The end of the spring sports season brings to conclusion another great year of interscholastic athletics in Suffolk County.

We wish to congratulate the 62 member schools, coaches and 85,000-plus student-athletes for their outstanding achievements in the athletic venues, classrooms and communities. Your honors, awards and contributions continues to amaze us all. You have left us with so many great memories and we only hope that you will look back on your experiences as fondly as we do.

To the graduating seniors we wish you the best of luck in the next chapter in your lives and thank you for your leadership.  To our returning student-athletes we look forward to a great 2017-2018 and can’t wait to see what lies ahead.

Special thanks goes out to all of the athletic directors in our schools.  It is through their dedication, leadership and commitment that all of this is possible. Kudos to each of them and their office staff for pulling it all together.

I would also like to recognize and thank the Section XI office staff for all that they do behind the scenes. Chris, Beth, Leigh, Carla, Kathy, Lisa, Taryn and Nick work diligently with the member schools, officials/coaches associations and athletic directors to organize and implement 25,000-plus athletic contests per year.   I can’t say enough about their dedication and commitment to their role in the interscholastic process. They are to be commended.

On a personal note I will be retiring from Section XI on June 30.  I have been fortunate to have been a part of this great organization for the past 36 years.  I can’t thank the athletic directors, past and present, for their support, cooperation, assistance and friendship.    It has truly been my honor to have been a part of the best section in New York State.

New Executive Director, Tom Combs, and Assistant Director, Pete Blieberg, are outstanding professionals who will step in and provide great leadership to the section. I wish them the best of luck and hope they enjoy their experiences in the section office as much as I have.

Thank you to everyone who makes Section XI so great!