Swine flu forces halt in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas officials on Wednesday postponed all public high school athletic and academic competitions until May 11 because of the swine flu outbreak.
The move suspends the baseball and softball seasons and eliminates the regional track championships that were to start Friday, said Charles Breithaupt, executive director of the University Interscholastic League. He said league officials acted on the recommendation of public health officials.
“The health and safety of our student activity participants is of the utmost importance,” Breithaupt said. “Taking every possible precaution to prevent the further spreading of this disease is an important contribution to the welfare of our great state, and altering the schedule of our events is a way to keep our participants safe.”
School officials say 53,000 students are out of school due to concern over the virus, and dozens of schools were closed to be sanitized.
The state golf and tennis championships are scheduled to begin May 11.
The state track meet, one of the largest high school track and field competitions in the country, has been extended from its normal two days to three and is scheduled for May 14-16.
All UIL academic competitions, including a state meet that was to begin May 7, were also postponed and will be rescheduled later.
With 16 confirmed cases of swine flue in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry announced a disaster declaration Wednesday for the entire state. The declaration will allow officials to begin emergency protective measures and seek reimbursement from the federal government.

TVL's WPIAL softball rankings

Franklin Regional and Mohawk are the only undefeated softball teams remaining in the WPIAL.

Class AAAA
1. Mt. Lebanon 12-1
2. Latrobe 13-3
3. North Allegheny 13-2
4. Kiski Area 10-2
5. Connellsville 11-3

Class AAA
1. Franklin Regional 15-0
2. Belle Vernon 13-1
3. Elizabeth Forward 11-2
4. Thomas Jefferson 11-2
5. Yough 11-2

Class AA
1. Mohawk 11-0
2. Bishop Canevin 11-2
3. Riverside 10-1
4. McGuffey 9-2
5. Waynesburg 11-3

Class A
1. Vincentian Academy 14-1
2. Serra Catholic 11-2
3. Leechburg 10-3
4. Bentworth 10-2
5. Fort Cherry 10-2

TVL's WPIAL baseball rankings

The WPIAL Class AAA tournament looks like it will be a good one, judging by the number of quality teams at or near the top of their respective sections. Hopewell, Blackhawk, Trinity and Greensburg-Salem each only have one loss with a little less than two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Also, there's a new No. 1 in Class A – Serra Catholic. That's likely to trigger the ire of some posters.

Class AAAA
1. Pine-Richland 14-1
2. North Allegheny 11-2
3. Peters Township 10-4
4. Butler 10-5
5. Mt. Lebanon 9-5

Class AAA
1. Hopewell 15-1
2. Blackhawk 14-1
3. Trinity 11-1
4. Greensburg-Salem 11-1
5. Moon 10-3

Class AA
1. Shady Side Academy 14-1
2. Laurel 12-2
3. Seton-La Salle 9-2
4. Bishop Canevin 7-4
5. South Fayette 9-3

Class A
1. Serra Catholic 13-1
2. Neshannock 12-2
3. Chartiers-Houston 12-2
4. Carmichaels 10-2
5. Jeannette 8-2

No-hit streak ends

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — A Florida high school pitcher came up short in his bid to throw a fifth straight no-hit game.
Mitchell High School ace Patrick Schuster had put together a string of four no-hitters going into Tuesday’s district tournament game.
With a horde of media and large crowd watching at a high school field in Clearwater, the lanky left-hander gave up a double in the third inning to Gaither High’s Drew Dotey, ending the streak.
The national record for consecutive no-hitters by a high school pitcher is six. Schuster captured the state of Florida record when he turned in his fourth straight last week at his home field in New Port Richey, northwest of Tampa.

APB, Where are they now?

Back in 2001, the California High School baseball team was looking to win its first WPIAL baseball championship since claiming the Class AA title in 1983.

California did just that when it beat Riverside in the Class A final at Westmoreland County Community College. The Trojans were a senior-dominated unit but the group established a culture of winning that has carried throughout the decade. California won another title in 2006 and finished as runner-up in 2007, when they came one run from playing for a state championship.

One of those seniors was P.J. Ross, who pitched superbly throughout the postseason. The Varsity Letters is issuing an All Point Bulletin for Ross.

Ross, part of an excellent one-two pitching punch with Shaun Rice, started in the WPIAL championship game and the win gave him a 6-0 record with more than 50 strikeouts on the year. He was also one of California's top hitters, batting .450.

Anyone knowing Ross' whereabouts is urged to contact the Varsity Letters.

PT girls looking for coach

Peters Township is accepting applications for girls head basketball coach until Friday, May 1.

Pete Serio coached the Indians during the 2008-09 season after replacing Dennis Squeglia. Peters Township went 13-10 in its one season under Serio, who previously coached at Mt. Lebanon and Bishop Canevin.

Squeglia coached four years at Peters Township, went 51-49 and guided the Indians to an appearance in the 2008 WPIAL Class AAAA championship game.

Baseball player death

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A south-central Missouri baseball player who was struck by a wild pitch has died.
Doctors at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield declared Patrick Clegg brain dead Thursday night and he was taken off a respirator Friday.
The 16-year-old Waynesville High School junior was batting Tuesday in a game at Lebanon when he turned to avoid being hit by a pitch. The baseball hit him just below his helmet, and he collapsed.
The hospital said in a statement that Clegg’s parents and six brothers and sisters appreciate the kindness they had received since Patrick was injured.
Hospital spokeswoman Cora Scott said the family didn’t want to speak to the media.

WPIAL football to pull out of PIAA?

Very interesting read in today's Post-Gazette.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09114/965187-365.stm

Davis to be inducted into WPIAL HOF

Washington High School's Brian Davis – one of the great athletes in WPIAL history, and arguably the most exciting high school football player to have competed in District 7 – will be inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame on June 19 at the Embassy Suites in Moon Township.

Davis will be inducted in the "Athlete" category and is the third local honoree. The inaugural class included Jefferson-Morgan wrestler Cary Kolat. Last year, the 1945 Donora High football team gained entrance.

Davis was the Parade Magazine Football Player of the Year in 1984 and was one of the nation's most coveted recruits before choosing the University of Pittsburgh. At Wash High, Davis was all-state in football, basketball and track.

At 5-11, Davis was the starting center on Washington's 1984 PIAA Class AA championship basketball team. He won PIAA long jump titles in 1983 and 1984 and was WPIAL champion in the 100 meter dash and 400 relay.

A three-time Observer-Reporter Player of the Year, Davis rushed for 4,480 yards on 461 carries (a 9.7 average) with 67 touchdowns in his varsity career.

The evening begins with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and induction at 7 p.m. The full list of the 2009 class will be announced on May 5. on www.wpial.org. Registration forms for tickets and/or congratulatory messages are available on the WPIAL website.