Leading off today: The 2009 NYSPHSAA boys soccer tournament will not be affected by a decision to close the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta to the public after Labor Day, The Daily Star reported today.

   Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Ullman announced Thursday the facility will be shuttered except for days when previously scheduled games are being played and there will be staff cuts made.

   The New York State Public High School Athletic Association boys semifinals and finals in five classes are scheduled for Nov. 21-22 on the HOF's four-field facility; the girls event is Nov. 20-21 at nearby Cortland.

   Ullman indicated that the Hall consistently operated in the red while attracting about 17,000 museum visitors a year. Corporate donations and private gifts had made up the difference in the past, but such charitable contributions have fallen during the recent recession.

   Though relatively centrally located for schools across the state, Oneonta hasn't been particularly embraced by participants in the state high school tournament. Shelter from bad weather and press facilities are lacking. The natural-grass fields can take a beating during wet weather for the semifinals, making conditions for the championship games choppy.

   Pay to play at Burke: Varsity and JV athletes at Burke Catholic have to ante up if they want to play varsity or JV sports this fall, The Times Herald-Record reported.

   AD Adam Kless said fees, which will help defray the cost of transportation and game officials, range from $150 for cross country to $350 for football this fall. He did not have figures for winter and spring sports yet.

   Tuition at the school is $7,500 per year.

   "I would say 99.9 percent of the parents have been very cooperative and everyone paid on time," Kless told the paper. "These parents have already made sacrifices and I appreciate this sacrifice."

   Kless said most teams at the school have not seen a drop in roster sizes, although enrollment at Burke has taken a dip.

   Top of the pack: Brentwood begins the 2009 boys soccer season where 2008 ended — ranked atop the

RoadToSyracuse.com Football Site

nation by ESPN.

   The Indians, whose season opens next weekend, are the preseason No. 1 team in the ESPN RISE Fab 50 rankings. They earned the No. 1 ranking last fall by winning all 24 games en route to a NYSPHSAA Class AA championship.

   Brentwood returns eight starters from a year ago, including a trio of Newsday All-Long Island picks: strikers Joe Lopez, Hancell Guevara and midfielder Andrew Jean-Baptiste.

   Other ranked New York squads: No. 4 St. Anthony's, No. 12 Martin Luther King, No. 29 Chaminade, No. 32 Arlington, No. 27 Beacon School and No. 41 Comsewogue.

   Among girls squads, Rockville Centre South Side starts at No. 7 and St. Anthony's No. 11. Other ranked squads are No. 36 Bethlehem, No. 41 Massapequa and No. 45 Yonkers Sacred Heart.

   Extra points: Add Erica Pease to the short list of women coaching boys sports teams in New York. The former Wellsville star takes over the boys soccer program at Andover, following Mark Sullivan's departure to become AD at Belfast. Andover and Belfast were Section 5 Class D co-champs in 2008 . . . The Democrat and Chronicle's Jeff DiVeronica blogged this week that things are looking up for the Empire State Games in 2010. He believes there will be an announcement made by the end of next week, with Buffalo expected to play host.