The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 86

VV14 The Pittsburgh Press Wednesday. September 19, 1990 Montour cross country goal to be average' for now By Sam Tallarico For The Pittsburgh Press Mediocrity is usually something coaches hope to avoid; for Ed O'Brien, the Montour High School boys' cross country coach, it's something to shoot for. After three successive 6-8 seasons, O'Brien would like to see the Spartans hit the .500 mark, but he won't hold his breath at least not this season. "We've had some rainouts and we've run a couple of exhibition meets in which we didn't keep score against teams like North Allegheny and Butler, It was like a high school team going against a college team." Montour was 1-2 in its first three meets, and had tough meets scheduled against Canon-McMillan last weekend and Fort Cherry Monday. O'Brien said he is looking ahead to when his team runs against others on its level.

"Once we start running against schools that are comparable to our enrollment and not against schools that are much bigger than us, we'll do better." One runner who has a chance to excel for the Spartans this season is senior Chuck Schubert. "He's head and shoulders above anyone else (we have). He's a hard worker and he does what we ask of him. He's very smart. He has the aspiration of going to Carnegie Mellon.

Their cross country coach (Gary Meckley) was the cross country coach when I was there. "He has the grades to go there. He's a 3.8 student and he did well on his boards (Scholastic Aptitude Test). He definitely has the ability to run there, should he go." Sophomore Chris Yost is the team's No. 2 runner and his brother, Bill, a senior, is No.

3. Chris played football as a freshman but decided to join the cross country team this year. He finishes roughly a minute behind Schubert. The remainder of the team is made up of four more seniors, a junior, three sophomores and a freshman for a squad of 12 runners, which makes up one of O'Brien's largest teams. Anthony Serapiglia, Greg Paranto, Clay Marnich and Chris Peters are seniors and Kevin Tacik is the junior.

Sam Reed, John Dwight and Matt Tracy are sophomores and Greg Werner is a freshman. "We're going to lose six seniors after this season, but Chris, Kevin and Sam should be able to move up and do a good job for us down the road," O'Brien said. This year, things could be tough. Section 5 (Division I) has teams such as Blackhawk. Moon and Seneca Valley, all of which O'Brien believes will battle for the top spot.

"Moon has the numbers. I don't know where they get 40 to 50 kids to come out and that's just the boys' team. Blackhawk and Seneca are both good teams. They usually are every season. "As for us, I'm being totally realistic.

I'm not too optimistic. We should be close against New Castle and Ambridge. In the section we'll be fourth or fifth (out of seven teams). "We just can't seem to get more horses out. Since he was a sophomore, Schubert was our No.

1 runner. He's been slowing down a bit every year. He's gotten a little bigger every year. He's up to 165 pounds and that's pretty high for a cross country runner." Therefore, O'Brien, whose team ran Fort Cherry Monday and Seneca Valley today, likes to keep the team's goals fairly simple. "I tell the kids to try and hit their target time.

If they don't, that's fine. We just want them to do better than they did the last time because if you improve individually, then the whole team improves." Montour, Carlynton girls' soccer teams struggle in first year -a; Uv, a iWV A WtTJi i -L- V. 4 YYi 9 1 fi fejy By Wayne Szwedko For The Pittsburgh Press First-year teams in the WPIAL usually find the going tough; the Carlynton and Montour girls' soccer teams are no exception. Each team is not only winles but are looking to score their first goal. Although the teams are off to slow starts, neither coach is about to panic.

"The key thing for me is patience," Carlynton Coach Rich Gearing said. "We're playing in a tough section (5). The teams we're with have established programs. It will take awhile until we become competitive. We haven't been run over yet.

But we still have a lot to learn." "The girls know what they're up against," Montour Coach Scott Johnson said. "It won't be easy this season. We have a lot of good athletes who never played soccer before, but they're learning rather quickly. In a few years, we'll be really good." Although the players lack experience, they can expect sound teaching from their coaches. Gearing was the Carlynton boys' assistant coach for the past two seasons.

He has also been a coach for several years in the Upper St. Clair Youth Soccer Association where his daughter, Diane, played. Johnson was the Hampton girls' coach for the past two seasons. Last season he guided Hampton to a first-place finish in Section 1. Johnson resigned at the end of the season to return to school and continue to play soccer.

He changed his plans after sustaining an injury while playing summer soccer. "I was just sitting around when Montour called and said they wanted me," Johnson said. Interest was high in both schools to start a girls' soccer program. "We had some girls come out last year for the boys' team," Gearing said. "Some people didn't like to see the girls mixed in with the boys.

They thought there was a need for a girls' program. We found there were a lot of girls interested." "It's my understanding that for the last two or three years, the girls and parents have been asking for a soccer team," Johnson said. "It was finally approved at the end of June." Initial intererest in the program when it got underway in August differed among the schools. Fifty-seven girls signed up at Carlynton but only 28 remained at the start of the season. Montour had a slow start due to many players also participating in.

the band. "Nineteen of our girls were in the band," Johnson said. "The first week, we only had five girls come out. We had about 15 for the three scrimmages. Now we have 25 on the roster.

Some of the girls told their friends how much fun they were having and got others to come out late." Both players and coaches must make an adjustment to taking its lumps this season. "The Carlynton girls are used to being winners," Gearing said. "They have a great basketball program here and we have seven of the girls on the team. My job is to teach good athletes to become good soccer play-ers. "The hardest thing for me to do is change my attitude," Johnson said.

"I'm used to winning. I know what I have to do. I coached at Hampton in their first season (1988). I have to change my attitude from winning to teaching. The girls' attitude at Montour is great.

They're keeping my attitude up." Sophomore defenders Cara Zinski and Elizabeth Fording lend experience to Carlynton. They played on the boys' junior varsity last season. Gearing has also been impressed with the play of seniors Carrie Furlan, a goalkeeper, and Katie Link, a halfback. Juniors Terri Rim-kus, a sweeper, and Amy Smith, a halfback, are making the transition from basketball to soccer. Amy Sinton, a senior sweeper, is the only experienced player at Montour.

She played on the boys' junior varsity last season and had played previously in Virginia. Stacey Sobeck, a sophomore fullback; Nikki Fisher, a sophomore midfielder and Phoebe Strunk, a freshman goalkeeper, show a lot of promise said Johnson. "I'm not putting too much pressure on them to win," Johnson said. "All I ask is to give a 100 percent effort. I'm looking for improvement rather than wins.

If we improve, we can look forward to coming back next year and win more games than we do this year." fiY YYY i s. 0 -4 v. i 5 4 1 Al FuchsThe Pittsburgh Press Montour's soccer team has come to rely upon young players such as junior John Gonter Montour soccer taking youthful approach "I was looking to Mark Olivani to provide some of the scoring, but nothing like I've seen.11 Robert Williams Montour coach By Ron Ledgard For The Pittsburgh Press With a new soccer coach in Robert Williams and a young defensive corps, Montour was looking for someone to step forward and take over the show, offensively. Midfielder Mark Olivani has taken that challenge beyond Williams' dreams. Olivani has scored 11 goals and assisted on 6 others in the first eight games.

Montour is 4-4, 3-1. "The entire team has come together a little faster than I thought they would," said Williams. "I was looking to Mark Olivani to provide some of the scoring, but nothing like I've seen." Olivani has not only impressed his coach, but the rest of the league has taken notice and are starting to devise different ways to stop him. "It has caused me to have three different sets offensively," Williams said. "Hopewell tried keying on him, but fortunately he still was able to get two goals.

"The other coaches aren't letting it go by. The word is out on him. I'll just have to keep rotating him around." All this, of course, figures promi- They are improving. We only gave up one set play goal in the last few games." 1 The keeper for the Spartans is sophomore Tom Sinton. Williams said he has all the tools to be outstanding.

Entering this season, Sinton had no varsity experience, but Williams was hopeful. "He is coming slower than I hoped, but I wouldn't say I was disappointed." said Williams. "He has been a liitle hesitant and reluctant to do some things, but that will all come with experience. He is going to be Williams, who coached at Canevin last season, is noted for his fine defensive squads. Last year's team only gave up 20 goals the whole season.

He feels once the team gains a little experience and the goalkeeper Montour will be a force to be dealt with in the future. The defense is being brought along slowly. "We tell them what we want," said Williams. "Once a quarter is over, we show them what they did right and what they aren't doing. I don't want to pressure them because all they are lacking is experience." Sheraden brothers, cousin top finishers in karate "The defense is coming along slowly," said Williams.

"The problem is, the goals are not coming from the field. They are coming on the set plays. The corner kicks and throw-ins in our third of the field are what is killing us right now. "The problem there comes from the lack of experience. The seniors are picking up their people on the set plays.

It's the sophomores and freshmen that are having problems. It'll come with experience." Against Upper St. Clair, the Spartans gave up four goals, three of which came on set plays. Chartiers Valley got two of their three goals on set plays. "(The defense) is coming along.

nently in the Spartans' post-season plans. Chartiers Valley and Moon are the two teams picked most to make the playoffs from Section 3, but an upset by Montour could change that. Montour lost to Chartiers Valley earlier in the season, 4-2. Williams said the game was a tough one, but at least the Spartans proved they could stay in the game. "If we continue to improve like we have, we do have a chance," said Williams.

"We just have to win both games (against Moon and Ambridge this week)." Williams said Moon will be an interesting game because of their speed, but still believes if the defense jells the chance for victory is there. ROUNDUP If you're a teenager competing in a karate tournament and your opponent is a Sheraden resident named Tyler, beware. Brothers Craig and Scott Tyler and their cousin, Sean, are brown belt owners who did well Sunday in the Ultimate Force Physical Weekend Extravaganza at Pitt's Trees Hall. Craig, 16, a senior at Langley, finished first in weapons and second in forms and sparring in the adult division. He accumulated the most points to become grand champion.

Scott, 15, a sophomore at Langley, was second in forms and sparring and third in weapons in the 14- to 15-year-old division. Sean, 13, an eighth-grader at Greenway Middle School, was fourth in forms in the 12- to 13-year-old division. PM. MOORE COMPANY S. Side 5K to be held Saturday Soccer tryouts Allegheny Beaver United will hold soccer tryouts for boys born 1972-76 Sunday at 2 p.m.

at Sewell Field, Robert Morris College, Moon campus. Candidates should bring light and dark jerseys, and should report regardless of the weather. For information, call John Lyn-cheski, 922-9392. Rugby players sought The Pittsburgh Harlequins Rugby Club is looking for players. No experience is necessary.

Call Walt Elder, 231-4049. IN-STORE DEMONSTRATION The seventh annual South Side Hospital 5K run will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. The event, which will be run through Pittsburgh's South Side, co-sponsored by the South Side Rotary Club and South Side Hospital. Pro ceeds will benefit the charities of those organizations.

For registration information, call Bernie Smith, 381-4386, or Joe Pi-card, 488-5571, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. A Representative will be in the Imperial store Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7:00 to discuss and demonstrate the hows and whys of insulation.

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NOW $5g99 WIEXCHANGE Last spring, he shot 77 at Penn State during a high school invitational to finish ninth. He also won player of the year honors for the Washington County Junior Golf Association. Last year at the WPIAL tournament, he missed qualifying for the PIAA championships by one stroke. "This year, though, I have a real good chance to make it," he said. Peta is confident, too.

"He's playing real well right now, and I expect him to qualify at the WPIAL. At least, I hope he does. It would be nice to go back to Penn State I haven't been there in a while." Peta said Colbert has a chance to play competitive golf even after college. "He has a real future in golf. He knows golf and he loves golf it's his life." "He has been my mainstay for the last three years," Peta said.

"I'm looking for a five and six man." That might explain why Chartiers Valley has a 2-4 record. Colbert will graduate in the spring and hopes that college golf will be in his future. So far, Kent University has impressed him. "I think that it (Kent) would be a place where I could do well academically and play good golf," he said. "If I play well in the WPIAL qualifer and do well at states, I think that I'll have a good chance of getting some scholarship money as well." Colbert has played well in the past, which should strengthen his claim for a scholarship.

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