Longtime Eastchester Resident Leonore Young, 94, Teacher, Yankees Fan, Dies of COVID-19 Longtime Eastchester Resident Leonore Young, 94, Teacher, Yankees Fan, Dies of COVID-19
Longtime Eastchester Resident Leonore Young, 94, Teacher, Yankees Fan, Dies of Covid-19 Leonore Young of Eastchester, died peacefully on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 from COVID-19. She was 94. Leonore is survived by her sister Francis Goodman; her daughter and son-in-law Adrienne and Keith Bloomfield; her grandson and granddaughter Seth and Tara Bloomfield; her great-granddaughters Sydney and Charley Bloomfield; her son-in-law Michael Phelps and his wife Lenore Simon; her granddaughter Carlye Bell and her great-granddaughters Haley, Allison and Megan Bell. The daughter of Annie and Ben Markowitz, Leonore was born in New York on June 2, 1926. A child of the Great Depression, she i…
Zach Chmelecki, Former HS Football, Lacrosse Player In Westchester, Dies At 23 Zach Chmelecki, Former HS Football, Lacrosse Player In Westchester, Dies At 23
Zach Chmelecki, Former HS Football, Lacrosse Player In Westchester, Dies At 23 Zachary Thomas Chmelecki, of Rye Neck, died on Tuesday, Jan. 26. He was 23. Zack was born Oct. 13, 1997, to Charles and Lisa (nee Zaccaria) Chmelecki. A football and lacrosse player, he played for Iona Prep and later Rye Neck High School where he graduated in 2015.  Later in his life, he was passionate about surfing, fishing, and cooking.  "Zack was a presence; his smile brightened every room he entered," according to his obituary. He leaves behind his mother, Lisa, and sister, Nicole, along with his grandmother, Rita Chmelecki. Zack's father, Charles, died in August 2020 at a…
COVID-19: Ivy League Cancels Football Season, Puts All Sports On Hold Till At Least January COVID-19: Ivy League Cancels Football Season, Puts All Sports On Hold Till At Least January
Covid-19: Ivy League Cancels Football Season, Puts All Sports On Hold Till At Least January The Ivy League has canceled all fall sports, including football, and will reevaluate whether to allow athletes to compete after Jan. 1, 2021, according to multiple reports. An official announcement is expected Wednesday evening, July 8. With the move, the league becomes the first Division I conference that will not play sports in the fall. The move also places other well-attended sports, including men's and women's basketball, in limbo. Ivy League basketball teams traditionally start practice in October and the regular season in November. The Ivy League was the first Division I confe…
COVID-19: Football 'May Not Happen This Year' Due To Virus, Fauci Says COVID-19: Football 'May Not Happen This Year' Due To Virus, Fauci Says
Covid-19: Football 'May Not Happen This Year' Due To Virus, Fauci Says Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been at the forefront of the global battle against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, is not confident that football players will be able to hit the gridiron this year. While fans hope for, and athletes prepare for a potential 2020 pro and college football seasons, Fauci has cast his doubt that leagues will be able to safely reboot leagues this fall due to the pandemic. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that players would essentially have to live and train in a “bubble” and would require extensive testin…
Suspect Charged In Murder Of Former Westchester HS Football Star Suspect Charged In Murder Of Former Westchester HS Football Star
Suspect Charged In Murder Of Former Westchester HS Football Star A suspect is in police custody for his role in the shooting death of a former high school football star from Westchester who was playing professionally in Arizona. Christopher Verland Ayers III, 28, who was in custody for unrelated charges in Phoenix, has been charged in connection to the shooting death of former Mount Vernon football standout Lance McDowdell, a member of the Arizona Rattlers indoor football team. Ayers, who is still facing additional charges, was charged with second-degree murder this week, police said. McDowdell, 25, was found with a gunshot wound in the driveway of a Ph…
Former Area HS, College Football Standout Killed In Shooting Former Area HS, College Football Standout Killed In Shooting
Former Area HS, College Football Standout Killed In Shooting A former Westchester high school football standout who was a two-time junior college all-American at Nassau Community College killed in a shooting in Phoenix. Lance McDowdell, 25, a member of the Arizona Rattlers professional indoor football team, was found with a gunshot wound in the driveway of a Phoenix apartment complex on Friday morning, Dec. 20 before being rushed to a local hospital, where he died. No motive for the shooting has been established yet and no suspect or suspects have been identified.  "Lance represented the Rattlers organization with pride and dedication…
Fox Lane Hall Of Fame Class Of 2019 Fox Lane Hall Of Fame Class Of 2019
Fox Lane Hall Of Fame Class Of 2019 The Fox Lane Hall of Fame committee has announced the Class of 2019. The Class of 2019 includes a former Bedford Central School District Physical Education teacher and coach as well as four alumni.   Members of the Fox Lane Hall of Fame Class of 2019 are: Vincent Minotti, Sr. (1963-1996) Faculty: Coach Danny Fontana (Class of 1980) Football, baseball and volleyball Nyasha Miller (Class of 2007) Volleyball and basketball Caroline Raue (Class of 2009) Cross country and track  Michelle Kowalski (Class of 2011) Soccer The honorees will be introduced to the entire community …
Two Westchester HS Football Players Nominated For 'Heart Of A Giant' Award Two Westchester HS Football Players Nominated For 'Heart Of A Giant' Award
Two Westchester HS Football Players Nominated For 'Heart Of A Giant' Award A pair of student-athletes in Westchester have been nominated for a prestigious award sponsored in part through the New York Giants. Football players in White Plains and Pelham have been nominated for the “Heart of a Giant” award, and now need their communities to vote them into the finals. Each week, 10 football players in the Tri-state area are nominated for voting, and their communities have 25 days to note them in. Six finalists and four honorable mention finalists will be named. Each of those will receive $1,000 for their school’s football program, with the winner receiving an addition…
Harrison High School Names Alum As New Varsity Football Coach Harrison High School Names Alum As New Varsity Football Coach
Harrison High School Names Alum As New Varsity Football Coach The Harrison Central School District has officially named alumnus Jay Ciraco as the new coach of the Varsity Football team. The selection process included acquiring feedback from student-athletes, parents and other community members. The athletic director and the assistant athletic director also surveyed and held meetings with stakeholder groups such as varsity, junior varsity and modified football players, parents of student-athletes, members of the Harrison Husky Football Hall of Fame and other community members and alumni. From this feedback, the stakeholder groups helped define som…
Former Fox Lane HS, College Football Player Nicolas De La Pava Dies At 23 Former Fox Lane HS, College Football Player Nicolas De La Pava Dies At 23
Former Fox Lane HS, College Football Player Nicolas De La Pava Dies At 23 Nicolas De La Pava, a football standout at the high school and collegiate levels who went on to start his own business in Northern Westchester, died on Tuesday, Aug. 7 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. He was 23. A North Salem resident, he was born in Tarrytown on June 6, 1995 to Mario De La Pava and Luz Myriam De La Pava.  Nick attended Bedford Hills Elementary School and then Fox Lane High School, where he was a varsity football star.  Upon graduating from Fox Lane, he attended the SUNY Cortland, where he was a tight end on the football team. He graduated from Cortland in…
Popular Football/Lacrosse Coach Born In Hudson Valley Dies At 52 Popular Football/Lacrosse Coach Born In Hudson Valley Dies At 52
Popular Football/Lacrosse Coach Born In Hudson Valley Dies At 52 A popular area high school football and lacrosse coach and former Division I college standout died of a heart attack at his home Saturday afternoon. Jason Cooper, wide receivers coach at New Canaan High School, was 52. Cooper was a captain of Duke’s football team in 1987. For the past four years, Cooper served as an assistant coach for both the football and girls lacrosse programs at his alma mater, New Canaan High School. Prior to returning to his hometown, he worked in the finance field in Chicago. A tight end and defensive end, he was an All-FCIAC and All-State selection and team capta…
Former Westchester Football Standout Signs With Baltimore Ravens Former Westchester Football Standout Signs With Baltimore Ravens
Former Westchester Football Standout Signs With Baltimore Ravens A former standout football standout from Westchester is taking his talents to the Baltimore Ravens. White Plains resident Da’Sean Downey, a former defensive end for the University of Massachusetts, has been picked up by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent following the NFL draft last month. Downey was named to the first-team Eastern College Athletic Conference squad after becoming a full-time starter as a senior. He logged 58 tackles, including 20 tackles for loss and six sacks, the second most tackles for a loss in program history. Downey played at Woodlands High School in Hartsdale bef…