Several state championships will delay start times because of nor’easter

Inclement weather across the state has forced a four-hour delay for start times of multiple high school state championships scheduled for Saturday, the state athletic association announced Friday.

Boys and girls indoor track and field, held at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island, will begin at 12:45 p.m. Cheerleading, held at the SRC Arena in Syracuse, will begin at 1 p.m. Gymnastics, held at Cold Spring Harbor High School, will begin at 2 p.m. There are no changes to the boys swimming and diving championships, which are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday at the Nassau Aquatic Center in East Meadow.

“We feel like delaying these events by four hours gives our student-athletes and coaches the best opportunity to get to the venues safely and still compete for a championship,” NYSPHSAA executive director Robert Zayas said in a news release posted on the state’s athletic website. “This storm has impacted a large portion of the state, and we want to allow people extra time to travel to our state and regional championships. We want to thank the venues for allowing us to adjust the schedules and working with us to have the most successful Championships possible.”

Additionally, two Long Island playoff basketball games scheduled for Friday were postponed until Sunday afternoon at Farmingdale State. The Commack vs. Hauppauge girls basketball overall Suffolk final was rescheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday and the Half Hollow Hills East vs. Amityville boys basketball overall Suffolk final was rescheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Two Nassau girls basketball finals, originally scheduled to be played at SUNY-Old Westbury, have been moved to Farmingdale State Saturday. Elmont will play North Shore in the Class A final at 11 a.m. and Baldwin will face Massapequa in the Class AA final at 1 p.m.