Monday, Nov. 25, 2019: Doctor fired after mixed-competition dust-up in Sec. 6

   Leading off today: The Lancaster School Board fired the district's chief medical officer Saturday after he refused to allow a 12-year-old girl to compete on the junior varsity wrestling team, Western New York media outlets reported.

   The board's vote came after Dr. Michael Terranova of Lancaster-Depew Pediatrics rejected a request by seventh-grader Trista Blasz to participate on the team, school board President Patrick Uhteg said.

   Danielle Blasz, Trista's mother, told reporters a handwritten notation next to Terranova's signature on the medical form said, "Girls don't play boys' sports in Lancaster schools." Terranova was part of a three-person panel reviewing the girls application to compete.

   "The district's chief medical officer rejected her request based upon his own inappropriate findings regarding the ability of female athletes to compete on teams with male athletes," Uhteg said in a district statement.

   Spectrum News reported that a new review panel will be convened to take a new look at the application. The school board has hired Forestream Pediatrics to replace Lancaster-Depew Pediatrics.

   "I've asked them for that paper for a month now, and they refused to give it to me," Blasz said. "All they did was email me the notification. I wanted it after her physical with Dr. Terranova. I've been on the phone with (the district) since last month."

   The paper reported that Terranova also denied Danielle Blasz's sister from participating on the wrestling team in 2011. Cristta Hartinger subsequently was allowed to compete in the Lancaster program.

   Spectrum News was told by Terranova's office that the doctor was unavailable for comment.

   "It turned out good for Trista," Danielle Blasz said. "But do I think they would have done this if it didn't air on TV and go out on Facebook? No, absolutely not. They're stepping in now because they have a bad rep."

   Volleyball finals: Four of Sunday's five NYSPHSAA girls volleyball finals in Glens Falls ended in three-game sweeps, with Class D Candor having the distinction of winning all nine of its weekend games.

   Candor downed Panama 25-11, 25-20, 25-13 for its first championship in the sport since going back-to-back in 2002-03.

   "Starting with last year when we went undefeated and then lost in Sectionals, I said to myself next year's going to be the year," Candor senior Jennah Kareem said. "I went home and I wrote it down to myself in a notebook, and I came back and I just went hard at it."

    • Connetquot won Class AA with a 25-12, 25-18, 25-16 win vs. Baldwinsville. Connetquot's previous championships came in 2015 and '17.

   Connetquot broke to a 9-1 lead in the opening game and never trailed after breaking an 11-11 tie in the second.

   "Getting those early leads, it helped us feel relaxed and composed," said senior libero Julia Patsos. "We were able to play loose and give it our all on the court."

    • In Class A, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake made it seven first-place finishes since 2002 by sweeping Irondequoit 25-17, 26-24, 25-22.

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   The Spartans had won three titles in six years and then found themselves eliminated in pool play the past three seasons.

   "I've been playing volleyball for 10 years," senior hitter Hannah Shell said. "This is the last time wearing this jersey. I wanted to walk out of here happy, and I will."

    • Westhill downed Ardsley 25-16, 25-15, 25-22 in Class B to make it back-to-back champion- ships in the sport.

   Westhill had found itself on the brink of elimination Saturday, losing three of its first four games in pool play before sweeping a pair of games against Seaford. That necessitate a tie-breaker between the teams that Westhill won 25-12.

    • In Class C, Valhalla defeated two-time defend- ing champion Portville 17-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-13 to earn its first state championship.

   Five different Section 6 schools had combined to win the past 12 Class C championships.

   "When I held the plaque, holding it with everyone else was just the best feeling, because we knew that everyone had contributed," Valhalla senior Jasmine Grant said. "Every single person -- from that first set that we lost, to the next three -- it was a family. It wasn't two or three star players. It wasn't a few people. ... Everyone was sharing the love of what had just happened."

   Football: Senior quarterback Xavier Arline rushed 26 times for 194 yards and three touchdowns as Shoreham-Wading River defeated previously undefeated Mount Sinai 35-14 in the Suffolk Division IV championship game.

"He's an amazing player," Shoreham-Wading River coach Aden Smith said. "He led us to the championship. He's the best player in the county."

   Rain and wind ruled the day at Stony Brook University, where S-WR scored 22 unanswered points in a span of 5:40 after Matt Lomonaco had given Mount Sinai a 14-13 lead with a 90-yard kickoff return.

   Arline engineered a seven-play, 61-yard scoring drive capped by his 38-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and S-WR struck again on its next possession with a 25-yard jaunt by Arline.

   Defender Dylan Blanco chased Mount Sinai halfback Ryan Jones into the end zone, where a fumbled pitch rolled loose. Blanco pounced on the ball for a 35-14 lead with :20 left in the third quarter.