NYSSWA: New York State Sportswriters Association

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Leading off today: Barely a month before the start of practice, Longwood is searching for a head football coach after Adam DeWitt abruptly resigned last week.

DeWitt, 31, left for an administrative job at Ward Melville, and to spend time with his family, Newsday reported. He was 21-8 with three straight playoff appearances in three seasons as coach.

"We'll have to post the position and go from there,'' Longwood AD Kevin McCarthy told the newspaper. "We're hoping someone who has been on the staff can keep it going."

McCarthy served as coach from 1992 to 1995. Another former coach, Joe Cipp III, still teaches in the district and recently resigned as an assistant at Bellport. McCarthy said the likely option is to elevate a current assistant.

7-on-7 catching on: Are you in need of a mid-summer laugh? Try going to the high school football forum on Syracuse.com and checking out the debates about who the best teams will be this fall. You don't have to dig too deep

into the threads before someone cites the results of a 7-on-7 summer passing league to justify their case.

Such assertions are generally flawed because 7-on-7 is to real football what Medudo is to rock 'n' roll. But the discussion of summer passing leagues is a reflection of increased participation. USA Today says Adidas is sponsoring its first 7-on-7 national championship and paid the expenses for the 10 non-California teams playing in the 12-team event this week in Carson, Calif.

As USA Today noted this week, 7-on-7 is a fast-paced game. Only forward passes are permitted, and there are no running plays, tackling or timeouts. The paper found 42 states and the District of Columbia have high schools that play 7-on-7 football during the summer.

Extra points: Ken Ferrer, a pitcher/first baseman for Pleasantville, was named the Louisville Slugger New York state high school player of the year. The senior right-hander was 8-2 with a 1.39 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 69 innings. He also set school records for runs batted in for a season and a career.

12/8/23: It's not Christmas but we have ties

12/1/23: Bennett controversy takes unexpected turn

9/29/23: Massapequa files lawsuit over mascot mandate

9/26/23: Soccer association fitting refs with body cameras