New Wilmington was wounded by last Saturday’s setback to Greensburg Central Catholic in the PIAA Class AA western regional championship game.
But during the ensuing days the Greyhound gridders and entire community can be comforted by this much: There are several hundred clubs across the commonwealth who gladly would have traded places with their counterparts from the counties that intersect along the Mercer/Lawrence line.
Led by veteran mentor Terry Verrelli, the Greyhounds’ grid program is on a par with any in area annals — male or female, regardless of sport. In the last 4 years Wilmington won 55 games, a commonwealth crown, 4 regional championship game berths, and 4 District 10 titles.
“Four years with these guys, and they played their hearts out all four years. They’ve gotta be proud of what they’ve accomplished,” related Verrelli regarding his senior class. “ ... That was a heckava football team (GCC), and (the Greyhounds) hung right with them. We had our opportunities; it just didn’t happen.
“ ... They hung in there, and I think that’s what experience in the playoffs and going deep in the playoffs will do, you know?” Verrelli rhetorically asked. “Especially winning a (state) championship. It really doesn’t matter how good the (opposing) team is; (the Greyhounds) believe that they can get out there and win, and I think that was the case (against GCC), too.”
“It’s a tremendous group of kids, especially those seniors, to go to four western finals. But, hey,” Verrelli reasoned, “you play the game, you do your best, and whatever happens, happens. (Saturday), we fell a little short.”
The public perception — or, perhaps, misconception — of Wilmington’s school district and the quaint community is interesting. It surfaced a year ago in Hershey on the statewide stage by the multitude of media, unfamiliar and uninformed though it was, and was revisited Saturday by smug suburban Pittsburgh print and broadcast types.
However, not by Greensburg Central Catholic head coach Muzzy Colosimo, who, a la Yogi Berra, normally never utters a phrase he cannot fracture. But Muzzy didn’t mince words when he said regarding the Greyhounds,
“I’m just glad I don’t have to play ’em again! They’re physical, they play hard, they go after it all the time. I’d heard a lot about them coming into this, (but) never played ’em.
“When (he, his players and assistant coaches) were walking out at the half, their fans were just abusing the heck outta us, saying, ‘ ... Hillbillies? ...” I don’t know who called them ‘Hillbillies,’ but they don’t play like a bunch of ‘Hillbillies.’ They’ve got a great tradition, great pride, they hit you ... they don’t quit ... I’m probably gonna need about five or six blood-pressure pills ... ”
Normally, success such as that experienced by Wilmington’s winning ways creates pressure in the form of exaggerated expectations. However Hounds headmaster Verrelli said regarding Greyhound Nation,
“They follow us no matter where we go, and they’re just tremendous supporters of the football program. They’re part of the program, just like the band, cheerleaders, everyone else. No one talks about it, but it has to mean a lot to these kids to have a following like that.”
For his part, Verrelli does not take for granted his Greyhounds’ great recent run.
“I think it’s very difficult to even win it,” he said, reflecting on the pressure of advancing to the Final Four following last season’s state title. “You have to have luck on your side, you’ve gotta stay injury-free — I couldn’t pinpoint why, but very, very few injuries we have had in the last ten years as we’ve gotten into the playoffs. You have to have all those things, or there’s no way you’re gonna compete with the great teams that you run into when you get to this level.”
While the Hounds had to yield their year-long reign atop the PIAA pedestal, the sense of pride Wilmington’s football program has provided the community can’t be mounted on a mantel; neither will it ever tarnish like a trophy. It’s real — and never will be relinquished.
Ed Farrell is assistant sports editor for The Herald
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Notebook: Win or lose, Wilmington community takes great pride in Hounds
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WM baseball, Sharpsville and Wilmington softball playing for D-10 titles
Sharpsville and Wilmington softball teams and the West Middlesex baseball squad return to the diamond today to compete for District 10 championships.
SOFTBALL
Class A Championship
Coach Bob Zikovich's Sharpsville Blue Darlings (15-2) battle a tough Saegertown (18-2) squad at 2 p.m. today at Penn State-Behrend in Erie. -
PIAA Track Notebook: KC's Wareham made round trips to "The Ship"
The most impressive race during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships did not take place at Shippensburg University, nor will you read its results in any newspaper on or any web site.
To be sure, it was a race against time, but not in the sense of being defined by a coach’s hand-held device, nor Seth Grove Stadium’s scoreboard clock. -
Hickory girls grab PIAA Class AA Track team title
SHIPPENSBURG — This news bulletin just in: Mercer County athletes dominated during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Nothing new there, you say? Well, perhaps you’re correct, considering how well the area aggregation annually accounts itself on Memorial Day Weekend at Shippensburg University. Therefore it was not surprising how much hardware was hauled home — once again. -
PIAA Track: Hickory's Bell, Lubarski, Regginello grab gold
SHIPPENSBURG — There’s a big difference between being seeded 1st and finishing 1st — Matt Bell can attest to that.
After settling for silver last year, the Hickory High senior put the shot 59 feet, 6 3/4 inches Friday afternoon to garner gold at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University. -
WM to play for D-10 baseball title; GC, Sharon, Sharpsville lose
Four area baseball teams were in action on Friday in the District 10 semifinals as the squads battled to compete for District 10 championships on Monday.
West Middlesex rolled past error-prone Linesville, 8-0, in Class A action at Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park.
In Class AA, both Sharon and Sharpsville suffered 2-1 losses. The Tigers fell to Saegertown at Ainsworth Field in Erie while the Blue Devils lost to Titusville at SRU.
In Class AAA, the Grove City Eagles were denied the chance to defend their D-10 crown after suffering a 6-3 loss to Warren at SRU. -
Farrell volleyball falls in D-10 semifinals
The Farrell High boys volleyball team suffered a 2-0 (25-15, 25-12) loss to Saegertown on Thursday night in the District 10 semifinals at Meadville Area High’s “House of Thrills.”
“This was the first year we made it out of the first day (pool play) of the playoffs,” said Steelers’ coach Dan Dragicevic. “I’d like to cite my seniors (Eric Demus, Anthony Perkins, Jaylen Chambers and Lawrence Hughes). -
Locals ready to go for gold at Shippensburg
Now that Mercer County is on the map, it’s incumbent upon the area aggregation to chart a course for the ultimate destination — Seth Grove Stadium’s medals stand — during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Led by West Middlesex High sprinter Clay Allen, many Mercer Countians are seeded at or near the top of their respective events for the annual 2-day marathon at Shippensburg University, which commences 9 a.m. Friday. It will continue beginning 9 a.m. Saturday. -
D-10 Playoffs: Local teams go 6-for-6
ä Grove City 1, Harbor Creek 0 — At Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park, what the Grove City Eagles couldn’t accomplish themselves, the Harbor Creek Huskies unwittingly did for them.
Unable to plate runs themselves, Torin Smith scored the Eagles’ only run when teammate Tyler Devine’s seeming inning-ending pop-up to left field was dropped by Harbor Creek’s Chris Merritt in the bottom of the 7th inning of Tuesday’s tourney opener. -
Great year for WM track; local qualifiers listed
It’s been a big year for the Big Reds.
Though there’s no official documentation, the 2011-12 academic year may be the most successful in West Middlesex High’s athletic annals. -
SPORTVIEW: Local names Kroko, Lutz, Kareklas in news elsewhere
IT’S ALWAYS GOOD to hear of former area people who have gone on to athletic success in other areas, or the family of former area residents. Following are a few of those stories:
ä Bob and Betty Kroko of Sharon are avid followers of professional baseball. No, not necessarily the Pittsburgh Pirates or Cleveland Indians like many local fans.
The Krokos keep a close eye on the Austria Major League! - More Sports Headlines
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