Westmoreland notebook: Youngstown State offers Belle Vernon’s Whitlock

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, June 19, 2021 | 3:54 PM

Devin Whitlock reeled in his first Division I football scholarship offer. He hopes it will be the first of many to come.

The rising senior at Belle Vernon announced an offer from Youngstown State, a program that often tries to cast a net over the WPIAL to land top players who don’t get Power Five opportunities.

A busy athlete who has played quarterback, running back and defensive back for the Leopards, Whitlock helped lead his team to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals.

Also a talented basketball player, the 5-foot-8, 165-pound speedster rushed for 1,082 yards and 15 touchdowns and passed for 528 yards. He averaged 203.6 all-purpose yards.

On defense, Whitlock had five interceptions, three of which he returned or scores, and two punt-return touchdowns.

His other lower-level offers are from Notre Dame (Ohio), Livingston and East Central.

All in the family

Add another state championship to the Schall family.

Dan Schall, the longtime coach of the North Allegheny boys volleyball team and a Derry graduate, won his fourth PIAA title when the Tigers downed Central Dauphin, 3-1, in the Class 3A final last weekend at Penn State.

Schall, and his son Caleb, a junior setter for the Tigers, have plenty of pedigree. Dan’s father, Richard, coached Derry to three PIAA titles in his 31 years with the Trojans. He retired in 2004.

Jim Schall, Dan’s brother, has coached the boys and girls teams at Penn-Trafford.

Caleb Schall, a 6-footer, had 46 assists in the state final. North Allegheny finished 19-0 and ran its match winning streak to 65.

WCCA 7s returns

The pandemic erased the Westmoreland County Coaches Association 7-on-7 football passing tournament last summer, but the event is primed for a return.

Area teams will gather again at 9 a.m. July 15 at Latrobe. In recent years, Latrobe has used the main turf at Rossi Field, along with the baseball and softball fields to handle multiple games.

This year’s event will have a noticeable void with the death of WCCA president Larry Sellitto in late December. The 7-on-7 tournament was one of his favorite events on the county calendar.

The Derry section

Derry baseball had a memorable season as the Trojans captured their first section title since 1992 and won a playoff game for the first time since 2004.

Secton 3-3A coaches were impressed by the accomplishments and the talent the team used to reach them.

Senior Josh Ulery was named the section’s most valuable player. He also was a first-team selection as an infielder and pitcher.

Ulery, a Pitt-Johnstown commit, batted .576 with six doubles and 12 RBIs and was 3-1 on the mound with a 2.43 ERA and 24 strikeouts in section play. He tossed a four-hitter in the section-clinching, 2-1 win over Deer Lakes.

In addition, Trojans skipper John Flickinger was tabbed the section’s coach of the year.

Recruiting

Incoming Penn-Trafford senior football player Jack Jollie received his first scholarship offer, from Division II Seton Hill. Jollie is a 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker and tight end. He was a first-team All-Big East Conference selection last season.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Derry Area, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford