The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is proud to announce the Smithtown High School West (Section XI) football team as the winner of the Spring 2020 Community Service Challenge.

Smithtown West was chosen as the winning school by the NYSPHSAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which is comprised of two current student-athletes from each of the 11 member sections.

Established in the fall of 2010, the program encourages students to stay active in their communities. For the past two years, NYSPHSAA has partnered with Team Up for Community to allow online submissions. The Team Up for Community portal provides schools the opportunity to showcase community service projects which ultimately fosters young peoples’ sense of civic engagement and community thus helping them achieve their educational, developmental and social goals.

Smithtown West football coach Ron Muscarella started a program called Football Feeds Front Liners to deliver meals to front line workers in local hospitals. His players shared information on social media, due the current social distancing mandates, they cannot go to hospitals to drop off food, or go out and fund raise. Football Feeds Front Liners was created in response to the COVID-19 crisis and the effect it is having on communities, the football team partnered with Sojak Events, a local production company, to organize the project. Donations are made to help purchase meals that allow Muscarella to bring breakfast or lunch to those who are putting their own lives on the line each day to help local families stay healthy and protected. So far, more than 400 meals, most recently delivering 50 meals to Long Island Community Hospital and over $3000 has been raised.

“Thank you for recognizing the Smithtown West football program, our great district, and community we are truly honored,” said Ron Muscarella, Smithtown West head football coach. “This movement of Football Feeds Front Liners was different than any other fundraiser I have ever done. Initially, the fundraiser was a challenge to other football programs in Suffolk County but it actually grew to other sports like Basketball, Cheerleading, and Kickline. It was great to see Suffolk County football and other athletic programs come together during a time when others were in need and to help as many healthcare heroes as we could.”

“Our new varsity football coach at Smithtown West, Ron Muscarella, came in wanting to establish himself as not only a very competent varsity football coach but as a role model, community conscious minded and student centered,” said Patrick Smith Coordinator of Physical Education, Health, Athletics and Nurses for Smithtown Central School District. “This project was certainly timely, necessary and rewarding to all involved. Ron has made a positive impact already with his players and the Smithtown community in the short period of time he has been with us.”

Smithtown West will be presented a physical award and recognized for their accomplishments at later date, still to be determined.

A total of 22 projects were submitted with 771 student-athletes participating in some type of community service project. In total, $26,500 was raised for charitable causes. For the 2019-20 school year, 17,427 student-athletes participated in 439 community service projects across New York State. A total of 91,513 hours was volunteered and $329,444 was raised for charitable causes.

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

Babylon alum and former Section XI student-athlete Jake Carlock, a member of the Miami Dolphins, has a special message for high school seniors battling adversity of possibly not playing anything this spring.

WATCH HERE!

Jake Carlock, Miami Dolphins (BHS alum) message about adversity @SectXISuffolk pic.twitter.com/wc83H0ccXV

— babylon athletics (@babathletics) April 15, 2020

A Go Fund Me campaign for Center Moriches’ Marcos Arriolla was started to raise money for this amazing young man and his family, to alleviate many of the financial burdens that they will be facing in the near and distant future during his fight.

CLICK to donate and learn more!

In an effort to eliminate a potential timing advantage gained by the defensive team in high school football, the play clock will be set to 40 seconds – effective with the 2020 season – when an official’s time-out is taken for an injury to a defensive player or a defensive player has an equipment issue.

This change was one of six rules revisions recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee at its January 12-14 meeting in Indianapolis. All recommended changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Last year, in an effort to establish a more consistent time period between downs, the play clock was expanded from 25 seconds to 40 seconds in many cases, although the play clock remained at 25 seconds in most cases following an official’s time-out. However, this coming season, the play clock will be set at 40 seconds following an injury to a defensive player or a when a defensive player has an equipment issue.

“The rules committee was provided situations in which the defensive team was gaining a timing advantage late in games with a defensive injury or an equipment issue with the defense,” said Todd Tharp, assistant director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association and chair of the NFHS Football Rules Committee. “Under the current rule, if a play ended with less than 40 seconds left in the game and a defensive player was injured which resulted in an official’s time-out, the play clock would reset to 25 seconds and another play would need to be run. With the new rule change, another play would not need to be run.”

In the same rule dealing with the play clock (Rule 3-6-1), the committee approved one additional situation when 25 seconds will be on the play clock. Beginning next season, 25 seconds will be on the play clock and start on the ready-for-play signal when a new series is awarded following a legal free kick or scrimmage kick.

Two changes to Rule 7 – Snapping, Handling and Passing the Ball – were approved by the committee. The exception in Rule 7-5-2 regarding an illegal forward pass being a foul was expanded. Previously, it was legal to conserve time only by intentionally throwing the ball forward to the ground immediately after receiving a direct hand-to-hand snap. The committee expanded the exception to permit a player positioned directly behind the center (shotgun formation) to intentionally ground the ball.

In Rule 7-1, a new Article 9 states that no defensive player shall use disconcerting acts or words prior to the snap in an attempt to interfere with an offensive player’s signals or movements.

Bob Colgate, NFHS director of sports and sports medicine and staff liaison to the NFHS Football Rules Committee, said this language was moved from Rule 9-5-1d and has been reclassified from a 15-yard unsportsmanlike foul to a 5-yard foul.

In addition, several rules will be affected by the committee’s ruling that the head coach, prior to the game, should notify the referee as to the team’s designated representative (coach or player) who will make decisions regarding penalty acceptance or declination. Several locations in the rules book required the team captains to make these decisions, so the new language throughout the book will provide teams more options.

The final change approved by the committee is an addition to the Note in Table 3-1 related to clock times. The new Note 2 will read as follows:

“If the game is interrupted due to weather during the last three minutes of the second period, and the delay is at least 30 minutes, the opposing coaches can mutually agree to shorten halftime intermission, provided there is at least a one-minute intermission (not including the three-minute warm-up period).”

“I am totally impressed with the thoughtfulness and discussion that went into the rules-making process this year by the Football Rules Committee,” Tharp said. “Two of the proposals dealt with the new play clock rule that went into effect last year, while another rule change now allows the passer who is in the shotgun position to intentionally throw the ball to the ground.

“Additionally, the penalty on the defensive team for any player using disconcerting acts has been reduced from 15 yards to 5 yards. Coaches and officials shared concerns that this was too harsh a penalty for this act, comparing this act to a 5-yard encroachment penalty on the defense.”

A complete listing of the football rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Football.”

According to the 2018-19 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, 11-player football is the most popular high school sport for boys with 1,006,013 participants in 14,247 schools nationwide. In addition, there were 31,221 boys who participated in 6-, 8- and 9-player football, along with 2,604 girls in all four versions of the game for a grand total of 1,039,828.

Online link to article: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/additional-timing-changes-on-play-clock-approved-in-high-school-football-rules/

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About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)

The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and performing arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,500 high schools and 12 million participants in high school activity programs, including almost eight million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; offers online publications and services for high school coaches and officials; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.

Sayville native Jack Coan put together a lasting memory as he led Wisconsin to a 35-3 victory over Miami in this year’s Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.

The sophomore opened the game with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Kendric Taylor and the Badgers never let up. He also ran for a 7-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Coan played in five games this year, going 56 of 93 for 515 yards and he threw for five touchdowns and three interceptions.

We’re looking forward to Suffolk County’s representatives competing in the Long Island championship.

Good luck to William Floyd, Lindenhurst, Hills West and Shoreham-Wading River.

All game info below …

11/23/2018   12:00 pm
LI Football Championship DIV II
Garden City vs Lindenhurst
Location : Stony Brook University
Tickets : $7

11/23/2018   4:30 pm
LI Football Championship DIV IV
Cold Spring Harbor vs Shoreham-WR
Location : Stony Brook University
Tickets : $7

11/24/2018   12:00 pm
LI Football Championship DIV I
William Floyd vs Freeport
Location : Hofstra University
Tickets : $10

11/24/2018   4:30 pm
LI Football Championship DIV III
HH Hills West vs Plainedge
Location : Hofstra University
Tickets : $10