Patrick Newell

Here we are at the halfway mark of the high school football season, and four out of our six teams are unbeaten in division play and on pace to make the playoffs. For the record, this is my 17th season covering high school football, and no more than two local football teams in any one season have made the playoffs. At this pace, that is apt to change.
The most welcome addition to the playoff mix, for me, is Sherburne-Earlville. The last time the Marauders had a playoff game, it was in nine-man football playing in the Tri-Valley League in the early 1990s. In the years since Section IV realigned to accommodate the state playoffs – and in the last nine years in Section III – S-E has not made the playoffs. Not one time. A win on the road at Sauquoit Valley this weekend would remedy that long Marauders drought. “Basically, we control our own destiny,” said S-E coach, Mike Jasper. Other teams in the driver’s seat in division play are Greene, Bainbridge-Guilford, and Norwich.
Norwich, with a home victory over Oneonta this week, would be 2-0 in division play with one division game to play. At worst, the Tornado would place second in division play, and barring any adverse tiebreakers, have a great chance to make the playoffs a third straight year.
Greene, at 5-0, has already clinched its seventh straight winning season, and with a victory over UV-Edmeston Friday would move to 3-0 in division play with one division game to play. Considering its already impressive record, a return to the playoffs for Greene seems imminent.
Bainbridge-Guilford is 4-0 overall and 3-0 in Section IV’s Division VII. The Bobcats are tied with Walton for first place, and every other team in the division has at least two losses. According to the new playoff format for Class D this year, the top eight records out of 17 teams qualify for the playoffs, so a top-two finish in division play does not guarantee a postseason appearance. B-G lost one game on its schedule due to the massive flooding last month, so it will have just six games played before the three-week playoff format begins. With a win over Delhi – and an at-worst 5-1 record – one cannot see B-G missing the Class D playoffs.
Elsewhere, Oxford, at 2-3, will need to win its final two regular season games, and then hope that is good enough to make the grade. UV-Edmeston has just one division loss with three division games to play – against Greene, Sidney, and Chenango Forks. The Storm are not out of the playoff mix, but they have perhaps three of four best Class C teams in Section IV left on the schedule.

I made a mistake last week in my weekly advance on the upcoming football games. And it was quite the eyesore considering it appeared in the first sentence of my article. It was not a mistake in punctuation or grammar, and it was not a misspelled word. It was the dreaded “typo” in which I transposed two numbers.
I was ribbed Tuesday morning when a friend of mine cut the article out of the paper, and presented me with a copy of this not-Hall-of-Fame-worthy story. On the sidelines last Friday before Norwich’s home game with Windsor, a photographer for Norwich also joked about my error. One reader, though, was not so happy, and was compelled to call me directly. Unfortunately, the call came in mid-afternoon, and I was away from my desk. The person did not leave his name (but I know the number thanks to caller ID), and maybe he was so irritated with my first-paragraph fumble, he forgot. He did offer some harsh criticisms, and suggested that the hard-earned money he paid for our paper was a waste since he believed he could do a better job of writing the article. I doubt this reader will lend a hand in the 60 or so game reports and articles I write every week – and I am willing to pay someone to help out – but I will grant him that he would have not transposed those numbers. I knew what I meant to type, it’s just my fingers had a mind of their own. Sometimes, as a writer, when you look over your material several times, you quickly scan over blocks of sentences believing they are error-free. On occasion, a glaring mistake is missed.
A week earlier, I printed the wrong first name for a young man who made a nice play for Norwich. Did I know this young man’s name? Yes, I had a roster available. It was one of those brain cramps, and I can’t explain why I used a different name. I obviously thought I was using the right name at the time, and it was just another one of those unexplainable gaffes. I was thankful the error was brought to my attention, and I was able to make a correction in the following day’s paper. Still, that potential scrapbook item was lost for this particular person’s family.
Mistakes do happen in the newspaper, and you’re just as likely to see a correction in the New York Times as our own hometown daily. The clear goal in every article for print is perfect punctuation, perfect grammar, perfect spelling, perfect attribution of quotes, and perfect research and facts. Despite the many proofreading filters, an error may still rear its ugly head. Why? No one is perfect.

Follow Patrick Newell on Twitter @evesunpat

Patrick Newell

Far be it from me to really nitpick. Okay, it’s kind of my job to nitpick when something seems amiss. Someone please give me a sensible answer to this: Is homecoming really homecoming when you never actually left your home? It was always my understanding that a homecoming football game is a “welcome home” celebration for a team that played its most recent game (or games) on the road. The homecoming festivities include the crowning of the homecoming queen, the marching band leads a parade through town, and it’s typically a night where school’s alumni return to their alma mater to revel in the abundance of school spirit. Norwich celebrates its homecoming weekend this Friday when the football team hosts Windsor – exactly one week after hosting Chenango Forks. Norwich can blame its regular season football schedule for the misplaced homecoming celebration. The Tornado played their first two games on the road (week two’s home game was canceled). Technically, last weekend’s game with Chenango Forks should have been the Tornado’s homecoming. Friday’s game with Windsor is the second of three straight on the NHS field turf. The final two games – Johnson City and Chenango Valley – are on the road. It’s a bit of an unusual schedule, and really, Norwich had little wiggle room in which to place its homecoming celebration. If I am reading my schedule the right way, Norwich will also be forced to hold its senior recognition game (the final scheduled home game) next week against Oneonta. Quite a quirky schedule since it will be just the fifth game of the season for Norwich on an eight-game schedule.

A one-goal differential in a soccer game may noy seem like much of an aberration, but in my experience, one-goal games do not come with the frequency one might expect. That’s why I took notice of the Oxford boys’ soccer team earlier this week. First-year Oxford head coach, Jim Champlin, shoots me an e-mail after each game with the full statistics. I reviewed his log of e-mails, and noted six games this month – all losses – in which Oxford lost by a single tally. In just about every one of those games, the Blackhawks were either winning or tied with the opposition in the second half. With a few more fortunate bounces, the Blackhawks could have one of the gaudiest records in the area instead of unpleasant losing mark. This is an instance where a team’s record does not indicate a team’s competitiveness.

Speaking of gaudy records, Greene has three programs that are on quite a roll. The varsity volleyball team upped its record to 6-0 earlier this week when it beat Bainbridge-Guilford; and the football team, now 4-0, is the number five ranked Class C team in the state. A win over Oneonta Saturday will give the Trojans’ gridders seven straight winning seasons. And the third team in our powerful trio is no surprise. The Greene field hockey team is 7-0 after blanking Oxford Thursday night. Of the teams that I cover regularly, the Trojans’ field hockey team is the most consistent winner. A fourth Greene program – one that has not reported results to me – was also sporting a nifty record. The Trojans’ golf team was unbeaten as of last week.

I know I have written this before. If you’re wondering why your team’s result was not in the paper – or online – it’s because the game was not reported to The Evening Sun. Many area teams are on long road trips, and I rely on a coach’s phone call in order to give readers the scoop. It’s a simple theorem: No news from a coach equals no news in the sports section. Contrary to the cliche, no news is not good news.

Follow Patrick Newell on Twitter @evesunpat

Patrick Newell

A big thumbs up to Norwich High School and its volleyball team for a generous act of civic-mindedness and genuine caring at last week’s home game with Susquehanna Valley. A member of the NHS school administration noted the extensive damage to the flood-ravaged Conklin community, home of Susquehanna Valley schools.  A discussion was bandied about regarding a collaborative effort to extend a helping hand to the Sus Valley community. Norwich volleyball coach, Shelly Alger, said her team was playing Sus Valley that week, and a relief effort was born. In association with The Salvation Army, who supplied red donation buckets, Norwich’s varsity volleyball players presented cleaning supplies to members of the SV team. Amid some tears that were shed by the SV side, was sincere gratitude and appreciation.

It was clear after week two’s loss to Sidney, Norwich coach John Martinson needed to make some tweaks and adjustments. The running game, long Norwich’s staple, was inconsistent. Against the Blue Devils, Norwich ran for nearly 200 yards, the Tornado’s best rushing numbers against their longtime rival in perhaps a decade. “We moved ‘Mongo,” Kegan Levesque to left guard. We knew we needed to get him on the field. He’s our strongest kid, and he squats like 520 pounds. We got him in there, and we did a little package with Seth (Thomsen) and Michael (Sutton) to get Seth the ball outside. I didn’t feel my hands were tied. I figured, let’s just throw the ball. What’s the worst thing that can happen? We can beat Forks. We did a couple of things like that, we got in a flow, and the kids executed.” Norwich also won the special teams battle, in large credit due to the directional punting of junior Kyle Edwards. Edwards did a fine job of limiting punt returns against Sidney a week ago averaging over 40 yards per boot, and he kept the ball away from Chenango Forks’ return men as well. Late in the first quarter, Edwards’ 41-yard punt to the CF six allowed Norwich to take control of the field position battle leading to the first score. Early in the fourth, Edwards’ 35-yarder set up Forks at its own 11. On the next play, the Blue Devils fumbled the ball away setting the table for the Tornado’s final touchdown. Late in the game, Edwards had his third punt of the game inside the 10, one that the Blue Devils muffed setting them back to the three yard line. In desperation mode, the Blue Devils threw an interception two plays later, their fourth turnover of the contest.

Patrick Newell

Jim Smith, a former Norwich teacher and coach, will be inducted into the Oswego High School Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 1. While at Norwich, Smith coached the 1956 Norwich High School varsity boys basketball team to the overall Section III championship.
Smith, who passed away in the late 1980s, was a member of Oswego’s 1941 championship football team and started on offense at center. Smith is being inducted as part of the 1941 team, a squad that gave up just seven points the entire season. Smith’s children, Jim Smith, Mike Smith, Bill Smith, and Terri Jo Hawley were extended invitations to the banquet.
Jim Rebbeor, an organizer for the HOF banquet, contacted The Evening Sun Tuesday afternoon by e-mail requesting information about Jim Smith’s family. He described Smith as a “local hero in the Oswego area.” Rebbeor said that the 1941 football team produced school superintendents, school principals, doctors, and two young men gave their lives in World War II. “It was quite an outstanding group of men,” Rebbeor said.
Many may not know that Smith served his country in World War II, and was held by the Germans for two years as a prisoner of war, said Mike Smith. “It’s not something he talked about,” Mike Smith said of his father.

Anyone else disappointed by Syracuse University’s decision to leave the Big East for the ACC? The Orange were a charter member of the Big East, and I have lived and died for those rivalry games with Georgetown, St. John’s, Villanova, and most recently, Connecticut the past three decades. Conferences used to be identified by their geographic location. Now, it’s about solidifying power and creating more money-making opportunities. SU basketball coach, Jim Boeheim, is on board with the school administration’s decision to leave home for the South, but he isn’t an enthusiastic endorser. Boeheim said in a recent interview with ESPN that the decision (by SU) was about football and money. What? Since when was Syracuse football the school’s marquis sports program? The team is coming off its first winning season (not including back-to-back .500 campaigns seven years ago) since 2001. Until last year, Syracuse had not won more than four games since those aforementioned six-win .500 seasons. We all know that Syracuse is known first for its men’s basketball program where Boeheim’s troops have made a home in the top 25 for decades. Boeheim lamented the loss of those long-standing rivalries, and instead will pick up teams such as Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, and Virginia Tech. We aren’t apt to see any attendance records when those clubs visit the Dome. At least we have Boston College back on the docket, the one rivalry we Syracuse fans can look forward to.

Follow Patrick Newell on Twitter @evesunpat

Patrick Newell

I made an inaccurate statement in the previous blog regarding the number of Norwich varsity home soccer games played under the lights. According to the district newsletter that includes all of the sports schedules for the fall, there are only five out of 14 home games that start at 7 p.m., and four of those are this month.

Just as a sidenote to lighting up fields for night games, Unadilla Valley-Edmeston rescheduled its Friday night football games eliminate the cost of lighting the field. All of the home football games this season will be played Saturday afternoon. I would be interesting to know what it costs to light up a high school field for three hours.

Earlier this week, ES staff writer Brian Golden wrote an article about the Common Core Initiative State Standards being implemented into the educational system. Within the article, Norwich school superintendent, Gerard O’Sullivan, warned that the state is looking to reduce the number of districts it supports within the next few years. If school districts are on the chopping block, is there any doubt some Chenango County districts will be at risk? On April 1, Melissa Stagnaro wrote a farcical, tongue-in-cheek blog about a massive consolidation of Chenango County schools. Some time in the not-so-distant future, the combining of school districts may indeed be a reality.

Speaking of Melissa Stagnaro, she said goodbye to The Evening Sun earlier this week as she departs for Agro Farma, producer of Chobani yogurt. She hung on through late Wednesday afternoon, her last day, sifting through the paperwork and “memories” of her three-year stay here. The good ones never stay long enough here at The Evening Sun, and Melissa stacks up with some of the best reporters I’ve worked with over the past 16 years. She was as dedicated as they come, and truly cared about the people that she covered. Over the past three years, she developed a fine professional relationship with Agro Farma, and our small office refrigerator was always well stocked with Greek yogurt. Agro Farma saw Melissa’s worth, and as she put it, “they made her an offer that she couldn’t refuse.” Best of luck Melissa.

Follow Patrick Newell on Twitter @evesunpat

Patrick Newell

On the heels of my last blog, where I expressed concerns and complaints about the Norwich school curriculum, I launch into another set of gripes, and I must admit, not-so-well-disguised whining…

I saw three high school football games this weekend – two started in the afternoon, and one began in the late afternoon/early evening. If I have not said it before, I will say it again: I like afternoon football games better than night games. Night football games provide a level of ambience and perhaps some extra level of excitement that is nice – to me – once in a while. Not for every home game, though. Not every game is of crucial importance in terms of a rivalry or a key division game. To compare, what time of day do teams at higher levels of football play? In the NFL, the majority of games begin at either 1 p.m or 4 p.m. For college football, a large percentage of games are played in the afternoon. All week, high school kids practice after school – in the afternoon. Yet for all six of our Chenango County teams, their regular home games are scheduled for Friday night. I suppose my preference is due in part to how I grew up. Norwich played Saturday afternoons at Alumni Field, and the backdrop behind the visiting team’s bench was gorgeous.

Speaking of night games, the majority of Norwich’s varsity home soccer games – boys and girls – are scheduled for 7 p.m. I’m sure the athletics program appropriated the additional funds to light up the multi-purpose turf field. But why? Perhaps I am showing my age, but I grew up playing and watching soccer games during the day. Playing soccer in the day seems like a natural fit. I have attended a large number of night soccer games at Norwich over the past three years, and those games do not appear to garner any more fans that the typical 4:30 p.m. games. The occasional night game for soccer is nice, such as senior recognition night. But really, in this time of budgetary concerns, should we be spending extra money on something (night lighting) that is more a luxury than a necessity? Playing strictly day games may not save a lot of money, but it would be a pain-free way to reduce costs. Need more convincing? About seven miles down the road is Emerson Soccer Complex, a piece of property in Oxford with multiple state-of-the-art soccer fields. Look around, there are no lights to be found. Every game is a day game, and no one has complained – to my knowledge – about the lack of lights for night games. Don’t think I’m picking on just Norwich. A lot of local schools work night soccer games into their schedules. Like I said earlier, unless it’s a tournament final or a special occasion, the special feeling of playing a night soccer game is lost.

Close soccer games seem to be the norm in the early stages of the season. Three of the seven soccer games reported to me last night went to extra minutes, and last weekend, Sherburne-Earlville’s girls played a pair of overtime games – one a win, the other a loss – at the Hamilton tournament. At the least, for me, overtime games make for a more interesting story material. For coaches, it make cause early onset of grey hair.

Follow Patrick Newell on Twitter @evesunpat

Patrick Newell

Between my own children and my significant other Aida’s, we have seven young ladies and men attending Norwich schools. Six of those seven are either in the middle school or high school. The two of us stand unified in our belief that the challenge of the Norwich curriculum is not acceptable.
The most recent head-scratching decision by the school district was the change in schedule. The standard schedule for non-elementary students was changed to 7:45 a.m to 2:15 p.m. Before, middle school and high school students were dismissed in the 3 p.m. range.
Meanwhile, elementary children are attending school from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. If my math is correct – and I believe it is – a Norwich first-grader now has a longer school day than middle school and high school students. Hmmm? Does that seem right?
I have yet to hear of a intelligent reason that necessitated the shorter school day for older students other than accommodating the bus schedule. The bus schedule has remained nearly the same for at least 40 years. If it ain’t broke, why try to fix it?
Our real concerns are the soft schedule and the relative ease with which kids are able to obtain good grades. I nearly fell over when I saw the middle school schedule for one of our children. As most Norwich parents know, the schedule is blocked and alternates between “Purple” and “White” days. On the first day, our child has a fairly busy schedule of classes, and his day ends with a study hall. Day two, however, is absurdly light. I’ll lay it out for you, and I’m sure our child’s schedule is not unique. In the morning, our child undertakes a rigorous load of English and Art before a much-needed 35-minute lunch. After regrouping during the lunch period, an exhausting homestretch of classes includes Math, study hall, gym, and yes…wait for it, another study hall. Our child’s entire school day, for the first marking period, includes just two academic classes on his “White” day.
I don’t know about other parents, but when I went to Norwich Middle School, I spent my entire day attending classes – EVERY DAY! I had never heard of the term, “study hall” until I reached high school.
The school might argue that the curriculum in place lends itself to success. Just look at the Norwich high school and middle school honor roll lists. Our all-purpose, invaluable employee at The Evening Sun, Jan Rowe, has cramping fingers and early symptoms of carpal tunnel after typing in all of Norwich’s kids on the honor roll. When Norwich reveals its honor roll “honorees” at the end of each marking period, the list is extensive. The past couple of years, I counted the names by grade who either made the high honor or honor roll. In the high school alone, the kids in grades 9-12 on either honor roll list ranged from around 75 kids per grade level to as many as 114. In all, more than 50 percent of the kids attending Norwich High School last year made some sort of honor roll.
Does anyone believe that number is especially high? I flipped back to the honor roll lists from when I was in school. (I had to dust off some old, bound books to acquire this information). The percentage of kids on honor roll or honor roll was around 20 to 25 percent. Aida attended Gonzaga Prep, a private Catholic school in Spokane, Washington. She remembers her school’s honor roll list including 10 to 15 percent of the student body. Are today’s kids, our children, really that much smarter than we were? If you base your conclusion on honor roll lists, the answer would be yes. In truth, we as parents know that conclusion is not true.
Please, do not infer that I believe all children are not deserving of their grades. To me, this abundance of scholastic honorees at Norwich does a disservice to the most deserving, intelligent, and hard-working students who would make the honor roll in any school district in any era of education. I have spoken to a number of recent NHS graduates over the past couple of years. All of them agreed that the Norwich curriculum (save the advanced placement classes) is easy. Some consider it almost laughable.
The honor roll used to be a achievement of distinction. Yet, if the Norwich honor rolls are more inclusive than exclusive, what is that teaching our children?
I certainly do not blame the teachers. They are all working within the system that is in place, and every teacher I personally know is exceptional and dedicated. That said, how can they prepare kids to the best of their ability when they are now given less time to do it?
A shorter school day equals less time in the classroom. How does less classroom time benefit our children?

Patrick Newell

From the middle of June until the middle of August, the amount of sports news that crosses my desk dips significantly. I usually take my last vacation of the summer the second week of August – right before the first day of high school sports practices. When I return to work after vacation, I know the high school sports season is right around the corner, and I have about two weeks to gather information on the area’s high school sports teams for our annual Fall Sports Preview.As is the norm, I traveled to every corner of Chenango County, took countless pictures, called and re-called coaches, and finally spent countless hours writing approximately 13,000 words for the preview on 34 different sports teams. Thursday, the fruits of my labor will appear in a special supplement to our regular edition. I know some sports have already started their regular season, but to quote an old saying, “let the games begin!”

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One of the truest axioms is that time relentlessly moves forward, and eventually leaves us all behind. In the sports sense, one by one, the contacts with whom I have associated for over a decade and a half are slowly fading away. Not dying, but retiring from teaching and coaching.
I never looked at myself as a veteran reporter until one of my favorite coaches of all time retired. Bill Case was one of the first coaches I met during my initial days of my job. We became close professional associates, and ultimately good friends. Four years ago, Bill stepped aside as the longtime basketball coach of the Greene Trojans – my 12th year on the job. I had well over a decade of experience, yet it all seemed to move so fast.
One by one, my originals (those who have coached since my opening day) have stepped aside to move into the next phase of their lives. Most recently, I phoned Otselic Valley’s longtime teacher and coach, Dave Loomis. Loomis has coached three varsity sports since my opening day. He has remained consistently professional and accommodating from the first day I spoke to him. Dave told me earlier this week that he had retired from the school district, and was giving up coaching the soccer and baseball programs. He will remain, at least for this year, the varsity basketball coach. I thought Dave Loomis was the “coach for life” at OV, and it will be a bit strange not fielding his game reports.
Along the lines of time pressing forward. The hair on my head is much longer, the hair on my chin is much grayer, and two of my three kids are now in high school. My oldest is a member of the Norwich varsity soccer team, and I can legitimately place his name in the paper in complete absence of nepotism. My oldest daughter, who just celebrated her 14th birthday, was recruited by three different NHS extracurricular organizations. Unfortunately, she is so busy taking about 25 dance classes (slight exaggeration), she had to pass on the invitations.

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One of my oldest sports section contributors, Bob McNitt, gave me a call earlier today. He began his outdoors column in 1977, but had to go on hiatus the past few months for reasons that were not disclosed. Tomorrow, we disclose those reasons in a letter from Bob to the readers. Suffice to say, it was a relief to hear from Bob, and I hope to have his weekly column back on the sports pages fairly soon.

Patrick Newell

Where has the time gone? When I began at the newspaper in August of 1995, Bill Clinton was well into his first term as president, I was about 20 pounds heavier, my hair was much shorter – and still primarily dark brown – and the first of my three children, Elijah, was an infant of two months. Yesterday, June 22, my son turned 16 years old. This infant I cradled in my arms nearly 16 years ago is now my height (perhaps a shade taller), and possesses a driver’s permit He also stopped by the Norwich High School guidance office to obtain his official working papers. Time waits for no one, but at least I still have my waist line, just like our thinned down 43rd president.

Patrick Newell

* Oxford’s baseball team pulled off perhaps the biggest upset of the Section IV tournament Wednesday afternoon. A number 15 seed with an inauspicious 6-10 record, the Blackhawks stunned number two seed Union Springs, 7-2. Union Springs was coming off an IAC league championship, but was missing its number one pitcher due to injury. The playoffs are all about momentum and peaking at the right time. The Blackhawks started four freshman and two sophomores. In other words, two-thirds of the starting lineup could have played junior varsity. This year, however, the Blackhawks do not have a JV team, and these young men have proven themselves more than worthy to compete on the varsity level.

* I was speaking to a golf partner earlier this week about the large number of fine individual and team performances this week. The week began with Norwich clinching a Class B team tennis title before the championship rounds were even completed. It got better for Norwich as Eli Craig gave Norwich its first singles championship in decades, and three other Norwich players earned spots in the state qualifier. Also Monday night, Oxford senior Haley Witchella proved herself the most versatile of track and field athletes winning the Section IV pentathlon title. Witchella also helped Oxford to win its first sectional title in track and field. And coming full circle back to golf, Norwich junior Eric Walling played his way onto the Section IV state team. Walling finished sixth overall in the Section IV medalist tournament, and will represent Section IV next week.

* I would be remiss if I did not bid Evening Sun reporter, Tyler Murphy, a fond farewell. Today was Tyler’s last “full” day of work, and tomorrow will be sort of a victory lap for our crime/fire reporter, one that will culminate in a celebratory lunch with Sun staff members at Fred’s Inn. Most people who read the Sun know that Tyler worked for us in two stints. I cannot say I remember much about part one of his career here. Jeff Genung, our editor, saw enough in Tyler to bring him back for part two, and Tyler has not disappointed. Perhaps Tyler needed to do some inner soul searching in his time away from us, and what he found during his hiatus worked. The past two years he has been that much more mature and that much more professional.
The beat that Tyler has covered so well the past few years can really wear a person down. Especially when you are consistently exposed to so much ignorance, dishonesty, and depravity. Despite that, Tyler has remained upbeat, wistful, and optimistic during his stay. He can laugh at himself, and his dry sense of humor was a perfect complement to our newsroom dynamic. I typically only saw Tyler in the first two to three hours every morning – and sometimes late in the evening. He was always a welcomed face, and for whatever reason, I found his laid-back demeanor particularly relaxing. I get a sense that Tyler is still searching for his niche in life, and knowing how introspective he can be, I am sure he is probably thinking the same thing. Good luck my friend, you will be missed.

Follow Patrick Newell on Twitter @evesunpat