close

Football impacting Belle Vernon basketball

3 min read
1 / 2

Holly Tonini/For the Observer-Reporter

Alonzo Wade, right, is one of several Belle Vernon basketball players who are preparing for a state football championship contest.

2 / 2

Holly Tonini/For the Observer-Reporter

Alonzo Wade is one of several Belle Vernon basketball players who are still playing for the Leopards’ football team, which will compete for the state championship Friday.

Over the course of Joe Salvino’s long and storied career as a high school basketball coach, there aren’t many things that he has not done.

But with the Belle Vernon football team winning the WPIAL Class 3A championship and advancing to the PIAA title game, this is the first time Salvino has started a season with so many players missing from practice and games.

“Hardly anyone is around. We usually have eight to 10 players for practice,” Salvino said. “One time, we had six and to be honest, this is weird.

“I am excited the football team is doing so well, but as a (basketball) team, who we start the season with will look different from who we have once everyone is with us.”

Of the football players, Quinton Martin is the most notable. The junior could reach the 1,000-point mark this season.

Sophomore Alonzo Wade, junior Braden Laux and senior Evan Pohlot – three other key contributors from last year’s basketball team who are enjoying solid football seasons – will factor in again for Salvino, although Pohlot is recovering from an injury and will not be immediately available.

Two freshmen who Salvino said to keep an eye on are Curtis Wade and Jude Minniti. Both, however, are also finishing out the football season before they can attempt to crack the varsity basketball lineup.

While Salvino lost a talented class to graduation from a team that made the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals last year, he still has some talented players currently at practice, including Zion Moore and Trevor Kovatch.

Moore, a transfer from Ringgold, and Kovatch, are both sophomores.

“They are two (rotation) players I do have,” Salvino said. “I think Zion averaged around 20 points a game last year at Ringgold and might have scored 40 in a game. The kid can score.”

Until the football players show up, Salvino will have to adjust from his normal pressure-style of defensive play.

“We will have to work on some different things,” he said. “We won’t be able to play our aggressive defense and may have to go to a zone.”

Unlike some other schools had done in the same situation, Salvino said he did not consider pulling out of the first few games of the season until he had a full roster.

“I wouldn’t feel right pulling out and sticking others,” he said. “It is what it is, and we will go in and see what we can do with the players we have.”

Belle Vernon is off to an 0-2 start. The Leopards lost to Thomas Jefferson (83-63) and South Allegheny (66-46) over the weekend. The Leopards are to host Steel valley Tuesday night. The Ironmen also had their football team in the state playoffs.

Salvino is optimistic about his team’s outlook once everyone is back.

“I am thinking we will be fairly good,” Salvino said. “Quinton is back, and he is a big part of our team.”

When asked about Class 4 A Section 3, Salvino spoke about the entire class and not just the section.

“Four-A is absolutely loaded,” he said. “Lincoln Park is really talented, and so is Highlands, Laurel Highlands and Hampton. LH is in our section, and Uniontown and Elizabeth Forward will be really good as well.”

Along with LH, EF and Uniontown, the other teams in the section are Albert Gallatin and Southmoreland.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today