Leading off today: If the rest of the 2007 high school football season is anything like opening night, then we're in for the greatest three months in the history of the sport in New York.

   Here are a few examples of what made Friday night special:

• Troy fell behind Shaker in the first quarter, 21-0, but rallied for a 34-28 triumph in a Section 2 opener.
• St. Francis thundered past North Tonawanda, 42-13, in Western New York on the strength of a 35-point seond quarter.
• Newark scored on the last play, a 63-yard connection between sophomore David Lee Rack and running back Ollie Smith, to win a Section 5 non-leaguer over Honeoye Falls-Lima, 39-36.
• In Section 3, Auburn came from behind twice in the second half and edged Cicero-North Syracuse, 42-25, extending last autumn's magical run.
• Also in Central N.Y., Union-Endicott beat Syracuse CBA, 27-10, to end the Brothers' 56-game home winning streak over a span of 15 seasons.

   Cluster approach for championships: I'm throwing this out there for discussion without having done any research on the subject, because it's a fascinating concept that could benefit many.

   One of the recurring themes emerging from a meeting of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association's media advisory committee last week was that resources are tight.

   Newspaper staffs are shrinking at a time when reporters are asked to do blogs, podcasts and/or vodcasts on top of their traditional print stories. TV news crews are similarly stretched as news directors try to fill as many a six newscasts per day.

   And the situation doesn't figure to get better. Consequently, some championship events admittedly get short-changed. Rather than send a reporter on a 400-mile round trip, newspapers sometimes rely on free-lancers to file reports on teams or athletes that they're seeing compete

for the first time. Worse still, some have to rely exclusively on having a coach or sectional chairperson phone back details -- not a lot of fun for someone on the losing side of the scoreboard.

   Tennis, bowling, gymnastics, volleyball, skiing and golf all come to mind as sports that don't always get the deserved attention at the end of the season because media outlets allocate their resources to events of greater interest such as football, basketball and lacrosse.

   That's why something mentioned by Bill Callen, executive sports editor at The Times Union in Albany, holds promise. Callen said that some states, including Tennessee, hold centrally located jamborees at the end of the season to cluster several events in a way that is specatator- and media-friendly.

   Imagine the possibilities for field hockey and girls volleyball if they were to conduct their championships in the same town as boys and girls soccer or the cross country meet. He or she might not be able to do a thorough job on each, but a reporter could cover three sports in two days. Newspaper photos and TV video would also be more realistic possibilities.

   Are there drawbacks or stumbling blocks? Certainly. For one, the respective sports committees are autonomous and do their planning in different time frames. The basketball tournaments, for instance, are usually awarded to venues as two- or three-year contracts. The cross country committee already has a tentative plan for its NYSPHSAA meets through the middle of next decade.

   On the other hand, there's the possibility of reducing transportation expenses and making it more convenient for parents and fans to attend multiple events in one day.

   Extra points: Tottenville's football and soccer teams will hit the road for the entire season while the school's main athletic field is refurbished. A new FieldTurf surface could be in place by late October, replacing a surface that was installed in 1991. Artificial turf generally is supposed to be replaced every 10 years according to most manufacturers.

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