HERITAGE WEEK 5

[Red and Black]

Your perspective is very accurate, BlueYonder. The most accurate perspective is to treat Ligonier Valley Mounties, Laurel Valley Rams, and Ligonier Valley Rams as 3 different teams. Just like Bolivar and New Florence were both different teams. What makes that one interesting - and confusing - is that Bolivar and New Florence co-oped their sports for 4 years before Laurel Valley started in 1952. Basketball played under the Bolivar banner (under new coach, Andy Pahach,) and football played under the New Florence banner (with Friday night games in town New Florence.) So one could make an argument that there was a "pre-Laurel Valley" starting in1948.

But the fact is that newspapers treated the Ligonier Valley Rams more as a continuation of the Ligonier Valley Mounties than as a new team,  even starting back in 2010. They latched on to sports with same school name (Ligonier,) same high school building, same home field, etc. And newspapers write the first draft of history.

There is area precedence for this, with its somewhat sad, imprecise, and maybe even unfair undercurrent. Westmont Hilltop was a merger of Westmont and Southmont high schools, merged in a somewhat similar was to Ligonier Valley and Laurel Valley. The Westmont name (and building and field/court) held sway as a continuous team. Southmont's sports legacy slowly but surely faded away, except for Southmont diehards - sadly a very aged group at this point.

I support efforts to help the legacy and history of all area high school sports alive. But I also believe that every iteration of a team and school is worth celebrating - including any team that starts with "Ligonier." Heck you could even argue that "Ligonier Valley," started back in the 50's as well, is a different team than just "Ligonier" before it. In the old, old days, some Ligonier Township kids went to Latrobe and some Cook Township kids went to Hurst or Ramsay.

I could go on and on about this subject; I love it and all high school sports - past and present.

[BlueYonder]

We're good Red and Black. I was just making a point, but I realize most people's perception ( a lot from outside the valley) is that the LiV Rams is sort of a continuation of the Mounties. But for some people, the new LV Rams is a continuation of the old LV Rams because that is who we have been rooting for as its the local team - its just a different perspective. We are both now rooting for the same team and their doing pretty well. Last year seeing the firetrucks from throughout the entire valley leading the team into town after playoff victories was a great sight.

[Red and Black]

On of the best things about this team the last couple years is the incredible community support it gets - from Seward to Stahlstown, from Bolivar to Bethel Church Road, and from all points in between.

[GoldenRamsFAN]

It's amazing how much of the community is interested in hs sports when the team is winning.