By Patrick Connelly
Allied News Sports Editor
EDINBORO — Getting back to the Sharon High brand of football seen for decades under former coach Jim Wildman is something the Tigers latest mentor Bob Fromm has made his personal mantra.
And as far as Fromm is concerned, the Tigers did just that with a huge 21-14 win Saturday night over the unbeaten Lancers to advance to the District 10 Class AA championship tilt.
“We’re FINALLY back to playing Sharon High football!,” the excited and emotional coach said moments after watching his defense shutdown McLane’s last-ditch effort to tie the game in the contest’s whining moments.
“That was his thing ... being on that (practice and game) field and seeing the Christmas lights come on,” Fromm said of Wildman's philosophy, one he came to understand well while playing for the great coach in the 1990s.
“It’s been a goal of ours ... we're excited,” the coach continued. “I’m real proud of the kids this season ... It’s a fun bunch to coach nothing bothers them. They just overcome any kind of adversity that's thrown at them.”
It didn’t take long for the Tigers to set the tone in the contest, scoring on just the team’s 4th play from scrimmage off a 15-yard touchdown run by Kevin Brown about 2 1/2 minutes into the game.
Jason Sypolt’s extra point sailed through the uprights to give Sharon a 7-0 lead.
The Lancers fired right back, as quarterback Nick Lombardo orchestrated a 12-play, 67-yard scoring drive. Kyle Shinn ran the ball into the end zone from 1 yard out for the 6 points and a PAT by David Olszewski knotted the score at 7 apiece.
An offensive drought that ended the 1st fram continued into the 2nd as both teams only tallied 4 first downs and each exchanged 2 punts.
On Sharon’s first offensive possession of the 2nd half, the Tigers took the ball 68 yards on 6 plays on a drive sustained by a 38-yard run on a quarterback keeper by Sharon’s fill-in signal-caller Jason Ondic.
Kevin Brown scored on a 12-yard run. The Lancers blocked Sypolt’s PAT to leave the Tigers up only 13-7.
Ondic, who relieved Ron Howard late in the season after an injury benched the senior, ran for 184 yards on 22 carries on the Lancers.
Lombardo ran for a McLane TD from 8 yards out with 7:13 remaining in the 4th. Olszewski’s PAT put McLane up 14-13.
The Tigers then rallied for an 11-play drive, scoring off a 2-yard Brown run. Another run by Brown on the 2-point-conversion attempt into the end zone put Sharon up 21-14 with 1:22 left.
McLane moved the ball 64 yards in 6 plays in the remaining time, but incomplete passes by Lombardo on consecutive plays stymied the Lancers chances.
The Sharon win ended the unblemished Lancers (11-1) season.
The Tigers (10-2) will take on a familiar foe in Wilmington as the teams vie for the D-10 title.
———
D-10 CLASS AA SEMIFINALS
SHARON 7 0 6 8 21
G. McLANE 7 0 0 7 14
Scoring plays
S — Ondic, 15 run (J. Sypolt kick)
GM — Shinn, 1 run (Olszewski kick)
S — K. Brown, 12 run (kick blocked)
GM — Lombardo, 8 run (Olszewski kick)
S — K. Brown, 2 run (K. Brown run)
Team stats
SHARON G. McLANE
13 First downs 11
237 Rushing yards 163
-6 Passing yards 59
5-2-0 Att-comp-int 14-7-1
231 Total yards 222
0-0 Fumbles-lost 4-1
7-60 Penalties-yards lost 5-35
Individual stats
Rushing: SHARON — Ondic 22-184, K. Brown 14-41, Spicer 2-7, C. Brown 2-5; GEN. McLANE — Lombardo 8-75, Lee 21-46, Shinn 8-35, Shesterenko 1-7.
Passing: SHARON — Ondic 4-2-0-(-6), Crawford 1-0-0-0; GEN. McLANE — Lombardo 13-6-1-48, Astorino 1-1-0-11.
Receiving: SHARON — Bittler 1-0, Spicer 1-(-6); GEN. McLANE — Kulka 4-34, Niswonger 2-12, Ponsoll 1-13.
Sports
Related Photos
Sharon shocks Gen. McLane with 21-14 win at Edinboro Univ.
- Sports
-
-
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! -
Petty an all-around great athlete in track and gymnastics
When Mercer County’s contingent convenes at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships this weekend, it will be well represented
Clay Allen, Matt Bell, John Yohman, Johnathan Jacoway, Jeremy Jansco, Nico Zahniser, DeShawn Coleman, Dan Jaskowak, et all, should haul home some hardware. But with all due respect, the aforementioned young men may or may not be best athletes in the area’s aggregation that will assemble this weekend at Shippensburg University. -
Lubarski, Richards, Petty, Allen shine at D-10 Track Championships; Hickory girls, WM boys team champs
Hickory High’s high-jump state champion Lauren Lubarski suffered a severe blow to open her competion at the annual District 10 Class AA Track & Field Championships Saturday at Hickory HIgh Stadium.
She failed to qualify for state in the event she had won the previous year. -
Baseball, softball D-10 playoff pairings
The District 10 pairings for the baseball and softball playoffs have been released. Five area baseball teams and four (possibly 5) softball squads have qualified.
- More Sports Headlines
-
