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Section XI News

WHB’s Chris Daleo named to 2020 NFF Team of Distinction

From a pool of 3,500 scholar-athletes, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced the 82 members of the 2020 NFF Team of Distinction.

Westhampton Beach’s Chris Daleo is Section XI’s representative for this prestigious honor. The team captain and first team all division selection had a 96 GPA and was class president.

The members of the team all played their final high school football season during the 2019-20 school year. As part of the award, all of the honorees will be part of a permanent digital display at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Criteria to make the team include but are not limited to academic achievement, athletic accolades and community involvement. Each chapter is limited to one honoree, distinguishing them as the top scholar-athlete from all the high schools covered by the chapter.

“This initiative allows us to shine a national spotlight on some of the most deserving high school student-athletes honored at the local level by our expansive Chapter Network,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “This honor is one of the most prestigious national awards that a high school player can receive, and it really brings into focus the phenomenal work that our chapters do in identifying the most outstanding young leaders in their communities. We would like to congratulate all 82 honorees, holding them out as examples for future generations to emulate.”

https://twitter.com/daleo_chris/status/1275475547825602560?s=20

Section XI News

NYSPHSAA’s Dr. Robert Zayas Determined to Play

NYSPHSAA executive director Dr. Robert Zayas determined to get seasons played when schools reopen

From Newsday:

The persistence of the coronavirus pandemic has left too many uncertainties to determine  if, when and how high school sports should return if Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo decides to re-open public schools. However, the NYSPHSAA is determined that high school athletes in every sport get a chance to compete whenever athletics is allowed to return.

“I’ve been in athletic administration for almost 20 years and the decision that had to be made three months ago to cancel the spring season was, by far, the most difficult decision that I had to be a part of as an executive director or an athletic administrator,” NYPHSAA executive director Dr. Robert Zayas said in a Zoom news conference Tuesday following a meeting of the association’s COVID-19 task force.

“It is my intention that no student have to be told what the spring sport athletes were told at the beginning of March. So it’s my commitment to the association and to all student athletes and their parents that we are doing everything we can, at this point in time, to ensure that every student gets the season that they want in the upcoming school year.

More: https://nwsdy.li/38gIkJe

Section XI News

Recap: 2nd NYSPHSAA COVID-19 Task Force Meeting

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) held the second meeting of the COVID-19 Task Force on Tuesday, June 30.

Representatives from the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) provided updates pertaining to the COVID-19 crisis. The Task Force then discussed the Governor’s reopening plan and its impact upon interscholastic athletics.

The Task Force discussed Governor’s reopening plan and its impact upon interscholastic athletics. At this time, schools are still prohibited from any indoor activities, any in-person instruction (excluding special education), and any organized sports or recreational activities that are hosted/operated.

The NYSPHSAA Task Force reviewed six potential return to school scenarios, including a full return to school, a hybrid education model, a full virtual learning model, and regional differences model. Proposals to address the scenarios reviewed included a full return to athletic participation, potential adjustments of seasons, and/or condensing all three seasons. The Task Force reviewed proposals to address each scenario. The proposals include a full return to athletic participation, potential adjustment of seasons and/ or condensing seasons. The Task Force is finalizing the proposals and plans to release the document to the NYSPHSAA membership by the end of the week in an effort to gather feedback.

The meeting concluded with a presentation of the EzSCRN Application from Paul Bailey, President of Total Concussion Management. The EzSCRN Application, which provides a unique online tool for schools to utilize if screening is part of their reopening plan, would allow a school or team to easily screen students and immediately notify school administrators and health care officials of any students who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms. The Task Force plans to continue discussion about this application at their next meeting.

A full report, including meeting report, will be released later this week. The next meeting of the COVID- 19 Task Force has not yet been announced.

Section XI News

Next NYSPHSAA COVID-19 Task Force Set Meeting Set for June 30

The next NYSPHSAA COVID-19 Task Force meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 30.

On Twitter, NYSPHSAA Executive Director Dr. Robert Zayas said the task force is, “working on several contingency plans this weekend in an effort to prepare for the many ‘what if’ scenarios. May have to get creative. Student engagement and participation must be our focus! Stay safe and positive!”