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2003 Piper Pirate News
Article from NFL High School web site  at www.nflhs.com

Piper eyes first State Championship
Team fell in regional final last year     
By Donovan Corrigan, NFLHS.com

Officially, the Piper football team's quest to win the first state championship in program history began on Aug. 18 with the first day of practice. But, according to Pirates' head coach Dick Tatro, his coaching staff and his returning players started thinking about the 2003 season on a cold and damp night last November.

"We have been looking towards this season since we left the field last November in Eudora (Kan)," Tatro said of Piper's season-ending 20-6 loss to Eudora in a Regional championship game. "We got a taste of the playoffs last year and we want to get back there this season. "We got the first playoff win in our program's (Piper beat Hiawatha, 27-6 in a Bi-District championship game at home) history and our goal is to advance past the regional that we reached last year."

There's good reason for Tatro's excitement and expectations. Piper returns a stable of talented and experienced players, including three all-state performers. Quarterback Scott Lipovac and running back Shawnn Lampson will lead a Piper offense that returns seven starters from last year's 6-5 team.

A senior, Lipovac passed for 1,444 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. Lipovac spent his summer vacation turning heads with his accurate and strong arm at several NCAA college camps, including the Purdue Elite Quarterback Camp. Lampson, a senior, gained 1,131 yards and scored six touchdowns on 211 carries a year ago. He added 16 receptions for 165 yards and one score.

Fullback Ryan Moore, who rushed for 286 yards and three touchdowns in 70 attempts, gives the Pirates a solid one-two punch in the backfield. The Piper offensive line will be anchored by stout 6-foot-2, 255-pound left tackle Jeff Juiliano. The Pirates return three other starters along the offensive line.

On defense, Mike Simmons, Lampson, Moore, and defensive linemen Jeff Hamilton and T.J. Dorian pace an aggressive and attacking defense that produced over 20 sacks. A 6-1, 210-pound linebacker, Simmons recorded 123 total tackles, two sacks and an interception as a junior. Lampson totaled 124 tackles from his safety spot. Hamilton, a 6-2, 210-pound senior, lead Piper in sacks with four last season.

A returning all-state selection, Matt Mosier is a dual threat at kicker and punter. Mosier averaged 41.7 yards per punt and converted on 4 of 5 field-goal attempts in 2002.

"We have a good core of players returning, which will help us improve on last season's success," Tatro said. "We know it will be tougher than last year since most (media outlets) picked us to finish last in the district last year. We also know that we only won our games by a slim margin in district. "However, last season we gained a great deal of confidence that in close games we could find a way to win. I think that will carry over to this season."

Another thing that Tatro said he hopes carries over to the 2003 season is the momentum built off a 6-game winning streak late in the year that saw Piper go from a staggering 0-4 team to a district champion. The difference in the Piper team during the winning streak, and prior to embarking on it, were night and day.

In the four losses to open the season, Piper was outscored 112-23. During the six-game winning streak, the Pirates outscored their opponents 125-71.

"The six-game winning streak at the end of last season has given our players confidence," Tatro said. "It also has improved our work ethic. They work harder than ever in the weight room. They worked hard in the off-season, and more of them went to camps. They have worked harder on their skills to make us better this season. Winning leads to more winning."


Kansas City Kansan  Friday, August 29, 2003
Predictions for '03 football season

"Kansan football predictions, outlooks on the Kaw Valley League"  By Jeremy Banks

1. Mill Valley, 2.Bonner Springs, 3. Piper,  4.DeSoto, 5. Lansing, 6. Tonganoxie, 7. Santa Fe Trail, 8. Immaculata, 9. Basehor-Linwood, 10. Perry-Lecompton

Predictions: The Kaw Valley League looks similar to the Big 12 in college football: It's the top four teams and then everybody else.

Outside of Mill Valley, Bonner Springs, Piper and DeSoto High School, the league doesn't look to be very competitive. But the top four teams in the league are as good as any in the area.

Mill Valley, last year, had one of the best football teams in the area last year, going through the regular season defeating foe after foe. Mill Valley last year had one of the better running games in the league and with the running game, Mill Valley High School dominated. The team has lost a good number of starters on its offensive line and other positions, but should still be good enough to take first in the Kaw Valley League.

Bonner Springs will bring a tough hard-nosed approach to every game like it did last year.

The Braves will count on its tough running game between the tackles and option running to move the offense.

The team will also like to pass off of play-action fakes to confuse defense that key in totally on the run. The defense will be no different than the mentality of the offense -- tough.

The Braves can blitz to get to the quarterback or just play teams straight up. The Braves will return tough runner and linebacker Drew Hess.

On the offensive side of the ball, Hess had 93 carries for 446 yards and also caught 10 passes for 94 yards.

On defense, he recorded 89 total tackles and had a fumble recovery and an interception to go along with his 41/2 sacks on the year.

Piper High School which at the end of the season last year, was playing the best football in the Wyandotte County area, will be good once again.

But with Bonner Springs and Mill Valley still strong, Piper may be good enough to still earn a playoff spot later in the year when district play begins, but the Pirates just may not be able to win the KVL.

The Pirates bring back a host of players from last year, almost the whole team.

Piper lost its best defensive player in Nick Jobe. Jobe gave the Pirates 158 total tackles and was the team's MVP. But don't fret.

The Pirates will return other defensive stars in Mike Simmons and Shawnn Lampson. Simmons had 123 total tackles with two interceptions. Lampson from the defensive back position, recorded 124 tackles and could defend both the pass and the run.

Lampson also was a force on the offensive end. He led the team in rushing with 1,131 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. He also caught 16 passes.

Quarterback Scott Lipovac will also make a comeback. He finished the season as one of the better quarterbacks in the KCK area. He had 1,444 yards and nine touchdown passes.

The offense should be good and the defense should be just as solid, but unfortunately for the Pirates, the same could be said about Bonner Springs and Mill Valley.



Sept. 6, 2003     Kansas City Kansan Newspaper

Jeremy Banks / The Banks Factor

WyCo football needs to be heard

I walked into the room filled with people, knees shaking and more thoughts running through my head than a man with six different personalities jammed into his brain.

"This is your time to shine boy," I thought at one moment.

"No, now you know how you are, you're a laid-back quiet type of guy. What are you doing this for? What are you trying to do? Bore them to sleep so that they won't hear you make a fool of yourself?" I said in another thought.
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Piper coach Dick Tatro came up and seeming a little hungry at the time."This is better than Piper cafeteria," he said after coming to the podium.  He elaborated. "I appreciate a good meal," he said.
But then he got to the point."I've never had a team that rebounded like last year" he said referring to Piper's six straight wins they pulled off at the end of the season last year.

Tatro and Szycygiel talked on how pleased they were with their talent.
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You look to the west and you see Piper with returning offensive stars Shawnn Lampson and Scott Lipovac. Bonner Springs is ready for another playoff run with a loaded backfield and tough defense. Washington has quarterback Tony Townsend, a playmaker to lead the team, along with a aggressive style of offense and defense.
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The Wyandotte County area has football talent and good football teams, regardless if people outside the area have noticed it or not. But one thing is for sure, Wyandotte County sports has been crying and screaming for respect for years.

On that day, the people attending the luncheon heard it, I heard it, the coaches in the room heard it, and after this season ends, the surrounding areas who lend a deaf ear to WyCo sports will hear it too -- loud and clear.
Prep Zone, The Topeka Capital Journal, 9/03
Class 4A ranking notes

Talk about streaky. KC PIPER (Kaw Valley League) lost its first four games last year before ripping off six straight wins. QB Scott Lipovac threw for nearly 1,500 yards and tailback Shawnn Lampson added more than 1,100 yards on the ground.
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Piper Frosh Defeat Basehor Linwood in Opening Game

The Piper 9th Grade football team opened up their season on Thursday, September 4th by defeating Basehor-Linwood by a score of 36-12.

Scoring for Piper was Running back E.J. James who scored on a 95 yard Kickoff return and also scored on two other touchdown runs and a two-point conversion.  James had 69 yards rushing on 14 carries.

Quarterback Beau Beashore threw for two touchdown passes with both TD's going to wide receiver Nate Daniels.  Daniels had two receptions totaling 97 yards.  Beashore completed 6 of 14 passes for 121 yards for the game.

Also with receptions for the Pirates were wide receivers Austin Bond with two receptions and Nick Valejo and James Oakes with one catch each.

Fullback Kurtis Schweinfurth picked up 47 yards rushing on 8 carries.

Both Oakes and Valejo were cited by freshmen coaches Brock Hartshorn and Larry Beashore for their outstanding defensive play throughout the game.
Saturday, September 13, 2003

Piper Falls to De Soto 22 - 19

The Piper Pirates suffered the first loss of the season by losing to the De Soto Wildcats by a score of 22-19 at De Soto.

After looking very impressive in the the Pirates first game of the season against Santa Fe Trail, the Piper offense and defense were not able to play with the consistency necessary to to overcome the 3 point loss. 

After falling behind in the first quarter 3-0, the Pirates took the lead in the second quarter with a seven yard touchdown run by Shawnn Lampson and led 6-3.

DeSoto regained the lead with a touchdown run, but the Pirates came back with two more touchdowns in the second quarter.  Quarterback Scott Lipovac hit junior wide receiver Alex Angelotti on a eight yard touchdown pass and Lampson scored again on the ground from 16 yards out to give Piper a 19-9 halftime lead.

De Soto scored twice in the third quarter to regain the lead at 22-19.

The Pirate defense turned in good performances by Lampson, Aaron Dulaney, and Free Safety Steve Hargis. Dulaney and linebacker Mike Simmons had fumble recoveries for the defense.

Offensively, Lampson had 148 yards rushing on 16 carries.  Fullback Ryan Moore had 40 yards on the ground and Lipovac had 36 yards rushing.  Lipovac had 118 yards passing with Jeff Hamilton being the leading receiver with 3 catches for 44 yards.

Punter Matt Mosier punted only once during the game but booted a 46 yarder inside the DeSoto 10 yard line.

The Pirates will be working hard to get back on track this coming week and face Class 5A opponent Bonner Springs this Friday night in Bonner Springs. 


Piper getting off on right foot

By JEREMY BANKS

Kansas City Kansan Sportswriter

Just a season ago, the Piper High School Pirates started the season off in a not-so-good fashion as it lost the first four games of the season.

This year it looks to be none of that.

"It's big and they're the defending champs," said Piper football coach Dick Tatro in regards to its win over Santa Fe Trail High School. "And they're the defending (Kaw Valley League) champs which was bigger."

On Friday night, the Pirates dominated Santa Fe Trail High School at home in impressive fashion by a score of 45-20.

The Pirates with offensive weapons such as quarterback Scott Lipovac and running back Shawnn Lampson provided the team with a good balance of the running game and passing game.

The Pirates racked up a impressive total of 446 yards and scored in every quarter except for the fourth.

Lipovac was 14 of 18 for 269 yards and passed for five touchdowns. Lampson rushed only eight times, but picked up 102 yards. Two receivers also emerged as threats in Jeff Hamilton and Chris Shannon, who caught for 106 and 101 yards and a combined five touchdowns.

Hamilton last year was playing defense and Shannon wasn't playing football at all.

Shannon had a big day in his first football game he has ever played in his life. Tatro said he never knew just how good he was until he saw him for the first time at practice.

"I didn't realize he was as talented until the first practice," said Tatro. "I was glad to see him do well."

Tatro all the while knew Hamilton would be a solid player. Hamilton started at receiver his sophomore year, but suffered a foot injury in his junior season. After he recovered, he played mostly defense. This year, he was back at receiver. Tatro expected big things from him.

"I know he was good. He did what I expected," he said.

Having two receiving threats, a threat in the backfield in Lampson and a quarterback with good accuracy such as Lipovac can make opposing defenses toss and turn in its sleep thinking about having to face the Pirates' offense on Friday nights.

Tatro said he was pleased by the offensive outburst and in a way was kind of surprised.

"I don't think you ever expect that," he said.

But can the team continue the offensive explosion it started last Friday night?

" I sure hope so," said Tatro with a laugh.

If so, what would the team have to focus on to continue to rack up yards like groceries?

"I think we just need to keep improving," said Tatro. "There's plenty of things we need to improve on."

The Piper offense can be potent, but the Pirates don't want to get into 35-30 shoot-outs on a regular basis. That is why defense will also have to be important to the team.

The Pirates surrendered a total of 269 yards of total offense to Santa Fe Trail, but 263 yards of them were on the ground.

Stats like would set off the alarm, like pulling the switch in the hallway, but Tatro said he was not worried at all.

"I thought the defense played well," he said.

With the first team defense on the field, the defense was solid, but most of the yards were surrendered when younger players were put onto the field to gain experience in the second half.

The win over Santa Fe Trail signified not just the thought that Piper High School would be on its way starting off on the right foot, but it also puts the Pirates on the right side of the column as it started Kaw Valley League play with a 1-0 record.

The Pirates will next play against Desoto on the road.

Jeremy Banks / The Banks Factor  from the Kansas City Kansan

Turner looking best in area

Last year I just jumped on and off of more bandwagons than most ESPN analysts, old-school train conductors back in the 1800s and the band of thugs that robbed them all into one.

I started last season feeling Schlagle may have been the best team in the area, then after the second week, I switched gears and figured that Bishop Ward was the class of the Kansas City, Kan., area.

Well that lasted for a while, but then I felt Piper High School turned out to be the best team and by the end of the year, I had one foot on Piper's bandwagon, another on Bonner Springs' and two hands on the Turner bandwagon.

Had I fallen it would have been disastrous.

But that's what makes high school football so fun -- it's unpredictable.

Anything can happen on any night and anyone can be beaten at any time. You never know what's going to happen next.

So this next statement will definitely be subject to change but now, the Turner Golden Bears are the class of Kansas City, Kan., area football.

Turner doesn't have an offense as explosive at Piper High School's.

Piper High School is good. They may be the most explosive offense in the city, with Shawnn Lampson running the football, Scott Lipovac throwing darts at receivers and Jeff Hamilton and Chris Shannon catching them.

They have the explosive offense, but the defense is just as explosive at times -- only not in the Pirate's favor.

For the second straight week, the Piper defense has given up big numbers on the defensive end o the ball. This time it resulted in a 22-19 loss to a tough team in DeSoto High School.

The defense is shaky, but Piper coach Dick Tatro feels it will come around soon this season.

Turner doesn't have a defense as tough as Bonner Springs' group of hitmen either. Linebacker Danny Gardener is tough and holds opposing offenses down along with his defensive mate Drew Hess. Both are playmakers that can make things happen on defense. The only thing I could say against Bonner Springs is with their running style of football, they can't be very explosive and will have to win a lot of close football games, but a win is a win regardless.
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September 8, 2003

Piper JV Picks Up Win over Santa Fe Trail

The Piper Junior Varsity team came from behind late in the fourth quarter and defeated  Santa Fe Trail by a score of 20 -13 Monday night at Santa Fe Trail. 

Alex Angelotti teamed up with quarterback Garrett Weddle for two touchdown passes for the Pirate offensive attack.  Weddle also hit sophomore receiver Jimmy Burgess for a two point conversion that gave Piper a 14-13 lead.   Running back Tony Schuberger scored very late in the 4th quarter to seal the victory for the Pirates.

The Piper JV defense was led by Jared Baker, Elliot Potts, Chris "Rudy" Harman, Matt Parmalee, Matt Wohlford, and Armando Aquilar.

The Piper JV's next game will be Monday, September 22nd at Piper against Bonner Springs.
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Saturday, September 6, 2003

Pirates Open Season with Impressive 45-20 Win !

The Piper Pirates kicked off the start of the 2003 football season with a very impressive 45-20 victory over the Santa Fe Trail Chargers.  The game featured tough defensive play by many new members of the Piper defense, 5 touchdown passes thrown by Quarterback Scott Lipovac, a running game with Running Back Shawnn Lampson averaging over 8 yards a carry, and the outstanding play of experienced offensive linemen

The Chargers who finished the 2002 season with a 7-2 record, threatened to score early in the game on their first offensive drive.  After returning the opening kickoff back up near mid-field, the Santa Fe Trail power running game drove the ball deep into Piper territory before finally being stopped by  several key plays by the Pirate defense and turned the ball over on 4th down.

The Piper offense stepped on the field and quickly took control of the game.  On the first offensive play Quarterback Scott Lipovac hit Tight End Jeff Hamilton for a big gain that brought the Pirates up to midfield.  With a balanced offensive attack, the Pirates moved the ball down the field and Lipovac connected with wide Receiver Chris Shannon for a 27 yard touchdown.

After seeing the Santa Fe Trail power offensive game plan on the first drive, the Pirate defense began pressuring the Charger running game and this time quickly turned the ball back to the Pirate offense.  Lipovac found Shannon again in the back corner of the end zone for a 4 yard touchdown reception.

The Piper offensive line led by returning starters Mitch Myer, Jeff Juliano, T.J. Dorian, and Aaron Dulaney provided the pass protection for Lipovac to connect with Hamilton for a 25 yard touchdown pass to give Piper a 18-0 early in the 2nd quarter.

On the next Piper possession Lipovac hit Hamilton again, and with several key downfield blocks, Hamilton scored from 25 yards out.  With the extra point by kicker Matt Mosier, the Pirates led by a score of 25-7.  

Mosier also punted very well during the game, twice pinning the Chargers deep in their own territory.  One punt was downed on the one yard line and another was kicked inside the 10 yard line.

Just before halftime Piper cornerback D.J. Brown scooped up a Charger fumble and raced 35 yards into the end zone for another Pirate touchdown giving Piper a 32-7 lead at the half.

The Pirate defense continued to stop the Santa Fe Trail power run offense in the second half.  The Piper defense was anchored by returning starting linebacker Mike Simmons, strong safety Lampson, defensive end Josh Wille, defensive linemen Dorian, Myer, and Juliano, linebacker Dulaney, and Free Safety Steve Hargis.

The Piper offensive of Myer, Dorian, Juliano, Dulaney and Lance Soucey also opened up big holes for the running game and the Pirates continued to pick up big chunks of yardage on the ground. Following the blocks of his linemen, Lampson scored on a 57 yard run early in the third quarter.

On the next Piper possession, Lipovac found Hamilton open in the end zone for a 29 yard touchdown connection.

For the game Lipovac completed 14 of 18 passes for 264 yards and threw 5 touchdown passes. His favorite receivers were Hamilton with 5 receptions for 106 yards and 3 touchdown receptions and Shannon with 4 catches for 101 yards and 2 touchdown grabs.    On the ground, Lampson picked up over 100 yards rushing on 8 carries and scored one touchdown.

Next Friday the Pirates will travel to DeSoto to play the DeSoto Wildcats.


Kansas City Star

Posted on Wed, Sep. 24, 2003  

Piper stops Bonner Springs' running game
By DONOVAN CORRIGAN
Special to The Star

With a returning all-state quarterback, a potential all-state performer at tailback, and one of the deepest receiving corps in the area, the Piper offense is assured of posting big numbers each week. In three games, the Pirates have averaged over 250 yards of total offense and 30.3 points a game.

But if Piper is to return the Class 4A state playoffs, the defense will have step up its play. In Piper's first two games, the Pirates' defense yielded 21 points a game and was porous against the run. Piper gave up over 350 rushing yards in a 22-19 loss to De Soto on Sept. 12.

So when area rival Bonner Springs and its potent power running game came to Piper to play a key Kaw Valley League game last Friday, it appeared the Pirates' run defense would be in trouble once again.   Not this time.

Piper stymied Bonner Springs' running game by swarming to the ball and outplaying the Braves in the trenches en route to a 27-14 victory at Piper Stadium.

"Our defense really stepped up. We had given up a great deal of yards against De Soto. So I was happy we played better against Bonner (Springs)," Piper coach Dick Tatro said. "The key was the play our front seven. We stopped their running game. We knew we could move the ball (on offense). We just worried about stopping them."

After a scoreless first quarter, quarterback Scott Lipovac threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Chris Shannon early in the second quarter that put Piper up 7-0. Lipovac connected with running back Shawnn Lampson for a 72-yard touchdown minutes later to stretch the lead to 13-0. Bonner Springs, 1-2, cut the lead to 13-6 on a Drew Hess 5-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter.

Lampson scored on runs of 5 and 49 yards in the second half, giving Piper a 27-6 lead. An 18-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Lamp to Matt Middleton, and a two-point conversion run from Hess cut the lead to 27-14, but Bonner's comeback bid would fall short.

Lampson finished with 128 yards on 18 carries, and caught two passes for 82 yards.

"I think he's one of the best backs that I have ever had in my 36 years in football," Tatro said of Lampson, who has rushed for 378 yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries, and caught seven passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. "He's our Priest Holmes: a little guy with a big heart. He can run and catch."

The Piper offense is far from a one-man show. Lipovac has passed for 573 yards and eight touchdowns. He has completed 31 of 62 passes. Jeff Hamilton leads Piper in receiving with 12 catches for 229 yards and three touchdowns. Shannon has caught seven passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns.

"Balance on offense is what we strive for," Tatro said. "We try to use as many players as we can in our offense. We have several good players, which gives us confidence."
Piper offense explodes in win

By JEREMY BANKS
Kansas City Kansan sport writer

It's been said that a good defense will always win out over a good offense.

Piper on Friday night at Bonner Springs High School moved against the statement by creating an offensive explosion enroute to a 27-14 victory over the Braves,1-2.

"This was a really big win for us," said Piper football coach Dick Tatro.

The Pirates, 2-1, threw the football effectively under the controls of quarterback Scott Lipovac and created a balanced running attack with running back Shawnn Lampson and fullback Ryan Moore.

When the two elements were combined, sparks flew.

"When we're clicking right, we're pretty good," said Tatro.

The game stayed scoreless until the middle of the second quarter.

Piper, after a stalled Bonner Springs drive, took the ball on the Braves 34-yard line.

Lampson broke off a nine-yard run and on 2nd-and-1, Lipovac dropped back to pass and threw deep for his receiver Chris Shannon positioned right in front of the goal line.

Shannon, with a defender challenging him, caught the ball and backed up a yard into the end zone and took a 7-0 lead after the extra point.

Piper scored again on an impressive screen pass on 2nd-and-10 from the 28-yard line.

Lipovac dropped back to pass and set up the screen. As the defenders closed in on him, he dropped the ball off to Lampson in the flat.

Lampson was caught one on one with a defender and took off. The defender grabbed Lampson, but he shook the tackle and broke free, turning a five-yard pass into a 72-yard touchdown.

"On that screen pass, they had him, but he's a weight room rat. He lives in the weight room and you can see on that play. The guy grabbed him and he had his shirt, tried to pull him down and he pulled away from him," said Tatro. "Lampson's a heck of a football player."

Piper was now ahead 13-0 after the extra-point attempt was missed.

Piper was in full control of the game until the end of the second quarter with about two minutes left until halftime and the Pirates were trying to get into position for a field goal.

On first down, the Pirates tried to run the football, but Lampson lost his handle on the ball and fumbled. The ball was recovered by Bonner Springs on the Piper five-yard line.

On the first play of the drive, the Braves scored on a five-yard run by running back Drew Hess to make the score 13-6 after a missed extra point. It gave the Braves momentum going into halftime.

The momentum didn't last long.

The Pirates scored again in the middle of the third quarter.

On 2nd and 5, Lipovac dropped back to pass again. He snapped the ball and faked a pitch to Lampson running to his right. After the fake pitch, he scanned downfield and hit his receiver Jeff Hamilton for a 15-yard gain down to the Braves five-yard line.

"The biggest thing about him is he's real smart," said Tatro of Lipovac. "He's a real sharp kid. He's a lot better than he was last year."

The drive was capped off by a five-yard touchdown run by Lampson.

"Shawnn, you have to give him credit. He's a self-made player," said Tatro.

Lampson then finished off the scoring in the game by breaking off a 49-yard touchdown run. On first down, he took a hand-off on a sweep to the left. He hit the corner, broke a tackle, then weaved through traffic and then took off for the end zone.

The loss left Braves football coach Lew Kasselman frustrated.

"We got our butts kicked up front," he said. "We couldn't get any running game going."

With no running game to lean on, the Braves were forced to ask quarterback Matt Middleton to throw the football more than he usually does.

The results were not successful because Middleton was chased out of the pocket all day long, forcing throws that were off the mark.

"If we can't block for the run, I don't think we can block for the passing game," said Kasselman. "We've got to learn how to do that."


Saturday, September 20, 2003


Pirates Overpower Bonner Springs 27-14

The Piper Pirates  took on Class 5A rivals Bonner Springs and defeated the Braves 27-14 Friday night in Bonner Springs. 

After a scoreless opening quarter, the Pirates took control of the game on the first play of the second quarter and then never let up.  Quarterback Scott Lipovac found junior wide receiver Chris Shannon in the corner of the end zone for the first Piper touchdown of the game.  Matt Mosier booted his first of 3 extra points and Piper led 7-0.

The Piper defense played very well throughout the game in stopping Bonner Springs' attempt at establishing a power running game.  Led by defensive tackle Jeff Juliano and  senior linebacker Mike Simmons, the Bonner Springs offense was limited to only six first downs for the entire game.

Midway through the second quarter, Lipovac connected on a pass with Shawnn Lampson who raced 72 yards down the sideline to give Piper a 13-0 lead.

Lampson scored twice more in the second half on runs of 5 and 49 yards to complete the scoring for the Pirates.   Lampson picked up 128 yards on the ground in 18 carries. 

The passing game faced an aggressive Bonner Springs defense.  Lipovac completed 9 passes for 192 yards and threw 2 touchdown passes.  The leading Pirate receiver was senior Jeff Hamilton with 5 catches for 69 yards. 

The Piper defense continued to shut down the Braves offense the entire evening limiting Bonner Springs to only 117 total yards.  Leading tacklers for Piper were Simmons with 11 tackles and Juliano with 10.  Defensive ends Hamilton and Josh Wille played well containing the Braves on the outside and finished with 7 and 6 tackles.  Both Hamilton and Wille also sacked the Braves quarterback one time each.  Lampson and center-linebacker Aaron Dulaney each recorded 7 tackles.

Mosier also pinned the Bonner Springs offense deep in their own territory with 3 punts inside the Braves 10 yard line.

This coming Friday Piper takes on 7th ranked Mill Valley for the Pirates Homecoming game at Piper.



September 23, 2003

Piper Freshmen Win 2
by Coach Brock Hartshorn

The Piper Freshmen won two games this past week, 20-8 over Santa Fe Trail and 12-6 over De Soto.  The two wins up their record to 3-0.

In the first win, Piper had touchdown runs of 30, 6, and 12 yards by E.J. Kames and a 2 point conversion pass from Beau Beashore to nate Daniels.  The Pirate defense led by a strong front five once again held an opponent to 8 points to persevere the 20-8 victory. 

E.J. James had 169 yards on 22 carries and Curtis Schweinfurth had 89 yards on 11 carries as the Piper offense rorolled up 279 total yards.  The second game of the week was a defensive battle that the Pirates broke open with a 61 yard pass to Nick Vallejo and then scored with 1 minute left. on a 20 yard pass from Beashore to Valejo in the fourth quarter. to defeast De Soto 12-6.  E.J. James also scored on a 35 yard T.D. run.  Again the entire defense played well allowing only one T.D. for the third straight wqeek.

Coach Hartshorn commented, "This team works hard every week and continues to improve every game.  I was proud of the way we hung in there tonight and found a way to win". 

The Pirate freshmen are now 3-0 on the season and host Bonner Springs September 22nd.

Prep Zone State Spotlight
Wednesday, October 1, 2003

PLAYER OF THE WEEK    Scott Lipovac, KC Piper 5-foot-11, 160 senior QB

HIS GAME: Lipovac guided Piper to a come-from-behind 22-21 upset of previously unbeaten Mill Valley, connecting on 16 of 26 passes for 216 yards and two scores. He hit 5 of 5 passes and scrambled for 15 yards as the Pirates marched 74 yards in 55 seconds for the win, hitting tight end Jeff Hamilton for a 10-yard TD and then running for the game-winning two-point conversion.

COACH'S COMMENTS: "Scott is pretty calm and cool in those situations," Piper coach Dick Tatro said. "They were dropping eight back in coverage and you have to give him credit because not many high school kids can handle it like he did. I was pretty confident in Scott and our kids they could get it done."




PIper Pirates Chosen Team of the Week

On Tuesday, September 30, representatives from Hy-Vee and Channel 9 KMBC-TV visted Piper High School and presented the Piper football team with a trophy for the "Team of the Week".  Hall of Famer, and former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Len Dawson, from Channel 9 presented the team with the trophy.  Highlights of this presentation will be on the 6:00 and 10:00 News on Channel 9.

Kansas City Star Wednesday, October 1, 2003

Victory says Piper heading in right direction
By DONOVAN CORRIGAN
Special to The Star

If this was a statement game, and according to Piper coach Dick Tatro it was, the statement the Pirates made after a thrilling 22-21 come-from-behind victory over Mill Valley on Friday night was loud and clear: Piper has become one of the better Class 4A programs in the area.

"My goal when I came here (Piper) was to build a top 4A program. We are moving in the right direction," Tatro said. "I told them that to be the best, you have to beat the best. We work hard every week to achieve that.

"Mill Valley has a great program, and we want to get to that level, so beating them might not mean that we have the same kind of program that they do, but it does show that we are in the ballpark."

Piper won the game in dramatic fashion. Trailing 21-14 with less than one minute left, Piper quarterback Scott Lipovac engineered an improbable 74-yard scoring drive in just 57 seconds. Lipovac's 10-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Hamilton capped off the drive. Piper trailed 21-20 with 1.5 seconds to play.

Lipovac, who beat Mill Valley all game with arm, did in the No. 3 team in The Star's small-class poll with his speed. A senior, Lipovac outraced Mill Valley defenders to the right corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion and a 22-21 victory.

Tatro, armed with the knowledge that Mill Valley's power running game would be hard to stop in overtime, decided to go for a two-point conversion and the win. The gamble paid off.

"The call to go for two (points) was not that gutsy. They have a great offense for overtime," Tatro said. "The power running game gave them a better chance in that small box of 10 yards. We score easier from 30 yards. They are better at short yardage. We made our two-point conversion earlier, so I was confident we could again."

Tatro had good reason to be wary of the Jaguars' prowess running the ball. David Woods had already rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns in 33 carries. Woods' 30-yard run gave Mill Valley to a 21-14 lead late in the fourth quarter. Wood scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter to give Mill Valley a 14-6 lead.

Piper, 3-1, tied the game 14-14 early in the fourth quarter on 19-yard run from Shawnn Lampson, and a two-point conversion pass from Lipovac to Hamilton. Lipovac's 53-yard bomb to Chris Shannon in the first quarter gave Piper a 7-0 lead.

Lipovac completed 16 of 26 passes for 215 yards. He rushed for 57 yards in 11 carries. Lipovac has completed 47 of 88 passes for 785 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.

According to Tatro, it's Lipovac's intangibles that make him such a good quarterback and the leader of the Pirates' offense.

"He is a great leader by example off the field as well as on the field," Tatro said of his standout quarterback. "He knows our offense better than anyone. He's fast (4.6 in the 40); he's strong (benches over 200 pounds) and smart (3.5 GPA). A coach couldn't ask more of him. Scott (Lipovac) has been the best."

Piper's big Kaw Valley League win was a victory for all the other football programs in Wyandotte County, too, according to Tatro.

"The win was big because myself and other coaches in Wyandotte County believe that we play good football, and have several good teams here, but we get overshadowed by others in the metro area," Tatro said. "We think our kids can compete against teams from the Missouri side or Johnson County. So to win a game while we were in the spotlight was very big for us, and our area.

"The district wins (last season) and the playoffs were big last year. But this win, with the drive at the end, makes it the best. None of us will ever forget it."

Saturday, September 27, 2003
Piper Upsets Mill Valley
By KEVIN KADUK
The Kansas City Star

Piper coach Dick Tatro didn't waste much time in making a decision on the age-old dilemma of going for the win or settling for the tie.

Mill Valley had run the ball successfully all night. It was likely to run the ball even more in overtime. Piper had just engineered a 74-yard touchdown drive in 57 seconds, pulling within one point. One and a half seconds remained on the clock. It was Piper's homecoming night. The crowd was noisy. Momentum was on their side.  The decision was simple.

"If we went to overtime, we were going to be here all night," Tatro said. "So we decided to strike while the iron was hot and go for two."

Quarterback Scott Lipovac rolled out on the two-point conversion attempt, found no receivers and made a mad dash to the right corner. Three yards later he was in the end zone for a 22-21 victory that upset Mill Valley, ranked No. 3 in The Star's small-class poll.

The successful conversion capped a wild second half in which Piper overcame numerous penalties and three turnovers and erased two different Mill Valley leads. Both teams are now 3-1.

Lipovac finished the game by completing 16 of 26 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. He was five for seven on the final drive with the two incompletions coming on spiked passes to stop the clock.

"I knew that if we got the ball back, we'd be OK," said Lipovac, a senior. "We've been working on the two-minute drill in practice, and we were ready for something like this."

It appeared as if Mill Valley would stave off the upset when running back David Woods scored a 30-yard touchdown, his third of the night, which gave the Jaguars a 21-14 lead with less than 1 minute remaining.

But Lipovac and the Pirates quickly responded with their game-winning drive. Lipovac continually rolled out to pass, causing an already tired Jaguars line to chase him even more.

Lipovac hooked up with Alex Angelotti on his first three completions, then found Shawnn Lampson on a 20-yard pass that brought the Pirates to Mill Valley's 10-yard line with 9 seconds remaining.

That set up the winning touchdown as Lipovac found Jeff Hamilton through traffic for the winning pass. The play was similar to one earlier in the quarter, when the two connected for a two-point conversion that tied the score 14-14.

"It's just a huge win for us," Hamilton said. "They've beat us pretty bad the past two years. Beating them is something we've wanted to do."

Mill Valley beat Piper 39-0 in 2002 and 41-0 the year before.

Piper grabbed the early lead when Lipovac found Chris Shannon down the right sideline for a 53-yard touchdown pass. But Mill Valley's Woods broke through on the next kickoff, returning the ball 86 yards to Piper's 2.

Woods, who finished the night with 207 yards in 33 carries, scored on the next play. The two teams did not score again until the third quarter, when Woods scored his second touchdown of the night for a 14-6 Mill Valley lead.

Lampson scored the second Piper touchdown on a 19-yard run in the fourth quarter.

HovpenSports.com  Player of the Week   October 2, 2003

Scott Lipovac who won a big one for KC Piper. Scott completed 16-26 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns to send Piper to a 22-21 victory over Mill Valley in an upset. He completed every pass on the final drive that went 74 yards with 57 seconds left in the game and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass with a second. Trailing by a point, Piper went for the two point conversion with the quarterback sprinting to the corner of the end zone for the win. Piper got the ball after a Mill Valley touchdown with 55 seconds left on their own 24 yard line. Twice he spiked the ball to stop the clock. He also ran for 57 yards on 11 carries.

Last – Minute Heroics at Piper
By Jeremy Banks
Kansas City Kansan Newspaper

Question:

How do you get about 20 people to line up outside and chant your name for 10 minutes straight?

Here’s how to do it.

Come into a situation where your team is behind 21-14 with only :57 seconds left to play.  Lead the team on a 75 yard drive in those 57 seconds and score on the two-point conversion to win and it’s a lock that it can happen to you too.

Piper High School quarterback Scott Lipovac had fans chanting “We want Scott, we want Scott” after Lipovac led the Pirates 3-1, to a 22-21 come-from-behind win over Mill Valley High School, 3-1, Friday night at Piper High School.

“It hasn’t set in yet, but I’m sure tomorrow I’ll know how much it means,” said Lipovac.

The Piper offense was potent for the majority of the night, romping up and down the field.  But turnovers and penalties halted a number of point- producing drives to put the Pirates in a situation to have to come back.

The Pirates opened up the scoring in the game when it started the drive on its own nine-yard line and drove 91 yards in 12 plays.  The drive was capped off by a Lipovac-towide receiver Chris Shannon 50-yard touchdown pass.

In a twins formation Lipovac dropped back to pass and looked to his left, then his right, downfield he saw Shannon who was working against man-to-man coverage.

Lipovac took advantage of the coverage and lofted a ball deep into the hands of a streaking Shannon down the sideline.  Shannon caught the ball in stride and took it all the way down for the touchdown, but the extra point was no good.  The score was 6-0 in favor of Piper.

Mill Valley answered right back on the ensuing kick-off when Jaguars running back David Woods put together a big return all the way to the Piper one-yard line.

Woods one play later took a hand-off up the middle and scored.  The Jaguars extra-point was good and Mill Valley was ahead at 7-6 that quick.

Mill Valley scored once again in the third quarter with 6:56 left to play on a four yard touchdown run by Woods to extend the lead to 14-6.

Piper received chances to get a score and try to tie the game with a two point conversion, but penalties, dropped passes in key situations and turnovers hurt the team.

Fullback Ryan Moore fumbled the football inside the Mill Valley five, the Pirates had a 65-yard touchdown pass from Lipovac to running back Shawnn Lampson taken away due to penalties and Shannon who made big plays during the course of the game, stumbled some by dropping two consecutive key passes that would have been first downs deep in Jaguar territory.

The lead stayed at 14-6 until the fourth quarter where things got wild.

With 4:58 left to play in the game, Piper finally tied the game at 14-14 when on the Mill Valley 29 yard line, Lipovac seemingly dropped back to pass, but gave the ball to Lampson on a draw play.  Lampson took the draw and shook one defender, which freed him up to run through the Mill Valley secondary on his way to a 29-yard touchdown run.  The two-point conversion was good, thus putting Piper right back in the game and getting fans excited again.

But Woods and Mill Valley were not done just yet.

On Mill Valley’s next possession it strung together a seven-play 72 yard drive which was finished with guess who, a Woods touchdown run.

On the Piper 30-yard line and out of the pro-set formation, Woods took a pitch to his left.  He hit the corner and juked one defender (a quick evasive move).  He then danced his way through the defense and broke free down the sideline for a touchdown to seemingly put the game away with 1:24 left to play and the Jaguars ahead 21-14 late.

Piper took the kick-off and returned it to its own 25-yard line.

When the drive started and with Piper’s offensive fire power, fans had a feeling something special could happen.

Players started motioning for the crowd to get into the game and cheerleaders got fans back into the action.

So with :57 seconds left to play and 75 yards away from a score, Piper started off the drive.

“I knew the odds were against us, but with 57 seconds to go, we knew we had a chance to get the ball downfield and put it in,” said Lipovac.

Lipovac started the drive with a 5-yard scramble, then a 15-yard pass towide receiver Alex Angelotti.  He then hit Angelotti again for eight yards to take the Pirates to the Mill Valley 47-yard line with only :28 seconds left.  Angelotti picked up another pass from Lipovac, this time it was for 15 yards leaving the Pirates with just :17 seconds left to play. 

After getting down to the 12-yard line, Lipovac finished the drive by hitting wide receiver Jeff Hamilton for a touchdown with just one second left to play in the game.

The crowd erupted.

Lipovac, out of a spread-formation dropped back to pass and found Hamilton in the middle of the endzone, but between two defenders.  Lipovac zipped the ball between the crease and hit a diving Hamilton for the game tying touchdown.

Piper football coach Dick Tatro had confidence Lipovac could help the team drive for the touchdown all along.

“Scott’s a great quarterback.” Said Tatro.  “He knows what he’s doing out there, he’s schooled in the offense and he’s cool under fire.  He had a lot of decisions to make and he did a great job.”

Now in this situation would you go for the extra-point or be brave and and put it all on the line by playing for the win and going for the two-point conversion?

Piper took the latter.

The Pirates had the ball on the three-yard line and snapped the ball for the game’s deciding play.  Lipovac dropped back to pass and scanned the field, but seemingly no one was open.

He took off to his right for the score.  He ran to the corner of the endzone and dove for the line.

He was hit hard by a linebacker, but just got the ball over the line and scored for the two-point conversion and the 22-21 lead prompting an on-field celebration.  Piper players and the Pirates stormed the field, though the game was not completely over yet – there was still one second to play. 

“I’m still a little woozy from that last hit.” Said Lipovac.

With one second left to play, all Piper had to do was squib-kick the ball on the kick-off and the win was final.

Piper 22, Mill Valley 21.

Tatro said the Pirates practice every day for that very moment.

“That’s the advantage of the kind of offense we run.  And we do excellent every practice.  We do two-minute drills and we move it down the fields.  It was just made for this moment.

“Our offense is great this year,” said Lipovac.  “We’re just multi-dimensional.  We have some great threats.”    



Piper hard to stop or catch

By JEREMY BANKS
Kansas City Kansan sports writer

Just give Piper the ball I tell you -- and watch them score.

The Pirates just won't score, but the offense will score more points than Wilt Chamberlain on any of his best nights.

"Our offense is great this year," said Piper quarterback Scott Lipovac. "We're just multi-dimensional. We have some great threats."

Lipovac is right.

There are great threats all over the football field for the Pirates. They have definitely showed, especially after its 22-21 win over Mill Valley High School that they can score in so many different ways and have secured a spot right now as the best offense in Wyandotte County.

If you need it, Piper has it in some way.

There is the explosive running of Shawnn Lampson. For such a short person, Lampson plays like he's much bigger. He's quick and slippery, sliding and diving through defenders like a snake in the grass. Not only can he hurt a team running the football, but he can also hurt a defense by coming out of the backfield and catching the football.

Lampson is a key component of the Piper High School passing game. He comes out of the backfield catching swing passes and turns five-yard screen-passes into 50-yard touchdown tosses.

Lampson brings the finesse, but if the team needs a tough hard-nosed runner to run down the time clock, then there is running back Ryan Moore.

Moore is big in size and is a straight ahead north/south runner. He won't hurt you with his speed, but his power going downfield is strong.

It's dangerous enough to have two good running backs that possess a mixture of power and speed, but the Pirates also have two wide receivers on the outside at Lipovac's disposal that can hurt a team also.

Chris Shannon and the player that lines up opposite him in Jeff Hamilton are both explosive receivers. Now, if it were just Shannon or Hamilton lining up on the outside, it would make things a little easier on the defense.

The defense could double-team the receiver and at the same time be weary of the running game.

With two explosive receivers on either end, all that is thrown out of the window. There can't be any double-teams when playing against Piper without leaving your secondary vulnerable to being beaten downfield.

Shannon and Hamilton both have speed, the ability to get open across and down the field and once catching the ball, the two have the ability to run after the catch.

Then there's the man that makes it all go in Lipovac.

Lipovac is an excellent leader on the field, has heart and the talent to become one of the better quarterbacks in the area. Lipovac has good touch on his deep passes and can not only hurt a team with his arm, but can also hurt the team with his legs as well.

If the play isn't open, Lipovac will run, which is a huge reason Piper made its stunning comeback by driving 75 yards in only :57 seconds.

The Pirates seemingly on offense have it all and with a high-flying offense coupled with a solid defense they look like state title contenders after four weeks of play.

The Pirates have shown at anytime they can explode whether it be in a blowout or make the clutch plays in a close game.

They have shown they can win the 40-21 games along with the games in which its back is to the wall and it needs two scores in the last 10 minutes of the fourth quarter to win a game.

This is what makes Piper so hard to beat:

With the team scoring so many points, it's hard to ever really get too far ahead of them. Even if a team is fortunate enough to get ahead by a comfortable margin, they shouldn't rest, put their feet up on the couch and grab the remote just yet. They have to stay on their guard and understand that with an offense as good as Piper's with a few defensive stops and some key plays to get the offense started, no lead will be safe from the Pirates.

One more quick point:

The reason why Piper's offense is so explosive is for the simple reason that Piper football coach Dick Tatro gave his football team an opportunity to be. He didn't wear them down by making them run the I-formation, Flexbone, or Power I-formation that most teams run. He took the restraints off of the players and let them play freely. Now the team terrorizes defenders by showing up on the field in trips, twins, shotgun and all different types of spread formations that are hard to defend at the high school level.

When he took over the football team, he immediately told people he was going to open up the offense -- even if he didn't have the people to run it at the time.

"When that coach said he was going to open up the offense, I thought he was crazy. I tell you , that (offensive) line didn't equal the weight of the seat of my pants," said one fan at the Piper-Mill Valley game.

But he kept at it and by allowing his players to run such an open offense, most of the time, eventually, they can't help but score.

So many other teams have the players to run such wide-open offenses too, but the schemes in part don't give them enough freedom to use the talent to the best of its abilities.

When you have no talent, coming out of power formations and running the football 80 percent of the time is a good way to mask your shortcomings and give your team a chance to win, but when you have the talent, you should open the book of "Tatro offense 101" and use it.

The Pirates have forced many defenders to wake up in a cold sweat due to nightmares of having to face its offense the next night. Chances are the nightmares won't stop anytime soon -- at least not this year.


Jags shocked by Pirates
Piper two-point conversion sinks Mill Valley, 22-21
Shawnee West Dispatch Newspaper
By Nick McQuiston
Thursday, October 2, 2003

The Mill Valley football team went to Piper High School Friday looking to improve on its perfect 3-0 record and justify its No. 3 spot in the Kansas City Star Small-Class Poll.

They left disappointed.

The Jags dropped their first game of the season to the Pirates 22-21 thanks to mental errors, a strong opposing quarterback and a defense that shut down the Jags' ground game in the first half.

"We got beat by a good team and we had quite a few mental mistakes," running back Tony Alvarez said. "We had a bunch of penalties kill us and we could have had some picks too."

Piper quarterback Scott Lipovac burned the Jaguar defense for 215 yards and two touchdowns on 16 of 26 passing. Alvarez said he was the best quarterback he's seen this year.

"He was really good at all the aspects of the position," Alvarez said. "He had a good arm, he was smart and he was quick too. We had a hard time knowing when we should drop back into a zone and when we should press because he could hurt us either way."

Tight end and defensive end Brandon Smith said the defense didn't do all it could to prevent Lipovac from hurting it.

"We knew he was good, but we just didn't do what we had to do to contain him," he said. "You can't give a good player room to play because they'll step up."

Lipovac put the Pirates on the board early when he hit wide receiver Chris Shannon for a 53-yard touchdown pass. Mill Valley answered right back when running back David Woods had an 86-yard kickoff return to Piper's two-yard line and then scored on the subsequent play.

After the quick start, both teams' offenses stalled and the half ended with Mill Valley leading 7-6.

"The first and second quarter they were being tough on the run," Alvarez said. "We had a hard time picking up the blocking schemes. Passing we were a lot better than we have been in some time. In the second half, we started running a lot better when we realized we could take it outside."

Woods started the scoring the second half when he put in another run and put the Jaguars up 14-6. Piper running back Shawnn Lampson scored a 20-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and scored on the two-point conversion to tie the game.

Mill Valley scored once again late in the game when Woods scored a 30-yard touchdown capping a 207 yard, three touchdown night. And with less than a minute remaining, it looked like the Jaguars' perfect record would stay intact.

However, Lipovac had other ideas. After going five for seven on a 74-yard touchdown drive to lead the Pirates to within one point, Piper went for two. Lipovac went back to pass and after finding no one open, scrambled into the end zone to get the win.

Smith said the team would hope to use the experience gained from the loss and use it for their game tomorrow at Bonner Springs.

"It was a hard-fought game from the get-go," he said. "We played hard and it's disappointing. It was penalties and other things. It wasn't just one thing that hurt us the most.

"They moved the ball pretty well. It's over now, and we need to take what we can from this game and use it for the next one."



Posted on Wed, Oct. 15, 2003 

Tonganoxie, Piper face off on Friday
By DONOVAN CORRIGAN
Special to The Star

While some people are just starting to realize how good the 6-0 Tonganoxie football team really is, Piper coach Dick Tatro has been convinced of the Chieftains' abilities for some time.

"I knew Tonganoxie would be good again this year," Tatro said. "They have a lot of talent and a great coach (Mark Elston)."

Tatro, who will lead his 5-1 Piper team into Tonganoxie for a crucial Kaw Valley League game at 7 p.m. Friday, also has firsthand knowledge of the Chieftains' vaunted wishbone offense.

"I ran the wishbone for almost 25 years as a coach so I know how tough it is to stop a running attack like they have," Tatro said. "If you shut down one option, they go to another. It will be tough, but we look forward to the challenge.

"The game with Tonganoxie is what every high school football player dreams about, but not every one gets to experience. This is a big game. The league title will be on the line, it's a district game, and it will be a battle of two very good football teams."

Last Friday night, Mill Valley's defense wasn't up to the challenge of slowing down the Chieftains' potent running game. Tonganoxie rushed for 348 yards and three touchdowns in 50 carries en route to a 20-10 victory over Mill Valley.

Quarterback Justin Walker rushed for a team-high 119 yards in 13 carries, including a 56-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to secure the Chieftains' KVL victory. Running back Billy Baska gained 110 yards in 12 carries, including a 31-yard touchdown, which staked Tonganoxie to a 14-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Tailback Tim Hopkins added 89 rushing yards in 12 attempts. Hopkins' 3-yard run in the second quarter gave Tonganoxie, the No. 4 team in The Star's small-class poll, a 7-3 lead.

While Tonganoxie is a running team, Piper prefers a more balanced attack paced by All-State quarterback Scott Lipovac and standout running back Shawnn Lampson.

Against Perry-Lecompton last week, Lipovac completed 17 of 36 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for another touchdown. Lampson rushed for 207 yards and a touchdown in 17 carries to lead Piper to a 42-14 KVL victory.

For the season, Lipovac has completed 76 of 148 passes for 1,283 yards and 17 touchdowns. Lampson has rushed for 809 yards on 94 attempts, and caught 18 passes for 342 yards. Lampson has scored 10 total touchdowns.



October 18th, 2003

Pirates Rally (Again) to Defeat No. 4 Tonganoxie

"What are we going to be? - WINNERS, How are we going to do it? -  TOGETHER, 1-2-3 - REFUSE TO LOSE !"

Every day at the end of each practice the Pirates end every practice by saying these words.  These words state the Pirates Goal, their Plan of Action, and their Attitude.  And each part of this phrase was obvious as the Pirates once again came from behind in the closing seconds to tie the game on the very last play in regulation time and then win the game in overtime.

And just when every fan, parent, and student sitting in the stands thinks "Can we do it again?" The Pirates DO IT AGAIN !

The Piper Pirates traveled to Tonganoxie on Friday night to take on the 4th ranked Tonganoxie Chieftains.  The Chieftains went out to an early 14-0 lead scoring their second touchdown with 8:35 remaining in the second quarter.  But from then on every spectator knew they were once again watching another classic Pirate battle. 

The defense made their adjustments and closed down the Tonganoxie running attack and shut down the Chieftain passing game. The Piper offense began moving the ball and started driving the ball deep into Chieftain territiory. The Piper special teams began returning kicks to provide good field position.  And slowly throughout the next two and a half quarters the momentum in the game was gradually shifting to the Pirates.

The Pirates got on the board midway through the second quarter when Scott Lipovac found running back Shawnn Lampson in the endzone for a 7 yard touchdown pass.  The Pirates pulled within 8 points, trailing 14-6. 

With the Chieftains deep in their own territory, their center snapped the ball on a punt over the punter's head and out of the back of the end zone for a safety and Piper trailed by just 6 points at halftime.

The Chieftains received several penalties for late hits throughout the game and there were several more plays where late hit penalties SHOULD have been called.  But no play was more obvious than when a Cheiftain defensive back hit Piper wide receiver Chris Shannon with "helmet-to-helmet" contact and yet the referees chose not to call a penalty.  Reviews of the game tape clearly showed that this was an illegal hit. 

The Pirate defensive efforts were led by Lampson and sophomore Steve Hargis with 14 tackles each, Jeff Hamilton with 13 tackles, Mike Simmons with 9, and Jeff Juliano and Calvin Norwood with 7 tackles.  T.J. Dorian recovered two fumbles during the game and Hamilton and Aaron Dulaney recovered one each.

With just :53 seconds remaining in the game, the Piper offense got back on the field on their own 31 yard line and with no time outs.  Lipovac found Hamilton with two quick passes over the middle both for Piper first down as another Pirate DRIVE was unfolding.

Lipovac hit Alex Angelotti on an out pattern and Angelotti ran out of bounds to stop the clock keeping the Pirates drive alive in the closing seconds. 

On the last play of the game with just 3 seconds remaining, Lipovac fired a 26 yard strike to Hamilton in the end zone for the game tying touchdown.  The Pirate extra point was no good sending the game into overtime.

With the Chieftains getting first possession in overtime, the Piper defense denied a Tonganoxie score when senior linebacker Aaron Dulaney stepped in front of a Chieftain receiver intercepting a pass and ending their possession. 

From the right hash mark senior kicker Matt Mosier boomed a 27 yard field goal right through the middle of the goal posts giving the Pirates another thrilling come from behind win over a top ranked opponent.

Mosier also punted for a 44.0 yard average and averaged 54 yards on his kickoffs.

Scott Lipovac completed 14 of 27 attempts for 242 yards and two touchdown passes. Jeff Hamilton was the leading receiver with 7 receptions for 142 yards and the game tying touchdown catch.  Shawnn Lampson was on the receiving end for 3 receptions for 31 yards and one score. 

The win gives Piper a record of 6 wins and 1 loss and moves them to first place in the KAW Valley league.  The Pirates face Lansing next week at home. A Piper win over Lansing will give the Pirates the district championship!




October 22, 2003

Kansas City Star Newspaper 

Piper wins another close one
By DONOVAN CORRIGAN
Special to The Star

Piper, which has developed quite a knack for winning football games in the final moments while leaving fans with accelerated heartbeats, did it again on Friday night.

For the third time in four weeks, the Pirates won a game in the last minutes. Piper rallied from a 14-point deficit to pull off a mild upset of previously unbeaten Tonganoxie, 17-14 in overtime on the road in a Class 4A District 7 game Friday night.

Previously, the Pirates beat Mill Valley 22-21 on a two-point conversion run with 1.5 seconds left on Sept. 26. They won 33-30 over Immaculata after defensive back Calvin Norwood broke up a pass in the end zone with 26 seconds left on Oct. 3.

"These players of ours just will not give up," Piper coach Dick Tatro said. "They will not accept defeat. The fact that we have done it (won games late) several times before dating back to last year gives them confidence that they can perform in last-minute situations.

"We also practice this every day. We put the ball on the 20 yard line and we drive down the field giving them different scenarios. We have the rest of the team on the sidelines cheering for them. So when they get on the field late in the game they are more of a comfort zone. They have confidence that they can do it."

All the practice and preparation paid off against Tonganoxie. Down 14-8, the Pirates drove 68 yards with 50 seconds left to force overtime. Scott Lipovac capped off the drive with a 16-yard pass to Jeff Hamilton that tied the score at 14-14.

Matt Mosier missed a potential game-winning extra-point attempt. But linebacker Aaron Dulaney ended Tonganoxie's first overtime possession with an interception, giving Mosier another chance.

And that's exactly what the all-state kicker and punter did. Mosier kicked a game-winning 20-yard field goal, giving Piper a 17-14 victory over Tonganoxie, which that week was the No. 4 team in The Star's small-class poll.

"Matt's year place-kicking has been a lot like Johnny Beck (Piper graduate) at Kansas University," Tatro said. "We have had all sorts of problems with our timing on our kicks. I had no doubt that Matt (Mosier) would come through, and he hit it right down the middle for the win. He also had six punts for a 44-yard average, which was big factor in helping our defense with field position."

The Pirates did a solid job of regrouping and shutting down the Tonganoxie offense after the Chieftains grabbed an early lead. Billy Baska scored touchdowns on runs of 70 and 24 yards, giving Tonganoxie, 6-1 overall and 0-1 in the district, to a 14-0 lead in the first half.

Piper, 6-1 and 1-0, trimmed the lead to 14-8 on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Lipovac to Shawnn Lampson, and a safety. Lipovac completed 14 of 27 passes for 242 yards. Lampson amassed 57 total yards and one touchdown. Jeff Hamilton caught a game-high seven passes for 142 yards.

For the season, Lipovac has completed 90 of 175 for 1,525 yards and 19 touchdowns. Lampson has rushed for 845 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. Hamilton leads Piper in receiving with 33 catches for 579 yards and eight touchdowns.

Things won't get any easier for Piper in its quest to win the Kaw Valley League championship outright and the district title. The Pirates play host to 5-2 Lansing, which is riding a five-game winning streak, at 7 p.m. Friday.

"We have two regular season games left and we are preparing for the Lansing game as the league and district championship game," Tatro said. "I hope our fans turn out like they did in Tonganoxie. Their support meant a lot to the team."

Hovpen Sports

Player of the Week Nominees for October 23rd.

Matt Mosier playing for Piper High School - Opponent Tonganoxie High School. He kicked the winning field goal in overtime to beat the unbeaten Chieftains. (Tonganoxie)

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Scott Lipovac, QB, Piper HS. Led his team to 17-14 upset win over 4th ranked Tonganoxie. Completed 17 passes for 245 yards and 2 touchdown passes. With his team trailing by a TD, Lipovac led his team on a 68 yard drive in the final 53 seconds of the game with no timeouts. Threw 26 yard TD pass with NO time left on clock to tie the game and send it into overtime. Piper won 17-14.

Saturday Oct. 25, 2003  

Piper pounds Lansing in Kansas district play

By D. SCOTT SMITH
The Kansas City Star

Piper coach Dick Tatro mixed his offense well against Lansing on Friday night, and everything seemed to work.

Piper amassed 489 total yards in its 40-7 victory over Lansing at the Pirates' Veterans Memorial Stadium. The win improved Piper's district record to 2-0 and assured Piper, 7-1, a second straight Kansas 4A District 7 title.

"It's really great to repeat," Tatro said. "Everything is going right."

Piper senior Shawnn Lampson rushed 29 times for 269 yards and three touchdowns. Piper quarterback Scott Lipovac completed 13 of 24 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns to Jimmy Burgess.

"Most coaches run, run, run at the high school level," Tatro said. "We got our athletes out for football by telling them that we're going to open the offense up a few years ago. I believe that you've got to be able to do both to win."

Lansing, 5-3, 1-1, seemed to still have a chance at halftime.

Although Lampson rushed 16 times for 161 yards and a touchdown in the first half, Piper only had a 14-0 lead.

The Piper offensive line created gaping holes for Lampson to run through, and when he seemed to be wrapped, Lampson broke loose.

Piper completed a two-play 41-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Burgess from Lipovac. Lipovac started the drive with a 31-yard pass to Jeff Hamilton.

In the second quarter, Lampson gashed the Lansing defense for runs of 31 and 40 yards. He scored a touchdown on a 17-yard run with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left in the second quarter.

"He's very strong and has that low center of gravity, so he's hard to bring down," Tatro said. "He's very dedicated in the weight room, and it shows on the football field. He's only been playing tailback for two years, but he's picked it up pretty quick."

Piper's defense stifled the Lansing offense. With about 3 minutes left in the first half Lansing had more penalty yardage (50) than it did total offense (48).

The Lions tried to rely on their passing game early, but quarterback Alex Riemann completed just three of 14 first-half passes for 29 yards. Lansing's rushing attack only mustered 56 yards in the half, and 25 of those yards came on run by Riemann late in the second quarter.

Lansing finished the game with 214 yards of total offense, but a chunk of that came on Lansing's only score, a 78-yard touchdown run by Alex Green against Piper's second-string defense late in the fourth quarter.

Otherwise, the Lansing running backs rarely found holes to run through, and the Piper defensive back swatted away several passes.

Piper poured it on in the second half with 26 consecutive points before Lansing's only score. Lipovac threw for two more touchdowns to Burgess, including a pass that Burgess caught after it was tipped in the end zone. Lampson added two more touchdowns runs as well.

Wed, Oct. 29, 2003  

Teams prepare for final week of districts
By DONOVAN CORRIGAN Special to The Kansas City Star

Class 4 District 7

Piper won its second straight district championship with a 40-7 victory over Lansing on Friday. The Pirates beat Tonganoxie 17-14 on Oct. 17.

Against Lansing, Piper's offense flexed its collective muscles in a stellar display of balance and big-play capabilities. Running back Shawnn Lampson rushed for 269 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Scott Lipovac passed for 200 yards and three touchdowns, all to Jimmy Burgess.

“The thing that makes us dangerous is that we can score very quickly,” Piper coach Dick Tatro said. “The way we have won games when the odds were against us, makes us a player in the state championship race.”

Piper can clinch the Kaw Valley League title with a win at home over Basehor-Linwood on Thursday.

The winner of the Tonganoxie at Lansing game on Thursday will decide the second playoff spot in the district. Both Tonganoxie and Lansing are 1-1 in the district. If Piper loses to Basehor, and Tonganoxie wins, Tonganoxie will win the KVL championship.

Tonganoxie overcame a rash of injuries a 17-12 victory over Basehor. Running back Sam Mitchell, who was filling in for injured standouts Billy Baska and Tim Hopkins, rushed for two touchdowns.

Saturday Oct. 25, 2003  

Pirates handle Lansing
Leavenworth Times Newspaper
By Andy Brown, Times Assistant Sports Editor

Lansing couldn't help but feel optimistic going into its game against Piper Friday night.

The Lions were on a five game winning streak. With a win, they still had a shot at the Kaw Valley League title and had a great opportunity to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

After the game, Lansing saw some of those goals down the drain at Piper High School. The Pirates rolled to a 40-7 win and captured a playoff spot and the league title with just one win.

"This game was just awful," Lansing coach Bill Pekarek said. "I think that we were prepared, but there were a lot of things we didn't do well. We didn't tackle well and the game just wasn't very good." 

The Lions played good enough defense in the first half and held Piper to just a 14-0 halftime lead. But the Lansing offense could keep its defense off the field and were tired by the end of the game.

"At halftime, everyone felt like we were still in the game," Pekarek said. "We were thinking that we have to play better defense, but at the end of the game, the defense was pretty tired."

Piper's dynamic duo of quarterback Scott Lipovac and running back Shawnn Lampson shred through the Lansing defense at will.

Lampson carried the ball 30 times for 263 yards and three touchdowns. Lipovac completed 15 of 25 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns. The two players accounted for all of Piper's scores.

"I thought we would be able to stop (Lampson) more than what we did," Pekarek said. "We missed a lot of tackles on him and he had way too many yards. He is a better player than I thought he was."

The Lions offense, however, could not get much going. Quarterback Alex Riemann was under pressure through most of the game and completed 7 of 18 passes for 65 yards and an interception.

Alex Green led Lansing in rushing with three carries for 83 yards and the Lions' lone touchdown. Lance Fink had 12 carries for 47 yards.

There was one key component missing from the Lansing offense -- Jeff Slater. Slater, who has rushed for an average over 100 yards in the past five games, was held to minus-9 yards on just six carries.

"We just could never get things going offensively," Pekarek said. "We fumbled the ball too many times or we got drives called back because of penalties. It was just not a good day."

After both teams punted to open the game, the Pirates took advantage on their next possession. Lipovac found Jimmy Burgess for a 23-yard touchdown pass and took an early 6-0 lead.

Then in the second quarter, the Pirates struck again, this time it was at the hands of Lampson. Lampson scored on 17-yard touchdown run with 3 minutes and 11 seconds left in the half. After a two-point conversion from Lipovac, the Pirates took a 14-0 lead.

After two more Piper touchdowns in the third quarter that gave the Pirates a 28-0 lead, the Lions finally got their offense moving.

Lansing had the ball first-and-goal on the 5-yard line, but after penalties, they were forced to turn the ball over on downs and couldn't convert. Then on the Lions' next possession, they fumbled on the first play.

"That was just really frustrating," Pekarek said. "We had the ball down there ready to score and we couldn't get it in. We had way too many mistakes and we just didn't execute well."

Piper would score two more touchdowns to take a 40-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

That is when Lansing answered with Green's 78-yard touchdown run up the middle and prevented the Piper shutout.

While the league title is out of reach, the Lions still have a shot at making the playoffs if they beat Tonganoxie Thursday at home. The team who wins that game, earns the right to advance to the postseason.

"It is definitely a must win game for us," Pekarek said. "We are going to have to play well or season is going to be over with."

Lansing 0 0  0 7 --  7
Piper    6 8 20 6 -- 40
P: Jimmy Burgess 9 pass from Scott Lipovac (kick failed)
P: Shawnn Lampson 17 run (Alex Angelotti pass from Lipovac)
P: Lampson 6 run (Matt Mosier kick)
P: Burgess 12 pass from Lipovac (Mosier kick)
P: Burgess 7 pass from Lipovac (kick failed)
P: Lampson 13 run (kick failed)
L: Alex Green 78 run (Jon Garrett kick)

October 30, 2003
Pirates Set Sail for Playoffs
with 28-7 Win over Basehor-Linwood
The Piper Pirates earned their second championship this season by defeating the Basehor-Linwood Bobcats by a score of 28-7 this past Thursady at Piper.  The win gave the Pirates the Kaw Valley League Championship and gave the Pirates a regular season record of 8 wins and 1 loss.

Leading the way for the Pirates was senior running back Shawnn Lampson with 245 yards rushing on 22 carries and 2 touchdowns rushing.  Quarterback Scott Lipovac threw for 116 yards on 11 completions and one touchdown on a 36 yard TD pass to tight end Jeff Hamilton.  Hamilton had 2 receptions for 48 yards, junior wide receivers Alex Angelotti and Chris Shannon both had 3 catches for 24 yards.

The fourth Piper touchdown was on a two yard touchdown run by senior fullback Ryan Moore.

Matt Mosier converted all four of his extra point attempts and had a 44 yard punting average.

The Pirate defense shut down the Basehor-Linwood allowing only one touchdown and keeping the Bobcats out of scoring territory for the rest of the game.  Senior inside linebacker Mike Simmons recorded a game high 24 tackles, followed by defensive tackle Jeff Juliano with 16 tackles, Lampson with 11, T.J. Dorian and Aaron Dulaney with 10, noseguard Patrick Dermann with 9, D.J. Brown with 7, and Steve Hargis with 7.

The Pirates will face the Royal Valley Panthers from Hoyt, Kansas in the first round of the state playoffs this Tuesday evening at Piper.
November 5, 2003
Strong running game helps Piper advance
By JEFF GELSKI
Special to The Kansas City Star

Shawnn Lampson rushed 25 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns, leading Piper to a 21-10 victory over Royal Valley in a Kansas Class 4A bi-district football game Tuesday night at Piper.

Quarterback Scott Lipovac completed five of nine passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. Piper defensive end Josh Willie recovered two fumbles in helping keep Royal Valley scoreless in the second half.

Piper, 9-1 and ranked fifth in The Star's small class poll, advances to a Class 4A regional on Saturday against Baldwin, which beat Eudora 43-18 Tuesday.

Quarterback Ben Smith rushed 18 times for 69 yards and a touchdown for Royal Valley, 6-4.

Piper led 13-10 when Smith rushed for an apparent 24-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter.

A holding penalty nullified the play. That Royal Valley drive ended when Willie fell on a fumble at Piper's 33. Jeff Hamilton then caught a screen pass from Lipovac and turned it into a 44-yard touchdown. Hamilton, the holder on extra-point attempts, rose up and passed to Ryan Moore for a two-point conversion and a 21-10 lead with 3 minutes, 33 seconds left in the third quarter.

Royal Valley responded with a 21-play drive, but it ended when Willie recovered his second fumble on Piper's 1.

“Those were two giant plays,” Piper coach Dick Tatro said of the fumble recoveries.

Piper took over with 7:38 left and ran out the clock.


Pirates continue winning ways
By JEREMY BANKS
Kansas City Kansan Sportswriter
Over the course of the year things have changed.

Gone are the 80- and 90-degree temperatures when football season started in August, replaced by 40-degree weather. The leaves are no longer green and no longer are they on the tree branches.

Much has changed, but one things has stayed the same since the start of the football season:

The Piper High School Pirates are still winning football games.

Piper, 9-1, with a 21-10 comeback win over Royal Valley High School Tuesday night at home, won its seventh straight game and moved on to the second round of the Kansas Class 4A playoffs.

"We've been behind a lot of times the last two years, but it doesn't seem to phase them. They always bounce back," said Piper football coach Dick Tatro.

The game pitted two teams with totally different philosophies.

Piper wanted to come into the football game, spread the field and score as quickly and as often as it possibly could. Royal Valley on the other hand, wanted to line up in power formations, run the football and win the time of possession battle.

For most of the first half of the game, it looked as though the Panthers' approach was winning out.

The Panthers took the opening possession and established the tempo of the game immediately.

Starting on its own 17-yard line, the Panthers lined up in power-I, three running back and two tightend formations. Royal Valley ran the football between the tackles and physically punished the Pirates defense. Royal Valley ate up 7:25 off of the clock en route to a 14-play, 83-yard drive which ended with a 14-yard touchdown run by Panthers quarterback Ben Smith on a naked bootleg play to his left.

After the extra-point, Royal Valley had shown its physical might and taken a quick 7-0 lead.

Royal Valley demonstrated how it wanted to play, it was then time for Piper to show how it wanted the game to be played -- quick and fast.

The Pirates started its drive on its 35-yard line. Piper's drive was impressive and quick as it needed only two minutes to drive 65 yards for a touchdown. The score was set up by a 19-yard run by running back Shawnn Lampson. He was brought down at the one-yard line and one play later, punched it in for the score.

After an extra-point, the game was then tied 7-7.

Though Piper scored quick and looked impressive on its drive, Royal Valley was not phased. It stayed with its game plan of controlling the clock, thus leaving the Pirates offense off of the field.

"They did a great job of controlling the ball," said Tatro in reference to Royal Valley's game plan. "They had a real good inside running game and our defense hung in there and got some stops."

"It was a very good game plan to keep our offense off of the field," added Tatro.

Royal Valley used its power running game to take a 10-7 lead into the middle of the second quarter, but once again, when Piper received the ball, it needed very little time.

Piper seemed to do whatever it wanted to do offensively during the time it had the ball. The Pirates used explosive running from Lampson and pin-point passing from quarterback Scott Lipovac to put together a quick five-play, 65-yard drive. The drive ended with a one-yard touchdown by Lampson with 6:44 left to play in the half.

The Panthers threatened twice during the second half to score, but were halted by penalties and turnovers.

WIth 5:18 left in the third quarter, the Panthers were called on a holding penalty that erased a 29-yard touchdown run. Two plays later, Royal Valley was held without a point on the possession because of fumble which was recovered by Piper's Josh Wille.

Piper took no time in making the Panther's pay for its mistake.

The Pirates took the ball on the 33-yard line and drove 67 yards for a momentum-changing 49-yard touchdown pass from Lipovac to his tightend Jeff Hamilton.

On the play, Lipovac dropped back to pass and set up the screen. He looked to his left, then to his right and hit Shannon in the flat. Shannon put together some good moves and broke free for the score.

"That was a double-screen. We've run it this way all year. We had a screen to the tightend and a screen to Lampson. Everybody's intentions was we were throwing it to Shawnn Lampson. Scott (Lipovac) looked over there and those guys were sitting on him and he threw it to Jeff, our tightend and he just made a great play," said Tatro.

But another unlikely player also had a role in the game-changing play.

"Jimmy Burgess, our sophomore receiver, I don't know if anybody else saw it but us. He had one heck of a block. I think he took out two guys," said Tatro. "That kid only got to play two weeks ago, because Chris Shannon was out and that game he caught three touchdown passes in the first game he ever started."

Royal Valley made one last effort to get back into the game, but lost another fumble at the Piper three-yard line.

Piper then tore a page out of Royal Valley's playbook and ran out the clock with nothing but running plays the rest of the way.

"We did a great job driving down the field running the ball eating up the clock," said Tatro.

Lampson had a huge part in the last drive. He had 11 carries for 53 yards on the final drive that ran out the clock.

He ended the game with 150 yards rushing.

"He is just fearless, just fearless," said Tatro.

Piper will now make its second appearance in the second round of the playoffs for the second year in a row. The Pirates will face Baldwin High School, 8-2, on the road Saturday

Shrine Bowl eyeing KCK football players
By JEREMY BANKS
Kansan sports writer

The Kansas Shrine Bowl game, an all-star football game consisting of the best football players in the state of Kansas, has started its nominations for which players will be chosen for the honor. A number of Wyandotte County area players are among the nominees.

Out of hundreds of players in the state of Kansas acknowledged, 12 of them were from the WYCO area.
..........

Piper High School had three players nominated to play in the all-start game.

The players nominated were tightend Jeff Hamilton, quarterback Scott Lipovac and running back Shawnn Lampson.

"I'm not really surprised," said Piper football coach Dick Tatro in regards to hearing the news. "I think they all rank real high in the state."

Hamilton is known as a outstanding blocker from the tight end position. He also showed this season he can be just as valuable a receiver as a blocker.

He caught 45 passes for 827 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also seemed to have a knack for scoring in clutch situations. Of his 11 touchdowns, three of them either won or tied games.

"He's an outstanding receiver," said Tatro.

Hamilton was a starter his sophomore year before breaking his foot at the beginning of his junior season. He returned later in the year, but was not healthy enough to resume his tight end duties.

Though he had some what of a coming out party this season, Tatro saw the talent in him all along.

"I think when he was a sophomore, I already knew he was good," said Tatro.

He finished the year ranked fourth in receiving yards in Class 4A.

Lipovac had one of the best years in Piper school history.

He passed for 2,142 yards and threw 26 touchdown passes. Lipovac over the year, showed good poise in the pocket and was a threat with his arm and his legs as he would scramble out of the pocket if receivers were covered.

Lampson was nominated at the running back position.He rushed for 1,625 yards and scored 19 touchdowns. He showed an ability to be a threat out of the backfield by catching 32 passes for 462 yards.
"He was like our Priest Holmes," said Tatro. "He can make plays. He's a heck of a tail-back."
Lampson also played at defensive back. He is the school's all-time leading tackler with 371 tackles.
"He's all over the place on defense," said Tatro.