Leading off today: Brandon Brown, a
first-team all-state wide receiver in Class C last fall,
has left Buffalo Bennett to enroll in a Canadian Prep school and enhance his college recruitment possibilities.
The Buffalo News reported Brown left last month for Canada Prep in Welland, Ont., a relatively new school that plays a strong schedule of U.S. schools. Had he not made the move, Brown would have been ineligible in New York next fall because he turns 19 this week.
Though listed as a senior last season, Brown has another year to go before he graduates. However, the interest he's currently attracting from Mid-American Conference schools would likely dissipate if he had to sit out a season before enrolling in college.
"I'm just going to try to be as successful as I can," said Brown, who caught 30 passes for 596 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. "This is big for me."
Lending his expertise: Harry Lomasney is back in the high school baseball business two decades after retiring.
Lomasney, who coached Greenwich to NYSPHSAA championships in 1992 and 1993 with a 52-1 record, has signed on as Saratoga Central Catholic's pitching coach under Phonsey Lambert, The Gazette reported. Lomasney led Greenwich to three Section 2 championships and a 328-111 record from 1972 through 1995, when he retired as a history teacher at the school.
"Phonsey has always been a friend of mine. We have a good relationship. When he started there, we talked about how to run a program," Lomasney said. "A couple of years ago, he asked me about doing it, and I was quite busy at the time."
Lambert's teams have gone 487-1777 since 1988 with five Section 2 championships.
"I like their program," Lomasney said. "I've watched them quite often. They practice well. They play the game the right way. I'm happy to help out and be a part of it."
Saratoga Catholic's staff also includes assistants Andy O'Reilly and Dale Long Jr., whose father homered in eight straight major-league games in 1956.
"They've got some good guys on their coaching staff. It's going to be fun," Lomasney said. "That's the way it's supposed to be."
People will be watching: Syracuse Henninger pitcher Jeff Belge, who's going to be one of the nation's most watched and analyzed pitchers in the country this spring, makes his 2016 debut Wednesday vs. Liverpool.
It will mark Belge's first start since the 6-foot-4 left-hander re-injured his right eye horsing around with a teammate last summer in Atlanta. Belge ruptured the globe of his eye, requiring emergency surgery. It was the same eye and injury Belge sustained when he was 9.
Belge, who has signed a National Letter of Intent with St. John's, is ranked the state's No. 3 prospect by Prep Baseball Report.
Belge said he's lost 35 pounds since last spring and is throwing from 90-93 mph on his fastball.
"I feel better than I ever have," Belge told Syracuse.com. "Going through what I did in the summer and having a pretty bad year last year baseball-wise, it kind of put me in my place. I realized I have to put in some work and stay on top of myself. Going through the injury topped it all off. It put
