. Episode 3: Churchville-Chili stopped Spencerport's 40-match win streak against Section V foes with a 3-2 win on Sept. 8 over the six-time defending Class A sectional girls soccer champions. Second-year coach Brooke Elnicky, a Spencerport grad, and captains Amelia Breton, Olivia Hogan and Emily McCane joined us. Watch it now. Episode 2: Avery Rennoldson owns a place in school history. The junior is the first girl to score a point for Honeoye Falls-Lima football, booting four extra points through the first two weeks of the season. A dual-participation athlete, she is also on the soccer team this fall. She joined us with football coach John Russ and athletic director Brian Donohue. Watch it now. Episode 1: Defending Section V Class A1 champion UPrep went into McQuaid and knocked off the three-time defending Class AA champions 36-30 in Week 2 and announced to all that it is a contender in a new weight class. Coach Isiah Jones, RB Chris Jean and QB Nolan Hill joined us. Watch it now. Check out our shows from the 2021-22 school year ![]() |
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