[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19617]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA FOOTBALL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of 
our football teams back home. These are the Ramblers from Erie 
Cathedral Prep. This is an outstanding football team.
  Oftentimes, when we come here, we talk about things and we tend to go 
around what is going on in our district and things that we are proud 
of. I think in things like these types of championships that are won, 
while it happened last weekend, it is something that every single 
player will remember for the rest of his life, their parents will 
remember it, and the members of the community will remember it. So to 
be able to stand here today to talk about the Ramblers is really an 
opportunity for me and truly an honor.
  This is the second straight Pennsylvania Quad A State Championship. 
Cathedral Prep beat Imhotep Charter last week by a score of 38-28. This 
year's championship makes the Ramblers back-to-back Pennsylvania State 
champions, and it is their fourth State football title overall. Led by 
Coach Mike Mischler, the Ramblers have now gone 42-2, appearing in the 
finals each year and racking up 28 consecutive wins over the last three 
seasons.
  Now, achieving back-to-back State titles sets these Ramblers apart 
even in the storied history of western Pennsylvania high school 
football, and they deserve every bit of adulation that they have 
received. They are a great source of pride for not only the city of 
Erie, but all of northwestern Pennsylvania.
  It is also worth mentioning that the Wilmington High School 
Greyhounds in Lawrence County gave it their all in a loss last week in 
Pennsylvania's PIAA Class 2A State title game at Hersheypark Stadium.
  Now, this was the Greyhounds' third trip to the title game under 
legendary Coach Terry Verrelli, who announced his retirement after 40 
years on the job right after the game. In those 40 years, Coach 
Verrelli amassed 314 wins, making him only the 15th high school 
football coach in Pennsylvania's esteemed football history to reach the 
300-win plateau. More valuable than any of his victories on the field 
are the countless victories he helped his young players achieve in 
their lives off the field.
  I think that sometimes we miss the really strong point about 
competition at the scholastic level or any level. I would tell you for 
both these teams, this Erie Prep team, for a lot of these young men, 
this mission started when they were playing little midget football or 
pee wee football, and it continued all through their lives. The same 
thing--their parents supporting them as they go along and their 
communities supporting them as they go along. These guys are always one 
moment, one thought, and one memory away from being right back on this 
field in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and winning the State title.
  The same with the Greyhounds. When you talk about high school 
football history, people talk about Texas and they talk about 
Pennsylvania. But I got to tell you, the Friday Night Lights story 
started in Pennsylvania, so with all due respect to my friends from 
Texas, the Keystone State was the first when it came to Friday Night 
Lights and the great pride it brought to these communities.
  The 2017 teams at Cathedral Prep and Wilmington High School in 
Pennsylvania's Third District, along with the championship-winning 
Pine-Richland Rams--which is just outside the Third District, and they 
won the State championship--again, they add to this really storied 
history of football in western Pennsylvania. More importantly, they add 
to the local lore and pride that strengthen communities like Erie and 
New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.
  The hard work, perseverance, and hometown pride that allowed each of 
these teams to reach the championship is a reflection on the 
communities, the families, and the people who live in these towns.
  So, again, I say to the Cathedral Prep Ramblers, to Wilmington High, 
and to the Pine-Richland Rams: On outstanding, history-making seasons, 
congratulations. Great job, guys.
  Although I am a Golden Tornado from Butler, Pennsylvania, I am proud 
to say: Go Ramblers, Go Greyhounds, and Go Rams.

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