APB, Where are they now?

With all the discussion concerning the 2009 Observer-Reporter Boys Athlete of the Year, the Varsity Letters decided to issue an All Points Bulletin for a former honoree.

This week, we're looking for former Ringgold High School standout Robert Heller.

Heller enjoyed a fine varsity career at Ringgold, where he starred in football, basketball, baseball and track. Football proved to be Heller's best sport and he turned down at least one Division I offer to play defense to focus on being a running back. After a year at Kiski Prep, Heller went to Waynesburg University.

In his freshman year with the Yellow Jackets, Heller set nearly every record imaginable, including the NCAA all divisions single-season rushing record (2,176 yards), which put him on pace to be the all-time leading rusher in college football history.

Heller suffered a high-ankle sprain during the first game of his sophomore year. From there, things between Heller and Waynesburg U. turned ugly.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/09-18-heller-story

Heller never played again for Waynesburg.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Print/09-21-Heller-gone-column

Stories circulated about Heller transferring to Mount Union College and Marietta. Neither have been able to be proven correct.

Anyone with information on Heller's whereabouts is urged to contact the Varsity Letters.

Wash High to hire Gaither

Former Bethel Park and Ringgold boys basketball coach Mark Gaither was hired by the Washington School Board as the Prexies' boys basketball coach at a special meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Wash High athletic director Joe Nicolella will be his assistant.

Gaither coached three years at Ringgold, where he compiled a 27-45 record. He replaced Phil Pergola, who won a PIAA Class AAAA championship at Ringgold and is the athletic director/boys basketball coach at California High School.

Gaither spent the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons at Bethel Park, where he replaced Mike Mastroianni. The Black Hawks went 19-28 in his two years.

Gaither replaces Ron Faust, who won 520 games, four WPIAL titles and two PIAA championships at Washington. Faust retired at the end of the school year.

O-R Athletes of the Year

Boys
2009 - Nick Wilcox, Peters Township
2008 - Dan Conley, Burgettstown
2007 - Andrew Sweat, Trinity
2006 - Robert Heller, Ringgold
2005 - Jeff Weiss, McGuffey
2004 - Coleman Scott, Waynesburg
2003 - Colby Giles, Carmichaels
2002 - Dan Mozes, Washington
2001 - Lanfer Simpson, Waynesburg
2000 - Michael Sutton, Washington

Girls
2009 - Amanda Kennedy, Bentworth
2008 - Jenna Phillips, Washington
2007 - Paige McMenamin, Peters Township
2006 - Brianna Liebold, Chartiers-Houston
2005 - Ashley Young, Canon-McMillan
2004 - Samantha Slagle, Beth-Center
2003 - Stephanie Kuhn, Ringgold
2002 - Jessica Perry, Peters Township
2001 - Shellie Cotton, Charleroi
2000 - Kristen Lancas, Ringgold

Top 5 scholastic sports stories of 2008-09

1. Saga of Avella football
Beaten down by years of losing, Avella High School's football team opened practice in the oppressive August heat with only 18 players, a new head coach with a can-do attitude and little fanfare.

Then, Avella canceled its first scrimmage when mounting injuries made a trip to Laurel pointless.

As losses mounted and players defected, coach Frank Gray and the Eagles refused to fold. They never asked for sympathy, even as 140-pound freshmen tried to block for 150-pound quarterback Jesse Noble.

Avella played games with 11 players. One game, against WPIAL Class A champion Clairton, featured a running clock for four quarters. Anastasia Barr, a cheerleader, donned a football uniform in hopes of helping.

Their determination earned the respect of many and drew considerable attention. From the Observer-Reporter to the New York Times, the Avella football team's struggle to survive became a hot topic. Canon-McMillan's football program was so inspired by Avella's determination that the Eagles were invited to watch the Big Macs' playoff game against Shaler from the sidelines.

Avella, like in so many other seasons since the school's last WPIAL playoff appearance in 1976, failed to win a game. They've lost 51 of the last 52 and the offense scored more than 10 points on just two occasions. The defense yielded 40 or more in every game but one.

Still, an overmatched roster facing difficult odds played every game on Avella's schedule and proved high school sports is about much more than winning.

2. Resurgence of Wash High basketball in Faust's final season
Washington High School boys basketball is one of the WPIAL's proudest traditions. By the end of the 2008-09 season, the Prexies added another impressive chapter to its illustrious history.

The year began with a "Meet the Prexies Night" designed by former players to bring alumni and current players together to honor head coach Ron Faust, who would retire after a wildly successful 28 year stint.

Five games into the year, Faust became the second coach from Washington County (Phil Pergola was the first) to win his 500th game.

And the wins kept coming for Washington, which won a 16th section title in Faust's career, and advanced to the PIAA playoffs. Once there, Nick Bryant, Troy Wilson and an excellent supporting cast made it a long journey.

Washington advanced to the Class AA semifinal for the first time since 1990 and led North catholic by double digits in the fourth quarter before losing in overtime. Faust finished his career with 520 wins, four WPIAL titles and two PIAA championships.

3. Peters Township soccer doubles up
The Peters Township High School boys and girls soccer teams were championship fixtures in 2008 and made a little PIAA history in the process.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Peters Township boys reached the WPIAL Class AAA championship match. For the first time since 2003, the Indians came away victors, winning their sixth district title. Led by all-state seniors Christian Brandstetter, Nick Wilcox and Virginia Tech recruit Greg Weimer, Peters Township won seven straight postseason matches and reached the PIAA final for a second straight year. There, the Indians lost to Downingtown West, 2-1.

All-state forward Ali Forbrich paced a high-scoring Peters Township girls team, one that advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA championship for the first time. The Indians lost to Mt. Lebanon in the title game but rallied to make its inaugural appearance in the state championship – a 2-1 loss to Conestoga.

Peters Township became the first school to place both its boys and girls soccer teams in the PIAA finals during the same season.

4. Timko sisters make splash, beat the boys
Sisters Karli and Tanya Timko didn't join the Chartiers-Houston boys tennis team for attention but, by the time postseason tournaments were played, they were among the most talked about non-professional players in the country.

Karli, a Marshall University signee who went undefeated as a singles player versus the boys, and Tanya, who lost just twice, opted to play in doubles tournaments. It was a good decision.

The Timkos won the Section 1-AA tournament then garnered national attention by becoming the first girls team to win a WPIAL doubles championship.

They were deluged with media requests, including a call from the CBS Morning Show about a possible appearance, during preparation for the PIAA tournament. Once there, they lost in the first round.

5. Black Friday for local football
Since 2002, high school football teams from Washington and Greene counties are a woeful 16-65 in the WPIAL playoffs. None of the previous six postseasons produced one as unproductive as 2008.

Nine local teams qualified for the playoffs. Nine local teams lost in the first round.

For the first time since 1988 – when only two teams from each conference qualified for a postseason berth – local teams went winless in the playoffs.

Canon-McMillan, Ringgold, Trinity, McGuffey, Beth-Center, California, Carmichaels, Chartiers-Houston and Fort Cherry were the participants. The average score of defeat was 34-11.

Top 10 teams of 2008-09

1. Peters Township boys soccer
WPIAL Class AAA champions – sixth in school history
PIAA runner-up – won title in 2007

2. Peters Township boys golf
WPIAL Division I champions – second in four years
PIAA runner-up – first WPIAL team to compete for state title

3. Peters Township girls soccer
WPIAL Class AAA runner-up
PIAA runner-up – first state title appearance

4. South Fayette baseball
PIAA Class AA runner-up – first state title appearance for any South Fayette team
WPIAL third-place team

5. Trinity softball
WPIAL Class AAA runner-up – second WPIAL title appearance
PIAA semifinalist – never won PIAA game before

6. Peters Township girls lacrosse
WPIAL champion – third-consecutive title
PIAA quarterfinalist – first WPIAL team to win a PIAA match

7. Washington boys basketball
PIAA Class AA semifinalist – lost in overtime in semifinals
WPIAL quarterfinalist

8. Peters Township boys basketball
WPIAL Class AAAA champion – first basketball title in school history
PIAA first-round

9. Carmichaels baseball
WPIAL Class A runner-up – fifth time since 2003 in title game
PIAA first-round

10. Trinity rifle
WPIAL champion – 10th title under coach John Husk

Coming attractions

The Observer-Reporter will run its annual boys and girls athletes of the year in Sunday's edition. The stories are the highlight of a year-end package that celebrates the local 2008-09 scholastic sports year.

The following athletes were considered for Boys Athlete of the Year (read Sunday's paper to find out who was selected):
Ben Carson, California;
Alex Frey, Trinity;
Chuck Gasti, Carmichaels;
Mike Hull, Canon-McMillan;
Joby Lapkowicz, Carmichaels;
Brad Strimel, Canon-McMillan;
Nick Wilcox, Peters Township.

The following athletes were considered for Girls Athlete of the Year:
Emily Correal, Peters Township;
Jocelyn Floyd, Washington;
Amanda Kennedy, Bentworth;
Ashley Morran, Trinity;
Rachel Rohanna, Waynesburg;
Taylor Schram, Canon-McMillan;
Sidney Walter, Fort Cherry.

Due to space constraints, the Varsity Letters will supplement the year-end package normally reserved for the pages of the O-R. Posts tomorrow will include the top 10 sports teams of the 2008-09 school year and the top 10 high school sports stories from the past year.

O-R Softball All-Stars

Player of the Year
Ashley Morran, Trinity
Junior, OF
A first-team PSCA Class AAA all-state selection, Morran hit .330 with 6 HR, 23 RBI, 20 runs as Trinity reached WPIAL finals and PIAA semifinals. Has school record for HR.

First team
Kilee Bonazza, Trinity
Senior, SS
Honorable mention all-state. Batted .486 (35-for-72) with 12 doubles and 21 runs.
Emily Bosworth, Waynesburg
Junior, P
Batted .484 (30-for-62) with six 2B, three 3B, two HR and 22 RBI. Finished with 13-4 record.
Shayleigh Busti, Carmichaels
Senior, SS
First-team Class A all-stater. Batted .667 (42-for-63) with seven 2B, five 3B and five HR. Busti drove in 30, scored 33 and stole 14 bases.
Kiersten Conwell, Chartiers-Houston
Sophomore, P
Led WPIAL with 229 strikeouts and was an honorable mention all-state selection. Went 14-8 with a 1.06 ERA.
Kelsey Cunningham, Peters Township
Junior, SS
Posted a .959 fielding percentage and batted .333 with seven steals.
Kaitlyn Hoop, Fort Cherry
Senior, P
A Division II Hillsdale (Mich.) recruit, Hoop went 14-2 with 174 strikeouts and batted .360.
Allison Kleinhans, McGuffey
Junior, P
Honorable mention all-stater went 13-3 with 126 strikeouts. She batted .539 with nine 2B, 29 RBI and 16 runs scored.
Sam Shumaker, Canon-McMillan
Senior, OF
Batted .519 (28-for-54) with seven 2B and three HR. Scored 20 of the Big Macs' 52 runs.
Julie Taylor, Peters Township
Junior, 2B
Leadoff batter hit .362 with two HR and eight steals in addition to strong defensive play.

Second team
Brynne Bashioum, Bentworth, Sr., P
Liz Bombara, Washington, Sr., OF
Lynne Christopher, Carmichaels, Jr., 1B
Caitlyn Dengler, Burgettstown, Fr., 3B
Michelle Massie, Trinity, Sr., P
Samantha Milliken, West Greene, Sr., 1B
Marissa Pattison, McGuffey, Jr., SS
Rachel Rohanna, Waynesburg, Sr., 2B
Rachel Tucker, Chartiers-Houston, Fr., SS

O-R All-star baseball team

Baseball Player of the Year
Matt Pierpont, Canon-McMillan
Senior, P/SS
Batted .596 (34-for-57) with 18 doubles, 22 runs scored, two HR, 26 RBI. Went 6-2 with 38K, 1 save. Signed with Winthrop University.

First team
Evan Bukowski, Trinity
Senior, C/P
Section 4-AAA co-MVP. Batted .313 (21-for-67) with 16 runs, seven doubles, 19 RBI. Went 5-1 with a 1.17 ERA, 34 K and 1 save.
Ben Carson, California
Senior, P/IF
Batted .485 (32-for-66) with four triples, 3 HR and 26 RBI. On-base percentage was .583. Went 5-3 with a 1.14 ERA and 63 K. Signed with George Mason.
Alex Frey, Trinity
Senior, P/OF
Lefty pitcher went 6-1 with a 1.14 ERA. Teams batted .141 against Frey, who struck out 83 in 49 IP. Batted .306 (18-for-62) with 14 runs. Will play at Youngstown State.
Chuck Gasti, Carmichaels
Senior, SS/P
Batted .535 (38-for-71) with 6 HR, 32 runs, 5 3B, 9 2B and 19 RBI. Went 5-2 with a 2.45 ERA and 44 K. Signed with Cleveland State.
Jack Hareza, Peters Township
Senior, IF
Rebounded from injury which formed Hareza to miss his junior year. Batted .404 (23-for-57) with 12 RBI and 13 runs.
Joe Havrilak, Trinity
Junior, OF
Batted .484 (31-for-65) with 35 runs, 10 SB and 16 RBI. Hits seven 2B, three HR and had a .607 on-base percentage.
Joby Lapkowicz, Carmichaels
Senior, P/OF
Went 7-1 with 117 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings and a 0.84 ERA. Batted .475 (29-for-61) with 19 RBI, four 3B and nine 2B. Signed with Slippery Rock.
Jason Paris, Chartiers-Houston
Senior, SS/P
Slick fielder batted .466 with 21 runs and 25 RBI. Went 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA. Signed with Clarion.
Eric Poland, Washington
Senior, P/3B
Batted .481 (25-for-52) with five 2B, six HR and 27 RBI. Went 4-0 with a 2.13 ERA and 23 K.

Second team
Mike Hull, Canon-McMillan, Jr.
Derek McIlvaine, Chartiers-Houston, Jr.
Sean McKnight, Trinity, Sr.
D.J. Michalski, Canon-McMillan, Jr.
Billy Musgrove, Carmichaels
J. Jay Paskert, Washington, Jr.
Andrew Paul, Peters Township, Sr.
Josh Snatchko, Fort Cherry, Sr.
Jeff Tarley, Beth-Center, Soph.

R.I.P King of Pop

The Varsity Letters is dedicated to high school sports, particularly those involving teams from Washington and Greene counties. Today is going to be a little different.

It's been about 30 minutes since several news sources confirmed the death of Michael Jackson, the undisputed King of Pop and one of the great entertainers of all-time, at the age of 50. MJ's music had a profound impact on this blogger, particularly growing up during the era of "Off the Wall", "Bad" and, of course, "Thriller." Yes, I had the Thriller jacket, the white glove and, as a 10-year-old, I moonwalked any time the opportunity presented itself.

Michael Jackson, rest in peace.


LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the “King of Pop” and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday. He was 50.
Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, confirmed his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.
The circumstances of Jackson’s death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m., Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.
Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
His 1982 album “Thriller” — which included the blockbuster hits “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” — remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 100 million copies worldwide.
The public first knew him in the late 1960s, when as a boy he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the music group he formed with his four older brothers. Among their No. 1 hits were “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” and “I’ll Be There.”
He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.
“For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words,” said Quincy Jones, who produced “Thriller.” “He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”
Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. In fact, he united two of music’s biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie.
But as years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure — a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, often wore a germ mask while traveling and kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him. The case took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.
Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.
Singer Dionne Warwick said: “Michael was a friend and undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest entertainers that I fortunately had the pleasure of working with........we have lost an icon in our industry.”
Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital as word of his death spread. The emergency entrance at the UCLA Medical Center, which is near Jackson’s rented home, was roped off with police tape.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson has just died,” a woman boarding a Manhattan bus called out, shortly after the news was announced. Immediately many riders reached for their cell phones.
In New York’s Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.
“No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow,” Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. “It’s like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died.”