Scholastic Notebook – 01/23/2015

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, January 23, 2015 | 12:54 PM

Laurel High School picked a Locke a few years ago. Now, the Spartans have found the keys to winning basketball.

The Laurel boys team is one of the big turnaround stories in the WPIAL this season. The Spartans are 13-3 and in second place in Section 1 of Class AA. They are the MSA Sports No. 5-ranked Class AA team.

The main directing the turnaround is Ken Locke. Laurel hired him before the 2012 season and Locke, a 1995 Laurel graduate, has done a great job in turning around the Spartans.

The turnaround actually started some last year when Laurel was 13-11. Before that, they had three seasons with five, two and five victories. Laurel, located in Lawrence County, has never won more than 14 games in the past 30 years. The Spartans have had only six winning seasons in those 30 years and won five games or fewer nine times.

Laurel’s three losses this year are all to good teams – Beaver Falls, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Lincoln Park. Laurel plays in the same section as Lincoln Park and plays a big game at Lincoln Park Tuesday. It would be an upset if Laurel knocked off Lincoln Park, but what Laurel has done already is impressive.

Laurel hopes to have some playoff success for once. The Spartans have been to the WPIAL playoffs eight times, but have gotten past the first round only once. In 1981, Laurel won one playoff game before losing in the quarterfinals.

Laurel won preliminary-round games in 2005, 2010 and last year, but then lost in the first round.

And the Spartans shouldn’t be a one-year wonder. They have only one senior on the entire roster. Laurel has two players averaging over 16 points a game. Sophomore Mason Mraz averages 16.6 and junior Scott Siddall 17.6.

California Dreamin’

The California girls basketball team had a memorable 2013-14 season, winning a section championship for only the second time in history and the first time since 1982. The Trojans made it to the WPIAL Class A semifinals.

California apparently liked the section title thing because the Trojans are on the verge of winning it again. They are 17-1 overall and 10-0 in Class A Section 3.

Meyers Chooses School

One of the best one-two punches in WPIAL girls basketball has been running half empty lately.

Burrell’s Sydney Bordonaro averages 20 points a game and Natalie Meyers 18. But Meyers has missed the past five games because of a concussion. But during her time out of action, Meyers chose a college. She committed to Youngstown State, an NCAA Division I-AA school.

Football Recruiting

Most of the WPIAL football players who are Division I college prospects had already made college decisions. So, it’s been relatively quiet on the WPIAL football recruiting front lately. But some notable news broke this week concerning Pitt and Pine-Richland quarterback Ben DiNucci.

DiNucci had made a verbal commitment to Pennsylvania of the Ivy League last summer. But new Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi and his staff started to show interest in DiNucci, who set a state record with more than 4,000 yards passing this season. A Pitt assistant coach stopped by Pine-Richland Monday to watch DiNucci working out.

The next day, Pitt offered DiNucci a scholarship. This was his first offer from a Division I-A school and Pitt persuaded DiNucci to make an official visit to the school this weekend.

In other recruiting news, there is a development with Kittanning tight end-receiver Nick Bowers. He made a verbal commitment to Pitt during his junior year. But Penn State still recruited Bowers and now Bowers has decided to make a visit to Penn State this weekend.

Also at Penn State this weekend is Pittsburgh Central Catholic defensive back Johnny Petrishen.

More Football Recruiting

Seneca Valley offensive lineman Tyler Hudanick made a commitment to Central Florida. Hudanick also had visited Connecticut.

Seneca Valley quarterback Cory Owen changed his mind and committed to James Madison. He had originally committed to New Hampshire. James Madison has a thing about getting WPIAL players to change their minds. Indiana receiver Riley Stapleton had committed to IUP to play basketball. But he eventually changed his mind and committed to James Madison for football.

Changes in the Parkway

The Parkway Conference in WPIAL football had some veteran coaches. But three of the schools will have new coaches next season.

Blackhawk’s Joe Hamilton retired earlier this week. He had been the Cougars’ coach for 39 seasons and a head coach for 49 years overall.

Meanwhile, Dave Vestal had been Hopewell’s coach for 14 seasons, but he resigned to become the coach at Seneca Valley.

Also, Mark Washington is no longer at Moon. The school elected to open Washington’s position after four seasons.

PBC Hall of Fame Ceremonies

The Pittsburgh Basketball Club, run by John Gimmarco, has a basketball Hall of Fame. This year’s class will be inducted Saturday and the class has some big-name players and coaches.

Seventeen individuals will be inducted at ceremonies at the DoubleTree Hotel. Then on Sunday, the PBC will stage the Pittsburgh Basketball Classic, a five-game event at Montour High School that includes some of the top teams in the WPIAL.

The PBC has a “Legends” class in its Hall of Fame. It’s basically for players from the WPIAL and City League. Those in the “Legends” class this year are two players who went on to play at Pitt – Billy Knight (Braddock) and Tom Richards (Moon). Knight is one of the greatest players ever from the WPIAL.

Other players going into the Hall are Aliquippa’s Myron Walker, Upper St. Clair’s Joey David, Wilkinsburg’s Bruce Atkins, Mount Lebanon’s Tony DeCello and Point Park’s Bobby Franklin.

The PBC Hall of Fame will welcome six coaches: Beaver Falls’ Frank Chan, Aliquippa’s Red McNie, Sto-Rox girls coach Bill Palermo, Bishop Canevin’s Jack Burik, deceased Beaver Falls coach Dave Podbielski and John Sikora of the Pittsburgh Steelwheelers.

The Hall will induct four contributors: Ray Morton, Jim Hoy, Dave Ambrose and Nello Giammarco.

Tags: Blackhawk, Burrell, California, Hopewell, Indiana, Kittanning