Scholastic Notebook – 12/03/2010

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 3, 2010 | 12:00 AM

There has been a lot of talk about Hopewell's Rushel Shell breaking the WPIAL all-time rushing record next season. But the WPIAL all-time passing record could be broken this season. Possibly by next week.

South Fayette's run to the WPIAL Class AA title all of a sudden has given quarterback Christian Brumbaugh a decent chance at breaking the WPIAL all-time passing record of 6.741 yards, set by 2004 Sto-Rox graduate Adam DiMichele.

South Fayette plays Brockway in the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals tonight at West Allegheny. Brumbaugh, a 6-foot-3 senior, has 6,309 career yards. That means he needs 432 yards to reach DiMichele's record.

It's not uncommon for Brumbaugh to throw for 200 yards in a game. So he could get the record by next week, if South Fayette wins tonight.

Brumbaugh also has a chance to put himself into more elite company – and could do it tonight. He has 2,873 yards passing this season. The only WPIAL quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in a season, including playoffs, is Seton-LaSalle's Bill Stull, who threw for 3,310 yards and 40 touchdowns in the 2004 season.

Coaching Moves

Two more WPIAL football head coach's positions are open. Although Nick Milchovich guided Peters Township to the playoffs for the first time since 2003, his position has been opened.

Milchovich was Peters Township's coach for four seasons. His record was only 15-22.

Elsewhere, Jim Rankin has resigned as Butler's coach after only one season. Rankin handed a letter of resignation to the Butler school board recently. Rankin enjoyed plenty of success at North Allegheny and also at Ellwood City, but he was 0-9 this year at Butler. It was the third time in four seasons that Butler did not win a game.

Rankin has told Butler officials that his resignation is for personal and family reasons. Rankin is raising his grandson.

Ford a Zip

Bethel Park running back Bre Ford will play next season at Akron. He made a verbal commitment to the Zips last weekend. Ford is the second Bethel Park player headed to a Division I school. Receiver-defensive back Nick Kwiatkoski is a West Virginia recruit.

Pennsylvania Player of the Year

Quarterback Brendan Nosovitch of Allentown Central Catholic has been named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year.

Nosovitch is only a junior, but when you look at his statistics and the success of his team, it's hard to argue with the pick. Allentown Central Catholic is 13-0 and the No. 1-ranked Class AAA team in the state.

Nosovitch has put together some impressive statistics. He is the only quarterback in Pennsylvania history to pass for 2,000 yards and run for 1,000 in consecutive seasons. He has completed 148 of 252 for 2,307 yards, and also rushed for 1,283 yards on 201 carries.

Allentown Central Catholic is in the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals tonight.

Lions Will Roar No More

Mount Alvernia, a small private school in Millvale, has canceled its girls' basketball program.

The school decided late last week to stop the program because of a lack of participation. The Lions had only eight players out for the team this year – in grade 9-12. It's a little hard to believe because this team won the WPIAL Class A championship only two years ago.

But interest in basketball at the school apparently has been waning the past few years. Mount Alvernia had only nine players last year, and five of them were seniors.

Then this past summer, legendary coach De Porucznik retired after 48 seasons. She won a PIAA title in 1983.

What's bad for any of the girls who hoped to play this year is that there is alternative for them. They can't transfer to another school and play there because of PIAA and WPIAL rules. That transfer would be for athletic intent, which is against PIAA rules.

From Football to Basketball

If the Montour football team had won the WPIAL Class AAA championship last week, basketball coach Adam Kaufman still wouldn't have one of his starters.

All five of Kaufman's starters are football players. They are Devin Wilson, Dillon Buechel, Tyler Haas, Aaron McGee and Austin Heter.

"Our first two weeks of practice was basically our JV team," Kaufman said. "It might be a struggle early on, but once everyone gets their rhythm and wind back, we could be pretty good."

Where Are They Now?

* The Pitt-Johnstown basketball team is off to a 5-0 start and it's like a mini-WPIAL reunion in the starting lineup. Three of the team's starters are from the WPIAL and all three are doing well. Nick Novak, a Franklin Regional graduate and the WPIAL's leading scorer two years ago, is the team's leading scorer at 18.4 points a game. He also is averaging 4.4 rebounds. Serra graduate Pat Grubbs is averaging 15 points and 7 rebounds. Bill Luther, a freshman from Hampton, is starting and averaging 12.8 points. He leads the team in 3-pointers with 14 and is shooting 64 percent (14 of 21) from 3-point range.

* Mercyhurst is in the Division II football Quarterfinals and two of the Lakers' starters on defense are from the WPIAL – defensive end Dan Kruper of Hampton and linebacker Ian Wild of Baldwin.

* Lehigh plays Delaware in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs and Bethel Park graduate Alex Wojdowski is a starting tight end for Lehigh. Delaware's #2 ranked defense is led by former WPIAL star Nick Rapone. From New Castle, Rapone played at Virginia Tech and also coached at Pitt.