Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015: Cal-Mum reportedly exploring sports merger

   Leading off today: Well, that might be one way to preserve the football rivalry between Caledonia-Mumford and LeRoy.

   An informational meeting scheduled for Tuesday night at Caledonia-Mumford is expected to raise the possibility of the school combining its sports program with another area district. The Livingston County News reported that the potential partner is Byron-Bergen.

   Under the rules governing the calculation of enrollments, such a collaboration would create a program with a BEDS figure more or less identical to that of traditional rival LeRoy. That would increase the likelihood the teams would play in the same Livingston County Athletic Association division, preserving an annual clash in football. League officials agreed to juggle the 2014 schedule to keep that annual matchup on the schedule.

   Cal-Mum AD Mike Reed would not confirm the possibility of joining forces with Byron-Bergen. In recent seasons, Byron-Bergen has combined in football with Elba. A breakup with B-B would probably necessitate Elba joining forces with another school in football.

   Regardless or arrangements made for the 2016-17 school year, Cal-Mum will be in the market for a new football coach. John Walther, 27-15 in five seasons, resigned last week. Cal-Mum was 5-3 this fall, losing to Avon in the first round of the Section 5 tournament.

   What's next, SU? There are way too many college jobs already open and still more about to open up for Syracuse University to get first crack at a replacement for Scott Shafer, fired as football coach this week.

   In a perfect world, the Orange attract a rising star who turns the team around by 2018 and wins big that year or next. Ditto for a candidate from the other category SU would have to investigate -- guys rehabilitating their careers after bad endings to the previous jobs (Greg Schiano?).

   My guess is the Orange could have their guy before Christmas, giving them time to hang on to some of their recruits.

   What they can't hang on to, however, is all the glow that goes with winning national championships in men's cross country and women's field hockey over the weekend. It has to be more than a little frustrating to reach the top of your sport and get overshadowed by negative developments in one of the big-money sports.

   ICYMI: Robert Zayas, executive director of the NYSPHSAA, did a lengthy radio interview Saturday with Rochester reporter Jeff DiVeronica. Not surprisingly, it was largely about the public vs. private schools debate that flared up this month.

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   Zayas discussed the state association's take on the situation -- namely, it's a Section 5 matter at this point -- but he and DiVeronica also raised good points about keeping sports in perspective.

   Give it a listen even if you're doing it while multi-tasking.

   Summing it up: The Press & Sun-Bulletin did the math on Maine-Endwell's 62-game football winning streak, which was snapped by Buffalo South Park over the weekend in the NYSPHSAA Class A semifinals.

   Included in that amazing run is a 2,538-661 scoring differential (average score of 41-11) and 12 shutouts.

   Speaking of big numbers, the Class D final is going to be a battle of the immovable object vs. the irresistible force. Tioga has scored 585 points this season, but Ticonderoga is on a run of four straight shutouts by a combined 120-0.

   Class AA connection: Albion football coach Gary Parisi sent an email today noting a fun fact as Aquinas and Saratoga prepare for Sunday's NYSPHSAA Class AA final at the Carrier Dome.

   When Parisi and Aquinas coach Chris Battaglia were on the University of Rochester football staff in 1989, one of their players was none other than Terry Jones, now Saratoga's coach.