BH-BL cross country runner Otis Ubriaco.
Photo by Christopher Corradino
There are quite literally dozens of Class A schools in New York whose athletic programs as a whole will not win seven sectional championships in a three- or four-year span.
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake won that many last year — in the fall season alone. And the athletic director was almost apologetic for the falloff in performance.
"It's been a good year, but not as good as last year," Bob McGuire told the New York State Sportswriters Association recently.
For the recently concluded school year, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake won 11 Section II championships in various sports, down from its amazing total of 20 from 2007-08.
With the help of state championships in both boys and girls cross country plus an appearance in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A football final, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake was crowned the overall winner of the inaugural New York State Sportswriters Association All-Sport Championship for the 2008-09 school year.
The NYSSWA All-Sport Championship is modeled after the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to universities with the most success in athletics.
The NYSSWA calculated points earned in 14 boys and 13 girls sports at NYSPHSAA championship events during the fall, winter and spring and compiled winners for boys, girls and combined programs in each of five enrollment classes.
The Spartans scored points in five sports en route to 49.33 points to edge Honeoye Falls-Lima of Section V (45.17).
For good measure, 30 of 31 BH-BL varsity teams won scholar-athlete accolades from the NYSPHSAA or comparable recognition, McGuire said. The success on the playing field and in the classroom was the culmination of years of work grooming young student-athletes.
"Eighty-two percent of our students in grades 4 through 8 participate in a sports program," McGuire said. "It's not about winning, it's about fun. The competitive aspect can come later."
Most of those graduates of Junior Spartans programs remain active during their high school years. McGuire says 70 percent of high school athletes participate in sports ranging from football to rowing, which isn't an interscholastic sport but nevertheless attracted 110 participants this spring.
The talent, however, is spread as thin. Though BH-BL is a good-sized Class A program with a BEDS number of 849, there are 79 teams at the modified, junior varsity or varsity levels. Each, of course, has coaches. And it's the coaches that the AD regards as the special ingredient in the success. McGuire says most maintain regular contact with participants in the Junior Spartans programs and offer whatever help and encouragement they can.
Fifth-year Honeoye Falls-Lima AD Brian Donohue also points to outreach by coaches as a factor in the Cougars scoring in seven sports in the NYSSWA All-Sport Championship.
"I know you hear it all the time, but the coaches have an unbelievable work ethic," Donohue said. "They're always working with their colleagues and at the youth level. There aren't a lot of 9-to-5 coaches. They live their sports."
Exhibit A for enthusiasm and expertise is Bernie Gardner. Beginning in 1998, his girls cross country squad ran off seven straight state championships, a NYSPHSAA record for a team in any sport. This year, his runners and nordic skiers accounted for 27.67 points in the NYSSWA All-Sport Championship competition, outscoring all but 10 schools in the entire state.
"We don't have indoor track," Donohue pointed out. "Bernie's such a fitness guru that he doesn't want indoor track. He prefers skiing because it works a different set of muscles. He's a perpetual learner."
The whole staff will face a little bit of a learning curve beginning in September when HF-L moves from the Livingston County League to Monroe County, composed primarily of larger schools than what the Cougars took on in past regular seasons.
Though he'll miss some of the old rivalries, Donohue anticipates that competing with larger schools while eliminating some of the lengthier bus rides can pull HF-L's 61 teams up to new success beyond the eight Section 5 championships earned in 2008-09.
"We're already competing with those schools," he says. "We're leaving a great league . . . but it's the right decision."
Combined Scoring (boys and girls)
Class AA
1. Canandaigua (scored in 4 sports), 32.33 points
2. Brentwood (2), 30 points
3. Mamaroneck (3), 27.5 points
4. Fairport (3), 27 points
5. Shenendehowa (5), 26.5 points
Class A
1. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (5), 49.33 points
2. Honeoye Falls-Lima (7), 45.17 points
3. Garden City (5), 36.17 points
4. Rye (3), 33.33 points
5. Shoreham-Wading River (5), 29.5 points
Class B
1. Bronxville (3), 37 points
2. East Aurora (5), 36.67 points
3. Newark Valley (3), 25 points
4. Fredonia (4), 22 points
5. Westhill (2), 18 points
Class C
1. Maple Hill (4), 30 points
2. Rhinebeck (3), 25.08 points
3. Marathon (2), 22.5 points
4. Nazareth Academy (3), 21.5 points
5. Binghamton Seton (3), 19 points
Class D
1. (tie) South Kortright (4), 27 points
1. (tie) Maple Grove (4), 27 points
3. S.S. Seward (3), 26.5 points
4. (tie) Hamilton (2), 22 points
4. (tie) Arkport (2), 22 points
Boys Scoring
Class AA
1. (tie) Mamaroneck (2), 25 points
1. (tie) Orchard Park (2), 25 points
3. Shenendehowa (3), 22 points
4. Clarence (2), 20 points
5. (tie) Brentwood (1), 15points
5. (tie) Canandaigua (1), 15points
5. (tie) Newburgh Free Academy (1), 15 points
5. (tie) West Islip (1), 15 points
Class A
1. Jamesville-DeWitt (3), 28 points
2. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (2), 25points
3. Honeoye Falls-Lima (3), 20.83 points
4. Aquinas (3), 18.67 points
5. Rye (2), 18.33 points
Class B
1. East Aurora (3), 19.17 points
2. Westhill (2), 18 points
3. (tie) Bishop Kearney (1), 15 points
3. (tie) Bronxville (1), 15 points
3. (tie) Jamestown Southwestern (1), 15 points
3. (tie) Newark Valley (1), 15 points
Class C
1. Maple Hill (3), 27.5 points
2. Binghamton Seton (3), 19 points
3. (tie) Oyster Bay (3), 15 points
3. (tie) Avon (1), 15 points
3. (tie) Beaver River (1), 15 points
3. (tie) Red Creek (1), 15 points
Class D
1. Maple Grove (3), 24.5 points
2. Hamilton (2), 22 points
3. South Kortright (3), 20 points
4. Arkport (1), 15 points
5. (tie) Chazy (1), 10 points
5. (tie) Greenport (1), 10 points
5. (tie) Moriah (1), 10 points
Girls Scoring
Class A
1. Fairport (3), 27 points
2. Canandaigua (3), 17.33 points
3. Kingston (3), 16.5 points
4. Ward Melville (2), 15.5 points
5. (tie) Baldwinsville (2), 15 points
5. (tie) Bethlehem (3), 15 points
5. (tie) Brentwood (1), 15 points
5. (tie) Copiague (1), 15 points
5. (tie) Farmingdale (1), 15 points
5. (tie) Fayetteville-Manlius (1), 15 points
5. (tie) Irondequoit (1), 15 points
5. (tie) John Jay-East Fishkill (1), 15 points
5. (tie) North Rockland (1), 15 points
5. (tie) Union-Endicott (1), 15 points
Class A
1. Garden City (4), 33.67 points
2. (tie) Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (3), 24.33 points
2. (tie) Honeoye Falls-Lima (4), 24.33 points
4. Cornwall (5), 23.5 points
5. (tie) Floral Park (2), 22 points
5. (tie) Victor (2), 22 points
Class B
1. Bronxville (2), 22 points
2. East Aurora (2), 17.5 points
3. (tie) Briarcliff (1), 15 points
3. (tie) Mechanicville (1), 15 points
5. Fredonia (2), 14 points
Class C
1. Rhinebeck (3), 25.08 points
2. Marathon (2), 22.5 points
3. Nazareth Academy (3), 21.5 points
4. Salamanca (2), 17.5 points
5. (tie) East Rochester (1), 15 points
5. (tie) Greenwich (1), 15 points
5. (tie) Portville (1), 15 points
Class D
1. S.S. Seward (2), 19.5 points
2. Coleman Catholic (2), 17 points
3. (tie) Afton (1), 15 points
3. (tie) Plattsburgh Seton (2), 15 points
5. Sherman (2), 13 points
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.
