Winter season brings interesting story lines
I’m pretty sure that the College Football Playoff Committee can relate to this, but their job is tough.
It’s hard to be objective or to be unbiased when it comes to ranking teams. You can always find a positive or a negative about every team in the discussion.
I know this might be hard for some Penn State and Michigan fans to take, but the committee did get it right and the four best teams (Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Washington) were the most deserving squads to get in.
So with that being said, I’m going to skip my usual preseason rankings of the local basketball and wrestling sections, because to be honest after realignment I really don’t know who the favorites are this season. But with that being said, here are a couple of things to look out for this winter season.
Still pressing on
Even though the West Greene girls’ basketball team only has nine players on its roster, you can still expect the Lady Pioneers to press teams from one end of the court to the other end of the court.
Of course they are going to watch out for foul trouble and fatigue game to game, but their defense is going to be stiff once again. I’m excited about their offense this year, mostly their half-court offense.
The Lady Pioneers used their trap and their pressure to get points last year, but I think they are going to be a better shooting and half-court offensive team this season.
Sixth-year coach Jordan Watson and his staff have been working hard on the offensive end with the squad and they have been using the shooting gun machine in the off-season that has aided the team’s shooting abilities.
If they can get a consistent, half-court offense from sophomores Kaitlyn Rizor, Madison Lampe and McKenna Lampe, West Greene might hold a slight edge over defending section champion Jefferson-Morgan for the Section 2-A crown this year.
Some southeast surprises
Over the last couple of seasons the Mapletown basketball programs have had their struggles both on and off the court. Both struggled with numbers a season ago, while the Lady Maples playoff drought stretched to eight years and the boys have only won two games over the last two seasons.
But I strongly believe there’s reason for optimism in Mapletown this season, and I think both squads have a legit chance of grabbing that fourth playoff spot out of their six-team sections.
The numbers are up for the boys team and second-year coach Rick Hill, and expect a better offensive effort from the Maples. The Lady Maples have a lot of talent returning this season and their height could give a lot of teams in their section some trouble.
More of Mac
The Waynesburg Central boys’ basketball team faced a daunting task this season by moving to Quad-A and facing the likes of Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward, Keystone Oaks, McGuffey, South Fayette, South Park and Uniontown in Section 3.
The Raiders are the smallest school in Quad-A and they will definitely be hitting the road a lot this winter. Waynesburg will also be missing some starters from last year’s playoff team for various reasons, so the attention shifts to junior playmaking guard Darton McIntire.
McIntire averaged a WPIAL-best 26.9 points per game last season and I feel like he will have to carry most of the offensive load for a young Raiders squad this year.
Expect teams to throw every junk and box-and-one defense at McIntire, and it should be interesting to see how he and second-year coach Kirk King will react to the opposition in 2016-17.
Can Teasdale do it again?
Just like the prior two wrestling seasons, there is always going to be pressure on Jefferson-Morgan’s junior Gavin Teasdale.
The comparisons between him and local Rocket legend Cary Kolat is always going to be there, but the humble Teasdale seems like he has a singular focus of getting better every night and isn’t concerned about any of the additional hype around his career.
Teasdale, who has already committed to Iowa, brings an 82-0 record and two state titles into this season and you can expect more of the same in his junior campaign.
He will either wrestle at 120 or 126 this season, and is looking to add an Outstanding Wrestler award at Hershey this year.
Playoff teams to look at
The West Greene boys snapped a two-decade long playoff drought last season and after retaining every single player from last year’s squad, the Pioneers are almost a sure bet to make the postseason again.
The main storyline for the Pioneers this season is if they can compete with Section 2-A heavyweights Monessen and Clairton. Look for seniors Craig Weaver and Kolton Rush to have big years for WG.
The J-M girls basketball squad won its first ever section title last season, and after losing five key seniors, on paper, it might look like a totally different team. Expect the Lady Rockets to be stingy on defense under coach Chris Niemiec and also look out for strong offensive seasons from their three seniors: Erin Confortini, Anna Mattish and Jamie Lawrence.
There’s only one new basketball coach in the county this year and it’s Ian McCombs for the Lady Mikes. McCombs, a 2009 Carmichaels graduate, was an assistant last year and knows this team very well.
After losing no starters from a year ago, it should be interesting to see if Carmichaels can break through in Class 2-AA against the likes of Bentworth, Beth-Center, California, Frazier, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette and Serra.
Both the Carmichaels and J-M boys teams missed the postseason last year and both are eager for a return trip to the playoffs in 2016-17. The Mikes and the Rockets are in Section 2-AA and will be battling for a playoff spot against the likes of Bentworth, California, Char-Houston, Fort Cherry and Frazier.