Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013: Maine-Endwell reportedly disciplines six

   Leading off today: Maine-Endwell will likely be at less than full strength Saturday for its New York State Public High School Athletic Association football quarterfinal vs. Cazenovia due to a disciplinary issue, The Press & Sun-Bulletin reported Thursday.

   Coach Matt Gallagher confirmed six players are being disciplined for an unspecified violation of team rules, but it wasn't clear if they would miss all the game or just a portion of it for the two-time state champions.

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   “All 51 guys will be suited up, but there could be some changes,” Gallagher told the paper.

   Maine-Endwell is riding a 35-game winning streak.

   Ex-coach, principal dies: Ben Ross, a highly successful football coach at New York Mills before going on to serve as principal there, died Monday at the age of 89.

   Ross served in the Marines during World War II and arrived at New York Mills in 1950, where he built a reputation for fielding tough and successful teams over two decades and posted a 125-22-2 record, after which he took over as principal. He retired from the district in 1980.

   “He was tough, very tough,” Ron Ouimette, who played football, baseball and basketball for Ross, told the Observer-Dispatch. “He was a very strict, disciplinarian type of guy, but he was fair and he cared about you. He'd call you off the field and say, 'What the heck are you doing out there?' Then he'd say, 'You're twice the player that kid across from you is. Now get back in there and kick his butt.'”

   Recruiting nights scheduled: A caravan of college football coaches will be recruiting in Rochester and Buffalo on consecutive nights early next month.

   The annual Section 5 Football College Recruiting Night being held Dec. 2 at th RIT Inn & Conference Center in Henrietta from 6-9 p.m.

   The following night's event is at VFW Weber Post in Lackawanna, also from 6-9 p.m.

   NCAA Division II and III coaches will be available to meet with players, who are encouraged to bring game

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DVDs, other media, and high school transcripts. The events are free to players.

   Looking ahead: We were reminded that basketball season is right around he corner this week as MaxPreps.com released its preseason rankings.

   Abraham Lincoln, led by Isaiah Whitehead, tops MaxPrep's list of five boys teams to watch.

   The list of girls teams to watch wasn't posted as of Thursday evening, but here's a pretty good indication of the preseason pick: Christ the King, with Sierra Calhoun leading a cast of 10 seniors, is rated 22nd nationally.

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   Getting its message across: Section 3 has created a new public service announcement -- "Students are Students First" -- to be aired locally by Time Warner Cable. The 30-second PSA features a number of clips of athletes competing.

   Restored to top spot: Dyestat.com has elevated Fayetteville-Manlius back to No. 1 in its national girls cross country rankings, replacing Davis, Utah. Unionville, Pa., which owns two narrow wins over F-M this fall, is ranked sixth.

   Saratoga is ranked 25th.