APB, Where are they now?

With the NHL Draft held at Consol Energy Center completed, The Varsity Letters was reminded of the first player from Washington County ever selected.

And he was drafted by the hometown Pittsburgh Penguins.

An All Points Bulletin is being issued for Dwight LaBrosse, a McMurray native and ninth-round selection of the Penguins in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. At the time, LaBrosse told the Observer-Reporter, "I had no idea I'd get drafted by Pittsburgh. I can't believe it. I've had season tickets forever, since I was 7 or 8 until I left at 15."

LaBrosse was the youngest player on the U.S. National 21-and-Under team at the time of his selection and was the goaltender for the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League.
He played in 31 games with the Storm, compiling a 15-11-2 record with a 3.22 goals against average and stopping over 89 percent of the shots he faced.

LeBrosse struggled in the minors and, according to NHL.com, last played in 2003-04 for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. A Google search (yep, I fired up the old Google machine) showed LaBrosse has done some competitive fishing in recent years.

Anyone having information on LaBrosse is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where Are They Now?

It's back.
The Varsity Letters wants to track down the whereabouts of former standout high school athletes, so we're issuing a pair of All Points Bulletins for two softball pitchers who helped their respective teams to on-field success.
As Canon-McMillan prepares for the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals Monday against Bishop Shanahan at Carlisle High School at 4 p.m., an All Points Bulletin is being issued for Becca Petras.
As Chartiers-Houston readies for a third straight appearance in the PIAA Class A semifinals and a game against familiar foe Fannett-Metal Monday at St. Francis University at noon, an All Points Bulletin is being issued for Danielle Claassen.
Canon-McMillan softball was a regular contender for section championships during the four years Petras pitched for the Big Macs.
Petras went 13-5 with a 0.80 ERA and 198 strikeouts during her senior season in 2006. She finished her Big Macs career with 695 strikeouts and a 0.78 ERA. Petras was headed to Allegheny College upon high school graduation and may have ended up at Duquesne.

Chartiers-Houston won three consecutive WPIAL Class A championships from 2005-2007. Claassen was the winning pitcher in the 2005 and 2006 championship games.

APB, Where are they now?

Monessen is no stranger to deep postseason runs in boys and girls basketball. The 2010-11 season is no exception for both.

The Monessen girls are undefeated and the top remaining seed in the WPIAL Class A girls playoffs. The last public school to win a WPIAL Class A title, Monessen plays North Catholic tonight at 6 p.m. at Canon-McMillan High School with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship game.

The Monessen boys once again find themselves in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs after beating Jeannette by one point in the quarterfinals. The Greyhounds play Section 3 foe Wilkinsburg for a third time. This time, the winner advances to the WPIAL championship game. Monessen swept the regular season series.

For many schools, this type of success would be a once-in-a-generation experience. At Monessen, it's happens frequently and The Varsity Letters is issuing a pair of All Points Bulletins for former standouts.

A.J. Jackson was a dominant big man on back-to-back WPIAL Class A championship teams at Monessen in 2001 and 2002. He eventually became the all-time leading scorer in Monessen boys history, quite an accomplishment considering all the program's success. Jackson originally went to East Tennessee State on scholarship and eventually transferred to Robert Morris, where he played a key role in the Colonials' resurgence in the Northeast Conference.

Nychole Whitlock played at Monessen during the same period as Charel Allen, who scored 3,000-plus points before heading to Notre Dame. Whitlock was a strong player in her own right and also topped 1,000 points during her playing days. TVL believes Whitlock went on to play soccer at California.

Anyone with information regarding Jackson or Whitlock is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

When it comes to point guards in the WPIAL, South Fayette's Pat Zedreck is as good as they come. Zedreck can score in bunches, operate the fast-break or half-court offense and is a ferocious defender.

His abilities and leadership make Zedreck a legitimate candidate for the Observer-Reporter Boys Player of the Year. Should Zedreck be chosen, he won't be the first Lions point guard designated for the honor.

In 2003, Paul Ruhmann was the O-R POY (more proof that the newspaper just didn't decide to start covering South Fayette last year). Ruhmann started at the point in 2002, when South Fayette upset heavily favored Aliquippa in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs and went on to the PIAA quarterfinals. As a senior, he became the Lions primary scorer.

Ruhmann averaged 18.5 points, 7.0 assists and 4.5 steals as a senior. He scored 1,150 points and The Varsity Letters has issued an All Points Bulletin for Ruhmann.

Anyone with information regarding Ruhmann is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

That last time Fort Cherry girls basketball was this good, a group of seniors led the Rangers into the 2005 PIAA Class AA playoffs. Fort Cherry finished 23-6 that year and advanced to the second round of the PIAA tournament before losing to North East (District 10).

Much like the current Fort Cherry team, the state qualifier had size, skill and strong play from the point. The Varsity Letters is issuing an All Points Bulletin for former Fort Cherry point guard Maggie Mucha.

In her final scholastic game, Mucha scored 16 points and earned All-District honors as a senior. She went on to major in pre-med at Allegheny College.

Anyone knowing of Mucha's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

Back by popular demand (OK, by popular demand, three people have asked about the APBs in recent weeks) is The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for former McGuffey basketball standout Seth Hunter.

Why McGuffey boys basketball? Well, after hearing from a couple coaches who believe the Highlanders will contend for a playoff spot next year in Section 5-AAA, it brought back memories of the best team in their not-so-illustrious history.

Coached by Ed Goetz, who came to McGuffey after two successful seasons at Sto-Rox, McGuffey gradually built a base for competitive. During the 2001-02 season, McGuffey won a school-record 19 games, its only section championship and made the only WPIAL playoff appearance in its history.

Hunter was a junior and in his second year as a starter. By the time he graduated in 2003, Hunter was McGuffey's career scoring leader with 1,430 points and he averaged 23.1 points as a senior. That year, Hunter established a single-game scoring record of 35 points in the Washington-Greene County Boys Senior All-Star Game.

He went on to play at Bethany College.

Anyone knowing Hunter's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

With 61 rushing yards, Hopewell junior Rushel Shell will move past Mapletown's Derek Bochna into 12th place on the WPIAL all-time rushing list. Bochna, the head coach at McGuffey, was a two-sport standout (football, baseball) at Penn State 4,793 yards before he started as a freshman with the Nittany Lions in 1990.

Shell, who has rushed for 4,732 yards already is on pace to eclipse the all-time WPIAL mark of 7,646 set by Fort Cherry's Mike Vernillo.

Along the way, Shell should pass several local greats, including the subject of this week's All Points Bulletin.

Keith Miller was one of several talented players at Beth-Center High School during a great run of success that started in the 1970s and lasted into the 1990s. The Bulldogs experienced a down period before current head coach Ed Woods established the team as one of the most consistent in Class A. This year's Beth-Center team is 2-0 and ranked No. 3 in Class A by the Observer-Reporter.

When Miller played at Beth-Center, the Bulldogs were contenders in Class AA and engaged in some memorable contests against Wash High. One of the great backs in Washington County history, Miller rushed for 5,121 yards in his scholastic career.

Anyone knowing of Miller's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

With all the talk of young, unproven talent sure to excel at the varsity level, The Varsity Letters felt the time was appropriate to issue an All Points Bulletin for a player who entered high school athletics with unfair expectations.

Several years ago at Trinity's Hiller Stadium, I was covering a football game when two people pointed out one player on the field for the pre-game introductions of the school's youth football teams.

Both people inside the press box told me the same thing.

"That kid there is going to be the next Brian Davis."

Those are words spoken in Washington every time the next youth league great prepares to hit ninth grade. The comparison is never fair and never will be.

Let's get this straight.

There's only one Brian Davis, a high school athlete so talented people miles outside of Washington descended on the town just to watch the guy play football and basketball.

Anderson Hutchinson was the player being compared during this instance. Hutchinson tore up the local youth league and many expected him to do the same when he joined Trinity's varsity football team.

Though Hutchinson was a key contributor for Trinity, that day never came.

It wasn't Hutchinson's fault people wanted to label him as the next Brian Davis. Not like he asked for the moniker. During Hutchinson's final two years of varsity play, Ben Jennings was the primary runner.

Hutchinson started at cornerback for the Hillers and helped them upset Penn Hills in the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs before nearly beating Mt. Lebanon in the next round. Hutchinson was also a successful sprinter on the track team.

Someone mentioned Hutchinson was training for a career in mixed martial arts.

If anyone can confirm Hutchinson's whereabouts, please contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

The Varsity Letters' quest for former, local high school standouts continues ...

Travel back a decade and the kicking game at West Virginia University had a local flavor. First, Chartiers-Houston product Mark Fazzolari went from a first-Team all-state selection at punt by the Associated Press in 1997 to the Mountaineers' punter. Fazzolari lettered at WVU from 1999-2002 and his 41.5 punt average in 1999 ranks 13th in team history.

Ringgold's Todd James drew attention with his kickoffs, which often landed in the end zone – a rarity at the high school level. James landed on the AP second-team defense as a punter in 1999 and was at West Virginia by 2000. During his collegiate career, James frequently handled kicking and punting duties. In 2002, James made 46 of 50 extra points and scored 79 points. He lettered with the Mountaineers from 2000-03.

The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for Fazzolari and James. Anyone with information regarding both or either is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

With the WPIAL softball playoffs heading toward the quarterfinals, The Varsity Letters decided the time was appropriate to track down one of Washington County's more accomplished pitchers.

We're issuing an All Points Bulletin for former Chartiers-Houston ace Erica Riggle.

Riggle struck out 200-plus batters in each of her final three year at Chartiers-Houston and finished her varsity career with more than 750 (a school record). Riggle got it done when it mattered as she led C-H to one WPIAL championship and two PIAA runner-up finishes.

She went on to Robert Morris University, where she pitched from 2002-05 and, in 2007, Riggle was an assistant coach at Trinity.

Anyone knowing Riggle's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

Blogger's note: With the increased traffic from people in the Ringgold School District, The Varsity Letters thought the time to find the following athlete was once again appropriate.

Robert "Bean" Heller last played sports at Ringgold High School in 2005-06. Following one year at the Kiski School, Heller surfaced at Waynesburg University in 2007.

It was a fall to remember.

Heller ran all over the Presidents' Athletic Conference in his first year with the Yellow Jackets. His 2,176 rushing yards established an all-divisions freshman record. The man whose nickname was a tribute to Beano Cook was even the subject of a Facebook page titled, "Robert Heller Was Heaven Sent."

A year later, the relationship between Heller and the Waynesburg coaching staff soured. Shortly after a story published in the Observer-Reporter, the four-sport standout (football, basketball, baseball, track) from Ringgold was nowhere to be found. Various rumors had Heller attempting a boxing career or playing football for Marietta College. None were ever confirmed.

Heller is once again the target of the latest All Points Bulletin.

Anyone with legitimate information regarding Heller's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

The top two girls scorers in Washington County history are Washington's Elizabeth Proudfit and Peters Township's Emily Correal. Proudfit went on to Harvard, where she enjoyed an outstanding career. Correal is starting as a freshman at William & Mary.

The Varsity Letters issues an All Point Bulletin for the third all-time leading scorer in Washington County history.

Jamie O'Donnell is a two-time Observer-Reporter Girls Basketball Player of the Year – only Proudfit, Correal and Monessen's Gina Naccarato earned the honor more. O'Donnell won the award in 1987 and 1988 and by the time her playing career with the Blue Devils ended she had scored 1,808 points.

O'Donnell played at Washington & Jefferson College.

Anyone knowing her whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

After a pair of successful All Points Bulletins, luck ran out with the last as The Varsity Letters tried to track down the whereabouts of former Jefferson-Morgan boys basketball players Calvin Wilson, Damon Wilson and Troy Wilson. Again, anyone knowing any information is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

We'll shift to the girls game as The Varsity Letters issues an APB for former Wash High standout Elizabeth Proudfit.

The all-time leading scorer in Washington County high school history, Proudfit led the Prexies to the 1992 WPIAL Class AAA championship before heading to Harvard. Playing for the Harvard School of Basketball, Proudfit earned the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year Award in 1992-93 and achieved all-conference honors in 1995-96. Her 1,103 career points rank ninth in Harvard girls history. She's seventh all-time in steals and three-pointers.

Anyone knowing Proudfit's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

Over a four-year stretch from the 1998-99 season to 2001-02, Jefferson-Morgan boys basketball was a postseason regular.

The Rockets went 41-7 in section play and 74-28 overall during an unprecedented run in the team's history. In the 1999 WPIAL Class A playoffs, Jefferson-Morgan beat Monessen in the first-round before losing to St. Joseph in the quarterfinals.

The following year, J-M was the No. 2 seed and received a first-round bye. the Rockets got to the WPIAL semifinals and notched a first with a PIAA first-round win over Forbes Road (District 5). J-M lost to eventual state champion Kennedy Christian (now Kennedy Catholic) in the second round.

WPIAL playoff appearances were made the following two years as well under the direction of long-time coach Jim Romanus, who is the girls basketball coach at West Greene.

The key players during the first two years of the run were all named Wilson – Calvin Wilson, Troy Wilson and Damon Wilson.

The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for all three.

Cousins Calvin and Damon Wilson were seniors the year Jefferson-Morgan won its state playoff game. Calvin's plans included attending Robert Morris and walking on the basketball team. Damon attended the University of Kentucky.

Troy Wilson, Damon's brother, was a junior that year and missed part of his senior year due to legal troubles.

Anyone with information on any or all of the Wilsons is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

During her days at Carmichaels High School, Abby McMinn was one busy student-athlete.

A 2001 Carmichaels graduate, McMinn played volleyball, basketball and softball in addition to cheerleading. During the 2000-01 basketball season, she became the first girls player in Carmichaels history to have 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Megan Stuvek joined that exclusive list a few years later.

She finished her varsity career with 14 letters, the most in school history. Her best sport was softball and McMinn started as a freshman on Carmichaels' 1999 PIAA Class AA championship team. She went on to play at Division II California University, where she started at catcher.

This week, The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for McMinn.

Last week's APB for former Fort Cherry standout Josh Kemp was answered. Kemp is currently an assistant boys basketball coach at Fort Cherry.

Anyone knowing McMinn's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they now?

Fort Cherry High School has produced its fair share of talented multi-sport athletes and future NFL coaches. The Rangers' list of legends includes, but is not limited to, Marty Schottenheimer, Marvin Lewis, Perry Kemp, Mike Vernillo, Perry Ivery and Jim Garry.

Scanning the past 10 years of Fort Cherry athletics and it would be difficult to find an athlete who combined ability with hard work better than Josh Kemp.

The Varsity Letters issues an All Points Bulletin for Kemp.

A nephew of Perry Kemp and cousin of Perry Ivery, Josh Kemp was a football and basketball standout for the Rangers. As a junior, his play helped the Rangers reached the 2001 WPIAL Class A championship, where they lost to Rochester. As a senior, Kemp rushed for 1,700 yards.

He also excelled in basketball and averaged 18.4 points as a senior.

Kemp went on to play at California University, where he started as a safety and eventually became a starter in the defensive backfield.

Anyone knowing of Kemp's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

Washington High School girls basketball has made the playoffs and won the Section 5-AA championship every year since the 1999-2000 season. During the impressive run, the Prexies have produced a number of talented players.

Amber Harris started at Seton Hall after she earned Associated Press Class AA Player of the Year honors her freshmen year at Wash High. Jocelyn Floyd, one of the school's great defensive players, is logging minutes as a freshman at Duquesne University.

Others such as Tiara Bennett, Juliet Sargeant, Marguerite Sargeant and Laura Montecalvo enjoyed success at various levels of college basketball.

Vanessa Davison, one of the top players from Wash High, is the subject of this week's All Points Bulletin.

A long, lean guard, Davison was a gifted offensive player and a two-time Observer-Reporter Player of the Year (2004 and 2006). She received a scholarship to Division I Manhattan College, where she played as a freshman and sophomore.

The Varsity Letters hasn't heard from Davison since. Anyone with information regarding Davison is urged to contact The Varity Letters.

APB, Where are they Now?

With wins over Trinity and Washington, Canon-McMillan boys basketball won its tip-off tournament and enters Section 4-AAAA play Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon with a 2-0 record.

The Big Macs return four starters – Kionte Davis, Chad Hagan, Will Glendenning and Justin Robinson – from last year's team. Davis and Hagan were selected to the Observer-Reporter All-District team.

Two years ago, Canon-McMillan qualified for its first PIAA tournament with O-R Player of the year Charles Murphy leading the way.

It's safe to say, C-M basketball isn't long on tradition but the Big Macs have produced some quality players and a few who were interesting to watch.

One player who fell a little into both categories was Anthony Polenski. A guard/forward, Polenski was a 6-3 shooting machine during his playing days with the Big Macs. When Polenski got the basketball, passing was the last option. Those days culminated with the 2001-02 season.

Polenski was named Blue Team MVP at the 2002 Washington-Greene Rotary All-Star Game and he's the subject of this week's All Points Bulletin.

Anyone knowing of Polenski's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where Are They Now?

Our last All Points Bulletin, issued for former California High School boys basketball player Shane Tonkavitch, was answered by Tonkavitch himself. Thanks for the update Shane and best of luck to you.

This week, we're looking for former Canon-McMillan boys basketball player Justin Moore.

Moore's story was an interesting one. He started for Bethel Park as a freshman before he ended up at Canon-McMillan, where his transfer made headlines sparked meetings with the WPIAL.

A talented power forward, Moore experienced an up-and-down varsity career with the Big Macs and he landed in prep school. From there, Moore matriculated to Division II Edinboro University, where he was a key player for the Fighting Scots.

Anyone knowing Moore's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.

APB, Where Are They Now?

The fall sports season is officially over in these parts and high schools began practicing for winter sports (basketball, wrestling, swimming/diving, rifle) last Friday. The first play date for rifle is Dec. 7 and Dec. 11 for all other winter sports.

This week's All Points Bulletin is for Shane Tonkavitch, one of the better shooters on one of the best teams in California High School history.

Tonkavitch played four years of varsity (one for coach Don Martin and three for Steve Luko) and, as a senior, joined the 1,000-point club. A shooting guard, Tonkavitch provided the perfect complement for forward Rick Cope as California advanced to the WPIAL Class A semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals in 2003.

Anyone knowing Tonkavitch's whereabouts is urged to contact The Varsity Letters.