APB, Where are they Now?

Blogger's note: With the increased traffic from people in the Ringgold School District, The Varsity Letters thought the time to find the following athlete was once again appropriate.

Robert "Bean" Heller last played sports at Ringgold High School in 2005-06. Following one year at the Kiski School, Heller surfaced at Waynesburg University in 2007.

It was a fall to remember.

Heller ran all over the Presidents' Athletic Conference in his first year with the Yellow Jackets. His 2,176 rushing yards established an all-divisions freshman record. The man whose nickname was a tribute to Beano Cook was even the subject of a Facebook page titled, "Robert Heller Was Heaven Sent."

A year later, the relationship between Heller and the Waynesburg coaching staff soured. Shortly after a story published in the Observer-Reporter, the four-sport standout (football, basketball, baseball, track) from Ringgold was nowhere to be found. Various rumors had Heller attempting a boxing career or playing football for Marietta College. None were ever confirmed.

Heller is once again the target of the latest All Points Bulletin.

Anyone with legitimate information regarding Heller's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

The top two girls scorers in Washington County history are Washington's Elizabeth Proudfit and Peters Township's Emily Correal. Proudfit went on to Harvard, where she enjoyed an outstanding career. Correal is starting as a freshman at William & Mary.

The Varsity Letters issues an All Point Bulletin for the third all-time leading scorer in Washington County history.

Jamie O'Donnell is a two-time Observer-Reporter Girls Basketball Player of the Year – only Proudfit, Correal and Monessen's Gina Naccarato earned the honor more. O'Donnell won the award in 1987 and 1988 and by the time her playing career with the Blue Devils ended she had scored 1,808 points.

O'Donnell played at Washington & Jefferson College.

Anyone knowing her whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

After a pair of successful All Points Bulletins, luck ran out with the last as The Varsity Letters tried to track down the whereabouts of former Jefferson-Morgan boys basketball players Calvin Wilson, Damon Wilson and Troy Wilson. Again, anyone knowing any information is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

We'll shift to the girls game as The Varsity Letters issues an APB for former Wash High standout Elizabeth Proudfit.

The all-time leading scorer in Washington County high school history, Proudfit led the Prexies to the 1992 WPIAL Class AAA championship before heading to Harvard. Playing for the Harvard School of Basketball, Proudfit earned the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year Award in 1992-93 and achieved all-conference honors in 1995-96. Her 1,103 career points rank ninth in Harvard girls history. She's seventh all-time in steals and three-pointers.

Anyone knowing Proudfit's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

Over a four-year stretch from the 1998-99 season to 2001-02, Jefferson-Morgan boys basketball was a postseason regular.

The Rockets went 41-7 in section play and 74-28 overall during an unprecedented run in the team's history. In the 1999 WPIAL Class A playoffs, Jefferson-Morgan beat Monessen in the first-round before losing to St. Joseph in the quarterfinals.

The following year, J-M was the No. 2 seed and received a first-round bye. the Rockets got to the WPIAL semifinals and notched a first with a PIAA first-round win over Forbes Road (District 5). J-M lost to eventual state champion Kennedy Christian (now Kennedy Catholic) in the second round.

WPIAL playoff appearances were made the following two years as well under the direction of long-time coach Jim Romanus, who is the girls basketball coach at West Greene.

The key players during the first two years of the run were all named Wilson – Calvin Wilson, Troy Wilson and Damon Wilson.

The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for all three.

Cousins Calvin and Damon Wilson were seniors the year Jefferson-Morgan won its state playoff game. Calvin's plans included attending Robert Morris and walking on the basketball team. Damon attended the University of Kentucky.

Troy Wilson, Damon's brother, was a junior that year and missed part of his senior year due to legal troubles.

Anyone with information on any or all of the Wilsons is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

During her days at Carmichaels High School, Abby McMinn was one busy student-athlete.

A 2001 Carmichaels graduate, McMinn played volleyball, basketball and softball in addition to cheerleading. During the 2000-01 basketball season, she became the first girls player in Carmichaels history to have 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Megan Stuvek joined that exclusive list a few years later.

She finished her varsity career with 14 letters, the most in school history. Her best sport was softball and McMinn started as a freshman on Carmichaels' 1999 PIAA Class AA championship team. She went on to play at Division II California University, where she started at catcher.

This week, The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for McMinn.

Last week's APB for former Fort Cherry standout Josh Kemp was answered. Kemp is currently an assistant boys basketball coach at Fort Cherry.

Anyone knowing McMinn's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

Fort Cherry High School has produced its fair share of talented multi-sport athletes and future NFL coaches. The Rangers' list of legends includes, but is not limited to, Marty Schottenheimer, Marvin Lewis, Perry Kemp, Mike Vernillo, Perry Ivery and Jim Garry.

Scanning the past 10 years of Fort Cherry athletics and it would be difficult to find an athlete who combined ability with hard work better than Josh Kemp.

The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for Kemp.

A nephew of Perry Kemp and cousin of Perry Ivery, Josh Kemp was a football and basketball standout for the Rangers. As a junior, his play helped the Rangers reached the 2001 WPIAL Class A championship, where they lost to Rochester. As a senior, Kemp rushed for 1,700 yards.

He also excelled in basketball and averaged 18.4 points as a senior.

Kemp went on to play at California University, where he started as a safety and eventually became a starter in the defensive backfield.

Anyone knowing of Kemp's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

Washington High School girls basketball has made the playoffs and won the Section 5-AA championship every year since the 1999-2000 season. During the impressive run, the Prexies have produced a number of talented players.

Amber Harris started at Seton Hall after she earned Associated Press Class AA Player of the Year honors her freshmen year at Wash High. Jocelyn Floyd, one of the school's great defensive players, is logging minutes as a freshman at Duquesne University.

Others such as Tiara Bennett, Juliet Sargeant, Marguerite Sargeant and Laura Montecalvo enjoyed success at various levels of college basketball.

Vanessa Davison, one of the top players from Wash High, is the subject of this week's All Points Bulletin.

A long, lean guard, Davison was a gifted offensive player and a two-time Observer-Reporter Player of the Year (2004 and 2006). She received a scholarship to Division I Manhattan College, where she played as a freshman and sophomore.

The Varsity Letters hasn't heard from Davison since. Anyone with information regarding Davison is urged to contact The Varity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

With wins over Trinity and Washington, Canon-McMillan boys basketball won its tip-off tournament and enters Section 4-AAAA play Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon with a 2-0 record.

The Big Macs return four starters – Kionte Davis, Chad Hagan, Will Glendenning and Justin Robinson – from last year's team. Davis and Hagan were selected to the Observer-Reporter All-District team.

Two years ago, Canon-McMillan qualified for its first PIAA tournament with O-R Player of the year Charles Murphy leading the way.

It's safe to say, C-M basketball isn't long on tradition but the Big Macs have produced some quality players and a few who were interesting to watch.

One player who fell a little into both categories was Anthony Polenski. A guard/forward, Polenski was a 6-3 shooting machine during his playing days with the Big Macs. When Polenski got the basketball, passing was the last option. Those days culminated with the 2001-02 season.

Polenski was named Blue Team MVP at the 2002 Washington-Greene Rotary All-Star Game and he's the subject of this week's All Points Bulletin.

Anyone knowing of Polenski's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where Are They Now?

Our last All Points Bulletin, issued for former California High School boys basketball player Shane Tonkavitch, was answered by Tonkavitch himself. Thanks for the update Shane and best of luck to you.

This week, we're looking for former Canon-McMillan boys basketball player Justin Moore.

Moore's story was an interesting one. He started for Bethel Park as a freshman before he ended up at Canon-McMillan, where his transfer made headlines sparked meetings with the WPIAL.

A talented power forward, Moore experienced an up-and-down varsity career with the Big Macs and he landed in prep school. From there, Moore matriculated to Division II Edinboro University, where he was a key player for the Fighting Scots.

Anyone knowing Moore's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where Are They Now?

The fall sports season is officially over in these parts and high schools began practicing for winter sports (basketball, wrestling, swimming/diving, rifle) last Friday. The first play date for rifle is Dec. 7 and Dec. 11 for all other winter sports.

This week's All Points Bulletin is for Shane Tonkavitch, one of the better shooters on one of the best teams in California High School history.

Tonkavitch played four years of varsity (one for coach Don Martin and three for Steve Luko) and, as a senior, joined the 1,000-point club. A shooting guard, Tonkavitch provided the perfect complement for forward Rick Cope as California advanced to the WPIAL Class A semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals in 2003.

Anyone knowing Tonkavitch's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where Are They Now?

During the 2009 girls tennis season, Peters Township won its first WPIAL team title since 1996 and a second PIAA Class AAA championship. The first came in 2006. In addition, the doubles team of Julie Stroyne and Caroline Nixon won a PIAA championship. For Stroyne, it was the third PIAA gold of her scholastic career.

The 2006 team was led by standout Ali Riske. In one year with Peters Township, Riske won PIAA and WPIAL individual gold and held the team to its first state championship.

This week's All Points Bulletin is for Ali's sister Sarah Riske.

In the latter part of the 1990s, Riske was a dynamic player at Peters Township, where she became the first Washington County player to win WPIAL and PIAA individual championships.

Riske went on to Vanderbilt, where she also excelled. She was a four-time All-American at the SEC school.

Anyone knowing Riske's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where Are They Now?

The Varsity Letters originally wanted to issue an All Points Bulletin for former Fort Cherry running back and Observer-Reporter Player of the Year Jordan Clemons. Upon a quick search of the O-R archives, Clemons has made several appearances in the paper since his senior year.

So, this week's APB is for Clemons' fullback, Scott Wharton.

A hard-running fullback and hard-hitting linebacker, Wharton was a lot more than Clemons' lead blocker during the 2006 season, which ended with a first-round playoff loss at Jefferson-Morgan in a game where FC rushed for more than 300 yards. He led the Rangers in receptions and finished with 127 tackles, including 27.5 tackles for loss.

Wharton received some interest at the Division I and II level but ended up at Waynesburg University. He was not on the Yellow Jackets roster this year.

Anyone knowing Wharton's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where Are They Now?

Sadly, last week's All Points Bulletin issued for former Washington High School and California University football player Jason Ellis went unanswered. The search continues.

This week, The Varsity Letters wants to look back at one of the great football traditions in Washington County - Beth-Center High School.

Besides being the most successful area football team over the past seven years, Beth-Center boasts a proud tradition, one that has sent players on to college and professional playing careers in additions to contending for WPIAL championships.

One of the great players in Bulldogs history is Keith Miller. The Varsity Letters issues an APB for the former B-C running back.

When Miller graduated, he ranked fifth in WPIAL history with 5,121 yards and he remains in the top 10 all-time. Along with quarterback Jason White, Beth-Center boasted one of the best backfields in the state.

Anyone knowing Miller's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

Last week, The Varsity Letters issued an All Points Bulletin for former Trinity quarterback Michael Chicone and, thanks to readers, found out he's working as a senior accountant and living in Pittsburgh.

TVL travels across town to rival Wash High for this week's All Points Bulletin.

We're looking for former Wash High multi-sport athlete Jason Ellis.

A running back/linebacker for the Prexies, Ellis played for a couple WPIAL Class AA championships during his playing days. He was also a starter on the basketball team.

Ellis went on to California University of Pennsylvania, where he played linebacker earlier this decade along with former high school teammate and current Wash High assistant coach Chet Henderson. The two are pictured. Ellis is on the left.

Anyone knowing Ellis' whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

Last week, The Varsity Letters learned former Canon-McMillan three-sport standout and Waynesburg University Brendon Steele is happily married and employed as an Intensive Care nurse at a hospital in Virginia. Thanks for the information and best wishes to the Steele family.

This week, TVL issues an All Points Bulletin for Trinity High School graduate Michael Chicone.

With Connecticut's Cody Endres returning to the area this weekend to start at quarterback against Pitt, it seemed fitting to find a former Hillers quarterback. Chicone was Trinity's QB 10 years ago. He also played basketball in addition to being part of a successful Washington Pony team. Chicone went on to play basketball for a year or two at Washington & Jefferson College.

Anyone with information on Chicone's whereabouts is urged to contact the Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for former Canon-McMillan three-sport standout Brenden Steele.

Steele excelled in football, wrestling and baseball during his days with the Big Macs and despite a lack of size, he managed to crack the starting defense at Waynesburg University where he played safety/linebacker.

Anyone knowing of Steele's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

The Varsity Letters wants to thank the Fort Cherry faithful for answering the blog's last APB on former two-sport standout J.C. Pesto, who is at Slippery Rock University.

This week, we're issuing an All Points Bulletin for former Peters Township football and basketball player Bob Ruff.

One of the toughest guys to travel through Peters Township in the past decade, Ruff played football exactly how his last name is pronounced. And he was good enough to be invited to walk-on at Virginia Tech, where he played for four years and participated in some big-time bowl games. Ruff was also an excellent rebounder for the Indians basketball team and came up with clutch points.

Anyone knowing Ruff's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

According to one anonymous poster, last week's target – former Ringgold two-sport standout Lorenzo Gardner is living in Donora and has a son.

This week, The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for another multi-sport athlete – J.C. Pesto of Fort Cherry.

At 6-6, Pesto was one of the larger linemen in Class A during his playing days with the Rangers. He also was a center on the Rangers' basketball team.

Anyone with information on Pesto's whereabouts is urged to contact the Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

With all the talk on this blog about teams being hyped in the preseason and not realizing full potential, the Varsity Letters got to thinking ... gosh, they are plenty of individual athletes who fit that description.

Let's start the search for one this week.

The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for former Ringgold quarterback Lorenzo Gardner, who commandeered the Rams' offense earlier this decade.

On the football field, Gardner mixed speed, athleticism, shiftiness and a strong throwing arm. A two-year starter at quarterback for Ringgold and a long-time defensive back, Gardner drew some Division I interest. TVL recalls Syracuse being among those interested.

Garnder routinely made the spectacular play. He also often left those watching scratching their heads in wonder. For all his talent, the thing TVL remembers Gardner for the most was during Ringgold photo day his junior year. Gardner continually mean-mugged his way through photos and flashed an occasional sign or two. To this blogger, it came across as amusing. To the person taking the pictures, it was highly irritating.

Anyone with information regarding Gardner's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

The Varsity Letters thanks former Mapletown QB Drew Denham for answering last week's APB on Gerod Buckhalter, one of his former receivers.

This week, we're issuing an All Points Bulletin for former Wash High football and wrestling standout Tom Giles.

Along with Dan Mozes, Giles was part of one tough and huge defensive front. At 6-5, 250, opponents were helpless against Giles, who helped Washington win WPIAL and PIAA Class AA championships in 2001.

Giles earned first-team all-state honors from the Associated Press and Pennsylvania Football News as a senior.

Anyone knowing Giles' whereabouts is urged to contact the Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

With the start of high school football camps hours away, the Varsity Letters felt the time was right to issue an All Points Bulletin for a former local football standout.

We're looking for former Mapletown alum Gerod Buckhalter.

In 2002 and 2003, Buckhalter put up numbers no receiver previously had for the Maples and, at 6-4, he received some interest from Division I schools. Mapletown football coach George Messich once called Buckhalter, "One of the best pure receivers I've seen in Class A football."

Buckhalter turned up as an assistant coach at Mapletown but we haven't heard his name mentioned in a while. Anyone with information regarding Buckhalter is urged to contact the Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

Information concerning our last All Points Bulletin came from all directions. In searching for former Ringgold High and Waynesburg U. football standout Robert Heller, the Varsity Letters learned that Heller is either a) preparing to play football at Slipper Rock, b) preparing to play football at Marietta, c) at Marietta but abandoning football for boxing or d) not much of anything.

Thanks for all the feedback. Hopefully, Heller surfaces soon.

This week, we're issuing another All Points Bulletin for a former Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Year. This one is for former Canon-McMillan standout Ashley Young.

Young's senior year (2004-05) was one to remember. Nicknamed "Cheetah", she won the WPIAL Class AAA long jump as a senior and also set the event record at the Washington-Greene County Coaches Track Meet. She was also a four-year letterwinner in soccer.

Young, shown in this 2005 photo with former C-M track standout Adam Penn, attended Edinboro University. Tragedy struck during her junior year when her sister Aaleigha Young died at the age of 13 after collapsing during gym class at Canonsburg Middle School.

Anyone knowing Young's whereabouts is urged to contact the Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

With all the discussion concerning the 2009 Observer-Reporter Boys Athlete of the Year, the Varsity Letters decided to issue an All Points Bulletin for a former honoree.

This week, we're looking for former Ringgold High School standout Robert Heller.

Heller enjoyed a fine varsity career at Ringgold, where he starred in football, basketball, baseball and track. Football proved to be Heller's best sport and he turned down at least one Division I offer to play defense to focus on being a running back. After a year at Kiski Prep, Heller went to Waynesburg University.

In his freshman year with the Yellow Jackets, Heller set nearly every record imaginable, including the NCAA all divisions single-season rushing record (2,176 yards), which put him on pace to be the all-time leading rusher in college football history.

Heller suffered a high-ankle sprain during the first game of his sophomore year. From there, things between Heller and Waynesburg U. turned ugly.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/09-18-heller-story

Heller never played again for Waynesburg.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Print/09-21-Heller-gone-column

Stories circulated about Heller transferring to Mount Union College and Marietta. Neither have been able to be proven correct.

Anyone with information on Heller's whereabouts is urged to contact the Varsity Letters.