Five Trinity players to sign Wednesday

Wednesday will be a busy day for high school athletic departments and at the colleges as well as it's National Letter of Intent Day. While ESPN plans unprecedented 10 hours of coverage on ESPNU (or is it ESPN8 the Ocho?) complete with Urban Meyer and company, future college athletes will be signing away their impending futures.

While there are a few Division I athletes from this area - Peters Township girls soccer players Shelli Spamer (North Carolina State) and Shannon O'Connor (Long Island) to name two - are headed to Division I programs, the majority will sign with Division I-AA or Division II teams.

Trinity will be one of the busier places Wednesday as five football players plan to sign.

* Kyle McWreath, an Observer-Reporter Elite 11 and all-state selection, will sign with Robert Morris. McWreath was a disruptive defensive force, finishing with 106 tackles and 13 tackles for loss. He was also an effective special teams player and fullback.

* A broken leg forced Ty Billie to miss the first month of the season but he returned to solidify the Hillers' secondary and special teams. Billie is headed to Division I-AA Liberty, where South Fayette lineman Nolan Spicer committed during the summer. Billie was recruited as a wide receiver, where he made 13 plays of 45 yards or more this season.

* At 6-0, 275, J.D. George was probably two inches away from fielding major offers. The two-time all-conference offensive lineman, who led Trinity with 24 pancake blocks in 2010, is headed to St. Francis (Pa.).

* Bob Steinstraw made the most of his increased playing time as a senior and the defensive end will play in the PSAC at Clarion. Steinstraw (6-3, 235) led Trinity with 7.5 sacks.

* Mike Cleveland received Division I interest as a kicker but the multi-talented senior, who was selected all-conference at kicker, wide receiver and defensive back, will play at Slippery Rock, also a member of the PSAC. Cleveland joins former Trinity standout Cody Endres, who transferred from Connecticut to Slippery Rock. Cleveland kicked eight field goals and tied a school record with seven interceptions.

In other recruiting news:
* South Fayette quarterback Christian Brumbaugh will sign with Division I-AA William & Mary. Brumbaugh helped the Lions to the 2010 PIAA Class AA championship game.

* Peters Township's Austin Hancock, who shared the cover of the Observer-Reporter's preseason football publication with Brumbaugh, will play at Fordham - a member of the Patriot League. Hancock was an Elite 11 selection as a junior. As a senior, he rushed for 500 yards and passed for 1,300. He was recruited to play linebacker.