Leading off today: Basketball star Paul Harris caught a break in a plea deal with Erie County prosecutors on Wednesday,
The Niagara Gazette reported.
Harris, who went on to somewhat mixed results at Syracuse University after being selected NYSSWA Class AA player of the year in 2005 at Niagara Falls, pleaded guilty to a single count of attempted second-degree menacing in Buffalo City Court.
Charges of second-degree menacing, second-degree unlawful imprisonment and unlawful possession of marijuana were dropped as part of his plea deal. A Buffalo police spokesman told the paper Harris was accused of “holding a female against her will at gunpoint and threatening to harm and kill her” in a Jan. 2 confrontation.
A conviction on the original charges could have sent Harris to jail for a year in addition to a fine and probation. Instead, he faced 15 days in jail, a $500 fine and one year of probation; Buffalo City Court Judge Kevin Keane sentenced Harris to a conditional discharge.
Harris' victim told the paper she was satisfied with the outcome.
New gig for retired college coach: Gene Ventriglia, regarded as the godfather of Ulster County boys soccer, retired two years ago after a 24-year career as the women's coach at Army. He's back this fall as the boys coach at Marlboro after his son, girls coach Jimmy Ventriglia nominated him for the job to AD Jonnah O'Donnell, The Times Herald-Records reported.
"I was rooked into it," joked Ventriglia, 66, "But, really, I'm excited. I love soccer, it's in my blood. I'm not going to be here for a long time, but I'm not going to abandon them. I will be around until we find another coach. I think we have some work to do, but I think we can have a good team. We will continue to develop them."
Ventriglia coached the Highland boys team to a 62-3-1 mark over three seasons and the NYSPHSAA Class C state title in 1984. He helped start the New Paltz High boys program in 1968 and led the team to its only two league championships.
The new QB: Monroe-Woodbury is the six-time defending Section 9 Class AA football champion. If the Crusaders extend the streak it will be with a junior QB.
The Times Herald-Record profiled 6-foot-2 Ryan Spelman this week as he took the helm from Dan Scalo in the role of dual-threat quarterback. Spelman played JV ball as a freshman and then carried 30 times for 473 yards and five TDs in mop-up duty behind Scalo, the NYSSWA Class AA co-player of the year.
"I'm hoping, with a healthy quarterback, that we can get more balanced," coach Pat D'Aliso told the paper. "Danny had tremendous arm problems the last two years, and thank God he was one of the greatest runners we ever had, because he really had a difficult time throwing the football. I'm just looking for more balance, and hopefully Ryan will give that to us."
On the mend: Dick Cerone, who is in his 30th year as the state football chairman, is recovering from heart bypass surgery late last month, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.
