Statewide rule changes that have cut the length of high school sports seasons are starting to create scheduling issues as coaches struggle to decide how best to use their non-league games.
In the Albany area, Coaches vs. Cancer Basketball Shootout event director Tom Greene told The Post-Star in Glens Falls that he's short of teams in all six divisions Dec. 4-5 because of the rule enacted by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association that cuts the number of regular-season games from 20 to 18. In a number of cases, that leaves coaches with just two non-leaguers – and they prefer to use those slots for Christmas tournaments or pre-sectional tune-ups.
In Division 2 boys (Classes A and B), Ogdensburg, South Glens Falls and Marcellus have committed to the Cancer Basketball Shootout. In Division 2 girls, Williamsville South, Ogdensburg and South Glens Falls have committed and Ichabod Crane is tentative. In Division 3 boys and girls (Classes C and D), Greenwich and New York Mills have committed, with Lisbon and Corinth tentative.
Only Williamsville South has committed for Division 1 boys (Classes AA and A), with Queensbury and Westhill tentative. As a last resort, Greene said he’ll move Williamsville South into Division 2 and not hold a Division 1 event. For Division 1 girls, only Newark has committed, with Queensbury, Shenendehowa and Westhill tentative.
Greene said the New York State Basketball Coaches Association has asked NYSPHSAA Executive Director Nina Van Erk to consider a compromise that would allow teams a one-game exemption if they're playing an event in which at least 25 percent of the gate receipts go to a charity. However, such a compromise would seem to fly in the face of the purpose of cutting schedules: saving money in light of state budget problems.
Diamond Delights: Big performances in softball, baseball
* Who in their right mind would pitch to Attica’s Jordan Gasbarrini these days? The junior catcher wenr 6-for-6 with three home runs (one of them was a sixth-inning grand slam), three doubles and 13 runs batted in during a 24-19 softball victory against Batavia. In four games this spring, Gasbarrini is 15-for-16 with seven homers.
* Ashley Marshall threw a perfect game and struck out 17 batters in Malone's 18-0, six-inning softball victory over Norwood-Norfolk on Thursday. Marshall added two hits and drove in two runs.
* Erin Fleming of Bolivar-Richburg followed a two-hitter against Scio earlier in the day with her third career no-hitter and second this week vs. Cuba-Rushford. Bolivar-Richburg (4-0) won the opener, 3-0, as Fleming struck out 13 and then beat C-R, 6-0, behind 13 more strikeouts from Fleming, who walked just one batter in 14 innings of work.
* Clarence freshman Tori Nappo proved to be a quick learner, throwing a no-hitter in her first varsity softball start, a 10-0 victory over East Aurora. Nappo struck out the last five hitters she faced, and her sister Valerie Nappo slugged a pair of home runs.
* Cattaraugus/Little Valley sophomore Chris Draudt went 8-for-8 with two home runs, two triples and 12 RBIs in a pair of baseball wins on Saturday – 22-5 over Franklinville and 12-1 against Maple Grove.
* Andrew Carmer of Barker stole home to beat Royalton-Hartland in Niagara-Orleans baseball, 6-5.
Boys Lacrosse: Ithaca outslugs Irondequoit
* Ithaca and Irondequoit alternated goals all day long, with the Little Red improving to 9-0 courtesy of a 7-6 victory on Gabe Mendola’s goal with 1:35 to play in the first overtime. Ithaca is ranked 13th in Class A and Irondequoit seventh in Class B according to the New York State Sportswriters Association.
Girls Lacrosse: Princeton recruit cracks the 300 barrier
* Jenna Davis of Levittown Division piled up eight goals and seven assists during a 19-10 victory over Port Washington on Thursday. The huge day gave the Princeton-bound senior 305 goals for her career. The state record is 443 by Shari Masun, who graduated from Clarkstown North in 2002.
* Junior Addie Reilly of Portledge rolled up a staggering up 28 goals last week. The highlight of her week was an eight-goal, six-assist showing against Manhattan Sacred Heart.
* Farmingdale (7-0) won a Section VIII showdown with Manhasset, 10-9 in overtime. Janine Hillier completed a hat trick with a free-position goal in OT to earn the victory.
Football: Familiar name heading for Syracuse
* The grandson of former Syracuse University coach Dick MacPherson has accepted a scholarship offer to play football for the Orange, The Post-Standard reported.
Richard "Macky" MacPherson, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound junior center and long snapper at Syracuse CBA was offered a scholarship by head coach Doug Marrone on Thursday and accepted immediately. The youngster quickly got on his cell phone to call his grandparents.
Boston College and some Ivy League schools were also expressing interest before MacPherson picked Syracuse. The player understands there will be some who question whether the scholarship was extended out of merit or courtesy.
"I can't worry about that too much," he said. "I've just got to focus on what I can do and not what other people say about me. I'm going to have to let things go on the field and show my stuff."
Dick MacPherson was 66-46-4 as the colorful coach of the Orange from 1981 to ’91.
* Former CBA quarterback and Duke point guard Greg Paulus was on the Syracuse University campus over the weekend as he continued his tour of prospective suitors. Paulus has one season of Division I football eligibility available and has been linked to both Michigan and the Orange recently.
His last football game in the Carrier Dome was a star-studded victory over New Rochelle in the NYSPHSAA Class AA final. CBA had future Syracuse recruits Bruce Williams and Lavar Lobdell playing at wideout. New Rochelle was led by future Rutgers and NFL running back Ray Rice and Geoff McDermott, who ended up playing basketball for Providence.
Odds and Ends
* Three Section V representatives in the 2009 state basketball tournament will be changing classes next season, pending approval of the region’s executive committee. Batavia will drop from Class A to B, state champion Bishop Kearney will move up from B to A and C.G. Finney is opting to jump from D to B.
* Niagara Falls Brian Archie cut loose with a 24-4 leap at the Ken-Ton Invitational to break the Section VI long jump record.
* Shenendehowa placed third, Saratoga Springs sixth and Bronxville seventh in the girls Championship of America distance medley at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. Wilmington (Del.) Tatnall won in 11:40.37, with the Shen quartet of Danika Simonson, Kathleen Klein, Alex Burtnick and Lizzie Predmore clocking 12:06.26.
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
.