Baldwin’s Monroe shines as three-sport athlete

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 1, 2017 | 11:00 PM

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Jake Monroe was a kicking specialist on the Baldwin football team this fall.

He enjoyed a successful season on the gridiron, but that was no surprise.

Monroe is a standout three-sport athlete at Baldwin, competing in football, basketball and baseball.

He connected on 17 of 21 extra points and five of six field goals. The four missed PATs were blocked; he was bumped on the leg on his one missed field goal attempt.

Monroe connected on field goals of 38, 37, 36, 31 and 29 yards.

“I had such a fun season with our new coaching staff,” Monroe said. “Even though our record wasn't impressive, I think we made huge progress for the program. Next year should be an even better year.”

Loran Cooley coached the Baldwin football squad in his first season at the helm. Among Cooley's assistants was ninth-grade coach Thomas Simcho, who mentored the varsity kickers.

“Jake Monroe was a pleasure to coach these past three years,” Simcho said. “He's very coachable. All he wanted to do was learn and get better. All I️ had to do was tell him he couldn't do something, and he would work and work until he could prove me wrong. We spent hours and hours working on directional punting, onside kicks, kickoffs and fakes. Jake wanted to be the best at all of them.

“We will be losing one heck of a weapon. The kid could kick, run, throw and catch. I'm truly going to miss him.”

Monroe also was a first-team all-conference punter.

He amassed 1,300 total yards in the punting department, good for a 40-yard average. He also totaled 1,500 yards on kickoffs with 16 touchbacks.

Now, Monroe's attention is on basketball. He is one of four returning senior starters on the Baldwin boys basketball team, which has advanced to the WPIAL playoffs in each of the past two seasons.

“Three-sport athletes are such a rarity these days, especially at larger schools,” said Joe Urmann, Baldwin's veteran hoops coach. “Jake is just such a pleasure to coach because he's so unselfish, he works hard, and he's an intelligent player. His basketball game has really evolved and he has gotten better every year, which isn't always the case for multi-sport guys. Many guys playing other sports get stronger or faster, but their skills don't change much.

“Basketball is such a game of skill, so the offseason work is so important to develop those skills. And Jake is just a perfect example of someone who managed his time well and worked to get better. I think he's poised for a big season.”

Monroe, one of several sharp-shooting backcourt players on the team, has high hopes for the Highlanders in 2017-18.

“I expect this season to be a great one,” he said. “We have four other returning seniors who will be the key for our success. We are looking to take it one game at a time. We need to play for one another because this will be our last year playing basketball together, and we want to make the most of it.”

Monroe, who owns a 3.3 grade-point average, would like to attend a four-year college and continue his football career. He plans to major in early childhood education.

“I just want thank my family for being behind me through all my years of playing sports,” Monroe said. “And I also want to thank my brother (Jayson) for always being there for me and for being my No. 1 fan.”

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Baldwin