Rest in peace, Tom Borrelli

Colin Dunlap | 12:35 a.m. Friday, Nov. 21

This is just terrible news, and something that hits close to home for me:

Tom Borrelli, a Buffalo News sportswriter critically injured two weeks ago in a fall down a steep staircase, died this morning of complications from the fall. He was 51.

Borrelli was injured while covering a high school football game for The Buffalo News at All High Stadium. He scaled the approximately dozen metal stairs to the press box, before apparently striking his head on a steel girder and falling backward down the stairs.

Now, I've covered more high school football games than I can count, scaling aluminum, wooden, cement and composite stairs in making my way to the press box and, in truth, never given a thought to being extra careful until now. On top of that, a lot of times when I'm finished filing my story after games, the lights in the stadium have been turned out, making navigating my way down the steps much, much tougher than the climb up them prior to the contest. Throw in rain, snow and sometimes ice, and the bleachers can be downright treacherous.  

I just feel for Tom's family tremendously. This is a terrible situation. The guy left his home to cover a high school football game, and never made it back.

You can read the full story about Tom Borrelli --- HERE

Turf matters

 Mike White | 12:15 a.m., Friday, Nov. 21

After watching the Steelers play on the Heinz Field grass last night, it makes you wonder one thing: How bad will that field be by the fourth quarter of the fourth WPIAL championship game (Class AAAA) tomorrow night?

The field already looked chewed up in the middle. With cold weather forecast for tomorrow, it might not be a pretty sight for Gateway-Bethel Park. Gateway coach Terry Smith had an interesting comment in this morning's Post-Gazette, saying the Heinz Field surface will probably be the worst playing surface played on this year by all eight teams in the finals. They're very used to playin on turf.

A few coaches have said over the years that they wouldn't mind if all the championshp games were played at high school stadiums. Here is what Smith had to say about the idea:

"I'm kind of mixed about it," Smith said. "To go to Heinz Field is an awesome experience for the kids. It doesn't get any better than that atmosphere. But the other side of me says, play it at a high school stadium, fill it up and the atmosphere will be more electric. At Heinz Field, 20,000 or 25,000 fans doesn't sound like 20,000 or 25,000. It doesn't look like it, either. It looks empty.

"If we'd go to a West Mifflin or North Allegheny, and pack it, it would be more exciting."

The "perfect" matchups

Mike White | 6:45 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 19

When Gateway plays Bethel Park in the WPIAL Class AAAA championship Saturday, it will be a matchup of unbeaten teams. Both come into the contest with 12-0 records. Over the past 20 years, this is the 10th championship game matching unbeaten and untied teams.

Here are those 10 games, and the result:

2007 – Thomas Jefferson 34, Montour 0

2006 – Clairton 16, Rochester 13

2005 – South Park 24, Greensburg Central Catholic 20

2004 – Seton-LaSalle 42, Aliquippa 35

2003 – Pine-Richland 21, Thomas Jefferson 7

2000 – Aliquippa 14, Waynesburg 6

1999 – West Allegheny 37, Belle Vernon 12

1996 – Blackhawk 24, Belle Vernon 6

1993 – North Hills 21, Upper St. Clair 14

Working overtime for question of the week

 Mike White | 1:45 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 16

The WPIAL had an overtime football game in the quarterfinals (Highlands vs. Montour). In overtime in Pennsylvania, each team gets a possession at the 10-yard line. If the game is still tied, the process is repeated.

This is different than college overtimes, where teams get the ball at the 25-yard line. That brings us to the Varsity Xtra Question of the Week. Do you prefer the high school overtime rule, or the college overtime?

To vote, go to http://www.post-gazette.com/highschoolsports/ and look for "Poll: Question of the Week." The results will be printed in Friday's Varsity Xtra section, but also are available on the Post-Gazette web site.

What's interesting about the overtime stuff is the WPIAL did not have overtime in championship games until the late 1980s. So if a title game ended in a tie, both teams were declared co-champs. When the league started playoffs in the early 1970s, it did not even have an overtime format in place to decide playoff games. And the league looked foolish in 1972 when Jeannette and Monessen tied, 14-14, in a WPIAL Class AA semifinal at Three Rivers Stadium. No one knew what to do because there was no overtime. So, get this: Jeannette was awarded the win because it had more total yards of offense.

Baldrige for the record?

Mike White | 1:20 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 15

Notes, thoughts and anecdotes after the WPIAL semifinals.

Thomas Jefferson's Brian Baldrige had an unforgettable performance in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals, running for 382 yards in a victory against New Castle. No one has statistical records for WPIAL playoff games, but Baldrige's yardage total was most likely a WPIAL postseason record.

Here's the logic: Only nine players in the history of the WPIAL have rushed for 400 yards in a game (the record is 455 by Connellsville's Marcus Furman in 2000). All nine performances came in regular-season games.

Baldrige was only 18 yards from 400. In 30 years of covering WPIAL football, I don't remember anyone rushing for 382 yards in a playoff game. And before then, individuals usually didn't post big statistical games. There wasn't as much offense as there is now in the WPIAL.

Considering all of the above, we'll call Baldrige's total is a record, unless we hear otherwise.

By the way, Thomas Jefferson's 47-20 victory against New Castle proved one thing. New Castle didn't have much of a defense. The Hurricanes gave up 49 points last week to Indiana.

* Speaking of records. Could Blackhawk coach Joe Hamilton be tied for one? Blackhawk defeated Highlands, so that means Blackhawk coach Joe Hamilton will be in the title game for the 10th time. That ties Upper St. Clair coach Jim Render, who also has 10 title-game appearances. Funny. Render is first and Hamilton second on the all-time WPIAL list for coaching wins.

* No matter what happens in the WPIAL championship games next week, here's my vote for Player of the Year: Gateway's Dorian Bell. I think he's a hands-down winner. He came into the season considered the No. 1 player in the WPIAL, mainly because of his play at linebacker. He's still talented at linebacker, but Bell also has rushed for more than 800 yards this season, including 121 on 13 carries against Penn Hills. What more can he do to show he's the No. 1 player?

While Bell is ranked among the top 10 linebackers in the country and is an Ohio State recruit, he might make for an excellent strong safety. He's 6 feet 1, 220 pounds and definitely fast enough to play the position. As a running back, he ran away from some Penn Hills defenders, who aren't exactly slow.

* Legendary Pete Antimarino, who coached Pitcairn and Gateway from 1954-89 , was on the sideline before the Penn Hills-Gateway game. Antimarino, who won 255 career games before retiring after the 1989 season, said he is "doing pretty good for an old man." He still attends Gateway games - and still makes his own homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs at home. Antimarino was a tremendous coach and also an engaging character. His son, Pete Jr., who played QB at Gateway in the early 1970s, was with his father at the Penn Hills game.

"My grandkids, all they want to do is eat my spaghetti sauce and meatballs," Antimarino said. "They tell him [Pete Jr.] 'You don't make it as good as grandpa does.'"

* Penn Hills linebacker Dan Mason isn't ranked as highly as Bell on recruiting sites. If Mason is behind Bell as a linebacker, he's not behind by much. The few times I've seen him over the past two years, he has been dominating. Pitt is on his final list of schools. The Panthers should feel fortunate if they land him.

*The Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 appears Thanksgiving day. We talk to high school coaches, college coaches and scouting services to help pick the team. As of right now, Gateway's Dorian Bell, Corey Brown and Brian Williams seem to be shoe-ins. We might have to take a serious look at defensive end B.J. Stevens, a Miami, Ohio, recruit who has an amazing statistic. Stevens has 21 sacks this season, including two against Penn Hills. 

* Aliquippa will play in a WPIAL championship for the 19th time in school history. Wow.

* Avonworth had an unforgettable season, making it to the WPIAL semifinals before losing to Monaca. Don't you wonder if Avonworth is a one-hit wonder? This was the first semifnal game appearance.

* Hey, the official start of basketball practice is Monday.

WPIAL Class AA football fans are not going to like this

Colin Dunlap | 10:04 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13

If you are a fan of WPIAL Class AA football --- and particularly if you live outside of Pittsburgh and you can't make it to WPIAL title game at Heinz Field in person on Saturday, Nov. 22 --- you are probably not going to like this: It doesn't look like the Class AA championship game will be televised live.

As I was sitting here tonight, I scrolled ahead on my DVR box to check on the FSN Pittsburgh telecasts for next Saturday's four WPIAL football title games.

Well, according to my Comcast box, the schedule for that day goes like this:

10:30 a.m. -- Class A championship

1:30 p.m. -- Penguins pregame

2 p.m. -- NHL Hockey

4:30 p.m. -- Penguins postgame

5 p.m. -- Class AAA championship game

8 p.m. -- Class AAAA championship game

11 p.m. -- Class AA championship game

With that being the schedule, it is rather obvious fans of Class AA teams will have to wait to see the telecast (and it will be taped) until 11 p.m.

Now I know the Penguins are a professional franchise, and I know FSN does a vast amount of their games, but this just all seems out of whack. Having those four championship games on live, in sequential order (and with Stan Savran doing at least one of them) is one of those traditions fans of Western Pennsylvania high school football look forward to each year.

While not having the Class AA game on live TV doesn't take anything away from how huge the matchup will be, it does, truth be told, take a bit of the luster off it.

Is TJ better than before?

 Mike White | 7:35 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, 2008

Thomas Jefferson was 16-0 last year and won WPIAL and PIAA championships. It's hard to get much better than perfection, but it says here that this year's Thomas Jefferson team might be better.

The reason? Tyler Wehner.

Wehner is Thomas Jefferson's senior quarterback. He has been excellent this season and is the difference between this year and last year. He has been a standout as a passer, but also hurts defenses with his running. His performance in the WPIAL quarterfinals was a perfect example. He threw for 208 yards and rushed for 75 in a 35-16 victory against Hopewell.

When Thomas Jefferson made its run through the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs a year ago, Zach DeCicco was playing quarterback. DeCicco was efficient, but he wasn't much of a threat throwing. The funny thing is DeCicco didn't become the quarterback until Wehner was thrown off the team near the end of the season.

Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak threw Wehner off the team a year ago, but Cherpak said Wehner has a much better attitude this season. With Wehner, teams can't gang up against the run, because he will burn them with a pass. If they play the pass, it opens up running room for halfback Brian Baldrige. And if teams blitz Wehner, they better make sure they get to him, because he is an adept scrambler.

While Thomas Jefferson might be better than last year, it doesn't guarantee WPIAL and PIAA championships. Remember this: Thomas Jefferson looked unbeatable two years ago, but got knocked off by General McLane in the PIAA semifinals. Also, Thomas Jefferson could have its hands full with New Castle's spread offense in the semifinals.

Heinauer has broken leg

North Hills quarterback Justin Heinauer suffered a broken tibia in his right leg during Friday's WPIAL Class AAAA quarterfinal loss to Penn Hills. The outcome of the game showed what Heinauer meant to North Hills, as the Indians lost to Penn Hills, 27-0.

Heinauer might have surgery on the leg, but that will probably be determined this week. It was a tough way to end the season for Heinauer, who threw for the most yards in the regular season at North Hills since Eric Kasperowicz in 1993.

Shell is tremendous

After seeing Hopewell's Rushel Shell in the WPIAL quarterfinals, he is, without question, the best freshman running back I have seen in 30 years of covering WPIAL football. By the time he's a senior, he very well could be one of the top 10 running backs in the country.

One of the main reasons for his success is his strength. His thighs are large, and he's not afraid to run over a defender. But he also has speed and cutting ability. You could be looking at a future megastar, and don't be surprised if he has Division I scholarship offers by next summer.

But before we say Shell is certain for greatness, there are a few questions that have to be answered over the next few years. He's already 210 pounds, so will he grow out of the halfback position? If he gets too big, will he lose some of his speed? Will he stay motivated and get better each year? How will he handle all the publicity that is sure to come his way the next few years?

In conclusion, Shell could be one of the few big-time running backs to come out of Western Pennsylvania. Two of the top 10 running backs in NFL history are from Western Pennsylvania (No. 4 Curtis Martin and No. 7 Tony Dorsett). But they are the exception. Think about it. How many halfbacks have we produced in the past 20 years who have been a starter on the Division I level? You'll be hard-pressed to come up with more than a handful.

Droney closer to decision?

 Mike White | 7:55 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7, 2008

Tom Droney, a junior and a heavily-recruited basketball player at Sewickley Academy, said he might make his college decision with the next few weeks.

Droney, a 6-foot-5 guard, made a second visit to Notre Dame last weekend and said he really liked the place. Notre Dame is one of Droney's finalists. His others are Pitt and Davidson. All three have offered scholarships.

Although Droney can make a verbal commitment to a college at any time, he can't sign a binding letter of intent with a school until next November when he is a senior.

Obama the high school athlete

 Mike White | 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008

Barack Obama was a high school athlete. How good? Well, Kevin Askeland of maxpreps.com has an interesting article on where Obama's athletic ability places him among all presidents.

Obama attended an athletic powerhouse high school. Askeland has an interesting read at the link below:

http://www.maxpreps.com/FanPages/content/Article.mxp/articleid-e33135c2-e4fa-46d2-8136-0ecc8972821f

Klimchock picks college

 Mike White | 8:35 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008

One of the best point guards in WPIAL basketball has decided on a college.

Chris Klimchock, a senior at Greensburg Salem High School, made a verbal commitment today to Edinboro, a Division II school. Klimchock received a scholarship.

Klimchock might have been recruited by some Division I schools if he were taller. He is only 5 feet 9. But as far as a point guard on the high school level, they don't get much better than him. He's been a starter since his freshman year and last year averaged 15 points a game in helping Greensburg Salem reach the WPIAL semifinals. He has good quickness and terrific point guard instincts.

"He's very happy with this choice," said Rick Klimchock, Chris' father, who also coached his son in AAU basketball. "Edinboro plays a high brand of basketball. The coaches there feel like the top level teams in their conference might be at the same level as some of the low Division I schools."

The NCAA's week-long early signing period for basketball begins next week. The only WPIAL player expected to sign with a Division I school is McKeesport 7-footer Zeke Marshall.