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.

Bongiorni ruled ineligible by WPIAL

The WPIAL Board of Control ruled Thursday that Dylan Bongiorni, who transferred from Burgettstown to West Allegheny in January, is ineligible for sports because the move was made, at least in part, for athletic purposes.

Bongiorni left Burgettstown nine games into the basketball season. He was averaging 19.7 points per game and left the team in the midst of a four-game stretch in five days. The sophomore was also the Blue Devils' starting quarterback the past two seasons and passed for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman.

Bongiorni can not play sports for West Allegheny until one year from the transfer date.

West Allegheny can appeal the WPIAL's decision to the PIAA Board of Control.

Ringgold makes Humbert interim football coach

Matt Humbert served as Ringgold's varsity football coach for two games during the 2009 season when Lloyd Price was suspended by the school district.

Humbert won both games and, following Price's sudden and surprising resignation as Ringgold's athletic director and football coach, Ringgold is turning to Humbert once again to fill the void.

The Ringgold School Board made Humbert the interim varsity football coach at Wednesday's meeting. Humbert was Price's teammate at California University and he will oversee offseason workouts until a head coach is named.

Ringgold plans to begin interviews for football coach and athletic director Monday and could have the positions filled by next month's board meeting.

Man gets life for killing coach

ALLISON, Iowa (AP) — A judge sentenced a former high school football player to life in prison Wednesday, telling him he had chosen to commit an evil act in killing his former coach, Ed Thomas.
Mark D. Becker, 24, will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole for gunning down Thomas at the Aplington-Parkersburg High School weight room on June 24, 2009.
A jury convicted Becker of first-degree murder in March, rejecting an insanity plea. The conviction carried a mandatory life sentence.
Before formally sentencing Becker, District Court Judge Stephen Carroll told him that his actions had affected countless people. Carroll noted that Thomas, a nationally known coach, often spoke of the choices individuals made.
“Mr. Becker, you have brought unresolved chaos to their lives, and chaos is evil,” Carroll said. “Coach Thomas was right, Mr. Becker. We are free to choose, that is what makes us human.
“That freedom to choose means freedom to choose good and freedom to choose evil.”
Becker was given the chance to speak but declined.

Price leaves Ringgold

The coaching carousel at Ringgold High School took another turn last Friday with the resignation of football coach and athletic director Lloyd Price.

Sources told the Observer-Reporter that Price resigned for personal reasons. He did not return a message left on his cell phone Monday afternoon.

Ringgold hired Price as athletic director three years ago at the age of 24. He was the youngest athletic director in the WPIAL at the time of the hire. He replaced Jeff Petrucci as football coach last March and the Rams went 4-6 in 2009 with only one returning starter. Price was suspended for the second and third games of the season for unspecified reasons.

The timing of the resignation, which was effective immediately, is peculiar. Price received a five-year contract extension as athletic director in March. He was to receive $63,616 annually beginning July 1.

Price graduated from Ringgold in 2001 and played three sports – football, basketball and baseball. He played football for John Lukchardt at California University and coached there in 2006.

Ringgold's next football coach will be its eighth in the past 12 years.

Notre Dame football recruit dies in fall

CINCINNATI (AP) — A “drunk and belligerent” 17-year-old Notre Dame football recruit was killed in a fall from a fifth-floor hotel balcony during his senior-year spring break in Florida, authorities said Saturday.
Matt James died Friday around 6:30 p.m. at the Days Inn Motel in Panama City Beach. He was dead when police arrived.
“It appears to be a tragic accident,” Panama City Beach police Maj. David Humphreys said.
James’ former teammates at St. Xavier High School gathered for a private prayer service in the school’s chapel on Saturday. The All-State lineman had been the first top signing for new Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly.
Police did not use James’ name during a news conference. Instead, they referred to him as a 17-year-old from Ohio who had signed with Notre Dame.
“Witnesses and friends indicate he had become drunk and belligerent,” Humphreys said. “He had leaned over the balcony rail, was shaking his finger at the people in the next room over. He fell over.”
Humphreys said the railing at the hotel met the standards for proper height. He said police would be interested in pursuing charges if it was learned who provided the underage teen with alcohol.
The 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive lineman was an all-city and all-state football player. He also was on St. Xavier’s varsity basketball team.
Students at St. Xavier gathered on the football field Friday night to remember James following reports of his death, school Mark Motz said.
Motz said the impromptu vigil was organized as word of James’ death spread through social-networking sites such as Facebook.
“When one of their own is in trouble, they band together,” Motz said.
About 40 students from St. Xavier and a half-dozen parents were on the trip to Florida, police said.

West Greene hires Coss

John Coss knows West Greene football can be great.
He worked as an assistant coach for Larry Piper during the early 1990s, highlighted by an appearance in the 1993 WPIAL Class A championship game at Three Rivers Stadium.
That game happens to be the last playoff game West Greene has played and now it’s up to Coss to get the Pioneers back after the school board unanimously hired him Thursday as varsity football coach.
“Hard work gets it done,” said Coss, who went 7-13 during a two-year stint as West Greene’s head coach in 2000 and 2001. “They have to put the time in.”
Coss, a technical education teacher at West Greene, replaces Charles Harris, who spent the past three years as head coach. The Pioneers went 0-9 last year and 3-24 the past three seasons.
They carry a 23-game losing streak into 2010.
“The kids are used to losing. It’s going to take time to turn it around,” said Coss, who also worked as an assistant coach at Mapletown and Waynesburg high schools. “That’s why I’m glad I got a five-year contract. The last time, I only had year-to-year.”
West Greene athletic director Bill Simms is glad to have Coss on board for the next five years as well.
“Number one, he’s a teacher in the district. Number two, he’s a quality, quality man,” Simms said. “He’s been well-accomplished wherever he went. Plus, he’s a stickler for discipline.”

High school hires woman football coach

Can anyone imagine this happening in the WPIAL?

WASHINGTON (AP) — A high school in Washington, D.C., has hired a woman to coach its varsity football team.
Natalie Randolph will be introduced Friday as the head coach at Calvin Coolidge Senior High School. She is believed to be the first woman to coach a high school varsity football team in the U.S.
Coolidge principal Thelma Jarrett said Randolph “quickly emerged as our top choice.”
Randolph replaces Jason Lane, who resigned.
The 29-year-old Randolph was an assistant coach at another D.C. high school, H.D. Woodson, from 2006-08. She also played in the National Women’s Football Association.

Iowa jury convicts man in coach's death

ALLISON, Iowa (AP) — Mark Becker stood passively Tuesday as a jury found him guilty of murder in the shooting of a nationally known Iowa high school football coach.
He seemed far removed from the man whose mind was filled with images of angels and horned demons who lurked in the shadows of every room, telling him that the community was plotting against him and that Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas — known for his winning record and town leadership — was Satan.
Becker, 24, had explained to psychiatrists that after months of torment, he shot Thomas at least six times in the high school weight room, then kicked his body before walking away.
Jurors deliberated more than 24 hours over four days before convicting Becker of first-degree murder, rejecting his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. The guilty verdict carries a mandatory life-in-prison sentence.
Minutes after the verdict was read, Becker’s mother, Joan, comforted a crying relative sitting behind her.
“It’s OK,” Joan Becker said. “Just pray he gets the right medication.”
Details of Becker’s mental state emerged during the 14-day trial held in tiny Allison, about 150 miles northeast of Des Moines.
Jurors heard from defense attorneys that Becker’s delusions were so severe that he didn’t know right from wrong when he shot Thomas. Psychiatrists testified Becker believed invisible forces were pushing down on his eyes. Police interrogation videos showed him sitting alone, speaking to no one, swatting at the air.
Prosecutors acknowledged that Becker suffered from a mental illness, but said that he also coldly calculated the killing, taking practice shots with the .22-caliber pistol he used to kill Thomas and lying to people in his search for the coach.

Hull makes Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated arrived in my mail box Monday morning and, only a few pages in, I came across a head shot of Canon-McMillan senior Mike Hull.

He made the magazine's "Faces in the Crowd" feature for his efforts in recent all-star football games.

To check out the online version of Hull's short bio, click:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/scorecard/faces/2010/02/22/

Thinking out loud

Signing Day, possibly the most over-hyped day on the sports calendar, came and went last Wednesday and, as has become commonplace in the area, several local student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent with various college programs.

Locally, five Division I football players signed last week. They were: Canon-McMillan's Chad Hagan (Ohio State) and Mike Hull (Penn State), Trinity's Ken Wilkins (Michigan), Washington's Bryan Thomas (Bowling Green) and Monessen's ShelDon Miller (Akron).

My problem with Signing Day isn't the event itself. The student-athletes work hard to achieve athletic scholarships and deserve the opportunity to make the signing an event. My problem with Signing Day is the increasingly nauseating amount of attention it receives and how inaccurate the class rankings prove to be every year.

Things recently written about Hull provide a perfect example.

At least two web sites that I read which cover recruiting nationally mentioned how Pitt's incoming football class is considered a failure because the Panthers let Hull, among others, get to Penn State. At this point, no one's sure how Pitt's class will play but the fact national writers thought Pitt had a chance at Hull shows how little they followed Western Pennsylvania.

Let's see. Hull's father played at Penn State. One of his uncles played at Penn State. His high school coach played at Penn State. And, most importantly, Hull grew up a die-hard Penn State fan. I've never covered a recruitment with less mystery surrounding it than Hull's.

* Wrestling talk is normally reserved to Joe Tuscano's blog Mat Matters but it's time to weigh in on the non-section matches that take place between the end of the regular season and the individual tournaments, excluding the team playoff contests.

Why do these matches count for individual records?

These matches, nothing more than exhibitions, should be counted as such. Why do they count?

In basketball, a WPIAL basketball team can have a two, three-week layoff between an early round exit in the district playoffs and the start of the PIAA tournament. Those teams can continue playing other teams that are playoff teams. The scrimmages do not count on individual or team records.

Can anyone rationally explain the difference?

* Trinity sports lost an ally when Jerry Chambers resigned from the school board last week. Chambers, a former Trinity athletic director, was instrumental in hiring Ed Dalton as athletic director and football coach.

* Back in 2004, the Pitt press conference on signing day centered around Walt Harris' inability to land then-Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli and North Hills running back Andrew Johnson. Morelli reneged on an oral commitment to Pitt and signed with Penn State. Johnson signed with Miami (Fla.)

Morelli never lived up to billing with the Nittany Lions, while Johnson has to be considered one of the biggest busts in recent WPIAL history. (And that's a long list. Maybe we'll delve deeper at some point.)

No one talked about Darrelle Revis at the press conference. Revis, out of Aliquippa, is one of the premier players in the NFL.

Signing day

The following is a list of local athletes who signed a National Letter of Intent Wednesday:

Football
Lashawn Bryant, Trinity (Garden City Junior College)
Chad Hagan, Canon-McMillan (Ohio State)
Mike Hull, Canon-McMillan (Penn State)
ShelDon Miller, Monessen (Akron)
Ryan Moore, Trinity (West Virginia Wesleyan)
Bryan Thomas, Washington (Bowling Green)
Ken Wilkins, Trinity (Michigan)
Larry Woods, Trinity (West Virginia Wesleyan)

Girls soccer
Devon Burkholder, Peters Township (Maryland-Baltimore County)
Megan Junker, Peters Township (St. Bonaventure)
Taylor Schram, Canon-McMillan (Penn State)

Field hockey
Julianna Makrinos, Peters Township (Central Michigan)

Hull leads Team USA

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Canon-McMillan senior Mike Hull earned Team USA MVP honors as the linebacker led the United States team of high school stars a 17-0 win over the World team on Saturday.
Hull, who will a National Letter of Intent with Penn State Wednesday, earned consistsnt praise from NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders for his play throughout the game.
Along with Travis Williams, Hull led the United State teams with eight tackles and Hull made the game’s only interception on a diving effort in the third quarter. Team USA led 14-0 at the time but Team World drove to the 12-yard line when Hull picked off Jeremi Doyon-Roch’s third-down pass.
Mark Myers completed 7 of 10 passes for 79 yards and directed a key second-half touchdown drive.
Central Florida commit Josh Reese’s 50-yard catch from Myers set up a touchdown just before halftime, and Ethan Grant (TCU) and Dontae Williams (Oregon) scored on short runs and Ben Hopfinger kicked a 40-yard field goal.
The game featured 45 top U.S. high-school seniors against a squad of under-20 players from outside the United States. Eight countries were represented, with Canada supplying 32 of the 45 World players.

WPIAL releases football schedules

The WPIAL released football schedules for the 2010 season and, in terms of non-conference games, the football committee didn't set up many intriguing match-ups for local teams.

Peters Township failed to draw a Quad-A opponent, as the WPIAL scheduled them against Laurel Highlands, Kittanning and West Mifflin. Trinity plays Central Valley (a merger of Center and Monaca) in Week 4 and Waynesburg drew Beaver Falls, also in Week 4. Fort Cherry, as usual, plays Rochester in Week 2.

Teams in conferences with eight teams or fewer receive an open date (Week 1) from the WPIAL where the school is permitted to schedule any team.

Class AA Charleroi and Class A Monessen are in nine-team conferences which means the two cross-river rivals will not renew the WPIAL's oldest football rivalry. The Cougars and Greyhounds last played on the opening game of 2007. The next meeting will be the 100th between the two.

Ringgold hoped the WPIAL would cross-section the Keystone Conference with the Big Eight Conference so the Rams could play rival Belle Vernon. Ringgold was scheduled against Hampton and Belle Vernon drew New Castle. Both schools have an open date in Week 1 but Ringgold athletic director Lloyd Price said the school agreed to play it's open date against Elizabeth Forward.

To view the entire schedule, click:
http://www.wpial.org/general/sportsalignments2004.asp

Conference games of note:
Great Southern (AAAA) – Peters Township at Canon-McMillan (Oct. 29);
Big Eight (AAA) – McGuffey at Trinity (Oct. 29);
Keystone Conference (AAA) – Ringgold at Hollidaysburg (Sept. 17), Franklin Regional at Ringgold (Oct. 22);
Century Conference (AA) – Washington at South Fayette (Sept. 24);
Interstate Conference (AA) – Greensburg Central Catholic at Charleroi (Sept. 17);
Black Hills Conference (A) – Fort Cherry at Clairton (Oct. 22);
Tri-County South Conference (A) – Beth-Center at Monessen (Oct. 8).

Thinking out loud

The Observer-Reporter has learned that Trinity football coach and athletic director Ed Dalton is a finalist for the varsity football coaching position at Norwin High School.

Norwin finished 5-5 in 2009 with a 2-4 record in the Class AAAA Foothills Conference.

Dan Conwell previously coached at Norwin.

* With the recent transfers of Dylan Bongiorni (pictured) from Burgettstown to West Allegheny, which happened Friday, and Terrance Stepoli from Monessen to Greensburg Central Catholic, expect significant backlash.

It's already begun in Burgettstown, which, arguably, lost its best high school athlete.

Bongiorni started at quarterback as a freshman and sophomore for the Blue Devils and, with Burgettstown moving up to Class AA, his absence will be felt. Through 10 games with the Burgettstown basketball team, Bongiorni averaged 19.7 points per game.

Burgettstown is not expected to sign off on the transfer, which means a meeting with the WPIAL Board of Control is likely to determine if the transfer was for athletic intent. Burgettstown athletic director Jon Vallina and boys basketball coach Brendan Cypher both said that the move to West Allegheny was something they've heard since Bongiorni's freshman year, repeatedly.

Monessen athletic director John Sacco said the school won't contest the transfer of Stepoli, who was kicked off the boys basketball team during a loss at Washington on Jan. 5. Stepoli, like Bongiorni, was also a starting quarterback for the football team.

Since Stepoli's departure, Monessen is 7-0.

* Got to feel bad for the Ringgold girls basketball team and chances are head coach Nick Mandich feels jinxed.

First, standout forward Alina Selby suffers a season-ending knee injury five games into the season. Selby didn't play as a junior with a knee injury suffered last the 2008 volleyball season. Then, Ringgold lost point guard Alana Resanovich with a knee injury. Resanovich also missed time last year due to injury.

With those two, Ringgold looked primed to contend for third or fourth place in Section 4-AAAA behind heavyweights Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park.

WPIAL football alignment for 2010-11

Class AAAA (27 teams)
Northern Seven Conference
Butler, Erie McDowell, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley, Shaler
Foothills Conference
Connellsville, Gateway, Hempfield, Latrobe, McKeesport, Norwin, Penn-Trafford
Big East Conference
Altoona, Fox Chapel, Kiski Area, Plum, Penn Hills, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Woodland Hiils
Great Southern Conference
Baldwin, Bethel Park, Canon-McMillan, Mt. Lebanon, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair

Class AAA (31 teams)
Big Eight Conference
Belle Vernon, Chartiers Valley, Elizabeth Forward, McGuffey, South Park, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, West Mifflin
Keystone Conference
Albert Gallatin, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg-Salem, Hollidaysburg, Laurel Highlands, Ringgold, Uniontown
Parkway Conference
Ambridge, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Hopewell, Montour, Moon, New Castle, West Allegheny
Greater Allegheny
Hampton, Highlands, Indiana, Kittanning, Knoch, Mars, Valley

Class AA (34 teams)
Century Conference
Burgettstown, Keystone Oaks, Quaker Valley, Seton-La Salle, South Allegheny, South Fayette, Steel Valley, Washington
Allegheny Conference
Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Ford City, Freeport, Shady Side Academy, Summit Academy, West Shamokin
Midwestern Conference
Aliquippa, Beaver, Beaver Falls, Ellwood City, Freedom, Laurel, Mohawk, New Brighton, Riverside
Interstate Conference
Brownsville, Charleroi, East Allegheny, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland, Waynesburg, Yough

Class A (34 teams)
Eastern Conference
Avonworth, Bishop Canevin, Leechburg, North Catholic, Northgate, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Riverview, Springdale. Wilkinsburg
Black Hills Conference
Avella, Bentworth, Brentwood, Carlynton, Chartiers-Houston, Clairton, Fort Cherry, Serra Catholic
Big Seven Conference
Cornell, Neshannock, Rochester, Shenango, South Side Beaver, Sto-Rox, Union, Western Beaver
Tri-County South Conference
Beth-Center, California, Carmichaels, Frazier, Geibel, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown, Monessen, West Greene

Thinking out loud

The WPIAL football alignment for the 2010 and 2011 seasons will be released at the Board of Control meeting Tuesday.

A total of 12 teams will change classification, including McGuffey (AAA) and Burgettstown (AA). Our Lady of the Sacred Heart has ended its co-op with Cornell and will compete in Class A. Central Valley, the merger of Center and Monaca, will play Class AAA.

Considering the changes, this must have been one of the more difficult alignments in recent memory.

Here's a couple strong possibilities:

Washington, Burgettstown and South Allegheny moved to the Century Conference and replace Bishop Canevin, Sto-Rox and South Park. Bishop Canevin and Sto-Rox dropped to Class A, while South Park moved up to Class AAA.

McKeesport moves back to the Great Southern Conference.

The Black Hills Conference takes on a new look with the addition of Bishop Canevin and Sto-Rox. There's also a lot of talk about the Tri-County South being disbanded or, at the very least, Monessen being moved from that conference.

* It's been a weird year for Section 5-AA boys basketball.

First, Zach Hooks does not play at Charleroi and one published story reported the 6-6 junior transfered to Aliquippa.

Next, Terrance Stepoli was kicked off the Monessen team thanks to his actions during a loss at Washington. According to several sources, Stepoli is hoping to enroll at Greensburg Central Catholic.

And, last week, Dylan Bongiorni quit the Burgettstown basketball team after the first game of a stretch where the Blue Devils played three games in three days. Bongiorni was averaging 19.7 points. Many believe Bongiorni will end up at West Allegheny.

Hooks, Stepoli and Bongiorni were considered three of the top players in the section entering the year. With half the section schedule remaining, they are not playing.

It certainly adds some twists to the playoff race, which also includes Washington, Chartiers-Houston and California.

The most behaved team may end up winning the section.

* Anyone else like the grit of the Trinity boys basketball team?

The Hillers aren't going to wow anyone with statistics, though junior Josh Valentic is in the midst of a superb season. Trinity is winning close games and doing it with defense, hustle and rebounding.

I covered two Trinity games last week – a 21-point win over Elizabeth Forward and a two-point win at Belle Vernon. As someone who covered a lot of Pitt basketball through much of the decade, I see Trinity doing a lot of the little things that the Panthers did so well when they first became a national power.

AP releases all-state football team

The Pennsylvania sports writers’ Class AAAA all-state high school football team, as chosen by a statewide panel:
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback — Drew Loughery, La Salle College, Sr., 6-1, 200.
Running Backs—Joe DeFebo, Wallenpaupack, Sr., 5-7, 185; Darrius Webb, Bethlehem Freedom, Sr., 5-8, 170; Andre Williams, Parkland, Sr., 5-11, 200.
Fullback—Travis Friend, Cumberland Valley, Sr., 6-2, 230.
Tight end—Tyler Beck, West Lawn Wilson, Sr., 6-3, 230.
Wide receivers—Dan Cason, East Stroudsburg South, Sr., 6-3, 180; Jarrod West, Bethlehem Liberty, Sr., 6-6, 195; Salath Williams, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, Sr., 6-4, 185.
Offensive linemen—Dusty Galich, McDowell, Sr., 6-3, 260; Mike Laskowski, State College, Sr., 6-2, 245; Tom Ricketts, North Allegheny, Sr., 6-5, 260; Steve Szostak, La Salle College, Sr., 6-3, 265; Matt Williams, Cardinal O’Hara, Sr., 6-4, 275.
Kicker—Sean Fakete, Central Dauphin, Sr., 5-10, 155.
All-purpose—Corey Brown, Cardinal O’Hara, Sr., 6-1, 185; Bryan Dean, Neshaminy, Sr., 5-7, 165; Brendon Felder, Gateway Sr., 6-0, 170.
DEFENSE
Defensive ends—Kyle Baublitz, Central York, Sr., 6-5, 258; Richard Gray, Woodland Hills, Sr., 6-2, 240; Aaron Donald, Penn Hills, Sr., 6-2, 270.
Defensive linemen—Sharrif Floyd, George Washington, Sr., 6-3, 310; Khaynin Mosley-Smith, Woodland Hills, Sr., 6-1, 285.
Linebackers—Adam Lazenga, Bethel Park, Sr., 6-0, 230; Mike Hull, Canon-McMillan, Sr., 6-1, 220; Mike Huf, Cardinal O’Hara, Sr., 6-3, 235; Mike Labor, Saint Joseph’s Prep, Sr., 6-3, 215; Ryan Saraceni, La Salle College, Sr., 5-11, 205.
Defensive backs—Cullen Christian, Penn Hills, Sr., 6-1, 185; Jon Duckett, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, Sr., 6-1, 205; Trevor Harman, Cumberland Valley, Sr., 6-1, 180; Dom Mills, State College, Sr., 6-3, 235.
Punter—Cody Webster, Central Dauphin East, Sr., 6-4, 180.
All-purpose—Orne Bey, Gateway, Sr., 5-9, 175; Anthony Gonzalez, Bethlehem Liberty, Sr., 6-3, 193; Alex Kenney, State College, Sr., 6-0, 185.

SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback—Matt Johnson, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, Jr., 6-2, 185.
Running backs—Jamal Abdur-Rahman, La Salle College, Jr., 5-10, 175; Drew Harris, Downingtown East, Soph., 6-2, 195; Dom Timbers, Woodland Hills, Sr., 5-9, 185.
Fullback—Darien Robinson, McKeesport, Sr., 6-0, 205.
Tight end—Ralph Reeves, Lansdale North Penn, Sr., 6-3, 230.
Wide receivers—Omar Black, Abraham Lincoln, Sr., 6-2, 200; Matt Bundy, Penncrest, Sr., 6-0, 165; Sam Feleccia, La Salle College, Sr., 6-3, 225.
Offensive linemen—Seth Betancourt, Saint Joseph’s Prep, Sr., 6-6, 295; Giles Campbell, Bethlehem Liberty, Sr., 6-1, 260; Joe Laukaitis, Upper St. Clair, Sr., 6-2, 270; Miles Dieffenbach, Fox Chapel, Sr., 6-5, 285; J.D. Dzurko, Lansdale North Penn, Sr., 6-2, 270.
Kicker—Tom Weathers, Penncrest, Jr., 6-4, 170.
All-purpose—Rob Kalkstein, Gateway, Sr., 5-10, 170; Colin Masterson, Ridley, Sr., 6-1, 170; Bret Gillespie, Downingtown West, Sr., 6-2, 195.
DEFENSE
Defensive ends—Steve Sinnott, La Salle College, Sr., 6-4, 230; Dante Holmes, Bethlehem Liberty, Soph., 6-3, 210.
Defensive linemen—Taj Alexander, Downingtown East, Sr., 6-6, 285; Taray Carey, Whitehall, Sr., 6-2, 200; Stefan Belle, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, Sr., 6-1, 260.
Linebackers—Robert Basile, Quakertown, Sr., 6-1, 215; Patrick Murphy, Easton, Sr., 6-0, 215; Kasey Gallagher, McDowell, Sr., 6-2, 225; Carlos Brown, McKeesport, Sr., 6-2, 235; Gabe Stein, Souderton, Sr., 5-10, 200.
Defensive backs—Corey Ford, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, Sr., 5-11, 170; Jashaad Gaddy, Easton, Sr., 6-2, 200; Dayonne Nunley, Gateway, Sr., 5-8, 165; Marcus Simpson, Central Dauphin, Sr., 5-10, 165.
Punter—Keith Stambaugh, Spring Grove, Jr., 5-8, 150.
All-purpose—Jesse Della Valle, Shaler, Sr., 6-1, 175; Bre Ford, Bethel Park, Jr., 5-11, 190; Colby Way, State College, Sr., 6-3, 235.
Player of the year—Sharrif Floyd, George Washington.
Coach of the year—Drew Gordon, La Salle College.

The Pennsylvania sports writers’ Class AAA all-state high school football team, as chosen by a statewide panel:
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Quarterback—Tyler Smith, Wilson Area, Sr., 6-5, 195.
Running backs—Ryan Brumfield, Owen J. Roberts, Jr., 5-10, 180; Mike Caputo, West Allegheny, Jr., 6-1, 190; Rushel Shell, Hopewell, Soph., 6-0, 210.
Fullback—Joe Gruber, Manheim Central, Sr., 6-0, 210.
Tight end—Cody Plesnar, Dallas, Sr., 6-1, 210.
Wide receivers—Jim Giasante, Thomas Jefferson, Sr., 6-2, 200; Ryan Keiser, Selinsgrove, Sr., 6-2, 185; Kowan Scott, Wilson Area, Jr., 6-4, 170.
Offensive linemen— Sal Conaboy, Abington Heights, Sr., 6-5, 255; Brad McKeone, Pottsville, Jr., 6-4, 305; Sean Hickey, Franklin Regional, Sr., 6-6, 290; Alex Davis, Strong Vincent, Sr., 6-3, 275; Jon Trego, Selinsgrove, Sr., 6-0, 230.
Kicker—Taylor Groff, Manheim Central, Sr., 6-0, 165.
All-purpose—Ben Dupree, Susquehanna Township, Sr., 5-9, 185; Jon Monteiro, Daniel Boone, Sr., 6-2, 200; Jerry Rahill, Archbishop Wood, Sr., 6-1, 185.
DEFENSE
Defensive ends—Roy Dennis, Berwick, Jr., 6-2, 220; Dakota Royer, Manheim Central, Sr., 6-3, 220.
Defensive linemen—Spencer Myers, Selinsgrove, Sr., 6-3, 230; Evan Craig, Abington Heights, Sr., 6-1, 285; Mitchell Stead, Daniel Boone, Sr., 6-3, 225.
Linebackers—Jordan Paskorz, Hampton, Sr., 6-4, 230; Arron Achey, Elco, Sr., 6-2, 210; Sean Sadosky, St. Marys, Sr., 6-1 210; Preston Hamlette, Pottsgrove, Sr., 5-10, 210; John Snyder, Abington Heights, Sr., 6-0, 200.
Defensive backs—Terrell Chestnut, Pottsgrove, Jr., 5-11, 175; Braedon Pennington, Punxsutawney, Sr., 5-11, 185; Matt Hundenski, Hopewell, Sr., 5-10, 185; Scott Adkins, Archbishop Wood, Sr., 5-8, 170.
Punter—Matt Kirkpatrick, Upper Perkiomen, Sr., 6-1, 180.
All-purpose—Casey Ebersole, Manheim Central, Sr., 6-0, 165; Shyquawn Pulliam, Cathedral Prep, Sr., 5-10, 175.

SECOND TEAM
Offense
Quarterback—Brendan Nosovitch, Allentown Cent. Cath., Soph., 6-2, 185.
Running backs—Matt Craig, Springfield-Delco, Jr., 5-10, 180; Kevin Kelley, Conestoga Valley, Sr., 5-7, 150; Justin Wiley, Cathedral Prep, Jr., 5-11, 173.
Fullback—Ethan Hornberger, Kennard-Dale, Sr., 6-2, 240.
Tight end—Kyle Shuck, Selinsgrove, Sr., 6-1, 220.
Wide receivers—Trey Campman, Clearfield, Sr., 6-2, 171; Dan Gay, West York, Sr., 6-2, 200; Ben Simmen, West Allegheny, Sr., 6-3, 175.
Offensive linemen—Zack McMenamin, Interboro, Jr., 5-10, 205; Arthur Doakes, Lebanon, Sr., 6-6, 360; Tim Johnson, West Allegheny, Sr., 6-0, 270; Rob LaPorte, Manheim Central, Jr., 6-4, 310; Matt Lippincott, Wilson Area, Sr., 6-3, 280.
Kicker—Chris Rodrigues, Wilson Area, Sr., 5-10, 150.
All-purpose—Rondell White, Bayard Rustin, Sr., 5-10, 180; D.J. Robinson, Conrad Weiser, Jr., 5-7, 160; Cory Briggs, Selinsgrove, Sr., 6-3, 200.
DEFENSE
Defensive ends—Dave McFadden, Allentown Cent. Cath., Sr., 6-6, 210; Dom Gianoni, Cathedral Prep, Sr., 6-3, 210; Morgan Craig, Abington Heights, Jr., 6-4, 230.
Defensive linemen—Alex Zupanovich, West Allegheny, Sr., 5-11, 255; Kayvon Greene, Pottsgrove, Jr., 6-2, 210; Darion Bundy, West York, Sr., 6-1, 185; Robert Terrell, Susquehanna Township, 6-0, 230.
Linebackers—Luke Rhodes, Hollidaysburg, Jr., 6-2, 225; Ron Skinner, Uniontown, Jr., 5-10, 175; Seth Lauver, Selinsgrove, Jr., 6-2, 245.
Defensive backs—Ray Mosby, Wilson Area, Sr., 5-7, 170; James Fruehan, Abington Heights, Jr., 5-9, 165; Dylan Anderson, Southern Lehigh, Sr., 6-1, 170; Ed Hasis, Thomas Jefferson, Sr., 6-1, 180.
Punter—Cody Nuzzo, Bradford, Sr., 5-8, 175.
All-purpose—Manasseh Garner, Brashear, Sr., 6-3, 210; Lonnie Richardson, Strath Haven, Sr., 5-11, 185.
Class AAA player of the year—Ben Dupree, Susquehanna Township.
Class AAA coach of the year—Dave Hess, Selinsgrove.

The Pennsylvania sports writers’ Class AA all-state high school football team, as chosen by a statewide panel:
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Quarterback—Kyle Smith, Lancaster Catholic, Sr., 6-4, 210.
Running backs—Michael Perry, Dunmore, Sr., 5-10, 205; Cody Cook, Beaver Falls, Sr., 5-10, 170; David Miller, Greensburg Cent. Cath., Sr., 5-10, 215.
Fullback—Dusty Reed, Delone Catholic, Sr., 5-10, 185.
Tight end—Bryce Pardoe, Hughesville, Sr., 6-2, 210.
Wide receivers—Andrew Carswell, Sto-Rox, Sr., 6-5, 210; Matt Koontz, Littlestown, Sr., 6-3, 205; Jake Dunn, Panther Valley, Sr., 6-0, 185.
Offensive linemen—Jake Zuzek, West Catholic, Sr., 6-2, 295; Sean Christofferson, Wilmington, Sr., 6-3, 245; Aaron Lamphere, Towanda, Sr., 6-2, 220; Steve McIlhinny, South Fayette, Sr., 6-1, 230; Brandon Bunting, Mount Pleasant, Sr., 6-2, 260.
Kicker—Drake Greer, Bishop Canevin, Sr., 6-4, 190.
All-purpose—Tyler Purvis, Lancaster Catholic, Sr., 6-3, 190; Trent Hurley, Greensburg Cent. Cath., Sr., 6-4, 215; Christian Brumbaugh, South Fayette, Jr., 6-3, 195.
Defense
Defensive ends—Bryan Thomas, Washington, Sr., 6-4, 230; Trevor Demko, Mount Carmel, Sr., 6-6, 225; John Ruppert, West Catholic, Sr., 5-10, 295.
Defensive linemen—Jeff Goyette, Camp Hill Trinity, Sr., 6-0, 200; Pat Mahoney, Greensburg Cent. Cath., Jr., 6-0, 210; Stanley Pugh, Aliquippa, Sr., 6-2, 260.
Linebackers—Trevor Chesla, Towanda, Sr., 6-3, 218; Derrick Burns, Wilmington, Sr., 5-11, 205; Wyatt Benson, Haverford School, Sr., 6-4, 220; R.J. Malson, Greenville, Sr., 6-0, 200.
Defensive backs—Tomas Cabrera, Hanover Area, Sr., 6-2, 180; Morgan Holmes, Dunmore, Jr., 5-10, 170; Louis Brown, Sharon, Sr., 6-0, 180; Drew Siegfried, Wyncote Bishop McDevitt, Sr., 6-1, 185.
Punter—Andrew Cerett, Huntingdon, Sr., 6-5, 255.
All-purpose—Ryan Richards, Panther Valley, Sr., 5-11, 220; Jacob Boy, Moniteau, Sr., 6-4, 200; Admire Carter, Beaver Falls, Sr., 5-8, 185.

SECOND TEAM
Offense
Quarterback—Derek Buganza, Brockway, Jr., 5-9, 175.
Running backs—Brandon Holloman, West Catholic, Jr., 5-10, 165; Marquis White, Benjamin Franklin, Sr., 5-10, 165; Cody Remaley, Northern Lehigh, Jr., 5-9, 175.
Fullback—Ed Pavalko, North Schuylkill, Jr., 6-0, 219.
Tight end—Shane Cafferty, Martinsburg Central, Sr., 6-3, 224.
Wide receivers—Mike Vervoot, Brockway, Jr., 5-7, 170; Anthony Bumbulsky, Tamaqua, Sr., 6-5, 175; Graeme Zaparzynski, Blossburg North Penn, Sr., 6-1, 180.
Offensive linemen—Chris Elkins, Beaver Falls, Sr., 6-3, 240; Christian Fruendeberger, Northern Lehigh, Sr., 6-0, 220; Kevin Kulka, General McLane, Sr., 6-1, 210; Bernie Sarra, Greensburg Cent. Cath., Jr., 6-1, 315; Chet Ritter, Hughesville, Sr., 6-2, 290.
Kicker—Dakota Roof, Towanda, Sr., 5-11, 175.
All-purpose—Paul Jones, Sto-Rox, Sr., 6-3, 225; Jordan Stewart, Lancaster Catholic, Jr., 6-1, 195; Stephen Stopper, Loyalsock Township, Sr., 6-0, 205.
Defense
Defensive ends—Jake Wagner, Karns City, Sr., 6-0, 205; Wes Smith, Delone Catholic, Sr., 5-9, 175.
Defensive linemen—Shane Morris, Central Cambria, Jr., 6-3, 250; Ahmad Abuomar, Mount Carmel, Sr., 6-3, 235; Jared Templeton, Tyrone, Jr., 6-4, 270.
Linebackers—Jordan Kerner, Fairview, Jr., 6-6, 230; Matt Brinser, Middletown, Jr., 6-1, 215; Lukas Turley, Center, Jr., 6-2, 200; Eric Conjeski, Beaver Area, Sr., 6-2, 270; Dante Dickens, West Catholic, Sr., 6-0, 200.
Defensive backs—Lucas Runk, Martinsburg Central, Jr., 5-10, 180; Zach Hogan, North Schuylkill, Sr., 5-8, 150; Cody Miller, Towanda, Jr., 6-1, 145; Alex Filarsky, Lakeland, Soph., 5-10, 147.
Punter—Blake Berresford, Montoursville, Sr., 6-5, 275.
All-purpose—Kody Flail, North Schuylkill, Jr., 5-10, 178; Michael Ehnot, Dunmore, Sr., 5-10, 165; Mike Kinney, Loyalsock, Soph., 6-2, 210.
Class AA player of the year—Kyle Smith, Lancaster Catholic.
Class AA coach of the year—Bruce Harbach, Lancaster Catholic.


The Pennsylvania sports writers’ Class A all-state high school football team, as chosen by a statewide panel:
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Quarterback—Anthony Casciano, Bangor Pius X, Sr., 5-11, 195.
Running backs—Josh Seidel, Bishop McCort, Sr., 6-0, 200; Wyatt Straub, Tri-Valley, Sr., 5-9, 170; Deontae Howard, Clairton, Sr., 5-9, 170.
Fullback—Jake Morton, Southern Columbia, Jr., 6-2, 170.
Tight end—Terry Gettings, Rochester, Sr., 6-2, 200.
Wide receivers—Jeff Davis, Steelton-Highspire, Sr., 6-8, 210; Kevin Weatherspoon, Clairton, Sr., 6-0, 185; Brett Zuck, Keystone, Sr., 6-3, 185.
Offensive linemen—Fred Ruff, Delaware Valley Charter, Sr., 6-5, 295; Kyle Holland, Old Forge, Sr., 6-3, 255; Zac Donaldson, Brentwood, Sr., 6-1, 250; Zack Doyle, Bellwood-Antis, Sr., 6-2, 230; Logan Woznicki, Mercyhurst Prep, Sr., 6-1, 250.
Kicker—Dane Domonkos, Bishop McCort, Sr., 5-7, 155.
All-purpose—Desimon Green, Clairton, Jr., 6-5, 220; Trey Johnson, Rochester, Sr., 5-9, 170; Dan Odem, Farrell, Sr., 6-1, 170.
Defense
Defensive ends—Anthony Pioli, Bishop McCort, Sr., 5-11, 220; T.J. Armstrong, Clarion, Fr., 6-2, 185.
Defensive linemen—Shane Rugg, Bishop McCort, Sr., 6-3, 240; Josh Rogers, Pottstown St. Pius X, Sr., 6-2, 225; Robert Trudo, Farrell, Jr., 6-5, 265.
Linebackers—Eddie Ball, Clairton, Sr., 5-9, 205; Brandon Small, Clairton, Sr., 5-11, 195; Jake Szoszorek, Iroquois, Sr., 5-8, 205; Greg Ermold, Holy Name, Sr., 5-9, 225; Ron Jackson, Farrell, Sr., 5-9, 195.
Defensive backs—Nick DeGol, Bellwood-Antis, Sr., 5-11, 165; Preston Jefferson, Farrell, Sr., 6-4, 175; Cory Bauer, Brentwood, Jr., 6-1, 180; Zach Petrunak, Portage, Sr., 5-11, 155.
Punter—Dave Bojalad, Elk County Catholic, Jr., 6-2, 215.
All-purpose—Tyler Klinger, Line Mountain, Sr., 5-10, 160; Ben Lohr, Meyersdale, Sr., 6-0, 180; Nick Bolias, Monessen, Jr., 6-0, 185.

SECOND TEAM
Offense
Quarterback—Matt McGinley, Tri-Valley, Sr., 6-5, 190.
Running backs—Seth Zaman, Conemaugh Township, Sr., 5-10, 170; Mike Sinosky, Portage, Sr., 5-10, 210; Jed Greslick, Curwensville, Sr., 5-8, 165.
Fullback—Tyler Grosser, Upper Dauphin, Sr., 6-0, 185.
Tight end—Justin Dunlap, Sharpsville, Sr., 6-0, 230.
Wide receivers—Ryan Gaunt, Ferndale, Sr., 5-10, 180; Gary Laucks, York Catholic, Jr., 6-3, 180; Matt Hepler, Tri-Valley, Sr., 6-2, 190.
Offensive linemen—Brad Witcoskie, Southern Columbia, Sr., 5-11, 260; Marcus Foster, Reading Cent. Cath., Sr., 6-2, 230; Eric Roberts, Rochester, Sr., 6-0, 225; Seth Landgraf, Millersburg, Sr., 6-0, 220; Luke Lantzy, United, Sr., 5-10, 240.
Kicker-Matt Gaston, Southern Huntingdon, Sr., 5-10, 175.
All-purpose—Dan Reed, Keystone, Sr., 6-0, 180; Joe Colangelo, Monaca, Sr., 6-0, 180; Martin Long, Pittsburgh North Catholic, Jr., 6-2, 195.
Defense
Defensive ends—Eric Minemyer, Bishop Carroll, Sr., 6-5, 240; Steve Belskey, Bishop McCort, Sr., 6-1, 205.
Defensive linemen—Ben Ancheff, Williams Valley, Sr., 6-0, 320; Tyler Lewis, Lakeview, Sr., 6-1, 205; Jared Burger, Union City, Sr., 6-0, 200.
Linebackers—Cody Cooper, Upper Dauphin, Sr., 6-1, 185; Bubba Rue, Clarion, Sr., 6-1, 215; Chaz Merriman, Bishop McCort, Sr., 6-0, 210; Joey Rys, Reading Central Cath., Jr., 5-11, 180; Chris Moore, Line Mountain, Sr., 6-0, 225.
Defensive backs—Cole Parkinson, Pottstown St. Pius X, Sr., 6-3, 175; Chad Piccirilli, Sharpsville, Sr., 6-0, 155; Zach Artz, Tri-Valley, Sr., 5-9, 165; Zach Waddell, United, Sr., 6-0, 185.
Punter—Cody Crosby, Eisenhower, Sr., 6-4, 200.
All-purpose—Nick Gmerek, Moshannon Valley, Sr., 5-9, 165; Jimmy Zubek, Avonworth, Sr., 5-9, 175; Fred Caruso, Holy Name, Jr., 5-9, 180.
Class A player of the year—Deontae Howard, Clairton.
Class A coach of the year—Tom Nola, Clairton.

Thinking out loud

Canon-McMillan's Mike Hull was selected to play in the Big 33 Football Classic the same day Hull started for the East team at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Hull will also play in the upcoming USA vs. The World football game on Jan. 30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The game will be televised by the NFL Network.

High school football players are permitted to play in two all-star games, so how can Hull be named to three?

Well, the USA vs. The World game is not considered an all-star game so the Penn State recruit can suit up for the Big 33.

* Take away the Carmichaels girls and it's not a stretch to say basketball in Greene County has rarely been worse.

Need proof?

Let's look at the boys teams from Waynesburg (4-4), Mapletown (3-4), Carmichaels (2-6), Jefferson-Morgan (1-6) and West Greene (0-8).

Waynesburg's lone win against a team not from Greene County or rural West Virginia came against Class A Beth-Center. For Mapletown, the lone win against non-Greene County competition came against something called Eden Christian. Jefferson-Morgan's lone win is against West Greene, which enters tonight on a 33-game losing streak.

Carmichaels, which lost every starter from last year's WPIAL quarterfinals team, beat Quigley Catholic from Beaver County.

Now, let's examine the girls teams from Waynesburg (0-9), Jefferson-Morgan (5-5), West Greene (2-6) and Mapletown (1-9).

Waynesburg has lost 18 straight and is averaging 14.3 points per game this year. The scary thing is seven of those games were against Class A teams, including three games against J-M and two against West Greene. The last time the Raiders beat a WPIAL team outside of Greene County came on Feb. 9, 2006 against McGuffey.

As stated, three of the Rockets' wins came against Waynesburg. The others were versus West Greene and Hundred, W.Va. Both of West Greene's wins were against Waynesburg and Mapletown's lone win came against the Raiders.

Mapletown, at least, ventures outside the area to play non-section games. The same can't be said for Waynesburg, J-M and West Greene.

So, are there any solutions to improve the state of basketball in Greene County? Not sure. There's not much tradition in this wrestling-rich region.

One suggestion might be to avoid scheduling so many games against each other, particularly on the girls side. Venture out. Find a tip-off tournament in Connellsville or Beaver. Try a holiday tournament in Washington or Greensburg. Yeah, it might result in a blowout but it might make the team a little bit better.

* With Ringgold senior Alina Selby out for the year, The Varsity Letters asks, "Who is the frontrunner for Girls Player of the Year?"

Any ideas?

Guess who's back?

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Trinity High School varsity football coach and athletic director Ed Dalton is back, and so are the rest of the Hillers' fall sports coaches.

Trinity School Board unanimously rescinded its decisions to open all fall sports coaching positions and not renew the contract of the athletic director at Thursday's meeting.

The decision to open all fall coaching positions and not renew Dalton's contract as athletic director at December's meeting went against school policy.

Approximately 200 people attended Thursday's meeting in support of Dalton, who is 54-56 in 11 years as Trinity's football coach with five consecutive WPIAL playoff appearances. They erupted in applause upon learning of the decision.

No baseball for Hull?

Canon-McMillan senior Mike Hull, who is currently in San Antonio, Texas, for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, is leaning toward not playing varsity baseball this spring.

The first practice for spring sports is scheduled for March 8 – the PIAA baseball and softball championships are scheduled for Friday, June 18 – and Hull is expected to arrive at Penn State early this summer to join the football team.

"I don't think I'll play baseball because it's so close to when I leave for Penn State," Hull said Wednesday from San Antonio. "I might do track or something to do with running."

Hull batted leadoff for Canon-McMillan when it won the 2008 PIAA Class AAAA championship and also started in the outfield as a junior. He earned baseball all-district honors both years.

Max Preps All-Americans

CBS Max Preps, an incredibly comprehensive web site dedicated to high school athletics, released its 2009 High School Football All-American Team on Monday.

There are no WPIAL players to be found and only one selection from Pennsylvania – first-team defensive lineman Sharrif Floyd from Washington High in Philadelphia.

To check out the team:

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/wlz5-u_rEd6UswAcxJTdpg/2009-high-school-football-all-american-team.htm

PFN releases All-State teams

Pennsylvania Fooball News released its 2009 All-State football selections over the weekend. South Fayette, Monessen and Beth-Center each had at least three players honored.

First-team selections
Dan Black, South Fayette
Class AA. OL

Bryan Thomas, Washington
Class AA, DL

James Shuma, Monessen
Class A, OL

Nick Bolias, Monessen
Class A, DB

Second-team selections
Chad Hagan, Canon-McMillan
Class AAAA, DB

Mike Hull, Canon-McMillan
Class AAAA, LB

Steve McElhinny, South Fayette
Class AA, OL

Nolan Spicer, South Fayette
Class AA, DL

Third-team selections
Christian Brumbaugh, South Fayette
Class AA, QB

ShelDon Miller, Monessen
Class A, DB

Honorable mention
Ken Wilkins, Trinity, DL
Tyler Challingsworth, South Fayette, DB
Justin Ramous, South Fayette, DB
Nick Foraci, South Fayette, OL
Jeff Davis, South Fayette, RB
Eric Myers, South Fayette, TE
Ryan Ross, South Fayette, WR
Jon Gardner, South Fayette, WR/DB
Tyler Miller, Beth-Center, OL
Sal Faieta, Beth-Center, QB
Jake Sofran, Beth-Center, LB
Cory Minnick, Mapletown, QB

For a complete list of PFN's all-state selections, click:
http://www.pawrsl.com/pfn/2009_pfn_all_state_index.htm

Thinking out loud

No local sports story sparked more interest or generated more outrage in 2009 than the controversial decisions of a newly-elected Trinity School Board to open the coaching positions of all fall sports coaches and opt not to renew the contract of athletic director Ed Dalton following the 2009-10 school year.

As a football coach, Dalton helped turn a dormant program into a respectable one. What Trinity lacked during Dalton's 11 years was the ability to defeat top teams, the lone exception coming when the Hillers upset Penn Hills in the WPIAL playoffs.

Dalton did a lot of good for Trinity football. He made it relevant. He brought it considerable attention, even helping to land a Trinity-Thomas Jefferson game on national television.

More importantly, Dalton got players to college, whether it was Ohio State University or Waynesburg University.

To me, that's Dalton's legacy at Trinity. No local coach sent more players to college football programs the past 5-6 years than Dalton.

Wins and losses draw the most attention. At the high school level, what a coach should get credit for is the development of student-athletes. Dalton accomplished it at Trinity.

That said, no matter how many rallies students and parents organize for Dalton, his days coaching football at Trinity are over. Can anyone recall a situation where a school board reversed such a decision? If so, please share.

Dalton will coach football again, as soon as the 2010 season if he wants. If I'm an athletic director at a Class AAAA, AAA or high-level AA school searching for a football coach, I'm calling Dalton to gauge his interest.

* I'm about 50 pages into a book authored by Chartiers-Houston boys basketball coach Jerry Cypher. Once completed, I'll discuss in greater detail.

* Thanks to the late start date administered by the PIAA, the basketball season enters its third full week. Usually, a lot more is known about contenders and pretenders.

Where the California boys and Chartiers-Houston girls fall remains unsolved but both count as pleasant surprises.

California, which returns to Class A next year, entered the annual Charleroi Holiday Tournament with a 6-0 record and a 2-0 spot in Section 5-AA. The Trojans are getting strong play from a group of underclassmen, including a couple freshmen. We'll know a lot more in mid-January when California plays Burgettstown, Washington and Monessen in successive games.

The C-H girls were 4-0 before the start of the LGKG Classic at Riverside High School in Beaver County. Another team getting strong play from a group of freshmen, the Bucs do own an impressive win over Brownsville, pegged by some coaches as the favorite in Section 5-AA. Starting Jan. 4, C-H plays Serra Catholic, Washington, Fort Cherry and Clairton in consecutive games.

* Judging from comments on this blog and other sources, there's displeasure over the 3-4 start of Washington's boys basketball team.

Not sure why there's so much concern. Not only will Washington qualify for the WPIAL playoffs, the guess here is the Prexies will contend for another Section 5-AA championship. Monessen and Burgettstown are also in the mix.

Wash High's schedule is nothing short of brutal. The Prexies already played a Canon-McMillan team with four returning starters, Burgettstown, South Fayette and Peters Township.

* Speaking of Wash High, senior Bryan Thomas recently committed to Bowling Green for football. He should have an opportunity to contribute immediately. Not only is Thomas physically ready for college football, he's easily this area's most underrated player.

When considering candidates for the Observer-Reporter Player of the Year, Thomas was the only player other than South Fayette quarterback Christian Brumbaugh who entered the thought process.

* The O-R sports staff received a few complaints for not covering the rally for Dalton last week. It's understandable.

From our perspective, the rally was not a sports story. In addition, it is not our responsibility to campaign for any coach or school board member.

Thomas commits to Bowling Green

Washington High School senior Bryan Thomas made an oral commitment to play football at Bowling Green in the fall of 2010.

Thomas, an Observer-Reporter Elite 11 selection, helped Washington evolve from a 1-8 team in 2008 to one that qualified for the WPIAL Class AA playoffs in 2009. As a two-way starter, Thomas was a dominant defensive end, bone-crushing blocker and big-play tight end.

Bowling Green recruited Thomas (6-4, 230) as a defensive end but is considering using him at tight end.

Akron, Ohio and Toledo also offered scholarships. West Virginia, Wisconsin and Minnesota have shown interest but have not offered. According to Thomas, West Virginia is showing increased interest.

Thomas is the fourth Washington County football player to commit for 2010. Canon-McMillan's Mike Hull (Penn State), Chad Hagan (Ohio State) and Trinity's Ken Wilkins (Michigan) are the others.

Thomas, a cousin of former Wash High standout and Notre Dame starter Travis Thomas, is a three-sport athlete. He also plays basketball and runs track.

Marnich a Rudy Award Semifinalist

Ringgold High School senior Bill Marnich is much more than the lone returning starter on the Rams football team for the 2009 season. He's an inspiration for teammates, coaches, opponents and any one who knows his story.

Earlier this year, Ringgold football coach and athletic director Lloyd Price nominated Marnich for the High School Rudy Award.

Named after Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, the famed Notre Dame walk-on whose life story was turned into the movie, Rudy, the Rudy Award is a $10,000 academic scholarship with $5,000 scholarship going to two runners-up.

Marnich is one of 30 semifinalists from 22 states and the only semifinalist from Pennsylvania.

To read more about Marnich, the other semifinalists and to vote for the Rudy Award, please visit: http://www.highschoolrudyawards.com/Nominees/126/Bill_Marnich.aspx

Trinity Opens Fall Coaching Positions

The Trinity School Board opened the positions of all fall coaches at Thursday's meeting, including that of head football coach Ed Dalton.

Dalton has been the Hillers' football coach and athletic director since the 1999-2000 school year. In football, Dalton compiled a 54-56 record and led Trinity to the WPIAL playoffs five consecutive seasons and six times overall. Trinity won two playoff games during that span.

Before Dalton arrived, Trinity played in four postseason games from 1922 through 1999.

Dalton's position as athletic director has also been opened.

Other positions opened were boys soccer, girls soccer, boys cross country, girls cross country, girls volleyball, boys golf and girls tennis.

For more details, read Saturday's Observer-Reporter.

PIAA Football Rankings

Didn't think these things were still being released.

Pennsylvania high school football rankings from the Patriot-News of Harrisburg for the week of Tuesday, November 10, with school’s district in parentheses, followed by the school’s record and last week’s ranking. NR means not ranked. Honorable mention teams listed alphabetically.

CLASS AAAA Rec Pvs
1. La Salle College HS (12) 12-1 4
2. Ridley (1) 13-1 8
3. State College (6) 11-2 7
4. Cumberland Valley (3) 12-2 9
5. Bishop McDevitt (3) 12-1 1
6. Easton (11) 13-2 5
7. North Penn (1) 13-1 2
8. Woodland Hills (7) 12-2 3
9. Gateway (7) 12-1 6
10. Bethel Park (7) 10-2 10
Honorable mention
Avon Grove (1) 11-2, Cardinal OHara (12) 8-3, Central Dauphin (3) 9-3, Downingtown East (1) 10-3, Downingtown East (1) 10-3, Downingtown West (1) 10-3, East Stroudsburg South (11) 10-2, George Washington (12) 8-3, McDowell (10) 8-3, Neshaminy (1) 9-3, North Hills (7) 6-6, Parkland (11) 10-3, Penn Manor (3) 10-3, St. Josephs Prep (12) 9-3, Wilson (3) 11-2.

CLASS AAA Rec Pvs
1. Selinsgrove (4) 14-0 1
2. Manheim Central (3) 14-0 2
3. West Allegheny (7) 12-2 5
4. Archbishop Wood (12) 11-2 NR
5. Pottsgrove (1) 14-1 3
6. Hopewell (7) 12-1 7
7. Allentown Cent. Catholic (11) 12-2 4
8. Susquehanna Twp. (3) 12-2 8
9. Interboro (1) 12-1 9
10. Thomas Jefferson (7) 11-1 10
Honorable mention
Abington Heights (2) 11-2, Bayard Rustin (1) 11-1, Cathedral Prep (10) 11-3, Conrad Weiser (3) 10-3, Dallas (2) 10-2, Daniel Boone (3) 9-3, Franklin Regional (7) 8-3, Grove City (10) 8-4, Hershey (3) 9-3, North Pocono (2) 9-2, Owen J. Roberts (1) 11-2, West York (3) 11-2, Wilson Area (11) 11-1.

CLASS AA Rec Pvs
1. Lancaster Catholic (3) 13-1 1
2. West Catholic (12) 13-1 2
3. Greensburg Central Catholic (7) 12-2 3
4. Wilmington (10) 13-1 4
5. Forest Hills (6) 13-1 5
6. North Schuylkill (11) 13-1 9
7. Dunmore (2) 12-1 6
8. Aliquippa (7) 11-1 7
9. Beaver Falls (7) 10-2 8
10. Loyalsock (4) 10-4 10
Honorable mention
Bedford (5) 7-7, Bok (12) 10-1, Center (7) 9-2, Delone Catholic (3) 11-2, Freeport (7) 8-2, General McLane (10) 11-1, Hughesville (4) 10-2, Keystone Oaks (7) 10-2, Lewisburg (4) 11-2, Littlestown (3) 9-3, Martinsburg Central (6) 10-2, Northern Lehigh (11) 10-3, Panther Valley (11) 9-3, Shady Side Academy (7) 8-2, Sharon (10) 10-3, South Fayette (7) 10-1, Sto-Rox (7) 8-3, Towanda (4) 11-1, Tyrone (6) 10-3.

CLASS A Rec Pvs
1. Clairton (7) 13-1 1
2. Farrell (10) 14-0 2
3. Bishop McCort (6) 13-0 3
4. Tri-Valley (11) 10-4 9
5. Rochester (7) 12-1 5
6. Bellwood-Antis (6) 11-1 6
7. Laurel (7) 10-2 7
8. Clarion (9) 10-4 NR
9. Southern Columbia (4) 9-5 4
10. Millersburg (3) 10-4 8
Honorable mention
Avonworth (7) 8-3, Cameron County (9) 10-1, Conemaugh Twp. (5) 10-1, Coudersport (9) 9-3, Curwensville (9) 9-3, Line Mountain (4) 8-3, Mercer (10) 8-4, Mercyhurst Prep (10) 10-1, North Catholic (7) 9-3, Penns Manor (6) 10-2, Portage (6) 10-1, Sharpsville (10) 10-3, St. Pius X (1) 8-5, Steelton-Highspire (3) 8-3, United (6) 9-2, Upper Dauphin (3) 10-2.

2009 O-R All-District Football Team

Observer-Reporter Player of the Year
Christian Brumbaugh, South Fayette
Junior, QB

O-R Elite 11
Quentin Briggs, Charleroi
Sophomore, RB

Lashawn Bryant, Trinity
Senior, DT

Jeff Davis, South Fayette
Junior, RB

Chad Hagan, Canon-McMillan
Senior, RB/DB

Austin Hancock, Peters Township
Junior, QB

Michael Hull, Canon-McMillan
Senior, LB/FB

Gary Kiefer, Fort Cherry
Junior, RB/LB

Logan McAnany, McGuffey
Senior, LB/RB

Nick Shuman, McGuffey
Senior, FB/LB

Jake Sofran, Beth-Center
Sophomore, LB/FB

Bryan Thomas, Washington
Senior, DE/TE


O-R All-District Team
Avella
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Nathan Carl Jr. 5-9 210 OL
Damon Cupp Jr. 6-5 195 WR
Jared Magon Jr. 6-1 175 WR
Jesse Noble Sr. 5-8 160 DB


Bentworth
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Ben Gregg Sr. 6-3 200 QB
Colton Korpus Sr. 6-1 220 DL
Dave Sumney Sr. 6-0 200 OL

Beth-Center
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Chuck Bowser Sr. 5-10 170 TE/FS
Sal Faieta So. 6-1 190 QB/LB
Jordan Kinder Sr. 5-8 165 RB/DB
Tyler Miller Sr. 6-5 275 OT/DT
Matt Schneider Sr. 5-9 230 OT/DT
Zander Shashura Sr. 5-9 160 C/LB
Jake Sofran So. 5-10 205 FB/LB
Frank Vorhes Sr. 6-1 185 G/DE

Burgettstown
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Zach Bertolotti Sr. 6-0 205 LB
Dylan Bongiorni So. 6-2 170 DB
Tyler Pavan Jr. 5-9 165 DB
A.J. Roner Sr. 5-5 155 RB
Andrew Todd Sr. 6-2 190 TE
Tim Wilson Sr. 5-11 205 OL

California
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Dakota Conway Jr. 5-9 170 WR/DB
D.J. Martinak Sr. 5-11 165 QB/DB
Preston Shaw Sr. 6-0 180 OL/LB
Wade Stinnett Sr. 6-1 205 TE/LB
Brad Tonini Sr. 6-0 200 RB/LB

Canon-McMillan
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Dom Broglia Sr. 6-2 275 OT
Luke Campbell Sr. 6-0 220 TE
Chad Hagan Sr. 6-2 227 RB
Michael Hull Sr. 6-1 220 LB
Alec Schram Jr. 5-7 140 DB
Robert Semulka Jr. 5-10 225 OG
Tommy Valerio So. 5-8 160 K

Carmichaels
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Kody Decker Sr. 5-10 155 DB
Zach Doman Sr. 5-10 250 OL/DL
Anthonie Farrer Sr. 5-9 160 RB
Jonathan Krall Jr. 5-11 155 QB
Seth Krall Jr. 6-0 155 WR
Zach Mudell Jr. 5-10 170 LB

Charleroi
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Cory Altemara Jr. 5-11 215 FB/LB
Quentin Briggs So. 5-10 205 RB
Ray Campbell Sr. 5-10 235 OL/DL
Jake Linn Sr. 6-1 238 TE/LB
Kyle Shannon Jr. 5-9 188 WR/DB

Chartiers-Houston
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
D.J. Denny Jr. 6-0 165 WR
Nathan Grandelis So. 6-1 245 DL
Thomas Hairston Sr. 6-2 195 LB
Zach Hamilton So. 5-10 165 PK
Joey Joscak Sr. 5-10 185 LB
Dan Lis So. 5-10 170 DB
Anthony Oliver Sr. 5-9 160 LB

Fort Cherry
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Ryan Babirad So. 6-2 175 WR
Jordan Crowley Sr. 6-1 285 OL
Corey Garry So. 6-1 235 LB
Tanner Garry So. 6-2 180 DB
Nick Hurley Jr. 5-11 170 WR
Gary Kiefer Jr. 5-11 190 RB
Justin Richards Sr. 5-10 170 LB
Mike Silla Sr. 6-2 255 DL

Jefferson-Morgan
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Taylor Barchiesi Sr. 5-9 163 K
Derek Haiden Sr, 5-9 170 FB/LB
Thomas Jordan Sr. 6-1 951 G/DE
Ryan Knight Sr. 6-1 195 RB/LB
Hans Lubich Sr. 5-10 150 RB/DB
Brent Moskola Sr. 6-3 170 TE/DB
Josh Schinkovec Sr. 6-4 200 TE/DB
David Sisler Sr. 5-11 215 G/LB

Mapletown
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
William Cox Jr. 6-1 170 WR/DB
Cory Minnick Sr. 6-0 200 QB/LB
Jarrett Porterfield Sr. 6-1 175 WR/DB

McGuffey
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Trenton Bedillion Sr. 5-11 170 RB/DB
Adam Fischer Sr. 6-1 220 OL/DL
Tyler Kerns Sr. 6-0 185 RB/DB
John Leasure Jr. 6-2 230 OL/DL
Taylor McAdoo Sr. 5-11 185 TE/LB
Logan McAnany Sr. 6-1 190 RB/LB
Nick Shuman Sr. 5-11 210 FB/LB
Derrick Whipkey Jr. 5-8 165 QB/DB

Monessen
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Nick Bolias Jr. 5-10 160 WR/DB
Trae Cook Jr. 5-8 178 RB/DB
Brett Crenshaw Jr. 5-11 179 RB/DB
Stephen Jarabeck Sr. 6-0 187 G/LB
ShelDon Miller Sr. 6-1 190 RB/LB
Mike Pace Jr. 6-2 340 T/DT
James Shuma Sr. 6-1 270 T/DE
Josh Stepoli So. 6-5 215 G/DT
Terrance Stepoli Jr. 6-4 205 QB/DE

Peters Township
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Andrew Erenberg So. 5-9 185 RB
Chris Freyder Sr. 5-10 210 OG
Nevin Hagman Jr. 6-3 245 OT
Austin Hancock Jr. 6-3 218 QB
Dylan Heitmeir Sr. 5-9 170 DB
Brandon Hoffman Sr. 6-1 215 WR
Boyd Jones Jr. 5-10 270 C
Will McClure Jr. 6-1 200 LB
Justin Simpson Sr. 6-2 210 DL

Ringgold
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Nick DePalma Jr. 5-11 239 DL
Derrick Fiore Jr. 5-10 178 DB
Skyler Fransko So. 5-10 145 K
Damond Goggins Jr. 5-8 179 LB
Dylan Patch Jr. 5-10 183 ATH
Neal Rands Jr. 6-0 181 LB
Ryan Rosenfeld Sr. 5-10 162 WR

South Fayette
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Dan Black Sr. 5-11 245 C
Christian Brumbaugh Jr. 6-3 195 QB
Tyler Challingsworth Jr. 5-10 150 DB
Tanner Cortad Jr. 6-3 200 LB
Jeff Davis Jr. 5-10 165 RB
Nick Faraci Jr. 6-3 250 OG/DT
Jon Gardner Sr. 5-7 170 WR/LB
Steve McElhinny Sr. 6-0 235 OT/DE
Eric Myers Jr. 6-1 190 TE
Justin Ramous Sr. 6-0 160 DB
Ryan Ross Sr. 5-9 180 WR
Nolan Spicer Jr. 6-3 230 OT/DE
Chris Williams Sr. 6-0 170 LB

Trinity
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Dusty Avolio Sr. 6-0 165 WR
Ty Billie Jr. 6-1 180 P
Ben Brownlee Sr. 6-5 231 OT
Lashawn Bryant Sr. 5-10 270 DL
Joe Havrilak Sr. 6-0 175 DB
Hunter Landock Sr. 6-0 330 OG
Kyle McWreath Jr. 6-0 225 LB
Ryan Moore Sr. 6-4 285 OT
Larry Woods Sr. 5-10 175 LB

Washington
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Julien Anderson Jr. 6-1 183 WR/DB
Zach Barnes Jr. 6-1 220 FB/LB
Marquis Brown Sr. 5-10 160 QB/DB
Laquan Edwards Sr. 5-11 249 OL/LB
Luke Pleta Sr. 5-11 235 OL/DT
Bryan Thomas Sr. 6-4 230 TE/DE

Waynesburg
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Matt Kabay Sr. 6-0 160 DB
John Sinnott Sr. 6-1 230 RB
Mark Stillwagon Sr. 5-7 155 LB

West Greene
Player Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos.
Curtis Jones So. 5-10 185 RB/LB
Dillon Main Jr. 6-0 160 RB/DB

A different list

Checking for stats on MaxPreps.com and a link caught my attention. Got to wonder if the writer watched all these games.

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/WVoYed1GEd6UswAcxJTdpg/pennsylvania--ranking-the-high-school-football-title-games-from-w-pa.htm

Woodland Hills posts shutout with defensive coordinator watching TV fron hospital

This story makes Woodland Hills' defensive performance Friday in the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game versus Gateway more amazing.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09332/1017012-365.stm

Mr. Hathaway, a Backyard Brawl APB

Spent the final few minutes of the 102nd Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia – a game won 19-16 by the Mountaineers – on the field at Milan Puskar Stadium Friday night.

The first person I ran into on the sidelines was former Carmichaels High School two-sport standout Bobby Hathaway. One of the toughest high school football players I've seen, Hathaway was invited to walk-on at West Virginia by former coach Rich Rodriguez.

Hathaway earned a scholarship by his sophomore year of eligibility and eventually became a starting linebacker for the Mountaineers.

Hathaway is "living in the real world" as he put it, engaged and living in Morgantown. He said he's employed and working in Bridgeport, W.Va.

Every time I talk to the young man, I keep going back to a quote John Menhart – Hathaway's high school football coach – had as Hathaway was being ignored by most Division I programs.

"If Bobby Hathaway isn't a Division I player then nobody else around here is."

Picking the Winners, WPIAL Championships

A 6-2 record in the WPIAL semifinals took the record to 44-12 (.786 percentage) during the postseason. Time for one final week of picks.

Class AAAA
Woodland Hills over Gateway
Class AAA
Hopewell over West Allegheny
Class AA
Aliquippa over Greensburg Central Catholic
Class A
Clairton over Rochester

The Fall of Peters Township

Peters Township claimed the second PIAA and WPIAL girls tennis team titles in school history. Julie Stroyne and Caroline Nixon won the state girls doubles tournament. The Indians field hockey team won their first WPIAL title.

And the wild thing is Peters Township didn't have as good a fall sports season in 2009 as it did in 2008.

Still, Peters Township remains the area's leader in athletics.

The success of the girls tennis and field hockey teams highlight another successful sports season.

Peters Township girls soccer played in the WPIAL Class AAA championship match a second consecutive year. The Indians controlled much of the action but lost to Seneca Valley on penalty kicks. They were bounced in the PIAA quarterfinals by Erie McDowell in another match where Peters Township controlled play but was unable to finish. In 2008, PT reached the state championship.

With North Carolina State recruit Shelli Spamer leading a strong cast of returning players (Hannah Caso, Olivia Roberson, Christina O'Connor, etc.), Peters Township should achieve similar success in 2010.

Peters Township boys golf also fielded a roster loaded with underclassmen. The Indians won a difficult section and reached the finals of the WPIAL Division I team championship, which they won in 2008 with a senior-laden roster.

Peters Township boys soccer exited the WPIAL playoffs in the quarterfinals with a loss to Bethel Park. The Indians just weren't themselves in that match and watching them lose so early in the postseason is kind of like watching Thomas Jefferson lose to West Allegheny in the football playoffs. It's a rarity.

And, for the first time since 2003, Peters Township football finished with a winning record. At 5-4, the Indians managed two wins over Class AAAA teams (Canon-McMillan, Kiski Area) and returns several top players, most notably quarterback Austin Hancock and running back/defensive back Andrew Erenberg.

Picking the Winners, WPIAL Semifinals

Missed on two WPIAL quarterfinals to up the overall postseason record to 38-10 (.792 win percentage).

Class AAAA
Gateway over North Hills, Woodland Hills over Bethel Park
Class AAA
Thomas Jefferson over West Allegheny, Hopewell over Hampton
Class AA
Aliquippa over Beaver Falls, Keystone Oaks over Greensburg Central Catholic
Class A
Rochester over North Catholic, Clairton over Laurel

Avella in the Times, again

In New York City, it's the Yankees, the Giants, the Knicks, the Jets, the Mets, the Rangers … and Avella football.

The Eagles made the New York Times a second time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/sports/football/30avella.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=avella&st=cse

Trinity softball coach hired; West Greene opens football position

The Trinity School Board hired Bill Loar Thursday night as varsity softball coach and West Greene opted to open the head football coaching position held the past three years by Charles Harris.

Loar previously coached softball at Washington High School, where he guided the Prexies to two WPIAL Class AA championship game appearances in 2005 and 2007. Wash High also made the PIAA playoffs three times during his tenure.

A teacher at Washington and former member of the Trinity School Board, Loar replaced Linda Rebish, Trinity's highly successful softball coach. Rebish guided the Hillers to two WPIAL championship game appearance and, in 2009, Trinity was one win from playing for a PIAA championship.

Rebish retired from teaching in 2009 and expressed interest in returning as coach. She applied but was not hired by the school board.

West Greene nearly ousted Harris during the 2009 regular season but elected to keep the coach on the sidelines.In three years, the Pioneers went 3-24. Harris went 3-1 in his first four games as coach.

West Greene enters the 2010 season on a 23-game losing streak.

Friday Night Thoughts, Final Edition

Beth-Center's loss to Laurel in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals and South Fayette's loss to Aliquippa in the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals closes another high school football season locally.

How did 2009 compare to 2008? Let's take a look.

Five teams - South Fayette, McGuffey, Beth-Center, Monessen and Fort Cherry - hosted first-round playoffs games this year. That's one more than a year ago when the latter three previously mentioned plus Canon-McMillan were home for the first round.

Looks like a positive, albeit small, step.

Two teams - South Fayette and Beth-Center - won first-round games. The top seed in the Class AA playoffs, South Fayette routed Beaver. Beth-Center, seeded seventh in Class A, knocked off Serra Catholic. That's one more first-round victory than the area produced last year when Monessen beat Serra.

Looks like a positive, albeit small, step.

The bad news for the Lions and Bulldogs was neither could advance past the quarterfinals. South Fayette watched a 12-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate against defending WPIAL champion Aliquippa in a well-played, highly entertaining game. Beth-Center made too many mistakes during the first half against a very good Laurel team and the Spartans won in a runaway.

The good news for the Lions and Bulldogs is that both return key players. Christian Brumbaugh, Jeff Davis and Tyler Challingsworth are among a handful of returnees for South Fayette. Beth-Center brings back standouts such as Sal Faieta, Jake Sofran and Deshan Brown.

Both teams should factor into their respective WPIAL championship pictures once again.

There were other intriguing story lines.

1. Canon-McMillan senior Chad Hagan was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in April and was told the heart condition could mean the end of his athletic career. The Ohio State football recruit not only beat the condition, he returned to the field by Week 3.
2South Fayette put together its first undefeated regular season in 73 years.
3. Avella won two games, including a conference contest against Fort Cherry. The lovable loser tag no longer exists for the Eagles.
4. Washington went from a one-win team in 2008 to a WPIAL playoff team this year and one that played for a possible home playoff game in the final week of the season. The Prexies accomplished all of that with strong play from Zach Barnes, Bryan Thomas and Marquis Brown and a new head coach in Mike Bosnic who was hired in May.
5. McGuffey shut out WPIAL semifinalist Greensburg Central Catholic and did not allow a point at home until the fourth quarter of the final regular season game. The Highlanders hosted a playoff game for the first time since 1994.
6. Waynesburg bumped its win total to three and were considerably more competitive under the direction of head coach Joe Kuhns, who spent the previous seven years at California.
7. Peters Township finished with a winning record for the first time since 2003 but failed to qualify for the Class AAAA playoffs.
8. Charleroi tailback Quentin Briggs continues to dazzle. The sophomore topped 1,000 yards a second-consecutive season and it's not a stretch to say he's the best running back in the area.
9. Ringgold, with one returning starter and a new head coach in Lloyd Price, showed its future is a promising one.
10. Carmichaels made the postseason for the 12th straight year, tops among local teams.

There were some odd story lines.

1. Trinity's Ken Wilkins, an all-state defensive end as a junior, wasn't playing much defense through a large portion of the Hillers' schedule. The Michigan recruit also missed several games late in the year.
2. Canon-McMillan's Mike Hull, a Penn State recruit who is ranked among the nation's top seniors, endured an injury-plagued year. Hull missed the Big Macs' game versus Mt. Lebanon with illness and was limited the remainder of the year. Hull also missed the finale against Peters Township as he watched from the sidelines on crutches.
3. Wilkins, Hull and Hagan graced the cover of the Observer-Reporter's preseason football edition. The trio combined to miss no fewer than seven games. Is there an O-R cover jinx?
4. Trinity didn't produce a 500-yard rusher.
5. Mapletown averaged more than 30 passes per game.
6. Jefferson-Morgan's Hans Lubich was on pace to rush for 1,000 yards and have 500 yards receiving before breaking a leg against West Greene.
7. Price was suspended by the Ringgold school board for two games early in the schedule. Assistant coach Matt Humbert served as interim head coach and guided the Rams to their first two wins.
8. Charleroi coaches were livid at the end of the Washington game when officials ruled that Briggs had fumbled after picking up a first down that would have ended the game and sealed a spot in the postseason for the Cougars. Instead, Wash High's Brown returned the fumble for a score, the Prexies won and Charleroi wasn't in the postseason.
9. Postgame antics ensued after Clairton beat Fort Cherry in Week 5. Among the activity were pushups from Clairton players and a fight between two Rangers.
10. Avella led all WPIAL Class A teams in scoring after the opening week.

There are a few story lines to follow.
1. There is a chance Mapletown has played its last football game.
2. Rumors are swirling about WPIAL football realignment. A few Class AA powers may be moving down, which should drastically change the landscape of local conferences.
3. Ringgold, Washington, California and Waynesburg had new coaches in 2009. Which schools will have new coaches in 2010?

TVL's WPIAL Football Rankings

Anyone have North Hills and Hampton in the WPIAL semifinals? Anyone surprised Greensburg Central Catholic made it this far?

Last week's ranking in parentheses.

Class AAAA
1. Gateway 11-0 (1)
2. Woodland Hills 10-1 (2)
3. Bethel Park 10-2 (3)
4. North Hills 6-5 (8)

Class AAA
1. Thomas Jefferson 11-0 (1)
2. Hopewell 11-0 (2)
3. West Allegheny 9-2 (3)
4. Hampton 7-4 (8)

Class AA
1. Aliquippa 10-1 (3)
2. Beaver Falls 10-1 (5)
3. Keystone Oaks 10-1 (6)
4. Greensburg Central Catholic 9-2 (7)

Class A
1. Rochester 11-0 (1)
2. Clairton 10-1 (2)
3. Laurel 10-1 (3)
4. North Catholic 9-2 (4)

State Football Rankings

Pennsylvania high school football rankings from the Patriot-News of Harrisburg for the week of Tuesday, November 10, with school’s district in parentheses, followed by the school’s record and last week’s ranking. NR means not ranked. Honorable mention teams listed alphabetically.


CLASS AAAA
1. Bishop McDevitt (3) 9-0 1
2. Gateway (7) 10-0 2
3. North Penn (1) 10-0 3
4. St. Joseph’s Prep (12) 8-1 4
5. La Salle College HS (12) 8-1 5
6. Woodland Hills (7) 9-1 6
7. McDowell (10) 8-2 8
8. North Allegheny (7) 9-1 10
9. Downingtown West (1) 9-1 NR
10. Easton (11) 9-1 NR
Honorable mention
Abington (1) 7-2, Avon Grove (1) 9-1, Bethel Park (7) 9-1, Cardinal OHara (12) 8-2, Council Rock South (1) 8-2, Central Dauphin (3) 8-2, Cumberland Valley (3) 8-2, East Stroudsburg South (11) 9-1, Garnet Valley (1) 9-1, Neshaminy (1) 8-2, Parkland (11) 8-2, Pennsbury (1) 9-1, Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7) 8-2, Ridley (1) 9-1, Shaler (7) 9-1, State College (6) 7-2, Wilson (3) 9-1.

CLASS AAA
1. Thomas Jefferson (7) 10-0 1
2. Selinsgrove (4) 10-0 2
3. Wilson Area (11) 10-0 3
4. Manheim Central (3) 10-0 4
5. Hopewell (7) 10-0 5
6. Bayard Rustin (1) 10-0 6
7. Pottsgrove (1) 10-0 7
8. Cathedral Prep (10) 8-2 8
9. Allentown Cent. Catholic (11) 9-1 10
10. Interboro (1) 10-0 NR
Honorable mention
Abington Heights (2) 9-1, Archbishop Wood (12) 8-2, Berwick (2) 7-3, Conrad Weiser (3) 8-2, Dallas (2) 9-1, Franklin Regional (7) 8-2, Greencastle-Antrim (3) 7-2, Hershey (3) 8-2, North Pocono (2) 9-1, Northern (3) 8-2, Oliver (8) 9-1, Owen J. Roberts (1) 9-1, Strong Vincent (10) 8-2, Susquehanna Twp. (3) 9-1, West Allegheny (7) 8-2, West York (3) 9-1.

CLASS AA
1. Dunmore (2) 10-0 1
2. West Catholic (12) 8-2 2
3. Center (7) 9-1 2
4. Beaver Falls (7) 9-1 4
5. Aliquippa (7) 9-1 5
6. Lancaster Catholic (3) 9-1 6
7. Wilmington (10) 9-1 7
8. South Fayette (7) 10-0 9
9. General McLane (10) 10-0 8
10. Keystone Oaks (7) 9-1 10
Honorable mention
Bok (12) 9-0, Burrell (7) 7-3, Danville (4) 8-2, Delone Catholic (3) 9-1, Forest Hills (6) 10-0, Freeport (7) 8-2, Greensburg Central Catholic (7) 8-2, Lewisburg (4) 9-1, Littlestown (3) 8-2, Loyalsock Twp. (4) 7-3, Martinsburg Central (6) 9-1, Milton Hershey (3) 7-3, Mount Pleasant (7) 10-0, North Schuylkill (11) 10-0, Shady Side Academy (7) 8-2, Sto-Rox (7) 8-2, Towanda (4) 10-0, Tyrone (6) 8-2, Wilkes-Barre GAR (2) 8-2.

CLASS A
1. Clairton (7) 9-1 1
2. Rochester (7) 10-0 2
3. Farrell (10) 10-0 3
4. Bishop McCort (6) 9-0 4
5. Laurel (7) 9-1 5
6. Steelton-Highspire (3) 7-2 6
7. Old Forge (2) 10-0 7
8. Bellwood-Antis (6) 9-0 8
9. Portage (6) 9-0 9
10. Mercyhurst Prep (10) 10-0 NR
Honorable mention
Avonworth (7) 8-2, Bethlehem-Center (7) 8-2, Calvary Christian (1) 7-1, Cameron County (9) 9-1, Conemaugh Twp. (5) 8-1, Coudersport (9) 7-2, Curwensville (9) 8-2, North Catholic (7) 8-2, Penns Manor (6) 9-1, Sharpsville (10) 8-2, United (6) 9-1.

Records are current. Previous ranking indicates the teams position in last weeks Patriot-News rankings.
Honorable mention teams are listed in alphabetical order.

Picking the Winners, WPIAL Quarterfinals

The Varsity Letters only hit on 24 of 32 winners last week for a .750 win percentage. The games get tougher to predict this week.

Class AAAA
Gateway over Penn Hills, North Allegheny over North Hills, Woodland Hills over Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Bethel Park over Shaler
Class AAA
Thomas Jefferson over Franklin Regional, West Allegheny over New Castle, Hopewell over Mars, Hampton over Uniontown
Class AA
South Fayette over Aliquippa, Beaver Falls over Sto-Rox, Keystone Oaks over Mt. Pleasant, Greensburg Central Catholic over Center
Class A
Rochester over Brentwood, North Catholic over Springdale, Laurel over Beth-Center, Clairton over Avonworth

Friday Night Thoughts, First-Round Playoff Edition

Beth-Center 38, Serra Catholic 17.

Beth-Center's WPIAL Class A first-round playoff victory over visiting Serra Catholic Friday night might not seem like much to the outside observer but the victory carries some significance.

For the Bulldogs, who lost their entire starting backfield from last year due to graduation or moving or lack of interest in the sport, it proved that they're a little ahead of schedule when it comes to recapturing the success achieved in 2006. That team went 11-1 and reached the WPIAL semifinals.

Now, this doesn't mean Beth-Center (8-2) is going to knock off No. 2 seed Laurel (9-1) Friday night in Beaver, but any time a team as youthful as B-C can win in the postseason, it serves a strong barometer for future success.

And, in typical Beth-Center fashion, the Bulldogs won the game with a balanced offense, big special teams play and five forced turnovers. Those have been characteristics of every Beth-Center team since head coach Ed Woods rebuilt the Bulldogs.

This might be the biggest reason Beth-Center is still playing: the defense has forced 34 turnovers in 10 games. The Bulldogs have recovered 21 fumbles, picked off 13 passes and have around 50 tackles for loss on the year.

++ South Fayette put up an impressive 35 points against a strong Beaver defense. It's the same Beaver that lost at Aliquippa, 7-0, in Week 4.

South Fayette, undefeated and the top seed in Class AA, plays Aliquippa Friday night at Chartiers Valley High School in a game to be televised by FSN. It might be the night the casual WPIAL football fan gets to know Lions quarterback Christian Brumbaugh.

++ Beth-Center's victory did more than notch the Bulldogs fourth WPIAL playoff victory since 2005, which is tops among teams within the Observer-Reporter's coverage area.

It broke the postseason winless streak for teams from Washington and Greene Counties.

In 2008, those teams went a combined 9-0 in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. This year, the record was 1-7. Trinity, McGuffey, Washington, Fort Cherry, Jefferson-Morgan, Burgettstown and Carmichaels each lost.

Trinity, Washington and Fort Cherry were shutout.

++ While the season continues at Beth-Center and South Fayette, it's over for the rest of the area and it figures to be an interesting offseason.

Which school booards will force out coaches?

Which coaches will find other jobs?

Will any schools drop football?

And will conferences look anything like they did the past two years? There promises to be plenty of teams dropping in classification for the next two-year cycle.

TVL's WPIAL Football Rankings

Last week's ranking in parenthesis.

Class AAAA
1. Gateway 10-0 (1)
2. Woodland Hills 9-1 (2)
3. Bethel Park 9-1 (3)
4. North Allegheny 9-1 (5)
5. Pgh Central Catholic 8-2 (NR)
6. Shaler 9-1
7. Penn Hills 5-5
8. North Hills 5-5

Class AAA
1. Thomas Jefferson 10-0 (1)
2. Hopewell 10-0 (2)
3. West Allegheny 8-2 (3)
4. New Castle 8-2 (NR)
5. Mars 7-3 (NR)
6. Franklin Regional 8-2
7. Uniontown 7-3
8. Hampton 6-4

Class AA
1. Mt. Pleasant 10-0 (1)
2. South Fayette 10-0 (2)
3. Aliquippa 9-1 (3)
4. Center 9-1 (4)
5. Beaver Falls 9-1 (5)
6. Keystone Oaks 9-1
7. Greensburg Central Catholic 8-2
8. Sto-Rox 8-2

Class A
1. Rochester 10-0 (1)
2. Clairton 9-1 (2)
3. Laurel 9-1 (3)
4. North Catholic 8-2 (4)
5. Avonworth 8-2 (NR)
6. Springdale 8-2
7. Beth-Center 8-2
8. Brentwood 6-4

WPIAL Football Quarterfinals Set

All games Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

WPIAL Football Quarterfinals
CLASS AAAA
Gateway (10-0) vs. Penn Hills (5-5) at Norwin High School
North Allegheny (9-1) vs. North Hills (5-5) at Pine-Richland High School
Woodland Hills (9-1) vs. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (8-2) at West Mifflin High School
Bethel Park (9-1) vs. Shaler (9-1) at Baldwin High School

CLASS AAA
Thomas Jefferson (10-0) vs. Franklin Regional (8-2) at Elizabeth Forward High School
West Allegheny (8-2) vs. New Castle (8-2) at North Allegheny High School
Hopewell (10-0) vs. Mars (7-3) at Ambridge High School
Hampton (6-4) vs. Uniontown (7-3) at Yough

CLASS AA
South Fayette (10-0) vs. Aliquippa (9-1) at Chartiers Valley High School
Beaver Falls (9-1) vs. Sto-Rox (8-2) at Seneca Valley High School
Mt. Pleasant (10-0) vs. Keystone Oaks (9-1) at Penn-Trafford High School
Center (9-1) vs. Greensburg Central Catholic (8-2) at Fox Chapel High School

CLASS A
Rochester (10-0) vs. Brentwood (6-4) at Montour High School
North Catholic (8-2) vs. Springdale (8-2) at Deer Lakes High School
Laurel (9-1) vs. Beth-Center (8-2) at Beaver High School
Clairton (9-1) vs. Avonworth at Chartiers-Houston High School

Games of the Week - First-round Edition

Lots of intriguing matchups throughout the WPIAL playoffs tonight including Penn Hills at Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon at Shaler, New Castle at Greensburg-Salem and Sto-Rox at Shady Side Academy.

Aliquippa (8-1) at McGuffey (7-2)
The Quips were one of three teams from the always-tough Midwestern Conference to finish 8-1 overall and 7-1 in conference. Center and Beaver Falls were the others. Aliquippa finished third thanks, in part, to its loss to Beaver Falls.

The last time Aliquippa lost in the first round came in 2005, when No. 14 Washington shut out the Quips, 7-0. That team was seeded to high. This version sure looks better than a No. 9 seed in Class AA but that's the only place the WPIAL could put Aliquippa because of the third-place finish.

McGuffey has played sound defense all year, particularly at home. The Highlanders allowed 12 points in five home games, all coming last week versus Washington. They'll need to chew up clock with the wing-T offense and create a couple turnovers in this one.

Trinity (4-5) at Mars (6-3)
A month ago, Trinity was 1-5 following what Hillers coach Ed Dalton called "embarrassing" performances against teams like Belle Vernon and Chartiers Valley. Three consecutive wins got Trinity back into the playoffs and one interesting first-round contest.

Sophomore running back Eric Richards has played well for Trinity and it's helped the passing game. Quarterback Andrew Steratore has two reliable targets in Joe Havrilak and Dusty Avolio. They'll need to make some big plays on the road against a tough Mars team.

The Planets run their own version of the wing-T and they'll challenge a Trinity defense that has played well this year despite the record. That defense will be without Ken Wilkins (mono).

Brentwood (5-4) at Fort Cherry (7-2)
Brentwood's regular season mirrors that of Trinity. It started 0-4 with losses to defending PIAA Class AA champion Wilmington, South Side Beaver, Avonworth and North Catholic. The latter two were the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Brentwood finished third thanks to a five-game win streak.

Of those final five wins, only one (Springdale) came against a team with more than three victories.

Fort Cherry has seven wins after rallying to take three straight following a puzzling loss to Avella. With the exception of a loss to Clairton, Fort Cherry finds ways to make big plays at Jim Garry Stadium, whether it's a long run or kickoff return from Gary Kiefer, a Tanner Garry to Nicholas Hurley touchdown pass or a blocked kick.