SYRACUSE — “I used to play basketball,” Cole McCormack was saying recently, “but I’m 5-foot-9 and I can’t really dribble or shoot. There’s not much of a future if you can’t do that much.”
Yes, the kid from Rye was being wry.
If he really put his mind to it, there’s plenty the outstanding running back and linebacker can do in just about any sport. As it is, he’s highly accomplished in both football and lacrosse.
Cole McCormack, Rye
Photo by Lisa Yen
The question this autumn, however, will be how much higher he and the Garnets can go as they take a heady step up in competition.
After three New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships in four years, Rye moves up to Class A. Their 25 straight wins overall and 57 in a row against Section I opposition make for a nice resume, but the big boys figure to be a challenge beyond almost anything the Garnets have faced in recent seasons.
And McCormack and his mates wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s usually a risk of complacency when you’ve won 47 of your last 48 games and picked up sectional championship trophies six straight years, but Dino Garr’s troops are taking the new challenge seriously.
“I’ve felt the intensity rise in our practices and preseason workouts,” McCormack said between games of the recent New York State Nike Shootout elite-level lacrosse event at Sunnycrest Park in Syracuse. “Our coach has definitely been a little more crazy, a little more intense. But it’s all good stuff because we’ve got Ossining the first game and they’re a powerhouse.”
The Garnets should hardly be weaponless as they step into Class A, where some school enrollments will be 60 percent larger than Rye’s. Quarterback Connor Eck is coming off 1,212 passing yards, 14 TDs and just three interceptions on 71-for-108 accuracy in his sophomore season. McCormack carried 112 times for 1,070 yards as a junior.
To be sure, there are issues. Virtually the entire offensive line needs to be rebuilt and the graduation of Kyle Ramalho (21 TDs) has to be taken seriously because fullback productivity is crucial to the offset-I attack.
That contributes to why you won’t hear McCormack bragging about state championships or five trips to Thanksgiving weekend finals in Syracuse in the last six years.
“The only part of the past that matters is maybe our sectional run,” he said. “After that it’s just icing on the cake. There are guys who five years ago got us battling our way through the section. They’re the guys who got us here, and we’re playing for them, the coaches and the community.”
More Football: You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers
A week into practice for most of the teams across New York, here are some additional thoughts on the upcoming season:
So what other noteworthy class changes should we keep an eye on?
For starters, visitors to the Carrier Dome on Thanksgiving weekend will scarcely believe they’re watching the Class B championship game. Chenango Forks, which played four finals against Rye this decade, is moving down to Class C. Lansingburgh, which played in the 2007 Class A final, drops down to B and Fredonia slides down to C after a No. 9 state ranking in Class B a year ago.
Fresh off a 2007 NYSPHSAA championship and an appearance in the 2008 semifinals, Walton moves up one level to Class C. And Oakfield-Alabama, winner of 50 of is last 62 games, slides down to Class D (as does Section III contender Westmoreland) and could well be a postseason factor under first-year coach Brian Palone.
Speaking of new coaches, are there any situations that could be especially interesting this fall?
As a matter of fact, yes. Observers will be very interested to see whether Jim Kramer can maintain the momentum at Schenectady as he moves up from offensive coordinator. He replaces Carm DePoalo, who resigned over the summer after leading the Patriots to a school-record eight victories in 2008.
The '08 Patriots reached their first Section II bowl game, losing to LaSalle. Kramer's schemes led the way to Schenectady averaging more than 30 points a game and going 13-6 the last two seasons.
Schenectady had never had a winning season until going 5-4 in 2007 and had been a combined 2-25 in 2004-06.
Similarly, veteran assistant coach Tom Pallas moves up a notch to take over at Bishop Gibbons as another of the 11 new head coaches in Section II. The Knights’ 6-3 record last fall was their best since 1972 and they have back Derrick Pitts, who rushed for 1,705 yards as a junior.
Is this the year that Section II finally starts making some noise again in the postseason?
Amsterdam captured Class A in 2004, and then you have to go back to Cambridge’s 1999 crown in Class D to find another champion.
And this season is not shaping up as being much more promising. There’s a dearth of knock-your-socks-off NYSPHSAA candidates in Class AA across the state, so maybe LaSalle or Saratoga Springs contends. Otherwise, the best hope may be Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake making a return trip to the Carrier Dome in Class A.
Given the relatively small number of Class D schools in the eastern half of the state, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to project Gibbons getting to the final. But defending champ Maple Grove or someone even more potent — and that would be a scary sight — will be waiting at the Carrier Dome.
Which other sections are in a drought?
Long a power across the board in the early years of the NYSPHSAA tournament, Section V has produced only two champions in the last five seasons and lost four of five quarterfinals to Section VI last year. The situation may not get much better this November if the Rochester area can’t upgrade in the larger classes.
Section IX keeps sending Monroe-Woodbury back to Syracuse in Class AA, but the Crusaders (2005) and Rondout Valley (2000, Class B) are the area’s only representatives to win finals.
And, of course, Peru in 2001 is the only Section VII/X rep to bring home a trophy.
Besides classes and coaches, are there any other noteworthy changes?
The most interesting development was Section X telling Indian River that it was time to hit the road after 50 straight in-section victories. Coaches voted the Warriors out after their fifth straight sectional crown, sending Indian River back to the more competitive Section III.
Are there any games I should be watching for right off the bat?
Oh, yeah. Monroe-Woodbury played in the Class AA state final last fall and opens up at Binghamton, which finished No. 6 in the state. Both have a ton of talent, with U-E’s Jordan Thomas having already committed to Rutgers, though the most interesting player on the field figures to be M-W quarterback Dan Scalo, who ran for 1,452 yards and 18 TDs while playing the whole season with a torn labrum. If the surgically repaired shoulder holds up, look for M-W to pad a record that includes 67 wins in its last 73 games.
Any other injury considerations?
Sweet Home suffered a terrible blow shortly after last season when Deshanaro Morris, a second-team all-state linebacker who also stood out as a running back, was seriously injured in an automobile accident, and he won’t be available as the Panthers attempt to defend their state Class A championship.
If not for the accident, Morris would have been a contender for state player of the year honors and Sweet Home would be the favorite in Class A.
So who are the top returning seniors?
Johnson City defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (Penn State), Staten Island Curtis defensive end Dominique Easley (uncommitted) and U-E’s Thomas, a projected college safety who’ll likely roll up big yardage as a senior running back, are regarded by most as a cut above the rest.
In the quarterback department, John Kinder of Lawrence on Long Island may be the best of the bunch. He’s already committed to Syracuse University.
Speaking of Long Island, will we ever see Sections VIII and XI in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association tournament?
Yes, but probably not until long after Brett Favre retires (and stays that way).
There’s still a sizeable contingent of administrators, ADs and coaches in those two sections who would rather keep the current format of four all-Island bowl games on Thanksgiving than compete against the rest of the state. For the time being, their concerns about schedules (L.I. historically starts its regular season a week later than most of the rest of the state) and horribly long round trips to Syracuse in Thanksgiving weekend traffic trump the desire to unify for a more true state championship. It’s also important to remember that the Section VIII vs. XI games make a lot of money for those sections, subsidizing championships in money-losing sports such as cross country, tennis, volleyball and swimming.
Keep an eye out, however, on a proposed senior all-star game that could begin as early as next June. With a potential format of upstate vs. downstate (Long Island plus NYC and Sections I and IX), that game could lead to some spirited competition. A couple of lopsided upstate wins — an unlikely proposition, by the way — might get the competitive juice flowing.
Final question: Which team will be the cream of New York’s crop in 2009?
We’re leaning toward Iona Prep from the Catholic High School Football League. The Gaels toppled seven-time defending league champ St. Anthony’s last fall with high-flying firepower – winning by an average score of 35-20 – and they have all sorts of tools back.
QB Tyrae Woodson-Samuels completed 71.7 percent of his throws as a junior with 19 TDs, just four interceptions and 206.5 yards a game and elusive RB Jeff Mack electrified with 1,953 yards and 25 TDs on the ground to go along with 30 catches for 284 yards and another score.
The rematch with St. Anthony’s is Oct. 9.
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.
