PSU-Fayette Holds Final USCAA Small College National Championshi
For the last 12 years, the United States Collegiate Athletic Association has held their National Championships at Penn State Fayette in Uniontown, PA. On Thursday, March 12th, they played their final tip at the Beverly Campus in a Men’s Division I game.
The tournament was cut short due to recent concerns, but the final run in Uniontown proved to have exciting action throughout. The Division II brackets wrapped up Wednesday with Penn State Beaver winning the women’s title and New Hampshire Technical Institute winning the men’s side.
The tournament featured several upsets including a #10 seed making it to the championship game for the first time in tournament history. However, the tournament will move to Richmond, Virginia next year, closer to the league’s headquarters.
Penn State Fayette will still have the opportunity to play in the tournament, but will no longer receive a host bid. They will have to battle for one of the top ten spots in the USCAA Division II Basketball.
The USCAA would like to thank Uniontown and the Laurel Highlands for offering a great event over the last 12 years and they look forward to seeing Penn State Fayette in future tournaments.
Laurel Highlands Wins Class 4A WPIAL Championship
It had been 49 years since the Laurel Highlands Mustangs reached the WPIAL Championship game. The last time they were there, current head coach Rick Hayger was on the team that fell just short of claiming the title.
In 2020, The Mustangs were not picked to win the WPIAL 4A championship, but rose from the ashes to claim the title. As the number eight seed, they battled through the #1 seed Penn Hills and #2 seed Thomas Jefferson to make it to the Peterson events center.
However, they still had work to do taking on Mars at the home of Pitt basketball. The Fighting Planets took control early on and held a seven point lead in the third quarter. However, the tides would turn as an intentional foul was called on Mars giving them an opportunity. Two free throws later and the momentum was on the Mustang’s side.
They battled throughout the final quarter and found themselves down by one with 4.8 seconds to go. Rodney Gallagher would nail two free throws giving the Mustangs their first title since 1968 with a 52-51 win. After the game, Gallagher was offered a scholarship from PITT for his efforts.
Laurel Highlands was then honored by the United States Collegiate Athletics Association at halftime of their men’s division II basketball championships. Unfortunately, Laurel Highlands would be kicked out in the first round of the state playoffs.
Fayette Women Fall in First Round USCAA match-up
Penn State Fayette’s women’s basketball team earned the host bid for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Tournament for the final time in 2020. With the tournament moving to Richmond, Virginia next season, it was their final chance to play on their home court in a national championship game.
It would be a tough first round for Scott Hillen and his team as they faced an uphill battle against Andrews University. Fayette’s tallest player stood at 5’9 and the height disadvantage played a factor in the team’s 64-49 loss.
Fayette battled through the first half tying the score twice and trailed by six heading into halftime. However, Andrews opened up the second half taking a 38-28 lead and never looked back on their way to the win.
Penn State Fayette would then move to the consolation bracket where they ended their season with a 72-31 win. The experience will only help the young team grow stronger as Head Coach Scott Hillen looks forward to building a stronger team in 2020-2021.
Penn State Fayette’s women’s basketball team earned the host bid for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Tournament for the final time in 2020. With the tournament moving to Richmond, Virginia next season, it was their final chance to play on their home court in a national championship game.
It would be a tough first round for Scott Hillen and his team as they faced an uphill battle against Andrews University. Fayette’s tallest player stood at 5’9 and the height disadvantage played a factor in the team’s 64-49 loss.
Fayette battled through the first half tying the score twice and trailed by six heading into halftime. However, Andrews opened up the second half taking a 38-28 lead and never looked back on their way to the win.
Penn State Fayette would then move to the consolation bracket where they ended their season with a 72-31 win. The experience will only help the young team grow stronger as Head Coach Scott Hillen looks forward to building a stronger team in 2020-2021.
PJW Area 1 Wrestling Brings Youth Wrestlers Together
On February 23rd, many of the top youth wrestlers from around Western PA converged on Jefferson-Morgan High School for the Area 1 Youth Wrestling Championships. The winners headed to states where they would compete against the top youth wrestlers in Pennsylvania. Jefferson-Morgan entered the day with some talented young wrestlers all looking to make it to the state tournament. They had competitors in every weight class as they tried to move on.
While the competition was fierce, the love of the sport shown through, as parents looked on cheering on their sons and daughters.
Kids competed across all different weight classes with four moving on to the state tournament. The event was held at Jefferson-Morgan High school and every one learned and got better in their sport.
West Greene Athletic Director Billy Simms
Billy Simms has seen a lot during his time as head softball coach and Athletic Director at West Greene High School. The past four years or so have seen some of the highest highs for the school in almost every sport. From cross country and football in the fall, to both basketball teams in the winter and baseball in the spring, nearly every program has had something to celebrate in recent years.
With all due respect to these squads, none of them have come close to the meteoric rise of the Pioneer softball team, which put together arguably the greatest four years of any athletic program in Greene County history. Simms has been at the lead of that team for the past 13 seasons and is currently in his 20th year as AD at West Greene.
Unfortunately, because of the Coronavirus, Simms’ powerhouse team, as well as all other programs in the state of Pennsylvania, are completely unsure as to whether or not there will be any 2020 sports. For a veteran educator and administrator like Simms, he is not surprised that things are in their current state of standstill.
“I thought it would be coming after initial moves were made by the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the NCAA. It was just a matter of time before high schools had to go on hiatus as well,” Simms said. “I wasn’t shocked that it was a two-week shutdown at all. I think that student and/or athlete safety should be the most prominent issue at hand in all these situations. I am devastated to think we might not be able to get our spring sports season in, but at the same time, I was also devastated for NCAA basketball teams and NCAA wrestlers who may not get the opportunity to compete for their National Championship(s).”
Like so many parents of athletes, the possibility of Simms’ daughter Kylie, a senior catcher with the West Greene softball team, not getting to play out her final high school campaign is a difficult pill to swallow. However, there are two dozen other individuals that wear Blue and Gold, as well as dozens of other county athletes that he feels just as badly for as each passing day brings little to no information on an ultimate outcome to the situation.
“True, Kylie is my biological daughter, but I feel horrible for all ‘24 daughters’ I have in this same situation. The list goes on,” Simms said. “What about [pitcher] Jade [Renners’] senior season? What about up and coming freshmen like London Whipkey? What about the great crew Mapletown has coming through? What about Caitlin Dugan at Jefferson-Morgan? My heart bleeds for all them. I am at a true low point, thinking the entire season might get bagged.”
Simms was already dealing with one piece of devastating news tied to his family when the Coronavirus pandemic was exploding into all corners of American life. His daughter Emily, a West Greene freshman, injured her knee in a junior varsity girls basketball game in December and was already facing the very real possibility of missing her first year with the softball team.
Above all else, Simms believes that putting the seasons on a suspension that could turn into complete cancellation is the appropriate measure to help ensure the health and well-being of players, their families and friends. But even a man that has seen and been through as much as he has can’t help but feel the pain of loss in the back of his mind.
“My first concern(s) are always with the health of everyone that I know,” Simms said. “Again, selfishly, I just reflect on the immeasurable amount of hours, miles and time that I (and other coaches) pour into our programs. It just resonates into a very empty feeling that we don’t get to compete.”