Yesterday, I came across some news that genuinely hurt me as a former Penn Hills athlete and someone who will always have love for that community.

Penn Hills baseball and softball will no longer compete in the WPIAL. Instead, both programs will continue playing independently.

According to a recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report, declining participation has become a major issue for both programs. Penn Hills baseball has not enjoyed a winning season since 2014, while the softball program has not recorded a winning season since 2007.

The Penn Hills School District has since clarified that neither program is being eliminated. In fact, the district says more than 40 student-athletes have already expressed interest in playing baseball.

That is encouraging news, and I hope every one of those kids gets an opportunity to play. But the fact remains that Penn Hills baseball and softball are stepping away from WPIAL competition. And as a Penn Hills guy, I never thought I would see the day.

I read that news and just shook my head.

Not because I have anything against the current players, coaches or administrators. I don’t. It hurts because I know what Penn Hills used to be. I know the history. I know the tradition. I know the pride that came with putting on that uniform.

And I know what it meant to have those two words across your chest.

PENN HILLS.

That name used to mean something special throughout Western Pennsylvania athletics.And I want that feeling back.

 

Penn Hills Baseball Was Once the Standard

Before people start thinking Penn Hills was only a football and basketball school, let me remind you of something.

Penn Hills baseball has its own place in Western Pennsylvania sports history. In 1978, Penn Hills became the first WPIAL baseball program to capture a PIAA state championship.

Think about that for a second.

The FIRST.

Before all the other WPIAL schools that eventually celebrated state baseball championships, Penn Hills had already accomplished something nobody from our area had done before.

That championship team was coached by the legendary Neil Gordon, a man whose name deserves to be remembered whenever people discuss the greatest coaches in Penn Hills history.

Gordon also guided Penn Hills football to a state championship in 1995. How many coaches in Pennsylvania history can say they won state championships in both football and baseball?

That is an incredible accomplishment. And that is the type of athletic history Penn Hills has.

We weren’t just producing good athletes in one or two sports. We were producing champions.

Now, nearly five decades after that historic baseball championship, the program will no longer compete in the WPIAL. The same school that once helped establish the standard for WPIAL baseball is now trying to rebuild its program through independent competition.

That is a difficult reality for someone who remembers what Penn Hills athletics once represented.

And softball has experienced its own decline.

A program that once enjoyed winning seasons has struggled to regain that success for nearly two decades.

I understand that participation numbers change. Communities change. Athletic programs go through difficult periods.

But when a school with the history and tradition of Penn Hills reaches this point, I believe we need to have a much bigger conversation about what has happened to our athletic culture.

Because this is about more than baseball and softball. This is about Penn Hills.

 

We Were Never Just a Football and Basketball School

Everybody knows the history of Penn Hills football and basketball.

You cannot discuss the greatest football players in WPIAL history without mentioning Bill Fralic and Aaron Donald. Those two legends helped put Penn Hills on the map in ways that will never be forgotten.

Fralic became one of the most celebrated offensive linemen in football history, while Donald went from dominating at Penn Hills to becoming one of the greatest defensive players the NFL has ever seen.

Their accomplishments will forever be connected to the Penn Hills name.

And our basketball tradition? Man, where do I even begin?

The Penn Hills girls basketball program put together one of the most remarkable dynasties in WPIAL history, winning six consecutive WPIAL championships in the highest classification.

SIX STRAIGHT.

Do people understand how difficult that is? Winning one WPIAL championship is hard enough. Winning six consecutive championships against the largest schools in Western Pennsylvania is something that deserves to be celebrated forever.

Those young women established a standard of excellence that few programs have ever matched.

And when it comes to boys basketball, I was fortunate enough to leave my own mark. I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I am proud of what I accomplished wearing that Penn Hills uniform.

During the 2000 WPIAL playoffs, I scored 147 points in four games. Twenty-six years later, that playoff scoring record still stands. I was blessed to become one of the most accomplished basketball players in WPIAL history, but what means the most to me is that I accomplished those things representing Penn Hills. I wanted to win for my teammates, my coaches, my family and my community.

Every time my name is mentioned in a conversation about WPIAL basketball history, Penn Hills is attached to it. And that means more to me than people will ever understand.

But football and basketball were only part of our athletic identity. We had legends in almost every sport.

 

The Forgotten Legends Who Made Penn Hills Great

When I say Penn Hills had a great athletic tradition, I am talking about the entire athletic department.

We had athletes who were dominating sports that didn’t always receive the same attention as football and basketball.

Take the late John Dasta. John was a four-time WPIAL wrestling champion.

FOUR TIMES!

Do people realize how special you have to be to win four WPIAL wrestling championships?

John was a legend, and his accomplishments deserve to be remembered by every generation of Penn Hills athletes. Rest in peace to a Penn Hills great.

Then we had Te’Shan Campbell, another outstanding wrestler who became a state champion. Those guys helped establish Penn Hills as a school that could produce elite wrestling talent.

And what about swimming?

Melanie Buddemeyer won eight WPIAL gold medals and earned induction into the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2011.

EIGHT GOLD MEDALS! That is an extraordinary athletic accomplishment.

Jennifer O’Brien brought championship recognition to Penn Hills through diving.

And in track and field, we had the great Dion Bentley, who established a national high school long jump record.

Think about the range of talent I just mentioned. Football. Basketball. Baseball. Wrestling. Swimming. Diving. Track and field.

Penn Hills wasn’t simply known for having a few great athletes. We had a culture of athletic excellence that extended across our entire school. And those are only some of the names.

There were countless other athletes, coaches and teams who helped build that tradition. We had something special.

And the sad part is that I don’t think enough people understand just how special it was.

 

We Played for the Name on the Front of Our Jerseys

When I was growing up, representing Penn Hills meant everything.

It wasn’t just about showing up, playing a game and going home. There was pride involved. There was a connection to the community. We knew the athletes who came before us, and we wanted to accomplish something that would allow the next generation to remember our names.

I can remember walking past the trophy case at Penn Hills and looking at the pictures of all those great athletes and championship teams. I used to tell myself that I needed to win a WPIAL championship so my picture could be up there one day. I wanted my future kids to walk through that school, see my picture and understand what their father accomplished.

That was my motivation.

I wanted to become part of the history. And I know I wasn’t the only athlete who felt that way.

We took pride in being Penn Hills kids.

Our sporting events were packed. People from the community came out to support us. Everybody knew somebody who was playing. Football games were events. Basketball games were events.

There was an energy around Penn Hills athletics that is difficult to explain to somebody who didn’t experience it.

You could feel the pride. You could feel the tradition. You could feel the connection between the athletes and the community.

And when we played another school, we weren’t just representing ourselves.

We were representing everybody who came before us. We wanted to win because we understood the name we were carrying.

That was Penn Hills.

 

The Community Has Changed, and So Has the Culture

One thing I have noticed over the years is how much Penn Hills has changed.

The community has become more transient, with families moving in and out and fewer kids necessarily growing up with the same connection to Penn Hills athletic history that my generation had.

And before anybody takes that the wrong way, let me make something clear.

I have absolutely nothing against the current Penn Hills kids. I love those kids. I support them. I cheer for them. I want every young athlete representing Penn Hills to succeed.

This isn’t about blaming children for the changes happening around them. But I do believe something has been lost over the years.

When I was growing up, we knew who the great Penn Hills athletes were. We knew the championships. We knew the rivalries. We knew the history. And we wanted to add our own chapter to that history.

Today, I wonder how many young athletes understand just how powerful the Penn Hills athletic tradition once was.

How many know about the 1978 baseball state championship?

How many know about the six consecutive girls basketball WPIAL championships?

How many know about John Dasta, Melanie Buddemeyer, Dion Bentley and all the other legends who helped build this school’s reputation?

You cannot expect young athletes to take pride in a tradition they have never been taught. And when that connection between the past and present starts disappearing, the culture changes.

Penn Hills athletics just doesn’t feel the same to me anymore. The pride feels different. The atmosphere feels different. The community connection feels different. And now we are watching two more athletic programs step away from WPIAL competition.

That should concern everybody who cares about the future of Penn Hills sports.

 

Are We Watching the Beginning of a Bigger Decline?

The news about baseball and softball has me thinking about something I really don’t want to think about.

What will Penn Hills athletics look like five or ten years from now? Will other programs eventually face the same participation problems? Will more teams struggle to compete? Will the school continue losing the athletic identity that generations of athletes worked so hard to establish?

I hope not. I genuinely hope I’m wrong.

But when I see what has happened to baseball and softball, I cannot help wondering what comes next.

I understand that independent competition might provide both programs with an opportunity to rebuild. If stepping away from the WPIAL helps Penn Hills develop its players, increase participation and eventually return to league competition, I will support that effort.

I want those kids to have every opportunity to enjoy their high school athletic experience.

But I also want to see Penn Hills competing for championships again. I want to see our athletic programs become something that the entire community rallies around. I want to see the stands packed. I want to see kids growing up dreaming about wearing that Penn Hills uniform. I want to see our young athletes walking past those trophy cases and telling themselves the same thing I used to tell myself.

One day, my picture is going to be up there.

That is the culture I remember. That is the Penn Hills I fell in love with. And that is the Penn Hills I want to see again.

 

Make Penn Hills Great Again

I know some people might read this article and think I’m simply holding on to the past.

Maybe I am.

But when you come from a community that produced so many legendary athletes and championship teams, it is difficult to watch that tradition slowly disappear.

Penn Hills gave me an opportunity to build my name. It gave me friendships, memories, championships and experiences that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It helped shape the person I became.

And no matter where life takes me, I will always be a Penn Hills guy. That will never change.

But I miss the Penn Hills I grew up in. I miss the pride. I miss the swag. I miss the culture. I miss the days when representing Penn Hills meant you were carrying the expectations of an entire community on your shoulders. I miss the days when our athletes understood that they weren’t just playing for themselves.

They were playing for something bigger.

And seeing a baseball program that once made WPIAL history reach this point genuinely hurts.

I don’t know whether Penn Hills will ever return to the level of athletic excellence I remember. Part of me worries that those days are gone forever. Maybe that is just the reality of getting older and watching the community you love change before your eyes.

But another part of me refuses to stop hoping. Because somewhere in Penn Hills right now, there might be another Bill Fralic, Aaron Donald, John Dasta, Melanie Buddemeyer or Dion Bentley.

There might be another young basketball player walking past that trophy case, dreaming about winning a WPIAL championship.

There might be a young baseball player who will one day help Penn Hills return to the WPIAL and compete for another state title.

And maybe the next great chapter of Penn Hills athletics hasn’t been written yet. I just hope the community comes together and gives these young athletes the opportunity to write it.

Because Penn Hills deserves more than watching its proud athletic history become something we only talk about.

We deserve to see that pride come back. We deserve to see that culture come back. We deserve to see our athletic programs thrive again.

Make Penn Hills Great Again.

And no matter what happens, I will always be proud that when people mention Drew Schifino, they mention Penn Hills.

Because those two words after my name will always mean the world to me.

Penn Hills forever.