Today officially started my vacation. But I wanted to come on and pass along the scholastic Empire State Games basketball roster, which coach Bill Thom just emailed me. Here it is:

Jamaal Gill, New Rochelle
Travis Wright, New Rochelle
Taylor Mondshein, Mamaroneck
Jeff Ward, Ossining
Alex Judge, Croton
Lenarris Stokes, Ardsley
Lamont Stokes, Ardsley
Alby Skrelji, Hastings
Jonathan Schofield, Hamilton
Francis Lopez, Albertus Magnus

Obviously the roster is missing some of the big names we were hoping to have back from last season — Andre Pope, Ralph Watts, etc. But I actually like this team a lot. I think it fits together well.

You’ve got a gritty interior player in Wright, an emerging point guard in Gill, a veteran AA-South player in Mondshein, a true big man in Skrelji, a rising prospect in Ward, and a very underrated player in Judge. I’m not too familiar with the Stokes boys or Lopez. They’ll be the difference makers on this year’s team.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please, let’s keep the comments clean.

Update, Thurs. 8:36 a.m.: The Mount Vernon football season is one step closer to being eliminated.

A front page story in today’s Journal News (which somehow is not on our web site) reported that the district has officially eliminated sports funding from its austerity budget. As of this moment, there are no sports in Mount Vernon for the 2008-2009 school year.

That, according to the story, could change. But likely not in time for the football season. The sports will be allowed to raised private funds to support their seasons. I have absolutely no idea what kind of dollar figures would have to be raised for basketball. All I know is that it won’t be able to be done in time for the football season.

Mount Vernon’s seven football games are, barring something unforseen, canceled.

This is a crushing blow for a program that has been rejuvinated in recent years under coach Ric Wright. I really feel for Ric. Word is that the coaches have already started looking for new jobs for the season. Speculation is that Wright could end up at a major powerhouse as an assistant. More on that later.

As for the players, who knows what is next? New Rochelle isn’t far away, of course, and I could see players filtering that way. Or perhaps Mount St. Michael, assuming money isn’t an issue. Or some of the Yonkers schools. Sad to say, but I’m sure the ball has already started rolling on all of this. Don’t be shocked if phone calls have been made to players.

Update, Wed. 7:28 p.m.: Many of you dismissed my blog post a few days ago about the possibility of Mount Vernon dropping its sports program for the next school year, of course highlighting basketball. In case you haven’t been following it in The Journal News, this is a very real possibility.

The Mount Vernon Board of Education is meeting today to discuss and vote on whether its austerity budget will fund the sports program. This doesn’t mean that there will be athletics this year. It’s simply another meeting by a group that is quickly running out of options.

I imagine that just the publicity of this is scaring away prospective Mount Vernon athletes. There probably aren’t many transferring out of the district just yet. But even if the district decides to drop modified or junior varsity sports, there will be. Nobody wants to take that risk.

And just so everybody knows, the basketball or football programs can’t be salvaged singularly. People are under this impression that a certain rich and famous alum, ahem, will just write a check and there will be basketball in Mount Vernon. That’s not totally how it works legally. There are all sorts of laws and guidelines once you donate over a certain amount of money to a public entity like a school district. You can write the check, but you don’t always get to decide exactly how it’s dispersed.

Anyway, I hope to get an update shortly on what came out of tonight’s meeting. When this happened to Yonkers a few years back, the process was ongoing for months, so I don’t think we can really scratch Mount Vernon off the sports schedules after tonight. But if this is defeated again tonight, we’ll certainly be getting closer.

Now it’s official. I don’t care what the budget says, Mount Vernon cannot possibly cancel its basketball season. Not now that the team has their own shoe.

Yes, Nike has come out with the Zoom BB II from The Collection, as shown above. The shoe is dedicated to the fabled Mount Vernon basketball program, personalized with the schools’ red and yellow colors.

As the Nike web site puts it: “The Zoom BB II is the shoe for the team that deserves the royal treatment.”

One of the best events of the preseason in football is the Carmel 7-on-7, which is today and tomorrow. It’s not because you get to see a dozen teams spread across four fields throwing balls all day. It’s what goes on down the hill that really makes it a must-see event — the Lineman Challenge.

The lineman challenge is basically teams competing in all the events you’d see in the World Strongest Man competitions on ESPN Classic. They flip tires, throw large objects, have a tug-of-war and many other events. The best part is that the linemen from each team really bond together. You know the best lines are the ones with the best chemistry. That chemistry is built here.

Unfortunately… I won’t be at Carmel the way I’ve been the last few years. I’ve been assigned to cover the Yankees game tomorrow, and I have to be down at the Stadium by 8 a.m.

I know that many, many people will be at Carmel tomorrow, so I ask that you guys fill us all in on what goes on. Even if you have a line or two about a player, any input would be appreciated.

The linemen challenge is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Carmel High School. Directions to Carmel H.S. (From the south): 684 N to 84 W to exit 19. Turn right off exit go to Rte 6. Turn right at next light. Turn right onto Simpson Rd, go to end. Turn left onto Fair street. School is on left.

Mount Vernon basketball’s reign as Section 1 champs might finally be coming to an end. The opponent? The school budget.

If you didn’t see the front page of The Journal News this morning, I strongly recommend you check it out. Mount Vernon sports could be on the chopping block as the district tries to meet an austerity budget that’s been voted down twice.

According to the story, eliminating sports would save the district $1.1 million. Money could be raised privately and they could just eliminate JV and modified sports, the way Yonkers did a few years back to meet the budget.

In my experience, these things are threatened all the time. Even when I was in high school in Eastchester, we heard this as a possibility in the face of budget cuts. I think the districts make the threat because they know it will ignite community backlash and get potential voters to favor the proposed budget. But the fact that the most recent proposal was “resoundingly defeated” on Tuesday makes it difficult.

Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino declined to comment on the situation when I reached him last night.

I don’t expect that there won’t be a Mount Vernon varsity basketball team this season. But imagine if this went through and they had to cancel the season? I can’t.

My New (School) Years resolution for this fall will be to get better at responding to readers’ emails and comments on the blog. Too often I lag behind in answering questions or joining in on debate. Since even I even get lost in the comments section on this blog, I’ll periodically post a ‘mailbag’ entry and address those inquiries.

The response from the last three football entries have been overwhelming. We got over 100 comments on the “And the nominees are” post within two days and the “Preseason Rankings” post is still carrying conversation. Considering it’s June 19, that’s awesome.

Here’s my answers, responses and thoughts to what the people are saying:

IonaPower says: “Jeffrey Mack RB (Iona Prep) and Morris Hilton MLB (Iona Prep) should get some consideration. Also Caraun Reid DL from Mount St. Michael is one of the best DL in the area and Ryan Rossi an OL from Rye should get some looks into the list.”

KD: I completely agree with the four players you mentioned, especially Hilton. I remember going to Champions Camp last summer at New Rochelle to watch Iona Prep and Hilton totally dominated the middle of the field. If he played offense, he’d be a huge star by the end of the season. But the fact he’s specifically a LB, he’s going to have trouble getting headlines. For linemen and defensive-only guys, that’s just a reality.
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person and mpj89 say: “maybe a little too many on your (Super 11) list?”

KD: I wanted to throw out as many possible serious candidates I could. Of course, some guys are stronger candidates than others. To me, those last 3-4 spots are really up for grabs. Plus, more names makes for better debate. And I’m actually going to add one more: Anthony Davis of Nyack. I don’t know how I left him off.

MPJ89, you seem to have a really good grip on the talent in the area. But be careful when writing things like ‘overrated’ about kids. They are, after all, 17 or 18. Thanks.
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Watch out wrote: “Why does RCD get no publicity, last year they could have hit with some of the best public schools in the area, including Rye. Chris kim is an animal and should get consideration, he is very fast and a workhorse. Hes even better than nick mckoy.”

KD: My honesty sometimes gets me in trouble. But I’ll give you the real response as to why RCDS doesn’t get much publicity: I really didn’t pay attention to them until its last three games. Yes, that was way too late. But the history of football in the school has been bleak in recent years. Suddenly, I looked up and recognized they were 6-1. If somebody is to blame at the Journal News over the lack of RCDS coverage, it’s me. I make almost all of the football assignments and I base it on a team’s success and the amount of reader response here on the blog. If more RCDS people voice their support, we’ll cover the team more. It’s that simple.
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Football fan wrote: “Rye isnt going to be that good this year. Get a big defensive line and you can stop kyle Rahmalo. Name another factor rye has.”

KD: Coaching. Thanks for writing.
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To all the people arguing over Rye vs. Iona Prep and New Rochelle at camp last year…

KD: I was at this camp for two days. Rye was clearly the third best team, as it should be. New Rochelle is a Class AA state title contender. Iona Prep is a CHSFL contender that draws some of the area’s best talent. Rye, however, wasn’t run off the field as some are saying. The Garnets also weren’t close to being the team in July that they were in November. Jordan Eck wasn’t quite as sharp, the line was being put together and the receivers were just getting comfortable. That camp is where Rye’s state championship was born.
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Go Public wrote: “…Kevin kept (Iona Prep) in the top 5 to make himself look good not Iona(he and you are the only people on earth that think you belong there)”

KD: How does putting Iona Prep in the Top 5 make me look good? And you’re completely lost if you don’t think Iona wouldn’t beat almost every team in Section 1 (last year’s New Rochelle, North Rockland and Ossining games would have been interesting).
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Keep the rankings and Super 11 lists coming. I enjoy reading them and find them quite insightful.

If there are any other questions you have, or debates you’d like me to weigh in on, drop me a line.

Of all the basketball events I’ve ever been to in Westchester, I cannot remember anything quite like the one I went tonight in Greenburgh.

The talent sharing the court in the Frankie Williams Charity Classic at the Young Community Center trumped any CYP, Senior All-Star Game or other charity event I’ve ever attended. And not only were there big names, the game itself was awesome.

Let’s start with the talent. Of course, there was Mookie and Kevin Jones, Sean Kilpatrick, Tony Taylor and the rest of the local stars we’ve come so accustomed to seeing. At the last minute, however, RSVPs were returned by city stars Kemba Walker and Lance Stephenson.

At one point, you had those six players alongside as Jordan Henriquez, Curtis Dennis, Bernard Webb (Bridgeport), and Rashad James. So that’s: Syracuse, West Virginia, George Washington, UConn, Kansas State, New Mexico, Manhattan, wherever the heck Lance Stephenson wants to go to school next year (Kansas, USC or UNC, perhaps), and whichever schools Kilpatrick and James end up at.

When else have you ever seen that caliber of play on a court in this county?

Personally, I wasn’t all that amped to go watch another basketball game tonight. To me, the season is over. I’ve put it to bed and moved on to football. There’s only so many times you can watch that pretty Kevin Jones jumper, or see Mookie drain a 20-footer with a hand in his face, or see Tony Taylor sink 3s with his eyes closed, or watch Rashad James dunk… nah, forget that one. I’ll watch that Rashad all day.

Seriously, though, the only reason I went was because it was an important charity (Williams was a vital part of the Greenburgh community and co-found of Frenji Sports until he died of kidney failure two years ago). Tonight, though, was a can’t miss event.

Stephenson and Mookie were too much to handle. Lance had 29 points and Mookie had 21 as the White Team beat the Black, 113-109. Kilpatrick had 31 points and Tony Taylor added 17 in a losing effort.

Here are some notes I gathered after the game on some players:

Rashad James: Let me first mention that, of all the players in the game tonight, nobody has clearly improved as much since seasons-end than James. The White Plains star is developing a brilliant jumper and is using his ungodly athletic ability for more than just dunking. He elevates so well on his jumper and it’s becoming so smooth. In another year, he’ll be a major steal for a D-1 school. He’s headed to Post University in Waterbury, Conn. and expects to transfer after a year.

Sean Kilpatrick: As soon as I asked the burning question, he rolled his eyes — where are you going to college. It’s been asked to him countless times since last year, so I can’t blame him. He insisted there’s nothing new to report, and that St. John’s, Miami, George Washington, Seton Hall, Kansas State and all the rest of the 2-3 dozen schools that offered him are still in consideration. He’s waiting for an SAT score and won’t make an announcement a minute sooner.

Curtis Dennis: The former Blessed Sacrament star is totally underappreciated player. He was phenomenal at times tonight. I spoke to him for a little bit after the game and he’s excited about heading out to New Mexico to finally start his college career (after two seasons at prep school). Keep tabs on him. He’s going to make an impact.

Larry Grant: Yes, Larry Grant. The former Woodlands star played tonight since he’s a Greenburgh kid who knew Williams well. He’s also really developed his game after a year at Lee Academy, a prep school in Maine. He told me afterwards that he’s been getting some Division I interest from Florida International, North Florida and Texas Pan-American. He might go for another year of prep school since he’s young for his grade but won’t make a decision until August.

Jordan Henriquez: Despite having the highlight of the night — rebounding on the defensive end and driving coast-to-coast through traffic and flushing a left-handed dunk over a defender I won’t name — was glowing about his decision to sign with Kansas State. He had narrowed his choices to DePaul, St. John’s, Auburn, and Rhode Island. He mentioned that he wasn’t playing AAU, instead spending his time in the weight room trying to add weight and muscle to his 6-foot-11 frame. Remember, this is a kid who practically grew six inches overnight. His muscles need to catch up to his bones.

Kyle Beechum: I caught up to him at halftime and he said he’s going to Hartford. He’s not on scholarship but he hopes to walk-on to the team. Hartford is Division I and went 18-16 last season.
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A quick funny story from tonight….

I raced out of the television studio at RNN at 6:45 to get to Greenburgh in time for the game. Since I literally walked off the set after my sportscast and into my car, I didn’t have time to change out of my suit and tie… or take off the pound of make-up I wear (hey, the lights are bright and I’ve got that fair Irish skin).

Well, I tried to conceal it by standing in the corner. After the game, I made my way around from player to player. None noticed, I don’t think, until Sean Kilpatrick.

“What’s up Kev… hey Kev, did you get a tan or something?” Sean asked quizzically.

I didn’t know how to respond. In my head, I repeated “Don’t say it’s make-up… don’t say it’s make-up”…

“Um… it’s make-up.”

Damn.

I explained to him that I was on TV five days a week (apparently he doesn’t watch RNN) and he understood.

“Don’t worry Kev, I won’t tell anyone.” he said. Then he made a face that pretty much indicated: “I’m telling everyone.”

Oh, the stresses of being on television.

Mookie Jones, Kevin Jones, Sean Kilpatrick and Tony Taylor are all slated to play in the Frankie Williams Charity Classic at 7 p.m. at the Theodore Young Community Center in Greenburgh.

The event is being sponsored by Frenji Sports and the community center, with all proceeds going towards grassroots basketball programs and to kidney disease awareness.

Williams, who died of kidney failure two years ago, was heavily involved in Frenji Sports and in the Greenburgh community, whether it was through basketball, football or baseball. Every kid who grew up in the town knew who he was.

He was also a cousin of Mookie Jones, who I spoke with tonight. This event means a lot to him, even though he only got close to Williams over the last few years. Everyone I spoke to had nothing but good things to say about him, especially his Carter. He called Frankie “the teddy bear” and that he was “the lovable type that would do anything for you.”

Hopefully you’ll stop by the Greenburgh community center tomorrow night (32 Manhattan Avenue). Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children and doors open at 6:30. It’s for a good cause. Plus, this will be the last time you’ll probably get to see the Joneses and the rest of the area’s elite play a casual game.

Here are the rosters:

Team Black
Sean Kilpatrick, White Plains; Kevin Jones, Mount Vernon; Tony Taylor, Stepinac;
Rashad James, White Plains; Antonio Williams, Poughkeepsie; Bernard Webb, Bridgeport; Andre Pope, Iona Prep; Jeff Ward, Ossining; Jordan Lessane, Mount Vernon; Lou Larizza, Port Chester.

Team White
Mookie Jones, Peekskill; Sherrod Wright, Mount Vernon; Curtis Dennis, Blessed Sacrament; Larry Grant, Woodlands; David Zaitz, Scarsdale; Elliot Watson, Peekskill; Jordan Henriquez, Port Chester; Kyle Beechum, Briarcliff; Russell Smith, Molly; Korey Johnson, Fox Lane.

First off, let me say Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, especially to my own and to my father-in-law. I realize more and more every day how fortunate I am to have both of them, so this day is very special to me.

I know it’s been a week since I last made a post but it’s clear you guys get along just fine without me.

As we draw closer to football season, I’ve narrowed the list of nominees for 2008 Journal News Super 11. I’m not going to lie, but this was a lot tougher than I thought it would. When I do the postseason all-star teams every year, it’s usually loaded with seniors and I always think “next year’s talent is going to be thin.” Then I sit down in June and start analyzing rosters and I’m pleasantly surprised by the talent returning.This year is no different. The best part is that it seems pretty spread out, not only by team but by conference and class. That makes my job (the world’s great job, by the way) even better.

Here’s the list I’ve come up with. If there is a glaring omission, please let me know. I’ve broken it down into a few parts. You’ll get it:

2008 Super 11 Nominees

Heavy favorites

Maurice Easterling, RB/DB, Stepinac

James Brundage, RB/LB, Ossining

Rob Lombardo, FB/LB, Somers

Chris Alfano, WR, Iona Prep

Strong contenders

Devonte Brailsford, RB/DL, Dobbs Ferry

Darlos James, WR/DB, Iona Prep

Kyle Ramalho, FB/DL, Rye

Ian Solomon, OL/DL, New Rochelle

Guys in the hunt (alphabetical by school)

Ryan Hunt, LB, Archbishop Stepinac

Ryan Shilling, QB, Carmel

Chris Watkins, OL/DL, Carmel

Nick Saglimbeni, FB/LB, Clarkstown South

Nick Mainiero, QB/DB, Croton-Harmon

Joe Larocca, QB/DB, Eastchester

Ryan Shermerhorn, OL/LB, Fox Lane

Jake Schaap, OL/DL, Horace Greeley

Justin Segal, FB/LB, Harrison

Claudio DelliCarpini, WR/DB/K, Harrison

Sir Aaron Taylor, QB, Lincoln Hall

Robert Pope, WR/DB, Mount Vernon

Justin Autera, RB, Mahopac

Sean Carter, RB/DB, Nanuet

Jonny McGhee, QB/DB, New Rochelle

Tremayne Williams, New Rochelle

Mike Fasano, QB, North Rockland

Christian Garcia, OL/DL, North Rockland

Dominic Leonard, RB/DB, Nyack

Patrick O’Callaghan, WR/DB, Rye

Nick McKoy, RB, RCDS

Matt Deiana, RB/DB, Somers

Rob Aviles, QB, Suffern

There’s no real criteria for making Super 11. You don’t have to be a senior or playing for a certain number of years. I have two goals when selecting it:

1. Find a balance between what a player has accomplished with the type of impact they’ll have this season. (If I know a QB is going to throw over 1,000 yards — however he hasn’t attempted a pass on varsity, I’d be reluctant to put him on).

2. Find a balance in positions. I’m not going to pick 11 running backs unless I have to. If we had 11 guys going D-1 at a position, I’d bend the rule. But I want linemen and defensive-only players on the list.I’ve made it a point in recent years to be very thorough in selecting this team and I take it very seriously. I’ll be out at events (camps, 7 on 7s) as much as I can to evaluate. This is just a preliminary list and there ARE NO GUARANTEES, whether you made first team last year or not. I’ll go by what I see and hear in the next two months. Now, feel free to begin tearing apart my list.

Update, 6:57: I’m back in the press box, scrambling to get my story done so I can get on the road. Beach traffic is going to be a, er, beach.

If I leave now, I should be home before midnight. Talk to you then.

Nothing much to report from the postgame, aside from Paris Walker telling me he’s now headed to Central Connecticut (not prep school) and Antoine McGill telling me he’s goingn to Salisbury Prep School (not Nassau CC) and intends to either play at Rutgers for West Virginia in 2009.

Update, 5:26: There’s just over 5 minutes left so I’m going to head down to the field and watch the rest from there. Be back soon for more updates. Follow on tv and feel free to drop me a line.

Update, 5:23: New York has upped the tempo on offense and New Jersey is having trouble keeping up. It resulted in a touchdown on a great diving reception by Brian Taylor from Jeff Legree. It’s 33-22 with 5:58 left.

McGill (undecided) just gained six yards on an reverse. The NY coaches really have thought highly of McGill’s ability evidenced by the play-calling. Considering the roster who three D1 receivers on the roster, that’s pretty good.

Jeff Legree (Temple) is a very good QB. He’s a lefty with a strong arm. His angle is low and, since he isn’t 6-6, he’s going to have to alter it. But that won’t be difficult.

Update, 5:10: They just announced that Ray Rice was at the game, standing on the sideline behind the New York bench. The crowd roared.

A guy in the press box said a moment later “Nice of him to come. I wonder why he’s here.” Hello?

New Jersey ran in a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter, a 1-yard score by Washington. It’s 33-16.

Update, 5:03: It’s a good thing they have the speaker system pumping into the bathroom. Or else I would have completely missed Markell Rice’s interception touchdown.

Rice returned the INT 79 yards for the score. The two-point conversion (following a roughing on NJ on Prendergast’s extra point) was good. It’s 26-16.

Update, 4:50: Another NJ touchdown makes it 26-8.

To review, here’s what preceded the NJ touchdowns:

1. A horrifically blown coverage
2. An interception inside the 30
3. A blown call on what should have been a fumble
4. A fumble inside the 30

Update, 4:48: Since we had a nice 30-minute halftime break, I was able to flip through the game program a little bit. Like always, there were dedications to some of the players from family, coaches and schools. Here is what the locals had:

Darell Carter and Moquan Dickens had their own page, given by their mothers, with some inspirational quotes. Photos were nice.

Antoine McGill maybe had the best page in the book. It’s a picture of him superimposed in Rutgers Stadium, given by Clarkstown South High.

John Zoppo had a big bold headline: “Go John, Section 1 and the Rest of the New York Team. Beat NJ” I like how “Section 1″ was highlighted. It was from his family.

Paris Walker’s page said: “Good Luck Paris Walker” over a big photo of him. On the bottom it says “UNSTOPPABLE” in huge bold letters.

Sean O’Connor had a page given by Iona Prep School.

Update, 4:42: Fumble New York on the first play of the half. NJ ball on the NY 28.

Update, 4:40: We’re about to get back to football.

Halftime stats:
Paris Walker has 3 solo tackles, one for loss
Markell Rice has 2 tackles
McGill has a 14-yard reception

New York has rushed for 48 yards and thrown for 47 (95 total)
New Jersey has rushed for 50 yards and thrown for 152 (202 total)

NJ QBs
Tim Lamirande is 7 for 9 for 83 yards, TD
Mohamed Sanu is 3 for 6 for 69 yards, TD

Update, 4:18: It’s halftime. New Jersey leads 20-8.

Apparently the guy who invented football is sitting right next to me in the press box. All he keeps doing is criticizing every play run by either team. Usually he’s wrong. NY just ran their sure-handed halfback on a draw (against a prevent defense) with 4 seconds left on their own 22-yard line. I guess I didn’t realize NY had a QB who can heave the ball 85 yards over five DBs.

Uh-oh, I think he’s leaning over and reading my computer. Time to go.

Update, 4:13: Damaging blow before the half. Tim Lamirande (undecided) connected with Brian Burham (Tulsa) for a 29-yard TD with 52 seconds left in the second. Extra point failed, so its 20-8.

New Jersey shouldn’t even gotten a chance to keep the drive going after a fumble — on a fourth-down attempt, no less — but the refs blew the receiver was down.

The TD was thrown directly over the middle downfield. Samad Wagstaff was the closest defender but I think the safety, however, (No 87, no name in the program) was at fault for basically standing in the middle of the field and not covering anybody.

Update, 4:04: Wagstaff, Rice and Walker are getting a workout right now. All Jersey wants to do is throw the ball downfield. With very little NY pass rush, they’re doing it effectively. It seems Walker is in on ever tackle. Four minutes left in the half. Going to beat the crowd and get a drink. Be back with stats.

Update, 3:58: New York is on the board thanks to a 1-yard TD by Kenny Youngs of Lansingburgh. Huge play since it was 4th-and-goal. Not scoring there would have been demoralizing.

Daniel Basil botched the snap on the extra point but ran it in. It’s 14-8 with 6:11 left in the first half.

The drive was kept going thanks to Prendergast getting roughed on a punt attempt. He was hit into and fell like he was hit by a truck. Punters make good actors. Antoine McGill caught a 12-yard pass on the next play as NY crossed midfield for the first time.

McGill and Carter had passes thrown in their direction on 2nd and 3rd downs that were incomplete. Sean O’Connor played a strong right tackle on the series. Good showing so far by the LoHud.

Update, 3:46: Plenty of good seats available, as you can see below

This is somewhat a joke. Fans aren’t allowed to sit behind the New Jersey bench because of construction (Rutgers is adding thousands of seats courtesy of the success afforded by Ray Rice). All the fans are below the press box, although there aren’t many more than what you see above.

Update, 3:41: First quarter is over… finally. Got to love TV. It rules the world.

Update, 3:18: Oh boy. A New York interception on its first play from scrimmage sets up another NJ touchdown. William Washington runs in a 1-yard score as NJ takes a 14-0 lead with 8:43 left in the first quarter.

Joe Sidaras, the QB from famed Long Island superpower William Floyd, threw the pick. McGill and Carter both started on offense. Walker, Wagstaff started on D. Unfortunately, NY was off the field so fast on offense that I couldn’t see whether Zoppo or O’Connor were on the field.

Update, 3:11: That was quick. Fifth play of the game goes for a 55-yard TD for New Jersey thanks to a blown coverage.

NJ came out in the spread and QB Mohamed Sanu (Rutgers) broke the pocket and heaved a pass to a wide-open Brandon Jones (Rutgers) for the score. Samad Wagstaff and Paris Walker were the closest two defenders and each was probably 15 yards away.

Tough start for NY, which needs to be close to perfect defensively to have a shot.

Update, 3:08: Nothing says football like 97-degree heat.

That’s what the thermometer said when I got out of the car before. Had I guesed, I would have said it was somewhere in the 120s.

Sticky and humid. Kickoff just went off. Michael Prendergast of North Rockland booted it to the best player in the game, Will Hill, who didn’t go far.

The game is on TV, of course. Here is a guide to who the local players are so you can watch out for them:

5 Markell Rice, New Rochelle
12 Michael Prendergast, N. Rockland
14 Samad Wagstaff, New Rochelle
21 Paris Walker, New Rochelle
24 Moquan Dickens, Poughkeepsie
25 Durell Carter, Poughkeepsie
77 Sean O’Connor, Iona Prep
78 John Zoppo, John Jay
88 Antoine McGill, Clarkstown South