By Rob Malsom
Herald Sports Writer
IN A RECENT column I discussed Lakeview High senior basketball standout Sheena Aden signing last week with Division II University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Aden made visits to St. Bonaventure and Bucknell but decided to take the full scholarship to UPJ.
Lakeview coach Steve Aden, his daughter and her teammates open the season Dec. 1 at the Grove City Kiser Classic.
Aden has 1,886 points and is set to become the 7th female in District 10 history to reach 2,000 career points. Conneaut Lake High’s Becky McMaster (2,170) is Crawford County’s career cage scoring leader.
ä Former New Castle assistant coach Ralph Blundo is an assistant under Larry Ondako with the Westminster College men’s basketball team this season.
Blundo was the top assistant under NeCaHi coach John Sarandrea for the past seven seasons. Prior to that he was the head coach at George Junior Republic.
Blundo played for Westminster in 1994 and ’95 after transferring from Monmouth. In 1993-94, Blundo and the Titans went 25-3 and advanced to the NAIA Division I tournament, losing to Drury (Mo.) 74-66 in the second round.
Current Titans David Richards and Dom Joseph played for New Castle, and Craig Hannon, whose father Bob is a sportscaster for WYTV in Youngstown, played high school hoops at Union.
ä Matt Jones, who was a standout basketball player at East High in Erie, has been named the team’s head coach. Jones, who graduated from East in 2000 and went on to play for Jerry Slocum at Gannon University, replaces Mike Pisano, who resigned.
ä Switching to high school football. It’s hard to imagine a more exciting game than Sharpsville’s 20-17 double-overtime win against Mercyhurst Prep last Friday.
Over in District 9, Bradford defeated Clearfield 37-30 in 2OT to win the D-9 Class AAA championship game on Friday at Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium. It was the first D-9 title game to go to OT in 16 years.
The Owls took the lead on a 23-yard TD pass from Ben Walter to E.J. Moore, then the Bradford defense stopped Clearfield on four plays for the victory. Clearfield had a shot at winning the game in regulation, but a 37-yard field goal by Kyle Kline was blocked.
Bradford played Clearfield in Week 1 and mercy-ruled them, 56-35.
Clearfield has won the D-9 Class AAA crown the past two seasons. Bradford has won four since 2000.
That other D-9 title game to go to OT was in 1990 when Clarion-Limestone beat Clarion Area 21-14 in Class A.
ä Also in D-9, Curwensville (10-2) will face Coudersport (12-0) 5 p.m. Saturday at Clarion University for the Class A championship.
It is the first time in 93 seasons in District 9 that two teams have played each other three times in one season. Coudy, the defending Class A champs, beat Curwensville 20-12 in week one and 14-6 three weeks ago in the Allegheny Mountain League title tilt.
Coudy has won D-9 Class A titles in 1994, 2001 and last season.
ä Chuck Tanner’s son, Bruce, has been named major league advance scout for the Detroit Tigers. Bruce, 45, is a Neshannock Township resident.
Detroit is a haven for former Pittsburgh Pirates. Current Detroit manager Jim Leyland succeeded Bruce’s father as the Bucs’ skipper in 1986; former Buccos’ manager Lloyd McClendon is the hitting coach; former Pirates center fielder Andy Van Slyke is first base coach and his former teammate, shortstop Rafael Belliard, is the bench coach, and Gene Lamont, who also managed the Pirates, is third base coach.
Tanner was the Pirates’ bullpen coach for five seasons before McClendon and some of his staff got axed in 2005. Last season, he was the Bucs’ pitching coach for their Advanced Rookie League team in Williamsport.
Chuck Tanner is a scout for the Cleveland Indians.
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Aden nears 2,000-point plateau; Blundo joins Westminster hoop staff
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Roundup: Hickory girls beat Franklin in battle of 5-AAA leaders
Knowing its male counterparts upset Franklin 48 hours earlier, the Hickory High girls basketball team was not to be outdone.
Forcing Franklin into a substandard shooting performance, the Lady Hornets harvested a 53-42 District 10 Region 5-AAA win Monday night. -
SPORTVIEW: Reynolds, Greenville are 2 of state's historic programs
CONGRATULATIONS TO the Reynolds High wrestling program which became the fastest Class AA team in the history of the state to reach 700 wins last weekend.
The program, which began in 1960-61 under coach Dick Sherwood, has set a torrid pace for winning since that 4-4 season.
Ironically, the school’s 700th victory came Saturday in the District 10 Dual Meet Championships against long-time rival Greenville, which went over the 700-win plateau in 2009. Greenville is believed to be the first AA team to reach 700 wins, while Reynolds did it in the shortest time. -
Hickory soccer standouts Free, Richards to Ashland University
Hickory High girls’ soccer coach B.J. Rudge believes the bar has been elevated, and his Lady Hornets have helped hoist it.
“In general, soccer has grown in this area ... and what our girls have accomplished is a reflection of the whole (Shenango) Valley,” Rudge recently observed. -
Ft. LeBoeuf beats Reynolds at D-10 AA Team Duals
EDINBORO — The Reynolds Raiders notched the school’s 700th victory in the semifinals of the District 10 Dual Meet Championships Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Raiders, No. 701 will have to come later.
The Raiders topped long-time rival Greenville, 51-16, in the semis to become the first Class AA school in Pennsylvania history to 700 wins. However, in the D-10 finals at Edinboro University’s McComb Field House, the Raiders fell to familiar foe Fort LeBoeuf, 31-28. -
Roundup: Popatak hits 1,000; Hickory, Farrell, Sharon boys win 6-AAA contests
ä Hickory 64, Franklin 52 — At “The Castle” in Franklin, the Knights (9-3, 15-3) led 28-21 at halftime, but coach Nick Cannone’s Hornets (11-2, 13-5) came storming back and outscored the hosts 24-9 in the 3rd quarter and 19-15 in the 4th to win a key Region 6-AAA clash.
Vinnie Mastrian rifled in a career-high 28 points to lead Hickory while Matt Votino scored 22. -
Roundup: WM, Sharpsville, Lakeview grab region wins
When in doubt, defer to Dogan.
West Middlesex High junior point guard Matt Dogan dominated the 2nd half of Friday night’s District 10 Region 1-A contest with visiting VisionQuest.
Dogan deposited 18 of his game-high 27 points after intermission, converting 12 of 16 free-throw attempts, leading the Big Reds to their 9th consecutive conquest, 56-41. -
Greenville's Zahniser headed to St. Francis
Nico Zahniser believes four years of scholastic football prepared him for the next level — and learning how to win and lose was only part of the process.
The Greenville High senior committed to St. Francis University of Loretto earlier this week, where he hopes to become part of a Red Flash resurgence under coach Chris Villarrrial. -
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Roundup: Hickory, Sharon, GC boys grab 6-AAA wins
The District 10 Class AA Team Dual-Meet Championships have been owned by Reynolds and Fort LeBoeuf since its inception, with the Raiders winning 10 titles under now retired coach Brian Hills and the Bison winning the other 3.
The two teams are heavily favored to meet again Saturday in the finals of the tourney at Edinboro University’s McComb Field House which expands to 8 teams this year for the first time. The top 2 teams advance to the state tourney the following weekend. - More Sports Headlines
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