by Al Owens
For Red Raider Nation
The city of Uniontown is now united! The kind of unity that makes
you openly smile at somebody you’ve never met. When it seems everybody
wearing even a swatch of maroon and white, is your neighbor. It’s that
kind of unity.
It seems like most of the problems facing this
once shrinking community have been eliminated by five teenagers. And if
they haven’t eliminated those problems, for two hours on a March
Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh, they helped us forget them.
And I know I’m not the only person who feels that way. I’ve witnessed
first hand how these little Goliaths had brought out Uniontown’s former
sports giants to share in their accomplishments.
George Petro is an East End staple. His corner store has provided the
necessities for inhabits of the East End of town for decades. He is also
a man who hardly ever misses a Red Raider basketball game, or an
opportunity to talk about them. If you walk into his Searight Avenue
store, be prepared to talk about basketball. You’d think he’d have grown
tired of the subject a long time ago. After all he was a Red Raider
basketball star in the 1940’s.
But there he was on Saturday morning, ready to pile into a car with
his fellow Red Raider Basketball junkies, so they’d have a months worth
of “stories about the big one” to discuss. Tom Morgansky, one of my Red
Raider heroes of the 1960’s would be riding in that car.
And so would Johnnie Moorman, another of my Red Raider heroes of the
1960’s would ride in that car. And so would Jimmy Jenkins, a Red Raider
fan, it seems since childbirth. There would most likely be 50 miles of
basketball strategy discussed between these guys.
And the arguments would make Bin Laden blush. They’d all take their
places inside the Palumbo Center and share in the pride of their
community.
So would Nelson Jones! Try as he did to singlehandly keep Uniontown’s
hopes for an 8th WPIAL basketball title last year, his
efforts had failed. Chartiers Valley made sure of that. On this Saturday
afternoon, Jones could have easily and understandably ignored The Event
– But he didn’t. He stood in the first row of Uniontown’s delirious
student cheering section and led the cheers. And he looked like he
might have done that singlehandly if they’d let him.
There was another Red Raider great named Jones sitting in the balcony.
Jim Jones, a 1960’s all stater watch with great anticipation, as he
always does when a Red Raider team visits Pittsburgh.
And there was yet another Jones (not related to the other 2 Jones’) in
attendance. Don Jones, 1970’s Red Raider great, stood under one of the
baskets holding court. He talked to anybody who would listen about what
the current Red Raiders needed to do to strike WPIAL gold. And he was
right.
Ex-Red Raider great Dana Vaughns, a sharp shooter circa 1988 and
Terrance Vaughns' proud uncle had to honor other commitments in South
Carolina on Saturday! But he kept up on the play-by-play -- by cell
phone.
I saw Uniontown School Board member Ken Meadows among the throng. He
was another Red Raider great and a teammate of Don Jones. Ex-Red Raider
great Craig Harris, from the last Red Raider Pennsylvania State
basketball team of 1981, came to offer his support. There was Red Raider
football great, Tory Epps standing along the baseline. Epps smiles a lot
anyway, but on Saturday his smile was much bigger! His pride was more
obvious. His high school alma mater was in the big one. Not bad for a
guy who's proudly worn the colors of professional football teams -- to
still care about maroon and white!
Kyle Clay earned Red Raider Nation's
Raider of Merit
honors last September 28th. His last second field goal, kept alive
Uniontown's hopes of an undefeated football season against Greensburg
Salem high school -- in a thrilling 43 - 40 victory. Clay came to the
game yesterday after making the ultimate teenage sacrifice! He shaved
his chest hair in a move Hester Prynne would have certainly been proud.
He replaced the chest hair with a large maroon
A. He'd joined the front row
celebrants who spelled out the word Raiders, by removing their
shirts and painting their bodies. Late in the day, Kyle Clay still
hadn't removed the paint. He vowed to never remove it. A potential
problem, if he plans to marry somebody who's read The Scarlett Letter!
Tony Perno, Uniontown’s number one fan, and Ozzie Minor both had that
neighborly smile on their faces by the end of the game. Their sons, Dana
Perno and Earl Minor had been members of previous Red Raider WPIAL
Championship teams. Their two proud fathers cheered as if their sons are
still playing.
This morning when I opened my email, the first message I read came
from a thousand miles away. Richard “Slug” Fisher, who had scored
Uniontown’s first two points on the Wilson Avenue court in 1955, offered
his sentiments. He had awakened this morning in Georgia, and rushed to
Red Raider Nation. He read the game account and sent me an email. Among
his kind words he wrote: Back in the day they cheered, "It is hard to
beat a Red Raider, yes... it is hard to beat a Red Raider." (smile).
To
that I must add, I’ve never met Mr. Fisher in person, but I still
recognize that smile!
