Friday, March 6, 2015: Glens Falls Civic Center clears inspection hurdle

   Leading off today: A structural engineer's inspection of the Glens Falls Civic Center has found no evidence, the city announced Thursday.

   "The engineer is preparing a final report and we expect it to be released Friday," Mike Mender, assistant to the mayor, said in a news release according to The Post-Star.

   The arena was closed Wednesday after brick masonry on the back outside wall collapsed. Crews removed a majority of snow from the roof on Thursday, and will clear the remainder Friday and start temporary repairs on the building. An estimate of damage had not yet been determined Thursday.

   Mayor John "Jack" Diamond said the Civic Center, "barring anything we are not aware of at this time," is expected to reopen for an AHL game scheduled for Tuesday.

   The arena is scheduled to host the NYSPHSAA boys basketball semifinals and finals March 20-22, as well as the BCANY Hall of Fame inductions that weekend.

   Ugly ending: Watkins Glen police are investigating a melee that followed a high school boys basketball game against Moravia Wednesday night. Students from Watkins Glen stormed their court after their team's 51-46 win in a Section 4 Class C semifinal. Tempers and confrontations erupted in the post-game mob, The Citizen reported.

   Moravia players were reportedly shoved to the floor, and the team had to be escorted through a back door to the bus after the game, according to the newspaper.

   Village of Watkins Glen Police Chief Tom Struble said Thursday no arrests were made, adding tempers "might have flared up between parents and coaches, but nothing that reaches a criminal level."

   Moravia basketball coach Todd Mulvaney told the paper the situation may have escalated because "someone thought we pushed a little kid as they rushed the court. Especially after a game like that, you hate to see this."

   Repercussions against Lancaster? As Lancaster school officials weight whether their teams should retain the Redskins name, a nearby school's lacrosse team is considering boycotting an upcoming game between the teams.

   "Just as the conversation is happening in Lancaster right now, we're having the same conversation," Akron Superintendent Kevin Shanley told The Buffalo News. "The situation in Lancaster has raised an issue here."

   Akron's campus is in close proximity to the Tonawanda Creek Reservation, home to the Tonawanda Band of Senecas. About 11 percent of the district's students and the majority of the boys varsity lacrosse team identify as Native Americans, the paper reported.

   Akron team members met Thursday with Shanley and Stephen Dimitroff, the Akron AD and assistant high school principal, to discuss the possibility of boycotting a scheduled March 31 non-league game vs. Lancaster.

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   Shanley said the parents' concern was: "If we play the game, does that mean we condone the name?"

   Lancaster hosted a community forum this week over the Redskins name and mascot. Lancaster district officials have been trying to quietly phase out the use of the nickname, triggering resistance from a large portion of the community.

   "We've been trying to educate ourselves on both sides of the issue, and with that understanding, we respect and honor their decision, whatever that would be,” Lancaster School Superintendent Michael J. Vallely said of Akron. "I'm not surprised it rippled into Akron. A lot of Native Americans feel very passionate about this. These are things that Lancaster has to understand -- that these are examples of repercussions."

   Cazenovia coach retires: Tom Neidl has retired as football coach at Cazenovia after building a 178-54-1 record from 1990 through last fall. His teams won seven Section 3 championships, including three of the last five Class B crowns.

   "It seems like the right time" to step down," Neidl told Syracuse.com.

   Neidl said he isn't ready to get out of football completely but has not decided what his next challenge might be. He has not ruled out a less demanding spot on the Cazenovia staff.

   Cazenovia AD Mike Byrnes said the top position will be advertised, internally at first. He said he expected that the position would be filled by someone within the district.

   Rivalry restored: Caledonia-Mumford and LeRoy, who first met on the football field in 1900 and have played every year since 1965, will be able to continue their series after all.

   The Livingston County Athletic Association schedule released this week shows the teams meeting in Week 6 at Cal-Mum.

   Under the original divisional realignment, LeRoy had been assigned to an eight-team division for Class B and C teams in the 2015 league, and Cal-Mum was place in the eight team Class D division. With teams scheduled for full round-robins, there was no room during the season for a crossover.

   But in the just-released schedule, LeRoy's scheduled game with Wellsville and Cal-Mum's contest with Cuba-Rushford have been deleted and the rivals from approximately eight miles apart are matched up.

   The implications for deciding divisional champions were not immediately clear since not everyone will be playing full round-robins.