I’ve got stunning news. Jericho has been awarded a state championship in football. That’s right, NYSPHSAA recently announced its top scholar athlete teams from the fall season and Jericho was the best in football.

The Jayhawks may have struggled on the field, but they were champs in the classroom, boasting a state-best 95.017 academic average collectively. That’s welcome news for coach Joe Del Gais, who has worked hard at a turnaround on the turf.

Three other Long Island schools took home academic state championships. The most impressive was Farmingdale in girls swimming and diving, which posted a near-perfect 98.824 average. Glenn girls tennis was next with a 98.333 average while Cold Spring Harbor field hockey finished tops in its sport with a 95.833 average.

Way to go.

Posted by Jason Molinet at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Here’s more fun with numbers, courtesy of stat man Andy Slawson. The Nassau football semifinals kick off Thursday with Conference I games at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.

Ever wonder about the man calling the shots on the sidelines? Here are the career won-loss records of the coaches still fighting for championships. If there’s a common thread, most of these guys are very, very accomplished. It’s little wonder they are still coaching into November.

Check out these semifinal matchups:

Conference I
Vinny Mascia, ninth year at East Meadow, 44-31-1 vs. Pat Nolan, fifth year at Massapequa, 28-16.

Russ Cellan, 21st year at Freeport and 24th overall, 139-73-3 vs. Buddy Krumenacker, 14th year at Farmingdale and 25th overall, 165-59-11.

Conference II
Lou Andre, seventh year at Lawrence and 18th overall, 114-50-2 vs. Jay Hegi, fifth year at Elmont, 24-17-1.

Tom Flatley, 22nd year at Garden City, 186-30-7 vs. Bob Fehrenbach, eighth year at MacArthur, 44-25-2.

Conference III
Howie Vogts, 53rd year at Bethpage, 340-113-10* vs. John Boyle, 20th year at Clarke, 104-66-2.

Steve LoCicero, second year at Lynbrook, 10-6+ vs. Rob Shaver, 11th year at Plainedge, 50-43-1.

Conference IV
Joe Vito, 13th year at Roosevelt, 89-33-2 vs. Lance Griffin, 24th year at Valley Stream South, 92-101-6.

Dan Agovino, fifth year at North Shore, 21-22 vs. Rob Perpall, seventh year at Seaford, 38-22.

*State record.
+Co-coach last season.

Posted by Jason Molinet at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)