Five questions for the spring

1. How will Kayla Briggs adjust to being Chartiers-Houston's full-time pitcher?

Considering Briggs pitches full-time for travel teams and pitched the Bucs out of several tight positions in postseason games, chances are good C-H will once again be among the top teams in Class A.
Briggs batted .646 as a sophomore, but as a relief pitcher during her freshman season Briggs went 1-0 with eight saves and a 0.38 ERA.
Chartiers-Houston ran through WPIAL competition last year, claiming a district title with an undefeated record. The Bucs finished 22-1 but lost their bid to repeat as PIAA champion with a one-run loss to Clarion in the state semifinals.

2. Will relay teams drop the baton or repeat as champions?

Ringgold's 400 relay team won a WPIAL Class AAA championship, while Washington 1,600 relay team won WPIAL Class AA gold and set a championship meet record in the process last May.
Ringgold must wait a month before its regular 4x100 relay team of Quad Law, Alfon Cook, Joey Walls and Demetrius Louis run together as Law is set for knee surgery to remove loose cartilegde from an injury in ninth grade. Louis, who finished second in the 100 dash at the WPIAL championships, is set to return from January shoulder surgery.
The Prexies return Mykhael Kelley, Jordan Thomas, Darius Spinks and Dustin Fuller from a 1,600 relay team that predicted it would set and WPIAL meet record last year and did with a time of 3:26.41. The relay team has established a goal of winning PIAA gold this spring.

3. Can Washington County really be the nation's premier area for girls javelin?

With Fort Cherry's Jessie Merckle and the Canon-McMillan duo of Mira Carrozza and Anna Lombardo, it may well be.
Merckle is a two-time WPIAL Class AA champion, a PIAA silver medalist and a Wake Forest recruit. Carrozza was a WPIAL Class AAA silver medalist last spring and signed with South Florida. Both are considered among the top 10 high school female javelin throwers in the nation.
Lomardo, also a senior, is just outside the top 10 rankings. Lombardo placed 12th at the USATF National Junior Olympics Outdoor Track & Field Championships last July. Merckle PR'd at the event and placed second. Carrozza was 23rd, while Peters Township graduate Kaitlyn Brace (Purdue University) was third.

4. Is Peters Township baseball rebuilding or reloading?

A senior-heavy lineup put runs up in bunched for Peters Township, which lost to Seneca Valley in the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game and the PIAA quarterfinals. Observer-Reporter Player of the Year Justin Bianco was drafted in the third round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Brady Sheetz, Austin Hancock and Will McClure put up big numbers and Ryan Minteer pitched in nearly every big game.
All five have graduated, but the Indians return Andrew Erenberg. He batted .434 with 28 runs and 20 RBI as a junior. Pitcher Mike Bittel, a Seton Hill recruit, will take on an increased load as the Indians will have to win more low-scoring games than it did the past two years.

5. Can the baseball teams at Waynesburg and Chartiers-Houston duplicate last year's success?

Waynesburg reached the WPIAL Class AA championship game last spring and Chartiers-Houston was the surprise of Class A as it reached the championship game at Consol Energy Park.
Both the Raiders and Bucs return a bulk of talent from last year's teams, which were upended in the first round of the state playoffs. Both also have new coaches.
Kevin Pincavitch. a Mapletown graduate and former member of the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system, is in his first season as Raiders coach. Adam Petras is the new coach at C-H.
Waynesburg will be among the favorites in Class AA with a group of returners which includes Stephen McCaw, Joe Monica and Alex Swauger. Chartiers-Houston won't surprise anyone this year as it returns top pitchers Dylan Pounds and Josh Counihan.

Ringgold's Law among several top college recruits on Class AAA all-state team

The 2011 Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State football team, with players’ school, height, weight and class.
CLASS AAA
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
Dillon Buechel, Montour, 6-4, 175, Sr.
Brendan Nosovitch, Allentown Central Catholic, 6-3, 205, Sr.
Alec Werner, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, 6-0, 195, Jr.
RUNNING BACK
Preston Bare, Palmyra, 6-0, 200, Sr.
Julian Durden, Montour, 5-9, 175, Sr.
Brandon Peoples, Archbishop Wood, 5-10, 180, Sr.
Rushel Shell, Hopewell, 5-11, 215, Sr.
WIDE RECEIVER
Kevin Gulyas, Allentown Central Catholic, 6-1, 185, Sr.
Brian Lemelle, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, 5-11, 175, Jr.
Devin Wilson, Montour, 6-4, 175, Jr.
TIGHT END
Colin Thompson, Archbishop Wood, 6-6, 255, Sr.
LINEMEN
Brandon Arcidiacono, Archbishop Wood, 6-6, 255, Sr.
Jason Emerich, Blue Mountain, 6-4, 275, Sr.
Tad McNeely, Allentown Central Catholic, 6-4, 275, Sr.
Madison O’Connor, Pottsgrove, 6-6, 330, Sr.
Frank Taylor, Archbishop Wood, 6-4, 295, Sr.
SPECIALISTS
Robert Foster, Central Valley, 6-2, 185, Jr.
Wesley Phipps, Grove City, 5-9, 180, Sr.
KICKER
Jon Chereson, Cathedral Prep, 5-10, 153, Jr.
DEFENSE
LINEMEN
D.J. Fink, Central Valley, 6-0, 220, Sr.
Mike Galatini, Valley View, 6-3, 255, Sr.
Averee Robinson, Susquehanna Twp., 6-1, 275, Sr.
Noah Spence, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, 6-4, 245, Sr.
LINEBACKERS
Bryton Barr, Mechanicsburg, 6-0, 225, Sr.
Brock Dean, Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt, 6-1, 220, Sr.
Jon Hicks, Palmyra, 6-3, 235, Sr.
Nyeem Wartman, Valley View, 6-3, 230, Sr.
Alkwan Williams, Greater Johnstown, 6-1, 218, Sr.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Levonte Ford, Erie East, 6-1, 245, Sr.
Corey Lauer, Franklin Regional, 5-11, 160, Sr.
Desmon Peoples, Archbishop Wood, 5-8, 170, Sr.
Delton Williams, Cathedral Prep, 6-2, 190, Jr.
SPECIALIST
Percy Law, Ringgold, 5-8, 160, Sr.
Nate Smith, Archbishop Wood, 6-1, 190, Sr.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Rushel Shell, Hopewell
COACH OF THE YEAR
Lou Cerro, Montour

Ringgold's Law Player of Year, Elite 11 and All-District Team

Ringgold senior Quad Law juked defenders on his way to being the Observer-Reporter Player of the Year. For more, click here.

Law is the first player from Ringgold to be POY, and it marks the third consecutive year a quarterback was honored. Former South Fayette quarterback Christian Brumbaugh, now at William & Mary College, was POY in 2009 and 2010.

The Elite 11 was also released. It wasn't easy finalizing the list. For the Elite 11 and the All-District Team, please visit the O-R website: http://observer-reporter.com/

Sites set for WPIAL quarterfinals

A pair of teams from Washington County (Ringgold and Washington) face top seeds. Two schools with a McDonald mailing address (Fort Cherry and South Fayette) are No. 11 seeds that scored first-round victories.

All WPIAL quarterfinal games are Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Class AAA
No. 8 Ringgold (8-2) vs. No. 1 Central Valley (10-0) at West Allegheny

Class AA
No. 8 Washington (8-2) vs. No. 1 Aliquippa (10-0) at Chartiers Valley
No. 11 South Fayette (7-3) vs. No. 3 Seton-La Salle (10-0) at Peters Township

Class A
No. 11 Fort Cherry (7-3) vs. No. 3 Bishop Canevin (10-0) at Chartiers-Houston

For complete WPIAL football brackets, please click here.

A few thoughts from the first round

The cliche has a few variations, but it goes a little something like this, "Big-time players make big plays in big games."

Over the last two weeks, no player from the Observer-Reporter coverage area has made more plays than Fort Cherry senior Tanner Garry.

And there's been plenty of competition.

Garry has been the best football player on the field in Fort Cherry victories at Chartiers-Houston and at Beth-Center. The latter made Fort Cherry the third-place team in the Black Hills Conference, which represented itself well in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs. The latter came in the first round.

Need big-time completions? Garry has thrown for 400 yards the past two games, and three touchdowns (all against Beth-Center).

Looking for a quarterback who can break the big run? Garry has rushed for more than 330 yards and five touchdowns against a pair of defenses that stuffed the run for most of the season.

He's even intercepted a couple passes.

Thanks, in part, to Garry's play, Fort Cherry (7-3) finds itself in the quarterfinals against Bishop Canevin (10-0), which rallied for a 10-point deficit in the second half to beat Chartiers-Houston.

Fort Cherry suddenly looks like a team capable of making a postseason run. Garry is playing the best football of his career, the Rangers run defense is punishing, as is the offensive line. And Garry has catapulted himself into the Player of the Year picture.

* There's little doubt that Aliquippa deserves the No. 1 ranking in WPIAL Class AA and the top seed in the playoffs.

After Beaver and Beaver Falls made an early exit from the playoffs, anyone else wondering if the Quips didn't face much competition during the regular season?

* Zach Challingsworth may be one of the more under-appreciated players in Class AA.

The South Fayette junior caught a pair of touchdowns in the Lions' first-round win at Beaver Falls and helped a defensive effort that forced five turnovers, which helped the 11th seed advance.

He's a consistent presence, and has been since the beginning of his sophomore season.

* If you're South Fayette head coach Joe Rossi, what do you do if senior quarterback John Lerda is healthy enough to play against Seton-La Salle in the quarterfinals?

Lerda was a 1,000-yard passer before missing the last two games. His replacement, freshman Brett Brumbaugh, is 2-0. He's completed 27 of 36 passes in those games, though Beaver Falls did force him into four interceptions.

* Washington senior Eric Ellis is having the type of season that lands a player on the all-state team.

Ellis, a defensive end, has a single-season Prexies record 18 sacks . He had 3 1/2 against Mt. Pleasant. Ellis has also been in on a handful of turnovers, recovering fumbles throughout the season and even an interception against the Vikings.

* Unless you're Clairton or Aliquippa or Pittsburgh Central Catholic, winning in the postseason can be difficult.

It's particularly tough when you're a program without a postseason win since 1999.

But Ringgold broke a seven-game postseason skid with a 14-10 win against Highlands at Joe Montana Stadium. Highlands deserves credit for the defensive job it did against Ringgold's run game, but Quad Law made a couple big plays passing to help the Rams advance.

Learning how to win in the postseason is a big step.

Observer-Reporter WPIAL football rankings

Class AAAA
1. Pittsburgh C.C. 10-0
2. North Allegheny 10-0
3. Upper St. Clair 9-1
4. Penn-Trafford 10-0
5. Gateway 8-2
6. Erie McDowell 8-2
7. Seneca Valley 8-2
8. Mt. Lebanon 7-3

Class AAA
1. Central Valley 10-0
2. Franklin Regional 10-0
3. Knoch 10-0
4. Montour 8-2
5. West Mifflin 9-1
6. Hopewell 7-3
7. Ringgold 8-2
8. Thomas Jefferson 7-3

Class AA
1. Aliquippa 10-0
2. Seton-La Salle 10-0
3. Jeannette 10-0
4. Greensburg C.C. 9-1
5. Washington 8-2
6. South Fayette 7-3
7. Ellwood City 7-3
8. Shady Side Academy 8-2

Class A
1. Clairton 10-0
2. Sto-Rox 10-0
3. Bishop Canevin 10-0
4. Rochester 9-1
5. Avonworth 9-1
6. Brentwood 9-1
7. Fort Cherry 7-3
8. Springdale 8-2

WPIAL Class AAA playoffs preview

Top seeds: 1. Central Valley (9-0), 2. Franklin Regional (9-0), 3. Knoch (9-0), 4. West Mifflin (8-1)
Defending champion: Central Valley
Best first-round game: No. 10 Hopewell at No. 7 Indiana
Sleeper: Hopewell (or anyone else from the Parkway Conference)
Players to watch: Rushel Shell (Hopewell), Robert Foster (Central Valley), Quad Law (Ringgold) pictured, Mike Beveridge (Ringgold), Jake Witucki (Highlands), Dylan Buechel (Montour), Julian Durden (Montour), Josh Falatovich (Greensburg-Salem), Dane Brown (Franklin Regional)
Noteworthy: Injuries have bugged Ringgold during the latter stages of the regular season. The most notable right leg injury suffered by Law a couple weeks ago. Law aggravated the injury against Franklin Regional but returned for the finale against Uniontown.
Ringgold head coach Matt Humbert declared Law, Dom Affinito and Demetrius Louis "good-to-go" for the Ram's first-round game against Highlands.
The Rams are also healthier along the offensive line, where Jacob Foglia is taking snaps at first-team center.
Quotable: "It's tough when you move a player the caliber of Mike Beveridge and what he does at tackle to center, where he's not familiar," Humbert said. "We want him at tackle because he's that dominant."
Championship: Central Valley over Franklin Regional

Quick hits

Injuries continue to plague Ringgold football but the Rams did get some good news heading into Friday night's game against Uniontown.

Senior quarterback Quad Law practiced Wednesday and plans to play. Law, who played just one brief series last week at Franklin Regional, hinted to me via Twitter that he might play. When asked, he said, "yes sir! I practiced today an I felt great!"

Offensive lineman/defensive end Mike Beveridge also returned to practice. Beveridge is Ringgold's best defensive player.

How much Ringgold's injured players actually play will be determined but the game does hold some meaning as a loss could drop Ringgold to third place in the Keystone Conference and put them on the road for the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs.

* Last year, Brett Brumbaugh was a ball boy for South Fayette's football team. Friday night, the freshman will start in place of injured John Lerda according to Mike White of the Post-Gazette.

WPIAL record-holder Christian Brumbaugh is a redshirt freshman at William & Mary. Luke Brumbaugh is a junior and a starting quarterback at undefeated Seton-La Salle.

http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/varsity-blog/30589-yet-another-brumbaugh-to-start-at-qb

* Initially, the change made by the PIAA to two 20-minute overtime periods in soccer seemed like a good idea.

The Peters Township boys team won Monday's first round match during the first overtime. The Peters Township girls overtime needed a shootout to edge Moon in Wednesday's quarterfinals.

PT senior Madison Creehan, who moved from goalie to striker and had a key assist in addition to the game-winning penalty kick in the shootout, said the Indians could play another 40 minutes if needed. To me, they looked absolutely exhausted. So did Moon.

Indians coach Pat Vereb wondered after the match is 40 minutes of overtime is a good idea. After watching it transpire, I say it's not good.

Week 8 thoughts from a Monday afternoon quarterback

The eighth week of the high school football season was not a kind one.

Several teams had an opportunity to solidify playoff standing or a conference championship. Ringgold, Waynesburg, South Fayette and Burgettstown struggled with those situations.

The results from Friday indicate that the second round of the WPIAL playoffs won't feature many local teams.

Beth-Center looks like the team most likely to advance. The Bulldogs should be seeded No. 6 in the Class A bracket, barring any last week upsets of teams ranked higher. A winnable home game puts B-C on turf in the quarterfinals, where its talent is better suited to play.

Washington struggled mightily but edged South Allegheny, 14-12. The win clinched a home playoff game for the Prexies, their first since 2001. Washington could be seeded anywhere from 5-7 in the Class AA playoffs and are always a tough team to play at Wash High Stadium. If the Prexies avoid a Beaver County team in the first round, thier chances of advancing are right there with Beth-Center's.

Ringgold hurt its stock with a 38-0 loss at Franklin Regional. The Rams went from a possible top four seed to most likely a No. 8 as long as undefeated FR beats a tough Greensburg-Salem team which is not a given. If Ringgold gets the No. 8 seed, the Rams will likely draw the third-place team from the Parkway Conference. Playing West Allegheny or Blackhawk is one tough draw.

The winner of Friday night's Fort Cherry at Chartiers-Houston game puts itself in a better position to advance than the loser, which finishes fourth and probably plays at a conference champion in the first round.

Given the lack of quality teams in Class AA, South Fayette could advance, but the Lions have struggled offensively against quality teams. Still, a first-round game against a team from the Greater Allegheny Conference is winnable.

Friday notebook

I'll be at tonight's Ringgold at Franklin Regional game. For updates, follow me on Twitter @TheMikeKovak, and feel free to send updates of your game to me as well.

The WPIAL spotlight will shine - of all places - on the Keystone Conference tonight when one-loss Ringgold plays at unbeaten Franklin Regional.

"This is the first time we've gotten this much publicity going into a game since I've been here fore sure," Ringgold coach Matt Humbert said. "It's a good thing for the conference. Everybody always wants to knock our conference, and sometimes they're justified."

Those knocks are because of the conference's dismal postseason record, but Ringgold and Franklin Regional are both intriguing Class AAA contenders.

Should Ringgold win, the Rams all but lock up the conference title with a win against Greensburg-Salem already in the books. Ringgold won the Keystone last year, part of the team's first undefeated, untied season.

The Rams got good news today when they learned quarterback Quad Law is cleared to play, and not doubt the playmaker will prove vital to their chances.

But Ringgold will be counting on several others players, particularly on defense against a Franklin Regional team that has yet to be tested.

"I kind of disagree with people who say they haven't played anybody," Humbert said. "They beat two Quad-A teams and I don't care who they are, that's not easy to do by the margins Franklin Regional did it."

Key to that defense is senior defensive end Michael Beveridge.

"When we pinpoint people we need to have a big game, he's one of those guys," Humbert said. "He needs to be extremely disciplines to do what we need him to do, and we're confident he'll be exactly that."

Beveridge, a member of the Observer-Reporter Elite 11 as a junior, has a knack of playing his best in big games. Earlier this year at Greensburg-Salem, Beveridge had four tackles behind the line of scrimmage during the fourth quarter. He also forced a fumble and recovered another.

* Fort Cherry quarterback Tanner Garry ranks second in the WPIAL in passing yards and first in touchdown passes.

Waynesburg's Nick Zupper ranks third in the WPIAL in rushing yards.

Ringgold's Quad Law leads the WPIAL in yards per carry.

Fort Cherry's Ryan Babirad and South Fayette's Zach Challingsworth rank high in receiving yards.

Beth-Center has intercepted 19 passes, and quarterback Sal Faieta has accounted for 25 touchdowns.

* Six area golfers - Tom Nettles and Trent McPherson of Peters Township, Canon-McMillan's Ben DuCarme, South Fayette's Evan Lestini, Bentworth's Garrett Damich and Waynesburg's Emily Rohanna - qualified for the PIAA West Region semifinals, which were held Tuesday at Tom's Run Golf Course in Blairsville.

All six golfers advanced to the PIAA Championships, a two-day event which tees off Monday at Heritage Hills in York. That's hardly a surprise, but considering how the top of the leaderboard was crowded with the local competitors, it's safe to say the Washington-Greene region is a high school golfing haven.

Nettles enters the state championship as the PIAA West Region champ after he birdied three of the final four holes to finish with an even-par 72. Nettles, a junior attracting serious Division I interest, became the first golfer from Peters Township to win the West Region.

McPherson, DuCarme and Lestini all tied for fourth, while Damich tied for 11th.

Rohanna finished tied for third on the girls side.

What is about the area that produces so many top-notch individuals and golf teams?

* Washington junior Jaylin Kelly will not play tonight against South Allegheny. Kelly injured an ankle during last Saturday's win over Quaker Valley.

Kelly starts at linebacker and running back for the Prexies.

* Waynesburg hasn't been in many postseason discussions since the playing days of Lee Fritz and Lanfer Simpson, but the Raiders play a key game tonight at Mt. Pleasant.

If the Raiders beat the Vikings, they position themselves for their first postseason berth since 2003.

* I'd imagine Beth-Center senior linebacker Jake Sofran would rather the Bulldogs be undefeated at this point, but he's still notched a a couple impressive milestones the past two weeks.

Sofran, who is receiving interest from a number of Division I-AA and II schools, set B-C's career tackles mark during the Bulldogs' 46-0 win over Monessen two weeks ago. Last week in a one-point overtime loss to Avonworth, Sofran set a single-game record with 20 tackles.

A four-year starter, Sofran has 400-plus tackles in his career.

Ringgold's Law cleared to play

Ringgold quarterback Quad Law, one of the WPIAL's leading rushers, will play tonight for the Rams at Franklin Regional.

Law recently posted, "Jus got cleared by the doctor!! #LetsGetit" on Twitter account.

Law suffered an injury to his right leg during the first quarter of last week's game against Derry Area. He did not practice during the week but ran sprints at full-speed Thursday and did some backpedaling. Law said Thursday night the leg was still sore but not bad enough not to play is he was cleared by the doctors.

Ringgold, which hasn't lost a game in Keystone Conference play since joining last year, is 5-0 in the conference and 6-1 overall. Franklin Regional is unbeaten at 7-0 and features running back Dane Brown, who leads the WPIAL in scoring.

State football rankings

Pennsylvania high school football rankings from The Patriot-News of Harrisburg for the week of Tuesday, Oct. 18, with school’s district in parentheses, followed by the school’s record and last week’s ranking. NR means not ranked. Honorable mention teams listed alphabetically. (P)-2010 PIAA champion.

CLASS AAAA
Team Rec Pvs
1. Pittsburgh C.C. (7) 7-0 1
2. North Allegheny (P) (7) 7-0 2
3. LaSalle College HS (12) 6-1 3
4. Upper St. Clair (7) 6-1 4
5. North Penn (1) 5-2 5
6. Woodland Hills (7) 6-1 6
7. Nazareth (11) 7-0 7
8. Abington (1) 7-0 8
9. Whitehall (11) 6-1 9
10. Penn-Trafford (7) 7-0 10
Teams to watch
Bethlehem Freedom (11) 6-1, Central Dauphin (3) 6-1, Coatesville (1) 6-1, Council Rock South (1) 6-1, Cumberland Valley (3) 6-1, Downingtown East (1) 6-1, Gateway (7) 5-2, Roman Catholic (12) 5-2.

CLASS AAA
Team Rec Pvs
1. Archbishop Wood (12) 6-1 1
2. Central Valley (7) 7-0 2
3. Grove City (10) 7-0 3
4. Bishop McDevitt (3) 5-2 4
5. Montour (7) 5-2 5
6. Cathedral Prep (10) 5-2 6
7. Valley View (2) 7-0 7
8. West Allegheny (7) 5-2 9
9. Franklin Regional (7) 7-0 NR
10. Hopewell (7) 4-3 8
Teams to watch
Greater Johnstown (6) 7-0, Greensburg Salem (7) 6-1, Knoch (7) 7-0, Marple-Newtown (1) 6-1, Ringgold (7) 6-1, Thomas Jefferson (7) 5-2.

CLASS AA
Team Rec Pvs
1. Aliquippa (7) 7-0 1
2. Lancaster Catholic (3) 7-0 2
3. West Catholic (P) (12) 4-3 3
4. North Schuylkill (11) 7-0 4
5. Seton-LaSalle (7) 7-0 5
6. Mount Carmel (4) 6-1 6
7. Lewisburg (4) 5-2 7
8. Greensburg C.C. (7) 7-0 8
9. Trinity (3) 5-2 9
10. Beaver Falls (7) 6-1 10
Teams to watch
Beaver Area (7) 6-1, Hickory (10) 6-1, Jeannette (7) 7-0, Northern Lehigh (11) 6-1, Pen Argyl (11) 7-0, Pine Grove (11) 7-0, Richland (6) 6-1, Wilmington (10) 6-1.

CLASS A
Team Rec Pvs
1. Clairton (P) (7) 7-0 1
2. Southern Columbia (4) 7-0 2
3. Sto-Rox (7) 7-0 3
4. Dunmore (2) 7-0 4
5. Rochester (7) 6-1 5
6. Bishop Canevin (7) 7-0 6
7. Pius X (11) 6-1 7
8. Line Mountain (4) 6-1 8
9. Sharpsville (10) 6-0 10
10. Bishop McCort (6) 5-2 9
Teams to watch
Avonworth (7) 6-1, Bethlehem-Center (7) 6-1, Juniata Valley (6) 6-1, Mercer (10) 5-2, Mercyhurst Prep (10) 6-1, North Star (5) 7-0, Youngsville (10) 7-0.

Observer-Reporter WPIAL football rankings

Class AAAA
1. Pittsburgh C.C. 7-0, def. Gateway 13-7
2. North Allegheny 7-0, def. Pine-Richland 35-7
3. Upper St. Clair 6-1, def. Canon-McMillan 55-0
4. Penn-Trafford 7-0, def. Latrobe 38-0
5. Woodland Hills 6-1, def. Kiski Area 35-6

Class AAA
1. Central Valley 7-0, def. Hopewell 34-23
2. Franklin Regional 7-0, def. Laurel Highlands 63-0
3. Knoch 7-0, def. Kittanning 70-14
4. Thomas Jefferson 5-2, def. Trinity 28-7
5. Ringgold 6-1, def. Derry Area 44-7

Class AA
1. Aliquippa 7-0, def. Beaver 21-12
2. Seton-La Salle 7-0, def. Burgettstown 40-0
3. Jeannette 7-0, def. Mt. Pleasant 35-14
4. Greensburg C.C. 7-0, def. Mohawk 43-6
5. Beaver Falls 6-1, def. New Brighton 35-14

Class A
1. Clairton 7-0, def. Brentwood 32-0
2. Sto-Rox 7-0, def. Western Beaver 43-0
3. Bishop Canevin 7-0, def. Leechburg 44-6
4. Rochester 6-1, def. Cornell 19-0
5. Avonworth 6-1, def. Beth-Center 20-19

Week 7 thoughts

Maybe the most impressive aspect of Washington's 42-7 dismantling of Quaker Valley Saturday night at Chuck Knox Stadium (how many readers remember that guy?) is that the offense did not attempt a pass until the final play of the second quarter.

And, of course, with the way the Prexies have played the past month, Josh Wise hit Mijerean Witcher for a 30-yard touchdown on the play.

Washington makes no secrets about its game plan. The Prexies want to run the football behind a continually improving offensive line and with one of the deepest stable of backs in the WPIAL. Jaylin Kelly, who was injured Saturday, can gain the tough yards or hit the long play. Shai McKenzie is a threat to score on every carry, as is Daron Whitaker. Joe Phillips runs north-south and is tough to bring down.

Defenses don't know who will get the football, and it helps that every skill player on offense can score on any play. How about the 33-yard reverse to Matt Brower on a third-and-16?

The Prexies, like most teams, do have a weakness or two, but this team is going to be one difficult out in the postseason.

* Speaking of impressive, Prexies senior Eric Ellis continues to make big plays along the defensive line.

Against the Quakers, Ellis forced a safety and recovered a fumble on the Prexies' first defensive series. Washington finished with six sacks and allowed 70 yards.

The quest for the top defensive player in the area this season starts, and most likely stops with Ellis and Ringgold's Michael Beveridge.

* Waynesburg senior Nick Zupper had one of the great single-game performances in Greene County history Friday night against Yough.

Zupper rushed for 383 yards (yes, 383) and scored four touchdowns. We're checking into whether that total is a Greene County record or not. There's a chance that Derek Bochna (Mapletown) or Rodney Wilson (West Greene) rushed for more yards in a game.

Former career WPIAL rushing leader Mike Vernillo (Fort Cherry) rushed for 424 yards and four touchdowns against Avonworth during the 1997 season. At the time, it was the best single-game total in the WPIAL since 1970.

Zupper has 1,277 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. He leads all local runners in both categories. Ringgold's Quad Law (1,133 yards, 12 TD) is second, while Peters Township's Andrew Erenberg (974, 12) is third.

* Great news for Ringgold that Law believes he'll be able to play Friday night at Franklin Regional. For more on Law, http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/sports11/10-16-2011-quad-law-update.

* The playoff chances for Erenberg and Peters Township took a significant upswing with Friday's 21-6 win over Baldwin.

Erenberg scored three first-half touchdowns for the up-and-down Indians.

Like Washington, Peters Township doesn't play many guessing games on offense. Erenberg is getting the football and it's up to the defense to stop him.

* I had no trouble with Beth-Center going for two points in overtime to try and beat Avonworth in a non-conference loss that will hurt the Bulldogs' postseason seeding.

Avonworth pretty much controlled the game starting in the second quarter. Considering that, a two-point try was B-C's best chance of getting a win.

Both teams left plenty of plays on the field - the lack of a pass rush and field conditions hurt B-C.

The field at Beth-Center was muddy mess. In the past, that type of conditions who have been to B-C's benefit. Not with this team.

As long as the Bulldogs get past the first round, they'll be a tough team to play on an artificial surface.

* This might be my favorite stat of the year - the Monessen at West Greene game lasted one hour, 48 minutes. I haven't covered a game this year that was under two-and-a-half hours.

* The WPIAL Class A playoffs will be without a regular this year as Carmichaels dropped to 1-5 in the Tri-County South with a loss to Frazier. The Mikes last missed the playoffs in 1997, and the last time they had a losing record came in 1995 when they were 3-7.

* South Fayette had two 100-yard rushers against South Allegheny. Wondering when the last time that happened there.

* Fort Cherry's Tanner Garry has 21 touchdown passes. That's an average of three per game.


Follow me on Twitter @TheMikeKovak

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."

Week 4 thoughts

The wait is finally over.

Washington notched a signature win.

It came Friday night at Wash High Stadium as the Prexies rushed for 258 yards during a 33-14 win over south Fayette that was nothing short of impressive.

Earlier in the week, South Fayette coach Joe Rossi said that no team in the Century Conference – not even high-powered Seton-La Salle – boasted a backfield with the talent of Washington's. And South Fayette sure saw a lot of Jaylin Kelly, Shai McKenzie and Joe Phillips.

Kelly rushed for 103 yards; McKenzie scored three touchdowns; and, Phillips help wear down the defense. Washington was far from one-dimensional as Josh Wise threw a pair of touchdowns, one to talented receiver Ethan Gordon, who sometimes gets lost in the Prexies' run-oriented attack.

Maybe the most impressive fact of the win – the Prexies trailed 7-0. Granted, that's not a significant deficit, but they've clearly played their best playing with a lead in the past.

I'm calling it Washington's best win since the 14th-seeded Prexies shutout Aliquippa, 7-0, in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs in 2005. That win, coincidentally, remains the High's only postseason win since winning the PIAA Class AA championship in 2001.

* Ringgold senior Mike Beveridge is an absolute menace as a defensive end, and his disrupting presence plays a significant factor in the Rams' fun-to-watch 42-41 win at Greensburg-Salem.

Beveridge might be this area's most disruptive defensive lineman since some fella named Dan Mozes helped Washington win that state title.

* If I'm a local Division II football coach, I'm recruiting Ringgold's Quad Law. Like right now.

* Former Fort Cherry standout Mike Vernillo held the WPIAL career rushing record for 12 years before Hopewell's Rushel Shell broke it Friday night.

Shell, who regularly faces some of the toughest teams around, has an opportunity to put the record where it may not be touched for decades.

* Mapletown snapped a 15-game win streak with a 22-12 win over West Greene. It's always a little easier coming to practice after a win, and it's a nice reward for all the players who have hung around throughout the streak.

* I always thought the one thing that hurt Beth-Center during the postseason was the lack of a playmaker with the speed to hang with players on elite teams. Say 'Hello' to Cody Durant.

Durant is averaging around 15 yards per carry ans scored four times against Carmichaels.

Durant and the Bulldogs face a tough test this week against neighboring rival California. The Trojans' held a double-digit lead at Monessen, but lost 20-13.

* I'm guessing that Tanner Garry's 99-yard touchdown pass to Koltan Kobrys is not only a school record, but a WPIAL and PIAA record as well. Heck, add the National Federation of High Schools to that list as well.

Week 3 thoughts

The WPIAL schedule makers sure weren't kind to Washington. The Prexies opened the season with Clairton (a game the schools scheduled) and they played Seton-La Salle Friday night. Things won't be easy this week either as Wash High hosts South Fayette.

At least Washington had the opportunity to schedule its game against Clairton. Waynesburg was not afforded the same opportunity, but the Raiders have been forced to navigate an equally brutal opening month.

Waynesburg started its season against Greensburg Central Catholic. The Raiders played Jeannette Friday night. This week, they're awarded with a crossover game against Beaver Falls.

* Credit Burgettstown with manhandling its first three opponents and continuing its surprising start to the 2011 season with another easy win - this time over South Allegheny to open play in the Century Conference.

It marks the first time since 2000 that the Blue Devils are 3-0. That team, which competed in Class A, failed to make the playoffs.

Burgettstown's schedule gets extremely difficult in the coming weeks. The Blue Devils are at Steel Valley and at South Fayette. After a home game against Quaker Valley, they are at Seton-La Salle and Keystone Oaks.

If Burgettstown can find a way to win two of those games, the season finale against Washington could be a scenario where the winner gets into the playoffs and the loser goes home. Stress the "could be" in that sentence.

* There are several outstanding football players locally in this year's senior class, but I entered the season thinking the top two talents were Ringgold's Demetrius Louis and South Fayette's Zach Challingsworth.

Both are juniors, and their performances Friday night did nothing but reaffirm my belief.

Louis missed the Rams' Week 2 loss at Hampton. He returned against Hollidaysburg and rushed for 253 yards and four touchdowns on nine carries. No player in the coverage area possesses Louis' combination of size, speed and strength. As one person put it Friday night, "He's the most talented guy I've seen in a while."

Challingsworth caught seven passes for 101 yards, rushed eight times, intercepted two passes, punted and even threw a 28-yard touchdown pass as the Lions' eeked out an important win over Steel Valley. Considering his work ethic, Challingsworth's chances of landing at a Division I school are considerable.

* Yes, Penn-Trafford blew out Peters Township in Week 1, but is anyone else starting to think it wasn't such a terrible loss considering how well Penn-Trafford has played this season?

Andrew Erenberg is on a short list of the area's top players.

* Huge games coming up for Ringgold, Chartiers-Houston, Washington and South Fayette, and California and Monessen. Huge.

* The list of local unbeatens is rapidly shrinking. Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston, Beth-Center, Monessen and California are the only teams on that list.

C-H hosts Clairton this week. California, which picked up a nice non-conference win over Riverview in double overtime, plays at Monessen, which has yet to allow a point.

Week 2 thoughts

After tracking several non-conference games, it's apparent that a few teams that looked like contenders going into the 2011 must make improvements in order to live up to expectations.

Ringgold's 21-14 loss at Hampton might be the most surprising result of the young season.

Hampton was shut out by a good Blackhawk team in its season opener, but the Talbots held Ringgold's high-scoring offense to two touchdowns, both coming on runs from quarterback Quad Law.

The Rams open conference play this week against Joe Montana Stadium against Hollidaysburg, and follow with a road game at Greensburg-Salem. Winning both game will be imperative to the Rams' chances of hanging with Franklin Regional in the Keystone Conference. FR is the Observer-Reporter's No. 3 team in Class AAA.

The injury bug took a bite into Fort Cherry during its 34-12 home loss to Rochester as the Rangers' top three receivers were all affected in some fashion. Still, Rochester served notice to anyone who believed the Rams weren't worthy of being a top-five team in Class A.

* That said, Chartiers-Houston put together the weekend's most impressive victory.

The Bucs scored 20 points on only 14 offensive plays during the first half in winning at Shenango, 20-6, Saturday night. In the second half, C-H dug in on defense and held off a Shenango run game that produced some first downs, ate up clock bu couldn't find the end zone.

Coaches dread Saturday games, particularly night ones following a long road trip.

* We'll find out a lot about Washington the next two weeks. First, the Prexies get Seton-La Salle Friday night at Chartiers Valley and will be decided underdogs. Then, it's home to play rival South Fayette.

* Don't look now but Burgettstown is the area's second-highest scoring team behind Beth-Center. The Blue Devils are getting significant contributions from quarterback Ryan Dupain, running back Mike LaRocka and multi-purpose player John Dugas.

A win at home against South Allegheny would make Burgettstown 3-0 before the schedule gets much more difficult.

* Uh, Monessen has yet to surrender a point.

* Trinity's home game against Belle Vernon Friday night could be the Hillers' most important of the year.

Assuming Thomas Jefferson is the class of the Big Eight Conference, Trinity must find a way to beat Belle Vernon or West Mifflin, and take care of business against the other teams to solidify a playoff standing.

Considering Belle Vernon nearly won at Hopewell the week before the Vikings knocked off Montour, the Leopards must be better than people thought heading into the season.

* Funny how an identity can change from one year to the next.

In 2010, California threw the football, then threw it some more. This year, the Trojans are doing it with defense and the run game. It produced a solid 15-6 win at Carmichaels to move to 2-0 in a game that should go a long way in determining the Trojans' standing in the Tri-County South Conference.

* Canon-McMillan is 0-2, yet has been outscored by just three points and allowed only 28.

Observer-Reporter WPIAL football rankings

With last week's result.

Class AAAA
1. Pittsburgh Central Catholic 1-0 def. Archbishop Wood, 20-17
2. North Allegheny 1-0 def. State College, 53-21
3. Upper St. Clair 1-0 def. Shaler, 49-0
4. Mt. Lebanon 10-1 def. Pine-Richland, 34-7
5. McKeesport 8-2 def. St. Joan of Arc (Ontario), 54-9

Class AAA
1. Montour 1-0 def. Chartiers Valley, 49-14
2. Central Valley 1-0 def. Allderdice, 36-13
3. Franklin Regional 1-0 def. Plum, 55-0
4. Ringgold 1-0 def. Elizabeth Forward, 27-6
5. Thomas Jefferson 0-1 lost to Woodland Hills, 31-7

Class AA
1. Aliquippa 1-0 def. Laurel, 41-7
2. Beaver Falls 1-0 def. Mohawk, 57-7
3. Seton-La Salle 1-0 def. Carrick, 49-8
4. Jeannette 1-0 def. East Allegheny, 47-6
5. Greensburg C.C. 1-0 def. Waynesburg, 41-14

Class A
1. Clairton 1-0 def. Washington, 42-12
2. Rochester 1-0 def. Serra Catholic, 41-7
3. Springdale 1-0 def. North Catholic, 14-6
4. Sto-Rox 1-0 def. South Allegheny, 49-0
5. Fort Cherry 1-0 def. Western Beaver, 55-40

Observer-Reporter WPIAL football rankings

Preseason
With last year's record

Class AAAA
1. Pittsburgh Central Catholic 11-1
2. North Allegheny 15-1
3. Upper St. Clair 8-3
4. Mt. Lebanon 10-1
5. McKeesport 8-2

Class AAA
1. Montour 12-1
2. Thomas Jefferson 10-2
3. Hopewell 6-5
4. Central Valley 10-4
5. Ringgold 9-1

Class AA
1. Aliquippa 12-1
2. Beaver Falls 10-2
3. South Fayette 15-1
4. Seton-La Salle 9-2
5. Jeannette 7-3

Class A
1. Clairton 16-0
2. Rochester 12-1
3. Springdale 10-2
4. Sto-Rox 7-3
5. Fort Cherry 5-5