Still crazy after all these years

… will challenge Ligonier Valley  Ligonier Valley High School Coach Roger Beitel realizes that in order to defeat powerful Dunmore in the PIAA state AA playoffs Friday night, his District 6-AA champion team will have to stymie the Herculean efforts of Kyle Lasher. Dunmore (13-0) has been to the PIAA State AA Football Championship in three of the past four years, losing every time. The Bucks advanced in the playoffs last Friday to earn a shot at LV by riding the back of one unique high school athlete. Lasher rushed for 248 yards on 48 carries in Dunmore's 48-35 victory over York Catholic last week, excelling on both sides of the ball. He also recovered a fumble that he turned into a TD a few plays later. However, what makes Lasher's story even more compelling is that he was born deaf and must communicate with coaches and players through an interpreter. His story is so inspirational that the NFL did a pre-game piece on Super Bowl 50 earlier this year on Lasher. Th...

… and the rivalry ended when Art Modell created the Ravens  For the Pittsburgh Steeler fans whose primary recollection starts in the 21st Century, the once-intense rivalry with the Cleveland Browns has been a joke, not a rivalry at all. Since 2000, the Steelers have won 28 games and the Browns just five. Much of that can be attributed to Art Modell's move in 1996, but more of that later. Browns' early dominance The early years of the rivalry were thoroughly dominated by the Browns. Starting in 1950, the Browns won 31 games and the Steelers just nine in the 1950s and 60s. The Browns were powerful in those years, winning NFL championships in 1950, 1954, 1955, and 1964. They were also runners-up on seven occasions. The names that still resonate with Browns' fans are running back Jimmy Brown, the NFL Hall of Famer whom many believe was the best running back in NFL history. It also included quarterback Otto Graham, an NFL Hall of Famer who was named NFL Player of the Y...

Penn State  2016  Jeff Sagarin Power Rankings  Games through Nov. 12, 2016  A power ranking is a measure of a team's strength 119. Kent State 35. Pitt 44. Temple 3. Michigan 52. Minnesota 75. Maryland 2. Ohio State 118. Purdue 31. Iowa 66. Indiana 131. Rutgers 60. Michigan State Compiled by a proud alumnus

… the role model that young people everywhere should emulate Life was not easy for Andrew Hawkins growing up in Johnstown, Pa. His family struggled financially, and he has not forgotten those years. "We didn’t have much growing up; times got tough, man," Hawkins told Jenesis Magazine in 2012. "But my mom kept us in line and always told us, 'God would give you double for your trouble,' and she wasn’t lying." However, though he was supported by only a small group, he did have some who helped sustain him. "I didn’t have a ton of supporters, but the ones that were there were rock solid. Wouldn’t be where I am without them. Brothers, sisters, mom and my step dad stuck with me when no one else saw the vision," he said in the interview. In fact, Andrew, who will line up as a slot receiver on Sunday when the Cleveland Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers, realized that of those in his family, he may be the least talented athletically. They includ...

… final decision in January  Note: Dye: "color or hue" not die as in death The Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference met on Wednesday to determine its future -- or to determine whether or not it has a future. I asked Scott Close, A.D. at Somerset, whether or not the LHAC had a comment. Here was his reply to the e-mail: "No action was taken at last Wednesday's meeting, so at this time there is nothing to provide comment on. The next LHAC meeting will be on January 11, 2017." The league was determining the future of the non-public schools. It started with the fate of Bishop Carroll, with concern that they could not field a team next year. Once Carroll vowed to field a team with at least 30 players, then the tone apparently changed. Now, the fate of all three Catholic schools, including Bishop McCort and Bishop Guilfoyle, are in jeopardy. In reality, the LHAC may vote to disband at the next meeting, but that is conjecture based on my discussions. Those...

… some schools bring in students just for athletics  As a person who coached football for almost a quarter of a century, I always believed that sports had some intrinsic educational value. However, as a person who has also written about sports for more than a quarter century and is now in the twilight of my life, I am now cynical about the value of athletics to high schools and colleges. I think that too often we lose sight of the fact that athletics are an unessential component of our educational system. Athletics are important for students  The local farce dealing with private and public schools being in the same conference illustrates the ridiculousness of the system. My story about the Laurel Highlands public schools battling the private schools resulted in 3,700 page views, which is more than I have ever had in a two-day period. Why? Athletics are very important for many people, and for young athletes, that is very positive. Athletic competition teaches teamw...

... Decision to take place on Wednesday  For the 2016 football season, the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference has 12 high school football teams competing in it. Nine of those are public schools, while three are parochial -- Catholic. After its meeting on Wednesday, the league may have a much different alignment. In fact, the Laurel Highlands as we know it today may no longer exist. It may be a 10-team league of all public schools that will include the present nine public schools along with Chestnut Ridge. No one knows for certain. Vote against Bishop Carroll In its last meeting, the conference voted to eliminate Bishop Carroll ostensibly because it was not certain that the Ebensburg school could field a football team next year. That is a reasonable concern, but subsequently, Carroll CEO Jerry Stephens announced that Carroll would indeed field a team in 2017, one in which he felt that the roster would contain more than 30 players. In the first vote, Bishop Mc...

The wheels are coming loose on the Steeler Mercedes, the vehicle that was designed to carry the team to the 2017 Super Bowl. Instead, the team looks more like the 1950s debacle of the Ford Corporation, the Edsel. Supposedly well-planned and designed, it fell flat when it had to compete in the marketplace. Just like the Steelers fell flat in the final two minutes on Sunday. Adjectives So, many adjectives are being used today to describe the incredible collapse of the team against the Dallas Cowboys in a game that they thought they had won with 42 seconds left on Sunday. One is "undisciplined." Another is they "stink." Another is "gutless." "Rudderless." "Clueless." "Talentless." "Leaderless." And the list goes on. Steeler Nation is becoming unglued. Worse, some are concerned how the team will react in next week's game in Cleveland when they face the only team that has not yet won a game. The Steele...

… Steeler defense will face third-ranked offense  The age-old question in the NFL is this? Should a QB replacement who is doing well ever permanently replace a star? Bill Bellichick rewrote that classic when he benched Drew Bledsoe in favor of Tom Brady in the 2002 Super Bowl. Yet, that is the question in Dallas as rookie phenom Dak Prescott has put together a phenomenal first half of the season for the Cowboys. He took over for Tony Romo, the successful QB who has yet to lead the Cowboys to the big dance -- in NFL parlance, the Super Bowl. Prescott has not put up big numbers for one reason: He is not being asked to do so. The Cowboys have an outstanding rushing attack with an offensive line that is reputed to be the best in the NFL. The Steelers will find out how good on Sunday as their beleaguered defense will try to stop the Cowboys' attack. Last year, after Romo was hurt, the Cowboys went 1-11, 4-12 overall. This year, Prescott has led the team to a 7-1 record and first p...

… part of problem: Tomlin one of the " ‘swaggiest’ coaches out there"  The Dallas Cowboys are rolling, winning seven games in a row behind a rookie quarterback for their best start in decades. Since the Super Bowl success of the 90s, Jerry Jones' teams have not fared very well, multi-billion stadium and all. Now, they roll into Pittsburgh with a 7-1 record, reading a USA Today story that quotes the Steelers' oft-missing running back Le'Veon Bell as demeaning them. He said in a somewhat arrogant way for a team that has lost three straight games, “We’re not going to throw a parade if we beat (the Cowboys). That’s what we expect to do … If we go and beat Dallas – yeah, it might surprise everybody in the world, but it’s not going to surprise us.” Even the oddsmakers have them as 2.5 point favorites, giving the Cowboys some more incentive to continue their run and thrash the trash-taking Bell and his teammates. You would think … You would think that the...

… 23rd still helps  The Steelers were simply woeful against the Ravens on Sunday, and they cannot use excuses for not playing better offense for three quarters. That means that the two teams are now tied at 4-4 in the AFC Central halfway through the season. Not exactly the script for a Super Bowl run that they believed was possible at the start of the season. However, the hopes for the season are not over despite having 7-1 Dallas coming to town next week. Remember that number 23, their strength of schedule, one of the weakest in the league. Here is the positive: First, Two games against the Cleveland Browns, who are now 0-9 [though playing a winless team is not comforting]. Second, they play only two teams with winning records so far, Dallas and the Giants (5-3), and collectively their opponents are 26-30-1. That is positive. Third, as a whole, the AFC stinks this year. The major exception is New England, which is 7-1 and playing great. The Broncos and Raiders a...

... Congratulations for great win over Williamsburg  While I want to congratulate all of the high school football teams that have won their first playoff games in districts 5 and 6, one deserves special recognition. That is the Ferndale Yellow Jackets, the 12th-seeded single A team that upset Williamsburg, 21-12, on the loser's turf on Friday night. Why was Ferndale's win so special? First, this was the first playoff win for the Yellow Jackets since 1995, 21 years ago. That is special. In addition, the Jackets have struggled in recent years primarily due to low turnout -- low roster numbers in a small, single-A school. In one season, Ferndale started a game with just 15 players dressed, and according to some reports that I read, only 12 of them were healthy at the end of the game. Yet, the Yellow Jackets, their coaches, their supporters in the school, their community -- did not quit. Many critics said that they should drop the football program and join with eith...

… is 7 or 8 man football on the horizon?  In September, Mike White, who leads the high school sports coverage for the Post-Gazette, wrote a story entitled "Endangered species" about high school football in Western Pa., which used to be one of the hotbeds of the sport back in the 1970s and 80s. Back in those years, look at the great NFL QBs who had come out of the area: Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Joe Montana, all NFL Hall of Famers. Add in Jeff Hostetler, who led the New York Giants to a Super Bowl victory in relief of Phil Simms, and the future seemed endless. Thirty years later, White points out that the premier high school football conference in the state, the WPIAL, may be declining. His story about endangered species had a subtitle: "Freshman football in Western Pa. fading." White points out that just 18 WPIAL programs -- out of 122 -- have a freshman team, once thought of as a chief developmental building block for high school teams. White quotes WP...

… and hope to increase their numbers In a conversation with Bishop Carroll CEO Jerry Stephens yesterday, he confirmed that the school will continue its football program next year. "I can confirm that we will have football next year," Stephens said emphatically. Rumors had circulated that the Huskies might drop the program, but that is not true, Stephens said in a lengthy discussion. In addition, Stephens said that he hoped that the roster would be increased for the next season, too, based on responses from current students.

… occurred in dormitory on campus  This is not the kind of message that college basketball coaches want to hear prior to the start of their season. St. Francis junior Basil Thompson was arrested by campus police on Saturday night after attacking a police officer at the Loretto school, according to a story in today's Altoona Mirror. Thompson, a forward who averaged 7.3 points per game last season and scored in double figures in ten games, was confronted by a police officer at approximately 10 p.m. about playing loud music in his room. According to the Mirror, "Police said while in Thompson’s room, he put his hands up in a threatening way and prompting a fight with the officer. Police said Thompson, a member of the university’s men’s basketball team, punched the officer in the face and head, which caused swelling and bruising. The fight continued into the dorm’s hallway. Police said Thompson defied commands to roll onto his stomach and put his hands behind his back." E...