Tuesday, May 23, 2017: Wappingers wins on goal with :04 left

   Leading off today: Jack Ninos scored the winning goal with four seconds left as Wappingers edged Scarsdale 8-7 in a Section 1 boys Class A lacrosse semifinal Monday.

   Scarsdale had tied the score with just :14 to go to seemingly assure the game would head to overtime. But Wappingers took the ball after the ensuing faceoff and moved downfield. Leading scorer James Pratt crossed the ball to Ninos, who connected from in close.

   The goal advanced Wappingers to its first sectional championship game in the sport. The Warriors will take on top-seeded Lakeland/Panas for the title.

   "We have worked all year to get to where we are," Pratt told Hudson Valley Sports Report.

   The score was tied at 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 before Ninos' winning goal.

   Scoreboard: The NYSSWA's Steve Grandin has rounded up scores and pairings for the sectional and association boys lacrosse playoffs thus far.

   Another No. 1 falls: The top seeds in Section 5's three largest sectional baseball classes have all been bounced short of the semifinals.

   The latest to fall was 2016 NYSPHSAA tournament runner-up Webster Schroeder, which lost 3-2 to Victor in a quarterfinal.

   The eighth-seeded Blue Devils got a two-out double from Louie Schafer in the top of the seventh inning and pinch-runner Hunter Ruthven scored on a throwing error for the go-ahead run.

   Victor took a 2-1 lead in the sixth before Schroeder responded with a run. In the seventh, Schafer's second hit of the game put Victor in position to win, with Ruthven on to run. Chris Varone hit a sharp grounder to third, but the throw to first was off and Ruthven scored.

   Rochester East (Class A-1) and School of the Arts (A-2) had previously lost quarterfinals in the tournament.

   More baseball: Kevin Brennie allowed four hits over six shutout innings and struck out nine to help eighth-seeded Highland beat top seed Spackenkill 7-1 in the Section 9 Class B quarterfinals.

   Isiah Daubon went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs batted in to help advance Highland to a semifinal vs. Rondout Valley.

   Successful appeal: The Georgia High School Association has ruled in favor of Johns Creek High in its appeal to overturn a ruling on a controversial ending to a baseball playoff game.

   Johns Creek and Lee County were tied in the bottom of the seventh in game two of the series last week. Lee County walked a batter with the bases loaded, seemingly giving Johns Creek a 4-3 victory.

   However, Lee County coach Brandon Brock contended that the runner coming from second base did not touch third base. The second- and third-base umpires agreed, and the winning run was wiped off the scoreboard. The game

continued, and Lee County ended up winning the game 5-3 in extra innings to eliminate Johns Creek.

   The initial appeal was rejected on the basis of the umpires' ruling being a judgment call not subject to appeal, but the GHSA Board of Trustees ruled 5-2 in favor of Johns Creek.

   The decisive Game 3 will be played Wednesday.

   Concussion insurance: Every high school and junior high athlete in Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association member schools will be covered by concussion insurance beginning this fall.

   The WIAA purchased a policy covering its estimated 80,000 athletes to cover out-of-pocket costs should they suffer a concussion. Wisconsin is the fourth state to provide this coverage for all student-athletes.

   The insurance policy developed by Dissinger Reed Insurance costs $1.50 per athlete.

   For any claim, the participant's insurance would first be billed and then the WIAA plan would act as secondary insurance and assist with unpaid deductibles or co-pays. The maximum benefit is $25,000 per injury, and there is no deductible.

   "We don't want a single student-athlete to not be evaluated or treated for a concussion because of the cost," former Board of Control president Mike Beighley said.