Leading off today: William Floyd distance runner Zariel Macchia will have to sit out the NYSPHSAA indoor track and field championships next month after violating a long-standing but seldom-noticed rule,
Newsday reported this week.
The Brigham Young University-bound senior's ineligibility status stems from her competing against college athletes at a recent meet, Section 11 Executive Director Tom Combs told the paper.
The ruling will not affect Macchia's outdoor season, but it does temporarily bench the state's most accomplished female track and field athlete of the decade. Macchia has won six state championships in cross country or track, but the development knocks her out of the 1,000 and 3,000 meters for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships on March 8.
"We love everything Zariel has done," Combs said. "She's phenomenal. We hope that things fall in her direction, however, there are rules that we have to follow."
NYSPHSAA rules prohibit athletes from practicing or competing against "any individual or team representing a college" during a sport's season. Macchia violated the rule last weekend at a meet at Boston University where she finished third in the 1,000 meters -- her time of 2:44.84 was the second-fastest in state history -- against a field of competitors representing NCAA programs.
"I knew that we were supposed to sign her up unattached and that it's never been a problem before," said Pete Macchia, the runner's father. "She's run unattached against college and professional runners since ninth grade, and the way we've entered those is the same way we've entered this and it's never been an issue."
The problem in this case wasn't with Macchia's status, however. Had her opponents run unaffiliated, which often happens for select races at invitationals, Macchia would not have been in violation of the rule.
Pete Macchia said he has reached out to lawyers who represented six Northport wrestlers this month in a successful appeal of an unrelated eligibility decision and plans to appeal the ruling.
Coaching news
Blake White has stepped down as the boys soccer coach at Lake George, where he booked 487 victories and four section 2 championships.
Passings
Former Staten Island Advance sports reporter
Stephen Hart died after a short illness. He was 60.
Hart was heavily involved in high school sports coverage for more two decades beginning in 1989. WHile still writing and editing, he began transitioning into a teaching career at St. Joseph by-the-Sea in 2009, finally becoming a full-time English instructor in 2016.
"Whatever he did for us on the newspaper -- columnist, reporter, copy desk -- he did it well and he made us better and as one of his editors, I always appreciated that," said Carmine Angioli, the Advance's sports editor from 2000-14 and currently the Advance's sports print curator. "But more important than that was Steve's spirit, humor and attitude. He is among the kindest souls I've ever come across, not just in this profession but anywhere."
• Jon Dolecki, who coached Glen Cove to 532 baseball victories and a state championship via a walk-off home run during a 34-year tenure, died on Tuesday at the age of 77.
Dolecki, who retired from teaching architectural drawing, wood shop, metals and ceramics in 2007, also won 163 basketball games in 15 season.
The 1986 Glen Cove team went 29-5 and won the state Class B title by defeating Warwick, 5-4, on Desi Wilson's walk-off home run.
Study: Soft-shell helmets at practice aren't helping
A University of Wisconsin study of 2,610 high school football players found wearing soft-shell helmet covers, marketed as Guardian Cap helmet devices, during practice had no effect on
concussion rates.
"Unfortunately, we found that using these devices may provide false reassurance to players and their parents who are hoping to reduce their kids' risk of concussion," said Dr. Erin Hammer, assistant professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Hammer followed players from 41 Wisconsin football teams during the 2023 season. Head injuries were assessed by the teams' athletic trainers, who tracked cap use and the number of times a player practiced or played. Upon comparing concussion rates between 1,188 players who did not wear Guardian Caps during practice and 1,451 players who did, researchers found no statistical difference between the groups.
The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, cannot be generalized to college athletes or the NFL because those players wear a different model of the shell.
Feds looking into more H.S. associations
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights will investigate the Minnesota State High School League and the California Interscholastic Federation, both of which announced plans to violate federal
anti-discrimination laws related to girls' and women's sports.
The Office for Civil Rights is already investigating the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association for reported violations of Title IX.
In accordance with state laws, the MSHSL and CIF allow athletes to participate on teams based on "an individual's subjective gender identity rather than biological sex, even though biological sex is the basis for Title IX protections," the DOE notice of inquiry says. "State laws do not override federal anti-discrimination laws, and these entities and their member schools remain subject to Title IX and its implementing regulations."
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting male athletes from competing in women's sports or using women's locker rooms.
