New York: Maple Grove Junior Earns Third POY Award

It's three down and possibly two more to go for Chris Secky.

The Maple Grove junior has been named co-player of the year in Class D boys basketball by the New York State Sportswriters Association, giving him that honor twice in basketball and once in football in the last 12 months.

Secky was one of three repeat recipients of the basketball award, joining Brandon Triche of Jamesville-DeWitt and Ryan Creighton of Greenport. The list of players of the year was released Wednesday along with the full NYSSWA all-state team.

Chris Secky, Maple Grove

Photo By Lisa Yen

In Class A, the Syracuse-bound Triche shares the honor with Tobias Harris, who recently disclosed he is returning to Half Hollow Hills West after leading Long Island Lutheran to a Federation championship last month.

The recipients in Classes B and C, respectively, are junior Will Bartlett of Federation champion Collegiate and guard Dan Banach of Avon, which earned a New York State Public High School Athletic Association crown to wrap up its season. Bartlett follows in the footsteps of Collegiate's Mike Nelson, who was the player of the year in 2008.

Secky won the Class C honor a year ago as Maple Grove snared a NYSPHSAA championship. He shares it this time with Creighton, the Class D selection in 2008.

Here are the first-team selections in the respective classes:

Class AA

G – Kelvin Agee, sr., Niagara Falls-VI

G – Sean Johnson , sr., Christ The King-CHSAA

F – Sherrod Wright, sr., Mount Vernon-I

F – Lance Stephenson, sr., Abraham Lincoln-PSAL

C – Dane Miller, sr., Rush-Henrietta-V

Class A

G – Daquan Brickhouse, jr., Peekskill-I

G – Chazz Williams, sr., Bishop Ford-PSAL

G – Brandon Triche, sr., Jamesville-DeWitt-III

F – Ralph Watts, sr., Peekskill-I

C – Tobias Harris, jr., Lutheran-AIS

Class B

G – Gene Boyer, jr., Ogdensburg Free-X

G – Steve Edwards, sr., Robert Wagner-PSAL

F – Will Bartlett, jr., Collegiate-AIS

F – Roderick Gray, jr., Bishop Kearney-V

C – Devin Karch, sr., Locust Valley-VIII

Class C

G – Dan Banach, sr., Avon-V

G – Trent Tibbets, sr., Maple Hill-II

F – John Nielson, sr., Port Jefferson-XI

G-F – Jon Benjamin, sr., Harley Allendale-Columbia-V

C – John Housel, sr., Avon-V

Class D

G – Ryan Creighton, sr., Greenport-XI

G – Kevin Francis, sr., Batavia Notre Dame-V

G-F – Tom Coloney, sr., Harrisville-X

F – Wally Sorenson, sr., Greenport-XI

F – Chris Secky, jr., Maple Grove-VI

More Boys Basketball: East Hampton star injured in car accident

East Hampton star Jerome Russell, named seventh-team all-state in Class A, was injured early Sunday after he lost control of the car he was driving and struck a tree, The East Hampton Press reported.

He was airlifted to Stony Brook University Medical Center and was conscious by Sunday afternoon, a friend told the paper. He suffered a number of injuries including broken bones.

Police said Russell was speeding when an officer started following him to pull him over. Russell passed the car in front of him in a no-passing zone, crossing over the double yellow line and losing control of his vehicle, police said.

East Hampton Town Police Chief Todd Sarris said alcohol was involved but he refused to disclose the specific charges against Russell because he is an “eligible youthful offender.”

Russell made 59 three-pointers and averaged 19.1 points a game this winter as an East Hampton senior.

Boys Lacrosse: Lights, camera, roll dodge at Canandaigua

The Canandaigua boys lacrosse team has gone a little bit Hollywood this season.

The Braves are being followed around by camera crews from Tangerine Films after being selected as the focus of the annual "Season in the Balance" promotion. New Balance donated approximately $30,000 of Brine and Warrior equipment to the school as part of the deal, which includes a series of weekly video blogs.

The attention started when lacrosse booster Dan Knapton prodded team staff member Deven York to put together some video from last year -- with emphasis on youth clubs, parents and the community -- as part of the entry for the contest. Syracuse CBA was one of four finalists for the prize.

Coming off a heartbreaking loss to West Genesee a year ago in the NYSPHSAA semifinals, Canandaigua isn't finding the going in Class B very easy this spring. They're 4-2 so far, with an opening-night loss to Class A Orchard Park in literally the last second and a 9-6 setback to Corning East, the top-ranked team in Class B.

* Hicksville, ranked No. 5 in Class A by the NYSSWA, moved out to a 12-7 lead and held on for a 12-10 win over No. 18 Port Washington despite five goals from Jeff Froccaro of the Vikings. Pete Alferi scored two of Hicksville’s four goals in the pivotal third quarter.

Football: Newburgh Free Academy coach has had enough

After 12 straight winning seasons, veteran Newburgh Free Academy football coach C.T. Chatham told the Times Herald-Record the job has become too consuming so he is stepping down with a 90-49 record and five Section IX championships in a seven-year beginning in 1997. He spent 23 years at Newburgh, 14 as its varsity coach, and says 75 of his former players have gone on to college careers.

"Your mind becomes so infiltrated with developing a team and trying to get people to buy in." he told the paper. "It's difficult to leave it at the office. It can consume you if you let it. I spoke with (basketball coach Frank Dinnocenzio). He said I've been miserable for two years and he's probably right. I guess it's just not realistic to be a perfectionist. You try to win, but you have to win the right way.

* Eastchester’s two-month, four-state search to fill the open date in its 2009 football schedule finally ended this week. The Eagles will play Hartford (Conn.) S.I. Prince Tech either Oct. 9 or 10 in Hartford.

Eastchester officials scoured New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut after Section I was only able to give the team five games this fall because of an odd number of local teams in Class A and a season that is being shortened by one week over statewide financial concerns.

Odds and Ends

* Senior Caroline Chesterman piled up five goals and five assists, including scoring her 200th varsity goal as Nyack defeated Somers in girls lacrosse, 14-9.

* Jordan-Elbridge ended Skaneateles’ six-year, 59-game Liberty Conference league win streak with a 13-12 girls lacrosse victory. Ella Thorpe scored the winning goal with 4:30 to play.

* Jesse Fodero won the long jump (18-4.75), 100 meters (:11.0) and the 400 (:53.0) to help West Seneca East win its first boys track meet in six years, 77-55 over Lake Shore.

* Dorothy Guerriero resigned as girls basketball coach at Staten Island Curtis after 12 seasons. She compiled a 178-111 record, including 20-win seasons the past two years and five Staten Island PSAL championships. Her 2002-03 squad became the first Island team to reach the PSAL city championship at Madison Square Garden. JV softball coach Megan McNamara-Giacona has been named as Guerriero' replacement.

John Schiano, who has written about high school sports in western and central New York for more than 25 years, covers New York for MaxPreps. He may be reached at johnschianosports@gmail.com .