OK, I've teased it for months. It's finally time to unveil my all-time high school football team.
Followers of the Varsity Letters might remember the two exceptions to the team:
1. The player must come from the Observer-Reporter coverage area.
2. The player must have played high school football during a point from Sept. 1999 to the present, which covers my period of employment here.
Note: At some point, I'll list the others who nearly made the cut.
Offense
QB – Jim Gallagher, Peters Township
RB – Bobby Hathaway, Carmichaels
Robert Heller, Ringgold
Ben Jennings, Trinity
FB – Lanfer Simpson, Waynesburg
TE – Doug Fife, Peters Township
OL – Elliott Bates, Chartiers-Houston
J.J. Knabb, Peters Township
Colin Miles, Washington
Andy Miller, Trinity
Dan Mozes, Washington
WR – Javon Hines, South Fayette
Perry Ivery, Fort Cherry
K – Todd James, Ringgold
Defense
DL – Don Harbison, Fort Cherry
Dan Mozes, Washington
Dan Pickens, South Fayette
Mick Williams, Monessen
LB – Doug Rheam, Canon-McMillan
Andrew Sweat, Trinity
Travis Thomas, Washington
Mike Yancich, Trinity
DB – Dale Calloway, Washington
Lee Fritz, Waynesburg
Josh Kemp, Fort Cherry
Donte Valentino, California
P – Joe Farkas, South Fayette
11 comments:
How could Mike Sutton, Diotae walker, J.R Ward and Mark Clark be left out
Newsflash: There are talented players to suit up outside of Wash High anon.
Now, as for Diontae Walker. He's not on the list because he had graduated high school before I started at the O-R. The only time I saw Walker play a sport was in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA basketball playoffs against Aliquippa at Keystone Oaks. Worked at the Beaver County Times at the time and left thinking Walker was a poor sport. Watched him deliberately trip two Quips after the outcome was decided.
Sutton, one of my favorite athletes and the first O-R Boys Athlete of the Year, just missed being named at WR. In all honesty, I thought Ivery and Hines were better athletes and both were all-state performers.
Mark Clark played at Georgetown and was a good defensive back. Just not good enough to make my starting team.
As for Ward, he'll forever have a spot in Wash High lore for scoring the winning TD in the state title game and he was tough, but there was no way he was better than any of the RB, FB or LB on this list.
Mike, Who would you like coach this team beside Guy.
What about Matt Stay and Steve Hvidza from Beth-Center. Stay was AP 1st team all state as a senior and 2nd team all state as a junior along with Denfensive player of the year for the Black Hills conference as a junior. Hvidza was AP 2nd team all state as a senior and the Defensive player of the year for the Black Hills conference as a senior.
I think you have been fair with this team. However, I think the following should/could have made a spot:
Brendan Steele, DB, Canon-Mac
Mike Hull, RB, Canon-Mac
M. Doppleheur. OL-DL, Waynesburg
Justin Gregula, PK-P or QB, Washington
Chase Helon, LB, Monessen
Brandon Jackson, DB, Monessen
Lloyd Price, LB, Ringgold
Robert Minnie, DL, Ringgold
The names escape me for the moment but Charelroi had a real tough DL and a LB in recent years Dave ???, who was really good.
As always, a list like this is subjective.
Mike Hull did not make the list because he is a sophomore and has a lot of high school football left. I do have a feeling by the end of his senior year, he may be the best player the Washington-Greene region has produced in quite some time. He's an outstanding football player.
Waynesburg's Brandon Doppleheuer (sp?) came very close to making the list as a DL. In fact, he was the last guy to get cut.
Gregula was almost the punter as well though I had three or four other QBs ahead of him.
Maybe and just maybe this is why your have one of worst sport sections around. Thank GOD these are only your THOUGHTS. This may be why you are a sports writer and not a coach. Didn't someone once say your paper was so bad they wouldn't use it in the bottom of their bird cage.
Sounds like someone forget the mood stabilizers today.
Or someone's cranky they didn't make the team.
Who knows for sure? There's no name.
At least I have enough chutzpa the put my name with my writing Anon.
albert miles, brendan steele, dan wingard should get a mention
sweat and yancich were poop. We played against them for 3 years and in all three years they made 7 tackles combined. There were much better linebackers then them, and the receivers could use some work too.
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