Jeff Helsel | Mon Valley Independent
Belle Vernon’s Dane Anden runs against Laurel Highlands on Oct. 2, 2020, at Laurel Highlands.
Dane Anden could hardly believe the news.
“When I told him, he was ecstatic,” Belle Vernon football coach Matt Humbert said. “He was really excited.”
The news was that Pitt has more than the rumored lukewarm interest in the Leopards senior running back, who was a key cog in last year’s run to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals.
The Panthers saw fit to offer Anden a preferred walk-on deal to join the program in the fall and make a run at a scholarship. The 6-foot, 175-pound Anden was slowed some by a foot injury late in the year, but he was productive alongside a number of other weapons in the BVA backfield, including quarterback Devin Whitlock.
Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review
Norwin’s John Altieri beats Latrobe’s Jack Pletcher, 8-1, in the 152-pound weight class Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021 at Norwin High School.
John Altieri is headed for a college wrestling career at Clarion. But the Norwin senior has some unfinished business in his final prep season.
Milestones often are part of the build-up to WPIAL and PIAA success. Altieri reached one earlier this season when he captured his 100th career victory.
The milestone win came at the Mid-Winter Mayhem event when he defeated Thomas Jefferson’s Kale Buckiso, 9-1, to win the 145-pound weight class.
He also pinned Jack Moyer of Chestnut Ridge in the semifinals of his pool bracket and defeated Dustin Flinn of Forest Hills, 15-5, the bracket final.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Kiski Area’s Grant Smith works against Plum’s Andrew Claassen at 145 pounds during their match Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, at Kiski Area High School. Kiski won, 66-12.
After more starts and stops to the season than he cares to remember, Plum wrestling coach Mike Supak said he’s anxious to see his team begin competition this week.
The Mustangs, who had conducted only a couple of practices before Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown orders Dec. 10 as part of overall mitigation efforts to slow the covid-19 spread, got back in the wrestling room Jan. 4. So far, Supak likes what he sees from a roster of 16.
New Greensburg Salem athletic director Frank Sundry
Frank Sundry had not walked the hallways at Greensburg Salem for more than 16 years when he returned to take over as the school’s athletic director in October.
The environment still felt familiar, the sites had not changed much and there was a sense of comfort returning to his alma mater.
“The transition has been a nice homecoming,” Sundry said. “At first, it was strange … but knowing the facilities and a lot of the people has allowed me to avoid typical barriers that someone faces when beginning a new job.”
Obviously, there have been better years to be an athletic director, especially one starting a new position in near crisis mode. The covid-19 pandemic has garbled schedules, shuffled seasons and changed the way athletic departments operate.