In an age of hype and exaggeration, fans are understandably skeptical about teams and individuals that are supposed to be The Next Big Thing. It's common to be disappointed. Especially when the team and individuals are only in the eighth grade.

But Thursday night, facing tall, deep and experienced 4A Ambridge, Cornell's eighth graders more than lived up to expectations. After battling on even terms for the first half, the Raiders held Ambridge to ONE field goal in the second half en route to a 35-15 win.

After a bruising, physical first half, the teams were tied 13-13 at halftime. But the Raiders went to war in the second half.

Their biggest weapon was 6-4 14 year old Zyair Dupree (#24 in photo at right and below right). Dupree is a force. He can knock and bang when needed, but since teams usually double team him, he's adept at finding the open man. He has soft hands, a deft shooting touch, and a fine instinct for being where the rebound comes off.

Dupree is still a work in progress. He needs better footwork and more inside moves. But he has all this season to work on those before moving up to high school.

What makes this eighth grade team effective is that Dupree has plenty of help. His running mate inside is Liam Fibeck (#5 in photo bottom left passing the rebound out to start the fast break). Feeback is also a strong rebounder, quick and strong and willing to knock and bang when needed. He's perfectly happy to feed the open man or fire the outlet pass. He snags a lot of rebounds because teams are busy trying to block Dupree off the boards.

Fibeck is a workhorse. Like a football lineman, it's easy to overlook his contributions, especially since he doesn't score much. But in addition to his rebounding, his defense on baseline drives or drives into the lane is critical. He's a classic stopper, a rim protector.

But the supporting cast also includes three perimeter players : Justice Jacome (#4 in photo above center), C. J. Griffith (#10 above left), and Willard Matthias (#2), a seventh grader used in a reserve role.

Against Ambridge, Dupree led all scorers with 19 points. Jacome added eight, Matthias five, Griffith two, and two other seventh graders, Adrian Lopez and Semaj Dean, one each.

Dupree also had 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Fibeck added 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Neither Dupree or Fibeck score many blocks, but their presence at the hashmark with arms outstretched simply discourages shooters, who usually just pivot and pass the ball back out.

Michael Smith has been coaching Cornell's seventh and eighth graders for a long time, and admits this is one of his best teams. They're playing mostly a 3A - 4A schedule to toughen them up even if they absorb some losses.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR PROJECT AT PITTSBURGH AIR RESERVE STATION

Description: Interested parties are hereby notified that a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)/Draft Finding of No Practicable Alternative (FONPA) have been prepared for the Proposed Action described below.

Authority: This notice is being issued in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 United States Code 4321, et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA implementing regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508), the Air Force Environmental Impact Analysis Process (32 CFR Part 989), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Order 1050.1F, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, and Executive Order (EO) 11988, Floodplain Management, and Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management.
Proposed Action: The United States (U.S.) Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC; lead agency), with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acting as a Cooperating Agency, proposes to implement projects outlined in the Facilities Operations Capability and Utilization Survey (FOCUS) study at Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station (PARS). PARS currently lacks the infrastructure necessary to fully meet training requirements and conduct base operations. The Proposed Action would support the operational plans for the AFRC and the 911th Airlift Wing (AW). The Proposed Action involves 11 projects from the FOCUS study: (1) renovate Building (B) 226 for Consolidated Wing Training Facility; (2) demolish B208, B209, and B210 and construct parking; (3) demolish B403 and construct parking; (4) demolish B405 and construct a communications facility; (5) repair two storm drains and outfalls; (6) demolish B206; (7) construct a munitions access road; (8) construct a B414 hangar access road and parking; (9) construct a liquid oxygen (LOX) storage facility; (10) construct a LOX storage equipment shelter; and (11) construct aerospace ground equipment (AGE) covered storage. The AFRC is considering three alternatives: Alternative 1, the Preferred Alternative, which would implement the Proposed Action; Alternative 2, which is the same as Alternative 1 except that B403 and B405 would be renovated instead of demolished, and the communications facility and additional parking would not be constructed; and the No Action Alternative, which would not implement the Proposed Action but provides a comparative baseline for potential impacts as required under CEQ regulations.
The Draft EA evaluates the potential impacts on the environment from implementing the Proposed Action. The evaluation concludes there would be no significant impact, either individually or cumulatively, as a result of implementing the Proposed Action, which includes compliance with all federal and state laws and regulations, including consultation and permitting, and routine best management practices.
The Preferred Alternative would temporarily impact a small floodplain area during construction. A portion of the storm drains and outfalls to be repaired are located in the floodplain. Although no new structures would be built in the floodplain, repairing the existing structures would require construction equipment to work in the floodplain. If the storm drains and outfalls are not repaired, soil will erode from the surrounding area and the pipes will deteriorate, causing ground instability and increased infiltration of foreign objects into the storm drain system. Therefore, there is no practicable alternative to working in the floodplain.

Public Review: The Draft EA and Draft FONSI/FONPA will be available between December 2, 2024, and January 2, 2025, for a 30-day public comment period. The Draft EA and Draft FONSI/FONPA were published digitally on the PARS 911th AW website at https://www.pittsburgh.afrc.af.mil/. Printed copies of the Draft EA and Draft FONSI/FONPA are also available for public review at the Moon Township Public Library, 1700 Beaver Grade Road #100, Coraopolis, PA 15108.

Comments: The public may obtain information and submit comments on the Draft EA and Draft FONSI/FONPA during the review period via email to 1st Lt. Marjorie Schurr at marjorie.schurr@us.af.mil. Comments must be received by January 2, 2025.

Cornell's seventh graders, a reckless band of daredevils who run and gun and crash the boards, obliterated 4A Ambridge Thursday afternoon with a relentless attack that left the Bridgers exhausted and out of answers.

Everybody says this year's eighth graders are going to return Cornell to glory once they move up to high school. But the truth is this seventh grade unit is even more impressive. They've got all the pieces and they're way ahead of schedule in putting them together.

They start with dynamic point guard Willard Matthias (with the ball in the photo above), who directs the offense, hits from anywhere on the floor, is a real pest on defense and is a clever passer and dribbler.

But it's Adrian Lopez (#13 in the photo at right) and Jack Joranger (#12 in the photo lower left) who control both the offensive and defensive boards. They've got size, but are agile, good jumpers, and perfectly willing to knock and bang underneath.

And they have help. Lincoln Edwards (#22 at right and below right), Nic Cook (#3 in top photo) and Jaiden Straider grab any rebounds which escape Lopez and Joranger and all of them fire the ball out to Matthias, Cook or Semaj Dean to launch the fast break, seen in the panoramic photo above.

Everybody on this team is fast and once they're off and running they usually beat the defense down the floor.

The WPIAL no longer sets up sections or post season tournaments for middle schools, but if they did, this team would be a favorite to win it all.

Pennsylvania middle schools also play six minute quarters. If this team competed in other states, where they play eight minute quarters, both this team and these individuals would be averaging much higher numbers.

Against 4A Ambridge, Cornell led 17-6 at halftime, 28-11 after the third quarter and 36-13 at the end. The Raiders outrebounded the Bridgers by 25 and stole the ball 18 times to Ambridge's six. And Coach Mike Smith played his reserves during the fourth quarter.

Matthias led all scorers with 12. Lopez added 10, Cook six, Joranger and Straider four each, and Dean three.

"There are some things we haven't put in yet," Smith tells reporters. "We want to add a full court trapping defense and work on some individual moves on offense.

And the team's best player wasn't even there. That would be Chris Ford, who also plays football and was in Florida for a bowl game. Based on Thursday's performance, it's hard to imagine who Ford replaces in the starting lineup.

What has opponents worried is that this unit has lots of room for improvement. Lopez and Joranger need to work on inside moves and footwork, and the whole team needs to work on the pick and roll. But they're only 13. They have plenty of time.

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When Brian Bethel took over as Cornell basketball coach last year he knew he faced a long hard challenge to rebuild the once proud program. Now, a year into the process, he's still optimistic in the long run but realistic about right now.

For the second straight year, Cornell has the shortest roster in the WPIAL, with no one over 6-0. Bethel has only 11 boys. Many of the school's top athletes, including several football players who excelled at basketball in middle school, chose not to play. The core of this roster is in 9th and 10th grades. Watching this team play is like watching a really good JV team. But they have to go out and face varsities every night.

Bethel's coaching has had its effects. Players are sound fundamentally. They cut, pass, and dribble crisply. They run Bethel's motion offense smoothly. They get open shots. But they get no rebounds.

"We have to rebound by committee," Bethel admits. "We don't have that one big guy who can control the boards. So we all have to block out and rebound."

It's not working. Rochester was taller at every position and outrebounded Cornell by 25.

The Raiders play tenacious defense and when they either steal a pass or snag a rebound they're off and running. This allowed them to battle Rochester early. Layups by Santana Lee (#1 in photo at left), Eduardo Benitez (#2 in photo above) and Ashton Jones, plus a Jones tip in, kept Cornell tied with Rochester 14-14 after one quarter.

But then Rochester went to its full court press and, with its height and long arms frustrating Cornell, the Rams reeled off eight straight baskets en route to a 35-22 halftine lead.

The game was basically over at that point. Rochester led 49-36 after the third and 65-50 at the end.

Benitez is only a sophomore and is a slick point guard. Lee is lightning quick, silky smooth, can beat his man off the dribble or pull up for the jumper, and when he gets out on the fast break he's uncatchable, as seen at left. The other starters are Devin Lamb, Alex Benitez (#3 in photo below) and Ashton Jones (#4 in photo below). Against Rochester Eduardo led with 16 points. Lee added nine, Alex eight and Jones six. Kenny Wade scored seven.

Bethel (seen standing, in blue, in the background of these two photos) uses every strategy he can to compensate for his team's lack of size. Against Rochester he tried a 2-3 zone to see if the Rams could hit from outside. For a while in the first quarter they couldn't, and Cornell stayed even. But in the second quarter their shots began falling and Cornell gradually fell behind.

But Bethel is sitting on a winning hand. Most of his roster is in 9th and 10th grades. And this year's eighth grade team is a powerhouse. Not only are they quick, fast, strong, with good instincts and athleticism, but there's desperately needed size.

Zyair Dupree, a 6-4 14 year old, is the most visible, but the eighth graders have a roster full of talented forwards and guards that Bethel occasionally invites to practice with the high schoolers.

"We just have to wait it out," Bethel tells reporters. "We have to develop these guys we have now, treat them well so they stay with us, then next year fill out our roster with all those eighth graders. We knew coming in this would be a 3-4 year turnaround. Even next year, when all those 8th graders are freshmen, we'll be talented but still young. It'll be the year after next, year four of our rebuilding, that we'll be ready to go to war."

The loss to Rochester drops Cornell to 2-2. The Raiders finish out their 2024 schedule with Winchester Thurston and Beaver County Christian, then in January begin their section schedule.

Cornell played its best game in Coach Ed Dawson's 10 years Friday night but it wasn't quite enough, as unbeaten #1 Fort Cherry hung on for a 27-20 win that went down to the final 90 seconds.

Fort Cherry, whose enrollment qualifies it to be in Class 2A but somehow remains in 1A, trotted out a 44 man roster next to Cornell's 22. The Rangers were led by All American QB and Defensive Back Matt Sieg, who has been pursued by a dozen Division I colleges and signed last week with Penn State. Sieg, a 6-0 180 junior, entered the game having run for 1,155 yards and 20 touchdowns and passed for 871 yards and 16 TDs. He has a cannon for an arm, is elusive in the backfield, is the fastest player on the field, and is a powerful and punishing runner very hard for a single tackler to bring down. He also captains the defense and has been the reason Fort Cherry has held opponents to 12 points a game for the last two seasons. Fort Cherry has stifled Cornell 35-6 and 42-13 in their last two regular season meetings. Sieg is so good on defense many colleges have been recruiting him for that position instead of at quarterback.

So Fort Cherry entered this game favored by 21 points. But Cornell thought otherwise. The Raiders are pretty proud of their defense, too. They've held some pretty potent offenses to one touchdown or less. And their defensive line has been solid.

Fort Cherry won the coin toss and chose to receive. Cornell promptly held the Rangers to zero, three yards, and minus three to force a punt. Cornell took over on its own 36. After two gains of four yards each, Khylil Johnson (#20 in photo above) scampered 56 yards for a touchdown with 8:51 left in the first quarter. The PAT kick failed, but Cornell led 6-0.

Again Cornell held Fort Cherry to zero, two yards and zero to force a punt. Cornell took over on its own 29. Demar Williams ran 32 yards to the Fort Cherry 38, Johnson ran to the 14, and Mark Stuckey (#15 in photo left) passed to Mikey Keyes on the one. Walter Clarit (#7 in photo below) ran it in from there. The PAT kick failed but Cornell led 12-0 with 4:09 left in the first quarter.

For a third time, Cornell's defense held Fort Cherry to three and out. But as play moved into the second quarter, Cornell couldn't move the ball, either.

Finally, Sieg took over. He started firing short passes and running for gains of five and six yards each. With 8:04 left in the second quarter, he ran in from the five yard line and with the PAT kick Fort Cherry trailed only 12-7.

Cornell stalled after two first downs and Fort Cherry took over on its own 39. Sieg passed for eight, then ran it down to the Cornell 11. Three plays later he ran the TD in and with the PAT kick the Rangers led 14-12 with 1:16 til halftime.

The teams exchanged possessions in the third quarter until Sieg passed 12 yards to Shane Cornali with 7:40 left. The PAT kick made it 21-12.

The teams battled back and forth between the 40s for the rest of the third, but in the fourth Sieg scored on a 21 yard run to make it 27-12 with 10:51.

But Cornell wasn't done. Johnson ran it down to the Fort Cherry 19, and Stuckey passed to Santana Lee (#22 in photo below) for the touchdown. Johnson ran the PAT in to bring Cornell to within 27-20 with 7:11 to go.

Cornell had momentum, and if it could regain possession it could have scored again and either tied the game, forcing overtime, or gone for two and won it. But first they had to get the ball back.

Fort Cherry took over on its own 31 and began grinding out yards and using up clock. Three times Cornell forced fourth down situations. Each time Fort Cherry went for it rather than punt. Each time they barely got the first down.

On the final fourth down, at the Cornell 34, with 1:30 left, it appeared the ball was short. Cornell players began celebrating and Fort Cherry players were expressing frustration. But the officials brought out the chains and awarded Fort Cherry the first down. That was the game. With Dawson out of time outs, Sieg dropped to a knee on each play to run out the clock.

Sieg ran 30 times for 185 yards and three TDs. He completed seven of 16 passes for 65 yards and another TD.

But Sieg's defense probably won the game. Five times he chased down Cornell runners and tackled them when it appeared they were headed for TDs. Once he caught Williams (#2 in photo below) and four times he caught Johnson. Every time the runner had evaded everyone else and was in what appeared to be open field. But Sieg's speed allowed him to catch them. Notice in the photo below, far to the right, Sieg (#3) moving to intercept Williams.

Fort Cherry ran up 257 yards to Cornell's 223, rushed for 199 yards to Cornell's 184 and passed for 58 yards to Cornell's 39. Johnson totalled 90 yards and Clarit 50 yards.

Clarit, Keyes, Lee and several linemen and defensive backs took the loss particularly hard, since it ended their Cornell careers. Linebacker Ashton Jones took it the hardest since he left the game with an injury in the second quarter and watched his final game from the sidelines in the second half. "Losing him definitely hurt," Dawson admitted. "He's been one of our key defensive players, one of our leaders."

"This is the hardest part of coaching," Cornell Coach Ed Dawson said after the game with players crying all around him and parents and fans on the field. "The thing about making the playoffs is every team but one ends the season with a loss. And the further you go the harder the loss is to take. This is the most resilient team I've had. They played hard. They gave everything they had. But tonight it wasn't enough."

Cornell is the smallest public high school in Pennsylvania still fielding an 11 man football team, and the Raiders have now made the playoffs three of the last four years, during which they've finished 9-3, 4-5, 8-3 and 9-3. They have players now playing in college off all those teams. Dawson is a perennial candidate for Coach of the Year and several assistants are candidates for various position coach awards.

Both Cornell and Leechburg came into the WPIAL Playoffs with explosive offenses. The difference was Cornell also had a stingy defense.

That allowed the Raiders to outgun the Blue Devils 34-20 Friday night at the Leechburg Stadium and advance to a quarterfinal rematch with old nemesis Fort Cherry.

The computer rated the game as a tossup. Leechburg was the #8 seed and Cornell #9. Both were 8-2. But Cornell never trailed.

The Raiders did, however, get one break on their first score. After the first quarter ended 0-0, Cornell QB Mark Stuckey's 26 yard pass bounced off the hands of Blue Devil defender Jayden Floyd before Cornell's Isiah Dawson (the coach's son) caught it for his first career TD. Walter Clarit ran the PAT in for an 8-0 advantage.

90 seconds later Floyd ran it in from the three yard line. But Leechburg tried to go for two to tie the game and the pass fell incomplete, so Cornell hung on to an 8-6 lead.

With 1:16 left til halftime, on fourth down with eight yards to go, Khylil Johnson took a pitchout from Stuckey and fired a 26 yard pass to Mikey Keys in the end zone. The PAT kick failed but Cornell took a 14-6 lead to halftime.

Johnson opened the second half with a spectacular 62 yard run down the sideline for his 24th touchdown of the year. Three times Leechburg tacklers appeared to have him stopped but Johnson wriggled free, regained his balance and kept going. Again the PAT kick failed but Cornell led 20-6.

It wouldn't last.

Floyd ran around right end for 19 yards to score and bring the Blue Devils within eight at 20-12. But the PAT pass fell incomplete.

With 9:00 left in the fourth quarter, Floyd powered in from the one, then ran the conversion in to tie the game at 20-20.

Cornell's drive stalled and the Raiders punted, then forced a three and out. But the clock was down to 7:00, and Leechburg needed the ball back. So the Blue Devils gambled on a low short punt. It was a mistake. Cornell's Damian Blackwell caught it off the bounce on the Leechburg 48 and ran it back down the sideline for the TD. Stuckey found Keyes for the PAT pass and Cornell led 28-20.

Again, Cornell's defense forced a three and out and Leechburg had to punt. Stuckey passed 24 yards to Johnson to put Cornell up 34-20.

In all, Stuckey passed for 143 yards. Johnson rushed for 110 yards and now has 25 TDs on the season. Floyd ended his career with over a thousand yards rushing and another thousand yards passing. In this game he had 168 yards rushing and three TDs. He has quarterbacked Leechburg to the best three years in school history.

Cornell is now 9-2 but will be heavy underdogs against Fort Cherry.

Neither the computer nor the committee did Cornell any favors in the WPIAL Playoff draw released Saturday afternoon.

The Raiders (8-2) must travel to Leechburg (8-2) Friday night for a 7 pm matchup. Leechburg is in the far northeast quadrant of the WPIAL, above New Kensington and Freeport, a 90 minute drive through heavy rush hour traffic up the Allegheny River Corridor.

The Blue Devils have a high scoring offense and playing them at their stadium will be a challenge.

And the winner a week later will play Fort Cherry, the #1 team in the WPIAL and the state and a team that defeated Cornell 35-6 during the regular season.

Five teams Cornell played during the season made the playoffs, indicating how tough the Raider schedule was.

Khylil Johnson scored four touchdowns Friday night as Cornell pounded Monessen 41-6 to earn the Black Hills Conference's third berth in the WPIAL playoffs.

Johnson (#20 with ball, right) scored on runs of 26, 28, 35 and 53 yards. He totaled 181 yards for the night.

But it was senior Walter Clarit who began the scoring barrage in the second quarter with a 10 yard sprint. Clarit ran for 133 yards on the evening. After Johnson's first TD and Monessen's only score of the night, a four yard run by Tyvaugh Kershaw, Cornell led 15-6 at halftime. Then Johnson's two third quarter TDs put the game out of reach.

Cornell scored a safety early in the fourth quarter, and Johnson added his final touchdown. Santana Lee's six yard TD concluded scoring. Cornell ran up 425 yards of offense.

The win means that Cornell, the smallest public school in Pennsylvania still fielding an 11 man football team, ends the regular season 8-2 and has reached the playoffs two straight years, three of the last four, and narrowly missed the other year on a missed PAT on the last game of the season.

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Khylil Johnson ran for three touchdowns and scored a fourth on a pass from quarterback Mark Stuckey to lead Cornell over Chartiers Houston 46-14 Friday night.

The win left Cornell 7-2 on the season and sets up a showdown with Monessen this Friday in Coraopolis at Frank Letteri Stadium for the Black Hills Conference's third berth in the WPIAL playoffs. Bishop Canevin made sure of that Saturday by spanking Monessen 56-20. The loss left Monessen 7-2 and tied with Cornell for third in the Black Hills Conference.

Each conference has three guaranteed berths in the playoffs. A WPIAL committee has a few at large berths to hand out but there are several seven win Class A teams this year so an at large berth is not guaranteed. The only way Cornell can assure itself of a berth is to beat Monessen.

At Chartiers Houston, Johnson (photo, left) ran 10, 16 and 74 yards for the game's first three touchdowns. Cornell led 19-0 at that point.

Chartiers Houston scored one of its own to cut the lead to 19-7. Then Paris Green returned a punt 35 yards to send Cornell to halftime leading 26-7.

Workhorse fullback Walter Clarit took over in the third quarter with one 30 yard touchdown run and a 19 yard interception runback, which set up Stuckey's pass to Johnson.

Both Cornell and Monessen have lost only to #1 Fort Cherry and #2 Bishop Canevin. Cornell, however, played Canevin much closer at 29-22. Cornell had led almost the entire game until the Crusaders scored with 1:44 left. Cornell won the overall statistics battle by a wide margin. And Cornell failed to score with a 1-10 on the one yard line. Except for three huge defensive breakdowns, Cornell ran up 222 yards of offense to Canevin's 99. The Raiders totaled 29 first downs to Canevin's 19. And, thanks to a powerful kicking game, Cornell held the best field position all night

On a cool but clear Friday night at historic Rochester Stadium, Cornell rolled to its sixth win of the season, 40-22. The Rams have won eight WPIAL and three state championships and came into this game after 42-7 and 49-28 wins but the Raiders struck first and never trailed.

And it didn't take them long to strike. Cornell took the kickoff and started on its own 36. Walter Clarit gained 13 yards on a pass and run, Khylil Johnson added 14 on another pass and run, and Johnson caught Mark Stuckey's 35 yard pass for the TD with only 1:50 gone. The PAT was short but Cornell led 6-0.

Rochester started on its 34 and ground out four first downs, then Patrick Bauble hit Antonio Laure with 3:24 left in the first quarter. The Rams tried to pass for a two point PAT but it fell incomplete and the score was tied 6-6.

But not for long. Cornell took the kickoff on its 44 and on the first play from scrimmage Johnson hit Mikey Keyes (#17 in photo below with ball in the upper left corner) for the TD. Sam DaSilva kicked the PAT for a 13-6 lead.

Rochester went three and out and punted and Cornell took over on its 28 as the quarter ended. Clarit ran 22 yards to the 50, Johnson caught a pass on the Rochester 21, and one play later caught a pass in the end zone (as seen in photo at right). Cornell tried a two point PAT but the pass fell incomplete so the Raiders led 19-6.

The teams traded possessions but midway through the quarter Rochester launched a long drive with four first downs, the last one on the Cornell 11. Laure ran it in and then ran the PAT for two so Rochester trailed only 19-14 with 2:42 left till half.

Cornell responded with a drive of its own, with five first downs, the last one on the Rochester four. Stuckey got to the one on a keeper and Johnson ran around end for the TD. DaSilva's PAT kick made it 26-14 with 0:16 til halftime.

The third quarter was messy, hard to watch, and took 40 minutes to play. Both teams were penalized frequently, mostly for unsportsmanlike conduct, false starts and offsides. Interceptions and fumbles kept trading possession back and forth.

Finally, with 0:29 left, Rochester's Logan Lyons ran it in from the five and Braden Siget ran the PAT in for two points. So the Rams trailed only 26-22.

Incrrdibly, in 29 seconds, Cornell took over on its own 42, Johnson ran to the Rochester one, and Clarit ran it in for the TD. Clarit also ran the PAT in to give the Raiders a 34-22 lead as the quarter ended.

That set up a dramatic fourth quarter. The teams traded possessions until Santana Lee (#22 in photo below) ran in from the 15 to make it 40-22. The photo appears as if Lee is heading into a horde of Rochester tacklers, but he pivoted to the outside and made the goal line.

The PAT kick was blocked.

Cornell kicked off and Rochester fumbled. Cornell recovered for a first down on the Rochester 35. But on the next play a Rochester player went down with a serious injury.

While both teams knelt on the sidelines, an ambulance was summoned. The drama was heightened because just last week another Rochester player had been hospitalized with a football injury and was still in the hospital. There was a long delay while every precaution was taken to load the player onto a stretcher and into the ambulance.

Finally the Rochester coach approached Cornell Coach Ed Dawson and asked to call the game. Dawson agreed.

The win leaves Cornell 6-2 on the season with games left at Chartiers Houston and home against Monessen.

Fort Cherry defeated Bishop Canevin Friday so leads the Black Hills Conference with an undefeated record. Canevin is tied for second with Monessen with one loss. Monessen lost to Fort Cherry earlier and plays at Bishop Canevin this Friday. Canevin is heavily favored. If they win, Monessen will have two losses and be tied with Cornell for third place.

Assuming Cornell handles Chartiers Houston this Friday, that will set up a showdown at Cornell the last night of the season between Monessen and Cornell for the conference's third berth in the WPIAL playoffs.

The loser could receive an at large bid, but there's no guarantee of that. There are several strong Class A teams this year and only a few at large bids. The only way for Cornell to guarantee itself a postseason berth is to win its two remaining games.

But Cornell fans will definitely be cheering for Canevin to defeat Monessen. If Monessen wins, it would leave the Greyhounds with only one loss, so they would be in sole possession of second place. Canevin and Cornell would be tied for third, but since Canevin beat Cornell, Canevin would go to the playoffs.

However, if Cornell then beat Monessen a week later, it would leave all three with two losses. Cornell would have a win over Monessen, Canevin a win over Cornell and Monessen a win over Canevin. So to break the tie the WPIAL would go to a complicated formula involving team statistics. All three would make the playoffs but the third place team would receive the better draw.

Still smarting from their 29-22 loss to Bishop Canevin, Cornell struck back Friday night in a 38-6 win over Serra Catholic in a Black Hills Conference game.

Walter Clarit (#7 in photo, right) turned in one of the finest games in his career with three touch downs and 119 yards.

And Clarit didn't take long to get started. He returned the opening kickoff 55 yards for a touchdown, putting Cornell up 6-0 only 10 seconds in. The PAT failed.

The teams exchanged possessions until Khylil Johnson scored on a 22 yard run just before the first quarter ended. Sam DaSilva kicked the PAT and Cornell led 13-0.

Clarit struck again just before halftime with a 33 yard TD run. DaSilva's PAT failed but Cornell led 19-0 at the break.

Damian Blackwell ran the next one in from the seven yard line halfway through the third quarter. DaSilva kicked this PAT and Cornell led 26-0.

In the fourth quarter Clarit ran one in from the 35 and Paris Green ran from the four. Both PATS failed and Cornell led 38-0.

Serra's only score was Marcus Holt running from the 14. The two point conversion attempt failed for the final 38-6 score.

Cornell, now 5-1 and in third place in the Black Hills, braces for its biggest game of the year, a Friday night clash at Fort Cherry against the #1 team in WPIAL Class A and #2 team in the state. Fort Cherry junior quarterback Matt Sieg has been struggling with a broken thumb but is still a powerful runner and blocker.

Cornell suffered its first loss of the season Friday night to undefeated #3 ranked Bishop Canevin 29-22. The loss was heartbreaking for several reasons. Cornell had led almost the entire game until the Crusaders scored with 1:44 left. Cornell won the overall statistics battle by a wide margin. And Cornell players have to live with knowing they had the game won and gave it away with several mental errors plus failing to score with a 1-10 on the one yard line.

Except for three huge defensive breakdowns, Cornell ran up 222 yards of offense to Canevin's 99. The Raiders totaled 29 first downs to Canevin's 19. And, thanks to a powerful kicking game, Cornell held the best field position all night.

Quarterback Mark Stuckey (#15 preparing to pass in photo below) completed nine of 17 passes for 83 yards and running back Walter Clarit gained 71 yards and scored two touchdowns. Receiver Mikey Keys (#17 in bottom photo) and running back Khylil Johnson (#20 at right) turned in their usual strong performances. Kicker Sam DaSilva (#18 in photo below right) added two more extra points.

And still Cornell found ways to lose the game.

Canevin scored with 5:19 to go in the first quarter to take an early 7-0 lead as Kole Olszewski hit Damar Olds with a 58 yard pass and Leo Shorthouse kicked the PAT.

After cranking out four first downs, Clarit punted to the Canevin one inch line. A play later the ball was downed in the end zone for a safety, making the score 7-2 and forcing the Crusaders to kickoff from their own 20.

Cornell took over on the Canevin 43. Clarit, Johnson, Ashton Jones and Paris Green took turns running the ball as the Raiders ground out four first downs and Clarit ran it in from the two. DaSilva's PAT put Cornell up 9-7 with 7:48 in the second.

A great Clarit kickoff put Canevin on its own 20 and a Damarr Williams sack forced a punt. Cornell took over on the Canevin 45. Two first downs later Johnson ran 15 yards for the TD and Cornell led 15-7 with 3:40 til halftime. The PAT was blocked.

Canevin received in the third quarter, ground out four plays and a first down, and then Cornell defenders committed the first of three huge mental lapses. No one was back, allowing Olshewski to hit a wide open Olds with a 46 yard pass and TD. Oszewski then hit Henry Barbish for the two point conversion to tie the game at 15-15 with 8:40.

Cornell took over on its own 41. Johnson both running and receiving, Clarit running out of the Wildcat formation (taking snaps directly from center), and Keyes making a tremendous catch in double coverage moved the ball down to the three, where Clarit ran it in. DaSilva's PAT put Cornell up 22-25 with 5:24.

Canevin took over on its own 35, ran two plays, and Green recovered a fumble on the 43. Cornell cranked out two first downs but could not score, and Canevin retook possession. The Crusaders did earn four first downs and get to the Cornell 26 but Johnson intercepted a pass on the 20 as play moved to the fourth quarter.

But Cornell stalled and had to punt at 10:13. Another great punt put Canevin on its own 21. But Cornell defenders committed their second huge mental error of the night. No one was back, and Olszewski hit Myontae Mott with a 60 yard pass for the TD. The Shorthouse PAT again tied the game at 22-22 with 6:10.

The teams exchanged possessions until Cornell recovered a fumble on the Canevin 11 yard line with 4:48. Santana Lee caught a pass for a first down on the one yard line.

But a run for no gain, two incomplete passes, and a field goal too low, and Cornell failed to score. So with 1:48 to go in the game, Canevin took over.

At which time Cornell defenders again had no one back. This time Oszewski hit Jayden Lindsey with an 80 yard pass for the winning TD.

It was a bitter loss because a win was so close and would have put Cornell in great position for a playoff berth. The Raiders now have to find three wins in a stretch of five strong opponents four of which will be favored.

Cornell does have four wins, but only one of them is in the Black Hills Conference. Nonconference wins may count toward seeding or an at large berth but only conference wins count toward guaranteed playoff berths.

The top three teams in each conference are guaranteed a playoff berth. Fort Cherry and Bishop Canevin sit atop the conference with undefeated records. Cornell, Monessen, Serra Catholic and Chartiers Houston all have one loss.

Cornell plays Serra Catholic this Friday at home, then must play Chartiers Houston and Fort Cherry on the road before finishing at home against Monessen. A nonconference game at Rochester also remains.

Cornell escaped serious injury against Canevin but Keyes, Johnson and Clarit all left the game momentarily with minor injuries. With no backups, keeping all its starters healthy is critical for the Raiders.

The loss dropped Cornell from the top five in WPIAL Class A. Those spots now belong to Fort Cherry, Clairton, Bishop Canevin, South Side and Leechburg.

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For the fourth straight week, opposing coaches credited Cornell's multifaceted offense with the Raiders onesided victory.

"They have so many weapons," Burgettstown coaches said after Cornell blitzed the Blue Devils 42-0 at historic Edwin Hill Memorial stadium, a 1920 facility lovingly updated and maintained in honor of the town's first state football championship and its star player who went on to become a college All American.

"You can't key your defense on any of them because the others will beat you," they explained.

Cornell's array of weapons includes something new --- a kicker.

In the modern era, Cornell has struggled with extra points. A long series of kickers have averaged less than 50%. The Raiders have lost games every season due to missed PATs, sometimes failing to make the playoffs or being bounced from the playoffs too early due to those misses.

Enter Sam DaSilva. Suddenly Cornell has found a kicker who hits them all. DaSilva (#18 kicking in photo at left while #7 Walter Clarit holds) set a school record Friday night with six consecutive made extra points. In past years Cornell has gone entire months without making six extra points. And DaSilva is only a 6-0 138 sophomore, so he'll be around for two more years.

But the key weapons also include 6-2 190 senior Mikey Keyes (#17 in photo at right), an acrobatic wide receiver who continues to bring fans to their feet with seemingly impossible catches; Walter Clarit (#7 in photo below), a hard nosed power runner who can bull his way up the middle or shift into high gear and take off around either end; and Khylil Johnson (#20 in bottom photo), a 5-10 185 junior who is fast, quick, powerful and has the best body balance since Nick Spinelli back in 1959. Time after time Johnson is tackled by one or two defenders and somehow wrestles free and picks up five or 10 more yards. He scores running back kickoffs or punts, catching passes or taking handoffs or pitchouts.

The arsenal also includes Mark Stuckey, the 5-11 165 junior quarterback who played the last two years for Allderdice in the City League, and senior running backs 5-7 150 Santana Lee and 5-11 200 Ashton Jones.

Add to this an offensive line that consistently opens holes up the middle and a defensive line that refuses to allow any opponent to run up the middle, and it's no wonder opposing coaches are shaking their heads.

Friday night at Burgettstown, Cornell received the opening kickoff for a first down on its own 30, ran Clarit up the middle for 11 yards and a first down on the Cornell 41, then hit Johnson for a 59 yard pass and run for the first TD. DaSilva kicked the PAT and the Raiders led 7-0 after only 60 seconds.

The Blue Devils went three and out and punted and Cornell started on its own 27. Clarit ran 40 yards to the Burgettstown 30, Lee picked up six and five for a first down on the B19, Keyes and Clarit gained seven and eight for a first down on the B4, and Stuckey scored on a quarterback keeper. DaSilva kicked the PAT and Cornell led 14-0 with 5:28 left in the first Q.

Burgettstown didn't have the ball long. A long pass was intercepted by Keyes. His 80 yard runback was nullified by a penalty but the flag fell after the interception, so Cornell kept the ball. Stuckey then passed to Johnson who took it 52 yards for a TD. DaSilva kicked the PAT and the Raiders led 21-0 with 3:49 left in the first Q.

On its next possession Btown cranked out two first downs but then Lee recovered a fumble on the Cornell 40. As play moved to the second quarter, the Raiders ground out five first downs, mostly on passes to Keyes and 5-9 150 senior Damian Blackwell, runs by Clarit, and finally a short run in by Clarit. DaSilva kicked the PAT and Cornell led 28-0.

By now Cornell Coach Ed Dawson was substituting freely and the scoring pace slowed down.

But to start the third quarter the Blue Devils stalled and punted and Johnson ran it back 85 yards. DaSilva kicked the PAT and Cornell led 35-0.

With Cornell reserves in, the teams exchanged possessions back and forth until in the fourth quarter 5-8 127 freshman Jalil Turner intercepted a Btown pass on the Cornell 46.

Clarit ran for 35 yards and Stuckey hit Keyes in the end zone. With DaSilva's PAT Cornell led 42-0 and both sides let the reserves finish out the game.

Stuckey completed nine of 13 passes for 155 yards. Clarit ran for 115 yards, Keyes caught passes for 51 yards, and Johnson accounted for 215 yards.

Cornell is now 4-0, ranked #4 in WPIAL Class A, and has allowed only 12 points total by four opponents. Six points of those were field goals, so Cornell has given up only one touchdown all year.

But now Cornell enters a difficult three game stretch. The Raiders play Bishop Canevin Friday at home, Serra Catholic the following week at home, then travel to Fort Cherry. All three are conference games. Canevin is ranked #3 and Fort Cherry #1. (Clairton is #2 and South Side #5)

As Catholic schools, Canevin and Serra can both recruit, and they both assemble rosters from throughout the South Hills and the southern side of Pittsburgh.

Cornell has been lucky so far in not having any injuries to any of its starters. With no depth, the Raiders would be seriously crippled if a few of its skill players, or any of its starting linemen, went down.

The computer favors Canevin by seven points this Friday.

Cornell didn't waste any time Saturday against Riverview. The Raiders scored three quick touchdowns for a 19-0 lead before all of the fans had even found their seats. The final score was 52-9 and could have been a lot worse had Coach Ed Dawson not substituted freely in the second half.

Rich at the skills positions, with speed and quickness everywhere, the Raiders have outscored opponents 123-12 in three games. No team has gained 100 yards against them or run up the middle against them and the only touchdown was scored by Riverside late in the 4th quarter against the reserves on defense.

Saturday, Khylil Johnson (#20 in the photo at right) ran the opening kickoff back 95 yards to make it 6-0.

Riverview couldn't move the ball and punted it back to Cornell, which drove down to the three, where Walter Clarit ran it in for 12-0.

Again Cornell's defense held and Riverview had to punt. Johnson ran this one back 75 yards and Sam DeSilva (photo, left) kicked the P.A.T for 19-0.

Cornell began substituting and Riverview ground out three first downs to get to the Raider 46. Their drive stalled and Drew Hunter kicked a 46 yard field goal. So the first quarter ended 19-3.

Cornell opened the second quarter with Mark Stuckey passing 32 yards to Johnson. DeSilva kicked the P.A.T. to make it 26-3.

Again, Cornell's defense held and Riverview could not move the ball from its own two yard line. The punt slid off the kicker's foot and went out of bounds, giving Cornell a first down on the 10. Two plays later Clarit scampered in from the three to make it 32-3.

On the next possession, Demarr Williams intercepted a Riverview pass at the Riverview 12 and one play later Stuckey hit Mikey Keys (#17 in photo below) in the end zone. DeSilva kicked the P.A.T. and Cornell led 39-3.

Cornell's defense held and Riverview had to punt. Cornell took over on the Riverview 42. On the first play from scrimmage Clarit ran it in. DeSilva's P.A.T. kick made it 46-3. A Keyes interception ended the half.

At the end of the third Paris Green scored Cornell's final TD from the two yard line.

Riverview QB Rio Stotts passed to Max Kratt from the four in the fourth quarter to make it 52-9.

Cornell now begins Black Hills Conference play Friday night at Burgettstown. In its first two games Burgettstown has defeated Bentworth 11-6 but lost to Jefferson Morgan 49-14. The Blue Devils are bigger than Cornell and have more players but are not as fast or quick and do not have the skills players. Were the game at Cornell the Raiders would be clear favorites but Burgettstown is hard to beat at home. So Cornell will be favored but only slightly.

Cornell battled through rain, lightning and hour long delays Friday night to suffocate the WPIAL's #1 running back and surprise his California Trojans 27-3.

5-9 170 senior tailback Lee Qualk (#4 in photos left and below) last week carried 39 times for 383 yards, caught one pass, totaled 422 yards, scored six TDs with two others called back, and scored two two point conversions. He leads all WPIAL running backs across all divisions.

But Cornell Coach Ed Dawson wasn't having it. "Nobody's coming in here and scoring six touchdowns or running up 400 yards. I don't care if he's an All American playing up in 5A. Nobody."

Sure enough, Cornell shut Qualk down. Completely. The California line was not able to open up the holes for him, which forced him to run around the ends. Every time he got the ball he was surrounded by three Cornell tacklers. He carried the ball 41 times for -25 yards, the worst night of his career. 14 times he was tackled in the backfield for loss.

And with Qualk stifled, California had no other weapons.

Cornell, it turned out, had plenty of weapons.

They started with Walter Clarit, a 5-9, 185 senior who is quick, fast, strong and very hard to bring down. That's Clarit (#7) in the panoramic photo above and again below. He ran in Cornell's first TD with 2:33 left in the first quarter. The P.A.T. run attempt failed but the Raiders led 6-0.

California and Qualk did mount a sustained drive late in the first, rolling to three first downs and the ball on the six. But a critical Damar Williams tackle put the ball back on the 10 and the Trojans settled for a Christian Ross field goal just as the second quarter began. So they trailed 6-3.

That woke Cornell up. On the next possession Clarit ran 55 yards to the Cal 10. A sack put it back on the 15, but Khylil Johnson ran it in from there for the TD. Again the P.A.T. run attempt failed but Cornell led 12-3 with 10:42 left til halftine.

The teams traded punts until 4:05 remained, when Damian Blackwell ran one back 60 yards . Sam DaSilva kicked the P.A.T. and Cornell led 19-3.

A series of penalties and a sack forced California to punt, and Cornell took over on its 48. Santana Lee ran it to the Cal 39, Blackwell to the 25, Mikey Keyes caught a pass on the two, and Clarit churned in for the TD. Mark Stuckey passed to Lee in the end zone for the 27-3 lead with 18 seconds left til halftime.

Both marching bands performed at halftime in perfectly good weather. Then, just as the teams were coming back out for the second half, the skies opened up and heavy rains hit, along with plenty of thunder and lightning.

Those at the Cornell game had no way of knowing this, but all round them at Aliquippa, West Allegheny, Moon, etc. games were being cancelled.

At Frank Letteri Stadium, officials sent teams back to the dressing rooms and waited. An hour later the lightning had subsided and they allowed play to resume. By now it was 10 pm, the field was swampy, and the rains continued to fall.

The second half was a mess and seemed to take forever to complete. Not only were there penalties on almost every play, but on many plays there were multiple penalties.

On one play Cornell was called for four different violations totalling 40 yards.

Ashton Jones and Keyes both caught long passes which would have accounted for TDs but both were called back due to penalties.

Clarit, however, was Cornell's workhorse through the rain and mud and penalties. He turned in the kind of performance everyone had expected to see from Qualk, one after the other of grinding runs up the middle.

California never did score a TD. It was their fewest points scored in 10 years.

And against a team priding itself on its defense, it was the most points run up in a regular season game in two years and the fourth most during the regular season in the Ed Woods era.

Key to the win was the fact that sophomores Kenny Wade and Salomon Bance have developed ahead of schedule in their roles on the offensive and defensive lines. Wade in particular has proven to be a very reliable Center. Cornell is having no fumbles or play delays due to mishandled snaps.

Cornell's luck held and they escaped with no major injuries. But Dawson gave them three days off.

"I'll see you Tuesday," he told the players. "Thank you for a tremendous effort tonight. But this was a hard fought game, a physical game, and I know you're beat up and bruised. Go home and rest. Give your bodies time to heal. We don't play til Saturday next week so that gives us an extra day to rest."

Several players wanted to skip the days off and get right to work on Riverview, but Dawson waved them off. With no backups at any position, he's being as careful as possible. A well rested player is a lot less likely to get injured.

The Riverview game is scheduled for a noon kickoff this Saturday. The school is located at 100 Hulton Road in Oakmont, which is a small town 10 miles up the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh. The stadium is in Riverside Park which is adjacent to the school.

Riverview opened its season Friday night by defeating Class AAA Valley 38-36. It has 40 players on its roster (compared to Cornell's 24) and returns most of its players from a 5-5 season in 2023.

Riverview doesn't have the skill players Cornell does but has size and weight advantages and has backups at every position, so can substitute freely.

The computer favors Cornell but this could be a trap game, coming between an emotional upset of California and a must win game at Burgettstown next week.

After an easy opening game win over 4A Brashear, Cornell braces for the first of nine tough games against the top teams in WPIAL Class A.

California, currently ranked #3 in Class A, comes to town for a Friday night 7 pm matchup. The Trojans present a huge challenge for Cornell. Last year the Mon Valley school won the Tri County Conference with a 7-0 record and went 9-1 overall, losing only to 2A Waynesburg. California made the playoffs, beating Jeanette 44-6 before losing to Canevin in the semifinals.

Cal Coach Ed Woods is in his seventh year with the Trojans and 27th year coaching overall. Cal has made the playoffs eight straight years and is heavily favored to win the conference and make it nine straight. They pounded highly rated Serra Catholic 62-26 last week, running up over 500 yards of offense.

This is not the powerhouse of last year. The Trojans graduated 10 seniors, 70% of their offense, including 45 TDs. However, like any top program, they always have competent replacements coming up.

Their most important replacement is 5-9 170 senior tailback Lee Qualk (photo, left). Last year he produced 691 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. He spent Spring on the Track team, where he won the WPIAL 100 meter dash with an 11.24 time, and the WPIAL long jump with a 22.2.5 distance. Qualk says he'd like to compete in both Track and Football in college.

Against Serra, he carried 39 times for 383 yards, caught one pass, totaled 422 yards gained, scored six TDs with two others called back, and scored two two point conversions. This earned him the #1 ranking among all WPIAL runners across all classes.

He's fast and quick but still does most of his running straight up the middle as his line opens up holes. California is proud of its tradition as a powerful running team, but Woods actually emphasizes Defense and takes pride in holding opponents to only one TD a game, that usually coming late when the reserves are in.

To have a chance of upsetting the Trojans, Cornell's line must hold strong and not allow Qualk to break through the middle. But if they force him to run around the ends, Cornell must not let him turn the corner. Once in the open field, he's faster than anyone Cornell has. In preparation for Qualk, Cornell spent time this week on rolling wheel tackling drills (see panoramic photo above).

California doesn't pass much, but does so to keep the defenses honest. Their top receiver is senior Vinny Manzella.

Despite their 44-0 win over Brashear, Cornell made lots of mistakes. They missed or slipped tackles and blocks. California is an opportunistic team, making very few mistakes of its own while taking advantage of those by their opponents. Cornell must avoid mistakes to have a chance of upsetting the Trojans.

Cornell's spent time working on its kicking game. Against Brashear, the Raiders failed to convert points after touch downs four times. In a close game, those four points could be critical.

Cornell also reviewed its offensive plays (see photo below)

The computer ranks California as a 21 point favorite.

All Cornell Coach Ed Dawson really wanted was a good zero week scrimmage. He likes two scrimmages before a nine game season. But nobody would scrimmage him. So, reluctantly, he agreed to an actual game.

It was a risky move. Cornell already faces the toughest schedule in Class A, and the team wanting the scrimmage was 4A Pittsburgh City League Brashear. And they wanted it at their place. Brashear has 1500 students, 10 times the enrollment of little Cornell, the smallest public high school in Pennsylvania still fielding an 11 man football team.

But Dawson believes in this team, with its experience and talent at the skill positions and a stout offensive and defensive line. So he rolled the dice.

What he got was a signature win that sent up red flags all across Class A. These Raiders, apparently, are for real.

It was sad that this game was scheduled at the last minute and not well announced, because very few fans or media were there. They missed experiencing one of the finest stadiums in the WPIAL and all of Pennsylvania. Just for Cornell to have the chance to play in it was enriching.

That big red brick building in the background of the photo above was South High School, built in 1897. South Stadium was built over an old graveyard and there have always been stories about the place being haunted and steelworkers' ghosts roaming around. The stadium has always been one of the biggest and best, but the Pittsburgh City Schools tired of taking care of 10 expensive facilities around the city and decided it would upgrade South Stadium and make it everyone's home field. So it invested $20 million and began playing five games a week there on Thursday night, Friday afternoon and night and Saturday afternoon and night. Pittsburgh schools now practice on their own fields but play all home games here. In 2010 the PPS invested another $2 million to bring the facility to 21st Century standards and renamed it George Cupples Stadium.

Currently, Cupples Stadium seats 9700. It features a $400,000 turf playing surface, the same surface used by NFL teams and installed by the same company. It has a new scoreboard, new drainage and subdrainage, new mercury beam lights, new dressing rooms and new concession stands. It's on the National Historic Register. South High has been closed. It students now go to Brashear.

So it was into this environment that Cornell came on a bright Saturday afternoon. And the Raiders didn't lose any time taking control.

In the first quarter, Mark Stuckey fired an eight yard pass to Khylil Johnson (#20, photo left) in the end zone. The kick failed and Cornell led 6-0.

Brashear couldn't move the ball and Cornell took over. Stuckey passed 37 yards to Mikey Keyes for the TD and this time Sam DaSilva's kick was good. Cornell led 13-0.

Brashear again stalled and Cornell took over. Walter Clarit ran in from the three to make it 19-0 but the kick failed.

As the second quarter opened, Brashear again could not advance and punted. Johnson (#17 in photo, right) returned the punt 52 yards and Cornell led 25-0. Cornell tried to run in the P.A.T. but that also failed.

Brashear could not advance and when Cornell took over Stuckey passed eight yards to Keyes for the TD. Da Silva made the kick and Cornell led 32-0.

Again Brashear stalled and Cornell took over. Paris Green ran 18 yards for the TD and although the kick failed the Raiders took a 38-0 lead to halftime.

Dawson substituted freely in the second half and Cornell's scoring subsided, but Brashear still could not move the ball. They tried running up the middle and Cornell's line stopped them cold. They tried running it around the ends and Cornell's defensive backs stopped them. They tried passing but Cornell's defenders cut off the receivers. In all, Brashear only achieved one first down.

The second half was played under the mercy rule, with a running clock.

Johnson completed the scoring with a 16 yard run in the fourth quarter. The kick failed.

New quarterback Mark Stuckey threw three touchdown passes. Two of them went to Keyes. Johnson scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one on a punt return.

The win was the second year in a row Cornell has opened a season with a major upset of a much larger school. Last year Cornell upset heavily favored 3A Seton LaSalle 20-19 in its season opener, that one at home at Letteri Stadium.

But the Raiders can't celebrate too long. They face a huge challenge Friday night at home when they play California. The Trojans pounded highly rated Serra Catholic 62-26 Friday while running up 494 yards rushing and 44 yards passing. California's offense consists of one man --- 5-9 170 senior running back Lee Qualik. He ran for 383 yards, which ranks him #1 in the WPIAL. Qualik likes to run up the middle. Opening holes for him is an offensive line of 4 seniors and one junior at 6-5 203, 5-11 200, 6-1 270, 6-3 240 and 6-3 258. Last year California went unbeaten in conference, finished 10-2, made the playoffs, and return most of that team except for the quarterback.

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With two weeks to go before kickoff, this looks more and more like Cornell's best team since reviving football seven years ago. It may be Cornell's best team ever, IF injuries are avoided and a kicking game can be found.

These are big IFs. Football teams rarely go through a season with no major injuries. But it's been done. It's even been done right here. Coraopolis did it in 1959 under Coach Fred Milanovich when it went undefeated and won the championship up in what is now Class 5A. Neville Island did it three times under Coach Vincent Walsh when it won Class B championships. It was also done by Braddock and Aliquippa. So it's possible.

But the other shadow hanging over these Raiders is the schedule. This is officially the toughest schedule of any team in WPIAL Class A. If it was done by the computer, then Ed Dawson is the unluckiest coach around and he should never buy a lottery ticket. If it was done by hand, then someone would seem to have a grudge against Cornell.

The easiest part of the schedule is the first two and last two games. And they are not easy games. California, Riverview, Chartiers Houston and Monessen are all much bigger schools than Cornell with strong football traditions. At least California and Monessen are at home. But Riverview and Chartiers Houston are away. Both are programs which last year were rebuilding and now have 8-10 experienced players back. They'll be tough.

Aug 30 California Home 7 pm

Sept 6 Riverview Away 7 pm

Sept 13 Burgettstown* Away 7 pm

Sept 20 Bishop Canevin* Home 7 pm

Sept 27 Serra Catholic* Home 7 pm

Oct 4 Fort Cherry* Away 7 pm

Oct 11 Rochester Away 7 pm

Oct 18 Chartiers Houston* Away 7 pm

Oct 25 Monessen* Home 7 pm

Yet Cornell must win all four of those games to have a chance. Because the middle five games on the schedule is a murderer's row of traditional powers, four of which always give Cornell trouble and one formidable newcomer.

The computer took away traditional rivals Avella, Union, Sacred Heart and Carlynton and replaced them with Rochester, Serra Catholic, California and Riverview.

Rochester knocked Cornell out of the playoffs last year. The Rams are a traditional football power famous for its grinding running attack. Serra Catholic is a 2A power just now dropping down to Class A.

California, Cornell's first opponent, returns nine seniors from last year's 10-2 team that won its conference, went to the playoffs and pounded Jeanette 40-6 before losing to Canevin in the semifinals. California has been to the play offs four years in a row and is heavily favored to go back this year for its fifth straight trip. It will be a massively challenging opening game for Cornell.

Riverview has 48 boys with 15 seniors back from last year's 5-5 season. They play in the tough Eastern Conference with WPIAL and PIAA powers Clairton, Jeanette, Greensburg Central Catholic. and Springdale. And Cornell must travel to Riverview.

The Murderer's Row part of the schedule includes trips to Burgettstown, until a few years ago a 2A school, to Fort Cherry, with Pennsylvania's best quarterback, to Rochester and home against Bishop Canevin and Serra Catholic.

Burgettstown returns 16 seniors on a 50 man roster. The Blue Devils are still seething over a 14-13 last minute loss to Cornell which prevented them from going to the playoffs. They'll want to avenge that loss and will be at home to do it.

Fort Cherry returns All American QB Matt Sieg and much of the lineup from last year's 15-1 run which included an unbeaten regular season, the WPIAL championship and a loss in the state championship game to Steelton Highspire.

Rochester returns 13 seniors on a 69 man roster. The Rams have gone to five straight playoffs, losing twice in the championship game and last year in the semifinals to Fort Cherry.

Serra Catholic returns 20 seniors on a 70 man roster. The Eagles are a perennial playoff contender, losing in the WPIAL Class 2A championship game and the state 2A championship game in recent years.

Cornell won't be favored in any of those games.

Then the Raiders finish up with a trip to Chartiers Houston and a home game with Monessen. Chartiers Houston had a rare losing season last year but usually finishes about 7-2. 11 seniors return on the 47 man roster, determined to get back to their winning ways. Monessen missed the playoffs last year but previously had gone to three straight. The roster shows 69 players including 17 seniors.

Of all their opponents, the Raiders are the only team with fewer than 40 boys on the roster. They have 20.

Looking at this schedule team by team, it's hard to imagine how Cornell can possibly dream of a winning season and a return to the playoffs.

But Dawson has his weapons, too. He has a stable coaching staff which has been with him for several seasons. He has a core of returning lettermen and sone promising newcomers. He has WPIAL Class A's best line coach who has three experienced, talented studs back and two newcomers with the size, bulk and strength to handle their positions. He has a transfer quarterback who was battle hardened in Class 5A for the last two years. He has eight players who were named to the conference all star teams last year either on offense or defense. He has a fleet of wide receivers and running backs. The majority of his starters worked hard all off season in the weight room.

And they have an attitude. Line Coach Kenny Rainey likes to say, "Bring it on," and his linemen have adopted that view. As Jamarcus Pierce puts it, "I look across the line at those taller, heavier, stronger, opponents and think,'You are not knocking me off my feet. You are not getting past me. I will do whatever it takes, use every trick I know, but you are not going to beat me."

It may be Class A, but this will be big time football, featuring the very best of small school talent. Cornell will face a lot of players being recruited by D-1 Power Conference schools. With this schedule it's hard to bet on the Raiders. But with their recent history, it's hard to bet against them.

Since Coach Ed Dawson revived the football program at Cornell he's had a few disastrous seasons while players got experience but then he had several playoff seasons, including runs as deep as the WPIAL semifinals.

Last year the computer and several experts predicted the Raiders to go 5-5 and miss the playoffs. Instead they surprised everyone by going 7-2 and qualifying.

This year the computer and those same experts are predicting the Raiders to go 6-3 and squeeze out a runnerup playoff berth.

But after a good Spring and Summer in the weight room and in seven on seven competition against much bigger schools, plus eight days of preseason practices, Dawson is beginning to feel cautiously optimistic. He's loaded with seniors with two or three years experience. Even the assistant coaches are optimistic.

"This is the best overall bunch we've had," they confide privately. There are nine seniors.

The two a day regimen this week includes a 9 am practice, lunch, a nap in the library air conditioning (see panoramic photo above), then a 3 pm practice. Wednesday morning, among other skills, they worked on their kicking game. Wednesday afternoon, among other skills, they worked on the blocking sled (see photo below).

Dawson has Logan Farbarcher (5-10, 215 sr.), Jamarcus Pierce (5-9, 230 sr.) and Nick Bennett (6-1, 240 jr. ) back on the line. His two newcomers, Kenny Wade (5-8, 235 soph.) and Salomon Bance (6-2, 290 soph.), have bulk and strength and look more than capable.

His fullback is Walter Clarit (5-9, 185 sr.). At wide receiver he has proven veterans in Mikey Keys (6-2, 190 sr.), Khylil Johnson (6-0 180 jr.) and Santana Lee (5-7, 150 sr.). At running back he has Paris Green (5-7, 170 sr.) and Ashton Jones (5-11, 200 sr.).

At quarterback he has Mark Stuckey (5-11, 165 jr.) who started for 5A Alderdice of the City League.

Stuckey can throw an accurate pass a reasonable distance and is a fast, quick runner. He has learned Cornell's offense and reads defenses well. He's only a junior but seems capable of getting the ball to Cornell's talented wide receivers.

Assuming Kenny Wade handles the center position, there are really only two concerns with this team.

One is depth. There is none. Any injuries at all could derail the season.

The second is the kicking game. Cornell has not had a strong kicking game in Dawson's tenure. Kenny Wade and Walter Clarit will share kicking duties for the first few games. Salomon Bance will be tried. None have above a 50% accuracy rate for PATs or field goals. None are good at precisely placing kickoffs or punts and none consistently kick long distances. In seven years Cornell has lost nine games due to missed PATs and probably would have won five other close contests if they could have consistently pinned teams deep in their own territory with long kicks or punts.

When Bill Lamb (in grey t shirt in photo at right) took over as Cornell Band Director seven years ago, he faced an uphill battle.

Cornell was the smallest public high school in Pennsylvania fielding a marching band. He had 17 members. In an era of tight family budgets, many students couldn't afford the cost of instruments.

It's been a long climb.

But in Band Camp this week he has 40 members and many of them are veterans. Band is now the largest student organization at Cornell. The Raiders march in various parades in the area, perform at every football game home and away, enter Saturday competitions, and this Friday head for Kennywood Park where they will march in the annual Fall Festival.

This didn't happen overnight. But Lamb and others worked hard to build the elementary school program. The school bought an entire set of instruments so now money is not a deterrent for any student wanting to join. Lamb has changed the music selection to songs students identify with. The Allegheny Music Academy has come to school, performed concerts and worked with students demonstrating the various instruments.

Lamb says he's now able to introduce music that a few years ago he could not, partially because he has experienced students able to play it, but also because he has enough numbers to provide the woodwind, brass and percussion depth needed to properly play the songs.

Preseason Band Camp began last Monday, the same day football began. They'll continue for another week and a half, until school starts. The first football game is Friday night, August 30 at home against California.

On a sunny Wednesday August morning, the band looks like a motley crew, with teens dressed in everything from Hawaiian and Taylor Swift shirts to floppy hats and Converse laceup high boots. But even while they're marching around the parking lot and down the driveway, the music sounds good.

Marching alongside them and sometimes in the middle of them, Lamb pounds a drum stick on a block of wood, keeping the band on tempo.

"This Kennywood parade is long with lots of bands," he reminds them. "You won't be marching fast, but you'll be marching for a long time. So Stamina will be important. You have to pace yourselves. Small steps but stay in line."

He has section leaders watching their members to make sure they maintain their lines.

"Turns!" Lamb calls out. "The parade route includes lots of turns. Both left and right turns. We have to maintain our lines on turns." The practice route he has the band following is full of turns, around the parking lot and behind the school. "You on the outside need to be taking bigger steps while you on the inside need to be taking tiny steps but you have to maintain your lines."

Around and around.

He gives the students a break and several head for the restrooms. Others sit or lay down in the shade under large maple trees.

After Kennywood Cornell will prepare for Saturday competitions at South Fayette and West Allegheny.

"Some of the bigger schools compete every weekend," he says. "But we have students in other activities and some of their Saturdays are already spoken for. And some have part time jobs. So we have a schedule which fits out students."

"Remember," he points out as the band resumes marching around the parking lot, "The people three fourths of the way through the parade route, or even right at the end of the route, paid the same admission to see the show, so they deserve to see you at your best just like you were at the very beginning. Pace yourself. You need to be playing with the same energy and precision all the way through."

He blows his whistle and wades into the drum line, advising the snare drummer about pace.

"Remember," he tells everyone as he steps back outside the formation, "Articulation is the key. You need to articulate whether you're marching or standing in place, whether in the first five minutes or the last five minutes. Articulate those notes." He takes a minute to demonstrate proper articulation.

Observors who remember the band of 17, or 22, or 28, or 30 members are impressed by how much deeper, richer and more professional the band sounds now with full ranks of clarinet, saxophone, flute, trumpet, trombone and tuba players.

But Lamb's not done.

"We've got a full band now," he explains, "But we're a very young band. Over the next few years as these kids get more experienced, they'll be able to play this music with much more expression, and they'll be able to play more complex music. And, we should keep adding members. If we keep graduating a few seniors and bringing in a bunch of seventh graders, we still have room to grow."

That would mean four or five more woodwinds, and four or five more brass. The depth of sound would be fuller.

"At most schools a student has to wait until ninth grade to participate in marching band. Cornell is unique in that a seventh grader can join. So a student here can benefit from six full years of band. That is a huge advantage."

With four days to go until its first scrimmage (at Freedom Saturday morning) Cornell's football team is coming into focus.

Kenny Wade (5-8, 235 sophomore) will start at Center, a risk Line Coach Kenny Rainey (blue sweatshirt in photo at right) has carefully considered but thinks well worth taking.

"Two years ago Jamarcus Pierce was in this situation and did fine," he points out. "I have faith in Kenny. He's come up through our 6th, 7th and 8th grade program and polished his fundamentals last season. We just need to coach him up, teach him a lot of special techniques. He'll have our seniors around him to help him. He'll be OK."

Rainey has settled on a line of Wade, Salomon Bance, Nick Bennett, Logan Farbacher and Pierce.

"Kenny doesn't have to beat his man," Rainey says. "He just has to force his man to play him. He has to keep his man occupied so he can't help double team one of our other linemen. I think Kenny can do that."

Between morning and afternoon practices this week, the players are fed lunch and allowed to relax in the air conditioned high school. They're even encouraged to take naps.

Tuesday's two practices consisted of a lot of fundamental drills. Players worked on tackling a rolling wheel (photo, above left), chasing down loose balls (photo left), and blocking onrushing opponents (photos top). They also worked on field goals and extra points.

"We should be OK," Rainey says. "We just have to avoid injuries. We have no backups. We need to work hard on stretching and warmup drills, then watch our footwork so we don't roll any ankles or get taken down at odd angles by opponents. As soon as we get the least little lead, we'll pull our starters to reduce their exposure to injuries. We cannot afford to lose even one man."

Under Ed Dawson, Cornell has made the WPIAL playoffs and reached the semifinals. Last year missed extra points beat them in the first round. They should be in a position to make the playoffs again this year. With Fort Cherry, Serra, Bishop Canevin, Burgettstown and Rochester on their schedule, the Raiders may not earn a #1 seed, but they should be able to squeeze out a runnerup slot.

If they can avoid injuries.

So far, the only injury has been to an assistant coach who wrenched a knee and has fluid build up. He may have it drained Thursday if needed. He spent Tuesday with an ice pack on it.

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Neighborhood Restaurant & Bar

On Historic Mill Street in downtown Coraopolis

Specializing in Fine Ciders & Craft Beers

Having fulfilled the WPIAL requirement for a week of "heat acclimatization drills," Cornell Coach Ed Dawson Monday moved to two practices a day (9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.) with full pads and full contact. Cool temperaures and no humidity helped.

Part of each session was devoted to position drills, with the linemen in one corner of the field (photos right and below) and the skills players in another corner. Then the players would come together to run through the offense (panoramic photo above).

Just like last season, Cornell's hopes this year rest on the development of a strong interior line. Although he keeps rotating players, Line Coach Kenny Rainey mostly uses a lineup of Jamarcus Pierce, Nick Bennett, Logan Farbacher, Kenny Wade and Salomon Bance. Pierce, Bennett and Farbarcher are hardened veterans. Wade and Vance are newcomers. Both are sophomores. Wade is under sized at 5-8, 235 but has proven his athleticism through years of play in Cory's Little League and Youth League in baseball and football. He also handled kicking duties late last season.

Pierce was undersized, too, when he began playing the Center position as a freshman. If Wade can do as well as Pierce Cornell will be fine.

Bance was raw last year as a freshman but now at 6-1, 290 has the size and strength to be really effective if he can master the techniques and develop the quick feet and hands.

Cornell will get some idea how the line is developing this Saturday at 10 a.m. when it scrimmages at Freedom. (A scrimmage was originally scheduled for Ellwood City but the schools traded opponents.) Rain and storms are forecast but Freedom has an artificial turf field so both coaches are hopeful they can get the scrimmage in.

Running through the offense, veterans Mark Stuckey, Walter Clarit, Mikey Keys, Khylil Johnson, Ashton Jones, Paris Green, Santana Lee and Damian Blackwell saw most of the skill position action. All are seniors except Stuckey, a junior.

Shelpman Wins White Memorial;

Norris Takes Super Late Feature

Steve Shelpman won the White Memorial Feature Saturday night at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. It was the second leg of the Hobby Stock Triple Crown. Shelpman had also won the first leg back in June and is defending champion of the series, having won it last year, so will enter the third leg as a heavy favorite. That will be held September 14.

But it was not an easy race. The Koteles brothers, Logan (64k) and Jonathan (2k), started first and second, with Shelpman back in third. Logan held the lead for a while, holding off his brother. Eventually, Shelpman took over the lead, and pulled out to a quarter lap advantage. But a lap 16 restart rebunched the field, and Logan, Jonathan and Gary Koteles all challenged Shelpman. He hung on, though, for the win. Logan, Jonathan, Gary and Garrett O'Patchen rounded out the top five.

Logan leads the season Hobby Stocks points race with 548. He's followed by Garrett O'Patchen at 530, Leroy Brown at 521, Jonathan Koteles at 516 and Joe Brown at 498. In the points race Shelpman is way back in 16th.

The Unlimited Late Models (usually called Super Lates) Heats and Feature turned out to be a disappointment because on a beautiful night only 11 racing teams showed up. Pittsburgh had the event scheduled since February but other tracks had their Super Late races in June and July rained out and they rescheduled this weekend. There are only 35 of these very expensive high powered cars in Western Pennsylvania, so with four tracks vying for them it spread out the field. Pittsburgh was lucky enough to attract the top 11, but many other teams decided if all the best were coming here they'd have a better chance to win by going elsewhere.

"You'd think racetracks would check each other's schedules and coordinate so they don't compete against each other," track officials complained.

But Pittsburgh racing fans saw two intense heats and a feature showcasing the very best in dirt track racing. These Unlimiteds are the closest thing dirt tracks come to NASCAR. They have the best drivers and pit crews on dirt. One of these cars averages $100,000 and some cost as much as $135,000. Their engines produce 600 horsepower. They go well over 100 mph and on a long straightaway could easily cruise at 190, but the tight turns of quarter mile dirt tracks hold down their speeds. Greater Pittsburgh Speedway, as a 5/8 mile oval, has wider turns and longer straights and thus higher speeds.

The high cost of building and maintaining Super Lates requires high purses for each feature. Dirt tracks have a hard time paying these large purses every week so tend to only bring the Super Lates in once a month or so. The next time they'll appear at Pittsburgh will be for the Pittsburgher 100, in its 36th year, the weekend of October 4th.

On Saturday night, Sarver driver Michael Norris was in top form. In a field of the very best, he dominated from start to finish. He won his heat race and started the Feature 3rd. He passed both Brian Hutchko of Coraopolis and John Garvin, also from Sarver, on the first and second turns, so he had the lead coming out of turn two and kept widening it.

"The car was running perfect tonight," he said later. "Like I always say, I love racing here on this big track. It was super fast tonight."

Jared Miley finished second, with Colton Flinner third and Kyle Lukon fourth.

John Gill (In #19G, photo upper right) won the Sport Compact (Four Cylinder) Feature, fighting off an attempt by Cameron Hollister to pass him on the final lap, AJ Mangangello finished third, Ben Gariglio fourth and Tyllerz Hollister fifth.

Austin Siemon grabbed the lead on lap five and went on to win the Young Guns (teenager) Feature. Gavin Kokolis was second, Hunter Vohn third and Sadie Snatchko fourth.

Races resume this Saturday beginning at 7 pm.

With storm clouds threatening but no rain falling, Cornell's Raiders Thursday completed their fourth day of WPIAL required heat acclimatization practices.

Wearing helmets and shoulder pads but no other protection, Coach Ed Dawson ran his roster of 20 through increasingly demanding drills.

"It's not hot out here today," he pointed out. "There's no humidity. We're not even blocking or tackling. But you're dragging. We're not in game shape yet. OK. This is a good test. We're not hitting yet, so none of you are hurt. You're just tired. Fine. So let's fight being tired. Fatigue is just an attitude. We can't allow Fatigue here. This is where you define what kind of man you are. Push through. Reach down inside you and find the strength to push through."

He tooted his whistle and clapped his hands, urging everyone to run the next drill.

"We only have 20 guys. There's no one to come in for you. So suck it up. We cannot let these teams wear us down. Remember last month playing those 5A teams in seven on seven games. You would be ahead, but then in the fourth quarter they'd come back at you because you were tired. They kept running players in and out but you had to stay out there so you got tired. We can't allow that! We have to be in better condition than the teams on our schedule. Push through. Push through."

The team was working out on the baseball field because the football field was soggy after several days of rain. Dawson kept tooting his whistle, the drills constantly changing but all requiring 30 or 40 yard runs.

"You can't come out of the game because you're tired, and you can't get sloppy and start making mistakes because you're tired. You can't let yourself be tired!! Push through it! Push through it!"

Several times Dawson spotted a player taking an extra long water break. "Grab a quick drink and get back here!" he exhorted. "The ref isn't gonna stop the game so you can have a long water break. Suck it up. Push through it. We have to be the best conditoned team in our conference. C'mon! We can do this! Push!"

Meanwhile, across the field, Line Coach Kenny Rainey (in blue rain parka in photo at left) was running his group through various blocking drills.

Rainey has his core of Jamarcus Pierce, Nick Bennett, Logan Farbacher and Ashton Jones back. But he has holes to fill and backups to develop. So they were using blocking sleds, tackling dummies and other devices to work on their technique.

"You gotta have a wide stance! Give yourself a good base!"

Rainey showed a few freshmen and sophomores what a wide stance looked like.

"Get your hands in!" an assistant tells a player. "Don't give up your chest! Keep your hands in front of you where you can use them to fend off the other guy!" He takes the boy aside and shows him what happens when he holds his hands out, then when he holds his hands in front of him.

Back on the field after a day indoors due to inclement weather, Cornell's football players donned shoulder pads for the first time Wednesday but held off on physical contact. They're still in the WPIAL's "heat acclimatization" period, five practices of gradually adjusting to intense workouts.

Heir apparent to the Quarterback position, Mark Stuckey (photo, right) displayed a strong arm, throwing one crisp, accurate pass after the next. Stuckey spent his freshman season at Allderdice as a backup, not seeing significant minutes until the last several games. Then, as a sophomore, last year he started every game. A 6A school, Allderdice plays in the City League. Stuckey's family moved this Summer.

Backing up Stuckey will be workhorse Walter Clarit, who normally plays Fullback and Linebacker. Clarit is a rugged runner, fast, quick, strong and hard to bring down. And "he's become much more focused this year," the coaches agreed. "As he becomes more familiar with the playbook he'll be a real weapon."

Meanwhile, Line Coach Kenny Rainey surveyed his unit with satisfaction. Young and under sized last year, his linemen return as a veteran bunch who had a strong off season in the weight room. He's got Jamarcus Pierce, Nick Bennett, Logan Farbacher, Solomon Vance and newcomer Damont Williams.

"We had a few guys who needed to gain weight for strength and they did," he explains. "We had a few guys who needed to lose weight for speed and quickness, and they did. So we're a lot more ready this time this year than we were this time last year."

They better be. Cornell's first opponent, California, features a big, strong line. "I've watched them on film," he says, "But you can only tell so much from film. You can't tell how hard a line hits, or how they respond to being hit hard."

The big worry is injuries. Cornell has zero depth. The roster only shows 20 and some of those are young and inexperienced freshmen. So any time the Raiders build a lead, they'll be pulling starters to reduce their amount of contact and risk of injury.

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Neighborhood Restaurant & Bar

On Historic Mill Street in downtown Coraopolis

Specializing in Fine Ciders & Craft Beers

Cornell HS opened practice for the 2024 football season Monday in the midst of a sweltering heat and humidity wave. Players wore helmets but no pads of any kind and avoided contact drills. The WPIAL describes this first week's practices as "heat acclimatization drills."

Coach Ed Dawson began his ninth season with only 20 players, down significantly from the 30+ he has seen in the last few years. But among those 20 are nine key veterans from last year's surprising 8-3 playoff seaason. Solomon Vance is also back for his sophomore season having lost weight and toned up.

Dawson also welcomed Allderdice transfer quarterback Mark Stuckey (photo, right). Allderdice is a 6A school in the Pittsburgh City League. Stuckey started at quarterback for the Dragons last year.

Aug 17 Ellwood City Away 10 a.m. (Scrimmage)

Aug 30 California Home 7 pm

Sept 6 Riverview Away 7 pm

Sept 13 Burgettstown* Away 7 pm

Sept 20 Bishop Canevin* Home 7 pm

Sept 27 Serra Catholic* Home 7 pm

Oct 4 Fort Cherry* Away 7 pm

Oct 11 Rochester Away 7 pm

Oct 18 Chartiers Houston* Away 7 pm

Oct 25 Monessen* Home 7 pm

If Stuckey can handle QB duties that will free Walter Clarit to remain at Fullback and Defensive Back. Dawson was prepared to shift Clarit to QB but would then be without a veteran Fullback. Stuckey will have Mikey Keys at Wide Receiver, where he excelled last year. Khylil Johnson is back at Running Back, where he was outstanding. Line Coach Kenny Rainey is back along with linemen Jamarcus Pierce, Nick Bennett and Logan Farbacher. Vance looks ready to step in and fill the other line position. Ashton Jones is an experienced Linebacker, along with Clarit.

What Cornell does not have is depth. If the Raiders are to produce another seven or eight win season they must avoid injuries.

The WPIAL schedule did Cornell no favors. It assigned them California and Rochester for nonconference opponents and moved Serra Catholic and Monessen into their conference. Fort Cherry, Bishop Canevin, Burgettstown and Monessen will be the Raiders' biggest obstacles on the path to another postseason berth. Cornell only plays four home games.

Cornell will move up to pads and full contact next week and scrimmage at Ellwood City Saturday morning, August 17.

What started out as Boy Scout Night and expanded to Kids Night became a huge success at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway Saturday. After the evening's heat races, all drivers brought their cars out to the front straight and parents were invited to bring their kids down to meet the drivers, get their autographs on t shirts, checkered flags, posters or their arms, and take pictures of them. In some cases the drivers handed out small souvenirs or candy and allowed their followers to climb into the race cars.

The evening made clear that there is a solid core of young fans attending these races. Each driver has his own following, many wearing t shirts with pictures of the drivers and their cars. And even though the massive Meet & Greet took an hour on a hot, humid night, the drivers took the time to answer questions, often kneeling down to talk to the kids on their own eye level.

Most impressive was the number of young girls wanting autographs from PPMS' rising crop of young female stars.

Kassidy Kamicker (photo, left), Karlee Kovacs (below) and Zoey Knight (bottom) were in the most demand, but the other girl drivers also drew their share of followers.

The Meet & Greet was sort of a celebration for the track's resurgence. After struggling for several years, this year attendance is up, car counts are up and improvements have been made to the facility. There's talk of redoing the fence around the top of the track for 2025. Weather this year has not been kind, raining out several Saturday nights and battering the press box and signs with gale force winds, but the season points races are tight and the races themselves have been exciting.

Saturday night the grounds crew was struggling with adverse conditions. Several days of high heat and no rain left the track hard and dry. PPMS had brought in a special grader from Lehrnerville earlier in the week to work on the surface, but Saturday night was still extremely dusty. The water truck was sent back out several times to try to damp down the track but it was a losing battle.

In the Limited Late Models, Kamicher, of Aliquippa, the season points leader entering the evening, won her heat in impressive fashion but wore down in the Feature and faded slowly back to seventh. Daryl Charlier started second, grabbed the lead on the first turn, and led the whole way. The rest of the top five were Cole Petrelle, Brandon Burgoon, Ben Policz and Tom Klein. Burgoon turned in the race's most impressive climb, starting 10th and finishing 3rd.

Kamicher narrowly held onto her season points lead, with Klein and Petrelle only six and seven points behind.

Christian Schneider started fifth in the Pro Stock Feature but kept inching up and took over the lead on the next to the last lap, hanging on for the win. Behind him were Brett McDonald, Chris Schneider, A.J. Poljack and Nick Kocuba. Dale Tuche had entered the evening in first place in season points but didn't finish the feature so Poljack and Kocuba moved ahead of him. Christian Schneider was driving Stephen Shelpman's #17S car for this race.

Stephen Shelpman won the Hobby Stock feature, followed by Logan Koteles, Garrett O'Patchen, Tom Anton and Marc Corio. Koteles entered the evening leading the season points race, and his second place finish was enough to keep him in that lead. However, two more Koteleses, Jonathan and Gary, began the evening second and third in points and neither finished the feature, so they'll slide down while Anton and Joey Brown (who finished sixth) move up.

Jacob Chipps won the Four Cylinder Feature to move into first place in season points. He had been second entering the evening. Tyler Hollister had led in points but did not finish the feature. John Gill, Joe Campbell, Ray Seibert and Ben Gariglio rounded out the first five.

Hunter Vohn started on the pole and led the whole way to win the Young Gun (Teenager) Feature over Anthony Uddstrom. Gavin Kokolis, Zoey Knight and Cheyenne Hollister completed the first five.

Racing will continue this Saturday night when the Winged Sprints join the other divisions. The Winged Sprints go over 140 mph and will race in a special team format.

EXECUTRIX’S NOTICE

Estate of Allen R. Lerch aka Allen Lerch aka Allen Rayburn Lerch, late of Moon

Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, deceased.

Notice is hereby given that Grant of Letters on the above estate have

been granted to the undersigned, to whom all persons indebted to said estate are

requested to make immediate payment, and those having claims or demands against the

same, will make them known without delay to:

Heather Lerch
435 Blue Ridge Drive
Coraopolis, PA 15108

Christopher W. Merwin, Esquire
434 Wood Street
Clarion, PA 16214
(814)-229-5300

Leroy Brown of Aliquippa (photo, right) led for the entire race and won the Hobby Stock Feature Saturday night at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. It was a big win, because it was the first round of the Hobby Stock Triple Crown. Even more important, it moved Brown up to fourth place in the season points race, 10 points behind leader Logan Koteles. This is a very controversial situation. Two weeks ago, Brown won the feature race only to be disqualified when the inspection crew found an illegal camber on his car. That gave the win to Koteles. Had Brown kept that win, he would lead the season points race right now. In the feature race, Jonathan Koteles finished second, Stephen Shelpman third, Matt Benard fourth and Tom Anton fifth.

Brandon Burgoon started in fourth place and took until lap seven to take the lead, but then held it the rest of the way to win the Limited Late Model Feature. It was Burgoon's second feature win of the season plus a third place finish, good enough for seventh place in the Limited season points race, 70 points behind leader Zach Gunn. In the feature race, Mike Reft finished second, Ben Policz third, Tim Shaffer fourth and Kassidy Kamacker fifth.

JC Boyer won the Sportsman Feature, with Kole Holden second, Karston King third, Logan Lockhart fourth and Brayden Beatty fifth.

A.J. Poljack captured the Pro Stock Feature, with Dale Tuche second, Nick Kocuba third, Tony Magill fourth and Jackson Billyk fifth.

Anthony Manganello slipped past Hunter Vohn on the final lap to win his second straight Young Guns (Teenage) Feature. Vohn finished second, with Anthony Udderstrom third, Gavin Kokolis fourth and Zoey Knight fifth.

Jacob Phipps took wrested the lead from Tyler Hollister and went on to win the Four Cylinder Feature. Hollister finished second, Cameron Hollister third, Derik Quigley fourth and Tifani McElhose fifth.

There is no racing this week, as the track hosts the Monster Truck Show all weekend. Racing resumes Saturday, June 29 with the Winged Sprints joining the usual six divisions.

Christian Schneider of Georgetown in Car #56 won the 13th annual Ed Laboon Memorial Race in the Pro Stock Division at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway Saturday night.

Schneider (photo, right) dominated the evening. He won his heat race, finished second in the dash, and led from flag to flag in the 30 lap Feature. In addition to the points, the win earned a $3617 purse.

Schneider started second and moved up to first on the first turn. He stayed there the entire race. His biggest challenge came from lapped cars beginning with lap nine. But he threaded this obstacles course and slowly pulled out to a commanding lead before a wreck on lap 29 forced a restart and rebunched the field. But it didn't matter. Schneider again pulled out to the lead and held it.

He was only eighth in season points entering the evening but vaulted to the front after his spectacular showing.

"We've been struggling with engine problems," he told reporters after the race, "But it held up tonight. Wow. I just love driving race cars."

The yellow flag on lap 29 was a heart stopper. "I thought Oh No, Don't Do This To Me. I've Led This Whole Way And Now I Got These Top Drivers Bunched Up Right Behind Me. But we managed to hang on to the lead."

Schneider also hoped the race would bring some attention to the division. "We've got some of the best drivers in the region in Pro Stocks," he said. "And I don't think we get enough credit. These guys run clean, they've got the skills, the crews keep all these cars in top condition, and it's a really tough division night after night."

Pro Stocks are generally considered the third division down, below Unlimited and Limited Late Models.

The Ed LaBoon Memorial is a tribute to the late Ed Laboon, one of Western Pennsylvania's most famous dirt track personalities. LaBoon was a driver, owner, mechanic, and promoter of dirt track racing in the Pittsburgh region. He died of lung cancer in 2012. The Laboon Memorial was created and is still run by son Vince LaBoon and has bcome one of the season's most important races.

But it was only one race on the card Saturday night.

Ben Policz started third and took until lap seven to ease into the lead but then held it the rest of the way to win the 20 lap Limited Late Model Feature. Zach Gunn placed second with Brandon Burgoon third. Policz (photo, left) also won his heat race.

Logan Koteles won his third straight Hobby Stock Feature but he started back in sixth and had to work his way up until he finally grabbed the lead on lap four. Jonathan Koteles finished second with Leroy Brown third.

Down in the Four Cylinder ("Sport Coupe") Division, John Gill started fourth and didn't take the lead until lap six. But he hung on to win, with Cameron Hollister second and Bill Tennant third.

A. J. Manganello won the Young Guns (Teenage) Division, with Gavin Kokolis second and Sadie Snatchko third.

Another full card will run this Saturday at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. Hobby Stocks will run the first of three Triple Crown races. The Limited Late Models, Pro Stocks, Sportsmen, Four Cylinders and Young Guns will also race.

Gates open at 5 pm, with hot laps beginning at 6 pm and racing at 7 pm.

Pittsburgh Motor Speedway is located on Noblestown Road a few miles past Robinson Town Center on Steubenville Pike. Once you turn off Steubenville Pike, turn left on Noblestown Road and follow it down the hill. The entrance to the track is straight ahead of you as Noblestown Road curves to the left. The left turn will take you around to the Pit entrance.

Speedway Honors '23 Champions As

Gallagher, Burgoon, Koteles Win Features

Weather has certainly not been kind to Pittsburgh Motor Speedway in May of 2024. Every Saturday on schedule the rains and storms have moved in to force cancellations. But finally on June 1 the skies cleared and Champions Night came off as planned.

The winners of the 2023 regular season points champion- ships were recognized in a special ceremony at the start line.

They included Cole Petrelle in the Limited Late Models, A. J. Poljack in Pro Stocks, Stephen Shelpman in Hobby Stocks, Susie Rudolph in Four Cylinders ("Sports Coupes"), and Gavin Kokolis in Young Guns.

Petrelle won his division only after fighting off three time winner Brandon Burgoon. It was Shelpman's fifth Hobby Stocks title. Susie Rudolph was the second in her family to win in Four Cylinders, as her father had done it before. And in Young Guns (Teenagers) Sadie Snatchko actually tied with Kokolis in feature wins but Kokolis totaled a few more points.

In addition to the trophy presentations, the track held nine heat races in six divisions and six feature races.

After all the rainouts, Saturday was a beautiful evening with a strong crowd turnout.

Brandon Burgoon won the Limited Late Model Feature, pulling away to almost a third of a lap lead. Brian Huchko was second, Jake Gunn third, Colby Beighey fourth and Daryl Charlier fifth.

Burgoon started fourth but moved up to second by lap four. He passed Gunn for the lead at the end of lap five and held it the rest of the way.

Gunn continued to challenge for the lead but on lap nine a fire erupted in his engine compartment and he had to drop out.

Chelsie Gallagher of Ellwood City won the Sportsmen Feature, her first at PPMS since 2021. She started first and was never challenged, slowly widening the lead to half a lap. Kole Holden was second, Jacob Jordan third, Karston King fourth and Lucas Canon fifth.

In the Pro Stocks Feature Christian Schneider started first and led all the way to the finish line. Nick Kocuba was second, Dale Tuche third, Daryl Charlier fourth and Jackson Billyk fifth.

The Hobby Stock Feature was controversial. Leroy Brown dominated the race and seemed to win but during the post race inspection he was found to have an illegal camber and was disqualified. That gave the win to Logan Koteles. His brother Jonathan finished second, with Joe Brown Junior third, his father Joe Brown Senior fourth and Gary Koteles fifth.

Tyler Hollister won the Four Cylinder ("Sport Coupe") Feature. John Gill was second, Matt Knight third, Cameron Hollister fourth and Jacob Chipps fifth.

Rounding out the evening, Gavin Kokolis captured the Young Gun Feature, with Anthony Mangenello second, Anthony Uddstrome third, Hunter Vohn fourth and Zoey Knight fifth. Sadie Snatchko would almost certainly have challenged for the lead but went out on lap three after a wreck on turn four. This was the best race of the evening with four lead changes, numerous restarts and a two lap battle for the checkered flag between Kokolis and Manganello which Kokolis won right at the end.

This Saturday PPMS will host the annual Ed Laboon Memorial for the Pro Stocks. But all the usual divisions will compete. Heat races begin at 7 pm.

Snappy'sTap House

Neighborhood Restaurant & Bar

On Historic Mill Street in downtown Coraopolis

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Owner Blair Hess and his Pittsburgh Motor Speedway team really rolled the dice on their March 16 opener. Western Pennsylvania racetracks open May 1, or perhaps the last week of April. Earlier than that and the risk of snow, ice, hail, cold, wind, and public attention on basketball tournaments is just too great. The finely tuned racing motors don't run well cold, and even if PPMS lucked out and got one nice day, they'd need a whole week to get the track in good condition.

Not only did they want to open six weeks earlier than usual, but they proposed offering large purses to bring in the top Unlimiteds ("Super Lates"), Winged Sprints ("the fastest cars on dirt"), and the very best of the rapidly growing Sport Compact (Four Cylinder) Division. To afford those three big purses, a strong fan turnout was necessary, and to expect enough fans to turn out in 35 degree weather was to be wildly optimistic.

Drivers build new cars or refurbish old ones all Winter, and they might not even have their 2024 cars ready by mid March.

But PPMS pushed ahead, promoting the Saturday event heavily and signing new marketing partners.

Against all odds, their gamble paid off. They got a warm dry week to work on the track, and a warm sunny day for the races. Even as late as 10 a.m. Saturday it looked iffy. It was 35 degrees, racing teams were having trouble with engines not starting, and the stands were empty. But as the sun rose in the cloudless sky, temperatures soared into the 50s, engines roared to life, and the fans arrived en mass. By noon there were 112 cars in the pits, two thousand fans in the stands, and time trials were underway. For hard core racing fans, the day was an extravaganza. They got to see the time trials, 13 heat races, five consolation races and three Features. Every race was competitive. There was Green Beer and Green Jello Shots for St. Patrick's Day.

Drivers agreed the track was in great condition except for the back straight, which was a little dicey ("corduroy" as some of them put it).

The heats and consolation races were hotly contested but the three Features were the day's big attractions.

In the Unlimiteds ("Super Lates"), which was what most fans came to see, there were four restarts including one large multicar tangle on the fourth lap. The lead changed hands five times. Michael Norris of Sarver finally won it, as Max Blair, Drake Troutman, Tony Mussolino and Dylan Yoder finished 2-5 in order.

Tim Shaffer won the Winged Sprint Feature. Although he started second, he grabbed the lead early and kept it the rest of the way. Danny Sams was second, followrd by Sye Lynch, Dale Blaney and A. J. Flick.

Having won several major races here last Fall, Matt Urey (#501 in photo below) was the local favorite in the Four Cylinder ("Sport Compact") Division. These are entry level vehicles, designed to let beginners get started in dirt track racing. Urey's vehicle, called the FrankenHonda, has a Fort Escort front and Honda middle and rear. Urey was running his state of the art Honda Civic Type R 2.4L 315 Crate model which many auto enthusiasts believe is the greatest four cylinder engine ever made.

However, he did not have a good day. He led in the Feature all the way but with four laps to go the Franken Honda began sputtering and Urey was forced out with engine problems.

Andrew Hoffner took over the lead and won the Sport Compact Feature. Chris Anderson was second, Sam Regltz third, Robbie Carroll fourth, and Shawn Williamson fifth.

The day had its glitches. The staff was not prepared to handle the crush. Lines for the ticket booth stretched all the way across the parking lot. The line to get into the pits extended back to the highway and around the bend, which made some drivers late to time trials. The concession stands ran out of supplies and had to call for more. Time trials took longer than expected and set the rest of the day back further than expected. By mid afternoon clouds of dust obscured the views of both fans and drivers.

However, these can be corrected. The big lesson learned is that races CAN be held in mid March and drivers and fans WILL turn out.

PPMS resumes racing this Saturday. Gates open at 2 pm, time trials begin at 3 and racing starts at 4.

When you're struggling through a rebuilding season you need every win you can get. Cornell picked up a big one Friday night over playoff bound Avella 63-53. The Eagles are enjoying one of their better seasons in recent years and have already clinched a berth in the upcoming WPIAL playoffs. This is a very experienced and battle hardened aerie of Eagles which already beat Cornell out at their home nest.

But the Raiders turned in probably their best game of the year. They grabbed an early 21-11 lead and hung on for a 32-23 halftime edge. A strong third quarter saw Cornell outscore Avella 14-5 and lead 46-28. The Eagled rallied in the fourth, outscoring Cornell 25-17, but it was too late.

Julian Cordice led scoring with 27. Eduardo Benitez (photo, left) added 15 and C. J. Jackson 13.

Cornell closes out the section schedule with games at Western Beaver Tuesday and home against Carlynton Friday. The season finale is an exhibition at Freedom on MONDAY night February 12th.

With the shortest and least experienced lineup in rhe WPIAL, it's been a long hard year for the Raiders, but they've improved steadily under first year coach Brian Bethel. They've won six compared to last year's two and could steal one or two more.

Powerful Union, leading the section and ranked #4 in the WPIAL, rolled over struggling Cornell 70-20 Tuesday night at the Raiders home gym.

The Scotties, 6-1 in section play after an upset loss to Carlynton a month ago, won the game in the first quarter. They led 21-5.

They outscored the Raiders 26-6 in the second, for a 47-11 halftime lead.

Substituting freely, Union continued to roll 13-7 in the third for a 60-18 edge.

They finished 10-2 in the fourth even while playing basically their JV team.

Taller at every position and playing experienced seniors against Cornell's mostly sophomores and freshmem, the Scotties had an answer for everything Cornell tried to do.

Freshman point guard Eduardo Benitez (photo, left) led all Raiders with nine points.

Cornell gets probably its final chances for wins now in a two game stretch. The Raiders play Avella at home Friday and Western Beaver away Tuesday. Cornell lost a close game AT Avella a month ago and picked up its only win in the section against Western Beaver at home.

Cornell played Rochester close Friday night but couldn't win.

The Rams edged the Raiders 16-14 in the first quarter. They probably won the game in the second when they outscored Cornell 20-14 for a 36-28 halftime lead.

Cornell fell only one point short, 12-11, in the third, and battled Rochester even 8-8 in the fourth.

But the final result, 56-47, was still a loss, and kept Cornell in fifth place in the section.

Julian Cordice once again led all scorers with 18. No other Cornell player was in double figures.

Rochester now stands 9-5 overall and is second in the section.

The Raiders next host Union Tuesday night. The Scotties are in first place in the section and ranked #4 in the WPIAL. In the first half of the section schedule they defeated Cornell at Union.

Cornell lost another game Tuesday night, 63-39. This one was to Riverside, a 3A school in suburban Ellwood City.

Julian Cordice again led Cornell in scoring with 14. This time he had help from Larry Lee (photo, left), who had 10.

Riverside jumped out to a 15-8 lead after one quarter, but in the second quarter Cornell was only outscored by one, 17-16. This sent the teams to halftime with Riverside up 32-24.

But a 20-7 third quarter run put the game out of reach at 52-31. With mostly reserves in, Riverside outscored the Raiders 11-8 in the fourth.

Cornell now returns to section play Friday night at Rochester, then home against Union next Tuesday. Both teams defeated Cornell in the first half of section play.

Now between the first and second halves of the section season, Cornell is playing two exhibition games. The Raiders won the first of those Friday night, 49-26 over Environmental Charter Academy of Pittsburgh.

The first quarter was a struggle and ended in a 5-5 tie. In the se3cond quarter Cornell outscored Environmental 17-11 to take a 22-16 lead to the locker room.

Cornell again struggled in the third, but managed to outscore the academy 9-4 for a 31-20 edge.

As Environmental, which had almost no bench, tired in the fourth, the Raiders turned it on 18-6 to run up the final 49-26 win.

Julian Cordice once again led Cornell scoring with 20. But once again no other Raider was in double figures.

That's C. J. Jackson in the photo at right.

Environmental Charter Academy is a school whose entire curriculum is based on science and the environment. The usual courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics plus courses in Ecology, Environmental Science, Engineering, Genetics, Anatomny & Physiology and Astronomy give students the background to conduct experiments and field trips in environmental issues. Labs include a heavy dose of water, air and soil testing, raising plants under various conditions and stresses, and studying immediate effects of climate change. But the school also includes a strong arts program, with courses in drawing, painting, ceramics and film making. It began as an elementary school and has added a grsde each year. It only recently became a full K-12 school with a thousand students total and 300 in the high school. Its athletic program is just now developing with teams in volleyball, basketball and track and field.

Cornell next plays at Riverside Tuesday night, then begins the second half of section play at Rochester Friday.

Cornell lost to Carlynton Tuesday night to complete the first half of section play. The loss left the Raiders in fifth place.

Julian Cordice led Cordice with 20 points. C. J. Jackson (#3 in photo, right) was aecond with 11. But the rest of the Cornell roster combined added only nine points.

Cornell stayed close in the first quarter, 19-14. But Carlynton, the preseason favorite to win the section, out scored the Raiders in the second, 13-3 for a 32-17 edge at halftime. Cornell played well in the third, scoring 17 to Carlynton's 15 and cutting rhe lead to 47-34. But then the Cougars went on an 11-6 run to clinch the win.

Cornell takes a break from section play with a home game against Environmental Charter Friday night and a trip to Riverside Tuesday. Then the second round of section play begins with a home game next Friday against Rochester. Cornell is 4-9 in a difficult rebuilding season.

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Cornell dug itself into a deep halftime hole, then staged a furious second half rally but fell short in a 69-63 loss at Avella.

Avella dominated the game in the first half. The Eagles led 21-7 after the first quarter and 40-15 at the half.

Cornell coach Brian Bethel must have delivered quite a motivating speech in the dressing room at half time, because the Raiders came out ready for war in the second half.

They outscored Avella 26-21 in the third quarter to trail only 61-41. Then they outscored the Eagles 22-8 in the fourth. But it wasn't enough.

Julian Cordice (shooting in photo at left) led all scorers with 38 points.

As usual, Avella had a height advantage. Wes Burchianti at 6-1 led all rebounders and scored 14 points. Bryce Wright at 6-0 was the Eagles leading scorer with 22 and added eight rebounds.

The win left Avella at 2-1 in the section and 7-7 overall. Cornell drops to 0-3 in the section and 3-8 overall.

Cornell next returns home to play Western Beaver Friday night. The Golden Beavers are 0-2 in the section and 2-12 overall. They lost to Avella 66-62 and Union 56-25.

Union has lost three homes game in 70 years and Cornell didn't come close to threatening that streak Friday night, losing 56-23 in a game that was over in the first quarter.

Julian Cordice (#2 in photo at right) led Cornell in scoring with eight. Lucas Stanley, the latest in a long line of Stanley brothers and cousins who have starred for the Scotties, led Union with 19.

The score at the end of the first quarter was 21-7. Union expanded that to 39-14 at the half and 53-22 after the third quarter.

The fourth quarter, with both coaches playing their reserves, probably set a new WPIAL record for futility as Union scored three points and Cornell one.

Next week becomes slightly easier for Cornell, as the Raiders travel to Avella Tuesday night and play Western Beaver at home Friday. If Cornell is to win any games in the section, those are the two teams they will have to beat.

As the season progresses, the offensive movement first year coach Brian Bethel wants is becoming clear. He tells reporters it's a free lance offense, but in fact it's what old school coaches used to call The 1-4 or Flex. He likes Cornell to line up with one point guard, two players just above the hash marks and two on the wings. Tex Winter developed this offense at Kansas and took it to the NBA., where, as an assistant to Phil Jackson, he installed it at the Chicago Bulls. Wtth Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin, the Bulls used the 1-4 to win several NBA championships.

It's a simple offense, relying on quick cuts off screens to free those cutters for open shots. And, in fact, Cornell players are brushing their defenders off on screens and getting open. But the passes are often late, or intercepted, or fumbled, and when the cutters do receive the pass they often miss the shots. The 1-4, cometimes called the Triangle Offense, also invites spontaneous pick and roll moves between any rwo or three players. Once players master it, the 1-4 has the advantage that it frustrates advance scouting. There are no set plays. Within the 1-4 structure, players innovate. So, since even the players don't know in advance what they're going to run, but, as Bethel likes to say, they run what the defense gives them, the defense can't possibly anticipate what's coming next. In a year or so, as Cornell players develop the necessary instincts, this is going to be a fun offense for local fans to watch. But right now, it's a work in progress.

Despite Andre Taylor's 15 points and outstanding floor play, Cornell's 8th graders lost a ragged home game to South Side, 34-32 Thursday afternoon.

Taylor (#2 in the photo at right) was easily the best player on the floor for either team, although big Zyair Dupree had 10 points and 18 rebounds for the Raiders.

It was close throughout. Dupree opened with a rebound and putback and Taylor added a layup to give Cornell a 4-0 lead. They held a two to four point lead as Shawn Fluellen (#21 in photo lower right) hit free throws and a layup and Taylor added a three from up top. But South Side began breaking through for layups and pulled out to a 14-11 halftime lead.

It expanded to 20-11 before Cornell rallied. Two Taylor layups and a free throw, follows by Jakil Turner and Dupree, and free throws by Dupree brought Cornell back to 22-21, and just as the quarter ended two Taylor free throws gave Cornell the lead back 23-22.

The fourth quarter saw the lead seesaw back and forth as Dupree hit a layup, a free throw and a beautiful hook shot. But South Side used layups and free throws to finally pull ahead 30-28. Taylor tied it at 30-30 with a layup, but a South Side layup and free throws pulled the Rams up 34-30. Taylor's layup cut that to 34-32 but time ran out with Cornell unable to score again.

Behind Taylor's 15 and Dupree's 10, Fluellen added five and Jakil Turner two. Justice Jacome played most of the game but did not score. Dupree played almost all of both seventh and eighth grade games in an attempt to give him as much experience as possible.

As the photo at left shows, Taylor has become adept at driving off Dupree's screen for open layups. Thursday, he used this move to score five layups. If his man tried to drop off him to avoid the screen Taylor would pull up and sink the three.

The eighth graders are struggling against a tough schedule because they've had a hard time getting everyone to practice. Illness, academic and discipline issues and transportation problems have hurt. But the talent is there.

Cornell's seventh graders, behind Zyair Dupree's 16 points and 20 rebounds, romped to a 28-9 win over South Side Beaver Thursday afternoon.

Dupree, a 6-3 13 year old, dominated the game although he played cautiously to avoid fouls. He scored most of his points on rebounding teammates' shots and putting them back up, as seen in the photo at right.

The seventh graders are 5-1 against a tough schedule. So far they've played Burgettstown, Brentwood, Keystone Oaks, Northgate and Sto-Rox. They have yet to play Ambridge, Freedom, Fort Cherry, Eden, and return games against Brentwood, Keystone Oaks, Northgate, Sto-Rox and South Side Beaver.

"You're only as good as your competition," Coach Mike Smith tells reporters. "If they're going to get ready for high school, they need to play as tough a schedule as we can put together."

But Cornell faces the additional problem of many Class A schools not fielding seventh grade teams.

"They claim they don't have enough boys," Smith says. "They just combine them into a single team. So we have to schedule 2A, 3A and 4A schools to find seventh grade teams." South Side is a 2A school.

This is ironic since Cornell and Avella are the two smallest public middle schools in the state and both field seventh grade teams.

Smith has been coaching Cornell's middle school teams for a long time in addition to serving as an assistant on the high school level.

Behind Dupree, Kamden Schilinski added six points and Justice Jacome, Christian Griffith and Liam Fibeck two each. Nathan McArdle and Camarie Brown (#15 in photo below center) also played but did not sore.

Cornell grabbed an early lead and never looked back. Dupree scored on two follows, Jacome (#11 in photo below left) hit a baseline jumper and Schilinski (#22 in photo below right) a three from above the foul circle and at the end of rhe first quarter it was 9-0.

Dupree scored on two more follows and Griffith (#12 in photos at left and below left) a jumper, but South Side hit a corner three at the buzzer for a 15-3 halftime lead.

In the third quarter follows by Dupree and Fibeck (#34 is hidden but that's him with the ball in the photo at left) and a corner three by Schilinski and a baseline jumper and layup by South Side made it 22-7.

Dupree did all the Cornell scoring in the fourth with a follow and two layups. Two South Side free throws made the final 28-9.

Seventh graders in Pennsylvania only play six minute quarters, which keeps scores down.

Cornell next plays at Ambridge Tuesday before returning home to host Freedom next Thursday. Both games begin at 3:30.

Cordice's 17 Only Double Figure Points

Rochester unleashed a full court press on Cornell Wednesday night and forced a long list of turnovers which gave the visiting Rams a 66-33 section win.

The game was over after the first quarter, 29-13. Rochester led 50-23 at halftime and 60-32 after three quarters.

Julian Cordice led Cornell scoring with 17 but got no support. Larry Lee (#1 in photo at right) added six, Eduardo Benitez four, C.J. Jackson three and Nick Bennett two.

Rochester shot layups all night. The Rams shot nine in the first quarter, eight in the second, three in the third and one in the fourth. which was 21 for the game. The reason they kept declining is that Rochester kept substituting so in the second half they were basically playing their JV team.

As the panoramic photo above shows, Cornell was surrounded by Rochester defenders as it tried to bring the ball upcourt. Raiders dribbled the ball off their feet, threw it out of bounds, lofted slow cross court passes which were intercepted, and sometimes just had defenders tie them up and wrestle the ball out of their grasp.

On the few occasions Cornell passed the ball ahead of the press, players shot layups. Cordice shot five and Lee three.

The further the season goes and the more teams have each other thoroughly scouted, the more difficult it is for Cornell to get anything done. Teams focus defenses on Cordice, drop a few players back in the lane, and basically dare anyone else to score. Thus far, no one else has shown the ability to consistently hit.

But to be fair, Cornell faces a size disadvantage at every position. It's hard to get a good shot off against a much taller opponent, and it's hard to stop a much taller player from shooting. Rochester's press was effective mostly because Cornell had trouble passing over those outstretched arms.

The going gets tougher for Cornell. The Raiders go to Union Friday (assuming the heavy snow forecast does not force a postponement). Union has the greatest home court edge in Pennsylvania history. Since the gym opened in 1954, the Scotties have lost THREE games there in 70 years, two to the Butler Hennon coached Wampum teams that went on to win state championships, and one to the Bill Sacco coached Cornell team with Kaden Divito, Isaiah Langston and Zaier Harrison that would probably have won a state title had COVID not cancelled the tournament just before the state quarterfinals. This year's Union team is once again favored to win the section and contend for the WPIAL, and after being upset at Carlynton Wednesday night they'll be in a lean and hungry mood when Cornell arrives.

Cornell's Junior Varsity rolled to a 20 point lead against Rochester Wednesday night and hung on for a 34-30 win. The margin narrowed as Cornell substituted freely in the second half to save starters for the varsity game.

Santana Lee led all scorers with 11 points, followed by Devin Lamb with 10, Terrence Collington with six, Kenny Wade with four and Alex Benitez with three.

As this very difficult rebuilding season nears its halfway point, it is becoming clear Cornell's team of the future is Eduardo Benitez and Santana Lee at guards, Devin Lamb (#10 in photo at left) and Terrence Collington at forwards, and Nick Bennett at center, with Alex Benitez (#12 in photo below center) and Drake Barr backing up at guard, Kenny Wade and Colton Mosuch backing up at forward, and Julian Smith backing up at Center.

This team solves almost all of Cornell's current problems. Lamb is already 6-0 and will be taller. Mother Marcie was tall and excelled in volleyball, softball and basketball. He was a star youth league pitcher, is a good rebounder, defender and passer, and is becoming a scorer. Lee (#14 in photo lower left) and Benitez are silky smooth guards who can get past their men to the basket or pull up and hit threes. Collington is a battler on the boards, a tenacious defender and ie coming on as a shooter. Bennett (#52 in photo lower right) is already rebounding and scoring up on the varsity. He's 6-0 and Smith is 6-3 now and both are still growing. All of these are freshmen and sophomores.

With leading scorer Julian Cordice out with a broken nose Cornell could not mount a consistent scoring threat and was no match for Brashear of the City League.

The Bulls opened with a barrage of threes, jumped out to a 27-9 lead and never looked back en route to a 69-39 win at Coraopolis Friday night.

Brashear sank seven threes, all from the sides except one up top, and added a layup, a baseline jumpshot and a dunk while all Cornell could produce was a Larry Lee layup, a rebound and follow by Lee, a follow and free throw by brother Santana, and a jumpshot by Eduardo Benitez (#22 in photo at right preparing to pass to Lee on the pick and roll).

So the game was really over after the first quarter.

With Cornell's defense extended to try and stop all those threes, Brashear in the second quarter slashed behind the Raiders for eight layups, although it did add two more threes.

For Cornell in that second quarter, Terrence Collington twice put back rebounds, Santana Lee added two layups and a free throw, Eduardo Benitez a jumper and Nick Bennett a layup. So Cornell trailed 57-23 at halftime.

In the second half Brashear played its reserves and with a running clock not much scoring was done.

In the third quarter, C. J. Jackson hit a three from up top, Eduardo hit a side three, Kenya Tench (#4 in photo at left) hit a jumper and a free throw, and Cornell trailed 65-32.

In the fourth, Collington and Tench both scored putbacks (that's Tench's in the photo), and Jackson added a three.

Santana Lee led Cornell with eight points. Eduardo Benitez added seven, Jackson and Collington had six each, Larry Lee and Tench five each, and Bennett two.

Once again Cornell struggled with a significant size disadvantage. The Raiders battled on the boards but had numerous shots blocked and often had defensive positions only to see opposing players simply go up and shoot over them. Bigger opponents also have longer arms and make it difficult for Cornell players to dribble through defenses to the basket.

Cordice is being fitted with a protective mask and is expected to return Thursday night at home against Hillel Academy.

Hillel is an Orthodoz Jewish Day School on Beacon Street in Pittsburgh. But it's a respectable opponent, having lost only one game, to Winchester Thurston (which also defeated Cornell). Hillel defeated Propel Montour 52-37, while Cornell defeated that team 56-43.

One frustrating problem Cornell is dealing with this season is the number of opponents who do not field Junior Varsity teams. After two years in which most boys did not play, Cornell must get as many players as possible as much experience as possible. Not being able to play freshmen and sophomores on a JV team prevents that. Brashear did not have a JV team and neither will Hillel. Six of Cornell's nine December opponents have not had JV teams, despite the fact most are larger schools.

Cornell is now 3-4, but as the old satying goes, The Sky Is Always Darkest Just Before The Dawn. The faint rays of hope are beginning to appear for the Raiders. Eduardo Benitez and Santana Lee have quick hands and quick feet and good floor vision. Lee has an explosive first step and the potential to become a great slasher to the basket. Benitez has a beautiful jump shot, is pretty good from the perimeter, and is a slick passer. Lee's shooting form and decision making need a lot of work. Benitez needs work on playing through contact. But the talent is there. Nick Bennett and Terrence Collington (#52 and #20 in the photo below) are already holding their own against older, bigger and more experienced insiders. Two more months of experience and a good off season in the weight room, summer camp and AAU games and they'll be ready.

Julius Smith is still overwhelmed by it all, but he has the size and bulk to become a legitimate presence inside once someone lights a fire inside him. Devon Lamb, already 6-0 and probably going to end up 6-2 or 6-3, needs to bulk up and pay more attention to academics, but he shows flashes of becoming outstanding at the #3 position, capable of going inside and rebounding or taking his man outside and outquicking him. Hurt most by the lack of a JV schedule have been Alex Benitez, Drake Barr and Kenny Wade, who are not yet ready for varsity competition but could show their skills and develop quickly playing against freshmen and sophomores. All these are freshmen and sophomores (and one junior in Lee) who will bring Cornell back to respectability next year.

In the meantime, seniors Cordice, Jackson, Tench, Larry Lee and Geoffrey Collington are playing critical roles in helping Cornell bridge the gap from the disaster of the last two years to a much brighter future. They're planting a tree so someone else can enjoy the fruit and the shade.

"We're OK," Coach Brian Bethel assured reporters after the Brashear loss. "We knew this was going to be a very tough year. We've just got to get that experience and go through that learning process. You just can't be teaching fundamentals at the varsity level and expect to have a lot of success. But as long as the guys stay positive, we'll be OK."

After New Year's Day, Cornell will begin Class A sectional play. The Raiders have played a difficult December schedule of 2A, 3A and 5A opponents and will have less of a height disadvantage in the section. Plus, most of the section teams will field JV teams.

Springdale, considered a major contender for sectional honors up in 2A, picked up its sixth victory against only one loss (to Clairton) at Cornell Tuesday night, 74-42.

As usual, Cornell faced a serious size disadvantage, and fell behind 23-10 in the first quarter.

But somehow the Raiders clawed their way back into it, outscoring Springdale 17-12 in the second quarter to trail only 35-27 at halftime.

Springdale squashed those hopes in the third quarter, exploding with 25 points to build a 60-37 advantage.

And they kept it up, adding 14 in the fourth while holding Cornell to only five.

As usual, Julian Cordice led Cornell with 11 points. But as the season continues and everyone has everyone else scouted, teams have learned to simply double team him and let everyone else shoot. Cornell doesn't have enough consistent shooters to score enough points. And although Cordice is still scoring, his 11 points in two straight games is far below the 30 he was scoring in earlier games.

The Raiders next play Brashear of Pittsburgh Friday night at home.

The Bulls stand 2-3. They beat Keystone Oaks 48-44 and Bishop Canevin 50-48. But they lost to Neshannock 72-32, West Allegheny 61-32, Mcdowell 77-52, and Woodland Hills 81-62.

Winchester Thurston totally shut down Cornell's offense Friday night and rolled to a 62-32 win at Coraopolis.

The Raiders couldn't score. They had only nine, 23 and 29 at the quarter breaks and only scored one basket in the fourth quarter.

C. J. Jackson (photo, left) looked more impressive than expected in his debut, but it wasn't enough. Jackson, the quarterback in football, fractured his index finger in a late game and had it in a cast for a month. The cast came off Thursday and the X rays were fine, so the doctor OK'd his return.

Normally a player in his first game plays limited minutes and doesn't score much if at all. But Jackson played most of the game and sank three treys for nine points.

But Thurston stifled Julius Cordice (bottom photo). They allowed him only two layups in the first quarter and one in the second. He didn't score in the second half.

Cordice had two men on him most of the time and when he only had one defender that player was very physical, as the photo below shows. He never once all night had an uncontested shot and landed on the floor several times. Cordice did add three free throws.

Cornell only hit five threes. Cordice's three layups were the only ones the entire team scored. Six points came on jump shots and free throws.

But Cornell hung in there for a half. The Raiders led 2-0, 4-2 and 7-6 and only trailed 12-9 after a quarter. They closed it to 13-12 and 17-16 before Thurston pulled out to 23-16 and led 29-23 at halftime. Then they steadily increased their lead through the third and fourth quarters.

Cordice and Jackson tied for leading scorer with nine apiece. Eduardo Benitez added seven, his brother Alex three, and Geoffrey Collington and Nick Bennett two each.

Once again the inexperienced Raiders seemed uncertain on offense. They would hold the ball while considering their next move, and their passes were often slow, allowing the Winston Thurston defendees to intercept them.

Jackson is a valuable addition. He's a scoring threat, a reliable ball handler, a strong screener, and a muscular defender. But he's only 5-7, so he's not much help rebounding and players can shoot or pass over him or block his shots if they're anywhere close.

Eduardo Benitez was a bright spot in the loss. The freshman is a steady ballhandler and hit a three from the sideline and two jump shots from the side of the circle. He moves the ball well on the perimeter, but is having a hard time finding a lane to the basket.

As they will in every game all season, Cornell faced taller defenders at every position. To their credit, the Raiders battled the taller Bears on both boards, but often, even when they came down with the ball, they would either be tied up or have it stolen outright or wrestled away. Winchester Thurston scored on four putbacks as their rebounders went right back up over shorter Raiders.

Cornell's defense continues to struggle. Winchester Thurston shot seven wide open layups and eight wide open threes, four of them by the same player from the same spot at the top of the circle.

Coach Brian Bethel is trying to add to his roster as he loses players to academics and injuries. He's brought up Kenny Wade, Ashton Jones and Terrence Collington. But those players are also inexperienced and short.

Cornell now stands 3-3. The Raiders play Springdale, Brashear and Hillel in December before beginning section play against Rochester in January.

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Cornell, minus two players sidelined by low grades, one who never dressed due to injury and one who was injured during the game, lost to Pittsburgh Christian Academy Tuesday night 58-46.

It was a game the Raiders would have won had they been at full strength, and a game they still should have won even shorthanded.

Pittsburgh Christian is in only its second year, but has assembled a very respectable team. They don't yet belong to the WPIAL, but would be competitive in Class A were they in it. The school has 170 students, about the same as Cornell.

PCA followed a classic 2023 game plan, one perfectly in line with modern basketball analytics. They only shot two kinds of shots : layups and threes. They only once shot anything inside the three point line unless it was also inside the lane. Because they shot wide open layups and threes, they were rarely fouled in the act of shooting, so free throws accounted for only one of their points.

In all, the River Hawks scored 15 layuips, seven threes and that one short jumpshot. They added two follows and the one free throw.

Early, their threes weren't falling, and Cornell stayed within reach. Julian Cordice hit a layup and a three from up top, Eduardo Benitez added two jumpshots and a layup, and Santana Lee a free throw as Cornell trailed only 16-12 after the first quarter. Christian hit only one three in that quarter.

But in the second they warmed up. Their first three shots were threes, followed by five layups and a follow. All Cornell could produce were layups by Kenya Tench (#4 in photo below) and Lee, free throws by Geoffrey Collington (#15 in photo, left) and Cordice, and a top three by Cordice. So the Raiders trailed 37-23 at half.

Cordice (#2 in photo below), despite being constantly double teamed as seen in the photo, exploded for three layips and a top three in the third quarter. But the only help he got was Collington's follow. So after Cornell narrowed the lead to nine, Christian pulled back out to 15, 49-34, at the end of the third.

Cornell made two more runs in the fourth quarter. Behind a layup and side three by Cordice and a layup by Lee, the Raiders cut it to 10 at 51-41. But Christian got loose for two layups and pulled back out to 55-41. Cordice then hit a running jump shot, a free throw and a layup to cut it to nine, 55-46. But time was running out, and Christian went to a weave. When the Cornell defense broke down and left a man wide open, Christian hit one last side three for the final 58-46 margin.

Cordice led all scorers with 30 but was the only Raider in double figures. Lee added five, Tench and Benitez four each, and Collington three.

The loss was especially bitter because Cornell wasn't even supposed to play this team. The Raiders were scheduled to play Northgate. But Northgate has a new Athletic Director and somehow the previous A.D. had not entered the Cornell game properly. When Cornell AD Bill Sacco called to verify game times, parking and other details, he was told Northgate already had another game scheduled. Unlike other states, schools in Pennsylvania do not sign game contracts with forfeiture and financial penalties. The other Northgate game was a WPIAL section match with StoRox so took precedence. So Sacco had to start calling around. Pittsburgh Christian was the only team with an open date.

Cordice, Benitez and Lee held their own out on the perimeter but the loss of two inside big men hurt on defense, rebounding and scoring.

Christian also ran continual cuts, drives and backside passes and most of those lay up shots came on wide open drives to the basket, behind the defense, along the right or left baseline.

Christian also did a great job of reversing the floor and finding the open man on the side or in the corner for a wide open three.

The Riverhawk defense kept the lane clogged and double teamed Cordice, daring Cornell to shoot threes. But except for Cordice, the Raiders really don't have a reliable three point shooter.

Once again, Cornell faced a size disadvantage.

The Raiders did try to run various pick and roll moves, as they try to learn the nuances of Coach Brian Bethel's Free Lance Offense. And they did free up men driving to the basket several times. But the Christian defense was waiting for them in the lane, and did not give up any clear shots.

Cornell's offense continues to stick, as players are thinking instead of reacting. A player will make a pass and then stand there, considering his next move. He'll catch a pass and survey the floor, instead of immediately snapping the ball to the open teammate. These several second pauses gives the defense time to react and cut off any drives to the basket.

The Raiders next play Winchester Thurston at home Friday night. The Pittsburgh private school opened with a 69-36 win over St. Joseph but lost to Avonworth 70-29.

The Bear lineup includes a 6-5 and a 6-4, but then drops down to three 6-1s and a 6-0 reserve, so Cornell will again be outsized.

But C. J. Jackson gets his cast off Thursday and if the X-rays are good, he could join the Cornell lineup as early as Friday. (If the X-rays are not good, he'll need surgery and not be available for the season.) Hopefully, Nick Bennett will also be back, helping the Raiders inside. Bennett is nursing a football injury which flares back up off and on.

Bigger, beefier Montour Propel made the game Friday night into a highly physical contest with lots of knocking and banging.

That was OK with Cornell. The football players on the roster loved it. By the third quarter they had knocked and banged their way to a solid lead, and hung on for a 56-43 victory which upped their record to 3-1.

Propel's style succeeded for a while. The Legends grabbed an early lead and held it until halftime.

But Cornell went to work in the third quarter. Santana Lee's layup gave the Raiders their first lead at 28-27, and a Nick Bennett (#52 in bottom photo) followup a few seconds later made it 30-27. Propel cut it back to 30-29 with a layup but Bennett's follow and layups by Kenya Tench (#4 obscured in the photo below) and Julian Cordice made it 36-29. Cornell never lost the lead but Propel kept it within 3-5 for the rest of the third.

Another Bennett (#52) follow and a layup by Eduardo Benitez (#22) kept the Raiders up 40-36 as the fourth quarter opened.

Layups by Geoffrey Collington (#15) and Benitez held the lead at 44-38. Cordice's layup and and Bennett's free throw pushed it to 47-40. Lee hit a jumper, Cordice two free throws and Bennett a layup to pretty well put it out of reach at 53-41. Cordice finished the scoring with free throws as Propel had to foul in the last few minutes.

Cordice led all scorers with 28. Bennett had 11, Santana Lee had 8, and several players had four or less.

It was another game in which Cornell overcame a size disadvantage with quickness and a willingness to go to war on the boards. Several Raiders seem to have a knack of anticipating where the ball is coming off, and the quick feet and hands to get in position to grab it. They sometimes lose it after they grab it, but that's being worked on. As Coach Brian Bethel says "we're a work in progress."

The defense continues to improve. Cornell used its full court press sparingly but it gave the Raiders several steals and layups.

In the halfcourt, Cornell came up with several steals and deflections and gave up very few drives to the basket. They forced Propel to shoot mostly perimeter shots and long twos, which the Legends weren't hitting. Against Sewickley Cornell gave up 16 layups. Against Propel the Raiders gave up six.

But ballhandling continues to be a problem. With a few exceptions, Cornell insists on telegraphing its passes, throwing slow passes, and often throwing them either to the defense or out of bounds. This is slowly improving as the football players round into basketball shape and get their instincts down. But the schedule gets tougher fast. Games are coming against 2A Winchester Thurston, 2A Springdale, 5A Brashear, 3A Riverside and 3A Freedom and the section grind begins January 3.

The receivers don't have their timing down, either. Against Propel, nine pinpoint passes were made to teammates cutting to the basket for wide open layups but fumbled out of bounds. Those were 18 potential points thrown away.

Still, Cornell has already surpassed last season, during which the Raiders won only two games playing almost the identical schedule.

"We're coming along," Assistant Coach Mike Smith told reporters after the game. "We need our rebounders to be aggressive, establish position, maintain a high level of intensity and once they get the ball make sure the defense doesn't tie them up or steal it, and then get the ball out to teammates. They're doing the first several things, and now we need to work on the last few. We can't afford to go to all the trouble to get in position and bring the ball down, then get tied up for jump balls, or have the ball knocked loose, or walk with the ball. But we're coming along. I was really happy with Nick (Bennett), Geoffrey (Collington) and Julian (Smith) tonight. Propel had some size out there but we went right at them. Those followups by Nick, where he got the rebound and took it right back up for the score, were critical. We need those all season."

Cornell may be the smallest team in Class A, or possibly the entire WPIAL. After the 6-0 Cordice and Bennett, the most frequently used players are 5-11, 5-11, 5-8, 5-7 and 5-7.

Cornell was to play Northgate away Tuesday night but due to a problem at Northgate that game has been cancelled. Instead, Bethel made several quick phone calls and scheduled Pittsburgh Christian Academy for a home game Tuesday. Pittsburgh Christian Academy has an enrollment of 170 and is located in West Mifflin. In its upper four grades Cornell also enrolls about 170.

There was no Junior Varsity game against Montour Propel, which does not have a JV team.

Behind Julian Cordice's 22 points, Cornell surprised 3A Perry 51-38 to improve its season record to 2-1.

It was an ugly game. Basketball purists in the sparse crowd spent most of the evening cringing. The first half was particularly awful, with Perry taking a 14-11 lead to the locker room. Nobody could hit. Most of the points were free throws.

Fortunately, things improved. Cordice (#2 in bottom right photo) opened the third quarter with a layup and free throw to tie it at 14. A Perry layup and free throw pulled the Commodores up 17-14, but a Cordice corner three and free throw gave Cornell its first lead at 18-17. Two quick steals resulting in a free throw, a follow and a layup pulled Perry back up 22-18. But Cordice hit a running layup down the lane and hit a free throw to narrow it to 22-21. Santana Lee (#14 in second and fourth photos) hit two free throws, then two more, to put the Raiders ahead for good 25-23. A Cordice corner three and free throw pushed it to 29-25 and the run was on. Geoffrey Collington (#15 in photo below) scored two layups. Santana Lee added a layup and two free throws and brother Larry Lee hit a layup and free throw and suddenly Cornell was up 40-31 at the end of the quarter.

In the fourth quarter Collington scored three layups, Julian Smith (#55) followed up a rebound, Larry Lee a free throw and Cordice a baseline jumper to keep Cornell comfortably ahead 51-38.

But the game was not as smooth as it sounds. Between these shots the officials were kept busy with fouls, tieups, out of bounds, over and backs, and unsportsmanlike calls. They averaged one whistle every 10 seconds. Sometimes they even made a call while play was stopped for a prior call. The game was not over until 9:30 pm.

Through it all, however, Cornell improved significantly over the previous game, especially on defense.

Even in the halfcourt, Raiders tightened down and came up with steals and tieups.

But they also unveiled their new full court press, an inline press Assistant Coach Michael Smith acquired from West Virginia Coach Bob Huggins. It's a bit unusual, and Perry appeared bewildered by it. It can't be used consistently, because it has a few obvious flaws offenses can exploit, but alternated with a 2-2-1 or 1-2-1-1 it can cause havoc. In the second half against Perry it was certainly effective.

Like almost every team Cornell will face this year, Perry had a size advantage, as the photos show. But the Raiders went to war on the boards and by the end of the third quarter they began to dominate. Cordice, Collington, the Lee brothers, Nick Bennett, and Smith played football and it shows in their willingness to mix it up in the lane.

Raider shooting still needs work. Several players do not have proper form, and although several are able to evade their defenders and get to the basket they then miss the layups either under contact or even unopposed. But their scoring against Perry was more evenly distributed.

Cordice led as usual with 22, but Santana Lee had 11, Collington 10, Larry Lee five, Smith two and Colton Mosuch one.

Santana Lee is a particular problem for defenses because with his quickness and agility he draws fouls like flies. Whoever coaches assign to guard him is almost sure to get in early foul trouble.

But this group seems to have a serious problem with passing. Their passes are slow, they telegraph where the passes are going, and they're not accurate. This allows defenses to pick off a number of passes and then score at the other end. Perry only scored 38 points and 14 of them came off steals and runouts.

However, as Coach Brian Bethel keeps telling reporters, "This is a work in progress. We're trying to make up for players going two years and not playing. Everyone has to be patient through December and hopefully we'll be ready for Class A teams when we get to section play."

Against Sewickley, Cornell looked significantly better than it had in preseason scrimmages. Against Perry it looked significantly better than it had against Sewickley.

And C. J. Jackson, out with a fractured index finger, is due back in mid December. He should make a major difference.

Cornell plays AT Montour Propel tonight (Friday).

Julian Cordice (#2 below) sank seven three pointers en route to a 31 point night, but it wasn't enough as Cornell lost its home opener 68-53 to 2A Sewickley Academy.

The young and undersized Raiders hurt themselves with errors and hurried, ill advised shots, but their biggest problem was on defense. Sewickley made 16 uncontested layups.

"We're definitely a work in progress," first year Coach Brian Bethel admitted afterward. "We have a lot of work to do in every category, but we need the most work on defense."

Cornell did give the sparse crowd lots of reasons for hope, however.

Freshman point guard Eduardo Benitez (#22, left) will be good this year and outstanding for the next three. He's fast, quick, athletic, already has good instincts, and can shoot threes or beat his man on the dribble and get to the basket.

Lee brothers Larry and Santana (#14 in bottom photo), while undersized, are clever ballhandlers and seem able to penetrate and then kick the ball out to open shooters.

Cordice certainly gives Bethel some firepower to build around. Senior guard C. J. Jackson is out with a broken index finger from football season. He's expected back in another week. Jackson can handle the ball and score and will pull defenses to him, easing the prsssure on others. He and Cordice together could provide a powerful 1-2 scoring threat.

"If C. J. recovers from that injury, we keep everybody else healthy, and we develop some chemistry, then by the time we drop back to our Class A schedule in January we could be a pretty decent team," Assistant Coach Michael Smith believes.

One problem is that many of these players did not play the last two seasons. So they've forgotten much of what they learned on middle school teams, and have not been working on fundamentals.

Another problem is that Bethel believes in a free lance offense instead of set plays. Once learned, this makes a defense's job much more difficult, because it can't scout the plays ahead of time. However, a free lance offense requires a lot of on court decision making, and with these players having not played the last two years their decision making needs work.

For instance, Tuesday night, Cornell players did not run very many pick and roll moves, and when they did, often the screener did not set the screen tight and ballhandler did not come off the screen correctly. This can be cleared up but will take time.

The Raiders hung in there during the first quarter. A Benitez three from up top, and a Lee tip in, layup and two free throws kept it close at 13-9. In the second, a running jump shot by Benitez, and layups by Cordice and Lee gave Cornell a 15-13 lead. But Sewickley began hitting threes, and the Panthers pulled out to a 30-19 halftime edge.

Cornell's offense became much too concentrated. Only five players scored : Cordice 31, Larry Lee 10, Eduardo Benitez five, Santana Lee three and Nick Bennett two. In the second quarter, Cordice and Larry Lee scored four points each for all Cornell's points. In the third, Cordice scored 11 and Larry Lee one for all Cornell's points. In the fourth quarter Cordice scored 16 and Nick Bennett and Lee a layup each. Sewickley began shading defenders off Cornell's other players and overplaying Cordice and Lee. Notice in the photo below two defenders are guarding Lee. He was quick and clever enough to get by them on this possession, but couldn't do it consistently.

Currently, for varsity games Cornell dresses Cordice, the Lee brothers, Nick Bennett, Eduardo Benitez, Alex Benitez, Kenya Tench, Josh Mosuch, Julian Smith, Devin Lamb,. Colton Mosuch, Drake Barr and Geoffrey Collington. One of these freshman will go back to full time JV duty as soon as Jackson takes off his cast.

The defensive breakdown Bethel was most concerned about was the Sewickley runouts after Cornell would miss a shot.

"We have to have one man back to cover those fast breaks," he said. "Sewickley shot 16 uncontested layups. That's 32 points we handed them and we only lost by 15."

Cornell also needs to crank up its own fast break. Raider guards usually walked the ball up the floor Tuesday, but with their speed and quickness they could increase the tempo. This would overcome the height disadvantage Cornell will face every night.

Cornell really hurt itself with some poor passes, all of which were intercepted by Sewickley playera and fired downcourt for layups.

After the last two disastrous seasons, fans have drifted away and this game showed they haven't started coming back even for a new coach. A scattering of Sewickley fans plus the usual Cornell parents, girlfriends, cheerleaders and a few die hard basketball lovers were the only ones there. It will take several victories in a row to reignite the fan base.

But Bethel remained optimistic. "I was really heartened when they didn't quit once they got down. If you hadn't looked at the scoreboard you would have assumed it was a one point game. We really maintained our intensity. If we can keep that attitude, down the road by mid January we'll be a team to contend with in our Section."

The Raiders play 3A Oliver Traditional Academy from the Pittsburgh City League at home Thursday and then Class A Montour Propel away Friday night. All varsity games begin at 7 pm.

Cornell's Junior Varsity let a 41-28 lead slip away and lost their 23-24 home opener to Sewickley 51-50 in overtine.

Cornell had led the entire game, including a 25-21 edge at halftime. But the Raiders are still shorthanded and use top JV players to back up the varsity. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, those players were pulled to head for the locker room and join the varsity in pregame preparations.

Sensing that the JV second team was not quite as skilled, Sewickley went to a pressing defense. Cornell could not handle it. After each steal, Sewickley would fire the ball downcourt for layups. After six steals and layups, plus two free throws, that 41-28 lead shrank to 44-42. A baseline jumpshot tied it at 44-44 with 28 seconds to go. Cornell worked for an open shot, but with time winding down, with an open man across the lane, a Cornell player shot an ill advised hook shot, which missed.

In the overtime, Sewickley pulled ahead 46-44 on another layup, but two layups by Santana Lee and one by Culton Mozuch put Cornell back on top 50-46 at 1:14. A three pointer from the side brought Sewickley to 50-49 with 48 seconds left, and a steal and a layup gave the Panthers the 51-50 win with six seconds left.

However, the JV starting lineup was impressive. Devin Lamb, brothers Alex and Eduardo Benitez, Culton Mozuch and Julian Smith controlled the game over taller mostly sophomore 2A Sewickley. The Raiders matched the Panthers' physicality under the boards and alternated threes and layups against various Sewickley defenses. Cornell will apparently go with a three guard lineup most of the time and their guards are all fast, quick, good ballhanders who can score from outside or beat their men off the dribble and get to the basket.

Mozuch, Nick Bennett and Smith will face taller and older inside players all season but seem able to hold their own in the lane.

Cornell under Head Coach Brian Bethel is not running set plays, but a free lance offense. This requires players to make a lot of decisions on the floor, and developing these instincts will take time.

The Jayvees will face 3A Perry Thursday night at home and Class A Montour Propel Friday away. Their games begin at 6 pm.

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Cornell Football Coach Ed Dawson (bottom photo) held out his hands. "I'm missing a football," he announced. "They were all here just a few minutes ago. One of you guys has a football sitting in his locker, or under a chair, or under a coat. I need that football."

It was a bittersweet Thursday in the Cornell locker room. The Raiders were checking in their equipment and wrapping up the 2023 season. It was also a proud day. After going 8-2 and making the playoffs, Cornell had 13 players honored as Black Hills Conference All Stars.

Mikey Keyes (#17, right) at Wide Receiver and Khylil Johnson (#20, below) at Running Back made the First Team Offensive Unit.

Julian Cordice at Defensive Back made the First Team Defensive Unit.

Quarterback C. J. Jackson, Wide Receivers Drevon Newton and Cordice, Running Back Walter Claritt and Offensive Linemen Jamarcus Pierce and Nick Bennett all made the Second Team Offensive Unit.

Defensive Linemen Jayron Smith and Newton and Linebackers Ashton Jones and Kenya Tench made the Second Team Defensive Unit.

Offensive Lineman Phil Bsrker and Linebacker Santana Lee earned Honorable Mention.

Dawson is receiving high praise and being suggested for Coach Of The Year honors for somehow directing Cornell to eight wins and a playoff run when no one expected the Raiders to win more than five, if that. But he dismisses such talk.

"This wasn't that big of a surprise. People just weren't paying attention. I knew if we could just avoid too many injuries we could have a special season. We had the best off season, especially in the weight room, that we've had in 10 years. The players all held each other accountable."

"We had Drevon and Mikey at Wide Receiver and I thought Khylil was ready to help us at running back. So I felt good about this team way back in August."

He was surprised, however. Ashton Jones came on much better than expected at Linebacker. Dawson's own son, Isaiah, surprised him. Isaiah, a sophomore, broke his femur, tore his right shoulder lebrum, then tore his left shoulder lebrum.

"I told him maybe it was time to accept the fact football might not be for him. But he insisted he was coming back, and he did. He came to practice as soon as he got out of surgery, and he dressed for our last three games. He's my hero. That showed a lot of guts."

Julian Cordice surprised him. "I knew he'd be a good Defensive Back. But he also became a good Running Back. He really helped us on offense."

Dawson knew he had a potentially good runner in Johnson, but Khylil came on much faster and better than he expected. "I thought by his junior year he could be really good. But by October he just exploded. Now, with two years left, he can become something very special."

The kicking game continues to frustrate Dawson. For 10 years it has been Cornell's achilles heel. Every year the Raiders lose key games due to kicking. Last year they lost to OLSH and missed the playoffs on missed extra points. This year they lost in the playoff to Rochester on two missed extra point kicks.

"People must think we don't work on kicking," Dawson said with a touch of irritation. "But you reporters see us working on it every day. And we make those kicks in practice. Then in games we get hurt, or tired, or the defense breaks through, or it's raining, or something. This weighs on my mind all the time.

"The thing is, most schools have soccer teams. They pull kickers from their soccer team. But we don't have soccer. A lot of our opponents have kickers who only kick. Ours play other positions. C.J. kicks and plays Qb. He gets worn down by the fourth quarter and his kicks get tough."

Finding a Special Teams Coach to come to a 1A school would be tough, but even if Dawson could find one, he couldn't allot more thsn 30 minutes a day to kicking, and Cornell does that now.

As each player brought Dawson his equipment, the Coach asked about offseason plans. Was he going to play basketball? Run track? Seniors talked to Dawson about college plans.

Over the last 10 years, most Cornell players have gone on to Division III or II colleges, such as Marietta, Lake Erie, W & J, one of the state colleges, Geneva, I.U.P., or one of the Historically Black Colleges.

His own son E. J. is at Marietta College, where he's been starting on the JV team as a freshman.

Dawson looked out over the field. "If I could change one thing about this job it would be that field," he admitted. "I don't want artificial turf. But I wish we had the money to dig down, lay proper drainage, then relay the whole field." Cornell misses valuable practice days because the field is a swamp, and sometimes games have had to be relocated to opponents' fields or to a neutral site because Cornell's field is unplayable. Any time Coraopolis receives two days of rain, the field becomes a spongy soggy wetland.

Quarterback C. J. Jackson graduates so that job will be open. Walter Claritt seems the heir apparent. But Dawson warns about looking ahead.

"Walter will be a leading candidate. But he's so valuable as a running back, putting him at quarterback would actually be a disadvantage. And once we start practicing next year, there will probably be others who try to beat Walter out."

Several players asked about the weight room schedule.

"We'll take a couple of weeks off and let everybody heal up from the season," he told them. "Then we'll get back at it. I'll let you know."

Someone asked Dawson when he'll start preparing for next season. He just laughed.

"We lost to Rochester Friday night. Saturday morning I started thinking about next year. Head football coaches don't get any off seasons. It's a seven day a week 52 week a year job. That makes it demanding but it also makes it fun. If you like football, you get to live it."

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Brian Bethel has met a lot of challenges in his basketball career but he's just taken on the biggest one.

Bethel has been hired to rebuild Cornell's high school basketball program from the ruins.

Coraopolis, Neville Island and Cornell have a century long basketball tradition. All three have won section and WPIAL championships and made serious runs at the PIAA State Championship. Just a few years ago, Cornell had the PIAA's Outstanding Player and was the favorite to win the state championship when COVID cancelled the tournament.

Then Bill Sacco retired as coach and the bottom fell out. For two years Cornell struggled to win a game.

Bethel declines to talk about what caused the collapse. But suddenly Cornell athletes were not playing basketball. Under promise of anonymity, several players offered rheir opinions.

"They hired an assistant from one of those big 5A Catholic schools," one said. "They'd been really successful. But they ran a set system, and they would recruit the players they needed to make that system work. He tried to install that system here, but we're a small public school, we don't have the players to fit that system, and here he couldn't go out and recruit them. So nothing worked."

Another player said there was a huge disconnect. "He wasn't a teacher here. He never saw us until after school was over for the day. So he didn't really know us. He didn't even know our names. We were used to getting a lot of personal attention from Coach Sacco and Coach Dawson and he wasn't giving us any of that. We never really felt like he cared about us. So then when we couldn't run his system like he wanted, he got really mad and said some pretty harsh things. We've all been playing sports since about 4th grade and we're used to demanding coaches, but mixed in with the criticism they'd also tell us when we did something right. All of a sudden this guy was just all negative, negative, negative. Well, sports is supposed to be fun, you know. Yeh, we have to work hard, but mixed in with all the blood, sweat and tears we're supposed to enjoy it. And basketball just wasn't fun any more. And we weren't just losing. We were losing by really embarassing scores. It was a bad experience. So one by one, over time, a lot of us just quit."

So Bethel faces a severe shortage of players. He laughed at the old coaching cliche that "It doesn't matter about Xs and Os until you've got the right Jimmys and Joes," but he knows his first job is to recruit Cornell's own hallways and persuade those players to come back out.

"Those players are here," he insists. "I know who they are. Now I've got to convince them to play."

Bethel knows who they are because he's been coaching in Cornell's grade school and middle school system for years. He's coached youth teams to championships.

Bethel played his own basketball at Eau Claire High School in South Carolina under one of the state's most respected coaches, then played at Allen University, one of the nation's Historically Black Universities.

"If I can recruit the talent," he says, "What I'd like to run is a fast breaking, full court pressing, motion offense system. I really like the 2-2-1 press and a freelance, sort of pro style offense."

First, he needs a point guard. He played point guard, so he knows how to coach one.

That need was dealt a serious blow when Cornell's starting point guard transferred to Moon over the Summer. "That really hurt. He would have helped us."

But he's really excited about another one. Eduardo Benitez, a 5-9 freshman, has come up through Cornell's grade school and middle school system. "He had a really solid Summer League against junior and senior guards from big schools. He won't be intimidated and he's a quick learner. After four years of big time youth league competition, he has good instincts." Benitez (photo, right) is a good ballhandler, good defender and good shot.

Bethel is counting on two 6-3 forwards : Julian Cordice and Kenya Tench. Both are strong and physical.

He's still talking to several other potential players. "I'd love to get Walter Clarit and maybe even C.J. Jackson back out. They're not big but they're fast, quick and smart and neither one is afraid of a little physical contact."

This second week of November Bethel is working with an incomplete squad. He gave the football players a week off to rest up from their long hard season, which ended in the WPIAL playoffs.

"We don't have a true big man," he admits. "We'll be undersized. But a running pressing style can make up for that. And two 6-3 guys isn't bad for a Class A team."

Bethel expects to have depth, but it will be young. Cornell will have a roster heavy with freshmen and sophomores. How fast they come on may determine what kind of season the Raiders have.

The section will include Union, Carlynton, Rochester, Avella and Western Beaver. Old rivals like Nazareth Prep have moved up to Class 2A, and one time nemesis Vincentian closed. Union will again be the favorite to win the section.

Cornell will see its first outside competition next week with a scrimmage against Class A rival Bentworth from Washington County.

Bethel's coaching staff includes Mike Smith, Brandon Battles and Grant Nicholson.

The players seem to respond well to Bethel and his staff. Their coaching was positive and encouraging as the team worked on fast break drills, perimeter shooting drills and concluded with a full court scrimmage.

"We have to have everyone rebounding," he told them. "We don't have a big man, so we all have to help out. On every play, you need to be going for the ball."

He paced the sidelines and endlines continually, calling encouragement and advice. Then he called the team together for a final talk.

"If you know of anyone who could help us, talk to them," he told the players. "We're a small school. We can't afford to have good athletes not playing. We need their help. Get them here."

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For the last decade the kicking game has cursed Cornell. No matter who the kicker, the holder or the snapper, poor punts and missed or blocked field goals and extra points have cost the Raiders games and seasons. Just last year missed extra points cost Cornell its rivalry game with Sacred Heart and a trip to the playoffs.

Friday night at Moon Stadium the curse rose up again, this time costing Cornell a playoff victory over Rochester and a trip to the WPIAL quarter finals.

It was a beautiful night for football but neither team played well and the officials were erratic, too. The large crowd, bundled up in parkas, hoods, long underwear and blankets, watched fumbles, interceptions, penalties and missed assignments. (Moon blocked off the north stands so these photos make it look like no one was there. But the crowd was behind the photographer in the south stands.)

There were curious calls. One pass interference call occurred when the pass landed out of bounds and no contact occurred. Several late hits and highly obvious holdings were ignored. But the teams fumbled the ball back and forth often enough that no matter who lost they couldn't blame the officiating.

Rochester has long been known for its running attack, and the Rams kept the ball on the ground Friday night. There's nothing fancy about their offense --- just well executed blocks that open holes for their runners. Cornell did a pretty good job of containing that attack, just not quite good enough.

Rochester's leading rusher, Amari Curry, was held to only 65 yards on 15 carries. Jason Clinton had 46 yards on nine carries, while Dom Guido finished with 28 yards on 10 carries.

The Rams elected to receive to open the game, and used a series of short runs to crank out four first downs. They had penetrated to Cornell's 26 when they finally decided to try their first pass. Cornell's Damian Blackwell picked it off.

The Raiders ran four plays, picking up two first downs, when Rochester's Clayton Potts intercepted a pass and ran it back 36 yards. Felipe Castilho made the P.A.T. kick for a 7-0 lead with 1:59 in the first quarter.

After the ensuing kickoff, Khylil Johnson (#20 in bottom photo) broke loose for an 80 yard touchdown run, but it was called back by a penalty. Cornell then launched a 12 play drive of six first downs concluding in C.J. Jackson (#5 in photo below) scoring from the one on a quarterback keeper. But the P.A.T. kick missed, so Cornell still trailed 7-6 with 7:14 til halftime.

Rochester took the kickoff on its own 40 and began a long drive of five first downs to the Cornell five, from where Guido ran it in. The P.A.T. kick failed, leaving Rochester up 13-6.

Cornell was unable to move the ball as the half expired.

But the Raiders received to open the third quarter, and began a long drive of five first downs to the Rochester 11.

Johnson ran it in from there, and with the successful kick the score was tied at 13-13.

Rochester had shut down Cornell's passing attack by not giving Jackson enough time, but he finally unleashed a 40 yarder to Johnson (top photo) on the Rochester three. But two plays later a fumble prevented a touchdown. A score there would have won the game for Cornell.

That began a wild and messy fourth quarter, in which the teams took turns fumbling the ball back and forth to each other, punts went straight up in the air and quarterbacks were sacked. The game was played in the middle of the field. Then, finally, Jackson fired a 37 yarder to the four with three seconds left. Coach Ed Dawson called for a spike to stop the clock while he sent the field goal unit in. But the official did not stop the clock and time expired . Dawson protested to no avail, and the game went to overtime.

Under WPIAL rules, in overtime, each team gets a first down on the 10 yard line. Rochester won the coin toss and elected to go second. On Cornell's first play, Johnson powered 10 yards down the left sideline for the TD. But the P.A.T. was blocked by Potts. So Cornell led 19-13.

On Rochester's third play, Guido muscled in for the TD from the four. Castilho, a Portugese foreign exchange student, kicked the P.A.T. for the 20-19 victory.

Spesaking through a translator, Castilho told reporters afterward, "I love this. I love American football. I love being a kicker."

It was a frustrating night for the Raiders, who outscored their final two regular-season opponents, 79-9. Johnson was limited to 87 yards on 15 carries. Quarterback C.J. Jackson passed for 112 yards but was rarely able to find his two star receivers, Drevon Newton and Mikey Keys, because Ram defenders were constantly rushing him in the backfield. Rochester was taller and heavier at every position and Cornell's line could not keep them out.

Their height caused the 5-7 Jackson major problems in finding his receivers and getting his passes off (see second photo above; Jackson is #5).

So Cornell finishes 8-3. Most predictions, including those of the Litkenhous Computer, picked the Raiders to go 5-5 and miss the playoffs in a rebuilding year. But several players came on much faster than expected, especially Johnson, Keyes, Blackwell, Walter Clarit and Jackson.

Cornell loses Jackson and Newton to graduation so will once again be looking for a quarterback and another wide receiver. But Johnson and Keyes have emerged as legitimate stars and Clarit, although undersized, is strong on both offense and defense. He can serve as a running back and will be a likely replacement for Jackson at quarterback.

Line Coach Kenny Rainey became a powerful asset and if Dawson can retain him, Cornell should again enjoy a strong line on both offense and defense. Although they had problems with the taller, heavier, more experienced Rochester line, they have done well all season against everybody else.

Cornell wrapped up an unexpected season Friday night with a 40-9 win over Our Lady Of The Sacred Heart.

Cornell took charge of the game early and it was never in doubt.

C. J. Jackson (photo, right) scored the first touchdown on a one yard quarterback keeper play and added the P.A.T. kick for a quick 7-0 first quarter lead.

In the second quarter, Jackson blocked a punt and ran it back 65 yards. The PAT kick failed but Cornell led 13-0.

Then Philip Barker intercepted a Brandon Brazell pass and returned it 45 yards. The PAT pass failed but Cornell led 19-0.

Sacred Heart threatened to score in the final minute but Cornell's defense held and the Chargers settled for a field goal and a 19-3 halftime deficit.

The Chargers did score to open the third quarter to narrow the score to 19-9 when the P.A.T. failed.

But Cornell came right back. Khylil Johnson scored on a 70 yard run and Jackson added the P.A.T. for a 26-9 lead.

In the fourth, Walter Clarit grabbed a Sacred Heart fumble and ran it back 10 yards. Jackson's P.A.T. kick made it 33-9.

Paris Green finished the scoring with a 10 yard run. Jackson's P.A.T. kick set the final score at 40-9.

Although Jackson and Johnson combined for almost 200 yards of offense it was Cornell's defense which made the difference. The Raiders forced four turnovers and continually stopped the OLSH offense from gaining a first down.

Cornell scored directly on one fumble recovery and one interception, and the defense continually placed the offense in position to score other points.

Raider defenders intercepted three Brazell passes.

The OLSH defense was never able to stop Johnson (photo, left), who rushed for 120 yards, although he credited his teammates for his productive evening.

"Our offensive line kept opening holes," he told reporters afterward. "Especially on that long touchdown run, they were great."

The win left Cornell 8-2 and headed for rhe WPIAL playoffs with the #7 seed.. No one except the Cornell coaches and players dreamed of such a year. The Raiders had lost heavily to graduation, started mostly juniors and sophomores, and were predicted to maybe win five games. No one expected a playoff season.

Head Coach Ed Dawson has had Cornell in the playoffs several times but this may be his finest achievement. Line Coach Kenny Rainey also did a tremendous job with a young group on both offense and defense.

The loss concluded a frustrating season for OLSH, which expected to challenge for the Black Hills Conference championship but was riddled with injuries from the beginning. The Chargers finished only 4-6 overall and 3-4 in the conference, one of their worst years in the modern era. The Catholic academy never did have its entire starting lineup available.

The top seeds in the playoffs are South Side, Fort Cherry, Bishop Canevin and Clairton.

Cornell received a very good first round draw. They play #10 Rochester Friday night at 7 pm at Moon High School Stadium.

However, the diagram at right shows the draw getting worse fast. If Cornell wins, they advance to play Fort Cherry. And if Cornell were to win that game, they would probably play Bishop Canevin in the semifinals. Cornell lost to Fort Cherry 42-13 and Canevin 21-13.

Cornell shrugged off two straight losses to beat Chartiers Houston 39-0 Friday night and make a berth in the upcoming WPIAL playoffs likely (but not guaranteed).

The million dollar Chartiers Houston stadium is beautiful but it was a cold, rainy night and the crowd was bundled up in parkas and huddling under tarps and umbrellas.

The game was never in doubt. Cornell gained 246 yards rushing to Ch-H's 50. Cornell's defense held Ch-H to an average of 1.2 yards per play.

Khylil Johnson (#20 at right), C. J. Jackson (#05 below) and Walter Clarit (#07 bottom) took turns grinding out major yardage. Johnson scored two TDs, as Jackson, Mikey Keyes (#17 below right), Julian Cordice and Paris Green added one each.

Johnson scored his first TD by running back a punt 63 yards with 5:40 in the first quarter. Jackson kicked the P.A.T. (photo below) to make it 7-0.

A few minutes later, Jackson ran it in from the six and kicked the P.A.T. for a 14-0 lead with 1:40 in the first.

The teams traded possessions in the second quarter until Jackson hit Keyes with a 20 yard pass in the end zone and kicked the P.A.T. to make it 21-0 with 5:59 til halftime.

The second half began with a serious injury to Chartiers Houston runner Zeke Watkins.

He was hit returning the opening kickoff and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Later in the quarter, Johnson ran 37 yards to make it 27-0 with 4:00. The PAT missed.

In the fourth, Cordice scored with 4:30 left to make it 33-0 (photo, bottom right).

Just 25 seconds later, Green intercepted a Ch-H pass and ran it back 23 yards for the final 39-0 score.

Clarit played probably his finest game as a Raider. He has become a powerful runner, rugged and hard to bring down. But more important, he has become a tremendous defensive force. He frustrated Ch-H with quarterback sacks, blocked punts, tackles for loss and forced fumbles.

And Johnson, only a sophomore, has become a dangerous threat, capable of powering up the middle or sprinting around either end. Once in the open field he is very difficult to catch. Having to key on him prevents defenses from focusing on Jackson, Clarit or Cordice.

Cornell Coach Ed Dawson held a few starters out for the entire game and tried to substitute freely, especially in the second half, to keep players healthy for the Sacred Heart game and the playoffs.

With Bishop Canevin's Friday night victory over Sacred Heart, the four Black Hills Conference representatives to the playoffs will apparently be Fort Cherry, Canevin, Cornell and Burgettstown. But an OLSH upset of Cornell would complicate the situation. Last year, a loss to OLSH kept Cornell out of the playoffs. This year, if Fort Cherry defeats Burgettstown Friday night, as it is overwhelmingly favored to do, Cornell could lose and still qualify, because it beat Burgettstown and Burgettstown beat OLSH. But if Bugettstown upset Fort Cherry and Cornell lost to OLSH, that would leave Burgettstown with only two losses, while Cornell had three, so the Raiders would be tied with OLSH and OLSH would receive the bid due to its win over Cornell.

The other importance of Cornell winning this Friday is seeding. The #4 seeds in each conference will face a #1 seed from another conference. Avoiding South Side or Clairton is important. If Cornell defeats OLSH the Raiders will receive a #3 seed and avoid them.

Computer rankings as of Saturday were 1. Fort Cherry, 2. South Side, 3. Bishop Canevin, 4. Clairton, 5. Cornell, 6. Union, 7. California, 8. West Greene, 9. Jeannette, 10. Rochester

Fort Cherry has the shiny #1 ranking and unbeaten record, but South Side is considered the wild card in the playoffs. The rural Beaver County school runs the Wing-T offense, which no one has seen since the 1950s and few coaches know how to defend. South Side is enjoying its best season ever and just won the Big Seven Conference title with a win over Union.

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Top ranked and unbeaten Fort Cherry handed Cornell its second loss 42-13 Friday night to clinch the Black Hills Conference championship and the #1 seed in the upcoming WPIAL Tournament.

Fort Cherry, a consolidation of the old McDonald, Cecil and Midway high schools, is enjoying its finest season in school history behind the play of quarterback Matt Sieg. A 6-2 sophomore, Seig (#3 in photo, right) has drawn the attention of D-1 scouts from across the country. He's the finest quarterback at any Class A school in Pennsylvania, the finest QB at any WPIAL school regardless of class, and has already received offers from Penn State, Pitt and Nebraska.

Fort Cherry, one of the largest Class A schools in the state, enrolls 398. Cornell, the second smallest public high school still fielding an 11 man football teams and marching band, enrolls 165. (Avella is the smallest at 152). Fort Cherry was larger at every position, looking like a 2A or 3A team.

Fort Cherry occupies a beautiful hilltop campus just outside the old mining town of McDonald. The stadium is one of the classiest in the WPIAL. Current coach Tanner Garry is the third Garry to fill that role. The stadium is named after his grandfather, Jim Garry, who coached there for 43 years. Son Tim Garry followed and grand son Tanner succeeded him. The program had fallen on hard times and went 0-10 five years ago. Now that it's 8-0 and ranked #1 in the state, the fans have turned out, filling the stands and lining the fences around the end zones. College scouts, radio announcers and newspaper photographers and reporters fill the multi story press box and spill out into the nearby seats. Games at Fort Cherry now look like what games at the old hilltop Coraopolis High School Stadium used to look like.

Cornell did a credible job of handling everyone else. It was Sieg the Raiders couldn't stop. He was a one man offensive juggernaut, gaining 188 yards and scoring or setting up all of its 42 points.

Cornell looked impressive in the first quarter. It kicked off and stopped the Ranger drive. On the second play from scrimmage Khylil Johnson sprinted 63 yards for a TD. With C. J. Jackson's PAT kick, Cornell led 7-0.

Cornell recovered two Fort Cherry fumbles to stop drives, but couldn't make any progress on offense against the bigger Ranger defenders. The first quarter ended with Cornell still up 7-0.

To this point Cornell's defenders had pretty well shut down Fort Cherry's passing attack. So in the second quarter Tanner told Sieg to just run it. Using mostly a keeper play up the middle or sprints around either end, Sieg made Cornell's defense look like Swiss Cheese. He's extremely fast, powerful and hard to bring down. His gains set up a 40 yard run by Ethan Faletto for a TD with 10:58. Sieg than ran 27 yards for a TD with 8:31, three yards for a TD with 7:35, and four yards for a TD with 0:36. Nik Massey's PAT kicks after each TD made it 28-7 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Sieg passed 27 yards to Evan Rogers and in the fourth Sieg ran 88 yards to make it 42-7.

Cornell finally got back on the board with another Khylil Johnson run, this one for 35 yards. The PAT kick failed so the final score was 42-13.

Sieg eventually completed 4 of 6 passes for 89 yards and one TD. He also played defensive back and intercepted a Cornell pass. With two more regular season games left, he will almost certainly become the second player in WPIAL history to run for a thousand yards and pass for another thousand in two consecutive seasons. He has 2931 yards rushing in two years. So far this year he has 949 rushing and 947 passing. He ran a 4.4 40 at Penn State in summer camp.

Johnson (#20 at left) led Cornell rushing with 95 yards.

Despite two straight losses, Cornell is in good shape. The Raiders finish with an away game this Friday against Chartiers Houston and a home game next Friday against Sacred Heart. They'll be favored in both games, but need only one for their seventh win and a playoff berth.

Coach Ed Dawson was optimistic. "Sieg is great, but we didn't execute well. If we clean up the little things, we can still achieve our goals for this year."

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Bishop Canevin, which has spent almost the whole season ranked #1 in the WPIAL and the State, ended Cornell's unexpected six game win streak Friday night 21-13.

But the Raiders did not go quietly. They scored first, came back to tighten the game again, and threatened to score in the fourth quarter. They just couldn't stop Canevin's high powered offense or overcome the solid Canevin defense.

Neither team could score in the first quarter. The Raiders opened matters in the second as C. J. Jackson fired a 23 yard pass to Mikey Keys. Kenny Wade's PAT kick made it 7-0.

Canevin came back on Kole Olszewski's 17 yard pass to Jason Cross. Ryan McFetridge's PAT kick tied the game at 7-7.

Olszewski found Cross again on a 13 yarder and the kick by McFetridge put Canevin up 14-7 at the half.

In the third quarter Jackson found Julian Cordice on a 20 yard pass to bring the Raiders to within one, 14-13. But Wade missed the kick that would have tied it.

The teams battled back and forth through the rest of the 3rd and much of the 4th quarters.

Finally, Olszewski hit Jayden Lindsey with a 29 yarder and McFetridge's kick made it 21-13.

The two lines battled to a stalemate. Neither team could get anything done up the middle. Most of the yardage and all the scoring by both sides came on passes.

Cornell travels to new #1 Fort Cherry this Friday, where they will again be a heavy underdog. Quarterback Matt Seig has been sensational all year and has every D-1 powerhouse program in the country after him.

But if the Raiders can win next week against winless Chartiers Houston they will have the seven wins needed for a postseason playoff berth.

The Raiders will conclude the regular season against back yard rival Sacred Heart. A win in that game would leave Cornell 8-2 in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season.

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Cornell was in serious trouble. If the Raiders were to stay undefeated and protect their #2 ranking, they needed a miracle. Actually, they needed a couple of them.

They got them.

Cornell was locked in a tight defensive struggle with Burgettstown. Both offenses had been running up scores in the 30s and 40s and fans expected a high scoring game. Instead, both defenses shut down the opposing offenses, and at halftime the score was 0-0.

Burgettstown broke the drought in the third quarter with a 19 yard TD pass from Brodie Kuzior to Zach Schrockman and although the Blue Devils missed the PAT their 6-0 lead held up for the rest of the quarter.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, C. J. Jackson (#5 in photo below) scored on a one yard keeper play to tie the game at 6-6 but the PAT kick was blocked.

With time running out, Burgettstown scored what looked like the game winning TD when Kuzior ran it in from the 18. Colton County's PAT kick gave the visitors a 13-6 lead and fans began packing up to head for the parking lot while Blue Devil cheerleaders and fans began the celebration.

But Cornell wasn't done. The Raiders took the kickoff and ground out three plays to get to the 15.

Jackson fired the pass to Khylil Jackson (#20 in photo above) to make it 13-12. Jackson then passed to Julian Cordice for the two point conversion and the unbelievable 14-13 win.

In the long history of Coraopolis, Neville and Cornell football this was one of the most dramatic wins. And it was critical for what is becoming a fantasy Cornell year. The #2 Raiders are now 6-0 with a Charters Houston win likely, which would give them seven wins and a playoff berth.

The going gets tough now, with next week's home game against #1 Bishop Canevin and a trip to Fort Cherry a week later. Cornell won't be favored in either. Then they travel to Chartiers Houston before finishing the regular season at home against Sacred Heart.

Johnson's 108 yards led Cornell in both rushing and passing.

Cornell's skill position players are, deservedly, receiving credit for much of this team's unexpected success. But the line and Jackson have been keys. Despite being under sized at 5-7, Jackson has proven a much better than expected quarterback. He's not great at anything but he's good at everything. He can run, hand off, pitch out, pass short, medium or long, read the defenses, block and provide that intangible spark called leadership. He's a good game manager and does not make mistakes. His size will cause college scouts to overlook him, but as a Class A high school QB he has been superb.

The line has also performed well above expectations. With no D-1 prospects, this has become one of the best offensive and defensive lines Cornell has had. There's no WPIAL Line Coach Of The Year Award but if there were Coach Kenny Rainey would be a prime contender.

Khylil Johnson exploded for three touchdowns as Cornell rolled over Carlynton 47-7 Friday night to push its season record to 5-0 and set up a showdown with Burgettstown this week.

No one expected this. Carlynton is a much bigger school which recently dropped down from 2A. The Cougars opened this season with a 46-6 win over Carrick and have played a 2A warmup schedule against Riverview and Ellwood City. With its #2 ranking, Cornell was favored, but the game was expected to be close.

It was never close.

Cornell led 34-0 at halftime and substituted freely in the second half. Carlynton scored its only TD late in the 4th quarter with Cornell reserves in on defense.

Julian Cordice started the scoring with an eight yard run in the first quarter. The PAT kick failed but Cornell kept the 6-0 lead until the second quarter.

Then Johnson broke through on a one yard run and Kenny Wade kicked the PAT to make it 13-0.

A few possessions later, Walter Clarit ran it in from the four and Wade's kick pushed the lead to 20-0.

Damian Blackwell intercepted a Carlynton pass on the Cornell 45 and ran it back 55 yards for the TD that made it 26-0.

Then, with the bands lining up for the halftime show, Mikey Keys hauled in a 32 yard C. J. Jackson pass and Johnson ran the PAT in for a 34-0 lead.

Cornell Coach Ed Dawson began subbing in the third quarter so scoring slowed down. But Johnson caught a four yard pass from Jackson and Wade kicked the PAT to make it 41-0.

In the fourth quarter, Johnson ran it in from the one yard line for the final 47th point.

Carlynton finally scored with Cornell's reserves in for the 47-7 score.

The win sets up a showdown with Burgettstown Friday night at Frank Letteri Stadium which if the weather holds should draw the biggest crowd of the season.

Burgettstown can also put up points. The Blue Devils rolled over Bethlehem 34-0 and Chartiers Houston 40-0. They lost to #1 Bishop Canevin 35-0, but Canevin has beaten 2A Keystone Oaks 21-7 and Greensburg Central Catholic 26-6, is top ranked in both the WPIAL and the State and is favored to win the WPIAL and State titles in November.

Burgettstown has an outstanding quarterback in Brodie Kuzior, who both runs and passes. He has several good receivers and two good running backs. Burgettstown has one of the bigger, tougher and more experienced lines Cornell will face this season, and that line has proven very good at opening holes for Kuzior and his backs.

However, Cornell's line has also developed into a powerful force both on offense and defense. Jackson has surpassed all expectations in running and passing and backing him up is Cordice. Cornell has developed an elite receiver corps and now Wade is beginning to hit PAT kicks. Clarit is a quick, fast, shifty, clever running back. So Cornell at midseason is a legitimate contender. Back in August, Burgettstown was rated a strong favorite in this game but now the Litkenhouse computer rates it as a tossup.

IF Cornell could pull out a win Friday night and go 6-0, it would set the Raiders up as a likely postseason qualifier. They have a game left with Chartiers Houston in which they'll be favored. That would give them the magic seventh win. From then on, they would be playing for postseason draw.

Bishop Canevin and Fort Cherry appear formidable and will be heavily favored. Sacred Heart has suffered injuries which leave it not as strong as expected but the annual rivalry game will still be tough. Over in the other conferences, Clairton, Rochester and South Side look to be locks for postseason berths.

The question going into Saturday night at Pittshurgh Motor Speedway was whether local drivers Kyle Janas, Susie Rudolph, Tyler Hollister and Eric Reynolds could hold off Matt Urey and a dozen visiting drivers from outside this area.

The answer came loud and clear : NO. They didn't come close. Urey won the Sport Compact Shootout, the season's premier event for Four Cylinder teams. Other drivers from northern and central Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and West Virginia swept the top nine positions. The highest any local driver finished was Reynolds, from Sewickley, in the crowd favorite Love Bug. He came in 10th. Hollister, of Midway, was 15th. Rudolph, of Steubenville, only lasted two laps. Janas, from Forest Grove just outside Coraopolis, hit the wall on lap seven, blowing a tire and allowing Urey to take over first place.

The evening looked favorable at first. Janas won one of the two preliminary heats, and Hollister, Rudolph and Reynolds were running well, so even though Urey (photo, right) won the other heat, locals fans were optimistic.

But once the feature started, it was obvious Urey and several others had more powerful engines, especially when it came to accelerating out of turns and maneuvering through traffic. Urey was running his state of the art Honda Civic Type R 2.4L 315 Crate model which many auto enthusiasts believe is the greatest four cylinder engine ever made. Other visiting drivers had that same engine or a version of it. If local drivers are going to match Urey, they'll have to win the lottery or find a big time sponsor. A new 2.41 315 costs $6750. They can be found used for $4000 - 5000, but that's still pretty steep for a division where regular season first place money rarely exceeds $500. Ohio and northern Pennsylvania tracks draw larger crowds, so pay higher purses, which allows their drivers to spend more on their cars.

Ben Policz won the Limited Late Model feature, his 24th all time at PPMS. Tony Mussolino led for eight laps, with Policz challenging. One miscue on lap four sent Policz into a spin, but he recovered and after working his way back up he finally took over first place on lap eight. Brandon Burgoon had been dueling with Mussolini and Policz for the lead but a three car collision on the front stretch on lap seven ended his night.

By not finishing Burgoon lost his season points lead. Cole Petrelle, who finished seventh Saturday, moved back into first place, six points ahead of Burgoon. Kassidy Kamacher of Aliquippa is third.

Daryl Charlier pulled out to a wide lead to win the Pro Stock Feature. Brent McDonald and A.J. Poljack were second and third. Poljack leads the season points race by 33 points.

In the most exciting finish of the evening, Stephen Shelpman won the Hobby Stocks Feature to tighten his grip on the season points race in that division. Logan Koteles finished a very close second, so remains in second in points, nine behind Shelpman. Jonathan Koteles led for the first several laps but Logan took the lead and Shelpmnan (#17P) and Jonathan (#2K) battled for second for four laps, with Shelpman finally passing him, as seen in the photo at right. Shelpman and Logan then battled for the lead the rest of the way, with Shelpman edging ahead of Logan on the final straight for the win.

Sadie Snatchko won the Young Guns (Teenage) Feature. Gavin Kokolis leads in season points, with Snatchko second and Zoey Knight third.

The final regular season racing night will be this Saturday.

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Cornell celebrated its new #3 ranking by routing Avella 41-0 Friday night to go up 4-0 on the season.

The Raiders' swarming defense (photo, right) shut down Avella's offense while Cornell quarterback C.J. Jackson passed for 161 yards (completing 10 of 12) and two touchdowns and ran one in himself from the five yard line. Jackson handed off, pitched out (see below), passed short, medium and long (see third photo down), ran, and played one of his best all round games. Once ahead, Coach Ed Dawson substituted freely. Had starters played the entire game Jackson's statistics would have been much higher.

But Cornell's line also deserves much of the credit. When on defense they stopped Avella runners cold while on offense they opened up holes for Raider runners.

Cornell scored on its first possession. It took over on its own 25, ran to the Avella 40, passed to Mikey Keyes on the five, and Jackson passed to Julian Cordice in the end zone. Jackson passed to Khylil Johnson for the P.A.T. and Cornell led 8-0.

Avella took the kickoff but couldn't move against Cornell's line and punted. Johnson ran 15 yards to the Cornell 45 and Junior Ashton Jones ran to the Avella eight. A pass to Keyes in the end zone pushed it to 14-0 with 4:00 left in the first quarter.

Avella gave up on running and went to the air. The Eagles carved out two first downs but stalled and punted. Johnson ran to the Avella 42, Jackson passed to Cordice on the 22, and then to Keyes in the end zone. Freshman Kenny Wade kicked the P.A.T (see bottom photo) for the 21-0 lead with 2:37 til halftime.

But Cornell wasn't done. An interception gained the ball back. Jackson passed to Johnson on the Avella 30, then to senior Larry Lee for the TD. Wade's PAT made it 28-0 as teams went to halftime.

Lee, a 5-8 130 lb senior, had a fantasy evening. He was crowned Homecoming King at halftime, coming out from the locker room in his football uniform to accept the honor.

Cornell struck early in the third quarter. The Raiders took the kickoff on their own 40, ran six yards, a facemask penalty against Avella put it on the Avella 40, and Cordice passed to Keyes for the TD to make it 34-0.

Avella couldn't move and had to punt. Cornell took over on its own 44, five runs put it on the Avella 5, and Jackson ran it in on a keeper play. Wade's kick made it 41-0 with 5:11 in the third.

Avella had come into this game after two straight wins, 14-7 over Mapletown and 22-15 over Bentworth. The Eagles fully expected to beat Cornell, and down 41-0 became frustrated. As Dawson sent in rhe reserves, the game deteriorated into a mess for the last quarter and a half. There were unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, facemask violations, an Avella assistant coach ejected, interceptions, fumbles and other miscues. 5-7 130 lb junior Zane Livingston made one of the interceptions and Wade recovered a fumble.

A decent but less than capacity crowd turned out on a beautiful September night.

Despite its 4-0 record and #3 ranking, the Raiders still face a difficult road. They must win next Friday night at Carlynton, then return home to face Burgettstown. To get to seven wins and a playoff berth, they have to beat Carlynton and Chartiers Houston, then upset one of Burgettstown, Fort Cherry, Sacred Heart or Bishop Canevin.

Avoiding injuries will be key. Talented senior receiver Drevon Newton spent the Avella game on the sidelines with a high ankle sprain. He's 50-50 for the Carlynton game but will be essential a week later for Burgettstown. Last year October injuries derailed Cornell's chances for a playoff berth. Like all Class A teams, the Raiders don't have the depth to recover from injuries to starters.

Line Coach Kenny Rainey told reporters after the Avella game he was satisfied so far but had work to do. "Little details," he said. "We have a lot of little details to take care of, a lot of cleaning up to do. For one thing, we have to avoid false starts, offsides, delay and other penalties. Those 5, 10, 15 yard flags could kill us against top teams. We must not beat ourselves."

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There'll be a shootout at the racetrack corral Saturday which will pit three top local gunslingers against a hot newcomer from up north.

The event is the Pittsburgh Motor Speedway's Sport Compact Shootout, the biggest race of the year for Four Cylinder drivers in Southwest Pennsylvania.

The three locals are Susie Rudolph, Kyle Janas and Tyler Hollister. They've led the PPMS point race all year. Janas has won six features. They're all good drivers with good cars and good crews.

But they face a massive challenger in Oil City's Matt Urey. Urey is a star at Tri Cities and Lehrnerville Raceways. He drives a 2003 Honda Civic with a Ford Escort front end. After a wreck, he couldn't find another 2003 Civic, so he and his crew did the complex body work to fit the Escort bumper, grille, hood, fenders and even radiator onto the front of his Honda Civic.

The grill still displays the famous blue Ford oval (photo, left). Fans in the stands and rivals in the pits kept asking each other what kind of Escort that was, that they'd never seen an Escort with quite those body lines.

Then a month ago at Lehrnerville Urey blew the engine. So he installed a Honda Civic Type R 2.4L 315 Crate engine (photo above), which sells new for $6750. It's an engine not made for street use, since it needs high octane fuel and requires a lot of maintenance. But what it does exceedingly well is accelerate like a drag racer. This gives the driver a huge advantage coming out of starts, restarts, and into and out of the tight bends of quarter and half mile racetracks. It also allows a driver to spot an opening and quickly increase speed to dart into and through it.

Urey (photo, right) used these advantages to full effect when he came down to a recent PPMS Saturday. He won his heat and then the feature by simply pulling away from Janas and Rudolph on restarts and turns. They hung close but could never catch him.

As fans and other drivers found out what contraption they were seeing, they began calling it a FrankenHonda, since it was cobbled together with parts from various sources.

Urey is a consistent winner on the TriCities half mile and the Lehrnerville quarter mile, and won the Tri Cities 2023 Sport Compact points race. But he really likes PPMS.

"The track surface here is a lot smoother so the track is a lot faster," he told reporters. "I also like the wide straights and wide turns. You don't get hemmed in as much by slower cars."

One factor which remains to be seen is durability. An issue with small engines is over heating. PPMS is actually 5/8 of a mile, so is slightly bigger than the half miles at Tri Cities, Latrobe and Eriez (which is only 3/8 of a mile). A 20 lap race at PPMS is thus 12 miles. Whether these Honda Type R 2.41 315 hp Crate Engines can maintain high speeds and repeated bursts of acceleration for 12 miles in hot, humid weather without overheating is not certain. Urey is hoping for a cool September evening with no humidity so he doesn't have to find out. Rudolph, Rudolph and Hollister would love heat and humidity.

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Stephen Shelpman of Pleasant Hills (photo, right) won Saturday night's Josh Langer Memorial and with it the 2023 Triple Crown of the Hobby Stocks Division at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway.

Logan Koteles led the race early, but Shelpman passed him on lap three and fought off Koteles and Matt Benard for the rest of the race. They remained on his bumper, and several times one or the other nosed alongside, only for Shelpman to ease ahead again.

It was Shelpman's seventh feature win of the season and 39th overall in Hobby Stocks.

Behind the front three, there was a 20 lap battle royale for fourth place. Garrett O'Patchen won it, barely, over Adam Ferree, Tyler Fox, Mrc Corio and Jonathan Koteles.

Shelpman hangs onto the season points lead by seven over Logan Koteles.

Up in the Pro Stocks, Cody Koteles (photo, left, in 1K) won the feature when a two car spinout on lap four took out his main challenger, Nick Kocuba. Koteles had to fight off Josh Seippel and A. J. Poljack but held the lead the rest of the way. It was Koteles' third feature win of the season, his fifth overall in Pro Stocks, and his 15 in all divisions over several years.

Tommy Schirnhofer took the Limited Late Model Feature in a close race over Tony Musolino. Cole Petrelle was third. Brandon Burgoon still holds the season points lead by a single point over Petrelle.

Kyle Janas was leading the Sport Compact (Four Cylinder) Feature on lap six but engine trouble forced him to the pits. Joe Jacobs won the race. Susie Rudolph still leads the season points race by six points over Tyler Hollister and nine over Janas.

Gavin Kokolis won the Young Guns (Teenager) Feature with Sadie Snatchko second and A. J. Manganello third. It was Kokolis' fifth feature win of the season.

Chris Schneider defeated Tony White in the Dash race for Unlimited Late Models.

Only two regular season nights remain, with the annual Pittsburgher for Unlimited Late Models ("Super Lates") wrapping up the calendar September 30 and October 1 if needed. This Saturday will be the Sport Compact Shoot Out for Four Cylinders, with Vintage cars making their annual visit.

Cornell isn't "young" and "rebuilding" any more.

Friday night the Raiders took down Union, ranked #4 in one poll, #1 in another, and #1 by the Litkenhous computer, 30-14. The Scotties came in undefeated.

The win left Cornell 3-0 and suddenly Coach Ed Dawson has a legitimate contender on his hands. This was a key win. The Raiders need sevcn wins to make the playoffs. They'll be underdogs to Bishop Canevin, Sacred Heart, Fort Cherry and Burgettstown late in the season. They'll be favored in games against Avella, Chartiers Houston and Carlynton. So with this win, Cornell should run up six wins if they avoid injuries and take care of business. That means they only need one upset against the four favorites to get to seven wins and move on to the post season.

Against Union, Cornell looked impressive early and late but the Scotties, who defeated Bishop Canevin 20-6 last year to win the WPIAL title, and opened this season with two impressive wins, fought back.

Cornell went up 12-0 in the first eight minutes. Union then ground out a touchdown to score just before the first quarter ended to cut it to 12-7. A five yard pass with just seven seconds left in the half sent the Scotties to the locker room with a 14-12 lead.

But Cornell scored three touchdowns in the second half. In all, Raiders ran for 282 yards and passed for 130 for a total of 412.

Cornell's defense forced five Union fumbles and a miraculous strip. In the second quarter, a Union runner had come 49 yards on a pass play but on the Cornell two a defender stripped the ball from the runner before he could cross the goal line. Cornell recovered.

"They were the better team tonight," Union Coach Kim Niedbala said. "They outmuscled us. Their line beat us on both offense and defense. We let them jar the ball loose time after time. And their skill position kids outplayed us. Cornell wanted this game more than we did. They came in hungry."

Cornell plays Avella at home at Frank Letteri Stadium this Friday. This is one of Avella's better teams. The Eagles have beaten Bentworth 22-15 and Mapletown 14-7. So they're dangerous. But Cornell is on a roll and should be ranked by midweek. They have the edge at the skill positions and on the line. For the first time this season they'll be favored.

Brandon Burgoon (photo, right) won his sixth feature of the year in Limited Late Models to finally move into first place in the season points race at Pittsburgh Motor Speed way with only three weeks to go.

Burgoon, of McDonald, has been chasing Cole Petrelle of Follansbee, W.Va. for three months, both on the track and in points. He began the evening in second, one point behind.

He and Petrelle both won their qualifying heats, setting up a duel in the feature. But Burgoon put this one away early.

In the random draw for position he drew sixth and Petrelle fifth. By the second lap Burgoon had already moved to second behind Daryl Charlier. On lap three he passed Charlier for the lead and kept it the rest of the way.

"I was actually surprised to see the white flag," he told reporters afterward. "I thought I was only about halfway there. But suddenly I was on the last lap."

Burgoon now leads Petrelle by five points. Frank Magill, Kassidy Kamacher and Tom Klein round out the top five.

There are three Saturday nights of regular season racing left before PPMS winds up with the Pittsburgher, the Lucas Oil National Circuit race which will attract Unlimited Late Model racing teams from all over the country.

Saturday night was a classic September racing evening. It had been dry all week so after an hour or so of spraying and rolling the track was smooth and fast. One of the year's best crowds turned out, many to see the Winged Sprints in their final local appearance of 2023.

Jordan Ryan won the Winged Sprint Feature but it was a struggle. Dan Kuriger and Lee Jacobs led early while Ryan, Darrin Gallagher, Lee Jacobs and A. J. Flick all battled for second through seventh place. Ryan finally took command of second, and on Lap 11 moved into first. He stayed there for the rest of the race. It was a major win for Ryan, who is only 20th in season points. Flick leads in season points for the Sprints, who race at various tracks across Western Pennsylvania and Eaatern Ohio.

Kyle Janas (photo, left) won his seventh feature race of the year to pull to within nine points of Susie Rudolph in the Sport Compact (Four Cylinder) Division. Janas, from Forest Grove just outside Coraopolis, talked later about how much fun he has racing, especially his rivalries with Rudolph and Tyler Hollister. "We get into it once in a while, but on the whole we really respect each other. It's a fun division."

A. J. Mangenello (photo, right) won his first ever Feature in the Young Guns (Teenage) Division. Manganello, who also won his heat race, has been laboring along in eighth place in the season points standings. He led the feature most of the way, but had to fend off repeated challenges by Gavin Kokolis of Oakdale. He was helped when Zoey Knight and Cheyenne Hollister tangled on the front straight on lap three, sending Knight to the pits with a flat tire and Hollister to the back. Kokolis leads in season points, with Knight second, Sadie Snatchko third and Hollister fourth.

Christian Schneider won the Pro Stocks Feature. He led the entire way but it was a messy race, with three cautions and restarts. Schneider has now won 28 features in five different divisions over seven years at PPMS.

Ben Easler won the Sportsmen Feature, his first win of either a heat or feature at PPMS.

Racing will resume this Saturday night with the Josh Langer Hobby Stock Invitational. This is the third and final leg of the Hobby Stocks Triple Crown. The previous two legs have drawn a large field of cars and this one is expected to do the same.

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Ed Dawson's Cornell Raiders scored their second straight upset Friday night, surprising Monessen 20-6. Cornell, which was supposed to be in a major rebuilding season with numerous young players, is now 2-0 with two big wins under its belt.

"Who ARE these guys?" asked one college scout in the stands to watch explosive Monessen runners Daevon Burke and Tyvaun Kershaw but came away talking about Cornell. Burke and Kershaw looked impressive the week before against 2A Washington, but Cornell shut them down. The scout left with pages of notes on several Raiders. "They've got talent on both their line and their skill positions."

Monessen has nine starters on offense and eight on defense back from last year, with a 42 man roster, more typical of a good 2A team than 1A, and is considered a strong contender in the always tough Tri County Conference. They were still fuming after a loss to Cornell last year at home and arrived at Frank Letteri Stadium with a chip on their shoulder.

But the game was really never in doubt.

Khylil Johnson opened scoring on an 18 yard pass from C. J. Jackson in the first quarter. The P.A.T. kick failed, but Cornell held the 6-0 lead into the second quarter. Johnson led all rushers with 80 yards.

Kershaw's only score came in the second quarter on a three yard run to tie at 6-6. The Greyhounds tried to go ahead with a run for the P.A.T. but it faied.

Before halftime Jackson found Drevon Newton (#4 in photo above) with a 20 yard pass. Jackson then made the kick to put the Raiders up 13-6.

The teams kept trading possessions in the third quarter but neither could score. Then, in the fourth, Julian Cordice ran it in from the five and Jackson's kick made it 20-6.

It was a beautiful September night for football, and after a frustrating opening night, all Cornell's systems were good. The field crew had the playing surface in good shape, and after a whole day's work earlier in the week the clock and scoreboard were functioning fine.

Monessen coaches were impressed by both the Cornell offensive line and the Raider defense. "We were not able to get to Jackson, and they shut down our passing attack and both Burke and Kershaw. We have a lot of work to do."

Jackson (photo, left, passing off balance and under pressure) has exceeded expectations at quarterback. He passed for 95 yards. Cornell's skill players have become a dangerous strike force, and the line has held on both sides of the ball.

But the going gets tougher. Union, this week's opponent, is 2-0, ranked fourth in the WPIAL, and just waxed 2A backyard rival Ellwood City 34-21. Braylon Thomas is their horse, accounting for 179 yards Friday night. Union will be favored, but Cornell is used to being an underdog,.

There were so many story lines at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway Saturday night it was hard to keep up with them all. But the three most dramatic were the Logan Koteles win in Hobby Stocks, which brought him to within three points of season leader Stephen Shelpman, the Brandon Burgoon win in Limited Lates to close that gap to only one, and the invasion of Matt Urey of Oil City, who crashed the party in Four Cylinders with a high powered Honda "hot hatch" Civic which was too much for local drivers.

While Shelpman and Matt Benard have been dueling, Koteles has now won two straight features.

Shelpman (in #17) led for 15 laps but Koteles (in #64) slipped by him on lap 15 and held the lead for the final five laps. The photo at right shows Koteles coming out of turn four preparing to go low and pass Shelpman as they come down the front straight. The cars are bunched after a restart at the beginning of the lap.

Meanwhile, down in Four Cylinders, Susie Rudolph has led in season points all season with Tim Hollister and Kyle Janas in hot pursuit.

Janas, 18, has won six features but missed two Saturdays with engine problems, allowing Rudolph (photo, left) to earn enough points to maintain a slight lead.

Rudolph, 21, is from Steubenville and is a nursing student at Franciscan College. She's a junior, so in two years will graduate and become a nurse.

"I'm hoping to keep racing," she insists. "I may have to miss some when I get assigned Saturday shifts, but I'll run as often as I can. I really enjoy it."

She started out on quarter miles, with Cadiz as her home track. The first time she tried PPMS it really intimidated her.

"I saw how wide this track was and I felt lost. The first time I came around the bend and looked down that front straight I thought, "I can't even see the next turn. This thing never ends."

She used to travel to several tracks but nursing classes are demanding so now she only runs at PPMS. "It's close --- only half an hour up Route 22 -- and I've come to really like the big track."

Rudolph saw friendly rival Kyle Janas doing so well on the high line she tried to emulate him. "The first two times I went up there I flipped. So now there's a fear factor. I stay down low or sometimes take a middle line."

She was really looking forward to the night's racing since bigger purses had attracted top out of state drivers and she wanted to see how she, Janas and Hollister did against them.

But the evening didn't turn out well. Matt Urey (#501 at right) showed up with a 2003 Honda Civic powered by a Honda Civic Type R 2.4L 315 hp engine and Ford Escort front end and blew away the field, and Eddie Lombardo was close behind. Janas and Rudolph stayed pretty close for a while but the two visitors just had too much power on turns and pulling away during starts and restarts. They finished first and second with Janas third.

Hollister came in sixth. Rudolph was lucky to finish at all. Entering the front straight on the 12th lap someone nicked her right rear corner and sent her spinning out of control all the way down the straight. She managed to miss other cars and the big tires lining the track but ended up at the back of the field and could only work her way up to 11th by race's end. Janas and Hollister now trail her by only 15 points.

Up in Limited Late Models, Brandon Burgoon (5X in photo at left) won to pull to within one point of season leader Cole Petrelle. Philip Bubeck led for the first nine laps, but after a restart rebunched the field, Burgoon took the lead on lap 10 and held off Petrelle the rest of the way. It was Burgoon's fourth feature win of the season.

A. J. Poljack passed Mike Harris on lap eight for the lead and went on to win the Pro Stock feature and keep his season points lead. Nick Kocuba in second is 25 points behind.

Down in the Teenage ("Young Guns") Division, Sadie Snatchko grabbed the lead on lap four and went on to win the feature. Gavin Kokolis still leads in season points but Snatchko is now in third only 29 points back. Zoey Knight is still in second, 23 points back.

The Winged Sprints are back this Saturday (Sept. 2) along with all the regular divisions.

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Wide receiver Dravon Newton (#4 at left) began his senior season with the finest game of his career, scoring 14 of Cornell's 20 points while leading the Raiders to a stunning upset of AAA Seton Lasalle.

Newton intercepted a SLS pass and ran it back 60 yards for his first TD in the first quarter. In the second he caught a pass from senior Julian Cordice and ran 25 yards, then caught the PAT pass to put Cornell up 14-0.

Junior Mikey Keyes (#17 in photo three frames down) scored the other Cornell TD in the third quarter on a pass from senior C.J. Jackson from the 50.

But the game was a mess. "We've talked to the players about how, like war, sometimes a football game collapses into total chaos and you just have to fight through it," Cornell Coach Ed Dawson told reporters afterward. "I'm so proud of them because tonight was certainly chaos and they sure did fight through it."

For starters, the field was a spongy, muddy quagmire. It was hard to find solid footing and the ball was always wet. Then, no one could figure out how to turn on either the scoreboard or the game clock, so officials had to keep time with a stopwatch and notify the coaches once a minute. Neither could anyone turn on the press box lights or the field lights. They finally solved that problem so the game could begin.

The Cornell Band did not show up, so the Seton LaSalle Band had to play both the national anthem and put on the halftime show.

Both teams also suffered from a bad case of first game jitters. Fumbles, interceptions, missed assignments and stupid penalties (too many men on the field, false starts, offsides, face masks, etc.) kept either team from mounting sustained drives.

It was obvious from the start that Seton LaSalle was far superior in terms of numbers, height and weight. From down on the field it looked like a mismatch, like a game between a small college and a high school, or between a high school and a middle school. The visitors from Mt. Lebanon were bigger at every position, but especially on the line. And every two plays they would run in another five linemen, obviously intending to wear Cornell down.

It didn't work. Line Coach Kenny Rainey said during early practices that he wanted to instill an Attitude in his linemen and he seems to have succeeded. On the third player rotation a Cornell lineman looked up at the opposing lineman. "You guys must think you're going to tire us out," he informed him. "Give it up. As soon as this ball is snapped, I'm putting you on your butt and going after your quarterback." And he did.

SLS's game plan was obviously to run up the middle and just overpower Cornell's line. But the Raider defenders held, play after play, and on the few occasions a SLS runner broke through, a Cornell linebacker stopped him from getting very far. Eventually, SLS had to abandon the strategy and go to the air.

But then they found themselves playing Cornell's game. The Raiders displayed a talented receiver corps and they double as defenders against the pass. Time after time they batted down passes.

Cornell kicked off to start the game and SLS began on its 46. They slowly ground out enough yardage to get to the Cornell 30 but the Raiders held and SLS had to punt. Cornell took over on its own 12 but two Walter Clarit runs moved the ball to the SLS 35 before the drive stalled. SLS took over, but four plays later, Newton intercepted the pass and ran it in to put Cornell up 6-0 with 3:03 left in the quarter.

After the kickoff, SLS began on its own 35 but Clarit broke into the backfield for a sack and 15 yard loss. That forced SLS to punt, but Cornell fumbled the reception and SLS took over on the Cornell 30. They ground out two first downs and got to the 10, where a Keyes tackle halted the drive. Then a rash of fumbles began. Cornell took over on its own 10 and fumbled.

SLS took over and lost yardage on four straight plays. Cornell took over on its own 25 and fumbled. SLS took over on the Cornell 35 and fumbled. Cornell took over on its 46 and Khylil Johnson (#20 in photo two frames down) ran to the SLS 25. That set up Newton's catch and second TD with 4:30 left til halftime. Dravon caught the PAT pass for 14-0.

The big lead was short lived. SLS ran the kickoff back for a TD and kicked the PAT to trail only 14-7.

Cornell took the kickoff on the 50. A pass to Keyes gave the Raiders a first down on the SLS 20 and Clarit's run gave them another on the seven, but a fumble ended the drive. SLS picked up one first down on the 17, but had to punt. Johnson on a screen pass moved the ball back down to the SLS 37 but another Cornell fumble ended the drive and the half.

Cornell received to start the second half but neither team could maintain a drive and they kept punting back and forth. Finally Keyes caught the pass and scored the TD to put Cornell up 20-7 just as the third quarter ended.

The fourth quarter lasted 40 minutes with penalties, time outs and injuries. SLS scored with 8:02 but missed the PAT to make it 20-13. Cornell took over on its own 35 and SLS promptly intercepted a pass. Three plays later they scored to cut it to 20-19 with 3:50 left, and went for two on the PAT to try for the lead. But Cornell intercepted the pass on the play that probably decided the game.

Trying to run out the clock, Cornell ground out three first downs, but with 2:00 left was forced to punt. SLS took over on its own 14. They did crank out three first downs and reached the Cornell 30 but time ran out.

Cornell finished the game with mostly reserves on the field. Clarit, Newton, Johnson and several others were nursing bruises, cramps and strains on the sidelines.

The win gave Cornell hope. Back in Class A, only Sacred Heart, Bishop Canevin, Union and Fort Cherry will have the size of Seton LaSalle but they don't have the depth so can't keep running fresh players in and out. Cornell clearly has real talent at the skill positions, and if he can stay healthy Clarit is a threat both as a runner on offense and a disrupter on defense.

But the game also exposed weaknesses which could prove fatal. Cornell still does not have a reliable kicker. Its missed PATs have cost it games the last several seasons and kept it out of the playoffs last year. Two PAT attempts failed against SLS.

Those fumbles are also a concern. Five fumbles would normally result in a loss. Cornell escaped this time but ball security will be a priority in practice this week.

The Raiders also have a major crisis in reserves not yet knowing the playbook. Forced to use those backup players, Cornell saw a rash of missed assignments and routes. Had SLS not committed its own share of errors, those miscues would have cost Cornell this game. As the season moves forward, other teams will eliminate those early mistakes. Cornell will have to do likewise.

Cornell faces Monessen this Friday at home. Last year Cornell upset Monessen in the season opener and the Greyhounds have not forgotten. They lost their opener 49-20 to a very strong Washington team which is considered a serious contender in AA. But the game was tied before Monessen gave it away with two fumbles and an interception. The Greyhounds also tried a fake punt from their own four yard line which didn't work, setting up an easy Washington TD. Monessen has Daevon Burke, a very dangerous runner, particularly on punt and kickoff runbacks. He ran one back 87 yards against Washington. Tyvaun Kershaw, the other dangerous Monessen runner, scored on a 66 yard run Friday. Kershaw added a TD in the fourth quarter for 105 total yards.

Kyle Janas took a few minutes to talk to reporters, then went out and won his sixth feature race of the year in the Four Cylinder Division at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway.

It was a dry, dusty night with a fast track and the crowd was treated to several exciting battles. Kyle Lukon and Tim Shaffer each won one of the 20 lap Limited Late Model Features. Logan Koteles came from behind on the final turn to steal the Hobby Stocks Feature. Cody Koteles won the Pro Stock Feature, and Sadie Snatchko won the Teenage Division Feature.

Janas just graduated from high school in June, but has temporarily postponed college or technical school since he received a good job offer. "I decided to work for a year or two and then decide what to do. Just work during the day and work on the car or race at night."

Early in the sesson he raced at other tracks, but lately he's just running at PPMS.

"I really enjoy the Four Cylinder Division but next year I'll probably move up to Hobby Stocks. I've already got a car I've been getting ready but I'll wait til next year."

Out on the track, as usual, he, Tyler Hollister (in #69 at left) and Susie Rudolph battled it out for the win. At one point both Hollister and Rudolph were forced into the pits but during a lengthy pause and restart their crews got the cars going again and they caught up to finish second and third. Rudolph, Hollister and Janas rank first, second and third in season points.

"I wish we had more cars in Four Cylinders," Janas told reporters. "But our purses are so low, drivers can earn four and five times as much at other tracks. Here, even if I win a race, what I win barely covers gas to get here and race."

He also thinks some drivers are intimidated by the big 5/8 mile track. "They came up racing on those little quarter mile tracks, and some of the tracks are even a little less than a quarter. PPMS is even more than half a mile. The wide track, long turns and high speeds here take some getting used to if you learned to race on smaller tracks. I love it, but lots of drivers don't. To overcome their reluctance we need bigger purses."

He gets a big grin and says, "I keep telling Smokey (the PPMS Pit Steward) he should let us run in the Hobby Stock heats. Our cars hit speeds of 100, so we could hang with them. But of course those cars weigh 700 pounds more than ours, so if we had contact, we'd be in trouble."

"And," he acknowledges, "In Hobby Stocks, they really go after each other. There are good drivers, good cars and good pit crews. There are some pretty intense rivalries up there. Here in Four Cylinders, Susie and Tyler and I have sort of a rivalry, but up there they've got a couple dozen. Next year I think it'd be fun to be part of that. "

The big event of the night was a Limited Late Model Doubleheader. They ran three heat races to determine the starting lineup in the first feature. Then the finish in the first one determined the lineup for the second. Features in the other divisions were run in between to allow cars to cool and crews to make adjustments before the second feature.

Ben Policz, Tommy Schirnhofer and Philip Bubeck won the three heats. The first feature had two restarts, which rebunched the field. Policz led early, and he held off Reft for 10 laps until Reft's steering rack went out, ending his race. Lukon then moved up and battled with Policz. With three laps to go they lapped slower cars and Policz got hung up behind one of them, allowing Lukon to pass and grab the lead.

The second Limited feature saw Lukon and Cole Petrelle duel with Tim Shaffer through 20 laps and two restarts. Petrelle actually grabbed the lead for two laps but Shaffer recaptured it and hung on to win.

Petrelle still leads the season points race, with Brandon Burgoon just four points behind. Frank Magill, Kassidy Kamacker and Tom Klein round out the top five.

In the Pro Stock Feature, Nick Kocuba, A. J. Poljack and Cody Koteles fought all the way from pole to checkered flag. Kocuba hung on the whole way, with Poljack and Koteles fighting for second. Then, on the final lap, Koteles slipped inside of Kocuba as they came out of turn #4. The two raced side by side coming down the front straight, with Koteles winning by a few feet.

Poljack still leads in season points, with Dale Tuche second and Kocuba third. Emmie Laboon and Koteles round out the top five.

As Janas pointed out in his earlier interview, rivalries in the Hobby Stocks Division are intense. Once again, in the Feature, Stephen Shelpman and Matt Benard, each having won one of the qualifying heats, ran first and second for much of the race. On this night they were joined at the front by Logan and Jonathan Koteles. The Koteles brothers fought it out for third place during the early laps. After a seventh lap caution and restart, Logan moved into second place and began pressuring Shelpman. Shelpman hung on but on the final lap, on turns #3 and #4, Koteles slipped in below him and ran side by side until he pulled ahead by just enough to win the race.

It was the second thrilling finish of the night and drew a standing round of applause from the crowd, many of whom had been cheering for Koteles (photo, left) as the underdog.

Shelpman still leads in season poins, but the win moved Logan Koteles to within five points and a clear second place. Garrett O'Patchen is third, Karlee Kovacs fourth and Benard fifth.

The final feature of the night was in the Teenage "Young Guns" Division. On a lap five restart Sadie Snatchko grabbed the lead and held it the rest of the way. Gavin Kokolis, A. J. Manganello and Zoey Knight followed in order.

Kokolis leads in season points, with Knight second and Snatchko third.

Another full card of races is scheduled for this Saturday (August 26), plus the annual kids' bicycle races will be included.

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In a 10 a.m. Saturday scrimmage against 2A Riverside (three miles outside of Ellwood City), Cornell's passing attack, interior line and point after kicking looked good.

It was a beautiful, cool, crisp morning and several Cornell parents made the hour drive to watch their sons play. What they saw was a very physical Riverside team, especially on the line.

And Cornell matched their physicality. "That's why I scheduled this team," Cornell Coach Ed Dawson said. "I wanted to challenge our players, to see how they responded.." How they responded was that Riverside gained very little up the middle, while Cornell runners did.

And what Riverside gained passing was misleading. Scrimmage rules prohibit tacklers from hitting a quarterback. All they can do is tag him. But the quarterback can complete the play. Cornell defenders spent much of the game in the Riverside backfield and in a regular game would have repeatedly sacked the quarterback for losses.

Another bright spot was the kicking of points after touchdowns. After both its TDs Cornell put the ball between the uprights. Last year, especially in October games, that had become a real problem.

Dawson was not so pleased, however, with numerous missed assignments, on both offense and defense. And he was especially displeased with his JV players, several of whom still do not know the playbook.

"How can I put those guys in if I know they can't run our plays?" he asked reporters afterward.

Cornell now returns home for a final week of practice before the season opener next Friday night at the Maple Street Stadium against 3A Seton LaSalle. Seton LaSalle is another big, physical team. Riverside could not match Cornell at the skill positions, but Seton LaSalle will have much a much better quarter back and a much better receiver corps.

He's only a sophomore but Khylil Johnson plans to make his presence known this year on both sides of the ball on Cornell's football team.

Johnson saw game action last season while only a freshman. He scored three touchdowns and accounted for several other pass receptions and yards gained.

But he was overshadowed by Raequan Troutmnan and several other seniors.

He's spent a lot of time and effort this Summer making sure he makes more of an impact this time.

Just being a year older will help. He comes back 5-9 and 180 lb. But he played in a 7-on-7 league at Urban Impact, a youth program in Pittsburgh.

"I feel it really helped me," he explains. "I improved my hands and became a lot more versatile."

He also spent as many days as possible in the weight room. "I can tell I'm a lot stronger now."

Khylil was also unhappy with his foot quickness and speed last season. So he spent time this Summer on the famous ladder drill, a century old football drill that builds quick feet.

'I can tell my reactions are quicker. When I catch a pass I can spin and head downfield much faster"

As Cornell prepares for its Saturday scrimmage against Riverside and next Friday's opener against Seton LaSalle, Coach Ed Dawson has been working hard on defense.

In the Raider defense, Johnson is a cornerback. That's him disrupting a pass reception in the photo at left.

He has definite goals this season. "I want everyone to say I'm a great team player. I want a lot of carries or pass receptions and I want several hundred yards rushing."

Khylil likes Cornell's chances to make the playoffs this year. "We're taking better care of our bodies so we can suffer fewer injuries. It was injuries that killed us last year. We lift, use ice after each practice, and make sure to get enough sleep."

He thinks the receiver corps is more well rounded. "I'm the shortest one and even I'm taller. But the others are all tall. All our hands are a lot better. We dropped passes last year that we'll catch this year. And we're all a lot faster. I think teams are going to have a hard time guarding our receivers, and as they pull their defenses back, that will open up our running game."

He sees Bishop Canevin and Fort Cherry as Cornell's big challenges. "We really have to bring our A game for those guys."

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6-1 175 lb junior wide receiver Mikey Keys is hoping his hard Summer of work will pay off.

Keys wasn't happy last year with either his own success or that of the team. Cornell, hit by key injuries in mid season, fell one win short of the playoffs. And Keyes was not satisfied with his personal performance.

He didn't see much playing time as a freshman, but was a backup at both wide receiver and offensive linebacker last year.

He saw a little playing time on offense but Raequan Troutman, Dravon Newton and Khylil Johnson gained the yards and scored the points. He got most of his minutes on defense but wasn't happy with how he played.

"It was all new. I was just uncertain. I didn't have the confidence. For one thing, I didn't have the strength. And I wasn't fast enough."

Keyes worked on all these in the Summer. He spent a lot of time in the weight room.

"I'm stronger now. A whole lot stronger."

He played in a 7-on-7 league, and spent hours catching passes thrown by C. J. Jackson

"I'm a better receiver, especially on the longer passes."

Keyes feels he's also smarter. "My football IQ has really gone up. All that 7-on-7 play, all those passes caught, some film watched. I just think I understand the game better."

But that's not all. "I think my hands are better. I caught so many passes this Summer I learned how to catch them. I have better instincts now about how to lead the ball on long passes, how to judge where it's coming down, how to bring it in."

He feels "super confident" now on defense. "I know that offensive linebacker position. I have a lot left to learn. But I know it much, much better than last year."

He's also feeling pretty good about the season as a whole.

"I think our odds are pretty good. We have a much more well rounded team. We can run or pass. We can take whatever the defense gives us. And our defense should be better. Last year, we really had a hard time stopping teams. This year we're both faster and quicker."

Keyes hopes to ultimately go to college and major in physical therapy.

"I got interested in it just trying to take care of my own body after I would get bruised or exhausted in football. So I think it would be really satisfying to help other athletes take care of themselves. Plus the more I learn about it, the more I just think our bodies are so incredible. They're so complex, and they can do much, but they're also so delicate and can get injured so easily."

But physical therapy has another appeal.

"It would let me stay close, stay involved, with football. I love football. I want to take it as far as I can. But when I reach the point, whenever that is, when I can't play it any longer, I could still work with football players."

A football team, whether in high school, college or the NFL, is only as good as its offensive line. There is a long list of great quarterbacks and running backs who have had mediocre seasons because their offensive line couldn't protect them or open holes for them.

Kenny Rainey (photo, right) played Center for Aliquippa and Pitt. During his time at Aliquippa the Quips won the WPIAL title and lost in the state finals. During his time at Pitt the Panthers made it to two bowl games. Head Coach Ed Dawson hired Rainey for one job : Build A Strong Line. On both sides of the ball, but particularly on Offense. As Cornell reaches the 10th day of preseason practice, Rainey paused to talk to reporters about his progress. And it turns out he feels pretty good.

"I think we're about ready," he said after another 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. practice (with time out for lunch).

If the season opener were tonight, Rainey sees an interior line as in the photo below.

From left, that's Phillip Barker (5-11 250 lb senior), Nick Bennett (6-0 250 lb sophomore), Logan Farbacher (5-10, 240 lb junior), Geoffrey Collington (5-11 240 lb senior), and Jamarcus Pierce (5-8 225 lb junior).

The other coach in the photo, at right, is Courtney Alston, who played Defensive Tackle at Aliquippa and went to Slippery Rock but an injury ended his career.

Rainey's most surprising idea is moving Jamarcus Pierce from Center to Guard. For two years, Pierce has been a solid Center, guaranteeing Cornell a safe snap every play. That is a valuable asset.

But Rainey sees Pierce with other talents. "With his experience and instincts, he can be our leader. He can look out over the defense and call out last minute adjustments. If we have him at Center, he has his head down and is concentrating on the cadence and the snap, and we lose that contribution."

Of course, that means Rainey has to train someone else at Center, like Farbacher. Rainey spent 10 years (including 7th & 8th grade) playing Center at two outstanding programs, so he's highly qualified to train a person there. He's been working Farbacher there for most of the snaps this week. This is really a high risk gamble. For two years Cornell lost games because it could not reliably snap the ball to the quarterback. Fumbles and failed plays were a constant. Then Pierce arrived and all that stopped. To move him risks going back to those days. This scrimmage and three nonconference games will be a test. If the unreliable snaps return, Rainey may have to return Pierce to Center. But if Farbacher proves adequate, it could be a brilliant move.

Tuesday Rainey was intense, pushing his linemen. "This is a physical sport, especially on the line," he exhorted his players.

"Don't plant your feet. Keep your feet moving. Quick feet are a lineman's greatest asset."

"You can't start strong, then relax. The moment you relax the opponent can move you."

"Don't lunge. They'll let your momentum carry you while they go around you."

"Once you make contact, that's when the block starts."

He showed them how to move opposing hands off them and out of their way.

"But stay low. Always stay low."

Rainey sees good numbers. "We have two or three players fighting for a position at every spot. That kind of competition is really helping us develop faster. And if we have any injuries we have players to step up."

The linemen spent much of Tuesday on contact drills. There were sessions on the blocking sled, 1-on-1 drills, and 1-on-3 drills.

As Dawson kept reminding them, "You gotta have heart to play this game. It's no place for the fainthearted."

As players took each other to the ground, he'd applaud.

"You make each other better. Steel sharpens steel. What you want is to go into battle knowing you've got 10 team mates who also have heart and will lay it on the line for you." But he and Rainey agreed the team was looking good. "We're green. Even some of our seniors were backups last year. But everyone has a good attitude. They're learning fast and really coming on."

Cornell has three more all day practices before a Saturday morning scrimmage at Riverside at 10 a.m. Riverside is just outside of Ellwood City. It's a 2A school so Cornell will have its hands full, but Dawson wants to find out any flaws he has in time to work on them.

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Long ago and far away, 11 year old Walter Clarit became so famous stealing bases other area coaches nicknamed him The Basepath Bandit. Clarit became something of a local legend in Little League. If he could just get on first, he was almost guaranteed to steal at least second and third and often stole home. And on several occasions, when the catcher let the pitch get past him, Clarit would even steal first. In one game he scored three runs without ever getting a hit (see him stealing home in the third photo).

Those days are long gone but things haven't changed much. Clarit still plays baseball. Cornell doesn't field a Summer team, so he plays catcher for a Sto-Rox team. And, yes, he still steals bases. Every Spring, he plays for Cornell's high school team.

But come August, he turns his attention to football.

As he enters his junior year, Clarit is a battle hardened 5-8 185 linebacker and running back. He starred in junior high, played some as a freshman on the high school team, and played quite a bit last year. So he's ready. Or as ready as he can be.

"I love playing baseball, but playing it all Spring and Summer does keep me out of the weight room and keeps me from working on football skills," he admits.

Clarit has tremendous speed, quickness and agility but at only 5-8 could use a bit more strength, which only months in the weight roomn could develop.

Since he doesn't have the strength to overpower tacklers, Clarit's only chance is to outrun them. And he does a good job of that. His first step is explosive, whether coming at the beginning of a play or in mid run changing directions to avoid the defense.

As a linebacker, he has the lateral quickness to get to a runner. Whether a 5-8 junior can bring down a 6-2 senior remains to be seen.

Clarit proved last year he can pick up yardage on handoffs, pitchouts or short passes. He can spot holes and gaps and respond quickly. Sometimes his lack of size is almost an advantage, in that opposing defenders cannot always find him behind taller linemen.

"We have to take care of business this year," he vowed after a long day of practicing in the rain and mud. "We let a few games get away from us last year that we should have won. We did have several key injuries by midseason, but we needed for the next man to step up and for all of us to play through and we didn't always do that."

He's hopeful this season will be different. "Our defense should be better. Our offensive line should be better. We have a lot of young players but they're learning fast."

Like most of his teammates he considers Canevin the biggest challenge on the 2023 schedule.

His handoffs, pitchouts and passes will be coming from C. J. Jackson, who is also battle hardened after filling in for E. J. Dawson, who struggled with an injured knee all year. Clarit feels comfortsble with Jackson.

He's also comfortable with Cornell's offense. The Raiders have been running basically the same plays for several years.

"I've always had plenty of energy. I've got to use my energy to pick the team up when the game's not going well. I don't tend to get worn down or discouraged."

Cornell scrimmages Riverside (in suburban Ellwood City) this Saturday at 10 a.m., then opens the season at home against Seton Lasalle and Monessen the following two Friday nights.

This week is "Camp Cornell," during which the team begins practice every day at 9 a.m. and continues all day until 6 pm, with a break for lunch.

Clarit had just come off the practice field. It had rained off and on all day, sometimes heavily. The practice field was a quagmire of puddles and mud and the players were all soaking wet and covered with mud. Walter was pressing an ice pack to various sore spots. He was ready for a hot shower, a hot meal and 12 hours sleep.

Cornell had been struggling to find a reliable Center for several seasons when Jamarcus Pierce showed up for practice as a 5-5 170 lb freshman. He had played youth football in grades 6-7-8 but had played center, guard, tackle, linebacker, and cornerback.

"He was obviously too small," Coach Ed Dawson recalls. "But then we kept running drills and he kept showing up better than anyone. So I thought, 'Well, we'll give it a try."

Jamarcus has been starting at Center ever since. As an undersized freshman, he faced much taller, heavier and stronger seniors in every game. It didn't matter.

"Playing Center is matter of attitude," he told reporters before practice Thursday. "I'd look across the line at those taller, heavier, stronger, older, more experienced opponents and think,'You are not knocking me off my feet. You are not getting past me. I will do whatever it takes, use whatever trick I can come up with, but you are not going to beat me."

Suddenly, the fumbled snaps, thrown over the quarterback's head, bouncing off his shoestrings, off to one side or the other, stopped. So did defenders pouring over the Center position to flatten the quarterback. After struggling with those issues for two seasons, Cornell didn't have to worry about them anymore.

Pierce had found his niche. And he took it seriously. He spends every spare minute in the weight room, year round. He has an older brother who lifts weights, and he advises him. And Jamarcus has a unique way to practice snaps. He snaps to the goal post. He bounces the snap off the cross bar. From the goal line, the 10 yard line, the 15, the 20, the 25, the 30. He hits five snaps off the bar, then moves out five yards. It might seem ridiculous to center the ball to a cross bar high overhead. But the angle to a quarterback standing just behind you, or to a crossbar 10-15--20-25 yards away, is about the same.

Any lineman, but especially a Center, has to have a very strong core, meaning Abs. They have to have a strong "six pack," as kids call them. But they also have to havc strong Quads, Hamstrings, Shoulders and Upper Chest. A charging defensive lineman will try to shove the Center off balance and to the side, or, failing that, run right over him, knocking him to the ground as they go after the Quarterback. A typical interior lineman in 2023 stands 6-2 and weighs 250 lbs.

And there stood 5-5 170 pound Jamarcus in their way.

It sounds like an unfair matchup. But he figured out pretty quickly that he had some advantages of his own. One was his size. Football coaches are always ordering players to get low, get low, that the player with the lowest stance had a huge advantage. At 5-5, Jamarcus was automatically the lowest guy on the line and when he crouched down he was even lower. Once he snapped the ball, exploding up off his stance afforded him a certain leverage over the guy towering above him. And he didn't have to stop opponents for the entire play. He just had to delay them while the Quarterback either passed the ball, pitched it out or ran with it. So he survived his freshman year.

He came back in 10th grade 5-7 and 200, a lot smarter and, after an offseason in the weight room, a lot stronger. As preseason practices begin this week, he's 5-8 and 225. After yet another offseason in the weight room, he's as strong as anyone he's likely to face. And, despite the 225 pounds, "I'm as quick and fast as I ever was."

Coach Dawson, who played linebacker on an Aliquippa state championship team, knows what a valuable asset Jamarcus has become. He jokes with him, at left, while his Center goes through conditioning drills.

"We have more linemen this year than we ever have," Jamarcus says. "The competition for starting roles will make everybody better and give us depth in case anyone gets injured." And he's razor focused. "The only team I'm thinking about is Riverside next week. One game at a time. We can't afford to get ahead of ourselves."

Blair Cress (photo, right) has a new hobby. And it's quite a hobby. He suddenly finds himself the owner of one of the region's most historic and widely known racetracks.

He smiles and shakes his head when asked about his decision to buy a racetrack after a lifetime of zero back ground in oval track racing, although he did spend 20 years in motocross before injuries sidelined him. .

"I wasn't looking to buy a racetrack," he admits. "I was looking to buy a piece of land for my landscaping business. We're located in Crafton and we needed room to expand, for storage and maybe to plant various trees and plants to use in our work. I went online and found these 221 acres of gently rolling, partly wooded land. Oh, and by the way, there was a racetrack on part of the land."

Cress graduated from Penn State trained as an arborist and landscaper. He founded 20/20 Landscaping and Tree Services and has grown it into one of Pittsburgh's leading companies in that field. He offers landscape design and construction, tree removal or trimming, retaining wall construction or replacement, snow removal, or any other service related to landscaping.

So he came out to inspect the land. As part of his visit, just out of curiosity, he and his wife and two daughters spent a night at the track. And found that they absolutely loved it.

Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway opened in 1978 after Ed Witzberger retired and sold Heidelberg Race Way. Heidelberg buildings, press box, lights, fencing and bleachers were dismantled and reassembled at PPMS by Nick Garin. Most dirt tracks are a quarter of a mile. PPMS is a big half mile. After Garin, and then widow Emma died, six members of the Miley family formed Miley Motorsports and bought the track in 1988. They've run it for 35 years. But Red Miley, and in December of 2022 brother Matt, have died.

So the Mileys put the property up for sale. Ben and Ty Miley will remain as consultants for the rest of the current season. Neither side is revealing the price, but local real estate agents estimate that based on its potential for housing development, a site that size would probably bring from $1.9 - 2.7 million. However, several previous sales have fallen through, so the Mileys may have settled for a lower price, since they paid much less for the property many decades ago.

Blair is still weighing his options. That extra land gives him plenty of flexibility.

For now, he's letting the racetrack staff run the track just as they have for three decades while he introduces himelf to the drivers (photo, above), fans, media (photo, right) and supporters. He doesn't plan any major changes for now.

But he's already begun making minor changes. "What we can do while we're in the middle of a season," as he puts it. Flowers and shrubs have been planted. Racecars and their drivers are positioned at the entrance where fans can inspect the cars, meet the drivers, take photos, and in some cases even climb inside and sit in the driver's seats. A new off track Winner's Circle has been built so the next race can be lined up while winners of the previous race can be honored without slowing down the schedule. Aging planks in the old bleachers have been replaced. And every Saturday night, Cress has been down in the pits, talkiing to as many people as possible, gathering ideas for off season improvements.

"Outer track fences, lighting and regrading the pits are probably high priorities," he says.

But the physical facility isn't his biggest priority. There has been a renewed push to upgrade advertising, marketing and community relationships. "I've been checking around. We have people living within a few miles who don't even know this track is here. As soon as we get beyond hearing distance, people are oblivious to our existence. We have to involve ourselves in nearby communities." Drivers and cars are now much more active at local events. "And we need to work on our social media presence."

He hears lots of other ideas. Everybody has their favorite improvement they think will bring out more fans.

Many fans want to bring back the Unlimited Late Models, the high powered cars just a notch short of NASCAR. (PPMS hosts those cars once a year, at the end of the season, in the Pittsburgh 75.) But longtime race people warn against running Unlimiteds too often.

"You've got to stay in the black," they caution. "Those Unlimiteds (which hard core racers and fan refer to as Super Lates) are $100,000 cars, so to bring them in you need large purses. If the crowds aren't big enough you can't support those high purses. So you're losing money."

They list two Western Pennsylvania tracks this year which have already closed because they went bankrupt trying to run the Unlimiteds.

"I'd suggest a more conservative strategy," says one old hand. "Bring the Supers in once a month. You could find corporate sponsors for big purses once a month. You'd get your crowds, and if everything else about the track looks fine, they'll come back for the regular races."

The same analysis holds true for the ideas of putting the Sprints, Winged Sprints or other high dollar divisions on the weekly card, which some fans are always requesting.

As one former driver explains, "We have really strong divisions here in Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Four Cylinders and Teenagers, and we might be able to grow our Pro Stock (Sportsmen) Division. We can grow our attendance with just those if we take care of marketing, advertising and social media. Then we can bring in the Sprints, Winged Sprints or the others four or five times a year."

Fans up in the stands have their own ideas. Many think the racing is fine but would suggest chairback seats. "I know hundreds, maybe a thousand, older fans who used to be hard core --- never missed a night --- but just can't come any more because they can't sit on these bleachers for five hours. Chairbacks, or maybe those bench seats with backs, would bring 'em back. That's why all the high schools have put 'em in for football and basketball games. They want those older fans."

Of course, that would be a major investment.

One veteran driver who now owns a racing team believes Cress will surprise people. "I researched him. He's a good businessman, intelligent, creative, with people skills. He's going to get lots of advice. If he listens to the right people he'll do fine."

Cress may be thnking way ahead of any of them. He sees the racetrack, with its huge level grassy field now used for parking, as a facility suitable for any number of things : Truck Pulls, Rodeos, Circuses, some sort of Halloween event, Car Shows, Concerts, maybe a Fair or Carnival.

Saturday night Cress looked around. PPMS hosted its 34th annual Jook George Steel City Classic with 42 of the top Limited Late Models in five states plus Ontario and the year's largest crowd. The 50 lap race was exciting, as were the heats and features in the Teenage and Hobby Stocks divisions. Close finishes, intense rivalries, raw emotions, wrecks requiring tow trucks and ambulances, a collection of young, talented, dynamic drivers who relate well to fans, all look like a formula for success.

Cress may have accidentally found something really big.

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C. J. Jackson spent a year as the backup to Cornell quarterback E. J. Dawson, and had the whole off season to think about how everyone is looking at him to be the key to Cornell's 2023 football hopes.

But he insists he isn't feeling any pressure. "I spent the whole off season getting into the frame of mind that I'm taking this one day at a time. I'm not worrying about a game until it starts. I'm just worrying about getting better today."

He spent the offseason in the weight room. "I learned last year that I need to be stronger. I think I'm a lot stronger now than the end of last season."

He also worked on passing to various receivers. "I couldn't get together with Dravon (senior wide receiver Dravon Newton). But I worked out with others. I think I've increased my distance, speed of release, ball speed, and accuracy."

Jackson feels lucky to have a third year veteran, Jamarcus Pierce, snapping the ball. "I don't have to worry about that. He's a really good, consistent and reliable center. So I can focus on reading the defenses, checking around to make sure everyone's lined up right, calling plays and if necessary call an audible."

He has great confidence in his receiver corps. "They've all got speed, height, athleticism and experience. If I can get the ball out there, they'll catch it."

He also has faith in the senior class. "We have good leadership," he says. "Last year not making the playoffs was tough. We'd been there before so not getting back was real disappointing.

"This is our last chance, so we want to make sure we make it again. We know it's up to us to lead the younger guys. I know we're not favored to make it, so we'll just have to surprise some people."

Last year Bishop Canevin caught Cornell with several key injuries and poured it on 63-0. "So we sort of owe them one. I'm hoping we're all healthy for them this year. We're taking it one game at a time, but we're also keeping them in the backs of our minds."

Jackson sees himself as flexible. "I can pass, hand off, run or pitchout, whatever we need. I'm not outstanding in any of those but I'm pretty good at all of them. So we can take what the defense gives us."

He also handled the point after touchdown duties last year after several years of Cornell struggling in that specialty. Unless someone unexpectedly blossoms, he'll probably be asked to kick the PATs again.

As required by PIAA and WPIAL regulations, Cornell spent much practice time this first week on conditioning, stretching, heat acclimation drills and sprints (photo, right). But Jackson and his receiving corps did spend some time the first two days on 20 yard passing drills. He showed accuracy and good ball speed at that distance. They won't work on long passing until next week.

Cornell has been blessed with good quarterbacks for the last decade in Zaire Harrison, Sincere Kimbrough and E. J. Dawson. So Jackson has big shoes to fill.

But he doesn't have to be outstanding. He just has to be good. If he can reach that level, it will go a long way to returning Cornell to the playoffs.

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Drevon Newton, a 6-1 195 lb senior wide receiver and defensive end, paused for a few minutes in the cool Cornell locker room befoee heading out into the hot sun for practice.

"I have to step up," he said. "I'm a senior now. I have to play a leadership role if we're to have a successful season. I have to help teach our younger guys about work ethic and taking it seriously."

Newton was a major contributor last year, but defenses keyed on Raequel Troutman, so their second or third best defenders were on Newton. With Troutman gone, their very best defenders will be assigned to shut Newton down.

He has assets. He's fast, and at 6-1 with long arms he's a definite threat in Class I-A. His coaches agree. "Devon can be as good as he wants to be," one says.

He worked hard during the offseason on footwork and agility. "Looking back over last year," he recalls, "I don't think my footwork was as good as it needed to be. It's already a lot better, and I'll be working hard these next three weeks to improve it even more."

C. J. Jackson will almost certainly be the quarterback trying to get the ball to Newton.

"C.J. got a lot of experience last year filling in for E. J. Dawson, who was hurt a lot. So he's pretty battle hardened. But I know I have to help him. If the ball's a little overthrown it'll be up to me to make that extra effort, go a little higher or run a little faster and further to catch it. I'm determined one of my strengths this year is going to be not giving up on a play. Whatever it takes, over and over."

Newton expects Bishop Canevin, Sacred Heart, Fort Cherry and Burgettstown to be the biggest challenges on Cornell's schedule.

"But we play them every year. They're no taller or faster or strongee than we are. There's no reason we can't stay with themn."

Newton knows the coaches will be urging him to explode downfield faster, run patterns more precisely, and give 110% on every single play.

"That's part of being a senior," he shrugged. "Responsibility. Coach Dawson is always talking to us about improving our games every single day and helping the guys around us improve their games every single day. Responsibility. Leadership. I'm ready."

Cornell High School Coach Ed Dawson welcomed 32 boys to the opening day of 2023 Football Camp at Frank Letteri Stadium.

It's Dawson's eighth season as Cornell's head coach after he recreated the program in 2016. For four years prior to that, Cornell had too few boys to field a team.

20 is generally considered the minimum number of boys a school needs for a varsity. In Class A, anything over 30 is considered solid. So number wise Cornell is fine. And the Raiders don't just have numbers. Dawson returns several key players on both offense and defense. Unfortunately, he also lost several key players, including his own son, E.J., who played quarterback and running back on offense and was a linebacker and captain of the defense, and Raequan Troutman, the spectacular running back and wide receiver. Drevon Newton, a 6-1 195 lb senior, is being counted on to replace Troutman

Cornell will have some experience and size on the always important offensive line. Jamarcus Pierce will be in his third season at center, which will help immeasurably.

But there are some holes to fill on that line. Filling them will be a major priority during these August practices.

Cornell has had one serious hole in recent years : its kicking game. The Raiders gone whole seasons without a reliable kicker. Not of kickoffs, punts, extra points or field goals. Last year C. J. Jackson was asked to try that role, and he did better than most had for several years. If he could continue to improve his kicking, it would help tremendously.

Jackson (photo, left) is also the heir apparent at quarterback. He proved last year in a backup role that he can read defenses, manage the game, run and pass. But now, as THE quarterback, he must improve his passing accuracy and significantly increase the percentage of completions. He must put the ball in the hands of Newton and other receivers. Incompletes and interceptions could kill this team, which has little margin for error.

This could be the year 5-7, 180 lb junior Walter Clarit makes a big step forward at running back. Clarit has been playing since grade school and has good instincts. He's fast and quick and sees the field well. But Clarit must shoulder much more of the burden while being targeted by opposing defenses.

Cornell will open with a scrimmage against Riverside on the road. It then faces Seton LaSalle (H), Monessen (H), Union (A), Avella (H), Carlynton (A), Burgettstown (H), Bishop Canevin (H), Fort Cherry (A), Chartiers Houston (A) and Sacred Heart (H). All games are on Friday. Monessen, Union and Seton LaSalle are nonconference games. Of those ten games, Cornell will have to win seven to make the WPIAL playoffs. It will not be favored against Seton LaSalle, Union, Burgettstown, Canevin or Sacred Heart. So it must win the other five plus upset two of the favorites.

Michael Norris of Sarver in Butler County came from behind to win the 50 Lap Jook George Steel City Classic at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway.

The memorial race honors driver and owner William Thomas Jook George, who won championships and is in the Dirt Track Hall Of Fame.

It was a classic racing night, warm but not hot, with a bright Moon overhead and the largest crowd of the season cheering enthusiastically. A fireworks display preceded the feature, and fans waved light sticks handed out by track staff. The track itself was in its best condition of the year.

Norris, 31, whose home track is Lernerville, mostly drives an Unlimited Late Model ("Super Late"). He's a third generation driver who loves stepping down to the Limited Lates and coming to PPMS with its larger half mile oval. "The track tonight was really smooth," he told reporters after stepping out of his car.

His win, however, was anything but smooth. The classic drew 42 of the best cars and drivers from five states plus Ontario. Four heats and a dash were used to narrow down to 26 cars in the feature. It was started Le Mans style, cars parked on the side of the track (top photo). Norris started fourth and patiently waited in the early laps. Ben Policz, Zach Gunn and Colton Flinner battled for the lead but Norris finally grabbed first on Lap 17.

Daryl Charlier moved up to challenge on Lap 20 and he and Norris were in a real duel for 10 laps but Charlier had to drop out with overheating issues.

Policz, Brandon Burgoon and Kyle Lukon moved up to challenge and they and Norris fought it out for the remaining 20 laps. There were four restarts, which kept bunching the field back up. One restart was to let an ambulance cross the track to reach a fan in the stands.

Burgoon, Lukon, Jeremy Wonderling and Policz rounded out the top five. Burgoon now leads the season points race, slightly ahead of Cole Petrelle, Frank Magill and Kassidy Kamacher.

Gunn, Burgoon, Mike Wonderling and Norris won the qualifying heats, and Mike Wonderling won the Dash.

Down in the Hobby Stocks Division, Stephen Shelpman had a roller coaster evening of highs and lows. Shelpman, currently the season points leader, came from behind on the final lap to nip Adam Ferree for the win in their qualifying heat.

The photo above shows Shelpman (#17p) catching Ferree (#29) coming down the final stretch. He would barely pull ahead of Ferree as they passed under the flag.

Matt Benard and Logan Koteles, two of Shelpman's main rivals in the season points race, finished 1-2 in the other Hobby Stocks qualifying heat, setting up an intense battle in the feature.

Benard grabbed the lead early, but by Lap 3 Shelpman had worked his way up through the field into second place and was challenging for the lead. A caution rebunched the field. Curiously, Benard used his option and took the outside position, giving Shelpman the inside spot, a decision that had many in the pits and the audience shaking their heads. Sure enough, on the restart, Shelpman was pulling ahead when suddenly, coming out of turn 2, he spun out. The car wasn't badly damaged, but he was forced to go to the rear of the field. The race resumed, and Shelpman slowly worked his way back up through the field to again challenge for the lead. But another wreck paused the race and scrambled the order again. So for a third time he worked his way back up through the field but ran out of tine. Koteles won the race, with Benard second and Shelpman third.

Shelpman still leads the season points race, followed by Logan Koteles and 0'Patchen only seven and 12 points back. Karlee Kovacs is in fourth.

In the Teenage Division, newcomer Jacob Chipps (photo, right) of New Cumberland, W.Va., in only his seventh race ever, won the Feature. Kiersten Chernik and Sadie Snatchko rounded out the top three.

Gavin Kokolis now leads the season points race, with Zoey Knight, Paige Jones and Snatchko close behind.

This Saturday night will be a regular card, with the Four Cylinders and Pro Stocks ("Sportsmen") joining the Limited Lates, Hobby Stocks and Teenagers ("Young Guns") in heat races and features.

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You'll have to pardon Kyle Janas for getting a little frustrated. The Forest Grove driver keeps winning feature races at an unprecedented rate but still ranks only third in the Four Cylinder Division at Greater Pittsburgh Speed Way. Ahead of him all season have been Susie Rudolph from Steubenville and Tyler Hollister from McDonald.

Saturday night Janas won another Feature, his fifth of 2023. Yet he stands 26 points behind Rudolph and five points behind Hollister. What they're doing, of course, is making every race --- heat and feature --- and finishing among the top three every time. Janas has missed two features and a few times placed far back. He has trailed Rudolph by more than 60 points but with his run of feature wins has narrowed that to only 26.

This time, Janas started in fourth, but grabbed the lead on a restart and held it the rest of the way. Rudolph once again finished third.

Janas was a long time fixture down in the Young Guns (teenage) Division and this is his first year in the Four Cylinders. "We've put lot of time and effort into this car all Winter and it's been running really well," he told reporters. But Janas has also matured as a driver. He's learned to use the highline, up along the outer wall, to his advantage, and he's learned to wait back in the pack and spot his openings. He's got two months left. A few more feature wins could close that 26 point gap.

Meanwhile, down in that Young Guns Division, Abby Gindlesperger moved into the lead on lap four and went on to win the feature. Sumara Weaver was second and Gavin Kokolis third. Kokolis leads in season points with Zoey Knight 14 points behind in second.

The big event of the night was the first leg of the Hobby Stock Division Stephen Johnson Triple Crown. Stephen Shelpman from Pleasant Hills came from a seventh place starting position to win, but he had to work for it. Adam Ferree from Jefferson Hills led on the first lap. Shelpman worked his way up and took over the lead on lap five. Matt Benard was right behind for five laps but a collision with the wall ended his night. Cole Cochran spun out and there was plenty of bumping and banging as drivers jockeyed for position. Ferree hung on for second and Jonathan Koteles was third. Shelpman leads in season points but is only 10 ahead of Garrett O'Patchin. Logan Koteles, Karlee Kovacs and Benard round out the top five. In the photo at left, Shelpman in 17P is preparing to pass Jonathan Koteles in 2K.

Brandon Burgoon of Mcdonald won the Limited Late Model Feature, with Ben Policz second and Cole Petrelle third. The win narrowed Petrelle's season lead over Burgoon to only eight points. Frank Magill is third.

Kole Holden of Tiona won the Sportsman Feature over Chelsie Kriegisch of Ellwood City.

This Saturday Limited Lates will run in the 34th Annual 50 Lap Steel City Classic,

Pittsburgh Motor Speedway enjoyed 2023's biggest crowd Saturday night as it hosted Scout Night and Autograph Night. The crowd included young boys in uniform and families with children even younger than Scouts. It turned out to be a beautiful evening after a passing rainstorm thoroughly drenched the track and stands at 5 pm. The sun dried out the stands and after warmup laps the track settled into a very fast condition. All Scouts who showed up in uniform were admitted free.

Kids, parents and Scoutmasters were invited down to the track to collect autographs, talk to the drivers, ask a thousand questions, pose for photos, climb on the cars and sit in them. That's Brian Huchko in the third photo below posing with seven newfound fans and his car, Late Model #60.

And that's Danny Melaney at right posing with the helmet he won. It's Brian Huchko's helmet from 2022. A brand new helmet like this costs at least $250 and can cost up to $500, so that's quite a prize for Danny to take home. Visible on it are autographs from drivers and track owners and officials.

Once the actual racing began, Kyle Jansas continued his stampede in the Four Cylinder Division by winning both the Heat and the Feature. In the Feature Janas never led until the final straightaway. Eric Reynolds led at first and John Gill eventually passed him and held the lead until Janas' burst on the final lap. It was Janas fourth feature win of the year and his third straight.

Susie Rudolph still leads in Four Cylinder srason points, with Tyler Hollister and Jansas in hot pursuit. Reynolds is further back in fourth.

Travis Clark won his first Teenage ("Young Guns") Feature of the year, holding off Kiersten Chernik and Evan Strouse. Chernik led for the first four laps but couldn't hold it.

Gavin Kokolis leads in season points but Zoey Knight is only 10 points behind. Paige Jones and Sadie Snatchko are third and fourth.

Logan Koteles worked his way past Marc Corio, LeRoy Brown and Stephen Shelpman to move into the lead on lap five and hold it for the feature win in Hobby Stocks. It was Logan's second feature win of 2023 and solidified his grip on first place in the Stocks season points race. Garrett O'Patchen is in second, with Shelpman third and Karlee Kovacs fourth.

Cody Koteles snuck past five rivals to steal the feature win in the mislabelled Penn Ohio Pro Stocks (they're neither Pro not Stock). Mike Harris, Nick Kocuba, Brett McDonald and Jordan Perkins all led at some point but Koteles snuck past Perkins on the final lap for the win.

A.J. Poljack leads in season points in Pro Stocks. Dale Tuche is second, Kocuba third, Emmie Laboon fourth and Tony Magill fifth. Koteles is back in sixth.

Kyle Lukon drew the pole position and led the entire way to win the Limited Late Model feature. He held off Zach Gunn and Ben Policz early and Cole Petrelle most of the race to claim the win. But Brandon Burgoon came up late to finish second, Garrett Paugh third, Tommy Schirnhofer fourth and Jake Gunn fifth. Petrelle retains the season points lead, followed by Burgoon, Frank Magill, Kassidy Kamacher and Tom Klein.

In the Sportsmen Modifieds (Sportsmen built so that the driver sits in the center, like an Indy car), Kole Holden won the feature over Chelsie Kriegisch.

This week the Speedway hosts the Herb Scott Memorial to honor Scott, the Wexford driver who won consistently for 30 years and is considered the greatest race car driver in Western Pennsylvania history. As usual, the card will include Limited Late Models, Pro Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Four Cylinders ans Teenagers (Young Guns).

For the second week in a row, Kyle Janas, Stephen Shelpman and Gavin Kokolis won their feature races in the Four Cylinder, Hobby Stock and Young Gun Divisions at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway.

In the higher division features, Al Poljak won in Sportsmen, Brandon Burgoon in Limited Late Models, and Carmen Perigo in Sprints. Kole Holden won the feature in Modifieds, a division the track only hosts about once a month.

Janas had an easy time of it. He started on the pole and led the entire race. There were no yellow flags and no stoppages. But season points leader Susie Rudolph finished third, so Jansas was only able to cut into her lead, not catch her. Levi Maskal of West Sunbury was second.

Shelpman (in 17P, photo right) had a more difficult race, but only for the first half. He started back in sixth and had to wait til Tom Anton, Leroy Brown, Koteles brothers Jonathan and Logan and Garrett O'Patchen took turns battling for the lead. Shelpman was finally able to wrest it from O'Patchen for his fourth feature win this season. Once he led, he steadily pulled away. O'Patchen finished second and Logan Koteles third. But 0'Patchen leads in season points, with Logan Koteles second and Shelpman third.

Carmen Perigo won the Sprint feature over Ricky Lewis and Isaac Chapple.

In Young Guns action, Kokolis started fourth and took six laps working his way up to the lead, passing Kiersten Chernik for it. Chernik had taken the lead from Sadie Snatchko on lap three. Zoey Knight had started fifth and never was able to fight through traffic for the lead. Gavin Kokolis leads in season points, with Knight second and Paige Jones third.

Up in the Limited Late Models, Brandon Burgoon (in 5X, photo left) started on the pole and led the entire way, but he kept extending his lead and yellow flags and stoppages kept pulling him back to the field. Early on, the real race was behind Burgoon for second place, among Tom Klein, Cole Petrelle and Zach Gunn. But none of them ended up finishing well. Tim Shaffer took second, Jake Gunn third and Tony Mussolino fourth. Petrelle leads the season points race, with Burgoon second and Frank Magill third.

Al Poljak grabbed the lead in the Sportsmen Division and held it, but he had to hold off Dale Tuche early and Jason Fosnaught late. Fosnaught ended up second with Nick Kocuba third. Poljak leads in season points, with Kocuba second and Tuche third.

In the Modified Division (these are basically Sportsmen cars rebuilt with the driver seated in the center, like an Indy style car), Kole Holden won with Chelsie Kriegisch second and Jacob Jordan third. Those three also lead the season point standings in that order.

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Kyle Janas, the Coraopolis (Forest Grove) resident who spent several years down in the Young Guns Division, is back in business. He won the Four Cylinder Feature Race Saturday night at the Greater Pittsburgh Speedway. It's his second feature win of the season and he also won a heat a few weeks back.

Janas was once a contender down in the Teenage Division in every feature race with his orange and black #88, but disappeared for the last two seasons. Suddenly the number and paint scheme are back, but in a Four Cylinder model. And Janas, much taller and with a devilish grin (photo at left), looks to be a serious rival to the "Open 4" hierarchy of Susie Rudolph, Tyler Hollister, Matt Knight and Eric Reynolds.

Boosted by his feature win, and by that earlier heat and feature, Janas is currently third in the Four Cylinder season points race, 36 points behind Rudolph and 13 behind Hollister. "We've put a lot of work in this car," he explained. "And it's running really well. When I started racing I was told to take the high line. It's scary up there but it works. That wall comes up faster than you think."

Tommy Schirnhofer drew the pole starting position and led the whole way to win the Limited Late Model Feature, but it wasn't easy. Behind him was a continuing battle for second finally won by Brandon Burgoon over John Mollick, Ben Policz and Frank Magill. "That's a strong field," Schirnhofer said later. "A top five field at any track." Cole Petrelle leads in season points.

Schirnhofer was a dominant driver at the Speedway but then began racing elsewhere, and this was his first time back since 2015. Even after that long absence, it was his 23rd feature win here, placing him 4th all time.

Chris Schneider (#55, in photo at right) won the Pro Stock ("Sportsmen") Feature in the night's most exciting race. He started fourth and had to get past Nick Kocuba, Al Poljack and Cody Koteles to finally take the lead. But Poljack still leads in season points, with Kocuba second 12 behind. Schneider is way down in 13th.

Stephen Shelpman (seen in photo at left in black #17P preparing to cut below and pass Jonathan Koteles in #2K) won the Hobby Stocks Feature. He drew the post position at start and led the entire way. There was one caution and restart but Shelpman widened his lead afterward. Logan Koteles was second and Matt Benard third. Garrett O'Patchen still leads the season points race, with Logan Koteles only five behind and Shelpman in third 11 back.

Gavin Kokolis of Oakdale won the Teenage ("Young Guns") Division Feature with Kiersten Chernik second and Sumara Weaver third. The win moved Kokolis into first place in season points, with Zoey Knight four behind and Paige Jones in third, 15 back.

There will be no racing at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway this Saturday as the track has been rented to an outside organization for an independent event. Racing will resume Saturday, July 1 with the Sprints joining the usual divisions.

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Tim Bish of Ringgold won the 12th annual Ed LaBoon Memorial Race at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway Saturday night. Bish (photo, right) took home the trophy, in the form of a giant belt buckle like wrestlers win, plus $4000.

It was another hot, dry, dusty night but the crowd was the smallest of the season, quite disappointing considering the big LaBoon feature.

Bish thought the track suited his driving style. After a weeklong drought, "It was dry and slick. I had been having some luck using the bottom line, especially in the corners, so there toward the end, coming off that last restart, I chose the inside position, and went back to the bottom, and it paid off."

But it was a tough race. After qualifying heats and a dash, 28 cars started the race, including many experienced drivers from six states who were former Laboon winners. They included Chris Schneider, who had won the LaBoon three times and has won a long list of other races here and elsewhere. They also included rising star Cody Koteles, who recorded the fastest qualifying time.

"This is the best win of my career," Bish said. "I knew both the Chrisses were right behind me and I kept expecting them to come up and challenge, so I knew I had to keep moving." The two Chrisses he referred to were Chris and Christian Schneider. Chris (in car #55) grabbed the early lead with Christian Schneider (in #W5) a close second. They kept those positions through several cautions and restarts. It was on the lap nine restart that Bish saw the opening along the bottom line and used it to dart past both Chrisses for the lead. Noah Brunnel (#18) followed him and grabbed second. Jordan Perkins (#13) would get past the Chrisses late for third place.

Ironically, Emmie LaBoon, the only LaBoon in the race, had car trouble at the very start and had to drop out.

The Laboon Memorial is one of the season's biggest races for the Pro Stocks, which are what most tracks call Sportsmen. They're a middle division, between Street ("Hobby") Stocks and Limited Late Models.

Bish entered the weekend ranked third among Penn Ohio Pro Stock (Sportsmen) drivers, just behind Cody Koteles. Penn Ohio drivers race at various tracks in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Ben Policz won his first Limited Late Model Feature of the season. It was pretty much a runaway. Policz moved into first plaace on the second lap and held it the rest of the way, at one point pulling out to a 100 yard gap back to Cole Petrelle in second place. Brandon Burgoon finished third.

But it was an unexpected performance. "The track tonight was dry slick," Policz explained to reporters after the race. "We always suck on dry slick. In tonight's warmup laps and early heats, sure enough, we were no good. But my crew chief suggested some things to try --- basically we figured we had nothing to lose so we may as well throw the kitchen sink at the track and see if anything worked --- and suddenly we were doing fine. So all credit goes to him."

It has been a frustrating season for Policz. "We've blown an engine, been involved in some wrecks, and then up at Latrobe thought we had won and got disqualified due to the same tires that we'd been running on all season with no problem. So we really needed this win. I needed it, and my pit crew needed it."

The win rocketed Policz upward from his 14 place spot in the season points standings. Petrelle will retain the lead, especially since second place Frank Magill got into a disagreement with first another driver and then Pit officials and was disqualified.

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Chris Schneider is considered a strong favorite to repeat in the LaBoon Memorial Race for Pro Stocks Saturday at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. Schneider, shown at right as he talked to reporters after winning the '22 LaBoon race, will have to battle a 40 car field. Jordan Perkins, who just won a Pro Stock feature at PPMS two weeks ago, is considered a major contender, as are Christian Snyder, Cody Kotelis, Andrew Gordeon and (if he shows up) Tyler Dietz. The winner Saturday will take home $4000. A typical Pro Stock regular season purse is $2500.

The LaBoon Memorial is run in honor of long time race driver and mechanic Ed LaBoon. Promoted year round by son Vince LaBoon, the race has grown to be one of the biggest of the year for Pro Stock (formerly Sportsmen) drivers. The 5/8 mile circumference, 90 feet straights and extra width of the Greater Pittsburgh Speedway track allows for higher speed racing. It also allows drivers to run three or four wide when needed.

"You can run rail to rail here," several drivers agreed on a Wednesday night online discussion of the race. "There are 4-5 lines available rather than just the one on the smaller tracks. And slower driver can't block you like they can on the 3/8 and 1/4 mile tracks. PPMS is the second best track for dirt track racing behind only Eldoro out in Ohio."

Limited Late Models, Street Stocks, Four Cylinder and Teenage drivers will also compete Saturday night.

Zoey Knight, the irrepressible 8th grader two years shy of her driver's license, captured her fifth feature race at the Pittsburgh Speedway Saturday night.

Knight, who also cheerleads and plays Softball at Plum Borough Middle School, won four features last season but had a rough start to 2023. She had to pull out of the first feature with electrical problems and could only finish second last week. But she and her car were razorsharp Saturday.

To calls of "Way to drive, young lady," and "That's what you looked like last year," Knight climbed out of her 78Z Dodge Neon to accept her trophy, which was a third as big as she is.

"I've got a great team behind me," she said, "They not only keep the car running but also put up with me." She explained that she can be a little hyper just before each week's feature.

Knight grabbed the lead early and kept it all the way, but had to fight off repeated challenges by Gavin Kokolis and Paige Jones, who finished second and third. The win pulled Zoey into a tie with Kokolis in what looks like a heated season points race.

The race was interrupted only once, by a spectacular rollover on the second lap.

John Mollick, Daryl Charlier and Cody Koteles won the other major features on another beautiful but hot, dry and dusty evening with another large crowd present.

Mollick, seen talking to reporters in the photo at right, started back in ninth place in the Limited Late Model Feature. He was working his way toward the front when Brian Huchko suffered a bad wreck and the restart bunched the field. After the restart Frank Magill and Cole Petrelle battled for the lead until Mollick slipped past them by going low on turn four. He held the lead the rest of the way, although Kassidy Kamicker came up to challenge late. Petrelle finished second, Kamicker third and Magill fourth. Huchko was found to be OK, although his car suffered serious damage.

It was Mollick's 16 career feature win at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway, with the wins spread across three divisions. He ranks among the track's top 50 all time drivers.

"I saw a few spots as we came around the track and I was hoping nobody would fill them, and when they didn't I was able to make my move," he explained as to how he came up from ninth.

Petrelle leads the season points race in Limited Lates with 209, followed by Magill with 192, Kamicker with 183, Tom Klein of Rochester with 182 and Brandon Burgoon of McDonald with 174. Mollick, from Toronto, is sixth.

Charlier (photo, left) took the lead from AJ Poljack on lap five and gradually widened it to win the Pro Stock (original Sportsmen) feature. Cody Koteles rounded out the top three.

But Poljack still leads the season points race with 116, just two ahead of Dale Tuche of Cheswick. Nick Kocuba of Burgettstown, Emmie Laboon of Elizabeth and Tony Magill of Jefferson Hills complete the top five.

Tyler Cuneo won a controversial Four Cylinder Feature. He and Matt Knight, racing door to door to the finish line, got tangled up and Cuneo managed to cross the line first. Noah Bubeck and Joe Campbell took second and third.

Susie Rudolph of Steubenville still leads the Four Cylinder season points race with 79. Knight is second at 61 and Kyle Janas of Coraopolis third at 60.

It was a Koteles gang attack in the Street ("Hobby") Stock Division, as Cody (photo, right) won the feature and brothers Logan and Jonathan Koteles finished second and third. Jonathan actually took the lead early, but Cody grabbed it from him. The two traded the lead back and forth for 10 laps until Cody finally went ahead for good. Logan came up to slip into second, with Jonathan holding onto third.

"That was some of the best fun I've ever had, us all three racing door to door for a whole race," Cody told reporters afterward. "Steve Shelpman and Garrett O'Patchen were right behind us, too. There was no room to relax."

He usually races at the top of the track, but "I used the bottom a lot on this one and it worked really well."

Team Koteles worked on the car beginning at 9 a.m. that morning. "We're still testing the car. I learned quite a bit tonight that we can use."

Gary Koteles leads the season points race with 236, followed by O'Patchen at 227, Logan at 222, Shelpman at 221, Karlee Kovacs at 205, and Jonathan at 195.

Racing resumes this Saturday night with a full card plus the 12 annual Ed Laboon Memorial Race for Pro Stocks.

Aj. J. Flick of Apollo (#2, photo right) won his second straight Feature race Thursday night to solidify his lead in the Winged Sprint season point standings.

The unusual Thursday night of racing was held as part of a Western Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speed Week, which brought the top Sprint racing teams to this area with five nights of racing at different tracks and large guaranteed purses.

The Winged Sprints are the fastest cars currently running on dirt tracks in the U.S. Their 410 cc engines produce 800+ horsepower and the cars can hit 150 mph on the front and back straights. A Winged Sprint car can be built for around $65,000, most of which is in the $45,0000 engine. They have their own circuit, which brings them to PPMS twice a month.

Flick leads the season points race with 148. Brandon Mattus of Wampum and Dale Blaney of Hartford (Ohio) are tied for second with 141.

Tim Shaffer of Aliquippa won the Limited Late Model Feature, edging Brandon Burgoon of Mcdonald and Kyle Lukon of Burgettstown.

But Burgoon still leads the Limited season points race, three ahead of Cole Petrelle and 18 up on Frank Magill.

Stephen Shelpman (17P in photo at left, moving up on Jonathan Koteles of Stockdale in 2K) won the Stocks Feature. But Gary Koteles retains the season points lead, five ahead of Garrett OPatchen and Matt Benard who are tied for second.

This Saturday will be Champions Night at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. The track will honor last year's sesason points winners and off a full night of racing in all the various divisions.

Kyle Lukon, Jordan Perkins, Logan Koteles, Matt Knight and Sadie Snatchko were local drivers who won feature races Saturday at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. Of the special guest divisions AJ Flick and Ayden Cipriano took their features.

It was a warm, dry, unusually dusty night at the big half mile oval and a large, enthusiastic crowd turned out to cheer for the Winged Sprints and Sportsmen, always popular divisions that appear here about once a month. Thus far both nights of racing have drawn well, further evidence that people are finally getting past the pandemic.

Lukon, of Burgettstown, races Limiteds and Unlimiteds at various tri state tracks, including Lernerville and Marion Center (near Indiana, Pa.). He runs intermittently at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. But when he shows up, he's always a serious threat in his #184 (photo, right).

Saturday night, Lukon and Cole Petrelle started on the first row and battled back and forth early. Lukon finally took the lead for good but John Mollick of Toronto came up late to steal second. Petrelle finished third..

Lukon doesn't run at PPMS often enough to compete for the season points title, but Petrelle's second place finish moved him into an early season lead over Brandon Burgoon.

Jordan Perkins of Newcastle (#13, photo, left) started fourth in the Pro Stock (the local version of Sportsmen) but passed AJ Poljack of Baldwin for first when Poljack had car trouble on lap two. Perkins had to fight off Jacob and Jackson Billyk of but hung on to win. Perkins' win solidified his lead in the early season points race.

For the last several seasons, the Stocks Division has drawn the most entries and provided the wildest and most hotly contested races. That tradition is continuing in 2023. Stephen Shelpman came from the back of the field to take the lead from Gary Koteles and apparently win the race. But during the post race inspection judges found Shelpman's car to be in violation of track rules, so he was disqualified and Logan Koteles was declared the winner, with Gary Koteles second and Matt Bernard third. That third place was enough to give Benard a slim lead in the early season points race.

AJ Flick of Apollo (#2, photo right) passed Carl Bowser of Freedom on lap four of the Winged Sprints Feature but the two battled back and forth for the rest of the race until Bowser faded and let Brandon Matus of Wampum and Dale Blaney of Hartford (Ohio) take second and third. The Winged Sprints are the fastest gasoline powered cars, hitting 150 mph on straights. (Indy cars are faster but use a methyl alcohol - ethanol blend). In Saturday's feature, the top cars averaged 155 mph.

Matt Knight of Plum won the Four Cylinder Feature, ahead of Eric Reynolds of Sewickley in the fan favorite Volkswagen Beetle ("the Love Bug").

Sadie Snatchko of Oakdale, Zoey Knight of Plum and Sumara Weaver of Daisytown finished 1-2-3 in the Young Guns (Teenage) Feature, a clean sweep for the promising group of young girls.

Ayden Cipriano of Hermitage (#5C in the photo left) started on the pole and led the entire way to capture the Modifed Sportsmen Feature, but had to fight off J.C. Boyer of Burghill (Ohio) repeatedly. Chelsie Kriegisch was third. The Modified Sportsmen are the track's most interesting division, parallel to the "Pro Stocks," which are what used to be called Sportsmen. Custom made affordable cars with tight limits on engines and parts, they're RUSH Racving's attempt to keep racing affordable. The main modification is the driver sits in the center, not the left side, making them more like Indy style cars. They run GM 602 engines, standard suspensions, steel wheels, carburetors, steering, etc. The late Matt Miley hoped to see these affordable cars become a popular division here. But racing teams here have major investments in their left seat "Pro Stock" Sportsmen cars so they can't afford to discard them and build a Modified Sportsmen, even though one brand new can be built for $20,000-25,000. As younger drivers come up from Hobby Stocks the hope is many will choose to build Modified Sportsman due to costs, so over time this division will become the standard "middle" category, between Teenage, Four Cylinder and Hobby Stocks below and Sprints, Limited and Unlimited Late Models above. But so far it's been a slow transition. The Mileys keep bringing the division in as special guests hoping to spur local interest.

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Saturday night will be Nostalgia Time at the Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. The Vintage Coupes from the 1950s and 1960s will race, bringing back memories of Herb Scott, Joe Mihalic, Dick & Gus Linder, Norm Benning and the other drivers who ran these cars several nights a week in the old Pittsburgh Racing Association at Heidelberg, South Park, Clairton, Butler and Jeanette.

Of course, what you'll be seeing is partially an illusion. These may be old coupe bodies, but the engines and components are modern, high tech parts Scott, Mihalic and the others never dreamed would be possible.

These cars and drivers belong to the Pennsylvania Vintage Dirt Racing Association, which was founded in 2011 to restore and preserve the era of classic stock cars. They race at tracks in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York.

Worth watching will be Jeff Manners from Titusville in a 36 Chevy, and Steve Longo of Bradford in a 34 Ford. They were the two 2022 season points champions.

On the more unusual side, Wally Stock of Kecksburg is racing a Nash Metropolitan, and William Styles of Muse is in a Mudd Bus.

What you'll see Saturday night is not a classic car show or a simulated demonstration. This is serious racing. They keep season points and award the winners purses. This is just as competitive a division as the Unlimited Late Models, Limiteds or Sportsmen.

The Pittsburgh Motor Speedway has always sold pit passes for fans who want to go down and get close to the cars and drivers. Old timers may want to buy those pit passes this week and come early so they can get a close look at these treasures, taking photos and talking to the drivers and teams. This is a rare opportunity.

The Vintage Dirt Racing Association is thriving. It now includes more than 40 drivers and cars from five states.

The cars mostly run small block Chevy or 358 engines. They're divided into two classes, one with two barrel carburators, the other with four barrel carburators.

This is their season opener, but the Vintage Association keeps season point standings over a five month run, so these races matter. Drivers who win will be placed at the back of the lineup at each heat and feature, just as they were back in the 50s. The goal is to keep the races and the season point competition competitive.

There are no wings or spoilers allowed.

Roll bars, modern racing seats and other safety precautions are mandated, so in many ways they are far safer to drive than the cars back in the 50s. Top drivers Dick Linder and Ed Fiola both died in racing accidents.

Interest is reviving in these old vintage cars because the cost of not just NASCAR but even local dirt track racing has skyrocketed. To compete now in the Unlimited Late Models can require $100,000. Even in the Limiteds ("Crates") costs average $50,000. A Sportsman car can cost $30,000.

But fully equipped vintage racecars that have a record of bringing home trophies can be bought for $10 - $12,000.

Since the speeds aren't quite as high (they're comparable to the RUSH Limiteds), these engines don't need rebuilt as often, saving a huge cost.

Driving is different. These are slightly more compact cars, so they're easier to control than one of the big Unlimiteds or even Limiteds with their bigger bodies. These are also more basic engines, so they're not quite as temperamental.

Crowd response to the Vintage cars has been enthusiastic. Younger fans see them as a link back to the founding days of the sport, and older fans bring their grandkids to show them how racing used to be. However, the usual card of Limited Late Models, Sportsmen ("Pro Stocks"), Hobby Stocks, Four Cylinders and Young Guns (Teenagers) will also be featured, so fans will get a full night of racing.

Saturday night was a perfect opening to the '23 dirt track racing season. Two days of sunny weather dried out the clay track. A cloudless sky with a huge orange Moon provided a beautiful backdrop. It was a warm t shirt night. A large enthusiastic crowed showed up to cheer on the six divisions. A promising group of newcomers joined the ranks of experienced drivers, and many of last year's big favorites have moved up to higher divisions.

In many ways, the evening was a tribute to Matt Miley, who created Pittsburgh Motor Speedway 45 years ago and became one of the most successful dirt track promoters in the nation. After Miley died during the off season, many wondered if the track would even open for 2023, and if it did, if the fans and drivers would be there. But it did, they were, and Pit Steward Smokey Schemp administered the 11 heats and six feature races like clockwork, the first heat beginning at 7 pm and the final feature ending at 10 pm.

The evening card included Limited Late Models, Sprints, Sportsmen ("Pro Stocks"), Hobby Stocks, Four Cylinders and Young Guns (Teenagers).

The bevy of talented young women, which had attracted national attention last year, were back for another season, although they struggled with car troubles throughout the evening and none of them did well.

The only problem was the failure of the P.A. system and radio broadcast due to a transmitter issue. Officials assured fans they would work all week to correct these by this Saturday.

However, the track does have a new contract with The Cushion, a live streaming company that offers both a season subscription or per night option. Fans could watch races live at home on a computer, tablet or phone. Season subscribers also have access to livestreamed races from other tracks. Interested fans can email contact@ppms.com or call the speedway office at (412) 279-RACE.

Brandon Burgoon of McDonald won the Limited Late Model Feature over Cole Petrelle of Follansbee, W. Va. John Mollick of Toronto, Mike Reft of Pittsburgh and Tommy Schirnhofer of Dormont rounded out the top five. Kassidy Kamacker of Aliquippa finished eighth. Schirnhofer led early, and Mollick led for two laps, but Burgoon took the lead on lap five and held off Petrelle the rest of the way.

However, Mollick came back to win the Sprint Feature (photo, left) over Chad Ruhlman of Bemus Point, New York. Zach Wilson of Belmont, W. Va., Gale Ruth of Pittsburgh and Blaze Meyers of Franklin finished half a lap back. This was quite a race. Ruhlman started on the pole and had won every Sprint feature race here last year. He sped out to an early lead but Mollick caught him on lap two and the two dueled back and forth until lap six, when Mollick finally took the lead for good.

Jordan Perkins of New Castle wrested the lead from Al Poljack on lap three and held off Poljack the rest of rhe way to win the Sportsman ("Pro Stock") Feature. Jason Fosnaught of Tartentum, Dale Tuche of Chenwick, and Nick Kocuba of Burgettstown finished 3-4-5.

Emmie Laboon of Elizabeth, in her Sportsman debut, finished seventh.

Steve Shelpman of Pleasant Hills outlasted Matt Benard of Oakdale in the Hobby Stocks Feature. It was a wild race, with three spinouts, two cautions and drivers continually changing positions. Shelpman started 13th and had to work his way up. Karlee Kovacs struggled with transmission problems and entered the pits on both cautions but was unable to resolve them and get reliable power and finally dropped out halfway through. Gary Koteles of Stockdale and Tyler Fox and Garrett O'Patchen of Pittsburgh completed the top five.

Kyle Janas of Coraopolis (#88, photo right) won both his heat and the Four Cylinder Feature. Eric Reynolds held second for almost the entire race but lost it at the end to Tyler Cuneo. Reynolds was third. Travis Clark and Tony Kloss were 4-5.

Gavin Kokolis of Oakdale and A.J. Manganello pulled ahead of the quartet of girls and went on to finish first and second in the Young Guns Feature. Sadie Snatchko of Oakdale, Zoey Knight of Plum, Sumara Weaver of Daisy Town, and Abby Gindelsperger of Jefferson Hills finished 3-4-5-6.

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Cornell has struggled all season with making the points after touchdowns. Whether trying the kicks, runs or passes, those extra points have proven elusive in every game. Friday night, it cost the Raiders a victory over OLSH. And the 27-26 loss sends Sacred Heart on to the WPIAL Class A playoffs while Cornell sits home.

In the final minute, the Chargers intercepted two Cornell scoring passes in the end zone. The first was an attempt to score a two point conversion and give the Raiders a 28-27 win. Walter Clarit had scored the touchdown, but after missing earlier PATs, Cornell tried for two. Dereon Greer picked off the E.J. Dawson pass.

Having just scored the TD, Cornell kicked off to Sacred Heart. Coach Ed Dawson elected to try an onside kick. It worked, and Cornell recovered. With the final seconds ticking down, Cornell drove for the winning score. The pass that would have given the Raiders the win was intercepted in the end zone by Ziggy McIntosh.

The heartbreaking loss ruined a great comeback by Cornell. Sacred Heart had led 20-7 in the second. Just before halftime, Dawson hit Raequan Troutman to cut it to 20-14. OLSH expanded it to 27-14 in the third quarter. But the Raiders came alive in the fourth. Troutman ran a TD in from the four, but the PAT kick was missed. That made it 27-20. Cornell held Sacred Heart and drove down for Clarit's score.

The loss left Cornell 3-4 in the Black Hills Conference and 4-5 overall.

Raequan Troutman ran for four first half touchdowns to lead Cornell to a 52-7 win over Chartiers Houston and draw the Raiders even at 3-3 in the Black Hills Conference and 4-4 overall.

Troutman ran the ball in from the 48, one, 23 and 60 yard lines. He rushed for 151 yards just in the first half.

The win kept alive Cornell's flickering hopes for a postseason slot. The Raiders must upset Sacred Heart this Friday. Burgettstown and Fort Cherry play each other. Currently, the top four teams in the conference are Bishop Canevin, Sacred Heart, Burgettstown and Fort Cherry. Each conference gets four slots in the playoffs. If Cornell were to upset OLSH, the two would be tied with three losses each and since Cornell won the game between them the Raiders would receive the bid.

Chartiers Houston dropped down this year from Class 2A and back in August was considered a major contender. In September Chartiers Houston was ranked fourth in Class A. But Class A has proven to be tougher than Ch-H expected and several losses have left the Washington County school battling to finish with a winning record.

Matt Sieg scored four touchdowns Friday night as Fort Cherry rolled over Cornell 27-7 and probably clinched the final playoff spot from the Black Hills Conference.

The win dropped Cornell to 2-3 in the conference and 3-4 overall. Fort Cherry is now 3-2 and 5-3.

The only bright spot for Cornell came as E. J. Dawson powered three yards up the middle for his team's only touchdown in the second quarter to cut the Fort Cherry lead to 14-7. But Sieg then returned a punt 77 yards to pull the Rangers back out to 21-7.

Fort Cherry demoralized Cornell early by outgaining the Raiders 132 to minus 14 in the first quarter. Cornell did redeem itself in the second by gaining 73 yards but it wasn't enough to close the gap.

The Raiders play Chartiers Houston this Friday at home.

Bishop Canevin put Cornell away early en route to a 63-0 win Saturday at Dormont Stadium. It was 14-0 after one quarter and 35-0 at halftime. One player, Jason Cross, accounted for all five first half TDs. Cross, a 6-0 155 lb junior, passed 27 yards to Azjuan Marshall for the first, ran the second in himself from the five, passed 28 yards to Tyjer Clayton for the third, passed 60 yards to Jayden Lindsey for the fourth, and intercepted a Cornell pass and ran it back 79 yards for the fifth. Geno DeFrank kicked all the extra points. In the second half Canevin sent in the reserves. Kole Olzewski passed 61 yards to Xavier Nelson, Jermell Lindsey ran back a punt return 31 yards, Clayton intercepted a pass and ran it back 18 yards, and Olzewski ran one in from the one. DeFrank kicked all the PAT kicks. The win left Cornell 2-2 in the Black Hills Conference, 3-3 overall. After a weekend of upsets, most notably Sacred Heart's loss to Burgettstown, Cornell could still grab a postseason runnerup berth if the Raiders can defeat Fort Cherry this week and Chartiers Houston next week, both games at home.

Cornell suffered a complete meltdown Friday night and lost a key game to Burgettstown 26-6. The loss put any hopes of a postseason berth in serious jeopardy.

The game was played at Burgettstown's Hill Stadium, one of the WPIAL's classic facilities. It opened in 1920 and was renovated in 2000. Even in this fifth week of the season, the field was in great condition. A solid crowd was on hand on a frosty night. Neighbors on a high hill overlooking the field sat around backyard fire pits in Adirondack chairs enjoying a sort of balcony view while toasting s'mores, hot dogs and baked potatoes. Marching bands from both schools livened up the atmosphere and Burgettstown honored their grade school football teams and cheerleaders before the game. It was a magnificent atmosphere.

Unfortunately for Cornell its marching band, its numbers up, sounding impressive, looking good in its spiffy new uniforms (in the photo above members are bundled up against the cold, but they show off the uniforms when marching at halftime) was the highlight of the evening.

Burgettstown Coach Greg Marshall had no intention of letting Cornell's Raequan Troutman unleash one of his kickoff runbacks. So he used squib kicks to change the tempo of the game. Burgettstown worked on squibs in practice, and when the Blue Devils won the toss, they elected to kick off to start the game. Sure enough, Cornell was caught by surprise by the squib, and Zach Schrockman recovered for Burgettstown on the Cornell 25.

Three plays later Sondre Lunde hit Brodie Kuzior with an 18 yard pass. He fumbled but Schrockman recovered. The PAT kick was wide but Burgettstown led 6-0.

Burgettstown again used the squib kickoff, Cornell again fumbled, and the Blue Devils recovered on the 48. A pass to the 28, three runs, and a Lunde pass to James Leuice put Burgettstown up 12-0 with 7:42 in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter the home team scored again on an 11 yard Kuzior run and Pedro Guimaraes PAT to lead 19-0.

Walter Clarit finally put Cornell on the board with a two yard run with 3:40 til halftime. The PAT pass failed so it was 19-6.

Cornell held and got the ball back but was unable to score before the half.

In the third quarter neither team scored. Two possessions by Burgettstown and one by Cornell used up the entire 12:00.

To open the fourth, Draevon Newton intercepted a Blue Devil pass on the Cornell 32 but the Raiders couldn't score and Burgettstown ran off a sustained drive of five first downs. Caleb Russell ran it in from the five and Guimaraeas kicked the PAT kick for the final 26-6 score.

Except for the squib kicks, Burgettstown didn't do anything fancy. They mostly kept the ball on the ground, letting Kuzior (137 rushing yards) and Russell (80 yards rushing and 50 on pass receptions) provide the offense.

Cornell never could get its offense untracked. Raequan Troutman entered the game ranked 10th in the WPIAL in rushing with 734 yards on 61 attempts for a 12.0 per carry average, and eighth in scoring with 12 TDs and two PATs for 74 points. He provided most of the Raider yardage, but Burgettstown keyed on him and kept him out of the end zone.

Cornell faces a rough October. The Raiders play Bishop Canevin this Friday and Sacred Heart the final Friday. In between, they play Chartiers Houston and Fort Cherry. Canevin and OLSH are heavily favored. Fort Cherry and Chartiers Houston are slightly favored. Those two plus Burgettstown are now above Cornell in the race for a runnerup spot in the WPIAL playoffs. Cornell must win two of those four games and hope for a few upsets.

Cornell was without starting quarterback and defensive linebacker E. J. Dawson, who was on the sidelines in street clothes with a knee injury. Dawson could possibly return for Canevin and the stretch run. C. J. Jackson did a respectable job at quarterback, but Dawson's presence on defense would have made a huge difference. His play and his leadership would have shut down Burgettstown's runs up the middle.

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Frank Magill, who's been battling brother Tony plus the Koteleses and Matt Benard all year, won the Feature on the final night to clinch the 2022 points championship in the intensely competitive Hobby Stocks Division at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway.

Magill (photo, right), who graduated high school three months ago, entered the night with only a two point lead over Logan Koteles, four points ahead of Tony, and 13 up on Gary Koteles. Any one of them could have won the title with a feature win.

But Magill took over the lead on lap four. Logan hung in there, and the two were still battling through the final lap. It was Magill's fifth feature win this year and 16th overall.

Logan finished second in the race and in season points. Steve Shelpman, Benard and Gary rounded out the top five.

"it was a fun season," Magill told reporters afterward. "I knew these guys were going to show up every week so I had to be ready. This old car gave me everything it had. I thought it had one more win in it and tonight it came through."

Down in the Young Guns (teenage) Division, Sadie Snatchko (photo, left) won her first feature on the final night. She and Emmie Laboon fought throughout the race but Snatchko hung onto the lead.

Laboon won the season points title, barely ahead of Zoey Knight. Gavin Kokolis, Abby Gindlesperger and Snatchko rounded out the top five. Amazingly, after a century of male domination, seven of the top 10 Young Gun finishers were girls, and all say they intend to return next year. No other racetrack in the country has such a promising crop of female drivers.

In the Limited Late Models, Michael Norris grabbed the lead from Philip Bubeck early, then held off repeated challenges from Cole Petrelle. After a restart on lap 12, Norris pulled away but Petrelle found himself in a battle for second. On the final lap Zach Gunn nipped Petrelle for it. Tim Shaffer and Brandon Burgoon finished fourth and fifth. But Bubeck won the season points title, followed by Petrelle, Mike Reft, Shaffer, and Kassidy Kamacher. Kamacher had been a close second and closing in on Bubeck until a wreck back in August totaled her car and ended her season. Petrelle and Tony Musolino won the qualifying heats. It was Norris' third feature win this year, and sixth overall.

Tyler Dietz won the Pro Stock Feature. Nick Kocuba had led early, then A. J. Poljack took over. But once Dietz grabbed the lead he kept it. Poljack, Kocuba, Dale Tuche and Jake Billyk rounded out the top five. Poljack, however, won the season points title, ahead of Brian Huchko, Kocuba, Frank Magill and Tanya Charlier.

Kole Holden (photo, right) led the entire race and won the Sportsman Feature. It was Holden's second feature win this year and fifth overall. Jacob Jordan finished second in this feature but won the season points title, followed by Holden, Lucas Canon, Chelsie Kriegisch and Tony Tatgenhorst. These are the cars that most racetrack owners would like to see replace the Pro Stock Division. Notice the center mounted seat, giving the cars an Indy Car or Formula I appearance.

The regular season at PPMS is now over, but racing is not. This weekend sees the Lucas Oil Circuit, dirt track racing's version of NASCAR, come to town. Some local drivers will enter, but most of the field will be national. Rigs will begin arriving Thursday. Winning purses begin at $20,000 and go down from there. There will be all the usual divisions racing, but the major Lucas Oil division is the Unlimited Late Models. These are $100,000 rigs which are practically the same as NASCAR except they're set up for dirt tracks. The weekend will feature full race cards both Friday and Saturday nights, but the big draw is the annual Pittsburgher, a 75 lap, 37 mile showcase run on Saturday.  Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. currently leads the Lucas Oil Unlimited standings. His car is powered by a $45,000 Cornett Racing Engine putting out 900 horsepower. McCreadie just won the Indiana 100.

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Cornell, on the wings of Raequel Troutman, Khylil Johnson and Drevon Newton, rolled to a 42-0 win over Carlynton Friday night to go up 2-0 in the Black Hills Conference, 3-1 on the season, and set up a showdown this week at Burgettstown for a spot in the WPIAL play offs.

Carlynton is three times as large a school and just this year dropped down from 2A, but Cornell put the Cougars away early.

Johnson scored first on a 15 yard run, and Troutman ran in the PAT for an 8-0 lead.

Minutes later, Johnson added a nine yard run and C. J. Jackson kicked the PAT for a 15-0 lead, still in the first quarter.

Early in the second, Troutman fielded a Carlynton punt on the Cornell 45 and ran it all the way back. The PAT kick failed, but Cornell led 21-0.

But later in the second quarter Jackson lofted an 83 yard pass to Newton in the end zone. Jackson then kicked the PAT and Cornell took a 28-0 lead to halftime.

In the third, Troutman intercepted a Carlynton pass on the Cornell 30 and ran it all the way back. Jackson's PAT kick made it 35-0.

Troutman finished the scoring late in the third quarter with a seven yard run. Jackson's PAT kick finalized the score at 42-0 and Cornell Coach Ed Dawson sent in the reserves.

The performances earned Troutman and Jackson mention in the WPIAL's weekly top runners and passers list.

Cornell now heads to Burgettstown's historic stadium for a Friday night showdown that will position the winner for a postseason berth. The Blue Devils, who used to be a rival of Coraopolis back in the mid 20th Century when both were much bigger schools, just last year dropped down from Class 2A. Cornell ruined homecoming for the coal town last year. but with a quirk in the WPIAL schedule has to play them there again this year. Burgettstown has wins over Bethlehem 38-22 and #5 Chartiers Houston 14-8, but lost to #1 Bishop Canevin 38-17 and #3 South Side 38-14 to go 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

The computer picks Cornell and Burgettstown to both lose to #2 Sacred Heart and Cornell to lose to Canevin, giving both schools two conference losses. So the two are battling for third place and a runnerup playoff berth.

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Cornell coaches and fans have known for two seasons that Raequan Troutman was an outstanding receiver and open field runner.

Now the rest of the WPIAL is realizing that as well.

Troutman scored five touchdowns Friday night to lead Cornell to a 48-0 rout of Avella in both teams' Black Hills Conference opener.

He scored the first one on a 51 yard run early in the first quarter. He scored the next two in the second quarter on runs of three and 60 yards.

His last two came on runs of four and 45 yards in the third quarter.

This came after Troutman scored three TDs against Union last week and three more against Monessen two weeks ago.

He's been starting for Cornell for four years but has been overshadowed by other receivers and runners as the over achieving Raiders have reached the WPIAL semifinals twice. Now he's clearly the star.

And he's not alone.

Khylil Johnson added two TDs of his own on runs of 17 and 35 yards in the second and fourth quarters.

C. J. Jackson kicked the extra points.

But that wasn't Jackson's main contribution. With E. J. Dawson nursing an injured knee, Jackson, a junior, has also emerged as a reliable replacement at quarterback. He sees the field well, is quick and nimble in the backfield, has a strong arm and good accuracy, and protects the ball under heavy contact.

Cornell will be favored against Carlynton Friday, which would give the Raiders a 2-0 conference record. Sacred Heart and Bishop Canevin continue to look impressive and rank 1-2 in Class A, but Cornell doesn't have to beat either one of them to once again make the playoffs. It can advance as a runnerup if it can handle Carlynton, Fort Cherry, Chartiers Houston and Burgettstown. That would give Cornell a 5-2 conference record and a solid third place even if it lost both late season games to the two Catholic schools. And if Cornell's injured players get healthy, with explosive players like Troutman and Johnson, it could pull off one or two upsets.

Gary Koteles of Stockdale won the annual Josh Langer Memorial race Saturday night in the Hobby Stock Division at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. It was a chaotic race with four yellow flag restarts but Koteles grabbed the lead on the first lap and held it the whole way. Every time he began drawing away from the field a caution would bunch the field back up right behind him.

Koteles (in 65K at right) entered the race in fifth place in the season point standings, only 19 points behind leader Frank Magill. But Magill battled Koteles for the lead the whole way and finished a close second so Koteles was not able to cut into the lead. Matt Benard, Jonathan Koteles and Logan Koteles finished third, fourth and fifth in the Langer Memorial.

Koteles and Magill each won their respective heat races.

Tony Magill, Benard and Logan Koteles are second, third and fourth in season points.

Down in the Young Guns Division, PPMS owner Matt Miley ran two features to make up for the feature rained out last week by rain.

Abby Gindlesperger (photo, left) won the postponed feature by edging Emmie LaBoon. Zoey Knight finished seventh, after briefly grabbing the lead on lap two but hitting car trouble on lap three.

But Laboon and Knight came back to finish first and second in the regularly scheduled feature (with Gindlesperger third) so still rank first and second in the season points race.

The season ends October 1 so only two Saturday nights remain for drivers to fight for position.

Matt Knight won both the regular and postponed Four Cylinder features. But he's over 728 points down in season points so even with all those points remained only in 10 place. Craig Rudolph leads the season points race.

Tim Shafer (In #45 photo right) won the Limited Late Model Feature for only his second feature win of the year. He led most of the way but two cautions bunched the field back up and kept things close.

Philip Bubeck leads the Limited Division by 58 points over Tom Klein (in car #77). Shafer is in third.

Kassidy Kamacher had worked her way up to second, just nine points behind Bubeck, but two weeks ago hit the wall and totaled her car. With her season over, Klein and Shafer have been able to move up.

Nick Kocuba of Burgettstown won the Pro Stock feature, with Al Poljack second and Brian Huchko third. Poljack, Hutchko and Kocuba are 1-2-3 in the season points race.

Racing continues this Saturday at 7 pm. The Vintage Cars from back in the 1970s will be racing, along with the usual slate of Limiteds, Pro Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Four Cylinders and Young Guns.

With several Cornell starters, most importantly senior quarterback and linebacker E. J. Dawson, injured and watching from the sideline in street clothes, Raequan Troutman tried to carry the Raiders on his talented shoulders.

He came close, but Union had four offensive threats to Cornell's one, and the Scotties upset the Raiders 30-21.

It looked like a typical Friday Night Lights show at the smallest public high school in Pennsylvania still fielding an 11 man football team. Cornell's band, which after several seasons under Director Bill Lamb looks classy and professional, marched down the long driveway, down Maple Street, and into Frank Letteri Stadium, a tradition no otther high school has. They performed both pregame and halftime shows, and were joined by Union's band, which also performed at halftime.

As teams everywhwere do, the Raiders ran out through a corridor of band and cheerleaders.

Troutman, a gifted receiver and runner, announced his presence immediately by taking a handoff and running 64 yards for a touchdown on the game's first play. Backup quarterback C. J. Jackson kicked the PAT and Cornell led 7-0 only 20 seconds in.

But Union took the ensuing kickoff and slowly ground out 70 yards in six minutes, with Mike Gunn running 12 yards for the TD at 5:32. The PAT failed and Cornell hung onto a slim 7-6 lead.

The rest of the first half the teams exchanged possessions back and forth without scoring. Cornell missed a field goal, but stopped two Union scoring drives with timely interceptions.

One incident at the end of the half brought coaches onto the field and enflamed lots of boos and jeers from the crowd. Union fired a long pass from the 46, which its wide receiver caught on the 10, ran three steps, then dropped. A Cornell player fell on the ball. But an official ruled that Union should keep possession with 00:16 left. Fortunately, Cornell's Dravon Newton intercepted the ensuing pass in the end zone, ending the half.

The problem with E. J. Dawson being out was that not only was he Cornell's quarterback, but its defensive captain and star linebacker. With Dawson in, no opponent could run up the middle. With him out, at halftime first year Union Coach Kim Niedbala directed his offense to attack that middle with various plays. Along with a fake punt, that strategy allowed the Scotties to take the third quarter kickoff, grind out five first downs, then let Elijah Booker run in from the 16. QB Brayton Thomas passed to Booker for the PAT and Union led 14-7 at 5:38.

Cornell picked up two first downs but stalled and punted. Union's Thomas promptly ran it 58 yards to score and passed to Cam Taylor for the PAT and a 22-7 lead at 1:21 in the third.

Troutman (#28 in photo, right) opened the fourth quarter with a 56 yard TD run at 11:48. Jackson's pass to Drevon Newton was good to cut the lead to 22-15.

Cornell's kick and fortuitous roll pinned Union at its own 15, but on the first play Thomas ran 85 yards to score and Matt Stanley ran in the PAT for a 30-15 lead at 10:44.

Pressed for time, Cornell went to the air. Passes to Newton and Julian Cordice and runs by Jackson and Walter Clarit helped the Raiders gain six first downs and let Troutman run in the TD from the 29. The PAT pass was overthrown, so the score was 30-21 with 7:24.

Cornell held Union and launched another long drive but the TD pass was intercepted in the end zone, at 3:01 and Union ran out the clock.

No one expected Cornell to beat Monessen except for the Cornell coaches and players. Cornell had knocked the Greyhounds out of the WPIAL playoffs last year 33-0 but even then everyone was saying THIS would be the year for the Mon Valley school. 22 starters returned, the entire offensive and defensive units, while Cornell graduated several key players. This game would be AT Monessen's historic stadium and the Greyhounds would be seeking revenge. So the computer, every Pittsburgh newspaper and the betting line all favored Monessen.

But Cornell grabbed an early 7-6 lead when Monessen missed an extra point. That lead held up through the first and second quarters and most of the third. Cornell added a TD late in the third for a 14-6 lead, then exploded for 21 points in the fourth.

Monessen looked like a senior loaded experienced team. But Cornell looked much better than expected on both offense and defense.

The Raiders now return home for a game with old rival Union, which lost to Canton (O.) 31-18 last week but pounded Ellwood City 20-6 Friday. Cornell will be a slight favorite.

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On a beautiful but extremely dusty night at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway, the Winged Sprints (photo above) attracted their usual crowd and turned in their usual spectacular show. As the advertising slogan says, they're "the fastest cars on dirt," cranking out 800+ horsepower with their 410 cc engines and reaching speeds of 150 mph. A car weighs only 1200 pounds --- they've left everything including starters off to get down to that low weight and have to be push started --- and the wings are to create downward air pressure to keep the cars from going airborne on the front and back straights. One of these cars costs around $65,000, including their $45,000 engines. They have their own circuit, which brings them to PPMS twice a month. 22 cars showed up this week.

On this particular night, Dan Kuriger of Rochester won the feature, with Brandon Matus of Wampum second. Lee Jacobs of Holmsville, O., Dale Blaney of Hartford, O., and Brandon Spithaler of Evans City rounded out the top five.

But exciting as Winged Sprints are, attention at PPMS is more and more focused on a bevy of girls as the 2022 season enters its final six weeks.

No dirt track in the country right now has more young girls not only competing but actually winning. Despite the fact that every one of these young ladies could easily win your local Junior Miss or Miss Pennsylvania pageant, in their various divisions they're all doing well.

With Karlee Kovacs of Carnegie recovering from injuries, Kassidy Kamacher of Aliquippa (left) is the reigning queen. Running in the Limited Late Models, the highest division, she consistently finishes in the top five and currently ranks second in season points, just behind Philip Bubeck of Colliers, W.Va.

Kamacher, 19, is a sophomore at the Community College of Beaver County, where she's majoring in accounting. If she doesn't end up as a professional race driver, she sees herself handling the accounting for a race team or a race track, perhaps at the NASCAR level.

"This is what she's always wanted to do," explains mother Melanie Kamacher. "Racing's in our family history. She's been coming to the track since she was a month old." Mom is right there, sitting in a lawn chair next to the car down in the pits. "I don't stress out too bad when she's out there, but I have been adamant about one thing : no matter what it costs, every single safety feature is on her car. And she and I agree she's never getting in a Sprint car."

Kassie's teachers, especially now that she's in college, are amazed. On the first day of school every semester students have to introduce themselves. When she says she's a racecar driver, teachers try to clarify. "You mean, you drive those little Go Karts?" they'll ask. When she says No, she drives cars just one notch below NASCAR and then pulls out her phone and shows them videos of her racing, they shake their heads in disbelief.

Her classmates are a little more understanding. They ask every Monday how she did.

"It's really hard out there. I'm going up against guys 50 years old. That's 30 years of experience. They know tricks and tactics I'm just learning. We're four months into this season and I'm a lot better now than I was back in May. But every race is a learning experience."

Saturday started out well for Kassidy. She placed third in her heat, two notches above Bubeck, who was fifth. But in the Feature, both she and Bubeck were knocked out of the race. So their 1-2 standing remains as it was.

And she's a role model for the dozen younger girls down in the lower divisions.

"If I've been able to encourage other girls to get involved, I feel pretty good about that," she says.

At the opposite end of the age spectrum, Zoey Knight (photo, left) is in eighth grade at Plum Middle School. At school she's known as a cheerleader and a very good softball player. "I've been playing softball since I was real little," she grins. "I'm pretty good at it."

But she's also grown up with racing. Although she's still three years short of her driver's license, she's won four Feature races this year, come close in six more, and ranks second in the Teenager ("Young Guns") Division, just behind Emmie LaBoon.

"The kids at school think it's neat that I race," she says.

But in her first season, Zoey admits the learning curve has been steep. "Racing's all about finding lines and openings," she tells reporters. "Things are moving pretty fast out there, and in our division we're not allowed any contact. Do I go high, or try to drop down low? Can I shoot that gap, or should I wait til it becomes bigger?"

Some Young Gun drivers want to move up as soon as possible, hopefully to the Hobby Stocks. But being in eighth grade, Zoey figures she'll bide her time for a few years.

However, she's dead serious about racing. "I'd love a career in racing. If I can't do that, my second choice would be a career in softball."

Knight had a bittersweet evening. She had to drop into the pits during her heat race with mechanical issues. But then she ran a strong Feature and finished second to Laboon. So rheir 1-2 standing remains in place.

Emmie LaBoon (photo, top right), is another girl who grew up in a racing family. She's a freshman at Thomas Jefferson High School and, like the other girls, has to explain to her classmates just what it is she does on Saturday nights.

Emmie has won three Feature races and currently leads the Young Guns Division, with Zoey in hot pursuit only eight points behind.

That's LaBoon in the photo at left, in #114.

'What makes this division so difficult is that so many of the drivers are inexperienced," she explains. "So they're trying different things. You never quite know what they're going to do. I like to get out ahead of the crowd, grab the lead early, and avoid all the action."

She was successful in that strategy in both her heat race and the Feature. She grabbed an early lead and kept it all the way to the checkered flag both times.

All of these girls are very attractive, very articulate and outstanding spokesmen for dirt track racing, just what PPMS needs to attract a new generation of fans.

In other action Saturday night, Ben Policz of Rices Landing held off Mike Reft of Pittsburgh for the Feature win in the Limited Late Model Division. Rounding out the top five were Tim Shafer of Aliquippa, Cole Petrelle of Follansbee, W.Va., and Zach Gunn of McDonald.

In the Pro Stocks Division, Chris Schneider of Lower Burrell won the Feature over Christian Schneider of Pittsburgh, with Brian Hutchko of Coraopolis a close third. Cody Koteles of Stockdale and Jordan Perkins of Hermitage filled out the top five.

Down in Hobby Stocks, Gary Koteles of Stockdale won the Feature. Matt Benard of Oakdale was second, followed by Tony Magill of Jefferson Hills, Jonathan Koteles of Stockdale and Garrett O'Patchen of Pittsburgh.

Travers Corbin of Colliers, W.Va. won the Four Cylinder Feature, followed by April Tennant of Colliers and John Gill of Burgettstown. Travis Clark and Hemi Kineston of Pittsburgh were fourth and fifth.

Next week will be the biggest weekend of the regular season for Kamacher and the Limited Late Models. PPMS will host the 16th annual Red Miley Classic. The Limiteds will run three feature races in one evening. Because of this, the other divisions will run no heats, but will run features only. The usual starting time of 7:00 p.m. will be in effect.

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Cornell's Raiders gave their fans more reasons for hope Thursday night with a strong performance at AAA Shady Side Academy.

It was the final scrimmage before the 2022 season begins officially next Friday night at dangerous Monessen.

Shadyside has 400 students and is considered a major contender in the AAA Allegheny Conference. The Bull- dogs were taller and heavier than Cornell. But they had trouble keeping up with the Raiders' speed and quickness on offense.

It was a scrimmage, not a game. No official score was kept. There were no kickoffs or punts. Coaches could stop play and point things out to their players. Both coaches kept running players in and out to see what they could do in various situations.

However, Cornell crossed the goal line more often than Shadyside and made several spectacular runs and pass plays.

Early, most of those were made by Raequan Troutman (photo, right in #4) and EJ Dawson (photo below, in #1), both experienced seniors. Both turned in impressive runs. EJ showed that his passing arm may be greatly underrated and Troutman not only pulled in some awesome catches but ran for significant yards once he caught it.

Opposing defenses are going to have to put their top two players on Dawson and Troutman, leaving several other Cornell players guarded by less talented defenders.

"We still have a lot of work to do," Dawson cautioned. "Our defense made errors tonight we have to correct. It is a mystery to me how after weeks of practice we still have players wondering around out there not knowing what formation we're in. They're in one formation and all the rest of us are in a different formation. But we've got a week left to straighten that out.

"What I did find encouraging was that our players were not intimidated by this AAA team. We went to war, play after play, and did not back down. The errors we made were not in playing passive. We were aggressive the whole game. That was what I wanted. I scheduled this scrimmage to challenge our players and they rose to the challenge. If we can keep working, we're going to be OK."

Football begins with a Quarterback and a Center. If a team doesn't have an experienced, battle hardened quarterback who can pass, run, hand off and read defenses, it won't be able to score enough to win. And if it doesn't have a Center who can snap the ball on target every time with an opposing defender coming at him, then hold his position and block that defender from getting to the quarterback, the QB won't be able to perform no matter how good he is.

Cornell Coach Ed Dawson knows how lucky he is. He's got both. His own son, E. J.. (photo, right) has been playing quarterback since middle school and was a running back before that. And his Center, Jamarcus Pierce (photo below), held his own last year despite being an undersized freshman. Since Cornell reached the WPIAL semifinals, that meant Pierce played in 12 games, several of them against top 10 opponents.

As a sophomore, Pierce is still undersized. When an opponent tries to overpower him by playing a large defender opposite him, Dawson will move Pierce to another spot on the Offensive Line and replace him at Center with an older, bigger boy. But it doesn't happen often. Pierce has quick hands and quick feet, strength, athleticism and attitude. He can hold his own against opponents 20-30 pounds heavier and six inches taller, as he proved several times last year.

He's also a very good baseball player, which cuts down on his offseason hours in the weight room. So he's not significantly stronger than last year. But that hard earned experience helps compensate.

Most valuable, though, is his dependable snaps. They become even more valuable since Dawson plays back in the Shotgun. So the Center has to snap the ball back several yards. E. J. remembers what it was like having the ball sail over his head, bounce off his ankles or drift to his left or right. At best, he had to reach for the ball or chase it down, which totally ruined the play. At worst, the errant snaps caused fumbles and lost possessions. That all stopped when Pierce took over last August.

"He gives me confidence," E. J. explains. "I no longer worry about the snaps so I can use those few seconds to read the defense, glance around to make sure our guys are lined up right, and maybe call out an audible."

E.J. prefers the Shotgun alignment rather than lining up under Center. "I'm not real tall," he admits. "A lot of the linemen are taller than I am. The Shotgun allows me to stand back a few yards and see over them so I can read the defense."

Perhaps because for his first years in football, down in grade school, he played running back, E. J. likes running over passing. He's a powerful runner, hard to bring down, faster than he looks and elusive despite his size. But he's worked on his passing game, and is a good short and intermediate passer.

Playing for his Dad has been interesting. "We'll watch games on TV and talk about them." Ed was a star on a state championship Aliquipa team, then played at Allegheny College, and has coached at other places before coming to Cornell, so he knows his football.

"I've been around football my whole life," E.J. says, "so I sort of learned about it without even thinking about it. A lot of football is instinct. Things happen so fast you don't have time to think. You just have to react. All those years of growing up with it help me react a lot better."

E.J. is not just the Quarterback. He's also a Linebacker and the Captain of the Cornell Defense. Some scouts think he's a better college prospect on Defense than on Offense, although they see him as a potential running back.

"We lost several guys off our Defense last year," E.J. grants. "But I think a lot of our younger guys got a lot of experience in big games last year, so they should be OK. I think we're going to be pretty hard to move the ball on."

On defense, he's modeled himself after Troy Polamalu. At quarterback, there have been several he's liked and tried to pattern his game after.

As far as the effect of all that experience, "I think I'm a lot better at game preparation and game management. I know what it takes to get ready for an opponent. When we're studying game film, I'm a lot better at knowing what to look for. I know I pay much closer attention to what the coaches are telling us. I know how to focus on a scouting report."

But he also sees himself as a game manager. "I see the game flow better now than I used to. I know where we are on the clock and in down and distance. From the scouting report I have an idea what the opponent is probably going to do."

Except for youth league, very few football coaches ever get the chance to coach their sons. Whether in high school or college, it sets up a unique father son dynamic.

"It's been fun," Father Ed says. "I think what has helped us so much is that E. J. is honestly one of most intelligent kids I've ever been around. I've been around a lot of football players, and I've seen very few as smart as he is. He learns really quickly, remembers what he learns, and then based on that makes really good decisions during a game."

But Dawson admitted he's had to walk a tight line. "I've had to give him space when he needed it. And sometimes I've needed to take my own space when I needed it. As he grew up, we learned how to coexist."

Last season, E. J. missed two games with an injury. "We really missed him," Dawson points out. "Not just the yards he might have earned or tackles he might have made, but his leadership on both Offense and Defense."

All those years together have added up.

"He truly is an extension of me out there on the field. I honestly believe I could hand him a whistle and he could run a practice."

There's another Dawson son now in ninth grade. He's currently playing Wide Receiver. But that's another story.

E.J. and Pierce will face their first real test of the season late Thursday afternoon when they scrimmage at AAA Shadyside.

"We play AT Monessen next Friday," Dawson reminds reporters. "They have EVERY starter on both sides back, and we knocked them out of the playoffs so they'll be looking for revenge. We need to have our weaknesses exposed so we can study the film and work for a week on correcting them."

Shadyside should certainly expose them. The Bulldogs play in the Allegheny Conference and their schedule includes North Catholic, Elizabeth Forward, Apollo, Freeport, East Allegheny, Knoch, Deer Lakes and Valley. They return nine starters on offense and nine on defense. Shadyside is favored to reach the AAA playoffs and have a line of mostly 5-11, 6-0 and 6-1 players.

However, Dawson likes scheduling a tough scrimmage rather than playing an actual game during what the WPIAL calls "zero week."

"We can learn more from a scrimmage," he explains. "We can run more players in and outy, try different stuff, set up exactly the situations we want. And we can test ourselves against bigger schools like this."

For those making the trip, Shadyside Academy is in Fox Chapel. Due to rush hour traffic along the river, it will take about an hour from Coraopolis.

In a spectacular accident on the back straight, the famous and beloved "Pink Panther" racecar was totaled and driver Karlee Kovacs injured Saturday night at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway.

Kovacs, who began racing as a high school girl and now, as a college graduate, is considered the Queen of a new generation of women drivers, walked away with only a concussion, cuts on her leg and injured tendons in her wrist.

But her car, which rolled five tines, is beyond repair, and in all likelihood Kovacs' season is over. She had already planned to move to NASCAR for 2023, hopefully with a base in North Carolina, so it could also mean an end to her local racing career.

"It was scary," Kovacs (photo, left) posted on her Facebook page. "I only remember the first roll. After that it was all a blur. I'm sore, but after watching the Go Pro footage, I'm grateful to have gotten off with only minor injuries."

Kovacs told her tribe of loyal fans she hopes to return, but it's already late August, the season only lasts until October 1, and race teams usually work all Winter to get a car ready. A few race teams have offered to let her use a spare car but until she fully recovers from her concussion and injuries no decision will be made.

The accident came on the 11th lap of the White Memorial, one of the year's top races in the Stocks Division. Adam Ferree of Jefferson Hills went on to win the race, with Tony Magill, Logan Koteles, Matt Benard and Ben Anton rounding out the top five. Brothers Frank and Tony Magill are tied for first place in the Stocks season points race.

Cole Petrelle of Follansbee (W.Va.) won the Limited Late Model Feature, ahead of Tim Shaffer, Kassidy Kamicker and Dave Goble of Aliquippa, and Philip Bubeck of Colliers (W.Va.). Bubeck currently leads in season points with Kassidy Kamicker second. Goble, Shaffer and Tom Klein complete the top five.

Nick Kocuba of Burgettstown won the Pro Stock (Sportsmen) Feature over Al Poljack of Baldwin, Brian Hutchko of Coraopolis, Daryl Charlier of Midway and Jacob Billyk of New Castle. Poljack currently leads the season point standings, with Hutchko only nine points behind.

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Ed Dawson is building a reputation as a miracle worker. Coaching at the smallest Pennsylvania public high school fielding an 11 man football team, he has led the Raiders to the WPIAL semifinals twice in three years with two totally different lineups. Cornell's only recent losses have been to Catholic academies which stock their rosters by recruiting large areas. The word on Dawson is that when rebuilding he's dangerous and with the talent he's difficult to beat.

Dawson lost several outstanding players to graduation but returns enough starters that the Raiders are considered very dangerous indeed.

He starts with the four shown here : Guard Eric Dennis (at left), Running Back Raequan Troutman, Quarterback E. J. Dawson (the coach's son), and Wideout Kevin Caldwell. Around these building blocks are Running Back Walter Clarit, Wideout Drevon Newton and Backup Wideout Julian Cordyce.

When Dawson first began building this program he had a roster of only 18 players. He's slowly built it until now he has 38. "In Class A," he says, "we can compete with 38."

Cornell looks solid on offense. The linemen are all back. Dawson has been playing either Quarterback or Fullback for three years. Troutman has served as either Running Back or Wide Receiver for three years. Everyone else is in either their second or third year.

Dawson, a former star lineman on a championship team at Aliquippa, prefers a strong running game behind a strong line. Son E.J. is not a great passer but is good enough, and makes up for it by being a powerful, physical hard to bring down runner. He can also lead interference for other running backs, like Troutman or Clarit.

The two big question marks for Cornell are Special Teams and Defense.

M.J. Smith, who handled kicking, punting, field goal and extra point duties for two seasons, has moved on to I.U.P. and his replacement is unproven.

The Defense is also uncertain. E.J. will captain the D and several players have experience but there are significant holes to fill. Cornell may find itself in several shootouts, with its offense forced to outscore opponents. Last year, the Defense would shut down opponents and the offense needed score only a few times to win, such as the 14-7 upset at Rochester.

Dennis will be a key up on the line and E.J. at Linebacker should help stop runs up the middle. But in last week's scrimmage against Riverside the offense ran opposite from Dennis and E.J. for key gains. Dawson's emphasis this week is plugging those gaps by toughening up those defenders.

"Defensive line is an attitude," he kept telling players on Monday. "It's hard work. That's why most kids can't do it and very few want to do it. You've got to bring your best effort every single play."

The WPIAL dealt Cornell a whole new deck of cards this year, moving them from their long time home in the Big Seven Conference to the Black Hills Conference. That means instead of its traditional rivalries with Rochester, Northgate, Shenango, etc., Cornell will now play Avella, Carlynton, Chartiers Houston, etc.

The 2022 schedule includes a scrimmage with Shadyside this Thursday, then.....

Sept. 2-at Monessen-*
Sept. 9-Union-*
Sept. 16-at Avella.
Sept. 23-Carlynton.
Sept. 30-at Burgettstown
Oct. 7-at Bishop Canevin
Oct. 14-Fort Cherry
Oct. 21-Chartiers-Houston.
Oct. 28-at O.L. Sacred Heart.

Monessen and Union are nonconference games.

Monessen will be an interesting matchup for a season opener. Last year, Cornell knocked the Greyhounds out of the playoffs, but Monessen had a lineup of all juniors and sophomores. This year, they're all back --- everyone --- and with Cornell coming to Monesssen the Greyhounds are spoiling for revenge.

Bishop Canevin and Sacred Heart are ranked #1 and #2 in the WPIAL and Cornell has to go to both. Sacred Heart beat Cornell in the regular season finale last year 13-12 and Canevin knocked the Raiders out of the playoffs in the semifinals 24-7.

Carlynton and Chartiers Houston are dropping down from Class 2A so should be a challenge. Cornell does get them both at home.

Cornell beat Burgettstown last year but must visit the Blue Devils again this year. Burgettstown dropped down from Class 2A last year.

Fort Cherry was forced to forfeit to Cornell last season due to COVID and the loss prevented them from earning a playoff spot. They'll have revenge on their minds but at least Cornell gets them at home.

The schedule doesn't do Cornell any favors. The Raiders have to travel to Bishop Canevin, Sacred Heart and Burgettstown for the second straight time. These are the three most highly ranked teams on the Cornell schedule and it's not clear why the usual home and away alternation does not apply. But on the other hand, Fort Cherry is slated to come to Cornell for the second year in a row, even though they couldn't make it last year due to a COVID forfeit.

Due to a wave of Class 2A teams dropping down to Class A over the last two years, the WPIAL reshuffled Class A into four conferences. Each conference will send its top four teams to the playoffs for a 16 team field.

This means Cornell could finish fourth in the Black Hills conference and still make the playoffs, although if the Raiders did they would receive a bottom seed and play a #1 seed first game. So Cornell will be trying to win over Avella, Carlynton and Fort Cherry and upset two of Chartiers Houston, Burgettstown, Bishop Canevin or Sacred Heart. Wins over nonconference Monessen and Union would enhance Cornell's chances for a higher seed.

In preseason rankings, the computer picks Canevin #1, Sacred Heart #2, and Chartiers Houston #5 in the WPIAL. It ranks Canevin, OLSH, Chartiers Houston and Burgett-stown 1-4 in the Black Hills Conference, with Cornell #5. So the four teams favored over Cornell are stacked right in a row in the last five weeks of the season.

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Brian Hutchko of Mcdonald started on the pole and led the whole way to win the Pro Stock Feature Saturday at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway.

Hutchko (#60 in photo at right) was in second place in the season points race behind Al Poljack and has now closed to within two points in the tight competition of what used to be called Sportsmen. Pro Stock cars average 100 mph.

A bad storm moved through the raceway just as fans and racing teams were arriving, dumping a large amount of rain. But it moved on quickly, leaving the skies clear. The track and pits held standing water for a while and races were moved back from 7:00 to 8:00 while everything dried out.

Abby Gindlesperger (photo, left) won her first ever feature race in the Teenage ("Young Guns") Division, ending Zoey Knight's string of three straight victories. Gindlesperger took the lead from Emmie Laboon on the third lap and held it the rest of the way. Knight finished a disappointing fifth, so lost several points in the season points race. Laboon remains in first place. What is most interesting, however is that four of the top five finishers in the Feature were girls and in season points six of the top nine are girls. Gindlesperger's feature win was testimony to her courage and perseverance, as back at the beginning of this season, in her first ever race, she was struck side ways on the back straight and rolled completely over.

Logan Koteles outfought Kayla McManus for the win in Hobby Stocks. Tony Magill, Frank Magill and Matt Benard rounded out the top five. Frank Magill currently leads in season points, with brother Tony and Benard right behind him.

Joe Martin of Punxsutawney won the Limited Late Model Feature, with Tim Shaffer of Aliquippa, Philip Bubeck of Colliers, W.Va., Brady Wonderling of Wellsville, New York and Brandon Burgoon of Washington, Pa. rounding out the top five. Bubeck contnues to lead the season points standings.

Jacob Jordan (#28, photo, right) led the whole way to win the Modifieds Feature. These are the cars with the driver sitting in the center, Indianapolis style. They run at about 110 mph. He was followed across the line by Kole Holden, Ayden Cipriano, Cole Edwards and Lucas Canon. Jordan is currently fourth in points.

The big attraction of the night was the Boss Sprints, the cars averaging 150 mph on big tracks like the Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. Ricky Lewis from Ventura, California set a new track record for fastest lap, screaming around the half mile in 17.669 seconds. Parker Frederickson of Kokomo, Indiana won the Sprint Feature, followed by Isaac Chappie from Willow Branch, Indiana, Carmen Perigo of Stoytown, Pa., Lewis and Dustin Smith of Philadelphia.

Down in Four Cylinders, Susie Rudolph of Steubenville won the Feature, with her father Craig Rudolph second.

This Saturday night will be Boy Scout Night, with all uniformed Boy Scouts getting in free. It will also be Autograph Night, with drivers coming to the front straight to sign autographs for 20 minutes.

Her t shirt says "Move Over Boys...Let This GIRL Show You How."

She's not kidding.

Zoey Knight, a lively Plum Borough teenager who's a cheerleader and pitcher back at school, won her third straight feature race at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway Saturday night. She's competing against older, more experienced and better financed rivals and she's now only nine points out of first place in the season points race in the Young Gun (Teenage) Division.

Knight (photo, right), driving the only Dodge Neon known to be racing in western Pennsylvania, started way back in sixth, but passed four cars in two laps and then stole the lead going into the third lap. She held it the rest of the way.

"I have to thank my Aunt for letting us use her racecar," she told reporters afterward. "My Dad and Uncle do the mechanical work." The car had been sitting for six years before Zoey reactivated it.

Gavin Kokolis of Oakdale battled Knight all the way and finished second. Emmy Laboon from Elizabeth, the current points leader, came in third.

Up in the Limited Late Model Division, Ben Policz and Daryl Charlier battled the whole way before Policz (photo left) finally grabbed the lead on lap 20 and kept it the rest of the way. The race was stopped four times.

The two were 10th and 11th in season points standings going into the race so both will move up. Last week's top points leaders were Philip Bubeck, who finished 15th, and Kassidy Kamicker, who finished 8th, so there will be a lot of shuffling in this week's standings.

The race was billed as "topless" because the racing teams could remove their roofs if they wished. The roll bars and safety supports remained in place. Policz's car at left can be seen with its roof off. won the qualifying heats.

Frank Magill of Jefferson Hills tightened his grip on the season points lead in Hobby Stocks by winning another feature. Magill started back in 5th, but swung out and slid up to move into 2nd on the very first lap. Gary Koteles would lead for 17 laps, despite constant pressure from Magill. The older Magill finally got past Koteles on the 17th and then held first place til the finish. Matt Benard finished 3rd, Logan Koteles 4th and Tony Magill 5th. Jake Gunn and Cole Petrelle won the first two heats

A father daughter combination started first and second in Four Cylinders. Susie Rudolph was on the pole and her Dad Craig was right next to her in second. Susie grabbed an early lead and was pulling away, but yellow stopped the race and undid her strategy. When racing resumed Derek Quigley wrested the lead away from Susie and kept it the rest of the way.

This Saturday night the Sprints, the fastest cars running on dirt in North America, will return, along with all the usual divisions.

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The Pittsburgh Motor Speedway is becoming a friendly family feud every Saturday night as sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, fathers and cousins battle each other for trophies in three divisions.

Fans and announcers struggle to keep names straight as Magills, Koteleses, Tennants, Billyks, Rudolphs and Antons take turns winning heats and features and passing each other in season points standings.

Nowhere are these battles closer or more exciting than in the Hobby Stocks Division, where the Magill and Koteles clans battle it out. Frank Magill graduated high school a month ago and brother Tony's a sophomore. They entered Saturday night with Tony the points leader, just two points ahead of Frank (in #05, photo at right). But Frank captured the Feature Saturday to also grab the season points lead. And that Feature win came over resistance from the whole Koteles team.

Cody Koteles grabbed the early lead with Logan Koteles in fifth. Two early multi car crashes involving Gary and Jonathan Koteles closed the field back up and forced Cody into the pits. Frank then took the lead, and fought off Logan, Tony and Danny Rich the rest of the way. Rich, Logan, Tyler Fox, and Tony rounded out the top five. Logan, Jonathan and Gary Koteles are in a three way tie for fourth place in season points standings. Ben and Tom Anton finished sixth and ninth.

Up in the Limited Late Model Division, where cubic displacement and other factors are tightly controlled, Tim Shaffer (photo, left) won his first feature of the season. Ben Scott of Delaware led early, with Dan Lepro wresting it away. Shaffer moved into the lead on Lap 11 and held it the rest of the way. Mike Reft, Lepro, Cole Petrelle and Philip Bubeck rounded out the top five.

Travis Corbin led the Four Cylinder Feature from start to finish. Derek Quigley, Andy Garlinger and Craig Rudolph were close behind. Corbin was only in sixth place in season points, 301 points behind Rudolph, so Rudolph will retain his lead for another weak. He's 62 up on Susie Rudolph and 190 up on Quigley.

The best race of the night from a technical standpoint was the Pro Stock (Sportsmen) Feature. Brian Hutchko of Coraopolis led early, although he and Al Poljack battled side by side for several laps. Poljack (photo in #36 at right) finally passed him on Lap 9 and held the lead for the rest of the race. Hutchko, Nick Kocuba, Mike Harris and Jackson Billyk rounded out the top five. The win let Poljack hang on to a slender two point lead in season points. Hutchko is second, just two behind, with Heath Close (552) Kocuba ( and Tanya Charlier.

It's in the Teenage Division ("Young Guns") where girls have completely taken over. Six of the top nine drivers are girls. Emmerson Laboon began the night in first place but only had a 15 point lead. Zoey Knight pulled off her first feature win, followed by Laboon, Sumara Weaver 4th and Abby Gindlesperger 5th. Other women who began in Young Guns are now racing in higher divisions : Susie Rudolph and April Tennant in Four Cylinders, Karlee Kovacs in Hobby Stocks, Tanya Charlier in Pro Stocks, and Kassidy Kamacker and Kayla McManus in Limited Late Models. Kamicker is 2nd in season points in Limiteds and Charlier is 5th in Pro Stocks.

Michael Norris of Sarver won the 10th annual Herb Scott Memorial Race Saturday night at the Pittsburgh Motor Speedway with an average speed of 123.3 mph.

Daryl Charlier of Midway and Mike Reft of Pittsburgh came in second and third. The field of Limited Late Models was broken into three qualifying heats to select the 26 car Feature field and starting order. Kyle Lukon led early but Norris passed him on lap 12. Charlier made several attempts to pass, both high and low, pulling even several times, but Norris hung on. Lukon finished fifth.

The event honors the late Herb Scott of Wexford. Scott won 12 Pittsburgh Racing Association season titles in 15 years and is generally recognized as the greatest dirt track driver in western Pennsylvania history.

Nick Kocuba (photo, right), Al Poljack and Charlier finished 1-2-3 in the Pro Stock (Sportsmen) Feature. It's Kocuba's first win of the season. Charlier drove Brian Huchko's 60H while Huchko was on vacation.

Gary Koteles won the Hobby Stock Feature, leading Cody Koteles and Frank Magill.

Cameron Hollister edged Emmersen Laboon down in the Teenage ("Young Guns") Feature.

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On a hot, dusty Saturday night, with the track blazing fast and a good crowd watching, Rochester's Dan Kuriger took the lead on Lap 13 and went on to win the Winged Sprint Feature at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway. It was Kuriger's first feature win of the season.

Behind him were Carl Bowser, Sean Rayhall, Brandon Matus and George Hobaugh.

Earlier, Hobaugh and Jeremy Weaver won Winged Sprint heat races.

The Winged Sprints are the fastest cars currently running on dirt tracks in the U.S. Their 410 cc engines produce 800+ horsepower and can hit 150 mph on the front and back straights. A Winged Sprint car can be built for around $65,000, most of which is in the $45,0000 engine. They have their own circuit, which brings them to PPMS twice a month.

Michael Norris took the lead on Lap 17 and hung on to win his first Limited Late Model Feature. Ben Policz looked to have the race won after moving into first and slowly pushing it out to a half lap lead. But a yellow flag bunched the drivers back up and gave Norris the chance to sneak ahead on a low inside cut. Policz finished second with Tim Shaffer third, Phil Bubeck fourth and Tony Musolino fifth.

The Limited Late Models now look to the annual Herb Scott Memorial Race on July 2. Scott, the most successful dirt track driver in western Pennsylvania history, did most of his racing at the old Heidelberg, South Park and Clairton tracks, although he also ran at Latrobe, Jeanette and others. Scott operated out of a gas station and service bay in Wexford and won season points championships in the old Pittsburgh Racing Association.

Frank Magill led from start to finish, surviving three restarts, to win the Hobby Stocks Feature. MaGill held off challenges by his brother Tony plus Gary Koteles and Matt Benard. He was helped when Koteles was forced into the Pits on lap 11 with engine trouble. Benard, Logan Koteles, Tyler Fox and brother Tony followed MaGill at the finish.

Danny Rich of Imperial returned to action after winning the 2019 Sportsman ("Pro Stocks") season points title but racing intermittently the last two years. Rich finished sixth driving Karlee Kovac's Pink Panther #221K. He also finished third in a heat.

Benard and Koteles won the Hobby Stock heat races.

Cody Koteles won the Sportsman (Pro Stocks) Feature, his first in the division after winning consistently down in Hobby Stocks last year. He led the race throughout but had to fight off Brian Huchko, Frank Magill and Al Poljack, who took turns challenging for the lead. Poljack finished second, followed by Huchko, Heath Close and Magill.

Koteles also won the heat race.

PPMS ran a makeup Sportsman Feature, which was rained out May 21. Poljack won it, followed by Huchko, Koteles, Close and Magill.

Bill Tennant of Colliers, W.Va. won the Four Cylinder regular Feature, with Travis Corbin second, Bill's wife April third, Susie Rudolph fourth and Craig Rudolph fifth.

The track also offered a makeup Feature for Four Cylinders which was rained out May 21. Susie won that, followed by Craig.

Tyler Hollister won the Young Guns (Teenage) Feature, followed by Zoey Knight, Sumara Weaver, Gavin Kokolis and Emmerson Laboon.

There is no racing this week at PPMS. The track has been rented for the entire weekend to a group staging a three day truck show. Racing will resume the week of July 2 with a full card plus the annual Herb Scott Memorial.

Philip Bubeck of Colliers (W.Va) won the Limited Late Model Feature at Greater Pittsburgh Speedway Saturday.

The night was beautiful but the track was dusty before it turned blazing fast about halfway through the race card. Another good crowd was treated to several close exciting races and some spectacular accidents, two of which were complete rollovers.

It was a busy four hours. Not only did seven divisions run heats and features, but in a special intermission ceremony owner Matt Miley presented trophies to the 2021 season points winners in each division.

Bubeck led most of the way in the Limited Late Models, but had to contend with car trouble, Daryl Charlier, Tim Shaffer and Mike Reft. Charlier was the most serious challenger until engine trouble forced him into the pits on lap 18. Shaffer finished second, with Reft third, Colby Beighey fourth, Dave Gobel fifth and Cole Petrelle sixth.

The win vaulted Bubeck into first place in season points at 452, two ahead of Cole Petrelle's 450. Kassidy Kamacker is third at 427, followed by Reft (373), Tom Klein (352), Gobel (351), Shaffer (298) and Charlier (241).

Chad Ruhlman won the Sprint Car Feature over Blaze Meyers, Brian Hartzell, Nolan Groves and Brian Cressley.

He started fourth but had taken the lead by the second lap and held off Meyers and Hartzell the rest of the way. That's Hartzell's #69 at left, in the pits being tuned up before the race.

"The track was immaculate tonight," Ruhlman told reporters afterward. "You could go high, low or middle with good traction. We should really give a lot of credit to the track crew here who maintain it in such good condition."

That's also the order in the season points race. Ruhlman leads with 72, with Meyers at 70, Hartzell at 69, Groves at 68 and Cressley at 67.

Justin Shea won the Modified Sportsmen Feature, edging Chelsie Kriegisch (#10 in photo at right), and others in a tense battle. Kriegisch, Kole Holden and Ayden Cirpiano started 1-2-3 and fought each other the whole way. Shea hit the wall and lost ground but came back to challenge Holden for the lead. They were still battling but on the final lap Holden's engine died and he limped into the pits. Behind Shea were Kriegisch, Cipriano, Tony Tatgenhorst and Jacob Jordan. Tatgenhorst leads in season points, followed by Kriegisch and Shea (200 each) Jordan (195) and Lucas Canon (192). The Modified Sportsmen are the track's most interesting division, parallel to the "Pro Stocks," which are what used to be called Sportsmen. They're RUSH Racing's attempt to keep racing affordable. They're custom made affordable cars with tight limits on engines and parts. The main modification is the driver sits in the center, not the left side, making them more like Indy style cars. They run GM 602 engines, standardized suspensions, steel wheels, carburetors, steering, etc. But racing teams in the Pittsburgh area have major investments in their left seat "Pro Stock" Sportsmen cars so they can't afford to discard them and build a Modified Sportsmen, even though one brand new can be built for $20,000-25,000. As younger drivers come up from Hobby Stocks they will probably choose to build Modified Sportsman due to costs, so over time this division will probably become the standard "middle" category, a bridge between Teenage, Four Cylinder and Hobby Stocks below and Sprints, Limited and Unlimited Late Models above. But it will take several years.

Cody Koteles won the Hobby Stocks Feature after a rash of spinouts, wall scrapings, false restarts, and bumpings. Koteles took the lead on lap nine but had to fight off his own father, Gary Koteles (#65k, photo at left) and Frank Magill the rest of the way. It was Cody's second major feature win this season. "It's neat to beat my Dad," he told reporters. "There's a lot of tough competition out there. I hope to move up to Sportsmen, and I feel these races are really preparing me." The win put Cody in first place in Hobby Stocks season points with 176, followed by father Gary Koteles (171), Adam Ferree and Tony Magill (166 each), and Logan Koteles (165).

Bill Tennant led from pole to checkered flag to win the Four Cylinder Feature, followed by Derek Quigley, Travis Corbin (in 2R, photo below), April Tennant and Craig Rudolph.

Rudolph leads the season points race with 366, followed by Quigley (303), Susie Rudolph (299), Lucas Weaver (194) and John Steele (173).

Travis Clark won the Young Guns (Teenage) Feature, followed by Tyler Hollister, Emmerson Laboon, Sumara Weaver and Zoey Knight.

Clark leads in season points with 412, followed by Laboon (402), Knight (385), Gavin Kokolis (318) and Abby Gindlesperger (303).

In all, six girls are competing in this year's Teenage Division : Laboon, Knight, Gindlesperger, Kiersten Chiernik, Sadie Snatchko and Weaver. That, added to Rudolph and Tennant in Open Fours, Kriegisch in Sportsmen Modifieds, Karlee Kovacs in Hobby Stocks, Tanya Charlier in Pro Stocks, and Kayla McManus and Kamacker in Limited Late Models, gives 13 girls and young women in all competing at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway, an all time record.

2021 season points champions honored at intermission Saturday night were Daryl Charlier in Limited Late Models, Nick Kocuba in Pro Stocks, Frank Magill in Hobby Stocks, Bill Tennant in Open Fours, Logan Koteles in Young Guns (Teenagers), Chelsie Kriegisch in Sportsmen Modifieds, Chad Ruhlman in Sprints and Matt Westfall in Winged Sprints.

Action resumes this Saturday night when the Winged Sprints, the fastest cars currently racing on dirt in North America, return. Then local racing teams take a week off on June 25th while the Monster Trucks rent the track for the entire weekend and put on their own show. PPMS will return to action July 2, Fourth of July Weekend, with the Herb Scott Memorial Race.

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Chris Schneider (#55, right) fought off Jordan Perkins and Christian Schneider for 30 laps to win the 10th annual Ed Laboon Memorial Race for Sportsmen ("Pro Stocks") Saturday night at Pittsburgh Motor Speedway.

It was Schneider's third win in the Laboon series, which has become the most prestigious event of the season for Sportsmen and because of its high purse attracts the best racing teams in that division from five states.

Saturday was a beautiful night of racing, with clear skies, mild temperatures and no humidity. The Laboon classic is actually a package of several races, including time trials, four heats, a dash for the fastest cars, two consolation races and the feature. The largest crowd of the season also saw heats and a feature for the Limited Late Models and features for the Hobby Stocks, Four Cylinders and Young Guns (the teenage division).

Because many of the Sportsmen teams do not regularly compete here drivers were assembled for a meeting (photo, below) in the Pits to go over local rules and the evening schedule. But there were no issues. There were not even any wrecks or collisions except for a few wall scrapings and spinouts. That allowed the sizeable crowd to focus on the action, of which there was plenty.

Brian Huchko, Christian Schneider, Jordan Perkins and Chris Schneider won the four Laboon heats. Two Schneiders (who are not related) on the track confused the crowd and made announcing the races difficult. Christian won the time trials with a 21 second lap with Chris only 0.259 behind. Chris came back to win the eight lap dash among the drivers with the top eight times, thus winning the pole position in the feature. Perkins and Christian Schneider were placed second and third and spent the race fighting to see which could catch Chris or claim second. On many laps their battles with each other were more exciting than either of their efforts to overtake Chris only a car length ahead. Every lap or so, one or the other would inch partially alongside Chris, but on the next straight he would pull back away. In the end, Chris led the race from beginning to end, the first time that has ever happened. The finishers 4-8 were from out of the area, but Huchko was ninth, A.J. Poljack was 12th, and Nick Kocuba was 14th. Huchko now leads in season points with 359, followed by Poljack with 356, Heath Close with 346, Nick Kocuba with 336, and Steve D'Apolito with 294.