George Guido: Armstrong County gets new passing king

By: George Guido
Saturday, September 10, 2022 | 8:33 PM

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There’s a new all-time career passing leader in Armstrong County.

Armstrong’s Cadin Olsen has 5,242 passing yards after throwing for 201 yards in Friday’s 49-13 victory by the River Hawks at New Castle.

It surpasses the mark of 5,132 yards set by West Shamokin’s Trevor Henderson from 2001-04.

Olsen, who won the Willie Thrower Award last year as the top quarterback in Southwestern Pennsylvania, was 17-32 for 201 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns on five carries.

The University of Pennsylvania commit has 633 passing yards on the season. Olsen and the 2-1 River Hawks will play host to 3-0 Freeport on Friday. The Yellowjackets have yielded just 23 points in three games.

Thimons sets mark

Highlands quarterback Chandler Thimons set a school record Friday with his 48th career touchdown pass.

It came on a 20-yard throw to Semaj Miller that gave the Golden Rams some breathing room in a 28-20 victory over Chartiers Valley.

Thimons broke the mark set by Seth Cohen several years ago.

Shaw to Radio Hall of Fame

Former East Deer High School quarterback Walt “Baby Love” Shaw will be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame on Nov. 1.

He is best known for almost 40 years of nationally syndicated radio shows, particularly Gospel Traxx, chosen the best syndicated show by Billboard Magazine under the R&B/Urban Radio banner.

One of the Alle-Kiski Valley’s first Black quarterbacks while playing for the Bucks in 1958, Shaw joined the Army after graduation and became a paratrooper in the famed 82nd Airborne Division. He started his broadcasting career while in the Army and began his commercial broadcasting career at WNGO in Erie after his discharge.

Shaw was also the first on-air Black announcer for the RKO Radio network and began his syndicated shows in 1982. He became an ordained minister in 1997 and is an elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The induction banquet will be at Chicago’s Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. Among the eight other inductees are baseball’s Chris “Mad Dog” Russo of Sirius XM Radio and New York Yankees announcer Suzyn Waldron.

A serious nickname

Sometimes high school nicknames can be taken in a literal sense.

Case in point: Freeport Yellowjackets home sporting events Sept. 2 and 3.

Spectators were attacked by actual yellow jackets those days.

Everything turned out OK, and Freeport Area Superintendent Ian Magness praised the Freeport EMS unit for their quick response.

Let’s hope there’s not a similar incident at Gateway Gators home games.