Seward Honors State Champion Cooperstown Boys Basketball Team

ALBANY, 03/27/19 – State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I/Ref–Oneonta) along with Assemblyman John Salka (R/C/Ref-Brookfield) and Assemblyman Brian Miller (R/I – New Hartford),  today proudly welcomed the Cooperstown High School Boys Basketball team and their coach John Lambert to the state Capitol where they were honored as the 2019 New York State Class C champions.

Senator James L. Seward said, “Cooperstown High School boasts a strong basketball history, but this special team is the first to capture a boys state basketball title. Winning a state championship is an impressive feat that the players, coaches, and the entire Cooperstown community can be proud of and will always remember.  The boys also excel in the classroom and truly epitomize the term student-athlete.  The players are terrific role models for other students, young players who look up to them, and the community at-large.”

Assemblyman John Salka said, “I want to sincerely congratulate these hardworking athletes and coaches in obtaining the NYSPHSAA Class C Championship State Title.”

Assemblyman Brian Miller said, “We are all incredibly proud of the grit and determination shown by these young men throughout the season and especially during the sectionals and state tournament.  The Hawkeyes survived a triple-overtime thriller in the semi-finals, yet had enough left in the tank to come out victorious in the state title game. They gave everything they had and were rewarded with the program’s first ever state championship. Congratulations to Coach Lambert and the Cooperstown High School Boys Basketball team on your achievement! This is a memory you will all cherish forever.”

Cooperstown defeated Middle Early College High School in the New York State Class C championship on March 17, 2019 capping a 25-2 season.

Senator Seward and the entire New York State Senate honored the team during senate session. 

The New York State Legislature recently adopted a legislative resolution honoring the Cooperstown Boys Basketball team, which reads in part:

“Coach John Lambert and all of the outstanding athletes on the Cooperstown Boys Varsity  Basketball  Team have clearly utilized dedication, determination and teamwork in providing a lasting contribution  to  the spirit of excellence which is a tradition of their school.”

Senate resolution J780 was sponsored by Senator Seward and adopted on March 26, 2019.  Assemblyman John Salka and Assemblyman Brian Miler sponsored an identical resolution, assembly resolution K213, which was also adopted on March 26, 2019.

The Cooperstown Boys Basketball team was also recently named a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Scholar Athlete Team for classroom excellence.

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