Scholastic Notebook – 09/13/2013

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 13, 2013 | 3:10 PM

There is undoubtedly more passing in high school football these days. But after two weeks, could this be the year of runners in WPIAL football?

While WPIAL football again has some impressive passers, the running statistics have been big through the first two weeks. Take a look:

*It’s considered a nice night when a team has two 100-yard rushers in a game. It is extremely unusual when a team has two 200-yard rushers. But there have been two teams (Penn Hills and Steel Valley) that have had two 200-yard rushers in a game – and they did it on the same night (last Friday).

*Penn Hills’ Billy Kisner has rushed for 200 yards in two consecutive games – and he’s a QUARTERBACK.

*There are six WPIAL players averaging over 200 yards a game on the ground. There are only nine quarterbacks averaging 200 yards a game through the air.

The six players averaging 200 yards a game running are Jimmy Wheeler of West Mifflin, D’Andre Pickens of Steel Valley, Shai McKenzie of Washington, Kolton Kobrys of Fort Cherry, Kisner of Penn Hills and Duane Murray of Steel Valley.

It is hard to average 200 yards a game through an entire regular season, but this just might be the season where a handful of players do it.

One-Two Punch

Steel Valley’s Pickens and Murray are both averaging more than 200 yards a game. While that’s impressive, how about their yards-per-carry average? Combined, they are averaging 17.8 yards per carry. Pickens is averaging 16.7 yards and Murray 19.3.

The Hills are Alive

Penn Hills will try to go to 3-0 when it plays at Baldwin tonight. A 3-0 start might not seem like much for a program like Penn Hills. But the Indians missed the playoffs last year and haven’t started 3-0 since 2005.

Master of Position Switch

Bill Cherpak of Thomas Jefferson is one of the top coaches in the WPIAL. Maybe one of his best traits over the years is taking a player who might have played a different position and making him a quarterback. And sometimes a better-than-average quarterback.

He has done it before with players – like Dom DeCicco, who switched from receiver to quarterback six years ago. Or Cherpak is good at taking a player who has always been a backup QB and making him a talented quarterback as a senior, evidenced a year ago by Joe Carroll.

This year, Cherpak has Chase Winovich playing quarterback and Christian Breisinger also playing some. Winovich is known as one of the best linebackers in the state. He already committed to Michigan to play linebacker. Winovich was a backup at QB last year and saw a little time as a tight end-receiver. Breisinger was only a backup last year and was a receiver as a sophomore.

Thomas Jefferson is 2-0 this season.

“Chase is not a great quarterback by any means,” Cherpak said. “But he can make something happen at any time. You know he’s not going to make a nervous decision. He loves being in that position. Nothing is too big for him.”

By George, Going for 200

McKeesport football coach George Smith has a good chance to get his 200^th career win Friday night when the Tigers (2-0) play at Norwin (0-2).

Smith is in his first season of his second stint with McKeesport. He coached the Tigers for 28 years the first time and his record is 199-107-5. Only 22 other coaches who coached at least part of their career in the WPIAL have 200 wins.

The Young Bunch

It appears that youth will be served in WPIAL girls cross-country this season.

The Red, White & Blue Classic was held last Saturday at Schenley Park. It is one of the top invitationals of the season. The two best times were by a sophomore and freshman and a few other non-seniors did very well. On top of that, Shaler’s Brianna Schwartz is the defending WPIAL AAA champion and she’s only a junior. She did not run in the Red, White & Blue.

Mount Lebanon sophomore Kelsey Potts won the Red, White & Blue with a time of 17 minutes, 47 seconds. The second-best time was by a freshman – Vincentian Academy’s Marianne Abdalah, who finished two seconds behind.

North Allegheny sophomore Madeleine Davison ran a 17:55 and West Allegheny junior Alexis Shead 18:05.

Going for Repeat?

The WPIAL girls tennis singles championships are next week on MSA Sports and Mount Lebanon’s Callie Frey is going for her second consecutive title. Frey easily won the Section 4 title Thursday with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Nicole Cyterski of Oakland Catholic.

Tags: McKeesport, Vincentian Academy, Washington, West Allegheny, West Mifflin