Greetings everyone, I have some exciting announcements in regards to the future state of the Trojan Nation website. Things
have been quiet since the remarkable run the Trojans' Boys' Basketball team made in the state playoffs, ultimately advancing
to the title game in Hershey. Although we fell short to a far better team, there is no shame in the year the team had and
they, as well as the community and alumni from all over the globe should be proud of them.
Summertime is here but make no mistake about it, football season will be here before you know it. There are a few exciting
enhancements to the Trojan Nation website, some more noticeable than others, so I'll take the time to break each one down.
****NEW URL: the website can now be reached by simply typing www.trojannation.net (sorry, .com was taken, by who I'm not sure). Not only is there no more need to type that annoying "tripod" in the address
bar, but you'll notice a nice upgrade to the site once you get there. NO MORE BANNER ADS OR POP-UPS! From a technical standpoint
this is a great thing as there were certain pop-up ads that were interfering with some scripts and not letting the homepage
fully load. Big problem that is now, hopefully, solved.
Also, the page just looks more crisp and professional without the ads. For one thing, Tripod takes keywords from the site
to randomly decide what ads are displayed and I was getting a lot of ads for virus protection because of the Trojan Horse
viruses. Well, no more of that.
And with the dedicated domain name I have a dedicated email address. Although I will still keep the trojannation@yahoo.com account open, all future writing done will feature the new address: doug.keklak@trojannation.net. Again, another small enhancement but big on professionalism and perception.
****CONTENT: If you scroll down the left hand side of the homepage you will see a new Daily Feature. On Sundays a "Report
Card" will be issued for the game that just took place. We will grade the offense, defense, special teams and coaching of
both JHS and their opponent for the week.
As you can see, this means there will be new content EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. While this is a lofty goal it is something
I am confident that we can deliver on.
All other daily content themes will remain the same. I also will continue to update standings and scores throughout the
entire western region of the state during the year on the Standings/Scoreboard page. The "Countdown to 600" will continue
as well.
The athletic department has always been very good at getting me schedules for the different sports seasons. As soon as
I get the fall sports schedules they will be posted on the Schedules page.
The Photo Album page will continue to see limited entries. I cannot give the writing I do for this site the dedication
it needs without paying attention to the game. Attempting to take photos can be distracting. I will take my camera to games
but cannot guarantee if photos will be available on a regular basis. Some local photographers were kind enough last year to
donate some photos for my use. Please email me if you'd like to/or know someone that would be willing to donate a few pics
here and there.
The relationship with PennLive has been great thus far. They have been pleased with the work I have done and allowed me
to continue with the Southwestern PA Sports Blog well after football season. I wrote on the winter and spring sports seasons
and will cover some AAABA and American Legion ball this summer on a limited basis thereby bridging the summer gap.
The Rankings will be a bit revamped. Unfortunately, the rankings project didn't pan out on a few levels last season. First,
WFNN never contacted me to discuss them on the air as was originally planned. Also, I underestimated the amount of time and
energy that would have to go in this project.
Now that there is a better understanding of what goes in to a ranking system, for 2005 we are going to attempt to do a
large school (AAAA and AAA) and a small school (AA and A) ranking system. Right now there will be a top ten, whether that
will be expanded or not is yet to be determined. Of course, these won't be statewide rankings, only teams in District 5 &
6. These rankings will be posted both on Trojan Nation and the Southwestern PA Sports Blog.
****CHAT AND MESSAGE BOARD: Many of you know that the precursor to the Trojan Nation website was the Johnstown High Football Yahoo Group. Although with most of the content now being posted directly to the website, this group has become somewhat obsolete. However,
I will not close it because it has a chat feature. I am hoping to organize a chat session once a week for no more than an
hour. In that time we can talk about the game that just went down, the game coming up or whatever really. I think I threw
Tuesdays at 9:00p.m. as a time and I am interested in some feedback as to what times work for people.
On a similar note, I set up a message board last year during the basketball run. It got limited action but not as much as I would have liked. I am hopeful that football
will cause more people to want to go there and post thoughts. I’m not looking for it become as active as the boards
on PennLive but I wouldn’t mind some good threads popping up there this fall.
****NEW CONTRIBUTORS: Last but most definitely not least I am happy to announce that I will have three new people joining
me and writing for the site. Now when I refer to “we” it will really be true! I will add full bios on the “About
Us” page soon, but for now, here’s a thumbnail:
Amos Myers: Amos is JHS Class of ‘93 and was a linemen from 1990-1992 for the Trojans. Amos has been a loyal
viewer of the site and he frequently emailed me last season. I was so impressed with his knowledge of the game at the high
school level that I asked him to put some of that skill to use on the site this year. Even when I don’t agree with a
point Amos makes, he always expresses himself intelligently and I truly believe he’ll be an asset to the Trojan Nation.
Jason Subich: Jason is JHS Class of ‘95 and was a linemen from 1992-1994 for the Trojans. “Sube”
has been a friend since I met him at football camp back in his Sophomore year. Although he was a bit annoying at first (he
was always wishing me a Happy Birthday?!?!) his street cred took a turn for the better when he dropped the rec specs! Anyone
familiar with my relationship with Jason knows we relate to opposite spectrums in the arena of politics. We’re hoping
to spark a similar “Crossfire” atmosphere with some point/counterpoint pieces in 2005.
Greg Keklak: This guy is the elder of the new school at the Trojan Nation as he’s representing Class of
1987. I’ve known this guy for a very long time! If the joke’s lost on you, he’s my brother and although
he didn’t play football he brings credibility of a different level to the Nation: he holds a degree in Journalism from
Pitt! Greg will make observations from a distance and add an abstract balance to the “jockoracy” that may otherwise
have formed.
Please join me in welcoming these three very valuable additions to the Trojan Nation staff.