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At the risk of using a horse-racing metaphor, Cranston West High recorded a “daily double” when Words Unlimited announced its award winners for the 2011 calendar year.

Jeff Diehl, who starred in basketball and baseball, was voted the Schoolboy Athlete of the Year while Falcons baseball coach Rob Malo was voted the Schoolboy Sports Coach of the Year.

Diehl, a senior, led the Falcons to the first-ever Division I basketball championship in school history.

Then, in the spring, he hit .537 with six home runs and 27 RBI as the Falcons compiled a 13-5 regular-season record. His production was a major reason why Cranston West won the Division I state championship.

When June rolled around, Diehl was selected in the 23rd round by the New York Mets.

Malo replaced veteran and eminently successful coach Chuck Jones in 2007 – two years after the Falcons won their first Division I state baseball title since 1975.

The Falcons finished the 2011 season on top of the Division I pile as they spotted North Kingstown a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three finals and won the next two games to capture the state championship.

On the distaff side, La Salle’s twin sisters Madison and McKenzie Meehan were voted co-Schoolgirl Athletes of the Year while Barrington cross-country coach Annmarie Marino was named the Schoolgirl Sports Coach of the Year.

Last fall, Madison Meehan led the country in assists with 44 while McKenzie led the nation in scoring with 80 goals as the Rams won their fourth consecutive Division I state soccer championship.

Each Meehan also earned All-State honors the previous winter as the Rams annexed their fifth straight state indoor title.

Marino guided the Eagles to both the Class A and State championships. The state title was the first in school history since 1994.

Words Unlimited is the statewide organization of sportswriters, sportscasters and sports publicists.

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Buried amidst the rubble in Central Falls, which long ago filed for bankruptcy and has been under the direction of a state-appointed receiver, has been the fate of the coaches of the city’s lone high school.

To be precise, they’ve given new meaning to the words “volunteer coaches.”

Because of a budget freeze and ongoing contract negotiations between the city and the union representing teachers, Warriors coaches have been guiding their teams sans compensation.

That was true in the fall; it’s carried over to the winter sports season; and barring any change in developments the status will remain quo come the spring.

Ironically, Warrior teams have enjoyed an inordinate amount of success.

Coach Mo Jackson led CF to the Division IV Super Bowl in December.

Coach Rich Sousa took his girls’ volleyball team to the Division II semifinals.

Coach Carl Africo guided the boys’ soccer team to the Division I quarterfinals.

The other falls sports for which coaches weren’t paid are boys’ and girls’ cross country, girls’ soccer and unified volleyball.

CF’s winter sports include boys’ and girls’ basketball, wrestling, boys’ and girls’ track and unified basketball.

The spring sports slate includes only baseball and softball.

The 63-year-old Jackson, who’s the dean of Warrior coaches, didn’t learn about the lack of funding until midway through the football season.

“I was a little upset,” Jackson was quoted in The Times of Pawtucket. “But I wasn’t going to abandon the kids halfway through the season.

“I don’t know if I had known before the season started if I would have coached. After being here 20 years, I’d like the opportunity to make that decision. But you don’t get into (coaching high school sports) to make a lot of money.”

North Kingstown, to a certain extent, is in a similar position as Central Falls – although the South County town is far from bankruptcy.

However, it has a projected $1.6 million deficit for fiscal year 2013.

As a result, Superintendent Phil Auger is working on proposals that could include cuts that would impact Skipper high school teams.

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And you thought the Rhode Island Interscholastic League “tweaked” boys’ basketball last season, when it decided to hold a 16-team tournament that would determine one – repeat, one – state champion?

The RIIL has “tweaked boys’ basketball in so many ways this season that it’s a wonder coaches’ heads don’t spin off their necks.

For starters, the league has eliminated the three division tournaments which had been in existence seemingly since Dr. James Naismith first hung up a peach basket at Springfield College.

Instead, the league will hold one 32-team tournament.

The league still will consist of Division I, II and III and each team will play 18 league games. But points will be awarded which will determine who gets to play in the state tournament.

For example:

• Each Division I victory is worth one point.
• Each Division II victory is worth .8 point.
• Each Division III victory is worth .6 point.

In addition teams in Divisions II and III with the most points will receive one more point as compensation for the disparity in the ratings formula.

Non-league games won’t result in the winning team earning points.

After the whistle blows in the final games of the regular season, the 32 teams with a winning percentage of at least .400 will qualify for the tournament.

Play-in games will be held should more than 32 teams win at least 40 percent of their games. But ties involving teams from different divisions will result in the team from the higher division receiving the higher seed.

Just as noteworthy is the change in venue for the Elite Eight – Providence College’s Alumni Hall - where Friar stars like Jimmy Walker, Ray Flynn, Lenny Wilkins and (when he was a freshman) Ernie DiGregorio lit up the scoreboard.

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The National Football League has announced that 51 top high school football coaches, one from each state and Washington, D.C., have been selected to participate in the 11th annual NFL-USA Football Youth Football Summit during the lead up to the 2011 Hall of Fame Weekend on July 20-21 in Canton.

The Summit will be held at the Kent State Stark Professional Education & Conference Center and is funded by the NFL Youth Football Fund (YFF).

Here's a look at the New England coaches participating in the Summit this week:

Connecticut - Brian Crudden, Windham High School
Maine - Kevin Cooper, Bonny Eagle High School
Massachusetts - Roosevelt Robinson, Madison Park High School
New Hampshire - Ed Kiley, New Hampton School
Rhode Island - Generro Ferraro, Burrillville High School
Vermont- Tom Perry, Colchester High School

Commencing with the 2011 fall sports season, any coach who emulates Bobby Knight on a bad day over the course of a season and “verbally abuses” an official in a “public forum” will be subject to more than a technical foul, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty or a bench minor.

The Rhode Island Interscholastic League’s Principals Committee on Athletics adopted a new policy at its June meeting that will give coaches reasons to think twice before launching into a tirade – specifically in the presence of media.

For example:

• A coach will be disqualified for one game and his school fined $100 for a first offense.
• A second offense will result in a two-game disqualification and a $150 fine for the school.
• If a coach is found guilty of a third offense, he or she will be disqualified for the remainder of the season and the school fined $250. In this case, if the season ends prior to its completion, the coach will be disqualified for a minimum five games and the remaining games will carry over to the following season.

As a means of explanation, disqualification means a coach may not be in attendance for any game or games while serving the suspension – and may not participate in any pre-game warm-ups at the game site.

While coaches will have the opportunity to raise “officiating concerns” through the school’s director of athletics and principal, they will not be entitled to an appeal.

DOUBLE DRIBBLES
When the Interscholastic League last season adopted an open tournament which allowed every boys’ basketball team to compete for the state championship (which made Rhode Island one of only two states in the country with this format), it proved to be successful beyond everybody’s wildest dreams.

The league tweaked that format also at its June meeting.

First, it eliminated the three divisional tournaments that have been played for at least 45 years.

Secondly, it adopted a format that will allow as many as 32 teams over Divisions I, II and III to compete for the state championship.

Criteria will be based on a team’s winning percentage which has yet to be determined. But according to a league official who spoke on condition of anonymity, that mark could be as low as 40 percent.

The tournament will consist of five rounds which would allow completion in approximately two weeks.

In the proposal passed by the league, reasons for this new format evolved around a season that was considered too long (i.e. more often than not; the end of tournament play coincided with the start of spring sports practices) and the tournament invariably conflicted with mid-semester exams

In addition, fewer three-game weeks would pop up on schedules and coaches would have more time for teaching in practices.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Boys’ hockey has long been the proverbial elephant in the room (or rink) because of the private school vs. public school issue.

In an attempt to address this contentious issue, the league adopted a format commencing with next season for Division I.

Division I will be split into two leagues: the Cimini League which will consist of private schools like perennial state champion Mount St. Charles, Hendricken, La Salle and Moses Brown, and the Eccleston League which will consist of Cranston West, Smithfield, Burrillville, Lincoln, Barrington and North Kingstown – each of which is a public school.

Cimini League teams will play each other four times and cross over once while Eccleston League teams will play each other three times and cross over once.

A power rating formula will be used to rank and seed teams for the playoffs, with the top four teams qualifying for the state championship and the next four teams qualifying for the Division I Tournament championship.

For example:

• A win against a Cimini team will earn a team two points.
• If two Cimini teams tie, each earns one point.
• A win against an Eccelston team will earn a team two points.
• If two Eccelston teams tie, each earns one point.

One reason for this change – although league officials were reluctant to go on the record – was that last season private schools posted a combined 55-0-1 record versus public schools.

THERE’S MORE
The league also adopted a cap on the number of games boys’ hockey teams can play which, at face value, was a result of the imbalance between private and public school team records.

The number of overall games a team can play has been reduced from 24 to 22.

“Essentially, when the committee originally approved 24 games, it was at the request of one school which requested it remain anonymous,” said RIIL Executive Director Tom Mezzanotte. “We wanted to bring it in line with the other sports. There isn’t a reason to play 24 games.

“From the survey we sent out, we found 22 was a good number. The issue was we felt that some schools, by playing to the cap, had an advantage over schools that only could play the regular-season games. That was an issue with a number of our schools.

“We felt that by eliminating the number of games beyond the regular season would create a more level playing field.”

READ THE LARGE PRINT
The league’s blue book (i.e. rules and regulations) states in Article 7, Section 6, Paragraph D states “A high school coach may not coach prospective members of a high school club, freshman, junior varsity or varsity team during the off-season.”

It would appear Hendricken freshman hockey coach Bob Fairbanks didn’t read that section because he also was coaching a Midget team that included his son plus six other Hawk skaters.

As a result, Hendricken was placed on a three-year probation, fined $800 and head coach Jim Creamer was suspended for a number of games yet to be determined for the 2011-12 season.

LAST KICKOFF
The annual Rhode Island-Connecticut Senior Governors’ Cup All-Star Football game ended as have most of the previous games – with Connecticut rolling to a victory, this time by a 37-6 score.

Connecticut now leads the series, 10-3.

Rhode Island’s only points came on field goals of 26 and 49 yards by Cumberland’s Chad Bacon.

St. Raphael’s Trevor Vasey was voted Rhode Island’s Offensive MVP while East Providence’s Dana Andrade (who led his team in tackles and had one sack) was voted the Defensive MVP.

Mike Scandura has been covering high school sports, college basketball, football and hockey, plus minor league baseball in Rhode Island since the early 1970s. A native of Oswego, N.Y. he’s a member of the Words Unlimited Hall of Fame which is the statewide organization of sportswriters, sportscasters and sports publicists.

Instead of calling it the Rhode Island interscholastic League Boys’ State Swimming Championships, perhaps the event should be re-named “The Hendricken Invitational.”

Coach Dave Hansen’s Hawks splashed their way to a mind-boggling 21st consecutive state title on February 20 – and it wasn’t even close. The Hawks amassed 314 points as compared with second-place Barrington who swam home with 194 at the University of Rhode Island.

What made this latest championship even more noteworthy was the fact Hendricken failed to win a single individual event. Hansen needed points from only eight swimmers to cop the school’s latest title. And the Hawks did their most damage by winning two relays. Ian Dinwoodie and Andrew Robinson swam in the meet’s final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, while Mike Fedorenko, Alex Powers, Dave Evans and Jack Kilpatrick each were on one championship relay (the other was the 200-yard medley).

Hendricken earned 40 points by winning the 200 medley relay and recorded 54 points in the first individual event, the 200-yard freestyle. By the time the latter ended, the Hawks had a commanding lead.

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For those of a certain age, it was the equivalent of the U.S. Calvary coming to the rescue in an old John Wayne movie. But there wasn’t anything “entertaining” about the facts leading up to the crisis.

As February dawned on the calendar, the Cranston School Committee was on the verge of eliminating all sports at the city’s two high schools – Cranston East and Cranston West. The move would have been part of an attempt to eliminate a projected $3.7-million deficit in the proposed school budget for the 2011-12 academic year.

But nearly at the last moment, the New England Laborers/Cranston Public Schools Construction Career Academy’s board of directors opted to transfer a $79,928 surplus from its budget to restore all varsity sports. (The latter is a joint effort of the New England Laborers Union and the Cranston Public Schools). Otherwise, the School Committee would have been left with few options and varsity sports like football, basketball, hockey and baseball would have become a distant memory.

As it is, funding is still lacking for freshman football, basketball and baseball. That was the case last year at this time but private donations enabled the School Committee to restore freshman football. But at the moment, any word of similar donations is still lacking.

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The argument has raged in Rhode Island seemingly since the first puck was dropped at center ice when the first Interscholastic League hockey game was played.

How can a competitive balance be struck between the private schools and the public schools that play the sport?

The imbalance that exists is underscored this season like a rocket soaring through the skies since the Rhode Island Interscholastic League expanded to 10 schools – four private and six public – in the state’s top division, Division I.

Through games of Dec. 29, Mount St. Charles, Hendricken, La Salle Academy and Moses Brown School were a combined 12-0-0 against public schools Barrington, Burrillville, Cranston West, Lincoln, North Kingstown and Smithfield.

Moreover, the four private schools had outscored their public school opponents by the outrageous margin of 82-3.

The last time a public school won the state Division I championship occurred when Toll Gate captured back-to-back titles during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.

Otherwise, the last time a public school annexed the Division I title was during the 1974-75 season when East Providence prevailed.

The advantage private schools enjoy is obvious: they draw students from every city and town in the state – and even some from Massachusetts. And in the case of Mount St. Charles, the Mounties have their own rink (Adelard Arena), which is adjacent to the school.

Interscholastic League officials over the years have wracked their brains in an attempt to come up with alignments which would involve private and public schools and, hopefully, make more competitive games. But other than the years when Toll Gate prevailed in Division I, the alignments have left much to be desired.

After all, what fans (read parents) want to witness blowouts on a regular basis?

Even if Mount St. Charles, Hendricken, La Salle and Moses Brown were placed in Division I by themselves, and played each other three times a season (as has happened when the Mounties, Hawks, Rams and Titans were in Division I), they still would have to play some public schools – or venture out of state as Mount does on a frequent basis – to round out an adequate schedule.

But that might be the only solution after this season – a solution that might be fostered if red lights in the state’s rinks continue to pop from flashing on way too often.

BEST OF THE BEST
When private schools from around New England venture to Rhode Island for the annual Mount St. Charles Holiday Tournament, fans are treated to the highest brand of interscholastic hockey the sport can offer.

In the opening round this week, for example, Mount beat St. Dominic’s Academy (Maine), 5-1, as Brian Campbell scored two goals while Brian Belisle, Trevor Plante and Mike Magerman each contributed a goal plus an assist.

Andrew King made 20 saves as La Salle College High (Pennsylvania) blanked Hendricken, 5-0.

Frank Crinella and Sean Kavanagh each scored a goal as Springfield Cathedral High (Massachusetts) edged St. Joseph’s College Institute (New York), 2-1.

DOUBLE DRIBBLES
Pawtucket rivals Tolman and Shea put on a show and then some in the finals of the annual James W. Donaldson Memorial Tournament (which is named in honor of the Tigers’ late, long-time coach who was one of the true gentlemen in the history of Rhode Island interscholastic sports).

Jeremy Graca scored 20 points, including a pair of three-point shots, as Tolman edged the Raiders, 48-45.

Austin Silva posted a double-double for the Raiders, with 20 points and 10 rebounds. But his three-point shot – which would have tied the score at the buzzer and forced overtime – fell short.

HOW ABOUT A REPEAT?
For the better part of this decade, La Salle Academy has dominated Division I girls’ basketball.

Prior to the 2009-10 season, the Rams had captured six of the previous eight state championships.

La Salle’s reign came to a screeching halt last season when Woonsocket – the 2009 Division II champ – beat the Rams in the Division I finals.

Woonsocket is off to a 2-1 start in the early going. But it won’t be easy for the Villa Novans to repeat considering who they graduated from last season’s team: Division I Tournament MVP Brooke Coderre (daughter of head coach George Coderre), Nicole Boucher, Kofo Olowookere and Lauren Masse.

If the Villa Novans are to make a run at another title, they’ll need players like Michelle Brayboy, Ashley Doubois and Allyson Cartier to fill the void created by the departure of their teammates.

CAN’T KICK ABOUT THIS TEAM
Division I state champion Barrington landed three players on the All-State boys’ soccer team: midfielder Brett Sullivan, who led the Interscholastic League with 27 assists; forward Jeff Craven, who tied for the state scoring lead with 30 points; and goalie Andrew Jones, who made 115 total saves as the Eagles notched an 18-0-4 overall record.

Other selections included defenders Gaelen Oliver from Chariho, Connor Bolton from Hendricken and Sam Hall-Stinson from North Kingstown; midfielders Colin Patch from La Salle; Joao Cardoso from Shea; and Marcos Urgate from Providence Country Day; forwards Emerson Barros from Shea and Bob Bialy from East Greenwich.

Craven, a senior, also was voted All-America honors by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

ODDS ‘N ENDS

• Toll Gate senior Samantha Chace will be competing in track and field next year at Columbia. An honors student at Toll Gate High, Chace applied for early admission and was accepted. During her time at Toll Gate, she’s earned All-State honors in cross country plus indoor and outdoor track and field.
• Prout School’s Elise Walsh was voted the Gatorade Rhode Island Volleyball Player of the Year for a second consecutive season. A senior center, Walsh led the Crusaders to a 14-3 record and their second consecutive Division I state championship. She is a three-time, First Team All-State selection.
• Portsmouth director of athletics and boys’ basketball coach Mike Lunney was named the new assistant director of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League. He replaces Dick Magarian, who is retiring. Lunney has been the A.D. at Portsmouth for 16 years and a coach for eight.

Mike Scandura has been covering high school sports, college basketball, football and hockey, plus minor league baseball in Rhode Island since the early 1970s. A native of Oswego, N.Y. he’s a member of the Words Unlimited Hall of Fame which is the statewide organization of sportswriters, sportscasters and sports publicists.

Ten.

That’s the number of Division I boys’ soccer state championships captured by Barrington High since the sport was added to the Rhode Island Interscholastic League in 1966.

That’s four more titles than the next closest school, La Salle Academy, has annexed.

Yet what transpired in 2009 – one year after the Eagles won their 10th title – left a sour taste in their collective mouths.

The second-seeded Eagles, who finished 16-1-1, were upset by seventh-seeded North Kingstown, 2-1, in the opening round of the tournament.

Since the Eagles return several players from that team, the question is this: Can they put that loss to North Kingstown in the rear-view mirror and focus on winning an 11th state title?

Don’t even broach the question to coach Don Denham.

“I really don’t like to dwell in the past,” Denham said quite matter-of-factly. “I only mentioned what happened [last year] maybe once or twice shortly after we began practice. I preferred to remind them what they did during the regular season.”

Barrington finished with 49 points which was the second-highest total among Division I-North, South, East and Central teams.

“We have new leaders this season. We have new seniors. Really, they must establish their own identity.”

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