Leading off today: Three defending NYSPHSAA Division 2 wrestling champions earned titles on Saturday at the Eastern States Classic in Clifton Park.
Chris Noto of Honeoye Falls-Lima, Gavin Mangano of Shoreham-Wading River, and Devin Downes of Plainedge all prevailed as No. 1 seeds.
Noto scored an 11-3 decision over Anthony Severino at 132 pounds, Mangano decisioned Samson McKissick-Staley of Pittsford by a 17-3 margin at 144 pounds in a rematch of last winter's 138 final. Downes posted a 9-3 decision in the 215-pound division over Zach Filip of Minisink Valley.
One other reigning champ reached a final, but Dunia Sibomana of Long Beach suffered a 5-4 setback to Cooper Merli of the New York Military Academy at 118 pounds.
Mangano, a junior who has already committed to Penn State, has won the prestigious mid-season event four consecutive years. That matches the achievements of Long Beach's Jacori Teemer (2015-2018) and Syosset's Vito Arujau (2014-2017).
Mangano totaled four pins in 2:24 and a technical fall en route to the final.
"I want to be as humble as possible, but I think it's pretty amazing," Mangano, a two-time state champion, told Newsday. "Not a lot of people have done it. I'm proud myself and of course thankful for all the help from my coaches and my dad."
Said S-WR coach Joe Condon: "You just have to appreciate it while you can because this type of dominance at this tournament might never happen again,"
Another milestone for Marcellus star
The 2025-26 school year has been memorable for Marcellus multi-sport star
Cece Powell. In the fall, he recorded the 100th goal of her soccer career that ended with a NYSPHSAA championship.
On Saturday, the reigning All-Central New York Female Athlete of the Year eclipsed 2,000 career points in basketball while dropping 28 on Homer during her unbeaten team's 73-39 triumph on her home court.
"I'm grateful for each night I get to go out on that court," Powell told Syracuse.com. "I’ve received so much support from teammates, my family and the community. I'm so blessed and grateful that I get to play the game that I love."
National honors for pair of soccer coaches
The United Soccer Coaches' annual convention kicks off Wednesday in Philadelphia, and two current New York scholastic coaches are being honored by their peers.
Elmira's Steve Mastronardi, 49, has been named the USC's National High School Assistant Coach of the Year.
"Not only is he a really high-quality coach with some high-quality licensing, but he's just a great human being as well," Elmira boys head coach Derek Hamilton told the Star-Gazette. "He's dedicated to what we do, he's super knowledgeable of the sport itself and he's extremely easy to work with."
Mastronardi, a counselor for the Elmira City School District, joined the soccer staff in 2023 after eight seasons as varsity coach at Elmira Southside and eight in charge at Corning.
Said Mastronardi: "It's been a fun ride thus far working with Derek and the Express after coaching against each other for years, and being friends, and club and all the soccer stuff we do outside of high school together."
Meanwhile, Floral Park boys coach Ahkeel Rodney has been named the 2025 High School Coach of the Year by the Black Soccer Coaches Leadership Team, an advocacy group within the USC.
Rodney helped the Knights win their second straight sectional title last fall. He holds a 77-20-11 record in six seasons.
"I can take such pride in it because it's what the boys have accomplished," Rodney said. "We put this project together about changing the culture and all these things, and ultimately, it's the boys out there who are the ones performing and getting it done."
Rodney was nominated for the honor by Mabricio Wilson.
"I saw when he took over Floral Park, Wilson said. "It was a program that wasn't that successful with soccer. And then I saw him put the sweat and tears into the program -- many summers training for two months prior to the season, just putting in the work -- and I was proud of him and what he delivered."
Precious medal prices are soaring
This isn't a high school sports tidbit
per se, but the central figure sort of has Section 5 roots. I can remember Steve Lochte toting an infant
Ryan Lochte around the pool while running an age-group swim program that trained numerous sectional champions in the 1980s before the family moved to Florida.
Last weekend, Ryan Lochte put three of his Olympic gold medals earned in relays up for auction. They fetched a total of $385,520, including buyer's premium.
Lochte previously sold six medals for a combined $166,000 in 2022.
With six gold medals, three silvers, and three bronzes, Lochte in the third-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history, trailing only Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky.
In 2022, Lochte said he was selling his bronze and silver medals because they were "collecting dust," and the proceeds reportedly went to a non-profit organization funding money to send terminally ill children on trips.
He recently went on social media to explain his mindset.
“I never swam for the gold medals," he said. "My passion has always been about being one of the best swimmers in the world. Those medals? They were just the cherry on top of an incredible journey."
