The 24th edition of the annual Mercer County Cup will take place this afternoon as the Grove City and Thiel college football teams renew their Presidents’ Athletic Conference rivalry beginning 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium/Stoeber Field, Greenville.
Since the county cup competition began, Grove City leads the series 14-9, but the Wolverines have not won since 2003 (16-15). The Tomcats have taken the last trio of tilts, including ’04 (24-9), ’05 (30-0) and ’06 (20-0).
The Wolverines (2-2, 2-4) whipped Bethany (36-15) last week as quarterback Andrew DiDonato passed for 190 yards and rushed for another 77, including a 13-yard touchdown, while Ian Tobin tallied 2 TDs and also hauled in a 2-point conversion. Conversely, Thiel (1-2, 2-4) battled at perennial PAC power and nationally-ranked Washington & Jefferson for 3-plus periods, trailing 14-12, before bowing (28-12).
DiDonato is among the PAC passing pacesetters (112 completions, 188 attempts, 1,043 yards, 3 TDs), with loop leader Tobin (50 catches, 257 yards) his favorite target, along with Jay Yanak (22-280, 12.7) and Stephen Mercer (17-208, 12.2, 2 TDs). Grove City’s ground game is paced by Matt Weil (94 carries, 335 yards, 3.6 yards/carry, 6 TDs) and DiDonato (91-219, 2.4, 2 TDs).
In the absence of starting signal-caller Willie Bova (68 of 132, 731 yards, 2 TDs) — who sustained an ankle injury 2 weeks ago in a win over Bethany — the Tomcats’ twosome of Danny Hess (105-400, 3.8, 4 TDs) and Steve Minton (73-373, 5.1, 2 TDs) have effectively moved the ball overland. Marc LaScola has filled in capably in Bova’s absence in a spread-shotgun formation, yet continues to lead Thiel in receiving (27-256), bolstered by John Adams (20-294, 14.7).
Weil is the Wolverines’ leading scorer (36), while placekicker Sammy Koyl leads Thiel (24), having converted 6 of 7 PATs and 6 of 7 field-goal attempts. He launched 3 field goals against Bethany.
GCC’s defense has been spearheaded by linebackers Adam Eichler (62 tackles) and Bill Waugh (58, including a team-high 30 solos) and cornerback Mike Baker (37), while Sam Swartzfager (48 tackles, including 23 solos), linebacker Michael Stimac (44) and end Chris Lorber (41) lead Thiel.
Both coaches lead their respective alma maters. Chris Smith of Grove City (’72) is the dean of PAC gridiron mentors — the only conference coach to win back-to-back crowns (1997-98, led by former West Middlesex High standout and former D-III All-American R.J. Bowers) — and the school’s all-time winningest field boss (90-134-2), while his coaching counterpart Jack Leipheimer (’74) is in his 7th season as the Tomcats’ taskmaster (33-35). Smith is 14-9 against Thiel, while Leipheimer has led his teams to 5 wins in 6 meetings against the Grovers. Leipheimer led Thiel to the ’05 PAC plateau, a school single-season standard 11 wins, and an NCAA Division III playoff win.
Notes: The game will be broadcast on NewsTalk 790 (WPIC AM), with Hugh Ringer and Rod Wilt calling the action, as well as WSAJ (91.1 FM), with Ryan Briggs and Todd Messer making the call. Pre-game shows begin at 12:30 p.m. ... Among local student-athletes, Pete Polesnak (Kennedy Catholic High) is a 6-foot-5, 255-pound freshman who starts at left offensive tackle for GCC, while junior Matt Turek (Grove City High) is a 5-10, 230-pound starting defensive tackle for the Tomcats. .... Only a sophomore, DiDonato already is GCC’s career leader in completions (263) and ranks 4th in passing yards (2,597). He is the 1st GCC quarterback to post back-to-back 1,000-plus yards passing seasons.
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Thiel, GCC battle for Mercer County Cup
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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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