Sunday, May 13, 2018: New Ro's Morgan three-peats in Loucks pentathlon

   Leading off today: We've finally reached the point in the season at which point track and field athletes are able to channel the energy into setting records rather than finding ways to stay warm, and a slew of records fell Saturday.

   New Rochelle's Olivia Morgan was among them, breaking the Loucks Games and Section 1 records in the girls pentathlon. The Villanova-bound senior's 3,406 points broke the 2011 marks of New Rochelle's Amira Yeiser, who went on to compete for Penn.

   Impressively, it was Morgan's third straight victory in the Loucks pentathlon. "I came for my triple crown," she said.

   Meanwhile, Rush-Henrietta senior Lanae-Tava Thomas lowered her own Section 5 record in the 100 meters with an :11.66 showing at the Royal Comet Invitational.

    • There were no records involved, but Valhalla's Sam Morillo pulled off a nice triple in the girls throws at the Loucks Games. After winning the shot put Friday, the St. John's recruit recorded a personal-best 117-3 to win the javelin Saturday and then captured first place in the discus with a throw of 145-7.

   No asterisk this time: We blogged late last month about Tuxedo baseball pitcher Joe Castellanos missing out on a no-hitter in the oddest of ways. He had held Eldred without a hit for seven innings on April 24 but he was not credited with an official no-hitter because he had to be pulled with two outs in seventh inning due to his coach's second visit to the mound in the inning. His replacement allowed a hit on the next pitch and Castellanos reentered to record the final out.

   Well, the junior nailed down a genuine no-hitter on Friday. Naturally, though, there was another strange finish in the rematch with Eldred.

   Castellanos again held Eldred hitless for seven innings and fanned 18 batters along the game. The 3-1 victory ended with him picking a runner off at second base.

   He fanned 36 batters in 14 total innings vs. Eldred this spring.

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   Former CK star dies: I never saw her play, but I was well aware of Clare Droesch's reputation as one of the best girls basketball players in New York City around the turn of the century.

   Droesch died Friday at the age of 36. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2011.

   Droesch set a Christ the King record with 48 points in a game during a CHSAA battle with Bishop Kearney. She went on to a strong career at Boston College, where she became the team's go-to player down the stretch, and would later work as an assistant coach at Christ the King.

   "Clare was one of the most passionate players I have ever coached. She had a deep love for the game of basketball, her

team and Boston College," Cathy Inglese, Droesch's former college coach, said in a statement. "Clare filled many roles for our team, the most important being the 'clutch player' when the game was on the line. She wanted the ball in her hands for the final shot, which was usually the winning shot.

   "Her confidence and leadership spread to others on the team. Her impact on the team was unmeasurable."

   Weekend reading: Amityville just completed its third straight 0-18 season in baseball to extend its losing streak to 62 games, but Gregg Sarra of Newsday told the story of a personal victory of sorts for third-year varsity outfielder Louie Fernandez.

   Thursday's 12-2 loss to East Hampton on Senior Day marked the first time Fernandez's mother, Miralia Gonzalez, was able to see him play.

   "I gave her a red rose and she gave me a big hug and I lost it," Fernandez said. "She works seven days a week to support our family and doesn't have the time to come to the games. It was so special for her to see me play."

   Said coach Chris Diot: "Louie is our leader and was so overwhelmed by having his mom at the game. It was beautiful."

   Fernandez made a surprise visit to his mother's factory job Friday. Working 30 or more hours a week to help pay rent, we managed to save enough money to buy her a pair of comfortable shoes, earrings and a Pandora bracelet for Mother's Day.

    • My column for PressConnects.com this weekend is on Mike Messere, the legendary West Genesee boys lacrosse coach who will be retiring at the conclusion of the season. The winningest lacrosse coach in U.S. high school history remains decidedly old-school -- and that continues to work for the Wildcats.

   Florida safety measure: Florida, which sees heat stroke kill more high school athletes than any other state, recently approved stronger education requirements for coaches and athletes.

   Just as concussion safety and awareness videos are already required, the Florida High School Athletic Association board of directors voted to make heat safety training videos mandatory starting in July.

   However, the FHSAA postponed a decision on whether to require schools have cold water tubs in cases of heat stroke after being warned about potential liability issues.

   Florida has seen more high school athletes die from exertional heat stroke than any other state since 2010, according to the Korey Stringer Institute, so the decision to hold off on cold water tubs raised concern from critics.