The Varsity Letters: Andrew Erenberg

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Saturday, June 23, 2012

Boys Athlete of the Year Finalists

Over the past 12 years, the Observer-Reporter has recognized an United States Olympian (Coleman Scott), a NCAA football All-American (Dan Mozes) and one of the nation's premier marathoners (Jeff Weiss) among others as its Boys Athletes of the Year.

2011 - Christian Brumbaugh, South Fayette
2010 - Mike Hull, Canon-McMillan
2009 - Nick Wilcox, Peters Township
2008 - Dan Conley, Burgettstown
2007 - Andrew Sweat, Trinity
2006 - Robert Heller, Ringgold
2005 - Jeff Weiss, McGuffey
2004 - Coleman Scott, Waynesburg
2003 - Colby Giles, Carmichaels
2002 - Dan Mozes, Washington
2001 - Lanfer Simpson, Waynesburg
2000 - Michael Sutton, Washington

Some years, the choice was easy. Other years, it was a difficult selection.

The O-R Boys Athlete of the Year falls under the difficult category. Time will tell if any of the finalists prove as successful as many of their predecessors, but there were many to choose from.

Zach Challingsworth, South Fayette
The Pitt football recruit played receiver, quarterback, defensive back, punter and kick returner for the Lions and was a first-team All-State pick. He was also on the O-R All-District basketball first team.

T.D. Conway, California
A two-sport (football, baseball) standout headed to Cal U for football. Conway owns several Trojans passing records and pitched the baseball team into the WPIAL Class A finals this spring.

Andrew Erenberg, Peters Township
Erenberg competed against some of the toughest competition the WPIAL can offer as a vital member of the football and baseball teams at Peters Township. An All-State selection and Fordham signee, Erenberg rushed for 1,343 yards with 17 TD. In baseball,. he batted .468 with 22 RBI.
Dustin Fuller, Washington
Fuller played soccer and kicked for the football team last fall, but made his mark in track. In fact, it's been some time since an area athlete had a better track season than Fuller. He became the first male to win four events at the WPIAL championships, and followed it with four medals at the state meet, including one gold and one silver.

Tanner Garry, Fort Cherry
Fort Cherry's career passing leader went for 2,171 yards and 23 TD as a senior with 12 rushing TDs. The future Bowling Green football player wrestled this winter after playing basketball as a junior. In baseball, he batted nearly .500 and struck out 88 as the team's top pitcher.

Quad Law, Ringgold
There wasn't much Law couldn't or didn't do on the football field during his senior season, which was one reason why he was selected the O-R Player of the Year. The future Gannon multi-purpose threat, was an All-State player as he rushed for 1,341 yards and averaged 11.2 per carry.

Chavas Rawlins, Monessen
Name the sport, and chances are Rawlins plays it for Monessen and he excels. It's football, however, where the WVU recruit shines as he accounted for 16 TDs as a junior.

Cody Wiercioch, Canon-McMillan
In his first season with the Big Macs, Wiercioch went unbeaten on his way to WPIAL and PIAA titles. The O-R Wrestler of the Year also helped C-M win team championships at the state and district level.

Josh Wise, Washington
The rare three-sport athlete who excels in every sport he particpates, Wise helped the Prexies qualify for the playoffs in football, basketball and track, where Wash High won a WPIAL title. Wise made the All-District basketball first team and was a WPIAL high jump champion.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Top five moments of 2011

1. Matt Venanzi's last-second goal
A Neil Harrison throw-in with 10 seconds remaining bounced in front of the Pittsburgh central Catholic goal. Somehow, the ball squirted to All-State midfielder and Pitt recruit Matt Venanzi.
One touch later, upstart Peters Township tied top-seed PCC, 1-1, with 1.1 seconds remaining in regulation.
Following the goal, Venanzi raced toward the corner flag, looked into the sky as he raised his arms to hip level and was mobbed by teammates.
Peters Township went on to win the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals in a shootout. Naturally, Venanzi scored in that as well. Peters Township, which lost its final three games of the regular season, reached the WPIAL championship game once again with the win and qualified for the state tournament.

"We weren't as good as last year, but we still had some good players," Venanzi said. "We had a lot of new players but the team knew we could be good. I think it was people outside the program who didn't expect us to get this far."

2. Veronica Latsko fights off Pennridge
While the moment can't top Venanzi's for sheer drama, Peters Township sophomore Veronica Latsko scored a goal in the 2011 PIAA Class AAA championship match that illustrates why she's considered one of the top players around.
A pair of Pennridge defenders tugged and pulled at Latsko for nearly 25 yards and just as the All-State striker looked ready to hit the turf at Hersheypark Stadium, she managed to put a shot early in the first half on net for the game's lone goal.
Peters Township won its second consecutive PIAA Class AAA championship with a 1-0 victory.
"I don't know how she stayed on her feet for that long," Peters Township coach Pat Vereb said. "It was an amazing effort."

3. Briggs has grand time for C-H softball
Chartiers-Houston took a 20-0 record and a 24-game win streak into the WPIAL Class A championship game against section rival Fort Cherry, the bracket's 15th seed.
An ideas that the Rangers would pull off an upset and beat the 2010 state champs were quickly quelled in the second inning when sophomore rightfielder Kayla Briggs smacked a Nicolette McHugh pitch toward centerfield and over the wall at California University's Lilly Field.
"I didn't really think it was gone. I was just trying to get one run in," Briggs said.
Briggs finished the championship game with five RBI, or just another average day for a two-time All-State selection who batted over .600 during her sophomore season.

4. Monessen extracts revenge
Rarely do teams admit a victory is sweeter because of the opponent. That wasn't the case for the Monessen boys basketball team following the 2011 WPIAL Class AA title game.
The balanced Greyhounds beat top-seed Greensburg Central Catholic with surprising ease, burying three-pointers, playing air-tight defense and even throwing down an alley-oop.
"I would say it is. They get sweeter the older you get," Moneseen coach Joe Salvino said. "But that's a school that's allowed to get anybody. And here we are at Monessen, a small Class A school playing up and winning a championship. I'm proud of these kids."
Beating the Centurions was particularly pleasing that year given the strange circumstances involving the transfers of Terrence and Josh Stepoli. The brothers started at Monessen, went to GCC separately, went back to Monessen and, well, you get the idea.
And during Monessen's postseason run, which ended in the state semifinals with a loss to GCC, the legendary Salvino picked up his 500th career victory.

5. Peters Township's lumber company
On one magical night during the WPIAL Class AAAA baseball playoffs, Peters Township put together what might be the best hitting performance the district postseason has seen.
During a 17-1 win over Latrobe, Peters Township's bash brothers bashed a grand slam, home runs, triples and doubles.
By the time the game ended because of the 15-run mercy rule, Peters Township – led by Justin Bianco, Brady Sheetz, Austin Hancock and Andrew Erenberg – smacked 10 extra base hits. None were cheap.
"We have a lot of guys that can hit the ball. We go up there looking to do our job," said rightfielder Justin Bianco.
The hitting performance continually drew "oohs" and "aahs" from spectators and even prompted a couple college coaches in attendance to say they've never witnessed a better hitting performance.
No doubt the playoff-issued baseballs were glad to see the Indians leave Washington & Jefferson's baseball field that night.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Peters Township's Erenberg makes Class AAAA All-State team

The 2011 Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State football team. With players’ school, height, weight and class.
CLASS AAAA
QUARTERBACK
Daniel Harding, Nazareth, 6-4, 205, Sr.
Mack Leftwich, North Allegheny, 5-11, 190, Jr.
RUNNING BACK
Dan Brown, Central Bucks South, 5-10, 180, Sr.
Jack Haffner, State College, 5-10, 205, Sr.
Luke Hagy, Mount Lebanon, 6-1, 198, Sr.
Damion Jones-Moore, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 5-7, 180, Sr.
WIDE RECEIVER
Adam Bridgeforth, Nazareth, 6-0, 180, Sr.
Diante Cherry, J.P. McCaskey, 5-9, 175, Jr.
Anthony Nixon, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 6-2, 205, Sr.
TIGHT END
Adam Breneman, Cedar Cliff, 6-5, 230, Jr.
LINEMEN
Patrick Kugler, North Allegheny, 6-4, 270, Jr.
Chris Muller, Boyertown, 6-6, 300, Sr.
Ian Park, Upper St. Clair, 6-4, 290, Sr.
Zach Wilk, Central Dauphin, 6-5, 275, Sr.
SPECIALIST
Dakota Conwell, Upper St. Clair, 6-1, 210, Sr.
Eugene Lewis, Wyoming Valley West, 6-3, 200, Sr.
KICKER
Matt Loughnane, Penn-Trafford, 5-10, 150, Jr.
DEFENSE
LINEMEN
Cody Conway, Gateway, 6-4, 210, Sr.
Kyle Friend, Cumberland Valley, 6-1, 280, Sr.
Arthur Goldberg, Mount Lebanon, 6-4, 280, Sr.
Evan Schwan, Central Dauphin, 6-6, 225, Sr.
LINEBACKER
Rob Dvoracek, Parkland, 6-2, 220, Sr.
Tyrone “T.J.” Neal, McKeesport, 6-1, 225, Sr.
Hakeem Oliver, Gateway, 5-10, 200, Sr.
Sean Burke, La Salle College HS, 5-10, 185, Jr.
Ralph Reeves, Lansdale North Penn, 6-0, 230, Sr.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Brendan Coniker, North Allegheny, 6-1, 170, Jr.
Andrew Erenberg, Peters Twp., 5-10, 200, Sr.
Anthony Orlando, Liberty, 5-10, 170, Sr.
Will Parks, Germantown, 6-1, 175, Sr.
SPECIALIST
Jaylen Coleman, University Prep, 6-0, 230, Sr.
Greg Garmon, McDowell, 6-2, 200, Sr.
Zayd Issah, Central Dauphin, 6-4, 210, Jr.
CO-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Zayd Issah, Central Dauphin
Daniel Harding, Nazareth
COACH OF THE YEAR
Glen McNamee, Central Dauphin

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Player of the Year worthy

Brief bios on players who were considered for the Observer-Reporter Football Player of the Year, which will be published Wednesday.

Zach Challingsworth, South Fayette
Challingsworth has received interest from West Virginia, Penn State, Toledo, Maryland, Pitt and Villanova. Maryland was the most recent to visit South Fayette and talk with Lions head coach Joe Rossi about the dynamic Challingsworth, a first-team Century Conference receiver and punter. Challingsworth caught 48 passes for 740 yards, rushed for 520, passed for 60 and scored nine touchdowns to go with five interceptions.

Eric Ellis, Washington
Ellis made the Century Conference second team as an offensive lineman, but it's on defense where the senior made his biggest impact. Among Ellis' 55 tackles were a single-season school record 18 sacks and 25 tackles for loss. Ellis forced turnovers - five fumbles, one interception - and recovered six fumbles. He even blocked two punts and two kicks.

Andrew Erenberg, Peters Township
One of the area's better baseball players, Erenberg enjoyed his best football season as a senior. Erenberg turned down a scholarship offer from Kent State (the first local running back since Wash High's Travis Thomas to be recruited by D1 schools at the position) to commit to Fordham. Erenberg, also a starting safety, rushed for 1,343 yards and scored 18 touchdowns and he rushed for 3,500 yards during his three years with the Indians.

Sal Faieta, Beth-Center
A four-year starter at linebacker, Faieta made significant strides as a quarterback during his senior season. Colleges like Youngstown State like Faieta at linebacker, and he finished with 85 tackles. His efficiency as a quarterback was noticeable. Faieta passed for 1,315 yards and averaged 16.6 yards per completion. He passed for 18 touchdowns and rushed for 10.

Tanner Garry, Fort Cherry
The Offensive MVP of the Black Hills Conference, Garry put together a record-setting season at Fort Cherry. He completed 110 passes for 2,171 yards and 23 touchdowns. As the season progressed, Garry became fort Cherry's top option in the run game and he gained 702 yards with 12 rushing touchdowns. Garry also started at linebacker and safety, and had a knack for making a big play in key games.

Percy "Quad" Law, Ringgold
Dynamic, shifty and fast, Law turned negative plays into highlight-reel material. As the quarterback in Ringgold's version of the spread offense, Law rushed for 1,341 yards and 14 touchdowns despite missing parts of two games due to injury. Before his leg injury, Law was averaging nearly 15 yards per carry. He also passed for 637 yards and made key plays with his arm in both of Ringgold's biggest wins – at Greensburg-Salem and versus Highlands in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs.

Monday, October 31, 2011

WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs preview

Top seeds: 1. North Allegheny (9-0), 2. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (9-0), 3. Upper St. Clair (8-1), 4. Penn-Trafford (9-0)
Defending champion: North Allegheny
Best first-round game: No. 10 Woodland Hills at No. 7 Mt. Lebanon
Sleeper: Gateway
Players to watch: Luke Hagy (Mt. Lebanon), Arthur Goldberg (Mt. Lebanon), Andrew Erenberg (Peters Township) pictured, Manny Simpson (Penn-Trafford), Damian Jones-Moore (Pittsburgh C.C.), Anthony Nixon (Pittsburgh C.C.), Perry Hills (Pittsburgh C.C.), Greg Garmon (Erie McDowell), Shakim Alonzo (Woodland Hills), Ian Park (Upper St. Clair), Jack Schwaba (Upper St. Clair), Dakota Conwell (Upper St. Clair)
Noteworthy: Erenberg, who has committed to Division I-AA Fordham, is Peters Township's all-time lead in rushing yards, scoring and touchdowns. His 14 touchdowns are a single-season school record, and he needs about 80 yards to set the single-season rushing record. Erenberg spent his freshman season at Pittsburgh Central Catholic – Peters Township's opponent in the first round. The game will be played at Fox Chapel.
Quotable: "If it's a big play call and we have a third-and-two, I'm pretty sure (Erenberg) is getting the football," Peters Township coach Rich Piccinini said. "And I'm pretty sure he'll get the first down."
Championship: Upper St. Clair over North Allegheny

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Week 9 thoughts

Fort Cherry football coach Tim Garry got the idea from an administrator in the Canon-McMillan School District, where Garry teaches. The admini

strator coached high school football in Virginia.

While there, the high school ran a version of the single-wing offense. Fort Cherry debuted it with great success Friday night during a 37-13 win at Chartiers-Houston that was more impressive than the final scored indicates.

The Rangers call the package "The Spinner" and it entails quarterback Tanner Garry in his usual shotgun formation with a sidecar. Against the Bucs, the Rangers put a series of possible runners just behind the right side of the offensive line in a wishbone-esque formation.

The possibilities were many. Garry can run, or direct snaps can go to Kolton Kobrys or Corey Garry. End-around to Ryan Babirad are another possibility.

"I watched it on film and thought we could put in some plays," Tim Garry said.

Fort Cherry originally planned to showcase the offense a week earlier.

"We actually threw it together for Clairton but we didn't have a good enough handle on it and we fell behind so we decided not to use it," Tanner Garry said.

The package certainly gives Fort Cherry's upcoming opponent in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs something to think about. So does the play of Tanner Garry.

Garry always turns in strong performances against Chartiers-Houston, but Friday night may have been his finest 48 minutes. In conditions far from ideal, Garry completed 13 of 17 passes for 172 yards and he rushed for 137 yards and three scores. He also topped 4,000 passing yards for his career.

"He's had b

igger numbers but, considering the level of competition, I'd say this was his best game," Tim Garry said.

* The record-setting career of Peters Township tailback Andrew Erenberg will end at some point during the Class AAAA playoffs.

Erenberg rushed for 174 yards and four touchdowns as the Indians secured a postseason berth with a win against Canon-McMillan. It gives him 1,301 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the season.

Teams know what's coming against PT, yet Erenberg produces.

C-M head coach Tim Sohyda said it well in Saturday's edition of the Observer-Reporter, "What more could you want? You know he's getting it, but you still have to stop it. He always falls forward, he doesn't put it on the ground. He's a great running back. He's a solid, in-your-face player. He's hard to stop."

* Ringgold's defense must be feeling better after it put up a zero against Uniontown. The Rams also must feel good about the return of Quad Law.

* Anyone else expecting a Ringgold-Hopewell game in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs?

* If freshman Brett Brumbaugh's 13-for-14 passing performance for 228 yards and two scores against Quaker Valley is any indication, South Fayette is set at quarterback the next three years.

* Trinity had its string of six consecutive playoff appearances snapped.

* Anyone else amazed at the lack of quality kicking this year? It could prove costly in the postseason for some, and it contributed to at least one team missing the postseason.

* Washington has its best team since 2001. Whether it translates to postseason success or not will unfold this week.

I, for one, am not sold on the overall strength of Class AA. Except for Aliquippa, the MAC appears down. So does the Interstate Conference after the top two teams and the Allegheny Conference as a whole.

If the Prexies continue to get play up front like they did today against Burgettstown, they can win a couple games.

* With the regular season complete, here's a short list of players worthy of consideration for O-R Player of the Year: Law (Ringgold), Erenberg (Peters Township), Garry (Fort Cherry), Sal Faieta (Beth-Center), Shai McKenzie and Eric Ellis (Washington).

Saturday, October 15, 2011

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

Sunday, September 18, 2011

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.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Player profile, Andrew Erenberg

Name: Andrew Erenberg
School: Peters Township
Class: Senior
Sport: Football
Measurables: Erenberg is listed at 5-10, 200. According to Peters Township coach Rich Piccinini, he's the fastest player on the team in addition to the strongest on the bench and squat.
Last year: Erenberg led all local players with 18 touchdown during the regular season last year. He rushed for 1,031 yards, and he even averaged 35.8 yards per punt.
Scholarship offers: Erenberg enters his senior season with scholarship offers from Kent State and Fordham, where friend and former teammate Austin Hancock is a freshman linebacker.
Duquesne and Dayton have also shown interest, though Erenberg is not in a hurry to make a decision.
" I like Kent a lot. It's a tough process; I'm just kind of focusing on football right now and choosing a college is tough," Erenberg said. "I’m going to make that decision whenever the time is right, probably will be toward end of season but if I wake up one morning and say, 'I want to play for Kent State,' or 'I want to play for Fordham,' then I will. I don’t know when that will be."
Father knows best: Erenberg's father, Rich, was a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1984-86 and amassed more than 1,500 multi-purpose yards during his pro career.
Erenberg was a ninth-round pick out of Colgate.
"He’s been around the game forever. My dad wasn’t real big, he wasn’t real fast but he outworked everyone," Erenberg said. "He had to work hard just to play college football and he ended up playing four years at Colgate. He was fortunate enough to get drafted by the Steelers and the only reason that happened was because he worked hard."
Those hard-working habits are evident in Andrew Erenberg's game.
"Andrew is our workhorse. He’s just a good person," Piccinini said. "He never once put up a resistance. He never said, 'I’m a 1,000-yard rusher and here’s how I did it.' Instead, he was the first guy who shook my hand when I walked into my first meeting."
Multi-sport standout: Erenberg may be a Division-I talent in football, but Peters Township baseball coach Joe maize feels his leadoff hitter is more than capable of landing a scholarship in that sport as well.
Erenberg batted .434 with 28 runs and 20 RBI as a junior, and his played helped Peters Township reach the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game.
Continuing the trend: Peters Township qualified for the Class AAAA playoffs in football for the first time in 2010. The Indians finished 5-5, and they were the only team to hold a lead on PIAA champion North Allegheny during the postseason.
Granted, that lead was 7-0 and North Allegheny went on to win handily, but for a program trying to establish itself, that's a small building block.
The majority of starters from that team are gone, but that hasn't changed any goals.
" Our first goal is to win our first four games, and then we’re going to compete for a section title," Erenberg said. "1975 is way too long. I don’t like seeing that number up there."
Peters Township's last conference championship came in 1975.

Follow me on Twitter @TheMikeKovak

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Quick hits

Waynesburg played for the WPIAL baseball championship June 1 and lost during three games during the 2011 season - all by one run. The success wasn't enough to keep some parents from creating friction with head coach Steve Coss.

Coss, who coached the Raiders for three years, recently resigned. For more on the story, http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/sports11/08-24-2011-scholastic-notebook.

* Peters Township senior Andrew Erenberg has scholarship offers from Kent State and Fordham. Erenberg rushed for more than 1,000 yards with 18 touchdowns as a junior.

* Heard from more than one person affiliated with Clairton that the Bears believe they will play Fort Cherry twice - the second time coming at Heinz Field for the WPIAL championship.

* Not sure how good South Fayette will be following the loss of the majority of its top players from last year, but don't expect the Lions not to compete for the postseason. After watching junior Zach Challingsworth during practice Tuesday, the guess here is he'll be one of the better players in Class AA if not the WPIAL.

* That said, Washington beat South Fayette during a 7-on-7 camp during the offseason. That doesn't mean much right now, but expect the Week 4 meeting between the Prexies and Lions to be highly competitive.

* Mat Matters, a blog dedicated to high school wrestling done by colleague Joe Tuscano, is engaged in a heated debate concerning the transfer of Cody Wiercioch from Charleroi to powerhouse Canon-McMillan.

I'm not a passionate opponent of transfers. As I've stated before, what about the student who leaves one high school for another because of the band? To me, there's not much difference no matter what points others mention.

Still, the recent transfers remind me of a situation that occurred when I first broke into the business at the Beaver County Times.

Like Canon-McMillan wrestling, Blackhawk boys basketball was already an established program when Brandon Fuss-Cheatham transferred from Keystone Oaks and Darren Tielsch from Montour. Each move set off a heated debate, and Blackhawk was often referred to the WPIAL Traveling All-Stars.

Blackhawk's head coach at the time, John Miller, had ties to the AAU basketball. Canon-McMillan wrestling has ties to the popular Quest Wrestling in Canonsburg.

* According to sources, former Monessen and Greensburg Central Catholic athlete Josh Stepoli is in North Carolina, where he is staying with a cousin, A.J. Jackson.

Jackson was a basketball standout out Monessen before he played at East Tennessee State and, later, Robert Morris.

About the blogger

A devoted fan of the Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, 1990s rap and Tom Petty, Mike Kovak works as a sports writer for the Observer-Reporter, a newspaper located in Washington, Pa. Kovak covers high school sports – from football to softball and everything in between. He's known to appear at the random Pitt football and men's basketball game or the occasional West Virginia game and previously helped Steelers beat writer F. Dale Lolley at home games. When not tracking college basketball – his sport of choice – or watching That 70s Show reruns, Kovak is busy playing Mr. Mom for his daughter, Anna Noel Kovak.

Kovak was hired by the Observer-Reporter in 1999. He previously spent two years at the Beaver County Times and four months as an intern at the Tribune-Democrat, located in Johnstown.

Kovak invites any and all movie buffs to exchange lines from classic comedies, such as Anchorman, Caddyshack and The Hangover.

The Varsity Letters