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.

Quotable

It's Aug. 29 but a student-athlete will be hard-pressed to top a line I got from Ringgold senior quarterback Quad Law.

Me to Ringgold junior Demetrius Louis, So, I hear you're faster that you were during track season."

Louis: "Yes I am. A lot faster."

Me: "What did you do to get faster?"

That's where Law inserts himself into the conversation.

"He eats a lot of chicken," Law said. "Chicken and pilates. Pilates works too."

Camp Kovak takes the fast route to visit Ringgold at Cal U

Quad Law, Ringgold's senior quarterback, waddled away from a tent set up just off the Rams' practice field at California University's Roadman Park with several teammates to speak with a reporter (who could that be?) at the conclusion of the final practice during the first week of camp.

Law sported a bag of ice on each knee, and a grimace on his face. When asked about the knees, Law said, "It's nothing bad. Just been a real tough week."

A move to the Class AAA Keystone Conference coupled with the emergence of talent like Law bolstered Ringgold to a historic regular season. The Rams went 9-0 for the first time before running into eventual WPIAL champion Central Valley in the first round of the playoffs.

Ringgold went hunting last year. These days, the Rams are the hunted. Thanks to a group of returning players like Law, Ringgold just might be the fastest team in the WPIAL. All reasons to make the opening week of camp rugged for the players.

There were sprints, lots of them, and, even as many players were packing up at the practice field, coaches were running special teams players through some drills.

"I feel these guys learned from that (Central Valley) game but, at the same time, that's in the past and that's where we want to keep it," Humbert said. "They know what's expected of them, and they're looking forward to the challenge."

Tough guys: Michael Beveridge, Dom Affinito, Lance Tritschler
Humbert believes Beveridge, thanks to his offseason work in the weight room, could project as a lower-level Division I tight end prospect. A member of the 2010 Elite 11, Beveridge is athletic with quick feet, and, at times, he's a dominating defensive lineman.
Affinito played along the offensive line last year but will move to fullback, where he'll be blocking for the Rams' stable of speedsters. Affinito excels at linebacker. Tritschler will be vital to Ringgold's success as he's the lone returning starter on the offensive line with Affinito moving to fullback.

Speedsters: Law, Demetrius Louis, Alfon Cook
When Pitt introduced Todd Graham as its football coach and Graham talked about speed, he might as well have been referring to Ringgold. Not the all the Rams' skill players stack up to Division I level speed, but they do believe they're the fastest group in the WPIAL. There's a good chance they're correct.

Fast facts: Senior Fred Johnson, a transfer from Uniontown, suffered a knee injury Wednesday during Oklahoma Drills. Humbert said Friday morning that a MRI was forthcoming and they would know the extent of the injury soon. Johnson was an all-conference player with the Red Raiders, and Humbert said he would be a two-way starter. ... Louis, Law, Joey Wall and Ringgold graduate Derrick Fiore won the WPIAL Class AAA 400 relay. Louis also qualified for the PIAA championships in the 100 dash. ... Counting two games Humbert served as head coach in 2009 when then-head coach Lloyd Price was suspended, his career coaching record is 11-1.

Varsity notebook

There's no statistical evidence to back up the following statement, but I've covered a lot of high school baseball games.

And I never watched a team smack the baseball around like Peters Township did Monday night against Latrobe.

Peters Township, the top seed in the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs, finished the four-inning game against Latrobe with 14 hits. A total of 10 went for extra bases, and it looked like a contest to see which player could hit the ball the hardest.

While a Brady Sheetz grand slam in the fourth sure looked impressive, it will be hard to top the two triples ripped by Pitt recruit Justin Bianco or the foul ball shot from Austin Hancock that drew a collective "oooooooohhhhh" from the crowd at Washington & Jefferson's Ross Memorial Park.

Where Peters Township ranks among top offensive teams will be determined. There's no guarantee that the Indians will get past Butler in Wednesday's semifinals, but if the Indians go on to win a third WPIAL Class AAAA championship and more, there's no way they are not in that conversation.

* The PIAA Track and Field Championships start Friday morning at Shippensburg University. The PIAA has released its seeds for events.

Class AAA boys

Class AA boys

Class AAA girls

Class AA girls

Seeds don't always mean much when it comes to track. It's difficult to determine which athletes faced bad weather at their district championships, which ones were pushed or which ones coasted to easy wins.

* It's been some time since a local athlete showed as much promise during his sophomore season as Ringgold's Demetrius Louis.

Louis came this close to moving from eighth, and final, place to first place in the Class AAA 100 dash at the WPIAL championships. Louis' legs actually crossed the finish line ahead of Bethel Park's Shakeil Carter but Carter leaned into the finish and his torso crossed first, and that's what counts.

Louis, who told me he's already heard from Pitt among other Division I football programs, also ran a strong third leg for the Rams' gold-medal and school-record setting 400 relay team.

If Louis continues to put in work, particularly on his starts, he could become a multiple WPIAL track champion. And, according to what Ringgold boys basketball coach Pete Logan told me at the beginning of May, Louis plans on playing basketball as a junior.

* One reason for Ringgold's sudden success in the sprints at the WPIAL level is the cooperation between football coach Matt Humbert and track coach Scott Frederick.

Humbert encouraged his players to participate in track, something some football coaches don't do. I, for one, have always believed track can significantly help football players, particularly guys at the skill positions.

Look at all the great Wash High football players/track athletes of the past for an example.

Not only will track help players like Louis, Quad Law, Alfon Cook, etc. from learning certain running techniques that can be used on the playing field, it's given them something else in which to succeed.

Success breeds confidence, which usually breeds more success. Kudos to Coach Humbert and Coach Frederick for cooperating this year.

* Wash High junior Dustin Fuller, one engaging interview, may have entered elite status with his anchor leg in the WPIAL Class AA 1,600 relay.

Fuller won the 300 hurdles earlier in the day and was part of the Prexies' third-place 400 relay team, but it was his anchor leg in the day's final event that really had people talking.

According to coaches right after the race, Fuller ran a split of 49.3 seconds as Washington broke its own WPIAl championship meet record, which was set in 2001. That's crazy, and it gives Fuller something to think about for what should be a highly decorated senior year. Should Fuller run the open 400?

* Canon-McMillan's Taylor Slaney finished fifth in the Class AAA girls javelin and qualified for the PIAA championships on what amounts on a fractured ankle.

Slaney wore a boot before the competition, and after the competition.

What she accomplished is nothing short of spectacular. It's also the highlight of an outstanding day for local throwers. Canon-McMillan and Fort Cherry are sending multiple competitors to states in the throws.

* Fort Cherry junior Jessie Merckle is a serious candidate for Girls Athlete of the Year. So is South Fayette senior Nicole Hilton. As I'm writing this, I'm not sure if they are the top two candidates or not, but the PIAA championships could push one of these two to the forefront.

* Waynesburg's baseball team qualified for the PIAA playoffs for the first time since 2000 with its 10-4 win over Frazier Monday afternoon.

In those days, the Raiders were led by Lee Fritz, one of the betters multi-sport athletes in school history and the first WPIAL player to run and pass for 1,000 yards each during the same season. Maybe the best description for Fritz was that he was a winner.

The current Raiders have two exceptional players in Steve McCaw and Joe Monica. With Waynesburg in the semifinals and owning a legit shot at winning a WPIAL championship, the duo have an opportunity to create a little legend in a town that loves its sports teams.

McCaw, by the way, is one of the better catchers in a WPIAL filled with good catchers.

* Chartiers-Houston softball ranks right up there with programs like Peters Township boys soccer when it comes to sustained success.

One program that occasionally gets overlooked is Chartiers-Houston baseball.

The Bucs are in the WPIAL Class A semifinals following a one-year hiatus and will face top-seed Serra Catholic, which needed extra innings and a three-run rally in the seventh inning to knock off Carmichaels.

* Speaking of success and tradition, California baseball owns plenty of both, and the Trojans are also in the Class A semifinals following Monday's 14-7 win over Bentworth.

After the game, California coach Don Hartman informed reporters that assistant coach Shaun Rice - one heckuva pitcher during his playing days - suffered a heart attack last week and remains hospitalized.

Here's wishing a speedy and full recovery for Rice.

Trinity's Robertson, Ringgold's Louis shine at combine

Trinity junior Brandon Robertson was the big winner at Sunday's Nike Combine in Pittsburgh, an event with more than 800 athletes from the Northeast at the UPMC Sports Complex.
Robertson, a defensive end/outside linebacker who also plays fullback, had the top SPARQ rating with a score of 103.29. SPARQ is an acronym that stands for Speed Power Agility Reaction and Quickness. It consists of a series of sport-specific athletic tests such as jumps, sprints, shuttle runs, throws and bench press.
Dalton referred to Robertson as an "athletic marvel" and a "real sleeper" in this year's recruiting class. Sunday's performance will certainly raise Robertson's profile, as he became the second Trinity player to post a top SPARQ rating at a Nike Combine. The first was Mike Yancich in 2007. He is at Penn State.
Ringgold sophomore Demetrius Louis ran the fastest 40-yard dash, a time of 4.51. His 38-inch vertical leap ranked second at the combine, just two-tenths of an inch behind Malik Blakeman of Penn Hills.
Louis finished eighth overall.
Beth-Center's Sal Faieta finished 13th. Ringgold's Quad Law and Alfon Cook, and Trinity's Pat Frey and Corey Hunsberger were among the top 100. Frey was ranked second in the Class of 2014.

For complete results, check out http://rise.espn.go.com/football/articles/2011/03/27-Pittsburgh-combine-unofficial-results.aspx