Friday, Sept. 5, 2014: Nottingham opens season with 40-35 win

   Leading off today: Isaiah Carter caught a 31-yard touchdown from Jevon Jones in the fourth quarter to give Syracuse Nottingham a 40-35 win over Rome Free Academy as Section 3 kicked off the 2014 high school football season Thursday.

   Carter and Jakeev Jackson scored two receiving touchdowns apiece, with both of Carter's scores coming in the fourth quarter. Jamar Love returned a kick 86 yards for a touchdown and had a 7-yard rushing touchdown.

   For RFA, Lindell Reed rushed for three touchdowns and Brad Dougherty ran for two.

   In other action, senior Robby Campany rushed for 199 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead Lowville to a 41-7 victory vs. Beaver River.

   New look: The New York State Sportswriters Association has updated the look of its front page for the RoadToSyracuse.com football website.

   Most notable among the changes is the wider format of the page. That allowed us to add some content, including compilations of tweets and newspaper headlines -- both tailored to the respective sections and organizations across New York.

   There are still some bugs to work out in the coming days and weeks, including separating Sections 7 and 10, placing a few schools in their proper sections and pulling in standings and stats data correctly from some schools that have undergone recent mergers.

   Stay informed: One of the more popular pages on our website is the aggregator page for tweets by reporters out covering football games and other events. You can follow the action in near-real time tonight (and every day of the year) by clicking here.

   Tuckahoe follow-up: Basketball coach Al Visconti is expected to be appointed athletic director at Tuckahoe at the Sept. 15 school board meeting, the Eastchester Review reported Friday.

   Citing family concerns, Rod Mergardt resigned as AD just a week after angry residents criticized him and other administrators for mishandling the preparation for the upcoming football season. The football team lacked basic equipment, such as mouth guards and footballs, until nearly two weeks into summer football practices, the paper reported.

   "It has become apparent that the demands of time and energy required by this position have exceeded my expectations and my availability," Mergardt wrote in his resignation letter. "This comes at a time when my family is

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experiencing some compelling challenges that I must address and commit significant time to."

   Mergardt held the job on a part-time basis for a salary of $67,500.

   Superintendent Dr. Barbara Nuzzi did not return calls or emails seeking comment from the paper.

   Assistant coach dies: Syracuse CBA football assistant Tony "Midnight" Silvaggio died Sunday at the age of 74, Syracuse.com reported. Silvaggio was the special teams coach and was involved in the program for 35 years.

   "Were going to miss him so much," head coach Joe Casamento said. "He always, wherever he was, he always made us happy. He made us laugh. The kids really loved him."

   On the web: While making the rounds of Section 3 football camps last month, Syracuse.com strapped a GoPro camera on the head of Skaneateles quarterback Devin Callahan during a two-minute drill.

   It's a fun few minutes of viewing.

   Extra points: Mark Adair's excellent PDF magazine, Section 6 Upstate Football Weekly, is back for another season. Here's the link to the first edition of 2014.