Glen Thomas, who graduated from West Middlesex High in June, is on the 2008 Junior World Target Archery Team that is going to Antalya, Turkey, for the Junior World Target Championships from Oct. 6-12.
This year, Glen won the National Indoor JOAD championship and then both the Pennsylvania State Indoor and Outdoor championships. After that, he won his division at the eastern competition, the oldest archery tourney in the country which was hosted locally by Gold-N-Grain Archery. He then placed 3rd at the National Outdoor Target Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Glen will be attending the Pennsylvania College of Technology to study manufacturing engineering technology. The school has an archery team that competes nationally and has had national success.
ä Week one of the 2008 high school football season is in the books and there weren’t too many surprises over the weekend.
The game that caught my attention was Wilmington blowing out Brentwood, 42-7, on Friday. I thought there might be a dropoff in the running game since the Greyhounds lost arguably the state’s best RB in Chris Burns, but as I said in the preview, the Hounds don’t rebuild, they reload.
Terry Verrelli benefits from a great junior varsity program as the Hounds’ JV team hasn’t lost a game (2 ties) in 8 years.
´´ Sharon and Farrell put on a good show. Those Steel Bowl games are always close, hard-hitting affairs.
´´ Greenville and Mercer registered the most exciting wins on Friday up north. David Holiga tossed a 4-yard TD pass to Nate Houpt with 31 seconds left in the game to lift the Trojans past North East, 12-10. Jeff Carniewski rushed for 208 yards and a score for NE but Houpt caught 6 passes for 102 yards.
´´ At Mercyhurst College’s Tullio Field, Mercer coach Pat McClearn’s Mustangs topped Mercyhurst Prep, 26-14, the first regular season loss for MP in more than 2 years (24 games). It was also the first time McClearn has started the season at 1-0 in his 4 seasons at Mercer. Mercer’s only 2 losses of the season last year came at the hands of the Lakers, in the season-opener and in the District 10 Class A title game (21-19).
On Friday, MP led 14-0 and a blocked punt just prior to intermission switched all the momentum to Mercer. The Mustangs blocked the rugby-style punt by Marshall Huntsman with less than 30 seconds prior to the break and recovered at the 25-yard line. Mercer QB Andrew Erdos threw a 16-yard pass to Andy Reda, who then flipped the ball to Terrence Davis in the left flat and Davis powered his way into the end zone with 5.8 ticks left on the clock.
´´ Grove City topped Central, 21-12, at Forker Field on Friday. Stats were never submitted to The Herald. The Eagles’ Mike Burk posted a 1-yard QB sneak and fired a 36-yard TD pass to Dwayne Martin. The other score was a 55-yard run by Joe Kochemba.
´´ Incomplete or no stats at all drive me insane. I keep stats for every kid in our coverage area that touches the ball and I would just like to remind coaches to CALL US after every game. Have an assistant or the statistician call us.
When we start running the stats leaders with our preview each week and a parent doesn’t see his kid’s name on the list, you now know why.
Call us at 981-6100, ext. 250, fax at 981-5116 or e-mail at lsaternow@sharonherald.com.
ä This is the best time of the year as high school and college football kicked off and the NFL regular season starts Thursday.
There were a few upsets in college ball on Saturday, but nothing like last season’s Michigan loss to Appalachian State in the Big House in Ann Arbor. I was rooting for Appy State Saturday vs. LSU, but they weren’t going to sneak up on a team like they did with the Wolverines.
´´ Pitt, which was ranked No. 25 by The AP, suffered an embarrasing loss to Bowling Green (27-17) at Heinz Field. Dave Wannstedt’s days are numbered at Pitt. It’s a good thing Pitt upset WVU last season because that’s all most people remember, even though they stunk it up last year, too.
Some of you might remember the name Nate Waldron of Rochester High. He’s a 5th-year senior WR for BG.
Pitt hosts another MAC team, Buffalo, on Saturday at 6 p.m., and Buffalo hammered UTEP (42-17) last Thursday. Mario Henry (Strong Vincent) is a junior RB for Buffalo.
´´ Terrelle Pryor looked pretty good for Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes on Saturday. Of course, they were playing YSU. But he was 9 carries for 52 yards rushing with 1 TD and was 4-of-6 for 35 yards in passing.
ä The cross country season kicked off on Saturday with the 10th Hornet Harrier Invitational in Hermitage.
The annual West Middlesex Big Red Invitational is this Saturday. Kacey Gibson of Neshannock has won titles the past 2 years, but she graduated and is now running cross country at Florida State.
Gibson and Harbor Creek’s Lauren Zarger have been dominant cross country athletes over the past few years. Zarger, a senior, won her 4th straight title on Saturday at the 35th McDowell Invitational in Erie. Her time was 18:45, nearly a full minute ahead of North East’s Katie Perkins (19:35).
Zarger will run at the Sharpsville Invite on Sept. 20.
Rob Malsom is a sports writer at The Herald
Sports
Related Photos
Thomas heads to Turkey; week 1 of high school football in the books
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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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