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Mike White's high school sports chat: 09.24.24
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Mike White
11:02
Time flies when you're having fun, I guess. Can you believe half the season is over? Some surprise teams, some breakout players. One thing that is not good is the injury bug that seems to have bitten some of top players in Western Pa. From Matt Sieg at beginning of season, to Bradley Gompers (hamstring and will be back this week), to Tikey Hayes (hamstring and should be back this week. And now Alex Tatsch of Latrobe. Shoulder injury. No word if he'll miss some time. He could be the Player of the Year. Anyway, let's get started.
Anon
11:03
Halfway through the season who is your prediction to play in the championship game in 4A football?
Mike White
11:04
I'll still say Aliquippa. After that, I can't predict. Lot of close teams, but Montour is looking good.
TM
11:04
Good Morning Mike...really liked some of the non-conference matchups, WPIAL did a good job. This week has some big games. My boys and I are heading to USC, should be a good one. What are your thoughts on this game? Will you be there?
Mike White
11:06
I will not be there. Yes, it should be a very good one. I truly think which team runs the ball better will win, although Peters Township QB Nolan DiLucia is having another big season. Do you know he is not that far away from 4,500 yards in one-plus seasons. Of course, going far in playoffs last year helps. And if running game is important, offensive line play will be key. USC has two good running backs. Have you checked out Juilan Dahlem's yards per carry? It's around 12 I think. I'll take Peters.
TooSoonForBball?
11:06
Any word on the Mars HC job?
Mike White
11:07
One name I have heard is Mike Mancuso, who was at Avonworth the past few years but resigned. I don't know if he's a finalist or if he's still interested, but that is one a birdie told me a few times.
Freddy
11:07
It seems as if the Wpial's competitive balance scheduling has worked. It has allowed some teams to rack up wins that usually do not. Of course, it will balance out in section play, but it has been nice to see more competitive games and losing streaks come to an end.
Mike White
11:10
I think the WPIAL should be applauded for what they've done with scheduling. It's been really hard for a few times, but oh well. If you win a lot, you're schedule will be tough. I've talked to WPIAL COO Vince Sortino about this. He made the schedules. Not only are good teams playing good teams, but not-so-good teams are playing not-so-good teams. Don't kid yourself. You saw a handful of teams going 4-0 for the first time since ... a long time. The competitive balance scheduling had something to do with that. WPIAL gets unfairly criticized a lot. Give them a pat on the back for this one, please.
Go State!
11:10
Went to Latrobe Friday night to see the Tatch kid... Barely played...  Had a decent run then pretty much sat all night. Didn't look hurt. Any update on his status?  Has he re-injured the shoulder?  Spoke to a few locals and they seem restless... If you can't get through your high school season, how can you expect to stay healthy at the next level?  The Wetzel kid saved the day and certainly looks the part!
Mike White
11:11
Yes, as I reported in notes column that we posted on Sunday, he has a shoulder problem. He had surgery on torn labrum in offseason. I really hope it's not bad and he can play because that kid is really, really good. Good kid, too. Feel bad for him. I think he might have been the player of the half year.
Go State!
11:12
Any word on the Mars job for hoops?
Mike White
11:13
Don't know much. Should be soon, though. I touched on one name above.
Basketball 365
11:13
Saw Courtney Wallace and Josh Pratt last week at a fall league game. Wow. Absolutely blown away. Assuming those two teams will run away with their respective classifications, who are your early picks for 3A-6A?
Mike White
11:16
Courtney Wallace is really good and Pratt is good, too. Yes, with Imani now in 6A, Neighborhood Academy would probably be the pick in 1A. There are only 12 teams now in 1A. Aliquippa is now 3A. I don't know if there is a clear favorite in 4A or 5A. Lincoln Park is now 5A and they lost a lot. But 6A is easy. Upper St. Clair, Upper St. Clair and Upper St. Clair. With any kind of coaching, USC should end up No. 1 in the country this year.
Commissioner
11:17
Any idea when Mars will name their new head basketball coach and who it might be? Thank you
Mike White
11:17
I don't know finalists. But I mentioned a name above.
Mon Valley
11:17
Monessen was up early but ended up getting destroyed. Sieg is legit. Wow. What’s going on with Belle Vernon? Oh yeah their whole team is at Penn State. We won’t hear another thing about their coach until they get another Martin or Whitlock from Monessen again!!
Mike White
11:18
C'mon, man. You know Matt Humbert won before either Whitlock or Martin got there. And yeah, good teams and good coaches usually have good players, ya know?
Daly Avenue Made
11:18
Some big games this weekend. Where will you be heading, Mike?
Mike White
11:18
NA and Central at Baldwin.
Ice Cream Man
11:18
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?
Mike White
11:18
I have lots of them. I'm a big ice cream guy. But favorite is probably something with caramel.
40stripes-retired
11:20
Hi Mike.  NC Hurricanes with a nice comeback win against Knoch.  A little scary down 12 with 4:00 remaining, but some explosive plays including a KO return for a TD.  Now the Parkway Conference - @Quip, @Montour, @ West-A....home to Bridgers and Blackhawk.  I say the Canes get one of the first three and the last two, finish third in the Parkway.  Do you think that earns the Canes the 4A Wildcard berth to the WPIALS?
Mike White
11:22
Well, New Castle is doing well, but I think jury still out on them a little. We will certainly know more next few weeks. As you know, Ambridge and Blackhawk are much improved. Aliquippa and Montour are definitely the favorites to get 1-2. Only top two teams are guaranteed spots. WPIAL will then pick two wild cards from three conferences. I think if New Castle finishes third, they get in because of the strength of the conference. But I think it will depend on maybe the scores of conference games.
40stripes-retired
11:22
Matt Sieg's progress continues to impress me.  5k rushing and 3k passing with half his Junior season remaining......and fighting back through his right thumb injury.  The young man has a bright future.  Hopefully he avoids injury.  I can see 8k rushing and 5k passing by graduation.
Mike White
11:25
I have not seen him yet this year. Hopefully, the passing continued to improve and it probably will. Broken thumb set him back some. 8,000 rushing probably isn't out of the question. With five games left and then playoffs, you'd think he would have over 6,000 this year. Fingers crossed on injuries but I think he definitely breaks WPIAL all-time record for offense. One of most interesting things will be what he plays in college.
40stripes-retired
11:25
Mike, I think it's awesome of the PIAA recognizing women's flag football as a varsity sport beginning 2025-2026.  The young ladies will enjoy some great experiences competing in flag football.  Kudos to Dr. Lombardi and the PIAA.  Have fun, young ladies!
Mike White
11:25
Hip, hip hooray.
40stripes-retired
11:26
Mike, on the officiating front, a shout-out to the men and women who continue to be and are just now getting involved in high school sports officiating.  Yes, a thankless job but a necessary one.  Next season, clearances expire for many high school officials.  Sadly, some will not renew their clearances and join me in retirement.  We need young folks to get involved.  Please, young folks, visit the PIAA website and join in this avocation.  You will develop life-long friendships and stay in tough with high school sports.  As the promotional messages say "There are no stars without stripes."
Mike White
11:29
You said it all, 40stripes-retired. Would be great for more young people to get into officiating. The PIAA's junior program should help. But here are two problems. Many young officials don't want to start off low. They want JV and even varsity pretty quickly. Other problem is still -- if you're a young kid do you really wanna put up with complaining parents and fans. It's still bad. I see it all the time. And it only seems to be getting worse with parents causing problems for coaches. It will never end and I don't know if it will ever get better.
X
11:29
I've seen Tasch play 3x this season. He's very good, but player of the year is a stretch because he's not able to stay on the field.  This was evident in the Franklin Regional game when he didn't return on offense after his second fumble. The Franklin Regional rb, Dupill, on the other hand is a work horse and is a big reason why they prevailed. He also plays linebacker.
Mike White
11:30
When he played, he was really, really good. I mean he has over 700 yards rushing and he missed, what, about a game and a half. And linebacker is his best position. He had 40 tackles and I think double figures in TFL. At the 5A level. I'd say that's pretty good. It's just too bad with injury.
X
11:31
Penn Hills vs. Aliquippa was a good one. I think the loss, ultimately, is good for the Quips.   It will be interesting to see where there qb is at by the end of the season.  He shows flashes of being a juggernaut..big arm and can extend plays.   Penn Hills was able to exploit a freshman lineman   That could be a problem for the Quips in the playoffs.  The year they lost to McDevitt, a dlineman headed to James Madison had is way...and that was against a huge and very seasoned Oline.  Any news when Hayes will return?
Mike White
11:33
I think Hayes is supposed to play this week. The Penn Hills loss doesn't mean anything, really. A couple of Aliquippa's players won't be eligible for playoffs because of transfer rule. But they'll still be good. Agree with you on QB. Very nice arm. But when you have two RBs like Hayes and Brooks, just run it, baby.
Don Trump
11:33
Why are my groceries so high in price?
Mike White
11:33
Just eat at refreshment stands.
Don Trump
11:34
I read where Bryce Butler is now coaching at West Liberty...  Good for him!  Any chance younger brother joins him? Any update on his recruiting status? Sorry, I forget his name...
Mike White
11:35
Just so everyone knows, you're talking about the basketball Butlers at Latrobe. Max Butler is a senior this year at Latrobe. I don't know his college status.
BN
11:35
It is going to be interesting to see how 4A plays out this year.  With only 8 teams making the playoffs, there is a very good chance a team like Belle Vernon that has had success lately is going to be putting their playoff birth in the hands of a selection committee.  How much stock will they put in these non conference games?
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