NYSSWA: New York State Sportswriters Association

NYSSWA rankings are updated weekly.
See the latest plus the earlier weeks'
updates on our rankings page.

Leading off today: The Horseheads school board is expected to approve a new code of conduct covering athletes, parents, coaches and spectators tonight.

Superintendent Ralph Marino Jr. has already said he will recommend the measures be OK'd.

The code of conduct, under study since November, holds the assorted constituencies accountable for behavior. Until now, athletes had a code of conduct and the behavior of coaches was guided by district and section policies.

The board is also expected to address the issue of when and where cheerleaders will perform in light of the Title IX-related ruling last year that forced a number of Section 4 schools and districts to quickly reschedule appearances in order to treat boys and girls basketball in a similar fashion.

Patchogue-Medford vote: The vote on a contingency budget for Patchogue-Medford takes place Tuesday. If it fails, sports and other extracurricular activities, will be eliminated from the 2007-08 budget.

Mount Sinai is going through a similar situation, Newsday reports.

O'Rourke Jr. exits classroom: Bill O'Rourke Jr. is retiring from his position as a Spanish teacher in the school district, but be intends to stay on as boys basketball coach at Webster Thomas.

There has been an O'Rourke at the helm in Webster (which has bounced between one and two high schools at various times) for more than half a century. His father, a Section 5 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, coached from 1950 to 1978.

Extra points: The word on the street is that the executive committees from several sections of the state would like the New York State Public High School Athletic Association to set uniform policies on the two hot issues of late -- transfer eligibility and the re-classification of private and parochial schools. The danger there is that one loss in court can invalidate the rule across the state. . . . Good luck to Todd Bell, who played high school hockey for Geneseo in the late 1980s. He's the new coach at East Kentwood High, replacing Michigan's all-time winningest coach. Ron Baum retired this spring with 623 career wins. . . . The Observer-Dispatch in Utica is the latest to chime in on the issue of wood vs. aluminum baseball bats, writing a story this morning.

9/9/24: Shot clock experiment will change lacrosse

9/7/24: Garden City sets L.I. football record

9/6/24: Lawsuit takes aim at N.C.'s NIL ban

9/5/24: New York's Week 0 football intrigue