Leading off today: Maine-Endwell's
Matt Gallagher has been appointed head coach of Team Stripes against Team Stars in USA Football's International Bowl VIII next week at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The under-15 contest is one of eight scheduled over two days bringing together players from the United States, Canada and Japan.
Gallagher will be bringing along a staff including M-E assistants John Frieser and Duane Titus, Windsor assistant Ben Amorese (formerly on Gallagher's Spartans staff), and head coaches David Hogan of Chenango Forks, Jason Miller of Waverly and Steve Virkler of Owego.
Gallagher is a USA Football master trainer who has been involved in the organization's Heads Up Football program endorsed by the NYSPHSAA. He told the Press & Sun-Bulletin he was offered the International Bowl position last year but a conflict prevented him from accepting.
"It's awesome based on the fact five different schools are involved, four head coaches coming together," Gallagher said. "That's the cool part, that we're coming together as a section."
The coaches are scheduled to arrive in Texas today to conduct seven practices ahead of Tuesday's game.
Basketball milestone: Sherman girls basketball coach Mel Swanson, who'll retire at the end of the season, recorded his 600th victory with the Wildcats' 43-34 win over Maple Grove on Tuesday.
Swanson's teams have won nine Section 6 Class D championships.
Abby Cole had 13 points and Hannah Murdock 10 in Swanson's milestone win.
• Also in Section 6, East Aurora's Gary Schutrum picked up career win No. 300 last week with a girls basketball triumph vs. Pioneer.
Wrestling milestone: Monroe-Woodbury senior 152-pounder Evan Barczak secured career victory No. 200 with a first-period pin Wednesday during the Crusaders' meet vs. Valley Central.
Barczak is closing in on Jamie Franco's school records of 208 victories.
More wrestling: There are New Yorkers seeded No. 1 in 14 of 15 weight classes this weekend in the 15th annual Eastern States Classic at Sullivan Community College. The event has drawn a record 157 teams from five states.
Prelims begin Friday at 10:30 a.m. with 19 past state champions and 22 runner-ups scheduled to wrestle.
Buzzer-beater: Dylan Zambito made three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and Clay Cutting hit a game-winning shot with seven-tenths of a second to go as York edged Caledonia-Mumford 55-53 in boys basketball.
York is ranked ninth in Class D by the New York State Sportswriters Association.
Cutting finished with 25 points.
Acknowledgements: We rolled out the final portion of our all-state football team yesterday. Though the bulk of the work falls to Steve Grandin, who sorts through the nominations and finalizes the team on behalf of myself and NYSSWA editor Neil Kerr, there are numerous media folks who lend a huge hand in the process.
