In the fourth of our five Section III football previews, we zero in on Class A, where it hasn't been difficult to pinpoint the top teams in recent years.

A few might venture in, and a few might venture out. Maybe Camden or Carthage or Mexico or Cortland steps up and has a big season, then moves back to the pack.

But most times you could safely count on some variation of Whitesboro, New Hartford, Fulton and East Syracuse-Minoa being at the top of the standings - the first two in the National division, the last two in the National division.

In 2009, it came down to Whitesboro and New Hartford, who carry as fierce a rivalry as can be found in Central New York...

CATEGORY: Football (American)

TAGS: Section III football, Class A preview

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Just one more day remains until Section III football kicks off for 2010, and just one more class left to preview - the big guys in Class AA, where glory has recently proved widespread, but fleeting.

Paul Muench, the coach at Fayetteville-Manlius, made a salient point last week...

CATEGORY: Football (American)

TAGS: Section III, football, Class AA preview

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So now the results are in from the first week of Section III football, and as usual there's a lot to consider.

In many cases, the big statements - and the teams making those statements - were quite familiar. But you could argue that the most impressive effort was turned in by someone brand new.

That would be Syracuse's Institute of Technology Central. Typically, a program moving up to the varsity program has to go through a month, or a year, or several years of transition to the big time.

But the Eagles broke that mold in a big way, marching into Tully Friday night and pulling out a 22-19 victory. Sure, it helped that John Cosgrove coached against the Black Knights many times while at Bishop Ludden...

CATEGORY: Football (American)

TAGS: Football, first week, recap, Syracuse ITC

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As a whole, professional sports is hurting at the gate, with lower attendance and sagging TV ratings across the board, from MLB to NHL to NBA to NASCAR, as the rough economy has not spared the games we love.

Soon enough, even the once-untouchable National Football League might get burned. Yes, ratings are still sky-high, but fewer fans are going to games (not a huge dip, but it’s a dip), for it’s just too expensive for tickets and too time-consuming in traffic, among other faults.

Oh yeah, and we might not have football in 2011, as owners and players are careening toward a labor impasse with no relief on the horizon...

CATEGORY: Football (American)

TAGS: NFL, 2011 season, preview

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Usually in the first week of September, high school athletes are still sweating in the sun or fending off the humidity.

Not this time, though. Already a serious chill has hit Central New York. It felt more like late October than early September in mid-week. Perish the thought - is snow coming early?

Early or late, Section III girls soccer will provide quite a compelling tale in 2010, and there's a lot to brag about in the wake of CBA (in Class AA) and Sauquoit Valley (in Class C) both reaching the state finals a season ago.

For the Brothers, getting back to the Cortland/Homer area for a November encore is quite possible...

CATEGORY: Soccer (Football)

TAGS: Section III, girls soccer, 2010 season preview

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Bundling up, fighting the elements, summoning all of your concentration so that you can go out and win. Sounds like Section III boys soccer in late October or early November, right?

Well, maybe we don't have to wait that long for the elements. Already it's brisk and cool in Central New York, with indications that more of it is on the way. And what will THAT mean for 2010?

One major difference this year is that the tale will not end in Oneonta. The closing of the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame and other factors have sent the Nov. 20-21 state final four to Middletown, in Orange County, not far from Pennsylvania and New Jersey...

CATEGORY: Soccer (Football)

TAGS: Section III, boys soccer, 2010 season preview

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Get out your sticks once more - it's fall, and it means high school field hockey.

Some will never warm to the sport, with its odd rules and infrequent scoring. But for the devotees (and there are plenty), the sound of wood slapping ball is sweet indeed.

Change might be heading into the Class A ranks. For much of the last decade, three schools - CNS, Liverpool and Rome Free Academy - have dominated the conversation and claimed Section III titles. Only on occasion have the likes of Baldwinsville or F-M chimed into the argument.

Maybe that changes in 2010. The Bees opened by bashing RFA 4-0, though it was admittedly on home grass, not the turf that the other favorites occupy...

CATEGORY: Hockey

TAGS: Section III, field hockey, 2010 season preview

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You could see your own breath Friday night as the second week of high school football got underway. That isn't supposed to happen until the playoffs, right?

At the very least, it felt like football, and the slate of games provided some continuation of the opening-week themes - but also a fair amount of reversals.

No reversals needed when Rome Free Academy meets Utica Proctor. Just 119 years of history, thousands present and a game that always seems to thrill.

Proctor's big plays, especially a 95-yard kick return by Richard Pete, helped them get a 24-14 lead. RFA's grit allowed for a comeback that nearly got it to overtime before a last-second field-goal attempt went astray and it ended 24-21.

So the Raiders are 2-0...

CATEGORY: Football (American)

TAGS: High School football, second week, recap

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This Monday morning, Sept. 13, unfolded for me like a thousand other mornings. I woke up, cleaned up, grabbed some breakfast and the morning paper, stopped at the convenience store for some coffee, then made my way around Military Circle, turned right on Ridings, then right again before winding my way to that building on 5910 Firestone Drive.

Only this was the last time I was making that journey.

It’s official, and it’s done. Eagle is now situated at 2501 James Street, in the heart of Eastwood, in a busy neighborhood with actual restaurants and stores within easy walking distance...

CATEGORY: Observations

TAGS: Eagle, Firestone Drive, moving out

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Okay, so there's no big and bright sign at 2501 James Street telling everybody where Eagle Newspapers is now situated - but we're working on it.

What is there is quite nice, anyway.

We've now spent three days in our new home, just a block away from the Palace Theatre, across the street from Subway and Mobil and walking distance from any number of stores and restaurants. Gradually, we're getting used to it, too.

That means sitting at a new desk - no, make that the second new desk. My first one didn't have the key to open the cabinets, so a second take was required...

CATEGORY: Observations

TAGS: Eagle, new offices, walk-through

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A couple of distinct themes kept popping up in the third weekend of the Section III football season.

First, you had comebacks - lots of them. Either instances where a favored team started slowly, then took over, or cases where the eventual winners just did a flat-out rescue job in the fourth quarter.

Also, there were some sick point totals thrown out there on Saturday - 85 by General Brown against Alexandria Bay, 70 by Phoenix in their romp over Phoenix. That brings the inevitable accusation of whether someone is running up the score.

In the Lions' case, well, they had 73 points by halftime, which was ridiculous enough...

CATEGORY: Football (American)

TAGS: Football, Week 3, comebacks

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Sure, other teams in other fall high school sports find a fair amount of success. A few get fortunate enough, go all the way and claim a state championship.

Then there's cross country. Few places in America produce runners as good and tough as they've got here.

Part of that is having strong programs...

CATEGORY: Running

TAGS: Section III, cross country, analysis

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You probably know little about Stieg Larsson, the Swedish writer who, in his brief 50 years on this planet, evolved from science-fiction buff to journalistic activist in his fearless coverage of his native land’s white-supremacy movements. Maybe his pursuit of the latter led to his passing in 2004 from a heart attack.

Yet it’s likely that you know quite a lot about Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander, the two characters at the heart of an unforgettable trilogy of novels Larsson wrote, but never lived to see published into gigantic worldwide best-sellers.

In order, the books comprise of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest"...

CATEGORY: Books

TAGS: Stieg Larsson, "Girl" books, analysis

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Safe to say, Cazenovia and VVS had nothing left.

Not after four quarters, two overtimes, 94 points, more than 1,000 total yards, fumbles, near-fumbles, interceptions, dropped interceptions, penalties, sacks, two-point conversions, a field goal through the uprights, a field goal that struck an upright, long punts, short punts....did I leave anything out?

Simply put, no game in the 2010 Section III football season could match what the Lakers and Red Devils gave us Saturday at Buckley-Volo Field...and no game might top it, either.

Once formidable, the Caz defense got reduced to rubble by Tyler Mautner's long bombs...

CATEGORY: Football (American)

TAGS: High School football, fourth week, VVS, Cazenovia

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If you’re up late, or if you have a tough time sleeping, or (most likely) if you’re a golf nut, chances are you will be watching when, at 2:30 in the morning our time, an unknown American player strikes the first tee shot of the 38th Ryder Cup matches at Celtic Manor in Wales.

And by that point, every one of the 24 players from the United States and Europe, not to mention captains Corey Pavin and Colin Montgomerie, will be quite happy just to get the darn thing started.

Between the months of jockeying for team spots, the endless speculation about captain’s picks and, most of all, the week full of ceremonial pomp that accompanies this incomparable event, it can drive any participant crazy.

Yet there’s no denying the electricity the matches produce...

CATEGORY: Golf

TAGS: Ryder Cup, 2010, Wales, United States, Europe, preview

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