Leading off today: An incident last week has started rippling through Ohio high school football, the sort of domino effect that could throw a monkey wrench into extra-curricular activities anywhere with virtually no notice.
On Wednesday, Miami Valley (Ohio) Christian Academy officials said their team would not travel to North College Hill for tonight's scheduled game. On Thursday, Batavia (Ohio) High's game vs. Shroder High scheduled for last night was postponed.
North College Hill's game against Cincinnati Country Day on Sept. 6 ended midway through the third quarter when multiple shots were fired near an apartment complex across from their stadium. The source of the Batavia-Shroder problem is a shooting that wounded a 13-year-old student outside Taft High after dismissal. Taft is located near Cincinnati's Willard Stargel Stadium, and Shroder uses it as its home stadium.
"Due to police activity in the area and concern for the well-being of the student-athletes and fans from both schools, tonight's game is postponed," the Batavia's athletic department said.
Officials from the schools were scrambling to determine if the game could be moved to another venue this weekend.
It's likely that the two shooting incidents were random and unrelated to football, but the reluctance of school officials to stick to this week's schedule is understandable. If anything did happen, the second-guessing would be immediate and intense.
Ome quick boys soccer notes
A two-goal advantage is supposedly the most dangerous lead in soccer. Maple Grove actually built a three-goal lead Wednesday in Western New York action, but the Red Dragons could come away with nothing more than
a 4-4 tie with Westfield/Brocton.
Maple Grove went ahead 3-0 midway through the first half, but senior Carson Swanson fed teammate Anthony Gatto for one goal, then Gatto returned the favor five minutes later. Maple Grove restored the two-goal lead midway through the second half on senior Arley Culver's fourth tally, but Swanson responded a minute later and then concluded the scoring in the 75th minute.
• Also on Wednesday, Anthony Cocca scored the winner with 14:52 to play, sending Arlington to a 2-1 victory over Scarsdale and snapping the Raiders' 44-game unbeaten streak in boys soccer.
Cocca gathered a rebound on the far post and chipped in a put-back to knock off the two-time defending NYSPHSAA Class AA champions.
"We weren't that nervous," coach Brady Battistoni told The Journal News about facing the defending state champions. "We reflected on how things went for us last year, when we started 0-1-1 and ended up in the final four. We respect Scarsdale, but the boys were ready to put on a great performance."
Today's extra points
• The beloved Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory in NYC's Washington Heights is getting a new track for the upcoming season. Officials there estimate the current Mondo surface has logged nearly five million miles since a resurfacing in 2018.
