Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014: Pittsford Mendon knocks off No. 1 HF-Lima

   Leading off today: Last year's champion was too much for this season's contender on Monday in Section 5 boys soccer action.

   Ryan Aspenleiter and Colin Case scored for Pittsford Mendon in a 2-0 victory over Honeoye Falls-Lima (6-1), ranked No. 1 in the state in Class A. Mendon (7-2-1), unranked this fall, is the defending NYSPHSAA Class A c-champion with Jericho.

   Stewart Frank recorded seven saves for the shutout.

   In another good Rochester-area matchup, Tyler Randall scored with 25 seconds remaining to give Churchville-Chili a 2-1 victory over previously unbeaten Brockport. Frankie Ciliberto's corner kick that was headed by Cameron Shipley, and Randall delivered a volley into the back of the net.    Brockport (7-1) is ranked ninth and Churchville-Chili (6-2) 19th in the state this week.

   Milestone: Sophomore Madisyn Pezzino's second goal of the game and the 100th of her career helped Grand Island to a 2-1 girls soccer win over Niagara-Wheatfield.

   More girls soccer: Poland marked its debut at the No. 1 spot in the state rankings with a 7-2 win vs. Remsen. Junior Mikayla Blumenstock scored four goals, including three in the second half, to raise her 2014 total to 19 tallies.

   Blumenstock and her sister Keara scored less than two minutes apart early in the first half.

   "That took our lights out,” Remsen coach Jim Wilder told the Observer-Dispatch. "They control the ball very well. They didn't waste an opportunity, and they finish."

   Poland is No. 1 and Remsen No. 4 in the first Class D rankings of the season. The full rankings from new soccer editor Rob Jonas can be found here.

   Ex-coach cleared: Former Ramapo football coach Duffman Pannell was acquitted in a non-jury trial Monday of charges he assaulted a player by hitting the teenager with a helmet during a practice last Oct. 21.

   Lawyer David Goldstein told The Journal News that Pannell is seeking reinstatement as a social studies and economics teacher. Goldstein said Pannell likely won't become head coach again because the position has been given to former defensive coordinator Kevin Bullock.

   Rockland County Judge William Nelson acquitted Pannell of one felony count of second-degree assault and a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child. Pannell was accused of hitting player Brandon Girault, then 15, across the head with a football helmet, opening a cut above his left eye and causing a concussion.

   Girault's family has a pending civil lawsuit against Pannell and the district, and Goldstein said the criminal case was damaged by testimony from the youth that differed from his deposition in the civil suit.

   "We never thought of taking any type of plea bargain," Goldstein said. "We knew we were going to court to get an acquittal."

   Following up: Opening-day QB Kyle Balmer (hand injury) is out for at least one more week, and Maine-Endwell football coach Matt Gallagher told the Press & Sun-Bulletin backup Kevin Barrett (rib) is a wait-and-see proposition after leaving the Week 3 win over Norwich at halftime.

   M-E, the winner of 41 straight football games and three NYSPHSAA championships, could start this week's game vs. Owego with Drew Gallagher behind center and older brother Adam next in line as the backup. Drew Gallagher

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played the second half last week.

   Kid's got a future: If every player I spoke to in post-game interviews had the same gift of gab that Apollos Hester of Georgetown (Texas) East View High has, I swear I would have never left covering high school sports for the Democrat and Chronicle in the late 1980s:

   As my FOXSports.com colleague Teddy Mitrosilis wrote, "If he doesn't become a football player, I'm comfortable saying president of the United States is a reasonable fallback option."

   By the way, the video racked up more than 3 million YouTube views in the first 72 hours.

   Casarella honored: North Rockland honored former coach Joe Casarella, who won 255 games, on Saturday by naming the field at Cordisco Stadium in his honor during halftime of the 49-6 victory over Ossining.

   The ceremony included Ralph Cordisco, the stadium namesake. Cordisco, 95, was the football coach and longtime athletic director who hired Casarella.

   Extra points: The Section 5 vote on allowing the 19th basketball game had some twists and turns last week. Though the Executive Committee recommended against adoption, the full Athletic Council then turned around and approved the game -- but by a surprisingly narrow 21-17 margin.

   Interestingly, Monroe County schools might have to settle for 18 games. It sounds as though there's sentiment among the superintendents to say no to the extra game.