No time to rest for PT and Canon-Mac hockey teams
Finding extra time to practice in preparation for the PIHL Class AAA playoffs is the least of Peters Township head coach Rick Tingle’s worries.
The Indians (16-4-2), who received the second seed in the AAA playoffs’ new bracket-style format, have an even bigger concern. Several of Peters Township’s most skilled players have juggled high school hockey with their AAA amateur travel teams.
On top of the competing in the PIHL’s 22-game regular-season schedule, those players are on elite amateur teams that have already completed a 60-70 game schedule with the possibility of more to come. Combined with balancing practice time for both teams, those players are attempting to stay focused as they prepare to compete for the Penguins Cup.
When the Indians open the PIHL playoffs tonight against No. 7 Upper St. Clair at the Iceoplex at Southpointe (7:45 p.m.), physical and mental exhaustion might be unavoidable.
“Is everyone healthy, does everyone have their energy level still?,” Tingle pondered. “It’s been a long season for some of these kids. You can’t control that anywhere. The resting is another whole thing. Kids play way too many games at amateur, but I’m not the one making the decision on that. We just have to manage around it. That’s a lot of games.”
Tingle, who has led Peters Township to five Penguins Cups and two state titles, has dealt with the problem for years. Throughout this season, some of his players were unable to make practices or games because of obligations with their amateur teams.
Those programs play showcase tournaments all over the country that could include as many as five games in a two-to-three day span.
“We may well end up not playing them as much in a game as well,” Tingle said. “They have to qualify for the playoffs and different things too, so you don’t have the luxury when you only have 22 games when scratching people all the time. You really don’t have the ability to manage that as much as you would like. Again, we don’t play nearly the number of games they do in their amateur programs.”
Canon-McMillan head coach Terry Virtue is less concerned. The Big Macs’ second-year head coach, who played professionally from 1991-2007, including five games in the NHL, is still new to the high school game.
He grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, where amateur hockey reaches a religion-like level. Few high schools fielded teams when Virtue was growing up in Canada. Participating in a long, amateur schedule is simply part of the game.
Though four of Virtue’s players participate in AAA, Virtue does not see that as an issue for fourth-seeded Canon-McMillan (14-7-1), which opens the PIHL AAA playoffs tonight against Seneca Valley at the Iceoplex (5:45 p.m.).
“These guys all love playing for their high schools. If you ask the majority of the AAA players if they would rather play for their AAA team or their high school team, a lot of them would pick their high school team,” Virtue said. “They want to win with the guys they grew up with. You talk about a lot of games, but when it comes to playoff time and playing for each other, they aren’t tired.”
The prospect of playing alongside classmates and longtime friends for the Penguins Cup at the Consol Energy Center can have often be the catalyst that sparks teams past the exhausting schedules. The Big Macs also are riding high after defeating the defending state champion Indians for the first time in four years last weekend.
“Any time you get into a big building like that, it’s something special for a whole lot of them,” Virtue said. “They might not get another opportunity to do it. It’d be a great experience for them and they’ll do what it takes to get there.”
Swart receives offer
Washington High School junior tight end/defensive end Nate Swart, an Observer-Reporter Elite 11 selection last fall, received his first Division I football scholarship offer Saturday from the University of Toledo.
Swart, a 6-5, 230-pound force on the line of scrimmage, ranked second on the Prexies’ in three receiving categories with 18 catches, 358 yards and four touchdowns as a tight end. He also registered 31 tackles, including 10 ½ for a loss and 3 ½ sacks on defense.
“Looking back on it, you are constantly trying to push your players and you don’t really see how well they perform sometimes, but after looking back and now seeing him getting this offer, you realize that as a tight end, how many passes he caught and how well he blocked,” Wash High head coach Mike Bosnic said, “all of the great things he did and what a good football player he is.”
Isbell commits to West Liberty
Washington senior DeQuay Isbell, who helped the Prexies’ 3,200-meter relay team win the PIAA title last spring, committed to play football at West Liberty University Monday.
Isbell, a first-team O-R all-district selection, finished third in the WPIAL with 31.7 yards per reception. He caught 24 passes for 761 yards and scored 20 total touchdowns. Isbell had seven multi-touchdown games.
The Hilltoppers finished last season with a 6-5 overall record, including a 6-4 mark in NCAA Division II’s Mountain East Conference.
Cenname, Davis choose Waynesburg U
Waynesburg High School seniors Hunter Cenname and John-Glen Davis will continue their athletic and academic careers at Waynesburg University.
The bruising running backs led the Raiders to their first trip to the WPIAL playoffs since 2003. Cenname, an O-R First-Team All-District selection, rushed for 1,471 yards and 20 touchdowns.
In just over four games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, Davis rushed for 565 yards and nine touchdowns.