WPIAL notebook: Eligibility for former Southmoreland QB Anthony Smith on hold for now

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 | 8:10 PM

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Former Southmoreland quarterback Anthony Smith, a transfer to Seton LaSalle, must wait a month to learn his eligibility for the fall.

The WPIAL board reviewed transfer paperwork for some students Wednesday, with Smith among them. Most were approved, but the board did not make Smith eligible because Southmoreland had flagged his transfer as potentially related to athletics, said WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer.

In such situations, the WPIAL holds an eligibility hearing to examine the allegations. The board meets again July 21, when Smith’s hearing is likely to be scheduled.

A 6-foot-2, 190-pound rising sophomore with a couple of Division I college offers, Smith emerged last season as one of the WPIAL’s top young quarterbacks when he passed for more than 2,000 yards. Syracuse and Sacramento State were the first to offer him scholarships.

His father, Ron, told TribLive earlier this month that the move was not for athletic intent, saying it put his son in a “safer” environment where he can succeed.

Smith broke a Southmoreland school record last season when he passed for 2,110 yards. He threw 22 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 11 games while completing 53% of his passes (129 of 244).

Coaches voted him all-conference honorable mention in the Class 3A Interstate.

Pratt brothers leave Aliquippa

Two other higher-profile transfers — brothers Josh and Jeremiah Pratt from Aliquippa to Lincoln Park — were not on the WPIAL agenda. Seltzer said paperwork for the two basketball players arrived on Wednesday but not in time for board action.

Josh Pratt, a rising senior with Division I offers, was named the 2025 PIAA Class 3A Player of the Year in all-state voting. The 6-2 guard averaged 22.2 points per game for the Quips, who won WPIAL and PIAA titles his sophomore year. He attended Lincoln Park as a freshman.

Jeremiah Pratt, a 5-10 rising sophomore, joined his brother as an Aliquippa starter this winter when the team finished as the WPIAL runner-up and a state semifinalist.

The Aliquippa school board recently voted to replace basketball coach Nick Lackovich.

Bauman brothers eligible

Former Knoch students Jackson and Brody Bauman, who transferred soon after their father resigned as basketball coach, are eligible to play at Moon next season.

However, both brothers are ineligible for the playoffs under PIAA transfer rules, Seltzer said. The WPIAL board decided their eligibility status earlier this month.

Jackson Bauman, a 6-foot-2 point guard, averaged a team-best 16 points as a junior this past season. Knoch made its first state playoff appearance since 2006, and Bauman and was named the Valley News Dispatch Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Younger brother Brody Bauman came off the bench as a sophomore.

Their father Alan resigned as coach in April after five seasons at Knoch.

Split decisions

The WPIAL held four eligibility hearings Wednesday.

• Seton LaSalle rising sophomore Matthew Brodzinski was ruled fully eligible by the WPIAL board after his hearing. A 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver and defensive back, Brodzinski transferred from Central Catholic.

• The WPIAL denied postseason waiver requests from Chartiers Valley’s Damien Holloway and Elizabeth Forward’s Landon Honick. Both will be seniors in the fall. Most transfers after the start of 10th grade are ineligible for the playoffs for one year under PIAA rules, unless they qualify for a waiver.

Holloway (6-2, 195) was an all-conference wide receiver at Carlynton who also played basketball. Honick (6-0, 180), a wide receiver and defensive back, transferred from Greensburg Central Catholic.

• The WPIAL granted Highlands’ Michael Rice a waiver of the PIAA maximum age rule. Seltzer said Rice met the requirements.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.