Best in Upstate: Chris Gedney made his mark for Orangemen and Liverpool
Best In Upstate
John Moriello, who has been an ardent follower and commentator on New York high school sports for decades, is writing a weekly column called "Best In Upstate," which is designed to fly above all of the state sectional borders. You can reach John at nysswa@gmail.com or @nysswa on Twitter. He oversees the New York State Sportswriters Association web page of high school rankings.
Friends have been kidding me about how my columns and blogs seem to start with recollections from ancient times — like back in the days when MTV actually played music videos — and meander their way to the present.
I swear I wasn't planning to drive down memory lane again this time, not with the NYSPHSAA boys basketball tournament setting up shop in Binghamton this weekend. I'd identified a good story angle and was ready to make phone calls to confirm the facts and do the interview.
And then the weekend came and I was dragged back to 1987 for the saddest of reasons, namely that Chris Gedney had died at the age of 47.
Gedney was a football and basketball star for Liverpool High outside of Syracuse in the mid-1980s and was all-state in both. He rose to national prominence as a tight end at Syracuse University, where he was part of the first senior class in school history to win five bowl games.
The consensus All-American went on the make 83 catches for 914 yards and eight touchdowns with the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals in parts of six seasons from 1993-2000. After retirement he made his way back to Central New York and a job at SU.
If you're old enough to remember him, then it's probably because of those years he spent at SU and in pro football.
I also remember Gedney from his SU days. I was my newspaper's beat reporter on Orange football for a couple of seasons and he was a reliable go-to guy for quarterback Marvin Graves during games and for reporters after games. If his size and hands were good, his perspectives on what took place during games were usually better.
Even before then, though, I'd come to know the name and face from his Liverpool days despite the fact I worked 80 miles away.
And that's where 1987 fits into this week's column.
Early in the basketball season, I traveled down the Thruway to cover a holiday tournament game between Liverpool and Rochester powerhouse McQuaid, which had been knocked out of the state tournament quarterfinals the previous season by Christian Laettner but was absolutely loaded in its next pursuit of a championship. Their roster included four players who would go on to Division I colleges and three others who had substantial careers in Division III programs.
The night was memorable for several reasons beyond having to travel through heavy snow to get to the game. For starters, that was the night I first met Neil Kerr, the now-retired Syracuse reporter who remains the undisputed dean of New York high school sportswriters.
The game took a turn thanks to a rule that seldom comes into play. McQuaid was assessed a two-shot technical foul when one of the Knights' reserve guards checked into the game wearing a number different than what was listed in the scorebook, and it was a factor in what would be McQuaid's only loss of the regular season.
There was one other takeaway from that game, in both the literal and figurative sense, and it was the very first play of the game.
I knew Gedney's reputation as a great athlete and that at 6-foot-5 he was a force at both ends of the court. Anyone else who needed confirmation got it on the opening tip, which Gedney won cleanly from 6-foot-11 McQuaid center Scott Martzloff, who's now the superintendent of schools in Williamsville.
It was a fleeting moment and not all that significant to the game, but it left a lasting impression on reporters as we watched the game.
Fast forward to about three months later, and McQuaid and Gedney's Liverpool team would meet once more — this time in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A championship game in Glens Falls, won 77-67 by McQuaid.
Fast forward once more to the upcoming weekend. Both Liverpool (vs. Mount Vernon in the semifinals) and McQuaid (vs. Half Hollow Hills East) are back in final four, this time in Class AA. Each faces an imposing test in Saturday's semifinals to reach Sunday's championship game, but it would be a fitting matchup.
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Weekend checklist
If you're a casual fan looking for just a game or two to check out, make sure Half Hallow Hills East is on your list. Savion Lewis is probably the best guard to reach the Class AA semifinals since at least Isaiah Cousins of Mount Vernon in 2012.
Some fans regard Lewis' decision to commit to Quinnipiac as a head-scratcher, but first-year coach Baker Dunleavy was relentless — he can talk Saudi Arabia into buying snow plows — in his pursuit and plans to rebuild around Lewis, who was first-team all-state last year and averaged more than 34 points a game this season.
The third-year captain is the school's career leader in points, assists and steals. ...
Mount Vernon is in the Class AA semifinals for the 13th time since 2000 despite graduating nine seniors from last season's state championship team. ...
Defending champion Irondequoit plays Amityville in Class A in a semifinal that some people are presuming to be the de facto final. Amityville guard Josh Serrano vs. Irondequoit forward Gerald Drumgoole shapes up as one of the best head-to-heads of the weekend. ...
In Class C, Northstar Christian guard Miles Brown is already over 2,000 career points as a junior and on pace to become Section 5's all-time scorer. ...
In a rarity for small Long Island schools, look for Greenport to travel well if the weather holds up. The school has been packing the stands every step of the postseason. Getting to Binghamton from the eastern tip of Long Island is no small feat, but folks out that way love their basketball team.
Boys state basketball schedule
At Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton
CLASS AA
Half Hollow Hills East-11 (22-3) vs. Rochester McQuaid-5 (17-8), 12:45 p.m. Sat.
Liverpool-3 (24-0) vs. Mount Vernon-1 (23-2), 2:30 Sat.
Final: 2 p.m. Sun.
CLASS A
Amityville-11 (25-1) vs. Irondequoit-5 (22-3), 9 a.m. Sat.
Mohonasen-2 (15-9) vs. Ardsley-1 (19-7), 10:45 Sat.
Final: Noon Sun.
CLASS B
Seton Catholic Central-4 (22-2) vs. Buffalo Health Sciences Charter-6 (21-4), 5 p.m. Fri.
Mekeel Christian-2 (22-3) vs. Briarcliff-1 (22-4), 6:45 Fri.
Final: 9 p.m. Sat.
CLASS C
Tully-3 (21-4) vs. Northstar Christian-5 (24-1), 1:15 Fri.
Lake George-2 (26-0) vs. Greenport-11 (23-3), 3 p.m. Fri.
Final: 7 p.m. Sat.
CLASS D
Harrisville-10 (23-3) vs. Buffalo East-6 (18-6), 9:30 a.m. Fri.
Moriah-7 (24-0) vs. Newfield-4 (21-2), 11:15 a.m. Fri.
Final: 5:15 Sat.