Handling pressure in the clutch

(Blogger's note: The writer attempted to see how many sports cliche's he could fit into the title.)

The American Heritage Desk Dictionary defines "in the clutch" as in a tense or critical situation. "Pressure" is defined as urgent claim or demand.

As for the 2008 Trinity High School baseball team, well, the Hillers have certainly been clutch and they've definitely handled pressure throughout the spring.

And both characteristics to Trinity's third consecutive appearance in the PIAA Class AAA playoffs. The Hillers face District 10 champion Grove City today, 6 p.m. at Slippery Rock University.

After advancing to the 2008 WPIAL Class AAA title game and the PIAA semifinals, expectations were heavy on these Hillers. With the top three pitchers - Alex Frey (pictured), Tyler Schrader and Evan Bukowski - back as well as key players in Dustin Norris, Sean McKnight, Buck Gnagey, Joe Havrilak and Nate Catalado who spurred last year's run, Trinity certainly possessed the talent to put together another strong season.

For some Hillers' fans, however, nothing short of an undefeated season and a state championship were acceptable. A few went as far to blog such statements here on the Varsity Letters.

Talk about pressure.

Then again, Trinity's players and coaches put pressure on themselves. Before the first practice, the Hillers goal was to win a title.

"Coach Levi (Bristor) is a state championship guy," Frey said after he helped Trinity rally for a thrilling 4-2 victory over Hopewell in the WPIAL Class AAA third-place game. "Every one wants the WPIAL but states is what is on our minds."

Hopewell, the top seed in the district playoffs, led 2-0 through 4 1/3 innings of the third-place game. That's how far the game went Thursday before rain's forced a postponement. The contest, played at Washington & Jefferson College's Ross Memorial Park, was picked up Friday and, heading into the bottom of the sixth, Trinity still trailed, 2-0.

That's when Frey, McKnight, Havrilak, Norris, Bukowski and Gnagey strung together key at-bats and scored four runs to take the lead and clinch a berth in the state tournament.

"We've always been good under pressure," said Bukowski, whose two-run single tied the game.

That's a big reason why Trinity is in the state tournament for a third straight year, a school record, in a sport when so many factors can go against a team on any given day. Whether the Hillers win an elusive PIAA title or not, there's little denying this has been the best era of Trinity baseball since the early 1940s.

"The key is they believe," Bristor said Sunday. "We work on so many things in practice and there's consequences if they don't do things properly. They're used to the pressure."

APB, Where are they now?

Three-sport athletes are nothing new, particularly at the small-school level, but it's also easy to say the numbers dwindle every year. For every Joby Lapkowicz at Carmichaels, there are five or six student-athletes who focus on one sport during the final years of high school.

Lapkowicz is enjoying an excellent senior year at Carmichaels - he was the starting quarterback, a starting guard and one of the WPIAL's top pitchers - as one of several standout three-sport athletes in the area. Guys like California's Ben Carson, Burgettstown's Sean Tunno and Tyler Lonchar, and Waynesburg's Nick Patton are among a handful who were instrumental to their respective teams.

Earlier this decade, California High School produced a long list of three-sport guys who won at everything. This week's All Points Bulletin is for one of them - former Trojans' standout Ryan Robinson.

Robinson was a featured running back on the football team and a guard/forward for a basketball team which made a run to the PIAA Class A quarterfinals. He also started in the outside for California's 2001 WPIAL Class A championship baseball team.

After graduation, Robinson was slated to join California University's football team.

Anyone knowing of Robinson's whereabouts is urged to contact the Varsity Letters.

PIAA sites and times

Three local teams – Trinity baseball, Trinity softball and Carmichaels baseball – advanced to the PIAA playoffs, which begin Monday.

In Class AAA baseball, Trinity (19-4) – the WPIAL's third-place team – plays District 10 champion Grove City, Monday, 6 p.m. at Slippery Rock University. Trinity has won state playoff game at SRU in each of the past two years.

In Class A baseball, WPIAL runner-up Carmichaels (18-3) plays District 6 champion Bishop McCort, Monday, 4 p.m. at White Township Park (Indiana). In 2004, Bishop McCort beat Carmichaels in the first round of states at Cal U.

In Class AAA softball, WPIAL runner-up Trinity (12-8) plays City League representative Perry Traditional Academy (7-5), Monday, 3 p.m. at Moore Park's McGibboney Field No. 2 in the Brookline neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Going for four

Winning a WPIAL team championship is difficult, ask any coach fortunate to have won a title. It takes talent, dedication, discipline and, often, a little/lot of luck or the right draw.

Winning multiple WPIAL championships is even tougher. For coaches, it's a rather exclusive club.

Carmichaels baseball coach Dave Bates can win a fourth WPIAL Class A baseball championship if the Mikes get past Serra Catholic Thursday afternoon at Consol Energy Park, home of the Washington Wild Things. Bates coached Carmichaels to titles in 2003, 2005 and 2008. The Mikes finished second in 2004.

Should Bates win a fourth title, it puts him in elite company among the coaching fraternity in Washington and Greene County.

According to information obtained by the Observer-Reporter, Bates could become the 13th coach to win at least four WPIAL championships in one sport, while two others have won at least four in multiple sports.

The following is the list of coaches who won at least four WPIAL titles in one sport:
1. John Husk (Trinity rifle) – 10
2. Ernie Closser (Waynesburg wrestling) – 6
3. Joe Ayersman (Waynesburg wrestling) – 4
Hank Day (Washington football) – 4
Ron Faust (Washington boys basketball) – 4
Ron Headlee (Jefferson-Morgan wrestling – 4
Jerry Luxbacher (Peters Township boys soccer) – 4
Dan Ross (Chartiers-Houston softball) – 4
John Ross (Canonsburg wrestling) – 4
Joe Shook (Trinity wrestling) – 4
Bill Solominsky (Washington wrestling) – 4
Jon Vallina (Burgettstown golf) – 4

Multiple sports:
1. Guy Montecalvo (Washington football, track) – 5
2. Jimmy Russell (Donora football, boys basketball) – 4

If anyone knows of anyone else, please let us know. We're wondering who coached Canonsburg High School boys cross country back in the 1930s. Canonsburg won the first five WPIAL team titles (1935-39).

Manhattan signs one-handed player

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Laue knows what would happen if a college basketball team took a chance on him and he didn’t pan out. Fans would wonder what the coach was thinking in using a scholarship on a center missing his left hand.
“It’s a business,” the 6-foot-10 Laue said. “Their jobs are all on the line. It’s much safer to take a two-handed guy my size that got beat by me.”
But Manhattan College’s Barry Rohrssen figures coaches take chances all the time. He’d rather take one on Laue, whose left arm ends just past the elbow. So last week, the Division I school signed the center, and Rohrssen – a former Pitt assistant – is confident his work ethic will rub off on other players.
“We take chances on kids who have poor academic histories, who have disciplinary problems both on the court and off the court,” Rohrssen said Tuesday. “We give opportunities to players who don’t appreciate them, who take them for granted. For all the right reasons, Kevin deserves this chance, and he should make the most of this opportunity.”
A native of Northern California, Laue played a postgraduate season for Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia this year, hoping to impress college recruiters. Coach Fletcher Arritt said Laue averaged about 10 points and five rebounds, competing against many Division I prospects.
When Laue was born the circulation in his left arm was cut off by the umbilical cord. He uses his upper arm to help receive passes, and his large right hand allows him to easily palm the ball.
“He can run as well as anybody,” Arritt said. “He can jump as well as anybody. You don’t need two hands to block shots around the basket.”
As the weeks went by, Laue was starting to wonder whether he would ever realize his dream of playing Division I basketball. He said Wofford and Colgate expressed interest but neither had an available scholarship.
“I still had faith,” Laue said. “But I was at the point of being like, ’Man, when is this going to happen?”’
Rohrssen had been aware of Laue before he enrolled at Fork Union. The coach needed to recruit size with the graduation of the Jaspers’ starting center, but what really worried him after wrapping up offseason workouts this month was his returning players.
“Some coaches may say, ’We need a shooter,”’ he said. “My feeling was our team needed a stronger work ethic.”
Manhattan contacted Laue just over a week ago. He signed with the team Wednesday.

Be careful what you post

There have been a handful or so of discussions on this blog that have gotten, shall we say, spirited.

As heated as things have been on here occasionally, it doesn't quite compare to what happened in Wisconsin earlier this month.

After reading a series of nasty, derogatory comments about him on a University of Wisconsin message board, basketball recruit Vander Blue, 16, chose to decommit from the university, questioning whether the Wisconsin fans wanted him.

Here's the story: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11776517

Baseball games postponed

A steady dose of rain forced the WPIAL to postpone two championship baseball games scheduled for today.

The Class A final between Carmichaels, attempting to win its fourth title since 2003, and Serra Catholic and the Class AAA contest between Moon Area and Chartiers Valley have been moved to Thursday.

The Carmichaels-Serra Catholic game will be played at 5 p.m. and the Moon-Chartiers Valley game takes place at 7:30 p.m. Both games are at Consol Energy Park in Washington.

WPIAL baseball championships

Mother Nature doesn't appear co-operative at the moment, but two of the four WPIAL championship baseball games are scheduled for today at Consol Energy Park. The other two are tomorrow.

Tuesday's games
Class A
Carmichaels vs. Serra Catholic
These teams met in the WPIAL and PIAA semifinals a year ago with Carmichaels winning both. Mikes pitcher Joby Lapkowicz performs well in big games.
Winner: Carmichaels

Class AAA
Moon vs. Chartiers Valley
Proving the strength of Section 3, Moon and Chartiers Valley are in the title game while section champion Hopewell plays Trinity in the third-place game.
Winner: Moon

Wednesday's games
Class AA
North Catholic vs. Shady Side Academy
Coming off an appearance in the PIAA basketball championships, North Catholic is looking to add to a strong year with another WPIAL title. Shady Side Academy has not lost to a Class AA opponent.
Winner: Shady Side Academy

Class AAAA
North Allegheny vs. Pine-Richland
The two Section 1 heavyweights have been the best teams in the classification throughout the year. Each features Division I talent and they split the regular season series.
Winner: Pine-Richland

PIAA track - Day 2

Coming to you live from Shippensburg University's Serth Grove Stadium for the second day of the PIAA Track and Field Championships. Day 2 promises to yield more medal for local athletes than the opening day.

A few of the top competitors going today are Jefferson-Morgan high jumper Hans Lubich, Trinity shot putter Nate Lojek, Bentworth javelin thrower Amanda Kennedy and Canon-McMillan distance runner Matt Gregory.

Not as warm, yet.

10:19 a.m. – Fort Cherry junior Brian Lauff moved to the finals of the Class AA 110 hurdles. As long as he's not DQ'd, Lauff will win the first PIAA medal in FC boys track.

Trinity sophomore Mike McClelland remains in the Class AAA high jump. He cleared 6-4 on his third and final attempt.

WPIAL Class AAA cross country champion Matt Gregory concluded his varsity running career at Canon-McMillan with a 14th place finish in the 3,200 run (9:35.74). Fort Cherry's Andrew Lucarini, sporting a sweet stache, placed 14th in the Class AA 3,200 (9:53.88) and South Fayette's Julia Denison was 18th in the girls Class AA 3,200 (12:09.65).

10:50 a.m. – Trinity senior Nate Lojek claims first medal of the day for local participants. Lojek, a Robert Morris University football recruit, placed sixth in the Class AAA shot put (53-0).

11:20 a.m. – Bentworth's Amanda Kennedy places fifth in the Class AA javelin (128-8). Kennedy becomes the first Bentworth athlete to medal in consecutive years at the state meet. She placed eighth in the javelin a year ago.

Albert Gallatin's Anthony Stevenson, who attended Wash High as a sophomore, placed fourth in the Class AAA high jump (6-8).

12:18 p.m. – Lauff becomes first Fort Cherry athlete to medal at states – placing sixth in the 110 high hurdles. His time of 15.05 was a personal best and he came within inches of placing fourth.

2:01 p.m. – McGuffey's Sean "J.T." Deschamps and Fort Cherry's Sidney Walter added to the medal total. Deschamps placed fifth in the Class AA 300 hurdles. Walter was eighth in the girls Class AA 300 hurdles.

Overall, local athletes have won six medals. That's three more than last year.

Jeff-Morgan's Hans Lubich – best name in the WPIAL – remains in the Class AA high jump.

Great crowd in attendance. Packed stands, into the events.

2:33 p.m. – Monessen's Tarelle Irwin wins the Class AA 200 (22.25) convincingly. He also placed third in the 100.

Just talked to Lubich and he placed sixth. He cleared 6-4.

3:05 p.m. – Peace. Time to drive to North Carolina.