Friday notebook

I'll be tweeting live from tonight's non-conference game between Avonworth and Beth-Center. You can follow me @TheMikeKovak for occasional updates.

Readers, feel free to send me score updates from your games, and I'll do my best to send them to followers.

Also, please follow @SportsOR, where the O-R sports staff provides score updates throughout the night. Joe Tuscano (@JosephGTuscano) will tweet from tonight's California at Jefferson-Morgan game.

The Avonworth at beth-Center game isn't typical for a late-season non-conference contest. The game will have a significant impact on the seedings for the Class A playoffs. A win for Beth-Center should wrap up a top-five seed as long as the Bulldogs win out. A win for Avonworth could make the Antelopes a top-five or six seed, and would hurt the seedings of other playoff qualifiers from the Tri-County South Conference.

* Trinity will use more two-back sets with the season-ending knee injury to Ty Yocca, but Dalton is pleased with the play of Kyle Dugan.

"Kyle's a different type of runner than Ty, but he's done a good job when we've but him in there," Dalton said. "We'll continue to use him."

* Former Mapletown High School and California University standout Kevin Pincavitch, who advanced as high as Class AA in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, was recently hired as the Waynesburg High School baseball coach.

Pincavitch, a former assistant with the Washington Wild Things, replaces Steve Coss, who had three successful seasons with the Raiders before he resigned in August. Waynesburg reached the WPIAL Class AA championship game this season, and qualified for the state playoffs for the first time since 2001.

Stephen McCaw was the Raiders' starting catcher and the WPIAL Class AA Player of the Year, as selected by the baseball coaches. I recently spoke with McCaw for an upcoming story and talked to him about the hiring.

"He seems like a really good guy and he knows a lot about baseball," said McCaw, a senior. "We're all excited to get the season started."

* Hopewell's Rushel Shell committed to Pitt Friday morning. For the Panthers, it's a big moment as Shell is the first top-rated WPIAL prospect to commit to Pitt in some time.

That said, it hardly means Pitt is set for the next three to four years. I've spoken with a couple old friends from Beaver County who believed it was in Shell's best interest to get away from Western Pennsylvania.

Will he be the next Tony Dorsett? Or the next Brian Davis? Pitt should be happy with something in between.

* Ringgold freshman Kirsten McMichael might already be the best girls cross country runner in Washington and Greene counties.

* Peters Township finished third at the WPIAL Division I boys golf team championship Thursday at Cedarbrook.

The Indians won the title in 2010 and were favored to do so again, but lost to section rival Upper St. Clair. For Peters Township, the fact that not winning a WPIAL title is news, shows how strong the program has become under head coach David Kuhn.

"When I first got here, we were in a terrible section and couldn't finish any higher than third in it," Kuhn said. "We've made it to the finals eight times over the past nine years. We've come a long way."

Making a mark in 2010 (girls)

Kayla Briggs

Chartiers-Houston is loaded with top-notch female athletes, from tennis player Tanya Timko (who will attempt to win a WPIAL Boys Class AA championship in 2011) to volleyball player Lacey Levers.

As a freshman on the C-H softball team, Briggs made an immediate impact and her play catapulted the Bucs to previously unattained achievements.

Briggs, along with teammates Kiersten Conwell and Colby Miller made the Class A All-State first team in leading C-H to its first PIAA title. Briggs' batting average hovered around .500 for the majority of the season and she served as a late-innings pitcher in several key games.

Nicole Hilton

This fall, Hilton made her all-section soccer team for South Fayette AND she won a WPIAL Class AA cross country championship. At the state meet, Hilton finished fifth and 18 seconds ahead of any other WPIAL competitor.

Not bad for a first-year cross country runner.

That performance comes off a dominating spring track season, where the likely Division I runner also played multiple sports.

Hilton, who didn't take up running until her junior year, won WPIAL Class AA titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. At states, she finished second in the 3,200 and seventh in the 1,600. Plus, Hilton plays softball.

Jessie Merckle

Thanks to the steady contributions of Merckle (pictured), Fort Cherry basketball is considered one of the top teams in WPIAL Class A this season. The Rangers are 6-1 after losing to Class AAA Mt. Pleasant in the finals of the Ambridge Holiday Tournament Thursday night. Only one of Fort Cherry's wins has come against a team in its own classification.

Meckle, a 5-5 junior guard and multi-year starter, made a major impact during the spring as one of the WPIAL's top performers in the javelin.

As a sophomore, Merckle consistently hit in the mid 140s in the javelin and her top throw of 147-7 ranked in the top 10 nationally for much of the track season. Merckle won the WPIAL Class AA championship in the event and will look to improve on her performance at the state meet this year.

Shelli Spamer

One of the most decorated soccer players (boys or girls) in Washington County history, Spamer left her playing days at Peters Township with the ultimate prize - the PIAA Class AAA team championship trophy.

The future midfielder at North Carolina State scored goals when needed, played defense with vigor and served as playmaker later in the Indians' season, which also included a WPIAL championship.

Spamer, one of the more colorful and quotable high school athletes I've come across, earned Player of the Year status from several local outlets, was all-section, all-WPIAL, all-state and earned a place on the NSCAA All-Region II team.

Standish, Keddal Win County XC Titles

Trinity senior Mike Standish and Peters Township senior Kayla Keddal came away winners in their respective varsity races at the 2009 Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet at Mingo Creek County Park.

Standish edged Canon-McMillan's Travis Arrigoni by one second as Standish (16:52) caught the Big Macs standout as they neared the finish line. Keddal (19:34) dominated her race, winning by 1:12.

Canon-McMillan swept the team titles.

For more information, read Tuesday's Observer-Reporter.

Ten to watch

Football dominates conversation on The Varsity Letters during the fall but, non-revenue sports often generate headlines for success and individual talent.

Here's 10 student-athletes (in alphabetical order) from non-revenue sports to keep an eye of during the 2009 fall sports season:

1. Kayla Keddal, Peters Township
Cross Country
As a junior, Keddal placed seventh at the WPIAL championships and sixth at states.

2. Trent McPherson, Peters Township
Golf
A freshman transfer from West Virginia, McPherson has been the Indians' top golfer in recent matches.

3. Emily Rohanna, Waynesburg
Golf
Rohanna replaces older sister Rachel on the Waynesburg boys team. Already has a couple of second-place finishes on her team.

4. Taylor Schram, Canon-McMillan
Soccer
One of the top goal scorers in the country, Schram (pictured) committed to Penn State as a junior. Part of the U-17 national team pool.

5. Sarah Shashura, California
Tennis
California doesn't field a girls tennis team. That didn't stop Shashura from winning a WPIAL Class AA title last year.

6. Shelli Spamer, Peters Township
Soccer
Along with Schram, Spamer could go down as one of the great girls soccer players from Washington County. Also part of U-17 national talent pool.

7. Rachel Spridik, Bentworth
Volleyball
Only a sophomore, Spridik earned All-WPIAL honors last year. In her first match this year, she posted a triple-double.

8. Julie Stroyne, Peters Township
Tennis
In her scholastic career, Stroyne (pictured) has won a PIAA team championship and was part of a state championship doubles team.

9. Nate Troscinski, Peters Township
Soccer
Troscinski scored the Indians' goal in last year's state championship match. Already owns PIAA and WPIAL gold medals.

10. Matt Venanzi, Peters Township
Soccer
As a freshman, Venanzi occasionally started but often provided an offensive spark off the bench. Could be a big-time goal scorer.