The 2016-17 New York high schools year in review, Page 3

   When the mandatory five-round shootout ended in a tie, each team should have designated five new players who would take kicks -- but now it would be one round at a time and sudden death. Instead, the officials had the teams go through the full five rounds. Though YMA ultimately made more kicks, the contest should have ended when Edgemont scored in round six and YMA did not.

   Edgemont subsequently protested and was awarded the victory Sunday morning, per sectional rules that required a decision by noon. What that swift brand of (in)justice neglected to consider was that one or both teams may have changed their lineup of shooters beginning with the sixth PK had they known they were in sudden death from that point on.

    • Sticking with Section 1 for the moment, the Clarkstown boys bowling team was unable to compete in sectionals because it exceeded the NYSPHSAA limit for regular-season matches by agreeing to a seemingly harmless accommodation for a regular-season opponent.

   With both schools carrying large rosters, Clarkstown's coach had agreed to bowl a split match -- a 5-on-5 contest on one pair of lanes, and a 5-on-5 match on another pair -- to allow more bowlers to participate. But under state rules, the contest counted as two matches for both teams and eventually put Clarkstown over the 20-match maximum.

    • Section 4 found itself having to revise its football schedule just days before the start of the season after Steve Grandin of the New York State Sportswriters Association pointed out that the BEDS number for Harpursville/Afton had been miscalculated under NYSPHSAA rules for combined teams and the squad should have been assigned to Class D.

ADVERTISEMENT

   The postseason proved eventful as well for Harpursville/Afton. After walloping Walton 53-8 in the sectional quarterfinals, the team came under scrutiny for the use of an ineligible, fifth-year senior -- a matter self-reported by the team.

   Still, a Section 4 appeals committee ruled in favor of allowing Harpursville/Afton to play its semifinal against Sidney, a decision that was never fully explained to the public. The season ended with a 34-28 loss to Sidney.

    • Ineligible players were not the exclusive domain of the NYSPHSAA membership. Chaminade was awarded the CHSAA state Class AAA title in boys lacrosse after St. Anthony's self-reported a violation in that department on the eve of the final.

    • An apparent officiating blunder couldn't derail Archbishop Stepinac in its early-season, 42-34 win vs. Iona Prep in football.

   The Stepinac sideline had started celebrating with 40 seconds to play after the Crusaders stopped Iona Prep on fourth down. However, the down marker was wrong and the officials gave the Gaels what amounted to a fifth down.

   Stepinac junior Trill Williams snuffed out the gift opportunity by intercepting a tipped pass and returning it 70 yards for his fifth touchdown of the day and the victory.

   "Trill's a 'cheat code,'" Stepinac senior Antonio Giannico said. "He went off and he's going to go off the rest of the season."

Strangest scores

   There were 63 walks issued, 42 wild pitches and 17 batters hit by pitches. In addition, there were seven passed balls and 16 errors. The teams combined for just 19 hits.

   Gorton allowed three runs in the top of the first but scored 12 times in the bottom half of the inning and still led 21-10 through three innings. Palisade Prep chipped away with six runs in the fourth and 14 in the top of the fifth to move ahead 30-21, only to see Gorton respond with another 12 runs in the bottom half.

   The score was knotted at 33-33 through six, and Palisade Prep broke it open with 13 runs in the top of the seventh.

   Palisade Prep's Ashley Nunez was officially 1-for-2 but reached base in all nine plate appearances with the help of five walks and twice being hit by pitches. She also singled, reached on an error and drove in seven runs.

    • A Section 2 girls basketball game ended in a shutout, with Heatly downing Doane Stuart 69-0.

   Both Doane Stuart team captains were unavailable due to ankle injuries, three other players hadn't returned yet from an overseas trip and four others in the scorebook were on the modified roster last winter.

[Continued on Page 4]