Jags shocked by Pirates
Piper two-point conversion sinks Mill Valley, 22-21
Shawnee Dispatch Newspaper
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."
Piper ousted from 4A playoffs
Pirates building towards a top 4A program
from NFL High School website at www.nflhs.com
By Donovan Corrigan, NFLHS.com
Nov. 16, 2003
Nine wins. A league championship. A second straight Class 4A District 7 title, and a Bi-District playoff win for the second year in a row.
On the surface it appeared the Piper football program had a successful season. But, Pirates coach Dick Tatro had his sights set a bit higher so he couldn't help but be a tad disappointed when a 41-20 loss to Baldwin in a Class 4A regional playoff game on Nov. 8 concluded Piper's season.
"Our goal for the season was (to win) a state championship, so losing (in the regional) is a big disappointment, said Tatro, who has led Piper to 16 wins the past two seasons and back-to-back playoff berths. "9-2 is one of the best (records) in school (football) history, so we are proud of what we did but disappointed about not reaching our goals."
Baldwin running back Michah Mason, who rushed for 236 yards and four touchdowns, nearly single-handedly prevented Piper from reaching its goal of advancing deeper in the state playoffs.
"(Michah) Mason is the best that I have seen in a while," Tatro said. "He has speed, power and determination: those are great qualities to have in a (running) back."
The tough loss to Baldwin brought an end to the prep careers of quarterback Scott Lipovac and running back Shawnn Lampson, two of the best players to don the purple and white. Lipovac passed for 139 yards and two touchdowns, and Lampson rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown in their final games at Piper.
Lipovac led all 4A passers in yards and touchdowns with 2,142 and 26, respectively. Lipovac completed 134 of 254 pass attempts and finished his senior season with a quarterback rating of 96.9. Lampson rushed for 1,625 yards and 14 touchdowns on 209 carries, and caught 32 passes for 462 yards and three touchdowns. Lampson scored a team-high 114 points.
"Scott (Lipovac) and (Shawnn) Lampson had record setting seasons," Tatro said. "Both of them broke most of our (school) records for yards, touchdowns, etc. They will be missed."
Piper will also miss the talents and leadership of arguably the top senior class in program history. Seniors led piper across the board on both sides of the ball. On offense, Tight End Jeff Hamilton caught 45 passes for 827 yards and 10 touchdowns. Fullback Ryan Moore rushed for 213 yards and two scores, but his value was a hole-opening blocker out of the backfield. Seniors Jeff Juiliano and Mitch Myers anchored the Pirates offensive line.
Seniors Mike Simmons, who recorded a team-high 120 tackles, a sack and four forced fumbles, Hamilton (84 tackles and 7 sacks), Lampson (89 tackles and two interceptions) and Juiliano, 76 tackles and two sacks, paced the Pirates' defense.
"Our seniors have set a high bar for the underclassmen, but I expect them to raise that bar even higher," Tatro said. " This year we had a great group that worked very hard and achieved a lot, our next group will have to step it up to reach their level. "We won't have people returning (next season) with impressive stats but we'll have some (good) players. Piper football will be back next season."
Piper, who finished the season 9-2, including an 8-1 record in the Kaw Valley League, has promising younger players like T.J. Dorian, Garrett Weddle, Steve Hargis, Alex Angellotti, Jimmy Burgess and Josh Willie slated to return to provide leadership and production next season.
A 5-foot-11, 170-pound junior, Weddle appears to be the heir apparent to Lipovac at quarterback. Weddle threw two incomplete passes, and rushed for 51 yards in limited duty this season. Weddle recorded 37 tackles, and led the team in kickoff return yardage with 318.
Angellotti, a junior flanker, caught 30 passes for 427 yards and five touchdowns. Burgess caught four passes for 40 yards, but three went for touchdowns, all in one game. Tony Schuberger, a 5-10 sophomore running back, rushed for 51 yards on 13 carries.
Dorian had 42 tackles and two sacks, and Hargis 85 tackles and three forced fumbles. A junior defensive end, Willie recorded 58 tackles, seven sacks and recovered two fumbles.
"We lose a lot of players but the JV team was 4-0 and the freshman team went 8-1 so we will have players," Tatro said. "We have a great wealth of talent in our lower grades, it is up to us (coaches) to develop that talent. "Our (overall) program was 21-3 at the high school level and 13-3 in Middle School this year. So I think we are moving in the right direction, but we still have a lot to do to be among the elite teams in 4A."
Playing Outside of the Spotlight
from NFL High School website at www.nflhs.com
Feb. 24, 2004
By Donovan Corrigan, NFLHS.com
Far removed the glare of local -- and sometimes national -- television cameras, and most often buried at the back of the local sports section, a bevy of talented, hardworking and productive prep football players sign their national letters of intent.
But unlike their NCAA Division I counterparts, the young men who ink deals to play at the Division II or junior college levels don’t have their names plastered all over the countless numbers of nationwide Internet recruiting sites. They don't have their stories splashed across the front pages of newspapers.
But, that doesn't mean there are not great stories to tell.
Take Scott Lipovac of Piper High School in Kansas City, Kan., for instance.
At first glance, Lipovac, all 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds of him, doesn't look like one of the state's elite quarterbacks or a big-time playmaker with the ability to change the momentum of a game, or a season in an eye blink.
But looks can be deceiving. Just ask the defensive backs, who tried in vain to slow Lipovac, a senior at Piper, in the open field a year ago.
Lipovac was among the state passing leaders in Class 4A in total passing yards and touchdowns with 2,142 and 26, respectively. Lipovac completed 134 of 254 pass attempts and finished his senior season with a quarterback rating of 96.9.
For good measure, the fleet-footed QB rushed for 300 yards and six scores in leading Piper to a 9-2 record and a 4A district championship for the second year in a row en route to the Pirates second straight state playoff berth.
Lipovac played a key role in Piper's journey from a program mired in struggles to one of the elite 4A football schools in Kansas. After getting off to an 0-4 start as a junior, Lipovac, who engineered three comeback victories as a senior with big plays in the game's final minute, or a couple times, seconds, compiled a record of 15-3. Piper was 1-8 in 2001 without Lipovac under center.
"(Scott) Lipovac had a record-setting year, and prep career," Piper coach Dick Tatro said. "He broke most of our (school) records for yards, touchdowns, etc. He'll be missed."
Now, the little man with the big arm, and even bigger heart, is taking his leadership skills, quick feet and ability to win football games in the clutch to the college ranks. Well, sort of.
Lipovac, the playmaking gunslinger who led Piper to a 15-7 record the past seasons as a starter, including the program's lone two playoff football victories, signed a letter of intent to attend Fort Scott Community College (Kan.) in the fall.
Many people who have seen him perform at Piper, including opposing coaches, believe if Lipovac were bigger, he would be a major Division I prospect.
"He has quick feet, has a strong arm, he can throw on the move on a dime and he's a tough kid who can take a big shot and get up," Elston said. "If he was bigger, a lot of Division I schools would be after this kid."
Piper coach Dick Tatro echoed Elton's sentiments.
"The only thing he lacks is size. If a college coach will give him a chance like we did (at Piper), they will have themselves a great players," Tatro said. "I have asked them (DI coaches) if Doug Flutie (former Heisman Trophy winner at Boston College and currently in the NFL) was a senior, would they give him a scholarship?
"If he (Lipovac) was 6 feet 2, every (D-I) school in America would be after him. Scott is a player you can't put a tape measure to."
Who knows – maybe Lipovac will still get his chance.
Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc.
