Leading off today: Port Jefferson's football season is back on, albeit as part of a combined program with Rocky Point. The development came Friday as the State Education Commissioner's office issued a stay, allowing the programs can join forces and still remain eligible for postseason play.
The appeal was the next step following unfavorable rulings first by Section 11 and then by the section's appeals committee on the grounds that the merger of schools needed to take place before schedules were set early in the year.
"They are going to give them a stay, meaning they can play the season, and then they'll rule on it after the season, whether our rule is justified or not," Section 11 Executive Director Tom Combs told Newsday. "We don't make any rules; the membership -- our 62 school districts -- make the rules. Our job is to make sure the members are following those rules. I don't have the authority to override our policy for Port Jefferson. I want to see kids playing."
The overall impact is relatively small, with the paper reporting only four Port Jefferson players had confirmed their intention to join forces with Rocky Point, though more could still come aboard. Practices they attended before Port Jefferson called off its season will count toward establishing their eligibility.
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The approval for Port Jefferson players to unite with Rocky Point on a combined football team came in the form of a stay issued by the State Education Department rather than a ruling.
It may sound like it's just a matter of semantics, but the distinction matters. The SED tends to move at a glacial pace, primarily a consequence of needing to handle numerous appeals that are typically about residency, transportation requests or immunization rules rather than anything remotely related to sports.
If I were a betting man, I'd wager that the SED doesn't get around to examining the issues involved in the Port Jefferson appeal until after the season ends, at which time the commissioner will declare it moot and not make a ruling.
That happens frequently, and it's really not good governance because it offers no clarity for the next time a similar case arises.
Notable from Week 2 of the football season
I'm not here to recount tales of how I walked uphill in snow in both directions to get to school as a youth, but I will say I miss the days when newspapers produced at least brief write-ups on each area game the following day.
Obviously, times have changed and the concept of being "the paper of record" scarcely exists. However, I did find a few nuggets worth mentioning from Week 2 in New York high school football:
• Khalil Brassell (13 of 19, 255 yards) threw a 14-yard TD pass to Tristian Darwin and ran in the 2-point conversion with 30 seconds remaining to lead Lawrence past Oyster Bay/Friends Academy 38-36, snapping a 27-game losing streak.
• Brassell also intercepted two passes and rushed for 65 yards and a TD.
• Defending NYSPHSAA Class B champion Monroe scored touchdowns via runs, passes, punt returns, a kickoff return, a fumble recovery and a pick-six during its 64-19 win over McQuaid.
• Taye Brown Jr. threw for one score, caught a 65-yard pass for a second TD, and also found the end zone on three carries as Rochester East beat Aquinas 49-0.
• Monroe at East this weekend is an obvious contender for the Section 5 game of the year.
• Avon's James Chase scored on all three of his rushing attempts, covering 143 yards, in a 47-0 victory over Holley/Lyndonville.
• Jack Miller had 19 carries for 314 yards and five touchdowns in North Babylon's 42-21 win over Smithtown East in a Suffolk Division II game. His TD runs covered 1, 13, 75, 78, and 81 yards.
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Port Washington 54, Syosset 21: Harry Eynon went 12-for-14 passing with 234 yards and five touchdowns for Port Washington in its 54-21 win over Syosset.
WEEK 2 FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
Say hello to the Shenendehowa Mustangs
The long discussion in the Shenendehowa schools community has ended with the selection of a new nickname. The Shenendehowa Plainsmen are now the
Shenendehowa Mustangs.
The district dropped Plainsmen in 2024 amid concerns the name had been associated with derogatory depictions of Native Americans.
