Leading off today: Mike Oliva, dropped from all coaching duties last month after winning a Section 1 baseball championship, was restored as Pearl River's varsity football coach during a school board meeting Tuesday.
Players, parents and district residents rallied to support Oliva following the surprising dismissal.
Oliva told News12.com he attended several constructive meetings with district administrators and is excited to return to the field.
Oliva, also restored to his position as the baseball coach Tuesday, has a 13-15 record in three seasons in charge of the football program.
New at New Paltz: The New Paltz school board has appointed Gregory Warren to replace Toni Woody, who retired in May after 18 years as athletic director.
Warren was previously AD at Bainbridge-Guilford, where he also served as dean of students and chief information officer. He also previously worked in the Baltimore city schools as an athletic director and physical education teacher.
Woody, who taught and coached at Haldane for 17 years before moving to New Paltz, joked that her only plan so far for retirement is "to have lunch uninterrupted."
Irondequoit investigation: I haven't seen it suggested elsewhere, but my money is on a lightning strike early Monday as the culprit behind a large burn mark on an artificial turf field behind Irondequoit High School.
The burn mark, about six to eight feet in diameter, was found on the Eagle logo at midfield, school officials said. Irondequoit police officers and St. Paul Boulevard firefighters are investigating to determine what caused the damage.
District officials initially believe it occurred over the weekend, but Monday's storm featured multiple lightning strikes across the area.
Clarification: Friday's blog led off with a mention of player eligibility for the annual BCANY Summer Hoops Festival in Johnson City.
I heard this week from tournament director Kurt Ehrensbeck, who wanted to clarify that BCANY did not implement a new rule banning prep school players this year. Rather, the executive board amended a long-standing requirement that all players will be playing at New York State schools in the upcoming year. The amendment states that in order for a player to be eligible, they need to have played for a New York State school the previous season.
Sad news: Former Caledonia-Mumford football star Matt Cappotelli, who was a rising star on the pro wrestling circuit before his first bout with the disease, has disclosed he is battling brain cancer for the second time.
Cappotelli, 37, ran for 3,602 yards over the 1996 and '97 seasons for Cal-Mum before attending Western Michigan. He was the MTV Tough Enough III winner, which launched
