Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015: Tom Brady's team kicked out of playoffs!

   Did that get your attention, New England Patriots fans?

   Sorry, we were just kidding ... sort of. You see, it really did happen late last week.

   The Central Coast Section of the California Interscholastic Federation placed the San Mateo (Calif.) Serra football team on two years probation and banned it from postseason play during that time because the varsity team forfeited a consolation game at Milpitas on Dec. 5, MaxPreps reported.

   In addition, the rest of the school's teams are on probation until the end of the 2015-16 season and Serra must make restitution of more than $6,000 for game officials, potential concession revenue and gate receipts.

   Serra High is the alma mater of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, currently caught up in the "deflategate" controversy, as well as NFL Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann and MLB home run king Barry Bonds.

   "The very nature of interscholastic competition is founded on respect, commitment to team, school, league, community and also to each of your team's opponents," CCS Commissioner Nancy Lazenby Blaser wrote in a report.

   Serra coach Patrick Walsh, backed by his administration, said on the day of the forfeit it was a safety issue.

   Cardozo wins tourney: Defending PSAL champion Cardozo, ranked sixth in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association, closed on a 12-0 run and beat No. 5 Wings Academy 50-47 in the final of the SNY Invitational boys basketball tournament Saturday.

   After a Jesse Govan hook shot for Wings with 2:45 to go, three straight 3-pointers gave Cardozo (18-1) the lead with :34 to play.

   "I don't know how the hell we won that game," Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio told The Daily News.

   Cardozo junior Ray Salnave layup with 1:46 to go and 3-pointer just 23 seconds later cut the Wings' lead to four. Junior Aaron Walker (17 points) hit a 3-pointer to cut the margin to one, then Tareq Coburn drained a baseline 3-pointer to put Cardozo ahead. Salnave added a free throw to close out the win.

   Boys hockey: Fairport and Pittsford played to a 1-1 tie in a matchup of two of Section 5's top large schools. Fairport is ranked fourth and Pittsford seventh in the state in Division I.

   Mason Echman scored a power-play goal early in the second period to tie for Fairport. Jack Kaufman of Pittsford tallied with three minutes left in the first period.

   Blazing fast: Rai Benjamin, who entered the race with the top 300-meter time in the country this season, improved on that as he ran a personal- and meet-record :33.40 to win the New Balance 300 on Saturday at The Armory.

   The Mount Vernon senior, who'll run for UCLA next year, was only .13 off the state record.

   Reading material: With the stench of that 161-2 girls basketball drubbing in California still fresh in the air, Andrew Legare of The Star-Gazette in Elmira wrote a column about runaway scores, complete with the tale of a 33-1 loss suffered by his Little League team.

   "Balancing your own players' needs while avoiding hurting

the opposite side's feelings is not always easy," he points out.

   You can read the column here.

   Coaching change: The only varsity football coach Churchville-Chili has ever had has resigned. Paul Dick, who began to build the high school program 25 years ago and coached all 22 varsity seasons, departed last month. Three assistant coaches also stepped down.

   The Saints staff was the subject of criticism from outspoken parents last season, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.

   "We certainly didn't do anything wrong, nor were we forced out in any way," Dick said in a statement. "The administration has been sensitive concerning our resignation.

   "There are many different branches of leadership a football program comes under and alongside, we simply had philosophical differences concerning how the parent situation could be handled and what it takes to maintain a successful football program."

   Departing: Dan Pietrafesa will be starting his final week at the Poughkeepsie Journal staring into the teeth of what may be an epic blizzard Monday. Pietrafesa recently made the decision to leave the Gannett paper after nearly 30 years there, during which time he covered high school sports extensively and provided considerable help to the New York State Sportswriters Association.

   Extra points: Friday's NYSPHSAA Executive Committee agenda will include a vote on eliminating use of the international tie breaker in softball for state semifinals and finals in 2015-16. If passed, the measure will do away with placing a runner at second base to start the 10th and subsequent innings of tied games.