WPIAL Year in Review – Top 25 Stories of 2010: 20 through 16

By: Bruce Markey
Tuesday, December 28, 2010 | 12:00 AM

The year 2010 in high school sports in the WPIAL was very memorable. It was a year where some familiar champions were golden again while some new faces surfaced in the championship picture. There were battles with forces on and off the field in which the athletes had no chance of winning. It was a year in which we said so long to some familiar faces and schools while welcoming in some new teams to the district. Over the final few days of 2010, we here at the MSA Sports Network, who were there for it all, count down the Top 25 stories from around the WPIAL continuing with #20 through #16.

#20 – VINCENTIAN ACADEMY QUEENS OF THE SOFTBALL DIAMOND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN

Nina Melvin struck out 15 batters and her teammates plated three runs in the top of the 11th inning leading Vincentian Academy to a 5-4 win over Chartiers-Houston in the 2010 WPIAL Class A softball title game at Cal U back in June. It was the Royals third-straight championship and third straight playoff victory over the former queens of Class A softball, the Buccaneers. Char-Houston won three straight titles from 2005 through 2007. Two of those 15 Melvin strikeouts came with Chartiers-Houston (18-2) having the winning run in scoring position in the seventh and tenth innings. Another came with the tying run at second in the bottom of the 11th. Playing under the International Tie-Breaker rules, Vincentian started the 11th inning with Kaela Huston at second base. After a sacrifice, Taresa Dongilli singled to left, scoring Huston. One out later, Bridget Melvin singled, driving home Dongilli, then scored on Darby's double to right center. In the bottom of the 11th, with a runner at second, Kayla Briggs hit into a fielders' choice. The freshman then stole second, went to third on an errant throw and scored on Kelli Dufresne's single inside the third-base bag. After a strikeout, Rachel Tucker doubled to left, scoring Dufresne and putting the tying run at second. Melvin struck out Chalese Wilson to end the threat and the game. Melvin held the Bucs to five hits, none over a seven-inning stretch from the fourth through the 10th, while walking only one in the game. Chartiers-Houston would go on to win the 2010 PIAA Class A softball crown two weeks later.

#19 – ELLIS SCHOOL SHUTS DOWN GREENSBURG CENTRAL CATHOLIC IN "GIRLS" FIELD HOCKEY TITLE MATCH

The Ellis School Tigers captured their fourth district championship in the past nine years by defeating Greensburg Central Catholic 6-1 in the WPIAL Class AA Girls Field Hockey championship match at Fox Chapel High School back in November. The Centurions opened up the scoring first with 23:18 left in the first half when Hope Williams scored. Ellis then would score 6 unanswered. Laura Congelio tied the score at 1-1 scoring just 3 minutes later then Shea LaPlace deflected the next goal in off the right post to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. The second half was all Ellis. LaPlace scored half way through the third then the Tigers would score three goals in three minutes to end the game. Shea LaPlace scored the hat trick for the Tigers. Ellis had 22 shots on goal to Greensburg Central Catholic's 5. The outcome was newsworthy because the Centurions had five boys on their team, which brought the debate to surface again whether boys should be permitted to play girls sports on the high school level. One school, Aquinas Academy, actually forfeited a section game feeling their girls were at risk in a match against boys.

#18 – LEGENDARY McKEESPORT COACH GEORGE SMITH WALKS AWAY

The new year was not even a month old when the WPIAL football coaching ranks were shaken when one of the most successful coaches in district history walked away after nearly three decades. George Smith quit his job as head football coach at McKeesport High School in January after 28 years on the job. The numbers he compiled were very impressive. 197 wins, 107 losses and five ties with two WPIAL championships and two PIAA state titles as well. The Tigers won those crowns in 1994 and in 2005. Smith had no comment on the move so it was hard to gauge if he has retired from coaching or if he is just done coaching at McKeesport. McKeesport athletic director Charley Kiss said the decision to walk away was George Smith's call and he said the district would welcome him back if he changed his mind. A month later, former South Allegheny and Yough head coach Jim Ward was hired to replace Smith. In his first year at the helm of McKeesport this past fall, Ward led the Tigers to a Foothills Conference championship with an 8-1 overall record before being bounced in round one by Bethel Park 24-21.

#17 – GOODBYE MOUNT ALVERNIA AS LONG TIME COACH RETIRES, GIRLS HOOPS TEAMS FOLDS AND SCHOOL CLOSES DOORS FOR GOOD

First, the veteran girl's basketball coach retired. De Porucnik retired as Mount Alvernia's coach back in August. She was the matriarch of WPIAL girls' coaches after 47 years on the job. She started coaching at the all-girls' school in Millvale in the early 1960s, which means she pre-dated WPIAL girls' basketball. The league didn't sponsor girls' basketball until the early 1970s. Mount Alvernia was one of the few schools to have a girls' team in the 1960s. Known to just about everyone as "Coach De," Porucznik never knew her career record and never knew how many titles she won in her nearly five decades on the bench. Then it was announced this fall that Mount Alvernia would not be able to field a basketball this winter due to a lack of numbers. Then earlier this month, it was announced that Mount Alvernia High School would close its doors for good in June due to severely declining enrollment. The Catholic high school is located on the regional campus of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. The Sisters of St. Francis sponsored and operated the school, which opened 75 years ago. The Lions won six WPIAL championships…In 1980, 1981, 1983, 1997, 1998 and their final title just two years ago in 2008.

#16 – BURRELL WRESTLING BREAKS RECORD WITH FOURTH CONSECUTIVE WPIAL TEAM WRESTLING TITLE

The Burrell Buccaneers secured their record-breaking fourth consecutive WPIAL Class AA team wrestling championship at Fox Chapel High School with a 41-30 victory over section rival Shady Side Academy back in February. Rookie Coach Ryan Yates gains his first WPIAL title as coach of the Bucs. Only Washington in Class AA from 1981 through 1983 and North Allegheny in Class AAA from 1986 through 1988 had won three straight WPIAL team wrestling championships until Burrell added district gold in 2010 to go along with Class AA crowns in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The Bucs could not add state gold to their successful season however as they lost to Reynolds in the PIAA Class AA Semifinals.