HAVE A DAY, Soni!

The 360 Sports Network wants to extend congratulations and good luck to New Castle native John Sansone. A true freshman, “Soni” will begin the 2013 collegiate baseball season as the starting second-baseman for the #9 Florida State Seminoles.

Sansone was a member of the 2012 WPIAL Class A Champion Neshannock Lancers baseball team. He earned Pittsburgh All-State Player of the Year accolades and was drafted in the 39th round by the Detroit Tigers. He took the trip down to Tallahassee, however, to join the Seminoles’ historic program.

Anybody who says that you cannot do something, look at John Sansone. He jumped onto the scene at Neshannock immediately, hitting more home runs than a senior teammate who was drafted later that year. Many have said that a player from a small school in western Pennsylvania couldn’t possibly compete in a top college program, especially in the ACC, especially as a freshman. They started him at third base, moved him over to first base for a while, and then spent the entire spring with him at second. He battled for his spot, and won it. He never gave up, kept battling, and all of his hard work has paid off.

Congratulations Soni!  Everybody back home will be watching you compete like you always have! Thank you for your hard work and being an inspiration for so many young guys in the New Castle area. Good luck, and HAVE A DAY!

WPIAL Class A Playoff Bracketology

Image courtesy of MSAsports.net

It's not March yet, but it's always fun to do some bracketology! This time, we'll try to break down the 16-team brackets for WPIAL class A high school football playoffs. 

Now why did we choose this region? Well, one, we're from western PA. Second, I attended one of the schools in the playoffs. And third and most importantly, it's going to be the most fun and most challenging bracket to create.

So without further adieu, let's get it going!

It's a great day to be a Lancer

These aren't your Lancers of old.

The Neshannock (New Castle, PA) Lancers football team is usually only known as holding the record (or at least claiming to hold) for most consecutive losses in WPIAL history.

Today, they just pulled off one of the biggest upsets in WPIAL history, defeating the WPIAL #2 ranked Sto Rox Vikings 35-34 in an instant classic.

Hall of Fame - What It SHOULD Mean

Yesterday, I attended the Lawrence County Historical Society's Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet in New Castle, PA. I sat there and watched players and coaches from this small county, just an hour north of Pittsburgh, receive a lifelong honor. It was phenomenal to listen to these seven men and three women give their induction speeches, whether five seconds or five minutes in length, as they gave their story of perseverance or words of wisdom to their friends, family, players, and coaches.

It was a day I will not forget.

I attended this event for Hall of Fame inductee Mike Kirkwood, who was my high school baseball coach and a great mentor to me and my teammates during my tenure at Neshannock High School. I left this event having a deep admiration for all ten inductees, not for their individual performances on the field, but for what they stand for as an athlete or a coach.