The 2016-17 New York high schools year in review, Page 9

[From Page 8]

   A week later, the Fayetteville-Manlius girls won their 11th straight title at the NYSPHSAA championships by scoring 35 points to hold off North Rockland (65) and Saratoga (93).

   Lakeland made it eight straight state Class B championships in field hockey, but its 84-game winning streak since the 2012 season ended with a scoreless tie vs. powerful Darien (Conn.). Unbeaten against New York competition since 2008, Lakeland is 92-0-2 in its last 94 contests.

    • Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, which hadn't lost a league girls volleyball match since 1990, saw its run end at 390 as Shenendehowa inflicted a 25-20, 25-9, 25-17 setback.

    • Victor's 50-game winning streak in boys lacrosse, the nation's leading active skein at the time, ended with a 10-9 loss to 14-time defending state champ Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) Brother Rice on April 23. The Blue Devils came on strong over the final month of the season and earned their third straight NYSPHSAA championship.

    • Hammond snapped two-time defending state champion Heuvelton's 46-game winning streak with a 56-28 rout in girls basketball.

    • Albany snapped a streak of 70 regular-season football losses with a 16-14 victory over Saratoga, a team depleted by graduation but just nine months removed from a trip to the NYSPHSAA Class AA championship game.

   Though the Falcons did end the 2015 season with three straight wins in consolation pool matchups, their last victory during the first seven weeks of a season came Oct. 15, 2005 against LaSalle.

   Meanwhile, the state's longest active football losing streak fell by the wayside on the season's opening weekend as Plattsburgh ended a 29-game skid with a 33-0 victory over Saranac.

    • Vestal had been 0-for-19 against Section 3 opponents in the state boys lacrosse tournament before this spring's Class B quarterfinal. The futility ended with a 13-9 win over East Syracuse Minoa as Quinn Webster finished with five goals and two assists.

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Coaching milestones

   When Cardozo defeated Springfield Gardens 74-71 to head into the Christmas break, it gave Ron Naclerio his 755th career victory to become the winning public-school coach in state history. Naclerio, 59, already the PSAL wins leader, passed East Hampton's Ed Petrie atop the overall list.

   Hamilton's 60-44 win over DeRuyter marked career win No. 500 for Tom Blackford in his 35th season in boys basketball, including 12 years at Fayetteville-Manlius.

   Also in boys basketball, Buddy Brasky of Batavia and Chris Cardon of NYSPHSAA Class A champion Irondequoit

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went over 400 wins, and Jim Giammattei's final win at Scotia-Glenville before retiring was also No. 400.

   "I'm becoming a full-time dad," said Giammattei, 54. "I'm not going to miss my son's games."

   In girls hoops, retiring Sherman mentor Mel Swanson recorded his 600th victory with the Wildcats' 43-34 win over Maple Grove in mid-January. Two weeks before that, Westhill's Sue Ludwig reached 500 in her 26th season about two weeks after Wayland-Cohocton's Al Best notched is 500th in a 40-year career spanning four seasons.

   Also among those checking in at 500 were Mary Jo Cerqua (Baldwinsville girls volleyball), Tony Policare (Vestal wrestling) and Nick Spataro (Liverpool softball).

   The list of those crossing the 400 threshold included:

   • Rick DeKay (Springville) and Sean Rucker (Victor) in baseball.

   • Bob VanValkenburgh (South Kortright boys), Terry Burgess (South Jefferson girls) and Dan Cupertino (Bronxville girls) in soccer.

   • Arlington's Fred Perry in wrestling.

   • Newark's Joe Contario in boys cross country.

   • Football coaches Lou DiRienzo (New Rochelle) and John Castellano (Westlake) each recorded their 200th wins.

More coaching departures

   Eden's Stephen Pierce, the winningest girls volleyball coach in state history with 995 victories, exited with 14 NYSPHSAA championships -- including eight in a row on his way out the door.

    • St. Francis Prep boys basketball coach Tim Leary ended a 43-run with 646 wins, fourth amongst active coaches.

    • In boys soccer, Mount Markham's Charlie Engle left with a state-best 654 triumphs in 49 seasons. He guided the school to 13 Section 3 titles and three trips to the NYSPHSAA final four.

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