Norwin senior, all-around solid player and good Scout
Veteran football coach Art Tragesser has seen just about all there is to see when it comes to scholastic players.
Once the veteran coach assumed the reins at Norwin this year, he wasted little time forming an opinion of senior Derek Frye.
"My first impression of Derek was that he is a good, solid individual, and that impression has not wavered one bit," Tragesser said. "He is the type of person and player who does what he is supposed to do. He works very hard at what he does and we can count on him doing the right things."
A 6-foot, 170-pound backup quarterback and linebacker, Frye saw action in five series in the Knights' first game, as well as on special teams.
"If we didn't have Tim Petro (one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the WPIAL), Derek could be seeing more playing time at quarterback. He is an All-American boy, the kind of boy you would like to see take your daughter to the prom."
Or go for a walk around Indian Lake Park in North Huntingdon. Or perhaps take a helicopter ride.
Brainstorming for a topic to earn his Eagle Scout award, Frye, who maintains a 3.5 grade average at Norwin, settled in on a project at Indian Lake where he supervised the construction and installation of bluebird houses, a turtle-basking platform and two types of fish habitats, one for bass and the other for minnows.
"My Dad (Bob Frye) and I are outdoorsmen and enjoy fishing and hunting," Derek Frye said. "I thought this Eagle Scout project would be a change-of-pace project, compared to other projects I've seen. This plan was outdoors oriented, more suitable for me than other scouting projects."
Frye contacted North Huntingdon Parks and Recreation and followed his proposal by obtaining plans from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
While the project planning took several months, only one Saturday was needed for the 25 Scouts from Boy Scout Troop 257 in Irwin, under Frye's supervision, to construct and install the 15 bird houses and platforms.
A five-square-foot platform enables turtles to bask in the sun while near the relative comfort of the water.
"I had fun doing this project," Frye said. "Indian Lake is used for fishing and there is a walking trail, so I'm hoping more people will enjoy the environment."
Frye's bass habitat structure in the lake's deep end provides a nesting area for the bass to spawn and provides them an extra environment and shelter area, as well. Some 35 platforms provide minnows with spawning cover in the shallows around the lake's bank.
Career interests
Frye's uncle, Joel Furman, is a helicopter mechanic with Bell Helicopter in Tennessee, and Frye spent part of last summer with him .
"Knowing and seeing what he does, I'm thinking about being an aviation major in college," Frye said. "When I job-shadowed this summer, I went for several rides in the helicopter and I've thought about becoming a helicopter pilot."
He's also considering a physical therapy major in college.
"My aunt and a friend of the family are physical therapists, and I developed an interest through them," Frye said.
Maturity is another characteristic about Frye that impresses Tragesser.
"As soon as I met Derek for conditioning, weight, and pre-season workouts, I saw how mature he was," Tragesser said. "Many seniors have no idea about their future plans, but Derek knows what he wants to do after high school. That's a big advantage."
