"Land Of The Free Because Of The Brave"

We were honored and humbled to have been asked to cover two Memorial Day parades in Dutchess County this year.  The City of Beacon held their parade along Main Street and concluded with a ceremony at the City's V.F.W. building. Just like Beacon, the Town of Beekman's parade marched down its Main Street.  Their parade however, concluded with a ceremony at Beekman Town Hall.

These are always very personal occasions for me.  My hero and role-model is my dearly departed father.  He served in the United States Navy during World War II and was stationed in the South Pacific.  He instilled in me a great sense of pride and humility for the men and women who served and continue to serve in our Nation's Armed Forces.  That is why events such as the above, are always one of the most touching tributes that I have the privilege of shooting.

To view these services in their entirety, please click on the links below.  

Beacon Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony

Beekman Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony

Crowning of a Champion

We have covered some incredible games this lacrosse season, but, without a doubt, the Section 1 Class A Championship game, was by far the best we were privileged to capture. This showdown featuring Mahopac vs. Mamaroneck at White Plains High School on May 21st, had everyone holding their breath right up until the last second.

The game began on a very slow place with each team scoring a goal a piece at the end of the first quarter.  As we moved into the second, the game intensified drastically.  Mamaroneck revved up and goals by Eric Greenberg and Charlie Harris enabled them to take a 5-2 lead.   Without hesitation, Mahopac kicked themselves into gear and picked up another three goals.  As we headed into halftime, it was clear that this could be either team's game to win.  The third quarter can be summed up as a simultaneous onslaught of goals being scored by both teams.  With two minutes left to play in the quarter, Mahopac held a 9-8 lead but that did not last for long as Mamaroneck answered back with two quick goals of their own. once again assuming control. 

With a score of 10-9 to start the fourth, Mamaroneck and Mahopac each exchanged goals within the first two minutes.  Now with just nine minutes of play left, tension hung in the air with each play made.  Suddenly, with only a minute left in the game, Mahopac scored to tie the score and forced this cliffhanger to head into overtime.  Before the crowd could even blink, Mamaroneck's shining star, and offensive player of the game, Eric Greenberg, delivered an unassisted goal propelling his team to victory and thereby crowning Mamaroneck as the 2015 Section 1 Class A Champions. 

Mamaroneck has a bye for the first round of regional play and will play the winner of the Section 3 vs Section 9 game (to be held on Wednesday, May 27th) on Saturday, May 30th. 

To view highlights of this game, please follow the link below.
Mahopac vs. Mamaroneck

The March To The Championship

In this battle of the Tigers, White Plains squared off against Mamaroneck vying for a chance to advance to the Section 1 Class A championship game on Tuesday, May 19th.  It took only two minutes and thirty seconds for Mamaroneck to claw their way to an early lead when Jack Harrigan and Eric Greenberg each scored a goal a piece.  Unfortunately for White Plains, Mamaroneck's Ben Shapiro, won close to 90% of his face offs thereby giving Mamaroneck's Tigers ball possession for almost the duration of the game.  At the half, White Plains was down by three goals. Things did not improve much from there.  Mamaroneck doubled their number of goals by the end of the game and walked away with a 19-8 victory.  They will now play on Thursday against Mahopac, in what will be a rematch of the 2013 Class A Section 1 Championship game.  Will history repeat itself and Mamaroneck once again reign supreme?  Please be sure to stay tuned.

Defending Class C Section 1 Champions Bronxville took on Briarcliff in this semifinal thriller.  Briarcliff was ready and successfully scored first against the Bronxville powerhouse.  In order to prove their prowess, Bronxville came fightng back and was able to tie the score at one at the end of the first quarter.  The next four goals would belong to Bronxville, giving them a 5-2 lead as we headed into halftime.  Bronxville did not lose any momentum and continued to distance themselves from Briarcliff, picking up another two goals by the end of the third quarter.  Briarcliff had been silenced long enough, energized they came fighting back and were able to add two more goals to their tally.  However, in the fourth quarter, only a total of two goals were scored and unfortunately for Briarcliff, they were both scored by the mighty Bronxville team resulting in a final score of 9-5. Bronxville now finds themselves headed back to their 4th straight Class C Section 1 Championship game.  Despite this tough loss, Briarcliff should be incredibly proud of themselves.  They had a stellar season and have proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with in the next upcoming season(s) to come. 

For highlights of these semifinal games, please follow the links below.
White Plains vs. Mamaroneck

Briarcliff vs. Bronxville

Second Round Showdowns

Mamaroneck took to the field on Saturday energized and full of vigor as they faced off against Suffern.  Not wasting anytime, one of their shining stars, Eric Greenberg scored two goals within the first 45 seconds.  By the end of the first quarter, Mamaroneck held a 6-1 lead.  Any time Suffern managed to score a goal, it was rapidly matched and/or exceeded by Mamaroneck.  At the start of the 4th quarter, Mamaroneck had its reserve team members in the game and they walked off the field victorious with a final score of 19-13.  It will be a "Tiger vs. Tiger" showdown as Mamaroneck advances to the Class A semifinals and will face White Plains on Tuesday, May 19th. 

Two of our teams, Haldane and Briarcliff, went head to head on Saturday, May 16th, in what many people believed would be an epic battle of these two closely matched Class C teams.  Much like Mamaroneck, Briarcliff was not going to let anyone stand in their way, and they too led 6-1 and the end of the first quarter of play.  The Haldane Blue Devils had a very difficult time maintaining ball possession and consequently, Briarcliff was ahead by seven goals at the half.  The second half of play continued on much like the first, with Briarcliff continuing to increase their lead over the Blue Devils.  It was evident that Haldane was starting to feel the pressure, as towards the end of the game, things began to get a little volatile with an increase of slashing and hitting.  At one point two players had to be pulled away from one another, resulting in a huddle between both coaches and referees.   At the end of the day, victory belonged to Briarcliff  with a 16-5 win.  They will meet Bronxville, the 2014 Class C Champions, on Tuesday, May 19th. 

For highlights of these games, please follow the links below. 

Suffern vs. Mamaroneck

Haldane vs. Briarcliff

First Round

As the days begin to heat up, so does the lacrosse action across the Hudson Valley.  We are now officially into the playoff season.

On Thursday, May 14th, we filmed three games in the first round of the Class "C" playoffs. First, we take you to Briarcliff where this #3 ranked hosted #14North Salem.  Unfortunately, North Salem seemed to have left their offense on the bus as Briarcliff easily dominated throughout the game.  Their sustained offense and stellar goal-tending had them leading at the half by a score of 5-1.  The second half of the game was not much different.  They added another four goals to the scoreboard and dealt North Salem a 9-2 loss. 

Next up we bring you #11 Lourdes vs. #6 Haldane.  Haldane was no match for Lourdes as they scored a whopping 24 goals.  Lourdes was determined to not go down without a fight but at the end of the day, they came up short, only putting 10 goals on the board.  The Blue Devils move on to the next round as they topple Lourdes with a 24-10 victory.

For our last game of the the day, #9 Westlake traveled to play #8 ranked Irvington.  This was an incredible game where neither team led by more than two goals at any given time.  Neither team was willing to give up and this game went into double overtime.  Unfortunately, when all was said and done, Irvington fell short and lost by one goal to Westlake.  In the next round of play, Westlake will meet Bronxville, the defending Class "C" champions.

Please stay tuned as two of our teams advance to quarter final action.  The Briarcliff Bears and Haldane Blue Devils will face off against one another on Saturday, May 16th.

To view highlights of these games, please follow the links below.

North Salem Vs. Briarclff

Lourdes vs. Haldane 

Westlake vs. Irvington

Regular Season Wrap-Up

This set of highlights marks the end of the 2015 regular lacrosse season.  Please stay tuned as we enter the playoff rounds. 

Mamaroneck hosted Harrison on May 7th.  Within twenty-three seconds, Mamaroneck was off and running and never looked back.  They easily dominated Harrison throughout the duration of the game.  With each of the five goals that Harrison scored, the Mamaroneck offense answered back with another goal or two of their own.  Eric Greenberg and Reed Maltas lead the assault for Mamaroneck propelling them to a 14-5 victory.

Next up we take you to Irvington where they hosted Briarcliff, a rare game actually played at Irvington's own field.  As you may recall, Irvington has been been forced to play elsewhere for most of the season due to poor field conditions.  These two evenly matched teams volleyed back and forth the entire game.  Briarcliff scored first and jumped out to a 2-0 lead.  However, by halftime, the Irvington Bulldogs bit back and had a 5-3 lead.  The Briarcliff Bears came clawing back during the third quarter to tie the score at 6-6.  At this point it was anyone's game to win.  Both teams each exchanged a goal a piece and it all game down to the last two minutes of play.  As the clock ran down, Briarcliff scored and edged out Irvington 8-7.

We saw another great game in Rye Neck as they hosted Haldane.  Once again this week, the visiting team scored first and Haldane held a 2-0 lead five minutes into the game.  However, if they thought this game was going to be easily handed to them, they had another thing coming.  Rye Neck answered their 2-0 lead and by half time was down by only one goal. The second half of play showcased some amazing shots on goal by both teams.  For much of the second half, Haldane continue to add goals onto their 4-3 lead.  However, Rye Neck came alive in the fourth quarter and with 15 seconds left tied the score, sending the game into overtime.  As they setup to face-off in overtime, Rye Neck jumped too soon, giving Haldane the ball. With a quick three pass, Haldane scored the winning goal thirteen seconds into overtime.


To view highlights of the above games, please follow the links below.
Harrison vs. Mamaroneck

Briarcliff vs. Irvington

Haldane vs. Rye Neck

Unsung Heros

Video Ventures was humbled to be asked to film the clock dedication ceremony that took place in the City of Beacon on Wednesday, May 6th.  On this overcast day, at the east end of Main Street, adjacent to the RoundHouse, this clock, that was donated to the City by one of its own residents, Denny Meyers, was officially dedicated in honor and recognition of first responders not just in Beacon but also the surrounding towns and villages.  It was also further dedicated to the memory of his mother, Lucy Meyer Harrison LeClaire, who succumbed to the injuries she sustained, 60 days after the tragic fire.
 
On the evening of March 26, 2012, Mr. Meyer's life was forever changed when his home caught fire.  A 911 call was place and within two minutes, the Beacon Fire Department arrived on the scene of 43 Ackerman Street to find a raging structural fire with people trapped inside. 

As the firefighters bravely enter the home amidst the flames, they discovered Mr. Meyer's wheelchair-bound mother and her home health care aide.  Within moments these brave first responders, were able to successfully rescue them and remove them from further harm.  The fire continued on its path of destruction as the flames encroached upon and began to engulf the second floor of the residence.  Members of the Village of Fishkill Fire Department assisted the Beacon firefighters to help locate Denny, who was unconscious on the ground.  Despite the order from Command that all personnel abandon the building due to worsening conditions, they continued to drag Denny to the window and successfully remove him from the building to the waiting aerial ladder.

This beautiful symbol will stand tall, in the heart of our City, as a visual reminder of the everyday sacrifice that emergency and medical personnel make, as they put their lives at risk in the direct line of danger, to protect and serve the people, not just here, but around the world. 

To view the ceremony in its entirety, please click the link below. 
Beacon Clock Dedication

Action-Packed Round-up

It was a grueling match-up between Tigers vs. Tigers as Mamaroneck hosted White Plains on April 27th.  By the time the game was over, both teams, especially each respective goalie, was certain to have been exhausted.  Goals were exchanged back and forth between White Plains and Mamaroneck for the majority of the first half, with the Mamaroneck Tigers leading 10-7.  Their momentum continued when they took the field once again and they increased their lead to 14-7.  Determined to gain the upper hand, the White Plains Tigers roared back in the fourth quarter but despite their best efforts, fell short and suffered a hard fought loss.

On May 1st, Haldane hosted North Salem.  It was also senior night for the Haldane varsity boy's lacrosse team, an evening that every graduating high school sports player looks forward to as they begin their march towards graduation.  The home team was fueled with emotion and passion from the second the ball dropped on the field.  Haldane dazzled the crowd within the first thirty seconds by scoring their first goal and kept the momentum going throughout the duration of the first half of play, leading 11-2.  The second half saw more of the same with several players joining in on the offensive explosion.  Haldane sailed to an easy18-4 victory.  It is also important to note that this stellar team has the second highest goal-scoring percentage per game record amongst Section 1 Class C schools. 

Harrison and Rye also battled for the win on Friday, May 1st.  And for what this game lacked in terms of the number of goals scored, it made up for it with the amount of action it contained. In this match-up, the Harrison Huskies entered as the underdog.  However, this did not deter them from coming out strong.  Harrison retained a lead over Rye for the duration of the game.  However, Rye came close in the 4th quarter.  If it were not for Harrison's goalie who made some pivotal saves, Rye may have emerged victorious.  With one minute and 45 seconds left to play, Harrison was unstoppable, with the team exhibiting incredible ball control and spectacular defensive maneuvers. This left Rye unable to take a shot on goal up until the final buzzer sounded.  The final score was 6-4 with Harrison on top.

For this week's highlights, please follow the links below:

White Plains vs. Mamaroneck

North Salem vs. Haldane

Harrison vs. Rye