Ketcham baseball and Marlboro softball compete this weekend for state championships

Ella Leduc and her dad readily acknowledge that this weekend will have a tearful ending, no matter what.

As the Marlboro High School softball team competes for a state championship, it also will mark the closing of a significant chapter in both their lives for more than decade.

Father and daughter have long been coach and player, dating back to Ray Leduc's days as director of the Marlboro recreational league softball program, where he aided the early development of several of the players who now star for his varsity team.

Ella now is a senior, soon headed off to college, and they have at most two games remaining before the difficult first step in what will be an emotional separation.

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"There is some sentimentality and it's in the back of your mind, knowing that each game could be our last," said Ray Leduc, whose daughter also is a student in his AP Calculus class. "The only way the ending won't be sad is if we go all the way."

In which case, there will be tears of joy.

As the school year is drawing to a close and the scholastic sports calendar concludes this weekend, Marlboro softball and Roy C. Ketcham baseball are the last local teams still standing, both readying for their respective state semifinals on Friday. Should they advance, they'll play in the state finals on Saturday.

Elsewhere, more than 30 area athletes will compete in the state outdoor track and field championships this weekend.

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires drifting south this week prompted a statewide air quality health advisory that extends through Thursday. Some of the towns hosting state tournaments have been impacted by the hazardous air quality, which caused NYSPHSAA to postpone the boys lacrosse final four two days. There is a pervading belief, however, that the air will clear before the teams are set to compete. As of Wednesday night, the baseball and softball semifinals were on as scheduled, though the teams were instructed to avoid outdoor practices Thursday in Binghamton and Long Island.

A state championship is the highest achievement possible within scholastic competition and, for most athletes, it's the pinnacle of their sports careers. Understandably, it's something most young athletes dream of and work toward for years.

"We want those medals," Marlboro softball star Leah Gunsett said. "You want to be that team still smiling at the end, getting gold medals (placed) around your neck."

The Ketcham baseball team includes standouts Owen Paino and Ryan Mealy, both of whom are coached by their fathers. Their team also has reached the state semifinals, and the fact the boys are within two victories of sharing a rare achievement with their dads isn't lost on the quartet.

"There are some things that make you slow down and really think about the situation we're in," said Ketcham head coach Pat Mealy, who is assisted by Matt Paino. "You can't take these times for granted and I'm trying to enjoy every bit of it."

Owen and Ryan were members of the Poughkeepsie Lightning youth baseball team that twice reached the Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth World Series, being coached by their fathers. They're 11th-graders now, so there isn't a sense of finality, but an appreciation of how far they've come and the opportunity they can seize.

"It hasn't been verbalized, but we know it," Pat Mealy said. "There are a lot of things to think about and plan for, but you don't lose sight of the fact it's special."

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association groups teams geographically for competition. The Ketcham baseball team belongs to Section 1, which includes Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, and four schools in Dutchess. Marlboro softball represents Section 9, which includes Ulster, Sullivan and Orange counties, and the remaining public schools in Dutchess.

The teams are also categorized based on school enrollment, with Class AA incorporating the largest schools, on down to Class D. To win a state title, a team must emerge as the section champion in its class, then defeat other champions from neighboring regions to reach the final four.

A little about Ketcham

Ketcham faces Section 6's Lancaster at 2 p.m. Friday in a Class AA semifinal at Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton. Ketcham (26-2) is making its first appearance in the state final four since 2016, and is seeking its first state title since 2005.

They've been on a tear since the Section 1 finals, outscoring their last three opponents by a combined 30-3, cruising through the regional rounds. They have an excellent pitching staff headlined by Ole Miss commit Owen Paino, Riley Weatherwax and Ryan Mealy. The lineup is explosive and is littered with standouts including Michael Schiavone, Connor Durkin and Kevin Camacho.

Lancaster, from the Buffalo area, is an underdog that eked out a 1-0 win in its regional final. The Legends (17-6) are seeking their first state championship and are led by star pitcher Jack Harrington.

A little about Marlboro

The Iron Dukes face Section 5's Wellsville at 4 p.m. Friday in a Class B semifinal at Moriches Athletic Complex on Long Island. Marlboro reached the state semifinals last season and, despite graduating five stars, has quickly retooled with a young core and excelled. They're after their first state championship since 2016.

Leah Gunsett has dominated in the circle, allowing only one run in the playoffs, and leading the Dukes (18-2) through tense games in the regional rounds. Ella Leduc's eighth-inning walkoff single delivered them a 1-0 win over Rye Neck in the subregional, and Gunsett's three-run triple sparked a big sixth inning that lifted them to a 5-0 win over Seaford last week, sending them to the final four. Kalista Birkenstock, Emma Jackson, Madison Gibney, Emily Tarsio and Taylor Castellani are part of a lineup that has been prolific for most of the season.

Wellsville has thoroughly dominated its competition, winning games by an average margin of 10.5 runs. That includes a 10-run win over Iroquois in its regional final. The Lions (21-1) are after their first state title.

Off and running

The state track and field championships run Friday and Saturday at Middletown High School and will include 28 local athletes competing individually, with several others who are part of relay teams.

Among the big names are Arlington's Ethan Green, who will run the boys 3,200 meters and is part of the 3,200-meter relay. Teammate Riley Pettigrew qualified for the girls 100 and 200 meters, and Sierra Kraemer the long jump. Marlboro's Drew Heimink qualified for the long jump, pole vault and triple jump, and teammates Jose Iraola-Ceely and Juliana Juras will compete in the boys and girls shot put and discus, respectively.

Ketcham star Abigail Kowalczyk will run in the girls 1,500 and 3,000 meters, and teammate Connor Hitt in the boys 1,600. Our Lady of Lourdes' Alexandria North races in the 200 and 400, and she's part of their 1,600-meter relay. John Jay's Maia Perillo (pole vault), Roosevelt freshman Marina Scott (400), New Paltz's Aidan Ifkovits (discus) and Red Hook's Christian Totman (pentathlon) are among the standouts.

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Two area teams and several track & field athletes aim for state titles