PORTAGE —
The past two District 5 Class A championships were won by North Star, and during that successful stretch, the Cougars have evolved into a WestPAC power.
Graduation took a heavy hit on North Star, but if the rest of the conference coaches are to be believed, the Cougars aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Every WestPAC coach voted on Wednesday for North Star to finish among the top two teams in the conference, which made the Cougars the overwhelming favorite to repeat as conference champions. North Star was the only school to appear on every ballot, and only two coaches picked another program to finish first. Those were Berlin and Windber, which finished second and third in the balloting.
“Until somebody beats them and with a game-changer like Tony Strasiser coming back, they have to be the favorites,” Windber coach Matt Grohal said. “They’ve been a hard team to stop the last couple years.”
Windber actually found the formula of slowing North Star’s balanced and potent offense during the regular season. The Ramblers beat the Cougars in each of the past two regular seasons, but North Star defeated Windber in last year’s District 5 championship game.
And with players like Strasiser, the area’s top receiver last year, and Thomas Miller in place, it could make things easier for first-year starting quarterback Brantley Rice. The talent certainly appears in place for another lengthy North Star run.
“The No. 1 thing all small schools need is to stay healthy, and you always need senior leadership,” Cougars coach Stacy Schmitt said. “From there, you have to stay focused and work hard.”
North Star’s players are focused on repeating as champions at the conference and district levels, and the Cougars relish the tag of preseason favorites as much as they hope to avoid a possible PIAA playoff matchup against perennial power Clairton if they achieve their goals.
“I think our goals are the same this year as they were last year. We want a district title and a conference title, even though that doesn’t mean as much,” Strasiser said. “Hopefully, we can keep it going.”
WestPAC coaches certainly think so, but the coaches also believe the conference will be more competitive and as many as five teams have a legitimate shot of winning the championship.
Berlin, Windber, Blacklick Valley and Conemaugh Township all received high praise from conference coaches, while teams like Portage should be much improved. Berlin returns a top running back in Drew Glotfelty and hopes to overpower opponents behind a powerful offensive line. Windber runs an old-school, single-wing offense which challenges defenses to come up with ways to stop looks their unfamiliar with. Blacklick Valley may be returning the most lettermen in the WestPAC as nine starters are back on each side of the football. Conemaugh Township fields a youthful roster, but the Indians always contend.
Don’t count out Portage, which should be much stronger defensively.
“We have 10 kids back on defense, and we’re hoping to build off that,” said Portage coach Gary Gouse. “We want that to be our strength. Last year, we gave up longer plays late in some game and it really cost us. We lost three games guaranteed on late plays. We should have been 7-2 or 6-3.”
Basically, it’s a wide-open conference even if a prohibitive favorite is in place.
“It’s a lot closer than in years past,” said Ferndale coach Tony Penna Sr. “North Star is solid. Berlin is solid. Windber is solid and one of the sleepers should be Blacklick Valley. There’s a lot of good talent in this conference, even if it doesn’t get much credit from people outside the conference.”
High School Sports
Related Photos
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Portage coach Gary Gouse (left) and players Shane Baker (6) and Evan Price (3) talk to Tribune-Democrat sports editor Mike Kovak Wednesday during WestPAC media day at the Mustangs’ field. Justin Dennis
Discussion
Cougars expected to roar through WestPAC schedule
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Shade softball thriving on Karl’s watch
Frank Karl coached the majority of the girls who comprise Shade High School’s softball team from the time they played T-ball and coach pitch.
Karl was there when the group, as elementary-school students, once rallied from an 18-run deficit to win a game, and he hoped to be there when the group reached the varsity level. -
MIKE KOVAK| Blending schedules a challenge for athletic directors
Bishop McCort basketball gets it. So does Greater Johnstown basketball.
Go ahead and count Somerset baseball among the mix. The same goes for Ligonier Valley softball and Northern Cambria volleyball.
What is it that these different programs from various locations within The Tribune-Democrat coverage area get exactly? -
CORY ISENBERG| Stakes rise as schedules shrink
There are fewer events on the daily high school sports schedules, but the stakes are going up for area athletes as the spring season heads into its final weeks.
In track and field, the three area conferences will hold their championship meets this week.
In Portage today, the WestPAC athletes will gather for their championships while the Laurel Highlands and Heritage meets will be on Tuesday at Somerset and United, respectively. -
Seven Conemaugh Township athletes make commitments
Dillon Boyer entered Thursday’s scholastic baseball action ranked fourth in the state with a .688 batting average.
Boyer will take those impressive numbers a few miles North on Route 219 when he continues his career at the next level. The Conemaugh Township senior will attend Pitt-Johnstown and play NCAA Division II baseball for coach Todd Williams. -
Four from Richland committed to UPJ
For Sabrina Wingard, the opportunity to play collegiate soccer with her sister, Savanna, was too great an opportunity to skip.
For Bobby Colvin, Curt Colvin and Ismail Ahmad, the idea of playing highly competitive soccer next to their high school campus made for an easy choice. - Local sports in brief 4/4/2013
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Subich, Dell recognized for football
Greater Johnstown High School senior Nick Subich earned the Joe Sarra Community Service Award and took a Scholar Athlete Award at the recent Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete Awards Banquet.
The Joseph D. Sarra Community Service Award is named for the long-time chapter board member and former Penn State assistant football coach. -
Trexler gets his 1,000th point in McCort victory
While much of the Northeast was belted by massive accumulations of snow, the Blizzard Nemo mostly spared the Johnstown area.
Another Nemo created a buzz on Osborne Street on Friday night, though the flurry of points had nothing to do with the winter weather. -
Chestnut Ridge advances in PIAA Class AA team championship
Chestnut Ridge coach Greg Lazor expected District 3 champ Boiling Springs to push his team to the limit in Friday’s PIAA Class AA team wrestling quarterfinals.
And up to the end, it was a close one: Three matches went to overtime and the Lions carried a lead when the weight classes turned to the low end, but the Bubblers won four straight to end the quarterfinal round a winner, 32-25. - Local sports in brief 2/9/2013
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