With the 2007-08 school year more than a month behind us, the time to think about 2008-09 is here. With that, the following is a list of 10 area student-athletes (in alphabetical order) the Varsity Letters expects big things from this year.
Emily Correal, Peters Township
The 6-3 Correal is the WPIAL's top senior girls basketball player according to ESPN and the two-time O-R Player of the Year has eight scholarship offers to date. A big senior year could make Correal the first player in Wash Co. history to reach 2,000 points during a high school career.
Jocelyn Floyd, Washington
Floyd displays athleticism, toughness and uncanny defensive abilities on the basketball court and the senior should have her choice of schools this year.
Alex Frey, Trinity
Frey is an underrated football player. He started at receiver and defensive back as a junior for the Hillers. Plus, he's one of the better left-handed pitchers in the area and could carry the Hillers to another deep postseason run.
Chad Hagan, Canon-McMillan
Word is the multi-talented Hagan, a junior, will return to the Big Macs football team and, if he does, you can bet Division I coaches will take note. As for basketball, Hagan's first love, his role will change dramatically with the departure of Charles Murphy.
Austin Hancock, Peters Township
Many believed Hancock was good enough to start at quarterback last year for Peters Township as a freshman and with Tyler Porco on the roster. This year figures to be Hancock's year. He also played a strong first base for the baseball team and could develop into one of the WPIAL's premier power hitters.
Mike Hull, Canon-McMillan
Hull finished as runner-up in voting for the 2008 O-R Boys Athlete of the Year. This year, the award is his to lose. Hull is one of the top two-way football players in Pennsylvania. He also is a PIAA medal-winning wrestler in addition to being the leadoff hitter for the defending state champion baseball team.
Jack Jamerson, Trinity
Jamerson may not be as well-known as others on the list but he could be the area's most highly recruited senior football player. A big, tough defensive end, Jamerson is drawing DI interest. Also, look for Hillers junior Kenny Wilkins to make major contributions.
Joby Lapkowicz, Carmichaels
Lapkowicz broke an ankle during the PIAA Class A baseball semifinals and his chances of returning in time to be the Mikes starting quarterback this fall look bleak. Still, Lapkowicz could contribute to the boys basketball team and the senior has one more year on the baseball team.
Rachel Rohanna, Waynesburg
Rohanna, currently tearing up the competition in various national junior golf tournaments, returns for her senior year and a chance to become a three-time PIAA and WPIAL girls golf champion. Plus, people forget she'll be a four-year starter on the girls softball team.
Julie Stroyne, Peters Township
In two years as a member of the Peters Township girls tennis team, Stroyne helped the Indians win a state team championship two years ago and she, along with Emily Palko, won state doubles gold last fall. This year, Stroyne will be among the favorites at the WPIAL and PIAA individual tournaments.
57 comments:
First of all just let me say that mike hull shoulda won athlete of the year this year conley only won becuz he was a senior, hagan is not gonna do very well in basketball, murphy basically put that team on his back when they struggled...hagan should just stick to football
hagan should just stick to football? why? because thats what he'll get a D1 scholarship in?
The kid loves the game of basketball and is very talented. Sure he's probably not going to attract the college attention that he can in football, but he has a fire and passion for the hardwood. I think Chad will do fine this year. He is a kid who always wants to get better and is very competitive. I really don't see many individual players in CM's section being able to stop him.
I agree, the gridiron has the brightest future for Chad, and with his athleticism, theres not a position that he couldn't line up at and be successful playing. He IMO is the x-factor to CM's season this year. Sure Hull is the studd, but Hagan is a great threat to have so Hull isn't the sole focus of a defense. His freshman year he led the team in rushing without really being a starter. I kinda see Hull/Hagan a little like Ed Collington and Ken Lewis from Penn Hills a few years back. They, and the rest of the team for that matter, should be exciting to watch.
the kid has no left hand and is a very streaky shooter, if hes not on shooting every night then hes gonna have a tough time scoring. He had a tough time last year without being the main guy, how is he gonna react now that hes the main part of the other teams defensive schemes
Kids don't improve from their sophomore to junior years?
If he's not shooting he can take it to the hoop and score. The kid is quick and tough.
Brian and Anonymous: PLEASE. We all know the basketball team will rest on the shoulders of Mike Turtle D Toward. Rick Bell has been grooming him to be Murphy's replacement for 3 years now. Toward easily could go D-1 in both basketball and baseball. Right now, he has several programs interested in him for both sports collegiately. My point is, no one cares about Chad Hagan. The only Hagan that matters is Christine and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Hagan is D-2 trash. So lets try to stay focused on the real CM athletes instead of some never-was.
Terrelle Pryor?
Year after year we rush to conclusions. How about we let the season play out and see who's left standing.
Right choice on Conley as athlete of year. He won state, regional and section titles and won in Wrestling Classic. State title was by pin. Hull didn't even win the section title.
Hulls section was a little harder. Conley didn't even beat Hull
i still dont kno who this conley character is. hull is by far the best athlete in the wpial
Hull was also the leadoff hitter and center fielder for the AAAA state champ baseball team and I think you'd be giving Conley way too much credit to compare him to Hull in football.
Does anyone know which ACC schools have offered Michael Toward for baseball at this time? I had heard Duke and Boston College. Any confirmation would be great. Also is it true that Toward is going to be attending the prestigious invite-only Ed Santa HOT 15 prospects camp?
Turtle has received an offer to pitch and play the position of his choice (likely short stop) at the University of Miami(Fl). I can definitely see him fitting in down there and he would certainly be a great addition to that pitching staff.
Word at the winter meetings have turtle being draft for baseball and basketball. I think he should play both at the next level
I heard Turtle is going to be a late addition to the USA Olympic Basketball and Baseball teams. There were discussions that he may have failed a random PED test, but it appears that those were way off-base and Turtle seems focused on capturing the gold.
Turtle has been seen around the burg driving a brand new black 500Benz convertible with USA tags.
is he going to ohio state?
Toward is the most impressive prospect I've seen in my 32 years of baseball. I love this kid as a pitcher and would have to think he is easily the best 2010 draft prospect in PA.
toward reminds me of a mini-babe ruth.
Apparently Nike has introduced a new line called "Turtle Gear" I've heard that this line will include clothing, shoes, and baseball and basketball sporting goods.
The deal is reportedly worth atleast $75million.
Mike Toward got shelled by Peters. Let's not put him in the majors just yet.
He didn't have his control that day because he was pitching with his eyes closed so that PT would have a chance. JJ got shelled by CM with his eyes OPEN, lets not put him in Low A yet...
I didn't get shelled by CM! My defense stuck (as usual) and my coaches clearly do not know how to play the way JJ plays. Have CM face me now and i'll shove 90mph+ where the sun dont shine.
JJ needs to buy an ab wheel if he wants to come close to the 8pack abs that turtle has!!
I spoke with Turtle briefly yesterday and he informed me that he had a fastball clocked at 103mph. This kid is for real!!!
Hull is the best athlete in the WPIAL? What have you been smoking? Get out of Canonsburg for once in your life and see what's in the WPIAL before you make a dumb statement like that. You don't know who Conley is..... that just shows your ignorance of WPIAL athletics.
Anonymous, you are right! Mike Hull is not the best athlete in the Wpial. But neither is Conley. Mike Toward is clearly the best athlete in the Wpial and probably the Piaa. Need examples? Well aside from pumping low 90s heat on the mound with the best curveball since Barry Zito was good, Toward has other exploits. The kid had never played golf until last week when at the school's golf tryouts he went out and shot a 6-under 30 on 9 holes at lindenwood. Not enough? Well he is going to be the starting shooting guard for the men's basketball team and should easily average 25 points per game--- totally replacing charles murphy's production. Toward also is an elite swimmer. He had to give up the sport when he entered high school, but he did win back-to-back junior national championships in the 50meter and 200 individual medley events. He was mentioned as "the next michael phelps" by swim america magazine. Still need more? Toward also trains in the art of Greco-Roman wrestling and has been talked about as a possible olympian in that sport as well.
As you can see, Toward is not only the best athlete in the Wpial, but before all is said and done we might be talking about him as the best athlete EVER. In fact, we may need to start breeding him if we want America to remain competitive on a global stage versus monsters like China and Russia.
Turtle aside, I don't even think it's a debate between Hull and Conley. Hull is an ELITE athlete.
Some sites already have him as one of the top ten football prospects in his class...AT ANY POSITION.
http://www.fvsports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=328&Itemid=94
He is an outstanding wrestler who got hurt in the PIAA tournament. (He also beat Conley).
And as mentioned before, was the leadoff hitter and center fielder on the state champion baseball team.
Why leave Canonsburg when you can watch a stud like this in all seasons?
Toward = way better than Hull nuff said
Denise, you sound an awful lot like a parent of young toward. Perhaps you should set your expectations to more realistic levels so that the boy can just go out and enjoy his sports career. I know Turtle is a great athlete (one of the best in the state) but he isn't going pro today, tomorrow, or any time in the near future. So lets take a reality break here and just let the boy play out his high school career before we start worrying about college and the pros.
i guess were just gonna have to wait until turtle and hull go pro in whatever sport they choose. then it will finally put an end to the nonsense talk of conley being the best in the wpial
Forget Conley, Hull, and Toward. The real future is a three-sport stud by the name of Grant Strimel. He already has D-1 offers for golf, hockey, and baseball. In golf, he is Cm's #1 player and capable of shooting in the low-mid 60's in any round. In hockey, he is a ferocious defenseman that is widely known for his great forechecking ability. In baseball, he is a flame throwing pitcher that is lights out every time he takes the mound. His opponents batting average against, when combining his spring and summer seasons, was below .150!!! That's cy young caliber. So let's put Grant Strimel in the discussion for best athlete in the area. If we don't, it's like the Houston Rockets winning back-to-back titles in the 90's when Michael Jordan was playing baseball.
Does anyone have any information on CM's starting QB for the coming year? A few people I've talked to indicated that it was a three horse race between Steve Roach (senior), Chad Hagan (Junior), and Ricky Lonero (Freshman).
wrong, wrong, and wrong again... its gonna be Turtle D and he will wear #69 for obvious reasons
Given the state title for CM baseball, I have started to think about an "All-decade" team for Canon-Mac baseball. Obviously we still have 1 season left in the "decade" but let's give it a shot.
C- Derek Zofchak
1B- Aaron Wiegel
2B- Chris Sidick
3B- Brian Muransky
SS- Matt Pierpont
OF- Chris Dittmar
OF- John Janco
OF- Brenden Steele
DH- Charles Murphy
P- Brian Muransky
P- Gary Pierpont
P- Chris Douglas
multiple brians?
yes Muransky was a stud two-way player brian. No one compares to his offensive and pitching exploits.
My All-Decade Team...
C- Alex Hernnberger
1B- Brandon Dittmar
2B- Andre Hayden
SS- Chris Sidick
3B- Michael Spartz
OF- John Janco
OF- Chris Dittmar
OF- Mike Mish
DH- Matt Pierpont
P- Brian Muransky
not what i was meaning... i meant multiple brians commenting... as in i am unsure who the person who posted under the name brian is...
where is the love for dick adkins and eric lang?
Sorry Brian I didn't realize you had the claim to the name. I also happen to be a Brian, but I will go by my nickname from now on. What do you think about an all-decade team? any thoughts?
No all-decade team would be complete without Brian Kretz.
Hornswoggle you forgot to mention the position that Kretz would play. I believe he was an INF/OF for the Big-Macs and a HUGE piece to the 2007 Wpial Quarterfinalist. I think he now attends Penn State Behrend and plays baseball there as well. A very sweet left-handed stroke on that young man.
last i heard of that kretz kid was he had just won powerball for 70+ million and traveling the world. perhaps he is headed to china to watch Turtle in the olympics? As for the all-decade team, i gotta throw The New Breed Devin Peck into discussion.
Anonymous, stay anonymous. If you knew Chad at all, you'd realize how good and how talented the kid is and how much potential he has. If you think he's a streaky shooter, come to the hoop court with him on Sundays playing with grown men and doing more than handling his own.
Denise, who are you. Chad is D-2 trash and he's a never-was??? You obviously don't know him either or how hard he works. How can you be so disrespectful?
Let's realize that you're talking about kids here. They deserve the chance to grow and learn more about their game. Give them that chance!
heres an all decade team for canon mac baseball
C- Alex Herrnberger
1B- Brandon Dittmar
2B- Matt Pierpont
SS- Rich Adkins
3B- Sean Douglas
OF- Chris Sidick
OF- Brendon Steele
OF- Chris Dittmar
P- Gary Pierpont
P- Chris Douglas
P- Brian Muransky
DH- Eric Lang (since theres no room in the outfield for him)
I think the all decade coach should be Scott Henson. I know his record was not the best and he does not have a state title on his resume, but he is/was a master strategist and i felt he always prepared our boys to play their very best every game.
All decade team Canon Mac baseball team.
1B - Aaron Weigel
2B - Andre Hadden
SS - Matt Pierpont
3B - Mike Spartz
C - Charles Murphy
OF - Mike Hull
OF - Chris Dittmar
OF - Jeff Lauderbach
DH - Phill Staab
P - Chris Douglas
P - Mike Toward
AAAA State Champs!!!!
Jack be quick i think you are making william's point for him. i say steve bucci should be the coach of that all-decade team.
William, didnt you used to coach for steve bucci? sounds like sour grapes on your part. its a shame that you cannot have respect for the current cm team.
I heard Mike Toward ran a marathon this weekend and his time would have been good enough to make the Olympic team had it been the qualifying race. Is this true?
rumor has it Toward may skip out on baseball this year to focus on his true #1 sport..... volleyball
Sam Brownlee, Nick Catalano, Matt Pierpont, Talyer Schram, and Eric Forrester probably could be mentioned with this list.
Next year's senior class of baseball will be one to remember!
canon mac returns Pierpont among others, carmichaels returns Gasti and Joby, trinity returns Schrader Frey and Bukowski. Not to mention that Peters Township, Wash High and other local schools will bring a lot of good baseball teams to this area. It's time that football needs to take a backseat to the new hot sport in Washington and Greene County sports at least for a year because just like this year baseball will produce a lot more WPIAL and PIAA teams than football and there will be more prospects then ever. The list of players next year for baseball is outstanding and we will be hearing from many of these players for years to come. Mark my word!
Next year's senior class will be much weaker than the class of 2008.
agreed
Getting back on the Mike "Turtle D" Toward subject, i happen to live in the west and i have heard his name thrown around a lot. In a small town in Wyoming i see little kids wearing Toward jerseys everywhere and hearing the kids ask when will he be on tv. I personally cant wait untill his Nike commercials come out.
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