Welcome Newcomers, Expect More of Same in 2023
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
And here we are, folks, counting down the dog days of August, which means we are getting ever so close to the start of the Section 1 2023-24 school sports year, which means it’s back-to-the-grind time for me and my team.
It’s also a point in time where we pick up new readers as rookie varsity players and their parents find out about our weekly publication. We will quickly detail the school districts in our coverage zone in the hopes that local coaches will grab hold of this opportunity to keep the fan base happy while promoting the programs and the student athletes within our regions: Northern Westchester Examiner includes Lakeland, Panas, Yorktown, Somers, Hen Hud, Ossining, Peekskill, Croton-Harmon; Putnam Examiner includes Mahopac, Carmel, Brewster, Putnam Valley and Haldane; Westchester Examiner includes Pleasantville, Fox Lane, Greeley, Byram Hills, Briarcliff, Westlake and Valhalla; and the city-based White Plains edition speaks for itself.
That’s a ton of schools for our short staff, so we’ll obviously need eager cooperation from our athletic directors and coaches as we hope to capture 2023-24’s biggest moments from fall football to spring lacrosse and all points in between.
We ask that our athletic directors/coaches send full, detailed rosters for all fall sports ASAP. While the area’s top programs all have Twitter and Instagram accounts, it’s important that you tag @Directrays and @Examinermedia while sending game-by-game recaps to rgallagher@theexaminernews.com so we have the advantage of an early start to our weekly preparations #PleaseThanks.
Readers who are familiar with our sports section know full well that the stalwarts of Section 1 sports will oftentimes re-emerge as the teams to beat, and new readers will soon find out.
The best part over the course of the last several years has been the incredible development of some of the state’s top-notch football programs, including 2021 state champs Carmel (the reigning two-time Class AA champs), 2022 state champs Somers (the three-time defending Class A champs) and the 2021-22 state runner-up from Pleasantville, who certainly look like a team on a mission to collect the Panthers’ second state chip since 2017.
Coach Tony Becerra’s Panthers have appeared in four state title games in Syracuse since 2016. Somers has been to the dome three times since its 2016 state championship, bringing home two of three state jewels and three straight titles under Coach Anthony DeMatteo Jr. All three grid programs have been beholding the last few years.
So for all you newbies out there, you might want to pack a lunch and bring a hard hat when you head to Somers and Pleasantville gridirons this fall. Carmel, while rebuilding somewhat in 2023 under legendary Coach Todd Cayea, is still quite formidable.
And while you might not need a hard hat when you see the Lakeland field hockey team, you best pack a lunch, because Coach Sharon Sarsen’s 13-time NYS champion Hornets haven’t lost a Section 1 Class B championship game since 2008. A rebuilding year at Lakeland is any year where they don’t actually challenge for the state title. The 2022 campaign was one of those years despite the Hornets going 18-2-1 with just two seniors on the roster so #BraceForLakeland. There’s a noticeable difference in what they do over there at the hive.
And while we’re on the subject of dominance, Somers will continue to be a force on the boys’ soccer circuit where Coach Brian Lanzetta’s Tuskers have a pair of NYSPHSAA Class A championships since 2016. The Tuskers, after winning state crowns in 2016 and 2021, were in a bit of a rebuild mode in 2022, but after winning the Lakeland Summer Soccer League title just two weeks ago, Somers looks like it can challenge Coach Zoran Milojevic’s reigning Class A champion Yorktown. Those two programs have provided local soccer fanatics with one of the great rivalries in Section 1, but both will have their hands full in the newly-revamped classifications (more on that below), which place reigning Class AA NYS champ Scarsdale in AA with Somers and Yorktown.
And speaking of hard hats, they launch a lot of bombs on the Hen Hud volleyball court where Coach Diane Swertfager’s Sailors have racked up 17 section titles and three state championships since 2000 #YouveBeenWarned. However, reigning Class A champ Lakeland and Walter Panas are now in the mix with Hen Hud due to the new classifications.
Here’s another thing you newbies should know: Classifications and leagues are like the winds, changing all the time, and NYSPHSAA has adopted a new six-tiered classification system for most sports (but not football), including boys’ soccer, which now has 12 AAA schools, 20 AA schools, 16 A schools, B (15), C (5) and D (4). This will take some time to get used to, even for longtime veterans like myself, but the good news (as if!) is nearly #EveryoneGetsATrophy, and the classifications will change from sport to sport (16 boys’ teams in Class A soccer) and (20 boys’ teams in Class A basketball).
As a NY Mets fan since 1969, this is quite possibly the most underwhelming season in team history, given pre-season expectations and the degree of skunk we smell in Flushing these days. The NL East-leading Atlanta Braves put up a first-quarter Alabama football score in Saturday’s combined 27-3 doubleheader sweep of my beloved Mutts over the weekend.
After the recent fire sale, we knew the Mets would suck but this has been utterly catastrophic and unforeseeable, including three straight losses to the Braves by a combined 34-3 score. Yankees ain’t helping much either as their season spirals out of control, so please get me to the NFL and fantasy football season ASAP, lest I’m forced to do another Netflix series with my better half (though “Painkiller” has been intriguing and eye-opening).
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.