Montour School District

Top VND high school stories of 2010-11

Indoors, outdoors, over the net and around the diamond.

Whatever the playing surface, wherever the game site, Alle-Kiski teams found a way to bring home titles. It became the head-turning theme of the 2010-11 high school sports year.

And the title-winning run ended with a sparkling spring.

In a span of three weeks in June, two teams captured PIAA championships.

The Deer Lakes' boys volleyball team posted its first state title since 1978, downing Saegertown, 3-0, in the Class AA final at Penn State.

Valley's softball team, sparked by a dramatic, come-from-behind win over Yough in the PIAA quarterfinals and a no-hitter in the semis, defeated Manheim Central, 3-1, to take the school's first state title, also at Penn State.

Talk about Happy Valley.

Other WPIAL champions from the year included the Freeport girls volleyball and girls track and field teams, and the Burrell softball and wrestling teams.

In addition to some blue-chip golf recruits and some fab freshmen, the campaign also saw a history-making season for Deer Lakes football and a barrage of high-scoring performances in boys basketball, led by Drake recruit Micah Mason. The Highlands point guard posted six games of 40 or more points and two eclipsing 50.

A recap of the year's top highlights (in order of season or occurrence):

GOLF RECRUITS

Fox Chapel's Luttner sisters battled for the WPIAL golf title, but both ended up with Division I scholarships — two of five local golfers to do so.

Katerina Luttner edged out her sister, Nadia, by a shot to win the WPIAL title Oct. 5 at The Club at Nevillewood. Nadia, a two-time WPIAL champ and Fox Chapel graduate, will continue her career at Kansas. Katerina, a junior, made a verbal commitment to Mississippi.

Other local standouts include Riverview's Justin Miller, who is headed to Brown; Fox Chapel's Tommy Leech signed with Ohio and Shady Side Academy's Kendall Allen, a Fox Chapel resident, is going to Michigan State.

PLAYOFFS ... FINALLY

The Deer Lakes football team celebrated its first trip to the WPIAL playoffs in the school's 42 years. It was a feel-good story followed WPIAL-wide, as the underdog Lancers clawed their way to respectability.

Guided by fourth-year coach Todd Hazlett, Deer Lakes clinched its long-awaited postseason berth with a 23-21 win over Burrell on Oct. 22 and finished second in the Class AA Allegheny Conference. The Lancers hosted their first postseason contest but lost to Beaver, 34-21, on Nov. 5.

Montour School District Politics Revealed | Republican Committee ...

In case you missed it, there was a very revealing article in the Sunday, April 4, 2011 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the political workings of the Montour School District. The article stems from last year’s revelation that the Montour School District had nearly $30 million that the School Board apparently knew nothing about and questions who really is in charge of the Montour School District.This is the very thing that the Republican Committee of Robinson Township is fighting against and why it is important for everyone to vote in the primary on May 17. RCRT has endorsed two candidates, Duane Faith and Scott Suess , for School Board. We will be sending more details on Duane and Scott and why they are running for School Board in the near future.

The Montour school system’s excessive costs and overly generous teacher’s pay and benefits must be addressed. Teacher’s retirement plans will break the back of the township soon with retiremennt annuities exceeding $90,000 a year or more for life with 35 years of service. I wrote an article on this subject titled “Tighten Up”. it is posted online at http://fedretire.net/?p=448 and outlines the extravagant teacher’s pay and benefits package. We have to not only change the school board but our Harrisburg represenativies as well that do not support major teacher and municipal workers retirment, pay, and benefits reform. Residents can not afford to shoulder this burden any longer. The Public School Employee’s Retirement System (PSERS) must be converted to a defined contribution plan and pay and benefits capped and reduced and there must be a no strike clause for all state public sector workers.

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