MEMORY LANE: Rivalry rekindled: Recent Uniontown-Lincoln Park clashes stir up memories of Red Raiders无毛视频� battles with Midland
Over the past two basketball seasons the Uniontown Red Raiders have faced the formidable Lincoln Park Leopards three times in the PIAA and WPIAL playoffs.
Last season the Raiders were downed by the Leopards in the PIAA tournament, 85-64, on their way to a Class 4A state championship. This season Uniontown ran into Lincoln Park twice, losing in the WPIAL playoffs 74-63 and in the PIAA playoffs 66-62 as the Leopards seek back-to-back state titles.
Lincoln Park and Uniontown evoked memories of an old rivalry. Lincoln Park is located in Midland and carries on the tradition of the old Midland Leopards.
Midland, faced with declining school enrollment, an aging high school building and a tax base decimated by the closing of Crucible Steel, shuttered its high school in 1986 and began looking for a district for its nearly 200 students in grades 7 to 12. It found a partner in Beaver, which was also facing an enrollment decline in the aftermath of the steel industry无毛视频檚 collapse.
With little fanfare or publicity, the Midland and Beaver Area school districts formalized an agreement over the summer that allowed Midland students to attend Beaver for the next 20 years. The Midland Leopards faded into history.
Since it fielded a basketball team in 2007, Lincoln Park has embraced the Midland tradition. Its nickname is the Leopards, just like Midland. Its team colors 无毛视频� royal blue and gold 无毛视频� are the same. Lincoln Park even wears throwback uniforms on occasion that look like Midland uniforms of the past. They play in Midland无毛视频檚 old gym.
During the 1960s Uniontown and Midland were basketball powers in the state of Pennsylvania. Uniontown captured state titles in 1962 and 1964. Midland won a state title in 1965. The two schools had a spirited rivalry.
The Red Raiders and Leopards met in the WPIAL playoffs in 1960 and the Raiders prevailed in overtime 60-56 in the Class A semifinals. In 1959-60 the Raiders had a 25 game winning streak snapped with a 59-54 loss to Farrell in the WPIAL finals and finished with a 25-1 mark.
Uniontown guard John Unice remembers the match up with Midland.
无毛视频淲e did a great job on their big man Movie Smith,无毛视频� Unice said. 无毛视频淲e got him in foul trouble and he had to sit out one quarter. We held him to three field goals and a total of 10 points.无毛视频�
Two legendary coaches, Abe Everhart and Midland无毛视频檚 Hank Kuzma, matched wits.
无毛视频淭he better the competition brings out the best in you,无毛视频� Unice stated. 无毛视频淲hen we played Midland we had to play harder and the coaches were both great.无毛视频�
The next chapter in the Uniontown-Midland rivalry was the 1964 WPIAL final, one of the most anticipated games in WPIAL history. Midland was a team dominated by underclassmen. The Leopards started three juniors and two seniors. It was Midland无毛视频檚 first Class A title contest. The Leopards previously had not advanced past the semifinal bracket.
无毛视频淐oach Everhart had us all primed and ready to go,无毛视频� former Red Raider Ray Parson explained. 无毛视频淭he excitement was overwhelming. It was the first time that I无毛视频檇 ever been in an atmosphere like that. Stu Lantz was talking to Pat Yates and Yates was talking to Ben Gregory and Jim Rae was talking to me. We were just trying to get our heads together and get ready for that game.无毛视频�
There were 10,037 fans on hand at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena as the Red Raiders and Leopards clashed.
无毛视频淪immie was unstoppable all year long,无毛视频� Parson opined. 无毛视频淲e expected Simmie to have a big game, but we also expected Lantz to have a great game and that would have offset Hill.无毛视频�
Lantz had a rough shooting night scoring six points. A big key for Uniontown was holding Norm Van Lier to only three points. Pat Yates led the Red Raiders with 13 points, Ben Gregory notched 11 and Parson added 10 points.
Uniontown prevailed 46-43.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 proud of our very good team and we lost in a thriller to a fine, well-coached Uniontown team,无毛视频� Kuzma said following the loss. 无毛视频淲e adapted some slowdown tactics because they had too much overall in height, power and ruggedness for us.无毛视频�
Uniontown advanced to beat Huntingdon, Punxsutawney and Plymouth-Whitemarsh to win the PIAA championship and become one of a handful of boys basketball teams in WPIAL history to go undefeated.
无毛视频淭he Midland game was the toughest game we had out of all the games we played that year,无毛视频� Parson said.
Western Pennsylvania basketball fans were primed for a Uniontown-Midland rematch in the WPIAL playoffs in 1965, but Aliquippa had other ideas.
Uniontown reached the WPIAL semifinals sporting a 24-0 mark, but their 52-game winning streak was snapped by Aliquippa in a heartbreaking 66-65 loss.
无毛视频淎liquippa, I see that over and over,无毛视频� former Red Raider Chuck Beckwith lamented. 无毛视频淲e couldn无毛视频檛 throw it in the ocean that night. It was just like there was a lid on that basket. We fought back because I think we were down six with 30 seconds to go and we came back and lost by one. That was a bitter disappointment because I thought we were going to go back-to-back with state championships.无毛视频�
Midland went on to win the PIAA title.
At one point during the 1960s Uniontown dominated the prestigious Farrell Lions Club Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament, winning it five years in a row. Uniontown was not invited back the following season in 1965-66. The Raiders played in the Midland Holiday Tournament and continued their winning ways, taking the tourney title by downing Midland 54-39.
Uniontown returned to try and defend its Midland Tournament title in 1966-67. New Castle beat the Raiders 78-54. Uniontown beat host Midland in the consolation game 64-55. It was the first time in eight years that Uniontown did not add a Christmas Tournament championship to its showcase dating back to a McKeesport Tournament win, five straight Farrell Tournament titles and a Midland Tournament Championship.
Getting back to Lincoln Park, the charter school takes players from all over, but two of this year无毛视频檚 stars, Brandin Cummings and Maleek Thomas, are from Midland and embrace the history.
Cummings grew up in Midland. He knew about the Leopards无毛视频� basketball tradition at an early age. His grandfathers 无毛视频� Chuck Gomez and James Slappy 无毛视频� starred at Midland when they were in high school. They helped lead Midland to its last state title in 1976.
Uniontown and Lincoln Park sparked memories of the old rivalry.
Midland无毛视频檚 history includes five PIAA championships, eight WPIAL titles and the unbeaten state championship team from 1965. Among those who played on those teams are Simmie Hill, Norm Van Lier, Larry Slappy, Don Slappy, James Slappy, Gomez and Roosevelt Kirby.
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.