Scholastic Notebook – 11/20/2015

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, November 20, 2015 | 11:39 AM

In his first season as a starter, Pine-Richland sophomore quarterback Phil Jurkovec has played his way into the WPIAL spotlight, becoming only the second QB in WPIAL history to throw for 2,000 yards and run for 1,000.

But there is another sophomore quarterback at the Class AAAA level who also has made a gigantic impact in his first season as a starter.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s Troy Fisher doesn’t have the jaw-dropping statistics like Jurkovec, but Fisher has uplifted the Vikings’ offense with his passing and running, and also helped the team reach the WPIAL Class AAAA semifinals.

It’s not like Central Catholic’s offense has suddenly become pass happy. Fisher averages only 12 passes a game. But Fisher has given the Vikings a passing game that at least opponents have to respect. And he has hurt teams with his scrambling and running ability. Central Catholic hasn’t had such a threat in recent years.

For the season, Fisher has completed 74 of 134 passes for 1,102 yards and 14 touchdowns. But he has also rushed for 423 yards on 78 attempts.

The past three seasons, Central Catholic hasn’t had a quarterback throw for 800 yards or rush for 300 in a season. Fisher threw for 899 yards in the regular season alone, the most since at Central since Perry Hills threw for 1,306 yards in 2011. Over the past 10 years, Hills and Tino Sunseri are the only Central Catholic quarterbacks to throw for more yards in the regular season than Fisher.

But Fisher also runs well. He has excellent size at 6 feet 4, 200 pounds and seemingly has a bright future. Central Catholic plays Woodland Hills in the WPIAL semifinals Friday night.

“We like what he has done,” said Central Catholic coach Terry Totten. “I could see him someday being that Division I-AA or maybe even I-A college prospect.”

Hill Runs Downhill

After losing its first two games of the season, Thomas Jefferson has once again emerged as a championship contender. The Jaguars are in the Class AAA semifinals tonight against Franklin Regional.

Quinton Hill has been one of the main reasons for Thomas Jefferson’s return to prominence. Hill is a junior running back who looks like a totally different running back the past few weeks.  TJ coach Bill Cherpak has made Hill a workhorse and Hill has responded. In the first eight games this season, Hill rushed for 687 yards.

In the past three games, Hill has carried 75 times (an average of 25 a game) and rushed for 563 yards.

Order of Finals

The order has been set for the WPIAL football championships next Saturday, November 28 at Heinz Field.

The Class A game will begin the day at 11 a.m. It will be followed by Class AAAA at 2 p.m. The Class AA game will be at 5 and the AAA final at 8.

The reason that the games aren’t played in order of classification is Root Sports TV. Root carries Penguin games and the Penguins have a game that night. So, two of the games will have to be shown on tape. Root prefers to show the Class AAAA game live because it usually has the best ratings.

Great QBs Come Back Home

They were from vastly different eras. But Dan Marino and Babe Parilli were still two of the greatest quarterbacks to come from Western Pennsylvania. Over the next two weeks, both will come back to their alma maters for different ceremonies.

Marino, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and a 1979 Central Catholic graduate, will be honored by the Ford Motor Company as part of the “Hometown Hall of Famers” program, a national program that honors the hometown roots of the greatest heroes of the game with special ceremonies and plaque dedication events in local communities.

Marino will be honored at Pittsburgh Central Catholic Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 8 a.m.

Parilli is a 1948 Rochester High School graduate and he will be at Rochester next Wednesday (Nov. 25) to present a commemorative Golden Football, as part of a nationwide kickoff celebration for Super Bowl 50. The ceremony starts at 9:30.

The Golden Football is part of the NFL’s Super Bowl High School Honor Roll initiative. The Honor Roll recognizes schools and communities who have contributed to Super Bowl history and have positively impacted the game of football. Over 3,000 players and head coaches will be giving more than 2,000 high schools across the country a commemorative Golden Football.

After graduating from Rochester, Parilli went on to become an All-American quarterback at the University of Kentucky under famed coach Bear Bryant. He was the fourth pick in the 1952 NFL draft. He played in the NFL, the AFL and the Canadian Football League, and was the backup to Joe Namath on the New York Jets team that won Super Bowl II.

Protecting Their Goal

The Seneca Valley boys soccer team has made it to a PIAA championship for the first time. The main reason for the Raiders’ run is defense.

In six postseason games (WPIAL and PIAA), Seneca Valley has allowed only two goals. The Raiders gave up one in the 1-0 loss to Canon-McMillan in the WPIAL semifinals and then one in the PIAA first round to State College.

But great defensive efforts are not just a postseason thing for Seneca Valley. The Raiders are 18-2-1 and they have allowed only 10 goals all season.

Seneca Valley will play Central Bucks East for the PIAA Class AAA championship tomorrow.

Two other WPIAL boys teams will play for championships this weekend. South Park meets Lewisburg for the Class AA championship tomorrow and Sewickley Academy plays for the Class A title tonight against East Juniata. This is the fourth year in a row that Sewickley Academy has made the title game. Sewickley is the first WPIAL team to make a PIAA final four consecutive years. South Park, Thomas Jefferson, Quaker Valley and Upper St. Clair made it three consecutive years.

Only one WPIAL girls team has made it to the PIAA finals. Upper St. Clair will play Central Bucks East for the Class AAA championship tomorrow.

All boys and girls championship games will be played at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey.

Tags: Upper St. Clair