Below are some items that fell off my laptop, but first some Varsity Blog news on "commenting."

**** In case you haven't noticed, the "comments" on Post-Gazette blogs are now different. We have switched administrative sites, and to comment, you now need to have a "Facebook" account. Comments are now made through "Facebook." I hope it doesn't stop people from commenting. Always good to see some of the comments, with an emphasis on "some."

Now for some high school talk.

**** Clairton football star Tyler Boyd created a stir with Pitt fans when he visited West Virginia this weekend. But it shouldn't have been a surprise. Heck, when Boyd committed to Pitt at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, he talked about possibly visiting a few other schools.

But according to Clairton assistant coach Eric Fusco, Pitt fans can relax. Boyd is still very much committed to Pitt. Fusco has been involved in Boyd's recruiting all along.

***** The state basketball rankings from the Harrisburg Patriot-News are out for this week. They are at the end of this blog. But first some other thoughts.

**** I saw Lincoln Park's Elijah Minnie play for the first time yesterday. He most definitely should get some Division I attention in the future. Minnie is a 6-8 junior who just became eligible a few weeks ago. He gets a handful of blocks every game and grabs his share of rebounds.

But just because Minnie is 6-8, don't expect him to be a post player. He is very athletic and roams around the perimeter a lot. In fact, he shot a number of 3-pointers yesterday against Seneca Valley. He has a fairly decent shooting stroke for a 6-8 player.

**** Duquesne continues to follow Montour point guard Devin Wilson closely. The Dukes have not offered a scholarship but they have been at a number of Wilson's games. Duquesne assistant coach Rich Glessman was on hand to watch Wilson go against Shaler's Geno Thorpe in yesterday's Pittsburgh Basketball Club Classic at La Roche College.

Since Wilson decided a few weeks ago that he will definitely play basketball in college and not football, some more schools have started to recruit him. George Mason recently offered a scholarship.

**** Speaking of Wilson and Montour, the Spartans have a big game tomorrow night when they play host to Chartiers Valley. It is one of the best games on the WPIAL slate tomorrow night.

**** Speaking of Chartiers Valley, I say Char Valley guard Michael Boulos has been  one of the biggest surprises this season. A senior, Boulos is now averaging about 20 points a game. He wasn't close to being this player a year ago.

Boulos is a good athlete (team's leading rusher in football) who is bulit well and has excellent quickness.

**** One more thing about Montour. Longtime athletic director Mitch Galiyas will retire at the end of the school year.

**** Another big game tomorrow night is Seneca Valley at New Castle. I caught New Castle's act Saturday night for the second time this season. We all know the Red Hurricanes are really good. But when they shoot it like they did against North Hills, no team this side of the state in any classification can stay with the Red Hurricanes. New Castle had 14 3-pointers against North Hills.

**** I want to golf once this summer with Montour's coaching staff and really see how good assistant coach Adam Scuilli is. He was the club champ at Chartiers Country Club a few years ago.

**** Nice event that John Gimmarco and the Pittsburgh Basketball Club put on yesterday at La Roche College. Six games and some of the top teams and players in the WPIAL. La Roche coach Hermie Carmichael and his staff did a nice job hosting at a nice venue. But geez, La Roche has to be one of the most poorly-lit gyms on a college campus.

**** I still like pep bands at high school games better than music. Don't get me wrong, I still like some music, but to me, a good pep bands is priceless at a high school game.

**** Senior guard Tonyea Curry hasn't played the past few games for Sto-Rox. He is the Vikings' leading scorer.

**** This is pretty impressive: The Allderdice girls basketball team has two of the top eight scorers in the WPIAL-City League. Sierra Fordham and Sydnee Abernathy are both averaging over 20 a game.

**** I think Class AA boys in the WPIAL is down this season, compared to years past. But the top three teams in the Harrisburg Patriot-News' state rankings are from the WPIAL - Beaver Falls, Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette. I think Class AA all around the state might not be terrific. Last year's state champion was Imhotep Chartier, which defeated Beaver Falls in the title game. But Imhotep Charter moved up to Class AAA.

**** Here are the state rankings for this week from the Harrisburg Patriot-News:

CLASS AAAA Rec Pvs

1. Chester* (1) 14-3 1

2. Lower Merion (1) 16-2 2

3. Harrisburg (3) 18-1 3

4. McCaskey (3) 17-2 4

5. New Castle (7) 17-0 5

6. St. Joseph’s Prep (12) 15-3 6

7. Cathedral Prep (10) 15-2 7

8. Williamsport (4) 14-2 8

9. North Allegheny (7) 15-1 9

10. Martin Luther King (12) 18-1 NR

Honorable mention: Abington (1) 13-4, Bethel Park (7) 14-2, Council Rock North (1) 13-5, Gateway (7) 11-3, Great Valley (1) 16-0, Hampton (7) 14-3, Hatboro-Horsham (1) 13-3, La Salle College (12) 13-4, Liberty (11) 11-5, Norristown (1) 15-3, Parkland (11) 14-4, Penn Wood (1) 11-6, Pennsbury (1) 12-4, Pocono Mountain West (11) 14-2, Ridley (1) 15-2, Roman Catholic (12) 13-5, Seneca Valley (7) 14-4, State College (6) 12-4, Upper St. Clair (7) 13-3, York (3) 16-2.

CLASS AAA Rec Pvs

1. Neumann-Goretti* (12) 13-4 2

2. Imhotep Charter# (12) 16-4 1

3. Allentown C.C. (11) 15-2 3

4. Archbishop Carroll (12) 13-4 5

5. Beaver Area (7) 15-1 6

6. Chartiers Valley (7) 16-1 7

7. Susquehanna Twp (3) 18-1 8

8. Abington Heights (2) 14-2 9

9. Mars (7) 13-3 4

10. Berks Catholic (3) 15-3 10

Honorable mention: Archbishop Wood (12) 10-6, Bishop McDevitt (3) 11-6, Danville (4) 12-2, Donegal (3) 19-0, General McLane (10) 11-4, Gettysburg (3) 15-5, Girard (10) 11-4, Glen Mills (1) 11-6, Greencastle-Antrim (3) 14-3, Hickory (10) 12-3, Holy Ghost Prep (1) 12-4, Montour (7) 13-4, Palmyra (3) 14-5, Philly Electrical (12) 10-10, Pottsville (11) 13-4, Steel-High (3) 15-2, Thomas Jefferson (7) 12-5, Uniontown (7) 13-2, West Mifflin (7) 12-3, Wilson Area (11) 17-1.

CLASS AA Rec Pvs

1. Beaver Falls (7) 15-3 2

2. Greensburg C.C. (7) 16-1 3

3. Jeannette (7) 14-2 4

4. Meyers (2) 14-2 1

5. Holy Cross (2) 12-3 5

6. Trinity (3) 13-3 6

7. Communications Tech (12) 12-4 7

8. West Middlesex (10) 13-3 8

9. Loyalsock (4) 12-2 9

10. Lewisburg (4) 13-1 10

Honorable mention: Bald Eagle Area (6) 14-1, Bellwood-Antis (6) 14-1, Constitution (12) 11-8, Dunmore (2) 9-5, Freire Charter (12) 13-7, Lakeview (10) 14-2, Mercyhurst Prep (10) 10-5, Mid Valley (2) 13-2, Penn Cambria (6) 12-3, Quaker Valley (7) 12-4, Riverside (2) 10-5, Serra Catholic (7) 12-3, Seton-La Salle (7) 15-2, Sto-Rox (7) 9-7, Wellsboro (4) 16-1.

CLASS A Rec Pvs

1. Math, Civics & Sciences (12) 19-0 1

2. Vaux (12) 13-6 2

3. Lincoln Park (7) 11-5 3

4. Church Farm (1) 11-5 4

5. Johnsonburg (9) 15-1 5

6. Bishop Carroll (6) 13-2 6

7. Vincentian (7) 15-1 7

8. Ridgway (9) 13-3 8

9. St. John Neumann (4) 15-0 9

10. Bishop Guilfoyle (6) 12-2 10

Honorable mention: A-C Valley (9) 14-2, Clairton (7) 8-5, Clarion (9) 13-4, Delco Christian (1) 12-5, Greenwood (3) 16-2, Kennedy Catholic (10) 11-4, Lebanon Catholic (3) 13-6, Lourdes Regional (4) 13-4, Mahanoy Area (11) 14-3, Marian Catholic (11) 14-5, New Hope Academy (3) 15-2, North Catholic (7) 11-4, North Clarion (9) 16-1, OLSH (7) 14-3, Pius X (11) 12-2, Shade (5) 14-1, Shanksville-Stonycreek (5) 13-2, Shenandoah Valley (11) 13-5, Smethport (9) 14-1, Sullivan County (4) 16-1, Union (7) 13-2, Wilkinsburg (7) 8-7.

*- defending PIAA champion. #- 2012 PIAA champ in Class AA, but bumped up. $-2012 PIAA champ in Class A, but bumped up. Number in parentheses is PIAA district.

One of the top sophomore girls basketball players in the WPIAL has already decided she wants to play for Pitt.

Chassidy Omogrosso, a standout 10th-grade point guard at Blackhawk High School, accepted a scholarship from Pitt and made a verbal commitment to the Panthers last night. Omogrosso, who stands 5 feet 5, is averaging 23 points this season.

Omogrosso knows it might seem a little early for a sophomore to choose a college. But she had her reasons.

"I was going to wait, but when you know something is right, it's right," Omogrosso said. "It felt like the perfect fit for me."

Omogrosso (pictured) is actually the second sophomore point guard to already make a verbal commitment to a district Division I college. Seton-LaSalle's Cassidy Walsh has committed to Duquesne.

Pitt offered Omogrosso a scholarship a few months ago. St. Francis also had offered and other Division I colleges were interested.

"It was so early that other schools hadn't offered yet, but she was getting a lot of interest," said Blackhawk coach Steve Lodovico. "I know whenever Pitt offered her a couple months ago, she was excited about it. She went up and watched a few games and really like the coaching staff and players. I didn't know if she would choose this quickly, but the other night she said, 'I think I'm going to verbal to Pitt.'"

Omogrosso averaged 19 points as a freshman.

Omogrosso is a "rare" Western Pa. recruit for Pitt. Panthers coach Agnus Berenato does not have a WPIAL player on the current roster. Meanwhile, Duquesne has four WPIAL players.

"Coach B and the whole coaching staff are the main reason I did this," Omogrosso said. "It felt right and comfortable. It's perfect for me academically and athletically.

"They are recruiting some other local girls. I hope they get them. It would be fun."

 

LaVar Arrington is one of the greatest high school football players to come out of Western Pennsylvania. A 1997 graduate of North Hills High School, Arrington was Parade magazine's national player of the year after his senior season.

Arrington went on to some great things after high school at Penn State and made the Pro Bowl a few times in the NFL. But he says the best coach he ever had was his coach at North Hills.

Jack McCurry resigned as Noth Hills' coach Monday night after 35 seasons, a 281-108-9 record, four WPIAL titles and one PIAA championship. This morning, Arrington had some interesting comments about his old high school coach, high school football in general and even Penn State.

Arrington (pictured during his days as a North Hills running back) now lives in Annapolis, Md., has a successful sports talk show in Washington, D.C., and sells his own line of training apparel - Xtreme Procision.

Arrington lives with his wife, Trishia, and their three children. LaVar has another son, Keeno, who lives in Peters Township.

Here are some of his comments about McCurry and other subjects.

"Hands down, he was the best coach I ever had," Arrington said."Just because that is the most influential time of a football player's life - in high school, in terms of development from a teenager to a young adult.

"I can't talk about any of my coaches with the Washington Redskins this way. My college [Penn State] has been destroyed. I will always love Penn State and the Washington Redskins, but my high school days and North Hills and Jack is the place in my heart that will be there forever.

"Even if Penn State would be in great standing these days, and even if Joe [Paterno] checked out on a different note than he did, and even if I had a Super Bowl career and was NFL defensive MVP, it still wouldn't change how I feel about Coach McCurry and North Hills football. They're the reason for me. That's the start of it all for me.

"You think about how many people don' thave that type of influence early on in their life. I was blessed to have a great family, and that would've probably been more than enough. But I have no doubt in my mind that if I did not have a head coach like McCurry and his assistants like Gus Nauman and Rick Morris, I couldn't have done it without them. Jack wasn't just my coach. He meant so much more to my development. We were like best friends. I probably would've gone to a different college if it wasn't for coach McCurry and probably would've handled things differently if it wasn't for him and North Hills."

"I call those three guys (McCurry, Nauman and Morris) the three-headed monster. Think about it. I became the best player in the country. The best in the country? Well, why was that. I think for the simple fact of the standard that Coach McCurry created at North Hills and the standard the rest of his coaching staff created. There was this feeling or pride and ownership."

But even Arrington admitted there were rough times with North Hills' coaches.

"I remember one practice in particular, I took my helmet off and said, 'What is this, mess with Lavar day?' I threw my helmet and I quit," Arrington said with a laugh. "I do believe that was my senior year, too. I don't want to call it a love-hate relationship with Jack. It doesn't even matter because I love the guy so much. He was hard on me and the rest of the coaches were hard on me. But one thing about them was, I was never any different than any other player.

"The lessons that man [McCurry] taught me. Maybe that's why I always took exception to people who felt it was proper to label me a freelancer on the field. When Joe put that label on me at Penn State, that I did what I wanted to do on the field, I never in my life could've imagined that was the way I was viewed. I think the reason why I was so offended by comments like that is because I learned from one of the greatest football minds when I was in high school. If anything, I was such a student of the game and understood it so well. I understood what defenses were trying to do even when I was a freshman in high school. When people said I was just a freelancer or just an athlete, it was an offense to me and a direct insult to the people who have modled and shaped me all these years. Last time I checked, a non-disciplined football player is not going to play for North Hills.

"Did I take chances as a player? Absolutely. But I always told people the chances I took were basically because I had confidence in my understanding of the game, and that origin started with the West View Pee Wee League I played in.

"I can name you the teams. Braves, Chiefs, Redskins. I played for all of them and Jack McCurry created a culture that stemmed all the way back to those Pee Wee Leagues. You know how difficult it is to see a culture like that these days."

Arrington can spout off name after name of the talented WPIAL football players during the 1990s. He is like an encyclopedia of WPIAL football at that time.

"I remember the Rodney Wilson kid running wild at West Greene," Arrington said. "I say the 1990s were the golden era of Western Pennsylvania football, and I still stay in touch on Facebook with players from all over during that era.

"I think about those days maybe more than any other time in my life because I think that was when it all meant the most to me."

Arrington lived in the North Hills school district, but spent most of his elementary school years attending city schools Manchester and Columbus. His mother was a Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher, which enabled LaVar to attend a city school even though he didnt live in the city.

"I wanted to go to Perry bad," LaVar said. "I wanted to wear those starred helmets at Perry and do chants. Perry was it. Keep in mind, I was a basketball player, too, and I wanted to play basketball at Perry for Chuck Franklin.

"But my parents wanted me to take some time and figure things out and their sellng point was North Hills' football program. So I went to North Hills in my eighth-grade year and just stayed there. I'm glad I did."

 

Two high-profile high school football coaches are in the news tonight.

North Hills High School announced that longtime coach Jack McCurry has stepped down as coach. Let's call it a retirement for now. McCurry has been North Hills' coach for 35 years and is third on the WPIAL all-time list for wins.

"I've been debating it for a while, but it's to the point where I can't keep debating it," McCurry said. "I had to make a decision."

McCurry (pictured giving a locker room pep talk) won four WPIAL titles, including one co-championship, and one PIAA title.

McCurry doesn't know whether his move is a resignation or a retirement.

"I don't know what I'm going to do yet. Maybe call it a semi-retirement," McCurry said.

Meanwhile, Terry Smith has resigned as coach at Gateway and taken a job as receivers coach at Temple University. He was Gateway's coach the past 11 years.