Schoolastic Notebook ...
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THE CHOPS
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- Joined: October 24th, 2003, 10:42 am
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Schoolastic Notebook ...
Scholastic Notebook
MSA Sports
Maybe you haven’t noticed, but is there an epidemic in WPIAL football? Talented quarterbacks are dropping with injuries left and right.
It started a few weeks ago when North Allegheny quarterback Adam Neugebauer suffered a broken collarbone against Woodland Hills. The earliest he will return is the regular-season finale against North Hills. Neugebauer was one of the top quarterbacks in Class (AAAA).
Last Friday (Sept. 22) Hampton quarterback Bob Bartley, one of the tops in the WPIAL, went down with ankle and knee injuries against Franklin Regional. His status is uncertain.
Franklin Regional already was playing without its quarterback, Len Gallo, who suffered an ankle injury in a big game against Pine-Richland Sept. 22. Gallo came on at the end of last year and helped Franklin Regional to WPIAL and PIAA Class (AAA) championships.
Last Saturday night, Seton-LaSalle lost to Brentwood and Seton-LaSalle QB Matt Rodgers, an Akron recruit, threw for only 66 yards because of a calf injury. His status for this week is uncertain. Rodgers was having a terrific senior season and is third in WPIAL passing yardage with 881 yards.
The injury bug traveled east in the middle of this week. On Wednesday, Greensburg Central Catholic standout QB Cody Catalina suffered a dislocated left elbow during practice.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Greensburg Central Catholic coach Muzzy Colosimo. “We were actually doing a defensive drill and all of a sudden the kids started saying, ‘Look at his elbow.’”
Catalina, a Syracuse recruit, will be out at least a few weeks, but maybe longer. He hadn’t throw much in the first four games because Greensburg Central Catholic has blown away the competition. But he was still 29 for 41 for 405 yards.
Then Thursday night, a promising young quarterback was hurt in a game shown on FSN Pittsburgh television. Shady Side Academy sophomore Dan Rooney suffered a separated shoulder late in the half of the Indians’ game against Valley.
Then on Friday night, the WPIAL's leading passer, Josh Vick of Kiski Area, sustained a possible medial collateral ligament injury with 3:55 left in first half against Penn Hills. Vick had 1,157 yards passing with one completion against the Indians before the injury. He will have an MRI on Saturday.
It will be interesting to see what will happen to these teams without their starting quarterbacks. No matter what, can somebody do anything to break this hex?
Oh, Brother
The sons of former Penguin Peter Taglianetti are having impacts on their football teams – at different schools.
Andrew Taglianetti is one of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s top defensive backs for the second year in a row. His brother, Jon, is the starting quarterback at South Fayette and has completed 39 of 72 passes for 405 yards this season.
Both brothers attended South Fayette as freshmen, but transferred to Central Catholic last year. Jon came back to South Fayette after his sophomore year while Andrew stayed at Central Catholic.
Catching On
Laurel Highlands receiver Randy Rankin has been getting his hands on the ball plenty in the first four weeks of the season, catching 31 passes (7.8 receptions a game). Laurel Highlands is 2-0 in the Keystone Conference and in good shape for a playoff berth.
That means Rankin has only five games left and it is unlikely he will be able to break the WPIAL record for receptions in the regular season. Seton-LaSalle’s Carmen Connolly holds the mark with 85 a few seasons ago.
Zero Tolearance
Is there a WPIAL soccer team that’s been more impressive so far this season than the South Park girls? The Eagles have allowed only three goals in 11 games.
It looks like South Park and Greensburg Central Catholic might be headed for a collision course in the WPIAL Class AA ranks. Greensburg Central also has been impressive. The Centurions have the exact same record as South Park (9-1-1), and Greensburg Central has allowed only eight goals in 11 games.
Basketball Factory
Former Bishop Canevin basketball star Antonio DiMaria announced this week he had made a verbal commitment to Kent State University, a Division I school in the Mid-American Conference. DiMaria graduated from Bishop Canevin in June and is now attending The Patterson School in Lenoir, N.C. Patterson is a prep school, but you could also call it a basketball factory.
Patterson has a high school team and a post high school team, made up of players who already have graduated. Most of the players are headed to Division I colleges and some of the high school players look like future McDonald’s All-Americans.
“There are some guys here who are sophomores, but they’re 18 years old,” DiMaria said. “It’s crazy.”
DiMaria is 19.
“There are 50 to 75 college coaches in the gym sometimes when we play pickup games,” DiMaria said. “[North Carolina coach] Roy Williams has been here, [Michigan State’s] Tom Izzo, a lot of big-name coaches.”
DiMaria originally signed with Duquesne University last fall as a senior at Bishop Canevin, but asked for a release from his letter of intent when Duquesne coach Danny Nee resigned. DiMaria said he decided to attend Patterson to better prepare himself for college basketball.
At Patterson, players attend classes from 8:30 to 1:30. Basketball practice starts at 2 and usually lasts 2 ½ hours.
“Then we play pickup for a few more hours every night,” DiMaria said. “So you’re playing for, like, five hours a day.”
DiMaria said Patterson is scheduled to play 50 games this season, including games against out-of-state teams. Patterson opens the season in a few weeks against Oak Hill Academy.
DiMaria has 14 teammates on his team and said all of them will probably go to a Division I college. When asked how everyone can be happy with their playing time, he said, “We play three groups of five players and everyone just rotates,” he said. “There is equal playing time for everyone, so no one complains.”
MSA Sports
Maybe you haven’t noticed, but is there an epidemic in WPIAL football? Talented quarterbacks are dropping with injuries left and right.
It started a few weeks ago when North Allegheny quarterback Adam Neugebauer suffered a broken collarbone against Woodland Hills. The earliest he will return is the regular-season finale against North Hills. Neugebauer was one of the top quarterbacks in Class (AAAA).
Last Friday (Sept. 22) Hampton quarterback Bob Bartley, one of the tops in the WPIAL, went down with ankle and knee injuries against Franklin Regional. His status is uncertain.
Franklin Regional already was playing without its quarterback, Len Gallo, who suffered an ankle injury in a big game against Pine-Richland Sept. 22. Gallo came on at the end of last year and helped Franklin Regional to WPIAL and PIAA Class (AAA) championships.
Last Saturday night, Seton-LaSalle lost to Brentwood and Seton-LaSalle QB Matt Rodgers, an Akron recruit, threw for only 66 yards because of a calf injury. His status for this week is uncertain. Rodgers was having a terrific senior season and is third in WPIAL passing yardage with 881 yards.
The injury bug traveled east in the middle of this week. On Wednesday, Greensburg Central Catholic standout QB Cody Catalina suffered a dislocated left elbow during practice.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Greensburg Central Catholic coach Muzzy Colosimo. “We were actually doing a defensive drill and all of a sudden the kids started saying, ‘Look at his elbow.’”
Catalina, a Syracuse recruit, will be out at least a few weeks, but maybe longer. He hadn’t throw much in the first four games because Greensburg Central Catholic has blown away the competition. But he was still 29 for 41 for 405 yards.
Then Thursday night, a promising young quarterback was hurt in a game shown on FSN Pittsburgh television. Shady Side Academy sophomore Dan Rooney suffered a separated shoulder late in the half of the Indians’ game against Valley.
Then on Friday night, the WPIAL's leading passer, Josh Vick of Kiski Area, sustained a possible medial collateral ligament injury with 3:55 left in first half against Penn Hills. Vick had 1,157 yards passing with one completion against the Indians before the injury. He will have an MRI on Saturday.
It will be interesting to see what will happen to these teams without their starting quarterbacks. No matter what, can somebody do anything to break this hex?
Oh, Brother
The sons of former Penguin Peter Taglianetti are having impacts on their football teams – at different schools.
Andrew Taglianetti is one of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s top defensive backs for the second year in a row. His brother, Jon, is the starting quarterback at South Fayette and has completed 39 of 72 passes for 405 yards this season.
Both brothers attended South Fayette as freshmen, but transferred to Central Catholic last year. Jon came back to South Fayette after his sophomore year while Andrew stayed at Central Catholic.
Catching On
Laurel Highlands receiver Randy Rankin has been getting his hands on the ball plenty in the first four weeks of the season, catching 31 passes (7.8 receptions a game). Laurel Highlands is 2-0 in the Keystone Conference and in good shape for a playoff berth.
That means Rankin has only five games left and it is unlikely he will be able to break the WPIAL record for receptions in the regular season. Seton-LaSalle’s Carmen Connolly holds the mark with 85 a few seasons ago.
Zero Tolearance
Is there a WPIAL soccer team that’s been more impressive so far this season than the South Park girls? The Eagles have allowed only three goals in 11 games.
It looks like South Park and Greensburg Central Catholic might be headed for a collision course in the WPIAL Class AA ranks. Greensburg Central also has been impressive. The Centurions have the exact same record as South Park (9-1-1), and Greensburg Central has allowed only eight goals in 11 games.
Basketball Factory
Former Bishop Canevin basketball star Antonio DiMaria announced this week he had made a verbal commitment to Kent State University, a Division I school in the Mid-American Conference. DiMaria graduated from Bishop Canevin in June and is now attending The Patterson School in Lenoir, N.C. Patterson is a prep school, but you could also call it a basketball factory.
Patterson has a high school team and a post high school team, made up of players who already have graduated. Most of the players are headed to Division I colleges and some of the high school players look like future McDonald’s All-Americans.
“There are some guys here who are sophomores, but they’re 18 years old,” DiMaria said. “It’s crazy.”
DiMaria is 19.
“There are 50 to 75 college coaches in the gym sometimes when we play pickup games,” DiMaria said. “[North Carolina coach] Roy Williams has been here, [Michigan State’s] Tom Izzo, a lot of big-name coaches.”
DiMaria originally signed with Duquesne University last fall as a senior at Bishop Canevin, but asked for a release from his letter of intent when Duquesne coach Danny Nee resigned. DiMaria said he decided to attend Patterson to better prepare himself for college basketball.
At Patterson, players attend classes from 8:30 to 1:30. Basketball practice starts at 2 and usually lasts 2 ½ hours.
“Then we play pickup for a few more hours every night,” DiMaria said. “So you’re playing for, like, five hours a day.”
DiMaria said Patterson is scheduled to play 50 games this season, including games against out-of-state teams. Patterson opens the season in a few weeks against Oak Hill Academy.
DiMaria has 14 teammates on his team and said all of them will probably go to a Division I college. When asked how everyone can be happy with their playing time, he said, “We play three groups of five players and everyone just rotates,” he said. “There is equal playing time for everyone, so no one complains.”