Leading off today: Do as I say, not as I do.
Presumably without realizing it, that is the message Section 1 has sent to a large number of its football coaches through recent decisions, the latest being the release of this fall's regular-season schedule.
(Reader advisory: It'll take me a bunch of paragraphs to make that point, but I swear I will.)
There's still time -- just barely -- to fix it. But that's going to require a bunch of people to stand up right now and concede that lumping schools from three classes together into one scheduling matrix with no regard for enrollment data is a bad idea.
Here's what's going on, as reported by LoHud.com:
As is the case in several sections of the NYSPHSAA, there is a disparity in enrollments among football playing schools in Section 1. While there are robust numbers in Classes AA, A, and B, the section will have just seven teams in Class C and two in Class D this fall.
Rather than having Class D Haldane and Tuckahoe playing each other 10 weekends in a row, the logical move would be to fold them into the schedule with the section's seven Class C schools and perhaps be able to go outside the section for a few games with small schools.
Instead, Section 1 is going the route of throwing its C and D schools into a dog pile with the 13 teams in Class B and rolling out a scheduling matrix. All 22 schools were ranked according to perceived program strength but without regard to enrollment.
The matrix concept seems to have worked reasonably well recently when employed in Class B. However, importing Class C and D teams into the scheduling mix now creates the possibility of Tuckahoe, Haldane, Woodlands, Valhalla, and Rye Neck all having to play opponents with enrollments at least twice their size.
One example cited in the website's story: Dobbs Ferry, a mid-sized Class C squad with a solid football tradition but a BEDS number of 341, begins its 2025 season against three Class B opponents: Pleasantville (408), Pelham (609), and John Jay-Cross River (650), the latter being just one student short of remaining in Class A.
Valhalla is coming off an 11-1 season in Class C but hasn't been particularly powerful otherwise in recent seasons. The second-smallest Class C school in the section (308 BEDS number) will have to take on Class B Pearl River (567), Ardsley (557), Byram Hills (548), Edgemont/Blind Brook (539), and Briarcliff/Hamilton (409).
"I agree some things need to change in football to make it better," Vikings coach Dan DeMatteo said. "This is not it. The numbers don't warrant this. I had to cancel a Week 0 game against Dover because I can't survive the games I've got."
At this point, it's important to note that scheduling is a sectional-level decision. For instance, Section 5 stuck with league-based regular-season matchups in football for several years before finally falling in line with most of the rest of the NYSPHSAA and grouping its schools by playoff classifications.
Having said that, I can recall a NYSPHSAA Executive Committee meeting not too many years ago at which the football committee's proposed update to enrollment cutoffs for the state tournament was rejected out of concern over the disparity between the largest and smallest Class D BEDS numbers. (In fairness, even the football committee recognized the issue but was boxed in by the shrinking number of Class D programs). I am pretty sure what Section 1 is doing wouldn't pass muster with the Championship Advisory Committee or the Executive Committee if this were a statewide issue rather than a sectional matter.
But that leads me back to where this blog item began: Section 1 is not being consistent, even seemingly contradicting one of its own recent rulings.
Last fall, the NYSPHSAA approved the BEDS numbers that will determine class placement for schools in the 2025-26 school year. On paper, Somers -- coming off a third consecutive state Class A championship (and four straight trips to the final) -- was slated to come down to Class B this fall.
But when Somers administrators sought to stay in Class A, Section 1 said no because its rules do not allow for a school to move up. The Tuskers did manage to circumvent that by creating a combined team with North Salem, which is decoupling from John Jay Cross River.
So, Section 1 didn't want Somers playing in Class A despite a proven recent history of being able to punch above its weight, but it has no qualms about sending Class D Haldane and Tuckahoe up against Class B Pelham.
Please, someone, make it make sense.
Speaking of scheduling ...
The Monsignor Martin High School Athletic Association has dropped out of the Western New York Boys Federation Hockey League, MMHSAA Executive Director Peter Schneider announced Friday.
"After 35 years as a member of the league our schools no longer feel that the
Federation League serves the purpose for our schools that was intended when the league originated back in 1990," Schneider wrote in a letter to Section 6 Executive Director Mark DiFillippo.
The Federation league began with four members each from Section 6 and the MMAA, but has since grown to 25 schools, with the five private schools housed in their own division. There was still crossover scheduling between Section 6 and MMAA teams recently, but not as much as in the past.
For instance, St. Joe's played just four of its 24 games in the just-concluded season against Section 6 schools. In all likelihood, the Monsignor Martin schools can continue that level of interaction while no longer having to lock into the Federation's schedule.
"[W]e feel that our schools would be better served at this time to continue playing under the MMHSAA banner and to seek individual games with our public school
counterparts, in a similar fashion as we do for other sports," Schneider said in his statement.
"We look forward to continuing our great working relationship with Section VI and the
NYSPHSAA in all sports."
