By CORY ISENBERG and MIKE MASTOVICH
The Tribune-Democrat
January 01, 2009 11:57 pm
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There were many incredible moments in the past year. Here is a look at some of the bigger ones:
Scholastic standouts
The achievements of high school athletes were notable not just on the area level, but also on the state playing field.
n Gary Pfahler of Chestnut Ridge won the PIAA Class AA wrestllng title at 140 pounds, becoming the first Lions grappler to claim state gold.
n The Northern Cambria girls basketball team won silver at the Bryce Jordan Center, losing 52-40 to York Catholic, which claimed its third straight Class AA crown. The Colts finished 29-2 and had a 28-game winning streak halted in the PIAA title game. Seniors Jen Valeria and Brittany Sedlock were complemented by a trio of sophomore starters, Ariel Rocco, Breanna Kochinsky and Janae Dunchock during the silver medal run under coach Eric Thomas.
n The inaugural Tribune-Democrat Senior Hoops Showcase was held in March at Cambria County War Memorial Arena. Boys and girls all-star teams represented the region.
n Just one boy, Jordan Miller of Central Cambria, was selected to The Associated Press all-state basketball team as a second teamer in Class AAA.
Conemaugh Township’s Jamie Gennett and Bishop McCort’s Sarah Pastorek were third team Class AA girls selections on The Associated Press all-state basketball team.
n The area was once again strongly represented at the PIAA Track and Field Championships with Northern Cambria sophomore Janae Dunchack winning gold in the high jump for the second straight year and Central Cambria senior Carly Seymour claiming victory in the 3200 in a state record time of 10 minutes, 31.85 seconds, more than two seconds faster than the previous mark, set in 1980.
n Somerset’s baseball team went to the PIAA championship game at Blair County Ballpark before falling to Berwick 6-2 in the Class AAA title game. Coach Steve Costea’s Golden Eagles, led by six seniors, won 18 of 19 games after stumbling to a 1-5 start. Along the way, Somerset won its first District 6-AAA crown since 1992 and won three state playoff games to reach the championship contest.
n The Central Cambria girls won another PIAA cross country championship sans Carly Seymour, this one by just four points over District 10 West Middlesex.
The highest individual finishers were Forest Hills sophomore Leah Anne Wirfel, who was second overall in the girls race, and Bishop McCort’s Jim Spisak, third among the boys.
Wirfel was named to the first-team state team.
n The North Star girls claimed silver in the PIAA Class A volleyball championship falling 3-1 to Reading Holy Name at York. Coach Tony Crisafulli’s Cougars improved on a third-place finish in the state in 2007. Sophomore middle hitter Emily Lohr was honored by Max Preps American Volleyball Coaches Association as a player of the week after recording 100 kills in the state tournament.
n Eleven area players were first-team all-state selections in volleyball.
In Class A, North Star’s Chelsea Danel, Emily Lohr and Karen Schmidt were all-state selections along with Northern Cambria’s Breanna Kochinsky and Becky Petrisko, and joined by Windber’s Ashley Steinbach.
In Class AA, Westmont’s Lindsey Pavlikowski, Richland’s Chloe Devett, Bedford’s Brandi Harris, Penn Cambria’s Stephanie Basile and Somerset’s Chelsea Shaulis were first-team selections.
n Senior forward Laura Stayrook of Richland and sophomore Dylan Horne of Richland, also a forward, were first-team all-state selections in soccer. Stayrook finished her career as Richland’s all-time leading scorer with 127 goals, and also set the single-season record with 43 goals this past season after netting 41 as a junior.
n Ten area football players earned state recognition, being selected to The Associated Press teams, including six players on the first team.
In Class AAA, Johnstown’s Dave Istanich, earned a first-team nod along with five players in Class A: Bishop McCort’s Shane Rugg, Dane Domonkos and Eric Lowry; and Bishop Carroll’s Steve Greene and James McCombie.
Second team members in Class A were Portage’s Kevin Stager and Windber’s Kevin Erickson while Zak Newton of Penn Cambria and John McCarty of Forest Hills were second teamers in Class AA.
Mountain Cats milestones
UPJ was in the spotlight throughout the year:
n In wrestling, Albert Miles captured the national title at 174 pounds in the NCAA Division II tournament.
n In its first full season of competition in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), the men’s basketball team claimed the regular-season title.
The squad also earned its third bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament, losing in the East Region semifinal to Millersville, completing a 23-8 season that included a 17-3 WVIAC mark.
Mountain Cats coach Bob Rukavina won his 300th game on Feb. 21, 83-67 over Salem International University and is 303-212 overall.
n Men’s basketball player Chris Gilliam, a Baltimore native, received multiple honors as his senior season came to an end. The forward finished second all-time with 1,762 career points and third with 699 career rebounds at UPJ.
He was named the WVIAC Player of the Year.
Gilliam was also selected to the first team East Region by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and was chosen a Daktronics second-team All-American as selected by the NCAA Division II sports information directors.
n The baseball team broke the single-season win record with 37 victories and hosted both the WVIAC and North Atlantic Regional tournaments at Point Stadium. Coach Todd Williams’ Cats went 37-19-1 for their fifth consecutive season with 20 or more wins.
Welcome aboard
n Mount Aloysius College discarded the label “provisional” regarding its NCAA Division III membership.
In August, Sister Mary Ann Dillon, president of Mount Aloysius College, and new Athletic Director Ryan Smith formally announced that the Mount gained full membership in Division III.
Mount Aloysius initially applied for Division III membership in 2001-02 and re-applied the next academic year before beginning NCAA provision membership beginning in 2004-05. After four academic years, the college and its 11 men’s and women’s sports teams received notification on Aug. 15 that the program had successfully completed the provisional membership requirements.
n The end of the Bobby Jones era at the helm of the St. Francis men’s basketball program meant the start of the Don Friday regime. The former coach of Lycoming for the past five years, Friday had also spent nine years on the staff at Bucknell.
Jones had spent nine years as the head coach of the Red Flash.
n Mount Aloysius hired Brad Griesheimer to lead its men’s soccer team. Griesheimer spent 14 years as the coach at Johnstown Christian, leading the boys team to 11 Allegheny Christian Athletic Association titles and a PIAA District 5 championship. He was named Somerset County Coach of the Year in 2007.
n Penn Cambria graduate Carmen Felus is the new head coach of the NCAA Division III Juniata College football team. Felus worked most recently as the assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He worked there for three seasons.
Prior to that, Felus was offensive coordinator at IUP from 2000 to 2005, working for now retired coach Frank Cignetti.
Record throws
n Karlee McQuillen had a successful transition throwing the javelin from high school to the college ranks as a freshman at Penn State.
In her first season of collegiate competition, Westmont Hilltop graduate McQuillen established Penn State and American Junior records in the javelin.
A two-time Nike Outdoor National champion, McQuillen won the javelin competition at the NCAA East Regional Track and Field Meet with a regional record-setting throw of 175 feet, 10 inches and in her first trip to the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Iowa, she finished ninth.
The two-time PIAA champion also competed on the U.S. team at the 2008 IAAF World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Changing, charging Chiefs
n Ian Herbers’ first year as head coach of the Chiefs was a success. Herbers led Johnstown to a 36-30-6 mark and fourth place in the North Division. The Chiefs swept Dayton in a best-of-3 playoff series before falling to eventual Kelly Cup champion Cincinnati.
Herbers’ second season has started even better than his first, as the current Chiefs became the fastest Johnstown team in 21 ECHL seasons to reach the 20-win mark, doing so on Sunday in a 5-4 overtime victory against visiting Elmira.
Defenseman Jon Landry and goaltender Kris Mayotte, a Pittsburgh native, each were named ECHL All-Star Game starters, only the second time the Chiefs have had two starters in the all-star event.
n Away from the ice, the Chiefs faced many changes. Long-time Vice President of Business Operations Kevin McGeehan stepped down and another vice president, Doug Nelson, moved on to a position with the Cleveland Cavaliers organization.
Roustan United assumed management of the Chiefs during the summer and the group has been eyed as a potential new owner of the team.
Former ECHL linesman Bill Bredin was named the Chiefs’ general manager shortly before the start of the 2008-09 regular season.
In the books
n The Penguins made a historic run for the Stanley Cup, coming up just short, losing 4-2 to the Detroit Red Wings. The Pens had a strong local flavor with Johnstown natives Dana Heinze (head equipment manager), Chris Stewart (head athletic trainer) and Dave Zeigler (equipment assistant) performing away from the ice, and former Johnstown Chiefs goaltender Dany Sabourin serving as a back-up.
n Rickie Fowler, the nation’s No. 1 ranked college player from Oklahoma State, repeated as champion of the 55th Sunnehanna Amateur Tournament for Champions on the par-70 Sunnehanna Country Club course.
n Bishop McCort graduate Matt Moot swept the two city golf events with victories in the City Championship and the Greater Johnstown. Moot earned his second invite to the Sunnehanna Tournament for Champions by winning the Greater J.
Moot, a Campbell University product, shot a final-round 75 and finished at 294 in his first Sunnehanna Amateur appearance in June. Later that month, he won his second City Championship with a one-stroke margin. In July, Moot won a Pennsylvania Golf Association Open Qualifier, and a month later, he claimed his second straight Greater J.
n The 15th annual AAABA Hall of Fame class was headed by Johnstown’s Dee Dee Osborne, a former Johnstown Tournament manager and general manager who entered the Hall with Wayne Pietri of New Orleans and Philadelphia’s Ruben Amaro Jr. Former Pirates pitcher Bob Friend was the keynote speaker.
n Johnstown was represented by Delweld at the 64th annual AAABA Tournament and manager Rick Roberts’ squad went 2-2. In its fourth tournament appearance as the local representative, Delweld improved to 13-8 all-time, the most wins by one Johnstown franchise.
n The Baltimore franchise, Youse’s Maryland Orioles, captured its sixth straight AAABA championship and 26th overall at Point Stadium in the finale of the 64th AAABA Tournament with a 9-1 victory over Washington’s McLean Raiders.
n For the third time in four years, the B. Hale Boilers returned to the Pony League World Series in Washington, Pa. Manager Josh Day’s squad earned its first-ever World Series win, 6-2 over Gurabo, Puerto Rico, in the opening round.
What a catch
n Greater Johnstown High School graduate Geroy Simon continued to be a force in the Canadian Football League. A veteran slot back, Simon passed Jim Young as the British Columbia Lions’ all-time leading receiver on July 25.
This season Simon caught 82 passes for 1,418 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Lions went 11-7.
He has 609 receptions for 10,277 receiving yards in eight seasons with British Columbia and has 694 catches for 11,308 CFL receiving yards overall counting two years in Winnipeg.
Olympic Glory
n Two former area athletes competed in the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, in August – Rockwood’s Sam Sacksen in the men’s pentathlon and Woodbury’s Brian Sell, a former St. Francis University All-American, in the men’s marathon.
Sacksen was the top American finisher in the pentathlon with a 5,280 score, which was good for 18th overall. Sell placed 22nd in the men’s marathon with a time of 2:16.07.
Bowl Bound
n The Johnstown region was well-represented in the Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas. Pitt senior tailback-special teams player LaRod Stephens-Howling closed out a successful career.
The Johnstown graduate was a four-year contributor for the Panthers.
Johnstown graduate Antwuan Reed also played the final eight regular-season games at safety for the Panthers and made the trip to El Paso. Johnstown’s Scott Corson, Bishop McCort’s Wayne Jones and Mike Cruz and Richland’s Marco Pecora also are in the Panthers’ program.
Penn State made its visit to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena with a Johnstown presence. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has been a key part of the Lions’ success. Former Steelers linebacker and Hall of Famer Jack Ham is part of the Penn State radio broadcast team. Bradley and Ham each are Bishop McCort graduates who played at Penn State.
In the Hall
n The Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame inducted nine new members in its Class of 2008: Dr. James P. Bradley, sports medicine; Patty Bradley-Marino, track and field; William Crooks, golf; Ed Denk, football; Mike Holtz, baseball; Stephanie Istvan, volleyball; Ron Nathanic, basketball; Tom Vargo, football; and Mindy Young-Gagliardi, basketball.
n Johnstown’s Pete Vuckovich was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in November.
Vuckovich, a Conemaugh Valley High School graduate, won the American League Cy Young Award in 1982 and had previously been inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Hall and is a member of the AAABA Hall of Fame and Cambria County Hall of Fame.
n The second class of the UPJ Athletics Hall of Fame was announced with induction set for April 4, 2009. Inductees will include: Carlton Haselrig (wrestling), Clyde Horner (head coach), Joachim Knispel (men’s soccer), Paul Leonard (baseball), Dave Roman Sr. (men’s basketball) and Mindy Young-Gagliardi (women’s basketball).
Changes in venues
Various sporting venues throughout the region saw significant changes and improvements.
n An operational performance assessment of Cambria County War Memorial Arena and the Johnstown Chiefs recommended privatization of the arena. The $35,700 study by the Bassewitz Group was paid for by the county and the Greater Johnstown Partnership.
After months of speculation, the county commissioners announced in late December that a deal had been reached that could hand over management of the arena to Global Spectrum, a Philadelphia company that has partnered with Roustan United, the group that manages the Chiefs.
The agreement had yet to be finalized as the New Year approached.
n Baseball, football and soccer players and fans got to the Point this year.
The recently renovated stadium and its artificial playing surface have been a hit. Games and practices were held as early as March, with UPJ’s baseball team rescheduling most of its home games to the city diamond. The Mountain Cats hosted the WVIAC Tournament and the NCAA Division II North Atlantic Regional. Officials from both organizations marveled over the Point, contrasting the seemingly endless local criticism of the facility.
High School, AAABA League and Johnstown recreation baseball filled out most of the spring and summer schedule, with the annual AAABA Tournament played in August. Bishop McCort played its home football and boys and girls soccer games at the Point from late August through early November.
For the first time ever, the annual Point Stadium Award will have nine monthly nominees vying for the top honor and accompanying scholarship.
n Another baseball diamond was reborn this year, as the Greater Johnstown Middle School field formerly known as Fichtner Field underwent major renovations. Johnstown high school plays its home baseball games on the field, and the AAABA Tournament officially played its first games at the site in August.
n A grassroots effort saved taxpayers money and brought a state-of-the-art scoreboard to Portage’s football stadium. Former Mustangs player and current school board member Tyler Trimbath spearheaded a fund-raising drive for a $115,000 state-of-the-art video screen scoreboard that is 43 feet long and 38 feet high. A 12-by-12 digital screen can play video.
n Somerset High School completed the second phase of its football stadium and field house construction in time for the fall season. Last year the Golden Eagles played on new turf. This year the scoreboard was installed, a spacious field house was constructed and a press box that rivals college facilities was in use.
Passing on
The sports community lost some friends in 2008:
n Ferndale Borough councilman Joe Corle died in February. The former Ferndale school board member was well known in the local sports arena – serving as a public address announcer, radio color man, coach and official at local games.
n Former Portage athletes Richard McKrush Jr., Joseph Krug Jr., Eric Secriskey and Ryan J. Zunich as well as Ligonier Valley standout Brandon Boyd were killed in separate car accidents in July.
n Former North Star wrestling state champion Gary Kaltenbaugh died in August at 43. A legend at North Star, Kaltenbaugh won a PIAA title in 1983 and later returned to coach at various levels. He helped build the foundation of a program that has dominated Somerset County for the better part of a decade.
n Paul Newman never resided in Johnstown, but the city and its hockey fans adopted the Oscar-winning actor as one of their own after his realistic portrayal of player-coach Reg Dunlop in the 1977 motion picture “Slap Shot” filmed in the city during the spring of 1976. Newman died in September after a battle with cancer. The Johnstown Chiefs wear a commemorative No. 7 patch on their uniform this year in honor of Newman’s Dunlop character.
n Jesse Isenberg died in November. The former sports writer at The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat joined newspaper staff in 1958 and covered Johnstown sports until his retirement in July 1991. Isenberg continued to produce free-lance work for the paper for several months after his retirement also becoming a correspondent for The Altoona Mirror in his native Blair County. He covered the AAABA Tournament for both newspapers and was inducted into the AAABA Hall of Fame in 2003.
n Paul Hollern, a well-known and respected sports statistician for 40-plus years at Bishop McCort High School, died in December.
Hollern’s accuracy and attention to detail were greatly appreciated by local media.
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