Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005

   Final rankings for all football classes except AA, which could change this week due to the PSAL title game, have been posted. After much discussion, we've decided to tie Amsterdam and Garden City for No. 1 in Class A.

   As NYSSWA rankings editor Neil Kerr points out, Class AA Bellport is the best team on Long Island. Garden City gave them a great battle in an 8-0 loss on championship weekend. Twinned with Amsterdam's two losses to good (but not spectacular) Class A teams this fall, we felt a tie was the way to go.

   Though unusual, it's not unprecedented. We tied Bellport and Aquinas in 2001, for instance, because both teams had amazing credentials and star power. Now that was an instance when we really needed to have L.I. schools participate in the state tourney. I'm still convinced that Aquinas-Bellport would have been a game for the ages.

   Two steps forward, one step back: The new artificial surface on the Carrier Dome floor is definitely an improvement over the old turf, but it comes at a price. Because it's a permanent surface, it cannot be rolled up and put into storage, meaning that the Dome has hosted its last track meet and indoor states will be returning to Cornell University in Ithaca on March 4. I saw a lot of memorable high school track at SU over the years and will miss it. On the other hand, quaint ol' Barton Hall does have a certain charm to it.

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2005

   How about a round of applause for the Harrison police department, which understands the concept of "no harm, no foul." It seems that 13 Rye football players made a road trip to Harrison High on Monday to cap off the celebration of their state football championship.

   The players drove around the Harrison building in several cars, honking their horns and shouting -- there were no altercations -- before police blocked the exit, loaded the players into a van and held them at the police station until their parents could come get them.

   The cars got towed, but police declined to press charges for trespassing. Star fullback Robert Nieves, who wasn't involved, issued an apology for the ruckus.

   The New York State Sportswriters Association's first set of basketball rankings for the season are still about two weeks away. Niagara Falls (Section 6) has the longest active streak of weeks in the top 10 -- 74 consecutive polls beginning Dec. 31, 2000. Close behind are Mount Vernon (Section 1, 66 polls) and Rice (PSAL, 61 polls). Niagara Falls has some rebuilding to do, but I like the odds of Mount Vernon and Rice each tacking on another 15 weeks or so to their streaks.

   I may try adding up the girls leaders if I get some spare time, but I've been told I can't count high enough. I'm thinking Christ The King must have a streak of 200 or so polls.

   The Niagara Falls boys will be returning to the Primetime Shootout in Trenton, N.J., in February to take on Newark (N.J.) Shabazz. One of the other games at the even matches Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame Academy vs. St. Louis Vashon in a rematch of sorts. Paul Harris, who recently signed his letter of intent with Syracuse, was a senior on the Niagara Falls team whose only loss last year came at the hands on Vashon, 69-66. He now attends prep school at Notre Dame Academy.

Monday, Nov. 28, 2005

   Interesting column in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin by John Fox over the weekend, summing up some of the frustrations associated with not having Long Island involved in the state football playoffs. He dug up a fact I'd forgotten: State football chair Dick Cerone confirmed that there was a quid pro quo involved in launching the state and Long Island tournaments two decades ago. Long Island's football reps agreed to support the NYSPHSAA tournament in exchange for Cerone's support for letting Nassau and Suffolk counties go it alone.

   As much as I'd like to see Sections 8 and 11 get involved, I will agree with Hans Weiderkehr, president of the Suffolk County Coaches Association when he says Long Island fans won't travel to Syracuse on Thanksgiving weekend to support their teams. That's a long trip at a busy time of year, and even Webster Thomas fans (90 or so minutes down the street from Syracuse) didn't show up in the big numbers we're used to seeing from that sports-minded community.

   The Shenendehowa boys clawed their way to No. 12 in the country in the season's final National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. Also making the list were Fulton (17th) and Pittsford Mendon (21st). Cleveland St. Ignatius finished at the top.

   On the girls side, Hendersonville, Texas, Pope John Paul II pulled down the No. 1 spot with a 22-0-2 record. Among N.Y. schools, Massapequa was sixth, Rockville Centre South Side 13th and North Rockland 19th.

Sunday, Nov. 27, 2005

   It was a good but not especially memorable first day of football finals at the Carrier Dome on Saturday as Amsterdam (Class A), Sidney (C) and Randolph (D) all took home championships. A couple of brief thoughts:

   Don't let the final score fool you. Geneva played Amsterdam close in what turned out to be a 35-14 final. The difference was that Amsterdam executed beautifully for 48 minutes and simply did not give the Panthers a momentum-shifting opportunity.

   Sidney's 48-21 victory over Dobbs Ferry got us thinking about how good Marcus Whitman (10-2) of Section 5 must have been this fall. The Wildcats took Sidney to the wire in the state semifinals, and their only other loss was 33-0 to Canfield, Ohio -- one of the best teams in the country this fall. Canfield (14-0) plays Toledo Catholic Central for Ohio's Division II championship next weekend. Buffalo St. Joe's only loss this fall, 35-28 to Steubenville, is looking more respectable, too. Steubenville (14-0) will be playing in Ohio's Division III final.

   To reiterate: We were not picking on Randolph in Thursday's blog entry. Yesterday's final confirmed that the Cardinals are good. But the computer rankings moved Randolph up to No. 2 in the state this morning, and that just can't be.

   Give some credit to Garden City for playing Class AA Bellport close -- the final score was 8-0 -- in the Long Island football championships Friday. Yes, Garden City will merit consideration for a co-No. 1 ranking in Class A when we release the final football rankings on Wednesday. We're of the opinion that Long Island football is pretty sound regardless of whether Sections 8 and 11 elect to participate in the NYSPHSAA playoffs. Stay turned for the verdict.

Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005

   I'm pumped for the big contest today. Cambridge vs. Randolph? Dobbs Ferry vs. Sidney? Amsterdam vs. Geneva? Wrong on all three counts.

   Nope, the big game will be me vs. NYSSWA co-conspirator Steve Grandin as we rifle through the game program at the football finals in search of typos and faulty "facts." There are tons of 'em every year, and we're off to a good start again this year. The program for the semifinals had Ravena's coaches listed as the staff for Chenango Forks. Unfortunately, some reporters used the bad info in their stories, attributing quotes to the wrong guy.

   The 2004 program devoted eight of its 72 pages to individual game, season and career records. Unfortunately, it was hopelessly out of date. Acknowledgements to Greg Paulus and Jason Gwaltney were as elusive as Michigan running back Mike Hart -- whose name was also conspicuously absent.

   Unfortunately, the rumor mill says that this year's guide is also information-deficient. That being the case, here's some free advice for the NYSPHSAA: Contact stats ace Paul Hutzler and ask him to send copies of his files to you. You can find his e-mail address on our reference index page.

   By the way, if you can't be at the Dome, the NYSPHSAA has launched an exclusive webcast of the five finals this weekend. The webcast can be heard live or archived for $7.50 per game by logging onto www.nysphsaa.org or www.nysibn.com. No truth to the rumor that $2.50 of each online purchase will go toward rebates to people who buy the game program at the Dome.

   At least 39 Long Island boys lacrosse players inked letters of intent during the early signing period this month -- many of them to major Division I programs -- according to information compiled by Newsday. John Hopkins, Duke, Loyola (Md.) and North Carolina each came away with at least three players.

   Hey, horrible typo in the newspaper the other day: The headline had Bucknell beating Syracuse in basketball. At the Dome, no less. Yeah, right. That'll happen the same year they let Boeheim into the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., without a ticket. (Sorry. Couldn't resist.) Guess there won't be a huge run on those high-priced courtside seats this month, Dr. Gross.