Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014: Ex-St. Joe's star says he's heading to Ole Miss

   Leading off today: Former Buffalo St. Joe's quarterback Chad Kelly is heading to Ole Miss in 2015. The New York State Sportswriters Association's Class AA player of the year in 2011 made the announcement Wednesday on Twitter.

   Kelly was kicked off the Clemson roster in April for "conduct detrimental to the program." He enrolled at East Mississippi Community College in the fall and threw for 3,905 yards and 47 touchdowns in 12 games.

   At Mississippi, Kelly will likely be competing with redshirt freshmen Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade for the starting job next fall. The nephew of former Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

   Kelly said Indiana, LSU and Virginia Tech were among his other finalists.

   Midwest mayhem: A district judge in Oklahoma will rule Thursday whether the state's Class 3A football game should be resumed or even replayed in its entirely.

   Judge Bernard Jones heard arguments and testimony Wednesday Oklahoma City Douglass High's lawsuit against the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. Ed Sheakley, executive director of the OSSAA was on the witness stand more than an hour defending why the association does not want to overturn Locust Grove's 20-19 quarterfinal win over Douglass on Nov. 28.

   Douglass was deprived of the go-ahead touchdown with 1:04 to play when officials misapplied a penalty for a sideline infraction.

   If Douglass loses its appeal, Locust Grove is expected to play Hertiage Hall in the semifinals Friday. OSSAA attorney Mark Grossman said Locust Grove officials have informed him they are anticipating some action if the judge rules in favor of Douglass.

   There was a strikingly similar incident in a Kentucky playoff game the same night as the Douglass-Locust Grove game, the difference being that the dispute never made it to court and the ruling on the field stood. On Monday, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association sanctioned five officials in Louisville DeSales' 14-7 win over Murray (Ken.) High.

   Milestone alert: Frontier's Gary Domzalski collected his 400th career coaching win in boys basketball with a 76-52 victory over South Park. Domzalski is in his 29th season at Frontier after coaching for five years at Cardinal O'Hara.    Jay Bergman led Frontier with 21 points.

   Change coming to M-W: Bernie Connolly is stepping down after three seasons as the head coach at Monroe-Woodbury, where he's been on the football staff for nearly three decades.

   "The day-to-day responsibilities of running a year-round program has become increasingly more demanding and I no longer wish to have those demands on me," Connolly, 58, told The Times Herald-Record. "I still have a love for coaching, just not (as) the head coach. Being a head coach is for someone young."

   Connolly, who led M-W to three straight Section 9 finals and an appearance in the 2013 state Class AA final, said he could return to coaching as an assistant at some point.

   Exploring options: Odessa-Montour district residents expressed opposition at the prospect of merging their football team with Watkins Glen last summer. But with O-M having had to fold its team in midseason due to a low turnout, the merger option may be back on the table.

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   The Observer-Review reported the Watkins Glen school board recently passed a resolution to open discussions with Odessa-Montour regarding shared services, which includes sports programs.

   "We are certainly open to the idea but the decision really lies with the O-M board of education," Watkins Glen Superintendent Tom Phillips said.

   Hi-tech helmets: NorthJersey.com had a story recently about an interesting use of technology to monitor potential concussions in football at Don Bosco Prep.

   Athletic trainer Marcin Szorc carries a smart phone during games, monitoring transmissions for helmets worn by 12 players. The helmets contain sensors developed by helmet manufacturer Riddell that provide feedback about hits received, and Szorc's phone tells him the jersey number of a player involved in an especially hard hit.

   At that point, the trainer begins his concussion protocol.

   "I honestly think that this is going to become a standard for every high school, college and NFL team; it has to be," Szorc said. "I don't have the eyes to see the entire field. It just doesn't work that way. If I'm with a kid on the sidelines and I miss a hit, it doesn't matter, because I'm going to get buzzed."

   The technology isn't cheap; the sensors cost $150 per unit and fit inside a Riddell Speed helmet.

   Rankings progress: Our final football rankings of the season will be posted Thursday afternoon, reflecting Wednesday's PSAL championship game result.

   Neil Kerr's call at the beginning of the season stood up as well as any of his 45 years handling the rankings. Canisius (Class AA), Maine-Endwell (B), Chenango Forks (C) and Randolph (D) all wired the field, and the only thing keeping him from a 5-for-5 showing was Indian River's insane rally to beat Queensbury in the NYSPHSAA Class A championship game.