Published: June 17, 2007 11:36 pm            

Cory Isenberg | Baseball, softball crown champs

State champions were crowned in four classifications at both the PIAA baseball and softball finals on Friday and Saturday and one team in each sport was from District 6.

Bald Eagle Area didn’t win the District 6 Class AA baseball title, finishing as the runner-up to Philipsburg-Osceola, but the Eagles claimed the PIAA crown Saturday at Blair County Ballpark with a 6-1 victory over Kutztown. It was Bald Eagle’s first state baseball championship.

The District 6 champion Philipsburg-Osceola softball team captured the Class AA title on Friday at Shippensburg University with an 11-6 win over District 3 champion Brandywine Heights.

It was the first state team title in any sport for Philipsburg-Osceola.

The Mounties coach Jim Gonder, who nearly died of a heart attack about seven months ago, suffered through three straight semifinal losses from 1993 to 1995 by a combined four runs and a 1-0 loss to Valley View in the 2000 state finals.

Gonder’s daughters, freshman Kelsey and senior Mackenzie, were both on this year’s winning team.

District 9 champion Curwensville claimed the Class A softball title with a 7-3 victory over District 3 champ Upper Dauphin while in Class AAAA, District 7 champion Latrobe lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to District 1 titlist Pennsbury.

In Class AAA, the all-eastern final had District 3-3 Susquehannock edging District 1 champion Springfield Delco 3-2.

In the other baseball games, Punxsutawney, the District 9 winner, came from behind to defeat District 1 runner-up Marple Newton 5-4 in Class AAA, District 11 champ Minersville downed District 9 champ Johnsonburg, 4-1 in Class A, and District 7-3 Seneca Valley exploded for eight runs on seven hits in the top of the ninth to belt District 1 champ Souderton 9-1 in Class AAAA.

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The Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association (PSFCA) East-West All-Star Football Game announced last week that Second Lieutenant Anthony Piccioni will serve as the keynote speaker for this Friday’s awards banquet at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona.

Piccioni was a Circle of Excellence Award winner on the 2002 West All-Star squad. He is a graduate of Bishop Carroll High School, where he helped the Huskies win three District 6 Class A championships and make three appearances in the PIAA Western Final.

Piccioni attended the U.S. Naval Academy, earning three varsity letters. He played in every game in 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons for the Midshipmen. The linebacker/special teams star was voted the Most Inspirational Player by his teammates in 2005.

The seventh annual PSFCA East-West All-Star week, which began Sunday when the athletes arrived in Altoona, has one area participant, Bishop McCort linebacker Scott Lewis.

The East will battle the West at 7 p.m. Saturday at Mansion Park.

        

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