Uniontown boys drop to AAA
Scholastic winter sports openers set Friday night Friday is the night basketball fans have been waiting for. The same holds true for fans of wrestling and swimming.
The scholastic winter sports season gets under way Friday evening, with a plethora of games, meets and matches scattered all around Fayette and surrounding counties. Boys and girls basketball teams will be previewed in Hoops ’02-’03, a supplement of the Herald-Standard. Hoops ’02-’03 will be a part of your Herald-Standard next Friday, Dec. 6.
The big questions in the world of high school basketball involve the Uniontown Red Raiders’ boys and girls teams.
The boys drop from Class AAAA, where they reached the PIAA title game in two of the last three seasons, to Class AAA. Rob Kezmarsky replaces the retired Dave Shuck as coach of the Red Raiders, and senior Brandon Duncan is expected to emerge from the shadows left behind by the outstanding teams of the last three seasons.
Also on the boys’ front, Laurel Highlands will use a heavy dose of juniors in its quest for a Section 2-AAAA title. Yes, even though Uniontown and Laurel Highlands are not in the same section anymore (Uniontown is in Section 3-AAA), the Mustangs and Red Raiders will play each other twice this season.
The Red Raiders hope to develop rivalries against Section 3-AAA foes Brownsville, Waynesburg Central, Belle Vernon and Southmoreland.
Uniontown’s girls team is expected to compete for a Section 2-AAAA title this season, behind junior Jocelyn Chandler, but the competition should be fast and furious. Duquesne recruit Loui Hall leads another strong Albert Gallatin team, while Laurel Highlands can always be counted on to be in the fight.
In the lower classifications, the big news is Carmichaels dropping from Class AA to Class A, where the Mikes will compete against California, Geibel Catholic and Monessen.
On the girls side, Geibel Catholic welcomes the return of coach George Bortz, who missed last season with injuries suffered in an auto accident.
Many tip-off tournaments dot the schedule, including a boys/girls extravaganza at Laurel Highlands. Nine games will be played at the LH gym Friday and Saturday, involving visiting teams from Woodland Hills, Brownsville, Uniontown and Latrobe on the girls side and Mount Pleasant, Connellsville and Brownsville on the boys side. The action begins at 4:15 p.m. Friday.
Uniontown opens with a home-and-home series against Taylor-Allderdice of the Pittsburgh City League. The Red Raiders christen the Kezmarsky Era at 7:30 p.m. Friday at A.J. Everhart Memorial Gymnasium before traveling to Pittsburgh Saturday night.
In the only other single game on the boy’s schedule, Carmichaels plays host to South Fayette Friday night.
All tournament action involves games on Friday and Saturday.
Geibel Catholic and Southmoreland will send their boys teams to the Jeannette Tip-Off Tournament, while Jefferson-Morgan and Waynesburg Central take off for the Chartiers-Houston tournament. Albert Gallatin plays McKeesport at 9 p.m. Friday and Penn Hills at 4 p.m. Saturday in the CCAC South tournament.
Frazier is in the North Hills tournament, while Belle Vernon goes to Upper St. Clair and California to Trinity’s tip-off event.
Frazier visits Southmoreland in the lone single game on the girl’s schedule this weekend. That game will be played at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Other girls teams involved in tournaments, besides those at the LH event, include Jefferson-Morgan at Avella, Belle Vernon, Beth-Center and Mapletown at the California event, Waynesburg Central at the Trinity tourney and Connellsville going to Moon for a tournament.
The only wrestling matches set for this weekend show Laurel Highlands traveling to Derry at 7 p.m. Friday and Waynesburg Central hosting West Greene at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Connellsville’s swim team visits Mount Pleasant for a 6 p.m. Friday meet.