NYSSWA: New York State Sportswriters Association

NYSSWA rankings are updated weekly.
See the latest plus the earlier weeks'
updates on our rankings page.

Leading off today: Do you suppose the visitors to Syracuse.com's football forums can quit their complaining about alleged recruiting in Section 5 long enough to drop in on the boys basketball forum and discuss the latest developments in New York City?

It appears that Boys and Girls of the PSAL just got considerably better next season at the expense of Xaverian of the CHSAA, with The Daily News reporting Friday that rising senior Pat Jackson, a 6-foot-6 forward, and teammate Brandon Romain have switched schools.

There is no evidence of unethical behavior by anyone at Boys and Girls, but the story broke just three days after Xaverian coach Jack Alesi talked to The New York Post about offseason aggravation caused by "outside influences" attempting to lure players away.

Xaverian's David Imes and Zamal Nixon transferred to Boys and Girls last season and helped the Kangaroos into the PSAL championship game. Nixon was 10th-team all-state in Class AA.

Jackson cited a dispute between Romain and Alesi as a factor in his move, but that sounds suspiciously thin as a reason to leave.

Tuesday's New York Post story said James Padgett is also contemplating leaving, but Padgett said he was waiting to see what other players do. The latest development wih Jackson and Romain could be bad news for Xaverian on that front.

Vandals strike in Buffalo: All High Stadium's $9 million renovation was disrupted this week by vandals who drove construction equipment through the concourse and across a new eight-lane track.

School officials put the damage at up to $10,000 but expect the facility adjacent to Bennett High to be ready for football by the Aug. 31 opener.

Another call for bloggers: The New York State Sportswriters Association is still looking for bloggers for the fall season. We're seeking specialists in a handful of sports who can offer weekly contributions of 300 to 500 words highlighting upcoming games of interest and noting recent significant results for New York high school fans.

Our first invitation to participate this week attracted several responses, so we're now entertaining the idea of having multiple bloggers in the major fall sports. The sports that we would like to launch with are:

Football
Boys soccer
Girls soccer
Cross country

Ideally, bloggers would be submitting their copy to me on Sunday or Monday each week for online publication the following day.

No journalism background is required, but we're looking for bloggers who can write clearly and concisely. Send me an e-mail if you're interested. I'll be responding to all e-mails received within the next few days to start organizing the rollout on Aug. 27.

Extra points: Valhalla's $4 million bond vote next October includes a proposal to install a six-lane track, bleachers and possibly lights at the high school. The facility has an artificial turf field but the exisiting cinder track was removed, leaving the track team homeless for four seasons.

9/12/25: Girls hoops wins leader Maher retires

9/11/25: 'Players to watch' lists? Thanks but no

9/10/25: Newsday jumping into New York City coverage

9/9/25: The new recuiting landscape is complicated

9/8/25: Iona Prep vs. Somers is worthy of encores

9/6/25: Section 11 loses another football team

9/4/25: Newspaper rolls out H.S. fantasy football

9/2/25: 2025 all-state boys lacrosse team released

8/29/25: Section 2 reduces La Salle's playoff ban

8/26/25: Will Brown to coach Green Tech basketball

8/22/25: 14-year-old Syosset girl lands NIL deal

8/16/25: 2025 all-state girls lacrosse team released

8/12/25: 2025 all-state baseball team released

8/9/25: Section 3 soccer standoff resolved for now

7/31/25: Central Committee annual meeting recap

7/29/25: Comparing NY's ticket prices with other states

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