Front Row: C. Bizula, W. Nichols, Dominick Christy, E. Palone, Bill Cihon, Mike Korcheck, Fred Novak. Back Row: Steve Korcheck, M. Harrison, N. Kartley, W. Markiewich, J. Hartley, J. Markiewich, John Katusa.
Through the years, there have been many outstanding athletic classes in Greene County sports history. However, the Cumberland Township Class of 1948 would be tough to beat given their all-around success, both scholastically and post-graduation.
Coach Cree’s team lost only one regular season game. In the playoffs, they upset Uniontown at Speedway Park (7-2), Redstone (4-0), and Charleroi (1-0). They lost in the WPIAL Final to Vandergrift (5-4).
Fred Novak (.516) and Dominick Christy (.423) led the team in hitting. M. Harrison (7-1) and W. Markiewich (4-1) were the starting pitchers.
Members of that team were also key players on the football team that year, which was undefeated and untied, including: John Katusa (Greene County MVP, 2nd Team WPIAL), Mike Korcheck (1st Team WPIAL) and Bill Cihon (2nd Team WPIAL)
The same three boys were starters on the basketball team that finished with an 18-4 record (the losses coming to Class A schools). That team beat East Washington, West Newton, and East McKeesport to get to the WPIAL Finals at Pitt Stadium where they fell to Oakmont.
Dominick Christy Jr. went on to star for the Waynesburg College baseball team in the 1950s and later became a scout for the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angelas Dodgers.
Stephen Korcheck went on to George Washington University, where he was an outstanding two-sport athlete. The San Francisco 49ers selected him in the 1954 NFL Draft. Instead of playing professional football, Korcheck signed with the Washington Senators as a catcher and reached the major leagues by 1954.
