I was very surprised to hear that the Suffolk County leagues are not yet official, despite the chart being posted on Section XI’s website. Nassau County’s is posted and we are only a couple months away from the season at this point.
So what’s the hold up?
I was told that Riverhead’s status is the hold up. If you remember earlier in the school year, they were intending to eliminate sports for the 2020-21 year in order to save the district $960,000. They reversed course and reinstated sports. The issue was that Section XI had progressed to move on without them for this year and made the 2021 leagues. Now that they’re back, a decision will need to be made in regards to where to place them. Their enrollment would typically fall in either League 2 or 3.
Once a decision is made, schedules can be finalized and we can start preparing for a season.
It was interesting seeing the preliminary list because it had Ward Melville in League 2, which would be a first as far as I know. They had been in League 1 forever. Additionally, Connetquot is listed in League 3 and I can only recall them being in League 2. Those are pretty significant changes that can impact who qualifies for the playoffs.
