Mohawk ‘Warriors’ for a reason
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When North Catholic dropped from Class 4A to Class 3A for the 2021-22 cycle after winning four consecutive WPIAL titles, most Class 3A schools likely figured they’d be competing for second place the next two years.
As for defending Class 3A champion Mohawk? Let’s just say they don’t call them the Warriors for nothing.
“At the beginning of the year, I don’t think anybody wanted them in the section,” said Mohawk coach Mike O’Lare. “But we said if they’re going to come to [Class] 3A, let’s get two shots at them in the regular season, and then we can keep adjusting before we play them a third time.”
North Catholic handed the Warriors a 54-38 loss in their first matchup on Jan. 28, then went into Mohawk’s home gym and beat the Warriors again, 58-49, on Feb. 22. Mohawk then lost its regular-season finale vs. Laurel, 49-44, and entered the playoffs on a two-game losing streak.
Although the Warriors turned things around with three consecutive playoff wins to earn a trip back to the WPIAL championship game, they were greeted by the mighty Trojanettes standing in their way once again. Not many people outside their own locker room expected them to win — and surely some doubt crept into the minds of Mohawk’s players and coaches, as well.
After a back-and-forth game that saw North Catholic take a one-point lead with a little over a minute remaining, the Warriors surged ahead to pull off the 54-48 upset and repeat as WPIAL Class 3A champions one year after winning the first title in school history.
“Saturday, we said, ‘We’re not really defending our old one as much as trying to win that one, because they’re coming with one, too,’” O’Lare said. “There was no trophy in the middle up for grabs. It was just the one for that day, and those kids just bought into the 32 minutes that day.”
Mohawk is known as a team that specializes in 3point shooting, and in order to beat the Trojanettes, O’Lare knew a hot start from beyond the arc was key.
He expected big games out of his “big three” of seniors Paige Julian, Nadia Lape and Hannah McDanel — and all three delivered by scoring in double figures. What he didn’t expect, though, was a fourth player to reach double digits in 5-5 senior Abby Shoaff.
Shoaff gave the Warriors a spark with a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished the game with 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting, all from downtown. Shoaff, Julian, Lape and McDanel combined to score all 54 of Mohawk’s points in the win.
“To win that game, we had to have the big three going, but we had to have somebody else go off, and
Abby did,” O’Lare said. “It was pretty incredible. … She even said today, ‘Coach, if I don’t make my first two, I’m not shooting anymore.’ That’s just how she plays.”
After winning its first WPIAL title last year, Mohawk won its first two PIAA playoff games before the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly brought the season to an end in the quarterfinal round. This time around, the Warriors only need to win two PIAA playoff games to reach the Class 3A state championship game in Hershey — and O’Lare is making sure to remind his players of the unfinished business left to attend to.
“There’s 10 days left, then we’ve got to turn in the uniforms no matter what,” O’Lare said. “It’s going to come in the blink of an eye, and it’s only a seven-day season once it starts. I think that urgency is in our favor. It’s not a long grind of a postseason. It’s two games and we’re there.
“I’m pretty confident that
we’re locked into that mentality right now.”
Chartiers Valley
The Colts won a third consecutive WPIAL Class 5A championship with a 62-40 victory over top-seeded Trinity on Monday, and their star players certainly played a big role. Malcolm Perri most Although of Page the (19 attention (18 juniors points) points) — Aislin and and get rightfully so — Chartiers Valley wouldn’t have gotten it done without the help of twins Hallie and Helene Cowan. Hallie finished with 13 points on 4 of 8 shooting, while Helene contributed 12 points and went 4 of 6 from the floor. The Hillers were also powered by a set of twins all season long — seniors Kaylin and Emily Venick. Kaylin finished with 15 points while Emily scored 5 in the championship defeat.
Rochester
The Rams may not have had a set of twins on their team, but they were led by a pair of sisters to a three-peat of their own on Monday.
Senior guard Alexis Robison poured in a game-high 29 points in Rochester’s 71-41 win vs. West Greene in the WPIAL Class 1A championship game — the third year in a row the Rams have
defeated the Pioneers for the title. Star junior Corynne Hauser finished with 23 points, while Robison’s younger sister, junior Mekenzie Robison, added 10 points for Rochester in the win.
Looking ahead
Some of the teams who played for championships last weekend are seniorladen with plenty of experience, while others are still extremely young.
Class 4A champion Beaver and Class 3A champion Mohawk will graduate four of their five starters, while Class 5A champion Chartiers Valley and Class 2A champion Neshannock have zero seniors on their rosters. Class 3A runner-up North Catholic will lose senior starter Tara Lucot, but the rest of the Trojanettes’ lineup consisted of two freshmen and two sophomores. Expect them to be right back in the mix for a championship again next year.
Upper St. Clair had several seniors on this year’s team that lost to North Allegheny in the Class 6A title game, but only one — 5-7 guard Alexandra Prunzik — started in the championship. The Panthers have arguably the deepest sophomore class in the WPIAL, and they should be a major title contender in Class 6A over the next two years.
The past week: Pavelek led Beaver to its first WPIAL girls basketball championship. She scored 22 points in the Class 4A semifinals and 13 in the championship game last Friday against Quaker Valley. She had only one field goal in the title game, but made 11 of 15 from the freethrow line.
Check this out: Pavelek, a 5foot-8 point guard, averaged 18.8 points in four playoff games, and enters the PIAA playoffs with a 16.1 season average. Pavelek, who has over 1,000 career points, is a four-year starter. She is one of the WPIAL’s best two-sport athletes. Besides basketball, she has won four WPIAL track and field gold medals (two in the high jump, one in the 400meter run and one in the 1,600 relay). She was the PIAA Class 2A runner-up in the high jump her sophomore season. She has signed with the Naval Academy to play basketball.
Was that one of the strangest statistical games ever for you in the championship – with one basket and still 13 points? It definitely was strange, but I think I still filled my role needed for that game, which was taking care of the ball and getting other people the ball. Even though I only had one shot made, I wasn’t disappointed. Your team plays a 2-3 zone defense and has allowed only 25 points a game. What qualities make that zone so good? I would say it’s two main things, and we talk a lot about this. First, it’s the length we have. Our guards are, like, 5-11. Most teams don’t have the length we have. It’s daunting when you look at it from the other end. Our other biggest thing is communication. When we’re playing defense, we’re talking to each other the whole time.
You’re going to the Naval Academy. When you were younger did you ever see yourself at a service academy? No. Honestly, even up until the point I was talking to Navy’s coaches, I wasn’t sure it was for me. But after talking to a lot of the coaches and getting to know some of the players and other recruits, I don’t know why I didn’t think about it sooner. I guess I just never thought I would have the opportunity.
Goals for track this spring? My one major goal is to finish first in the state in the high jump; I was so close my sophomore year and didn’t get a chance to compete last year (because the season was canceled).
People might be surprised to know ... ? I danced for about 12 years of my life. I was a competitive dancer up until my freshman year.
What kind of dance? You name it - ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop. I did it all.
Did you dance after you won the WPIAL? I definitely danced on the bus ride home. But it was probably not the dance my dance teachers taught me (laugh).
Luca
The past week: Augustine (211) won the PIAA Class 3A 172pound title in Hershey, defeating former PIAA champion Trey Kibe of Mifflin County in the championship finals, 3-2. Kibe had defeated Augustine a week earlier in the West Super Region finals, 5-3.
Check this out: Augustine, a Pitt recruit, clinched the PIAA Class 3A team championship for the Raiders at the PIAA individual tournament when he defeated Easton’s Dominic Falcone in the 172-pound semifinals. It is the first PIAA team title in school history for Waynesburg.
At what point did you realize you had the potential to be a state champion? I’d say I really broke through when I joined Quest Wrestling Club. That was the summer after sixth grade. After that year with Jim Akerly at Quest, I ended up taking third at PJWs, just because that room there — it was brutal. You really have to work like a dog to compete with a lot of those guys in there.
Who were some of your main practice partners at Quest? I work out with Rune [Lawrence] and Grant [MacKay], and I used to work out with Kenny [Duschek] before I outgrew him. But he was always a great practice partner. But usually it was me, [Mt. Lebanon junior] Mac Stout and [Frazier grad] Thayne Lawrence, and that was a real tough group. It was brutal. Might we see a match between you and Lawrence for the undisputed 172-pound state title, since you win Class 3A and he won Class 2A? [Laughs] We’ll see, we’ll see. Rune always used to be lighter than me, but this year he just sprouted up like crazy. I wasn’t expecting it, but he just came into the room one day and stood over top of me. Right then and there, he was a really good training partner and practice partner.
If you could choose your own walk-out song before a championship match, what would it be? I know for when I wrestled in that True Power event for PA Power, my walkout song was the “Austin Powers” theme song. I just kind of like it. It takes a little bit of the pressure off.
What would someone find you doing in the offseason when you’re not wrestling? During the winter time — I know my coaches don’t like this, but I like to go skiing on off days for wrestling. They definitely don’t like that because of the injury risk it poses, but it’s so fun. It’s definitely something I like to do to take my mind off wrestling for a little bit. And then in the summertime, I enjoy going out with my dad and fishing. Just finding stuff to do. I hike a lot with my mom.
Tayven Jackson, a tall, strong-armed quarterback from the state of Indiana, ranks among the top players in the country at his position.
One of Jackson’s mentors was in a similar spot close to two decades ago when he was rated by one recruiting service as the No. 2-ranked quarterback in the country.
He’s a local guy, too. If you followed WPIAL football in the early 2000s, you probably know the name Anthony Morelli, who at Penn Hills threw for more than 5,000 yards and was a Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 selection his senior season. Morelli originally pledged to Pitt before signing with Penn State, where he started for two seasons.
These days, Morelli, 35, lives in Westfield, Ind., with his wife and three children, and owns X-Factor QB Academy, where he helps develop young players through skill work and strength and speed training.
“To me, it’s all about giving back to these young kids, teaching them right from wrong, and giving them all the tools to be successful at the quarterback position,” said Morelli, who started the business a decade ago and now owns the facility where more than 100 quarterbacks train.
When Morelli was at Penn Hills — he’s a 2004 graduate — academies like these were sparse, if nonexistent.
“It’s crazy how big the QB academies across the country have become,” he said. “It’s a booming business from East Coast to West Coast. Because of these, I think we’re seeing the QB play is better than ever before.”
Morelli has at times trained some Western Pa. players, among them Norwin graduate Jack Salopek, who plays at Western Michigan. Currently, one of Morelli’s prized pupils is Jackson, a 6-foot-4 teen from Center Grove High who is rated by Rivals as the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in the country. Jackson last week announced a top nine of Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Mississippi, Texas A&M, Tennessee, UCLA and Washington State. Pitt is among the other schools to offer.
“He’s 6-4 and can move,” said Morelli. “Obviously, he can make all the throws in the pocket. Designed rollouts. I just think he’s one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the country.”
The same can’t be said about Morelli in his Penn Hills days. Rivals ranked Morelli the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the country, No. 1 player in the state, and No. 12 player nationally his senior season. Adrian Peterson was ranked No. 1 overall nationally and Rhett Bomar was the No. 1 pro-style quarterback. Chad Henne was third.
Morelli was a four-year starter at Penn Hills and
threw for 5,244 yards and 56 touchdowns. The 2003 Fabulous 22 team he was on also included Aliquippa’s Darrelle Revis, Moon’s A.Q. Shipley, Pine-Richland’s Neil Walker, StoRox’s Adam DiMichele, and North Hills’ Andrew Johnson. At Penn State, Morelli threw for 5,275 yards and 31 touchdowns.
He may be in his 30s now, but Morelli said every now and then he has to show his pupils that his arm is still alive and well.
“Every once in a while you have to show what you got and loosen up the old cannon,” Morelli said, laughing.
‘Top 51’ Gallagher
Laurel Highlands sophomore Rodney Gallagher isn’t a top 50 player nationally in two sports. For now, the sophomore will have to settle for being just top 51. When 247Sports released its top 75 basketball rankings for the Class of 2023 last week, Gallagher chimed in at No. 51. He’s considered the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania and No. 11 point guard in the country.
Other notable players in the rankings are No. 1 Dajuan Wagner Jr. of Camden, N. J. and No. 30 Bronny James of Sierra Canyon, Calif. Gallagher is considered a four-star prospect, just as he is in football. In that sport, 247Sports ranks him the No. 40 player in the country, No. 2 player in the state and No. 8 athlete in the country. Gallagher has Division I offers for football and basketball. Both Pitt and Penn State have offered in both sports.
Perry’s Fearbry in demand
Some big offers are rolling in for Perry football player Tyreese Fearbry, who has become the most highly recruited local player in the junior class. Fearbry, a defensive end, recently picked up offers from Auburn and Miami. He has close to a dozen Power Five offers overall, including Pitt, Penn State, Arizona State and South Carolina.
Baseball commitment
West Allegheny’s Devan Zirwas (VCU).
Football commitments
Allderdice’s Eric McClung (Slippery Rock); California’s Jaeden Zuzak (Geneva); Central Catholic’s Joe Scott (Geneva).