Leading off today: Don't mess with Nassau and Suffolk counties when the issue of the Long Island Championships is on the table. That's one of the takeaways from Thursday's New York State Public High School Athletic Association meeting.
There were only relatively routine action items on the agenda when the Executive Committee convened in Saratoga Springs, and nearly every matter up for a vote received approval, but a notable exception was the proposed regional rotation for the state girls lacrosse tournament for 2025-29.
Each team sport is charged with periodically updating this playoff road map, a necessity because the NYSPHSAA's map of 11 sections does not fit neatly into eight- or 16-team brackets. Thus, byes and sub-regionals (also known to some as pre-quarterfinals) need to be assigned. It's not a one-size-fits-all process since the number of teams per section (and per class) can vary, which can create a fresh layer of complexities.
That being said, proposals for the regional rotations sailed through with minimal resistance -- more on that momentarily -- in baseball, softball, boys and girls basketball, boys lacrosse, and flag football. The proposed rotation for girls lacrosse, however, was rejected by a 14-8 margin as only reps from Sections 1, 2, 3, and 10 voted in the affirmative.
Among the concerns voiced both in discussions Thursday and in a previous meeting of the Championship Advisory Committee (which opposed the proposal in a 6-3 vote) was the distribution of sub-regional games and mid-week travel that in some cases would send Section 10 schools to Section 5 and Section 11 teams to Section 2.
What was most striking to me, though, was that 2025 was the only instance in the five-year rotation in which the Nassau and Suffolk counties champions were guaranteed to play each other. In other years, either the Section 8 or 11 representative would have to play someone else in a sub-regional or the two would draw first-round byes and then have to face different state quarterfinal opponents.
That would be a tough pill for Long Island enthusiasts to swallow. With the two counties separated from the remained of the NYSPHSAA by a big honkin' obstacle known as New York City, the Nassau and Suffolk champions have had a long tradition of crowning Long Island champions en rote to subsequent state tournament competition with only rare exceptions. The Long Island Championship is so firmly entrenched and beloved in football that Sections 8 and 11 don't even send their overall champions to the state tournament.
So, the state girls lacrosse brackets for 2025 are on hold for now; fortunately, there's plenty of time for the sport committee to come back with a revised proposal for 2025 and beyond.
However, what I found interesting about the matter at the start of the day was that everyone coming into the meeting had to have known that the proposed rotation quite possibly wouldn't fly. The Championship Advisory Committee's opinion carries more than a little weight, and the boys lacrosse committee managed to develop a rotation that keeps Nassau vs. Suffolk alive each year in every class as either a sub-regional or a regional final.
And what I found interesting at the end of the day was that, while all were approved, none of the playoff rotations up for a vote passed unanimously. Only one section cast its two votes against all six: Section 1.
By the way, I'll give you 10 guesses as to which of the 11 sections brought forward the girls lacrosse proposal. At this point, you can presumably guess correctly on the first try.
I'm not suggesting that there was cause and effect at play here, particularly since half the proposals came up for a vote before girls lacrosse and there were also multiple non-unanimous approvals for other sports at the larger Central Committee meeting in July.
But it sure felt like Section 1 was intent on making a point on Thursday.
More from the NYSPHSAA meeting
It's worth keeping in mind that the championship rotations through the end of the decade that were approved on Thursday could become moot by the time the 2026-27 school year rolls around. That's because the NYSPHSAA is kicking around a "three-region concept" aimed at reducing travel in the sub-regionals and regionals, thus reducing some missed classroom time.
I got my first look at the draft of how the rotations might play out, and it's more intimidating at first glance than my college physics final exam. But it does seem to balance out byes and minimize travel. I suspect there will be changes by the time it undergoes discussion at the February 2025 Executive Committee meeting and then potentially comes up for a vote in May.
Flag football's rapid growth prompted the addition of another playoff class for the 2025 season. The projected 225 teams will be split into classes A, B, and C.
Speaking of classes, the classification cutoffs for 11-man football and girls lacrosse in 2025 were also approved. The set of school enrollments that will determine who plays in what class for the 2025-26 school year also sailed through.
Queensbury High, previously OK'd to host the state cross country meet in 2024 and '26, will replace Letchworth State Park on the 2025 schedule. Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls saw its girls volleyball contract extended another three years though 2027.
Reporter Will Springstead covered the meeting for The Daily Gazette and has the recap of the day's other developments.
Former AD fighting dismissal in court
Angela Marathakis, formerly the AD for girls programs at The Albany Academies is suing the school, alleging she was fired after pressing for equal funding for girls sports,
the Times Union reported.
Angela Marathakis accuses the school of defamation, retaliation, gender discrimination and sexual orientation discrimination, the paper reported.
Her suit claims Marathakis was criticized for focusing on girls sports to the point that they were "eclipsing and outshining" the boys sports, leading to alumni complaining that the girls were performing better than the boys and had more publicity and better equipment.
The paper reported that Marathakis questioned at one point whether the school was receiving any federal funding, which would have Title IX implications. It is unclear if the private school receives federal money.
The lawsuit says she was fired on March 19 for "ongoing performance issues and workplace conduct." However, other staff members were let go as part of the merging of the boys and girls schools, the paper reported.
"We have always been committed to creating a fair and equitable work environment for all our employees," said school spokeswoman Kayla Germain" It is our long-standing policy to keep all personnel-related matters confidential and we will not comment on this matter."
Lacrosse is on the move
The Nebraska School Activities Association is on the verge of putting lacrosse on the path to varsity sport status. The proposal to designate boys and girls lacrosse as "emerging sports" still faces as many as four rounds of voting according to
KMTV-TV.
A decision may not be reached until June 2025. The go-ahead would trigger a three-year window to gauge interest before adopting it as a varsity sport.
A recent NFHS survey found 27 states offer boys lacrosse and 28 offer girls lacrosse as a sport.
The NSAA is also considering a proposal to allow students to play two sports in one season, an option that is seen as a potential boost for lacrosse.
