Football briefs
Pratt paces W&J
Despite a record performance by Jared Pratt, the Washington & Jefferson football team was bounced from the 2014 NCAA Division III playoffs with a 67-0 loss at Mount Union in the second round. With the loss, the Presidents ended the season with a 10-2 record. Mount Union, the No. 3 team in the nation, advanced to face John Carroll in the quarterfinals.
A senior, Pratt picked up a school-record 22 tackles in the loss, breaking the previous mark of 18 set by Frank Pilato against Allegheny in 2003 and BJ Swartzlander against Ursinus in 2001. He finished with 3.0 tackles for losses as part of his 22 stops. The Bethel Park graduate registered 136 tackles on the season, leaving him alone in first place on the single-season list, surpassing Jim Meyer’s 131 in 1987.
Pratt, who managed a game-high 11 tackles in the Presidents’ previous win against Wittenburg, 41-25, in the first round of the playoffs, finished with three interceptions for the season. He led W&J with 65 solo tackles and 71 assists. He recorded six sacks and 10.5 tackles for losses.
Performances by two other local products spearheaded W&J’s playoff showing.
Againt Wittenburg, Alex Schram picked off three passes, tying the W&J single-game and NCAA Division III postseason records. In the win, the Presidents picked off eight passes. He had 11 tackles in the loss to Mt. Union. A Canon-McMillan graduate, Schram finished the season with four interceptions. Schram finished with 92 tackles, 57 of them solo shots.
Against Wittenburg, Pete Coughlin of Upper St. Clair completed 22-of-40 passes for 236 yards and two scores. Against Mt. Union, Coughlin completed 15-of-37 passes for 98 yards. His teammate, Kevin Mechas, a Bishop Canevin graduate, connected on 6-of-9 aerials for 37 yards.
Coughlin finished with 305 rushing yards and two scores for the season. He passed 3,257 yards and 31 scores. He was 273 for 417 with just six interceptions.
Other local players to help the Presidents to their 17th 10-win season in 123 years of varsity football at the College included: John Loper, Trevor Morrow, Matthew Dunlap, Ryan Bush, Joe Graziani, Bobby Mele, Zach Hamilton, Dan Lis, Ben Skiff, Tim Blair, Dan Garziano and Zachary Walker.
Hagy honored
Luke Hagy of Mt. Lebanon captured second-team All-Ivy League honors for football. The Cornell University running back ranked third in the league in rushing (734 yards, 81.6 per game) and added six total touchdowns (four rushing, two receiving). Plus, he passed for one. He had three 100-yard rushing games, all coming in the final three contests of 2014.
During the season, Hagy became the first player in Cornell history to reach 1,000 career yards both rushing and receiving and the 29th player in school history to surpass the century mark in career rushing yards. He will enter his senior season with at least one reception in all 29 of his games, and if he makes a catch in all 10 games as a senior, will match the school record.
Hagy ran for a career-high 148 yards on 19 carries and scored three total touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) in the win at Columbia. Included was a game-winning 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against the Lions. He also had carries for 48 and 49 yards on the year, the three longest carries by a Cornell player since 2010. Hagy posted 110 rushing yards on 18 carries versus Dartmouth, while also catching four passes for 28 yards and completing a pass for 19 yards, and ran for 111 yards on 23 carries against Penn while catching four passes for 50 additional yards. Hagy ran 16 times for 91 yards and a touchdown, caught three passes for 45 yards and even threw a touchdown pass in a loss to defending Ivy champion Princeton.
The son of Scott and Karen Hagy excelled in three sports at Mt. Lebanon. He led the Blue Devils to the state finals in basketball and state semifinals in baseball. He holds school records for assists and steals and earned Almanac Athlete of the Year honors in 2012