Leading off today: Thirteen Bronxville seniors will serve suspensions tonight in the football season-opener at Valhalla for violating team rules, The Journal News reported.

   Coach Jeff Napolitano and AD Karen Peterson would not identify the players or specify the infraction beyond saying there was no police involvement or classroom suspension. The players were not allowed to practice with the team this week but did do conditioning work.

   "The kids engaged in behaviors that we made in our expectations very clear that were not acceptable in our co-curricular program," Peterson told the paper. "Nobody was arrested and there was no alcohol or drugs involved."

   Bronxville, 4-5 a year ago, will suit up 21 players vs. Valhalla.

   400th field hockey win: Section 3's winningest field hockey coach registered career victory No. 400 yesterday as Morrisville-Eaton edged Canastota 3-2.

   Patti Vaughan is the first Section 3 coach to reach 400 victories and the fifth in state history according to the Oneida Dispatch.

   Kate Verne, Leigha Morris and Shelby Widger scored for the winners to build a 3-0 lead with 18:27 to play.

   PSAL problems persist: Opening day for many boys soccer teams in New York City was every bit as bad as it was for the girls. Defending Class B champion Jamaica was among 10 teams forfeiting games, The New York Post reported.

   Twelve boys games have been affected so far this week, all because teams could not field an 11-player roster. Twelve girls soccer games have been forfeited thus far.

   "The issue is we started too early," Manhattan Bridges coach Elizabeth Simonen told the paper. "If it was next week, I would be able to field a team."

   The 2008 season started Sept. 8, which was 11 days after classes began. The current school year began Tuesday.

   Girls soccer was switched from a spring sport to the fall this year to pre-empt a likely Title IX complain by the New York Civil Liberties Union. Critics say they led to coaching assignments being filled at a late date in some situations were coaches who previously ran both programs had to choose between the boys or the girls.

   The NYCLU issued a statement tacitly acknowledging that girls programs have been disrupted, "but in the long run, we believe this move will promote equality and fairness in our schools. Until now, every other public school soccer team in the state – including boys’ teams in New York City – played in the fall. As a result, girls had no chance to play teams around the state and were at a big disadvantage when it came to college recruitment and scholarships."

   Just a thought, but how many girls earn scholarships when games are being forfeited instead of played?

   The NYCLU's heart may have been in the right place, but did anyone there lift a finger to help the PSAL navigate through what everyone knew was going to be a mess?

   Section 3 tournament sites: The Section 3 boys and

RoadToSyracuse.com Football Site

girls basketball finals will be held at the Utica Memorial Auditorium next March, WKTV-TV reported.

   Arena GM Will Berkheiser said he's been working for 10 years on bringing the finals to Utica. In addition to basketball, Utica will host sectional finals in wrestling and hockey next winter.

   Brockport's Hage retires, for now: Charlie Hage is stepping down as boys basketball coach at Brockport so that he can spend more time watching his children play the sport, the Democrat and Chronicle reported. His son Ryan is a sophomore walk-on at Fordham, and daughter Lindsay plays at Union College.

   Hage, 57, anticipates returning to coaching in three years. He is 191-235 with Brockport's varsity as part of a 35-year coaching career that's included extensive work with area youth programs.

   "If you were to look up the definition of a high school coach, Charlie's picture would be there," Irondequoit coach Chris Cardon told the paper.

   Cablevision goes all-in: High school sports coverage in New York City continues to grow at break-neck speed. A week or so after four former FiveBoroSports.com reporter/editors began covering the beat full-time for The New York Post, Cablevision has announced that its 24/7 MSG Varsity channel, Web site and on-demand network will debut Sept. 24.

   The channel will produce a nightly studio show offering highlights from 25-30 events per night in the tri-state area (potential reach of 3 million households), and long-time MSG preps personality Mike Quick will do a live interactive show on Wednesday nights. Gannett's The Journal News also is reportedly negotiating a partnership to help with coverage in Westchester and Rockland counties.

   As an aside, there's an interesting behind-the-scenes tussle taking place as the operators of the fledgling Tennis Channel are upset with Cablevision that their product is not as accssible to viewers as MSG Varsity.

   Tennis Channel executives put out a terse news release criticizing Cablevision, which volleyed back with a vintage John McEnroe-ish reaction.

   "They can not be serious," the Cablevision response said. "We have a valid agreement to carry Tennis Channel, and it is not our fault that they are angry about being held to the terms of a contract they willingly entered into."