TOWN OF DEWITT – A 2022-23 school year that saw Christian Brothers Academy earn a state championship in Class A football ended with all of the school’s varsity teams in a unique category.
CBA was one of just 87 schools honored statewide by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association with its biggest honor, the “School of Distinction”.
In order to earn this, each of a school’s varsity teams must earn NYSPHSAA’s Scholar-Athlete Award during the school year, a feat more difficult for larger schools with more varsity-level squads.
Thus, all 25 of CBA’s varsity teams were Scholar-Athlete honorees. No other Section III school with as many received the School of Distinction honor.
Only Skaneateles, with 23 varsity programs, came close, with Alexandria Bay (10), Belleville-Henderson (seven), Hamilton (13) and Living Word Academy (four) the only others to reach this level.
Another group of schools, 148 in all, reached the “School of Excellence” level for having at least 75 percent of its varsity programs with NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete recognition.
Jamesville-DeWitt, with 24 varsity teams, and Bishop Grimes, with 18 varsity teams, were on that list.
They were joined in Section III by Baldwinsville, Cazenovia, Herkimer, Holland Patent, Lowville, Marcellus, Mexico, Morrisville-Eaton, New York Mills, Oneida, Oswego, Remsen, Sherburne-Earlville, Weedsport, West Canada Valley, West Genesee and Westhill.