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QB/WR Terrelle Pryor ('10 Rose, '11 Sugar MVP)

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Pittsburgh, Pa.
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006




Tackling the football season's length
Friday, December 15, 2006

By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Matt Freed, Post-Gazette
Because of Jeannette's run to the PIAA title game, Terrelle Pryor and the rest of the Jayhawks' basketball team will open its season this week without a single practice.
Click photo for larger image.








Jeannette High School quarterback Terrelle Pryor's has all the symptoms of a teenage body that has been banged and battered playing in 15 football games since September.

His right knee is sore. His legs are stiff and achy and he would like to spend a day just sleeping.

Pryor and his teammates will play their 16th -- and final -- game of the season tomorrow in the PIAA Class AA championship. They will be joined by WPIAL mate Upper St. Clair, which will play in the Class AAAA title game tomorrow night.

Despite the aches and pains, Pryor doesn't believe the high school football season needs to be shortened.

"It's just all about having fun, that's all," Pryor said. "Go ask all the kids. They'll tell you it doesn't need to be shortened. Everyone loves football. It's a great sport."

All eight teams in the PIAA finals today and tomorrow will be playing their 16th game, the equivalent of an NFL regular season. Except for one year when snow postponed the title games one week, this is the latest the PIAA championship games have been played. Teams will play football games one weekend and will open holiday gifts less than 10 days later.

The PIAA added an extra week to the season for every district in the state this year. The WPIAL has been playing

a 16-game schedule (regular season and playoffs) since 2004. The WPIAL received a two-year waiver in 2004 from the PIAA to start its season one week earlier than the rest of the state so it could have four weeks of playoff games.

Some critics say the season, which began Sept. 1, is too long. Many other states had their championships last weekend or two weekends ago.

However, the PIAA might cut it's 16-week season next year. The PIAA football steering committee will vote on a proposal that would shorten the length of the season to 14 games. If the football committee approves the measure, the PIAA Board of Control must still vote it into the bylaws for it to take hold.

Adults will make the decisions on the length of the season. Everyone from school administrators to coaches is quoted on the debate. But what do the players think? A sampling of comments from a few teams shows they have no problem with the long season.

"When you're winning, it's nice to play longer," Jeannette receiver-linebacker Davonte Shannon said. "Maybe if they kept the length of the season the same, but maybe started a week earlier, that would be better because it overlaps basketball season a lot now."

All of Jeannette's basketball players are on the football team and the basketball team hasn't practiced once. West Middlesex, a Class A football finalist in Mercer County, is in the same situation with its basketball team.

"I wouldn't start football any earlier," Pryor said. "With basketball, I would just maybe start that a little later."

If you count two preseason scrimmages, this is the 18th game of the season for teams that have made it to the PIAA championships.

Upper St. Clair receiver Taylor Everett said practice is harder than ever at this point because of the toll on the body. "But when you think about what you're playing for, you just play through it. It's not too long. It's definitely worth all the work."

Upper St. Clair running back-linebacker Dane Conwell said, "You only play high school football once, so why not play as many games as you can?"

While the athletes look forward to the long season because it is a measure of success, what about the basketball or wrestling coaches fretting about not having his team together?

"The complaints are coming from the schools who go deep in the playoffs," PIAA executive director Brad Cashman said. "Right now, [the current system] impacts basketball and wrestling, and to some extent, swimming and diving."

Pryor said: "The kids who say the season is too long are the kids who lose. If they're hungry, they're going to want to make the season as long as possible."

Thomas Jefferson didn't make it to the PIAA title game, losing in the Class AAA semifinals Saturday. Star quarterback-defensive back Dom DeCicco started basketball Monday.

"Actually, the football season was a little too short for us because we didn't get to the final game," DeCicco said. "I definitely wouldn't shorten it. I'd probably start it just a little earlier so kids playing basketball wouldn't have to miss so many section games."

The WPIAL would not be in favor of the proposed 14-week season being floated by the PIAA committee because the league would have to cut back the number of teams that make the playoffs.

"I have said this many times. I wish there was a little more cooperation between the WPIAL and the PIAA," Upper St. Clair coach Jim Render said. "I wish they would function as one body rather than two entities. Seven games beyond our regular season is a long year, especially in the north [part of the country]. ... I really think basketball should start a little bit later."
 
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Jeannette goes down in the Class AA State Championship Game 29-28. Pryor was 5 of 8 passing for 93 yards, including a 61 yard touchdown, and on the ground he had 139 yards on 18 carries, including TD's of 8 and 52 yards. He also leaped over the center to block an extra point.
 
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I recorded the game and I will post clips later once I have time to edit

Couple thoughts

- The Jayhawks got outcoached in this one. Going for it on 4th down deep close to the end of the half was stupid and gave them 3 points.

- Pryor was hands down the best athlete on the field. However the other number 11 on the other team was a damn fine QB.

A couple of positive little things I notices from Pryor:
-Doesn't seem to be running fast but never seems to be anyone around him when he takes off, ala vince young
- Just flicks the ball and it goes for miles
- Plays both ways. Would be interesting to see how good e could be just focusing on playing qb
- He will hit you. Lead on a couple of nice blocks, made a couple huge hits on D.

A couple of negative things
- Was doing a lot of chirping towards the end of the game to other QB as they were about to lose. I am a stickler for being a good sport and I was dissapointed to see that
- A couple of tackles there was some extra curricular activities that he didn't need to do, again I know it happends but still don't like to see it
 
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Link

PIAA Championships / Class AA: Wilson rallies past Jeannette

Key late third-quarter turnover and lack of offense in fourth quarter enable Wilson to rally from 12-point deficit for 29-28 victory

Sunday, December 17, 2006

20061217lfPIAAFootball08_450.jpg

Lake Fong, Post-Gazette photos Jeannette quarterback Terrell Pryor heads to locker room after losing to Wilson Area, 29-28, in the PIAA Class AA championship yesterday at Hersheypark Stadium.
 
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crazybuckfan40;692554; said:
That was a quick transistion to the hardwood. His season just ended saturday and he is already playing hoops...

Pretty sure I read somewhere that there were several guy on both teams and that they would get one practice before their first game.
 
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Heard the guy from Keystone Recruiting on the radio the other night. He is considered the best authority on PA prospects. The host asked him who was the best recruits for '08 and the guy said in order, right now, it would be Terrelle Pryor, Shayne Hale, and Jonathan Baldwin. We apparently knew that and was all over all three right away so kudos to the staff for being on top of things. The guy also said PA has the potential to be loaded next year and that this year was a big disappointment with a lot of big name kids not doing well. Included in that bunch, he said, was Toney Clemons who went to Michigan, Jon Ditto who went to Penn State, and Steve Paskorz who went to Notre Dame. He said all three were top 10, if not top 5, before the season, but that Ditto and Paskorz would be lucky to be in the top 20 now. I think we may have offered Ditto but not the other two.
 
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The staff has done an excellent job of offering all the high level '08 guys early and I think it's going to translate into an awesome '08 class. May as well use our momentum right now. It is also cool that we have the foot up on both Hale and Pryor...both could be 5 star talents.
 
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Pryor is POY

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06358/748706-365.stm


Pryor opens up about season, success

Pryor said he still has a lot to learn about playing quarterback. When he watches football on television, he observes how quarterbacks Troy Smith (Ohio State), Vince Young (Titans), Michael Vick (Falcons) and Peyton Manning (Colts) handle themselves, and what wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (Ohio State) does after he makes a catch.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/football/s_485332.html
 
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