2010-2011 MSA Sports Male Athlete of the Year – John Leonard

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, July 9, 2011 | 12:00 AM

Winter spring or fall John Leonard's high school days were a ball. Leonard who graduated from Connellsville High School last month was one of those rarities these days – a three-sport athlete at a large school.

He used the little white ball in the fall the big orange one in the winter and another white ball in the spring But it wasn't just playing three sports that made Leonard unusual. It was how well he played them.

Golf basketball baseball. Leonard excelled at all three sports. He was the Falcons' top golfer a basketball player who averaged more than 20 points a game and one of the best baseball players in the state.

Leonard has been selected the MSA Sports Boys Athlete of the Year for the 2010-11 school year.

The award is picked by the MSA Sports staff and is selected from all WPIAL schools. While there were some other outstanding candidates who played two and even three sports MSA Sports felt when it came to the best it was a case of Johnny on the spot.

But apparently it has been this way for Leonard for years.

"I?Aove known Johnny?Aos family for years and he grew up in the same area of Connellsville that I grew up. A little area called Tri-Town said Connellsville baseball coach Joe Bonadio. He actually played in the same Little League that I played in. I know that he has always been an exceptional athlete. Anything he played even back when he was young he was always one of the ones at the top."

Connellsville has produced many outstanding athletes even going back to the early 1900s. John Woodruff won an Olympic gold medal in the 800 meters in 1936. Johnny Lujack went on to play quarterback at Notre Dame and won the 1947 Heisman Trophy.

It remains to be seen if future greatness comes Leonard's way. But he most certainly might go down as one of Connellsville's most favorite sons.

"With what he has accomplished without a doubt he's going to be one of the best athletes to ever come out of Connellsville Bonadio said.

Leonard's No. 1 sport was baseball and he was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball draft. Although Leonard signed with a strong North Carolina State program last November, he decided against college baseball and signed with Arizona. He is playing shortstop for the Diamondbacks rookie team in the Arizona League and was batting .267 after eight games.

A good example of Leonard's athletic ability showed this spring when he made a position change for the Connellsville team. A year ago as a junior, Leonard excelled as an outfielder. Bonadio called him one of the best outfielders in the state. This season, he was moved to shortstop and was again a standout.

He decided on North Carolina State last summer and he had told me that North Carolina State wanted him to play shortstop Bonadio said. It's not like he demanded to play shortstop but he said to me that hopefully he can play some shortstop in high school. We had lost our starting shortstop and when you get a kid like Johnny you play him at shortstop for a high school team."

Leonard had a big senior year batting .556 with 20 RBIs 22 runs scored three doubles five triple and three home runs. He also pitched a little and had a 2-0 record.

Baseball talent runs in Leonard's family. His older brother Joe played at Connellsville and then Pitt and was a third-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2010. Joe is playing third base for the Braves' Class A affiliate in Lynchburg Va. and is hitting .258.

"John always had in his mind to someday get drafted and sign a pro contract. He put himself in that situation Bonadio said. I think the thing that probably stood out with him more than anything was his work ethic. I remember one day we had decided we were going to practice whether it rained or not. But it rained so hard that we sent the kids home. But Joe stayed around with another player and they threw in the rain and hit in the rain. That showed what kind of work ethic he had."

While Leonard was good at hitting a ball in the spring he was adept at shooting one in the winter. Leonard helped the Connellsville basketball team win a section title as he averaged 21.6 points a game as a senior. It was the second year in a row he averaged more than 20 and he finished his career with well over 1 000 points.

Bonadio said Leonard took up golf only a few years ago and turned into the Falcons' top player.

All told it was a year to remember for Leonard.

Tags: Connellsville