Football player of the year

What do UFC fighter Josh Koscheck, Chicago White Sox minor league first baseman Jim Gallagher and Penn State linebacker Mike Yancich have in common?

Before the trio went on to bigger and better things, all three were honored as Observer-Reporter Football Player of The Year.

Koscheck was the Offensive Player of the Year in 1996, his senior year at Waynesburg. More than one person I know involved in high school sports now or at some point say that Koscheck was the best hard-nosed running back they've seen from this area.

Gallagher, who fielded several Division I football offers, was the Offensive Player of the Year in 2003 as he guided Peters Township to a playoff win. Gallagher was also the area's top baseball player at the time, and he turned down football offers to play baseball at Duke. Eventually, he was a seventh-round draft choice of the Chicago White Sox and plays for the Class AAA Durham Bulls. I still believe that Gallagher is the best athlete from Washington County that I've covered at the high school level.

Yancich played linebacker at Trinity as a sophomore and junior. He was there as a senior, too, but he finally got a chance to become the Hillers' tailback in 2007 and did not disappoint. That year, Yancich was the Observer-Reporter Player of the Year.

In Wednesday's edition, the Observer-Reporter Player of the Year will be recognized, as will the Elite 11 and All-District Team.

Minor league comparison

In Jim Gallagher and Justin Bianco, Peters Township has produced a pair of high-draft choices in recent years.

Gallagher, 25, was a seventh-round pick of the Chicago White Sox following his junior year at Duke. Bianco, 18, was recently selected in the third round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, believed to be the highest selection for a player from Washington County.

Gallagher and Bianco are currently on opposite ends of the minor league ladder. Gallagher is a converted infielder for the Chartlotte Knights, the AAA-affiliate of the White Sox. Bianco is playing rookie ball for the Missoula (Mont.) Osprey.

Through 37 games, Bianco is batting .220 (31-for-141) with seven 2B, two HR, 19 RBI and 54 K. He's also getting adjusted to running bases at the professional level, with only two successful steals in seven attempts. Over his last five games, however, Bianco appears to be making progress. He's had seven hits, and has not been caught stealing.

Gallagher, a teammate of former Pirates outfielder Lastings Milledge and can't-miss prospect Mark Teahan, hasn't played since July 25 and is on the temporary inactive list. art of the White Sox 40-man roster, Gallagher sports a .252 average (93-for-369) with 55 runs, 32 2B, 6 HR, 46 RBI and 54 walks.

Former PT standout Gallagher impressing White Sox

Peters Township graduate Jim Gallagher put together one solid spring training with the Chicago White Sox.

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