Friday, Aug. 4, 2017: Fifth Erasmus Hall player makes FBS commitment

   Leading off today: Erasmus Hall now has five rising seniors committed to NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision programs with the decision by receiver Sean Ryan this week to attend Temple.

   Last week, Dutchmen defensive back Shamel Lazarus committed to UConn. Earlier this summer, three players from the Brooklyn school picked Big Ten programs -- QB Aron Cruickshank to Wisconsin, where he's projected to be a receiver; defensive back Kessawn Abraham to Rutgers; and offensive lineman Matt Jones to Ohio State.

   On Thursday, the total number of commitments across the state in what's becoming a banner year for prospects reached 22 as Liam Maloney, a 6-foot-8, 275-pound lineman for Holy Trinity in Section 2 also committed to UConn.

   The University at Buffalo has four players committed. UConn, Rutgers and Boston College have three commitments apiece from New York players, with easily another dozen players in the pool of talent under consideration by FBS schools at the moment.

   The complete list of commitments that we've been able to compile is available on our RoadToSyracuse.com football site.

   Following up: James Daye, the former Buffalo McKinley boys basketball coach whose offer to coach at an Idaho school was rescinded before he could start work there, says he is reapplying for the position.

   Idaho news outlets reported last week Daye was selected as the boys basketball coach only to have the offer yanked in a meeting with Nampa School District Assistant Superintendent Gregg Russell. He believes the decision was made when decades-old allegations from when he worked in South Carolina and Buffalo resurfaced.

   On Tuesday, Daye sent a cover letter to the district to apply for the same position, though his lawyer said Daye is not conceding that he was legally removed from the job last month.

   Arson suspected: The burn mark found last month on an artificial turf field near Irondequoit High School was caused by vandals, district officials said.

   The burn mark, about 6 to 8 feet in diameter, was found on the Eagle logo on the turf field July 22.

   Repairs will cost an estimated $10,000 and are expected to be completed later this month.

ADVERTISEMENT

   Finally progress at Fowler: A grid of wooden stakes with faded-orange streamers is visible adjacent to Fowler High in Syracuse, a rare sign of progress for a school that's been unable to play a home football game since 2009.

   The planned stadium and field are part of a $26 million project at the school, long ignored and then back-burnered while the district's high schools have received facilities upgrades in recent years.

   "It is actually happening," Fowler football coach John Natoli told Syracuse.com.

   Workers are taking soil samples on the old industrial and residential site. Major construction could start start in April and allow the school to play home football and soccer games in the fall of 2018.

   Innovative approach: With state associations across the country concerned about a prolonged shortage of officials in many sports, an Ohio school is taking a unique step that may show benefits down the road.

NYSSWA All-Sport Championship   KERR CUP HOME  |  2017 top overall schools   Class-by-class boys  |  Class-by-class girls   Annual top 10 | Annual class champions   2016 Kerr Cup | 2015 | 2014 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009   More about NYSSWA Kerr Cup

   Zanesville High is offering students an officiating class as an elective. Steve Shroyer, a licensed official with 16 or more years in football, basketball and baseball, will conduct the course at Zanesville, where he is the athletic trainer.

   The first semester will be nine weeks of football and nine weeks of basketball, and the second will be nine weeks of basketball and nine weeks of either baseball, softball or soccer depending on interest.

   Completing the course will qualify students as Class 3 officials able to officiate freshman and lower levels if they follow through with registration with the state.

   "They'll learn the same information they would get in a class taught by the association except without the license," Shroyer said. "They'll have options to pursue other sports and learn what it takes to maintain an active status."

   Seriously? University of Central Florida backup kicker Donald De La Haye apparently will be ineligible to play this season because his popular YouTube channel has run afoul of the NCAA.

   With 140,000 subscribers (and growing rapidly this week), De La Haye's channel has money-making potential, and NCAA rules prohibit the use of athletic reputation in a money-making venture.

   UCF declared him ineligible this week. The kicker's response was to upload more videos to his YouTube channel. And with his scholarship pulled, De La Haye has started a GoFundMe.com page that has raised more than $8,000 as of Friday morning in a bid to fund his tuition for the year.

   School officials initially sought an NCAA waiver in June after the kicker's YouTube channel began generating ad revenue. The NCAA ruled De La Haye would have to stop taking ad revenue or stop featuring posts relating to his life as a college athlete. De La Haye chose not to abide.

   "A lot of things they wanted me to do I didn't find fair," he said. "They didn't even want to allow me on a beach and toss a football around with my friends. I could not mention anything football-related at all.

   "I felt that was a little too extreme and I couldn't agree with it since my channel was based on football. I even asked them if I could still upload football content on my channel, un-monetized, and they said, 'No you have to delete all your football-related videos.'"