District 5 baseball pairings

Class AA
Semifinals
Today
Both games at 4:30 p.m.
No. 4 Chestnut Ridge at No. 1 Everett
No. 3 Northern Bedford at No. 2 Bedford
Championship
May 28
Site to be determined
Semifinals winners, 4:30 p.m.


Class A
Quarterfinals
Wednesday
All games at 4:30 p.m.
No. 8 Conemaugh Township at No. 1 North Star
No. 5 Shade at No. 4 Southern Fulton
No. 6 HOPE for Hyndman at No. 3 McConnellsburg
No. 7 Berlin at No. 2 Meyersdale
Semifinals
Friday
Both games at 4:30 p.m.
Conemaugh Township-North Star winner vs. Shade-Southern Fulton winner
HOPE for Hyndman-McConnellsburg winner vs. Berlin-Meyersdale winner
Championship
May 30
Site to be determined (possibly Somerset)
Semifinals winners, 4:30 p.m.

District 5 softball playoffs

Class AA
Semifinals
Thursday, May 23
No. 4 Bedford at No. 1 Chestnut Ridge, 4:30 p.m.
No. 3 Windber at No. 2 Everett, 4:30 p.m.
Championship
Wednesday, May 29
Site to be determined
Semifinal winners, 4:30 p.m.

Class A
First round
Wednesday, May 22
All games at 4:30 p.m.
No. 8 Meyersdale at No. 1 Shade
No. 5 HOPE for Hyndman at No. 4 Tussey Mountain
No. 7 Turkeyfoot at No. 2 Conemaugh Township
No. 6 Rockwood at No. 3 Fannett-Metal
Semifinals
Tuesday, May 28
Sites to be determined
Meyersdale-Shade winner vs. HOPE for Hyndman-Tussey Mountain winner, 4:30 p.m.
Turkeyfoot-Conemaugh Township winner vs. Rockwood-Fannett Metal winner, 4:30p.m.
Championship
Thursday, May 30
Semifinals winners, 4:30 p.m.

Tennis, anyone?

District championships are nothing new for the boys' tennis team at Westmont Hilltop.

The Hilltoppers recently won their third consecutive District 6 Class AA championship with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Juniata. For more on Westmont's three-peat, click here.

The Westmont Hilltop boys' tennis team won the District 6 Class AA championship on Thursday.

Westmont advances to the PIAA tournament, where the Hilltoppers play Eastern Lebanon County, the third-place team from District 3, on Tuesday at Leopold Recreation Center starting at 1:30 p.m.

They'll be joined in the bracket by a newcomer - Windber.

After seven second-place finishes, the Ramblers won the school's first District 5 tennis championship with a 5-0 victory over Bedford. For more on Windber's run, click here.

Windber plays perennial power Sewickley Academy on Tuesday at North Allegheny High School at 2:30 p.m. Sewickley Academy has won 10 consecutive WPIAL titles.

First-round winners advance to the PIAA quarterfinals Friday at Hershey Racquet Club.

The Somerset County strut

A time once existed, not all that long ago, when the winter sports season was what separated football season from baseball season in Somerset County.

Sure, wrestling had a fervent following, and the slopes at Seven Springs and Hidden Valley were packed with locals weather permitting, but when it came to basketball, Somerset County wasn't exactly a hot spot.

OK, to be honest, with the exception of Windber's rich tradition and of a decent team every five years or so outside of Windber, it pretty much stunk when compared to the rest of Pennsylvania.

Hard to believe, but there was one brief period when Somerset County produced a small handful of highly successful teams.

In 1975, Rockwood lost to Darby in the PIAA Class A championship. In 1977, Shanksville-Stonycreek lost to Elk Lake in the Class A title game. In 1979, Conemaugh Township - with future Super Bowl winning quarterback Jeff Hostetler - lost to Pius X in the Class A championship.

Five years, three championship game appearances for Somerset County teams.

The trend of going one-and-done in the PIAA playoffs appears to be reversing for basketball teams from Somerset County, though not many have noticed.

"District 5 has repped itself the last five to six years," Shade boys' basketball coach Wade Fyock said after his Panthers dismantled WPIAL power North Catholic in the first round of  the PIAA Class A playoffs Friday night. "If you look at the record, we've had some success in the tournament and some success against District 7."

Fyock is particularly correct this year as teams from Somerset County went 4-1 in the first round of states. Count Conemaugh Township's victory in the play-in round of the PIAA Class AA boys' bracket and that record moves to 5-1.

The Conemaugh Township boys have defeated teams from District 8 and District 7 so far. Against Brentwood in the first round, the Indians put together a 15-3 first-half run.

"That was probably the bunch that early in the game that gave us some confidence," CT coach Chuck Lesko said. "We're a little unfamiliar with District 7 even though we played Beaver Falls last year. We know that they have strong competition."

Shade has won three PIAA playoff games since Fyock took over the program. The Conemaugh Township girls have advanced in the state tournament a second-consecutive season. Berlin just won its first PIAA game since Rachel Prosser became coach.

The results indicate District 5 is improving Who knows? Maybe the district's basketball image will start to change as well.

District 5 Class A playoffs preview

Boys'
Top seeds: 1. Shade (22-1), 2. Shanksville-Stonycreek (19-3), 3. HOPE for Hyndman (16-6), 4. Berlin Brothersvalley (14-8).
Defending champion: Shade
Players to watch: Ryan Fyock, Wade Walker (Shade), Carter Slade, Jordan Wilt (Shanksville), Jacob Snyder, Drew Glotfelty (Berlin)
The skinny: Shade is the favorite, though Shanksville is the lone team to beat the Panthers. No team in the bracket can match Shade's firepower and defensive mindset. ... The Vikings are an intriguing team. They've played some good teams tough and won at Shade. ... Berlin, like Shanksville, kept things close with some of the better small-school teams in the area.
Sleeper: Berlin
Championship: Shade over Shanksville.

Girls'
Top seeds: 1. Southern Fulton (19-1), 2. Berlin (20-3), 3. Conemaugh Township (18-4), 4. Northern Bedford (16-6).
Defending champion: Southern Fulton
Players to watch: Kayla Luprek, Lyndy Baer (Conemaugh Township), Leah Hershberger, Cierra Cottle (Northern Bedford), Abigahl Stahl (Meyersdale), Emma Spinelli (Shade).
The skinny: Conemaugh Township is the defending Class AA champion and is arguably in a tougher bracket this season. ... Top-seeded Southern Fulton beat Berlin by 15 points early in the season. ... The Mountaineers' last game was an overtime loss to Portage in the WestPAC championship.... The Red Raiders recently concluded one of its better regular season in some time. ... Only a freshman, Spinelli is averaging 19.2 points per game.
Sleeper: Conemaugh Township.
Championship: Southern Fulton over Conemaugh Township.

District 5 Class AA playoffs preview

Boys'
Top seeds: 1. Conemaugh Township (20-3), 2. Northern Bedford (18-5), 3. Chestnut Ridge (17-5), 4. Tussey Mountain (15-7).
Defending champion: Conemaugh Township
Players to watch: Dillon Boyer, Jeff Fisher (Conemaugh Township), Ben Pick, Beau Bosch (Chestnut Ridge), Colt Ursino, Tyler Zabrucky (Windber), Tayler Pressel, Blake Over (Northern Bedford), Eric Husick, Luke Zelanko (Tussey Mountain).
The skinny: The Indians had a 19-game win streak snapped when Shade showed its top form in the WestPAC championship games. CT boasts a balanced offense with four players averaging double figures in scoring. ... Ridge's Bosch is as good an athlete as one can find in District 5, and the Lions are capable of beating playoff-caliber competition. ... The Ramblers (8-14) are the sixth, and final, seed in the bracket. ... Northern Bedford, like Conemaugh Township, has four players averaging in double figures scoring. The Panthers, however, have lost two of three games entering the tournament. ... The Titans have won five consecutive games. One of those wins came against Chestnut Ridge. ... Southern Fulton is also on a five-game win streak.
Sleeper: Tussey Mountain
Championship: Conemaugh Township over Northern Bedford.


Girls'
Top seeds: 1. Everett (16-6), 2. Tussey Mountain (16-6), 3. North Star (7-15), 4. Windber (12-10).
Defending champion: Conemaugh Township
Players to watch: Aubrea Phipps, Kadie Morral (Everett), Courtney Rupert, Olivia Claycomb (Tussey Mountain), Courtney Schrock, Olivia Zuchelli (North Star), Kaitlyn Weaver, Kortney Lampel (Windber).
The skinny: Everett's Morral is only a freshman but is averaging more rebounds (12.9) than points (11.1). ... Todd Gates' Titans average 15.5 steals per game and boast wins over Richland and Westmont Hilltop. ... Several of the Cougars' top players are freshman. North Star does not have a senior. ... Windber hasn't played in two weeks, which could slow the momentum the Ramblers created at the end of the regular season. With a roster equally as youthful as North Star's, Windber enters the postseason on a three-game win streak.
Sleeper: Windber
Championship: Tussey Mountain over Everett.

WestPAC not so whack

When it comes to respect, the WestPAC gets precious little during football season.

Yet, when the 2012 PIAA Class A brackets were released two of the 16 teams remaining hailed from the WestPAC – North Star and Berlin. It's a solid achievement for a conference looked upon as a weak sisters by its neighbors in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference and the Heritage Conference.

The LHAC produced three state qualifiers in Richland, Forest Hills (Class AA) and Bishop McCort (Class A).

As for the Heritage Conference, there were no PIAA-playoff qualifiers.

"The top of the conference is strong," North Star coach Stacy Schmitt said. "The top teams from the WestPAC can compete. There's four or five teams in our conference that can compete in just about any conference."

Berlin's Drew Glotfelty scores as North Star's Levi Albright attempts to tackle him during the District 5 Class A championship game at Somerset.

Berlin coach Doug Paul echoed those sentiments.

"The WestPAC is very competitive," Paul said. "People talk about the size of our schools and the demographics that make up the teams, but any given year, three or four of our schools could compete in any Class A conference in the state."

Paul added more clarification to the statement.

"I'm not saying any of our teams would go undefeated, but there's three or four teams that year-in, year-out would compete for the playoffs."

Count North Star and Berlin among those programs.

And count Berlin (11-10 as the next team to face mighty Clairton (13-0), which set a PIAA record for consecutive wins with 60 in winning last week's WPIAL championship over Sto-Rox. The Bears have won five consecutive WPIAL titles and the last three state championships.

Kickoff is Friday at 7 p.m. at Somerset High School. Clairton shut out North Star, 52-0, two years ago on a memorably snow-filled night in Somerset.

When asked about Clairton minutes after Berlin won its first District 5 championship since 2004, Paul said, "I watched the (WPIAL) game on television earlier (Friday). They don't have a weakness. They have athletes everywhere."

North Star/Berlin capsule

North Star (10-2) vs. Berlin (10-1)

What: District 5 Class A championship.

When: 7 p.m., today.

Where: Somerset High School.

District titles: North Star, 4 – 2008 (Class AA), 2007, 2010, 2011 (Class A).
Berlin Brothersvalley, 4 – 1986, 1987, 1990, 2004 (Class A).

North Star scores: Portage (L, 13-10), Ferndale (W, 30-0), Conemaugh Valley (W, 42-7), Saltsburg (W, 40-7), Berlin Brothersvalley (L, 28-19), Shade (W, 3-0), Meyersdale (W, 32-7), Rockwood (W, 42-0), Blacklick Valley (W, 36-24), Conemaugh Township (W, 14-12), Shade (W, 21-0), Northern Bedford (W, 21-20).

Berlin scores: Conemaugh Township (W, 41-6), Portage (W, 20-7), Ferndale (W, 55-8), Conemaugh Valley (W, 27-0), North Star (W, 28-19), Northern Cambria (W, 21-19), Shade (W, 40-7), Meyersdale (W, 28-27), Rockwood (W, 49-12), Windber (L, 28-20), Windber (W, 40-20).

Berlin received a first-round bye in the District 5 playoffs.

Chestnut Ridge/Karns City capsule

Chestnut Ridge (6-5) vs. Karns City (9-3)

What: PIAA Class AA first-round game.

When: 7 p.m., today.

Where: Memorial Stadium, Clarion University

District titles: Chestnut Ridge, 2 – 2010, 2012 (Class AA). Karns City, 9 – 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 (Class AA).

Chestnut Ridge scores: Central (L, 51-20), Carrick (W, 35-12), Berks Catholic (L, 47-0), Bald Eagle Area (L, 28-26), Philipsburg-Osceola (W, 34-7), Mountain Ridge (W, 34-6), Kutztown (W, 60-14), Fort Hill, Md. (L, 32-28), Allegany, Md. (L, 42-8), Bedford (W, 33-7), Everett (W, 22-21).

Karns City scores: St. Marys (W, 38-25), Clarion Area (L, 34-12), Moniteau (W, 20-7), Union (L, 28-18), Franklin (W, 30-22), Keystone (W, 34-7), Punxsutawney (W, 17-14), Oil City (L, 33-21), Brookville (W, 45-20), Marion Center (W, 34-20), St. Marys (W, 34-14), Kane (W, 33-27).

Winner draws either Aliquippa or Washington in quarterfinals.

North Star's two-back system proves effective

Between Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer, it's been said that the Pittsburgh Steelers have an embarrassment of riches at the running back position. Some have gone as far as saying the trio gives Pittsburgh the most depth at the position in the NFL.

While not many have said that North Star boasts the best backfield depth in District 5. The statement may be true.

The Cougars, who are in the District 5 Class A championship game for the fourth time in five years, can counter any defense with a runner suited to help North Star win a football game.

And North Star (10-2) has won seven straight games, including three by shutout, heading into Friday night's championship game against Berlin (10-1) at Somerset. The game also serves as a first-round game in the PIAA Class A playoffs with the winner drawing the WPIAL champion, either Clairton or Sto-Rox, Nov. 30.

"For us, everything starts with the line play more so than anything else," North Star coach Stacy Schmitt said. "If we're having a hard time moving people, Thomas Miller is the better back to move people with. Shawn Costas has blinding speed."

Miller, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound junior, rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore. This year, he's carried the football 142 times for 709 yards and six touchdowns. Two of those scores, 26 of his carries and a season-high 132 yards came in last week's thrilling 21-20 win at Northern Bedford in double overtime.

Costas (5-5. 145) has rushed for a team-high 714 yards and 6.0 yards per carry. His best game came at Blacklick Valley when he rushed 19 times for 176 yards.

The nature of a particular game determines who will be effective and which back we'll go with," Schmitt said. "It's not a case of which back is better because they're both very good."

No matter the back, North Star will need to run the football against a determined Berlin team coming off a semifinal performance against Windber where the Mountaineers rushed for 463 yards and five touchdowns.

Mixed feelings on bye week for Berlin, Windber

Windber received a first-round bye in the 2011 District 5 Class A playoffs. For the Ramblers, it was a chance to earn a well-deserved rest.

"We gave the kids the whole week off," Windber coach Matt Grohal said. "We lifted two or three times and watched film but we didn't go out on the practice field until we knew we were playing Northern Bedford."

As the second-seed in this year's District 5 postseason, Berlin (9-1) received a first-round bye. The Mountaineers handled things differently than the Ramblers did a year ago.

Of course, Berlin was coming off a loss at Windber to conclude the regular season last week.

"We had four days of practice and we gave the kids Friday off," Berlin coach Doug Paul said. "Most of the team went out to Windber to watch them play Tussey Mountain. This week, it's back to a normal five days of practice."

This week is far from normal, however, as Windber (9-2) travels to Berlin for a District 5 Class A semifinal Saturday night at Snyder of Berlin Sports Complex.

Will the bye week help Berlin? Time will tell, but both coaches have mixed feelings on the bye week.

"Some kids are banged up this time of year and it gives them a little more time to heal," Paul said. "At the same time, when you're heading into the playoffs, you want to keep playing. Two years ago, I didn't like having the bye. It mixed up the routine."

Will not having the bye hurt Windber? The Ramblers bring a four-game win streak into Berlin, but they're also banged up. Devon Tomlinson, a key running back and the team leader with seven interceptions, suffered a broken ankle against Tussey Mountain. Leading rusher Dustin Blough is dealing with injury, as is starting quarterback Dakote Gipe.

Grohal expects Gipe, who is dealing with an elbow injury, to play.

"To be honest, I don't like the bye. At this time of year, you just want to keep playing," Grohal said. "Of course, in hindsight, we would have taken the bye week this year given what happened (against Tussey Mountain)."

Games of the week, first-round edition

The first-round of the playoffs in districts 5 and 6 are loaded with intriguing matchups - Bishop McCort at Penns Manor (where I'll be on Saturday), Forest Hills at Central (Martinsburg) and Cambria Heights at Tyrone among them.

There's also three games where local teams are paired up.

Shade (6-4) at North Star (8-2)
In Week 6, these WestPAC neighbors met and the Cougars escaped Boswell with a 3-0 victory. Brantley Rice scored the game's only points on a field goal to cap North Star's opening drive.
"Games like that a real rare, especially in high school," North Star coach Stacy Schmitt said. "We had a lot of missed opportunities and they did too. The conditions were not the best. We expect them to be better (Saturday)."
The narrow victory ignited a five-game win streak for the Cougars, who have won the past two District 5 Class A titles.
Shade is making its first postseason appearance since 1989, but the Panthers aren't just happy to be involved. They believe they can compete with a district power like North Star.
"Beating a team like that takes us to the next level," said Mike Pribish, who co-coaches Shade with Don Fyfe. "Not only being in the playoffs, but getting a win in the playoffs. That's what we want. Portage, North Star, Windber, Berlin, that's the next level in our league. That's where we want to be."

Northern Cambria (7-3) at Portage (9-1)
The Colts can beat any team, as evidenced by impressive victories over Penns Manor (Week 1) and Cambria Heights (Week 10) during the regular season. They've also been competitive against a pair of 9-1 teams in Berlin and Ligonier Valley.
Few teams enter the postseason on a bigger roll than Portage.
The Mustangs are on an eight-game win streak, and they earned a share of the WestPAC title with Berlin and Windber. Portage averages 8.1 yards per carry.

Penn Cambria (6-4) at Richland (10-0)
The Panthers have responded to a four-game win streak and the abrupt resignation of Ernie Fetzer with a pair of victories over Westmont Hilltop and Somerset to secure the eighth spot in the District 6 Class AA standings.
Penn Cambria played at Richland in Week 8 and left with a 30-12 loss.
The Rams are the only undefeated team in the coverage area and all of District 6. For that matter, Richland is one of nine unbeaten teams in Class AA in the state. Only two teams (Bishop McCort, Bellwood Antis) stayed within 10 points of the Rams.

Playoff matchups

Class AAA
Districts 5,6,8,9 subregional
Friday night
No. 4 Punxsutawney (5-5) at No. 1 Clearfield (10-0)
No. 3 Somerset (5-5) at No. 2 University Prep (5-3)

Class AA
District 6
Friday night
No. 8 Penn Cambria (6-4) at No. 1 Richland (10-0)
No. 7 Bald Eagle Area (6-4) at No. 2 Ligonier Valley (9-1)
Saturday
No. 6 Forest Hills (7-3) at No. 3 Central (Martinsburg) (8-2)
No. 5 Cambria Heights (7-3) at No. 4 Tyrone (7-3)
District 5
Friday night
No. 2 Everett (5-5) vs. No. 1 Chestnut Ridge (5-5) at Northern Bedford

Class A
District 6
Friday night
No. 8 Glendale (6-4) at No. 1 Bellwood-Antis (9-1)
No. 7 Northern Cambria (7-3) at No. 2 Portage (9-1)
Saturday
No. 6 Bishop McCort (7-3) at No. 3 Penns Manor (9-1)
No. 5 Bishop Guilfoyle (8-2) at No. 4 Juniata Valley (9-1)
District 5
No. 1 Northern Bedford (9-1) received bye and plays in semifinals Friday, Nov. 16; No. 2 Berlin (9-1) received bye and plays in semifinals Saturday, Nov. 17.
Friday night
No. 6 Tussey Mountain (5-5) at No. 3 Windber (8-2)
Saturday
No. 5 Shade (6-4) at No. 4 North Star (7-3)

If the regular season was over ...

If the regular season was over in these parts as it is in the WPIAL, which wisely is playing all its games on artificial surfaces this weekend (take notice other districts), here's how the playoff matchups would look:

Class AAA
Districts 5,6,8,9
No. 4 Punxsutawney (5-4) vs. No. 1 Clearfield (9-0)
No. 3 Somerset (5-4) vs. No. 2  University Prep (5-2)

Class AA
District 6
No. 8 Juniata (5-4) vs. No. 1 Richland (9-0)
No. 7 Bald Eagle (6-3) vs. No. 2 Central (7-2)
No. 6 Forest Hills (6-3) vs. No. 3 Cambria Heights (7-2)
No. 5 Tyrone (6-3) vs. No. 4 Ligonier Valley (8-1)
District 5
No. 2 Chestnut Ridge (4-5) vs. No. 1 Everett (5-4)

Class A
District 6
No. 8 Homer-Center (6-3) vs. No. 1 Bellwood Antis (9-0)
No. 7 Northern Cambria (6-3) vs. Portage (8-1)
No. 6 Bishop McCort (6-3) vs. No. 3 Penns Manor (8-1)
No. 5 Bishop Guilfoyle (7-2) vs. No. 5 Juniata Valley (8-1)
District 5
No. 8 Rockwood or Meyersdale (1-8) vs. No. 1 Berlin (9-0)
No. 7 Conemaugh Township (3-6) vs. No. 2 Northern Bedford (8-1)
No. 6 Tussey Mountain (4-5) vs. No. 3 Windber (7-2) or North Star (7-2)
No. 5 Shade (5-4) vs. No. 4 Windber (7-2) or North Star (7-2)