It’s a holiday celebrated by only a select few – the first day of official high school football practice in Section 1. It was scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17, and it’s a date that some athletes and coaches have circled on their calendars. It’s a new beginning. This is when everybody has big dreams… and rightfully so. Who doesn’t daydream or fantasize about receiving a medal for a sectional championship? Who doesn’t daydream or fantasize about winning a state title at JMA Wirele

PUTNAM COUNTY – The 2026 high school football season was set to begin Monday, Aug. 17, with the first official day of practice in Section 1. “This time of year is definitely exciting and we are looking forward to seeing the results of the work we all put in over the last few months,” said first-year Brewster Coach Ryan Cleary. Haldane senior running back/linebacker Alex Gaugler agreed. “It’s a great day for our program and seeing everyone committed to actually finally get the

The combined Mahopac, Carmel, and Putnam Valley girls’ swim team is back in action. Photo courtesy of Coach Erica Berlenski. MAHOPAC – One of the most unique fall high school sports programs is back again – the combined girls’ swimming program of Mahopac, Carmel, and Putnam Valley. The team is coached by Erica Burlenski, herself a former competitive swimmer. Football and soccer might be a brotherhood, but this is definitely a sisterhood. It has to be for Burlenski to keep it

My two sons are now 26 and 22 and live in Florida. When visiting a while ago, we happened to drive past a high school when the football team was outside practicing. My youngest son started to say something, and I expected it to be about the heat. Instead, he became wistful. “I miss it,” he said. “Sean was right.” Sean is Sean Keenan, his old coach at Millbrook High School and a childhood friend of mine. Sean used to tell the kids to appreciate every moment, even at practice,

Haldane High School football players have started “unofficial” training. Photos by Coach Ryan McConville. COLD SPRING – The Haldane High School football team is getting ready for this season – in more ways than one. Not only are the Blue Devils going through unofficial workouts, conditioning, and weight training, but coach Ryan McConville found time in his busy schedule to create a slick hype video for the team for the 2026 season. The social media production includes a poppi

George Lombard Jr., who used to play for the Renegades, got called up to the Yankees. Photo courtesy of Marist College. NEW YORK – Unbelievable. Hollywood script writers might even think twice before writing something so outlandish. But it happened. Former Hudson Valley Renegades player George Lombard Jr. made his Major League debut with the New York Yankees last week and hit a home run in his second at-bat. He plays shortstop and is considered the top prospect in the organiz

When I went away to college, I chose Fordham University in the Bronx – for a variety of reasons. The academics were top-notch, the community was small and homey, it was near a major city but it never felt that way… I was just 90 miles from home. Funny, a friend of mine from California had almost the same list of reasons, except she was 3,000 miles from home. Geographic boundaries were not a consideration. For me, at that time, it was a factor. Yet a very short time later, I d

BREWSTER – Ryan Cleary didn’t have to go too far for his new job at Brewster High School. As a matter of fact, he probably chewed some of the same turf. The boys’ lacrosse coach in the spring is now the football coach in the fall. In fact, he will officially preside over his first practice in less than a month. “The transition has been smooth, although balancing off-field administration – like scheduling, 2027 recruiting, and youth program alignment – has been my main focus,”

COLD SPRING – There’s a new sheriff in town in Cold Spring, and he has a pretty familiar background. Ramsey Heitmann has been hired as the new boys’ soccer coach at Haldane High School. He replaces longtime coach Ahmed Dwidar, who won the state championship in 2022 but either resigned or was forced out earlier this spring. Athletic director Tom Cunningham was on vacation and could not be reached for comment. Heitmann is certainly familiar with the Blue Devils. Not only did he

LATHAM – The New York State Public High School Athletic Association Appeal Panel unanimously overturned Section 1’s amendment that would create a separate classification for non-public schools. That means private and parochial schools such as Ursuline, Albertus Magnus, Keio, and the Leffell School can continue to compete for Section 1 and state championships. For now. The section had previously voted unanimously to ban private and parochial schools from competing for public

I like to watch the morning and afternoon news. Unless there is a huge breaking story, it allows news stations to explore other issues. Sometimes they involve high school and college athletics. I saw one station that did a story on the severe lack of officials, especially at the high school level. At that level, it’s truly a labor of love. So it didn’t surprise me when I read that 80 percent of officials resign after devoting just two years to the gig. This has been a problem

It’s time to circle your deed books for the Section 1 fall championships. Too early? Not if you’re a coach or a player who uses these as a target date or a goal. It might just be for planning purposes, but there’s a greater achievement in mind. For many, it’s like a final journey after weeks and months of hard work. It’s a light and a prize at the end of a long, dark tunnel. It’s the so-called carrot at the end of a stick. So let the wishing and planning begin! FOOTBALL – Nov

Did you survive? Were you able to get past the dead time? The baseball All-Star Game, which affects both the majors and minors, is the traditional start of the barren week or so of the season. It seems like forever… It isn’t. Think of it as a chance to regroup and think of everything that’s ahead. The start of the high school athletic season might seem like a long way away, but it’s only seven weeks or thereabouts. Will one of our local schools emerge as a state contender in

It’s never too early to start thinking about the next high school athletic season. Because we can guarantee you the players and coaches are thinking about it. And while the 2026-27 school year for Putnam County begins traditionally around Labor Day, Sept. 7, most high schools will already have hit the field or court by then. Yes, that’s only seven weeks from now – it’s getting earlier and earlier each year. In the fall, the Carmel High School girls’ tennis program has the hon

The combination of the 250th birthday of the United States of America and the possible final games in the World Cup for stalwarts like Ronaldo of Portugal and Neymar of Brazil brought one thought to mind: the passing of the torch in any aspect of life is inevitable, and our youth is the future. You see it most often in sports. I mean, where else is a 39-year-old person considered over the hill? Even the person who is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time does

FISHKILL – A couple of prospects are still making waves for the Hudson Valley Renegades Minor League Baseball team, even though they haven’t worn the uniform in a while. Major League Baseball announced the rosters for the 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game. Former Renegades players Carlos Lagrange and George Lombard Jr. have been selected to represent the Yankees on the American League team managed by Larry Bowa. Lombard Jr., 21, is the consensus number one prospect in the Yankee

You know what they say about athletics – the weather is always the great unknown. That certainly has been tested so far this summer. “You can’t play tennis, you can’t play golf, because you never know what’s going to happen,” said Garrison resident Camilla Byrnes. “Even my poor kids never know when they’re going to have a practice or a game interrupted.” High school practices and camps have been outright canceled because of the weather. “Crazy,” said Brewster’s Mike DeMeglio.

Tyler Adams is from Dutchess County. SEATTLE – A lot of fans had a real kinship and rooting interest in the USA men’s soccer team during the World Cup. Midfielder Tyler Adams of the USA men’s soccer team was born and raised in Wappingers Falls. He is also one of the captains of the team. Alas, the U.S. was eliminated from the tournament with a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the knockout round of 32. “Today wasn’t a good day,” Adams said in the postgame press conference. “It’s tough t

WHITE PLAINS – Girls’ high school flag football is continuing to make its presence known in New York State, and especially in Section 1. Mahopac seniors Maria Garofalo and Niamh Kelleher were both honored as selections to the Section 1 second team All-Stars. The former is a quarterback; the latter is a wide receiver and defensive back. Mahopac made it to the Section 1, Class B semifinals before losing to eventual State Champion Yorktown. Honorable mention selections included

SPARKS, Md. – Luke Cunningham is showing that you can be just as good off the field as you are on it. The Brewster High School boys’ lacrosse star is used to having his name in the paper for his athletic achievements. Now, everybody knows that he plays just as hard in the classroom as well. Cunningham has been named to the USA Lacrosse All-Academic team. He is one of the nine players in Section 1 to make the team. Cunningham helped lead the Bears to a 10-5 record. The team ma