Gatten, 1982 Chartiers-Houston wrestling among WPIAL HOF inductees

One of the great multi-sport athletes to come from Washington and one of the best wrestling teams in the history of the region were announced Tuesday as inductees into the WPIAL Hall of Fame.

The announcement was made during a press conference at the Heinz History Center in the Strip District.

Aaron Gatten, who graduated from Washington High School in 1996, is one of the area's premier three-sport athletes. Gatten was so good that he was awarded the Observer-Reporter Sports Headliner Award.

Gatten played football, ran track and he wrestled as he earned 12 varsity letters for the High. He was a state champion sprinter and wrestler before playing football at Penn State.

The Bucs' 1982 wrestling team won the PIAA Class AAA team championship with a Class AA enrollment, an extraordinary accomplishment. Among the Bucs' wrestlers was current canon-McMillan coach Chris Mary, who just guided C-M to the state championship.

Other inductees include Lavar Arrington of North Hills, Melanie Buddemeyer of Penn Hills, Clinton Davis of Steel Valley, Adam DiMichele of Sto-Rox, Troy Letters of Shaler and Marla Puryear of Thomas Jefferson as athletes; North Allegheny's Bob Miller, Hopewell's Joe Colella and Connellsville's Tom Dolde as coaches and the 1964 Uniontown boys basketball team.

The inductees will be honored at a banquet at the Green Tree Radisson on June 24.

The O-R Sports Headliner is ...

Readers will have to wait to read the newspaper to find that out, but there was some lively debate last weekend in the sports department and, after about 20 minutes of discussion, a consensus was reached.

The Observer-Reporter Sports Headliner, awarded annually to the top local newsmaker, will be selected from the following finalists and presented at the Tri-County Athletic Directors Coach of the year Banquet, which takes place May 1 at the DoubleTree Hilton Meadow Lands.

(In alphabetical order)
1. Canon-McMillan wrestling The Big Macs won Powerade (an impressive accomplishment) and the WPIAL Class AAA team title. They failed to produce a PIAA individual champion but with a handful of second- and third-place finishes, the Big Macs won the state team championship.

2. Chartiers-Houston softball The Bucs came this close to elimination in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals and didn't win a district title. None of that mattered in the PIAA playoffs, where C-H advanced to the state championship for the sixth time. Unlike the previous five appearances, the Bucs not only plated a run, they beat Montgomery, 4-1.

3. Josh Koscheck headlines PPV Nothing drives a Pay-Per-View like a great heel, and Waynesburg native Koscheck was willing to be that heel for UFC 124 in a main event match against Georges St-Pierre. The much hyped fight had a lead-in with both opponents working TV's "The Ultimate Fighter", but Koscheck lost by unanimous decision and suffered a broken orbital bone.

4. Peters Township girls soccer Before the 2010 season, PT girls soccer wore the title of "Best program never to win a WPIAL or PIAA championship." That changed when the Indians rolled through the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs then knocked off nationally ranked Archbishop Wood, 1-0, in the state championship match.

5. South Fayette football After years of playoff struggles, South Fayette won its first WPIAL championship since 1964 by beating Aliquippa in the Class AA final. South Fayette, the area's first football champion since wash High in 2001, went on to lose to Philadelphia West Catholic in the state championship, finishing with a 15-1 record.

Naturally, the saga between Ed Dalton and the Trinity Area School Board and the strange operating methods of Peters Township with its coaching staff dominated headlines at times throughout the year. While these stories were heavily covered and topics of discussion throughout the local sports community, the O-R sports staff did not feel they were appropriate when considering the headliner.

Remembering Tommy Sypula

One of the great eras in the rich tradition of Washington High School sports occurred during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

• The football team, led by Guy Montecalvo, regularly competed for the WPIAL Class AA championship. The Prexies won WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2001 and played for the WPIAL championship in 1998 and 1999. Wash High produced a long line of college talent led by future WVU All-American Dan Mozes, Notre Dame special teams captain Travis Thomas and Old Dominion pitcher Justin Gregula.
• The baseball team, coached by Bob Peton, also found itself in the title hunt most seasons. Wash High won the 2002 WPIAL title. In 1998, the Prexies won WPIAL and PIAA titles and many still remember Diontae Walker pitching a perfect game in the WPIAL championship.
• The boys and girls track and field teams were usually among the best in the WPIAL and beyond.
• The boys basketball team, coached by Ron Faust, continued its consistent success. In 2001, the Prexies reached the PIAA quarterfinals.
• The girls basketball team enjoyed an influx of young talent in future Seton Hall starter Amber Harris as well as Tiara Bennett and Jaime Bush. These Prexies played for a WPIAL championship.
• The wrestling team filled its weight classes far more successfully in those days and won a WPIAL title.
  

One of the better multi-sport athletes at Wash High during its championship-filled era and one of its bigger overachievers was Tommy Sypula, an undersized, hard-nosed tough guy with Popeye arms and a desire to make the teams he played for great ones.

In other words, Sypula was the guy coaches talk about when they say, "If we only had 11 of him."

Sadly, Tommy Sypula died unexpectedly Friday, Nov. 19 in his home. He was 27.

Sypula's athletic credentials were top-notch, as was his work ethic. A member of the 1997 Pony baseball team that advanced to the championship game, Sypula graduated Wash High in 2002 with a slew of championships and more varsity letters than most athletes proud to be part of the Prexies family.

A team captain, on the 2001 state championship football team, Sypula was an undersized offensive lineman and linebacker. What he lacked in size, he made up for in determination and his play was all-state caliber. Sypula was also a key contributor on WPIAL championship teams in baseball and wrestling.

He played hard. He practiced hard. Always. Watching him compete was always enjoyable.

There's no doubting Sypula will be missed tremendously by the Wash High community, the countless friends he made and his family. I didn't get to see Tommy too often after high school but I often speak with his father Tom, a passionate, hard-working man for a local television station who donated his spare time to record football games for Washington and, when Montecalvo moved to Canon-McMillan, the Big Macs.

If you know Tom, it's easy to see where Tommy got his passion and work ethic.

I'd like to extend my deepest sympathies to the family during this tough time. Tommy will be in my thoughts and memories of his achievements remain vivid to this day.

Top 10 Teams of 2009-10

Blogger's note: Due to space constrictions in Sunday's edition of the Observer-Reporter, only the top five teams made the newspaper.


1. South Fayette Boys Basketball
South Fayette failed to win its section or the WPIAL Class AA title, but that couldn’t keep a talented group led by all-state forward Mike Lamberti and all-state point guard Pat Zedreck from winning the ultimate prize – a PIAA championship.
With critical contributions from Mike Burroughs, Tyler Henry, Josh Patterson and Christian Brumbaugh, South Fayette dispatched a who’s-who en route to beating heavily favored Strawberry Mansion, 49-47, in the final to finish 24-5.
Henry scored the winning points on a putback with 25 seconds remaining.
Washington, North Catholic and Mercyhurst Prep each lost to the Lions by double digits in the state playoffs. Lamberti was the Observer-Reporter’s Player of the Year and Rich Bonnaure the state’s Class AA Coach of the Year. The Lions were named the O-R Headliner.


2. Chartiers-Houston Softball
Chartiers-Houston didn’t clinch the Section 1-A title until its final game, and the Bucs were nearly ousted in the WPIAL quarterfinals by Brentwood in extra innings.
The near-upset didn’t rattle the Bucs. It merely built character for and a recurring postseason theme that nearly drove head coach Tricia Alderson batty.
Chartiers-Houston played four consecutive extra-innings games in the postseason, with the lone loss against Vincentian Academy for the WPIAL title.
Led by sluggers Kayla Briggs and Colby Miller, the Bucs (22-2) advanced to the state semifinals where Player of the Year Kiersten Conwell took over. Conwell allowed one run over the final two games, including a 4-1 victory over Montgomery for the team’s first state championship in six appearances.


3. Peters Township Girls Tennis
Peters Township won more hardware over a three-week period than most teams do over three decades.
In its most successful season, Peters Township received strong play from No. 2 singles player Caroline Nixon and the Indians won their first district title since 1996 with a 3-2 victory over Upper St. Clair in the finals.
Compared to the WPIAL tournament, the PIAA playoffs were easier and Peters Township claimed the school’s second state championship – the Indians won in 2006 with current pro player Alison Riske – by beating Upper St. Clair again. Brandt Bowman coached both state championship teams.
To cap the gold-medal run, Nixon and Julie Stroyne – one of the most decorated high school tennis players to come from Washington County – won the PIAA Class AAA doubles championship.


4. Canon-McMillan Hockey
Canon-McMillan encountered modest expectations as it headed into the PIHL Class AAA Penguins Cup playoffs. Seeded eighth, the Big Macs weren’t given much of a chance to advance past the first round.
Expectations within the locker room were considerably higher and, as the Big Macs proved, more realistic.
Coached by Yuri Krivokhija, a 1988 draft choice of the Montreal Canadiens, and with little representation on the all-star team, Canon-McMillan (18-8-1) beat top-seed Shaler en route to knocking off Seneca Valley for its first Penguins Cup title.
The Big Macs’ run ended in the Pennsylvania Cup, a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Cardinal O’Hara. But players Mario Dalesandro, Brett Oldaker, Brandon Smolarek and Alexander Baskakov turned C-M hockey into something special.



5. Canon-McMillan Wrestling
Wrestling powerhouse Canon-McMillan returned to its oft-occupied position atop the WPIAL when it defeated Kiski Area in the Class AAA team tournament to cap a dramatic run.
It marked the Big Macs first team championship – and first for head coach Chris Mary – since 1995 but its sixth overall.
Mike Hull, who hadn’t wrestled in 11 days after suffering a shoulder separation in a high school all-star football game, beat his heavier opponent 3-2 in the final match against Kiski to deliver the 32-27 victory. Earlier in the tournament, C-M beat Penn-Trafford by one point, thanks to Zach Thomas’ win at 160.
Connor Schram (103), Nick Catalano (135) and Sam Lombardo (140) each won silver at the WPIAL championships. Schram won PIAA gold to cap his freshman season.

6. Canon-McMillan Boys Track
Deep and talented, Canon-McMillan had only one WPIAL gold medalist in Nick Gibson, which makes the Big Macs’ accomplishment more impressive. At the WPIAL Class AAA team championship, key performances came from Michael Burchesky, Alex Adams, Hull and a host of others as Canon-McMillan won its second team title in three years.

7. Peters Township Field Hockey
Winners of consecutive WPIAL Division I girls lacrosse titles from 2007-09, Peters Township became a first-time power in field hockey when Jules Femiani scored in the first overtime to lift the Indians past Fox Chapel, 1-0, in the WPIAL final. Under first-year coach Kristin Slemmer, Peters Township finished 13-2.

8. South Fayette Football
South Fayette’s high-powered offense, engineered by Brumbaugh and fortified by all-state linemen Steve McElhinny, rolled over competition in the Century Conference. The Lions (10-1) went 9-0 during the regular season – their first undefeated mark since 1936 – and were the top seed in the Class AA playoffs. They lost to Aliquippa in the quarterfinals.

9. Jefferson-Morgan Girls Volleyball
With nine seniors, Jefferson-Morgan delivered on the potential they first displayed as sophomores. Led by all-state player Mabel Culp along with Morgan Olson and Marissa Cameron, the Rockets (18-3) finished third in WPIAL Class A and became the first volleyball team from Greene County to play in the state tournament.

10. Peters Township Girls Soccer
It’s difficult to imagine any team suffering a tougher loss than Peters Township did to Seneca Valley in the WPIAL Class AAA championship. The Indians fell in extra penalty kicks. Sadly, the Indians (19-3-2) were emotionally devastated again in PIAA quarterfinals when Erie McDowell scored the game winner with 21.4 seconds remaining.

The Year in Photos, Part II

Chartiers-Houston pitcher Kiersten Conwell delivers during the WPIAL Class A championship game versus Vincentian Academy at California University. The Bucs failed to win their eighth WPIAL title that day but Conwell pitched C-H to its first PIAA championship – a 4-1 victory over Montgomery.

Photo by Jim McNutt / Observer-Reporter







Canon-McMillan's Taylor Schram celebrates an assist during a match at Bethel Park. Schram led the Big Macs to their first PIAA playoff appearance this fall. Schram finished her distinguised scholastic career with 144 goals, 52 coming during her senior year. She will play at Penn State.

Photo by Eleanor Bailey / The Almanac







Charleroi's Cody Wiercioch hugs coach Greg Doerfler after Wiercioch became the first PIAA wresling champion in Charleroi history. Wiercioch was one of two local freshmen to win gold at states. The other was Canon-McMillan's Conner Schram, who is Taylor Schram's younger brother.

Photo by Joe Tuscano / Observer-Reporter






Steve Bucci returned to Canon-McMillan this spring as Bethel Park's baseball coach. Bucci won the 2008 PIAA Class AAAA title at Canon-McMillan then resigned just weeks before the start of the 2009 season. C-M won this game and Bucci is embroiled in a coaching controversy at BP.

Photo by Robin Richards / Observer-Reporter







Senior captains Mike Burroughs, left, and Tyler Henry hoist the PIAA Class AA championship basketball trophy won by South Fayette. The Lions edged Strawberry Mansion of Philadelphia, 49-47 as Henry scored the winning basket on a putback with 25 seconds remaining. Burroughs, who will play at St. Vincent College, was a dominant force inside for South Fayette.

Photo by Eleanor Bailey / The Almanac

2009-10 Names in the Game

Blogger's note: The following is a recap of the All-District teams released by the Observer-Reporter sports staff during the 2009-10 school year.



Football
Player of the Year
Christian Brumbaugh, South Fayette
Elite 11
Quentin Briggs, Charleroi
Lashawn Bryant, Trinity
Jeff Davis, South Fayette
Chad Hagan, Canon-McMillan
Austin Hancock, Peters Township
Mike Hull, Canon-McMillan
Gary Kiefer, Fort Cherry
Logan McAnany, McGuffey
Nick Shuman, McGuffey
Bryan Thomas, Washington
Jake Sofran, Beth-Center

Boys Basketball
Player of the Year
Mike Lamberti, South Fayette
First team
Nate Bellhy, Fort Cherry
Mike Burroughs, South Fayette
Mike Lamberti, South Fayette
Josh Valentic, Trinity
Craig Wolcott, Peters Township
Second team
Marquis Brown, Washington
Phil Horensky, Peters Township
Tyler Pavan, Burgettstown
Clay Roman, Bentworth
Troy Wilson, Washington
Pat Zedreck, South Fayette
Third team
John Barker, Bentworth
Kionte Davis, Canon-McMillan
Tyler Henry, South Fayette
Jaisen Irwin, Monessen
Bill Musgrove, Carmichaels
Andrew Stein, Ringgold

Girls basketball
Player of the Year
Megan Sowers, Beth-Center
First team
Beka Bellhy, Fort Cherry
Emily Hansen, Canon-McMillan
Emily Matthis, Peters Township
Geena Shrader, Monessen
Megan Sowers, Beth-Center
Second team
Chelsea Evans, Washington
Ellie Hanlon, Peters Township
Merissa Morgan, Peters Township
Marissa Pattison, McGuffey
Kristina Wagner, California
Mariah Ward, Monessen
Third team
Jessie Merckle, Fort Cherry
Morgan Moluski, California
Katie Rosemeier, Chartiers-Houston
Anna Shashura, Beth-Center
Molly Stuvek, Carmichaels
Amanda Templa, Avella

Wrestling
Wrestler of the Year
Cody Wiercioch, Charleroi
First team
Nick Carr, South Fayette
Nick Catalano, Canon-McMillan
Alex Dunaway, McGuffey
Sam Guidi, Fort Cherry
Michael Innes, Chartiers-Houston
Gary Kiefer, Fort Cherry
Kyle McWreath, Trinity
Sam Lombardo, Canon-McMillan
Zach McGinnis, Waynesburg
Derrick Nelson, Waynesburg
Neal Rands, Ringgold
Connor Schram, Canon-McMillan
Jeff Tarley, Beth-Center
Cody Weircioch, Charleroi
Second team
Colton Blumer, West Greene
Ray Campbell, Charleroi
Nathan Carl, Avella
Dylan Demain, Bentworth
Zach Doman, Jefferson-Morgan
Jake Linn, Charleroi
Francis Mizia, Bentworth
Gus Mizia, Bentworth
Colin Ryan, Canon-McMillan
Zach Schilinski, Burgettstown
Tanner Sutton, Chartiers-Houston
Zach Swarrow, Beth-Center
Tommie Thorpe, Charleroi
Aaron Toth, Charleroi

Baseball
Player of the Year
Joey Havrilak, Trinity
First team
Ty Bell, Bentworth
Dalton Bercosky, Bentworth
Justin Bianco, Peters Township
T.D. Conway, California
Austin Hancock, Peters Township
D.J. Michalski, Canon-McMillan
Ryan Parker, Chartiers-Houston
J. Jay Paskert, Washington
Nick Riotto, Trinity
Second team
Michael Bodnar, Beth-Center
Jim Boris, Canon-McMillan
Tyler Delval, Bentworth
Zac Edmiston, California
Ryan Minteer, Peters Township
Brady Sheetz, Peters Township
Brandon Kozich, Jefferson-Morgan
Trevor Jones, Washington
Joe Monica, Waynesburg

Softball
Player of the Year
Kiersten Conwell, Chartiers-Houston
First team
Darcy Bostich, Bentworth
Emily Bosworth, Waynesburg
Kayla Briggs, Chartiers-Houston
Kelsey Cunningham, Peters Township
Kayla Guta, Bentworth
Morgan Matetic, Peters Township
Colby Miller, Chartiers-Houston
Ashley Morran, Trinity
Marissa Pattison, McGuffey
Second team
Kaylie Barger, Waynesburg
Katie Bednarski, Avella
Paige Burris, Peters Township
Lynne Christopher, Carmichaels
Kaitlyn Coles, Jefferson-Morgan
Shannon Falleroni, Trinity
Courtney Korpus. Bentworth
Breanna Morris, Waynesburg
Chrissy Scott, Chartiers-Houston

Boys Athlete of the Year Finalists

Since the 1999-2000 school year (my first at the Observer-Reporter), the sports staff has selected a boys and girls athlete of the year. The athlete is chosen from a list of finalists and, for this post, we're going to look at the finalists for the boys.

First, let's glance back at previous O-R boys athletes of the year.
1999-2000 – Michael Sutton, Washington
2000-01 – Lanfer Simpson, Waynesburg
2001-02 – Dan Mozes, Washington
2002-03 – Colby Giles, Carmichaels
2003-04 – Coleman Scott, Waynesburg
2004-05 – Jeff Weiss, McGuffey
2005-06 – Robert Heller, Ringgold
2006-07 – Andrew Sweat, Trinity
2007-08 – Dan Conley, Burgettstown
2009-09 – Nick Wilcox, Peters Township
2009-10 – ?????????

On to this year's finalists (in alphabetical order).
* Christian Brumbaugh, South Fayette
Brumbaugh passed for 2,183 yards and a WPIAL-best 29 touchdowns. He was the O-R Player of the Year and the Century Conference MVP. Brumbaugh was also a key contributor of South Fayette's state championship basketball team.

* J.T. Deschamps, McGuffey
Deschamps was an all-section defender in soccer but made more headlines during the spring track season. He won PIAA and WPIAL Class AA gold medals in the 300 intermediate hurdles and established a WPIAL record in the event.

* Austin Hancock, Peters Township
Hancock passed for 1,298 yards and 14 touchdowns as he earned a spot on the O-R Elite 11 and helped PT to its first winning record since 2003. He was invited to the U.S. Army Junior Skills Challenge. In baseball, Hancock batted .451 with 23 RBI.

* Joe Havrilak, Trinity
Havrilak was an all-conference selection as a receiver and defensive back for the Hillers, but his best sport is baseball. Despite teams doing their best to avoid Havrilak, he batted .510 with 16 extra-base hits, including five home runs (four at Consol Energy Park), and a knack for clutch plays.

* Mike Hull, Canon-McMillan
The Big Macs' Mr. Everything, Hull was a four-year starter in football and finished with 100-plus tackles each season. He started at middle linebacker in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was the MVP for the U.S. vs. The World game. Hull also helped C-M to WPIAL team titles in wrestling and track.

* Bryan Thomas, Washington
Whether as a defensive end or a run-blocking tight end, Thomas was a destructive force for the Prexies, plus he produced the big play with frequency. An Elite 11 pick, Thomas recently played in the PFCA East-West Game. A first-year starter in basketball, Thomas nearly everaged a double-double and he also participated in track.