WPIAL Year in Review – Top 25 Stories of 2010: 10 through 6

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, December 30, 2010 | 12:00 AM

The year 2010 in high school sports in the WPIAL was very memorable. It was a year where some familiar champions were golden again while some new faces surfaced in the championship picture. There were battles with forces on and off the field in which the athletes had no chance of winning. It was a year in which we said so long to some familiar faces and schools while welcoming in some new teams to the district. Over the final few days of 2010, we here at the MSA Sports Network, who were there for it all, count down the Top 25 stories from around the WPIAL continuing with #10 through #6.

#10 – MIELE RUNS FOR MILES

Austin Miele stole the show and nearly broke a WPIAL rushing record in the process as host Mars blasted Hollidaysburg 52-20 in the First Round of the WPIAL Class AAA football playoffs in November. Miele set a district playoff record and just missed the over WPIAL single game rushing record as he gained 448 yards on 29 carries and scored three touchdowns for the Fighting Planets. Marcus Furman of Connellsville holds the all-time WPIAL single game rushing record with 455 yards. A week later, the 4th-seed Mars eliminated defending champion West Allegheny in the Quarterfinals to improve to 10-1 before falling short in a Semifinals loss to Montour 35-14.

#9 – NO-HITTER CLINCHES SECOND STRAIGHT SERRA CATHOLIC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Alain Girman tossed a no-hitter as the Serra Catholic Eagles repeated as WPIAL Class A baseball champions with a win over the Neshannock Lancers at Consol Energy Park in Washington in early June. The no-no was the first ever in the 10 year history of CONSOL Energy Park in Washington. The game was scoreless thru two innings with Girman fanning four of the first six batters he faced. The Eagles put up a three spot in the top of the third, taking advantage of two Lancer errors. Tyler Kugler led off with a single, he advanced to third on a wild pickoff attempt by catcher Chris Kirkwood. He came home on Ryan Caldwell's double to left. With one out, Alain Girman singled home Caldwell to make it 2-0. Chris Miller singled, putting runners on the corners, Miller stole second base with shortstop John
Sansone dropping the throw, allowing Girman to score. The Lancers were able to plate a run in the bottom of the third, Zach Altmyer led off with a walk, Joe Cioffi reached on a error by third baseman Ken Tomco, then Kimmel was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Altmyer scored on a wild pitch, but Chris Tsangaris and Alex Strittmatter struck out, and after John Sansone walked to again load the bases, Chris Kirkwood struck out to end the threat. Serra Catholic blew the game open in the top of the fourth on Ryan Caldwell's two run home to right center. With two outs, Alain Girman singled, stole second, advanced to third on a Doug Flamino error that allowed Chris Miller to reach and scored on Avery Sandor's single. Miller made it 7-1 when he scored on a wild pitch. Neshannock did not go quietly in the seventh, Joe Fontana led off with a walk, Mike Baker reached when Sandor dropped a fly ball to right, Altmyer walked to load the bases, Girman was able to strike out Joe Cioffi and pinch hitter Michael Coiro. Chris Tsangaris reached when Matt Loftis could not field a ground ball to second, scoring Fontana, Strittmatter drew a bases loaded walk, scoring Baker. That brought Sansone to the plate as the tying run. On a 0-2 pitch Sansone hit a deep fly ball to right field, but Sandor was able to run it down on the warning track to end the game. It was the second consecutive no-hitter for Girman, who had no-hit Vincentian Academy in the WPIAL Semifinals. Serra made it to the PIAA finals, but lost to Christopher Dock 4-3.

#8 – RUSHEL's SHELL GAME CONTINUES

Sensational Hopewell running back Rushel Shell finished off his third eye-popping high school season with another huge year. For his junior season, Shell rushed for 2,510 yards on 323 attempts and scored 27 touchdowns in only 11 games. He had three 300-yard games. This gives him 6,766 career yards rushing and 82 touchdowns. Here are some of the records he might have a chance to reach next fall as a senior.
* Barring injury, Shell seems like a cinch to break the WPIAL career rushing record of 7,646 yards by Fort Cherry graduate Mike Vernillo. Shell needs only 880 yards.
* Shell might also have a shot at the state career rushing record of 9,027 yards, held by 2009 Steelton-Highspire graduate Jeremiah Young. Shell needs 2,261 yards to reach Young, but consider that Shell rushed for 2,510 yards this season alone. If Hopewell makes the playoffs next year and wins a few games, Shell might have an excellent chance at the state record.
* Lastly, Shell also might have an outside chance at the state record for career touchdowns. It is 123, set by Bishop O'Reilly's Bryan Bellas from 1996-99. Shell has 82 career touchdowns. He scored 35 as a sophomore.

#7 – WPIAL ENJOYS SUCCESS IN THE PIAA BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

The WPIAL often is criticized for not having strong boys basketball teams like it did decades ago. But the boys and girls from the WPIAL held their own this past March in the 2010 PIAA basketball playoffs. The WPIAL sent 11 boys basketball teams to the state Quarterfinals, tied for the most in over a decade with 2003. As far as the state finals are concerned, District 7 sent five teams to Penn State University in 2010, tied for the most with 2004 and 2002 this century. Three district teams came home with gold…South Fayette boys, Sewickley Academy boys and Mount Lebanon girls while Chartiers Valley boys and Indiana girls were runner-ups. The three PIAA basketball gold balls is tied for second most this century with 2005 when Beaver Falls boys, Oakland Catholic girls and Serra Catholic girls were all crowned state champs. The only year the WPIAL won more state roundball titles was 2004 when Penn Hills boys, Moon boys, Sto-Rox boys and Monessen girls brought home the gold. From 2006 through 2009, District 7 won 1, 1, 2 and 1 state basketball championships.

#6 – MAJOR INJURIES HIT TOP WPIAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS HARD

The 2010 WPIAL football season wasn't even a week old and big name players were falling like flies as major injuries were making headlines this season more often than not. Actually, the first casualty was well before training camps even opened. Perennial AAAA power Gateway suffered an unexpected blow after standout WR/DM Dondi Kirby was diagnosed with a torn ACL in July. Kirby was attending football camp at the University of Michigan when the injury occurred. He was ranked in the Top 10 nationally at the time as a safety by both scouts.com and rivals.com, as well as #111 overall in the Rivals 250 Class of 2011. Kirby, an Illinois recruit, missed the entire season. The 2010 high school football season was not even a quarter old when the defending WPIAL Class AAA champions suffered a bad break. 2009 MSA Sports co-player of the year and Wisconsin recruit Mike Caputo of West Allegheny suffered a dislocated left ankle while making a tackle late in the opening quarter of what would be a 41-0 victory for the Indians over the South Park Eagles. Caputo underwent surgery the next morning to repair the damage. Caputo missed the rest of the season. Also in Week One, Wayne Capers of Chartiers Valley suffered a knee injury in a loss to Montour. Capers sat out a Week Two loss to Trinity before it was announced that he will miss the rest of the football and basketball season because of the knee injury. This marked the second straight year Chartiers Valley lost the talented junior quarterback to a season ending injury. In 2009, Capers was enjoying an outstanding season when he broke a bone and his foot in a game against Trinity in Week Five. Capers is also an outstanding basketball player. He was able to come back last year and join the Colts for their playoff run that led to a WPIAL title and a PIAA runner-up trophy. He is expected to miss the entire hoop season recovering from the knee surgery. Even though it was Week 13, North Allegheny lost the services of star running back Alex Papson before halftime of the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game. Papson dislocated a shoulder and would have to watch the Tigers final three and a half games as NA won their first WPIAL and PIAA football championships since 1990.