Leading off today: Thomas Jefferson junior Jahda Swann became the first underclassman in six years to earn player of the year honors in the large-school classification when the NYSSWA unveiled its all-state teams for Classes AAA, AA, and A boys basketball on Monday.
The 6-foot-6 standout led his team to the PSAL Class AAAA championship and the No. 2 spot in the final New York State Sportswriters Association rankings last month.
The last non-senior to earn the honor in the state's largest basketball classification was Long Island Lutheran junior Andre Curbelo, who shared the honor with Joe Toussaint of Cardinal Hayes in 2019.
Others earning player of the year honors as the NYSSWA released the second and final part of its all-state team:
• Class AA: Co-POYs Zubayr Griffin of Binghamton and Ras Elijah Godbolt of Albany Academy.
• Class A: Kellen Driscoll of Glens Falls.
Driscoll is a repeat first-team selection, as are Brandon Stores (St. Raymond) and Connor Sprattley (Thomas Jefferson) in Class AAA, and Connor Igoe (Poly Prep) in Class A.
NYSSWA All-State Team (Classes AAA, AA, A)
NYSSWA All-State Team (Classes B, C, D)
Work on the girls all-state teams is nearly complete and will be posted in the coming days.
Authorities investigating possible Westhill hazing incident
The Westhill boys lacrosse game against state-ranked Skaneateles scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed following confirmation from the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office that it is investigating a possible hazing incident involving members of the Westhill team.
Westhill had been scheduled to play Guilderland on Saturday, but that contest also did not take place.
Sheriff's office spokesperson Thomas Newton said no arrests had been made, Syracuse.com reported on Sunday.
Westhill Superintendent Steve Dunham told WSTM-TV that "some Westhill High School students were involved in a making a bad decision involving a few other Westhill students off of school property and outside of the school day on Thursday evening. A parent reached out to me on Friday morning."
Milestones
Victor baseball coach Sean Rucker reached 500 victories with an 8-1 win over Webster Thomas on Saturday. Rucker, who is in his 29th season, is the third Section 5 coach to reach 500.
Big effort on a significant anniversary
Columbia boys lacrosse star Buck DeLaMater scored a school-record 11 goals on Tuesday during a 21-18 loss to South Glens Falls. The performance was impressive, but the timing was storybook.
Exactly one year earlier, DeLaMater suffered a severe foot injury during a game against Albany CBA that ended his season, The Times Union reported.
"It was great for him and his family. His father was tearing up," Columbia coach Greg Sherwin said. "It was a really good night. I just wish we won."
The setback DeLaMater experienced was a Lisfranc injury, which refers to broken bones and/or torn ligaments between the toes and the ankle. It's such a severe injury that patients sometimes have to learn how to walk again. The rehabilitation process caused DeLaMater to miss his senior football and basketball seasons.
Final thought
I can't vouch for the accuracy of this graphic, and it's not clear what the source of final high school ratings is, but here's an interesting take on the past weekend's NFL Draft.
Not acknowledged, however, is the likelihood that reputable sources of recruit rankings probably issue far fewer five-star ratings than they do three- and four-star ratings.
