Two dominant quarterbacks have repeated as New York State Sportswriters Association players of the year in flag football, joined on the high-honors podium by a third star signal-caller.
Senior Samantha Heyman of Half Hollow Hills (Class A), junior Gina Iannuzzi of MacArthur (B), and junior Ellie Edwards of Pioneer (C) garnered the top honors as the NYSSWA announced its second annual all-state teams in the rapidly growing sport. Heyman was the Class A player of the year in 2025; Edwards was the co-POY in Class C on the inaugural team.
Heyman threw for 4,369 yards and accounted for 70 touchdowns en route to earning first-team All-Long Island honors for the fourth straight season and steering Half Hollow Hills to a NYSPHSAA championship.
Iannuzzi threw for 3,189 yards and 45 touchdowns in leading MacArthur into the NYSPHSAA semifinals.
Edwards threw for 2,041 yards and 51 scores in helping her school repeat as a state champion. She ran for an additional 1,407 yards and 25 more scores.
2026 NYSSWA FLAG FOOTBALL FINAL RANKINGS
Another title for Nina Choe
Recent Ursuline graduate Nina Choe is on quite the roll this summer on her way to heading to college at California-Davis next month.
Choe, who tied for third at last month's NYSPHSAA tournament and captured the 63rd New York State Girls' 18U Junior championship three weeks ago, added the title at the 96th NYS Women's Amateur Championship to her portfolio on Tuesday at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland.
According to the NYSGA, the 2025 NYSPHSAA champion and longtime LPGA standout Dottie Pepper are the only two competitors to have won the Girls' 18U Junior Amateur and the Women's Amateur Championship in the same year.
With the win, Choe earned a spot in the U.S. Women's Amateur field in Ooltewah, Tenn., next month.
"I played a qualifier (for the U.S. Women's Amateur] earlier this year and I missed by a couple shots so knowing I had a second chance was great," she said.
Choe's final-round for 4-under-par 67 gave her a two-stroke win over Sophia Li, who had taken the lead by two strokes by holing out for eagle at No. 10 and making a birdie at No. 11. Choe regained the lead for goof with two consecutive birdies beginning at No. 14.
Section 3 districts contemplating merger
Syracuse.com reported this week that Cazenovia and Morrisville-Eaton school leaders are in the early stages of exploring a merger for the districts in the face on enrollments that have been on the decline for two decades and finances that hitting local homeowners hard.
If a merger agreement passes two rounds of voting by residents in both districts, the combined district would be in line for an extra $62 million in state aid over the next 14 years and as much as $200 million to improve its buildings and campuses.
The districts already share a summer program that includes swimming and tennis lessons, and the high schools field combined teams in ice hockey and lacrosse.
There are logistical concerns, including the expansive size of the existing districts. Together, they would cover about 190 square miles, making it one of the largest districts in Central New York.
The story notes that there are several other Upstate districts starting or involved in merger feasibility studies:
• Deposit and Hancock in Section 4.
• Bradford and Campbell-Savona in Section 5.
• Andover and Whitesville, also in Section 5.
• Clymer, Sherman and Panama in Section 6.
Nike makes big move into scholastic NIL deals
Nike has made Name, Image, and Likeness deals with 11 rising juniors and seniors regarded as among the nation's top scholastic football prospects, a move aimed at building relationships now ahead of potential NFL careers.
None of the 11 are from New York.
"Nike's football roster has always been defined by the athletes who are shaping where the game goes next," said Ann Miller, executive vice president of Global Sports Marketing. "These signings reflect our commitment to serving the best football talent at every level with the support, innovation and partnership they need to reach their full potential on the field and away from the game."
