City Honors School - Sports

Sports

City Honors students participate in a wide variety of varsity and club sports. The list of sports at CHS includes Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Bowling, Cheerleading, Men's and Women's Crew, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's Hockey, Men's and Women's Soccer, Women's Softball, Men's and Women's Swim Team, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball, and Men's and Women's Rugby.

City Honors has a long tradition of athletic success:

• The City Honors Swim Team compiled 13 undefeated seasons under coaches Drake Francescone and Michael Wech. This streak ended in 1997 in a loss to arch-rival Hutch Tech. The team set a Buffalo Public School record with over 130 victories. City Honors currently has a 14 year undefeated streak spanning from 1998-2012. City Honors has won 27 out of the last 28 Syracuse Cups with the only loss being in 1997 to Hutchinson Central Technical High School. The current coaches are Kristy Chimera (Men's) and Margaret Cardina (Women's).
• The Men's Basketball team won the New York State Class C Championship in 2003, defeating Cooperstown 66-59. In 2002, the team went to the title game but lost to Blind Brook 57-49.
• The Men's Soccer team has won the city championship multiple times, most recently in 2006,and 2007 both penalty shootout victories over rival Grover Cleveland High. In 2010 they won the City Championship with a 1-0 victory over Riverside Technical High School, they also won the Section 6 Class B2 Championship with a 1-0 win over Wilson High School.
• From 1990 to 1993, the Women's Volleyball team won four straight New York State Class C Championships. The team won back that title again during the 2009-10 school year This was done while not losing a game up through to the championship. Their regular season has gone undefeated, not dropping a game in a match for over 20 years. The team is currently coached by Debra Matos.
• City Honors was the first public school in Western New York with its own rowing program. Founded in 1996, the Men's and Women's Crew teams have consistently been one of the top teams in the nation, winning several state championships and even a national championship over the last few years. The team has also won medals in several regional regattas, and has participated in the prestigious Stotesbury Cup. Independently of City Honors Crew, members of the team have had success in the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, US Rowing Nationals, and one member even made it to the Junior National team.
• The City Honors men's hockey team won the Super Sunday High School Club Hockey Championship in 1990 and again in 2009. They were the runners-up in 2007 and 2010. In addition, they were NYS Small School semifinalists in 2005, and qualified for the NYS Small School Championships in 2006 and 2007. They were West Sectional Quarterfinalists in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

In September 2005, CHS men's hockey coach Fred Korey, who was also the executive director of Hasek's Heroes, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Korey was forced to stop coaching in February 2006 due to his declining health, and died in fall 2009.

• The men's baseball team has won the Cornell Cup 15 times, most recently in 2003, 2004, and 2005. They were runners-up in 2006 and 2008, and semifinalists in 2007.
• Former City Honors physical education teacher Drake Francescone—who coached Women's Softball, Men's Basketball, Women's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Swimming and Men's and Women's Tennis—is one of only 25 members of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2006. However, he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in May 2011.
• City Honors was one of the first high schools in Western New York to have a rugby team . The Men's team won the Division II state title in 2004-05. The Women's team placed well in a national tournament in 2005-06. In January 2006, Women's Rugby Team alumna Carretta Reese was named to the USA Rugby National Women's Team.
• The Women's Varsity Soccer Team has won the Buffalo Public Schools city championship every year.
• In the 2007-2008 season the Woman's Varsity Basketball team went undefeated for the first time in league play, winning the Canisius Cup.