George Guido: Leechburg’s Burke completes one of A-K Valley’s top all-time seasons

By: George Guido
Saturday, November 13, 2021 | 11:03 AM

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With Leechburg’s loss in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals Friday, it brought the curtain down on one of the best seasons an A-K Valley quarterback ever has had.

Blue Devils senior Thomas Burke III finished the season with 2,213 yards, which is third best in local history. In 2019, Burrell’s Alex Arledge had 2,462 yards and Aris Hasley of Deer Lakes checked in with 2,370 yards.

Burke’s 269 yards Friday put him ahead of Freeport’s Ryan Weigold, who had 2,171 yards in 2015. In 2007, Kiski Area’s Josh Vick had 2,110 yards.

Burke (5-foot-9, 165 pounds) was a receiver last year as Dylan Cook handled the Blue Devils’ quarterbacking duties.

“We, obviously, had Dylan last year, but we saw what Tommy could do,” Leechburg coach Randy Walters said. “We saw his athleticism last year, and he’s such a nice passer. He’s not the tallest guy in the world, but hopefully somebody looks at him and sees what he can do and gives him a shot.”

Tough schedules

Think your school had a tough schedule this football season?

It probably paled in comparison to Fox Chapel.

Of the 12 games the Foxes (5-7) played, 10 were against playoffs teams.

Peters Township, Hampton, Plum, Franklin Regional, Moon Penn Hills, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Upper St. Clair and Penn-Trafford were part of the WPIAL postseason.

Of Fox Chapel’s opponents, only Shaler Area and Kiski Area stayed home for the playoffs.

Freeport (6-5) also had a tough card. Eight of the 11 Yellowjackets’ opponents were playoff participants.

Wrestling suspensions

The PIAA District 6 committee came down hard on the Bishop McCort wrestling program.

In what could have reverberations around the country — let alone the state — the Crimson Crushers are banned from the wrestling postseason for 20 to 36 months.

Coach Bill Bassett also received a one-year suspension from coaching because of recruiting allegations. The district board’s vote was 17-0 in favor of the suspension.

The postseason ban received a 16-1 vote, according to a published report.

Bassett previously coached at Forest Hills junior high, and his 2019-20 team went undefeated and was ranked No. 1 in the state. He was dismissed after that season and was hired at McCort, and many of the top wrestlers, including his son, Bo, and his cousin’s sons, Erik and Mason Gibson, transferred to the Johnstown parochial school.

The district committee first ruled that Erik Gibson, a Cornell recruit rated No. 1 in the state, was ineligible for the 2020 postseason. Gibson, now a senior, was one of the individual favorites in the upcoming season.

Mason Gibson, one of the country’s top freshmen last year, was a state runner-up in Class 2A, losing at 120 pounds by fall to Brett Ungar of Notre Dame Green Pond.

If the ban holds to 36 months, Mason Gibson would not have a shot at a state crown.

Besides wrestling, all other McCort athletic programs have been placed on probation by District 6.

Bishop McCort intends to appeal to the PIAA.

Tags: Fox Chapel, Leechburg