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Conley, Phillips lead strong group
Dan Conley and Jenna Phillips joined elite company with their selections as the Observer-Reporter Boys and Girls Athletes of the Year.
Past honorees include former West Virginia University football all-American Dan Mozes, four-time PIAA track and field gold medalist Brianna Liebold, NCAA record-setting running back Robert Heller and Paige McMenamin, a member of Northwestern's 2008 NCAA championship lacrosse team.
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Canon-McMillan High School was home to several hopefuls, but none put together stronger campaigns than senior Charles Murphy and sophomore Mike Hull. Murphy was the O-R Boys Basketball Player of the Year and the starting catcher on the Big Macs' state champion baseball team. Hull was the leadoff batter and centerfielder, in addition to setting the single-season rushing record and leading the Big Macs' football team in tackles. Oh, and Hull also earned a sixth-place finish at the PIAA wrestling championships.
Peters Township senior Shane Pruitt may have been the area's premier one-sport standout. Pruitt led the Indians to a PIAA soccer championship, scoring the title-winning goal in overtime. The Lafayette recruit was named Pennsylvania player of the year by Gatorade and the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association.
Bentworth's Jon Kennedy not only excelled in two sports, his contributions to the soccer and basketball teams helped both make history. Kennedy led the WPIAL with 43 goals during the regular season as Bentworth made the soccer playoffs for the first time. In basketball, Kennedy earned second-team Class A all-state honors and the Bearcats won two games in the PIAA tournament for the first time.
Rachel Rohanna knows a little about establishing athletic firsts. The senior-to-be at Waynesburg High School is the lone female from Washington and Greene County to win WPIAL and PIAA golf championships in the same year. She accomplished both as a freshman, She repeated the rare double during her junior season. Rohanna also is the starting second baseman on a perennial playoff team.
Perhaps no area female student-athlete earned more recognition than Peters Township's Jenn Doran. The future University of Cincinnati lacrosse player was all-WPIAL and all-America in that sport and she helped the Indians win their second straight WPIAL championship. Doran also played a significant role in helping Peters Township reach the field hockey postseason.
Maura Lacey, Doran's classmate, put team ahead of statistics yet still managed to standout on the soccer and basketball teams. Her skills as a midfielder for a Peters Township side that coasted through the regular season without a loss landed her at Pitt. She also started at forward for a basketball team which played in a WPIAL championship for the first time.
Through much of the school year, Canon-McMillan's Brittany Taylor wasn't sure which sport she'd participate in at college. A standout volleyball player, Taylor seriously considered playing at the next level. As a WPIAL silver medalist in the high jump, track also offered opportunity. Eventually, Taylor decided her future sport would be basketball.
The credentials the other candidates own ensured the final selections would not be easy. Yet, with Conley and Phillips, the O-R sports staff once again stands behind two strong selections.
