College notebook: West inducted into Rose Bowl Hall of Fame
Charles “Pruner” West
Connor Schram
Charles “Pruner” West, quarterback on the Washington & Jefferson football team that played California to a 0-0 tie in the 1922 Tournament of Roses football game, was inducted Dec. 30 into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in Pasadena, Calif.
West was the first black quarterback to play in the Rose Bowl. He also was an accomplished track and field athlete who won the National Collegiate Pentathlon at the Penn Relays in 1922 and 1923, and who was named to the 1924 U.S. Olympic team, though he did not participate because of injury. He went on to sign with the Akron Pros professional football team but instead chose to retire from athletics and attend Howard University Medical School in Washington, D.C. West had a general medical practice in Alexandria, Va. for 50 years and won several community service awards.
A phenomenal athlete, West normally played halfback for W&J but stepped in as quarterback for the Rose Bowl because of injuries and illnesses.
West was one of four inductees into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. The others were former Texas head coach Mack Brown, UCLA quarterback Cade McNown and Charles Woodson, a Heisman Trophy winner and cornerback from Michigan.
The 1922 game holds multiple distinctions aside from West being the first African-American quarterback in a Rose Bowl: the only scoreless Rose Bowl game and the first tie; Herb Kopf of Washington & Jefferson was the first freshman to play in the game and the Presidents’ Hal Erickson became the only man ever to play in two different Rose Bowls – 1919 and 1922 – with two different teams – Great Lakes Navy and W&J – without losing; and it was also the last Rose Bowl to be played at Pasadena’s Tournament Park.
West died from cancer Nov. 20, 1979. He played football for W&J from 1920 to 1923.
In wrestling
Connor Schram’s quest for an NCAA championship has ended because of a knee injury that will cause the former PIAA champion at Canon-McMillan to miss the remainder of his senior season.
Schram, a 125-pounder at Stanford, was injured Dec. 2 during the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Schram was ranked 11th nationally in his weight class and had a 9-3 record.
“We are all deeply saddened by this unfortunate news, as injuries are one of the toughest parts of sports and a season-ending injury is even that much more difficult,” Stanford coach Jason Borrelli said. “Connor’s presence in our lineup will be missed, as he has been a major contributor for the program over the last four years. Nonetheless, I am confident that he will conquer this unfortunate setback with the same focus and tenacity that he brought to the wrestling room each day, and will be prepared for the next chapter of his life.”
An All-American and Pac-12 champion at 125 pounds as a sophomore in 2016, Schram has a 65-22 career record. A three-time NCAA qualifier, he also is a three-time NWCA Academic All-American who has already graduated from Stanford with a degree in science, technology and society, and is working on a master’s degree in communication.
Seton Hill finished second last week at the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals held in Fort Wayne, Ind. Jake Temple, a former PIAA champion at Avella, was a big reason why the Griffins advanced to the finals, where they were beaten by No. 1-ranked St. Cloud State.
A redshirt junior from West Middleton, Temple helped Seton Hill to a 19-18 win over PSAC rival Gannon in the semifinals. The match ended in an 18-18 tie but Seton Hill won on criteria, most match points scored. Temple was a 5-2 winner in the 197-pound bout.
Temple also was a 4-1 winner in the Griffins’ 18-17 victory over 10th-ranked Upper Iowa. He also bumped up to heavyweight to win a 7-2 decision as Seton Hill upset 3rd-ranked Ashland in its opening match.
In basketball
Freshman guard Sierra Kotchman continued her stellar play last week for Fairmont State by scoring 53 points over two games, both wins for the Falcons.
Kotchman, a former Observer-Reporter Player of the Year while at Trinity, scored 23 points in a 74-66 victory over Virginia-Wise Thursday. Two days later, she scored 30 points on 11-for-25 shooting in Fairmont State’s 77-63 win over Concord. Kotchman also had three assists and two steals in that game.
For the season, Kotchman is averaging a team-leading 19.8 points per game and is shooting 45 percent from three-point range. She is the third-leading scorer in the Mountain East Conference and is fifth in the league in free-throw percentage at 90.2 percent.
Kaitlyn Slagus had a pair of double-double performances last week for Nucknell.
A junior forward from Belle Vernon, Slagus was instrumental in a 63-58 victory over Boston University as she scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. That was followed by a 16-point, 10-rebound performance in Bucknell’s 60-36 thumping of Army. Slagus did much of her damage against Army in the third quarter, when she had nine points, three rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal.
Slagus is the leading scorer for Bucknell (8-6) at 12.2 points per game.
David Collins, a freshman guard who played last season for First Love Christian Acxademy in Washington, is seeing his playing time increase at South Florida.
Collins is averaging 6.0 points per game and is third on the team with 23 assists. He scored a season-high 15 points, to go with four assists, Dec. 28 in the Bulls’ American Athletic Conference opener against Houston and had 12 points Sunday in a loss to ninth-ranked Wichita State.
Britton Beachy, a freshman guard from Canonsburg, has become a valuable player for Lancaster Bible. Beachy is the team’s fifth-leading scorer at 6.7 points per game and is shooting 49 percent from the field.
A standout at Canon-McMillan, Beachy scored a season-high 17 points in a 61-60 loss to RPI Dec. 29. He also had a pair of 12-point performances, against Bethany and Gallaudet.
Lancaster Bible has an 8-4 record and is 4-0 in the North Eastern Athletic Conference.