Scholastic Notebook – 02/15/2013

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 15, 2013 | 4:12 PM

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East Allegheny has been one of the feel-good stories WPIAL boys basketball this year. After many horrendous seasons, the Wildcats have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

East Allegheny ended the second-longest current playoff drought in the WPIAL (West Greene hasn’t qualified since 1992). The player fueling the turnaround story at East Allegheny has to be one of the smallest starters in the WPIAL.

Jordan Williams is an East Allegheny senior. He stands 5 feet 4.

But when you look at the list of the biggest scorers in Class AAA, there is the little guy. Williams led East Allegheny in scoring during the regular season with a 17.1 average. He has turned into an excellent shooter, especially from long range.

Williams found success this year after a position switch. He was East Allegheny’s point guard a year ago, but coach Vern Benson, in his second season, moved Williams from point guard to shooting guard this season. He moved Shawn Adair from shooting guard to point guard.

The moves have certainly helped, as Adair also has fared well. Now East Allegheny will try to win a playoff game for only the second time in school history. The other was 1986.

East Allegheny has a 12-10 record. It has been quite the turnaround story. A year ago, 12 of 22 players on East Allegheny’s roster quit the team.

East Allegheny plays Ambridge Friday night in a WPIAL Class AAA playoff game at North Hills. Ambridge has been a nice turnaround story also. The Bridgers won only five games the past two seasons, but veteran coach Mark Jula, in his first year at Ambridge, guided the Bridgers to a 13-8 mark.

One-Two Punches

You don’t see many teams have two players average more than 20 points a game for an entire season. But in WPIAL basketball during the regular season, two teams had two players average more than 20 a game.

Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brian Graytok averaged 21.5 while Zach Herman averaged 20.7.

Lincoln Park’s Maverick Rowan averaged 23.6 and Elijah Minnie 20.3

No WPIAL girls team had two players average 20, but two girls from the same City League team averaged 20. Allderdice’s Sierra Fordham averaged 21.5 and Sydnee Abernathy 20.0.

It’s not often Western Pennsylvania has two girls from the same team averaging 20 a game. In fact, it has been two decades since it happened in the WPIAL or City League. The last WPIAL or City League girls team to have two 20-point scorers during the regular season was Monessen in 1993 when Gina Naccarato averaged 24 and Angie Scirotto 20.2.

Basketball Coaching News

The Ringgold boys team is looking for a new coach. Pete Logan has resigned after six seasons.

There can’t be many coaches in WPIAL history who have two WPIAL championships at two different schools. But Logan is one of them. He won a WPIAL AAA title at Brownsville in 2001 and a Class A crown at Clairton in 2006.

Football Coaching News

Baldwin got itself a new football coach this week, but it was most certainly a bizarre way that Pete Wagner was hired Wednesday night.

The Baldwin administration recommended to the school board that Greg Perry be hired as coach. Perry has been successful as Seton-LaSalle’s coach the past eight seasons. But the board voted, 5-4, not to hire Perry.

Then a motion was made that Wagner be hired as coach. That motion passed by a 6-3 vote.

Wagner has been a Baldwin assistant under Jim Wehner for the past two seasons. He also is the dean of students at Baldwin.

* Elsewhere, Freedom last night hired Tim Dubovi as its new football coach. He succeeds Frank Hernandez, who resigned as a result of his new position as Freedom’s assistant principal.

Dubovi has been an assistant coach at Lock Haven University, Mars and Seneca Valley, and works in the Senec Valley district.

* West Shamokin hired Jon McCullough as its new football coach, succeeding Josh Gilliland, who resigned after the season. McCullough has been West Shamokin’s defensive coordinator.

* Eleven WPIAL schools are still looking for a head coach. They are Bishop Canevin, California, Canon-McMillan, Gateway, Hollidaysburg, North Hills, Northgate, Pine-Richland, Plum, Serra Catholic and Southmoreland.

Smith Stars in Water

Leah Smith did not swim on the Oakland Catholic team last year because she wanted to concentrate on training for the Olympic Trials. She came back to high school swimming this season, and her times are certainly eye-opening.

Smith, a senior and a University of Virginia recruit, has the fastest 500-yard freestyle time in the WPIAL this year by – get this – 20 seconds. Smith’s top time is 4 minutes, 45.49 seconds. The next-best is Kristen Murslack with a 5:0-5.41

Smith also has the fastest time in the 200 freestyle. Smith’s best time is 1:49.10. North Allegheny’s Jade Song is second at 1:54.04.

Perfection on the Mat

The WPIAL Class AA wrestling section tournaments are Saturday and only four wrestlers take perfect records into the section tournaments. Kittanning’s Jason Nolf is 32-0 at 132 pounds, Charleroi’s Nick Gavazzi 24-0 at 138, Jefferson-Morgan’s Dustin Conti 28-0 at 170 and Burrell’s Dakota DesLauriers 24-0 at 182.

The Class AAA section tournaments are next weekend. There are only two undefeated wrestlers in Class AAA – and they are from the same team. Kiski Area’s Matt McCutcheon is 29-0 at 195 and teammate Shane Kuhn is 31-0 at 285.

Where Are They Now?

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It didn’t take a recent WPIAL grad to make his mark on the next level. Neshannock grad and Florida State freshamn John Sansone has been named the Seminoles starting second baseman as they prepare for their season opener next week against Rhode Island.

Tags: Allderdice, Baldwin, Brownsville, Burrell, Charleroi, Clairton, East Allegheny, Freedom, Greensburg C.C., Jefferson-Morgan, Kiski School, Kittanning, Lincoln Park, West Shamokin