Alle-Kiski high school notebook: Christmas break challenges coaches

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 22, 2018 | 9:00 PM

The holidays may be the most wonderful time of the year, but for high school coaches, they also can become one of the more stressful.

With practices and games on hiatus until after the Christmas holiday passes Tuesday, coaches are leaving it to their players to remain vigilant until competition returns later this week.

“This year especially, the way the holiday falls with Christmas Eve and Christmas being Monday and Tuesday and our last game being (Dec. 20), it’s really the first time that we’ve had an extended period like this in between games,” Deer Lakes girls basketball coach Dave Petruska said. “My hope is that they don’t continue go away from the sport for the three days that I’m giving them off.”

Petruska gave his team Friday off, with a Saturday practice focused on conditioning, their last one until Wednesday. He said his seniors keep the rest of the team accountable about going to the gym until the full team meets up again Wednesday in advance of the St. Joseph holiday tournament Friday.

“They at least keep a basketball in their hands,” he said.

Wrestlers must remain especially vigilant given their need to make weight before competition, even with a 2-pound weight allowance that goes into effect Tuesday.

That means no extra Christmas cookies or holiday ham.

“You’ve got to enjoy it to an extent, but you’ve got to stay focused, you’ve got to keep weight in check, you’ve got to clean up things that need to be improved on,” said Kiski Area wrestling coach Chris Heater, whose team competes at the Powerade Christmas Tournament on Friday and Saturday. “It’s a good time to kind of do that, it’s a good time for our guys to spend time with their families … but we’ve still got a lot of wrestling to do over the holiday as well.”

Diamond day

A pair of Kiski Area softball teammates made their college decisions as seniors Megan Andree (Franklin and Marshall) and Alexa Nagy (Mount Aloysius) signed with their chosen schools Wednesday.

Andree, a pitcher, went 10-5 with a 2.26 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 1082/3 innings last season, including a perfect game against Gateway. A Valley News Dispatch first-team All-Star, she also batted .298 with eight RBIs.

Nagy, a first baseman, finished third on the team with a .350 batting average. She clubbed six doubles, drove in 14 runs and struck out just three times in 64 plate appearances. She was a Valley News Dispatch All-Star in 2017.

The pair helped Kiski Area reach the WPIAL playoffs for the second consecutive season and beat Mars in the first round for the school’s first postseason win since 2008.

Bright Skyy

Skyy Moore put his signature on the dotted line Wednesday, making the Shady Side Academy football star’s commitment to Western Michigan official.

Moore, a New Kensington native, had one of the top offensive seasons in the WPIAL as he broke the 1,000-yard mark in both passing and rushing for a second consecutive season. He led Shady Side to an undefeated regular season and the top seed in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the Indians’ playoff opener.

Colin’s worth

Deer Lakes senior football standout Colin Kadlick picked up three offers this week, from Grove City, Juniata and Westminster, to bring his total to six.

Kadlick, named first-team tight end in the Class 3A Big East this season, led the Lancers with 42 receptions for 491 yards and five touchdowns.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Kiski School, Shady Side Academy