Thursday, May 23, 2019: Xiao wins fourth Sec. 8 golf championship

   Leading off today: Manhasset senior Adam Xiao only managed a 3-over-par 75 in the final round on the Eisenhower Red course, but it was more than enough to pull out his fourth straight Section 8 boys golf championship on Wednesday.

   His 81-75--156 bettered Max Van Son of Cold Spring Harbor by three strokes and Saurav Bhasin of Plainview JFK by four.

   "I didn't play my best out there, the conditions were super tough, but I am definitely happy with the way I finished up," Xiao said. "It was super windy (Tuesday) and the greens were dry as can be. It was like playing on concrete. ... It was a grind, that's the one word to perfectly describe it."

   Xiao, who is the defending state champion, will lead the Nassau County delegation once again in the NYSPHSAA tournament June 2-3 at Cornell University.

   "I am just going to trying to stick to the same game plan that I have been playing the last two years," Xiao said. "I know how to play that course. I just have to sharpen up a little bit on the short game and I think I'll be pretty set."

   Kingston dethroned: Micaela Ross scored in sudden death to give Monroe-Woodbury a 9-8 victory over Kingston for the Section 9 Class A girls lacrosse championship.

   The attacker's fifth goal of the game ended Kingston's 12-year reign as the Section 9 champion. Monroe-Woodbury had lost to Kingston in the section final the past two seasons and in their regular-season matchup this spring.

   The Crusaders' Mackenzie Schroeder had tied the score with 5:10 to go in regulation. Less than three minutes into overtime, Ross handled a penalty shot and whipped her stick straight toward the goal.

   "We were all really nervous," Ross said, "but we knew that this year was the year we could finally beat them."

   Section 4 OT battle: Chenango Forks edged Whitney Point 13-12 in the Section 4 Class D final as freshman Tierra Reh connected 33 seconds into overtime to complete a rally from a pair of three-goal deficits.

   The teams split a pair of regular-season matchups, the more recent being a 20-10 Whitney Point rout.

   Senior Gabby Panko scored five goals to pace Chenango Forks and help offset half a dozen tallies by senior Amy Stevens of Whitney Point. Stevens had made it 12-12 with 1:10 remaining in regulation.

   "We've come back in games before and we knew that it was going to be a tight game from the start," Reh said. "We knew what we had to do and we were fighting all the way through."

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   St. Joe's rolls: St. Joseph's dominated Canisius 16-2 for the Monsignor Martin boys championship as Trey Gehen scored five goals, including three straight in span of 65 seconds.

   Evan Mulderig and Kellen Pulera each added three goals and two assists. The Marauders' Austin Holley won 20 of 23 faceoffs.

   St. Joe's returns to the field Tuesday with a trip downstate for the CHSAA championship game.

   "Really it's just all our guys following through with everything we wanted to do," Hudecki said. "We knew once we had six on six offense, we have six really good players on offense. It's hard to focus on one."

   NYSAIS final: Juniors Julia Thomson and Leah Holmes both scored five times as defending champ Hackley romped past Rye Country Day 18-7 in the girls lacrosse title game.

   Rye Country Day prevailed 13-12 when the teams played during the regular season.

   Freshman girl wins Sec. 7 crown: Lake Placid freshman Sonja Toishi is the Section 7 singles champ after not dropping a set vs. male competitors in the tennis tournament.

   Toishi, who won the girls singles champion- ship in 2017, is in her second season vs. gainst the boys. She downed Plattsburgh's Sebastian Bonnabesse 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) in the final.

   "I felt that competing with the boys would make for a lot more competition and be a lot more fun," Toishi said. "I also really wanted to go to states, and up here, competing in the boys field is the only way to go to states."

   Toishi and Bonna- besse advance to the NYSPHSAA champ- ionships next week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing.

   Baseball award: Lakeland junior left-hander Joey Vetrano has been selected the state's top high school player for the season by Gatorade.

   Vetrano, a Boston College commit likely to attract Major League Baseball interest in the June 2020 draft, has an 8-0 record and 0.45 ERA this spring. He has allowed just 25 hits and nine walks and struck out 69 in 46 2/3 innings.

   "I'm so honored to receive such a prestigious award," he said. "My team, my coaches and my family had such a big impact on this. I would not have gotten this or even be nominated for this honor if it wasn't for them. I was shaking when I found out so I can't believe it right now."

   Budget woes: It's hard to imagine that Johnstown will be able to pull together a full interscholastic sports program next year in the aftermath of a budget defeat Tuesday.

   District voters actually gave the thumbs up to a 35 percent tax increase by a scant three votes, but that 1,160-1,157 margin didn't meet the 60 percent threshold required to pass a proposal exceeding the state tax cap.

   "This is horrible, absolutely horrible. It's devastating for the city of Johnstown, not just the school. The whole city. I mean property values are going to drop," School board member Ron Beck said. "I mean, why move into Johnstown with a family? Your kids won't have opportunities for sports, or plays or musicals. This is horrible. I'm almost ashamed of being from Johnstown."

   Superintendent Patricia Kilburn said Johnstown will trim $1.6 million from the proposed budget and put forward a 14.6 percent property tax levy increase June 18, which is the maximum increase the district is allowed under the tax cap. That will eliminate all sports, extracurricular activities and high school electives.

   Kilburn said the school board will set fundraising parameters for how the public might be able to raise funding to restore components axed from the budget.

   Extra points: Ex-Irondequoit standout Rashaad Stokelin has been appointed boys basketball coach at Webster Schroeder. The Warriors's former modified coach replaces Matt Spadoni, who stepped down after 17 seasons.

   "It still feels kinda surreal," Stokelin said. "Every day it seems like I'm learning something new. I'm figuring out something new from the previous spot I had at Webster. It just feels great. I'm excited. The guys are excited."