It’s about time the best wpial team of all time gets it’s recognition. It’s too bad the best linemen on that team was charged with trafficking people in august
My takeaway from 2024 PIAA state championships
- Thread starter northalleghenytiger
- Start date
Austin Peay assistant coach Patrick Kugler resigns after arrest in human trafficking investigation
Former assistant coach Patrick Kugler was charged with one count of trafficking for sexual servitude.
www.nytimes.com
How does this happen?
wow thats crazy- so kid was like 28, making 6 figure salary- and kinda eff-d up his life.Austin Peay assistant coach Patrick Kugler resigns after arrest in human trafficking investigation
Former assistant coach Patrick Kugler was charged with one count of trafficking for sexual servitude.
How does this happen?
basically making decision w his groin not his brain!! Probably too busy to meet girls normally, wanted to quickly find-em online- leading to an "under-age date" wow
woah what????
at least Kugler wasn't a real NA kid, he transferred in because his dad was the Steelers line coach
you still have the former Pitt Oline coach's son Mack Leftiwch, he's a hot coaching commodity in college football
That’s true, he’s a good coach AND has good moral character from what I remember
Good post. For whatever reason football is simply not important to the people of North Hills. The AD can stand on the sidelines laughing and joking while the team is down 40 points in a key football game, means nothing to him. As long as they scrape into the playoffs he is happy. The school board would never dream of replacing the ultimate mediocrity of Carey. He's a NH guy so he has a lifetime job just like McCurry, even though unlike McCurry he has very few accomplishments with the team. Think about it, NH tried to fire McCurry, yet replacing Carey is not even a topic of conversation, despite the fact so many kids won't play for him. The passion in NH is 1000X greater for the marching band than the football team, that's what people care about (and the band is good, no surprise).
There is still a hardcore group keeping football alive, you don't win 8 games in 5A on just luck. The youth football program is good. Unlike some bad teams I could mention, kids come to varsity and know how to play. Zangaro is a young coordinator who has tremendously improved the defense since coming on. The district has grown over the last decade, they need to get participation back up. I swear the marching band kids are bigger than the football team...
haha yep the band is very good- great bands? Hempfield, Seneca Valley- and now North Hills... I imagine lots of big schools in East Pa have great bands, but Football goes 6-4 and never wins championships. It takes so much to be great in sports in 2025. First- me, as a Pine Richland supporter- I would be happy if NH was good every year- makes our conference better, football more fun to watch- sharpens skills for playoffs. Here are some reasons why IMO that NHs is not strong-
1- in some ways, in the last 10 years, Carey and NH copies their "neighbor" North Allegheny- good not great, does not do the extra stuff, plays, and tries to beat "local teams."
2- NH has become kinda "diverse and woke" and a district- really tough to win at the highest level without some "hurt feelings."
3- I've heard some rumblings of some racism at NH, might explain why some stud kids leave in grades 8/9.
4- Very difficult as a normal public school- these days, gotta have great coaching, stud talent and/or lots of resources ($$$ or facilities). My guess is their boosters does not raise lots of $$.
5- Again them being "kinda woke" that includes adding "new sports" over the last 10-20 years- very tough for all sports to thrive- tough to be multi-sports- ie Hockey, vollyball, lacrosse, rowing, bowling, rowing- I'm sure football loses kids to those sports. Probably some of those sports did not exist in the "prime years" of Nh in the 80s and 90s
Think housing. Younger families cannot afford NA or PR or SV.
Also, old timer NH people coupled with minorities wanting get out of the shit hole that is the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
yep good summary New
BP- my woke comment- a struggle at NH, and this whole topic- largely encapsulates why it is so difficult for a "normal public" school to be really successful- as opposed to most private schools. School policies, ADA, Title IX, funding, and other rules for "public schools." And- in the last 5-10 years, the push for "equity and fairness" by state and federal govt. NH tries to follow all those rules- more so than other schools- and yes like New said- their district being right beside City of Pittsburgh affects the social climate at NH.
So- this explain why NH football is mediocre and the BAND is so great- no better place for DEI than the BAND- everybody can play the tuba and flip flags!!
And lastly- to re-hash another topic- makes it so tough for NH to ever "aspire" to win a championship? in 2025- at the "biggest level" of 4, 5 or 6A? Almost gotta be a private school, or a "perfect public school." NH is neither of those- which is why "making the playoffs and going 8-2" is the best they can do!!!
wasn't that always the case? NA has always been richer than North Hills and always right next to Pittsburgh
maybe I'm slow but I still don't understand why their best players seem to leave all the time, I asked Mike White in his chat and he ignored the question, i'm guessing because he lives and coaches in the district
I think the income gap between NH and NA is growing, and the quality of the PPS is declining.
As a PPS parent, the next ring out of districts is (from North, going clockwise) NH, Fox Chapel, (maybe Plum) Penn Hills, Woodland Hills, (one missing here), Baldwin, Sto-Rox, then maybe Avonworth.
Of those:
- FC is not very diverse, shitty sports and good education.
- PH, WH, Sto-Rox don't get you much over the PPS
- Plum and Baldwin are similar IMO - not great, not horrible, and not good in sports.
That leaves NH and (just a little farther) Avonworth. I'm not as familiar with Avonworth, but do know they have a good coach and winning tradition now. Probably a little more affluent than NH.
And NH, the former glory place that is closest to the city.
Just my take.
Cecil Howard the quarterback was the Post Gazette player of the year that season as a junor
he was ranked the number 1 running quarterback in the nation, but didn't come close to living up to that hype
went to Syracuse and didn'tplay, transferred to Northeastern and didn't play, then transferred to Cal U of Pa and played tight end but quit before the season was over
Number 1 running QB in the country???? That’s wild. He didn’t look anything special to me. But maybe Woody high was just that much better than McKeesport and keyed in on him
Cecil is the best dual threat QB to ever come out of McKeesport. I think Kopolovich (Princeton) executed it the best but Cecil was the best weapon they had at that position. He had some demons that kept him from reaching his potential later on.
With regards to the game, McKeesport was overwhelmed as a whole. Woody High was huge with a ton of skill talent. I think they 8 division 1 players on that squad.
what demons? I think he just was just overrated as a prospect, but very good in high school
George Smith said his best players were Brandon Short, Mike Logan, Khaleke Hudson, and Cecil Howard
also that 99 Mckeesport team probably overachieved, I think they had one more win than loss during the regular season, though Howard was the reason they went on that playoff run
2002 state title game, though looks like only the 2nd half
Rover will like this
The boys soccer team at North Hills had a roster of 42 (!) players this year. And they won a playoff game, unlike the football team. There are a ton of great athletes playing soccer...
Not true. While the football team is terrible, they are usually excellent in other sports.
Austin Scott was a beast, I can't believe he didn't make it
Saquon Barkley has had the career I thought Austin Scott would have. But Saquon also has his life together off the field in a way Austin wasn’t close to. That makes a difference.
Scott could play though, huh?
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Well, some of the country club sports are excellent (golf for sure). Also, their hoops team had a nice run a few years back. But I guess I don't usually think of FC as being much of a threat in sports.
i know he was accused of rape at penn state, was there other issues?
i remember reggie bush was the number 1 running back that season in the nation, i wondered back then how he could be better than Scott but I guess he was lol
He missed his whole junior year for a “knee injury” that I think was widely known he actually got caught selling drugs in the Parkland parking lot and was suspended from all extracurricular activities.
There’s the famous story of Paterno coming to visit him in the spring of his senior year at Parkland, but he’d just stopped coming to school.
How many times did he get suspended at Penn State? 7? 10? Missing class, failing drug tests, sleeping through meetings. Part of the reason he never got the traction at Penn State was because he was always in trouble - Rob Melosky said as much to the Philly Inquirer and that Pete Carroll would never let something like that happen, which royally pissed Paterno off (and I think hurt Lehigh Valley kids getting recruited by Penn State for a few years). When the rape allegation happened, I think they were so ready to be done with him he got kicked off the team immediately.
Scott and Bush were the two Parade All American backs that year.
I think he had problems with drugs and was a terrible, disinterested student. I think an incredibly undisciplined guy, not necessarily a bad one. From people I know who know him, I get the impression he’s a nice enough guy, not malicious, just doesn’t really know a good decision from a bad one.
I know he’s been in and out of trouble over the last decade or so. Last I saw, he was working with Adam Atiyeh, who was the middle linebacker on that Parkland team who played at Pitt, who now runs a tree business in Allentown. Atiyeh has his own demons, but is certainly one of the toughest SOBs ever. His dad is Dennis Atiyeh, who was a state champ heavyweight wrestler and all state defensive end for Dieruff (played with Andre Reed), then played defensive tackle on the Dan Marino Pitt teams, then played in the USFL and wrestled in the Olympics for Syria. I also saw him come down on the mat and try to fight an official during regionals when Adam was wrestling Marcus Millen. Matt did not come down and join the fray.
Dennis is one of my favorite people. There is no one like him, that's for sure!