Here’s more from Nancy Haggerty about Kennedy’s move from Section 1 to the CHSAA:
Kennedy Catholic High School’s exit from Section 1 for the Catholic High School Athletic Association was partially fueled by the section’s threat to expel all its teams for athletic recruiting, athletic director Father Matthew Newcomb said Tuesday.
His assertion came a day after Section 1 coordinator Jen Simmons received a letter from Kennedy announcing its departure.
Newcomb, who noted all Kennedy teams, with the exception of independent-bound girls lacrosse, field hockey and possibly ice hockey, will play in the CHSAA beginning in the fall, said, “We were worried. We had to protect ourselves.”
Tuesday, Simmons acknowledged telling Newcomb when he became AD last fall that, “a couple of teams were walking a gray line and schools were complaining.”
Simmons said she also shared three complaints, concerning baseball, boys basketball and boys lacrosse, with Newcomb and Kennedy director Father Mark Vaillancourt in late fall when they lobbied to move some teams to the CHSAA, while keeping others in Section 1.
“I said if you are in violation, you could put your program in jeopardy,” said Simmons, who noted, within the last couple of years, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association had warned Kennedy about recruiting.
But Simmons said she didn’t threaten expulsion and was satisfied with Kennedy’s responses to recent complaints.
“A lot of times, it’s some innocent things that are happening,” she said.
She added any sanction against a school would likely involve only the offending team unless multiple teams were in violation.
Asked whether Kennedy has followed the recruiting ban, Newcomb said, “I’m not with the coaches 24/7 but I believe they know the rules.”
The CHSAA also bans athletic recruiting.
Still, 562-student Kennedy hopes to bolster enrollment through the CHSAA.
“It’s good exposure for Kennedy Catholic, especially down-county,” Newcomb said.
Of course, it’s precisely travel down-county and farther that has evoked concern.
But Newcomb, who’ll attend a CHSAA scheduling meeting Wednesday, said many games will be played Saturdays and Kennedy will play mainly Bronx schools with Staten Island only if it wishes.
The exception is football, he said. A four-home/four-away schedule shows Kennedy opening on Staten Island before consecutive weekends in Brooklyn.
Another concern is girls teams playing in tiny gyms and on hardscrabble fields.
“We obviously have a beautiful facility. Most high schools don’t have what we have… But we can still have good competitions with a lot of schools,” Newcomb maintained.
Newcomb said if the section had allowed it, only football, baseball, boys and maybe girls basketball would have gone to the CHSAA, allowing Kennedy “to see how it would work.”
But the section bans schools from simultaneously competing in Section 1 and other organized leagues.
Newcomb hopes to schedule non-league, local opponents.
Brewster AD Dean Bernardo is open to playing Kennedy if schedules allow.
“It’s always extra incentive to play against friends. It’ll be a loss for us (otherwise),” he said, noting some Kennedy athletes earlier attended Brewster schools.
Still, citing travel and questions about his three-school ice hockey squad, which also includes Haldane and Putnam Valley, all-league goalie Joey Molfetta termed the move a “bad idea.”
Section 1 forbids CHSAA-player participation but Newcomb said he’d ask the CHSAA to allow public school kids to remain on the team, or might make hockey independent.
Kennedy, he said, plans only to add sports, possibly fencing and rugby.
“Any decision always has pros and cons but I believe we’re leading in the right way. Long-term,” he said, “it’s about just keeping Catholic education growing.”
The move seems permanent.
“This is a long-term commitment, not a three- or four-year thing and go back,” Newcomb said.
37 Comments
I dont see this being a long term deal. This is going to kill Kennedy sports. Forget the competition, the fact they are going to have to travel to Staten Island and Brooklyn is NO FUN! I dont see why the CHSAA would even agree to having them for that one reason of traveling. That is a long distance to travel before any type of sporting game.
Will Lourdes be getting that “Recruiting” letter soon????
Dutchess….”Will Lourdes be getting that “Recruiting” letter soon????”
Answer: So long as they don’t recruit 330 lb. Samoans for football or 6’10” Nigerians for basketball, probably not.
Kennedy Catholic will be welcomed in the CHSAA. Times change… look at all the changes in College Conferences… Some Big East Schools were traveling to Texas and were even willing to go to Idaho. It’s not that Big a Deal. No disrespect to the teams in Section 1, but the tough schedule will be good for Kennedy, as their athletes will benefit from playing better competition on a steady basis.
The coach who should be fired at JFK is Fletcher.
This guy would sale his soul for a player. Admin At JFK follow his lead.
Think there is a little difference from flying a day early, staying in a nice hotel and playing a game, then schleping from Somers to Staten Island for a football game or after school soccer game. LOL
I guess I should throw in that after the game in Texas, the big east teams, hop on a coach bus, jump on a plane and fly home.. Oh, and most importantly they shower first. LOL
JFK needed to be in the CHSAA for a long time…
Baseball will play well. Football will be pummeled…
Don’t Hate on Fletcher, he’s just doing his Job. Good Baseball athletes went to JFK to give them a better chance to play in College… He’s done that.
Love him or Hate him, his guys get quality looks from Big schools.
Did anyone else notice in this article Jenn Simmons admits to telling JFK that they were putting their programs in “jeopardy”, but then later in the article denies that she threatened “expulsion”. Wouldn’t a program being in ‘jeopardy’ be under the risk of expulsion???
The more I hear about this Kennedy situation, the more it seems to me that a main reason for Kennedy leaving Sect 1 is to get out from under the auspices of Ms. Simmons & Co. Despite the fact that Sect 1 is run by well-paid administrators, they continually are way behind the rest of the area. Sect 1 still hasn’t released a football schedule – leagues like the CHSFL did it months ago. Sect 1 decided to cancel the final football games last year for a lot of seniors because it was a logistical issue. Why do volunteer administrators continually do better that the salaried Sect 1 employees? I can’t blame JFK for wanting to get out of Sect 1. It seems like Dutchess schools and the Rockland schools feel the same way.
Well it is a well-known fact that Coach Morales is courting kids already to JFK. He wants to make JFK into another Stepinac. He already has been contacting a very good DC guard from Arlington’s JV.
The JFK story is very interesting for many reasons. I don’t know that much about the history of catholic schools competing in section 1 like JKF, Lourdes, etc. I am eager to speak with some of the people in our area about this development…
On another note, it is Wednesday, March 20th and NO FOOTBALL RANKINGS! That is 48 days including today that the football committee has had all of the “information” they need to complete the rankings. Forget about leagues and schedules. We won’t receive that information until the end of April, which is clearly a joke.
However, it is beyond incompetent to have not completed the rankings. Seriously… Something has to be done. Someone should have to answer some questions. Really, what is the process? What should we do? 48 days and they still can not figure out high school football rankings?
I have heard from many people that the questionnaires the football committee requires all of the school districts to complete is a farce anyway. They simply look at enrollment, previous record and rivalries. How can this be so difficult?
If my athletic director was on this committee I would be EMBARRASSED!!!
The Basketball coach has been running around hitting AAU programs offering scholarships to a number of 8/9graders. So the returning players will have 2 issues. One -playing time and two -pay tuition while coach offers free bees to new players. Go back to your zoning school before you find your kid gets the short end of the stick.
There are many reasons I enjoy public school leagues over private school leagues.
But there is no denying “Hoops fan” assertation that the section 1 administrators do a lousy job compared to their much less salaried counterparts in the CHSAA.
Dutchess,
I think these people that accuse OLL of recruiting are way off base.
I have said this before, I know some kids/families that are some of OLL’s best players in 2 or 3 sports and they do not get any aid at all. I know this for a fact.
Franco,
D4 ball,, wow, thats pretty good, I played D6 myself.
D4? SMH, heck I played before there was D anything.
Disbarred Frankie
Is this the same coach who missed the last 4 games of my varsity basketball sr yr, because
we were 1-19.Stop showing up. Assist coach
Filled in for the last 4 games .Your Albe morales quit a week later.
Hoops, brace urself… Excellent Post!!!
Great move Kennedy! Now let’s see if the rest of the Catholic/Privates have the guts to join them!
football guy,
There are a lot of coaches in Dutchess that feel the same way, they just can’t stand losing kids from their district to the catholic schools.
Then to getting beat up year in and year out by a much smaller school only adds to their fustration.
Blame it on the coaches and schools up in Dutchess, if they did a better job kids wouldn’t leave their home districts for the Catholic schools.
Disbarred Franco obviously dislikes Morales for some reason. And I agree. Good riddance to kennedy HS. I wish they left years ago when it became clear they were recruiting baseball and basketball and spoiling Section Championships for thye deserving Class B High Schools. They were playing class B because of their low enrollment that was equal to Dobbs, Pleasantville and Briarcliff. But they were huge decievers by soliciting talent from many northern Westchester and Putnam Class AA, Class a and Class B schools…So glad they are finally out of here.
ex dutchess coach,
That’s some real insight….I guess thats why you don’t coach anymore!!
Arl Dad,
Must have hit a nerve,.....truth hurts. BTW coaching in Westchester, more $, larger budget, and much better facilities. Parents still crazy, they just drive nicer cars.
Disbarred Franco aka the lowest of the low. Just how dishonest does one have to be to get disbarred from a profession of thieves and scallywags?
Talk about prop 48, his daughter is so dumb she can only play in D4.
Chief, lolololololol !
March 21st…
Nothing.
Ex Dutch Coach,
I’m glad your in coaching for the money!!! First thing you said!!! Parents must love that attitude!!!
hey chief – were you being nice franco by calling him a rascal? Or do you respect his political views?
scallywag (?skæl??wæ?)
— n
1.informal a scamp; rascal
2.(after the US Civil War) a White Southerner who supported the Republican Party and its policy of Black emancipation. Scallywags were viewed as traitors by their fellow Southerners
Arl Dad,
Teacher salary much higher, coaching pay about the same.
You should worry more about winning more than 1 game than what motivates people to coach. With a school that size you guys should be a playoff team every year, not in 14th place in a 15 team league.
Ex Dutchess Coach,
I guess your not winning much because I know for a fact that Westchester coaches get paid much more than Dutchess coaches but you claim you get paid the same????
ex dutchess coach,
dutchess coaches not good enough, westchester comparison, then of course, immediately bash arlington. didn’t take long to get there.
did you retire or were you fired?
March 23rd & no rankings…
Does anyone else think this is ridiculous???
Are school on spring break next week? If so, we may not hear anything until the middle of April! How can this be?
schedule and rankings are out!!!
Where???
AA (LEAGUES NOT RANKINGS)
league 1 league 2
newro n rock
mahopac jjef
rck mamaroneck
c north carmel
c south wp
arlington suffern
ramapo scarsdale
mv fox lane
SORRY
league 1
newro
mahopac
rck
c north
c south
arlington
ramapo
mv
league 2
n rock
jjef
mamaroneck
carmel
suffern
w.p.
scarsdale
fox lane