Leading off today: The man who shoved an autistic Syracuse Corcoran cross country runner in Rochester last month
pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of second-degree harassment, and a new charge of endangering the welfare of a child.
Martin MacDonald, 57, was ordered to return to court on Jan. 17 for sentencing. The prosecutor is seeking three years of probation and a five-year order of protection, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.
The child endangerment charge, a misdemeanor, to accompany the harassment charge, which is a violation, was a new development in the case stemming from additional information supplied by a witness.
MacDonald and Chase Coleman, 15, encountered each other in Cobb's Hill Park on Oct. 14 as Coleman was attempting to finish a race. Coleman was lagging far behind the rest of the field of runners. Police reports showed that MacDonald claimed he thought Coleman was on drugs and mocking him when he pushed him. The shove was witnessed by two passers-by, both of whom described MacDonald as shouting, "Get out of here," to Coleman.
Canisius wins: Canisius earned its fourth Monsignor Martin Athletic Association football title in five seasons by beating 2015 champ St. Francis 31-20.
Senior running back RaeQwon Greer rushed 15 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns and also made an interception that led to a field goal. St. Francis junior running back Dylan McDuffie had 33 carries for 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Canisius will play for the state CHSAA championship the first weekend of December vs. either Archbishop Stepinac or Cardinal Hayes at a downstate venue.
Long Island football: The first night of Long Island sectional finals brought us a pair of upsets.
In Section 11 Division 3, East Islip quarterback Kyle Fleitman rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another during a 42-35 win over Sayville, ranked No. 1 in the state in Class A by the New York State Sportswriters Association.
Fleitman rushed for 240 yards on 27 carries for East Islip, ranked 17th in Class AA. He added an interception on defense.
In Section 8 Conference 1, No. 12 Freeport got a 99-yard kickoff return for a TD from Jaelin Hood on the opening play to launch a 53-28 win over No. 3 Farmingdale.
But Hood was by no means done. He also returned a second-quarter kick 79 yards for another touchdown that increased the lead to 27-7.
Hood also had a short TD reception.
Departing: Football coaches taking to social media this week to announce their resignations included Sleepy Hollow's Steve Borys and Dryden's Ralph Boettger.
More football: Here's the week's schedule for ranked teams.
Following up: The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association reinstated Wayne Hills to the state football playoffs Tuesday after several hours of testimony, cross-examination and evidence on the residency issue surrounding the family of three players.
The Patriots will remain the No. 1 seeded team in the North 1, Group 4 playoffs after the athletes in question were determined to be "bona fide" students in the aftermath of a transfer from a private school last year.
• Defending Alabama Class 2A state football champion Elba won a playoff game Monday played only after the Alabama Supreme Court cleared the way for kickoff.
The Tigers defeated Samson 48-20 in a second-round game hours after the justices upheld a decision by the state association to remove Washington County from the tournament after ruling it used an ineligible running back in an earlier game.
