Starting in the fall, Section 1 champions outside football and hockey will be in a rotation with Sections 8, 9 and 11.
Athletic directors and executives from across New York state met Tuesday, July 29, and Wednesday, July 30, in Schenectady for the NYSPHSAA Central Committee Meeting. Coming out of the annual summer gathering were changes that figure to impact Section 1 sports as soon as the upcoming fall season.
First, the committee voted to approve a three-region concept for the first round of state playoffs. For all sports where at least nine sections compete, which excludes football and hockey, the NYSPHSAA has established three regions across the state, hoping to increase equity between sections and reduce travel costs in the early rounds of the state tournament.
Previously, Sections 8 and 11 always matched up in the first round. Now, the two Long Island sections will be put into a pool with Sections 1 and 9 for the first round. Winners of the first game will match up in the next round.
"We're excited that this got passed," Joe Sigillo, the Athletic Director at Nyack High School, said, "The topic itself came from a Section 1 concern. It gives a much more equitable distribution of travel for all the sections."
Sigillo also stressed that the cuts in travel time will benefit student-athletes on the field and in the classroom. In the past, state tournaments required long trips in the middle of the school week, which Sigillo said, "can be disruptive to the educational component."
The three-region concept will be implemented for the fall of 2025, a decision that was previously uncertain.
"We don't like to implement things mid-year," said Sigillo, who was not involved in the meeting but has been a prominent name in Section 1 policymaking. "There was concern that if it was tabled, that this could be lost for the year. I know that was a concern we had in Section 1."
The state association also approved an increase in ticket prices for state championships. Football and boys' and girls' wrestling will increase to $14 starting this fall and the remaining championships will bump to $12. NYSPHSAA approved the addition of a 14th weight class for boys wrestling, as well. For the 2025-2026 season, the state will utilize the following weight classes: 103, 110, 118, 126, 132, 138, 144, 150, 157, 165, 175, 190, 215, 285.
Finally, Don Cupertino, the longtime Bronxville girls soccer coach, was celebrated Wednesday during the 2025 NYSHPSAA Hall of Fame dinner.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NYSPHSAA sets new rotations for state tournament regionals
Category: General Sports
