Leading off today: Catching up on a pile of news while trying to figure out where the week went ...
Top Section 5 basketball player leaving state
Wayne basketball star Cam Blankenberg, a first-team all-state pick this season and strong contender for Class A player of the year next winter, is transferring to a Massachusetts prep school.
The 6-foot-6 junior confirmed his decision on social media. He will enroll at The Winchendon School, where Blankenberg intends to reclassify to the Class of 2027.
The two-time All-Greater Rochester Player of the Year led Wayne to back-to-back trips to the NYSPHSAA Class A final four. The Eagles reached the title game in 2024.
"It was a hard decision leaving Wayne," Blankenberg said. "What they've done for me, it took a lot of time and thought into leaving. It wasn't an easy decision, but it was a decision that had to be made in order for me to take that step in growing my basketball game."
Following up on La Salle's punishment
The Times Union did some
additional reporting following yesterday's breaking news that Section 2 has banned La Salle Institute from postseason play for the entire 2025-26 school year.
Yesterday's blog referenced La Salle running afoul of Section 2 with eligibility problems in girls soccer in 2022 and 2023 as well as in football in 2023, but the schools history of recent run-ins with the section is more extensive than that.
"This marks La Salle Institute's seventh documented violation since 2014 and its fifth since Fall 2022," Section 2 Executive Director Doug Gejay wrote in an email to the paper. "The school remains on probation with Section 2 through October 20, 2027."
Milestones
Anthony Raio of Half Hollow Hills scored four goals in a 22-8 lacrosse win over Commack last weekend to become Section 11's all-time leader in goals.
Raio's 255th goal eclipsed the mark set by West Islip's Nicky Galasso and moved him within striking distance of all-time Long Island leader Jeff Cohen (260).
• Two Long Island goalies have blown past the presumed NYSPHSAA record for career saves in girls lacrosse, according to Newsday.
Port Jefferson's Emma Batter had 706 saves and Cold Spring Harbor's Maya Soskin had 687 through Monday, bettering the mark of 665 compiled by former West Genesee star Allie Hanlon, who now plays for Syracuse University.
• North Salem boys lacrosse coach Vin Savastano booked his 400th career win with a 16-4 victory last weekend over Albertus Magnus. In an interesting twist, longtime assistant coach Scott Berniker was also at his side for win No. 1 for Savastano at Hendrick Hudson.
NYSPHSAA announces its 2025 Hall of Fame class
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association will induct six new members into its Hall of Fame during a ceremony on July 30 in Schenectady:
• Bill Bryant, currently the executive director for Section 4 after previously coaching at Binghamton and serving as the AD at Spencer-Van Etten, Ithaca, Brockport, and Marcellus. The Owego graduate also served as NYSAAA president in 2007.
• Don Cupertino, still active as the girls soccer coach at Bronxville with a 544-135-37 record placing him in the top five in state history for wins. The Washingtonville graduate's teams have earned 22 Section 1 championships in a 35-year career.
• Larry Gaultieri, who has officiated the sports of soccer, basketball, and baseball in Suffolk County since 1974, frequently representing Section 11 as an official at the NYSPHSAA boys basketball and soccer championships.
• Terence "T" McMahon, the all-time winningest boys varsity tennis coach in New York State and No. 3 in girls tennis, all while coaching at Orchard Park. Since 1975, he's accumulated a 661-92 record with 41 sectional championships on the boys side and 400-28 from 1975-2000 on the girls side. He has been the Section 6 boys tennis coordinator since 1982.
• Marty Sherman, who coached multiple sports, making his mark with 304 wrestling wins at Corinth, where he was also the athletic director. Sherman has been the NYSPHSAA wrestling coordinator since 2008, helping make the dual-meet championship a reality in 2019 and leading improvements in the weight certification process.
• Carl "Rollie" Stichweh, who was a four-sport star for Mineola High from 1957-61 and then a four-year starter at quarterback for the U.S. Military Academy.
Texas goes high-tech in football
The governing body for Texas high school sports has approved expanded use of technology for football teams. Beginning next season, the University Interscholastic League will allow teams to use "wearable technology" to
communicate with players for play-calling.
The communication will be in the form of texts from a coach in the coaching booth to players wearing a receiving device on his wrist.
The decision is in response to increasingly frequent complaints about sign-stealing.
