Leading off today: Football season is over long before it was even scheduled to start at Saratoga Central Catholic.

   The school, which went 1-8 and 3-6 the past two seasons after returning from a 19-year absence, will not have enough players to field a varsity team this fall. Coach and AD Phonsey Lambert told The Times Union he expected only 17 players for the start of practice next month.

   "It is really disappointing," said rising senior Jack Keller, a two-way starter. "A lot of the guys really were looking forward to the football season and helping finish what we started two years ago."

   The development reduces the Section 2 Class D league to seven teams and drops a bye onto the schedules for Rensselaer, Bishop Gibbons, Cambridge, Whitehall, Warrensburg, Fort Edward and Salem.

   "You hate to see kids lose an opportunity to play. It is disappointing," Section 2 football coordinator Gary VanDerzee said.

   Junior Amateur update: Rising Pittsford Mendon sophomore Gavin Hall won twice today at the U.S. Junior Amateur to move into Friday's quarterfinals at Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada, Mich. The day's action saw medalist Curtis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., and defending champion Jordan Spieth of Dallas eliminated in the second round of match play.

   Hall, 15, who was third in the NYSPHSAA Championships last month in Ithaca, is the highest remaining seed in the tournament after a 1-up victory over Alexander Schauffle of San Diego and a 5-and-3 triumph over Jonathan Garrick, Atherton, Calif.

   Hall tees off against Jim Liu of Smithtown at 8:30 a.m. Friday, with semifinals slated in the afternoon.

   ESGs kick off: An estimated 15,000 people gathered last night to cheer athletes at the opening ceremonies of the Empire State Games in Buffalo.

   Four days of competition commenced this morning, and Buffalo News preps scribe magnifique Keith McShea has been blogging throughout the day as he attempts to reach all 27 competitions taking place today, stealing my plan for the 2011 ESGs in Rochester.

   Argh! I just took a glance at the ESG web site's results section, and information is flowing onto the site at a healthy pace. Unfortunately, track and field distances are being reported (as always) in metric distances.

   I vow to make it my mission in life to eradicate this in time for the 2011 ESGs. Telling us that the winning height in the scholastic men's pole vault was 4.40 meters just doesn't cut it.

   By the way, that's 14-5.25 in real numbers.

   On a more serious note, I made it to several venues after work this morning and both the action and organization seemed to be top-notch.

   Interesting development: A federal judge ruled yesterday

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that Quinnipiac University in Connecticut violated Title IX when it eliminated its women's volleyball team and replaced it with competitive cheerleading.

   In a 95-page ruling that concluded cheerleading is not a sport, U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill gave the university 60 days to disclose how it intends to comply with Title IX, which prohibits gender discrimination in athletics and education at schools receiving federal funding.

   According to Underhill, competitive cheerleading "is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation for students."

   The ruling stems from the discrimination case brought last year by the ACLU on behalf of five volleyball players.

   If Underhill regards cheerleading as "too underdeveloped and disorganized," I'd consider slipping him $50 in unmarked bills to do something about ESPN's contrived X Games.

   Huh? I've read and re-read The Buffalo News story from yesterday and still can't make heads or tails out of what's actually going on at Orchard Park.

   According to the story, Orchard Park football coach Gene Tundo and two assistants have been put on notice that the school board and school community are watching them. Though the story says players and parents have spoken out recently about "a divided coaching staff," it isn't clear whether the issue is between Tundo and paid assistants Bob Ferrentino and Steve Ferrentino, or if it's a case of those three being displeased about the process for getting volunteer assistants approved.

   “We offer athletics, not as a breeding ground for collegiate athletes or professional athletes. We do it to teach kids commitment, dedication, respect, team work, perseverance, and I think putting these three coaches to work together undermines all these things,” board member Natalie Schaffer said.