Springdale High School's venerable Donald McGhee Fieldhouse has an entirely new look, thanks to an overhaul that only took about three months.
The outside of the facility, which opened in 1959, still has the familiar, quonset-hut look. But it's the inside that has a modern feel.
Since practically the minute the basketball season ended, workers took over and sanded the floor, painted a large letter 'S' with lightning bolts at mid-court, and repainted the sidelines orange.
A new set of bleachers has been installed on both sides of the gym. The bleachers are white with periodic rows of orange stripes.
The first row of bleachers were moved back to accommodate the team benches and to give a little more room for fans to either return to or leave their seats.
Gone are the huge, omnipresent heaters hanging from the sides near the ceilings. At the start of the renovation project, only one of the four heaters actually worked.
Ordinarily, construction doesn't take place during the school year, but Allegheny Valley School District officials moved phys ed classes to the new, multipurpose gym located about 50 feet from the baseline area opposite the lobby.
With the gym, it will be possible to practice there while a game is occurring in the field house. The multipurpose floor also has an adjacent fitness center.
The school district also plans to buy two homes near the field house and expand the parking area along Butler Road.
Now, the next order of business will be hiring a boys and girls basketball coaches to guide the Dynamos in the renovated digs. Both boys coach Dan Swogger and girls coach Chad Sowers resigned in May.
It promises to be a great atmosphere, as Springdale approaches its 1,000th boys varsity basketball victory.
Bucs win! Bucs win!
Burrell and Chartiers-Houston -- both nicknamed the Bucs -- swept to five-inning victories Monday in the opening round of the PIAA softball payoffs.
Burrell defeated Moniteau, 13-3. Char-Houston blanked Smethport, 12-0.
Three days earlier, Chartiers-Houston and Burrell won the WPIAL Class A and AA titles, respectively, at California (Pa.) University's Lilly Field.
Those schools are the only ones in the WPIAL that use the nickname Buccaneers. The only other school in the state with the same moniker is Interboro High School in the Philadelphia suburb of Prospect Park, Delaware County.
When Burrell opened in 1964, the Class of 1966, the school's first graduating class, selected Buccaneers in a name-the-mascot vote. Bisons was second.
Last Thursday also was a good day for Westmoreland County, where three of the four WPIAL champions hail from. Burrell, Yough and Latrobe all brought home gold.
It was the first time three Westmoreland County schools had won WPIAL softball titles since 2007, when Valley (Class AA), Belle Vernon (Class AAA) and Latrobe (Class AAAA) claimed crowns.
