Long Island high school star Ryan Leary barred from playing football and soccer despite coaches’ approval

A Long Island high school star who helped Carle Place win the NYSPHSAA Class B state soccer championship last season has been barred from playing both football and soccer this fall, after district officials intervened. The decision came during the first week of football practice, and it ends plans for senior Ryan Leary to compete on both varsity teams, despite support from his coaches and his own intentions to balance athletics across sports, according to Newsday.

Leary discussed the idea of being a two-sport standout with Carle Place football coach Paul Selhorn before the school year began. “During the summer, I brought it up to coach Selhorn, he said, ‘we’d love to have you. The team would love to have you,’” Leary told Newsday. He said his first goal was to defend Carle Place’s Class B Boys Soccer State Championship while also filling a slot as a wide receiver and kicker on the football team. Leary began the year focusing on both varsity programs, prioritizing soccer in its championship run while also preparing to contribute on the football field.

School officials, however, had different plans. In the first week of football practice, Carle Place Superintendent Ted Cannone informed Leary that he could not pursue both teams. Leary recalled the moment as heart-wrenching: “I said I was going to play football and then hopefully get all sorted out so I can play soccer. I was heartbroken. It was crazy to me because I was told yes and I’m just told no right out of the blue. It was hard to hear.” The district told the Leary family that he could be a “full-fledged” member of either the varsity soccer or the varsity football team, or, alternatively, be a soccer player who could also be on the football team only as the kicker. Cannone defended the policy as rooted in safety and equity for all student-athletes, and said it is inadvisable for a student to play two high-contact sports in the same season.

The policy clash also exposed differences in how local athletic governance views two-sport participation. Nassau County’s Section 8, which governs public school athletics in Carle Place, allows student-athletes to compete in two sports in the same season if certain practice requirements are met and if a primary sport is chosen in case of scheduling conflicts. “I’ve been in Nassau County now 40-something years,” Section 8 executive director Patrick Pizzarelli told News 8. “I’ve never heard of a school denying a kid to play two sports in the same season.”

Ultimately, Leary chose to devote the fall to football. He told News12 he would focus on the gridiron for his senior year. On offense, he has appeared in two games for the Frogs, logging three touchdowns on 11 receptions for 207 yards as Carle Place opened the season 1-1. The soccer team, meanwhile, has struggled without Leary, dropping its first four games and sitting at 0-3-1 in the early stretch of the season.

Leary is also a standout basketball player for Carle Place, having eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone last winter, a feat noted by local outlets. The decision to bar him from dual-sport play prompted reaction from families and observers who noted his decades-long reputation for versatility and athletic commitment. As of now, the district-maintained plan emphasizes safety and equity concerns, while supporters argue that two-sport participation can be managed with appropriate scheduling and oversight. The conversation around Leary’s case highlights broader debates about how high schools balance student-athlete health, academic obligations, and the benefits of multi-sport participation, a topic that has drawn attention from families, coaches, and administrators across the region.