Category Archives: Section XI News

Section XI News

Section XI Thunder and Lightning Policy

THUNDER/LIGHTNING POLICY

 Applied to regular season through NYSPHSAA Finals:

  1. Thunder and lightning necessitate that any outdoor contest be suspended. The occurrence of thunder and/or lightning is not subject to interpretation or discussion- thunder is thunder, lightning is lightning.
  2. If lightning is observed at the site of an outdoor contest by an Athletic Administrator, coach, or official(s) 15 or fewer minutes before the scheduled start of that contest, the official(s) and the responsible school authorities shall delay the contest for a minimum of 30 minutes.
  3. With your site administrator, set up a plan for shelter before the start of any contest.
  4. When thunder is heard and /or lightning is seen, the following procedures should be adhered to:
    1. Suspend play and direct participants to go to a shelter or a building normally occupied by the public, or if a building is unavailable, participants should go inside a vehicle with a solid metal top (e.g., bus, van, and car).
    2. Do not permit people to stand under or near a tree, and have all stay away from poles, antennas, towers, and underground watering systems.
    3. After thunder and /or lightning have left the area, wait at least 30 minutes after the last boom is heard or strike is seen before resuming play or competition.
    4. If, at any time during the 30-minute delay, additional thunder and/or lightning occurs, the 30-minute delay clock starts over.
Section XI News

Section XI ADs Author New NIAAA Leadership Course

For the last two years, three athletic directors from Section XI have been working on writing an online leadership course under the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Professional Development Leadership Training Institute.
Sayville AD Ryan Cox, Shelter Island AD Todd Gulluscio and former South Huntington AD Jim Wright worked with several ADs from around the country to complete the project.
Their course is called, “Identifying the Need for and Effecting Change in Athletic Administration.”
They recently presented to the NIAAA in Indianapolis for peer review.
Section XI News

Section XI Schools of Distinction and Schools of Excellence Honored

Congratulations to the Section XI schools recognized as NYSPHSAA Schools of Distinction and Schools of Excellence.

Schools of Distinction have 75% of their varsity teams have 90 or above GPAs. Pictured above.

Schools of Excellence have 100% of their varsity teams have 90 or above GPAs. Pictured below.

Athletic directors and their programs were recognized at NYSPHSAA workshop in September.

Schools were originally announced in July.

Section XI News

Section XI ADs Accept Sportsmanship Awards

Section XI athletic directors accepted their Sportsmanship Awards from NYSPHSAA Executive Director Robert Zayas and Section XI Executive Director Tom Combs.

Accepting were Brian Tardif- Pierson, Pat Nieto-Smithtown Christian, Chris Agostino-Bay Shore, John Foster-Hampton Bays, Gregg Wormuth-Mattituck, Tim Mullins-Bayport-Blue Point, Michael DeJoseph-Babylon, and Todd Gullusio-Shelter Island.

Section XI News

NYSPHSAA to Swap Section XI Venues for 2024 Softball State Championships

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) has announced it will move its 2024 Softball State Championship (June 7-8) from Moriches Athletic Complex to Martha Avenue Recreational Park. Both complexes are in Suffolk County (Section XI).  The move is being made to ensure the state tournament is played on softball-specific fields.

“NYSPHSAA is appreciative of the work of Section XI and the Town of Brookhaven to host the top softball teams in New York State to contend for the title of NYSPHSAA State Champion,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director.  “Moving the venue for the 2024 State Championships will provide for fields dedicated solely to the sport of softball and ultimately enhance the playing experience for hundreds of student-athletes.”

The 2022 and 2023 tournaments were played on multi-purpose turf fields with numerous markings for baseball and softball use. On June 7-8, 2024, NYSPHSAA will conduct the Softball State Tournament on softball-only turf fields at the Martha Avenue complex. It will mark the third year of a three-year bid term in which the state Softball Championships are hosted by Suffolk County. Previous sites of the Softball State Championships include Moreau Park (South Glens Falls), Binghamton, Waterloo, and Clifton Park.

This October, NYSPHSAA will begin accepting bids to host the 2025, 2026, and 2027 State Championships.

Section XI News

Harborfields’ Scott Wallace Inducted into NYS Soccer HOF

Harborfields girls varsity soccer head coach Scott Wallace was inducted into the New York State High State Soccer Hall of Fame.
Wallace has been an active coach since 1991, with a career record 304-189-50. He has been named National Soccer Coaches Association of America Regional Coach of the Year, New York State Coach of the Year, Suffolk County Coach of the Year, and League Coach of the Year.
Wallace has led his teams to numerous league championships, five Section XI county championships, one Long Island championship, and a New York State final-four appearance.
Section XI News

East Hampton Football Celebrates 100 Years of Football

East Hampton High School celebrated 100 years of football this weekend on the east end.

Their program combined homecoming with an anniversary celebration commemorating a century of Bonacker football.

East Hampton lost to Harborfields, but it didn’t overshadow the generations of players, coaches, and fans who came out for the event.

What’s a Bonacker, might you ask? A Bonac was a group of people who were most likely original settlers in East Hampton, but the name has evolved to include anyone on the east end making a living as baymen, fishermen, and farmers, or, in this case, those who attend East Hampton High School.

The Bonackers had its most successful and undefeated season in 1952 (pictured above) and won a Suffolk County championship again in 1981. They also lost title games in 1973 and 1994.

Here’s to another 100 years!