Tough schedule didn't stop Chester

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Is this the greatest Chester team ever?

That's the question coach Fred Pickett was asked after his Clippers won the Class AAAA state championship on Saturday night.

"If it's not the best, it has been ranked up there with them," said Pickett, who has been associated with the program for the last 27 seasons. "I say that because this is the toughest schedule Chester High has ever played. No question about it. And they came through and won."

Some may argue that the 1966 squad that lost to future NBA player Ken Durrett and Pittsburgh power Schenley in the Class AAA state championship deserves consideration. And so do the Class AAAA state champion teams of 1989, 2000 and 2005.

However, the current Clippers (33-1) broke the school's single-season victory record that was set by the 1989 squad (30-2). Another factor is Chester's national ranking. The Clippers are ranked third in the nation behind New Jersey powerhouses St. Anthony and St. Benedict's Prep, according to USA Today.

And considering Chester's impressive two-year campaign (a 58-7 record and two state championship appearances), one could argue its greatness. Especially when you add that the Clippers concluded this season with a 24-game winning streak when they defeated Norristown, 81-77, in the championship game in Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

Senior standout Nasir Robinson signed a scholarship offer to the University of Pittsburgh. Three other starters - senior guard Karon Burton, senior forward Russell Johnson and junior forward Rahlir Jefferson - are also Division I prospects.

"It's hard to say" if this is the best team, said Chester's longtime assistant coach and scorekeeper, Terry Thomas. "It really is, because you are looking at different players and different eras and they do different things.

"It hard to say that they are not one of the top three."

Pryor's game.

No one can argue against Terrelle Pryor's being recognized as the nation's top two-sport standout.

His heroics on the football field are well-documented. In basketball, Pryor led Jeannette High to a 76-72 Class AA overtime victory over Strawberry Mansion in Saturday's final.

"I've seen him play football," Strawberry Mansion Dwayne Davis said of Pryor. "He's better in that. I don't think he's a very good basketball player. He's OK. He is someone that's hard to guard."

Pryor finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots, four steals and four assists. He shot 7 of 17 from the field and 9 of 19 from the free-throw line.

If not for his free-throw woes, the Jayhawks may have clinched the game in regulation.

Pryor went to the foul line with his team leading, 60-58, with 31 seconds left. Converting the free throws would have made it a two-possession game. But his first attempt rimmed out before he badly missed the second.

Heading into his sophomore year, Scout.com listed him as one of the nation's top 10 basketball prospects for the Class of 2008. But since then, Pryor's primary focus has been football. As a result, his basketball suffered a little, and he has dropped to 42d overall.

Regarded as the nation's top quarterback, Pryor became the first player in Pennsylvania to eclipse 4,000 yards in both passing and rushing. He finished his career with 4,249 yards passing and 4,250 rushing.

He will choose from Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State for football.

Team Record

Final rankings. With last week's ranking in parentheses.

1.

Chester (1) 33-1

2.

Ac. New Church (2) 26-2

3.

Norristown (3) 32-2

4.

Pennsbury (4) 30-3

5.

North Catholic (6) 22-5

6.

Comm. Tech (5) 28-4

7.

Strawberry Man. (7) 23-6

8.

Roman Catholic (9) 19-6

9.

Imhotep Charter (8) 27-4

10.

Penn Wood (10) 23-9

Under consideration (listed alphabetically):

Archbishop Ryan (17-10), Downingtown West ( 23-7), Great Valley (22-7), Ridley (24-7), Southern (23-7).

- Keith Pompey