Wednesday, July 23, 2014: The New York high school year in review

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   "I don't think it's everybody," Downes said. "Certainly, that's how people are looking at it now, but I still thought it was enough. I just felt like it would be hard to go back and feel like I was 100 percent supported."

   Section 1 certainly had its share of trouble when it came to behavior. Aside from the above, the section handed down a 16-game suspension to a soccer player accused of shoving an official who called a penalty kick in overtime, and a New Rochelle soccer player was charged with third-degree assault for a blow that sent a White Plains counterpart into surgery with a broken jaw.

Encouraging note

   Rather than bury their collective head in the sand in pursuit of an award, Pittsford administrators did the right thing and withdrew from the finals of the 2014 Battle of the Fans Competition, a huge first-year promotion conducted by the state's largest high school sports governing body.

   "Regretfully, one of our student sections made a bad choice in the selection of a cheer this past Friday," district officials said in a letter to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. "While we have addressed the issue as a school district, we still feel it is in the best interest of everyone for us to pull out of the contest. We look forward to possibly entering in the future."

   The events during a Jan. 24 boys basketball game between Pittsford Sutherland and Brighton made the district's continued participation in the contest untenable as Rochester TV stations showed a video on which students could be heard aiming a slur at a Brighton player.

Athletic milestones

   Wrestlers at tournament-focused schools get more opportunities on the mat than we used to see 25 years ago when a 40-match season was considered a full schedule for individuals. That doesn't change the fact the Paddock brothers have rolled up an almost unfathomable number of wins over the years.

   When Aaron Paddock won his 100th career match for Warsaw in December, it marked victory No. 1,000 for the quintet that also includes Burke, Ian, Paul and Joe.

   Burke went on to complete his senior season with 304 career wins, a state record, en route to a state tourney title -- the family's seventh. Aaron has two seasons remaining, meaning he could push the brothers' win total north of 1,150.

   And then there's the Schoff family. Though thousand-point basketball scorers are much more common than thousand-win wrestling families, the Schoffs have taken it to the extreme. When senior Gen Schoff of Little Falls went over 1,000 points in January, she became the seventh in the family to do so.

   Older sister Ann Schoff scored a Little Falls-record 1,427 points though 2006. Their father Ted Schoff, a multi-sport star at nearby St. Johnsville, scored a school-record 1,856 career points for the Saints. Cousin Phil Schoff Jr. scored a school-record 1,778 points for the Little Falls boys. Two other cousins played for St. Johnsville, where Caryn Schoff posted a state-record 3,548 points from 1989-95 and Wendi Schoff totaled 2,285 from 1988-92. And one of Gen's uncles, former Herkimer boys coach Richie Schoff, scored 1,046 career points for St. Johnsville.

   Speaking of seven, that's how many New York girls eclipsed 2,000 career points during the course of the 2013-14 season -- quite a feat in the era of the 18-game regular season.

   In softball, Section 5 slugger Aidan Falk of Mercy became the state's career home run leader. The Michigan-bound senior hit 19 HRs this spring and finished her career with 46 round-trippers, two more than 1992 Brockport grad Katie Robertson, who hit 28 homers as a junior.

   The National Federation lists Shelby Holley of Pisgah, Ala., as the U.S. record holder with 72 career home runs.

Coaching milestones

   As usual, there were several instances of coaches reaching really big round numbers for career wins over the course of the year.

   In girls basketball, Jane Morris of Cardinal Spellman notched her 700th, Irvington's Gina Maher won her 600th and Ursuline's Beth Wooters won her 500th.

   In baseball, Eastchester's Dom Cecere climbed past the 700 mark in his 50th season. Fort Plain's Craig Phillips, coaching in his 39th season, also reached the 700 mark. Brother Robert Kent of St. Francis Prep won his 600th game. Mike Chiapparelli of Mamaroneck earned No. 500, and Ken Sicoli of East Meadow reached the same level in dramatic fashion -- a 13-inning pitchers duel vs. MacArthur.

   In boys basketball, Bronx JFK coach Johnny Mathis recorded win No. 600.

   With football teams playing approximately half the schedule of teams in most of the mother major sports, win No. 250 by Garden City's Tom Flatley qualifies as a comparable milestone.

   And then there's Andy Pino of Canastota. If you add up him wins from 30 years of boys and girls track plus 27 in girls cross country, then he went over 1,000 triumphs this spring.

Three-peats and more

   Sharon Sarsen picked up her eighth NYSPHSAA championship and Stephen Pierce his 11th when Lakeland field hockey and Eden girls volleyball, respectively, ran their title streaks to five. They have a ways to go to catch the coach of the other team that made it five straight NYSPHSAA titles; Bernie Gardner of Honeoye Falls-Lima has hoisted a state trophy a staggering 18 times -- seven in girls cross country, four in boys cross country, six in girls nordic skiing and one in boys nordic skiing.

   Here's the list of active NYSPHSAA team streaks:

    • 8 -- Fayetteville-Manlius girls cross country.
    • 6 -- Bronxville girls cross country.
    • 5 -- Eden girls volleyball, Honeoye Falls-Lima girls nordic skiing and Lakeland field hockey.
    • 3 -- Jericho boys soccer, Maine-Endwell football and Pittsford Mendon boys nordic skiing.

    The longest reign to come to an end belonged to Irvington, which saw its string of four Class B victories snapped. Maple Grove girls cross country and McQuaid boys volleyball were dethroned after three trophies apiece.

    One very notable streak that came to an end was the string of Nike Cross Nationals championships by the Fayetteville-Manlius girls. The Hornets had won the de facto national championship in Portland, Ore., an amazing seven times in a row before falling to Wayzata (Minn.) by a 108-120 margin. With Saratoga and Hilton having won the event in its two years, the 10th NXN was the first not won by a New York team.

   In NYSPHSAA action, Section 5 proved to be the home of champions with 12 outright team titles and two co-championships, holding off Section 2 (11), Section 3 (10) and Section 8 (9). Nassau County made a mockery of the boys soccer tournament as Class AA Massapequa, Class B Carle Place and Class C Friends Academy won outright and Jericho shared Class B honors with Pittsford Mendon.

   Massapequa's girls also took home a soccer championship, making the Chiefs the first to sweep the large-school crowns in the sport since Shenendehowa captured co-championships in both in 1992.

New kid on the block

   Competitive cheerleading gained official recognition as a sport by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association following two rounds of approval from the Board of Regents.

   More than 30 states recognize competitive cheerleading to some extent. Many New York school districts already include cheerleading in their athletic budgets.

   The NYSPHSAA has conducted a pair of regional cheerleading championships in each of the past two winter seasons. An overall state championship event would be a likely future step, as would rules governing the length of the competitive season, the number of events permitted and the minimum rest period between competitions.

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