Leading off today: It's probably going to be a case of "too little, too late," but here's hoping that Ryan Leary receives a favorable ruling from the New York State Education Department.
Leary, 16, played both football and soccer last fall as a Carle Place junior, with his role in football limited to placekicking responsibilities. When he sought to also get on the field this fall as a receiver, Newsday reported, he was informed by district Superintendent Ted Cannone that he could not play both sports if he was going to add to his football duties.
Consequently, Leary dropped soccer entirely.
Leary's appeals to the district fell upon deaf ears, so his family filed a petition to NYSED on Sept. 25.
"A petition requesting a stay has been filed, and under this process, the Commissioner (Betty Rosa) will typically issue a decision within a few business days after receiving the respondent's opposition papers," NYSED spokesman JP O'Hare said in a statement to Newsday.
Unfortunately, the soccer regular season is already down to its final two weeks, so even an expedited ruling in his favor won't help much -- if at all. And that's a shame; Leary scored 17 goals last year in helping Carle Place to a NYSPHSAA championship.
Neither Section 8 nor the NYSPHSAA has a rule against playing two sports in the same season, and the respective Carle Place coaches were on board with another season of dual duties. Thus, it's only the superintendent standing in his way.
Getting a positive decision from the NYSED might not do much for Leary, who's in his senior year. But it would be a boost for future athletes tripped up by an arbitrary decision.
Following up
We noted two weeks ago that Catholic Central, a Section 2 small-school power in the sport, had to
drop boys basketball for the upcoming season due to a lack of players.
Now, we know the fate of the schools projected top returning player. Point guard Sei'Mir Roberson has landed at Westminster School in Simsbury, Conn.
Roberson was named fifth-team all-state in Class A last season by the New York State Sportswriters Association. Before that he was on the Class A eighth team in 2024 and the Class B seventh team in 2023.
Something to keep an eye on
We're far enough into the fall sports season where trends start to emerge. This week, the
Democrat and Chronicle noted a large number of non-competitive football matchups in Section 5 thus far.
The story delved into a number of possible reasons for so many games being all but decided by halftime. What caught my eye was a note that the section's executive director has already processed around 100 transfer requests in all sports affecting the current school year and expects around 100 more by the end of the school year.
The story quotes one veteran Section 5 football coach as saying he's noticed more transfers in the past few seasons. That coach wasn't pointing a finger at any school in particular, but a couple of emails I received after the story appeared are certainly focused on one school -- and it's not one that is typically in everyone's crosshairs.
Out of curiosity, I took a look at the roster and certainly noticed some names of athletes who previously played varsity football elsewhere. I'm, still looking, but I'm not seeing the volume of imports yet that people are alleging.
Stepinac's basketball season could be huge
Senior guard Hassan Koureissi verbally committed to Fordham University men's basketball last week, and he's definitely not the last Archbishop Stepinac player who'll be going Division I. Kevin Devaney Jr. tweeted last week that all five starters and four of their teammates are headed in that direction.
Among them, fellow seniors Jasiah Jervis, Adonis Ratliff, Darius Ratliff, and Josh Rivera all hold offers from big-name universities.
Stepinac has the makings of the greatest New York team this century and potentially one of the best ever.
Speaking of commitments
Shoreham-Wading River junior wrestler Gavin Mangano has made an early commitment to Penn State coach Cael Sanderson after turning down the likes of Oklahoma, North Carolina, and North Carolina State.
"When Cael called us, Gavin's question was, 'Where do I fit in here? I want to wrestle. I want to be the guy,'" Nick Mangano, Gavin's father," told Newsday. "Cael said, 'We wouldn't be recruiting you if we didn't think you were the guy.'"
Mangano has already won two straight NYSPHSAA Division II titles and three consecutive Eastern States championships. His 50-0 sophomore season improved his record to 167-3 with two seasons to go.
Milestones
Baldwinsville girls soccer coach
Kathy Morse earned her 300th victory since 2003 with a 7-1 win vs. Oneonta over the weekend. Morse is the daughter of legendary Section 3 football coach John Arcaro, for whom the Bees' football stadium is named.
Hard to believe this is necessary ... but it probably is
The Arizona Interscholastic Association has pushed through an emergency policy making in-season, out-of-state high school transfers ineligible to participate in team sports for one year, the
Arizona Republic reported.
Military transfer students are exempt, and the AIA will hear hardship cases for situations such as job-related moves. However, the governing body felt compelled to act after four football players arrived at Mesa Senior High last month by way of Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, Calif.
Torrance and Mesa are 400 miles apart.
Last month, the California Interscholastic Federation ruled 19 Bishop Montgomery players ineligible for two years following an investigation into allegations of a transfer-for-money scandal. Montgomery then shut down its varsity football program.
