Section II lacrosse, baseball and softball teams scheduled for state regional competitions were put on hold Tuesday, due to high heat and the potential for a major storm.

All of the games slated for Tuesday have been rescheduled for

today.

Section II boys’ lacrosse teams from Niskayuna, Johnstown and South Glens Falls were to partic­ipate in regional games at Yorktown High School. Classes were dismissed early at Yorktown because of the heat, according to the school’s Web site.

“The games were postponed because of the heat index. It would be 15 degrees hotter on the turf,” said Niskayuna lacrosse coach Mike Vorgang. “I think the most important thing is to make sure all partic­ipants are safe. With the heat index so high, this is the right decision.”

Niskayuna will play Yorktown at Yorktown High School in a Class A regional final at 3:30 today, and South Glens Falls will play John Jay of Cross River at the same facility in a Class B game at 5:30. Johnstown’s Class C contest with Rye has been moved to Lakeland High School, and will start at 3:30.

“It’s a good thing,” Johnstown athletic director Mike Satterlee said of the postponements. “You’ve always got to look out for the welfare of the kids.”

Vorgang and his unbeaten, nat­ionally ranked team were about to board a bus and head south when notified of the postponements Tuesday morning.

“The kids were definitely disappointed,” he said. “But just like anything else in life, even though you’re prepared for the oppor­tunity, sometimes the opportunity doesn’t arise. This will test how resilient our kids are. Can they get mentally prepared all over again.”

There will be a quick turnaround for today’s regional lacrosse winners. They will advance to the state semifinals Thursday at Hofstra University.

PRACTICE CANCELED

Vorgang said his team was not allowed to practice Tuesday because all after-school activities at Niskayuna were called off due to the threat of a severe storm. That threat, and the high heat index, also brought on the postponement of the baseball and softball games involving Section II teams.

All of those games will be played today at the same locations and times.

“It was a combination of the high heat index and the chance of a storm and thunder,” Section II baseball coordinator Al Roy said. “I talked to [Section II softball coordinator] Cathy Allen, and we both agreed that it was the prudent thing to do.”

Defending state Class C baseball champion Fort Plain will take on Brushton-Moira in a regional game today at 4 at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam. Fort Ann will also play locally, taking on Crown Point in a Class D regional at Morse Athletic Complex in Queensbury. Section II Class B representative Chatham plays Potsdam today at 4:30 at St. Lawrence University.

Shenendehowa’s state Class AA softball quarterfinal against Section III champion Cicero-North Syracuse was also pushed back to today. That game was added to the three already scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Adirondack Sports Complex in Queensbury.

“The kids were geared up to play, but the conditions weren’t ideal,” said Lady Plainsmen coach Dan D’Amboise, whose 24-2 team will take on a 23-7 Northstars team that beat Liverpool, 9-1, in the Section III championship game.

“They’re more of a slap-hitting team than we’ve seen,” D’Amboise said. “We’ll have to adjust, but we’re not going in blind.”

South Glens Falls meets Section III champion New Hartford in the Class A game, Cohoes plays Section X’s Canton in the “B” game and

Argyle gets Section VII champ Crown Point in Class D.

Section II’s Class C champion, Mechanicville, plays Section VII champ Ticonderoga at 4 p.m. at SUNY-Plattsburgh.

Today’s winners advance to Saturday’s state semifinals in Binghamton.