Sunday, May 18, 2014: Amsterdam junior earns top Eddy honor for 3rd time

   Leading off today: Amsterdam junior Izaiah Brown picked up his third straight Eddy Meet outstanding performer award by winning three individual events and a relay Saturday at Schenectady High.

   Brown triumphed in the 200 and 400 meters, long jump and 1,600 relay to help Amsterdam to the boys title. His :21.84 in the 200 set a meet record, and he anchored the relay to victory with a :46.40 leg that overcame a nearly 20-meter deficit.

   "I didn't want to let the team down. My adrenaline was pumping," Brown said. "It was a sprint the whole way. Not like a regular 400 with a gradual build."

   David Graveley, Andrew Druziak, Edgar Maldonado and Brown finished in 3:21.84. Albany was second in 3:23.72. Brown won his third straight individual 400.

   In the girls 1,600, Schalmont sophomore Julia Flower went out hard and wired the field in 4:32.09, crushing the meet mark of 4:35.46 by Columbia's Susanne Heyer in 1994.

   In the girls 400 hurdles, Saratoga junior Ellery Bianco dominated in 1:00.55, the top time in New York and No. 2 mark in the country this season.

   Girls basketball: Three seniors and a junior were named as players of the year as the New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports announced is Class B, C and D all-state basketball team Sunday.

   Utica Notre Dame's Emily Durr was selected the player of the year in Class B, Randolph's Mckenna Maycock and Harpursville's Miranda Drummond shared the honor in Class C and Jordan Beers of Franklin was named in Class D. Maycock is the only junior in the group.

   Beers made the all-state team for the fifth straight season.

   The full list of players of the year, coaches of the year and all-stars can be viewed here. The selections for classes AA and A will be announced later this week.

   The streak continues: Fayetteville-Manlius wrapped up its 25th straight undefeated season in boys tennis by winning four matches last week.

   By shutting out Liverpool, Baldwinsville and Auburn plus posting a 6-1 win over Liverpool, the Hornets ran their streak to 236 victories.

   Reporter honored: Veteran Western New York reporter Mike Wertman has been recognized by the New York State Athletic Administrations Association for his more than 35 years of service.

   NYSAAA Chapter 6 presented Wertman with its Community Service Award for his coverage of scholastic sports in Niagara and Orleans counties for 35 years at the Medina Journal Register and since August 2013 for the Orleans Hub.

   Learning to share: With their recent agreement to blend their football teams, Fort Edward and Argyle will share

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teams in four sports this fall -- football and golf will be hosted at Fort Edward and boys soccer and cross country will be anchored at Argyle.

   "Everybody's trying to survive," Cambridge AD Deb Lauver told The Post-Star recently. "I think you're going to see a lot of it, I really do, just to survive."

   Among the other Section 2 consolidations slated for the fall season are Lake George and Hadley-Luzerne in football, Bolton and Warrensburg in girls and boys soccer, and Salem varsity football players will be able to play at

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Cambridge. All were approved by the Section 2 merger committee this month.

   "I said this last fall: You're going to see a lot more of this, a lot more mergers, just to keep programs," Fort Edward football coach Kevin Stimpson said.

   Fall sports are vulnerable to shrinking enrollments because of the number of sports requiring larger rosters, like football and soccer. Fort Edward and Argyle will be able to maintain separate girls volleyball teams.

   "It expands the offerings for students; now they have five sports to choose from, which is great at a small school like this," Argyle Superintendent Jan Jehring said. "Hopefully, some students who may not currently participate may participate in a different sport."

   Falling enrollments and tight budgets are major factors in the trend toward sharing, which is evident throughout much of the state.

   "Schools are smaller than they were 10 or 15 years ago," Warrensburg AD Scott Smith said. "By merging, you give those opportunities to a kid who might not have had that opportunity."