Sep 30 2008
Mike White |10:15 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 30
Did you know Thomas Jefferson, Rochester and Pittsburgh Central Catholic are second, third and fourth in the state in wins since 2000.
That's the kind of information you get from the Pennsylvania Football News website. www.pafootballnews.com. Rich Vetock and Tom Eiling do a tremendous job with the site. Part of the site is where Mike Hull keeps track of what Pennsylvania teams have the best records since the start of the 2000 season (through last week). Here is the top 25 in terms of victories, with WPIAL and City League teams in bold type. Districts are in parentheses next to each team.
SOUTHERN COLUMBIA(D4) 111-11
THOMAS JEFFERSON(D7) 100-14
ROCHESTER(D7) 95-20
PITTSBURGH CENTRAL CATH(D7) 94-15
MANHEIM CENTRAL(D3) 94-18
STRATH HAVEN(D1) 92-16
ST JOSEPHS PREP(D12) 90-17
SELINSGROVE(D4) 89-20
LAKELAND(D2) 89-18
NORTH PENN(D1) 88-21
JEANNETTE(D7) 88-14
ALIQUIPPA(D7) 88-16
WYOMISSING(D3) 84-18
PERRY(D8) 84-22
GEORGE WASHINGTON(D12) 83-21
TYRONE(D6) 82-19
UPPER ST CLAIR(D7) 80-18
BELLWOOD ANTIS(D6) 80-22
WILMINGTON(D10) 79-21
RIDLEY(D1) 79-25
DeCicco to visit Wisconsin
Thomas Jefferson football player Brock DeCicco will visit Wisconsin next weekend for the Penn State game. DeCicco is ranked among the best tight ends in the eastern part of the country. Pitt is still hot after DeCicco and his final decision most likely will come down to Pitt and Wisconsin.
Sep 29 2008
Mike White |8:45 a.m., Monday, Sept. 29
Tom Droney, a standout junior on the Sewickley Academy basketball team, visited Wake Forest and Davidson this past weekend, but only one of the schools made his cut.
Droney has decided to cross Wake Forest off his list of schools. Although he is still looking at a few other colleges, Droney said his top three are now Pitt, Notre Dame and Davidson. There is a reason Droney is no longer considering Wake Forest, which offered a scholarship.
"The big factor is they already have two guards committed from the same [junior] class as me," Droney said. "I just don't see where I'd get that much playing time."
Droney was impressed with Davidson and said he is intrigued by how Davidson has developed guard Stephen Curry into one of the top guards in the country, and how the Wildcats made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last spring.
"I got there around 7:30 or 8 Friday night and the whole team came outside to meet me. That was pretty cool," Droney said.
The whole team - except Curry. "He had his wisdom teeth out that day," Droney said.
Notre Dame offered Droney a scholarship only recently and he said he wants to visit the school. Droney had said he wanted to make a college decision this fall, but he is now unsure when he will decide. He can't sign a binding letter of intent until November of his senior year.
Brown makes impact
A story in One Of America's Great Newspapers today points out how Gateway's Dorian Bell is having a terrific season. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08273/915953-365.stm. But the other half of Gateway's dynamic duo also has been making a big impact.
Corey Brown, a senior receiver-defensive back, and Bell are both Ohio State recruits. Brown has 22 receptions for 386 yards. He already has set the school record for touchdown catches in a season with 10. On defense, he has 20 tackles, including two for loss, one forced fumble and two interceptions.
Sep 27 2008
Mike White |1:15 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 27
Notes, thoughts and anecdotes after the fifth Friday of the high school football season.
Sto-Rox junior quarterback Paul Jones has scholarship offers from Pitt, North Carolina State and Duke. After seeing him play for the first time Friday, I certainly wouldn't be going out on a limb by saying Jones will have many more scholarship offers by the time he's a senior.
Jones is good. It's hard to find something bad about him. He's big (6 feet 3, 225 pounds), he's strong, he moves fairly well and he has an excellent arm. He can stand on one hashmark and zip a pass on a line to the other sideline. Plus, he plays in a spread offense, which might also make him more attractive to colleges. He completed 16 of 18 passes for 182 yards in a 35-24 victory against Seton-LaSalle Friday.
"I think one of the big things about him is how big he is," said Seton-LaSalle coach Greg Perry. "They're not fibbing in the program when they say he's 6-3, 225. He can stand in there and take a hit."
Plus, he's productive and accurate. Over the past two seasons, he has 34 touchdown passes in 14 games. He's completed 68 percent of his passes (67 of 98).
One to watch
Montay Green. Remember the name. You might be hearing it and seeing it a lot more in the future. Green rushed for 153 yards in Fox Chapel's victory against Kiski Area, and word is that Green is a Division I prospect for the future. He's only a sophomore, and he's 6 feet 1, 220 pounds. Fox Chapel coach Bryan Deal speaks highly of Green and believes he is a definite prospect for the future. Deal should know. He used to be Pitt's recruiting coordinator and coached former Pitt running back Nick Goings at Dublin Scioto in Ohio. Goings spent a few years in the NFL.
Quips rebound
Aliquippa had lost two games in a row for the first time since 2001. Apparently, the losses upset the Quips and they took out their frustration on Mohawk, defeating the Warriors, 61-18. It was the most points scored by Aliquippa since 1963 when the Quips defeated Masontown, W.Va., 63-0. The 61 points for Aliquippa ties for thrid-most in school history. The school record is 68, set against Avonworth in 1919.
Watching his alma mater
Former Seton-LaSalle quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was on the sideline to watch his alma mater play Sto-Rox Friday at Chartiers Valley. Gradkowski played a few seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being released in May. His father said Bruce is working out and staying in shape, hoping to hook on with another NFL team. He has been to a few workouts with some NFL teams, but has not been signed.
Former West Allegheny and Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko is in the same position as Gradkowski. He was cut by the New Orleans Saints and is working out, hoping to possibly get signed by another team.
The other Corey Brown
Gateway's Corey Brown is one of the top seniors in the state, a receiver-defensive back who is headed to Ohio State. On the other side of the state, another Corey Brown is one of Pennsylvania's top juniors. This Corey Brown is a 6-foot-1, 180-pound running back at Cardinal O'Hara High in Philadelphia. He has many Division I colleges interested in him and had 565 yards on 56 carries heading into this weekend. West Virginia, Notre Dame and Colorado already have offered scholarships to O'Hara's Corey Brown.
Player of the year?
It's about the halfway point of the regular season. Who would be your player of the year? I might have said Seneca Valley's C.J. Brown coming into this week, but the Raiders were trounced by North Allegheny and Brown was 16 of 31 for 168 yards. Maybe Gateway's Dorian Bell is back on top as the leading candidate for player of the year. He was generally regarded as the top college prospect in the WPIAL before the season because of his talent at linebacker. But Bell rushed for 168 yards against Norwin Friday, his third 100-yard game of the year. Or what about Sto-Rox quarterback Paul Jones, who is putting up big numbers at Sto-Rox and has led the Vikings to a 5-0 record.
Check this out
* You had to feel bad for Seton-LaSalle senior running back David Cortese. At halftime of the Sto-Rox-Seton-LaSalle game, Cortese was announced as homecoming king. But he waasn't on the field to be recognized. He was at a hospital. Cortese was injured with one second left in the first half and was taken off the field on a stretcher. Seton-LaSalle coach Greg Perry said Cortese was moving his limbs, but was taken to the hospital because he had numbness in his neck.
* Mike Sivak, North Hills' leading rusher through the first four weeks, is most likely done for the season with a knee injury suffered in Week 4 vs. Baldwin. Elijah David became the feature back in North Hills' offense and rushed for 119 yards in an overtime win against Pine-Richland.
* Highlands coach Sam Albert has been saying publicly that he can't believe quarterback Jeff Sinclair doesn't have a scholarship offer from a Division I-A school. Well, Robert Morris recently offered Sinclair a scholarship. Robert Morris is I-AA.
* Clairton quarterback Andrew Currington averaged 23 yards a completion against Fort Cherry, and his average went "down." Currington was averaging 30.2 yards per completion entering the game.
Sep 26 2008
Mike White |11:10 a.m., Friday, Sept. 26
Sewickley Academy basketball player Tom Droney has two more scholarship offers from big-time Division I college programs.
Droney, a junior guard, was recently offered scholarships by Notre Dame and West Virginia. Droney already had offers from Pitt and Wake Forest, and Droney is on a visit to Wake Forest this weekend.
Droney had said a few weeks ago that Pitt and Wake Forest were his top two schools and he still plans on making a decision at some point this fall. He can't sign a binding letter of intent until November of next year (his senior year). It says here that Pitt will end up being his pick.
Question of the week
Should Penn Hills let Neil Gordon go as football coach? That is our question of the week in our Varsity Xtra section. To cast your vote in the pool, go to this link: http://www.post-gazette.com/polls/default.asp?pollID=2705
Elsewhere
* North Allegheny volleyball player Jackie Lang has made a verbal commitment to Miami, Ohio. Lang is one of the top volleyball players in the area.
* If Ford City beats Freeport tonight, Ford City will tie a record with its 23rd Allegheny Conference win in a row. Richland (now Pine-Richland) won 23 in a row from 1968-71.
Sep 23 2008
Class AAAA:
1. Gateway (7) (4-0), Defeated Penn-Trafford, 44-8, (1)
2. Bishop McDevitt (3), (4-0) Defeated Central Dauphin,47-17, (2)
3. North Penn (1) (4-0) Defeated Central Bucks South, 31-14, (3)
4. Cardinal O'Hara (12) (4-0) Defeated Monsignor Bonner, 33-0, (5)
5. McKeesport Area (7), (3-1) Defeated McDowell, 19-13, (6)
6. Wilson (3) (4-0), Defeated J.P. McCaskey, 44-7, (7)
7. Garnet Valley (1) (4-0) Defeated Strath Haven, 27-7, (8)
8. Bethlehem Liberty (11) (3-1), Defeated William Allen, 66-0, (9)
9. LaSalle College (12) (3-1), Defeated St. Joseph's Prep, 31-17, (NR)
10. Bethel Park (7) (4-0) Defeated Woodland Hills, 31-14, (OTW)
Class AAA:
1. Strong Vincent (10) (4-0), Defeated Cathedral Prep, 40-14, (1)
2. Thomas Jefferson (7) (3-1), Defeated Ringgold, 41-7, (2)
3. Berwick Area (2) (4-0), Defeated Wyoming Valley West, 34-7, (3)
4. Wilson Area(11) (4-0) Defeated Catasauqua, 35-14, (4)
5. Blackhawk (7) (4-0) Defeated New Brighton, 55-7, (5)
6. Highlands (7), (4-0), Defeated Kiski Area, 48-31, (6)
7. Montour (7) (3-1), Defeated Moon, 16-14, (7)
8. Abington Heights (2) (3-1), Defeated West Scranton, 42-13, (8)
9. Bangor (11) (4-0), Defeated Palisades, 35-12, (OTW)
10. Mechanicsburg (3) (4-0) Defeated Northern York, 23-21, (OTW)
Class AA:
1. Dunmore (2) (4-0) Defeated Lakeland, 35-13, (1)
2. Beaver Falls (7) (4-0) Defeated Ellwood City, 45-14, (2)
3. Jeannette (7) (4-0) Defeated Waynesburg Central, 49-0, (3)
4. Greensburg Central Catholic (7) (4-0) Defeated Mount Pleasant, 49-13, (5)
5. Mount Carmel Area (4) (4-0) Defeated Warrior Run, 66-0, (6)
6. Delone Catholic (3) (4-0) Defeated Biglerville, 35-0, (7)
7. West Catholic (12) (3-1) Defeated Archbishop Carroll, 63-12, (8)
8. Trinity (3) (3-1), Defeated Susquenita, 50-0, (10)
9. Wilmington (10) (4-0) Defeated Oil City, 21-0, (OTW)
10. Beaver Area (7) (4-0) Defeated Aliquippa, 21-14, (OTW)
Class A:
1. Steelton-Highspire (3) (4-0) Defeated Palmyra, 46-0, (1)
2. Riverside (2) (4-0) Defeated Valley View, 32-20, (2)
3. Schuylkill Haven (11) (4-0) Defeated North Schuylkill, 54-19, (3)
4. Southern Columbia (4) (4-0) Defeated Loyalsock Township, 54-7, (4)
5. Rochester (7) (4-0), Defeated Western Beaver, 41-7, (5)
6. Clairton (7) (4-0), Defeated Bentworth, 51-0, (6)
7. Bishop McCort (6) (4-0) Defeated Bishop Carroll, 31-7, (7)
8. Williams Valley (11) (4-0), Defeated Millersburg, 49-14, (8)
9. Portage Area (6) (4-0), Defeated Conemaugh Township, 47-7, (9)
10. Avonworth (7) (4-0), Defeated Wilkinsburg, 40-6, (OTW)
Sep 23 2008
Sep 21 2008
Colin Dunlap | 12:01 a.m. Monday, Sept., 22, 2008
Before you go any further, STOP AND READ THIS!
Well, it is a solidly written and reported piece by Tom Keller of the Greensboro (N.C.) News-Record that speaks to just how sickening and ridiculous high school sports can be taken by some people.
A quick thumbnail of the story:
- Basketball coach at School A has an influx of players.
- Athletic director at School B thinks basketball coach at School A is recruiting and makes it known publicly.
- Basketball coach at School A sues athletic director at School B, asking for punitive damages of more than $10,000 for "mental pain
and suffering, humiliation, embarrassment, and injury to his
reputation."
Let me ask you: Is this really something that needs to be tying up our already bogged down court system?
Am I the only one who sees this as the height of ridiculousness?
Leave your comments on here and let me know how you feel about this.
(By the way, pictured below is the coach in question, a fellow by the name of Stan Kowalewski)
Sep 20 2008
Mike White | 1:30 a.m., Sat., Sept. 20, 2008
Notes, thoughts and anecdotes after the fourth Friday of the high school football season
Central Catholic has turned to a freshman as its starting tailback.
Central Catholic defeated Upper St. Clair, 10-9, Friday night and Central Catholic's leading rusher was Andrew Ehrenberg. His statistics weren't overwhelming - 49 yards on 14 carries. But how often does a Class AAAA team ranked in the top five of the WPIAL put a freshman at running back? Ehrenberg didn't start because of an injury. He started because of his talent.
"Our coaches have been telling me, 'He's moving up the [depth] chart, he's moving up the chart,'" said Central Catholic coach Terry Totten.
Ehrenberg is 5 feet 9, 175 pounds. He has good bloodlines. His father is Rich Ehrenberg, a former Steeler running back.
"He's been running the ball solid for us since camp," Totten siad. "He's hard to get off his feet and he has great instincts. He's only a freshman, but man, he's tough. He's gifted and he knows his assignments."
Ehrenberg was one of two freshman who ran the ball for Central Catholic. The other was Damian Jones-Moore, a 5-5, 155-pounder who had 19 yards on five carries.
Central Catholic lost its top two tailbacks before the season when they left school - Dom Timbers and Jeff Knox. Timbers is now at Woodland Hills.
Ehrenberg was one of two players in the game who are sons of former Steelers. Clay Ilkin, a senior receiver for Upper St. Clair, is the son of former Steeler lineman Tunch Ilkin.
Nine more for Plautz
Seneca Valley quarterback Matt Plautz is on a torrid receiving pace. His nine receptions last night gives him a WPIAL-high 33 for the season. That's almost nine catches a game. As impressive as that sounds, he's behind the record pace of former Seton-LaSalle receiver Carmen Connolly. In 2004, Connolly set the WPIAL regular-season record for receptions with 86 in nine games.
Check the record
This is not to downgrade what Neil Gordon is doing in his first season as Shaler's coach. The Titans are 4-0 under Gordon. But before we christen Shaler as a WPIAL championship contender, consider that three of Shaler's defeats were against teams that are still winless (Baldwin, Mt. Lebanon and Hampton). Shaler's other opponent, Hempfield, is 2-2.
Mars makes noise
Was Mars supposed to be this good? Scott Heinauer thought he would've had a possible top five team in Class AA this season. But the Planets moved up to AAA and many expected the Planets to struggle. But they are 3-1 and two of the wins came against Class AAAA teams - Plum two weeks ago and Fox Chapel last night.
Exactly how good Mars is should be known Thursday night. Mars plays host to Highlands Thursday in the FSN Game of the Week. Highlands is 4-0 and the Post-Gazette's No. 3-ranked Class AAAA team.
More top games
Some other top games Friday night are North Allegheny at Seneca Valley, Butler at Shaler, Blackhawk at Hopewell, Sto-Rox at Seton-LaSalle and Fort Cherry at Clairton.
I'm just sayin'
* Terrelle Pryor was one of the greatest players in WPIAL history. But he's gone and Jeannette is still destroying opponents. So maybe people should start to realize that Ray Reitz is a pretty darn good coach.
* Upper St. Clair's student section at home games has become one of the best in the WPIAL - in football and basketball.
* Impressive win for Bethel Park over Woodland Hills, 31-14. Even more impressive when you consider Bethel Park's standout running back, Lyle Marsh, did not play for the second consecutive week.
* If you need a touchdown on the last play of the game, Bethel Park quarterback Erik Olson might be your man. Olson threw a touchdown pass on the last play of the game last week to beat North Hills. He did the same thing a year ago on the last play to beat Penn Hills.
Sep 19 2008
Mike White | 10:10 a.m., Fri., Sept. 19, 2008
I'm just sayin'
Perusing the holes in one this morning in "One of America's Great Newspapers," there was a Chuck Wagner of Oakmont who had a hole-in-one on No. 6 at Oakmonth Country Club yesterday. Surely, this had to be the Chuck Wagner who is the veteran coach at Springdale High and who was the Post-Gazette Coach of the Year a few seasons ago. Wagner lives in Oakmont.
But hold on. It was another Chuck Wagner who had the hole-in-one. Like the Springdale coach, this Chuck Wagner also lives in Oakmont.
The two Chucks know each other and live about three blocks from each other. In fact, they played Oakmont together earlier this summer - and they are often mistaken for each other.
"This guy and I have been pains to each other for years," said the Springdale coach.
We'll let the coach tell more of the story.
"I went to Bucknell and played football there in the 1950s. This Chuck Wagner went to Bucknell, too, and played golf in the 1970s. He's a very good golfer. Every time I go back to Bucknell, people will say things to me like, 'Chuck, how's the golf game? If we play, you have to give me a lot of strokes.'
"I say 'What are you talking about?' They say, 'C'mon, we see what you do in golf.'
"I tell them that I'm not that Chuck Wagner. They don't believe me."
Bergman name
While on the subject of names and Oakmont Country Club, check this out: Sophomore Tyler Bergman is one of the top players on North Hills' golf team, which has an 11-1 record. Bergman regularly shoots in the mid 30s on nine holes for the Indians. His aunt, Beth Bergman, had a hole-in-one at Oakmont a few weeks ago.
Check this out
* Beaver Falls football standout Todd Thomas said last week he will probably make a college decision in the next few weeks. Look for it to be either Pitt or Michigan. But no matter what college he chooses, don't look for him to be on that campus next fall. It's almost certain Thomas will attend a prep school next year to raise his grades and SAT scores. Colleges can recruit him again at the prep school.
* Erie McDowell senior A.J. Fenton recently made a verbal commitment to Wisconsin. Fenton plays quarterback and linebacker for McDowell, but was recruited to play defense. Pitt was one of his other top choices.
Sep 17 2008
Colin Dunlap | 8:19 p.m., Wed., Sept. 17, 2008
Needed to run an errand today over to Oakland from my place on Pittsburgh's North Side. When that is the case, I head through the Hill District, as it is the most direct route and saves a ton of time. It seems that every time I drive through there, it never fails that I think about Major Harris, one of The Hill's most famous sons, and the magic he had both in his legs and his powerful right arm when he was the QB at West Virginia.
Before Michael Vick, there was Major.
Before Vince Young, there was Major.
Before Terrelle Pryor, there was Major.
After I got home from driving back through The Hill, I just felt for some reason that I needed to dig up the YouTube clip below. It is Major's 1989 highlight video, and it is simply amazing.
Also, take a few minutes to read one of the finest pieces of sports journalism ever penned. It is from the late Ralph Wiley and it is titled, 'Up from the Hill.'
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