Cody W. Pattison: Column by The calm before the imminent WPIAL storm

Aug. 1—The end of July and beginning of August are the calm before the storm when it comes to scholastic sports.

Aug. 12 marks the first official practice for the WPIAL's fall sports. Things will pick back up, and the slate will be clean for all of the teams in Lawrence County.

While my busy season picks back up in autumn, summertime is just as hectic, but on a personal level. July 4 has come and gone and I am now another year older.

I tend to outline goals and reflect on my 365 days spent on the floating rock in space. New goals, friends getting married, spending time with family, relatives graduating high school and getting in a good dose of swimming make summer anything but calm.

I am trying to become more present-minded and pick back up on my studies of Vajrayana Buddhism (You don't hear many sports reporters practicing Buddhism these days, eh, bub?)

Tracy Lawrence once sang "time marches on," but let's hit the pause button and do a little retrospective on the 2023-24 scholastic sports season Lawrence County had before we snap back to reality.

THE WAY BACK MACHINE

Way back in the way back machine — around this time — the same aforementioned calm was happening before the storm.

Lawrence County brought home some gold (or as I like to call it: Au79) right away when it came to fall sports for the 2023-24 season.

The Mohawk High girls cross country team captured the WPIAL Class 1A team championship. Not only did Mohawk end up with a WPIAL team championship, Mohawk's boys cross country runner Jaxon Schoedel placed first in the Class 1A race.

Schoedel was the first Mohawk runner since Dave Spears in 1975 to win the WPIAL championship race.

Schoedel didn't want to stop there. The junior added the PIAA Class 1A cross country championship to his and Lawrence County's resume.

When winter came around, the Union girls basketball team defended its second consecutive WPIAL crown. The 2022-23 PIAA Class 1A champs almost returned to the big dance but were ousted in the state semifinals against Bishop Guilfoyle.

Also picking up some gold during the winter season was the Neshannock competitive cheer squad. The Lady Lancers captured the WPIAL Class 2A competitive spirit title.

The win for Neshannock's cheer squad marked its fourth title win and tied them for most championship crowns alongside Chartiers-Houston and Hempfield.

Seasons changed from winter to spring. While it might've been on the track this time, Schoedel still showed no signs of slowing down.

Schoedel claimed two gold medals in the 3200- and 1600-meter races at the WPIAL Class 2A individual track and field championship. Winning two gold medals alongside Schoedel was Shenango's Colton Fedrizzi in the WPIAL Class 2A shot put and discus events while Laurel's Tori Atkins won the 400- and 200-meter races to become a three-time WPIAL champ in those events and Mohawk's Ellie Whippo placed first in the 300- and 100-meter hurdles races.

In total, Lawrence County track and field athletes brought home 13 gold medals from the WPIAL Class 2A/3A individual championships.

Atkins and Schoedel, both Lawrence County Athlete of the Year winners, capped off their track seasons with PIAA gold in the 400- and 3200-meter races, respectively.

Lawrence County baseball stopped before it could happen this season.

In an odd state of affairs, all of the baseball teams from around the county were unable to even reach a first-round qualification for the state playoffs.

Softball, however, did not get cut short. The Mohawk and Neshannock softball teams captured WPIAL Class 3A and 2A gold, respectively.

The WPIAL championship win for Mohawk meant the first-ever title in the program's history. For Neshannock, the win marked its third consecutive WPIAL crown.

It might not seem like we're way too back in the way back machine, folks. But, bear with me.

Neshannock kept the momentum going to the PIAA Class 2A championships and ended it with the state title and a perfect season of 26-0. If you want to jump back in an even-way-back-when-machine, you'd know the Lady Lancers did the same feat for the 2022 season.

THE PRESENT-DAY

CONTRAPTION

Let's snap back to reality and get back into that present-minded nature, folks.

In the present-day contraption, it is Thursday. The first day of August.

Soon, we will see another end to a calm before a storm of WPIAL sports. How will it all unfold?

Who will brave the storm and come out the other side victorious? That has yet to be written and it falls solely on the great athletes and coaches of Lawrence County.

"So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?" — Hunter S. Thompson