Monday, Nov. 25, 2013: Poughkeepsie board votes to leave Sec. 1

   We're outta here!

   The Poughkeepsie board of education voted 5-0 to authorize its athletic department to apply to join Section 9 and leave Section 1. The Section 9 Athletic Council will vote on whether to accept Poughkeepsie's application at its meeting Tuesday in Goshen, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported.

   Our Lady of Lourdes, currently in Section 1, already applied for inclusion into Section 9 for next year. Arlington's school board rejected a similar proposal earlier this month, and Pawling recently decided to not move forward with the process of applying to Section 9. Somers JFK exited Section 1 in the spring in favor of joining the CHSAA.

   Sunday football action: Malik Pierre caught a 45-yard touchdown pass, threw a 26-yard TD to quarterback Mike Licata and scored on a 39-yard run to give Sachem North a 28-7 win over William Floyd in the Suffolk I football championship.

   Pierre (14 carries for 86 yards) also made two interceptions as Sachem North won its first Section 11 championship since 1995 and first since the district split into two high schools in 2004.

   Next up for the Flaming Arrows will be Farmingdale in the Long Island Class I championship game Saturday at Stony Brook University.

   Steubenville scandal: Four school employees, including the superintendent and an assistant football coach, were indicted Monday by an Ohio grand jury investigating a possible coverup in the Steubenville rape case.

   "How do you hold kids accountable if you don't hold the adults accountable?" Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine asked.

   Steubenville and its high school football team became the focus of attention last year after the rape allegations surfaced. Charges were brought against two players, but activists questioned why more people weren't charged in light of photos and videos apparently implicating other students in the assault of the unconscious female.

   After Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'Lik Richmond, 16, were convicted of rape in March, a grand jury met 18 times and heard from 123 witnesses, ultimately issuing six indictments.

   Superintendent Michael McVey faces three felony counts: one charge of tampering with evidence and two counts of obstructing justice. He also is charged with making a false statement and obstructing official business, both misdemeanors, DeWine said, and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of all charges.

   Also indicted was elementary school principal Lynnett Gorman and wrestling coach Seth Fluharty, both charged with misdemeanor failure to report child abuse. Volunteer assistant football coach Matt Belardine was

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charged with four misdemeanors: allowing underage drinking, obstructing official business, making a false statement and contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child.

   What you have is people who were not worried about a victim. They were worried about other things," DeWine said. "People made bad choices and the grand jury said there are repercussions."

   Heading to the Ivy League: Syracuse CBA senior running back Deshawn Salter says he will play his college football at Yale, The Post-Standard reported.

   Salter scored 21 touchdowns and rushed for 1,292 yards this season.

   Unhappy residents: The possibility of merging Port Byron and Union Springs' varsity baseball teams has riled up some residents. Dozens of parents and students listened to administrators on Friday discussing why the schools

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were considering consolidating the two teams.

   Port Byron's board of education voted last week to approve the merger but Union Springs has not yet voted.

   Union Springs AD Todd Salls said the merger committee would submit a recommendation during its Jan. 8 meeting. The possibility of combining was raised because of concerns about both schools' shrinking populations.