Lake Fong, Post-Gazette Beaver Falls' Lance Jeter is still trying to make up his mind not only about what school to pick, but what sport. Click photo for larger image. 2005 Dapper Dan High School Athletes Female Athlete: Christa Harmotto, Hopewell High Male Athlete: Sean Lee, Upper St. Clair H.S.

The WPIAL turns 100 years old this fall, and the league will celebrate its birthday in a variety of ways.

The league established a committee that has put plans into place for celebrating a century of WPIAL sports. A 100-year logo has been designed and every WPIAL football team will receive helmet stickers of the logo for next season. All WPIAL schools will receive banners and posters commemorating the 100 years.

More plans will be announced in the summer, but things will be kicked off with an August event at the Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center in the Strip District. The WPIAL is talking with a few big-name former athletes to act as an honorary chairman for the 100-year anniversary.

"We want to have things going throughout the school year," said Dan Cardone, North Hills High School's athletic director and chairman of the WPIAL anniversary committee.

Blattner Brunner, a Pittsburgh advertising agency, is working with the WPIAL on promoting the 100-year birthday.

"We're looking at some partnerships with some companies, too," Cardone said. "We feel like the league has been a big part of Western Pennsylvania sports for many years and there are many kids who have grown up and had great memories of playing WPIAL sports. Next year, we'd like to highlight some of the success stories, and not just in the sports like football and basketball. But all sports."

Jeter, McNees update

Beaver Falls' Lance Jeter is close to deciding on a college -- and what sport he will play.

Jeter will either play football at the University of Cincinnati, or basketball at George Washington or Akron. Jeter visited Cincinnati early last week and then went to George Washington. He is at Akron this weekend.

George Washington started recruiting Jeter only recently, but the Colonials also are recruiting another WPIAL guard. Shenango's Steve McNees was released from his letter of intent with Duquesne, and George Washington recently offered him a scholarship.

"I think George Washington had a guard spot open up when Danilo Pinnock declared himself for the NBA draft," said Bill McNees, Steve's father and Shenango's coach. "I don't think they were expecting that."

One of the boys?

Quaker Valley tennis player Annie Houghton became the first girl to win a WPIAL boys' championship when she won the Class AA title this past week. Houghton is only a junior, which means she can defend her title next year.

Or she could rejoin the Quaker Valley girls' team.

But she can't do both. Under WPIAL and PIAA rules, an athlete can't participate on two teams in the same sport.

"I don't know. It's something myself and my family will decide together," Houghton said. "I'd probably like to play on the boys' team again."

Scholarship winners

The WPIAL has selected South Fayette's Andrew DiDonato, Quaker Valley's Darren Rogers, Vincentian's Casey Melvin and West Greene's Rachel Phillips as its scholar-athlete winners for the 2005-06 school year. DiDonato, Melvin and Phillips will receive $5,000 scholarships. Under NCAA rules, Rogers can't receive the scholarship money because he has a full scholarship for football. So, his $5,000 will go back into the WPIAL scholarship trust fund.

"We still wanted to recognize [Rogers] for winning," WPIAL Executive Director Tim O'Malley said.

"We don't want someone worthy of winning not to be chosen just because they already have a scholarship."

The WPIAL also gave $500 scholarships to eight other males and eight females. They are North Allegheny's Maxwell Brown, Mount Pleasant's Donald Ament, St. Joseph's Anthony Fioravanti, Burgettstown's Christian Goetz, Beaver Falls' Jack Anderson, West Greene's Cody Renner, Peters Township's Nathan Yancheff and Thomas Jefferson's Patrick Graham.

The $500 female winners are South Fayette's Kayla Frattini, Jeannette's Jamie Morrison, Latrobe's Caitlin Hewitt, Apollo-Ridge's Katherine McLay, Ambridge's Elizabeth Decima, Bishop Canevin's Meghan Stubblebine, Ringgold's Jessica Patz and North Catholic's Shannon Horgan.

Going to great heights

It wouldn't be an overstatement to call Becky Novacek one of the best high jumpers in WPIAL history. Novacek, a 6-foot-1 junior, recently cleared 5 feet, 8 inches, which ties for the third-best jump in WPIAL history. The best is 5-10, by Pam Gearing of Slippery Rock in 1977, and Kathy Ridilla of Greensburg Central Catholic in 1985.

Novacek's success in track and field establishes her even more as one of the WPIAL's best all-around athletes. She is one of the best volleyball players and has accepted a full scholarship to the University of Dayton. In basketball, she averaged in double figures for a Hopewell team that won WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA championships.

Great heights times three

Looking for some of the best girl high jumpers in the WPIAL? You have to look three times at Seneca Valley. Consider how unusual this is: There are only six girls in the WPIAL who have cleared 5-4 or better in the high jump this season. Three of them are at Seneca Valley. Da'Lynn Mills, Jennifer Boyd and Chelsey Pavlick have all jumped 5-4.

He can run, too

Jeannette's Terrelle Pryor was considered one of the top basketball players. A 6-6 sophomore, Pryor also has established himself as a top sprinter. He has run the 200 meters in 22.6 seconds, the top reported time in WPIAL AA.