Individuals
Keaton Flint
Class of 2011, Football, Baseball, Basketball
Keaton was the captain of the football and baseball teams. He was All-League MVP for Football, and an All-State for baseball and football. Keaton led the football team to a New York State Runners-Up for the 2008-2009 season. He won a Section 2 Championship with basketball. For baseball, he was the MVP, and also won the Rookie of the Year Award. In 2011, the team won the New York State Championship. Keaton was a first team selection in the Suburban Council, and was named to the New York State First Team.
Keaton attended Sacred Heart University on a baseball scholarship. At Sacred Heart, Keaton was on the Pioneer All Rookie Team in 2015, won two NEC championships and played in the collegiate summer leagues: NECBL, HCBL and the PGCBL.
Keaton lives in Monument, Colorado, practicing as a Prosthetist-Orthotist at Hanger Clinic with his wife, Jill, and their goldendoodle, Bru.
Dolph Karlson
Class of 1960, Football, Basketball, Track, Skiing
Dolph played football for Coach O’Neil for four years, basketball for Coach Agar and Rentz for three years, and outdoor track for four years under coaches O’Neil and Latini. He was also on the ski team for one year for Coach Stowell. Dolph was voted the most athletic in his class, and one quote from the yearbook stated that “Driving Dolph” was “a one man wrecking crew.”
For football, Dolph was co-captain during his senior year, and was on the undefeated team from 1957 in the Saratoga County Conference. He was named the first Athlete of the Week for the Union Star Newspaper, and was the starting fullback for three years.
Dolph was co-captain of the track team during his senior year in 1960, when the team won the Western Conference title as well as the Section B championship title. Dolph was the Section B record holder in the shot put, throwing 47.5 feet. Legend has it that the distance was closer to 50 feet. He was also part of the winning medley relay, and placed third in the discus.
Dolph attended SUNY Cobleskill and studied business and agriculture, and was in the US Navy for four years, attaining the title of Yeoman. He served on the staff of Admiral John McCain Junior. Dolph played on the US Navy golf team in South Carolina, and trained with various schools, including the US Navy Nuclear power program. He worked with Shaw Environmental at Knolls Atomic Power Lab as a supervisor in charge of the Radioactive Materials Laboratory.
Dolph and his wife, Sandy, have four children and four grandchildren, and live in Gansevoort, NY.
Cheryl Nethaway
Class of 1988, Soccer, Track
Cheryl played varsity soccer and ran indoor and outdoor track for Burnt Hills. In soccer, Cheryl played on the varsity team for 3 years. As a senior, she was tri-caption of the soccer team and she was third on the team for soccer goals. Cheryl ran indoor track as a senior. She has a school record of 8.4 in the 55-meter high hurdles. She was the Section 2 champion in the 55m hurdles and qualified for the NYS Championships for this event. She also earned the Most Valuable Indoor Female Track Athlete Award. Cheryl was on the outdoor track team for three years. For outdoor track, Cheryl was the Section 2 champion in the 100m hurdles as a senior and placed second as a junior. She qualified for the NYS Championships for the 100m hurdles in her junior and senior years and also in the 4×400 relay as a senior. She won Most Outstanding Spring Track Runner her junior year. She was captain of the outdoor track team her senior year and earned the Most Valuable Outdoor Female Track Athlete Award. As a senior, she also won the Female Athlete of the Year Award at BH-BL and the Scholarship Athletic Award.
Cheryl attended Ithaca College and graduated in 1992. She ran indoor and outdoor track for three years. (As a Physical Therapy Major, she did not compete during her senior year.) She won 10 state championships and five ECAC titles, helping the Ithaca Bombers win five state crowns and four ECAC championships. Cheryl is a 12-time National Qualifier in Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field in 55m hurdles, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 4x100m relay, and the 4x400m relay. She ran on Ithaca’s first All-American relay team in both indoor and outdoor competitions and helped a total of six relay units to All-American finishes. Her top All-American finishes were in her 1991 outdoor season where she placed 4th in the 100m hurdles and anchored the 4x400m relay to a second-place finish. Nethaway held seven school records in hurdle and relay events upon graduation and presently still holds the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay school records. She was inducted into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004,
Some of her awards in college also included the Edward Rollinson Memorial Award for Scholar Athletes in 1989, the Outstanding Lady Track Award from Ithaca College from 1990-1991, and the New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete from 1991-1992 in Track and Field.
In the Empire State Games, Cheryl placed 3rd in the 100m Hurdles in 1989, which was hosted at Ithaca College, and 3rd in the 400m hurdles in 1990, hosted at Syracuse University.
Cheryl now resides in Walpole, Massachusetts with her husband Lance Campbell. They have three children, Lance Xavier, Savannah, and Myles. Cheryl works as a Physical Therapist and continues to run on the roads and in the woods for exercise and enjoyment.
Otis Ubriaco
Class of 2011, Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track
Otis was featured on the cover of ESPN RISE Magazine and was ranked as the top male runner in New York State. He was awarded the Steve Prefontaine Memorial Plaque at the McQuaid Invitational for the fastest male time of the meet, and has the second fastest time ever on the BH-BL XC rankings at Saratoga State Park, and sixth-best all time on the course in 14:55. He won the Harmon Rivenburg Award, given to the outstanding male athlete at BH-BL. Otis anchored the NSIC National Champion Distance Medley relay team, and is a four-time All-American. Over his high school career, he earned 14 varsity letters, and over 30 sectional patches.
During his senior year, Otis led the team to a first place at the Class A Sectional Championship meet and third place at the NYS Class A XC Championships. After battling an illness during the week leading up to the race, he finished third in the Class A title race after winning the state title in 2009. Otis finished 19 seconds behind winner Robert Hurlburt of McQuaid, who Otis beat by 21 seconds at the McQuaid Invitational in October and by seven seconds for the 2009 state title at SUNY Plattsburgh. Otis placed first in the Section 2 Class A Championship race and the Suburban Council Meet. He placed first at the NYS meet in the 3,200 meter race, and is the former Section 2 and school record holder in this event.
As a junior, Otis won the 2009 Class A NYS meet, and was second at the Federation meet. He went on to win the NY Regional meet, and placed 50th at Nationals. Otis was the first male athlete from BH-BL to qualify for the Nike Cross Country National meet as an individual. He led the BH-BL XC team to win their second-consecutive team title. He won the NYS outdoor championship meet in the 3,200 meter race (9:04.75) after placing second at the NYS indoor championship meet. Otis was on the school record DMR and 4×8 both indoors and outdoors, including the third fastest outdoor DMR in NYS history. The team beat the New York State record, but two other teams from New York came across the line before BH-BL.
Sophomore year he took second place at the NYS Class A meet, followed by a third-place showing at the NYS Federation championship. He capped his sophomore XC season with a 12th-place finish at the Nike Cross Country Nationals New York Regional. At the NYS outdoor championship meet, Otis placed sixth, two seconds off the NYS Sophomore Record in the 3,200. As an eighth grader he ran a 4:30 for the mile and set an eighth grade NYS record. He is top on the list for freshman on the all-time BH-BL list.
Otis attended Iona College. He placed first in the 10,000 in 2016 at the MAAC Outdoor Championships, and was a top three finisher at the MAAC Conference Championships eight times. Highlights from his college career include: three year captain where he finished top 10 in the country all three years, he ran the 3000 his junior year in 7:59 which was a top ten Iona performance all-time (American Record) and was good for 26th fastest time in the USA that year (professionals included). Otis was a top three Iona American 5ker with a 14:17, ran 4:07 for the mile, and placed at IC4A’s three times in track and field. Otis was also the Gael of the Year from 2013-15, and was top 150 in the NCAA in the mile/3000 and 5000 six times.
Post collegiately, Otis is no longer running as intensely as he used to, but is an active member of a local track club, FMTC. He has competed as an “elite” designated runner multiple times in various races in the mid-atlantic/northeast region, and is the only two time winner of the historic Red Rose 5 mile run.
Otis has lived in Lancaster, PA since college, working as a data scientist for a mid-size bank. He is also active in his community, serving as a board member for a local organization where he primarily works on housing justice. This work has led to a partnership with Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, passing statewide legislation, and serving on a panel around housing legislation in the U.S. Capitol.
Dylan Wydronkowski
Class of 2012, Football, Baseball
Dylan played linebacker for the Spartans, and in his career he totaled 465 tackles, 13 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, two interceptions and two touchdowns. Dylan was named a Class A first team All-NYS at linebacker his junior and senior years and was the Section 2 Defensive Player of the Year in Class A during his junior and senior years. He helped his team to the 2009 and 2011 state finals. Dylan also played baseball for BH-BL.
He attended Stetson University and received his degree in Business Administration. As a junior, he saw action and started in all 11 games, amassing 74 tackles on the season. He had a season-high 12 tackles against Drake, nine tackles against Dayton, and was credited with eight tackles three times, against Campbell, at Jacksonville and at Valparaiso. Dylan was named a Pioneer Football League Honorable Mention. During his sophomore year, he saw action in all 12 games, one as a starter, at linebacker, and was credited with 20 tackles on the year. He had a season-high six tackles in the game against Mercer. As a freshman, he saw action in 10 games as a backup linebacker and was credited with 14 total tackles on the year. Dylan was named to the PFL Academic Honor Roll.
Dylan currently lives in Deland, FL with his wife Kaitlyn who also graduated from Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake along with their chocolate lab, Juke. Dylan currently works for his family business as a Project Manager.
Administration
Dr. Patrick McGrath Jr.
Administration
Patrick McGrath is the Superintendent at BH-BL, joining the district in 2012 to become the district’s sixth superintendent. Prior to becoming a Spartan, Patrick was a middle school science teacher at Niskayuna CSD for 10 years. In 2001 he moved to Mohonasen CSD where he spent 11 years as a middle school principal, high school principal and then as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. He attended the University at Albany and received a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a master’s degree in science education. Later in his career, Patrick earned a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the same university, investigating technology leadership models in K-12 schools.
During his time at BH-BL, Patrick has spearheaded two major capital projects that brought the district’s athletic facilities into the 21st century and included the construction of Centennial Field, a multipurpose artificial playing surface and eight-lane track, the expansion and renovation of the fitness center and the construction of a wrestling gym.
Patrick can often be found at nearly every evening and weekend event, including many regular season games as well as sectional and state athletic competitions in various parts of the state, supporting all BH-BL teams from football and cross-country to field hockey and volleyball. During his time as superintendent, BH-BL has won 101 Sectional Titles, 13 State titles, two statewide Kerr Cup Championships, and five School of Distinction Awards.
Over the years, Patrick has ensured that athletics were fairly and broadly supported in the district budget. Along with promoting additional levels to existing sports, such as golf and track and field, he has wholeheartedly supported the expansion of the district’s interscholastic program with the addition of a girls wrestling, unified basketball, and unified bowling teams. He has also supported the merger of the boys swim team with Scotia-Glenville and the hockey team with Ballston Spa to offer more robust and competitive programs for students. Additionally, all varsity teams during his superintendency have been recognized as Scholar Athlete teams.
Under Patrick’s leadership, the district has instituted longevity pay for veteran coaches, designed to compensate our most experienced and talented coaches appropriately. Patrick is proud of the formation of the BH-BL Coaches Council–a group of veteran coaches who meet regularly with the athletic director to advise, problem-solve, and oversee a mentoring program for new coaches. Patrick is also honored to have been part of the inception of the BH-BL Athletic Hall of Fame, and exceptionally pleased with the work he’s done with fellow Hall of Famer Ginny Mottolo on the inclusion of the Legacy Members category in the Hall of Fame.
During the COVID period, Patrick was steadfast in his support of the reinstatement of all allowed sports. He championed the naming of the high school pool in honor of former and beloved teacher and swim coach Matt Turner who passed away suddenly in 2021.
Patrick lives in Charlton with his wife Denise and son Caleb (2026 BH-BL graduate). They are also parents to Benjamin, Josh, and Sara, and grandparents to Lucas and Natalie (Sara & Pat Jacobs). He and Denise were avid sideline supporters of Sara (varsity basketball at Mohonasen, 2010-2012) and Josh (varsity soccer at Mohonasen, 2009-2011), and currently cheer for Caleb and fellow runners at outdoor track meets.
Coach
Matt Turner
Boys and Girls Swimming
Matt was the beloved boys and girls swimming coach and teacher at the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, beginning in 2000, before passing away in 2021. Matt majored in history and philosophy as an undergraduate student at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. He went on to complete a Master of Arts in teaching degree in 1998 from Union College in Schenectady. For all of his accomplishments, the aquatic facility at BH-BL is named after Matt.
He coached the girls team at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School for 21 years, from 2000 to 2020. His overall coaching record for the girls was 132-62-3. The girls team won Section 2 titles six times, were second at Sectionals one time, and third place two times. He had 137 Section 2 finalists, and 55 individuals and relay teams won Section 2 titles.
At the New York State Swimming championship, Matt had 78 qualifiers for the meet, and 28 swimmers placed in the top 10 at the meet. Two of those competing were New York State champions, Olivia Jack won the 100 breaststroke in 2017, and the 200 medley relay ranked first place in NYS in 2020.
Matt had eleven All-American Award winners, with five for Dani Stein (200 IM, 500 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and six for Olivia Jack (five for the 100 breaststroke and one in the 100 freestyle). Three of his swimmers, Sara Swett, Dani Stein and Olivia Jack, won the Section 2 Outstanding Competitor Award, with Stein earring three Section 2 records. His teams were ranked eight years in the top ten in New York State, including five years at third place. Many teams he coached were NYS Team Scholars, NISCA Team Scholars, and many individuals won Academic All-American awards. One team won the Suburban Council Sportsmanship Award.
Matt coached the boys team at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School for 16 years, from 2006 to 2021. His overall coaching record for the boys was 68-95. The boys team won Section 2 titles two times, were second at Sectionals one time, and third place four times. He had 74 Section 2 finalists, and 26 individuals and relay teams won Section 2 titles.
Matt had 29 qualifiers for the New York State Meet, with nine earning top ten performances. Two swimmers earned All-American Awards, Liam Picozzi in the 100 backstroke, and the 200 medley relay from 2018. The medley relay teams in 2017 and 2018 had Section 2 records, and Liam Picozzi won the Section 2 Outstanding Competitor Award.
His teams were ranked five years in the top ten in New York State, including one year at 4th place. Many teams he coached were NYS Team Scholars, NISCA Team Scholars, and many individuals won Academic All-American awards. One team won the Suburban Council Sportsmanship Award. He continued to communicate with his students after graduation. One avenue of keeping in touch with his swimmers was through the Alumni Swim Meet that he organized around the holidays.
Community
The Walsh Family
Community Members
The Walsh family (Steve, Cindy, Michael, [Shawn] and Christa) have flourished in the Burnt Hills area for their entire life. Steve’s family moved into the area in the early 1960’s while Cindy’s (Collins) roots stretch back over one hundred years. Cindy’s grandparents owned apple orchards that are now Indian Meadow Park and the Glenville YMCA off Droms Road. Cindy’s father was born in the farmhouse that is still there today, by the pond, between the park entrance and the “Y”. Cindy’s parents are graduates of BH-BL (class of ’56). They were the first class to graduate after attending the newly built high school.
Cindy and Steve are also graduates of the BH-BL Class of 1979. Soon after graduation, they married and located in Ballston Lake to begin a family. First born, Michael in 1985, second, Shawn in 1988 and Christa in 1991. The children also attended BH-BL schools.
After moving to their current location in Burnt Hills, Michael graduated in 2003 and Christa was honored as Valedictorian during graduation in 2009. Shawn’s tragic death in 2005 (set to graduate in 2006) deeply impacted the family. Shawn was a basketball player and consummate teammate. He played from a young age until making the varsity team his junior year. He helped the team win the Sectionals that year and they advanced to the State tournament. After Shawn’s death, the BH-BL community rallied around the Walsh family with love and support that continues to this day. The Walsh family, with the support of the Athletic Department, initiated an annual basketball tournament along with a scholarship to honor Shawn’s memory. It has been supported by the school administration, athletic department, BH-BL basketball boosters and the community at large. Ever since Shawn’s passing, the Walsh family has awarded a scholarship to a BH-BL senior varsity player in memory of Shawn.
Teams
Boys Baseball
2011
The 2011 varsity baseball team had a seasonal record of 17 wins and 10 losses, which led to a New York State Class A championship. The team also finished the season as the number one ranked A team in the state as well. Offensively, the Spartans had an overall team batting average of .324, as several members achieved well above that mark.
Leading the team offensively were seniors Bret Dennis and Keaton Flint. Bret had a team leading batting average of .462, with 27 runs batted in and 21 stolen bases. Keaton was second in batting averages with a mark of .422, with four home runs, 34 runs batted in and 20 stolen bases. Both players were selected as first team Suburban Council all stars and first team All New York State.
Pitchers Corey Parks and Devin Stark led the team with six and five wins, respectively. Corey also led all pitchers, striking out 66 opposing batters throughout the season, and led in team earned run average, with a mark of 2.88.
Nine team members from this state championship team went on to play college baseball at various levels after graduation: Keaton Flint and Jayson Sullivan at Sacred Heart, Bret Dennis and Rob Knightes at St. Johns, Tyler Ramotar and Rory Little at RIT, Devin Stark at SUNY Plattsburgh, Corey Parks at Franklin Pierce, and Mike Brienza at both HVCC and Barton.
The team captains for the 2011 squad were Corey Parks, Bret Dennis and Keaton Flint. The team was coached by Paul DeLuca and assisted by Rob Duell and Bill Welch. The team consisted of Jake Baxter, Mike Brienza, Dan Buff, Bret Dennis, Mark Fialkowski, Keaton Flint, Jeff Heck, Rory Little, Rob Knightes, Mike Mastroianni, Schuyler Meyers, Corey Parks, Jon Peck, Kyle Pinkerton, Matt Ramotar, Tyler Ramotar, Carter Rana, Dave Russell, Devin Stark, Jayson Sullivan, and Andrew Walrath.