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PIAA 2020 Tournament Preview: Class 1A

03/04/2020, 9:45pm EST
By Josh Verlin & Mitchell Gladstone


Grant Sareyka (above) and The Christian Academy are one of two District 1 participants in the Class 1A state tournament. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Mitchell Gladstone (@mpgladstone13)

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The smallest schools in the state are those with a couple hundred students or fewer –– in some cases far, far fewer. Some of the schools in the 1A classification have just a couple dozen eligible boys if not fewer, though most of those in the state tournament are closer to the larger end of the field. 

Though the 1A field is often wide-open and has some more interesting participants –– District 10 champ Commodore Perry comes in with a 3-20 record –– there are still a few teams worth paying attention to as the rounds progress. Last year’s champion, Sankofa Freedom, is back, though the Warriors are without most of their key pieces from that squad, including Khalil Turner (Rider), Scott Spann (Chestnut Hill College) and Derrius Ward (St. Thomas More). That leaves the door open for some experienced squads from around the state to put their names in the mix.

Here’s a look at several favorites, and several other programs that could make their way to a championship if things turn out in their favor. (Thanks to Hunter Muro of the Daily American, Eric Epler of PennLive and Brad Everett of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for their help with this preview).

PIAA Bracket Previews: 1A | 2A | 3A | 4A | 5A | 6A |

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The Favorites (in alphabetical order)
Berlin Brothersvalley (5-1; 26-1)
PIAA’s District 5 consists of schools in just three counties: Bedford, Fulton, and Somerset, which have a combined population of about 140,000 people; by comparison, Montgomery County alone has nearly 850,000 people despite being the same size as Fulton and half the size as Bedford and Somerset. Berlin Brothersvalley School District, located in eastern Somerset County, knocked off archrival Shade in both the WestPac conference championship and the District 5 Class 1A championship to advance to the PIAA tournament for the first time since the classification shift. They have a rotation that tends to run about 7-8 deep, led by a group of juniors that includes 5-11 guard Elijah Sechler, 6-2 wing Will Spochart and 6-3 forward Abe Countryman. A high-scoring squad, Berlin averages just shy of 80 points per game, topping 90 points seven times and hitting triple-digits twice.

Elk County Catholic (9-1; 26-1)
Under the direction of 38th-year head coach Aaron Straub –– also the school’s athletic director –– Elk County has been a consistent presence in District 9, which includes Cameron, Clarion, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Potter counties in the north-and-just-west-of-center area of the state. Elk County Catholic is located in St. Mary’s, Pa., part of the Erie Diocesean school system even though it’s a solid two-and-a-half-hour drive southeast from Erie, between the Allegheny National Forest and Elk State Forest. Straub, who’s well past the 800 career wins mark, has won 21 district championships and the 2006 state title, not bad for a school that has about 45 kids in each grade. Straub’s main rotation consists of six seniors who’ve been part of Straub’s “Little Dribblers” program since they were in elementary school: Regis Wortman (6-0 G), Carter Lindemuth (5-9 PG), Will Uberti (5-10 SG), Ben Hoffman (5-5 PG), Leo Gregory (6-1 F), and Isaac Wortman (5-8), Regis’ cousin. Last year, the Crusaders made it to the second round of states before losing to eventual runner-up Vincentian; a potential rematch looms if both make it to the semifinals.

St. John Neumann (4-1; 21-4)
The Golden Knights are once again the top dogs of the small schools from the middle of the state, and they’ve made several state runs in the past decade, most notably a semifinal run in 2014 behind 2018 NBA Draft selection Alize Johnson, who went from a 5-9 point guard to a 6-8 wing forward who’s playing on assignment for the Indiana Pacers’ G-League affiliate; Delaware wing Kevin Anderson led them to a state quarterfinal appearance in 2017. Now first-year head coach Joe Clark, a Neumann assistant the previous eight seasons, has some more future D-I talent leading the way in junior David Hill, a 6-0 lead guard with 1,000 points already to his name and offers from Kent State and Southeastern Missouri State; Hill is Johnson’s younger brother. The youngest brother in the family, Davion Hill, has had a brilliant start to his high school athletic career, rushing for 1,000 yards on the football field in the fall and has scored over 500 points during his freshman season. Those two, and hefty-but-athletic 6-2 senior forward Malaki Parlante (committed to East Stroudsburg football), are the biggest reasons Clark is hoping to guide Neumann past the second round, where it lost last year to eventual champs Sankofa Freedom.

Vincentian (7-1; 21-4)
If there’s one team in the state that’s got more to play for than anything else, it’s these Royals. Vincentian Academy, a Roman Catholic high school located less than 10 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh, announced it would be closing at the end of the 2019-20 school years, and though the community is fighting to keep open the small co-ed school open, at the moment the plan is for this year’s Royals squad to be the last. And after making it to the state championship game a year ago, Vincentian knows it has what it takes to get back. The Royals are big not just for 1A but for many other brackets, with 6-6 junior Angelo Reeves, a first-team all-state selection a year ago, two other 6-5 starters and 6-5 Priest Ryan coming off the bench. Junior point guard Alex Griggs is another player to watch on a team whose best players are its underclassmen.

Dark Horses
Chester Charter (1-1; 18-5)
Three years ago, the Sabers didn’t exist — they were a brand-new program in a city that already has a powerhouse program with eight state titles to its name. But Chester Charter is now a District 1 champion that’s hung tough with several Class 5A teams this season including West Chester East, Unionville, Phoenixville and Academy Park. 6-foot-5 senior Damir Baez is the offensive standout, but the Sabers will typically play nine guys — all of whom are juniors or seniors, which could prove critical in close contests. Center Tyler Howard isn’t a significant scorer, but rebounds well and controls the paint on both ends, and junior Sean Deshields can provide an offensive lift as either a starter or sixth man.

Shade (5-2; 24-3)
The District 5 Class 1A champs the last couple of years, Shade only lost to one team this season: Berlin Brothersvalley, three times, though they also got their rival once, beating them 55-46 on Feb. 6, so they know they can do it. Two years ago, the Panthers advanced to the state quarterfinals, and lost in the second round last year to District 7 champ Nazareth Prep, the same team against which they’ll open this year in the 5-2 vs. 7-3 matchup. Head coach Wade Fyock tends to stick with a short rotation, not often going deeper than his starters: his son, point guard Vince Fyock (5-10 Jr.), point guard Kaden Koleszarik (5-9 Jr.), forward Dylan Charlton (6-3 Sr.), guard Tyler Valine (5-9 Sr.) and shooting guard Braden Adams (5-10 Soph.). As a group, they love to fire away from 3-point range, but can have some issues in the rebounding department, which cost them in their losses to Berlin.

The Christian Academy (1-2; 20-4)
The Christian Academy is fairly new to being a member of the PIAA, making the transition from the Tri-State Christian League into the Bicentennial Athletic League, which it made it to the championship game of this season before losing to Holy Ghost Prep in the BAL title game. TCA then made it to the district championship for the first time, qualifying for its first-ever PIAA tournament before losing to district champ Chester Charter. Malik Walker’s Crusaders go eight-deep with all seniors, playing an uptempo, in-your-face style of defense that emphasizes turnovers and buckets in the open court. Senior guards Grant Sareyka and Isaiah Mitchell are both strong defenders who like to get out and run, while 6-5 senior forward Jourdan Greene gives them size inside, though the wide-bodied forward can also pop out and shoot.

Mt. Calvary Christian (3-1; 25-2)
The Commonwealth Christian Athletic Conference champions, Mt. Calvary Christian earned its first-ever District 3 championship after beating West Shore Christian, Lancaster County Christian and then Halifax, running their win streak to 21 entering the state tournament. Mt. Calvary certainly likes to push the tempo, scoring as many as 93 points in a game this season, with plenty of other results in the 70s and 80s. They’re led by junior Aidan Masters, a 5-11 guard, with 6-2 junior forward Hunter Stewart and 6-3 senior Chip Stambaugh providing some size up front. Last year, as the No. 5 seed coming out of District 3, Mt. Calvary lost in the first round to eventual semifinalist Lourdes Regional, but has a better draw this time around in District 4’s fourth seed, North Penn-Liberty (20-5). 

First Round: Friday, March 6
Second Round: Tues., March 10
Quarterfinals: Friday, March 13
Semifinals: Monday, March 16
Championship: Thursday, March 19

For the full bracket, with tip times and locations, click here.


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