Friday in VarsityXtra
The Post- Gazette ranks the stories of the year for the 2018- 19 high school sports season.
1. SEPARATE THEM, PLEASE
A state legislator, with support from some school superintendents, proposes a bill that would force the PIAA to have separate state tournaments for public and Catholic/ private schools. Rep. Aaron Bernstine comes up with the bill, which also would eliminate the PIAA transfer rule. It’s questionable whether the bill will pass the House and Senate, but it sure did create a lot of talk and debate around Pennsylvania high schools.
2. “RENDERS” A DECISION TO RETIRE Upper St. Clair’s Jim Render, winningest coach in the history of WPIAL football, decides it’s finally time to retire. He coached 49 seasons, including 40 at Upper St. Clair, and his record of 406- 141- 6 places him 25th on the all- time list of high school coaches in the U. S.
3. PERFECTION TIMES TWO
Since the PIAA started girls basketball championships in 1973, only two WPIAL teams had made it through state championship games with perfect records. Then it happens twice — on back- to- back nights. Peters Township and Chartiers Valley both finish 30- 0 and win championships. Wonder who would’ve won a game between the two?
4. OOOPS, WRONG BOX
After Daniel Layton’s father and Waynesburg coach Rick Layton mistakenly checks the wrong box of what event his son would run, the WPIAL isn’t going to let Layton defend his WPIAL Class 2A championship in the 110- meter hurdles. The PIAA overturns the WPIAL’s decision and Layton goes on to win WPIAL and PIAA championships. 5. PALKO TO LEBO
Highly- successful football coach Bob Palko resigns at West Allegheny in November, saying he is done with high school football. But he doesn’t stay out of high school coaching that long. Palko, whose eight WPIAL titles is more than any coach in WPIAL history, becomes Mt. Lebanon’s new coach in February. He brings a 217- 73 record in 24 seasons with him to Mt. Lebanon.
6. NO WINS TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Only two years earlier, Jon LeDonne didn’t win a game as Shaler’s coach. Then in 2018, LeDonne doesn’t lose a game, leading Penn Hills to a PIAA Class 5A title. The Indians finish 16- 0, knocking off twotime state champ Archbishop Wood in the semifinals. Sparked by Daequan Hardy’s memorable performance, Penn Hills beats Manheim Central in the title game.
7. PLAYING WHILE BATTLING CANCER Bethel Park baseball player Anthony Chiccitt is diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in February. Despite going through chemotherapy treatments, he continues to play for Bethel Park, hits better than .300 and helps the Black Hawks make the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals.
8. CRUMMIE WAY TO END
Despite coaching 39 seasons, compiling a 635- 351 record and making the WPIAL playoffs 30 times, Central Catholic boys basketball coach Chuck Crummie is let go by the school. He finishes as the seventh winning est coach in WPIAL history .“After years of coaching there, you’d think they
would have a little more integrity,” Crummie said of the administrators who told him he was gone. 9. THAT 70’ s SHOW
Hempfield softball coach Bob Kalp is 74, but still going strong after guiding the Spartans to their fifth consecutive WPIAL title. Hempfield becomes only the second team to win five championships in a row with a 15- 0 victory against North Allegheny. It is the sixth title overall for Kalp. 10. SHOT THAT ECLIPSED MOON
Making a last- second shot in a championship game can put a player in WPIAL basketball lore. That’s what happens to Mars’ Andrew Recchia after his 3- pointer with 2.6 seconds left gives Mars a 58- 56 victory against Moon in the 5A title game at Petersen Events Center. 11. MOON REBOUNDS FOR TITLE
Moon comes back after the loss to Mars and wins a PIAA title. The Tigers beat Mars in the PIAA semifinals and then upset Archbishop Wood in the title game. Archbishop Wood is a Philadelphia Catholic League team and WPIAL teams were 1- 7 against Philly Catholic League teams in title games before Moon won. 12. NO JOSHING: IT’S A RECORD
At the PIAA swimming championships in March, Upper St. Clair sophomore Josh Matheny puts himself in the national record books. He wins the Class 3A 100- yard breaststroke with a time of 52.52, which breaks the National Federation of State High School Associations record of 52.65, set in 2016 by Chandler Bray of Avon, Ind. 13. THE LETTERMAN SHOW
Joe Bujdos graduates from Indiana High School with an unbelievable 22 varsity letters. In three of four years, Bujdos played two sports in a season. He lettered in golf, cross country, indoor track, swimming, outdoor track and tennis. He also won a few WPIAL titles in his career. 14. RIGGINS ROLLS
Shady Side Academy sophomore Melissa Riggins makes history and goes halfway to history on the same day. At the PIAA track championships, Riggins wins the Class 2A 800 meters for the second consecutive year and does it with the fastest time ever by a WPIAL runner in any meet. She also wins the 1,600 for the second year in a row. No runner in PIAA history has ever won the 800 and 1,600 four consecutive years. 15. DOMINANCE OF QUIPS
After losing the regular- season finale to Central Valley, Aliquippa goes on a most dominant postseason run, under first- year coach Mike Warfield. The Quips win five postseason games by a combined score of 200- 57 and defeat Middletown, 35- 0, in the PIAA Class 3A title game. 16. SIXTH SENSE FOR TITLES
The WPIAL’s first team champion in boys golf was in 1931. Since then, no team had won six consecutive titles until Sewickley Academy in 2018. The Panthers beat North Catholic and Elizabeth Forward by 17 strokes. The only other team to win five in a row was Turtle Creek from 1934- 38. 17. DICE ROLLS AGAIN
The Allderdice boys basketball team beats Brashear at Petersen Events Center and sets a record by winning a sixth consecutive City League championship. Buddy Valinsky is the coach for all six teams. He resigns a day after the season, but later becomes coach at Norwin. 18. “MARK” OF EXCELLENCE
Serra’s Mark Black turns into one of the best power hitters in the WPIAL in decades. A junior catcher, Black hits 14 homers, which ties for the most in a WPIAL season since 2000. He finishes with a whopping slugging percentage of 1.324. Opponents feared him so much that in 31 postseason plate appearances, he was intentionally walked 18 times. Black helped Serra reach WPIAL and PIAA title games. 19. BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE
If the WPIAL gave out a comeback of the year award, North Allegheny’s Rachel Martindale would be a prime candidate. Martindale sustained a torn ACL in her right knee in March of 2018. She comes back with a vengeance as a senior when she becomes only the second girl to make the Post- Gazette Fabulous 5 in basketball and the All- Area team in softball. The other was North Hills’ Leigh Curl in 1981. 20. MORTON A BOILERMAKER
Ethan Morton, a star point guard at Butler, is one of the most heavily-recruited WPIAL basketball players in the past two decades. He ends the recruiting saga in early May when he makes a verbal commitment to the Purdue Boilermakers. Pitt, Michigan, Ohio State, Marquette, Indiana, Iowa and Stanford were his other final choices.