Leading off today: The Democrat and Chronicle dug a little deeper this morning and unearthed more news on possible cuts coming to high school sports.

   Among the previously unreported items now on the table for consideration: Teams may be limited to travel only to adjoining states, which would appearently nuke baseball and softball trips to warm-weather states in the spring, lacrosse games in Maryland and holiday trips to basketball tournaments across the country.

   As was reported by TheBatavian.com last week, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association has asked officials from the state's 11 sections to consider money-saving options in light of a projected state deficit in the $15 billion range next year.

   Lyons Superintendent Rick Amundson, Section 5's representative on the NYSPHSAA's fiscal concerns committee, said the group is taking a proactive approach with funding issues looming.

   "If they didn't do something they would've been told to do something," Amundson said. "(The cuts) are not in any way, shape or form, approved yet. It's going through the process.

   Other newly revealed options include cutting the football season by on game, meaning sectional champs would be crowned in Week 9 and state champs in Week 12.

   All-state football: The New York State Sportswriters Association has released its all-New York football teams for classes AA and A, completing its postseason honors for fall 2008 sports.

   The players of the year are Orchard Park senior running back Jeff Tundo in Class AA Cornwall quarterback Kevin Arduino in Class A.

   The complete all-state football team, including the selections in the smaller classes announced last week, can be found here.

   Wilson hazing update: As two baseball coaches appeared in Wilson Town Court, the school board was meeting to discuss their replacements, The Niagara Gazette reported.

   The cases against Wilson High varsity coach William Atlas and JV coach Thomas Baia were adjourned until Feb. 26, as their attorneys said they are awaiting documents from the prosecution. The two were on a school bus last April when three varsity players allegedly assaulted at least two JV players in the back of the bus.

   Across the street, the agenda listed the naming of 2008-09 spring coaches: John Thilk for the varsity and Jerry Kadryna for the JVs. Both were volunteer assistants with the team last year, and they were on the bus when the alleged incident occurred, the paper reported.

   AD Charles Jufer had advertised the position twice and said he received no response from anyone outside the district.

   Several parents attended the meeting to express their displeasure with the choices, and the official appointment

Also worth checking out Boys basketball page 2008 all-state football team

of coaches was tabled; the board went into executive session to discuss the matter. Shortly afterward, superintendent Michael Wendt said the position would be posted again, but Thilk and Kadryna are still in the running.

   Section 5 coaching changes: Tom Zaccardo resigned this week after four seasons as football coach at McQuaid but will continue as a phys ed teacher, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.

   "I've had enough," said Zaccardo, who was 5-4 last year and 23-13 overall. "The stress I put on myself makes me someone different during the season than out of it."

   Also, Bishop Kearney has hired Ed Long, second-year head coach of the Rochester Raiders arena football team, to replace Art Carlisi (38-30 in seven years). Long, 36, who plans to continue as head coach of the Raiders,had been a Kearney assistant for four years.

   ESG follow-up: Keith McShea of The Buffalo News got it right this week when he said the 2009 Empire State Games should have been canceled rather than stripped down to the point of bearing minimal resemblance to the great event that started three decades ago.

   "Proposing that athletes pay for the Empire Games experience couldn’t have worse timing," he wrote. "If young athletes want to pay to compete against the very best, they do that through AAU basketball or club competition in whatever sport they are in.

   "The truth is, due to that sort of specialization, the Games have lost a bit of their luster as a premier athletic event over the last decade or so. But still, the Games remained a top overall event."

   McShea was absolutely correct when he concluded, "The state’s announcement included the caveat that for the 2010 Games, scheduled to be held in Buffalo, that there is 'hope of reinstating the suspended competitions, as well as revisiting the new fee structure.'

   "But we know how that goes. Once something is cut from a budget, good luck getting it back."

   Two-4-6-8, can you say incarcerate? A Wisconsin woman who enrolled under her daughter's name and tried out for the high school cheerleading squad has been committed to a mental health facility for three years.

   Wendy Brown, 34, was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect to a charge of identity theft, The Associated Press reported.

   Brown attended one day of classes last August at Ashwaubenon High and practiced with the cheerleading squad while posing as her 15-year-old daughter, who was living out of state. The charade unraveled after she was reported as truant.

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