News & notes

Section II will have to settle for two state champions in basketball.

Class D men's champion Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville was denied on Sunday, dropping a 67-54 decision to Harrisville.

For the teams in Classes C & D, the season is officially over. The Federation Tournament of Champions begins Saturday in Glens Falls at Cool Insuring Arena. Two Section II teams are entered.

Albany Academy, which doesn't represent the New York Public High School Athletic Association (NYPHSAA), but another governing body altogether, will get another game against Park School, which denied the Cadets the Federation title last year. Academy got their revenge earlier this season at the Washington Avenue Armory, so now it's Park seeking revenge.

Class B champion Glens Falls gets the home cooking for their semifinal match vs. South Bronx Prep. They won't officially be the home team, but it will be a de facto home game for Joseph Girard III and friends.
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College hockey season in this region is over.

Union College was eliminated in the ECAC quarterfinals, 2 games to 1, after Cornell won the deciding game, 4-2, Sunday night in Ithaca.

Now, if only RPI could figure out how to win some big games of their own.......
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Pre-season scrimmages for lacrosse, softball, & baseball begin today in Section II. Regular season action begins in two weeks.Weather permitting, of course.

The only drawback is that not all teams make their rosters available online, and no programs are printed on game days. As ye scribe found out last year, that makes covering the games a daunting task.

Troy High, for example, hasn't updated its softball page in years. That oversight needs to be corrected, preferably yesterday, but that isn't the only problem plaguing Troy this time of year.

There are no lights for the softball & baseball diamonds. The lacrosse team plays their games at Picken Memorial Field, and have the benefit of the scoreboard. However, the lack of a program keeps visitors in the dark about who's on the team. The school board can't afford to pay for lighting on the other side of the complex, or a scoreboard for the diamonds.

Across town, Lansingburgh has a scoreboard and lights for their diamond, but no programs. Catholic Central, which plays their home games at Knickerbocker Park, virtually next door to Lansingburgh High, can't get volunteers to operate the scoreboard there. I know times have been tough at CCHS in recent years, but come on!

LaSalle plays most of their home games at Geer Field, which is difficult for visitors to get to, and play only one home game a year at Joe Bruno Stadium, that being during the Friday Night Lights Coaches Against Cancer series. They'll play Cohoes at The Joe on May 10, but if something can be worked out between LaSalle, Hudson Valley Community College (from whom LaSalle rents the hockey rink), and the Tri-City Valleycats, maybe the Cadets can play all of their home games at The Joe, as HVCC does. Even if the games have to be played at night, it would be easier for fans, especially those who commute via public transportation.
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Speaking of the Friday Night Lights series, the only other game confirmed so far is Shenendehowa vs. Niskayuna, scheduled for April 26. The rest of the schedule will be made public three days before the game.