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Spectator. April 9, 1999. page 19
ColIe,E6,.,.,Cag6i
\\ /henever people sit gaining momentum by sweep- the game at 48-47. The contest
lN down to ponder the ing the season-series from a would eventually go on to
V V true meaning and young, but scrappy Cathedral overtime, where New Castle
worth of high school athletics,
concepts such as maturation,
teamwork, and responsibility
are often tossed up for consid-
eration. Unfortunately for New
Castle High School, its coach
exuded few of these aforemen-
tioned positive traits, following
a 53-48 overtime loss to Erie
McDowell in the Western
Finals of the P.LA.A. playoffs.
. Several local publications
claimed the upset win by
McDowell over New Castle to
be the upset of the decade in
the P.I.A.A. playoffs. The
Trojans entered the Western
Final with a stellar record of its
own (25-4); however, in the
match-up with New Castle, the
Erie city-league school had to
contend with not only the top
team in the state. but also the
no. six team in the entire
United States of Amenca.
All season. New Castle had
bulldozed over the competition
on its way to the Western Final.
McDowell, meanwhile, had to
battle its way through the tough
Erie city-league, ultimately
,hf,,;
Prep squad.
New Castle had three guys
sure to garner all-state status.
McDowell had three guys that
looked like they could be
surfers. New Castle possessed
the probable P.I.A.A. big
school player of the year in
David Young, an Xavier recruit
who averaged over 25 points
per game. McDowell's best
player was a gutsy junior --
Justin Shouse. --- who, while
one of the top long-range
bombers in District 10, aver-
aged just a shade under 16
points a game.
The Red Hurricane made
things look relatively easy for
the first three quarters of the
contest. However, after open-
ing a nearly insurmountable l5
point lead in the fourth (44-29),
the wheels started to come off
for the nationally ranked power
from Lawrence County.
Spearheaded by the inspira-
tional play of Shouse, the
Trojans would outscore New
Castle l9-3 late in the fourth
quarter, to open its first lead of
Ch r iStdp h6 rr ::t ray
would drop the contest 53-48.
Talks of national and state
championship were now over.
David had beaten Goliath.
In the history of sports,
these sorts of unexpected
results are bound to happen.
After all, we, as human beings,
are taught to realize that no one
is ever infallible. However.
instead of extending due con-
gratulations to the youthful
McDowell squad for pulling
off such the incredible upset,
New Castle coach John
Sarandrea could do nothing but
blame the officials. Following
the contest, he would give the
smallest of credit to the exuber-
ant McDowell bunch -- a con-
tingent of kids, who had just
earned the school's first -ever
trip to Hershey.
What was inconspicuously
absent from Sarandrea and his
post-game speech was the
obvious admittance that he,
himself, did a horrendous job
coaching down the stretch.
Still, the New Castle mentor
could do nothins more than
Winners of the Week
The Edinboro men's wrestling team for finishing in 18th place at
weekend's NCM Division I national wrestling championships.
Josh Koscheck and Mark Samples for picking up All-American
at last weekend's NCAA Division I national wrestling
. Koscheck placed fourth at 174, while Samples
in seventh at 165.
. Brianne Taylor for working overtime in the Scots' 4-3 victory
. Taylor pitched all nine innings for the Scots,
striking out six A-B bafters, while walking only one.
unfairly blame the three guys in the l9-point lead hurt,"
the striped shirts for his team's Sarandrea said. "The hand-
unexpected defeat. "I feel bad checking, everything else, we
about the refereeing because I got beat up pretty good and
thought some high school kids 7,000 people saw that. I don't
were ripped off tonight." feel real good about it."
Sarandrea continued. rWe Isn't it funny, how a team
went up against eight guys. with the aforementioned 6-5
What can I say? And I don't Young and 6-4 Pat Cain --- a
care what I say. I can't get sus- University of Toledo football
pended for my comments recruit -- got beaten up down
because this is my last year," the stretch by a McDowell
Down the stretch, careless squad with absolutely no play-
three-point shooting and nine ers over 6-2?
missed free-throws spelled Sarandrea, quite simply' is a
New Castle's doom. Yet, disgrace to all high school ath-
Sarandrea concluded that those letics in Pennsylvania. At this
miscues should not have cost point in the "game", we, as
his squad the game. Finally, fans, can only hope that other
the New Castle mentor com- interscholastic coaches will not
plained about his squad getting follow his immature and irre-
'beaten up' in the final sponsible lead. After all, let's
McDowell run. He related, remember that these "guys" are
"The fouls we got after getting iust kids.