Leading off today: Copiague snapped the longest losing skid in Long Island football history at 42 games in dramatic fashion on Saturday, scoring a 20-19 victory over visiting Centereach.
Senior back Fabrice Cormier scored on a 10-yard run in overtime to give the Eagles the lead, then minutes later teamed with senior linebacker Steven Olivo to stuff a Centereach conversion attempt to seal the triumph on homecoming day.
"This feeling is unbelievable," Cormier told Newsday. "I've never won a game in Copiague. I've played three years of varsity football and never gave up on my team and my teammates -- it's incredible."
The Eagles last won a game exactly six years earlier.
In overtime, Cormier (18 carries, 102 yards) plowed over the left side and inside the pylon for the go-ahead touchdown, followed by David Saravia's extra point for a 20-13 lead.
With one possession with which to counter, Centereach quarterback T.J. Doyle II connected with Jake Mikochik on a 19-yard TD pass. Centereach coach Adam Barrett elected to go for the two-point conversion and the win, but Cormier and Olivo stopped the rushing attempt at the 2.
• Since the question invariable comes up when I blog about such matters, the longest active losing streak in the state now belongs to St. Lawrence, which dropped its 34th game in a row this weekend.
Weekend New York football scoreboard
2025 football classifications
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association approved the proposed changes to classification cutoffs on Thursday at its quarterly Executive Committee meeting. The numbers will go into effect for the 2025 playoffs and reflect the update to the enrollment data that was also approved at the meeting.
The Class D cutoff creeps up a bit, in part to try to keep the number of small schools playing 11-man football larger than the count for eight-man teams. That contributed to the chain effect for Classes A, B, and C.
| | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
| Class AA | 1025-up | 1025-up |
| Class A | 665-1024 | 651-1024 |
| Class B | 385-664 | 402-650 |
| Class C | 261-384 | 273-401 |
| Class D | 260-down | 272-down |
I'll blog on Monday regarding changes in the cutoffs for some other sports and how even a slight difference in the number of boys and girls teams playing a sport can leave a handful of schools caught in the middle.
NATA panel tackles specialization
National Athletic Trainers Association panelists meeting in a webinar
addressing specialization in youth sports last week presented six recommendations for encouraging more balanced and well-rounded preparation for those aspiring to become the next generation of athletic stars.
The panel, led by NATA President A.J. Duffy, included researchers, active athletic trainers, and academics of in the field of athletic training. Their consensus was that a misconception that young athletes must pick one sport and specialize in it to reach an elite level contributes to burnout, overuse injuries, and a lack of diverse physical development. Sports commonly cited for issues related to such specialization are baseball, softball, swimming, and basketball.
The group presented these recommendations:
- Delay specialization for as long as possible.
- One team at a time within the sport.
- Less than eight months per year.
- No more hours of practice per week than the age of the child.
- Two days of rest per week.
- Rest and recovery time from organized activity.
Milestones
Ray Maxwell became the winningest coach in Section 5 boys soccer history on Wednesday as Livonia defeated Wayland-Cohocton, 9-0, in a sectional Class B pre-quarterfinal.
The victory was No. 567 for Maxwell, eclipsing the mark of 566 by retired Red Creek coach Don Hartley. Earlier this fall, Maxwell moved past Herb Baker (Jasper-Troupsburg, 555) and Gary Schenk (Naples, 557) on the sectional list.
