Leading off today: Florida students participating in high school football, baseball and weightlifting will be subject to random testing for anabolic steroids under a one-year pilot program Gov. Charlie Crist signed Tuesday in Tallahassee.

   The Florida High School Athletics Association will supervise testing in 426 public and 224 private schools beginning July 1. One percent of high school athletes in the three sports will be randomly tested. Athletes who refuse to provide a urine sample would be kicked off the team. Those who test positive would be suspended from the team, but could be reinstated after a follow-up test.

   Budget votes and re-votes: Stillwater school district voters approved a $26.6 million building project by a 411-406 margin on Tuesday, but a proposition to fund artificial turf and lights for a new field at the school complex failed, 430-315. The successful proposition does include money to reconstruct the football field and surrounding layout and add a new gymnasium.

   Skaneateles voters approved a nearly $10 million project that includes installation of an artificial-turf field and new tennis courts. The vote was 438-433.

   Maine-Endwell voters said OK to a new pool complex at the high school. The district will convert the current pool area into a fitness center and wrestling room.

   Budget re-votes in Brentwood, Cairo-Durham, Ithaca, Mamaroneck, Mount Sinai, Naples, Patchogue-Medford, Pawling, Pleasantville, Roosevelt, Tuxedo, Webutuck and Wyandanch succeeded. Clinton, Corning-Painted Post and Westbury will have to go with contingency budgets following a second rejection by voters.

   'Architect of Albany High Football' dies: The death last week of Alex Sokaris was noted this morning in a Times Union piece by Bill Arsenault.

   Sokaris, 67, was a three-sport standout at Albany High in the late 1950s. After a decade as an assistant coach, he took over an Albany High program coming off of consecutive 0-8 seasons. His 1972 team went 0-7-1, followed by a 5-3 mark and then a championship the year after that, Arsenault wrote.

   Sokaris remained at Albany through 1986 and then spent three seasons at Guilderland. He returned to Albany in

various roles through 1996.

   "Alex Sokaris was the architect for Albany High football after Philip Schuyler and Albany High merged in the early 1970s," former Albany AD Frank Owens told the newspaper. "He gave the program a new direction."

   Scheduling woes: The Post-Star in Glens Falls reports that Section 2 Class D schools are struggling to fill their football schedules this fall.

   With only seven Class D teams in Section 2, everyone needs to pick up one-non-leaguer. Section 2 has 16 Class C teams, leaving no room for cross-class games.

   Salem (Week 2) and Fort Edward (Week 3) have open dates and have been looking all over New York and Vermont. Whitehall is going to use Week 6 as a bye week.

   Title IX rumblings: The College Sports Council, an advocacy group for men's sports, and the Pacific Legal Foundation, dedicated to less government, will ask the Department of Education to clarify Title IX as it applies to high schools, USA Today reported.

   Title IX bans sex discrimination at schools receiving federal funds. To be in compliance, a school must pass one of three tests: male and female athletes are proportionate to enrollment; or, a history and continuing practice of expanding opportunities for female students; or, demonstrate that the interests and abilities of females are fully accommodated.

   College Sports Council officials say proportionality has led to fewer opportunities for college men and that the same thing could happen to high school boys.

   Extra points: Andy Garcia, a 6-foot-6 forward from Cardinal Hayes who was second-team all-state basketball in Class A as a senior, will head to American Christian for a year of prep school. He projects as a MAAC/mid-major prospect at a minimum. . . . The Journal News says Sleepy Hollow boys basketball coach Michael DeMarco has resigned after five seasons to take a teaching job at Monroe-Woodbury. Sleepy Hollow was 14-8 last season. . . . Bruce Healy, 58, is retiring after 18 years on the job as Queensbury girls basketball coach. He also served 12 years with the Corinth boys program.

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