News
Feature Image

Four Brighton Barons to Play in College

Ballatori and HaggertyJoining SportsFive Sportsman of the Year, Casey Kopp, who plans to continue to play at Hamilton are three other Barons. Alex Ballatori and Robert Haggerty will continue to play together at Nazareth and John Bender will study and play at Geneseo.

Midfielder Alex Ballatori was a four year Varsity player for Brighton. He received all league honors in each of his four years, including a second team MC-D2 nod in his senior year. He also was selected to play in the Herb Fitch Senior All Star game. This year he recorded 23g-17a toward his career total of 69g-32a (101 pts).

Robert Haggerty was a three year Varsity attackman for the Barons. In his senior year he added 13g-6a toward his career totals of 43g-14a (57 pts). Bender and KoppHe received honorable mentions for both his junior and senior year. Haggerty and Ballatori will join Head Coach Rob Randall and a host of local players expected to return to Nazareth next season, including Chris Aycock (R-H), Tyrone Reaves (Brighton), Keanan O`Brien (HF-L), Jason Boike (HF-L) and Chris Benza (Fairport).

Defenseman John Bender has three times been honored by the Monroe County League, including, this year, when he earned a place on the second team list. Not afraid to go to the goal, the true long stick recorded 7g-5a (12 pts) in his last two years on Varsity. He will attend SUNY Geneseo in the fall, where he is expected to play for Head Coach Jim Lyons in his fourteenth year. He will be expected to join former Brighton attackman Steve Cregan.

Senior midfielder Casey Kopp will attend Hamilton in the fall after a four year history with the Barons. With a career record of 75g-37a over four years, Kopp was a second team All League (MC-D3) player in his sophomore year, an HM All League (MC-D2) player in his junior year and was named to the first team (MC-D2) honoree in his senior year. Kopp was named the Monroe County Division 2 Player of the Year and then was named to the second team All Section Five list. He was also named the SportsFive Sportsman of the Year.

Off season, Kopp was named a Brine National High School All-American in the summer before his senior year.

19_s5_banner
Image