Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019: No resolution yet to DiRienzo situation at New Ro

   Leading off today: New Rochelle football coach Lou DiRienzo met with district officials Monday, but no decision was reached on whether he will coach the team in Sunday's NYSPHSAA Class AA championship game.

   New Rochelle Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijoo said in a statement that the school board would be briefed Monday night on the discussion but no decision was expected.

   Following the meeting with school officials, DiRienzo said he had "no idea" if he would coach in the state championship vs. McQuaid. His attorney, Michael Del Piano, said there have been some developments, but he couldn't get into the details.

   DiRienzo was reassigned from coaching and teaching Nov. 13. Since his reassignment, there has been outcry from the community with calls for Feijoo and school board members to resign.

   Cornwall's Semo practicing: Injured quarterback Aidan Semo could make his return to the lineup for defending champion Cornwall in Friday's state final in Syracuse.

   Semo practiced in pads Monday for the first time after missing six games due to a broken collarbone suffered against Pine Bush on Oct. 4, The Times Herald-Record reported. Semo dressed for Cornwall's semifinal win over Rye last weekend but did not play.

   The 6-foot-3 sophomore plans on suiting up for Friday's Class A matchup against Carthage at Syracuse University. Senior Louie Francese, converted from wide receiver, has led the team to six consecutive wins and extended the Dragons' winning streak to 23 games.

   "It's the final week of the season and I figured I might as work harder than I've been," Semo said. "I've been working out for the last two weeks and I've been throwing."

   Said coach Ryan Baldock: "He's cleared to play. We are going to take it day by day and see. I don't really have an answer for you right now. We are not really hiding anything. I just don't know."

   Semo threw for 2,230 yards and 27 touchdowns in a 12-0 state championship season in 2018. He compiled 880 yards and 11 scores in Cornwall's first four-plus games this fall.

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   Change of heart: Rochester East star running back Freddie Brock tweeted on Friday that he has decommitted from UMass, which just completed a 1-11 season.

   Brock now expects to sign a Letter of Intent with an FBS school in February rather than next month during the early signing period. He took an unofficial visit to Rutgers on Saturday.

   "I just want to see if there are more opportunities with other schools. If I don't I would still love to go to UMass," Brock said, adding that other schools are showing interest.

   Brock totaled more than 1,600 yards and 21 touchdowns while leading East to the Section 5 Class A championship game this fall.

   Rutgers redux: The door isn't completely closed -- we've learned that noting is impossible in the world of matching coaches with schools -- but it appears that Greg Schiano is not going to be lured back to coach football at Rutgers, one of the toughest assignments in the sport.

   Negotiations between the school and its former coach (68-67 record from 2001-11) broke down over the weekend, and sniping has commenced. Schiano supporters point out

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he was asking for money at the low end of the Big Ten pay scale and taking on a difficult assignment -- the Scarlet Knights are 21-51 overall since joining the Big Ten -- while detractors consider him damaged goods.

   Rutgers matters to the New York football community because the Scarlet Knights recruit the state as hard as -- and maybe harder than -- any FBS school in the Northeast.

   Interesting reading: When the college early signing period began this month, Katie Finnegan of Kings Park accepted a full scholarship from the gymnastics program at the University of Georgia.

   It's both the realization of a longtime goal -- "I have been dreaming about competing in college since I was 8" -- and a major challenge. That's because Finnegan, 16, is technically still a junior in school. In order to be able to enroll at Georgia next fall, she will have to complete her 11th-grade course work in the classroom while also tackling four senior classes online.

   And, oh yeah, there's still the matter of practice (more than 20 hours a week) and club-circuit competition in one of the most physically demanding sports out there.

   "I have gone back and forth sometimes, 'Do I really want to do this?' I have sacrificed so much. I struggled with injuries when I was younger," she said. "It's a very tough sport, mentally. Sometimes I asked myself, 'Is this the sport for me?'"

   Following up: The Washington Post has written about the case of Lancaster seventh-grader Trista Blasz, initially blocked from joining the Lancaster JV wrestling program, as explained in yesterday's blog.

   The paper obtained a copy of the Athletic Placement Process physical maturity evaluation conducted by Dr. Michael Terranova, who was fired by the school board Saturday. The form contains a hand-written notation saying "girls don't play boys sports in Lancaster schools."

   Terranova has not spoken about the controversy, but the paper reported his office sent a statement to patients that read, "Permission was denied based on objective standards mandated by the state. This decision was motivated by concerns for the student's safety and physical maturity. Despite public outcry initiated by the student's parent, any form of discrimination is strenuously denied."