Leading off today: One of the more fascinating New York high school soccer stories in recent years has taken an abrupt turn with the report that Payton Galuski will not play for her school team this season.
There's a long history of girls playing on boys soccer teams, but Galuski took it to a new level last fall by becoming the first New York female selected to the boys all-state team. The honor came on the heels of a 19-goal, 18-assist sophomore season for Waterford-Halfmoon.
However, The Times Union reports there will not be an encore; she told teammates on Wednesday that she will instead play for the FC Stars, a New England club in the Elite Clubs National League for players bypassing their high school eligibility.
"It's just an opportunity for me to continue to grow," said Galuski, a Penn State commit.
Galuski played on Waterford-Halfmoon's NYSPHSAA championship teams in seventh and eight grades, then joined the boys lineup for the next two seasons, serving as a captain last year.
Now, her schedule will take Galuski to frequent travel across the Northeast.
Uncertain future pathway to pro baseball for H.S. stars
Not every New York baseball star makes the jump to the professional level in the same fashion as recent Hauppauge graduate Michael Oliveto, drafted in the first round by the Detroit Tigers six weeks ago and signed to a contract with a $2.45 million bonus.
Still, players are drafted or sign as free agents every year, bypassing college to begin what could be a six- or seven-year journey to the majors. But the door may soon close on that opportunity because Major League Baseball has proposed making high school players ineligible for the amateur draft beginning in 2028, limiting the eligibility pool to college and international prospects.
If the MLB Players Association agrees, the rule would require high schoolers to wait two years after graduating and be at least 20 years old by Sept. 1 of that year to gain draft eligibility.
The proposed change is seen by many as a cost-cutting measure for MLB teams. It's rare for clubs to not reach an understanding with a high school prospect before drafting him in the early rounds, where signing bonuses are in the mid-six figures and beyond. However, as money drops substantially in the later rounds, high school players can use college offers as leverage to extract more money.
"I definitely don't like hearing this rule, or the whole idea of it," St. Dominic's sophomore shortstop Dylan Weinstein told Newsday. "I don't think the whole thing is fair. I've seen guys get drafted ahead of me, and it's always been a goal of mine. That would be taking away my ability to achieve one of my biggest goals."
Weinstein has made a verbal commitment to the University of Florida but remains open to an early start to a pro career.
"I'm definitely hoping that I still have the chance to be drafted," he said. "I'm excited to go to Florida, but I really want to keep my options open to fulfill my dreams."
Counting down to a much-anticipated opener
Mike Dougherty of LoHud.com did a thorough job of explaining the excitement around next week's season-opening football game between
Iona Prep and Syracuse CBA, the defending large-school champions of their respective associations.
CBA has ridden a 41-game winning streak to three straight NYSPHSAA championships. Iona Prep is coming off back-to back CHSFL and New York State Catholic School championships.
They'll face off next Thursday at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse.
Aside from the championship pedigrees, some of the dynamics that make the game especially intriguing:
• Upstate vs. downstate.
• The most anticipated New York regular-season game in recent memory is being contested by two private schools at a time when debate about private schools in the NYSPHSAA has finally been dialed back half a notch.
• The venue is as good as it gets in New York.
"Our world has gotten a lot smaller," Iona Prep coach Joe Spagnolo said. "Years ago, Syracuse might as well have been in Canada. Nobody knew much about teams up there. Now with social media and the different recruiting platforms, our guys know the talent on this CBA team. They know about the scholarship-level kids on that roster. ... It's not a foreign team because teams in the state are so much closer."
Section 5 football ranks shrink by two
Mynderse Academy has dropped its varsity football program because of a shortage of players, but the school made arrangements with nearby Waterloo to allow 12 upperclassmen to stay on the field.
The collaboration will require result in Waterloo/Mynderse playing in Class B. With Section 5 switching back to league scheduling this fall, there won't be a need for a do-over on schedules though Mynderse's opponents will need to pick up replacement games where possible.
Separately, Wilson Magnet also dropped its varsity team due to low turnout.
"We're all battling that," Section 5 coordinator Tyler Winter told the Democrat and Chronicle.
Epic winless streak ends
Columbia High in Huntsville, Ala., snapped its
101-game winless streak over the weekend with a 41-14 win over Greensboro, Ala., High in its season opener.
Columbia's futility streak began after a 34-16 win over Ardmore (Ala.) on Sept. 26, 2015.
Amazingly, the Columbia dry spell wasn't close to the longest active winless streak. MaxPreps reports Red Lake, Minn., has a 150-game streak that goes all the way back to Oct. 16, 1999.
Fayetteville-Manlius picks Aris' replacement
Ken Hammond, a business and marketing teacher at Fayetteville-Manlius and a longtime endurance athlete, is the school's new cross country coach. He replaces Bill Aris, who built the program into a dynasty but was not retained after 33 years in charge.
"I want to bring joy into running," Hammond said of his message to his new team, according to Syracuse.com. "I want you to feel comfortable, I want you to feel safe and I want to win. And I think we can do all of those things together."
Hammond spent the past four years as an assistant varsity indoor track and field coach and head modified outdoor track and field coach at Cazenovia. Hammond said he has met Aris in passing, but never had a conversation with him.
F-M opens its season on Sept. 16.
Avon coach steps aside for a year
Andy Englert, Avon's head football coach for 28 years, is taking the year off so that he can give undivided attention to watching his son Trent play his senior season at York/Pavilion.
Justin Dueppengiesser, Englert's assistant for the past 17 seasons, will step into the role of head coach.
"Out of 31 varsity games, I've only seen my son play seven times, and three of them I've coached against him," Englert said. "I need to do it for my kid for one year."
Englert plans to reapply for the one-year position in 2027.
Avon is the two-time defending champion in Section 5 Class D.
