News & notes

The College of St. Rose will have a pair of Section II stars playing basketball for them next winter.

Ballston Spa's Keegan Zoller and Schalmont's Shane O'Dell have signed letters of intent to attend St. Rose, and stay close to home. O'Dell gave up football as a senior to focus on basketball, and his decision has paid off. Zoller was a three sport star for the Scotties (basketball, football, baseball), and could have one last baseball season if Section II gets its wish for a truncated 2020 season.
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Troy High star tailback Xavier Leigh is drawing the attention of college scouts as he begins to prepare for his senior season.

Leigh has fielded offers from Michigan and Sacred Heart as well as UAlbany, and you know Troy High Nation would love to see Leigh join former teammates Dev Holmes & Joe Casale in Albany. I've a feeling Leigh will stay close to home.
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Section II had just finished mourning the passing of former South Glens Falls coach Murry O'Neil when word got out late Monday that Hoosick Falls football coach Ron Jones, 51, had passed away suddenly. Jones took the Panthers from the Class C basement all the way into the penthouse, if you will, turning them into a perennial contender. He will be missed.

News & notes

Siena is getting closer to going into rebuilding mode for next season in men's basketball.

Sammy Friday is transferring to Eastern Illinois for his final year of eligibility. Friday is graduating from Siena next month, and like Elijah Burns this season, Friday will be a graduate transfer when he heads for EIU next season.
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The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSSA) announced Monday that there would be no sectional or state regional title play in baseball, softball, or lacrosse this season, but NYSPHSAA is holding out hope of a truncated regular season after shelter-in-place restrictions implemented by Governor Cuomo are lifted, which may or may not be on May 15 as planned.

However, it's been reported that Cuomo is planning on lifting those restrictions on a regional basis, one area at a time, erring on the side of caution. Stay tuned.
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The Albany Times-Union did a feature piece on UAlbany receiver Juwan Green prior to last week's NFL Draft, thinking he'd get his name called across the three days. Nope.

However, Green signed a free agent contract after the draft with Atlanta, and will compete for a roster spot and the opportunity to play alongside All-Pro Julio Jones.

Two other Great Danes also received free agent deals.

Defensive end/linebacker Eli Mencer signed with Seattle, and defensive back Jarren Williams signed with Arizona. Assuming training camps open on time in July, we'll be tracking their progress.

News & notes

It was known last year that Shenendehowa's Jake Reinisch would be heading for Wake Forest after his high school career ended. Two of his baseball teammates have since made collegiate commitments.

Thomas Krill will stay in the 518 and attend the College of St. Rose, while Patrick McGuire will be headed to St. John Fisher, where he'll continue to be a dual-sport athlete.

As it is becoming increasingly unlikely that they'll get any spring sports in before the June 14 deadline (which would've been for the now cancelled final exams), at least their futures are secure.
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Mechanicville softball coach Don Arceneaux was named to the High School Softball Hall of Fame last week. The Red Raiders have had one of the most consistent programs in the Wasaren League with Arceneaux at the helm. Congratulations!
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Hard to believe, but they actually attempted to open local golf courses in recent days. Heard the other day that they've been closed again. Apparently, they'll wait until they get the green light from Governor Cuomo to reopen.
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Congratulations to former Holy Trinity placekicker Justin Rohrwasser, who played his college football at Marshall. Rohrwasser was drafted Saturday by the New England Patriots, who are looking for a new kicker after cutting Stephen Gostkowski loose during the offseason.

We should note that ex-RPI kicker Andrew Franks is also looking for work, now that the XFL 2.0 has been shut down. Franks kicked for the league's Tampa Bay Vipers, and, before that, the Miami Dolphins. If the NFL doesn't want Franks, there's always Canada.

News & notes

The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) will have some representation from the 518 for the next three years.

Liz Kuhlkin, from Schenectady, was elected to a 3 year term on the board earlier this week. Kuhlikn has been active on the womens' tour since it was relaunched, and one would think her presence on the board would create an opportunity for some future tournaments to be held in the 518. Stay tuned.
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Now, let's follow up on a couple of recent stories.

UAlbany lacrosse fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Mens' varsity coach Scott Marr is staying with the Great Danes, turning down an offer from national rival Johns Hopkins to be their head coach. The Albany Times-Union and Daily Gazette broke the story earlier this week. El Cheapo Media? Fuhgeddaboutit!

This, actually, is nothing new at UAlbany, as mens' basketball coach Will Brown has turned down offers to go elsewhere the last few years as well.
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Across the river at Troy High, Athletic Director Paul Reinisch made it official on Wednesday. Richard Hurley, after a 3 year sabbatical from coaching, during which time he was an assistant to principal Joseph Mariano, Jr., will return to the bench to coach the mens' varsity this winter, according to the Gazette. Greg Davis, who succeeded Hurley in 2017, and won a Suburban Council Gray division title and a Section II Class A crown in 2019, was notified a couple of weeks back that he would not be back as head coach next season after a 4th place finish in the Gray division this past season, the worst finish Troy has had since entering the Suburban Council in 2015.

Troy will return a solid core of players for 2020-21, and likely will contend for the Gray division title.

News & notes

Catching up on some headlines from recent days.....

RPI hockey star Will Reilly is turning pro.

Reilly was drafted by Pittsburgh three years ago, and, on Wednesday, formally signed a pro contract with the Penguins. Reilly was a key factor in RPI claiming the Mayors' Cup from Union earlier this season.
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UAlbany men's lacrosse coach Scott Marr's name has been mentioned in connections with rumors regarding the same position at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Johns Hopkins has been a perennial national title contender in the sport, and if Marr accepts the job, then the Great Danes will be looking for a new coach.

Meanwhile, the school's men's basketball team may be saying farewell to Malachi de Souza, who has entered the transfer portal, hoping to improve his fortunes elsewhere. We'll see where he lands soon enough.
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A year after he decided to test the draft waters, Siena's Jalen Pickett will not tempt fate a second time, and is bypassing the NBA draft this year. With teammate Manny Camper having already declared, Pickett may be thinking Siena will need him more than the NBA does.

Speaking of the Saints, 90's hoopster Matt Gras passed away earlier this week at 46. Gras played for Siena in 100 games over a five year period (1991-5). They're saying he had a pre-existing medical condition compounded by COVID-19. Our condolences to Gras' family.
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Update, 6:19 pm.:

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) wanted to wait until April 27 to make a determination on whether or not there would be spring sports this season.

Governor Andrew Cuomo may have just taken the decision out of the Association's hands.

Earlier today, Cuomo announced that the current "New York on Pause" program, which keeps schools and non-essential businesses closed, will remain in effect until at least Friday, May 15. This effectively kills the 2020 spring sports season. Even though end-of-season Regents exams, scheduled for mid-June, are already cancelled, there is no realistic way NYSPHSAA will be able to even attempt a truncated 2020 spring sports season.

When the Governor talks, even OTB gets in on the act......!

If you wanted a visual illustration of the new world we live in, dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, consider this.

While Governor Andrew Cuomo's daily briefings are dutifully carried on all the usual channels (Spectrum, WNYT, WTEN, etc.), Capital District Off-Track Betting's channel (Spectrum digital channel 1250), starved for fresh programming due to the pandemic shuttering branches and various race tracks in New York and beyond, is doing their part by carrying the briefings either live or on tape delay.

SAY WHAT???

As I am writing, today's briefing was airing. If you miss any or all of it, they'll replay it later tonight, sometime around 8 pm or so, depending on whether or not they'll run a briefing from Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy first (yes, they're running those, too). What I can't figure is whether or not OTB TV is sending their own camera crew, or piggy-backing off Spectrum or one of the other stations.

For the duration, OTB TV doesn't have live harness racing, as even Saratoga Casino & Raceway has shut its doors. I think Mike Sardella may have addressed that in his weekly column for El Cheapo Media. Picking up McCoy & Cuomo's daily talks gives OTB TV some fresh programming, albeit for the short term. The live briefings interrupt programming on the network affiliates, because it is news of high importance. Since OTB is adversely affected by COVID-19, they know their customers want to know what's going on.

Look at it this way. It beats listening to and looking at the Ugly American in Chief in Washington.......

2020 football schedules for Troy High & LaSalle

Compliments of the Daily Gazette, the 2020 Section II football schedules are out, released to coaches on Monday. The Gazette published the full schedule, but we'll focus on Troy High & LaSalle. They won't see Columbia on their schedules this year, as the Blue Devils have traded places and classifications with Niskayuna.

Also, Green Tech drops from Class A to Class B, Ichabod Crane moves from Class B to Class C, while last year's Class C champion, Stillwater, moves to Class D.

The preliminary schedules are as follows:

The season openers are set for now for September 11.

LaSalle: John Audino begins his 3rd season at the helm.

Week 1: @ Green Tech (now a non-conference game).
Week 2: Home opener vs. Niskayuna.
Week 3: @ Albany (likely a Saturday afternoon game on Sept. 26).
Week 4: Cobleskill-Richmondville (non-conference/Homecoming).
Week 5: @ Averill Park.
Week 6: @ Amsterdam.
Week 7: Senior Night, and another crack at the Collar City Cup vs. Troy.

Troy High: Bob Burns begins his 6th season, and, like LaSalle, there are only three home games.

Week 1: Niskayuna.
Week 2: Averill Park (Homecoming).
Week 3: @ Queensbury (Sept. 26).
Week 4: Senior Night vs. Schenectady (non-conference).
Week 5: @ Amsterdam.
Week 6: @ Glens Falls (non-conference)(October 17)
Week 7: Collar City Cup game @ LaSalle.

It seems weird to have Senior Night so early at Troy, but that is the hand the Flying Horses have been dealt. At least they'll have a shot at revenge against Queensbury. There are no tomato cans on the schedule, save maybe for Nisky on opening night. Schenectady just missed the playoffs last year. LaSalle, meanwhile, will get to feast on Green Tech & Albany, and conceivably could be 4-0 by the time they visit Averill Park on October 9. LaSalle has just missed vs. Troy the last two years, so the third time for Audino could be the charm to bring the Cup home to LaSalle's Williams Road campus.

As they say, that's why they play the games.

News & notes

With schools remaining closed until at least April 29, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) announced Monday that spring sports will remain suspended until that same date.

That makes it increasingly unlikely that there will be a 2020 spring sports season, all due to COVID-19. The NYSPHSAA, following in lockstep behind Governor Cuomo's recent announcement to extend the closure of schools, may be looking at a spring without sports. Stay tuned.
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As expected, and this was left out of previous reports, the Times-Union Center has rescheduled a planned live broadcast of Smackdown, originally intended for May 1, all the way to September 25. It is expected that any tickets not refunded for the May 1 program will be honored in September. WWE has been operating out of its Performance Center in Orlando since last month, but with Florida under a stay-at-home, "shelter-in-place" order, there are questions regarding anything not yet recorded, since it appears the last pre-taped program was last night's episode of Raw.
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The longer the pandemic continues, the less likely it might be that the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League and other, smaller summer sports leagues will see action this year as well. The Albany Dutchmen and the rest of the PGCBL, as well as teams in the Northeastern Football Alliance, a semi-pro football league which operates throughout New York, are waiting out the storm, hoping to start their seasons, but to this point, no one knows for sure.

News & notes

Another spring tradition is being sidelined in the 518.

The Freihofer's Run For Women, a staple since the 70's, and scheduled for May 29, has been cancelled. The organizers are angling for a "virtual" race, in the same manner that NASCAR has been experimenting with in recent television broadcasts.

Considering the usually ginormous field for the race, I can understand cancelling it. A "virtual" race might actually be easier to live-stream.
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Siena College is already set to wave good-bye to LaSalle grad Elijah Burns, who came over as a graduate-transfer from Notre Dame this past season, and lifted some of the scoring burden off sophomore superstar Jalen Pickett.

Now comes word that junior Manny Camper has declared for the NBA Draft, set for June. Camper, though, like Pickett last year, is leaving his collegiate options open, and hasn't yet hired an agent. The only Siena player to appear in an NBA game was Kenny Hasbrouck, who had a couple of cups of coffee with Miami a few years back.

We'll see how this plays out in a couple of months.
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Normally, the Tri-City Valleycats hold auditions for National Anthem singers at Crossgates Mall this time of year.

However, with the Mall shuttered due to COVID-19, the team is doing "virtual" auditions by having prospects submit 90 second audition videos. The 'Cats are still hoping to open the NY-Penn League season on time, with the home opener set for June 24.

Now, if they were really smart, they'd reserve a couple of spots for some local talent with national exposure, like American Idol runner-up Madison Vandenberg, currently shilling for Mohawk Honda & their new Mohawk Chevrolet dealership, and Sawyer Fredericks, who was a winner on The Voice a couple of years back.
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It ain't exactly Strat-O-Matic, but with spring sports sidelined for the duration, the CBA & Colonie baseball teams experimented with playing a simulated game using a game board the other day, according to the Daily Gazette.

Those of you of a certain age will recall Strat-O-Matic was big back in the 60's and 70's. Occasionally, Mets announcer Keith Hernandez will reference the game during telecasts.

For what it's worth, Colonie won the "game", 5-2, but, of course, it doesn't count.

Now, if they tried a simulated game inserting high school players into something like MLB20: The Show, then we'd have something to talk about.

News & notes

Assuming they'll have spring sports this year in Section II----and that's growing increasingly unlikely---don't expect Emma Willard to field any teams for softball and women's lacrosse.

The school, located on Pawling Avenue in Troy, is opting to stick with online classes for the rest of the season. Better, then, to err on the side of caution to avoid any unnecessary risks.

With social distancing mandates remaining in place through at least April 30, expect everyone else in Section II to follow suit, and spring sports will have to wait until 2021.
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The Symetra golf tour is a developmental program for the LPGA, and traditionally has a stop in Albany.

This year's event, set for late May, has been postponed due to COVID-19. No make-up date has been set as yet, and tour officials are negotiating on said make-up dates, trying to remain hopeful that the tournament will land in Albany this season.
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With horse racing having been shut down in New York by Governor Andrew Cuomo due to COVID-19, it raises the question of whether or not Saratoga will have its annual meet, set to start in July and run through Labor Day.

The longer the pandemic remains a major health concern nationwide, the less chance there is that NYRA will get the full 40 days for this year's meet.

To that end, we must consider whether or not there will be any sports options this summer. Stay tuned.
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The other shoe has dropped at Troy High.

According to James Allen in today's Albany Times-Union, Greg Davis is out as men's varsity basketball coach at Troy after three seasons. This opens the door for the possible return of principal's assistant Richard Hurley as head coach after three seasons away from the Troy bench. Hurley, in seven seasons as Troy coach (2011-17), led Troy to five straight Section II title games between Classes A & AA, winning two (2013 & 2016), before stepping down after the 2016-17 season to spend more time with his family. Davis, a year removed from winning a sectional title of his own and being named Large School Coach of The Year by the Times-Union, compiled a 45-27 record as one of the youngest coaches in Section II from 2017-20.

Troy makes coaching decisions on a year-to-year basis. One suspects that a 4th place finish in the Suburban Council's Gray division in the just concluded 2019-20 season sealed Davis' fate. Davis still teaches at Troy at present.
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Meanwhile, over in Averill Park, even though the spring sports season hasn't officially started due to COVID-19, El Cheapo Media reports that Averill Park High had in fact named their new varsity softball coach.

Kevin Earl, currently also the defensive coordinator for the varsity football team, the very same one for which he was the head coach some 20 years ago, has been named varsity softball coach, and was interviewed by El Cheapo's "Average" Joe Boyle. The piece will likely see print in Saturday's editions. Varsity basketball coach Dave Pugilese, who also is an assistant under Zach Gobel in football, finished the 2019 season as softball head coach after Ken Bailey was dismissed amid allegations of body shaming and other forms of verbal abuse against members of the softball team.

Bailey was pulled right before a critical Suburban Council game 8 months ago vs. Troy, which the Warriors lost.

Apparently, AP's budget is such that they rarely hire outside the pre-existing athletic staff. If they don't play this season, Earl would begin his softball coaching career in 2021.

Are the winds of change swirling again at Troy High?

A report in the Daily Gazette caught my attention earlier.

According to the article, former Troy High men's varsity basketball coach Richard Hurley, still at Troy as an assistant to principal Joseph Mariano, Jr., is mulling the prospect of returning to the Troy bench this coming winter.

Now, this is no slight on his successor, Greg Davis. In three seasons, Davis, like Hurley before him, won a Suburban Council Gray division title, and followed up with a sectional title, the second one of each since Troy entered the league in 2015. This past season, Troy finished fourth in the division behind resurgent Averill Park, Schenectady, & Columbia, this after two division titles and two second place finishes the previous four years.

Another factor, and we don't know for sure if anything is actually happening, mind, might be the transfer of rising star Zaveon Little last off-season to Voorheesville. All Little did was lead the Blackbirds to a Colonial Council Patriot division title. Unlike in college or the pros, any issues between players and coaches are kept off-limits to the press.

Nothing is definite----it is early April, after all---but we'll see if anything else develops before the end of the current school year.