Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019: Section 3 swim meet results in co-champions

   Leading off today: If you asked me to list the sports most likely to produce co-champions at the sectional championships, swimming would not make the top 10. But that's exactly what happened Friday in Section 3 as Mexico and Fulton finished dead even atop the Class B points chart.

   The teams finished with 425½ points apiece.

   Fulton got a huge boost from Mark Tallents, who won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:01.61, placed second in the 20 individual medley and swam on the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, which placed first and second, respectively.

   Mexico was paced by Dylan Long, who was victorious in the 200 and 500 freestyles in 1:49.86 and 5:04.07.

   Brackets released: The tentative brackets for next weekend's NYSPHSAA individual wrestling championships were released Saturday, with three Division I schools producing two No. 1 seeds apiece.

   Hilton junior Greg Diakomihalis (113 pounds) and senior Sam Deprez (195), Eastport-South Manor junior Zach Redding (126) and senior Adam Busiello (138), and Niagara-Wheatfield junior Justin McDougald (132) and senior Warren McDougald (152) were among the top seeds in the 15 weight classes.

   Diakomihalis, Redding and Busiello were all champions a year ago, as were felloe Division I No. 1 seeds Stevo Poulin (Shenendehowa, 106) and Jake Logan (New Rochelle, 182).

   No Division II schools have more than one top seed in the tournament, which begins Friday in Albany. Defending D-2 champions holding No, 1 seeds are Dante Geislinger (Norwich, 106), Anthony Noto (Honeoye Falls-Lima, 113) and Ross McFarland (Phoenix, 182).

   The brackets will become official on Monday, reflecting any late adjustments.

   Girls basketball: Mattituck, which had to replace five graduated starters this season, earned its four straight Section 11 Class B title Friday with a 51-42 victory over Port Jefferson. Jaden Thompson had 22 points, including the Tuckers' last four to wrap up the win.

   Sentenced: A Long Island man was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for selling the heroin that resulted in the 2016 death of former Section 11 wrestling champion Nicholas Weber.

   Richard Jacobellis, 25, had previously admitted in federal court that in 2016 he sold the heroin that caused Weber's overdose death.

   Before sentencing, Jacobellis apologized to Weber's family and his own for the harm he had caused.

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   "My heroin addiction is no excuse," Jacobellis said.

   Weber was the Suffolk County 195-pound champion for Kings Park. Weber enrolled at Lehigh University after high school, dropping out midway through his freshman year.

   'T-Bone' mourned: Tom Giordano, whose evaluation led the Baltimore Orioles to draft Cal Ripken Jr. in 1978, died Thursday at the age of 93.

   Giordano, involved in professional baseball for seven decades, had a lengthy career as a physical education teacher, boys basketball coach and athletic director at Copiague High. The baseball field there is named for him, with a nod to his baseball nickname "T-Bone."

   "My dad at his heart was a teacher," said Giordano's daughter, Gail Przeclawski. "It was his DNA to focus on the basics, and I think that's what helped him in his baseball career, too."

   Giordano left Copiague in 1976 to join the Orioles as head of player procurement and scouting. Two years later, he drafted Ripken.

   Millbrook coach steps down: Millbrook will have a new football coach next fall following the resignation of Sean Keenan, whose teams captured three Section 9 championships in 12 seasons.

   "It was time for a change.” Keenan said, adding he will pursue an assistant coaching job elsewhere.

   Keenan, who had back surgery in December, admitted that Millbrook's declining football participation numbers factored into the decision. Millbrook, a state Class D semifinalist in 2017, will join Section 9's eight-man football league this fall.

   More reading: With recent votes to move the NYSPHSAA boys basketball tournament to Glens Falls next year and send softball and boys lacrosse finals off to Long Island, my weekly column for PressConnects.com explains the site selection process.