‘Splash brothers’ will be tested
Whew. That was close. But thanks to the luck of PIAA scheduling, the “Splash Brothers” of Ellwood City will be able to swim and hoop this weekend, with plenty on the line.
Alexander and Joseph Roth have authored one of the most remarkable storylines in WPIAL sports in recent years. They are talented basketball players on the Ellwood City basketball team and also standout swimmers for Riverside. They swim for Riverside under a cooperative sponsorship agreement because Ellwood City doesn’t have a swim team.
On March 6, Joseph, only a freshman, won an individual gold medal and set a meet record in the 100-yard backstroke at the WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships. Alexander, a junior, finished second in the 100 freestyle. They also swam on two relay teams that won gold.
Nine days later the Roths were the leading scorers (Alexander with 19 points and Joseph 17) as Ellwood City won the WPIAL Class 3A basketball championship.
The win qualified Ellwood City for the PIAA basketball quarterfinals this weekend. The PIAA scheduled the Class 3A boys quarterfinals for Saturday, which was great news for the Roths, Ellwood City’s basketball team and Riverside’s swim team. That’s because the PIAA scheduled the Class 2A swimming championships Friday at Cumberland Valley High School near Harrisburg. The Class 3A swim championships are Saturday.
And what would the Roths have done if the swimming championships and basketball quarterfinals were
Boys notebook
scheduled on the same day?
“I don’t know. I don’t want to think about that,” Alexander said.
So, Joseph and Alexander will swim Friday in hopes of a PIAA title and then hope to make a splash on Saturday in the PIAA basketball tournament, possibly helping Ellwood City make the state semifinals for the first time in 34 years.
“It’s remarkable,” Ellwood City basketball coach Steve Antuono said of the Roth’s story. “I shouldn’t say this because I know nothing about swimming, but I think they’re going to do some damage in swimming this weekend.”
Ellwood City will play Saturday against the winner of Wednesday’s game between Brookville (15-2) and Chestnut Ridge (12-6). When asked whether the Roths would be tired for the game, Antuono said, “They’re always tired. (New Castle) coachRalphie Blundo always asks me how we practice. I tell him very lightly. We game plan and shoot a lot.”
Foundation laid
Ellwood City won a WPIAL title for the first time in school history and Antuono believes the foundation for the success was set two years ago – when Ellwood City was 6-16 and lost games by 61 points to Aliquippa, two by 46 to Lincoln Park and one by 55 to Farrell.
“We started Stevie (Antuono), Alexander (Roth) and Milo (Sesti) when they were freshmen and those kids were just swarmed by Aliquippa, Beaver Falls and Lincoln Park,” Steve Antuono said. “Then we added Joey Roth to the mix, who is just a true big kid. And this is the product of it all.
“When I used to drive the kids home from summer workouts, we would talk about this year.”
5-17 to champs
Dawson Summers scored 9 points and Bryson Kirschner 7 in Our Lady of the Sacred Heart’s victory against Greensburg Central Catholic in the Class 2A championship. A year ago, they were at Quigley, a team that went 517. Summer is a 6-foot-4 junior and Kirschner a 6-3 sophomore. Quigley closed its school last June, so they transferred to OLSH, which is undefeated at 21-0.
“Honestly, without those two, I don’t see us beating South Allegheny in the regular season,” OLSH senior point guard Dante Spadafora said. “Without they’re paint or post presence, we couldn’t do some of the things we do. They find us shots on the wings. Without those two, I don’t know if we would be where we are.”
It ‘suits’ Holzer
The casual dress of coaches in the NBA and college basketball has hit high schools also. Most men high school coaches now wear casual clothes during games, quarter-zip tops with their school name on the chest. And sometimes sweat pants.
But Upper St. Clair coach Danny Holzer still wears a suit and tie to most games. He had a suit and a tie on for the WPIAL Class 6A championship game that his team won.
“My dad was an athletic director and wrestling coach at Canevin for 40 years,” Holzer said. “He told me that whenever I became a teacher, make sure I wear a shirt and tie to school every day and coach the same way with a suit. It’s in honor of him that I’ve always done that. I’m not cutting down being casual, but it’s just my personal belief. I feel comfortable coaching in a suit.”
Holzer also wears a shirt and tie every day to teach.
Championship family
Bishop Canevin defeated Rochester to win the WPIAL Class 1A championship, which let Kevaughn Price get in on the family championship fun.
Price, a junior, scored a game-high 17 points in the title game. His sister, Shamyjha Price, won three WPIALs (2016-18) at Bishop Canevin and their father, Kevin Price, won three at Duquesne High from 1992-94.
Did you know?
•Before Holzer became Upper St. Clair’s coach in 1995, he was an assistant coach at Duquesne University under John Carroll. He coached Kevin Price when he played there.
• New Castle’s Blundo became only the fourth coach in WPIAL boys history to win four titles. But don’t think that will make him ready to give up coaching. Young Ralphie Blundo is a player and will be a freshman at New Castle next year.
• Ellwood City’s Antuono and Blundo were teammates together at New Castle High School.
• Ellwood City does not have one senior on the team. So guess who might be the favorite to win Class 3A next season?
• Gino Palmosina, coach of Class 1A champion Bishop Canevin, makes a living as chief of staff for Theresa KailSmith. And Palmosina was the roommate of T.J. McConnell when McConnell played at Duquesne University.