Leading off today: Shoreham-Wading River football players met Monday and decided they will continue their season despite the death of teammate Tom Cutinella on the field last week,
Newsday reported.
"This is a very delicate and sensitive time for all of us," coach Matt Millheiser told the newspaper. "The road ahead is going to be very difficult for everyone, and we'll need each other. It's so raw and emotional. It's not something any of us has ever dealt with -- no one has. We're very concerned about our players and what they're going to be feeling."
This week's game, originally scheduled to by played at Wyandanch, has been moved to S-WR's field Saturday at 2 p.m. with the cooperation of Wyandanch AD Tom Williams.
"It's a heartfelt decision that the whole coaching staff and our athletes believe was the right thing to do," Williams said. "We lost an important piece to the football family and it was a good opportunity for our community to see the empathy that our student-athletes have for others. It's the least we can do."
Anticipation builds in Sec. 4: Kevin Stevens set the stage with a breezy read in the Press & Sun-Bulletin as football fans brace for Friday's football game between defending NYSPHSAA champions Maine-Endwell and Chenango Forks, ranked No. 1 in New York in Class B and C, respectively.
The game is scheduled for Maine-Endwell, where AD Dave Cook said preparations are being made to allow as many spectators as possible onto the grounds. Though the bleacher capacity is 3,200, the crowd should easily be double that if the weather is OK. When M-E hosted Union-Endicott two years ago in a battle of 7-0 teams, approximately 7,000 fans jammed the stadium.
"Move it to the Carrier Dome," Cook joked regarding preparations for Friday. "But it's going to be a great atmosphere. You have two great football teams going at it."
Cook said he spent part of the past week quelling rumors of the game being moved to Vestal or Union-Endicott to make it more accessible.
"I talked to M-E coach (Matt) Gallagher; why would we give up the home-field advantage for a game like this?" Cook said.
Girls soccer: Shaelyn Guifoyle scored two goals -- the winner coming with 2:10 to play -- as host Pearl River handed Byram Hills, ranked ninth in Class A by the New