Leading off today: Hey, Section 1: At 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, isn't Lance McDowdell somewhat difficult to overlook?
The answer is yes, which helps make Sunday's stunning development in the boys basketball tournament one of the most embarrassing episodes in the last quarter of a century of New York high school sports administration.
McDowdell, a first-team all-state lineman at Mount Vernon, has been bouncing back and forth between that school's football team and Biondi's basketball squad -- where he has been MVP of the last two sectional Class D boys basketball tournaments -- for at least two years.
Such mobility between seasons should have triggered questions at the school, league and sectional levels over the possibility that he had changes school colors one -- or even two -- too many times in the last couple of years. Yet, the issue never surfaced until McDowdell had led Biondi team to another title Friday.
On Sunday, Section 1 had a Homer Simpson-ish "D'oh" moment and stripped Biondi of its latest championship based on McDowdell having played for two schools in the same school year, Executive Director Jennifer Simmons told The Journal News.
Biondi has requested an emergency appeal that will be heard by Section 1 Monday morning.
“It’s a state rule. They missed it -— our schools missed it -- and it’s unfortunate,” Simmons said. “Obviously, (Biondi is) devastated.”
The paper reported that Mount Vernon is the player's home district but he attends Biondi in Yonkers because of academic programs offered by the school, which does not have a football team.
Greenburgh Academy was declared the champion of the rather severely tainted tournament and advances to play Section 9 champ Livingston Manor on Tuesday in the first round of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association tournament.
Simmons said the section will not consider stripping Biondi of the 2011 championship even though McDowdell also did the Mount Vernon/Biondi boogie between seasons as a junior.
