Leading off today: Long Island had a dominating first day in the NYSPHSAA wrestling championships in Rochester, placing 22 wrestlers into Sunday's Division I semifinals.

   Section 11 advanced 12 large-school wrestlers with the help of a near-sweep at 103 pounds. Ken Collado of Hauppague, Jose Vasquez of Huntington and Nick Meinsen of John Glenn all reached the semis in that class.

   Vasquez will have company on the mats on Sunday. Huntington teammate Damon McQueen reached the 96-pound semifinals and Dashaun Thomas advanced at 285. Brentwood, Massapequa, Shorham-Wading River and Wantagh have two semifinalists apiece for Long Island schools.

   One of the rare misfires for Long Island came when Wantagh's Paul Liguori, a two-time state champion, lost in the first round to Fox Lane junior Joe Grippi, 8-3.

   Sections 2 and 8 each advanced 10 wrestlers in Division 1. Section 5, which had advanced 13 wrestlers in the large-school class a year ago, managed only five semifinalists this time.

   In Division 2, Section 3 registered 13 semifinalists and Section 5 locked down 12 berths. Section 6 was close behind with 11 semifinalists.

   Indoor track: Corning's Albert Johnson scored a pair of individual vicrtories to highlight the NYSPHSAA indoor track championships at Cornell University.

   Johnson, a record-setting senior, won the long jump in 23-6½ and triple jump in 49-2.25.

   N.J. may toughen steroids law: With steroid use by pro athletes under congressional scrutiny, New Jersey lawmakers are moving to ensure that students understand the dangers of using performance-enhancing drugs. Student-athletes as young as 14 could undergo random tests for steroids under a bill advanced by the Senate Education Committee on Thursday. Students as young as middle school would receive instruction about steroid abuse.

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   The proposed law also would require coaches to incorporate steroid education into training and practices and mandate the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association to develop a prevention program for coaches and ADs to use.

   New Jersey adopted random drug testing by the NJSIAA two years ago under an order by then-Gov. Richard J. Codey, a youth basketball coach and sponsor of the current proposal in his present capacity as a state senator.

   "The public health threat posed by steroid use is not something that can be combated by any one parent, coach or teacher," Codey said. "What we need is a full- court press, starting early and targeting many aspects of a student's life -- in the classroom, on the court, in the hallways and at home."

   Protecting their turf: As skepticism about the safety of synthetic turf heats up, industry leaders tried this week to assuage fears that the rubber-based material could potentially be carcinogenic.

   More than 150 school athletic and maintenance officials met in Huntington for the LandTek FieldTurf convention to listen to executives address recent worries that the filling material, composed of ground up tires, could eventually expose athletes to life-threatening illness.

   FieldTurf owns about 60 percent of the North American market. LandTek, an Amityville distributor, built 65 fields in New York and New Jersey in 2007 alone.

   While independent studies cited by FieldTurf did not connect synthetic turf and existing illnesses, a few studies indicate that the tires are composed of materials that may contain volatile hydrocarbons. While some studies say leaching is possible, FieldTurf maintained that its product is safe and cited government-sanctioned studies that support its stance.

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