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
Tidbits
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WM baseball, Sharpsville and Wilmington softball playing for D-10 titles
Sharpsville and Wilmington softball teams and the West Middlesex baseball squad return to the diamond today to compete for District 10 championships.
SOFTBALL
Class A Championship
Coach Bob Zikovich's Sharpsville Blue Darlings (15-2) battle a tough Saegertown (18-2) squad at 2 p.m. today at Penn State-Behrend in Erie. -
PIAA Track Notebook: KC's Wareham made round trips to "The Ship"
The most impressive race during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships did not take place at Shippensburg University, nor will you read its results in any newspaper on or any web site.
To be sure, it was a race against time, but not in the sense of being defined by a coach’s hand-held device, nor Seth Grove Stadium’s scoreboard clock. -
Hickory girls grab PIAA Class AA Track team title
SHIPPENSBURG — This news bulletin just in: Mercer County athletes dominated during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Nothing new there, you say? Well, perhaps you’re correct, considering how well the area aggregation annually accounts itself on Memorial Day Weekend at Shippensburg University. Therefore it was not surprising how much hardware was hauled home — once again. -
PIAA Track: Hickory's Bell, Lubarski, Regginello grab gold
SHIPPENSBURG — There’s a big difference between being seeded 1st and finishing 1st — Matt Bell can attest to that.
After settling for silver last year, the Hickory High senior put the shot 59 feet, 6 3/4 inches Friday afternoon to garner gold at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University. -
WM to play for D-10 baseball title; GC, Sharon, Sharpsville lose
Four area baseball teams were in action on Friday in the District 10 semifinals as the squads battled to compete for District 10 championships on Monday.
West Middlesex rolled past error-prone Linesville, 8-0, in Class A action at Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park.
In Class AA, both Sharon and Sharpsville suffered 2-1 losses. The Tigers fell to Saegertown at Ainsworth Field in Erie while the Blue Devils lost to Titusville at SRU.
In Class AAA, the Grove City Eagles were denied the chance to defend their D-10 crown after suffering a 6-3 loss to Warren at SRU. -
Farrell volleyball falls in D-10 semifinals
The Farrell High boys volleyball team suffered a 2-0 (25-15, 25-12) loss to Saegertown on Thursday night in the District 10 semifinals at Meadville Area High’s “House of Thrills.”
“This was the first year we made it out of the first day (pool play) of the playoffs,” said Steelers’ coach Dan Dragicevic. “I’d like to cite my seniors (Eric Demus, Anthony Perkins, Jaylen Chambers and Lawrence Hughes). -
Locals ready to go for gold at Shippensburg
Now that Mercer County is on the map, it’s incumbent upon the area aggregation to chart a course for the ultimate destination — Seth Grove Stadium’s medals stand — during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Led by West Middlesex High sprinter Clay Allen, many Mercer Countians are seeded at or near the top of their respective events for the annual 2-day marathon at Shippensburg University, which commences 9 a.m. Friday. It will continue beginning 9 a.m. Saturday. -
D-10 Playoffs: Local teams go 6-for-6
ä Grove City 1, Harbor Creek 0 — At Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park, what the Grove City Eagles couldn’t accomplish themselves, the Harbor Creek Huskies unwittingly did for them.
Unable to plate runs themselves, Torin Smith scored the Eagles’ only run when teammate Tyler Devine’s seeming inning-ending pop-up to left field was dropped by Harbor Creek’s Chris Merritt in the bottom of the 7th inning of Tuesday’s tourney opener. -
Great year for WM track; local qualifiers listed
It’s been a big year for the Big Reds.
Though there’s no official documentation, the 2011-12 academic year may be the most successful in West Middlesex High’s athletic annals. -
SPORTVIEW: Local names Kroko, Lutz, Kareklas in news elsewhere
IT’S ALWAYS GOOD to hear of former area people who have gone on to athletic success in other areas, or the family of former area residents. Following are a few of those stories:
ä Bob and Betty Kroko of Sharon are avid followers of professional baseball. No, not necessarily the Pittsburgh Pirates or Cleveland Indians like many local fans.
The Krokos keep a close eye on the Austria Major League! - More Sports Headlines
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