Leading off today: The coach accused of directing his players to throw a game to ensure a favorable matchup in last spring's Section 6 baseball tournament has been re-appointed to his position at Williamsville East, The Buffalo News reported.
Christopher Gruarin was reappointed by the Williamsville School Board at a pay rate of $5,126 in January, according to meeting records. The reappointment was one of 70 spring coaching assignments approved without discussion at the Jan. 13 meeting. A district spokesperson told the paper officials would not comment, and Gruarin did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Gruarin came under scrutiny last May after Hamburg coach Derek Hill documented the actions Williamsville East took while surrendering a big lead and losing a regular-season game between the schools.
By losing, Williamsville East manipulated the sectional seedings to assure itself of games against two considerably weaker opponents to start the Class AA tournament. The Flames won those two games by a combined 28-0 score, then went on to win twice more to earn the class championship. Their season came to an end with a loss to Webster Schroeder in the NYSPHSAA state tournament quarterfinals.
Hamburg's Hill wrote to Section 6 administrators to detail the shenanigans that allowed his team to rally from a 7-3 deficit in the sixth inning to a 14-7 victory, apparently after Williamsville East learned of the outcome of another game that had implications for the tournament seeding.
Gruarin, a physical education teacher at Williamsville North, did not coach the baseball team again following the Hamburg game, but the school board subsequently OK'd him as an assistant coach for JV football in the fall and for the district's coed unified bowling team this winter.
Williamsville East and Hamburg are schedule to play each other in baseball on May 18 and 19.
Opinion
I fully understand why they might feel as though they cannot do it, but I'd have no issue with Hamburg administrators forfeiting the scheduled baseball games against Williamsville East on May 18 and 19.
While it's possible there may have been the loss of a week's stipend and/or some other form of reprimand, the Williamsville East coach was allowed to skate following last spring's farcical ending to the regular season. Giving him two subsequent coaching appointments was bad enough, but allowing him to coach baseball again pointedly says "screw you" to Section 6 and all the players and coaches who choose to do it the right way.
Bishop Kearney unveils ambitious facilities upgrade plan
Fresh off seeing five of its former students help the United States to Olympic gold in women's ice hockey (with three others representing other countries), Bishop Kearney administrators have announced plans for a new athletic complex that included a regulation hockey rink.
The new facility, tentatively scheduled to open in the 2027-2028 school year, will also feature an indoor turf field and an array of fitness training equipment.
Paul Colontino, president of the Section 5 school in Irondequoit, said the projected cost is upwards of $10 million.
"This is about, how do we create the next step for BK in terms of its foundation, but also in terms of what it can offer all of our students here," Colontino said. "And the vision grew to a facility that could house and provide a space for not only things on the field, but off the field."
Much of the ambitious plan is a nod to the success of the BK Selects hockey program operated by the school. The teams have been renting ice time at area rinks.
