Leading off today: The Pearl River girls cross country team, which had an amazing run of success snapped a year ago, started its next Section 1 championship streak Friday by the narrowest of margins.
The Pirates and John Jay Cross River finished with 41 points apiece in Class B at Bowdoin Park, but Pearl River prevailed based on Erin Clinton's 16th-place finish as her team's No. 6 runner, about 300 yards and 13 spots ahead of her John Jay counterpart.
The Pirates had seen their 33-year sectional winning streak end last year. “We have a streak of one now,” coach Dan Doherty tole The Journal News.
In the boys Class C race, Pleasantville edged Bronxville 77-79 to take its first sectional championship since 1967.
More cross country: Cornwall's girls won their 13th straight championship in Section 9 as junior Beatrice Boylan was successful in defense of her individual title.
Boylan covered the 3-mile Bear Mountain State Park course in 18 minutes, 35.96 seconds, winning by almost eight seconds to move a step closer to three-peats by recent Cornwall greats Aisling Cuffe (2008-10) and Lynne Mundy (2003-05).
The Cornwall girls cruised in Class B by a 30-97 margin over Port Jervis.
Boys soccer: Smithtown West, ranked fourth in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association, advanced to the Section 11 semifinals by the narrowest of margins: penalty kicks.
After playing Walt Whitman to a scoreless tie through regulation and overtime, Smithtown West got one save from Adam Altinerliemas in the shootout and Chris Hettler converted the clinching attempt for a 5-3 margin and a spot opposite Brentwood in the semis on Monday.
Premature ending: Hampton Bays has forfeited its season-ending football game to Greenport due to "dangerous and unbecoming" conduct by athletes, school officials told Patch.com.
The game was supposed to be senior day for Greenport, which has qualified for sectionals.
"The Hampton Bays School District made the decision to cancel Saturday's varsity football game against
