Pre-season Camps Set to Officially Open Next Week
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
We are less than one week away from pre-season camps opening up at Section 1 high schools. All fall varsity sports teams will have a two- to three-week window to get ready to rumble at places like Somers (the four-time reigning sectional football champions and defending NYSPHSAA champs) and Lakeland (where the Hornets have won 15 consecutive Section 1 field hockey championships since losing to Putnam Valley in 2008).
Those are just two of the highfalutin programs within The Examiner-area region that will enter the 2024 campaign as the team to beat with a bullseye on their backs. As we spring into action in the days ahead, we are sure to attract some newcomers to our sports section, which, like our news section, is dubbed “Our Weekly Miracle.”
Those that are new to us should know that our sports section includes varsity sports coverage of Putnam County’s five high schools (Carmel, Mahopac, Brewster, Putnam Valley and Haldane), northern Westchester (Yorktown, Lakeland, Walter Panas, Somers, Hendrick Hudson, Croton-Harmon, Peekskill and Ossining), plus mid-Westchester (White Plains, Pleasantville, Byram Hills, Westlake, Fox Lane, Horace Greeley, Briarcliff and Valhalla).
We are counting on the cooperation of our local athletic directors to ensure a smooth transition into the 2024-25 school year to help promote some of the finest student athletes across our great nation. To that end, we need all updated varsity sports rosters (name, year, position and most importantly their number) to assist in the identification of the thousands of photos we take on a weekly basis.
We also kindly accept contributions from sideline shutterbugs, too. (Simply send to rgallagher@theexaminernews.com or raygallaghersports@gmail.com.)
Our sports deadline is Sunday afternoons with our print editions coming out on Tuesday afternoons at high schools, supermarkets, delis and diners near you. Our online content can be found at www.theexaminersnews.com, so we hope you’ll grab a stack to share with family members and give us a look from time to time as we cover the exploits of our hardworking local athletes and the programs they define…
Gotta admit: The New York Jets intrigue the heck outta me this year from a fantasy football perspective, not to mention their actual potential as a 2024 playoff hopeful. Jets RB Breece Hall is a complete creature out of the backfield, perhaps the No. 2, 3 or 4 pick in your fantasy drafts and one of the most elite players in the NFL. Jets WR Garrett Wilson isn’t slipping deep into your second round of drafts, so that makes two Jet players with a potential top-10/14 average draft position.
And this Jets defense is as formidable as the Baltimore Ravens or any other defense in the league, and we haven’t mentioned future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers as we delve into a Jets’ fantasy scenario as enticing as any in the league if Rodgers can stay upright this season…
Not going to panic on Giants QB Daniel Jones’ abysmal showing in Saturday’s 28-10 setback to Houston. He’s got a ton of rust to shake off after last year’s injuries, but that pick-six he threw was pure panic on his part, though he did fire two choice deep balls to rookie standout WR Malik Nabers and veteran WR Darius Slayton. Jones has multiple weapons and an improved O-line this season, so he’s out of excuses if he fails…
I don’t want to put the whammy on Mets 3B Mark Vientos like I did to Michael Conforto in the summer of 2015 when I touted the 2017 all-star as a sure-fire, perennial all-star. Conforto soon fizzled out and the Mets let him walk. Vientos, number 27 on your scorecard, looks every bit the part of a potential perennial all-star, with a team-leading OPS of .898 while batting .279 in his first full season (well, almost), including 19 dingers and 49 RBI through 265 at-bats #ImpressiveNumbers through Sunday.
If the Mets’ brass, which has played some head games with Vientos already, don’t lock this kid up for the long haul, they will rue the day they let him go #IMO.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.
