Camp Kovak, North Star (final stop)

Blogger's note: This is the final series of short stories on stops made by The Tribune-Democrat sports editor Mike Kovak during training camp. I know, I know. We're two weeks into the season already.

It was a rare dreary day in mid-August and the scene outside Kanter Middle School was a peaceful one, save for a raging bonfire burning at the far end of the practice field.

The fire could play tricks on the eyes, as it was only a few feet behind a parked vehicle, which gave the illusion that it was burning.

Upon speaking with North Star coach Stacy Schmitt, who has guided the Cougars to consecutive District 5A championships, and mentioning the fire, he quipped, "They'll look for any reason to burn something around here."

On paper, it looked like the North Star offense would burn through WestPAC defenses this season, which was a big reason why conference coaches overwhelmingly selected the Cougars as they team to beat this season. Coaches also considered North Star the favorite to repeat as district champions and return to the PIAA playoffs, where a possible game against perennial power Clairton could await.

Then something interesting happened last Friday.

Portage 13, North Star 10.

The Cougars get back on the field today at Ferndale - a team without a record following Week 1 because of an unusual game postponement against Conemaugh Valley. (In case you haven't heard, the Blue Jays and Yellow Jackets played two-and-a-half quarters last Saturday before the game was postponed by thunderstorms that never actually hit the stadium. The game will be resumed Tuesday, Sept. 18.)

And North Star will be without starting quarterback Brantley Rice, a standout pitcher on the baseball team. Rice was ejected from the Portage game and PIAA rules dictate he must miss the next game.

Camp Kovak, Rockwood (fifth stop)

The left-hand turn at the intersection in New Centerville (pretty sure there's only one in town) began the short drive into Rockwood, a place this writer hasn't visited in at least 20 years ,though some hometown friends used to frequent the Rockwood Hotel.

Upon pulling into Rockwood High School, a long-forgotten visual exploded back into memory. The guess here is Rockwood is the only high school in the state with a scuplture of a rocket in front. It's impossible to miss and it hovers high above the football field.

I covered the Jefferson-Morgan Rockets for years. Never recalled seeing a rocket in front of the school, though I've never been fed better at a football game in my life. (If any J-M people read this, please inform me of prime rib night so I can adjust my schedule accordingly.)

Rockwood's football program has hardly taken off in recent years, but it would be difficult to find anyone willing to call the Rockets underachievers. The stadium is not exactly state-of-art. The numbers are frequenltly low. Yet, Rockwood usually finds itself in playoff contention and competing against teams with bigger numbers and more talent.

This past Saturday, Rockwood of the WestPAC got off to a roaring start as it defeated a rebuilding United of the Heritage Conference, 31-7, in a crossover game.

Before the season, Rockets head coach Jerry Kaizen could not say enough about senior running back/linebacker Luke Brancato.

Following Brancato's performance against, it's easy to understand why. Brancato had more than 100 yards rushing AND receiving. No doubt, he'll be the focal point of Blacklick Valley's defensive efforts during practice this week. Friday's game will be the first under the lights at Blacklick Valley, who used to play Saturday afternoons.

Camp Kovak, Somerset (fourth stop)

The trophy case just outside the doors to the coaches office in the field house at Somerset High School's football stadium isn't a particularly crowded display.

There's mementos commemorating the Golden Eagles' 1990 LHAC championship. There are pictures and a few other pieces of memorabilia from an undefeated team in 1950s ... and not much else.

When it comes to tradition, Somerset football doesn't have much.

And that makes establishing a winning attitude - a task given to second-year head coach Bob Landis and his staff - a tough task. Not that it can't be done, even for a program whose last winning season came in 2007. And that winning season was preceded by a winning season, well, let's just say it took a while.

Somerset's roster is filled with baseball players, and the Golden Eagles' baseball program is well-known because they win and win frequently. 

"I don't know why there's not more tradition," Landis said. "When you look at athletes, there's more around here than other places."

Somerset, which won three games in 2011 after a winless season two years ago, competes in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference and has moved back up to Class AAA this season. The Golden Eagles will rely on several key members of its baseball team, particularly junior quarterback Tanner Stull, on the field.

"Even with other sports, the guys are working all year-round," Landis said. "One goal is consistency. We want to be very consistent on offense and on defense. They're working hard. Our numbers are low for our size but we're seeing good effort."

Camp Kovak, Conemaugh Township (third stop)

When it comes to scholastic sports success, Conemaugh Township seems to have it covered.

The Indians are perennial postseason contenders in just about every sport and every season. This fall, the football team should be no exception even if Conemaugh Township has one of its smallest groups of returning starters in recent memory.

And a big reason why is the guys up front.

Conemaugh Township has the ability to be one of the toughest teams in the WestPAC.

As senior tailback Tanner Cahill said, "When our smallest lineman is 185, I know we're in good shape."

Cahill will be the primary runner behind a line which includes Ben Shaw, listed at 290 but a plyer head coach Sam Zambanini is extremely mobile for his size. Another lineman poised for a breakout season is sophomore Steve Summits, who weighs 250 and lettered as a freshman. Alex Stahl, another sophomore, is a returning starter.

The size and toughness will be needed in a conference where North Star is considered the favorite but Berlin, Windber, Blacklick Valley and Portage are also considered contenders. Plus, the Indians figure to lean more heavily toward the run this season and plan on using a wishbone formation on occasion.

Camp Kovak, Shade (second stop)

Trying to change the culture for a football team without a postseason appearance since 1989 and fewer than 30 players takes some ingenuity.

Shade High School tried a couple different things for the upcoming season.

For starters, the Panthers are the only local program with co-head coaches. Mike Pribish and Don Fyfe are both considered head coaches for the 2012 season.

Pribish had been the head coach the past three years. He comes from a well-known family in the coal-mining communities surrounding Shade, where people are called or remembered more by their nicknames than their given ones. Pribish played football at Navy and IUP. His brother, George, started in Pitt's secondary during the late 1960s.

Fyfe also serves as a head coach at Shade during the early 2000s. He's worked closely with the defense, which figures to be Shade's strength. Matt Orner finished with more than 100 tackles a year ago and is back at linebacker.

Another thing Shade experimented with during camp was splitting up the starting group, so members of the starting offense could practice against starting defenders and vice verse.

"We tried doing it just top change it up," Pribish said. "We were looking pretty good offensively, but that was against our backups, so we broke the line in half first then did it with the rest of the defense. We needed to see if we were really blocking as well as it looked."

Camp Kovak, Windber (first stop)

Blogger's note: The following is a feature for The Varsity Club that follows the travels of The Tribune-Democrat sports editor Mike Kovak during high school football training camps. Kovak made six stops (in order) - Windber, Shade, Conemaugh Township, Somerset, Rockwood and North Star.

The single-wing offense, which was created by former Pitt coach Glenn "Pop" Warner while he coached Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indians, was common practice ... in the 1940s. When Windber adopted the offense back in 2004 under the direction of then-head coach Phil DeMarco, the Ramblers were one of approximately 50 high school programs using the single-wing.

Not sure what the numbers are these days, but it's worked well enough for Windber. Not only will the Ramblers continue to utilize the single-wing, Westmont Hilltop and first-year head coach Pat Barron has adopted the offense for this season.

Success breeds imitation, and, last year, Windber's offense was rather prolific behind running back Colin Bryan.

In 2011, Bryan was The Tribune-Democrat Offensive Player of the Year for good reason. The current walk-on at Penn State rushed for 2,352 yards and scored a mind-boggling 37 touchdowns a year ago. His play helped the Ramblers reached the District 5A championship game, where they lost to North Star by two touchdowns. Bryan was hurt in that game.

Windber has plenty of talent and toughness to compete for WestPAC and District 5 title once again. The key to the Ramblers' season will likely be how well Dustin Blough plays in the role of featured runner. As Blough's teammates stated during camp, replacing Bryan is "almost impossible."

"Athletically, he's very gifted," second-year Windber coach Matt Grohal said. "(Bryan) was a bit injury-prone until his senior year. If Dustin can stay healthy, he's going to have a great year at tailback."

If Blough or another key player does get injured, Windber believes the depth is in place to remain competitive.

"At single-A, staying healthy is huge," Grohal said. "Our starting 11 is quality, but we have key backup depth. I think we have a tremendous amount of backup depth."