JOHN CHALLIS MEMORIAL AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCED

BY WPIAL BASEBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION

 

PITTSBURGH, April 26, 2010 – The WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today that Michael Gallagher, a senior at Peters Township High School, is the recipient of the second annual John Challis Memorial Award. Michael will be honored at the WBCA’s Awards Banquet on June 11, 2010 at the Airport Marriott.

 

 The John Challis Memorial Award was created to help keep John’s message and memory alive. John graduated from Freedom High School in 2008 and died of cancer two months later, ending a two-year battle with the disease. Before his death, he helped to start the Courage for Life Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to provide life encouraging sporting experiences and community support for high school athletes with life threatening illnesses. Contributions to the Courage for Life Foundation can be made by visiting its website at www.courageforlifefoundation.org.

 

An individual must satisfy the following three criteria to be considered for the John Challis Memorial Award: be a current high school student who is either on or associated with his high school baseball team; have overcome or to currently be battling a physical, medical or other significant obstacle; and to serve as an inspiration to his fellow players and coaches.

 

Mike Gallagher certainly meets all criteria for the Award. At four years old he developed a seizure disorder called Complex Partial Seizures. When his medication failed, Michael experienced seizures every twenty minutes. Normal things like swimming and riding bikes put him in danger while growing up.  His prescribed medications helped but had multiple adverse side effects, including trouble focusing in school and taking away his opportunity to participate in sports. Being forced out of baseball was particularly disappointing for Michael, but as in all things he made the best of it by becoming his brother Jimmy’s biggest fan, rooting him on at Duke University and later in the Chicago White Sox organization.

Yet, Michael hoped for a better future for himself. In eighth grade, after he had exhausted all available anti-seizure medicines, he underwent a battery of tests at Children's Hospital to determine if he could be a candidate for brain surgery. Surgically curing the storm of misfiring neurons had a 50% chance of success and included the risk of death, stroke, or paralysis. Still, Michael opted for it. On December 13, 2005 after ten days in the hospital, two brain surgeries, a coma and intensive care, Michael woke up to his new life. He entered ninth grade still recovering from the trauma involved from the surgeries and was able to begin a return to baseball. While his recovery has taken some time, by the end of the tenth grade he was taken off all medication, declared seizure free and completely cured and released from further medical care.

Michael is a true medical miracle and comeback story. He has worked hard to make-up for all the lost time in his life and his dedication has paid off. Michael has maintained a 3.3 GPA throughout high school, has become a two-year Peters Township Varsity Baseball player and starter and is a college prospect with several Division 3 baseball offers.  Thanks to Mike's persistence, positive attitude and courage, he was able to overcome this chronic illness and is now looking forward to a bright future graduating high school and moving on to college.

                       

 

Commitment information is coming fast and furious for 2010, 2011 and even one 2012 grads. The number of local guys playing college baseball continues to be the most ignored story in the local media. Here is the list I have so far:

2010 Grads

Dan Abbenante (Gateway) Seton Hill

Bret Basilone (Springdale) Notre Dame

Jesse Bauer (North Hills) LaRoche

Matt Berezo (Pine-Richland) Duke

Ronnie Bernick (Baldwin) Canisius

Jonathan Boyd (Upper St Clair) Allegheny

Patrick Bradley (North Allegheny) IUP

Justin Brozick (North Allegheny) St Bonaventure

Jesse Campbell (Serra) St Vincent

Mario Cleckley (Beaver Falls) Lake Erie College

Carmen Congelio (Laurel Highlands) Niagara

Jon Corcoran (Fox Chapel) Point Park

Justin Crosmun (Penn Hills) Penn State - Greater Allegheny

John Crummy (Butler) Miami (Ohio)

Ryan Davis (Central Catholic) Temple

Zack Davis (Hampton)  Penn State - Greater Allegheny

Tim Devine (Springdale) LaRoche

Scott Dixon (Derry) Penn State

Devin Doutt (Burrell) IUP

Zac Edmiston (California) Bethany

Ryan Fennell (Butler) LaRoche

Brian Flannery (Moon) Washington & Jefferson

Ricky Francart (Freeport) St Peter's

Dale Gallo (Knoch) Westminster

Matt Greene (Beaver) Mount Union

Clay Groff (Allderdice) Allegheny

Tanner Gump (Chartiers-Houston) Penn State - Greater Allegheny

Alex Haines (Hempfield) Seton Hill

Dillon Haviland (South Fayette) Duke

Drew Heinle (Highlands) Waynesburg

Shane Henkel (Gateway) Ohio Univ

Brian Herb (Shenango) LaRoche

Bill Hodgetts (West Mifflin) Penn State - Greater Allegheny

Paul Indrihovic (Montour) IUP

Mark Jackson (North Allegheny) St Bonaventure

Ed Jacquel (Shaler) LaRoche

Mike Jeffreys (Moon) Geneva

Eamon Kelly (Allderdice) Seton Hill

Will Kengor (Central Catholic) Slippery Rock

Zach Klein (Plum) Wooster

Chris Kosty (Pine-Richland) Washington & Jefferson

John Laux (Brentwood) Mount Union

Patrick Leyland (Canevin) Maryland

Sean Lubin (South Fayette) LaRoche

Jarrod Mancine (Freeport) LaRoche

Nic Manuppelli (Plum) Youngstown State

Derek McIlvaine (Chartiers-Houston) Ashland

Ethan Mildren (Laurel Highlands) - Pitt

Nick Miller (West Mifflin) Washington & Jefferson

Blake Milton (Quigley) - Pitt - Greensburg

Tyler Mroz (Chartiers Valley) IUP

Mike Norkus (Central Catholic) Cleveland State

Luke Novosel (Penn-Trafford) Pitt

Ryan Oglesby (North Allegheny) Slippery Rock

John Orr (Shaler) - California

Michael Pezzone (Upper St Clair) Allegheny

Dylan Plocki (Fox Chapel) Wheeling Jesuit

John Rende (Central Catholic) Waynesburg

Brian Ripper (West Mifflin) Penn State - Greater Allegheny

Marc Rizzo (Mt Lebanon) Washington and Jefferson

Corey Sandusky (Serra) Pitt - Greensburg

Carson Seaman (Greensburg Central Catholic) Pitt -Johnstown

Zachary Sessa (Butler) Wooster

Jon Shaffer (Kiski Area) Allegany College

Ryan Siegel (Freeport) Coastal Carolina

Donnie Sippel (Fox Chapel) Pitt - Greensburg

Pete Slavonic (Mt Lebanon) Southern Illinois

Chris Smith (Jeannette) Point Park

Shane Stauffer (Pine-Richland) Penn State - Behrend

Zach Stein (North Allegheny) Wooster

CJ Stotler (Plum) Mount Union

Frank Szubra (Thomas Jefferson) Penn State - Altoona

Adam Teets (Freedom) Geneva

Mike Vizzini (Gateway) Washington & Jefferson

Stephen Vranka (Gateway) Pitt

Greg Weatherly (Blackhawk) Mercyhurst

Brian Weightman (Jeannette) St Bonaventure

Kevin Welsh (Hopewell) Slippery Rock

Christian Wolosik (North Catholic) IUP

Jeffrey Ziegler (West Mifflin) Penn State - Greater Allegheny

2011

Justin Bianco (Peters Twp) Pitt

Zach Laneve (Pine-Richland) Boston College

Tanner Wilt (North Allegheny) Coastal Carolina

Dylan Wolsonovich (Ford City) Pitt

2012

Stephen Liu (Gateway) Pitt

 

I was looking at the High School Standings in the Post-Gazette this morning. Lots of familiar names, but some new ones. In Quad A, Baldwin is having quite the rebound season. They finished with a 3-12 mark last season but are currently 9-2 and are ranked #2 in the Post-Gazette rankings. Butler is another Quad A team with improved fortunes. They weren't bad last yeear (finishing 13-10) but they're off to a 9-2 start this season and are ranked 5th by the P-G. The rest of the top 5 (North Allegheny, Norwin and Plum) are no surprises.

In Triple A, Hopewell has followed up on their undefeated 2009 regular season with a 13-0 start and sits atop the P-G ratings. Knoch is ranked 3rd with an 8-4 record, after posting a 7-12 mark last season. Thomas Jefferson is another team on the upswing and are ranked 5th at 7-3, after finishing 8-10 last year. Perennial power Blackhawk sits outside the top 5 but is tied with Knoch for the section lead. Laurel Highlands and Moon make up the rest of the top 5.

In Double A, Laurel is undefeated at 12-0 but is ranked 3rd. At the top of the heap is South Fayette and Shady Side Academy, both coming off highly successful 2009 seasons. There are no rags-to-riches stories in AA as both the remaining members of the top 5 (Beaver Falls and Washington) continue their winning ways.

No real surprises in Class A. California had a mediocre for them 12-9 record in 2009 but has rebounded to an 11-1 start and a 2nd place ranking behind powerhouse Serra. Bentworth is having an excellent year at 10-2 but trails California in both their section and the top 5 ratings. No surprises in the rest of the Top 5 with Neshannock and Beth-Center both having fine seasons.

With the permission of Jim Berger, Asst Sports Information Director at St Vincent's, I am reprinting an article from the St Vincent's website