Leading off today: Watertown Immaculate Heart Central is suing Section 3 and the NYSPHSAA in an acceleration of the dispute stemming from the football team being moved up to Class C this fall.

   IHC filed a civil rights action Tuesday in U.S. District Court, The Daily Times in Watertown reported. The suit asserts Section 3 had "no rational basis" to move IHC up last December and created "an obvious risk of injury to IHC student-athletes."

   The suit was filed by Michael J. Alteri, chairman of IHC's education council, and the parents of players Jeffrey Marra, Christopher Ingerson and Ronald Sexton.

   Immaculate Heart Central's BEDS number (essentially the enrollment figure for grades 9-11) has slipped from 207 in 1998 to 190 last year and 141 for the 2010-11 school year, meaning 17 of the other 25 Class C schools this fall were at least twice as large.

   IHC officials said Michael Stevens, coach and AD at Class D Sandy Creek, initiated the reclassification process, which was approved by a 21-5 vote. The IHC filing said Stevens motion was made "with no accompanying statistical or factual data to support such a request."

   John Rathbun, executive director of Section 3, told the paper the classification committee followed its policies when making the decision to reclassify IHC and during the appeal process. Nina Van Erk, executive director of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, said her office had not been served with the suit as of yesterday and declined comment.

   Change of plans: Water damage at the recently renovated Strough Middle School gymnasium yesterday have forced Rome Free Academy to move its boys basketball games back to the high school tonight, The Rome Sentinel reported.

   The varsity game vs. New York Mills is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.

   Cuffe runs tomorrow: Cornwall senior Aisling Cuffe is favored to become the fourth New Yorker (see list) in the 31-year history of the event to win at the Foot Locker Finals tomorrow in San Diego.

   The Balboa Park course is expected to be dry with temperatures in the mid-60s as Cuffe takes on a field of 40 qualifiers from around the country. She qualified first in the Northeast Regional in 17:51.

   Cuffe was 12th in the finals as a sophomore and fourth last December. She has been unbeaten this season.

Road To Glens Falls boys hoops site

   F-M's secret revealed ... not: The Post-Standard took a lengthy look at the Fayetteville-Manlius cross country program following last weekend's stellar showing in

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Portland, Ore., where the girls won the Nike Cross Nationals for the fifth year in a row and the boys placed second.

   Hornets coach Bill Aris told the paper there is no secret formula behind the outstanding results. He points to some basic concepts: eat healthy, get your rest, train properly and aspire to excellence.

   “It’s really that simple,” Aris told the paper. “The kids who buy in are usually the ones standing on the podium at nationals.”

   Even though F-M's training routine doesn't pile on a lot of mileage, Aris has been accused of being too demanding. The same label has been thrown on a lot of successful coaches in a variety of sports over the years.

   “It’s really a matter of the kids wanting it, so we suggested some things to them that were beyond what we were doing before,” he told the paper. “Again, the kids make the decision how hard they want to work. If you say you want to be a state champion, OK, but are you willing to do the work and make the commitment to do that? It takes a different approach.”