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Mike White's high school sports chat: 02.20.24
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Mike White
11:03
Let's cut right to the chase. Chat is now live.
CJ
11:03
Hi Mike. A positive comment more than a question. I attended the Derry vs OLSH game. Great game. Well played, well refereed (give the zebras some love), excellent crowd, and it came down to the last few seconds. Give me high school sports over pro and college sports any day. Keep up the good work!
Mike White
11:05
I think best feel-good story of first round. Big props to Tom Esposito and what he's done at Derry. Do you know Derry had never won a first-round game before last night. Never, ever. Were 0-12 in first-round games. Won one preliminary-round game in school history. OLSH, meanwhile, had been to a WPIAL final seven consecutive times. Derry has some talent, too. Besides Papuga, that 6-6 freshman has ton of potential.
Hsfan
11:05
Committee screwed up with Olsh and SLS, both had weak schedules and should not have gotten 5 and 6 over Yough and Ellwood.
Mike White
11:07
Easy to say now. Maybe you are right, but they were both section champs. Ellwood was a third-place team. Ellwood has Roth and decent team, but they aren't exactly world-beaters, either. Yough maybe had a case for being seeded higher.
Wpial hoops fan
11:07
What a game last night between fox chapel and north hills. Got to give it to fox chapel always making noise in the playoffs. What is your opinion on them vs moon?
Mike White
11:09
Wonderful game. Did you know the 94-84 score was most points ever scored in Class 5A? Ties for ninth-most in history of playoffs. But I'll stick with Moon in next round. Moon still my pick to win it all.
WPIALQuestions
11:10
I just don’t understand why Aliquippa is in the section they are in. It doesn’t make sense. I get the competitive balance argument. But with having to go through both of FP and SH tunnels those trips to Penn hills and plum will be miserable. Both sections 1 and 2 changed and took on more teams. but section 3 had no changes at all.
Mike White
11:14
I agree it might make some scratch your head. And I'm not here to debate the PIAA making Aliquippa move up. Let's just talk about what is going on currently. Right now the Quips are 5A. And if the WPIAL is going to go with this competitive-balance idea, then teams are going to have to travel. If they put Aliquippa in Section 3 with Peters, USC, Bethel, etc., I think that would make that a much stronger section. The one with North teams would be pretty weak. I know the travel thing is not good for Aliquippa, but it you look at it strictly from competitive balance, I don't have a problem with Aliquippa being in the North section.
Zach Lowe
11:14
Gutsy win by Allderdice! Where do they stack with the Dice teams of the past 10 years? Do you think they can compete with Roman/Wood at states?
Mike White
11:15
Ahhhh, I think Allderdice needs to just worry about first game in PIAA sub regional against I believe Erie or McDowell. That will not be easy. Roman, etc., should not even be on their minds.
demosthenes98
11:15
Which WPIAL and City League schools will be independent for football for the next two years?
Mike White
11:16
Butler situation is up in the air. Carrick I think independent again. In WPIAL, Albert Gallatin, Uniontown, Connellsville, Brownsville.
Wpial basketball
11:16
3A is a fun class to watch because it’s wide open.  What do you think about Burrell and Derry upsets?
Mike White
11:17
I said above great story with Derry. Burrell surprise also. Yes, I think 3A is open. The reason? Like I've said before. Because I don't think 3A is real strong this year, at least as far as there is not one really, really strong team. Doesn't mean there aren't good teams, though.
Ron D.
11:17
Mike, what do you think is the most desirable WPIAL football coaching job?
Mike White
11:18
There are many. Lot depends on where adminstration supports. Of course, where there is talent also.
Axl
11:18
Hey Mike! How good are Shaler baseball's chances to win back-to-back state titles?
Mike White
11:20
Well they only started three seniors last year in WPIAL title game. So I would imagine Shaler would be very good. But they did lose player of the year Hugas. That's a pretty big loss. Lots of other talent back, though.
Fan
11:20
TJ a sleeper pick for 5A?
Mike White
11:21
Well they are the No. 4 seed, so I don't know how much of a sleeper they are. But I like them. I saw them twice this year. Second time against Central really impressive. Evan Berger one of WPIAL's top players. Signed with Edinboro.
City Guy
11:22
Good morning Mike. Question here that I’m sure you get every year. But do you think that RMU and/or Duquesne missed out on Courtney Wallace? Yale is ranked much higher nationally than both. Outside of the two kids at LP and the guard at Moon, I am not sure who’s better in the area than Wallace. Props to him for staying at his school despite them being very small.
Mike White
11:23
Well, judging from the schools that recruited him, I would say he could've been a Robert Morris player, although Robert Morris doesn't recruit many players from around here. As for Duquesne, I'm not sure he's that level.
Hoopa
11:23
Give me your class 6A biys baksetball playoff rundown: your first round prediction, favorite, sleeper team, and championship prediction
Mike White
11:24
I'm not going to pick every game. But I predicted at start of playoffs Central Catholic to win it all. Do I feel strongly about that? No I don't. 6A is so open. I truly think 5-6 teams have a shot.
Skip
11:24
Any guess on how the Butler saga will play out?
Mike White
11:26
No, I don't. When I was at WPIAL meeting yesterday and they put up conference alignments, my eyes popped open to see Butler was in there. It's hard to explain. I don't know what's going to happen. Butler had said they were going to stay independent this year. But WPIAL bosses said Butler signed a legal agreement with PIAA that they have to take a WPIAL schedule. Stay tuned on this one.
Ryan
11:26
Mike who wins the Game on Thursday between Gateway and Franklin Regional Go Franklin and who wins the game between Kiski and Thomas Jefferson go Kiski
Mike White
11:28
Kiski beating Peters Township was not surprising to me. Kiski was my sleeper team. They are now 15-7. They have some nice wins. They were pretty good last year and had some kids returning. Corey Smith has done a nice job there. Thomas Jefferson better beware.
Oppenheimer
11:28
Liam sheeley is one of the best sophomore guards in the wpial. Dudes a beast who can shoot from anywhere on the floor. Have you seen him play?
Mike White
11:29
Not in person. Just some on film. He's like few other Lebo players. Can really shoot it.
ZEBRAS
11:29
Hey all when going to the games please remember the officials are Fathers, Mothers, Brothers, Sisters, Husbands, and Wives giving up their time so your student athletes have a chance to compete.
Mike White
11:29
Thank you.
X
11:29
I finally saw the great Vinny Cuigini play...2x, both games against IUP.  I knew he was a prolific high school scorer, so i expected him to be a 3 point ace, but that's not what i saw in warmups or in the games.
Mike White
11:31
No, Vinnie was not known for his 3-point shooting. A little bit of an odd looking shot, too. But he could really go in open floor and scored many points off drives to the hoop. He's playing 20 minutes a game at Pitt-Johnstown. Averaging 7 points.
X
11:40
In the first game, i saw a gritty player coming off the bench that scored 5  or 6. In the second game he started and scored 16.  He's a gritty player and scores on drives and put backs   He doesn't appear to get others involved.  It will be interesting to see how he develops.   It's not a given that a good WPIAL/city league  players, even in the higer classificiations,  will be effective at the D2 level.  I saw  Bobby Clifford.  He's coming off the bench this year. Scoring 5 ppg or so as a red shirt senior.   I looked up Jackson Blaufield not realizing that he already graduated from Dartmouth.  Looks like he played very little over 4 years. Does that surprise you?
Mike White
11:41
Not sure what "gritty" player you are talking about. As for Clifford and Blaufield in college, not it doesn't surprise me.
X
11:41
Any news on Robbie Carmody?  It sounds like an amazing comeback to still be able to play half a game at the D1 level despite all the injuries.  It definitely makes me wonder what could've been with him.
Mike White
11:43
He's at Mercer. Yes, a good story. Remember, he was one of the few true freshmen in many years to start at Notre Dame. Injuries of all kinds hampered him. Didn't play much at all at Notre Dame because of that. When he was a freshman, his future looked bright. Good to see him at least getting a chance to play some his final year. Playing 18 minutes a game, averaging 7 points.
Professor
11:44
If you gave the WPIAL to a Carnegie Mellon professor and said select sections, and he was allowed to access all the data, does anyone think it would look like this?
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