Sunday, May 20, 2018: Rauber runs U.S. season's fastest 1,500 meters

   Leading off today: Tully's Brooke Rauber led a Section 3 sweep of the top three spots in the girls' 1,500 meters Saturday, winning at the 78th annual Eddy Games in Schenectady with the fastest time in the nation this season.

   Rauber won in 4:28.87, followed by Hali Iefield (4:30.28) of South Lewis and Carly Benson (4:36.42) of West Genesee.

   Schenectady senior Maazin Ahmed, a Georgetown commit, won the boys mile for the second time in three years, using a last-lap kick to finish in 4:21.80.

   "I didn't have a good start. The first two laps were so painful," Ahmed said. "I was trying to get points for the team. The last lap, I was going to be really mad at myself if I didn't kick and give 100 percent. I knew I was going to regret it when I went to bed tonight."

   Shenendehowa senior Hannah Reale claimed an Eddy Meet title for the third year by winning the girls' 800 meters in 2:13.67. Reale won the 800 in 2016 and the 1,500 last year.

   "I love this meet ever since I was in eighth grade," Reale said. "It brings the best competition in the area from across the state together. There is something really cool about that."

   More track and field: Is this the latest Rush-Henrietta state-meet wrinkle in the making?

   In 2016, Sammy Watson (now tearing it up as a Texas A&M freshman) pulled off a very unconventional 400/1,500 double at the NYSPHSAA championships. On Saturday, Royal Comets sprinter/jumper Lanae-Tava Thomas dipped a toe in the pentathlon by winning with a score of 3,085 points to take the Section 5 season lead.

   Dept. of long days, Part I: It was nearly two games for the price of one as No. 7 seed West Seneca West upset No. 2 Grand Island 7-1 in 13 innings in a Section 6 Class A-1 baseball quarterfinal featuring the craziest double play of the season.

   An Anthony DeJoseph double, a walk and a hit batsmen loaded the bases in the top of the 13th before Connor Schermerhorn put down a suicide squeeze. The Vikings threw the ball away to allow three runs to score, and West Seneca West tacked on three more .

   Grand Island loaded the bases with none out in the ninth only to see the opportunity snuffed out by a strikeout, ground out and fly out.

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   The Vikings thought they had won it in the bottom of the 11th when a leadoff single was followed by a drive to center field that was misplayed by a West Seneca West outfielder. The runner from first circled the bases for what game. But it wasn't that simple.

   "There was an appeal that the kid missed home plate," West Seneca West coach Jeff Helmbrecht said. "He jumped over the plate and the umpire saw it. The kids went out to celebrate, so the kid on first base ran out of the baseline, giving them two outs on the play."

   Dept. of long days, Part II: Fox Lane won its Section 1 girls lacrosse quarterfinal over Tappan Zee 7-6 on Alix Riley's goal in the fourth overtime.

   Gianna New led the Foxes with four goals, an assist and seven draw wins. Natalie Bazyk had a goal and two assists, including the assist on Riley's winner.

   Tappan Zee junior goalie Liz Tompkins made 20 saves in the loss.

   College decisions: Pine Bush guard Brandon Powell, the school's career scoring leader, will continue his basketball career at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

   "I always thought I could play at the Division I level," said Powell, who helped the Bushmen to back-to-back Section 9 Class AA titles his junior and senior seasons. "I just kept believing and kept working hard. I had great support from the people close to me."

   FDU's staff saw Powell play on consecutive weekends last month and made the offer after his recent campus visit to FDU, where Saugerties grad Darnell Edge, who led Division I in free-throw percentage (94.4) in the 2017-18 season, will be a senior guard next winter.

    • Cardinal O'Hara girls basketball star Angel Parker has committed to Siena College.

   The senior guard averaged 15 points and seven assists this season for the Hawks and is the programs fifth Division I recruit in six seasons.

   "I just wanted to live up the standard of being there and having good players go D-I," Parker said. "I just wanted to keep it going to make my O'Hara family and my family at home proud."

   Coaches on leave: Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake girls lacrosse coach Jake McHerron and an assistant coach have been placed on administrative leave.

   "Coach McHerron has been put on administrative leave until we can conduct a fair and thorough investigation," AD Joe Scalise told The Daily Gazette in an email.

   McHerron is in his 10th season as head coach of the Spartans, scheduled to play a Section 2 semifinal Tuesday vs. Scotia-Glenville. His teams have won four sectional crowns.

   McHerron did not return a call from the paper.

   District spokesperson Tara Mitchell said an assistant coach was also put on leave.

   Calling it a career: Scott Craig of West Islip coached his 600th and final boys lacrosse game on Friday, a playoff loss to Connetquot. He finished his 31-year career with 479 victories.

   The Lions won all five of their NYSPHSAA Class A championships during Craig's reign, which also included seven Long Island championships and nine consecutive Section 11 titles.