Ringgold basketball off to fast start
When the WPIAL realigned its basketball sections last spring, Ringgold boys coach Phil Pergola was optimistic his team would be moved out of rugged Section 4-AAA and into Section 3.
That did not happen.
Instead of joining Uniontown in Section 3, the Red Raiders were placed in Section 4, which already included West Mifflin, Steel Valley, Belle Vernon and Thomas Jefferson.
“There are more than a few strong teams,” Pergola joked. “We thought we’d join Uniontown, but they jumped into our section. You have them, West Mifflin, Steel Valley and after that, the rest of us are all kind of even.”
Pergola returned to Ringgold for a second coaching stint last season after coaching at California. He had a 233-216 record at Ringgold, where he guided the Rams to the WPIAL Class AAAA championship and state finals in 1990 and the PIAA Class AAAA title in 1995.
Last season, the Rams were 5-16 as they learned Pergola’s system with three sophomores receiving extensive playing time and a junior who had only played one year of organized basketball.
The growing pains were obvious as Ringgold allowed 59.2 points per game. The fruits of the team’s labor are showing in 2014-15.
The Rams are off to a 3-1 start and defeated Thomas Jefferson, 68-48, in the section opener Friday night. They are averaging almost 60 points per game and one returner is having a major impact.
George Martin, a 6-4 sophomore forward, is averaging 18 points per game and has been a nightmare for opponents. He was one of five players in double figures against the Jaguars, scoring a game-high 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
With his strong outside shot, Perogla can be creative with how he uses Martin.
“The last three games have just been tremendous for George,” Pergola said. “He’s been running the floor and just dominating. He can play a little small forward. He doesn’t have to sit down there and try to be a big man. Even though he’s 6-4, in our section, that’s not a big man.”
Ringgold’s lineup is filled with height and athleticism. Sophomore forward Dakota Browning (6-4), senior guard Ethan Defide, who has only played organized basketball for two years, sophomore guard Anthony Pampena and senior guard Nico Law make up the starting five.
Law has been a revelation after sitting out the 2013-14 season. A standout on the football field, Law is back on the hardwood as the Rams’ point guard and is flourishing, averaging 15.5 points per game and giving Pergola a quarterback for his motion offense.
“Nico is a very solid point guard. As quick as he is, he plays under control the whole time,” Pergola said. “For all the success he’s had in football, he didn’t bring any kind of cockiness to basketball. He’s a great kid and he’s been a very pleasant surprise.”
Though the makeup of his roster and its strong play to begin the season has Pergola excited for what is to come, he is not ready to declare the Rams a playoff team. Ringgold is allowing 46.5 points per game, and with seven consecutive section games looming, defense is the emphasis.
“We still have a ways to go, especially defensively,” Pergola said. “We have some opponents like West Mifflin and Belle Vernon who want to shoot the ball from three-point range as much as they can, so you have to make sure you are shutting down their guards. Then you get a team like Steel Valley and you have to shut down their big guys. It’s a mixture you have to be prepared for.”
South Fayette senior Logan Sharp, who was a force on offense and defense for the state champion Lions, gave an oral commitment last week to play football at Penn.
After a six-touchdown junior season, Sharp was even better as a senior, flashing receiving skills reminiscent of Justin Watson, an Observer-Reporter Elite 11 selection in 2013.
The two will be teammates once again as Sharp will play H-back for the Quakers.
Sharp was a key component in the Lions’ passing game this season with 48 catches for 856 yards and 13 touchdowns. He chose Penn over offers from Lafayette and Dartmouth.
Watson, who caught 22 touchdowns to help the Lions win the 2013 state title, had 42 catches for 497 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman at at Penn.
South Fayette senior lineman Anthony Davidson announced on Twitter Sunday evening that he will play football at Johns Hopkins University. The Lions’ best linemen, Davidson missed the final four games of the season because of injury.
The California Area School Board voted last week to open Bo Teets’ job as football coach of the Trojans. Teets coached Cal for two years, finishing with a 5-14 record without a playoff appearance.
He replaced former coach Brady Barbero after a lengthy career as an assistant at Monessen and Belle Vernon.
The Trojans were vastly inexperienced after losing 10 seniors from 2013 and had only six seniors on this year’s roster. They struggled with consistency, averaging just 11.1 points per game and allowing 34.1 points per game. Cal’s only victory came Oct. 10 over West Greene.
According to athletic director Chris Minerd, the school hopes to have a new head coach as early as January.
The 2015 WPIAL football season will feature four changes to the WPIAL’s conferences.
The realignment stems from the merger of Ford City and Kittanning into Armstrong High School. Both schools competed in Class AA’s Allegheny Conference in 2014, but the new enrollment places Armstrong in Class AAA. As a result, it has joined the Greater Allegheny Conference with perennial powers Gateway and Frankilin Regional.
Though four total changes were made, only two impact local teams. Ringgold and Trinity will have another Big Nine rival with Yough joining the conference, and Quaker Valley has left the Century Conference for the Midwestern in Class AA.
Yough was 0-9 record in the Greater Allegheny Conference last season and the Quakers missed the Class AA playoffs with four losses.
The other change is Summit Academy relocating from the Midwestern Conference to the Allegheny Conference.